and I surrendered all. Have you now? John 7, 24. Judge not according to the appearance. Isn't it so true appearances
are deceiving? These are the words of the Lord.
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. I've entitled this message, Judge
righteous judgment. Every decision we make, every
choice we make, every opinion we have, without exception, involves
some kind of judgment, doesn't it? Judge, righteous, Judgment. Not judge self-righteous judgment,
but judge righteous judgment. That's the key word. Judge righteous
judgment. I want to do that. And I would like to bring a scriptural
message upon this subject. I've heard this verse quoted
to justify moral outrage against society, the sins of society
in general, and the sins of individuals in particular. And let me remind
you, this is not judge self righteous judgment. This is judge righteous
judgment. I want to bring a message consistent
with what this book has to say with regard to this scripture.
And I covet your prayer as I attempt to bring a message on this subject,
judge righteous judgment. What would you say is the most
well-known and most often quoted scripture in the Bible? Now, somebody may think John
3, 16, and as far as religious people goes, that probably is
the most quoted. God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. I love that verse of scripture,
but I feel quite certain that is not the most often quoted
scripture in the Bible. Here's what it is. Judge not. Everybody knows that one. Judge
not. Don't judge me for practicing
some questionable or even sinful activity. Don't judge me. The
Bible says. Judge not. Indeed, it does. When the Lord says judge not,
we should not judge in the way the Lord is condemning. Beholding
the little piece of dust. in our brother's eye and being
completely unperceptive to the two before in our own. The Lord
does condemn that and well it should be condemned. Would you turn with me for a
moment to Matthew chapter 7 where that statement by the Lord is
made. Verse one. Judge not 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. Now what the Lord is saying is
If you judge somebody, you're going to be judged harshly by
that person. They're actually going to be
looking for things. If you have a judgmental, critical attitude
toward them, they're going to be looking for reasons to be
critical toward you. And it's not going to be hard
to find them. If I have a judgmental, critical attitude toward you,
you're going to see every flaw I have. And it's not hard if
that's what you're looking for. Judge not that you be not judged. For with the judgment you judge,
you shall be judged. And with what measure you meet,
it shall be measured to you again. And then the Lord says, why beholdest
thou the moat? that's in thy brother's eye,
but consider it's not the beam, the two before, that's in thine
own eye. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother,
let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and behold, a beam
is in thine own eye. Thou hypocrite. I love the way
the Lord says this. He knows what a hypocrite is,
doesn't he? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine
own eye, And then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the moat
out of thy brother's eye." The very next thing he says involves
a judgment. Give not that which is holy unto
the dogs. Neither cast ye your pearls before
swine." Now, as soon as he says, judge not, he tells us what judgment
we're to make. We are called upon to make righteous
judgments. Again, the key word is righteous,
not self-righteous judgments. They're so offensive, but righteous
judgments. Turn to Proverbs 17. I'm going
to ask you to turn to several scriptures because I want you
to see these. So would you turn to Proverbs chapter 17? Verse
15. He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just. Even they both are abomination
to the Lord. Now here's a judgment to justify
the wicked. There's a judgment involved and
there's a judgment involved in condemning the just. That's a judgment. Now, if God
justifies somebody and I condemn them, That's an abomination to
the Lord. And if God condemns somebody
and I justify them, that is abomination to the Lord. When Abraham says to the Lord,
when the Lord said, I'm going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
And he said, well, what if there's 50 righteous people there? You
won't destroy the righteous with the wicked. And if you go on
reading in Genesis chapter 18, he takes it down to 40, then
30, then 20, then 10, if you can just find 10 there. But he
makes this statement, shall not the judge of the earth do right? Now here's a judgment you and
I are called upon to make. Whatever he does is right. And he does not do it because
it's right. It's right because he does it. We trust his character. Somebody says, what about the
bad things that are taking place? Shall not the judge of the earth
do right? It's all right. We might not
be able to see it, but our God brings good out of evil. Here's
the judgment we are called upon to make with regard to everything
that happens under the sun. Shall not the judge of the earth
do right? The most evil thing to ever take
place was when they nailed Christ to a cross. What's the most glorious
thing to ever take place? When God gave his son to be nailed
to a cross. Now don't be God's judge. Don't
sit in judgment on God and say, how could he let that happen?
Why does it? He's God. We trust his character. Now let's examine this statement
in John chapter seven in its context. Turn back to John chapter
seven. Verse 19. John chapter seven,
verse 19. Did not Moses give you the law? And yet none of you keep it the
law. Was that a righteous judgment? Absolutely. And he could say
that with regard to you and I, not one of us keeps the law. You and I have not kept one commandment
one time. That's what God says. And if
you think you have, you demonstrate a complete ignorance of God's
holy law. Why go ye about to kill me? The people answered and said,
thou hast a devil. You're crazy. You're demon possessed.
Who goes about to kill you? Were they giving a right judgment?
No. What the Lord was talking about
when he said, why are you going, you're about to kill me, was
in John chapter five, when he healed the man that had been
in bed for 38 years, paralyzed, he healed him on the Sabbath
day. You can't do that on the Sabbath day. You're not supposed
to work on the Sabbath day. They had a complete misunderstanding
of the Sabbath. They didn't have a clue. Jesus, verse 21, Jesus answered
and said unto them, I've done one work and you all marvel talking
about the healing of that man on the Sabbath day. Moses therefore
gave unto you circumcision, not because it's of Moses, but of
the fathers and you on the Sabbath day circumcise a man. Now, what
that's a reference to is on the eighth day after birth, you were
to be circumcised. Exactly eight days. Sometimes
that eight day fell on the Sabbath day. And are you breaking the
Sabbath when you circumcise somebody on the eighth day? No, no, not
at all. If a man on the Sabbath day received
circumcision, then that the law of Moses should not be broken.
Are you angry at me? Because I've made a man every
whit hole on the Sabbath day. Now, According to their appearance,
he broke the Sabbath. Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Would you turn to 1 Samuel chapter
16? This is a very important principle in what we're talking
about. This is when the Lord has told
Samuel to go anoint King, the King of his providing, the man
after his own heart. Verse three, God says to Samuel, call
Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show thee what thou shalt do.
And thou shalt anoint unto him, unto me, him whom I name unto
thee. And Samuel did that which the
Lord spake and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled
at his coming and said, comest thou peaceably? And he said,
peaceably. I'm come to sacrifice unto the Lord. Sanctify yourselves
and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his
sons and called them to the sacrifice. And it came to pass when they
were come that he looked on Eliab. And he said, surely the Lord's
anointed is before me. He's big and tall and good looking
and he has everything that you would think would be what is
needed for the king. Surely this is the one. He was judging according to appearance,
wasn't he? He was judging according to the appearance. Verse seven, but the Lord said
unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height
of his stature. That's what he was looking at.
Don't look at that 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. Man looks on the outward appearance. And you know, that's going on
right now. Every one of us are trying to project some kind of
appearance. It's appearance. It's appearance. When we read that God sees his
people as holy and unblameable and unapprovable. Now that's
a scripture. Everybody that Christ died for.
Everybody that Christ died for without exception is called by
Paul in Colossians chapter 1 verse 22, holy and unblameable and
unreprovable in his sight. Now, if I'm holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in his sight, guess what? I'm holy. I'm unblameable and I'm unreprovable
because God sees things as they are. Me and you don't. He does. And this is what the
work of Christ did in behalf of every believer. He made every
believer holy without blame, nothing to ball me out for. I'm
perfect in Christ Jesus, in God's sight. When we read in Romans chapter
three, verse 19, now we know that whatsoever things the law
saith, it saith to them that are under the law that no, that
we should, every mass should be stopped and all the world
staying guilted before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. I want us to think a little bit
about his sight. He sees things as they are. We never see things as they are. That's one of the reasons we
can't make an accurate judgment. We don't see things as they are.
We don't know the facts. We are unable to make a proper
judgment about anything, but oh his sight. So what about judge not? That
you be not judged. How many times has this been
thrown in your face? When you're here, something that's
contrary to the gospel, contrary to the attributes of God, contrary
to what God's word says. And somebody says, if you make
some objection, judge not. Judge not. You ought not judge
people's religion. You ought not judge people's
beliefs. Don't be a judge. Judge not. The Bible says, judge
not. That's the same principle as
your child acting in a defiant disobedience unto you. And when
you, when you're getting ready to punch him, they say, don't
judge me. Don't judge me. You're going to find out that
that is, uh, not accurate. Um, you shall be judged in that
sense. So what is the Lord saying? Uh,
when he says judge, not that you be not judged, does that
mean we're not supposed to judge what we hear? Of course not.
Try the spirits, whether they be of God, you better make a
judgment with regarding everything you hear, whether it's what God's
word actually teaches. Does that mean we do not have
an opinion regarding right and wrong? Of course it doesn't mean
that, but here's what the Lord means when he says judge not. I don't feel myself qualified
to be anybody's judge. You don't feel qualified to be
somebody's judge because you believe yourself to be so sinful
that you being critical and judgmental of anybody is an act of extreme
hypocrisy. That's what that's talking about. Let me make good on that in the
scripture. Turn to Romans chapter 2. Let's begin in chapter 1 verse
29. Paul is describing the sins of
the Gentiles. And he says, being filled. Plum
full. Plum full. There's nothing else
there. Being filled with all unrighteousness,
fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity, 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. Are these folks wicked? Are these
folks evil? Is there any question about the
utter wickedness of who Paul just describes? Now look what
he says next in chapter two, verse one. Therefore thou art
inexcusable. Oh man, me and you. That is a general term with regard
to every single individual alive. Therefore thou art inexcusable,
O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest
another, you condemn yourself, for you the judge do the same
things. Everything mentioned in that
horrible list of sin, You do. And for me or you to
sit in judgment in a critical, haughty, self-righteous manner
over anybody with regard to any sin they might commit, it's an
act of hypocrisy because God's word says, I do the same thing. Somebody says, I don't do that.
Yeah, you do. You do. No, I don't. God says you do. Am I going to
believe God or you? I believe God. God says this with regard
to everybody in this room and everybody outside of this room. Thou art inexcusable. Oh man,
that covers every individual. James chapter four, verses 11
and 12. He that speaks evil of his brother and judges his brother
speaks 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's able to save and destroy, but you, and this is
what James is saying, the double, but you, who are you? to judge another. You have no
moral authority. I hope every one of us sees that
about ourselves. Judge not that you be not judged. I love what Paul said in Romans
chapter 14, verse four. Who are you to judge another
man's servant? You don't answer to me. I don't answer to you. Who are you to judge somebody
else's servant? I'm the Lord's servant. You don't
have any business judging me. You're the Lord's servant. I
don't have any business judging you. I love it there in John chapter,
if you were gone on reading in John chapter 21, the Lord said
to Peter, he said, when you're When you're old, they're going
to drag you off and carry you into a place where you wouldn't.
This said he, with regard to what death you'll glorify God,
he told Peter he's going to be crucified upside down. And that
death was going to glorify God. You know, how glorious that is
that when he calls something like that, something to glorify
God, how glorious. And you know what Peter said?
Peter never could keep his mouth shut. He said, what about John? None of your business. What's
that to you? Follow thou me. In verse 10 of Romans chapter
14 he says, Why dost thou judge thy brother, or set it not thy
brother? For we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. Now, you know what he's saying? He's not saying, you better watch
out, because you're going to stand before judgment, and he's going
to stand before judgment. He's saying, well, all, every brother
will stand, accepted, justified, cleared of all guilt before the
judgment seat of Christ. What are you doing judging him
when God has justified him? He also said in Romans chapter
14 verse 13, let us not judge one another anymore. Would to God that would be me
and you. Let us not judge one another
anymore. Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter
11 verse 31, here's a good judgment. Talking about judging righteous
judgment. Here's righteous judgment. If we judge ourselves, we would
not be condemned. Now there's righteous judgment.
Judge yourself. Take sides with God against yourself. That's righteous judgment. Judge yourself. And we're promised
in the scriptures by Paul, if we judge ourselves, we wouldn't
be condemned. You see, if you judge yourself
guilty as charged, you've got nowhere else to look but Christ. You can't trust anything about
you. It's all sin. The only place you have to look
is Christ. That's a good place to be, isn't
it? I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. If we judge ourselves,
that's righteous judgment. Condemn yourself. Put the rope
around your neck, guilty as charged, before God. And I'm not talking
about trying to show men how sorry you are and how more, don't,
this is before God. Right now, judge yourself, guilty
as charged. And you know what? you will look to Christ as your
righteousness before God. Everybody, the judges themselves,
that's what happens. They look to Christ and they
are not condemned. Acts chapter four, verse 19,
I love what Peter said to the rulers of the Jews after they
commanded them not to preach in the name of Christ. He said,
whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather
than God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things
which we've seen and heard. What's your judgment? Should
I be you or God? That's a righteous judgment,
isn't it? Should I be you or God? You be the judge. Our rule
of faith and conduct is what he said. Every word in the Bible
is to be believed and loved. This is God's word. Somebody
says, I don't know if I believe it. Well, if God says it, I believe
it. I love what Donnie Bell said,
if the Bible said that Jonah swallowed the whale, I believe
it. Me too. Well, how could that
be? I don't know, but I believe what
God says. This is the inspired Word of
God that we bow to and that we believe. Now let me quote this
scripture to you that I quote a lot. 1 Corinthians 2, verses 1 and 2,
Paul said, 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. I didn't try to wow you with my oratorical ability or
my, no. I determined, now that word determined
is I judged, the word we're looking at. I made this my judgment to
know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. Now have you and I ever made
that judgment. Where we judge that the only
thing to preach, the only thing to hear, the only message there
is, is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is the meaning of every
scripture. This is everything in my salvation. Jesus Christ
and Him crucified when He said it is finished. What was finished? my salvation, my salvation. It is finished. That's Jesus Christ and him crucified. You know, that's that's all I
need for comfort. That's all I need for motivation. I don't
think you can whip me with the law and all it's going to do
is make me resent. But oh, if I see Christ and him crucified,
that motivates me to want to be only his in every respect. Here's my judgment, not to preach,
not to listen to anything else. Jesus Christ and him crucified. Would you turn with me for a
moment to second Corinthians chapter five? Verse 13, for whether we be beside ourselves,
it's to God or whether we be sober, it's
for your cause for. The love of Christ constraineth
us because we thus judge. Now there's that word judge,
here's righteous judgment. You want to know what righteous
judgment is? Here it is. We thus judge that if one died
for all, then we're all dead. Who is the all? Is he talking
about all men without exception? No. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. He died for all of the elect. Somebody says, what
means everybody without exception? No, it doesn't. No, it does not. Doesn't even imply that. But
here is the Necessary truth that comes from this for the love
of Christ constrains us because we thus judge that if one died
for all, then we're all dead and that he died for all that
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves. You know what it's called? Self-denial. Self-denial. Deny righteous self, deny self-indulgence,
self-seeking, self-promotion, self-whatever it is. In light of the gospel of Jesus
Christ and his love for me and me being dead in him and raised
together in him, I'm not to live to myself. I want to live to him who died
for me and rose again for me. Now that's righteous judgment.
If he died for me, then I want to live to him. I want to deny
myself, take up my cross, the confession of what he accomplished
on Calvary's tree and follow him. Now that's righteous judgment. You look at what Jesus Christ
has done for you. What makes you want to give yourself
completely to him? And I'm not saying I surrender
all, I'm saying he surrendered all. And that's what makes me
want to give myself to him. He surrendered all. Turn with me to Luke chapter
10. This is our closing scripture. Judging righteous judgment. Verse 38. Now it came to pass as they went
that he enter into a certain village. And a certain woman
named Martha received him into her house. You ladies, how would you want to make everything
perfect if the Lord was to come to your house today in the flesh?
Would you fix the best meal you've ever fixed? And would you have
the straightest, cleanest house you've ever had before? I dare
say you would. Maybe some of you would, I don't
know. But for the most part, I'd say we want the best. And
you can see Martha at this time. I want everything perfect. And she had a sister called Mary. which also sat at Jesus' feet
and heard His Word." The Word of Christ. One chose to make everything
perfect. The other chose to sit at His feet and hear His Word. I wish I could express His Word. He is the Word of God. Every
word that came out of His mouth was words of spirit and words
of life. The Word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the Word of God. There Martha is. scurrying around and there Mary
is contemplating her navel, I guess is what Martha thought. I'm doing
everything. All she's doing is sitting there
listening. Verse 40, But Martha was cumbered
about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost
thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?
Bid her therefore that she help me. Now, one thing to never do
is tell the Lord what to do. You don't do that. But she kept looking at her sister
Mary, and I'm sure her resentment just kept boiling over and over.
Look at her, look at me doing everything and she's doing nothing.
And she cries out to the Lord, bitter, that she helped me. Verse 41, and Jesus answered
and said unto her, Martha, Martha, Thou art careful and troubled
about many things. Could that not be said of us? Thou art careful, anxious, stressed
out, troubled about many things. But one thing is needful. one thing. And Mary hath chosen that good
part sitting at his feet, what a good place to be isn't it,
at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, sitting at his feet hearing
his word. Now that's making a righteous
judgment, isn't it? To sit at his feet and hear his
word, the word of the gospel. That's the one thing that's needful.
Now, do you not believe that? That's the one thing that's needful
and necessary. Judge not according to the appearance,
the Lord says. Everything you see, you don't
get it. Neither do I. And with regard
to what somebody else is going through and the judgment we make,
we don't get it. And we don't have the proper
information to even make a correct judgment with regard to anything
anybody's going through. Don't judge. Don't judge, don't
judge according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment,
not self-righteous judgment, righteous judgment. May the Lord
enable all of us to do just that. And let me tell you what the
most righteous judgment you can do is to trust Christ alone. Now that is righteous judgment. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in the high and
holy name of thy son, that we would be enabled to judge righteous
judgment, to look to the righteousness and merits of your son. We ask that you would give us
the grace, like Paul said, to thus judge, that if Christ died
for all, then we're all dead, dead to the thoughts and cares
of this world and the maxims of this world, and that we should
live unto him who died for us and rose again. Lord, bless your
word for your glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray.