Auto Judging
Judging Others
“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2
2,000 years ago, Jesus gave the most complete sermon in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. I don't think anyone else who have tried their own hand in this sermon preaching business has come close. Although, of course in their own minds preachers throughout the ages have thought otherwise.
Willing Audience
The good thing about the Sermon on the Mount is that the people who heard it, went out to that place to listen to Jesus speak. They were not really forced to do so, but rather they went there because they wanted to hear what He had to say.
Words of Wisdom
And what He has to say were mostly things that they weren't aching to hear. Those were not things that most people would want to hear because it will not validate the crooked ways that they do. His words were not another round of new rules to live by, made by men who rule over other men. These men made up these man made rules mainly to make them look holy and everyone else to feel guilty because they couldn't measure up to the high standards they are setting.
Practical Preaching
Indeed, Jesus had a lot to say -- a lot about life and how one should live it. And a lot about things we already know, or should already know about. And some which are just totally contrary to what we have been taught, even exact opposites of what we believe in. Part of this sermon is about people judging other people as we have read from the passage above.
Judging
What is funny is that, without even being aware of it we are all judges. We put on the Judge Hat or the Judge's Wig on during certain times, or we even have it on all the time.
We flip on the auto judging switch on or off, or just have it on cruise control.
We judge even ourselves. In fact, we judge how we look everytime we look in the mirror. And think how others might think of us.
In the same way, we judge others on how they look, what they wear or don't wear, what they have or don't have, the way they speak, move and act.
Living on Cruise Control
We watch dancing or singing competitions, sports and talent shows and instantly become Simon Cowell, Len Goodman, Charles Barkley, Max Kellerman or Joe Buck.
We go through life, checking people out. We pass judgments on people by allowing them to go through our personal filters. Most times all of these just happen automatically like it is on cruise control and we don't even know it.
Jesus, with His words, wants us to disengage that auto check others out button.
And He wants us to be like Him.
Christian Living
He spent time and He ate with sinners. He hang around with the lower class people, with people who were nobodies in society, with those who were cast aside.
He touched and He healed people who were deemed unclean. He helped prostitutes and those caught in sin. He called smelly, rough on the edges fishermen and tax collectors who people then judge as traitors or thieves.
He didn't see color, age, status. He didn't smell bad odor, tattered or dirty clothes. He didn't listen to gossip or hearsay. He saw past labels and prejudgments.
Love
He loved us, before we love Him back. He came to save us, to suffer and die for us when we were yet sinners and unable to help ourselves, less help others.
The love He gave us is the same love we use to love Him back and to love others with. Our own love will not be enough.
On our own, we cannot do any of these. We will always judge ourselves worthy and judge others as beneath us.
Jesus did the exact opposite. He came down from the throne of heaven to live with the lowly.
The Only Judge
In the end, there is only one judge -- Our heavenly Father.
Our Father in heaven will judge us through Jesus. When we listen to the words Jesus spoke, when we accepted who He said He was and what He did for us. When we live our lives like how Jesus would have lived it, then Our Father will see not us but Jesus.
If we say we follow Christ but do otherwise, we fool God and ourselves.
Let us take off our judge's wig, it is unbecoming as a child of God and as a person who profess to follow Christ.
[This is the first message of this series]
“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2
2,000 years ago, Jesus gave the most complete sermon in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. I don't think anyone else who have tried their own hand in this sermon preaching business has come close. Although, of course in their own minds preachers throughout the ages have thought otherwise.
Willing Audience
The good thing about the Sermon on the Mount is that the people who heard it, went out to that place to listen to Jesus speak. They were not really forced to do so, but rather they went there because they wanted to hear what He had to say.
Words of Wisdom
And what He has to say were mostly things that they weren't aching to hear. Those were not things that most people would want to hear because it will not validate the crooked ways that they do. His words were not another round of new rules to live by, made by men who rule over other men. These men made up these man made rules mainly to make them look holy and everyone else to feel guilty because they couldn't measure up to the high standards they are setting.
Practical Preaching
Indeed, Jesus had a lot to say -- a lot about life and how one should live it. And a lot about things we already know, or should already know about. And some which are just totally contrary to what we have been taught, even exact opposites of what we believe in. Part of this sermon is about people judging other people as we have read from the passage above.
Judging
What is funny is that, without even being aware of it we are all judges. We put on the Judge Hat or the Judge's Wig on during certain times, or we even have it on all the time.
We flip on the auto judging switch on or off, or just have it on cruise control.
We judge even ourselves. In fact, we judge how we look everytime we look in the mirror. And think how others might think of us.
In the same way, we judge others on how they look, what they wear or don't wear, what they have or don't have, the way they speak, move and act.
Living on Cruise Control
We watch dancing or singing competitions, sports and talent shows and instantly become Simon Cowell, Len Goodman, Charles Barkley, Max Kellerman or Joe Buck.
We go through life, checking people out. We pass judgments on people by allowing them to go through our personal filters. Most times all of these just happen automatically like it is on cruise control and we don't even know it.
Jesus, with His words, wants us to disengage that auto check others out button.
And He wants us to be like Him.
Christian Living
He spent time and He ate with sinners. He hang around with the lower class people, with people who were nobodies in society, with those who were cast aside.
He touched and He healed people who were deemed unclean. He helped prostitutes and those caught in sin. He called smelly, rough on the edges fishermen and tax collectors who people then judge as traitors or thieves.
He didn't see color, age, status. He didn't smell bad odor, tattered or dirty clothes. He didn't listen to gossip or hearsay. He saw past labels and prejudgments.
Love
He loved us, before we love Him back. He came to save us, to suffer and die for us when we were yet sinners and unable to help ourselves, less help others.
The love He gave us is the same love we use to love Him back and to love others with. Our own love will not be enough.
On our own, we cannot do any of these. We will always judge ourselves worthy and judge others as beneath us.
Jesus did the exact opposite. He came down from the throne of heaven to live with the lowly.
The Only Judge
In the end, there is only one judge -- Our heavenly Father.
Our Father in heaven will judge us through Jesus. When we listen to the words Jesus spoke, when we accepted who He said He was and what He did for us. When we live our lives like how Jesus would have lived it, then Our Father will see not us but Jesus.
If we say we follow Christ but do otherwise, we fool God and ourselves.
Let us take off our judge's wig, it is unbecoming as a child of God and as a person who profess to follow Christ.
[This is the first message of this series]
Comments
Post a Comment