Be Just And Judge Not

Luke 6:37–42
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Pastor Randy Smith

God has created us to find our deepest satisfaction in Him. That begins when we come to Him though Christ in faith and continues to increase throughout our life’s journey with the Savior. The purpose of life is this relationship with the Lord of the universe that progressively transforms us into His image. A relationship with Christ is not simply to save us from an eternal hell or be religious, but to internally change us whereby our attitudes and actions continually bring God the utmost glory. Those truly in Christ will be changed. But what does that look like?

In His incredible sermon in Luke chapter 6, Jesus provides the specifics. We already learned His followers will spiritually hunger for righteousness, will be humble, will love all people including their enemies, will be giving and will be merciful. More and more they should be unlike the children of the devil and more and more like their heavenly Father.

Thankfully we have the written instruction of the Bible. And thankfully we have the visual example of mature Christians. As we learned last week in the Titus 2 sermon, we have mature believers in this church that model Christian living that we can follow as they follow Christ. And we also have all the believers throughout church history that have left behind for us a godly legacy.

Let me give you an example. In 2012 the Italian cruise vessel “Concordia” sank. 32 lives were lost. The captain gave an order, “Every man for himself!” The captain himself abandoned ship leaving many still on board.

He was later convicted of manslaughter.

By contrast, let’s go back exactly one hundred years from that story to an infamous sinking we are all familiar with. The Titanic, a British passenger liner when it struck an iceberg off Newfoundland on the night of April 14, 1912, and sank. There is part of that story, however, that is not widely known. Permit me to read it (http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/helpseek/titanjh.htm):

One of the passengers on the Titanic was a godly Pastor from Scotland, by the name of John Harper. Harper had recently spent three months ministering at the Moody Church in Chicago, during which time the church had experienced one of the most wonderful revivals in its history. He had not been back in Britain long when he was asked to return and continue his ministry. He quickly made arrangements for himself and his six-year old daughter, Nana, to travel back to American on board the Lusitania. However, he decided to delay their departure for one week, so that they could sail on a new ship, the Titanic, which was about to make its maiden voyage.

On Sunday the 14th of April, 1912, the day when the iceberg was struck, the weather was fine, the sea calm. Harper attended the church service for the passengers. His niece reported that later that afternoon she saw her Uncle speaking individually to people about their souls. The Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 p.m. As the call was issued for passengers to vacate their cabins, Harper wrapped his daughter in a blanket, told her that she would see him again one day, and passed her to one of the crewmen. After watching her safely board one of the lifeboats, he removed his life jacket and gave it to one of the other passengers. One survivor distinctly remembered hearing him shout, “Women, children and the unsaved into the lifeboats!” Harper knew that believers were ready to die but the unsaved were not ready.

Harper then ran along the decks pleading with people to turn to Christ, and with the ship sinking. As the ship began to lurch, he jumped into the icy waters and swam frantically to all he could reach, beseeching them to turn to the Lord Jesus and be saved. Finally, as hypothermia set in, John Harper sank beneath the waters and passed into the Lord’s presence; he was 39.

Four years later, a young Scotsman by the name of Aguilla Webb stood up in a meeting in Hamilton, Canada, and gave the following testimony: I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought Mr. John Harper of Glasgow, also on a piece of wreck, near me. “Man,” he said, “Are you saved?” “No, I said, “I am not.” He replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

The waves bore him away; but, strange to say brought him back a little later, and he said, “Are you saved now?” “No,” I said, “I cannot honestly say that I am.” He said again, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” and shortly after he went down; and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper’s last convert.

Apparently God wanted Webb's amazing testimony to be shared, because only seven people were plucked from the icy water that night to join the survivors in the lifeboats. Webb was one of them.

Apart from what God is doing, there is no explanation for a man like John Harper. That is the point of our Lord’s sermon in Luke 6 – radical transformation.

Now specifically in verses 37-42, our passage under consideration for this morning, there are basically five truths that define a child of God. Verse 37, God’s people will not judge. Verse 37, God’s people will forgive. Verse 38, God’s people will give. Verses 39-40, God’s people will discern. And verses 41-42, God’s people will examine themselves.

Permit me to repeat that: Verse 37, God’s people will not judge. Verse 37, God’s people will forgive. Verse 38, God’s people will give. Verses 39-40, God’s people will discern. And verses 41-42, God’s people will examine themselves.

For today’s message I would like to focus on one topic that will in a sense weave all of these truths together.

For centuries this was the most well-known verse in the Bible. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). There is now a new favorite in our time that is frequently quoted by those who ironically do not even hold to the truth in the Bible. It is Mathew 7:1, “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Always quoted in King James!

How often do we hear: “Though I would never have an abortion, who am I to judge those who do?” “How can anyone condemn homosexuality when they have their own sins?” “It is judgmental to assume Christ is superior to other religious figures.”

Today’s passage from Luke 6:37 (a parallel to Matthew 7:1) says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.”

So did Jesus pronounce a moratorium on all critical thinking and the need to proclaim and defend biblical values? Of course we need to make judgments (I’ll come back to that), but Jesus clearly commanded us here not to judge. Where do we go with this?

1. When Is Judging Sinful?

Let’s first start off by looking at the sinful judgment that Jesus condemns in this passage. This is the first point in your sermon outline.

IT IS WRONG TO JUDGE THE MOTIVES OF ANOTHER.

1 Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts.”

Though we cannot read hearts, we all have this insidious tendency based upon limited information to judge people as to what drives them internally and then jump to oftentimes the worst conclusions possible. In a nutshell, we draw an opinion about the intent of a person’s heart (oftentimes without ever even speaking to the individual) and then act upon that opinion as if our assumptions are infallible.

This attitude is wrong because it is acting in a very unloving manner. Love believes all things. Love gives others the benefit of doubt. Love is not so quick to draw such hasty conclusions. Love does not act on one side of the story until it hears the other side. Love does not vilify people based upon data that only God can comprehend.

IT IS WRONG TO JUDGE THE CONVICTIONS OF ANOTHER.

We are called to honor Christ in every decision we make. However many of those decisions are not specifically stated in the Bible. So we examine general biblical passages, pray, seek wise counsel, follow our conscience and then develop a conviction. For example: What television shows to watch, how to school our children, what to do with Halloween, how to spend our money, opinions on alcohol consumption, clothing issues, etc. All believers, as long as they are following the Lord and personal conscience are free to make their own decisions in these “grey” areas.

Problems arise when we look down upon others who do not follow our own personal convictions. This is another form of judging our Lord also denounces. We should hold firm to our convictions for ourselves, but we dare not press our convictions upon others as if they are a biblical standard (Col. 2:16-23). Let’s remember, Jesus condemned this Pharisaic attitude that elevated tradition and man-made standards to a status on par with Scripture. This is legalism. This is “judging according to appearance” (Jn. 7:24) and “judging according to the flesh” (Jn. 8:15).

IT IS WRONG TO JUDGE WITH HYPOCRISY.

Look at verses 41-42. “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.”

You see what our Lord is getting at here? He is using hyperbole to paint a comical image. One man has a “wooden bean” in his eye and he’s concerned about removing a speck of saw dust from another’s eye. Spiritually speaking, it’s the person loaded with sins, but he feels the calling to be the “sin police” over others with less grievous offenses. He is spiritually blinded by his wooden beam. He is self-righteous. He is self-condemning. Simply put, he is a hypocrite.

So what’s so bad about it sinful judging?

SINFUL JUDGMENT IS PRIDEFUL.

We judge other people in the ways just mentioned for a reason. There is something in us that fuels this unbiblical response – pride! Pride wants to look down upon others. Pride wants to dethrone others to make ourselves appear more spiritual. Pride wants to have others answering to us. Pride wants other people admiring our actions. So in an effort to justify our sins we find it very easy to condemn others sins. However, didn’t Jesus say in verse 20 that citizens of His kingdom are poor in spirit? It is impossible to be poor in spirit and judge others at the same time.

WE HAVE LIMITED KNOWLEDGE.

Sinful judgment is also wrong because we have limited knowledge. We do not have all the facts. We are biased. It is always easier to see things from our perspective and shade things to our advantage. When we judge others, we have a tremendous capacity for deception and more often than not formulate facts that are erroneous. How many times has someone totally written you off only to eventually find out that all the conclusions they drew about you were inaccurate?

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,
That the man beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,
Which she tried to ignore, to avoid a scene.

She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,
As the gutsy “cookie thief!” diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I’d blacken his eye!”

With each cookie she took, he took one, too.
When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do.
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother,
This guy has some nerve, and he’s also rude,
Why, he didn’t even show any gratitude!”

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,
Refusing to look back at the “thieving ingrate.”

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,
Then sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise.
There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!

“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair,
“Then the others were his and he tried to share!”
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!

PEOPLE ARE HURTING.

We should avoid sinful judging because everybody to some degree is hurting. Life is difficult, suffering is abundant and sorrow is common. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we could find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough, to disarm all our hostility against them.” Being judged has the ability to crush one’s spirit, a spirit that is often frail and battered and bruised already. We should be in the business of edification, not mortification!

GOD’S GREATER JUDGMENT IS UPON YOU.

When we judge others in an unbiblical fashion, God’s judgment rests upon us in a greater way. Back to our text in Luke 6 – look again at verse 37: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.” Judging others is flat-out dangerous. For how can we suppose that we can act so unmercifully to God’s people and then expect to receive the mercy we desire so much from God? Be prepared, the measure of sinful judgment we extend to others will be proportioned back to us in like measure. One author said judgment is like a boomerang, it comes back and hangs you on its own gallows.

YOU ARE NOT GOD.

Probably the most important reason that unbiblical judgment is wrong is because acting in this way usurps the authority of God. When we judge in this way we are stepping on God’s Throne and pronouncing our sovereignty and omniscience and declaring to the world that people are ultimately answerable to us. We are setting ourselves up as God, and in doing so, committing possibly the worst form of evil.

Romans 14:10, “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

2. When Is Judging Righteous?

Let’s go to the second point.

So is all judgment sinful? Based upon our Lord’s words not to judge and our lesson thus far, it would be safe to assume, as many do, that all types of judgment upon others is to be avoided. Yet not so fast! We can’t close our discussion on this topic just yet. Think about it to yourself for a moment. Would you really want to exist in a world where critical thinking and the evaluation of others was totally prohibited?

Could you imagine a parent that could not judge the actions of a child as it related to issues of safety, schoolwork, choice of friends and drug use? Could you imagine a courtroom where judgment upon others was forbidden? Could you imagine the chaos and anarchy that would result if laws were not drafted and then enforced based upon the judgment of elected officials? Could you imagine a political debate where the candidates could not judge the other’s platforms? Could you imagine not saying anything in fear of being judgmental while you watched a friend hurt herself with destructive behavior? Could you imagine a church where sin was left unchecked because no one wanted to be judgmental?

My friends, there is One who sets the rules for this world. It the Creator, God Himself. And He has given us His uncompromising expectations in the Bible. It’s absolute truth to which all are accountable.

It’s a shame people erroneously taken Jesus’ words not to judge as their shield for critique-free sinful behavior – a form of spiritual immunity. It’s a shame they use our Lord’s words as a reason not to submit to the rest of our Lord’s words found elsewhere in the Bible! However, as we just witnessed above, such a position is contradictory to the inherent understanding of societal function, other commands in the Bible that call us to make a judgment and is clearly a false interpretation of what Jesus meant here in Luke 6.

In 6:37 we are to avoid unrighteous judgment, but a simple consideration of the immediate context proves that we are not to avoid judgment altogether.

In verses 41-42 our Lord is calling for a “righteous judgment.” Verse 42 says, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.” Granted, this verse is calling for us to avoid making a hypocritical “unrighteous judgment” (get the log out first!), but we can’t go without seeing it is still ultimately calling us to the responsibility of making a judgment and removing the speck in a brother’s eye. Our Lord’s point is not that we should avoid judgment; it is just that we should avoid judging with hypocrisy.

The basic problem in the church is that we are committing too much of the “unrighteousness judgment” because we live too often in the flesh and have not executed enough “righteous judgment” because we have been brainwashed to accept the world’s exegetical conclusions of Luke 6. So, how do we judge rightly? How do we (John 7:24) “Judge with righteous judgment?”

BE SELF-EXAMINING.

Examine your own life before you ever point out sin in another’s. Also it is important to note that according to verse 42 of Luke 6, it is not until we remove the log from our own eye that we will “see clearly to take the speck that is in your brother’s eye.” Self-righteous fault-finders have distorted vision.

BE CHARITABLE.

Though we are to be “salt and light,” it does not mean that we are suddenly on the “sin patrol” seeking to point out every flaw in the others we encounter. Remember the Golden Rule (verse 31) – how would you like to be treated?

BE BIBLICAL.

Remember that there is an absolute truth and that truth is found in the Bible.

The Bible is God’s Word so when we tell erring people what the Scriptures say (something we are commanded to do – Mt. 18: 15; Gal. 6:1; 2 Thes. 3:15; Jas. 5:19), it’s not us judging the other person with our words, but it is God judging them through His Word. And it is loving because sin is destructive.

BE UNCOMPROMISING.

There is no doubt that we as Christians should be civil toward those whose opinions might differ from ours, but there is a world of difference between civility and affirmation. To say we need to approve of everyone’s beliefs without ever given the opportunity for disagreement is simply unrealistic, umbilical and inconsistent with the principles that built our great nation of democracy and freedom!

What God doing in you? Is He producing a mature disciple that is able to understand and rightly practice this biblical principle? It comes down this. Are our lives so overwhelmed with and empowered by His grace that we will be merciful and gracious to others? Are our lives so consumed with His Word that we will model and uphold biblical truth? And are our lives so in love with Christ that we will fervently desire to be more like Him and help others in the process.