Righteousness and Judgment
The Greatest Sermon Ever Given • Sermon • Submitted
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As always, it is an honor to be her at the church with the great responsibility to present the Word of God to our congregation.
I hope that everyone had a great New Years celebration. My wife and I spent some time thanking God for everything that he has done for us this year. This is a time in which people are making New Year’s Resolutions and setting goals to make improvements in their lives. Now, let me say that there is nothing magical about the turn of the year, but it is as good of a time as any to set goals so long as they are set for the right reason. That reason being, glorifying God!
This morning and the next few weeks, we are going to be returning to series we started way back in October 2020. It’s entitled the Greatest Sermon Ever Given and that is not a boast about myself. It is given that title because in this series we are walking through Jesus' own Sermon on the Mount. Charles Spurgeon may have been the prince of preachers, but the text we are walking through is a sermon from the King of Kings!
Jesus uses this discourse to explain the true standard of righteousness. The proper response to the Sermon on the mount is mourning over your sinful condition and understanding that Christ did what we could not.
In regards to our New Year’s Resolutions, those are fine and can even be good, so long as they are set with the understanding that God is God and everything that we are called to seek righteousness for His glory. This means that all of our goals should be underscored with worship! In the very beginning of this message Jesus said
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
This means we are called to do good things! We should want to give God glory through better stewardship of our finances! That means it is good to seek to get out of debt. It’s good to reduce waste. We should want to give God glory through better stewardship of our bodies! That means it is good to have a healthy diet. It can even be good to pump iron! So long as you are pumping iron for the glory of God and not your own. A verse I love that I have been repeating over and over again lately is Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
So this New Year, set Goals. But set them in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him! Remember that Jesus taught us to pray in an earlier portion from His sermon we are going to look at today, He said to pray, Lord not my will, but yours be done! A friend of mine wrote, “My life is a stewardship from God to be used for bringing Him glory through bearing good works according to His gifting resulting in my reward.” The ultimate point of our lives and our goals must be stewarding our lives for God’s glory!
But we’re not going to focus on goal setting for the bulk of our message this morning. Today we are going to look at Righteousness and judgment. Now this should be an interesting topic for us. It is definitely pertinent in our time. How often do you hear someone say, “Don’t judge me!” Or proclaim that this is a “judgment free zone”. And on the flip side, Christians are viewed as judge-y people. According the Barna group, surveying young people in 2007, 87% of non-Christians viewed Christianity as judgmental. 85% of them said Christianity was hypocritical. You might say that’s because non-Christians just don’t understand, but even 52% of self identified church goers said that Christianity as judgmental and 47% said Christianity is hypocritical!
Now I don’t know how or if those numbers have changed since then, but only 15 years ago, but those stats show us that half the young people in the church viewed Christianity as judgmental and hypocritical!
This is a problem! As we will see today, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ blatantly speaks against people being judgmental hypocrites! If the perception of the church holds any truth, church, we got some work to do.
If you would, turn in your Bibles to Matthew 7.
As we begin looking at this final third of the greatest sermon ever given, we should be reminded of the setting. Jesus had just begun His ministry and crowds of people were forming around Him everywhere He went. So Jesus goes up on the mountain and begins to teach. It is a very practical message that show the true requirements of righteousness and inadvertently speaks against the religious elite of the day. That is the Pharisees. Their religious traditions had overshadowed real worship of the One True God. Their tradition actually replaced the authority of Scripture in the minds of many Jews. Later on in the book of Matthew we see the Pharisees attacking Jesus for breaking tradition:
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”
After some explanation Jesus says:
he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
The Pharisees wanted to judge everyone based upon their own, self-contrived traditions and make that the ultimate standard of righteousness. One commentary states that they Pharisees had become “oppressively judgmental.” This is the kind of attitude that will be called out by Jesus in our text today.
Today we’re going to be given four truths from this Scripture. These are truths we should keep in our minds any time we are thinking about castigating anyone. While I am sure there are false accusations and misunderstandings from those outside the faith, I would also suggest that there are many modern-day pharisees condemning based on personal preference and tradition rather than truly seeking to honor God and help others in their walks with the Lord.
Stay with me this morning! I am not suggesting we relinquish all moral standards and blend in to culture for the sake of being accepted by culture. Rather I am suggesting that we all stop serving our own interests and truly seek to honor the Lord in all that we do. Let’s walk through this together:
“Judge not, that you be not judged.
Judge not, that you be not judged.
This is such a simple statement with profound meaning behind it. If you’re taking notes, write this down:
You are not the Judge … God is!
You are not the Judge … God is!
You are not the judge! When Jesus says Judge not, that you be not judged He is reminding the hearer that they are not the final authority! There is court that is higher! Everyone will be judged before God! When someone renders unrighteous and unmerciful judgment upon another person they are assuming a role that they do not have. When you decide that you know the intentions of someone else’s heart and thus you can lay down the proverbial hammer upon them, you are taking the place of God!
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Here James is not saying that we should never confront sin in a brother or sister’s life, rather, he is denouncing careless, self-serving accusations that seek to elevate the accuser and denigrate the accused! That’s not a righteous rebuke, that’s sinful slander! Slander is sin! Slander is against God’s Law. So when you are talking poorly about someone else you are saying you are above the Law! Like, “Sure God says we shouldn’t talk bad about people, but I’M not who he’s talking about. This is fine.” James shows us that when you are acting in such a manner you are no longer a doer of the law but a judge!
Let me tell you all folks, humans make terrible judges! Especially when it comes to spiritual issues!
C.S. Lewis wrote a book entitled the Great Divorce. It is a story that is an allegorical apologetic for why those who reject Christ wouldn’t want to be in heaven anyways. It’s a fascinating book. It’s not intended to give us an accurate picture of the afterlife but you should definitely give it a read if you have the opportunity. But in the book, some people are allowed to visit heaven. One by one they all decide they don’t want to be there so they go back to the other place where they weren’t happy either. One of the characters called “The Big Ghost” is so upset that a man he knew on earth as Jack was allowed into heaven that he decided that he would just go back to hell. Basically, “If they let people like that in there, then it aint the place for me.” He was so caught up in his own relative righteousness that he couldn’t fathom how someone could be saved by faith in Jesus.
In essence that man thought himself qualified to be the ultimate judge. But we are not equipped to be the judge. Look here at what James said: “There is only one lawgiver and judge. He who is able to save and to destroy. Who is that? God! We read all the way back in Genesis that “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” All the way at the end we see God administering the final judgment. God is the one who gave Moses the Law. God is the only true source of righteousness. God is the only true source of justice. The pail reflections of those concepts we see in our society stem from the fact that we are created mankind in His image! James says “Who are you to judge your neighbor??”
When we dish out unrighteous and unmerciful judgments we are assuming a role that is not ours to take. “The Sacior does not call for men to cease to be examining and discerning, but to remove the presumptuous temptation to try to be God. Before you seek to belittle someone and make accusations about their motives take a step back and remember you are not the Judge… God is!
Let’s continue on in what Jesus is preaching here:
For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
If you’re taking notes, write this down:
You are not superior ... God is!
You are not superior ... God is!
You are not superior to anyone else, but God is superior to everyone. When you judge someone else, you are saying that you are qualified to do so. You are implicitly saying that you know all the facts, circumstances, and motives involved. You are claiming the omniscience of God! “Therefore, when we assert our goth to judge, we will be judged by the standard of knowledge and wisdom we claim is ours. If we set ourselves up as judge over others, we cannot plead ignorance of the law in reference to ourselves when God judges us.” When we judge others with an air of superiority we think that we are better than them, but we are actually just incurring more judgment upon ourselves by the true Judge!
Look at what it says in Romans
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
Just before this Paul explains all of the awful sins that are plaguing the society. Then he says to all those who recognize and condemn such actions that they are without excuse! Knowledge of sin and calling out others does not exempt someone from their own guilt. We are told in Scripture that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Paul says in verse two that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such sin and immorality. Why then would we expect to escape judgment when we are hypocritically practicing the same types of things?
Church, before we start worrying about other people’s sin we need to be concerned about our own! And be warned that if you want to concern yourself with the sin of others without recognizing your own that the same judgment you dish out will be brought back upon you before the Holy Just God! Before we can make any efforts in large sweeping societal change and revival we have to start with our own lives.
Coming to know the Lord shouldn’t make you feel better than anyone else. In fact as you grow in your faith, you study the Word of God, you gain a deeper understanding of what Jesus did, why He did it, and that He did it for you, all of that, if you truly understand it, produces profound humility. You understand that God saved a truly underserving sinner. What an amazing Grace that is! You understand you’re not superior to anyone but the God who is over and above all things sent His Son to die for YOU!
Before you cast self-righteous judgment at anyone remember that you are not superior to anyone, you were as deserving of the flames of hell as every other sinner out there, but God in His great grace and awesome Power gets all the glory for being the rock of your salvation!
Keep that in mind as you judge those who are with you in the church. We are all working together for the glory of God. There is no place for backbiting here. Remember:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
You’ve probably heard the saying, the ground is level at the foot of the cross. We have no reason to feel superior in our salvation. Only humbled. Worship the superior God Of your salvation. Once more, You are not superior… God is.
Let’s look at another truth in the next few verses:
Matthew 7:3–5 a(ESV)
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,
The next truth you can write down is this:
You are not blameless…God is.
You are not blameless…God is.
When we start to cast judgment at others we are quick to point out their faults without looking at our own. But what does this really mean when Jesus says that we see the speck in our brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in our own eye? Does this mean that the sin our brother’s life is particularly small and our own is gigantic? It’s important to note that the word used for speck in the Greek doesn’t mean a single flake of dust. It is more like a twig or branch. Yes, it is definitely small in comparison to the log, but that doesn’t mean that it something that should be avoided all together first. The speck and log does not represent something minuscule and something gigantic, but rather something large and something that is even bigger. Jesus is saying that the sin of the critic is even bigger than that of whom he is criticizing. And that gigantic sin is “the wretched and gross sin that is always blind to its own sinfulness … self-righteousness, the sin that Jesus repeatedly condemns in the scribes and Pharisees, not only in the Sermon on the Mount but throughout His ministry.”
The log in this metaphor points to the sin Jesus has been pointing out throughout the entire Sermon on the Mount. As I mentioned in the beginning of this message, “The proper response to the Sermon on the mount is mourning over your sinful condition and understanding that Christ did what we could not.” You self-righteousness is our sinful attempt to justify ourselves while condemning others. Self righteousness suggests that you are blameless above others. Ultimately self-righteousness is unbelief. You trust in yourself. You trust in your abilities. You set your own standards for righteousness. As we read in James earlier this morning, in your self-righteousness you claim to be both the lawgiver and the judge. That role belongs to God and to God alone!
This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
God’s way is perfect. His Word never fails, it is always true. That cannot be said about any of us! God is perfect and blameless! There is no need for self righteous judgement when the perfectly righteous God will be the final judge. Our hope is in that Judge. Our hope is in that Judgment in which we will be seen as blameless not by our righteousness, but by the righteousness of Jesus Christ that is given to us! He is our shield. The only refuge. So find your peace and solace in Him and in Him alone. You are not enough on your own!
When we think that we are righteous in and of ourselves we are being hypocrites. Christ calls us to notice our self righteousness and remove it before pointing out the branch in our brother’s eye. “Jesus is in effect saying, ‘Will you not stop and think about your own sin? Until you have done that, how can you confront another with his shortcomings?’”
So the self righteous person that casts judgment on others is nothing else but a hypocrite. He points out the faults of others without taking responsibility for his own.
This was the way of the Pharisees who kept the rules they loved so tightly without adhering to the most important law of all, that being to truly love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.
I’m worried that the church today is plagued by self-righteous Pharisees. People who put on a pretty face and denigrate others while looking down from their ivory towers. It is my sincere plea that all of here this morning or watching online would really search our hearts this morning and ask if this is us. Are we judging others with no real concern for our own sin? Are we resting on our abilities instead of the Lords? I can tell you this. When Christ was dying on the cross to pay the cost of sin for all those who would believe in Him, He cried out it, “It is Finished.” At that moment everything needed to atone for sins was done. There’s nothing I could add to it. Repent from self-righteousness because its truly not righteousness at all. Rely only on the Lord who finished and perfected salvation on the cross at Calvary.
(Pause)
Now, if we concluded right here you might get the impression that you have been told to never say anything to anyone. Keep your mouth shut and let people do whatever because you mess up too. That is not the message I intend for you take away this morning. My intention is for all of us to repent from our SELF-RIGHTEOUS judgement and truly seek to glorify the PERFECTLY RIGHTEOUS God. This endeavor requires more than passive silence. Let’s look at the last verses in our section of Scripture this morning:
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.
The last truth we should take note of is this:
God is Holy…Honor Him.
God is Holy…Honor Him.
God is holy. When you have been reconciled unto Him through faith in Jesus Christ, you begin to understand just how Holy He is. You are drawn to honor and glorify Him through your own set apart living. Colossians 3 says If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is! When you understand you have a Risen Savior you seek the things that are above where He is! The things that honor Him!
Now what does this mean in regards to criticism? Look there at verse 5! Jesus doesn’t say never approach your brother about the twig in there eye! He says first remove your self-righteousness and when you do you will see clearly enough to be able to remove it! That means when we know of a brother or sister in sin it is not inappropriate to approach them, but we better do so humbly and charitably! Our intention is never to tear them down and make ourselves look better. Our intention is to say, “Hey brother, I know you love the Lord. I love the Lord and I love you and I’ve noticed that you have been drinking a lot lately. We both know that we are called to have a sober mind and rely on the Lord for our peace and hope. How can I help you through this? Will you join me in praying to the Lord to give you strength to get through this?” That’s just one example. It could be anything. But anytime we are pointing out a sin in someone else's life it should always be with the intention to point them back to the God who is worthy of all honor and praise.
Repent of your self-righteousness and then seek to sincerely help your brothers and sisters in the Lord to strengthen the body of Christ and embolden the mission that we have been given! When we cast aside self righteousness, “We will see our brother as our brother, on our own level and with our own frailties and needs.” Instead of tabloid reporters we become field medics.
But before we close we need to take a look at verse 6. This is particular kind of judgment that Jesus commands us to do. He says not to give to dogs what is holy. Don’t cast your pearls before the swine. The dogs and the pigs represent those who are completely antagonistic to the gospel. In that time dogs were not typically house pets. They were scavenging vermin. They would run around looking for scraps. Dirty, greedy. Diseased. They were dirty and despised. Swine were the epitome of uncleanliness to the Jewish people. Most of the pigs in that time would not have been domesticated and so like the dogs they were vicious scavengers. If you came between them and food they would turn and attack you. A dog would not be given holy, consecrated meat from the temple, nor would pigs understand the precious gift a pearl would be. Thought the pearl was a great gift, the swine would be angry it was not the food it desired and it would attack.
“Jesus’ point is that certain truths and blessings of our faith are not to be shared with people who are totally antagonistic to the things of God.” It is a sad fact that there are those who will be completely against the gospel. The gospel is offensive. The gospel tells people that they aren’t good enough, but Christ is. There are going to be times, maybe many times, when that message is rejected. We will have to make the judgment in that scenario to wipe the dust from our feet and leave it be. It doesn't meant that we give up ministering, it means we move our ministry somewhere else Or to someone else.
But before you give up on anyone, ensure that you have repented from your own self-righteousness. Depend on the Lord for clarity and strength when making such a decision. If you do see that it is time to move on, it is done with great sorrow and disappointment. “To avoid wrongful judging and to accomplish right discernment is the be marked as a citizen of the heavenly kingdom.”
Here is what I know, the world may incorrectly label Christians as judgmental and hypocrites, but there are many times in which we live up to those labels. Use today as an opportunity to repent from your self-righteousness. Rest in Christ and Christ alone. Do that today! Use this hymn of response to call out and recognize that Jesus did what you could not and that He and He alone gives rest to the weary. Come today. let’s pray.