Overcoming Harsh Judgments and Fault Finding
Overcoming Harsh Judgments and Fault Finding
Introduction:
1. Sometimes judging is forbidden and sometimes it is encouraged according to the Bible.
2. We have encountered many individuals who claim that judging others is always wrong but clearly the Bible teaches otherwise.
3. So how do we equate proper and improper judgment?
4. Even more so how can we teach others to overcome their improper judgments?
5. Amongst our brethren there are those whose greatest sins are being nit-pickers.
6. They are ready to pass judgment based upon any evidence whether it be true or false.
7. They see themselves as the judge, jury and executioner for the Bible truth.
8. While it is true that we need to defend truth and oppose error harsh judgments and fault-finding can hinder the truth rather facilitate its spread.
9. From the Bible we can overcome this harsh judgment and fault-finding.
10. We begin by studying the nature of improper judgment.
I) The nature of Censorious Judgment
A) Which judgments are encouraged?
1. Judgment of the civil courts - Romans 13:1-7.
2. Judgment of Christian disobedience - 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
3. Judgment of truth versus error - 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
4. Judgment of false teachers - 1 John 4:1
B) Which judgments are forbidden?
1. Judgments from surmise.
2. Judgments from insufficient evidence.
3. Judgments from ill-will
4. Each of these forbidden types of judgments are called censorious judgments.
C) Defining Censorious Judgments
1. Censorious means to be apt to blame; addicted to censure; severe in making remarks about others; being an unloving critic.
2. It describes one that is addicted to finding fault.
3. It is related to one that is critical of everything and everyone.
4. The dangerous aspect of this type of judgment is that it deals with imputing unworthy motives upon the object of its judgment.
a. A person who judges in this manner is one who puts the worst possible interpretation on the actions and attitude of another.
b. A person who judges in this manner is one who designs his judgment to be destructive, slanderous, and defamatory towards another.
D) Censorious Judgments are forbidden.
1. They are an attempt to divert attention from one's own sins.
2. They are an attempt to justify one's own sinful life.
3. They are intent upon building oneself up by tearing down another.
a. There is no real building here.
b. It is simply a statement of when you look bad I look good.
4. They are rooted in envy and hatred.
II) Understanding the Justice of Censorious Judgment
A) Hurts the Judge more than the victim.
1. Jesus condemns the critic because of the beam in the judge's eye.
2. Beam is a stick of timber used as floor joist or ceiling rafter.
3. Mote is a dry twig or piece of dry straw.
4. Jesus teaches us that censorious judgments are like a person trying to remove a piece of straw from another person's eye while a log protrudes from their own eyes.
5. They are hypocrites.
B) A hypocrite is a pretender.
1. When seeing a fault in a person he envies or dislikes, he will condemn it; whereas, the same person will let the same offense go uncondemned in one he loves.
a. The censorious judge pretends to be abhorrent of evil while in fact he is tolerant of those he likes and condemns those he dislikes.
b. He pretends to be something he is not.
2. The hypocrite never fully understands circumstantial evidence.
a. The impatient passenger complaining of a crying child.
b. The father shooting the family dog while his son was lost.
3. The hypocrite is biased in his judgments.
a. Mother praising the daughter's husband while condemning her son's wife for doing the same thing.
b. He sees things that may not be sin as sin.
(i) Hannah was accused of being drunk when she was not ( 1 Samuel 1:12ff).
(ii) Jesus was accused of blasphemy when he was not ( Mark 2:7).
C) Remember that God is the Judge.
1. God alone has the right to judge.
a. To judge in an unrighteous manner is to infringe upon the prerogative of God.
b. We must put down our gavels.
c. When we judge censoriously we call into question the very law that God establish through the death of His only Begotten Son.
d. The law is questioned because we are putting our own standards and opinions above and even against the Law of Christ.
2. God alone can see the inner man.
a. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
b. What a difference we make if we were able to see that which we cannot see in order to guide our way.
III) Remedy for Censorious Judgment
A) Love.
1. Look for the good in others.
a. 1 Corinthians 13:7 - Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
b. The faults of others will appear thick if our love is thin.
c. 1 Peter 4:8 - And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
d. Genuine brotherly love is gentle, delicate and kind.
e. This is the love that God loves us.
2. Put yourself in another's shoes.
a. Ezekiel sat where the people sat for 7 days before warning them of God's judgment.
b. This way you can understand the circumstances of others.
B) Consider the hypocrisy.
1. Remember the hurt censorious judgment cause you.
a. The sharp barbs of improper judgment create wounds.
b. They discourage others to do what is right.
c. The influence they may have for doing good may be hampered.
2. Realize that man can be wrong.
a. Eliab misjudged the motives of David ( 1 Samuel 17:28-29).
b. Lysias misjudged Paul ( Acts 21:37-38).
c. Nathaniel was wrong about the good coming out of Nazareth ( John 1:46).
C) Practice the golden rule.
1. Examine yourself.
a. 2 Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
b. 1 Corinthians 11:28 - But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
c. If we are critical of ourselves then we will be loving towards others.
d. When looking for faults use a mirror not a telescope.
e. If you can remember that before passing judgment on another's faults count ten of your own.
2. Consider the victim of your judgment as your brother or potential brother.
a. Judging is contrary to the spirit of brotherhood.
b. We must be willing to see everyone as a potential brother or brother in fact.
c. If God can forgive them and look past their faults then so can we.
(i) Remember Paul who was so destructive towards the church and God saw the good he could do for the kingdom sake.
(ii) Let us not improperly judge for we may be hindering another Paul in our midst.
3. Remember that your judgments will be returned to you by God.
a. Matthew 7:2 - For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
b. One of God's unalterable laws is that of sowing and reaping.
c. We will give account in the Day of Judgment every idle and judgmental statement we have made.
d. Matthew 12:36-37 - But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Conclusion:
1. Certainly judging is a part of affirming truth and reproving error but the conditions of that judgment must be IAW the laws of God.
2. The censorious judge is one who is addicted to fault finding.
3. He needs to find these faults because he needs to perpetuate his seeming guilt free life.
4. He wants to find these faults because he needs to justify his own sinful choices.
5. He desires to find the faults because he wants to build himself up by tearing down others.
6. He must find these faults because his heart is corrupted by envy and hatred.
7. Brethren, this man destroys the church and the evangelistic efforts of everyone here.
8. This man corrupts every good thing this church has ever done or ever will do.
9. This man can be anyone of us.
10. But thankfully if we are seeking for the remedy then the Lord will grant it.
11. Immediately following Jesus' discussion on censorious judgment he reminds us that all we have to Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
(Mat 7:7-8)
12. If you find yourself to be addicted to fault finding or critical of others for your own benefit then this invitation is for you.
13. Salvation must be found or God's judgment will be critical of you.
Posted in: Hypocrisy, Judging, Judgment, Sermon Outlines