Go Ahead, Be Judgy
Behold The King • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Where do you get your standards from? Do you follow your own standards?
We should carefully examine where we get our standards for judgment before endeavoring to influence/help others.
Today we have an emotional based judgment culture.
“Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience.Humanists ground values in human welfare shaped by human circumstances, interests, and concerns and extended to the global ecosystem and beyond. We are committed to treating each person as having inherent worth and dignity, and to making informed choices in a context of freedom consonant with responsibility”- Humanist manifesto III 1933
If someone says something that you do not agree with, it does not matter what facts are shown, most condemn and unjustly call for the person to be emotionally abused.
The purpose of influencing and helping should not be to show others how awesome or godly you are, because we all sin as well as blindspots in morality and logic. God can use his children to influence others when his children allow the gospel to transform them.
This morning we are going to look at Jesus’ Biblical process of being a positive judgy person.
Standards Are Not The Goal
Standards Are Not The Goal
Are standards helpful in developing godliness?
Krinete - Judge; pass judgment
Sense: to evaluate - to form a critical opinion of something (either positive or negative) by examination or scrutiny. Verb, present, active, imperative, second person, plural / finite verb.
Judgments can either be positive or negative. That does not mean positive judgments wont offend anyone or negative judgments make people mad.
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
“That laundry is not very clean,” she said. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?”
The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
Standards are healthy when they are the product of a pure relationship with God. Standards set as the goal of being pure is close to becoming idolatry.
Because God is morally upright and created mankind in his image mankind is required to live a holy life.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
God makes it clear through scripture that man is incapable of attaining holiness through their own effort, humanity is completely deprived of the ability to please God through righteous works.
But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
The Standards found in the law show us that we miss the mark of godliness.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
After receiving God’s grace through faith the redeemed individual is now baptized and empowered through the Holy Spirit with the ability to walk in the Spirit. This grace guides the believer to live wisely, righteously, and godly throughout this life.
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
“‘Judge every man in the scale of merit;’ i.e let the scale incline towards the side of merit or acquittal” - Bishop Lightfoot
H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., St. Matthew, vol. 1, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 280.
Evaluate Your Motives First
Evaluate Your Motives First
God is ultimately the only one that has authority to remove blind spots. God has given authority to the individual to take action in evaluating their life and making decisions towards purity.
“for thus He spake; Have mercy, that ye may receive mercy: forgive, that it may be forgiven to you. As ye do, so shall it be done to you. As ye give, so shall it be given unto you. As ye judge, so shall ye be judged. As ye show kindness, so shall kindness be showed unto you. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured withal to you. 3With this commandment and these precepts let us confirm ourselves, that we may walk in obedience to His hallowed words, with lowliness of mind. For the holy word saith, 4Upon whom shall I look, save upon him that is gentle and quiet and feareth Mine oracles?” - Clement
Joseph Barber Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, The Apostolic Fathers (London: Macmillan and Co., 1891), 62–63.
Mankind often perverts the desire to see others act morally as their God given authority to correct every wrongdoer or supposed sinful aspect of culture.
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
God desires mankind to be good and righteous not simply to make a nation good or righteous, but to glorify Himself.
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Righteousness exalteth a nation: But sin is a reproach to any people.
An outward moral conformity will soon lead to outright rebellion towards those who are forcing the morality. God can make a nation whole, pure, and righteous but He does so through transformation of individuals. This transformation comes through reflecting upon truth and submitting to God’s solution for the sinfulness of man.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Let The Holy Spirit Be The Holy Spirit
Let The Holy Spirit Be The Holy Spirit
Believers must consider their responsibility to God as primary. This will lead to a compassion for others. Biblically there is a time to back away from certain individuals.
A person that has been regenerated, through faith in Jesus, has the ability to walk in the Spirit. The Spirit of God can use anyone to impact anyone else. The believer must be aware of the fact that God is infinite but as a human they are finite. There are human limitations each person must take into consideration. There are only 24 hours in a day. There are people that certain individuals are not going to be able to impact with the gospel. Someone who speaks only mandarin is not going to make a major impact on someone who only speaks english on their first meeting.
Furthermore, there are people that have sold themselves to sinful behaviors. The believer is not commanded to make these individuals their best friends forever. God can use the person who says, “I am not going to seek counsel from this angry individual because their judgment is impaired due to the overwhelming anger within.” This is a biblical way of not casting your holy pearls before the individual that is convinced that you will one day be turned to immorality just as they are.
Make no friendship with an angry man; And with a furious man thou shalt not go:
God never stops influencing anyone. He is the only One that can actively influence everyone all at once.
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
God sometimes uses people as the contractor uses a hammer to drive the nail. The contractor will place the nail, swing the hammer to drive the nail in place, and then move on to the next nail.
Conclusion:
Go ahead, be judgy. But let your judgment be guided by the Gospel! Remember that you choose to be led by the Spirit but you cannot force anyone else submit to Him. When you come to that time of correction in those God has given you to influence, remember we do not influence for our glory or purpose, we must desire to glorify God and to treat others with the mercy and truth that we desire from others.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.