Peter Tan-Chi - Do Not Judge
The Sermon on the Mount is God's own way of telling us how to live. What was the message last Sunday? Don't worry. That was last Sunday. God gives us commands for our protection and for our good. Because the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, is God's Word and its purpose is to protect His people. He wants us to know what a true Christian is and what distinguishes him from a counterfeit Christian. Do you know that not everyone who comes to Bible study and worship is a true follower of Jesus? Some of you come here and you feel in your mind that this is real religion, but you don't have a real personal relationship with God. So God wants you to know that He is good and that He loves you, but most importantly, He wants you to know Him for yourself. Let me repeat that. God looks at your heart and He loves you. But He is saying: Do you really want to follow Me?
Last Sunday, we talked about "Don't worry". Today we are going to talk аbout: "Don't Judge". Read together: Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, lest you be judged". This is a command, not a suggestion. In fact, the grammar goes like this: Don't judge means: Stop judging. If you look at the original text, to be precise, it says, stop judging. Why? You and I are both judgmental by nature. Why? We live in an imperfect society, and you are surrounded by imperfect people. Because they're not perfect, they make you angry. There is a tendency to judge people who make you angry, whether it's family members, church members, or co-workers in the office. He is saying, judge not, lest you yourself be judged. What is He talking about?
You know, I'm reminded of our habit of judging other people. One time my wife was in a hurry...she was going... we were in the airport, and she hurried into the bathroom, and she was shocked in the bathroom: she saw a man with a little boy in the bathroom. She just thought: What on earth are these two guys doing here? Why are you so unconscious? She is judging them. When she came out of the restroom, she looked back at the restroom and saw: the men's restroom. She went into the wrong bathroom and she was trying to judge the man and the boy in the bathroom. Do you understand what I'm talking about? The Bible says: Don't judge. Do you know why? Do not judge, for with the same measure you judge, so will you be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Do you know what God is saying? God is saying, as you judge, so will I judge you.
So be careful. Many times we are very strict with others. Many times we don't allow others to doubt. God is saying: Be careful. There is such a girl, I have many stories about airports, maybe you have read them somewhere. This woman is at the airport, waiting for her next flight. So she went to the bookstore, got a book, and bought some cookies. As she sat down, there was a man next to her, and she was surprised to see: Between them...the man was eating a cookie. She looked at the biscuit and thought: Why is this guy eating this biscuit? So she ate the cookies, and so did the man. In Tagalog, she was thinking: So thick-skinned. In English, this guy is so mean, he didn't even ask my permission, he was eating my cookie. She glanced at him and he glanced back at her and smiled at her. In the end there was only one cookie left. She said to herself, I want to see what this guy will do. Do you know what this man did? He picked up the biscuit, broke it in half, looked at her with a smile, and handed half of the biscuit to her.
She was extremely angry and said to herself: This guy is not only ungrateful, superficial, and inconsiderate, but he is also rude. Finally she heard the announcement on the radio that it was time to board the plane. She was so angry that she didn't even want to look back. She walked into the plane, put down her things, opened her bag, and wanted to continue reading the book. When she opened the bag, she saw the cookies, the box of cookies. She thought to herself, if my cookies are here, whose cookie did I just eat? She felt embarrassed and wanted to apologize to the man, but of course it was too late. My whole point is this: don't judge lightly. What is the message of today's sermon? Judge not, lest you be judged. Just this one point, please turn to your neighbor and tell the person next to you: Stop judging, don't judge.
The word "judgment" means to evaluate what is right and what is wrong. The Bible doesn't say: forget your thoughts and don't think critically. The Bible is saying, and the context is talking about the Pharisees, remember, Jesus is saying, don't judge, because he's teaching his disciples, don't be like those religious people who are always judging others, blaming others, don't Like the Pharisees. Because the word used here, kreno, means: to evaluate, to judge. But the context refers to criticism and accusation. Your purpose in judging people is to blame them and look down on them, instead of encouraging them and helping them. For example, let's look at this verse. Let's look at it together: Luke 18:9 Jesus gave a parable to those who were confident in their own righteousness and despised others. He was giving an example to show that the Pharisees had a tendency to judge others. They were self-righteous, so they tended to look down on and despise others.
Let's read the next verse. Luke 18:10 Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself, saying, God, I thank you that I am not like other people, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, nor like this tax collector. What is this Pharisee doing? thesis. He is comparing himself to others to see what he is talking about. Unlike other people, our tendency is that when we judge others, it 's to make ourselves look better. I remember when I was teaching my son, I was telling my son: Son, you shouldn't do this... and then you know what my son did? He changed the subject, but what about him? How is he? You know what I'm talking about, right? I said: Son, I'm talking to you. He would say: What about him? You know what he's talking about, right?
What about my other brothers? What about my sisters? They are doing the same thing. I said, no, I'm talking to you. My friends, this habit of judging others is often our way of changing the subject. Because we want to protect ourselves and we want to feel good about ourselves. By judging others, you feel you look better. The Pharisees had this problem, and I find that there are many Christians who are like the Pharisees. Christians are known for being judgmental, especially among Christians. People come to church and instead of learning from God, they focus on what's wrong with other people. They focus on what's wrong with the message. Their focus is judgment. other people. Why do we have this habit? Let me tell you why. Because human nature is what it is, we like to criticize others. So Jesus is saying, be careful not to be like the Pharisees.
Now the Pharisee has established his own standards. In his mind, he is a righteous person. In his mind, he is better than the tax collector. Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of everything I get. In other words, to this Pharisee, holiness is external. If I do this, if I worship, if I give money, if I do this or that, I am a good person, that is his standards. My friend, when you judge others, you are setting your own standards. He's going to be shocked, one day he's going to be shocked, because according to Jesus, let's see what this tax collector did. Luke 18:13 But the tax collector stood afar off, not even daring to lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast and said, O God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Do you see the humility of this tax collector? Do you see the pride of this Pharisee?
The Pharisee could not see his own sin, he could see the sin of others. But he couldn't see the sin of pride, the sin of self-righteousness, and this tax collector was judged a sinner, but in God's eyes, something happened because of his heart. Do you know what happened? Jesus said: Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went home justified than the other. What does the word justified mean? It was not considered guilty and he was forgiven. He was acquitted. "Better than that", than the Pharisees, religious leaders, For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Jesus is saying, that's the problem with judging people. You see friends, He is not telling you not to think critically. He did not say that you are not allowed to judge what is right and what is wrong.
Today there is another extreme where people say: You are judging me, you are judging me. Today in America, this thinking about judging people has become an epidemic; "Don't judge, don't judge, don't judge". But they have misunderstood the message of Jesus. Jesus is saying, be careful when you judge others. Don't set your own standards and don't look down on others. But He does tell us that there is a right standpoint for judgment. What do I mean? Look at what Jesus said: John 7:24 Do not judge by appearance, but judge with justice. In other words, be careful when you judge; don't judge right from wrong based on appearance, but make sure that when you judge something, it must be accurate and correct. What do I mean? For example, what does it mean to "judge what is right and wrong according to fairness"?
For example, read this scripture together: Matthew 18:15-16 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault while he is alone with you. Meaning, it's okay to make a judgment, but it's okay to base it on his actions and based on what the Bible says. Your brother is in sin, but your purpose is not to judge him; your purpose is to explain his conversion. Many people misunderstand what Jesus meant when he said, "Judge not". He's not saying you have to keep your mind neutral. He's not saying you can no longer use your mind to decide what's right, because you shouldn't judge. No, no, no, He is saying, do not despise others. Don't criticize or judge, but it's okay to judge right from wrong based on fairness.
I have a friend who I was very close to in the past, and I 'm sorry to say that he left his wife and started committing adultery. We have a mutual friend, someone he respects very much; he is a banker, my friend. So, I told my friend, "Did you tell our brother that what he was doing was wrong"? You know what my friend told me? "You know, I'm not supposed to judge". I said, "Friend, you're misusing the Bible because our brother is committing fornication. You need to have a talk with him". But he misunderstood not to judge. That's not what Jesus said. Jesus said, read it again: Matthew 18:15-16 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault while he is alone with you. If you love someone, you have to talk to them. Ladies and gentlemen, please understand that your purpose is not to humiliate him, not to accuse him, but to help him. So go to him privately.
Notice the next verse: If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. If he refuses to listen, (because you love him) take one or two others with you, and by the mouths of two or three they will testify, and every word will be confirmed. Ladies and gentlemen, if you love me, I'm telling you now, if you see something wrong with me, please come talk to me and I'll appreciate it. If you see any pastors, if you think we're doing something sinful, by all means come talk to us, talk to them, but please don't gossip. But if you don't love me and you see me doing something wrong, you won't care. do you love me? Love it or not? (Love.) People on the second floor, do you love me? (Love.)
Third level, do you love me? It's a bit forced! Friends, do you love each other? (Yes.) People on the second floor, do you love each other? Do you love each other? Well, if you love each other, what must you do? If you see someone doing something wrong, what must you do? Go to them privately. If you love someone and you see something wrong with them and you don't tell them about it, you don't talk to them privately, my friend, you don't love that person. So my advice is, love each other enough that you're willing to put your friendship to the test. You would rather have your faith tested than talk to that person directly. This is how we should love each other. Don't judge people. You see, you make judgments.
Let's say you hear someone tell you, "You know what? Peter, do you know? Do you know this guy did this and that"? I'd be crazy if I said that. "Yeah, that guy is really annoying". I would never do that because Jesus tells us, "Judge not". So, how do we judge people? How can we not judge others? Let me draw a mental boundary for you with today's information. What does it mean not to judge others? 1. Don't be flippant. 2. Don't judge motives because you don't know other people's motives. 3. Don't play God. 4. Judge yourself first. This is the meaning of Jesus' message. Are you ready to hear today's message? There is only one point. What is the point? Don't judge people. Please tell the person next to you: Don't judge people. I want to tell you, Asians, Filipinos, Chinese, we are very judgmental.
Let me give you an example. Someone texted me because she heard that a guy was in Tokyo with his girlfriend and he proposed to her in Tokyo. She texted, and this guy texted me: "Can you imagine, this guy is a Christian, and he takes a girlfriend, and he has premarital sex"? And I responded, "I'm sorry, why did you say they had Premarital sex? I knew this guy, he was a virgin. He would keep himself pure and he would keep the girl pure". And she said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry". But what was her mistake? She had already predicted it. Just because the two of them are abroad, you have already assumed that they are having premarital sex.
Ladies and gentlemen, what is today's topic? Don't judge people. I have a questionable document in my mind. That questionable document is very important. Do you know why? Because sometimes I don't understand. For example; I was at a camp once and I lost my watch. I have a lot of stories about my watch, okay? Have you heard the story about my watch? Well, this was just two months ago, and I was attending a camp for CCF employees and I couldn't find my watch. So, I called our staff, "You call Pastoral Mountain, which is our camp center". Here's my room number and told them to look for my watch there. They called back and said, "Sir, my watch is not there, so I thought to myself the watch is not there, where could it be? Ah, it's in my house, but I can't find the watch in my house".
And then I, with this crazy imaginary association. You know there was a young girl who volunteered to come to our house because my wife and I helped educate our driver's kids, and this girl came to our house out of gratitude and volunteered to do the cleaning... I thought to myself, how could this girl be so ungrateful when we already helped her with school matters and she stole my watch? But before I completely killed her in my heart, the Lord reminded me: doubt first. Put in the questionable document. Ding! "Don't judge. Don't judge". But I was tempted to judge. You know, when you judge people, when you're tempted to judge people, it really affects you. Because, after that incident, I was looking for my watch, when I look at the helpers in the house, I knew them to be honest before, but when I look at them now, do you notice anything? If you judge others, you start to read them with suspicion. Behavior. Everything seemed "wrong".
See, I lost that joy and faith in people because my watch was always on my mind. Now my wife and I have a habit of coming to the Lord. I said, "Honey, let's pray that God will help me find the watch". Pray with faith, pray. Do you believe it? After praying, which I rarely do, I said, "I'm going to check the drawer". Now you have to understand that in my toilet, there are left and right drawers, and there are drawers on both sides of the sink. So, the first drawer is where I keep my watch, no. The second drawer, no. The third drawer, you believe it. ? I don't understand how my watch ended up in the third drawer from somewhere I don't know. I found it, thank God. You see, my whole point is, don't judge people. Take it with a grain of salt., put it in the doubtful document, because many times we will predict people. Today I ask you, are you judging someone? Tell me honestly, are you judging someone?
Let me tell you, this is the most common mistake we make. A sin because we think it's okay to judge people. Jesus tells us not to judge, lest you yourself be judged. In fact, He tells us, it's wrong, so don't be rash. You know, our problem is, We are always quick to judge. The Bible tells us to be careful. Let's read this together: Proverbs 18:13 Whoever answers before he has heard is his foolishness and his shame. Know that you are not to be hasty. When someone comes to you and tells you something, remember, there are always sides? Two sides. Remember this. Listen to what the other person has to say, and don't jump to conclusions. Proverbs 18:17 Tell the truth first It seems reasonable. But when the neighbors came, they found out the truth.
Let me give you a real example. Some time ago, one of our leaders came back from the United States. He heard a CCF member or former CCF The member told him that something happened that made him very unhappy. He accused the leadership of CCF of doing things that were not right. So when I heard that, I said, "Here, tell me what you heard". Remember, listen first. So, he started telling. I said, "Oh, is that what you heard? Now let me tell you who the parties are". So, I found the other pastors who were involved. "Here, let's sit down and talk about it". When the friend who was very angry with the leadership heard the truth from the person involved, he said, "Oh, no, I'm sorry. I prejudged you all".
My friend, the Bible says, "Don't judge". When you hear something, I'm warning you now, don't just listen to one side, what must you hear? The other side. Don't jump to conclusions because that's wrong. The Bible says, Jesus tells us, how we are related to each other., do you understand? In Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, He tells us how true Christians should conduct themselves. Last week He told us, don't worry. This week He is telling you how to treat one another. You How you should treat your wife, how you should treat your family members, how you should treat your children, how you should treat your coworkers. Don't judge, lest you be judged. Let me tell you another true story. My wife and I were at a resort, I told her, "I don't have the key".
So, I'm going to swim, but please don't lock the door. No matter where you go, don't lock the door, because I'm going to exercise and I'll be back. OK, after I finish exercising, I go back to the room and it's locked.. What does the Bible say? Don't judge people, but I have been tempted. In Tagalog, what kind of brain is this wife of mine! I already told my wife not to lock the door, how could my wife? You understand all These are, you know, tape recordings, you know. Why did she do that? There's a lot of babbling. But remember, don't judge, put your doubts first, put your doubts in the file. So, what did I do? I didn't judge, But first I had to find the key. So where is the key? How do I get into my room? There was a janitor nearby and I said, "Can you please open the door"?
And then they came to open the door. I said... by the way, when I walked into the room, it was so clean. In other words, they had cleaned the room. I said, "I'm sorry, when you entered this room, Is it locked or open"? "Oh, sir, it was open, so we locked it". Oh, ho ho, I said, Hallelujah, before I didn't see my wife, I saw them, otherwise I would have scolded my wife. I would have said, "Ma'am, why are you doing this"? The Bible says, don't judge. You know why, you investigate first, listen, don't be hasty. Don't jump to conclusions. The Bible says, James 1:19 My dear brethren, this is what you know. But each of you must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. This is a simple scripture. We use this scripture to teach people how to read the Bible and how to respond to one another.
What do you want to be quick about? Listen. Slow to speak, slow to anger. May I add? Do you want to know how I add to this verse? Don't accuse me of heresy, because I've told you, it's not in the Bible, it's Written by Peter, it's found in 3 Peter chapter 1, verse 1. Okay? It's not in the Bible, it was written by Peter. Peter said it, okay? "My dear brethren, everyone must make haste", listen, "slowly, speak slowly, and get angry slowly". Yes, you tell your neighbor this and take your time in making judgments. That's what you have to add, slow to speak, slow to get angry, slow to judge. What's the news today? Don't judge people. If I see you next week, I ask you, what message are you talking about today? What would you say? Don't judge people. Why? Because many times you are wrong, especially between husband and wife, children and parents.
I've seen parents who don't listen to their kids, they make judgments, the kids want to talk but the parents don't give them a chance to talk. So parents, listen to me, listen, listen, listen. I remember one night I saw my son coming home late, and I praised God that I didn't jump in front of him and lecture him. What must you do? Listen first. So always listen first. Listen, listen, listen. The most dangerous leap is to a conclusion. Don't judge motives. Can I tell you why? Don't be flippant. Don't judge motives. Do you know why? You are not God. How can you see into other people's hearts? For example, look at what is said here. 2 Samuel 10:1-2 After this the king of the children of Ammon died. (Now I will tell you the story of King David, and see what happened to him.) His son Hanun reigned in his stead. David said, I will do to Hanun as Nahash his father did to me.
So David sent his servants to comfort him for his father's loss. Do you understand this story? David's friend died, and he originally wanted to go to the funeral, but maybe he was too busy, so he sent a representative to the funeral. What is his purpose? Go to express condolences. That's his motivation. What happened? Look at what King Hanun did. 2 Samuel 10:3 But the princes of the children of Ammon said to their lord Hanun, Do you think David honored your father when he sent men to comfort you? Didn't he send his servants to spy out and overthrow the city? Do you understand? They studied David's motives. Friends, only God can judge motives. You don't understand people's hearts.
Every time something happens between me and my wife; you know what I tell my wife? I said, "Honey, don't think for me. You don't know what I'm thinking. You don't even know why I'm doing what I'm doing. You have to ask me, but don't judge". My wife and I, When we coach people, we notice a few things. Our biggest problem is: We don't trust people. For example, my wife asked the woman, "Did he ask for forgiveness"? The woman would say, "Yes, but he was not sincere". Sorry. We asked you a question: You're offended. Did this person ask for forgiveness? And you say, "Yes". But then you add, "Oh, but they're not sincere". Look at me, what are we doing to each other? thesis. Friends, don't judge motives because you are not God. Only God knows the motive. What's the news today? Don't judge people.
Many of you judge your family members, you judge your parents, you judge your children, you judge others. In the process, your conclusion is wrong, but you think you are right. It destroys relationships. Christians, I want you to imagine now; Christians, if CCF members, if all of our small groups, if all Christians practiced what Jesus taught: do not judge. You have to verify, you have to ask questions. Why? What is the opposite of assertion? You have to encourage others and love others. If you love others, you won't judge them. You give them the right to doubt. Why are we unwilling to give people the right to doubt? Why do we always judge others with malicious intent? Because this is our nature.
For example, I send you a text message but you don't reply to me. I texted you again, but still no reply. What do I want to do in 2-3 days? Do I judge you? Will it? You know what I learned? Don't judge. I discovered that in this country, anything could happen, even my text messages would be lost somewhere. So, that's what I do, I don't judge. If I don't like what I see happening, I won't judge. I'll put it in the questionable file (the facts are not known yet). When I see you, I promise you one thing; I want to say to you, "Brother, what happened"? Do you know why? Because I don't want to judge your motives. I don't want to judge your actions, I want to hear your opinion. "I heard this is what you said, that you told people about me. Is it true"? If they say, "No..." Oh, really? All right. Thank you. What do you mean? Understand? Why don't we have a conversation? Why do we go around in circles?
Okay, what's the sermon message for today? Don't judge. Don't judge motives. Don't be flippant. Do you know what happened after this? Tonight, when you go home, read this story. It's so sad. A war breaks out, an unnecessary war. The Ammonites were cousins of the Israelites, they were relatives. But due to false imagination, due to judgmental motives, a war broke out, and more than 40,000 people died in the first war. The ensuing battle was even worse. What I'm trying to say is, Christians, if you judge people, sometimes the consequences will be very bad and beyond your understanding. I've seen relationships, I've seen families, fall apart. We broke up, why? Because of judgment. To learn to listen, first have doubts and put them in doubt files. Always listen to all sides.
He tells us, Matthew 7:3 Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? This is really a bit of a joke. If you understand what Jesus is talking about, He is comparing thorns to beams. Matthew 7:4 How can you say to your brother, " Let me take the speck out of your own eye," when you have a plank in your own eye? Now, you may not understand what Jesus is talking about. It's like a metaphor back then, but listen to me, literally, the thorn is like dust in someone's eye. You need clarification from others, right? But how big is the wood? I worked in the logging industry. Wood is big, so just to give you an idea, just imagine a 2 by 4 piece of wood, okay? A piece of wood. Jesus is saying, if you have a piece of wood in your eye, the size of a 2 by 4, how can you say to your neighbor, "I'm sorry. Can I help you?" because that's covering your eye.
This is too obvious. This is a joke, Jesus is saying, Matthew 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. He said it's okay to help each other. But before you correct anyone, he said, check yourself. Judge yourself first. Ask yourself; what is my motivation? Why am I treating this person this way? Are you annoyed by his behavior and behavior? Are you doing the same thing? Let me tell you, I heard a story about a man, a husband, who was very annoyed with his family because he found out that his wife was having an affair. He was very angry.
My wife and I talked to the man, and I said, it 's not my wife, it's me talking to the man. I said, "You're very angry at your wife, I understand. But what about yourself"? I said, "Have you ever been unfaithful to your wife"? He looked at me and then he lowered his head. I said, "You yourself have been unfaithful. You're angry at your wife, but you're doing the same thing yourself. Second question, besides your wife, how many women have you slept with"? Look, This is what Jesus said. Before you take the speck out of someone's eye, check yourself. Maybe, you need to grow in some areas. My friend, God is saying, there is a Chinese proverb, "Don't be mean". English version and Tagalog version, don't be so mean. How do you say that in English? Take care of yourself first. What? Always interfering in other people's lives. Always try to correct others.
I remember talking to someone once and I said: God has given us the Holy Spirit to serve. What is your gift? He said my gift was the gift of criticism. Wow, okay. I said, that is not a gift from the Holy Spirit. This is a gift from the devil. Because your gift is criticism. Always judging others. That's what Jesus was talking about. Don't do that, instead, love people. Let me tell you, if I love you and you love me, our attitudes and behaviors towards each other will become different. We will no longer be a judgmental spirit, and our behaviors will be different. right? Because you love this person, if you don't love this person, you will be very harsh. Everything he did was wrong. That is the problem with the Christian community. Jesus is telling us, "Hey guys, you belong to me and I'm going to teach you how to live".
Don't worry, that's what we talked about last week. Today's lesson: Don't judge. For the first few weeks, love your enemies. do you remember? Pray for those who persecute you. You see, Jesus wants us to live our lives to the fullest. So, he tells us, "Don't be a hypocrite". There is no problem in helping each other. In fact, He tells us, read: Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual, (Look, check yourselves, are you spiritual?) Use a gentle heart to win him back. This is what we need to do, explain each other and be gentle. And be careful with yourself, (check yourself,) lest you too may be tempted. Do you see what God is saying? Save people with a gentle heart.
I learned this many years ago when my professor said to me, "Peter, when you preach about sin, when you talk about sin, make sure you first put yourself in those people's shoes..." Because we are always quick to judge. When I look at people today, I always wonder what they have been through. Don't be so quick to judge others without considering what they have been through. For example, if someone steals something, have you ever thought about what he did to resist stealing? Maybe he really didn't want to steal. I'm not making an excuse for stealing, I'm just saying, when you help others, be compassionate and put yourself in their shoes. Maybe they struggled too much with money. Maybe in their situation, in their environment, the temptation is so great. Maybe, you ask yourself, if I were in this situation, would I do the same thing?
You and I are followers of Jesus. We need to learn to build relationships with each other. Jesus said in chapter 7, don't judge. Near the end of chapter 7, in the middle, he says, treat others as you would have them treat you. So, the first part is don't judge, love like that. When you love people, you don't judge, you encourage them. Be gentle, He said, and He added this verse: Matthew 7:6 Do not give your holy things to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and bite them. you. Ha, some people say, why is this verse placed here? Ah, it's no accident that this verse is placed here. Jesus is teaching us something. The dogs of Jesus' day were not like the dogs we have today. When we talk about dogs today, all you think of are cute dogs, right? Chihuahuas, terriers, are very cute.
In Jesus' day, dogs were scavengers. They are not sacred and have no merit. You don't view them as sacred. Pigs, oh my God! Today, if I talk about pigs, you have no problem. Do you know why? Christmas is coming and I know you love pigs. You will eat roast suckling pig, right? In the culture of Jesus' day: pigs, bad. Dog, bad. In fact, they were considered heretics, unbelievers. If you read Hebrew; Hebrew culture, that's how pigs and dogs are sometimes described in the Bible. This is a warning to all people: 2 Peter 2:21-22 Having known the way of righteousness, they have turned aside from the holy commandments given to them, for which it would have been better not to have known.
As the saying goes, what a dog vomits, he turns around and eats again. The pig was washed and returned to roll in the mud. What is the Bible talking about? I believe in describing people as dogs and pigs, don't cast your pearls before pigs, and don't give your holy things to dogs. Do you know what Jesus is talking about? Do not force letters from those who resist hearing the truth. Don't cast your pearls before swine, which means, my job is not to force people, if they don't want to believe in Jesus, if they don't want to believe in the Bible, some of you here, no matter what, you're not going to believe. You have heard the Bible many times. Jesus is saying, "I am not God, and I will not force you".
Many times, our problem is: we want to force others to write. You want to force people to accept the truth. What is the pearl compared to? The precious truth of Jesus, the gospel, is divine. There are some people today, you have to admit, no matter what you do, they won't listen. Yes or no? Let me give you an example. The Bible tells us: Proverbs 9:7-8 He who rebukes a scorner will be reviled. He who rebukes the wicked will be defiled. In other words, there are people today who, when you tell them the Bible, they laugh at you. They laugh at you. The Bible says, don't cast your pearls before swine. My life experience has taught me to be a wise person. I love people, but I practice understanding. You and I should not force anyone to write.
Don't force people to write letters. If they're not ready, no problem. To love them. Because only God can change people. Understand? So He is saying, no wonder He tells us: Hebrews 3:13 Encourage one another every day while this day lasts, so that no one among you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. I tell you: you must encourage each other. Encourage one another every day not to lose heart, but don't judge them all the time. The truth is, I'm warning everyone. Listen to me, everyone, and pay attention to your grammar; we are to encourage one another every day, not to judge you, but to encourage you (read everyone), lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. You see, sin has a power to deceive. People who don't come to Jesus, in my experience, are either enjoying their sin, they're enjoying something that they don't want to give up, and it hardens your heart.
Let me repeat, if you have something in your life today that you don't want to give up, you will have a hard time understanding the Bible. Soon your heart becomes hardened, and once it becomes hardened, you will never find joy again when you hear the Word of God. Let me tell you why? Why is God speaking to you? If you don't obey what you already know, why is He still speaking to you? Let me repeat, why the Bible is exciting to me, I read it almost every day, because when I hear something said, I obey it. Imagine I read some words and didn't want to obey them. Soon the Holy Spirit didn't want to waste time talking to me anymore, and you know why? Because I wouldn't listen, my heart became hardened.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are many people today whose hearts have been deceived and their hearts have been hardened. You are no longer interested in studying the Bible. I wouldn't be surprised if you stop coming soon. If you have secret sin in your heart, you cannot insist on coming to Bible study. impossible. My job is to encourage, so I want to encourage all of you. Sin has the power to harden your heart through deception. So, He said, "Be careful". So, what must we do? What's the news today? Don't judge. So, what must we do? My suggestion is, let us encourage each other, let us love each other, and let us pray for each other. How do you turn a negative into a positive? My advice is to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Encourage them and don't make assumptions.
For example, the Apostle Paul, he tells us: Romans 14:1 Accept those who are weak in the faith, but do not argue about doubtful things. Who is weak in faith? do you know? There are two kinds of Christians in this synagogue. There are those who are strong in faith and those who are weak in faith. But we should not judge each other. For example, Romans 14:2 Some people believe that they can eat all things. But the weak one only eats vegetables. Wow, just eat vegetables. That's his belief. no problem. The Bible says, Romans 14:3 Let him who eats not despise him who does not eat. People who don't eat shouldn't judge those who do. Because God has accepted him. In other words, when it comes to the practice of faith, don't be so harsh that you start judging people, but accept one another. If you think this way in your heart, He continued: Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge another's servant? Whether he stands or falls, his Master is there. And he also needs to stand still. Because the Lord can make him stand.
In other words, let's not judge people and let God be the judge. Then He gave another example, and everyone reads: Romans 14:5 To some one day is greater than that, to others the same day. But everyone must have a firm opinion in their hearts. What does this verse mean? You know that for some people, Saturday is the Sabbath. "I must worship on the Sabbath". For some, "Sunday is my Sabbath. Sunday is sacred to me". For some, it's Friday. Jesus said it was irrelevant. Don't judge. If you believed that Saturday was your Sabbath, you know what I would tell you? May God bless you. If you think it should be Friday, God bless you, I would say, "Go to the Middle East". That's OK. If you think every day is sacred, that's great! You know why? Let us read together: Romans 14:6 He who keeps the sun keeps it for the Lord. He who eats eats for the Lord. If you think eating pork is okay, wow, lobster, crab... what other things do we love to eat? Are you hungry now?
My friends, if you're a Jewish Christian, they probably won't eat lobster, they won't eat crab. By the way, if you ask me, if possible, don't give me lobster or crab, but do you know what to give me? Fish. I like eating fish. If you give me pork, I will eat it reluctantly. You know why? I eat everything. But if possible, like a Jew, I would eat healthy food, okay? Vegetables and salads are all OK. But I mean, it doesn't matter. No matter what you like to eat, let's accept each other. Everyone read: He who does not eat does not eat for the sake of the Lord, and he also gives thanks to God. Let's read it together, pay attention, and read it together: Romans 14:10 Why do you judge your brother? And why do you despise your brothers? Because we all have to stand before the throne of God. Romans 14:12 So therefore each of us must give an account of himself before God.
My friend, that's why this truth is so liberating, you know why? I won't judge you until one day you stand before God. He will judge you. You see, a lot of times you see something isn't right. You see those politicians, you see those leaders, and you want to judge them. Can I suggest you pray for them, because one day we're going to give an account, and God is saying, "I'm going to deal with it, and I'm going to judge you". So for me, I can rest in the Lord. This is not my job and I am not God. I will help you and if you don't listen to me, I will still love you. Look, we're almost done with, "Therefore," everyone read: 1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, but wait until the Lord comes, who will reveal what is hidden in darkness and reveal the thoughts (motivations) of the heart.
You see, I don't judge motives, I'm not flippant. I am not God; I let God be the judge. My friends, in this hall today, if you are tempted to judge people, you are tempted to judge the speaker, by the way, who is the speaker today? Just an example, okay? So be nice to me and say, "Lord, it's up to you what to do with Peter". But if you see me doing something wrong, what are you going to do? Talk to us face to face, amen? But if you gossip, then, my friend, that is a sin. Therefore, the Bible tells us that He will reveal what is hidden in darkness and reveal the thoughts (motivations) of the heart. Then everyone will receive praise from God.
One day when you stand before God, I will promise you one thing; sooner or later, sooner or later one day you will stand before God. I don't know when. I'm going to have a wake tomorrow with the brother of one of our members. He was shot dead in Subic. A very successful young man. You don't know how long you have. God is saying, your job is not to judge, your job is to love. I tell you, remember, there are two sides to every story. Can I tell you something? How many sides does a coin have? Both sides? No, I discovered, it has three sides. In every argument, there are three parties, you, the other, and God. Find out what God has to say about this quarrel. Find God's perspective until you humbly say, "Lord, I really want to know more about You. I don't want to judge others".
Friends, how do you grow spiritually? No wonder, you will be shocked by the following verses, after the verse "Do not cast your pearls before swine, and do not give your holy things to dogs". The next section is what we will discuss next week. Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. Do you know why? Because God has given you a promise; you cannot change people, but you have to keep praying, and you have to pray for wisdom. You must keep searching and keep knocking. Only God can change hearts, so He gives you the assurance that your prayers will be heard, and then He goes on to say, which will be discussed next week. Next week we have an amazing speaker.
Let's read this verse together: Matthew 7:12 Therefore, in whatever things you would like others to do to you, do this also to others. Did you see it? Judge not, lest you be judged. And then at the end He says, "Do unto others as you would have them do to you". And in the middle of it, He tells you, "Don't be hasty. Don't judge motives. Start with yourself. You are not God. You pray". So, I suggest today that if God has been speaking to you and you are judging others, the first thing you need to do is repent. Say, "Lord, I am going to make a commitment today that I will never again Judge others". Stop condemning others. Amen? After you have confessed that sin, you now say, "Lord Jesus, please help me to be an encourager. Help me to help others, encourage them, and love them".
Let's bow our heads. If God has spoken to you and you want me to pray for you. Just raise your hands. You have judged others in the past and you want to change, raise your hands. You need to repent. Let's pray together. Praise God ! Many of you admit this, you want God to help you be an encourager, put yourself in other people's shoes, learn to put yourself in other people's shoes. Don't judge others. Think of others, you want me to pray for you, lift up point. Praise God! I praise God for so many of you.
Father God in heaven, I thank you for this group of men and women who are willing to humble themselves and say, Lord, we need to change. Lord, let me not judge anyone. Because you are the ultimate judge. Help me, help us love one another. Lord, help us, even if they believe in something else, to learn to encourage them, to love them, to find opportunities like this, but most importantly, keep praying for each other. I pray for everyone's loved ones here, for their family members, that they will learn how to proactively care for them, and most importantly that you will be the one to change them, Lord. You gave us a promise, "Ask and you will receive", so we pray for our stubborn relatives, we pray for our stubborn friends, we pray for our hard-hearted friends, who mock the Bible and don't want to change. But Lord, I thank you. Our job is not to change them. Our job is not to correct their problems, our job is to pray for them and love them. It is you, and you alone, God, who can change people. So we commit to you, those who are in trouble. People among us, we entrust ourselves to You, may You be the one who changes us. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen! Amen!