Since Jesus Was Serious…You should spend your time judging – yourself?

e Praises of your people you tell us in Hebrews 13 what a beautiful picture it’s almost like a a father that can’t wait to look closely at his children not only looks at us but you you see and hear us singing words in some cases by faith we believe that you’re good even though our experience is different than that with other people bearing the name father but I thank you for being so legitimately good and you for being the one and only savior that doesn’t push

broken failed people to the to the to the exit but you Embrace us and say I love you right now right as you are but because I love you so much I I planned if you’ll let me to work in your life to change you to make you well like my son Jesus we love you Jesus we pray for Israel right now we pray Not only would this conflict in and there would be some measure of Peace in that region but we also pray for greater

things we pray that they would come to know you as Yeshua the the Messiah savior that your Holy Spirit would open eyes everywhere and say he is God I need him we need him the world needs him and now bless the little ones among us as they go and learn about you a great father a great God and the only savior in the name of Jesus we pray all God’s people said amen amen go ahead and have a seat have fun kids we will see you

next door for did I mention earlier Savory Sunday today is how many news today’s Savory Sunday yeah good for you and if your wife is out of town like mine is I am so glad for the timing of savory Sunday just want to tell you and usually I wait till the end of the line and serve the rest of you but that ain’t going to happen today I just want you to know I want you to know no it’s good good morning church morning yeah it’s

good to be I as I do each week have a h time with God where I I want to spend enough time to hear him and a posture I want to encourage you to use whether you’re worshiping or praying privately or somebody’s praying for you or with you or maybe you’re just your Bibles open this is the posture and and I watch this in people I love and and I and I wonder you know what are we doing here you know and that may be where

you’re at you’re not quite sure what this is and I’m not sure it’s consistent for everybody that’s that’s not my point but I’ve asked people and it’s what what I feel when I do this it’s it’s it means I don’t have an agenda it means means Lord I want to I’m open-handed but it means personally for me when I’m preparing messages they’re first for me and I and I do it this way and I say God put put in me with these hands make it in

part of this heart and then flow through me my hands are open for you to put something here and share it with your people so that’s that’s what I want to encourage you to do long after I’m I’m done preaching I want you to expect that as God says I’ve got something and and maybe as the receiver of a message you could periodically you know you’re taking a note or something like that just look down at your hands and say God you’re giving me something it’s

for me and and I think I it’s just kind of cool it’s not magic it’s not a formula it’s just a way to say I I really want you and holy spirit I I need you to teach and that’s that’s the backstory of what I’m going to share here today I’ll introduce it this way over the years I’ve noticed a surprising number of people more people than I would expect that seem to know some scriptures without a Bible in hand without a you know cell phone

with a Bible app or anything like that they just seem to know what scripture a certain scripture a lot it’s a scripture that you’re liable to hear in I’m going to call it irreligious places places that aren’t like a church setting where I’m looking around a lot of you have either a Bible or an app whatever you’re ready to get into the the book The the Bible but I’m talking about places like in your neighborhood I’ve heard this in the driveway when a neighbor came over

and was talking I’ve heard it at sporting events I’ve heard it when people that don’t know I’m watching are watching the news and there’s something developing on the news and they they will say they’ll actually quote the Bible I’ve heard it at soccer games and basketball games when my kids were you know young and it got me thinking you know people may not say it quite like a preacher might say it on Sunday but they may not even have the correct meaning of what I’m about

to tell you but it actually turns out they know it well and you probably have guessed what I’m getting at but they’ll say something it’s a three-word true statement from the Bible the locations even there that we’re going to look at this morning do not judge do not judge some will go old school on you Thou shalt not judge some will just say don’t judge but it seems like it’s got a a widespread understanding on the the surface cuz a lot of people use it a

lot of people say it the the fact is they they speak it as though they almost I guess I would say do have it memorized don’t judge don’t judge one one neighbor one time and you could tell from how he introduced it that he was not exactly a guy that would sit in a Pew or a chair in a church someplace but he introduced it as well you know that the good book says Thou shalt not judge right that’s probably the most frequent presentation The Good

the Thou shalt not judge but the the good book told me something about where he’s coming from U my Bible says holy Bible but I don’t see good book anywhere in here but that’s okay it’s not a diss on him it’s just to tell you it’s kind of everywhere out there so in this series titled since Jesus was serious We’ve we’ve looked closely at words spoken by Jesus each Sunday got a few more in the series and we’re going to wrap it up and these are

words that are spoken by Jesus but often ignored and I’m not just talking about the ones we’re going to dig in deeply with today but I’m talking about if you took the book I don’t have mine handy it’s but and looked at the book the whole premise of the book by Sky jethani the author is that these are very clear very simple statements by Jesus asking the question so why don’t we follow them now there’s exceptions everywhere I try to be an exception every day so

do many of you that’s a good thing but he’s asking an honest question you know these things aren’t like hey get a Greek scholar in here help us figure this out do not judge is kind of straight up stuff right it’s just there so it it inspired our series on the subject of our cultures quote of this idea do not judge or judge not Sky the author of this book said something I thought was worth telling you about he I’m quoting those words are favorites even

among non-believers kind of a picture of what I captured because they fit listen now you could write this down the accommodating Spirit of our age I’m I’m at this point if you’re just hearing that the first time you’re going what say what hold on I’ll say it again they fit the accommodating Spirit think sentiment thought belief of our age that sees all choices as valid and all values as equally Noble end quote that’s something to stop you in your tracks the spirit of our age is

real excited about a Biblical statement when it can be used to say anything goes now that means things like I’ll give you two that I thought of actually this morning you can go to church because I was thinking about this when I’m sitting there and getting ready to come here I thought well this is baseball season so who cares but anyway if it was football season season on Sunday you can get up like I do every Sunday and most of you do every Sunday and go

to church or you can stay home and watch the game because the prevailing Spirit of our age says both are equal in value and both values are equally Noble not if you’re a Raider fan they’re not no Noble I can say that cuz I am but anyway here’s another one I thought even more about this you can worship God which we just did or you can stay home and smoke pot you go wow that’s a jolt I mean it to be a jolt if the spirit

of our age is correct then what’s the difference why is it a problem for anybody religion’s your thing go get the opiate of the people you go knock yourself out some would say I’m going to stay home and get high we’re both getting high you with me okay if you know a bit about the Bible when you hear jathan’s words about the accommodating Spirit of our age you might have this quick flash of Old Testament memory hit you I did when I first read it I

thought whoa that accommodating Spirit of the age took me back to a 325e period of time between Joshua guy in the Bible he’s got a book named after him Joshua who was the first leader of the nation into their new Holy Land the land of promise The Promise Land right Joshua was not Moses Joshua that starts the the clock ticking 325 years to Saul the first king of the nation of Israel in the promised land okay 325 years known as the time of the judges and

that’s why I like the judges but I like it because it gives us a picture of our times and and here’s a here’s a grabber the Book of Judges Chronicles that means like I grew up in the Bay Area so Chronicle was a San Francisco Chronicle it was a newspaper that told what happened in the news so the the Bible Judges Chronicles tells what happened during these 325 years of Israel’s history and it was captured in a single verse but repeated adium for over three centuries

ready for the verse write it down it’s at the bottom of your notes Jud judges 17:6 reads this way in those years there was no king in Israel and so Grabber everyone did what was right in their own eyes so you smoke pot and get high I’ll go to church and get high what’s the difference when everyone lives by their own ethic can I say it everything goes wrong right I mean that’s no insight there a Street near my house that’s been the location since it

opened up 5 years ago now something like that 35 injury accidents because I guess 30 m an hour means 60 if you feel like it how many fatalities do we have to have before they just stink and close the street and say you need to ride a bicycle now or something you get my points so when everybody does whatever they want Anarchy soon follows right and if you need another word for it just call it lawlessness that’s what happens so no wonder a favorite Jesus quote

many memorize is don’t judge who says you got the answer if Dr Phil walked up here right now the great Theologian of our time right he’d go and how’s that oh so you watch him too I see okay that’s good and how’s that working for you it’s not working okay so by now you know that perhaps you’ve already turned there to The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 567 it’s really a fairly brief section here today but I want you to stop at verse 5 the word

do not judge start verse chapter 7 but chapter 5 is really a an important stop okay so we’re told based on the first verse of chapter five what you’re about to read and it goes on for three chapters is a bit of a lecture if you want to call it that it is a a presentation a message known as The Sermon on the Mount so verse five or verse one of chapter 5 when Jesus saw crowds everywhere he went up on the mountain side and sat

down his disciples came to him and he began to teach them okay that’s the setting you need to understand this happens on a hillside in capernium which is the northern shore of Lake or the sea we know it as the Sea of Galilee in Israel you can visit their present day it’s really a cool place and I say all that not to just fill in time I got way more than we can cover today but I say that because I want you to imagine yourself not

in Grace Point’s Chapel I want you to imagine yourself on the North Shore if you will not Hawaii that’s a cool place too but up there at capernium and you’re taking a seat because wow it looks like he’s about to begin to teach Jesus is and sure enough he teaches and gives all kinds of counsel about I’ll say it practical matters have you ever heard a sermon where it was so practical it started to tip into meddling how many feel that way are you are you

pointing fingers at me right now is that the deal actually I it’s a it’s a great compliment I’ve re deceived over the years they you know one guy I didn’t realize he was kidding with me he said you know if you keep meddling I might I might have to find a new church I’m like what did I just say what did I say I was not joking I thought oh my goodness meddling and he was he gives me a big hug kiss on the lips well

he tried but anyway and and he just was saying no no it’s it’s you take this book and make it real to me that’s what I want want to do I don’t it the book does not need my help to accomplish that now you’re Seated on this mountain side and you’re about to hear Jesus teach so I want us to take a fast glance at a list of sermon topics that cover chapter five and six it’ll take us 30 seconds ready ready okay chapter 5 let’s

just drop down to verse 21 he’s talking about murder you could look more deeply anger as well then he keeps going adultery oh that’s kind of in play today a little further verse 31 divorce that’s you know approaching half of the married population ends up that way a lot of numbers Oaths could be think of it as statements or commitments making promises he picks up on that and then here’s one you ever been hit or hurt by somebody and you wanted to get back you want

to counter punch well that shows up in verse 38 we’re almost done with chapter five by the way and then it finishes with love but not just any love love your enemies love the unlovable that you don’t want to be nice to okay we’re done we’re halfway done I know I’m p last 30 seconds chapter 6 picks up right away giving gifts how you supposed to do that is there a right and a wrong way drop down he keeps talking prayer it comes up we talked

about that recently how do you pray how do I keep my prayers from bouncing off the ceilings he goes there in verse five of chapter 6 and then drop down to verse 16 he talks about a very spiritual exercise restraining from food for a time to draw close to God it’s called fasting told you it was super practical people are taking notes no one takes more notes than the next subject money management how do you manage your money Treasures he calls it verse 19 in heaven

versus the treasures that are here on Earth and we will leave 100% of them behind and then finally kind of well not kind of very appropriately what’s the word ju deposed to worry how many are pursuing wealth and in their Pursuit they worry see how practical this stuff is now I’m turning the page again we come to chapter 7 those are all relevant things for his audience to consider note also there things that have always been part of people’s struggles they weren’t first century alone that’s

what I’m saying their their present problem problems in our day and now suddenly almost out of nowhere Jesus calls attention starting chapter 7 still in his sermon we’re still seated there at the hillside he calls attention to something he knew would be true about many people or he wouldn’t have brought it up this is not there’s not just a single audience for what he’s about to tell us many of us in fact if I can say on the front end we cleverly conceal this problem or

challenge that we have though I’m going to add even a bigger word it’s almost universally a challenge or a difficulty something we have to deal with what’s that it’s the ability we have you ready for this to hear we’re 20 minutes into a message a message to hear a powerful teaching and apply it to someone else I have done that you ever you ever had an empty seat and thought oh I wish he was here for that message she I wish she man I even got

room in this chair next to me we do that I’ve done that our capacity to virtually ignore personal application of truth that was taught like it’s being taught here this is all one message by the greatest teacher to ever teach find ourselves like a lot of people thinking about other people who need to hear it so the audience that day and more than a few of us need to hear this look at verse one do not judge or you too will be judged for in the

same way you judge others you will be judged and with the measure you use it will be measured to you and if that’s not enough Jesus knowing the hearts of his Learners points out what he saw that was very obvious to him verse three why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye how can you say to your brother here here let me take that Speck out of your eye when all

the time there is a plank says it again in your own eye you hypocrit first take the plank out of plain view in your own eye and then you you’ll see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother’s eye wow Jesus is here describing the DNA of judging I believe he was looking at people who a point after point in chapter five and six we listed about nine of them they didn’t personalize it they were passing it along to somebody that needed it more or

so they thought so Jesus describes this DNA really his favorite method to ask questions and there’s two of them the first question is in verse three we read it already why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye pay no attention to the plank in your own eye the honest answer the honest answer to Jesus first question I took took time to write this down cuz I’ve read this and preached on this but I thought there’s there’s something missing still because this

is my my attempt because it makes us feel better about our own sin when we’re focused on somebody else’s sin I might have half a dozen subjects that he just covered that I need to do a little crisping up on so when I notice all these things that are missing in your life it’s well it’s it makes me feel better and I don’t I let me say it more simply it’s way easier to notice the faults in other people’s lives than to focus on Steve McCracken’s

faults think about a time when you judge someone let think about it I got one in mind you didn’t know it I’m thinking of one so how does it make you feel strangely If we’re honest feeling a little better right now when we compare ourselves to someone with a bigger mess on their hands then we have we we emit an air there’s a smell to us you say no I use deodorant no no I I mean an an aura an aroma it leaks out it’s a

smell to us that somehow puts us in a better light than them right I mean I was in my study this week working hard on these things and I don’t know if secretly I wanted an interruption because it was a little painful to do and so so I get a text Debbie and I both got the same text from a wonderful young man in our church he’s not here right now but I reached out almost instantly he’s in Arizona and he is a writer and a

recorder of music and he’s probably everybody wants to kidnap him and call him their son he’s Ty black and he’s at Grand Canyon University and I said Tai what what in the world this is this is ridiculous it’s that cool this is so legit how’d you come up with this he said just you know you know Ty look up the word humble in the dictionary you got his face right there he’s just not the guy that’s going to beat his own sorry Mom and Dad or

maybe you’re feeling good about this moment but I said t I just got to ask you permission I I said I I want to I want to share your words just a few lyrics from this song and then people are going to want it so Michelle you’ll you’ll send them a link or something right or B Bill okay good but I said I I really want to do that and I I said you know I would really like Debbie reacted the same way I said I

would really like you to fly up this weekend and sing it play it for us and he said no I said okay then I’m going to sing he says I might be on my way to the airport right now so it’s titled this is why I caught my eye I’m in the middle of this the righteous judge gosh I wish God would somehow make himself known to me you know what I’m saying in this moment here’s his words verse one Lord how how I could judge

when you’re the only one how could I when you’re the only righteous one why do I see the wrong in others yet only the right in me Ty you’re you’re the rock star brother you’re cool verse two I know I’m not called to be the judge of anyone yet still I fall prone to all my sins prone to do wrong Lord You’re the judge only you can B I’ve done so much wrong it’s not up to me he repeats it’s not up to me and his

final words I guess it’s called a bridge in a in song Speak one day I will see you on your great white Throne waiting to judge me for all that I’ve done you’re the righteous judge you’re the righteous judge you will hear my plea please God save me you’re the righteous judge for ever you will be way to go way to go TI you know what’s cool the tone of his song I’m a preacher so it came out as a preacher the tone was just beautifully

real who am I his words again Lord You’re the judge Only You Can Be I’ve done so much wrong it’s not up to me man that’s enough I think to take the attraction out of judging others for good I have one last thing to have you do and it’s it’s the second question Jesus asks let the Holy Spirit search you as we answer the second question that’s in verse four how can you say to your brother let me take the speck out of your own eye

out of your eye when all the time there’s a plank in your own eye you’re hypocrite first take the plank out of your own eye and then you’ll see clearly enough to remove it from your brother’s eye hypocrisy is at the heart Jesus is saying of people who obsess over small things in other people’s lives while ignoring big problems in our own lives you know who comes to mind they’re known as Pharisees they did that all the time read Matthew 23 and you’ll see more but

the honest answer to Jesus second question is that we don’t notice the big sins in our lives precisely because we’re too busy nitpicking the dust-sized sin in others lives I thought I haven’t used the word nitpicking in a long long time so I researched it and it has to do with well they’re they’re like to me they’re invisible because I’m a guy and I don’t notice detail like this but they’re these little I think they’re called lice l and they’re they’re little devil babies right they

they plant their seeds or whatever they they want to nest in the hair some of you are safe just going to say anyway I’ll be bald by Monday okay I’ll be bald by Monday no there and you know what anybody with children or grandchildren you remember when your kids were growing up they would go to school and then they would come home and you’d get a notice saying lice were discovered and and your immediate thought is which child and it’s you’re not looking at your kids

at all you’re thinking what kind of dirty child brought lice into the school and contaminated my precious little one cuz your child could never be the s SCE carrier maybe but not the source and you know what no one will never know the source right we just know that lice like hair and they like to I don’t know put their little knits in your child’s hair and and you get that notice and you’re thinking I mean every mom’s doing it it’s not my child not my

child not my child which dirty child are you hanging out with you know I mean it’s and you know what it was laundry City I mean we sometimes burnt clothes it was horrible why do I re relive moments like that I have no idea it doesn’t come from the Bible but anyway because there’s a hypocrisy it’s hilarious right now looking at it but there’s a hypocrisy in not not my precious the great mystery when school sends home that notice of lice was always whose child for

sure it wasn’t mine and you know what I want to say to you in the spirit of this passage judge your own hair okay just do it and and we’ll fix that little problem I have a conclusion I want to leave you with today and you can close your Bible if you’d like I’m going to turn to Luke 18 where this comes from and it’s not I’m going to tell you the story you’ve heard it enough to know that it’s tied for first with my favorite

stories in the Bible in the in the teachings of Jesus in the Bible Luke 18 we’re told why he taught this story verse n says to some who were confident in their own righteousness like I I got nothing to work on confident in their own righteousness and look down at all you all who have lots of things to work on you see it it’s how I apply the Bible I just go to some who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else

Jesus told this story and here comes the story two guys come to a church you know it’s a synagogue but but we’re going to church they come to a church and they sit down and two of them are standing one is known as a Pharisee in the story and he stands and he lets everybody know that he’s in that Elite Class of spiritually with it people they got game they know what they’re doing they got all the right answers all the right verses lined up everything’s

good they probably never sined never even thought about it just not something that sticks to them they’re like Teflon the Pharisee from the most spiritually withed group was admired as he droned on people are taking notes on his life going how can I be like him and most were sitting intimidated at the thought he’s profiled by Jesus is standing in the corner praying and I’m going to interject really praying to himself okay but he’s praying for his obvious virtues and he goes on and on and

on and then he points a finger to the tax cheat the other guy Jesus is profiling that’s sitting standing in the corner but not not even looking up to heaven so he doesn’t he knows he doesn’t stand a chance to be heard he’s the person in here that doesn’t feel comfortable I don’t know you got your deal What will What will what will be thought of by me and this this tax cheat he he’s just known as a tax collector but most of them cheated he

was not a good well he he’s he just feels broken he was broken Jesus tells and he knew he was dirty and he did what dirty people do in moments like this we told about that moment you don’t have to imagine what desperate felt like him verse 13 the tax collector stood at a distance he would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said God have mercy on the Pharisee me I’m a mess the outcome in Jesus words have to be read

I tell you that this man God have mercy on me The Sinner rather than the other home run hitter this first guy this second guy he went home Justified before God for all of those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted the tax man not Mr self-righteous went home Justified what’s that justified what does that word mean he was declared by someone without absolute Clarity and Authority you my friend are clean and forgiven and righteous I’d like you to

Bow your heads with me this morning oh Lord help us to spend our time judging ourselves and leave all other judging to you as we judge ourselves to be Sinners help us hear and embrace your lifegiving words you because you recognize the moral rot of your life the Brokenness the sinful mess you’ve made you’re not pointing fingers you’re not justifying it you’re not defending it because you recognize that and recognize yourself as a sinner help us hear and embrace your glorious gracious life-giving words you are

free to go you’ve been forgiven you’ve been declared by me the righteous judge free if you’re stuck Jesus is speaking to you his holy spirit saying you got a serious hypocrisy problem on your hands you’re seeing too many problems in others and you’re missing the biggest problem of all no one else knows it he knows it he does and we can just stop in this moment and say I’m I’m not going to fake it anymore I’m done and he will he will answer what he answered

that man the tax cheat God have mercy on me The Sinner wow he’ll hear it and he’ll answer it and you’ll hear him say you’re clean you’re forgiven you’re righteous so God we we want that I want that I want that to remain true of my life no matter what and I Turn to You Not only in a song but I Turn to You with a belief that you are truly my only hope you’re the Living Hope I have that if I dare pray God have

mercy on me The Sinner you’ll answer my prayer if you’re part of our live stream Community right now would you just pray on get on your knees in that hotel room or your living room or in your car pull over and pray God have mercy on me I got no one else on my mind except you and what you want to do with a man or woman of guilt like me Set Me Free and become my Living Hope until the day I’m face to face with

you let’s stand together and sing this final song how great the chasm that lay between us how high the mountain I could not climb in desperation I turned to heaven and spoke your name in to the night then through the darkness your Ling kindness T through the shadows of my soul the work is finished the end is WR Jesus Christ my Living Hope who could imagine so great of Mercy what heart could faom such boundless Grace the god of Ages stepped down from glory to wear

my sin and bear my shame the cross has spoken I am forgi the king of kings calls me his own beautiful saor I’m yours forever Jesus Christ my Liv Living Hope Hallelujah praise the one who set me free Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me you have broken Every Chain there salvation in your name Jesus Christ my living hallelujah praise the one who s me free Hallelujah death has lost it grip on me you have broken Every Chain there salvation in your

Transcript machine-generated from the sermon audio, so it may contain errors. 5,937 words.