Judge Not.

Steve Gentry

[0:06] Welcome to Village Church. [0:08] This is your first time here. [0:09] My name is Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:11] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:16] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Matthew chapter seven. [0:19] We’re going to get back into our series through the first seven chapters of Matthew this morning.

[0:25] And one of the most fascinating things I think about Matthew seven, [0:29] especially in the first few verses, is that most people reduce the entire message to verse one. [0:37] And then many people reduce it further just to the first two words of verse one. [0:43] And that is, judge not. [0:46] And that’s really all that we see. [0:48] That’s all that we care about.

[0:50] That’s all that we want to apply because none of us want to feel any source of external judgment [0:57] coming into our lives. [0:59] But the reality this morning that I hope we can wrap our minds around is that if we will take a [1:05] full view of everything that Jesus says through the first six verses of chapter seven, [1:11] we can actually posture ourselves to a life of real growth and what it means to not just be [1:19] a Christian, but to be a person who fleshes out what that means in full depth,

[1:27] that we will become the type of people who live to follow Jesus Christ. [1:33] But nobody really wants to be judged. [1:36] But everybody needs to understand that that desire not to be judged is in and of itself [1:42] a judgment. [1:45] The moment you look to someone and make the statement like, you know, the very popular one, [1:50] don’t judge me.

[1:51] Or sometimes who do you think you are to judge me in that very instant? [1:56] You are being a very judgmental person. [1:59] You’re just being judgmental about judgment. [2:03] And in reality, what I hope we can flesh out today is that God has actually given us other [2:12] people into our lives who will bring judgment into our lives as a grace of God, [2:20] not something that is in opposition to God.

[2:22] But oftentimes the work that God wants to do into our lives will actually come through the [2:27] judgment of other people. [2:29] And you would not have received it otherwise. [2:33] Therefore, the very rejection of judgment from other people can oftentimes serve [2:42] as a detrimental force in your life and a rejection of the work that God desires to do [2:48] in your life.

[2:51] And so for the follower of Jesus, these verses are extremely relevant to the path of discipleship. [2:57] If you are a follower of Jesus, that he wants you to walk in. [3:01] Let’s just look at what Jesus says, starting in verse one.

[3:05] Judge not. [3:07] And the temptation is to get some white out or get a marker and just scribble through the [3:10] rest of the words because you’re very comfortable right there, aren’t you?

[3:14] He says, judge not that you be not judged for the judgment you pronounce.

[3:23] You will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. [3:29] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but you do not notice the [3:33] log that is in your own eye? [3:34] Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when there is the log [3:39] in your own eye? [3:40] You hypocrite.

[3:42] First, take the log out of your own eye and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck [3:49] out of your brother’s eye. [3:51] Do not give dogs what is holy. [3:55] Do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

[4:04] What’s fascinating about this text is that Jesus begins with a pronouncement not to judge. [4:09] And then in verse six, he ends with one of the most judgmental things I have ever read in my life. [4:17] And he tells you, don’t judge. [4:20] Then in verse six, judge because verse six is just judgment. [4:24] That’s why a lot of us kind of ignore it when we’re talking about the issue of judgment. [4:27] He literally says you need to judge whether or not someone in your life is a dog or a pig.

[4:35] And if they’re one of those, don’t offer them the wisdom of God because they will just turn [4:40] it around and they will use it to attack you. [4:43] Well, the only way you’re going to be able to do that is if you exercise judgment.

[4:49] But the type of judgment that Jesus is talking about is what is so vitally important because [4:55] every single one of you has got to admit one thing. [5:02] You make a thousand judgments every single day. [5:06] No one avoids that, whether it be about when to eat, where to eat, who to eat with, what to eat, [5:14] or how in the world you’re going to eat. [5:17] All of that takes judgment.

[5:19] Every single decision in your life is a judgment call of some type. [5:25] And everything with judgment goes great until someone has the audacity to make a different [5:36] judgment than you’ve made.

[5:39] It’s never judgment that’s the problem. [5:43] It’s conflict that is the issue. [5:46] Because no matter who you are, at some point someone’s going to disagree with the type of [5:50] judgment that you have and you’re going to make it your mission to prove in that case in time [5:54] that your judgment is superior to their judgment. [5:58] And since they don’t like what you’re doing, obviously they’re the problem because you’ve

[6:02] never been the problem. [6:03] Have you? [6:04] I mean, you’ve never made a bad decision. [6:06] You’ve never done anything wrong. [6:08] So how can they think that you have made a bad judgment? [6:16] And so what Jesus is actually calling us to is a different type of judgment than we are used to.

[6:22] And in this text, he’s actually calling us to submit to a type of judgment that, yes, [6:29] you’re not going to naturally be comfortable with the type of judgment that Jesus is going [6:34] to call you to submit to. [6:35] But everything about the gospel of Jesus Christ is about judgment.

[6:44] But he doesn’t want you to have the wrong type of judgment that’s not based on the gospel. [6:49] So how do you begin to form that type of ethic? [6:51] Well, number one, this morning, it begins by holding yourself to the same standard [6:56] that you hold others to. [6:58] Nothing drives me crazier. [7:00] And I see this all the time.

[7:02] People who are holding others accountable to something that they themselves are not [7:08] holding themselves accountable to. [7:09] Have you ever seen a fat person call another person fat? [7:13] It drives me nuts. [7:15] That’s just nuts to me. [7:17] You’re not holding yourself accountable to the same standards you’re calling another

[7:20] person to or an uneducated person holding someone accountable for not being as educated [7:25] as they are. [7:26] They will. [7:27] You’re both idiots. [7:28] So let’s just let’s just draw the line right there. [7:31] I mean, it’s just kind of insane the way that we hold people accountable to think I’m

[7:38] very judgmental behind the wheel. [7:40] I believe that everyone should exercise the exact same driving skills that I exercise [7:46] unless they’re in front of me. [7:49] And then they’re held to a different standard because they just need to get out of the way. [7:52] Every Sunday, if you don’t know this, I travel between campuses. [7:56] And so I go from at Lothian Chester and then from Chester back to Midlothian.

[8:00] And those are the worst moments of my life.

[8:05] Especially coming back because I turn into the biggest Pharisee that you’ve ever met [8:10] in your life. [8:11] There’s this stretch on Courthouse Road. [8:15] And I don’t know how you get here, but the speed limit is 45, which literally, probably [8:26] not to me means at minimum, you drive 53. [8:32] All right.

[8:33] I’m sorry. [8:34] That’s just the law. [8:37] According to me. [8:39] All right. [8:40] But my head starts to explode around Reams Road because some people drive 40 in a 45. [8:52] And that’s where capital punishment should step in and really start doing some damage

[8:59] in people’s lives. [9:02] Why? [9:03] Because I have somewhere that I want to get as fast as possible. [9:08] But catch me Monday morning when I don’t need to be there at a specific time and I [9:13] have a specific timeline. [9:14] And I’m probably the one driving 40 miles per hour.

[9:17] See, it’s an unjust judgment that I’m laying on the world because I’m holding other people [9:23] accountable to a standard that I don’t necessarily hold myself accountable to. [9:28] But what if you held yourself accountable to the same standards that you hold other [9:37] people accountable to? [9:38] Because the reality that you’ve got to deal with is that everyone judges, but no one [9:44] wants to be judged.

[9:47] Even the judgment that you laid down on another person, I doubt in any and all circumstances [9:54] that you would be completely comfortable being held accountable for that same standard at [10:00] a different time. [10:01] And the issue is, is that we need a radical work of empathy to take place in our lives. [10:10] Here’s what empathy is. [10:11] Empathy is the ability to emotionally connect and understand something from someone else’s

[10:17] point of view.

[10:20] It’s that whole put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

[10:24] You see, in Romans chapter two, the apostle Paul kind of fleshes out and gives commentary [10:29] to what Jesus is telling to the audience here. [10:31] Here’s what he says. [10:32] Therefore, you have no excuse. [10:33] Oh, man. [10:34] Every one of you who judges for impassing judgment on another, you condemn yourself

[10:39] because you the judge practice the very same thing. [10:41] And I’ve heard this text taken out of context a lot of time, but here’s what the apostle [10:45] is actually saying. [10:47] He’s talking specifically to the nation of Israel. [10:50] He’s telling them God gave you the law in the Old Testament and you were chosen by [10:56] God to receive the law so that you could live by the standard of the law and show

[11:03] the rest of the world what it looks like to live by God’s righteous standards. [11:07] But they not only failed to live up to the standards of the law, but they then turned [11:14] the law as a weapon to use against other people. [11:19] So they weren’t holding themselves accountable by the standards of the law. [11:22] They just believed we’re obviously special just by virtue of having the law. [11:29] We don’t need to measure up to it, but everyone else does.

[11:34] And since they weren’t chosen by God to have the law, they’re not as good as we are who [11:39] do have the law, but they missed it entirely. [11:43] They had it, but they weren’t following it. [11:46] But they thought that they could measure everybody else’s worth by it. [11:50] That’s why Jesus makes the statement you hypocrites. [11:56] Because they were holding the world accountable to a standard that they themselves were not

[12:01] being held to. [12:03] All of this in Matthew, Chapter seven is jumping off of what Jesus said in Matthew 520. [12:09] See, every little segment of the Sermon on the Mount here is jumping off of that text [12:14] where Jesus looks to the crowd and he says, if you want to be basically as righteous as [12:19] God has called you to be, your righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. [12:26] And see, he wasn’t just clowning on the Pharisees there.

[12:29] They were standing right there. [12:30] He wasn’t talking about them behind their backs. [12:32] They were in the audience. [12:34] And so you basically had two segments of the audience. [12:37] You had the Pharisees who were called by their culture to know the law, apply the law, and [12:44] judge how everyone was doing about the law.

[12:46] And then you had the rest of the audience, the people who were being judged by the Pharisees. [12:51] But the problem with the Pharisees is they were basing everything on their standards [12:55] and they themselves didn’t even hold them accountable to all of them. [12:58] They just had a power to judge everyone. [13:00] And Jesus is looking to the crowd and he’s saying, look, don’t look to the Pharisees [13:04] for what righteousness actually looks like.

[13:06] You need to look to a different standard. [13:09] And what was that standard? [13:12] See, each and every one of you, if you measure your life by how the guy next to you is doing, [13:19] you will end up with an unjust judgment. [13:22] You were not created by God to measure your life by how other people do. [13:30] You were created by God to measure your life by one measurement.

[13:35] God.

[13:37] I’m a child of the 80s and 90s. [13:39] I’m a little older than some of you, a little younger than some of you. [13:42] So I’m kind of stuck somewhere in between. [13:44] And so in the 90s, we had this great theologian. [13:46] His name was Tupac Shakur.

[13:49] And Tupac would constantly make the statement, only God can judge me. [13:54] Right.

[13:56] But he was wrong. [13:58] You see, the problem with that statement, and it’s probably something that you’ve kind of [14:02] thought a thread of that in your life at some point where it doesn’t matter what other people [14:07] think. All that matters is what God thinks of me. [14:10] This is between me and God. [14:11] How dare you come into play?

[14:14] The issue with that is it brings with it a false assumption. [14:19] The false assumption that that usually and evidently brings with it is that the reason [14:25] you’re more comfortable with the judgment of God than you are with the judgment of others [14:29] is because you think God happens to be a lot like you. [14:35] You think that God would make the same decisions that you make in any and all circumstances. [14:42] You think that, hey, if it’s about me and God, I’m good with him because I have fashioned

[14:48] him after my own image. [14:50] The problem with that. [14:53] Is the question of what if you’re wrong?

[14:58] What if God isn’t completely like you? [15:01] What if God wouldn’t approve of every decision that you make? [15:07] What if God has a standard that does conflict with some of the standards that you’re forming [15:14] and just based on how you feel, you assume God is good with the decisions that you make?

[15:24] Because you had the best of intentions, didn’t you? [15:27] But the problem is that God has given us an objective standard to know what decisions [15:34] he does approve of, what decisions he doesn’t approve of, what he would do, and what he [15:39] wouldn’t do. [15:40] And that’s the scriptures. [15:43] See, God doesn’t want you to base your life on just what you think is right.

[15:47] He wants you to base your life on what he thinks is right. [15:52] Because even in our attempt to remove judgment, we always end up just heaping judgment on [16:00] because if Tupac was wrong about his view of God, then that shouldn’t have been a comforting [16:06] thought. [16:08] The thought of a judgmental God who disagrees with the decisions that I make is actually [16:12] a terrifying thought.

[16:15] But even in our culture, when we try to remove judgment, we end up ruining everything, in [16:19] my opinion. [16:19] Now, I don’t exercise often. [16:22] That’s obvious by me. [16:25] But every once in a while, I get a wild hair and I’ll be like, okay, I’m going to get [16:28] it right.

[16:28] I’m going to start exercising. [16:30] I’m going to get fit. [16:31] And when I do, I prefer weightlifting to Zumba. [16:35] And nothing wrong with Zumba. [16:36] That’s just the kind of guy that I am. [16:38] But, you know, and I like weightlifting and I was paying an exorbitant amount to go to

[16:42] a gym for a period. [16:43] And then I got this mailer from this gym that said, it was only $9.99 a month. [16:47] I mean, 10 bucks a month. [16:48] So much left. [16:49] And that place was called Planet Fitness. [16:52] Now, if any of you go to Planet Fitness, that’s great.

[16:54] If any of you work at Planet Fitness, I apologize for what I’m about to say. [16:59] But I was touring Planet Fitness and I’m looking everywhere and it said on the walls of [17:04] Placid, this is a judgment free zone. [17:07] And I was like, that’s a unique way to brand your gym. [17:11] That’s interesting. [17:12] I was cool with it.

[17:13] I said, that’s great. [17:13] And so I signed up, you know, paid my 10 bucks. [17:16] I was like, okay. [17:16] So the next day I go there, what I didn’t realize is that what they meant by judgment [17:23] free zone wasn’t what I understood judgment free zone to mean. [17:27] Because what they meant was the entire time you’re in here, you will feel really,

[17:32] really, really judged because they have this thing called the Lunk Alarm. [17:37] All right. [17:38] And if you don’t know what the Lunk Alarm is, it is this button that some person at [17:42] some place in the gym listens. [17:46] And if you drop the weights too hard, they sound the alarm. [17:51] If you grunt too hard, they sound the alarm.

[17:55] If you wear the wrong tank top, they sound the alarm. [17:59] All right. [17:59] And the alarm is literally sirens, bells and horns going off and it scares you to death. [18:09] So the entire time I was there, I was petrified. [18:15] I was like, oh, please God, don’t let me lay these weights down too hard. [18:19] And if something got hard, I was like, don’t grunt, don’t grunt, don’t grunt.

[18:25] I was terrified. [18:27] And so in their attempt to make a certain person feel comfortable, [18:34] you know what they did? [18:36] They made another type of person feel completely uncomfortable. [18:43] So in their attempt to remove judgment, what did they then by virtue have to do? [18:48] They had to heap on judgment in another way.

[18:52] And that is so similar to what we do. [18:56] It’s not that we can remove judgment. [18:58] It’s not that we aren’t judgmental. [19:00] We are only judgmental to the type of person that we feel is going to be judgmental on to us. [19:08] But there is no difference. [19:10] And what ultimately is happening is no one is empathizing with anyone else.

[19:16] If you can empathize with a person, you will ultimately become sympathetic to that person’s [19:22] plight. [19:23] Every struggle that a person has, has a story behind it. [19:28] Every single one, I’ve realized that in pastoral ministry, everybody has a struggle, [19:33] but some people struggle harder than other people. [19:35] And some people struggle in areas that other people don’t struggle with.

[19:38] And when you do struggle and you actually sit down with a person [19:42] that has a specific type of struggle, there ends up being a story as to where that struggle [19:47] came from, how that struggle came about, how they ended up where they are. [19:51] And what happens is, is you go from a person who doesn’t struggle like them and just looks [19:56] at them and says, what’s your problem? [19:58] Why can’t you measure up like I measure up?

[20:00] To a person who actually listens, hears, and then says, oh, man, okay, I understand a little [20:06] more about how you struggle. [20:08] And so that makes you a little bit less judgmental of a person. [20:11] But here’s the flip side of that.

[20:15] Sometimes the stories aren’t necessarily legit.

[20:21] Not every story that we tell ourselves is created equal. [20:25] And not every story that we tell ourselves about our struggle is helping us with our [20:30] struggle. [20:31] Some of the stories that we tell ourselves and some of the experiences that we’ve actually [20:35] gone through can simply become an excuse as to comfort us when we don’t have the energy [20:43] or when we don’t have the desire to better ourselves, to win victory over the battles

[20:49] that we’re facing in our lives. [20:52] And so it really is always a two-sided sword. [20:56] There’s judgment against people who are in a struggle, but then there’s also the false [21:01] narrative that sometimes we feed ourselves so that we won’t feel judged and so that [21:06] we will simply excuse ourselves for the mess that we are making over and over and over [21:12] and over in our lives.

[21:15] And so we have to ask ourselves, is there another way? [21:20] I’ll say yes. [21:21] There’s always another way with the gospel of Jesus Christ. [21:26] The first thing that we have to do is we have to turn only God can judge me from an excuse [21:33] into a posture that we take into our lives and simply say, God has judged me. [21:40] God is judging me.

[21:42] God is going to judge me. [21:44] And let that sober you up to the choices that you were actually making. [21:48] Here’s what Hebrews chapter nine says. [21:49] This isn’t just it is it appointed for man to die once. [21:54] And after that comes judgment.

[21:59] If we could posture ourselves, no matter where you are, no matter what you’re dealing with, [22:06] with a face towards the future to realize there is going to come a day when I will [22:14] righteous and holy God and I will be held accountable for the decisions that I have [22:21] made. [22:22] That will change your perspective because here’s the deal.

[22:27] All those people that you point to to blame for why you do the things that you do, why [22:34] you feel the way that you feel and why you make the decisions that you make. [22:38] The scripture does not tell us that they will be there for us to point to. [22:43] The scripture sobers us up to the reality. [22:46] The decisions that I make, the choices that I make, I’m responsible for them first before [22:53] anyone else is.

[22:57] But number two, this morning that will bring you to a place where you will understand [23:01] that it is only through judgment that you will help others. [23:04] It’s only through judgment that you’ll help others, including yourself. [23:07] Note what Jesus says starting in verse three. [23:09] He says, Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye? [23:11] Do not notice the log that is in your own eye.

[23:14] Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when there’s [23:17] the log in your own eye? [23:18] You hypocrite. [23:20] First, take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck [23:24] out of your brother’s eye.

[23:27] Everyone and I have not seen the exception to this. [23:31] Everyone wants to be the hero of the story that their lives are telling everyone. [23:36] Nobody wants to be the villain. [23:38] Everybody wants to be the hero. [23:40] And because of that, when you read that text, there is a temptation and a natural instinct [23:49] to read it from the point of view of the brother with a speck in his eye.

[23:56] Because what we tend to read that in is like, ha ha, see? [24:00] Yep, you’re judging me, but I’ve got the speck and you need to take that log out of [24:09] my life decisions. [24:11] You get that log out of your eye before you ever have the audacity to come and question [24:16] any of the choices that I have made in any of the directions that I’ve gone into. [24:21] But you see, that’s the problem.

[24:24] Jesus doesn’t want you to read that from the perspective of the brother with a speck in [24:29] his eye. [24:30] Because the point of view that Jesus is taking is that the reader is always from the perspective [24:39] of the brother with the log in his eye. [24:43] You see, your sin is more deadly to your life than anyone else’s sin ever will be.

[24:58] You are your worst enemy, not another person. [25:04] I have to fly a couple of times a year, and I don’t like flying, but I’m not terrified [25:12] of flying. [25:13] But there always comes a point before takeoff that I’m angry at the flight attendants because [25:20] they give us this great, you know, pep talk and they encourage us by warning us that the [25:25] plane might crash.

[25:27] And if the plane does catch on fire and we’re all headed to our fiery grave, here’s a few [25:32] tips about the flotation device that your seat can become or the air mask that’s going [25:37] to come out of the overhead bin. [25:42] But what’s interesting about that is every single time they get to the point where they’re [25:46] talking about the oxygen mask and say the same thing every time, they say, don’t help [25:52] someone with their air mask first.

[25:55] You take the oxygen mask, put it on yourself, and only then should you try to help the [26:02] person sitting beside you, even if it is a small child that you’re traveling with. [26:07] The reason that they give you that advice is that if the cabin loses air pressure and [26:12] oxygen is being sucked out of the cabin while you’re struggling to help the person beside [26:17] you, you might pass out before you get the mask on them. [26:20] And then both of you are going to pass out because neither one of you are going to get

[26:24] the help that you need. [26:25] So instead, put the oxygen mask on you. [26:27] And then you’ve got all the time in the world to help the person beside you, even if they [26:31] happen to pass out. [26:33] So what Jesus is telling us is not so different right here in this text. [26:38] He’s saying if you ever want to live to the standard that God holds Christians accountable

[26:45] for, where you not only are a follower of Jesus Christ, but you were helping other [26:50] people follow Jesus, you need to gospel yourself before you can ever have hopes to gospel [26:56] anyone else. [26:58] You need to deal with your own stuff before you can help other people with their stuff. [27:08] But the hope that Jesus gives is that you can get the log out of your eye. [27:15] And he’s saying, and then when you’ve dealt with Jesus, when Jesus has dealt with you,

[27:21] when you’ve gotten on the directional path that you need to get on where you are becoming [27:26] a disciple of Jesus Christ.

[27:30] Note that he says that is the posture from which you can judge other people.

[27:40] When we realize that he isn’t talking about the other guy, but he’s talking about us, [27:46] it frees us to deal with our sins so that we can be a help to other people. [27:51] And Luke, chapter 18, Jesus gives a fascinating parable. [27:55] He says, two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee who was a religious leader, [27:59] and the other a tax collector who was basically tax collectors were thieves. [28:04] He says, the Pharisee standing by himself prayed, thus, God, I thank you that I’m not

[28:07] like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. [28:13] I fast twice a week. [28:15] I give tithes of all that I get. [28:17] But the tax collector standing far off would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, [28:21] but beat his breast saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. [28:26] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.

[28:31] For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. [28:39] Friend, you need to stop viewing yourself as so much better than others and begin [28:45] by seeing yourself unholy and the presence of a holy God. [28:51] When you compare yourself with God rather than saying, well, I’m better than that guy. [28:59] Well, I’m more committed than that guy. [29:02] Well, God, how could this bad thing happen to me?

[29:04] I read my Bible every single day this week.

[29:08] And instead, posture yourself where you realize that you are an unholy person in the presence [29:15] of a holy God. [29:16] You are an unrighteous person in the presence of a righteous God. [29:21] Then you will have not only a proper view of yourself, but you will also have a proper [29:27] view of God and you will understand that that view of God is the great equalizer among us.

[29:34] That other people aren’t worse than you in comparison to God, but instead, [29:42] they are people who need the same grace from God that you get. [29:48] And every single person that I’ve met that has really experienced the grace of God in [29:56] their lives is gracious to other people.

[30:01] Why? [30:03] Because they know the gift that they have received from God and they know that they [30:07] don’t deserve it any more than anybody else does so they can freely offer it to everyone else. [30:12] Gospel self judgment will make you gracious. [30:19] This is not about accepting sin. [30:23] This is not about allowing error at the cost of truth.

[30:26] That’s not what I’m talking about here. [30:28] What I’m talking about is the type of lifestyle in which you can expose sin and yes, [30:35] you can tell truth from lies and expose lies with truth, but you are walking side by side [30:42] with other people in their struggles while you offer them grace, while you give them truth. [30:49] And instead of seeing yourself as better than other people and trying to prove how good you [30:54] are in a field of people lesser than you, you will instead realize that you have the

[31:00] lifeline to what life was really meant to be lived for and you will have the freedom [31:06] to offer it to other people. [31:10] Apostle Paul puts it this way in first Corinthians chapter 11. [31:13] He says, if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. [31:17] But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be [31:23] condemned along with the world.

[31:27] There’s grace and there’s truth and there is the reality of condemnation from a God [31:34] who is wrathful against sin, which is why this part is so vital. [31:40] Number three, Jesus is the filter through which right judgment flows. [31:45] Jesus is the filter through which right judgment flows.

[31:51] You know, Jesus came to judge.

[31:55] And that’s where things get a little tougher for us because, you know, Jesus is loving, [32:00] Jesus is merciful, Jesus is gracious. [32:04] And so when we get to judgment, sometimes we have a really hard time seeing how they [32:10] all fit together. [32:12] When John chapter nine, Jesus put it this way, says, Jesus said, for judgment, I came [32:17] into this world.

[32:18] And so that’s where I get that Jesus came to judge is because Jesus said he came to [32:23] judge that those who do not see may see and those who see may become blind. [32:29] Do you see the judgment in that text? [32:32] See, not only does Jesus just say outright for judgment, I have come. [32:36] He also lays on top of that, that I’m going to come and I’m going to expose people [32:42] for what they really are.

[32:44] And for some people, it will be a liberating reality that judgment has come. [32:50] And I understand the sin that is in my life and it needs to be dealt with. [32:53] But for other people, it will be a condemning reality where that, well, I’m a really good [32:58] person. [32:59] I’m religious. [33:00] I always do what is right.

[33:02] But in both senses, Jesus says, I have come for judgment. [33:07] And that would be a terrifying reality.

[33:14] If that judgment was to give each and every one of us what we deserve. [33:20] But here’s what Jesus says in John chapter three, in John three, 17, Jesus puts it this [33:24] way. [33:25] This is God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order [33:29] that the world might be saved through him. [33:34] You see, the beauty of Jesus’s judgment and the reason that I can say that it is beautiful

[33:41] is because in judging sin, Jesus took the condemnation for sin onto himself. [33:49] Jesus took the penalty for sin onto himself so that he could offer us freedom through [33:57] forgiveness. [33:58] You see, that is what he did in judgment. [34:02] The judge took our sin onto himself. [34:04] He took the just penalty of the very judgmental wrath of God and took every bit of that condemnation

[34:13] onto himself on the cross. [34:15] He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. [34:21] That’s what second Corinthians five tells us.

[34:25] But here’s the issue. [34:29] In doing that, Jesus made Christianity a very exclusive thing. [34:37] That requires judgment. [34:40] I have heard it said, oftentimes, that the problem with the church is that it is too [34:45] judgmental, but the problem with Christians is that they are too judgmental. [34:49] And in some senses, I understand when people say that, but on a whole other side, what

[34:55] you have to understand is that the church is judgmental, but that judgment comes from [35:02] a posture of love towards other people. [35:05] Here’s what I mean. [35:07] The apostle Paul writes this in first Corinthians five, starting in verse 11. [35:12] But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother. [35:18] If he is guilty of sexual immorality, greed is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or swindler,

[35:26] not even to eat with such a one. [35:29] Verse 12. [35:30] For what have I to do with judging outsiders? [35:34] Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? [35:38] God judges those outside, purge the evil person from among you. [35:45] That sounds really judgmental.

[35:49] Because it is. [35:50] You see, what was going on, and that’s why he says a person who calls himself a brother, [35:56] is because Paul was writing through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, mind you, [36:02] that the gospel is exclusive. [36:07] And so what he’s saying is, is that when Jesus says he came for judgment and when Jesus did [36:13] his work on the cross, it is important that we get who Jesus is, how he saves, how he forgives,

[36:21] and the life that comes after that. [36:24] It’s pretty important that we get those things right. [36:28] And we don’t allow those truths to be diluted with error. [36:34] But then he goes one step further and he says, you also need to draw a boundary line [36:42] around what the church is and who is part of the church and who is not part of the church, [36:50] because definitions matter and it is only those who are exclusively following Jesus Christ

[36:57] that we should allow to make the claim that they are actually part of the church of Jesus Christ. [37:06] And that’s a hard thing. [37:08] And that’s also the reason that we do membership the way that we do membership [37:11] here at Village Church, because there are certain beliefs that the Scripture has given us [37:16] that said this is what a Christian is, this is what a Christian is not. [37:20] There are certain practices that the Scriptures give us that say this is what a Christian is,

[37:25] this is what a Christian is not, and it is the church that is called by God to make those judgment [37:34] calls by the standards set forward in Scripture. [37:38] Why? [37:41] Because it is not loving to allow a person to believe that they’re a follower of Jesus [37:48] if they are not actually followers of Jesus. [37:54] And so, when he says statements like, don’t even eat with such a person,

[38:00] he’s actually talking about communion. [38:03] He’s not saying that when you see that person in Food Lion or in Starbucks on the way to work,

[38:13] sorry, you’re the evil one. [38:16] Can’t talk. [38:18] That’s not what he’s saying at all. [38:21] What he’s saying is actually it changes the standard by which you measure the relationship [38:28] between how you talk to an unchristian and how you talk to a Christian, [38:34] which is why Jesus says what he says in verse six.

[38:37] Read it again. [38:39] Do not give dogs what is holy. [38:42] Do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

[38:50] They didn’t view dogs the way we do. [38:53] All right. [38:54] Dogs, you know, sleep with us in our culture, you know, [38:57] we love our dogs, some of us do, and some of you for some reason like cats, totally unbiblical.

[39:05] But disclaimer, that was a joke. [39:08] Have to be that pointed now.

[39:12] Sheesh. [39:14] But dogs in that era were not viewed as house pets. [39:19] They were just scavengers and trash eaters. [39:22] Some places like the outskirts of Jerusalem where they would dump their trash for ritual reasons, [39:27] dogs would call that trash heap their home. [39:30] And so if a dog came, it’s a dirty animal, so you would shoo the dog away.

[39:33] And of course, kosher dietary laws dictated that they did not eat pigs. [39:37] And so pigs were filthy animals to them. [39:41] And so to call someone a dog or a pig wasn’t necessarily the nicest thing in the world to call them. [39:46] But what Jesus is actually doing, and I think Paul is actually giving us a little bit of a commentary [39:50] in first Corinthians five as to what Jesus means by verse six. [39:54] When someone does not believe.

[40:00] Of the in the Jesus of the Bible, but instead has created a false definition. [40:04] And decides to anoint themselves as a Christian without the church. [40:08] He’s saying, don’t try to disciple that person. [40:13] If they don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they can’t experience discipleship [40:17] because they’ve never experienced the grace of God. [40:20] And so you can turn someone into a false disciple if they don’t truly know Jesus.

[40:26] And so instead of trying to offer the pearls of a life of [40:31] discipleship, you offer the truth of the gospel. [40:35] You go to them and you say, friend, you need to come to Jesus. [40:40] Mom, you need to come to Jesus. [40:43] Son, you need to come to Jesus. [40:45] And they’re going to often say, I know Jesus.

[40:48] I’ve got Jesus. [40:51] Friend, you need to come to Jesus. [40:53] Your beliefs are not biblical. [40:56] The life you’re living tells a different story. [41:00] And when people want to say, I’m a part of this church, well, that has to mean something. [41:07] And you have to draw boundaries around it, not because you think that you’re better.

[41:11] Because remember, what do we say? [41:12] We’re in a posture of I’m not judging myself by the people. [41:15] This is about God. [41:17] When you posture yourself in that way, it’s about loving people enough to make sure that [41:23] they know who Jesus really is and they know what a follower of Jesus really looks like.

[41:33] And as a church, one of the ways that God has given us to set a boundary around the [41:39] gospel of Jesus Christ is something that we do every week here. [41:42] It’s called communion. [41:45] Here’s the amazing thing to me in this context about communion. [41:51] The meal of communion is literally about inviting judgment into your life. [41:58] And that sounds crazy.

[42:00] Like who would invite judgment?

[42:03] The broken bread on the tables in the front, as well as the back, represent the broken [42:08] body of Christ. [42:09] The cup and the juice inside of it represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ. [42:15] And so it’s literally an analogy that Jesus’s body was broken and his blood was shed as [42:23] he submitted himself under the penalty of my sin and your sin. [42:29] And so when we come forward and we eat and we drink, we come forward realizing I need

[42:37] what Jesus has to offer. [42:39] And then when we eat and when we drink, we testify to everyone in this room. [42:44] I have received what Jesus has to offer, and I will follow him. [42:52] And so a lot of times I’ll make the statement, if you’re not a follower of Jesus, if you [42:58] don’t know him as your Lord and Savior, don’t come to the front of the back and eat and [43:04] drink.

[43:04] I don’t want you to feel like you have to lie to us.

[43:08] And the fact of the matter is, unless you believe Jesus has what you need, why would [43:14] you come forward? [43:16] I’m going to ask you to do something a little bit different if you’re not a follower of [43:19] Jesus. [43:20] When those who are Christians come to the front and the back to eat and drink, I’m going [43:24] to ask you to step into the foyer.

[43:26] There will be somebody there that loves you, that would love to answer any questions you [43:30] might have about what it means to be a Christian. [43:33] They’ll talk to you about the gospel. [43:35] They’ll pray with you. [43:37] The deal is that you can become a Christian today if you will just trust Jesus. [43:44] For those of you that have already trusted Christ, in just a moment these tables are

[43:49] open for you. [43:50] Come proclaim your faith in Jesus to everyone in this room, and then go live with right [43:57] judgment.