Judgment: Understanding Ourselves, Others, and God

Devotional

Day 1: Judging Others with Humility

We often judge others harshly and unfairly, focusing on their faults while ignoring their virtues. Jesus teaches us to judge rightly by first examining our own hearts and motives. This self-reflection helps us approach others with humility and compassion, fostering healthier relationships. When we judge others without first looking inward, we risk damaging relationships and creating misunderstandings. Jesus' teaching encourages us to remove the "log" from our own eye before addressing the "speck" in someone else's, allowing us to help others more effectively and lovingly. [57:12]

Matthew 7:3-5 (ESV): "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you judged someone harshly. How can you approach that person with humility and compassion this week?

Day 2: Self-Examination and Repentance

Before we can help others with their faults, we must first address our own. Jesus' illustration of the log and the speck emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and repentance. By dealing with our own sins and biases, we can see more clearly and help others more effectively. This process of self-examination requires honesty and humility, recognizing our own shortcomings and seeking God's help to overcome them. Only then can we approach others with the right attitude and offer genuine support. [01:06:15]

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV): "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"

Reflection: Take a moment to ask God to reveal any "logs" in your own eye. What steps can you take to address these issues and seek His forgiveness?

Day 3: The Power of Persistent Prayer

Jesus encourages us to be persistent in our prayers, to keep asking, seeking, and knocking. This persistence is not about wearing God down but about developing a deeper relationship with Him. Trusting in God's timing and wisdom, we learn to align our desires with His will. Persistent prayer helps us grow in faith and patience, knowing that God hears us and will answer in His perfect way. It also strengthens our relationship with Him, as we continually seek His presence and guidance in our lives. [01:13:17]

Luke 18:1-8 (ESV): "And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, 'In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’'"

Reflection: What is one specific prayer request you have been hesitant to bring before God repeatedly? Commit to praying persistently about it this week.

Day 4: Understanding God as a Good Father

We often misjudge God by projecting our experiences with earthly fathers onto Him. Jesus reassures us that God is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children. Even when life is challenging, we must trust in His goodness and His greater plan for our lives. Understanding God as a loving and caring Father helps us to trust Him more deeply, especially during difficult times. It reminds us that He knows what is best for us and is always working for our good, even when we cannot see it. [01:16:11]

James 1:17 (ESV): "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

Reflection: Reflect on a challenging situation in your life. How can you trust in God's goodness and His plan for you in this situation?

Day 5: Trusting God's Plan in Difficult Times

Life's difficulties can make us question God's goodness. However, Jesus reminds us that God knows what is best for us, even when we don't understand His ways. Trusting in His wisdom and love, we can find peace and hope in the midst of trials. This trust requires us to surrender our own understanding and rely on God's greater perspective. By doing so, we can navigate life's challenges with confidence, knowing that He is in control and has a purpose for everything we experience. [01:19:53]

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Reflection: Identify an area of your life where you are struggling to trust God's plan. What steps can you take to surrender this area to Him and trust in His wisdom and love?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we delved into the theme of judgment, exploring how we often misjudge others, ourselves, and even God. We began by acknowledging that we are frequently bad judges of others, often being hypercritical, hypocritical, and focusing on minor issues rather than major ones. This misjudgment can lead to broken relationships and misunderstandings. Jesus teaches us to judge rightly, emphasizing the importance of self-reflection before we judge others. We must remove the "log" from our own eye before addressing the "speck" in someone else's. This self-examination helps us approach others with humility and gentleness.

We also discussed how we misjudge ourselves. Our vision is often clouded by our own biases and sins, making it difficult to see clearly. Jesus uses the humorous illustration of a person with a log in their eye trying to remove a speck from another's eye to highlight our flawed self-perception. We need to be aware of our own shortcomings and deal with them before we can help others effectively.

Lastly, we explored how we misjudge God, often projecting our experiences with earthly fathers onto our Heavenly Father. Jesus reassures us that God is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children. He invites us to persist in prayer, to keep asking, seeking, and knocking, trusting that God knows what is best for us. Even when life gives us challenges that seem like "stones" or "snakes," we must trust that God has a greater plan and purpose.

###

Key Takeaways

1. reflection helps us approach others with humility and compassion, fostering healthier relationships. [57:12]
2. Self-Examination: Before we can help others with their faults, we must first address our own. Jesus' illustration of the log and the speck emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and repentance. By dealing with our own sins and biases, we can see more clearly and help others more effectively.

3. Persistent Prayer: Jesus encourages us to be persistent in our prayers, to keep asking, seeking, and knocking. This persistence is not about wearing God down but about developing a deeper relationship with Him. Trusting in God's timing and wisdom, we learn to align our desires with His will.

4. God as a Good Father: We often misjudge God by projecting our experiences with earthly fathers onto Him. Jesus reassures us that God is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children. Even when life is challenging, we must trust in His goodness and His greater plan for our lives.

5. Trusting God's Plan: Life's difficulties can make us question God's goodness. However, Jesus reminds us that God knows what is best for us, even when we don't understand His ways. Trusting in His wisdom and love, we can find peace and hope in the midst of trials.

### [57:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[46:52] - Introduction: Praise the Lord
[49:00] - Personal Anecdote: Gymnastics Judging
[50:11] - The Concept of Judgment
[51:19] - Consequences of Misjudgment
[52:01] - Series Context: The Upside Down Kingdom
[52:39] - Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:1-12
[53:22] - Personal Reflection and Conviction
[54:33] - Are We Allowed to Judge?
[55:10] - Judging Correctly: Biblical References
[57:12] - Point 1: Bad Judge of Others
[59:38] - Six Ways We Misjudge Others
[62:30] - Enabling Sin by Not Judging
[66:15] - Point 2: Bad Judge of Self
[70:45] - Removing the Log from Our Own Eye
[73:17] - Persistent Prayer: Ask, Seek, Knock
[76:11] - Point 3: Misjudging the Father
[79:53] - Trusting God's Goodness
[81:30] - Summary and Final Thoughts
[91:27] - Closing Remarks and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to Matthew 7:1-2, what does Jesus say about judging others? How does He describe the measure we use to judge others? [53:53]
In the sermon, what humorous illustration does Jesus use to highlight our flawed self-perception? [01:06:15]
What does Jesus encourage us to do persistently in Matthew 7:7-8? How does this relate to our relationship with God? [01:13:17]
How does the sermon describe the way we often misjudge God, and what analogy is used to explain this? [01:16:11]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus emphasize the importance of self-examination before judging others? How does this principle help us approach others with humility and compassion? [01:06:15]
How does the concept of persistent prayer in Matthew 7:7-8 help us develop a deeper relationship with God? What does it teach us about God's character? [01:13:17]
In what ways do we project our experiences with earthly fathers onto our Heavenly Father, and how does this affect our trust in God? [01:16:11]
How can understanding that God is a good Father who gives good gifts change our perspective during challenging times? [01:19:53]

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you judged someone harshly. How could self-examination have changed your approach in that situation? What steps can you take to practice self-reflection before judging others in the future? [01:06:15]
Persistent prayer is about developing a deeper relationship with God. What is one area in your life where you need to be more persistent in prayer? How can you make this a regular practice? [01:13:17]
Think about a time when you misjudged God’s intentions or character. How did this affect your faith? What can you do to remind yourself of God’s goodness and trustworthiness during difficult times? [01:16:11]
Jesus teaches us to remove the "log" from our own eye before addressing the "speck" in someone else's. Identify a "log" in your life that you need to address. What practical steps can you take to deal with it? [01:06:15]
How can you cultivate a habit of seeing the best in others rather than being hypercritical? Share a specific example of how you can apply this in your relationships this week. [59:38]
Reflect on the analogy of God as a good Father who gives good gifts. How can this understanding help you trust God more fully in your current circumstances? [01:16:11]
In what ways can you support and encourage others in your small group to judge rightly and approach each other with humility and gentleness? How can you create an environment of mutual support and accountability? [01:06:15]

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "When we judge incorrectly, it affects relationships deeply. It breaks marriages. It breaks employment relationships. It breaks up families. Because we do not know how to rightly judge. And correctly judge one another." [51:19] (16 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "When we ask, we do it like we just read a few weeks ago in Matthew. Matthew 6, 10, we say, your will be done, not my will. That I'm going to request and I'm going to keep on asking. I'm going to keep on seeking. I'm going to keep on knocking. And God, I trust whatever answer you give me, that your will would be done and not mine." [01:14:41] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Sometimes it takes time and perspective to see that he is a good father and that he wants us to trust him, to not misjudge him. And so in summary, we are a bad judge of others, but we can learn to judge rightly. Second, we're a bad judge of self. But if we learn to get the log out, we can focus on others and be a better judge of self and others. And then third, we misjudge our father, but he is such a good father." [01:21:30] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "We got something so much better than a conquering hero. We got the one who died for our sins. And it's so easy to misjudge what God had done and what he was doing. And he is begging you and begging me to trust in him. He is a good father. He loves you. He loves me. He's not disappointed in us." [01:25:13] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "I don't know why cancer exists. I don't know why marriages are broken. I don't know why kids go prodigal. I know why, because we're in a broken world. But I know that I'm a good father. I don't want this gift of singleness. I don't want the gift of this broken marriage. I don't want cancer. I don't want this broken relationship. I don't want my child to go prodigal. Why have you given me this gift?" [01:19:53] (-5 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "We are bad judges of one another. And so I wanna bring some clarity to you. Some of you may say, well, I don't judge others, or I'm really a good judge. Well, I'm gonna give you, this is not an exhaustive list, but six different ways in which we take to judge incorrectly, how we're bad judges of others." [58:55] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "And so we need to learn how to judge well. Point one says we're a bad judge of others. So Jesus uses a play on words here. He says, you will be judged by the judgment with which you judge. It will be measured to you by the measure with which you measure. In other words, what goes around comes around. And so because we're a bad judge of others, we need to learn how to judge rightly." [57:12] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "And so what does that look like practically? So this is like you show up for life group with your life group, and you know, they're in the room, and let's say there's five couples in the room, or let's say there's eight singles in the room. And you show up to group, and you're an expert on the sin of the other seven people, but don't do any self-reflection. That is what Jesus is addressing here." [01:07:40] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "And so what would it look like to you, do some self-examination to figure out why we have a log in our own eye? Psalm 139, 23 through 24 says, search me, God, and know my heart. Test me, and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Removing the log is not easy, but when we do, it allows us to focus on the speck in our brother or sister." [01:09:21] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "And so we are to judge others, but point one, we're so often a bad judge of others. Okay, let's keep going in the text. It's Matthew three, or it's Matthew seven, verse three. Jesus says, 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, let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there's a plank in your own eye?" [01:06:15] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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