Daily Searchlight. Monday, 19th January, 2015. THE MANDATE, MODEL AND WISDOM IN A PATTERNED JUDGMENT. Text: Matthew 10:16; 7:15-20; 7:1; Luke 6:37; John 7:24; Luke 12:57. Meditative Verse: Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment - John 8:15; 7:24 (KJV) The actions of Jesus give us a perfect interpretation of His words. It is said of the Pharisees, for they say, and do not (Matthew 23:2,3) but we cannot say that of Christ. His life interprets His words and His words explain His life. His life and His words do not contradict but they complement one another. He lived as He preached and He preached what He lived consistently before His disciples and the whole world. To understand the meaning of His message, simply observe the demonstration in His life. As He has commanded us to keep or obey His words, He has also called us to follow His example (John 14:15; 13:15). Doing this, we cannot go astray because He always did what pleased the Father and none could convict Him of sin (John 8:28,29,46). Judge not was His command and He neither judged nor condemned the common sinners or His disciples. He did not excuse the sins of any sinner but He was loving, gentle, gracious and ready to forgive. He led sinners to repentance and warned those who came to Him not to continue sinning without judging or condemning them (John 5:14; 8:11). He rebuked His disciples sharply when it was necessary (Matthew 16:22,23; Luke 9:51-56) but it was not to judge them in a tone of condemnation, it was to restore them to righteousness. He was never bitter or critical, in all His corrections and rebukes, His desire was to make them escape the judgment to come. He loved His disciples but condemned actions which could make them incur Gods wrath or judgment. Judge not, condemn not. Christ condemned sin in every form but He had compassion on the sinner. His love and compassion for sinners made Him to die for us; His hatred and condemnation of sin made Him to call all sinners to repentance in clear, unmistakable language. He judged and condemned the Pharisees, hardened sinners who were deceiving ignorant sinners (Matthew 23:33). This He did as the Judge of quick and dead (Acts 10:42) and the Watchman over the souls of those He came to save (Luke 19:10) In our personal relationship one with the other as brethren, our Lord has commanded us not to judge one another. We can admonish one another (Colossians 3:16), counsel and correct one another (Malachi 3:16), exhort and watch over one another (Hebrews 3:13), teach and edify one another (Romans 14:19), be concerned for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25), minister to one another (1 Peter 4:10), exhort and challenge one another (Hebrews 10:25) but we are not to judge, criticize or condemn one another. Rather, 1) Rebuke the evil doer (Luke 17:3. 2) Report the evil and renounce it openly (1 Corinthians 5:1; 1:11) Before and during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, the Pharisees called attention to themselves as the religious standard to follow. They thought that they were the true citizens of the kingdom of God. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord corrected the error and self-deception of the Pharisees. They were fond of exalting themselves and despising others (Luke 18:9). They judged others with a holier-than-thou attitude. They condemned others on minute, insignificant, unimportant things while they excused terrible, soul-threatening sins in themselves. They set aside the laws of God and established many ridiculous laws on non-essential, superficial things. Be not ye therefore like unto them. Judge not, that ye be not judged (Matthew 6:8; 7:1). Judging others on seemingly unimportant issues while ourselves are guilty of great soul-damning sins shows that we are not motivated by real spiritual concern, neither are we seeking only the glory of God. Judging and condemning others for doing what we also do, even in greater measure reveals an inconsistent personality, a heart without principles. Judging others for great sins or minor faults without helping them, through patient instruction and personal influence and practical example, to have the grace for a higher life is unkind and unscriptural. Judge not, show them the highway to the heavenly city, the way of holiness. Let your life raise up a standard, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it. Prayers: May I, by Thy grace rebuke evil and be righteous in judging the erring ones. In Jesus Name. Amen Further Reading: Job 34:31,32 Inquiries: apemfaith@gmail All copyrights reserved. DS19012015
Posted on: Sun, 18 Jan 2015 21:48:16 +0000