Judge Righteously
Matthew 7:1-6
Introduction.
If there is one verse people know, it’s John 3:16; if there are two, it’s Matthew 7:1.
It is often used so terribly out of context.
People do not like to be judged!
Christians are often seen as judgmental.
It’s true that we have a sense of right and wrong that other people lack (or we should).
The world doesn’t judge like it when we “judge,” so they would rather go with the world.
The world makes them feel better about themselves.
When we compare ourselves with the worst of the world, of course we’ll end up looking good.
We need to compare ourselves to the Standard, not to everyone else!
While we are looking at this passage, let us keep one thing in mind.
The Golden Rule (vs. 12).
Also, let us consider John 7:24, where the title comes from.
“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Preview: Right Motivation (vs. 1); Right Standard (vs. 2); Right Self-Examination (vs. 3-5); Right Investigation (vs. 6).
Body.
Right Motivation: Love (vs. 1).
We must define what kind of judgment Jesus is talking about.
The Bible is full of commands that force us to make decisions about people.
If all judgments were forbidden, we could not:
Discern right from wrong.
Call out false doctrine (7:15-20; Tit. 1:9).
Practice church discipline (Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5).
Evangelize – we would be making a judgment that they needed to hear the gospel.
Encourage someone to be restored (James 5:19-20).
Identify “dogs” and “swine” (vs. 6).
In all these things, we must strive to make a righteous judgment, though it is not always easy.
What judgments are forbidden?
Judgments according to the wrong standard (pt. II).
Hypocritical judgments (pt. III).
Hasty judgments—those without all the information (Prov. 18:13).
Judgments not fully thought through (Prov. 18:17).
Judgments based on opinions (Rom. 14:4).
Any judgment made without love, perhaps seeking the harm of the other.
Hyper-critical and unhelpful judgments (7:12).
As Jesus taught earlier in SotM—motives matter!
He is basically saying, when you judge, you too will be judged …
Right Standard: Bible (vs. 2).
When you judge, you will be judged by that same standard.
In our country’s system of jurisprudence, we are all under the same laws (ideally).
If I’m caught shoplifting, I will face a certain penalty.
This penalty is the same if you are caught shoplifting (ideally).
But because imperfect humans run the justice system, that is not always the case.
Since we are imperfect humans, it is not up to us to make up religious laws for others to follow, then judge them by our made-up laws.
These made-up laws can also be called traditions of men (Matt. 15:1-9).
That’s exactly what the Pharisees did in Jesus’ time.
Even so, they did not practice what they preached (Matt. 23:2-4).
Our Lord, however, is the perfect Judge.
On the Last Day, we will be judged by His words (John 12:48).
This is the only true Standard by which we can judge righteously.
But even then, we must recognize who our ultimate Judge is (James 4:11).
Only an omniscient, all-knowing God can truly make righteous judgments.
He knows our motives; He knows all the details; He knows!
A human judge/jury can only make rulings and convictions based on the evidence presented by lawyers, but that evidence can be misleading.
Here on this earth, all we can do is our best with the perfect Standard as our guide.
Therefore, we should “not speak evil of one another…. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law” (James 4:10).
Not only do we judge the law, but we show contempt for our brother (Rom. 14:10-13).
Right Self-Examination (vs. 3-5).
If we judge righteously by the right Standard, we will consider our own faults, too.
Jesus uses some humor to show the ridiculousness of hypocritical judgments (7:3-4).
We know what our struggles are.
But they are easier to ignore than the struggles of others.
In some cases, we see some small fault in someone and we can’t get over it.
They say, “He should’ve done this/that,” while their lives are a shambles.
Such people love to major in the minors; they are nitpickers.
They neglect the “weightier matters of the law” (Matt. 23:23).
That’s not to say the speck shouldn’t be pointed out or taken care of!
In our lives, we must establish the proper priorities.
Last week, we discussed how our top priority ought to be to the kingdom of God.
Another priority needs to be tending to our own garden before helping others.
On airplanes, we are told that if there is an emergency, make sure your oxygen mask is on before you help others.
The idea is so that we will be able to help others.
If you were to help someone else first, you would not only be risking your life, but the life of the one you’re helping, too.
What happens if you lose consciousness before you finish helping them?
We cannot neglect our own sins to help others.
Let us make sure our lives are in order before we consider others.
Note that Jesus does not forbid removing specks from people’s eyes.
All sin is harmful and condemns us, whether a speck or a plank.
If we love our Christian family, we will do what we can to help them overcome their sins (Gal. 6:1-2).
Let us make sure, however, that we do not do so in a hypocritical fashion (Gal. 6:3-5).
This means doing what we can to set our own house in order before helping others—we might have enough problems to deal with on our own!
Right Investigation (vs. 6).
There are some we can help and some we cannot.
We must be able to use some form of judgment to decide who could be considered “dogs” and “swine.”
This is not always easy.
Very often, I spend far too much time with people who I’m fairly confident will not obey the gospel.
My thinking is that I would rather err on the side of caution than to swiftly label them as “dogs” or “swine.”
It’s like Proverbs 26:4-5 – whether or not you answer a fool depends on the situation (not always easy to discern).
The disciples had a clue as to what this meant.
If the people of a house or city received them, they were to bless them.
But if they did not receive them or hear them, they were to say:
“The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you” (Luke 10:11).
Jesus then talks of the judgment to come for those who reject Him.
There is a danger if we do “give what is holy to dogs” or “cast our pearls before swine.”
We could be trampled and torn to pieces.
I think the likelihood of that happening literally back then was much greater than it is today in our modern society.
Dangers for us include:
Wasted time that could’ve been spent doing something more productive, like helping someone else who would accept it.
Hurt feelings—words do hurt, and people can be nasty.
Discouragement—we may feel less inclined to help someone else in the future.
This is borne out by Solomon’s words in Proverbs 9:7-8.
Conclusion.
Judgments are never an easy thing to do.
It requires the right motivation—love.
It requires the right standard—Bible.
It requires a right self-examination.
It requires a proper investigation.
Let us make sure that we are aware of the need for judgments, but let us also make sure we do them the right way.
None of us are perfect and sinless, but some of us are more spiritually mature than others.
Let those who are spiritually mature help those who are not.
Make sure that you spiritually mature ones have your lives in order, too.
Always beware of the dogs.
If you need to get things right with God today ….