3/12/23 - Judge Not (In the wrong way) - Matthew 7:1-6 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. -Matthew 7:1-6 One of the primary reasons why people reject Christianity is found in these verses. Gandhi commented, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Sometimes Christians condemn and judge motives and they do so without mercy. There are those who no longer attend church because of this. Their faith has been shipwrecked on the rocks of harsh and condemning attitudes. Perhaps you know of some. Even well meaning followers of Christ don’t always get it right. However, there is an alternative. When loving correction is given, lives are transformed. So what exactly does Jesus mean, when he says, “Judge not.” The word judge has a rather large bandwidth of meanings. For example a sharpshooter misses his mark and says, "I didn’t judge the wind correctly." What’s he really saying? He made a mistake in is evaluation. The Bible says that God will one day judge the world. This judgment involves God’s wrath and will consume and destroy the planet. What’s the difference between these two judgements? One judgment is characterized by evaluation; the other judgment is characterized by condemnation. Here’s the point -  Our responsibility is to evaluate, not to condemn. Only God has the ability to judge and condemn. It is our duty to judge and evaluate using discernment. A discerning spirit is constructive. A critical spirit is destructive.  How do you become good at this? You must first evaluate your own life before you speak into the lives of others. Once again, Jesus is there to help.