“Do Not Judge” In Context

Transcript

GRM 1037
7/5/2009
“Do not Judge” in Context
Matthew 7:1-6
Gil Rugh


We're studying the Sermon on the Mount together and I'd ask you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew 7. We've been told that John 3:16 is probably the most familiar verse in our Bibles and that is probably true. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, in order that whosoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life. Certainly a great verse and a very familiar verse, but I think the verse before us today is probably the most often quoted verse that is used. And that is judge not that you be not judged. How many times do you hear that statement? How often has it been told to you? Judge not that you be not judged. Next time someone quotes that to you, say, that's such a good verse. I'd like to look at that with you. Tell me where that is in the Bible, maybe we could look at it together. Most people know the statement, judge not that you be not judged, but don't have any idea where it comes from or its context. And when you take something out of its context it can be made to mean anything that you want. It's important that we understand what Jesus said in the context in which He is saying it and in the context of the explanation that He gives of it so that we don't misuse it.

Remember the Sermon on the Mount covers Matthew 5-7, and it is about the kingdom that Jesus the Messiah of Israel has come to establish on the earth. And He is explaining to the Jews what is required to go into that kingdom. We noted that the basic issue is having the righteousness that God provides, a righteousness that is greater than the righteousness that the religious leaders in Israel had. So Matthew 5:20 becomes a key verse, for I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So the righteousness that is necessary to go into the kingdom when the Messiah establishes the kingdom, it will have to be a greater righteousness than the scribes and Pharisees who were the epitome of righteousness in Israel. They were the ones who strove to keep the Law and all their additions to the Law meticulously.

Over in Matthew 6:33, but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. See the focal point, the ___________ of the followers of Christ is to be the kingdom and the righteousness necessary for the kingdom, His righteousness, the righteousness that can only come from God and will prepare you for the kingdom and entrance into the kingdom.

When you get over to Matthew 7:21, a word of warning, not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but He who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. You see the issue pervading this Sermon, this instruction that Jesus gave to His disciples and the crowds that gathered—what is necessary to go into the kingdom the Messiah will establish? The righteousness of God, a greater righteousness than the scribes and Pharisees who are so influential in Israel have.

So when we come to chapter 7 this is the context that we are still in. Now Jesus follows a pattern in this Sermon, in this instruction given on the mountain. He states a principle then He explains and elaborates it. So back in chapter 6 verse 1 He said, beware or practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So that's a warning. You won't be blessed with going into the kingdom if you are a hypocrite just practicing external righteousness. Then He elaborated on that. Verse 2, so don't be like the hypocrites who function to be honored by men, they've gotten all they're going to get. That's when you're giving your alms. In verse 5, when you pray don't be like the hypocrites; they'll get no reward from God. Down in verse 16, when you fast don't be like the hypocrites; they'll get no reward from God.

So He states a principle, beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. You'll have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Then He elaborated on that principle. When you get down to chapter 7 verse 7, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. The importance of seeking from God what we need and desire. Then He will follow that with explanation and elaboration so we understand it. That's what happens with the statement in chapter 7 verse 1. Do not judge so that you will not be judged. Now down to verse 6 He's going to be elaborating on this. And verse 6 particularly explains the importance of the right kind of judgment in certain contexts. So just to quote verse 1 is to be hanging something in the air and not understanding the context of what He is saying. And that's the danger of quoting this verse as people often do, because you say this behavior is wrong, what you are doing is wrong, it's not pleasing to God. And they say, judge not that you be not judged. And that's not what this verse is talking about. So we want to put it in its context.

The word judge in the Greek as this is written is basically the same as our English word. It has breadth of meaning. It can be used in a good sense and it can be used in a negative sense. For example an issue comes up and there are things to be considered and a person is wondering what to do and you'll say, judge for yourself. Well that's not a bad thing. You're telling them to evaluate the information, look at it carefully and make the decision. You might say that to one of your children when they start to grow older—I want you to make that judgment. Well that's a good thing, using it in a good sense, a positive sense. It's used in a negative sense. Why are you always judging people? Or they are always critical, always negative, they are always finding fault. That's the context in which Jesus is speaking here.

Do not judge so that you will not be judged. He's talking about a judgment that comes from a self-righteous, hypocritical position. The Pharisees are still in view. Remember back in chapter 6 he talked about the hypocrites in verse 2, the hypocrites in verse 5, the hypocrites in verse 16. When we get to chapter 7 verse 5, hypocrites. That emphasis on the hypocrites.

Turn over to Matthew 23:12, whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. And they have exalted themselves, they saw themselves as the spiritual ones, the righteous ones. They looked down on the others. On one occasion when Jesus had healed a man who was blind the Pharisees wanted an explanation for him, how he got healed, and it happened on the Sabbath. He explained to them what Jesus had done and they didn't like that explanation. He said to him, this is amazing, here is a man who has done this. What did they say to him? You were born in your sin, who are you to instruct us? That kind of arrogant self-righteous attitude. So He says to them, verse 13, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. You shut off the kingdom of heaven from people, you do not enter in yourselves nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. They were doing all they could to prevent people from turning from their sin and believing in the truth of God, believing in the Messiah of Israel. Verse 14, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; verse 15, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. You go all out to make converts and when you make a convert you've made him twice the convert of hell. Terrible statement. Verse 16, woe to you blind guides; verse 17, you fools and blind men; verse 23, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. They are all concerned about tithing and all the little things and they ignore the major things—justice, mercy, faithfulness. Verse 24, you strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. And that's going to come out with a different analogy, the speck and the beam in the eye. But the same point. Here you strain out a gnat, you swallow a camel. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. You clean the outside, the inside is filthy. Verse 26, you blind Pharisees. You see you are hypocrites, you are blind to spiritual truth. Verse 27, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, you look good on the outside but inside they are all defiled. Verse 29, woe to you scribes and Pharisees. They go through the motions of honoring the prophets, but they are in the line of those who persecuted the prophets. These are the people behind what Jesus is saying. And again this is instruction. Chapter 5 verse 20, you must have a greater righteousness than the scribes and Pharisees. Don't get confused here by being led astray by your religious leaders who are putting on a show. But there is no righteousness there.

He's going to remind them of two facts back in chapter 7, elaborating on the statement, judge not that you be not judged. First one is you don't want to judge because you will be judged by the same standard you are judging. And secondly you don't want to be judging because first you need to correct your own problem. And these will put things in perspective. This is similar to what Christ has talked about with different pictures.

Back in Matthew 5:7, blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. So a characteristic of a person who has received the mercy of God is that they are now a merciful person and they will receive more mercy. He illustrated that with a parable in Matthew 18. If you are not forgiving my heavenly Father won't forgive you. It's founded in the fact that we have experienced the work of God's grace in our lives to give us a new heart and a new mind, to cleanse us from within, and now we are functioning accordingly. But a word of warning to those who are judgmental, self-righteous. They are the experts in finding fault in everyone and everything. Verse 2, in the way you judge, you will be judged. And by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. You understand that by being self-righteous and pointing out the flaw in others, you're not excusing yourself from judgment. That's what self-righteousness does to us, somehow we get the idea that if we are good at pointing out the failure in someone else, that makes us more righteous. That's what the Pharisees were. They were vile, polluted, unrighteous men on the inside. That's what Jesus said, on the inside you are full of dead men's bones, you are polluted, you are defiled. And yet here they are going around pointing out everybody's failures and putting a burden on the people. And what they were really doing was keeping them from coming to faith that could provide the cleansing that only comes from faith and the Savior that God has provided.

Turn over to Romans 2. Paul addresses this issue in Romans 2 and again it's in the context of Jews who were a major part of the early church. Note how Romans 2 begins, therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. For we know the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this oh man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself that you will escape the judgment of God? They go around and point out the sins of others and yet we are guilty ourselves, we're guilty of the same thing.

Now who is doing this? Verse 4, do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. You see in this judgmental attitude, this hypercritical self-righteous position, arrogance, they've never really experienced the cleansing that God brings as a result of seeing ourselves as God sees us and being humbled and turning from our sin to Him and realizing our unworthiness, believing that His Son is our only hope, our only salvation and believing in Him.

So religious people go around so proud and they have a certain righteousness as they see it, a certain morality. They can look down on people that they see as inferior spiritually and they cannot understand how they could do those things. But they are guilty of the same. But their heart is still unclean, uncleansed.

Come down to verse 17, but if you bear the name Jew. So here he focuses in because the Jews were particularly involved in self-righteousness because they had the Word of God, they had the Law that had been given to them. So if you bear the name Jew and rely upon the Law and boast in God and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of the knowledge of the truth. You therefore teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal? You say one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, for your breaking the Law do you dishonor God? For the names of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, just as it is written.
What's the issue here? Come down to verse 28, for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that which is of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from men but from God. You see the issue is you need an inward change. Verse 29, he is a Jew who is one inwardly. Circumcision is that which is of the heart by the Spirit. Now he is addressing those who bear the name Jew, verse 17. Don't be confused here and think that Gentiles become Jews because of this verse. That's not what he says. You bear the name Jew, you understand to be in the line of God's salvation blessing, the covenant promises given to Abraham, you have to be more than a physical descendant of Abraham. You have to be a physical descendant of Abraham who has experienced the circumcision of the heart that was required by the Old Testament prophets. Circumcise your heart, and had the sin removed. You have to be inwardly cleansed and forgiven to become a child of God. The Jews thought being born a Jew was enough and of course going through everything involved the ritual of Jews. Just like people today in Christendom—being born a Lutheran, raised a Lutheran, being a good Lutheran; being born a Presbyterian, baptized a Presbyterian, raised a Presbyterian, a good Presbyterian; being born a Catholic, baptized a Catholic, raised a Catholic. I mean, this is what gets you in. The Jews thought being born a Jew, being raised a Jew, trying to keep the Law. That's what assured you of going into the kingdom, the ultimate fulfillment of the promises to Abraham. No. So you sit in judgment of others with your external righteousness and God is looking at the heart. And I see something that is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things, God says. And until that is cleansed you have no relationship with Me, you have no future in the kingdom of My Son.

Come back to Luke 18:9, He told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt. You see it goes hand in hand. Where does this judgmental, critical spirit come from? Seeing myself as what they are not, looking down on them because they are inferior to me. He told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and viewed others with contempt. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—swindlers, unjust, adulterers, even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I pay tithes of all that I get. But the tax gatherer standing some distance away was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast saying, God, be merciful to me the sinner. I tell you this man went to his house justified, declared righteous. That's what justified is. Rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

You see the different attitude in the judgmental attitude of this self-righteous religious person? I thank you that I am not like them. How often have you, be honest, even as a Christian, you've seen other people and their sins and you've thought, Lord, I thank you that I am not like that. How can they do that? I don't even like to go to work, you have to be around these dirty, they're so vile. Oh, aren't you so lovely. Like we've forgotten what we were. ________________________ remind them that they were once just like that. It's God's grace that has changed my heart, as though I couldn't be around these dirty sinners. Remember they criticized Christ for that—He's the friend of sinners. How easily that self-righteous attitude settles in on us and then it's easy to view others with contempt. It just is revolting to me. Sin is revolting. You understand we were revolting to God and yet He had His Son die to pay the penalty for our sins. He in grace saved us. What kind of self-righteous attitude as I parade around that I have to be careful I don't come in contact with these people who would be dirty sinners? Like the Pharisees, like the Jews. They wouldn't have anything to do with the Gentiles. Remember Peter, he didn't even want to eat with a Gentile. I mean, that would be defiling. We are so far superior to them. I mean, I know God could save a dirty old Gentile if he converts to Judaism, but the problem is these Jews hadn't been converted themselves. That's the attitude here of an unregenerate person who hasn't experienced God's cleansing.

Come back to Matthew 7. The first thing we have to do is examine ourselves. You know one of the most destructive divisive things in the church today is this kind of hypercritical attitude, hypercriticism. A number of years ago we had an individual who had been part of the church for a number of years. This person is no longer here. He came down right to the front after a service, other people around, didn't bother them. And voiced again their criticism and discontent. I said to this person, you know in all the years you've been here you've never had one positive thing that I can remember to say about this ministry. The interesting thing is that person didn't deny it. They said, I can't help it, that's the way I feel. Sad. I can always find out what's wrong and no matter what a person is doing, no matter how they function, I am the one who really sees the spiritual condition of things. Of course, I'm the one with the spiritual insight to know. Where is the heart of that person? Have they really understood the forgiveness of God, the cleansing of God, the power of what He can do? That doesn't mean we don't have to deal with sin, even in the life of another person. We're going to talk about that in a moment so don't get ahead of us in trying to figure that out, we're going to talk about that. Right now this critical spirit of being experts and always finding fault. Judge not that you be not judged, and the way you judge you will be judged. By our standard of measure, it will be measured to you. I've experienced God's forgiveness, many of you have experienced God's forgiveness and we know that. I continue to need His forgiveness every day. I'm thankful for His mercy and grace. That's what we are to be manifesting. Doesn't mean we tolerate sin and the practice of sin, but _______________ view even the weakness, even the failures. We all stumble in many ways but as a result of God's work of mercy and grace and love in our lives, we are to be a people manifesting mercy and grace and love.

Turn over to I Peter 1:22, since you have in obedience to the truth purify your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart. For you have been born again, not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is through the living and enduring Word of God. You see here we have experienced the new birth, we have now become partakers of the divine nature. Now we are to love the brethren fervently from the heart. Come over to I Peter 4:8, above all keep fervent in your love for one another. Why is this necessary? Because love covers a multitude of sins. What is lacking in a person that is self-righteous, they are hypercritical? They are unloving. It is true that love covers a multitude of sins? Think about it. Think about it when you were dating, the person you had fallen in love with. You know what happens? You don't see any of their faults. Sometimes you are talking to a couple that is anticipating marriage and it's like they have their heads in the clouds. And that's all right, but you would also like them to have a little bit of realism. And you find out there are faults. Are you going to be able to live with their faults? Oh yes, they don't have any faults that bother me at all. They've been married for ten years, they are back in your office and you say, there must be something you liked about that person when you married them. Let's think, isn't there something you liked about them? Things have totally gone the other way. When they want to marry this person they can't think of anything they don't like, and after they've been married for x number of years they're having a hard time finding anything likable about them. Love overlooks the faults, the failures, right? What do we want to do when someone criticizes our children? What's the first reaction when someone criticizes my child or grandchild? We want to come to their defense, right? Because we overlook those faults. Of course they are not perfect but they are not bad kids. And then we want to talk about all the nice things they do, the good things they do because the other things aren't important. That's what he's talking about when he says fervently love one another from the heart because love covers a multitude of sins. That's why in the family of God here there shouldn't be any hypercritical spirit of one another, this judgmental spirit. Why? We are in love with one another. Now we may have to deal with sin in one another's lives, we'll get to that in a moment. But this supercritical spirit, this self-righteousness, that's characteristic of an unregenerate person and we're not to be characterized that way.

Back up to I Peter 2:1, put aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, all slander. These kinds of things don't have any place in my life, that critical spirit, that unloving spirit, that fault-finding spirit, that judgmentalness.

Come back to Matthew 7. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you. In other words God's standard will be perfect and I understand I need His forgiveness, I need His cleansing. That's why I can be a forgiving person. I need His mercy, that's why I can show mercy. 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? For how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye and behold the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, there's our word, hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye, then you will clearly see to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Now note here, the speck in the eye may need to be removed but it can't be removed while you have a six-inch splinter sticking out of your eye. That's the point. So it's not that the speck doesn't need to be removed, but there is a problem. These self-righteous Pharisees could see every little flaw in the people but they had a huge beam sticking out of their eye. They didn't see their polluted unrighteousness.

In the family of God you have a person who has been cleansed and forgiven and made new and all I can do is harp and be critical of them and always finding something wrong they are doing instead of appreciating the grace of God. Then I have to wonder, have I ever had the beam removed from my own eye? Then I can see clearly to help the other person and there is a place for that, but it has to be done in the proper context of having my own sin dealt with.

God's judgment will be righteous and right, He will judge my heart. Now keep in mind here, when we talk about judging, and we'll get to this further when we get to verse 6. But let me clarify something here. There is a proper sense of judgment that we are required to do by the Word of God that never includes someone else's motives. Ultimately I never know the motives behind what another person is doing, nor do you. In Jeremiah 17:9 God says, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And verse 10 tells us, I the Lord search the heart, I test the mind and give to each man according to his ways. So His judgment goes to the why I did it. I don't know why, you don't know why I'm preaching this sermon. Maybe it's because I need the money, I have to pay my bills. And if I don't preach you won't pay, you don't pay I can't pay, I can't eat. Am I preaching for money? Or maybe I just like everybody sitting there looking at me, I just like the attention. You don't know what my motive is. All you can evaluate is, is he being faithful with the scripture? God will judge my motives.

Come back to Romans 2. In this context of not judging and God being the only judge, verse 16, Paul reminds them of the day when according to my gospel God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. I can't judge those things, I don't see them, but God when He does the judging He will not only judge what I do, he will judge the reason I did what I did, the motives, the secret things.

Turn over to I Corinthians 4. The chapter begins, let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case moreover it is required of stewards that a man be found trustworthy, faithful man. God has entrusted us with His word, Paul will say He has entrusted me with His word. My prime responsibility is to be a trustworthy steward, to handle it faithful. But to me it is a small thing that I may be examined by you or any human court. In fact, I do not even examine myself, for I am conscious of nothing against myself. Wait a minute, he says I don't even examine myself. Well in one sense he does because the next statement is I am conscious of nothing against myself. He's not hiding anything. He has a clear conscience. Yet I am not by this acquitted, but the one who examines me is the Lord. So Paul says the ultimate judgment is yet to be rendered. I have a clear conscience to the best I can analyze myself, but I am aware that doesn't mean I have done it acceptably. The Lord will examine me, He'll examine the hidden recesses of my heart and mind, He'll examine my motives. 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. Then each man's praise will come to him from God. What I can be sure is I can't judge motives.

We fall into this so easily. I know what they did looks good, but I know they weren't doing it for good reason. How do you know? I know they just did it for show. How do you know? I know they didn't do it because they were really concerned .......... How do you know? I mean, we act like we can play God. I don't know why you are here this morning. Maybe you came because you felt guilty if you didn't come, maybe you came because you were sure there would be something to criticize if you came. You don't know why the person sitting next to you is here. I mean, we don't know motives. That's in the Lord's hands, that's something He has reserved for Himself. So it becomes the height of arrogance for me to sit and judge motives because I'm trying to play God. Now I'm judging what is going on in your life, saying the motives in your doing it are wrong, and I'm trying to play God and yet I'm judging you. I mean, how arrogant can I get, how self-righteous can I get that I think I can sit in God's seat and tell you what your motives are. But the secret things of your heart are behind what you are doing. We can't do that and we shouldn't do it.

Furthermore, back up to Romans 14. Here he is talking about food and what you can eat and not eat. This is a difference even between believers, believers who were Jewish background and believers who were Gentile background. Some of the Jews still carried over their restrictions on eating certain things. The Gentiles saw no point to it. The question was asked, verse 1, now accept the one who is weak in faith but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinion. One person has faith he may eat all things, one who has weak eats vegetables. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat. You see happens with regard to contempt and this judgmentalness? It becomes looking down on someone. Why don't they know they can have a ham sandwich if they want it? You don't have to have a cucumber sandwich, you could have a ham sandwich. I mean, you're a spiritual pygmy. Whether I say it or not.

Verse 4, who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls and he will stand if the Lord is able to make him stand. It has to do with observing certain days and that as well. So you come down to verse 10, why do you judge your brother? Or again why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. For as it is written, as I live says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, every tongue shall give praise to God. So each one of us shall give an account of himself to God. Let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this, not to put an obstacle or stumbling block in another brother's way. The point here is eating or not eating is not a biblical issue. If you don't believe you should eat, don't eat. And if you think it's all right to eat, go ahead and eat because the Bible doesn't say one way or the other now. So to judge a person is wrong on this. It's not a clear biblical issue, there is Christian liberty here. So I can't say if they had come along in their knowledge of grace they would know they could eat all foods. Paul agrees with that group. But if they believe before God it is wrong, it's wrong for them to do it, they shouldn't do it. Who are you to sit in judgment of it?

So you see in areas where the Bible doesn't directly, clearly speak, there is liberty. I may think it's a better idea to not do something or to do something, but my thoughts on what is the better thing to do is not the biblical requirement. So I should sit in judgment and say, if you were a mature Christian you wouldn't do that. There are certain principles and guidelines from the scripture we have to consider, but you see that attitude. We don't sit in judgment on people's motives, we don't sit in judgment where the Bible doesn't give clear, specific instructions.

That doesn't mean we as Christians are not to exercise judgment. Turn back to I Corinthians 2:15. The issue here, verse 14, the natural man, the man apart from the Spirit of God, without the Spirit of God does not accept the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him. He cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things. That word appraises is the same basic word we have translated judge in Matthew 7:1. Judge not that you be not judged, krino. Here you have a preposition on the front, ano Ano intensifies it here and has that ability to exercise judgment in all things, we would talk about a discerning judgment. But it's the same basic word that we have. And here we're told he who is spiritual appraises all things, judges with clarity, discernment, all things. Yet he himself is judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. You see that's why we can exercise spiritual judgment. We have the mind of Christ, the Spirit of God dwells in us. We are now able to understand the things of God as revealed in the Word of God. That does not give me the ability to judge, that does give me the right to judge in areas the scripture does not specifically address. But it does not mean that I as a Christian should not exercise proper judgment. And the discerning judgment that the Spirit of God has given us the ability to have now that we have been made new, have the Spirit and have the Word of God to guide us and instruct us.

Back in Matthew 7 as we read this last verse and then tie it to some other verses. Verse 6, do not give what is holy to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine or they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces. A verse often referred to as the dogs and hogs verse, the dogs and pigs. What do you do? You don't take what is holy and give it to the dogs, the dogs will turn around and tear you to pieces. I mean, they are interested in red meat. And you don't take pearls and cast them before swine because the pigs will just trample the pearls in the mud. They don't put any value to them. So don't give what is holy to dogs and don't thrown your pearls before swine. He just told me not to judge, now I have to make a decision. There are dogs and hogs in the world and I can't give what is holy, I can't give the pearls to them. But I'm not supposed to be judgmental. What do I do? Well there is to be the right kind of judgment. And quite frankly the truth of God is not to be given to every dog and every pig out there. I don't know whether you ought to be talking about people as dogs and pigs. Well, we're just saying what Christ is talking about in the Sermon on the Mount. Don't give what is holy to dogs, don't cast pearls before swine. You accomplish nothing. You don't take the truths of the kingdom that He is talking about and give it to those who will turn against you, those who will trample it underfoot. You don't try to conform and make the pigs and the dogs act like believers who are going into the kingdom. Both are true.

Turn over to Matthew 15. Jesus has been instructing, and who is He instructing? Look how chapter 15 opens up, verse 1, some Pharisees and scribes. And He accuses them of violating the word of God to preserve their own traditions. They honor God with their lips but their heart is far away from Him, verse 8. They teach the doctrines of men and not the Word of God. And you know what happens? The Pharisees are offended. Verse 12, the disciples came to Him and said, do you know the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement? When Christ gave them the word of His Father they were offended. What did Christ say? Verse 14, let them alone, they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man they will fall into the pit. You don't go after them and try to dump more truth on them, let them go. They are dogs, they are pigs in the analogy. They are blind men, let them alone. They are not open to truth. It only causes them to want to turn and tear you to pieces. They are offended, they treat the truth with disdain.

Look over in Acts 18:5. When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia Paul began devoting himself completely to the Word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, they are trampling the pearls under the feet, if you will. They resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, your blood be on your own heads. I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. Doesn't mean Paul never gave the Word to Jews again, but you've made your decision. I will just keep being determined and I'm going to keep dumping it on you. He shakes off his garment, I'm going to the Gentiles and I'm not going to continue to give what is holy to the dogs, I'm not going to continue to cast the pearls before swine.

Come to Titus 3:10, this is in the context of verse 9, avoid foolish controversy, genealogies, strife, disputes about the law. They are unprofitable and worthless. Not going to have endless debates and arguments about the Word of God with people. Reject the factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and sinning, being self-condemned. We're done, there is no more to talk about. I'm not here to debate the Word of God with you. This is God's truth. Those that are opposed to His truth and unwilling to accept this truth, that's it. Some of you have to come to this with your family members, physical family. You present the Word and it only makes them hostile, they're disrespectful, you come to the point where I may be with my physical family, but that doesn't mean I'm going to continue to dump the truth on them. They've made their decision. That's particularly true of religious leaders. They are set and opposed to the truth.

I think it's also true in the context, we have to be careful. Believers sometimes think it's their job to try to get the world to live like believers and impose upon the world the requirements for a godly lifestyle. That is not our responsibility. Do you know what happens? It makes the world hostile when you begin to tell the world they have to live like this and not practice this sin and not practice that sin. And their hostility toward believers intensifies. We're not trying to tell dogs and pigs to look like and act like believers. I'm not saying that to be unkind, but that's true because they can stop practicing immorality and they are still on their way to hell. And we just antagonize them by trying to impose what we see as standards for a godly person on the world. I mean, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die. But remember God will bring you into judgment for all these things. But if you're not going to believe in Christ, you might as well get everything you can and enjoy every pleasure you can because you are on your way to an eternal hell and there are pleasures in sin for a season. But you sacrifice eternity for the pleasures of this season, that's your decision.

But we oughtn't to be going around trying to impose our morality on an unbelieving world. You know the homosexual can quit homosexuality and he is now a heterosexual on his way to hell. And if a heterosexual quits being immoral, he's now a person not practicing immorality on his way to hell. I mean, we haven't done anything, we've just antagonized them. We see this happening, they resent that. That's not what we're here for, we're here to tell you it is sin but there is forgiveness for sin. That's what we're preaching. We're not trying to tell you to change your lifestyle, we're telling you to turn from your sin and believe in the Savior who will make you new. And as a result of being made new, life will change and now as partakers of the divine nature we practice such.

Come back to Matthew 18, some of you are aware this is the context of church discipline. And almost invariably when it comes time to practice church discipline, someone will say, judge not that you be not judged. That's a misuse of the passage and it's taking it out of context because in Matthew 18 Christ is also the speaker. And in verse 15 He says, if your brother sins go and show him his fault in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. If he does not listen, take two or three witnesses with you. So when there is clear sin, I Corinthians 5:11, a professing brother, a professing Christian was living in immorality. Paul said there is no excuse for the church not to judge him and disassociate themselves from him. So where there is a person who is professing to be a believer in Jesus Christ and who is living in sin, we are to exercise judgment and to deal according to the Word of God. And this is the mind of God because Jesus says when we do this and disassociate ourselves from them, verse 19, if two or three of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. Where two or three have gathered in My name I am there in their midst. You understand that goes together with what He has said about having two or three witnesses. We are simply acting. If you are a professing believer involved in immorality, it's the responsibility of other believers to confront you about it. If you do not cease, it's the responsibility of the believers in the church to disassociate themselves from you. I thought it said judge not that you be not judged. That's exactly what it says. You understand that in its proper context, then you have to understand Matthew 18 in its proper context as well. There is a right kind of judging, there is a wrong kind of judging.

You have to start out by first recognizing that we are under the judgment of God and must have our sins forgiven. Until my heart has been cleansed and made new by the living God, all I do is bring judgment on myself as I judge others. Then I must be careful even as His child now to exercise biblical judgment only. I don't judge people's motives, I don't judge them in areas the Word of God does not address. That's between them and God. Then we can function in a way that is truly a reflection of God's work in our lives.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your Word. Thank you for these matters that are challenging to us, even as your people. Lord, it's easy for us to slip into self-righteousness, even with what we think are good intentions. Lord, may we be careful to examine ourselves first of all to be sure that our hearts have experienced the cleansing that only you can bring to a life when we come under the conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment and turn to your Son as our Savior and trust in Him alone. Then in our walk in the new life we have in Christ may we be careful not to assume a righteousness of our own, have disdain for those that we think are beneath us, having a contempt even for fellow believers who may be struggling in ways we don't see ourselves struggling. May we have an appreciation of the mercy and grace and love that we have received and manifest that same mercy grace and love to those that we are involved with in your family. We pray it in Christ's name, amen.