Personal Judgment
Introduction
Judging others is a major problem in human life; and sadly, judging people is a problem among Christians. There are some principles we can apply to the area of life that come directly from God’s Word.
I. Be Careful.
Four things happen when you judge others too critically.
A. Playing God
You set yourself up to play God. Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Mt. 7:1. The Apostle James reminds us, “There is only one Lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy. Who are you to judge one another?” James 4:13.
B. Causing Stricter Judgment
You set yourself up for a stricter judgment. “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Mt. 7:2
Jewish Rabbi’s of Jesus day taught about God’s two measurements – measure of justice or measure of mercy. Which measure do you want God to use with you? Then you should use that same measure with others.
What is so typical is that I tend to use a measuring scale that is very strict on others – but very lenient on myself. I tend to want others to get justice, while I want mercy for myself. * One man said, “Be patient with the faults of others – they have to be patient with yours!”
C. Fail to Judge Yourself
You spend more time focusing on others faults than your own. “And why do you look at the speck in your brothers eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plan is in your own eye?” Mt. 7:3-4
D. Stop Flow of God’s Blessings
You stop the blessings of God from flowing in your life and in your church.
We need a better way to make better judgments of others.
II. Be correct
A. Self Examination
How? First, I need a time of self examination. Am I living a life of faith before God and man? 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?”
B. Scriptural Illumination
Second, I need scriptural illumination. * I do need to judge according to the Word of God - the will of God, sin, morals, leading God’s church, etc.
C. Solid Motivation
Third, I need a solid motivation. The most solid motivation I have for judging myself and others is the Golden Rule. Listen to what Jesus said, “…whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and Prophets.” Mt. 7:12
Maybe you’ve never thought about why many people tend to judge harshly instead of with mercy.
III. Be Compassionate
There could be many reasons why we may tend to be more judgmental rather than showing God’s mercy to others.
A. Low Self Esteem
When I don’t feel good about myself, I’m going to try to bring others down. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I have every right to feel good about myself. Not because of me – but because of what Jesus has done for me and says about me. Where does that positive identity in Christ come from? Calvary! Galatians 2:20 – “Loved me and gave Himself for me.”
For some of us, feeling good about ourselves is not as easy as it may sound. If you’ve grown up all your life being told lies about yourself – you are no good, you are unlovable, unforgivable, you are a mistake – it is hard to develop a correct biblical view of yourself. If you base your self worth on how much you weigh, how beautiful or ugly you think you are, how successful/unsuccessful you are in the eyes of the world, your job/bank account/athletic ability, etc… – good self esteem will be hard to come by.
In an interview with Barbara Walter, Olympic gold-medalist Greg Louganis said that one of the things that drove him to excellence in swimming was the fact that he didn't fit in with the kids at school. They made fun of his dark skin, they called him "sissy,” they excluded him from their circle. The result was that Greg grew up with low self esteem. He tried to compensate for it by excelling in sports—specifically swimming, but in spite of his accomplishments he still was a miserable person. He still had low self-esteem. He should have been on top of the world, but instead he was involved in an abusive homosexual relationship that led to his contracting the AIDS virus. (www.preachingtoday.com)
How many people today are making wrong choices because they’ve never fully accepted their true source of identity? The mistake is based totally in the fact that many Christians don’t see that their identity is found in Jesus Christ and on the unchanging, totally reliable, Word of God?
B. Super- sized Ego
An ego that is not grounded in the Word of God and the mind of Christ will target people that one feels does not measure up to a personal standard. A healthy Christian ego is rooted in Christ. Romans 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has deal to each one a measure of faith.”
People who drive expensive cars are “elitist” and are “wasting their money.” People who drive cars that are inexpensive are “cheap,” or “lazy.” My choice of car is the correct one, of course!
People who work more than 50 hours a week are workaholics and don’t care about their families. They are simply out of control. Those who work fewer than 40 hours a week are lazy, bums, and unmotivated. My choice of hours to work is the correct choice, of course!
That is how we make the mistake. We think our standard is right and others standards are always wrong. That comes from an inflated ego!
C. Wrong Assumptions
That’s what the Pharisees problem was. They were guilty of judging others, but never felt they would be judged the same way. Only those who examine their own hearts in light of the holiness of God will see they too fall short and they will begin to extend to others the same mercy and grace they have found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
D. Forgetting God’s Love
Forgetting or being unaware of the Love God has for you can lead to the same problem. Remember what we talked about earlier – low self esteem? The more you focus on the wrong source – the wrong standard – the more you condemn yourself and the more self pity, depression, loneliness, and self condemnation you will find.
Remind yourself daily how much God loves you. Trying to be perfect is not what it takes to make God love you. He loves you because He chooses to love you. Religion tries to make you work so hard to attain God’s love, peace, joy, and smile. All the religion in the world will never bring you one step closer to God. God showers you with kindness, blessings, favor, gifts, mercy and forgiveness that is a good God and loves you as you are! This doesn’t mean that we should never try to improve ourselves. Certainly we should! But, we must never to that thinking that it will cause God to love us more.
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:8-14
Now, here is a question - Will exalting the love of God in Jesus Christ – so freely given to us in Christ– encourage me to go out and live in sin? Actually, it does the opposite. Because the Lord loves me so much, I want to obey Him. He’s the kind of Father who is worthy of worship and obedience. Doing things His way is always best. He always has the best plan – His will is always the best will. His commands are given to us in love.
Jesus calls his followers to raise their standard in judgment.
IV. Be Christ-like
How can we leave today doing that very thing?
A. Remember Why God Saved You
He saved you to empower you to live a new life you could never live on your own. I understand that when I first allow Jesus to change me – but I make a mistake when I think I can live the rest of my life on my own – apart from Him. The truth is – I must rely on God’s Spirit just as much as today as the day I did when I first put my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why did God save you? He’s got a purpose for you to fulfill. Every Christian is called to the ministry of helping, serving, encouraging. If you spend the majority of your life doing what Jesus wants you to do – you won’t have much time to judge others harshly. Mother Teresa said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Which did Mother Teresa do with her life?
B. Respect Each Other In God’s Family’
There is no spiritual gift in the Bible called, “the gift of criticism.” Spend less time criticizing each other and more time bringing out the best in each other. We are here to promote Gods’ Kingdom – love and good works in this body – if one member falls – we should gently work to restore that person so they can rise up again! If one is honored – we ought to celebrate that victory! The only way we can become a stronger church is if each one of us decides to help others get stronger!
Why do the people of God sometimes struggle to get along with each other? It’s all in the mind. We are thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. We think we are right and everyone who doesn’t agree with me is wrong. We get offended when people don’t give us the recognition we feel we deserve. When they don’t do it – they put a major blow on our personal pride. READ Ephesians 4:1-6
As Christians, we have a common enemy and his name is Satan - we don’t war against flesh and blood but against Satan and his demons… “…the British naval hero Lord Nelson learned that an admiral and a captain in his fleet were not on good terms. Sending for the two men, he placed the hands of the admiral and the captain together. Then, looking them both in the face, he said, "Look, yonder is the enemy!" We are told about the devil in 1 Peter 5:8, “Your adversary, the Devil is seeking whom he may devour.” Let’s not do his job for him. In humility of heart – let’s help one another get stronger in the Lord and in the power of His might!
Our mission is to lift Jesus up, lift one another up in the fight of faith, and lead the lost to Jesus. There are no stars at CWBC – the only star is the Bright and Morning Star – As we follow Him – we shine in a dark world. Jesus is powerful and merciful enough to lift us out of the pit of sin. Jesus is the answer for the world today. Lifting up Jesus Christ together is our mission - it does not matter who gets credit as long as God gets the glory!
C. Realize You Will Give An Account
Realize you will give an account of your life to God. "Every one of us, then, will have to give an account of himself to God. So then, let us stop judging one another." I like Rick Warren’s take on this verse. He asks, “Why is it that people who do all kinds of evil things get away with it at times? Why is that? Is it fair that Hitler could ruin so many lives and then just take his own life? The Bible says that on the other side, God settles the score. One day we'll all be judged by the Lord and we'll give an account to Him.”
D. Renew Your Mind Continually
Renew your mind continually in the truth of what Jesus has done for you. I think of what Jesus could have done to me and every single of one of us. He could have looked at us – full of sin, disobedience, lies, lust, unfaithful, ungrateful – and chosen to say, “They are just not worth it. Father, I’m going to stay here in Heaven with you and enjoy my place of authority.” Instead what did He do? In sheer love, grace and mercy He came, lived a sinless life, died a cruel death on the cross, satisfied the righteous wrath of God against sin, and offers you and I forgiveness and eternal life. 2 Peter 3:18 – “the righteous for the unrighteous in order to bring us to God.”
Have you found new life in Him? Is your conduct like Christ – that others are being drawn to the Lord through your witness?