1. In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus revealed His will on a number of subjects. 2. In Matthew 7:1-5 He dealt with "unfair judgment." 3. The first point we need to make is that . . .
Discussion:
I. JESUS COMMANDED HIS FOLLOWERS NOT TO JUDGE
A. Jesus said very plainly, "Judge not" (vs.1a). B. Since this is a command of Christ, we must: 1. understand what the Lord was talking about 2. obey Him [in this case we must avoid "judging"].
II. LET US DETERMINE WHAT JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT
A. To understand what Jesus was talking about, we must define the word "judge." 1. In general, "judge" means "to form a conclusion on the basis of evidence." 2. In the context, Jesus talked about the practice of "severely and unfairly finding fault in other people." B. In vs.3-4 Jesus illustrated the kind of "judging" that He forbids. 1. Jesus talked about a man who had a "beam" [a large piece of wood] in his eye. 2. This man overlooked his "beam" to point out the "mote" [a small piece of wood] in his brother's eye. 3. We must not condemn others for doing the same things that we do. 4. The Jews were guilty of this kind of judging (Romans 2:1-3, 21-24). C. It is unfortunate, but this command of Christ is often misapplied. 1. Some people believe that the Lord forbids all judging. a. This is a misapplication. b. The Lord does not forbid all judging because we are actually commanded to make certain judgments (John 7:24). 2. Some people believe the Lord's command means that we cannot point out others' faults to them. a. This is another misapplication. b. Consider the command Jesus gave in Matthew 18:15. 3. The Lord does not forbid all judging, but He does forbid "severely and unfairly finding fault in other people." D. Now that we understand what Jesus was talking about, . . .
III. LET US ALLOW JESUS TO EXPLAIN WHY WE MUST NOT "JUDGE"
A. (vs.1b) We must not judge so we won't be judged ourselves. B. (vs.2) We will receive the same judgment that we pass out (Galatians 6:7). C. Other reasons why we must not judge: 1. Pointing out the faults of others while overlooking our own can become a habit. 2. When we participate in this kind of judging, we influence others to do the same thing.
IV. FINALLY, LET US ALLOW THE LORD TO SHOW US HOW TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF JUDGING
A. First, we must realize that unfair judgment is a sin. 1. The Lord forbids it, and if we do it we transgress His will (1 John 3:4). 2. Jesus also said that a person who constantly looks for faults in others while overlooking his own is a hypocrite (vs.5). B. Second, we must pull the beams out of our own eyes. 1. The Bible teaches us to judge ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). 2. We must judge ourselves by the Lord's standards (2 Corinthians 10:18). 3. After judging ourselves by the Lord's standards we can see clearly so we can in turn help others with their faults. C. Third, practice "the second commandment" (Matthew 22:39).
Conclusion:
1. "Unfair judgment" is something that the Lord's followers must avoid. 2. This practice is serious -- it will affect the destiny of our souls.
