Judge And Jury

Sermon Notes

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Matthew 7:1

Imagine if we lived by this good advice. Imagine if we all relinquished our desire to BE God and do the judging.

Some thoughts on why you shouldn’t be judging others.

I can only guess at a person’s motivation. I cannot know their heart. Because I cannot see the true heart or motives of another human being, I cannot know what the right amount of justice and mercy is to use in my judgment.

When I judge others I set myself up as an expert fault finder. This invites criticism. What I sow is what I will reap.

I cannot help another person if I am intent on judging them.

Judging others keeps me from dealing with my own faults.

Judgment is a way to convince myself of my superiority.

Judgment reveals my hypocrisy.

When we judge, we exaggerate the failures of others and minimize our own.

Discernment is not judgment.

Humility is the number one priority. In other words, what is your intent? Are you trying to build up yourself or someone else?

Next, make changes in yourself before attempting to change someone else.
The biggest changes you can make in life are in yourself.

Third, act only out of love and concern for others.

Use discernment to help you determine how much time and energy to invest into something or someone.

It’s not about you.

Quote of the sermon: “It’s a sad day when a person is convinced that Christianity is a fraternity of brethren that are hypocritically holier than thou.”