Judging - Part 1
-Introduction
-Matt 7:1-5
-current trend in religious world - “The specifics of your beliefs don’t really matter much
as long as you are sincere in those beliefs. So, let’s set aside our differences and act as
if those doctrinal differences don’t even exist. Let’s simply get along, consider
ourselves in full fellowship and work with cooperation.”
-Such a trend basically says that as long as belief in Jesus as the Son of God is at
the heart of the matter, that is really all that matters.
-In the midst of such a trend, it is an unpopular thing to stand firmly for a standard of
truth - to indicate and defend the standpoint that things are either right or wrong.
-So, passages such as Matt 7:1-5 are often times appealed to in an attempt to say
“You’re not supposed to judge.”
-God Has Provided a Standard
-reference to previous lesson, “Faith to Faith”
-There is a standard of faith - an authoritative standard - God’s word.
-Jude 3 - How could you earnestly contend for anything if nothing was firmly
established as right or wrong?
-“the” faith - Acts 6:7, 14:22, 16:5, 24:24; 1 Cor 16:13; 2 Cor 13:5; Phil 1:27; Col 1:23
-Eph 4:5 - “one faith”
-Rom 10:17, John 17:17
-John 8:31-32, 12:48
-Application of Everyday Logic
-Logic, proper reasoning and God’s word go hand and hand.
-for example: Acts 17:1-3
-In a number of ways, it seems that there are those who utilize proper logic and reasoning
in their daily lives but then want to throw it out the window when it comes to God’s word.
-Let me give you some example to illustrate this:
-example of mathematics - i.e. 2 + 2 = 4
-Could teachers grade assignments and tests without established standards of truth?
-example of driving and speed limits
1. If I’m driving 80 mph on I-40, am I in violation of the standard in place? Yes.
2. If Amy glances over at the speedometer while I’m driving, notices that I’m doing
80, would it be valid for her to say, “You’re speeding. You better slow down
or you might get a ticket.”?
-What if I looked at her and said, “Dear, remember Matt 7:1. You’re not
supposed to judge.”?
3. Now consider this: Is Amy going to issue a ticket? Of course not. If she wanted
to give me a ticket, could she? - No. She doesn’t have the authority to do so.
-Can you imagine if I went down here to the county courthouse and said, “I
need to see somebody about paying this ticket that my wife gave me when
I was speeding the other day”?
-Yet, Amy is trying to warn me so that I would be prepared if I did meet
somebody with the authority to issue a ticket, i.e. a highway patrolman.
4. So, if Amy doesn’t say anything to me (or if I choose to ignore her sound advice)
and I come across a highway patrolman who then pulls me over, does he have the
right to issue me a ticket. Of course.
-A judge can then enforce the terms of that ticket.
-I wonder what he would think if, when the highway patrolman started to hand
me that ticket, I said, “Excuse me, sir. Matt 7:1 says that you’re not supposed
to judge”?
5. Now consider this: Earlier, you agreed that Amy could make a valid judgment in
determining that I was speeding and could then warn me of the danger of getting
a ticket.
-So, notice: Just because she is not the authority, she can still make a
corresponding judgment. Why? Because she is aware of the standard.
-Summary and Invitation
-There is a standard of faith - an authoritative standard - God’s word. We will be judged
by it.
-In the meantime, we can make judgments based upon that standard.
-Why would we make judgments regarding it? We want to be prepared for the time
when we will stand before the Judge - Jesus - 2 Cor 5:10.
-We want others to be prepared as well.
-Lord willing, we’ll look at some of the details of Matthew 7:1-5 in next week’s lesson.
-In the meantime, consider this: When somebody says, “You’re not supposed to
judge,” they are violating their own words.
-They are judging that it is wrong to judge.
-When somebody says we are too judgmental by saying that baptism is necessary
for salvation, they are judging that baptism is not necessary for salvation.
-Again, judgments are made in regards to what is right and wrong in accordance with
God’s standard in preparation of the coming Day of Judgment.
-Are you ready for that day to come?
-If you’ve never obeyed the Gospel, that’s where you need to start: believe (John 3:16,
8:24), confess (Matt 10:32, Rom 10:9-10), repent (Luke 13:3,5; Acts 17:30); be
baptized (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38).
-If you’ve obeyed the Gospel but haven’t remained faithful, then you need to confess
your shortcomings, repent of them & pray for God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:7-9,
Acts 8:22-24).