The Just Way to Be Judgmental

Judging Yourself (7:1-4)

• The standard with which you criticize others will be applied to you.
• Whatever I suspect about you is nothing compared to what God knows about me.
• If we obsess about the faults of others, we will often overlook our own.

Judging Believers (7:5)

• Jesus never prohibited confrontation; He warned against hypocrisy.
• If I commit to biblical accountability, I not only address your sin (“speck”) but mine as well (“log”).
• Confronting sin should come from a desire of not wanting the reputation of Jesus to be marred by anyone’s hypocrisy.
• If my desire is to highlight your sin rather than helping you stop it, I need to keep my mouth closed.

Judging Unbelievers (7:6)

• Jesus warned against believers expecting unbelievers to receive biblical truth with gratitude.
• You will encounter people who hate the truth and who are hostile to anyone who believes it.
• We judge sin outside the Church and ignore sin within, and yet, God has instructed us to do the complete opposite.

Questions

• Am I actively aware of my personal shortcomings?
• Am I in close relationships with other believers that prioritize holiness?
• Am I wasting expectations on those defiant to the truth?
• Am I hoping someone else hears this message and overlooking the log in my own eye?

The just way to be judgmental is by taking Jesus’ standard and applying it to yourself first.