“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7: 1-5, NKJV.
Dear God, please give us a heart that is obedient to Your leading. May we be willing to leave all judgment to You. This we ask in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The topic of Judgment is popular in Christendom. We talk about the, Day of Judgment, the Final Judgment, the Judge of all the earth. Judgment is often spoken of, as in the future, and as being executed by God. These assumptions are partially true. The truth is that the only judgment that has any merit, is God’s judgment. He is the only One who can judge us. The other statements that are not true, is that the act of judging the inhabitants of earth is in the future. As we speak, judgment is taking place. Let me share at least three verses with you that speak to this fact, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God” (1 Peter 4: 17a)? From his day, the apostle Peter was expecting the judgment to begin.
“Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after” (1 Timothy 5: 24, NIV). It is always a good thing to confess our sins the minute we become aware that we have sinned. Get it out of the way, while judgment is taking place, and mercy is still available!
He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22: 11, 12). When Christ returns to earth it will be to “give to every one according to his work.” All will have already been judged as, “unjust” and “filthy,” or, as “righteous” and “holy.”
Now let us look at the very first message of our Scripture for today: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” That is pretty clear cut and easy to understand, is it not? Christ, in His Sermon on the Mount has left us the greatest treatise on ethics ever written. This statement parallels the following: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7: 12). The statement, “the Law and the Prophets,” is very significant here, because God’s law, is based on justice. And all true prophets, speaking in His name, preached a message of justice. Therefore, the only just thing to do, if you and I do not want to be judged by others, is not to judge them! Word of the LORD!
Now notice how the criterion that follows falls in line with the whole concept of righteousness and justice: “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” As I sit here meditating on these words, I call to mind an incident that took place last evening as my husband and I were leaving a store. There was a gentleman seated at the door. When we entered he did not say anything, but as we were leaving, he wished us well. I turned to him, smiled, and thanked him. And in turn, wished him a blessing. His response was immediate: “Back to you,” he responded with a smile!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if in our daily walk of life, we were sending blessings “back to each other”, and leaving the judgment to God?
We will continue.