I did choose thee. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nybert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. In John 7, verse 24, this is
how the Lord answered some criticism with regard to him. He said,
judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. I've entitled this message, Judging
Righteous Judgment. Now, every decision I make, every
choice I make, every opinion I have regards some kind of judgment. The Lord says, judge righteous
judgment. This is what I want to do. I
don't want to have self-righteous judgment. That's evil. That's
all you can say it. Not talking about the critical,
censorious spirit, but I want to judge righteous judgment. I would love to bring a scriptural
message on this subject. I've heard people use this verse
of scripture to justify their judgmental attitude. judge righteous
judgment, and they use that as a springboard to justify their
moral outrage against the sins of society in general, or their
moral outrage against the sins of other individuals in particular. And they'll use this scripture
to justify their judging. That's not right. What does the
Lord mean when he says, judge righteous judgment? What would you say is the most
well-known and most often quoted scripture in the Bible? Judge not. That's used universally,
whether people believe the Bible or not. If they feel criticized
or if they feel judged, the Bible says, judge not. Judge not, don't
you judge me. Even if I'm doing something that's
contrary and wrong, don't judge me. The Bible says not to judge. Indeed, the Bible does say, judge
not. And we should not judge in the
way which the Lord condemns when we behold the speck. that's in our brother's eye and
are completely unperceptive of the to-before in our own eye. And we think that we can help
our brother get his splinter out when we have a to-before
in our own eye. Now, that's wrong. But to say
we shouldn't judge at all, We make a judgment regarding everything
we do. I would like us to look in the
context of where the Lord said this. Let me show you this in
Matthew 7. The Lord said in verse 1, Judge
not that you be not judged. Now, whenever I judge somebody,
if you and I have a relationship, and I become judgmental and critical
of you, you know what you're going to do? You're going to
judge me harshly. You're going to see every flaw.
You're going to see every fault. You're going to see every wart.
When you perceive that I'm judging you, you're going to judge me
much harsher. But if I don't judge you, you're
not going to judge me either. That's what the Lord is talking
about. He's not saying if you judge anybody, you'll be judged
on judgment day and go to hell because if that's the case, nobody
will be saved. I'm a very judgmental person. I know it's evil, but
I don't know anybody that's not. Judge not, though, that you be
not judged. For with what judgment you judge,
you shall be judged. And with what measure you meet,
it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote
that's in thy brother's eye, but considereth not the beam
that's in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother,
let me pull out of the mote out of thine eye, and behold the
beams in your own eye? Thou hypocrite. Now those are the words of the
Lord. And you know that I find every time I'm judging somebody,
I hear this word spoken to me. Hypocrite. Hypocrite. Thou hypocrite. First cast out
the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly
to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Look at the next verse though.
Right after he makes that statement, give not that which is holy unto
the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine. Now right
off the bat, we're called upon to make a judgment. Who not to
cast our pearls before and who not to give that which is holy
to the dogs and the swine. I'm called upon to make a judgment
at that time. Understand, we're called upon
to make righteous judgments, not in a critical, self-righteous
manner, looking down on somebody for what they're doing, but every
time I hear somebody preach, I need to listen to it, see what's
being said. I don't wanna be like the noble
Bereans who search the scriptures daily whether these things be
so. I'm to make a judgment with regard to all I hear to see if
it's of God or if it's of man. In Proverbs 17, verse 15, we
read, he that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth
the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord. Now
there's a judgment involved. Somebody that God's justified,
if I condemn them, I'm an abomination to the Lord. Somebody that he's
condemned and I justify, I'm an abomination to the Lord. There
are judgments involved there. I think of Genesis chapter 18
where the Lord tells Abraham he's going to destroy Sodom and
Gomorrah. Abraham said, what if there's
50 righteous people there? You'll not destroy the righteous
with the wicked, shall not the judge of the earth do right? Now one thing Abraham knew with
regard to the Lord, he would do Right. And so here's a judgment we make
with regard to everything we see, shall not the judge of the
earth do right? Whatever he does is right. And he doesn't do it because
it's right, it's right because he does it. Don't be God's judge. Don't sit in judgment on God
and say, how could God let this happen? How could God let that
happen? Why did God allow this to happen? Don't be God's judge.
Whatever he does is right, and it's right because he does it. So make that judgment right off
the bat. If you wanna judge righteous judgment, judge that whatever
the Lord does is right, whether you understand it or not, because
you trust his character. Now, in the context of this statement
that the Lord made, let's back back up to verse 19. The Lord
says to these people, and they were criticizing him, for healing
somebody on the Sabbath day. They were judging him. You're
working on the Sabbath day. He healed a man that had been
paralyzed for 38 years. They became so furious. He's
showing no respect for our religion. He's doing these things on the
Sabbath day. They hoped that they would be saved by not working
on the Sabbath day, showing they had no understanding of what
the Sabbath day was in the first place. And they were critical
of the Lord. And the Lord said, did not Moses
give you the law? Yet none of you keepeth the law."
Was that a righteous judgment altogether? My dear friend, did
you know that you and I have not kept one commandment of God
one time? You take the Ten Commandments,
You and I have not kept one. I'm talking about in God's perspective. I'm not talking about outward
obedience. God looks at the heart. You and I have not kept one commandment
one time. That is righteous judgment. And the people answered and said,
thou hast a devil. Who goeth about to kill thee?
They said, you're demon possessed. You're crazy. Was that righteous
judgment? No. This is the son of God they're
speaking to. Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one
work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you
circumcision, not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers,
and you on the sabbath day circumcised a man." Now, according to the
Old Testament law, eight days after you were born, you were
to be circumcised. Sometimes that eighth day would fall on
the sabbath day. They didn't wait until Monday or Saturday,
Sunday or Monday to do it. They did it on the Sabbath day,
exactly eight days. And the Sabbath wasn't being
broken when they did that. Now he says, are you angry at
me because I've made a man every whit hole on the Sabbath day?
Judge righteous judgment. Your criticisms of me are altogether
wrong. Judge righteous judgment. Now, in appearance to you, I've
broken the law. But even though it may appear
that way, I didn't do that. Judge, not according to appearance,
but judge righteous judgment. In 1 Samuel 16, when Samuel came,
God said, you go into the house of Jesse, and I'll show you my
king, and I want you to anoint him. Jesse's first son comes, verse
six, and it came to pass when they were come, he looked at
Eliab and said, surely the Lord's anointing is before me. This
was a big, tall, good-looking guy. If there's anybody that
ought to be the king, it ought to be this guy. I mean, he looks
like he fits the bill. At this time, Samuel was judging
according to appearance. Now look what the Lord said to
him, verse seven. But the Lord said unto Samuel,
look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature,
because I have refused him. For the Lord seeth not as man
seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord
looketh on the heart. Appearance-wise, we don't really
know anything by appearance. Don't judge according to the
way things look, the way things appear, but judge righteous judgment,
what the Lord God calls righteous judgment. Think of this. Colossians 1.22 says every believer
is holy and unblameable. and unreprovable in His sight."
Do you hear what that says? In God's sight, everybody that
Jesus Christ died for, everybody that He has saved, is holy, unblameable. There's nothing you can blame
them for. Unreprovable, there's nothing you can reprove them
for. They're perfect in Christ Jesus, in God's sight. If I'm
perfect in God's sight, that means I am perfect. You see,
the way He sees things, that's the way it is. The way the appearance
you and I see, we don't see at all. But God sees how it is in
his sight. Here's another scripture. Now
we know that whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them
who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all
the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds
of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. You see, nothing you or I could
ever do, no matter how good it may appear, it may appear great. But we can't be justified in
his sight because God sees things as they are. The scripture even
says, the plowing of the wicked is sin. God sees things as they
are. So what about judge not? When you think of what God sees.
I think of that scripture, God saw the wickedness of man was
great in the earth. This is what God saw. Maybe no
other man saw this, but God did. God saw the wickedness of man
was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually. That's what God saw. See things
as God sees them. That is judging, righteous judgment. But somebody may be thinking,
what is meant then by judging not, judge not that you be not
judged? You know, I don't know how many
times I've heard somebody say something that's contrary to
the gospel. I'm not talking about nitpicking. I'm talking about
somebody that preached something that was contrary to the gospel,
believed something that was contrary to the gospel, saying salvation
is about works. And I've said, that's wrong.
That's not the gospel. And they said, judge not. You ought not
judge other people's religion. You better. You better judge
what you're hearing. Try the spirits, whether they
be of God. You better find out if what you're
hearing is according to the Word of God. If somebody says, well,
you shouldn't judge somebody, well, that's... What if your
child disobeyed you? and you got ready to give them
the proper punishment for that disobedience, and they said,
don't judge me, you got no right to judge me, you'd let them know
that yes, you do have a right to judge them as their parent,
and you're going to correct them for that. This thing of saying
you shouldn't judge anything here, that's not what it means.
Well, what does it mean when he's saying judge not? I want to read a passage of scripture
in Romans chapter 1 and Romans chapter 2 that I think will let
us know what is meant by not being judgmental. In Romans chapter
1, Paul is talking about the sins of the Gentile world. And he says with regard to the
Gentile world, being filled. That means this is all there
is there. being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness, covetousness, malignity, maliciousness, full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,
Proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment of God that they
which commit such things are worthy of death, Not only do
the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. What a litany
of sin, what a list of sin. Now look what he says next. Therefore
thou art inexcusable, oh man. That's me, that's you. Therefore
thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judges,
for wherein thou judgest another, you condemn yourself, for thou
that judgest doest the same things. Somebody says, I don't do those
things. God says you have. You and I do not have the right
to sit in moral condemnation on anybody for anything. That's what he's talking about
when he says, judge not that you be not judged. For me to
be judgmental of anybody in the sense of looking down my nose
at them is an act of hypocrisy. Listen to what James says in
James chapter 4 verses 11 and 12. He that speaketh evil of
his brother, and judges his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and
judges the law. But if thou judge the law, thou
art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There's one lawgiver
who is able to save and destroy you, literally you. Who are you to judge your brother? you don't have a leg to stand
on. For me to sit in judgment of you is an act of hypocrisy
on my part. I love what Paul said in Romans
14, verse four, who are you that judges another man's servant?
When you start judging somebody, that person doesn't answer to
you. Who are you to judge somebody else's servant? You don't have
a leg to stand on there. He said in verse 10. Why dost thou judge thy brother,
and set it not thy brother? For we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. That brother that you're judging
and criticizing, he's going to stand accepted before the judgment
seat of Christ. And you will too. What business
do you have judging him? He said in Romans 14, let us
not judge one another any more. So we see what he's not saying
is we're not to be judgmental in that sense, but he did say
to judge righteous judgment. Let's begin right here. 1 Corinthians
11, verse 31, Paul said, for if we would judge ourselves,
we would not be condemned. Now there's a place to begin
with righteous judgment. Judge and condemn yourself. Take sides with God against yourself. Agree with what God says with
regard to you. If you would do that, if I would
do that, the scripture says if we confess our sin, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sin. cleanse us from all iniquity.
Now, that doesn't mean confess each individual sin. Most of
the sins we've committed, we don't even know we've committed
them. And if we did confess them all, there's not enough hours
in the day for us to do that. What he's saying is you take
sides with God against yourself. That's righteous judgment, righteous
judgment. And then I love what Peter said.
In Acts 4, verse 19, when the Jews told him to not preach in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he said, whether it be right
in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather than God judge
you, whether I ought to obey God or you, make the judgment. For we cannot but speak the things
which we've seen or heard. Our rule of faith and conduct
is what he said. Now, there's right judgment,
to believe what God says and to do what God says, to believe
the gospel. Now listen to this in 1 Corinthians
2. Paul made this statement, and
I, brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellency of
speech or of knowledge, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
For I determined, and there the word determined as I made this
judgment, Here's righteous judgment. I determined not to know anything
among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I made this my
judgment that the only thing I should preach, this should
be the only subject, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Jesus Christ,
who He is? The Son of God. God manifest
in the flesh. The God man, the second person
of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, the Savior, God's Christ, God's
prophet, God's priest, God's king, the person of Christ and
His work, crucified. The most God-like thing God ever
did was have His Son nailed to a cross. This is God's eternal
purpose. I'm not to preach against the
sins of society. That's what most preachers are
trying to preach against this and preach against that. That's
not what Paul did. He said, I determine not to know
anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Now
here's righteous judgment. to understand that Christ crucified
is everything. It's all that's needed to save
me. It's all that's needed to motivate
me. Christ crucified is everything
and to preach anything else is wrong. Have you made that determination? Have you seen such glory in the
cross of Jesus Christ that you would make the same determination
of Paul, I've made this determination, I've made this judgment, not
to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Listen to this. Here's my, I reckon this might be my favorite words
in the scripture. From the cross, what did he say? It is finished. My salvation was finished, completely
finished by the work of Christ on the cross. By one offering,
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Now here
is righteous judgment. Paul said, I've determined not
to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Now I'd like to read a passage
of scripture from 2 Corinthians 5. Paul makes this statement,
beginning in verse 13. For whether we beside ourselves,
it's to God. Or whether we be sober, it's
for your cause. Whether we appear to be crazy
or sober-minded, He says, the love of Christ constraineth us. His love to us. For we thus judge. Here's our judgment. That if
one died for all, then we're all dead. Now who's the all? Is that talking about all men
without exception? No, it's talking about all he died for, the elect. If one died for all, then are
all dead. When Christ died, I died. Justice was satisfied. My sin
was paid for. And that he died for all, that
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves. but unto
him which died for them and rose again." Now here is just judgment. Here is righteous judgment. I'm
not to live for myself. I'm to deny myself. I'm to take
up my cross and follow him because he died for me. and put away
my sin and made me perfectly accepted before God, the only
righteous judgment that comes out of that is to live unto Him. Now, I wanna close by reading
of a judgment made by Mary and Martha. We read in verse 38, And it came
to pass as they went that he entered into a certain village
and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet
and heard his word. You picture Martha scurrying
back and forth working, Mary just sitting there listening. Verse 40, but Martha was cumbered
about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, does thou
not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore
that she help me. You're not supposed to tell the
Lord what to do. And she was upset. This is not fair. I'm
doing all the work. And Jesus answered and said unto
her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful in trouble about many
things, but one thing is needful. sitting at my feet, hearing my
word. Mary hath chosen that good part.
There's a righteous judgment. Mary hath chosen that good part.
By appearance, I suppose Martha looked better. She was the one
doing all the work. But Mary hath chosen that good
part which shall not be taken away from her. Oh, judge not according to appearance,
but judge righteous judgment. This is Todd Nyberg praying that
God will be pleased to enable us to judge not according to
the appearance, but to judge righteous judgment. To receive
a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send your request
to todd.neilert at gmail.com, or you may write or call the
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