Man on a Mission: Judgments and the Judge
Matthew 7:1-12 (NIV)
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
We constantly live under the palpable pressure of judgments. Judgments at work, judgments in the home, judgment from family members and judgment from neighbors drive our daily thinking and activity more than we'd like to admit. To fully embrace the life of God, we must acknowledge the pressure of judgments, identify improper judgments, and find freedom with Jesus the benevolent judge. We will study these by reflecting on common adages that we hear in regards to judgments and why they don't work.
The Pressure of Judgments
1) "Only God can judge me."
The truth is that in this life, you will not escape judgments. Whether you are directing an account at a firm that will eventually be audited, a mother who has to consistently discipline your children to prepare them for society, a teacher in a school who will be graded on the test scores of your pupils, or a man working out trying to catch the eye of a lovely young woman in the city, there will be a reckoning for the manner in which you live your life.
“I shall tell you a great secret my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment, it takes place every day.” ― Albert Camus (Nobel Prize winning Absurdist author of The Plague)
How do we usually respond to the pressure?
We usually react by finding some way to show ourselves superior and another inferior to give us some relief from our own feelings of inadequacy. We live under the constant weight of condemnation feeling like we are not doing enough to please our bosses, parents, spouses or friends. A reaction to this in our secular culture is to try to control the one thing that we think we can in discarding the idea of God who will be one less person to whom we have to give an account. The sad thing is that those who say that they couldn't care less about what others think of them are often trying the hardest to prove it and sit in disdain towards those who live without their abandon.
Jesus first addresses this mentality. Our proclivity, while sitting under others' judgments will be to judge. Yet he is saying that the bar that you set for others will ultimately measure you. The irony is that we are often crushed under the weight of our own expectations. If you want people to show you understanding and mercy, stop looking down your nose at others. Find the times where you are tempted to most freely voice your criticisms, and put a turnicate on it.
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” ― Mother Teresa
Improper Judgments
2) "I don't have to pay attention to this, because Christians are just judgmental."
Are you known as critical and judgmental? Here are some reasons why you may be. The dual side of the coin of insecurity and pride usually accompany judgments.
The reason we make so many improper judgments is because we never deal with our own stuff. The Bible speaks of people as sinners over 300 times. That includes you and me. When you become a follower of Jesus, because of his sinless life and the exchange that he made with you on the cross, he changes your primary identity to a saint. However, if you have not turned from your autocratic, self-sufficient and self-satisfied lifestyle, you still walk before God as a rebel who will be judged. In this, there will be a rude awakening as your sins will not be treated lightly. Instead, you will receive the only reasonable thing, being separated from the one who made and rules everything in his kindness, without an ability to taste his goodness. This is the perpetual torment the Bible calls Hell.
When we have the intellectual honesty combined with the humility to acknowledge the reality of God's existence and the superiority of his prescribed ways, we are saved from the self-destruct button that exists within us all. When we escape this trap it is our moral duty to introduce others to the liberator who will also, by his grace, give them the opportunity to turn.
Jesus said to take the plank out of your own eye first because we usually go to two extremes when we see fault in others. Either we water down our counsel to justify our own shortcomings offering them no help whatever or we, like the Pharisees, sit on a pedestal merely condemning them.
I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O Lord , I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure. My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me. (Psalms 101:1-6 NIV)
It is so unpleasant to be around someone with a critical, judging attitude, because they are not trying to help you, only point out your faults.
“Yes, if truth is not undergirded by love, it makes the possessor of that truth obnoxious and the truth repulsive.” ― Ravi Zacharias
Does this mean that we are not to judge between right and wrong at all?
Some Christians try so hard to be non-judgmental that they don't even stand for the truth of God.
Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” (John 7:24 NIV)
God is no respecter of persons, but of their wills. The description of dogs and pigs in Jesus' Jewish hearers context would not be overlooked. Dogs were not the groomed, domesticated family pets that they are today, but were filthy scavengers who would even eat human carcasses when starving. Similarly, pigs were categorized as unclean animals who were omnivorous and would often eat decaying flesh as they searched for food. What a profound parallel this is for those in our communities who are feeding on the scraps of sexual trysts or are willing to satisfy their appetites with the relationships and entertainment that are disease ridden to their souls. Jesus said we must identify his Kingdom message as having the great worth of pearls that we invite people to enjoy but never trample in their judgments. Too often Christians are deterred through insecurity from living the life that others are longing for and hoping exists, but feel is only a dream.
The reason that people feel like we are judging them is because they feel like we are on the outside pointing our fingers rather than being in the struggle with them trying to help. If people feel like we are in it together, they are more likely to open up and help. This is the example of the incarnation of Jesus.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18 NIV)
God the Benevolent Judge
3) "God knows my heart, it doesn't matter what I do."
There is only one ultimate lawgiver and judge in moral and eternal matters. His name is Jesus and He is good. Strive for his approval alone, but know that he does expect you to please him.
Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him. (John 5:22, 23 NIV)
Make no doubt about it, this was revolutionary that Jesus was describing God in very intimate, paternal terms. In ancient, pagan cultures, and even in various religions today, gods are described as distant, unknowable and to be feared for their irrational moods and behaviors. The manner in which people live in response are often an effort to garner favor and appease their erratic whims. Jesus here describes God the Father, the first member of the Trinity, as very relational, personal and kindhearted motivated to give good things to those he calls his own.
This is where rest from the judgments come. It is in the good news that Jesus offered that I am no longer defined by my possessions, titles or achievements. Instead, I am inspired and free to emulate the one who came to pay my debts, counting my record as clean. Because he is a giver, I am free and motivated to posture my heart in like manner, because in the end, my accounts have been settled, and I live to honor the one who has saved me.
Because my own soul is at rest because of what Jesus has done for me in his death, burial and resurrection, I have nothing left to prove. I am approved and accepted through the victory of my King who came to serve and lift me rather than treat me as my sins deserve. Therefore I am liberated to treat others in the same manner. My motivation is not simply to compete with and best them, but as I remove the plank from my own eye, see clearly how I might serve them for their good. I am free to love as I have been loved.
We consider someone a friend if they accept us as we are and think that we have finally found a person with whom our soul can rest. This is exactly what the church is to be - a place full of people learning the truths of the gospel who find the freedom to love, stand with and encourage one another because they themselves have been liberated by Jesus Christ. Let's be that type of people and find someone to encourage this week, rather than judge.
“We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started." ― Henry Ward Beecher
Second City Church- Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2013