Mat 7:1-5; Not Judging But Not Naïve Either.

Wednesday October 2, 2024

Main idea: Do not judge and also see what is obvious and have the wisdom to discern the difference. 

You must wait on God to see and if you cannot see you must wait on Him to judge without any help from you.

Do not judge is a core tenant; one of the many commandments from Christ. 

Use reason to judge rightly when you can, Joh 7:23-24.

Do not judge status, motive, work, life of another believer, Rom 14:10-17. 

In essentials unity and in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity.

If you see real sin you first understand that the log (your debt to God) must not be in your own eye, and from the basis of the cross you determine to exhort, restore, comfort, rebuke, admonish, say nothing, and always forgive. 

Removing the log from your eye is acknowledging your enormous debt to God and receiving His forgiveness through Christ, 1Jo 1:7.

Not judging others is a core tenant of the Christian faith (and we must each determine its meaning). 1Co 4:5.

See what is obvious - “You will know them by their fruit.” 

God leaves us to distinguish obvious facts from what is hidden through our own discernment of His Word.  

Jesus does not want us to be naive, Mat 7:6, 15-16; Luk 6:37-45.

Discern the right teacher, the right treasure, the right thinking concerning judging and when you see clearly the bad tree, do not give him what is holy. 

The Lord wants us to see what is obvious so that we can act accordingly. 

Possibilities: separation, rebuke, reconciliation, giving, serving, excommunicating, accommodating, hospitality - all from the perspective of the cross and grace (not just one or another). 

Explain prayers like Psa 5. 

We have to wait to see clearly what a person’s real character is.

The Lord wants you to live free from a burden you cannot carry (Gal 5:1, 13). 

Seeing what is obvious can only come from the foundation of the cross (we have removed the log) or else we will go too far and be void of grace, mercy, and hope. 

God will judge - leave that to Him. 

Like Christ you must entrust yourself to Him, 1Pe 2:21-25. 

Seeing and not judging, acting accordingly, takes wisdom and discernment and you are not going to get it right all the time. 

We have to trust the Lord and err on the side of grace and not judging, Rom 14:10; 1Co 4:5. 

Judging is God’s burden, not yours. 

Recap: Application: Judge not, see what is obvious, discern the difference, act accordingly, and God will judge perfectly in the end. Meanwhile invest what God has blessed you with.