Matthew 7:1-5 NIV
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “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? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

External Morality vs. Internal Morality

• One is formed in the flesh and the other is formed in the heart! One is for outward appearances and the other is to see Christ formed in you!

• There is vast difference between “judging” and “being judgmental.”

o Judging is discerning truth based on facts.
o Being judgmental is about finding fault with others based on personal reasons or assumptions.

“Any time a person, a man, or a woman, invents a system of morality, they then become the judge that sits on the throne of that system and determines whether anybody else qualifies or not; they are operating in their flesh and not through their heart after Christ!” -JM

Luke 18:9-14 (AMP)
“He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [posing outwardly as upright and in right standing with God], and who viewed others with contempt…
Two men went up into the temple[enclosure] to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood [ostentatiously] and began praying to himself [in a self-righteous way, saying]: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men (HE ESTABLISHES A PERSONAL STANDARD!)—swindlers, unjust (dishonest), adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even raise his eyes toward heaven, but was striking his chest [in humility and repentance], saying, ‘God, be merciful and gracious to me, the [especially wicked] sinner [that I am]!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his home justified [forgiven of the guilt of sin and placed in right standing with God] rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself [forsaking self-righteous pride] will be exalted.”

We judge others based on one of two factors:

• Their Appearances and Behaviors (Prejudices)

• Our Experiences (Standards)

Romans 14:13 (AMP)
“Then let us not criticize one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block or a source of temptation in another believer’s way.”

“Everybody loves to see justice done … on somebody else.” -Bruce Cockburn

Moral Judgments:

•First: We cannot allow ourselves to ever accept sin without judging it in the light of our righteousness through Christ. Therefore, we can take a stance on ungodly or immoral behavior that is contrary to God’s Word.

•Second: We must ALWAYS judge between that which is true and false. In the absence of this judgment, we could easily get into heresy, faulty theology or doctrine.

Vs. 3-5
3 “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? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Action steps regarding judgment…

1. Judge in the right order (Judge our own sin first)
2. Judge with the right heart (Inward humility in lieu of outward pride)
3. Judge for the right purpose (To humbly help others with the absence of criticism)