"Judging Others"

This is on Solomon and I like to welcome you to our program today. You know it's a tremendous honor that God is given to us to be on stations all around the nation bringing the truths of God's word as it is uncompromising and straightforward and I'm so glad you tuned in to listen and be part of that. Thanks again for your support and your generosity that keeps us on the radio and now let's get to the word of God. There is a critical spirit in America today. Some people say came the Vietnam War era.

Some people say came from Watergate.

I'm not a social scientist where it came from but I know it's here and it's a critical spirit that reserves the right not only to question people's action, but to question their motives and their intentions and their heart as well.

I will look in the Bible.

What we find. Very interestingly, is that this tendency to judge other people critically is not just an American flaw, but rather the Bible tells us that it is a deep seated blemish that runs through all of the human race. And if I suspect correctly and I think I do. If you been alive. Any amount of time you've been burned at least a few times by people who done this to you.

People look at the situation outwardly immediately made a value judgment on you, your heart, your motive, your intent of value judgment that was wrong and then proceeded to go out and talk about it and spread it or take action against you because of it the whole time they had all wrong and this is exactly what Jesus addresses here in Luke chapter 6 and I want to talk about it this morning.

This passage this week.

I tell you God slamdunk me with this passage is. I mean this is been a week where the Lord and I have a lot of talking and I've always ended up on the short end of the talk, and God is that long we really have to things we have to do in your life about this and I will gotta slamdunk you if you need.

You don't need it right. Let's talk about this here Luke chapter 6 verse 37.

Do not judge and you won't be judged. Do not condemn, and you will be condemn forgiven you will be forgiven.

Given, it will be given to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured in your lap. For with the same measure that you measure out to other people.

God will see to it that they measure back to you. Now this verse, verse 38.

Interestingly enough, is often averse to choose. With regard to money, you know, you measure out with good giving and gotta get back to you but what you noticed in the context it has nothing to do with money here. It has to do with the way we charge other people and what God is saying is you deal with them properly. You dish out to them. Compassion and sensitivity and forgiveness and I will see to it they just the same thing back to you. You deal out judgment and condemnation and harsh criticism. That's what you're going to get back. Now let's decide what he isn't talking about before we decide what he is talking about what would Jesus is not saying here is that it's wrong for us to have legal justice in society and is not saying that there's anything wrong with men and women being appointed as judges to make sure that that law is kept, and Jesus is not saying that this is wrong or that these people are doing anything incorrect when they're doing their sworn duty to enforce the law.

The issue here that Jesus is talking about is the tendency that we all have two past personal judgments on other people. He's not talking about the fact that we may disagree with them on some issue that's okay, but then to go beyond that and begin impugning them to begin looking at their motives and their character and their intentions and to do with these two Greek words say that's wrong. The first record in verse 37 do not charge means literally do not bring somebody to trial. Do not act as their prosecutor and the second word.

Do not condemn literally means do not pass sentence on people do not act as their judge and their jewelry and so what Jesus is talking about is the tendency we all have, to set ourselves up as the prosecutor, the judge the jury and sometimes the executioner of the people God wants us to see this for what it is that it's evil and it's wrong and that's what I want to talk about this morning. I want to give you four reasons why we have no business judging other people's hearts, and then answer the question so what right to give you those four reasons why we have no business judging other people's hearts. Reason number one.

Things are not always the way they look. I was sitting home about a year ago last spring in my study at home. Take away on my Mac and working on my message and the phone rang. It was a lady on the phone and she citizens Rev. Solomon when everybody calls me Rev. Solomon I know is not good. I said yes this is Rev. Solomon she's a will, my name is so and so she gave me your name Jesus. I'm calling you from Georgia. She said I work at the hotel were your high schoolers are staying on their spring retreat and I said yes ma'am. She's a will, I call the church office and they told me that a lot of what I wanted to talk about. They thought I should call you directly. And so here I am. I said okay. What's the problem she's aware several problems.

I sort are links to the one we got your high school is running around all times of the evening, two, three, 4 o'clock in the morning, disturbing the other guests disturbing the neighbors carrying on like a bunch of rowdy people.

I said okay she's up that's not all she said one of the maids here let themselves in the one of the rooms and found beer cans stacked in the room over the corner. All these beer cans stacked up said all she's ever that's not all I said is more, she said yeah we let ourselves in a one room and we found a guy and a girl on the bed together in the room I civil G high school pastors down there. His name is Bruce Wiley. Have you spoken to him about this she said yes sir I have and we did not get what we consider to be an acceptable response to Mr. Wiley. I said will just where is Mr. Wiley right now and she said I don't know I said would you find Mr. Wiley for me.

She said I'd be happy to. I said, and you have Mr. Wiley call me. She said yes sir I be happy to do that she sought to start is the pastor you might like to know this. I said yes. I'm glad you called me find Mr. Wiley.

Well, I got a call about 20 minutes later from just so Mr. Wiley anything of note is that hello how are you said I'm not doing so good right now. Bruce, I just got a phone call from down there and here's what this lady told me and I walking through all these along. It's all a big misunderstanding as it is. He said yeah I've talked to the lady buddies that I can't make any headway with resultant misunderstanding. I said will Bruce, here's what I need.

I gotta tell you, here's what I need I need you to have the manager of the hotel called me and tell me it's all a big misunderstanding. You understand what I'm saying you I need to hear back from the hotel. Well I sat there at home on the phone was silent and the phone was silent and the phone was silent and I could work on my message. I couldn't concentrate. I was just completely upset. Then the phone rang. It was the manager of the hotel and she said Rev. Solomon. Yes ma'am I'm calling. She said to apologize to you I civil this is a good start. I'm glad were starting like this. She said you know we investigated and we found out that almost people run around making all that noise the middle of the night was not your highest alert. It was some other people from the community. I said okay that's good, she said. And you know that boy and the girl that we told you we found there in the room that they were sitting on the bed, fully clothed there watching the Price is right so that's good to go on roll and she said you know those beer cans. I said yes ma'am I'm very interested in those beer can. She said we actually found out they were Fresca cans, but we don't have Fresca down here in the May didn't recognize him. So she just assumed they were beer cans. I said ma'am. I really appreciate this call, you made my day.

She said I really apologize for any inconvenience or heartache we caused you.

And I said ma'am you caused me a lot of hard but I'm really glad we got to straighten out what I learned from this things are not always the way they look. When I was ready to go charging off when I got the first phone call but I'm sure glad I waited to get the second phone call from down there because things were not the way they locked and you know when it comes to judging other people things are not always the way they look either and we rush to judgment and we look at people and we immediately decide within their heart were usually wrong.

Things are not always the way they look. Number two.

Only God really knows what's in a person's heart. Only God is the one that can really make correct judgments about other people's heart. I want you to see the apostle Paul comments about this turn back to first Corinthians chapter 4 with me. You know Paul is been maligned up Paul admin really misjudged at Corinth and he kept writing the Corinthians, and saying I think I've done everything right.

Look what he says here first Corinthians chapter 4 verse three Paul says I care very little if I'm judged by you or by any human court. He said I don't even judge myself. My conscience is clear. But that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who ultimately has to judge me 90 hear what Paul saying Paul is saying look as far as I know my heart is white as snow but I don't even trust my own judgment of my own heart.

That doesn't mean I'm right if the Lord will eventually have to decide what's really going on in my heart because I can't be trust. To judge my own heart is a long why is that is because of what Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah said in chapter 17 of the book he wrote that the heart is just needful above all things and who can really understand friend. Our hearts are so beguiling they're so sneaky they're so tricky that we are able to justify our own behavior while we condemn that very same behavior and other people.

We cannot be trusted to sit in judgment even over our own heart. Our hearts are deceitful above anything you can imagine.

You can even trust your own heart to evaluate itself. That's what Paul saying here Paul saying I don't even judge myself. I can't be trusted.

Only God knows what's really in my heart, and only God can be trusted to judge my heart. Therefore Paul has some good advice for us. Look at verse five, he says. Therefore, don't judge anything before the appointed time when the Lord comes the Lord will bring to light what's hidden in darkness and he will expose the motives of men's hearts. Only God is capable of judging other people's hearts.

We dare not step onto his turf.

When you and I try.

We are way out of our league number three. We try and we often do number three often and almost always results in a lot of senseless hurtling don't know the people judging people when we have no business judging people almost always results in her yard and full-time Christian ministry since 1975 and reflecting back over all of those years. The worst hurts I have ever suffered in 18 years of being a Christian have not come from people who were not Christian the worst hurts I've ever suffered have come to Christians, people who I served and thought that I had done things to help them going out of my way. People who then turned around and misjudged my motives. They said they were judging. I felt they were misjudging and then based on those misjudgments proceeded to assassinate my character and my reputation undermine my ministry folks.

You can tell me you don't agree with me.

I can deal with.

You can tell me that you like some decision I made. I can deal with that. You can tell me that you don't support how I'm doing things I can deal with that. You can tell me that you don't agree with the direction were taking the church.

I can deal with all those things and they don't bother when people began going beyond that to begin judging my motives going around words like compromise and liberal and backslider and then based on those misjudgments began working to undermine my ministry here I gotta tell you that her but you know what. In those days I would say to some of my close friends. I would say you know I'm willing to grant that those people are doing what they think is right, even though I don't agree with it. I'm willing to grant that their motive is right, even though I don't like what they're doing. Why aren't they willing to grant me the same courtesy to say we don't like what you're doing and we don't agree with what you going, but will at least grant you that you're trying to do what you think is right and best but I couldn't get that from you know, folks. Most of the herd. I suffered in life and most of the hurt that I've given out life because I heard some of the people can all be traced back to the same source and that source is judging people's hearts. When I no business to do it. Why should you be judging people, not only because usually things like the way they look and because God is the only one on the table but third, because when you do it you can hurt a lot of people and you hurt yourself using the lawn this really worries me coming. If we stop judging other people and we back off and we just live and let live on the word absent everywhere will license everywhere this church wait a minute José is 1/4 thing I want to say to you, and that's this nobody is going to get away with anything.

Don't worry, God's going to see to it.

Nobody is getting away with anything listed in these verses from the Bible.

Ecclesiastes chapter 12 God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it be evil or good.

God says he's going to do that look right here in chapter 4, first Corinthians, it says here in verse five that God will bring to light what is hidden in the darkness, and he will not even light.

He will expose the motives of people's hearts. And I love the verse in Numbers chapter 32 that says be sure many of you know the rest of it. Your sin will find you out, my dear friends, you and I do not need to be the Inspector General's of the world.

God is 20 able enough to be the Inspector General all by himself and he does not need your help. Thank you God put you and me here love people and care for people try to bring them to forgiveness in Christ. He didn't notice you to be anybody's Inspector General. He doesn't need you to do that. And may I say to you if you're here and you've never trusted Christ in a real and personal way. The judgments that other people lay on you, maybe even some of your Christian friends is not your biggest worry in this life.

Believe me, your biggest worry in life and my biggest worry in life is what we just read from the Bible that one of these days God is going to reveal all the darkness in our hearts and reveal all the motives expose them.

I'm not worried about people's judgments nearly as much as I'm worried about God judging me and God says he's going to do it. If you're here and you've never trusted Christ in a real and personal way. May I say to you, there is no refuge anywhere for this judgment, except the blood of Jesus Christ. That's it. Because the blood of Jesus Christ covers us Bible says from the judgment of God against our sin.

If you're here and you've never running taken refuge in the blood of Christ to pay for your sin.

I want to challenge you to do that because this is the judgment you and I are going to face otherwise. And it is not good to be pretty well here we are, what we learned this morning we learned that things are often not the way they look. We learned that our hearts are so complex and tricky, that only God is able to judge them. We learned that when we try to overstep God and we try to begin judging other people we hurt a lot of folks and we learn that nobody is going to get away with anything we can all relax.

God's got this whole show on the control so you say law. What that means is we need to stop judging your right you save a lot you don't understand judging others comes natural for me. I was born this way.

It's part of my autonomic nervous system lawn is like breathing for me. I want I see I judge us like Julius Caesar. Well, that leads us to the question so what I was in a deal with this if we know what how we didn't know it back to chapter 6 because Jesus gives us the answer. Luke chapter 6, I want you to see what he says in verse 41 why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank that's in your eye. How can you say to your brother brother, let me take that speck out here I'll get my tweezers when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own you hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you'll be able to see clearly enough to take the speck out of your brother's eye to see this where I got slamdunk this week because Jesus says that the splinters that we see in other people's lives usually just represent telephone poles that we have in our lives and psychologists tell us that this is true. They tell us that what people often judge so harshly in others and are so critical of others, are usually what those people are most guilty of themselves. The technical term for this in psychology is projection, meaning that were not dealing with the things in our own life that we subconsciously know we need to deal with. So we see him and others.

We project our anger. We project our frustration. We project our guilt onto them they would get mad and we as a Christian world were great at this. In fact, some of the greatest damage we have done to our reputation. The world comes because of this very thing right here not dealing with the telephone poles in our own eyes would be so quick to go out there and do it all splinters. Nobody else, folks, you know something Jesus tells us how we can get over this. He says very simply train the microscope on yourself. If you want to look at sit under a microscope. That's fine if you want to be brutal and dealing with silly and ruthless with dealing with sandlot spray.

Be ruthless about dealing with your sin.

The harder I get when it comes to judging myself. It seems like the easier I get when it comes to judging others. The more honest and humble. I get about my own weaknesses. It seems like the more gracious and sympathetic by becoming dealing with other people when they're trying to grapple with their weakness. See we got up at the microscope where belongs, the people on you and me. I was fascinated by the interview couple months ago that Oprah Winfrey did with Michael Jackson to see that I didn't know much about Michael Jackson fact out of anybody knew much about Michael Jackson not a real fan of his music out of listen to a lot of Michael Jackson's music but I have heard some of it and is one song that he does that. I really really like and you may not know this but it's a song that he did, along with Andre Crouch, the great gospel star and the winos, the great gospel group in the name of the song is man in the mirror and here's how the course goes the course as I'm starting with the man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways and no message could have been any clearer if you want to make the world a better place. Take a look at yourself and then make a change.

When I heard that song for the first time I said I like this so this may not be as Solomon sings a Bible verse, but this is a song that encapsulates a Bible truth. The exact truth that Jesus is trying to communicate to us, right here.

You are like a change in the world five go look at the man of the woman in the mirror and start right there and you know what I found. There is so much to work on with the man in the mirror I will have any time left work on anybody else.

If you and I would spend the same amount of energy working on our faults as we spent criticizing other people. This world be a whole lot nicer place should be a whole lot nicer person to be around and all of us who have to be around you would be a lot happier and if you work on yourself, the way Jesus says you want to work on yourself.

You won't have any time or energy left over work on anybody else that all you can handle. Would you and so live and that's what Jesus is trying to tell us that the only time were free to go criticize other people as we got all our faults great and what that means is were never free to go criticize anybody.

This little poem I like to close with a whenever I get to judging other people.

God always brings us will pulling back to my first simple verse short. Here's what it says it says there is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that it hardly becomes any of us to find fault with the rest of us like that now you not sure what is my message and all you the poem I want okay as I got there doesn't do it again. It's really powerful.

There is so much good in the worst of and so much bad in the best of us, that it hardly becomes any of us to find fault with the rest of us. You work on your telephone poles. Don't worry got to work on her body. Also splinters you work on your telephone poles and dear friends. That's how we can make this church the county church people want to be a part of.

That's how we can communicate to people out there in this community.

The Christianity is not a big fraud and a big bunch of hypocrites by loving each other and judging ourselves. The problem is usually we love ourselves and we judge each other. Spray heavenly father, thank you for this reality check this morning. One that we all need so badly.

Forgive us Lord is Christians for being so quick to rush and judge other people's hearts motives Lord what I said this morning doesn't mean that we can never disagree with people about policies were about issues doesn't mean that we can't say that we are against certain things are for certain things in our political system, or in our society, but it means that we stick to the issues and we don't go beyond that to impugning and judging people that your job. Help us to be people who love others who judge ourselves and father I pray that you would use what we talked about this morning to change our lives to make us the kind of people who don't go around hurting people and destroying our testimony and damaging the reputation of Christ make us people who accentuate you Lord make us people that you're proud of.

By helping us live this way and I pray these things in Jesus name amen been listening to their wetland nonchalance. Solomon said, when is an outrage. Milan found in ministering to listen to today's message, or for more information visit our lab fine line. Solomon ministries.org. Thank you for your support.

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