Judge Ye Yes

Judge Ye Yes

Introduction

Judging is both popular (tv shows) and unpopular (‘judge ye not’)
“We like to see everyone judged but ourselves. We like to judge others by appearances, but insist that others shouldn’t judge us without knowing the intricacies of our situation.”

1 Corinthians 11:31-32
1. Judge yourself!
2. Learn from God’s judgments
3. Avoid being judged with the world

Judge yourself!

This should be our focus
- Individual level (Matthew 7:3-5)
- Corporate level (1 Cor. 5:12)

Would you turn to a sumo wrestler to lose weight?
Would you turn to the Bills to win a super bowl?

“Why would the world turn to the church when instead of open arms, they only find fingers pointing in judgment?”

Judah: A powerful story of self-judgment (Genesis 37-44)

Learn from God’s Judgments!

These are our final warnings
- Individual level (God allows bad circumstances around us)
- Corporate level (God allows bad circumstances around world)

“He doesn’t want disaster, but He allows it and must see a purpose in it”

Did we blame Katrina on the citizens of New Orleans or examine ourselves? Do we grumble and complain when things go badly, or do we listen? God disciplines those He loves.

“It’s best to learn the easy way. But it’s better to learn the hard way than to not learn at all”

Avoid being judged with the world!

This is the fate of wicked humanity
- Bible is very clear about coming Day of Judgment (2 Peter 3)
- God is not a gentle grandfather, cosmic cop, or longing lover

If we don’t deal w/our sin before judgment day, we’ll be in big trouble. God has sent convicting grace so we can judge ourselves and turn to Him. God sends warning judgments so we’ll learn before it’s too late. Don’t show up to the heavenly courtroom scene without a defense. Settle the case out of court!