PRINCIPLES FOUND IN THE COMMAND TO NOT JUDGE
Matthew 7:1-6

I have discovered some great eternal principles in this text about not judging others.  First, I need to always remember that I, also, shall be judged.  Listen to these words of Jesus:  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (verse 2).  I believe this has reference to the final judgment before God.  Paul wrote these words to the Corinthians:  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). 

The second principle is this:  I am being judged now.  We receive exactly what we give.  However we judge others, God will judge us.  Do we have an open mind, or are we prejudiced?  Are we willing to listen to their arguments respectfully or are our minds already made up?  Do we grant them mercy or do we apply the strict measure of the law?  Are we guilty of not practicing what we preach and teach?  Remember these words of Jesus:  Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:37-38).

Thirdly, we must see clearly if we are to help another.  This is what Jesus implies with the speck and the plank illustration in verses 3-5.  The tendency is for us to exaggerate the faults of others while minimizing those of our own.  If I am going to be critical with others, I must first be critical of myself.  What sins in my own life am I excusing while condemning those in the lives of others?  What short-comings do I forgive in myself but am unwilling to forgive in others? 

Friends, we would do well to look after our own faults rather than spend so much time focusing on the faults of others.  Listen to these words of David, after he had been confronted by the prophet Nathan for his sins with Bathsheba:  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you (Psalm 51:10, 12-13).  David is saying that he is powerless to effect change in the lives of others until he has been cleansed himself.  Our motto should be:  Do as I do and say, not just as I say. 

How does all this all come about?  It can only come after we have a proper understanding of God’s love for us.  Dr. Ironside wrote these powerful words:  When our hearts are occupied with His wondrous love, we remember that He loved us when we were unlovely, and some of us are not very lovely now; we remember that He loved us when we were unlovable, and some of us are not very lovable yet.  If He could do that when we were rebellious, and if that same love is now shed abroad in our hearts, we ought to be able to love those who are sinful and unkind and selfish.

Father, Thank You for this reminder that we need to see ourselves as You see us before we can help others whom we see.  Expose to us our faults before we go off exposing the faults of others.  Forgive our short-comings, so that we might go and forgive the short-comings of others.  Thank You for Your love.  May we show Your love to others around us.  We pray this in Christ’s name.  Amen.

 

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