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Sermon:

Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged

 March 07, 2010

We have much freedom in Christ. One of the primary lessons that Jesus taught is that we are not to judge one another. God is our Master, and we are brethren. We have been given neither the authority nor the responsibility to judge others. Preachers and teachers are to inform and instruct. Elders are to lead by example. In none of this are we told to pass judgment on others, particularly not regarding eternity. That is reserved to God, through Jesus Christ. To their own Master, each Christian will stand or fall.

Bernie Parsons

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Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged

 

By Bernie Parsons

 

Presented to Globe church of Christ on 03-07-2010

 

 

Many take it upon themselves to pass unrighteous judgment on their brothers and sisters in Christ. They love to find fault, criticize and condemn. They feel as if it is their duty to beat down their Christian siblings, rather than building them up. For justification, they often use the following scripture.

 

John 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

 

They say that this verse gives them the right, nay, the compulsion, to micromanage the lives of others. They take this verse out of context to construct this false doctrine. Here is the context.

 

John 7:23 "If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?

24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?"

 

In context, certain of Jesus’ Jewish brethren were criticizing Him for breaking the Sabbath. What He spoke was a condemnation of their condemnation of Him. They were unrighteously judging the Son of God, so He told them not to do that, but to judge righteously.

 

This was not a command to judge, but a rebuke against unrighteous judgment.

 

Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 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?

5 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."

 

Jesus warned not to judge others. Why? Because we all make mistakes and commit errors.

 

Romans 3:22 "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

 

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"

 

1 John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

 

These scriptures prove that we all sin. There is only one propitiation – that word means to regain favor or goodwill of – for our sins, and that is Jesus Christ. Only He can restore our damaged relationship with God. No man can repair that relationship. That damage comes when we sin, or violate the instructions and teachings of God. Not when we violate the teachings of man, but of God.

 

1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

 

We don’t need a preacher to intercede for us, praying that our sins be forgiven. We don’t need a preacher to justify us. We don’t have to be in the preacher’s good graces to be right with God. We don’t need a preacher, or other church members, judging us and condemning us. They cannot save us, so they have no obligation, power or right to destroy us!

 

John 5:26 "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."

 

Jesus is authorized to execute judgment. When He judges, He judges according to what He heard from His heavenly father. It is not about doing our own will, Jesus proclaimed, but about doing the will of Almighty God.

 

John 8:15 "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me."

 

Jesus did not come to the earth to judge, but rather to save, mankind. Even so, if He judges, He judges righteously, because He speaks for God.

 

John 12:47 "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."

 

We don’t need some man – or woman – to judge us. The word of God will judge us.

 

Acts 17:30 "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

 

When God’s judgment is rendered, it will be a righteous judgment.

 

Romans 3:4 "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?"

 

We need to leave judgment up to the righteous Judge, who tells us what to do with our lives.

 

Romans 14:4 "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand."

 

Romans 14:10 "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."

 

1 Corinthians 4:3 "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."

 

James 4:11 "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?"

 

If we are not to judge one another, then what is the nature of our relationship?

 

Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

5 For every man shall bear his own burden."

 

Our function is to help one another grow spiritually, and help one another overcome problems that this life throws at us. Rather than being critical all of the time, we need to supply strength.

 

Romans 14:19 "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."

 

Romans 15:1 "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

2  every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification."

 

Romans 15:5 "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God."

 

By accepting one another, faults and all, and by supporting and strengthening one another, we become one in, and with, Christ. As we receive one another, we become of one mind.

 

2 Corinthians 13:9 "For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.

10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."

 

We exhibit spiritual maturity when we accept one another, and work toward the growth and strengthening of all. Our function is not to judge, but to support, to help to grow. This brings us all together as we realize how much we care about each other, and how willing each of us is to help the other. We become of one mind and one spirit. It is the spirit of edification, building up. It is the Spirit of God.

 

Let us therefore not judge one another.


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