Judge Not, Part 2

Introduction: The Christian Life and the Judgment of God

0:05 Will you turn with me, please, to the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 7, as we continue our studies in our Lord's well-known section called the Sermon on the Mount.

0:30 We have faced the description of a true Christian, his relationship to God's holy law, his life in its devotional aspects, his prayer, his fasting, his giving, and then this same Christian we faced as our Lord instructs him, as he moves amidst the world of things, of physical and temporal necessities, but ever seeking first the kingdom, never making things the goal of his life, but seeking first the kingdom and all other things added unto it. Now in chapter 7 we come to a section.

1:09 The theme of which we might call, in a general sense, the Christian living before the eye of God as a man who is heading for a time of judgment.

1:21 And I was increasingly convinced of the relevance of this passage when I read an article in a recent Newsweek magazine in which the author, commenting on present-day Protestantism, said these words, and I trust you'll listen carefully. The old, demanding, judgmental God of early American Puritanism went through a final transformation and is now a permissive, jolly good fellow, amiably underwriting the great American future.

2:02 This is the evaluation of someone who has viewed the contemporary Protestant religious life, and he says the old, demanding, judgmental God of early American Puritanism went through a of early American Puritanism is gone. Beloved, he may be gone from American Protestantism, but he is not gone from the Bible, nor from the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. And as we come to chapter 7, the very first word is judge not, followed by this, really, warning that ye be not judged. And throughout that entire seventh chapter, concluding with that parable that we learned about as little kiddies.

2:44 The wise man built his house upon the rock, and the foolish man built upon the sand, and it's a parable of judgment, a parable which teaches us that we shall be confronted before God with what we do regarding the truth uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ. Last week, we began to consider the first section in chapter 7, verses 1 to 5, which deals with the problem of sinful judgment. The judgment of one person toward another. I want to briefly review, and then we shall move on in our studies of this section.

What 'Judge Not' Does Not Mean (Review)

3:24 The key word in chapter 7, verses 1 to 5, is, of course, the word judge. Judge not that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you again. When confronting a word like this, if we're to find out the meaning, we do not simply slap a meaning onto it that we like to put on it. We do not go to a dictionary, but we look at the verse in its context, and then we check it with what we called last week the analogy of faith.

3:58 Everything else that the Bible reveals on that subject that we might interpret it aright. So last week we saw that there are at least four things which our Lord does not mean when He condemns judging. When He says, judge not that ye be not judged. He is not telling us that we are to throw out all discernment of character.

4:20 For the very next section would forbid such an interpretation, for He says, Give not that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast your pearl before swine. I must therefore judge who is a dog and who is a swine, and it's my responsibility to do so. We are not to jettison all discernment concerning religious teaching. Our Lord says in verse 15, Beware of false prophets.

4:43 Therefore I must be able to recognize a false prophet, label him as a false prophet, and treat him as a false prophet. So judge not cannot deal with that. And then our Lord is not nullifying the necessity of church discipline. He spoke very clearly in Matthew 18 concerning the necessity of dealing with those who offend within the church, and if they will not deal with their sin, to excommunicate them and to treat them as heathen and as publicans.

5:11 And so our Lord's words, Judge not, cannot mean that we are to simply open the doors of the church to all and every and just be a nice, happy society of sweet people. No, the church is to be a society of holy men and women walking in the ways of God, and if they will not be holy and their sin will be brazen and open, they are to be judged for their sin by the church. 1 Corinthians 5 and 6 also deal in detail with this matter. And then the last thing our Lord did not mean, was that the civil courts have no authority to judge.

5:47 For the Bible teaches that God has given to the power of civil courts the judgment of evil and the approbation and pronouncement of blessing upon those who do well. Well then, what did our Lord mean? And this is where we closed last week, just beginning to consider what did our Lord mean by the words, Judge not, that ye be not judged. And we said that what our Lord is condemning is that attitude, that was characterized by the Pharisees, which was always marked by three things.

What 'Judge Not' Does Mean: The Self-Righteous, Hypercritical Spirit

6:19 A self-righteous spirit, a hypercritical spirit, and a spirit completely opposite of 1 Corinthians chapter 13. And I use the expression which I repeat this morning. It's the attitude of the man who goes about flashing his Mote Pickers Union card. And that card is always signed by two officials.

6:42 Mr. I am better than thou. And Mr. I am blind to my own sin.

6:49 It's that attitude, characteristic of the Pharisees, whom our Lord described in Luke 18 as those who thought themselves righteous and set all others at naught. This is the thing which our Lord is condemning. Now today, I want us to consider in some detail the manifestations of this spirit. We've said what our Lord is not condemning.

7:13 He is not condemning. He is not condemning a right sense of critical, discerning spirit. But he is condemning this self-righteous, hypercritical, unloving spirit characteristic of the Pharisees. Now having dealt with the description of the attitude in general, I want us this morning to consider some of its specific manifestations.

The Value of Microscopic Study

7:37 At times I get troubled when I find myself inclined to deal in such detail with these things. But I read something that greatly encouraged me this morning. This week, the author of a particular book I was studying, said these words. He said, it is far more profitable in the long run, in most instances, to study a section of the Word of God microscopically, in great detail, than to simply have a quick, telescopic view of the whole Bible.

8:06 And this was his reason. He said, for in a microscopic, detailed study of any given section, we will sooner or later touch all the major documents, or doctrines of the Bible, for there is such a unity of divine truth, that a detailed study of any given section, two or three chapters, will bring to light almost every major theme of the entire Bible. And I think we found this true. Have we not?

8:29 In our preaching through the Beatitudes, when we came to mourning, we came to the whole Bible doctrine of repentance. When we came to the subject of purity of heart, we came to the whole Bible doctrine of sanctification. When we came to the matter of whoso looketh to lust, we came to the Bible doctrine concerning sin, not merely as an external attitude, but as an external action, but as an internal attitude. And so this morning, as we consider the manifestations of this Spirit, we will be bringing to bear upon this passage many other principles of the Word of God.

Manifestation 1: Unnecessary Criticism

9:06 Now, I don't believe we have a doctor in the midst, do we? We have a number of nurses, so I'll have to be sure that what I say is accurate, and I pronounce the words rightly. But if you were a doctor, and probably the nurses as well, and you were looking for symptoms of a certain disease, with some diseases, there are two kinds of symptoms. There are those symptoms which will indicate that the disease is about to break out into its open manifestations, and they're called prodromal symptoms.

9:39 Prodrome is the... What? The noun? No.

9:42 Prodrome? Yes. And prodromal would be the adjective. And they're prodromal, and they're prodromal symptoms.

9:47 They are the symptoms that come to light, first of all, before you actually see the manifestation of the disease, like with measles. There are certain symptoms that will come to light before you actually see the spots, and then there are the actual visible symptoms when somebody's blotchy all over his body, then you know he has the measles. Well, when we come to this matter of this hypercritical Spirit, there are two kinds of manifestations. There are those that are very obvious, and there are others that are less obvious, but are nonetheless, and only the Spirit of God can bring them to light in our own hearts.

10:21 If we sit here this morning with this attitude, search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts. What is the first symptom of this terrible disease of the heart, this self-righteous, hypercritical, unloving spirit condemned by our Lord? Symptom number one is what I would call a habit of unnecessary criticism.

10:51 There are times when it's absolutely necessary to make critical statements in defense of the faith and in defense of the truth of God. At one time, Jesus said, Tell Herod that old fox. Now, our Lord called him a fox. He didn't mean he had a bushy tail and was red, but he meant that his character was like that of a fox.

11:15 He was a wily, sly, sneaky, sort of a man. Now, at that particular occasion, someone was bringing news from Herod, and our Lord had to pass a critical evaluation upon Herod's character, and he did so without any reservation. But you don't find the Lord, the rest of his ministry, every five minutes, throwing stones at Herod. When it was necessary to make a critical evaluation of Herod, he did so, and he did so in terms that anybody could understand.

11:44 Go tell that old fox, Herod. Paul did the same thing. He was warning Timothy about certain false teachers, and lest he have any confusion, he said, Of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus who concerning the truth have erred? He called names, but he didn't spend the rest of his life writing letters and articles and periodicals exposing Hymenaeus and Philetus.

12:13 In that certain area, these false teachers had come, and at that time, it was necessary for Paul to pass a critical evaluation upon them. Therefore, don't accuse your pastor, don't accuse others who will name false teachers when necessary, don't accuse them of breaking Matthew 7-1. Our Lord did it. He said, Beware of the leaven, the teaching of the scribes and the Pharisees.

12:41 Paul did it, and there are times when in defense of the truth, false teaching and teaching, teachers must be named. But, but, but,

12:54 there is a spirit which when there is no necessity to expose the false teaching and expose the false teacher or to expose the one whose character comes under criticism, it seems to delight in forever bringing before its judgment men and people and movements and passing sentence on them though there is no necessity whatsoever to do so. It's that, that spirit in a person which makes him feel that he's the universal judge of everybody and anything and all you've got to do is mention the name of anyone from Hong Kong to Istanbul, Turkey and they can pass sentence upon that individual. You can mention any form of Christian work or any Christian organization

13:37 and immediately, with no necessity, they can pass sentence upon that. This is the spirit that our Lord is condemning here. That overmuch critical spirit, some people continually find their delight in criticizing Billy Graham, his message and his methods. If Mr. Graham were to come back to the metropolitan area

13:59 and we were faced as a church, shall we or shall we not join with the crusade? Then as a pastor, I would be duty-bound to voice what I feel are some legitimate criticisms of his methods and his associations. But you know, I never take pot shots at that dear man of God from this pulpit. There's no necessity.

14:18 He hasn't come into the area. I've not been forced into making some kind of a critical analysis. So this is not necessary.

14:26 And yet, how often, when professing Christians get together, their conversation turns to men and people and movements that are in no way remotely connected with them and they sit there passing sentence upon them. This is the thing which our Lord condemns. Someone has said, that a vulturous nature always is smelling carrier.

14:47 You get it? It's a vulturous nature, this nature that's always smelling rotten flesh, looking for it.

14:56 And it's a vulturous heart that is looking for opportunities of criticism. May I share an instance when my own heart was soundly rebuked by a dear man of God on one occasion. I was at a particular school in which there was some internal friction because of the stand of certain people on certain aspects of God's truth. And one of the leaders of that school one day in chapel without naming the dear friend of mine who was a teacher, a missionary who was teaching while he was on furlough, he just cut him up one side and down the other.

15:31 He did everything but name it. And I went right to his office afterward because he was my friend. And so I was going to sit down and take some pot shots at the man who cut him up. And so I came to my friend Dr. Thompson.

15:43 I said, Doc, they really gave it to you today, didn't they? He said, what do you mean? And I told him. I said, well, you heard what they said and so I went along the line and I was all ready to think he would join hands with me and we'd sit there and pick the preacher apart.

15:57 And I shall never forget what he said to me. One of those times when I wish I had a keyhole saw and I would have cut a circle about 18 inches around and dropped right down through the floor. You ever get in those situations? He turned to me and said, my brother.

16:11 Whenever he said that, I knew it was coming. Whenever he said, my brother, I knew he was softening me. That was his left jab to soften me up for his right hook and he was going to let me have it. He said, my brother, the chapel speaker will give account of himself to God.

16:28 I'll give account of myself to God and you'll give account of yourself to God. If ever my mouth was shut.

16:39 What was wrong? You see, there was absolutely no necessity for me to pass criticism upon that chapel speaker. He was wrong. But there was no necessity.

16:49 I could not get the man to recant on what he said. I could not change his attitude. And I was entering into that hypercritical spirit and my dear friend knew. He wrote and recognized it and rebuked me.

17:02 May God bring those words back to us. When you start passing sentence on an individual, on a group, on a church, on a movement, ask yourself this question, is this necessary? Am I in a situation where for the defense of the truth I must make a pronouncement? If not, then be silent or you come under the condemnation of the Lord.

Manifestation 2: Premature, Negative Conclusions

17:22 Judge not. Let ye be not judged. The second manifestation is what I would call drawing negate, premature, negative conclusions.

17:33 The first manifestation, unnecessary criticism. The second manifestation of this spirit, drawing premature, negative conclusions. Before all the facts are in, coming to a conclusion which places an individual or a group in a bad light and then passing on my conclusion as a fact. One of the clearest illustrations I know in all of the Bible on this is the morning of the resurrection.

18:04 You remember the account of how the women came to the tomb finding that the tomb was empty. One of them ran back and these were her words. They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they've laid Him. Now she had a few facts to work with.

18:22 Fact number one, she knew that her Lord was in that tomb the last time she was there. Fact number two, He was no longer there. Conclusion, somebody's taken away and put Him somewhere else. Why, nothing could have been further from the truth.

18:37 No one took Him away.

18:40 That which procured her salvation had occurred. He had risen from the dead. But she drew a premature, negative conclusion and she passed it on as a fact. They have taken.

18:53 She didn't say, there's a possibility or I think or there may be a remote, long shot possibility. No, they have done it. And how often, beloved, we've done this. And whenever this, this hypercritical spirit is there, it's like dry tinder, it's like dry sawdust.

19:11 And all it needs is a few sparks of incomplete evidence and immediately there bursts forth this raging flame of a premature conclusion passed on as a fact.

19:25 May I illustrate? Your husband said he'd be home at five o'clock. You had supper ready.

19:32 He still hasn't showed up by six o'clock. So you've got several facts. He said he'd be home. Fact number two, he isn't.

19:39 Conclusion?

19:41 He just didn't care enough about me to get home on time. So you meet him at the door with a scowl and a frown, ready to hand his head to him.

19:49 Maybe the bus broke down on the way home. Maybe he was spending his time in the shopping center trying to pick out a nice gift for you.

19:59 Then you feel like a heel and you ought to. So you drew a premature, negative conclusion. This is what our Lord is doing. It's what our Lord is doing.

20:08 Judge not that ye be not judged. This is the spirit that says, I need no more proof. I've got enough evidence. It's like the high priest.

20:19 In spite of all the miracles the Lord had done, in spite of all the sick he'd healed and the dead he'd raised and the blind whose eyes were opened, when he said, in answer to the question, Are you the son of God? He said, I am. He rent his arm and said, What further need have we of witnesses? The conclusion is settled.

20:34 He's guilty.

Manifestation 3 & 4: No Attempt to Find Good Motives or a Balanced Picture

20:37 Premature, negative conclusion. This is the spirit that is in all of us so latent and only as the spirit of God overcomes this tendency will we be kept from it. The third manifestation. This spirit makes no attempt to find a good motive or reason for a person's actions.

21:04 It never attempts to find a good motive for a certain action or statement. It always comes with the attitude there's a bad motive behind it and it'll read that motive in. No attempt whatever is made to find a possibly good motive. Beware of this.

21:24 For our Lord says, Judge not that ye be not judged. Another symptom is that no attempt is made to see a balanced picture. We act in our hearts like the human eye acts. I almost toyed with the idea of doing this this morning and I think I will.

21:42 If you get the point, it's worth it. Sunday morning or no Sunday morning. As you look up here, what do you see?

21:55 Don't answer, just think. I know most of you would say and if I were betting and betting were proper I'd even be willing to bet my shoes that most of you if I passed out a piece of paper and I said, what do you see? You know what you'd say? You'd say I see a black dot in the middle of a piece of white paper.

22:11 That's right. Or a blue dot. You see, you don't see 99% of the white paper. All you see is this.

22:23 And that's the way the human heart is. A man may have dazzling white virtues abundance, virtues wrought in him by the Holy Ghost. But let there be one black spot and what do we see? That.

22:38 What do we talk about? That. When someone says, do you know so and so? Oh yes, what do you think of?

22:43 He's a fine person and you sweep away all the white with one phrase. He's a fine person, but and then you spend the next 10 minutes describing the dot. True? See, the human heart is like the human eye.

23:00 And it overlooks all of this. And this is what it magnifies. This is what our Lord is condemning. Judge not that ye be not judged.

23:11 That hypercritical, censorious spirit that never attempts to see a balanced picture. And not only are Christians guilty of this, but unregenerate men who pride themselves in their open-mindedness are most guilty that all they know about David is his affair with Bathsheba. All they know about Samson is his affair with Goliath. And all they know about Peter is that he cursed and swore.

23:39 And all they know about Paul is that he had an argument with one of his co-workers named Barnabas. And they had such a heated argument that they split and went their own ways, one taking Mark and the other one taking Silas. This thing is in all of us, dear ones. And how often in our evaluation and in our conversation concerning one another, we're guilty of this sin.

Manifestation 5: Setting Up Arbitrary Standards

24:02 Judge not, our Lord says. Attempt to see a balanced picture and then in your evaluation, if necessary, give a balanced picture. Then another manifestation of this spirit which our Lord condemns is the setting up of arbitrary standards and making them the basis of the condemnation or approval of others. The setting up of arbitrary standards.

24:28 This is the whole problem of Romans chapter 14 and I don't believe we can understand Matthew 7-1 without having at least a cursory knowledge of chapter 14 of Romans. Will you turn to Romans 14 for just a few minutes with me? Here's the problem of certain people because of their background, unable to eat certain forms of meats that were offered unto idols. Other people, because of their instruction and background, are able to eat those meats.

25:13 Verse 2, For one believeth he may eat all things, another who is weak eats herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not. There's the attitude, you see, that self-righteous attitude. Because I can eat this meat and I know that it doesn't offend God, I look down at the brother who can't.

25:35 I look down upon him as uninstructed and unenlightened. I set him as not. My standard is the right one. His is the wrong one.

25:43 And so I judge him. And then in turn he says, Let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth. Here's the man who doesn't eat the meat. And he looks at the man who does and he says to him, Why, you're unspiritual.

25:56 If only you were as sensitive to God as I am, you couldn't eat that meat. And the reason you can eat it is because you're backslidden. You've fallen into an area of carnality. You're in a sad shape spiritually.

26:08 And Paul said, No, either case the attitude is wrong. Verse 4, Who art thou that judges another man's servant to his own master? He standeth or falleth. What was the problem?

26:23 These Christians were setting up arbitrary standards of spirituality and judging their brethren on the basis of those standards and then either receiving them in love or rejecting them in a self-righteous spirit. And beloved, this thing is done up and down the evangelical church on every side. Let me be specific. We're ready to chuck out of our doors somebody who may be addicted to the tobacco habit.

26:54 Oh, that's a terrible thing for someone to profess to know Christ and smoke a cigarette. Who said it is? You find that in the Bible? Show it to me.

27:04 Show it to me. My Bible says a lot about gossip. My Bible says a lot about criticism. My Bible says a lot about backbiting.

27:21 It says a lot about jealousy. It says a lot about pride. But I don't find one word about tobacco. Now, I do believe the Bible teaches that if I know that this will harm my body if I know that and I deliberately indulge in it I'm defiling the temple of the Holy Ghost and will be open to the judgment of God.

27:44 That's right. But some of you do more harm to your body by what you eat and don't eat and by the quarts of coffee you consume every day than a man who smokes a pipe and doesn't inhale it. That's right, you do. You can do far more harm to your body by taking into it things that have no nutritive value and taking them in in measures that are destructive to the temple of the Holy Ghost than a man who may smoke two or three cigarettes a day.

28:15 And yet what do we do? If someone came into our fellowships suppose you had a group of people over your home tonight all professing Christians maybe had an informal hymn sing and then when you gathered around the table for a cup of coffee or some juice and some cookies he just lit up a cigarette. What would be your attitude? Immediately.

28:31 Come on now, what would be your attitude? That's exactly what Paul's talking about. He may have good conscience about smoking his cigarette. Now I'm not advocating going out and smoking.

28:49 And I say if you're a child of God and you profess to be the temple of the Spirit since the Surgeon General's report has come out on the relationship between cigarettes and cancer I no longer believe that the cigarette problem and the tobacco problem is an amoral or non-moral. I believe it's a moral issue now. But we cannot set down pronouncements where God is silent. We have no right to do it.

29:14 Now I know somebody will go out and say Pastor Martin advocated we all take up smoking. That isn't what I said. I'm trying to expound our Lord's words. Judge not that you be not judged.

29:26 And one of the evidences of this hypercritical judging spirit is setting up arbitrary standards and making them the basis of either receiving or rejecting men and women as our brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is done in the realm of dress. Thank God I don't know that it's done in our fellowship. In the areas of dress and makeup.

29:49 In some areas someone's to put a little color on their face immediately. But now the reverse is true. I've met some people who could with good conscience put some color on their face that when they saw a woman who couldn't they looked down on her as something out of the backwoods. Now that's equally sinful.

30:10 See, in both cases Paul says Let not him that eats judge him that eateth not. Let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth. If the Lord has received them we do not pass sentence in areas where God has not spoken. We must be silent where God is silent.

30:29 And so Paul concludes the matter when he says in verse 13 of Romans 14 Let us not therefore judge one another any more but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. May I just unzip my heart for a minute and tell you what I long to see in our own church fellowship. I long to see that kind of liberty that Paul speaks of here. Where some of you with good conscience can do things and go places that others of you with good conscience can't.

31:03 And that fully knowing this you may still receive one another in Christ. And that those of you who can't go won't look on those who can go as unspiritual. Take the matter of an occasional movie. Maybe some of you who feel with a good conscience you can choose a certain movie and go to your own profit.

31:22 I see nothing in the Bible that I can take to stand no one should ever darken the door of a movie theater. Or you say but you support the business. So you support the guy who buys his liquor with your money at the grocery store. If you carry that principle through you'd have to go out and be your own grocery store man and do everything.

31:40 You don't know where your money goes that you buy grocery and put tires on your car. We want to have that kind of an attitude beloved where if there's some in our midst who with a good conscience can attend a well chosen picture show a moving picture show well then we're not going to step back and say they're unspiritual. And by the same token those of you who can go with a good conscience there's some of us who couldn't with a good conscience. Don't you look down your snoot at us and say if only you had the knowledge I had.

32:11 If only you were a little bit broader. You're just too narrow. That's your old alliance fuddy-duddy background. See?

32:19 And I see both of these attitudes in the church and it deeply concerns me. I see this attitude in local assemblies. I see it in seminaries and in schools of higher learning. You see it on Christian college campuses.

32:33 You see it throughout the whole structure. There are those who stand up who can eat the meat and they do so with a sense of liberty. I'm no longer in bondage to my old taboos that I had as a child. And they look down their nose at everybody else.

32:49 The others who still are quote in bondage to their taboos look at the others and say why they've departed from the faith. This is what our Lord is condemning. Judge not that ye be not judged. Remember to his own master he stands or falls.

33:05 There's the test. You've got that cigarette in your hand. The Lord sees it and he'll hold you to account for it. And if you can hold it and suck it with his smile that's all that matters.

33:16 Go ahead. You're going to stand or fall to him. See? But if you can't then you deal with it.

33:21 Not because some church said so but because your Lord said so. Can you walk into that movie theater and see that well chosen movie with a good conscience? Can you bow your head there conscious of the presence of the Lord? Then to your own master you stand or fall.

33:33 That's between you and him. There's the great issue. He's my master. My time.

33:40 My money. My body. All that I am is his. He is my judge.

Manifestation 6: Condemnation When Discovering Legitimate Wrong

33:45 And where he has not spoken with clarity on issues then I must not set myself up as a judge. And then the last manifestation of this attitude that I want to talk about and I want to touch on this morning is the attitude of condemnation when we do discover a legitimate wrong in another. When our Lord said judge not that ye be not judged I believe that part of that attitude is that one of condemning and writing somebody off when we discover that they have been wrong in a certain area. It's that passing of sentence which leads to a despising of the one who has offended.

34:27 In 2 Thessalonians 3.15 we have a very helpful interpretation of what our attitude is to be. 2 Thessalonians 3.14 and 15 If any man obey not our word by this epistle note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed.

34:48 Now that's pretty strong action isn't it? Here's someone who won't obey the word. Paul says note that man use discernment mark him out don't company with him as a brother yet notice verse 15 yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him entreat him plead with him as a brother. There's the balance.

35:11 Exercise discernment but don't write him off. And when our Lord said judge not involved in that is a condemnation of that attitude which would write him off. Now what will happen if we fail to heed our Lord's warning? If we indulge this hypercritical self-righteous loveless attitude of critical judgment in any of these six manifestations that we've mentioned what will be the results?

Consequence 1: You Also Will Be Judged

35:44 We'll just have time to touch on the first one this morning and the Lord willing we'll finish up with the other two next Lord's Day morning. And it's found in the last part of verse one. Judge not and here's the first reason that ye be not judged. See what our Lord is saying?

36:07 He wants to give us some real reasons some solid motivations to keep us from indulging this spirit. He knows that it's so much a part of our corrupt hearts that if we are not fortified with clearly defined reasons and motives we'll fall into this thing again and again. And the first reason he gives is the lowest form of incentive but it's not biblical it's a selfish one. He said don't you judge because if you indulge in this judging spirit I warn you you also will be judged.

36:37 It's the fear of punishment that our Lord is using as a motive. Now that's a legitimate motive. He used it in Matthew 5 he said if you don't deal with your sin even to the cutting off of the right hand and the plucking out of the right eye you'll be cast into hell. That's a motive of fear and self-preservation but our Lord uses it.

36:57 Paul was motivated by this. He said I buffet my body lest in preaching to others I myself should be a castaway. He said I'm afraid of being a castaway therefore I discipline myself. He says in 2 Corinthians 5 11 knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade men.

37:14 So this is a legitimate motive. Do you want to avoid being judged by God? Then don't you judge others. Now you say Pastor in what sense is the Christian to be judged?

37:26 There are three major judgments taught in the word. There's the judgment of unbelievers. The judgment of the great white throne spoken of in Revelation 20 verses 10 to 15. And in that judgment God will act as a judge dealing with rebel criminals and that judgment will issue an eternal separation from Him.

37:48 In the judgment of the great white throne the judgment of unbelievers God sits as the moral governor the man who stand before Him will stand as guilty rebel criminals against His law. The end of that judgment will be eternal death. Now the child of God has no part in that judgment. This is made clear in Romans 8 1 no condemnation to those who are in Christ.

38:15 It's made clear in John 5 24 we have passed from death unto life and will not come into condemnation. Now there's a second judgment taught in the word and that's the judgment of God upon His children here and now. 1 Corinthians 11 verses 30 to 33 deals with this temporal judgment of God upon His children where Paul says for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep for if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged of the Lord. Now Paul says here that there is a judgment of God it is a present judgment upon the children of God

38:59 for their disobedience. So here God is not dealing as a judge with criminals but He's dealing as a father with His earned children and He's bringing temporal loss or premature death in order to bring them back into obedience as His children. See the difference? The great white throne is God as judge men as criminals the end eternal life.

39:25 Here it's God as the father the subjects His disobedient children the end in view that they might be brought back into fellowship with Himself. And then there is a third judgment and this is the judgment of the child of God at the coming of Jesus Christ. It's spoken of in 2 Corinthians 5.10 we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

39:50 1 Corinthians 3.10 for the day shall make manifest what sort it is. Romans 14.12 every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

40:02 Now what's the difference with this judgment? It's not God as a judge dealing with criminals. It's not God as a father dealing with His earning children but it's God as master dealing with His servants in terms of reward for faithfulness. You remember the parable that when the man who received the kingdom of God called his servants and he takes them into account for what they did with the talents?

40:32 That passage we read in Romans 14 to his own master a servant standeth or falleth. Now the details of that judgment are not clear but one thing is clear that we're going to face it. It's that judgment that our Lord is talking about here. Are you going to enter into judging other people?

40:54 Then our Lord in that day when I summon you into my presence as one of my servants and rewards will be issued out and somehow our capacity to enjoy the glories of heaven will either be increased or diminished in terms of that judgment our Lord said in that day you'll be judged. Why? Well James gives us the clearest answer to this question in all the word of God. Listen as I read verse 11.

41:27 Speak not evil one of another brethren for he that speaketh evil of his brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law but if thou judge the law thou art not a doer of the law but a judge. There's one lawgiver who's able to save and destroy who art thou that judges another. You see what James is saying? Follow closely.

41:56 What does God's law require in terms of our relationship one to another? The whole requirement of the second table of the law is what? Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Paul says in Romans 12 the whole law is fulfilled in this one word what?

42:15 Love thy neighbor as thyself. Now when you enter into this hypercritical judgment what are you doing? You're saying God I don't think your law is worthy of my obedience. I know you say oh the love that rejoices is not an iniquity but God I don't think your law is right at this point.

42:32 I think I do have a right to indulge in this hypercritical hypersensitive self-righteous judgment. Now God says if you do that when you stand before me I'll hold you into account for taking upon yourself to be a judge of my law. My law said love and you said no Lord I'll set it aside and I'll write my own law which says criticize. That's the law.

42:58 When we make pronouncements where God has not God has clearly said thou shall not commit adultery. And if I see a professing brother who commits adultery 1 Corinthians chapter 6 tells me what to do. Don't keep company with him till he repents. That's clear.

43:15 He says if there's a man called a brother who's an adulterer a fornicator or a backbiter or a whoremonger he said don't keep company with him. Now that's clear. But God doesn't say anything about cigarettes. God doesn't say anything about going to an occasional movie.

43:31 God doesn't say anything about makeup. God doesn't say anything about going to a football game. God doesn't say anything about whether he should own the television or not. Now God does say some things to give us principles to know how we can get our own answers.

43:49 But when we set up the cigarette the glass of wine the moving theater movie picture theater anything else when we set these up as standards we can't do anything about it. So what are we saying? We're saying God you know I appreciate your law but it's incomplete. I want to add a few things myself.

44:11 God says who are you to judge my law as incomplete? I didn't think it was incomplete. I spoke it in thunder and in fire from Mount Sinai and I wrote it with my own finger. Who is it to tell me my law is incomplete?

44:32 It was clear to my heart that I'd have to face God and have God say to me did I tell you what my law was? Yes Lord. Did I say anything in my law about that particular thing that you've made a standard of fellowship? No Lord.

44:49 Well who are you to change it? But oh God it was so clear to me. He says yes clear to you but who are you to change it and try to make it clear to your brother? Who are you to judge the law?

45:07 Oh what a terrible thing to give account in that day isn't it? Doesn't the thought strike fear to your heart? Oh I can stop judging. Stop judging.

45:19 Now don't throw out discernment. Remember the four things the Lord didn't mean. See don't pitch the whole thing out. Can you hold those four things and then still get this?

45:30 Why does it take so long to preach pastor? Well for the simple reason I don't want you to believe. There's a proper discernment of character. There's a proper place to judge false teachers.

45:44 A proper place to pronounce church discipline. Yes. But oh when we begin to set up our own standards of fellowship and we begin to set up our own standards of who's in and who isn't I don't like church membership requirements that set up a list I'll really stick my head out this morning that say any who indulge may start a list. Once you start that list where are you going to stop?

46:20 I've never seen a list yet that condemned watching the late show and there are people this morning who wouldn't think of sucking a cigarette but are doing more harm to your mind and your body and starving your soul by the hours you spend in front of a television set than someone who may spend hours before God because watching the late show was never in the checklist from such list may God deliver us it's the essence of Phariseeism beloved this is a searching thing

47:04 and I wouldn't have preached this way even five years ago because I was guilty in greater measure then than I am now of disobeying this command of the Lord I had my own list if a man didn't do what I thought was right in every case I was ready to change the whole world and I was ready to start a new life in an era of destruction and our witness is ineffective our outreach is crippled and above all we'll stand someday before the Lord and give an account

Invitation to Confession and Love

47:49 because we set ourselves up as judges of Islam I believe we have covered enough this morning as I close what is my last word of exhortation to those of you yourself. If this judging critical spirit is sin, what are you going to do to get forgiven for all the times you've judged others? Now we're not talking about adultery. Just this one sin. If you're to get

48:21 delivered from the times you've committed that one sin of sinful judging, where are you going to get deliverance?

48:28 There's only one place, and that's to flee to Christ, who offers to be our righteousness covering among other sins, even this sin. And so I turn this command of the Lord into an invitation that you flee to Christ. Flee to Christ, who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Flee to Christ, in whom alone there is mercy and forgiveness.

48:57 What is my parting word, closing word to us as His children? It's exactly what it was last week. Let's face up the fact that we've been guilty of this sin of sinful criticism.

49:14 We've passed sentence where there was no need to pass sentence on people and on movements. Now let's be honest about it and tell the Lord so this morning, as I've had to tell it.

49:25 Let's tell the Lord we've drawn hasty negative conclusions.

49:30 We smiled about the wife who was ready to hand her husband's head to her. But I think that smile is a smile of recognition that we've been guilty of that. Where we've been unwilling to put a good construction, but always ready to put a bad construction. Let's own it before the Lord. Where we've

49:48 set up artificial standards. We're God hasn't spoken with clarity, but we've made pronouncements like some self-appointed Pope. Let's tell the Lord about that this morning. Let's own up to it. Say, God,

50:00 you found me. Lord, I've got some symptoms. Some of them aren't out on my face like the measles yet, but they're the prodromal symptoms. They're the symptoms of the first stage.

50:14 Where we've been ready to write people off, even though they're wrong, it's been wrong. And God says we're not to treat them in the same sense that we do those who are walking in fellowship. Yet we've cut them off and we've set ourselves aloof from them. Let's own up to it this morning. I plead with you as God's

50:29 people. If we've had these false standards, let's own up this morning and tell the Lord we've sinned. We've judged His law. And let's have a little judgment seat now today while we can do something about it.

50:41 Let's ask the Lord to forgive us. And then the only remedy I know is to have our hearts baptized day by day with 1 Corinthians 13 love. For it's love that thinketh no evil. Love that rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth.

50:57 It's love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things. So having confessed our sin of sinful criticism, let's ask the Lord having cleansed us to fill us anew with His Spirit. With the Spirit of 1 Corinthians 13 love that God may enable us to dwell together as His people with true discernment of character, with a proper concern about purity of truth, never embracing everybody and anybody who comes with a Bible and with the name Jesus on His lips but a critical, judging spirit of truth, discerning but at the same time released and delivered from that

51:39 hypercritical, self-righteous unloving judgment which our Lord so clearly condemns. Is it too much to expect? Am I just being an idealist that God can give us an assembly of people? Who can have different views on what Christians can do and can't do and know it and still dwell together in harmony? I'm just a

52:03 dreamer enough and young enough and not disillusioned enough to believe by the grace of God we can have that here. Will you pray to that end? And will you deal with whatever needs to be adjusted in your mind? There are some of you here, I could call some of you by name this morning, but I wouldn't do that.

52:18 That'd be, that'd really stick in my neck out too far.

52:22 But I've sensed in things some of you have said and I've listened. This is how a pastor learns. And tries to apportion the truth to his people. And I know there's some of you that you've got some business to do with God.

52:33 And I know I've got business. I've had to do with him in this area. Let's do that business with him. And by his grace leave with a sense of cleansing and renewal and a fresh anointing and baptism of his own Calvary. Let's pray together

Closing Prayer

52:47 as we close.

52:57 Searcher of hearts, from mine erase all things that should not be. And in its deep recesses, trace my gratitude to thee. Lord, we thank you for having mercy and pity upon the likes of us.

53:17 You, the only one who had a right to take the place of a judge and consign us to perdition and seal us over in the pit of eternal burnings. And yet you've shown mercy upon mercy and grace upon grace. Oh, Father, how could we ever assume the role of a hypercritical judge toward our fellow creatures when you, the infinite creator, have shown naught but mercy to us? Oh, Father, we confess our sin this morning. Have mercy upon us,

53:52 we pray. Forgive those whom we've wounded with our hypercritical spirit. Forgive those who've been scarred by our artificial standards. Forgive your church, Lord, that has made its checklist and has thereby wounded some who ought not to be wounded and let go scotty free those who should have been wounded. Father, keep

54:16 us as a church from these blights that we may dwell together in the ponds of true Christian love. We pray for those among us who know you not as they've seen their own hearts this morning. May they despair of ever changing those hearts by their own power. May they despair of cleansing those hearts by their own works. And may they

54:39 this morning by the Holy Spirit be led to Christ crucified. And may they throw themselves at his feet pleading for mercy. Take us to our homes, our Father,

54:53 conscious of what you've said to us. Oh, don't let us be like those who heard the word and then the fowls of the air plucked it up and it never bore fruit. But may your word be enfolded into our hearts and may it bear fruit for eternity to the praise and honor of our Lord Jesus. Make us like him.

55:14 Oh, make us like your son. Discerning, critical when necessary. Oh, but oh, so compassionate and so absent in that self-righteous attitude.

55:30 Lord, have mercy on us. Send us to our homes conscious of your continued dealing with our hearts. We ask for the sake of the Lord Jesus.

55:40 Amen.