Pastor Bob’s Blog

I’ve started preaching a series on the prophecy the Lord spoke through me for 2010.  This past Sunday, I preached about the attitude we should have during the coming time of intense judgment.

Our attitude must be one rooted and grounded in love.  Love is our commandment.  Love is how people will know we’re the disciples of Jesus.  If we judge other people, we won’t be loving.

Jesus put it to us this way in Matthew 7:1-2 (NKJV):

Judge not that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

In the New Living Translation, verse 2 is translated like this: “Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged.”

That’s really sobering.  If we don’t want judgment to be piled on us, we must refrain from judging others.  If we’re critical in judging others, then when it comes time, we’ll be judged critically.  If we exercise mercy, we’ll receive mercy.  James put it this way:

Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.  James 2:13 (NKJV)

In fact, Jesus told us that even He didn’t come to judge (the same Greek word can be translated “condemn”), but to save.  (See John 3:17 and John 12:46-48.

That doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to sin, or equate sin with righteousness.  After the last of the adulterous woman’s accusers dropped his stone and walked away, Jesus didn’t turn to the woman and say, “OK lady, go ahead and keep committing adultery.  It’s not a big deal.  Adultery is as good as being committed to your covenant of marriage.”  No, He gave her instruction in righteousness.  He told her to go and sin no more.  He didn’t do it to be judgmental.  He was loving, encouraging, and helping her to stay close to God and live in the Blessing instead of the Curse.  He was helping her avoid judgment.

We must also be absolutely brutal with ourselves about our motives when we see people whose life decisions will lead to judgment, and we’re prepared to say something to them, or to someone else about them.  Are we preparing to wag our finger in disapproval?  Or are we really trying to encourage them in their walk with the Lord?

And if someone’s conduct does lead to judgment, and they fall, are we poised to say, “I told you so?”  Are we at the ready to tear them down and preach at them?  Or will we step in and encourage them and help them to be restored.  Galatians 6:1-5 gives us our instructions – restore them gently, don’t be puffed up about our own righteousness, but examine our own work.

Here’s the bottom line.  If we act like Jesus, we’ll love.  If we act like Jesus, we’ll grow and develop and live in the fruit of the Spirit.  And if we act like Jesus – if we love instead of judge, minister instead of condemn – then as judgment rains down all around us, we’ll be kept safe.  If we really act like Jesus, we’ll win people to Jesus by the thousands, because they won’t be able to resist His love.

Let’s resolve to intensify our efforts to live the life of love this year.  Let’s be radical for Jesus.  Let’s love people instead of judging them.  When we do, we’ll unleash the power of God, and lives will be transformed – including our own!