Click here to view listing below for Rom 16:18
I. "JUDGE NOT THAT YOU BE NOT JUDGED."
A. This is the basic principle. Jesus according to His style in the sermon will now go on to amplify and illustrate this statement.
B. The law was written on two tables of stone. The first table of stone had the commandments that dealt with your relationship with God.
1. This is primary, it is basic. If your relationship with God is not right, every other relationship you have will be askew.
a. In the opening of the sermon, Jesus spoke about how God is interested in your inward character. The nature of a true child of God.
b. It is to be reflective of the nature of the Father.
c. Jesus came to reveal to us the Father. He said to Philip, "He that has seen Me, has seen the Father."
d. Peter said that He has left for us an example that we should follow in His steps.
e. Thus we are to possess these characteristics.
1. Poor in Spirit verses proud.
2. Meek verses forceful and aggressive.
3. Hungering and thirsting after righteousness verses pleasure.
4. Merciful verses vengeful.
5. Pure in heart verses wicked or evil.
6. Peacemakers verses always looking for a fight.
f. To the world we are to be salt and light.
2. God is interested more on what is going on inside of your life than what is going on outwardly.
3. Chapter six deals with your relationship with God as your heavenly Father.
a. We are to do things to please Him rather than to please man.
b. We need to be more concerned about what He thinks of us than what man thinks of us.
c. We need to be more interested in the praise of God than the praise of man.
d. We pray, "Our Father."
e. We need to trust Him as a faithful, caring, loving Father.
f. We are to seek Him first, and His kingdom.
C. In this final section of the sermon, Jesus will now be dealing with the second table of the law; our relationship with each other.
1. It is quite obvious that this grows out of our relationship with God.
2. The first thing that he deals with is my tendency to measure myself by the wrong standards. I look at others and use them as the measuring stick for myself. Jesus said:
LUK 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Jesus spoke of the two men who went to the Temple to pray.
LUK 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
LUK 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
LUK 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
LUK 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
LUK 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
2CO 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
II. "JUDGE NOT."
A. What did Jesus mean by this?
1. It is very important that we know exactly what Jesus meant when He gave us this injunction.
2. We are living in an age when men have itching ears, and are not that interested in theology and doctrine. There is a great love of ease and compromise.
a. There is a "live and let live" mentality.
b. A peace at any price.
c. There is little use for the exhortation of Paul to Timothy:
2TI 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. This is in the context of the itching ears.
3. There are those that say that this means that we should never express an opinion about others.
a. We should not say that they are preaching heresy.
b. We should be interested in the unity of the body of Christ, and that we should ignore our differences for the sake of unity.
c. There is a lot of talk today about ecumenism, the uniting with the Mormons, and Catholics, and even the Moslems.
4. The question is, "Is this what Jesus meant?"
a. As He begins to illustrate this principle, in verse 6, He said, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine. How can you put that into practice without some kind of judgment?
b. Verse 15, "Beware of false prophets"
c. Surely Paul did not understand Jesus to mean that.
ROM 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
ROM 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
d. He didn't mind mentioning names.
2TI 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
1TI 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
2TI 2:16 But shun profane [and] vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2TI 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
5. When you talk to a person who is living in sin, say living with a boyfriend or girlfriend, as you rebuke them for their sin, they often reply, "You are judging me, brother."
a. Quoting scripture to a person is not judging them.
b. Rebuking is not judging.
B. What then did Jesus mean?
1. So often we are critical and condemning of another person.
a. We are prone to judge their motives.
b. We do not know their motives.
c. Jan and painting the garage door.
2. The whole sermon is interested in the spirit of a person.
a. Jesus is condemning a hyper-critical spirit.
b. What is behind a hyper-critical spirit? Self-righteousness.
a. Love hopes all things, but this spirit expects the worst. It enjoys finding faults and blemishes.
4. The quick expressing of our opinions without having all of the facts. The attitude is often, "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up."
5. It never tries to understand the circumstances.
a. Little boy at Arizona camp.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
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