How to Be Judgmental (Luke 6:37-42)

In a world where it’s easy to point out everyone else’s faults, Jesus calls us to something much harder—examining our own hearts first. In this Father’s Day message, we dive into Luke 6:37-42 and discover what Jesus really meant when He said, “Judge not.”

Jesus isn’t condemning discernment; He’s confronting hypocrisy. Before we criticize others, we must allow God to deal with the areas of our own lives that need transformation. Through powerful illustrations and practical application, this message challenges fathers, leaders, and every believer to lead with humility, self-awareness, and grace.

Join us as we explore three life-changing principles:
• Judge yourself before you judge others.
• Judge your vision before you lead.
• Judge the log before the speck.

Whether you’re a parent, spouse, leader, or simply seeking to follow Jesus more faithfully, this message will encourage you to remove the barriers that keep you from seeing clearly and help you become the kind of example others can follow.

Transformation begins when we stop focusing on everyone else’s flaws and allow Jesus to transform us first.

Transcript

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Amen. Amen. So though those are my railroader tickets. So just get with me. Let me know what day you want to go, and I'll send you. I got six tickets. So you can take your whole family. It'd be good. It'd be a good time. Big thanks to Marshall stuff for giving us the Ranger tickets. It's a very nice ticket. Trust me, Terry gave me Terry gave me those tickets. I think I gained 20 pounds in one game. It was good. It's all you can eat, prime rib. I was like, man, I don't want to leave, right? Problem is I'm ruined. I can't go to any other baseball game because it just doesn't feel right, right? Anyway, well, happy Father's Day to everybody. Uh man, I just want you to know uh that you are appreciated. Uh, unfortunately, our culture has a way of diminishing uh the man's role in the home. Uh, in every all the TV shows, we're kind of the stupid guy that doesn't know what's going on. Uh, and I want you to know that I don't believe that about you. I believe the Bible tells that tells us that strong men that lead their home uh are really what God has called us to be. And I believe this church is full of a bunch of strong, capable men. Uh, do we need our wives to point us in the right direction from time to time? Absolutely. Um, but just know that you are appreciated, you are loved, uh, and that you um, if you aren't a father, I said this on Mother's Day, and I think it's even more true on Father's Day. Uh, this world needs a bunch of spiritual fathers because there's a bunch of fatherless, there's more fatherless children than motherless children. And so this world needs strong men to teach young men to be young men. Because I think a lot of the lot of the issues that we have in our culture is we have a lot of grown men that can shave that still act like boys. And uh boy and men take care of their family. Men are respectful to their wives, men are a husband of one wife, if you know what I mean. If you don't believe that, or if you don't understand that, Google it. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Uh, and men take care of their wives and they take care of their families. Uh, and that's what the Bible calls us to do. So there's your Father's Day sermon, okay? Today I've got one of those punch you in the face messages. Um, but it's Father's Day, so if you're mad at me, it's Father's Day, so can't be mad at me, it's Father's Day, okay? So one of the easiest things in the world for us to do is to point out what's wrong with someone else. In fact, that's really kind of what media is all about. We have all these people who do absolutely nothing but are experts on everything. Do y'all love to read the parenting books from people that don't have children? Yes, please, you without children, tell me what to do, right? Sometimes we're really good at spotting the flaws in our spouse. Anyone have a list? Don't raise your hand on this one, okay? Anyone have a list of what their spouse could do better? We can spot flaws in our kids, we can spot flaws in our church, we can spot flaws in our pastor. Shame on you, this Father's Day. And we can spot flaws even in our culture, and if we're honest, most of us can identify the speck in someone else's eye from 50 yards away while completely missing the two by four that suck in our own eye. Now that's exactly what Jesus is talking about in Luke chapter 6. The problem isn't the lack of opinions, and we all have a lot of opinions. The problem is that often our opinions uh come without self-awareness. And Father's Day, this is especially important because fathers, husbands, and spiritual leaders set the tone for everybody else around them. Children often become what they consistently see from their fathers. Disciples often become what they consistently see from their teacher, and if we're leading from pride, if we're leading uh from pride from our families, our families will learn pride. But if we lead from humility, our family learns humility, guys. You cannot help others see clearly until you have allowed Jesus to deal with your own blindness. Jesus doesn't forbid all judgment, he forbids hypocritical judgment. Kingdom people learn to judge themselves before they learn to judge others. So, the title of my message today, I think this is what you all came for is how to be judgmental. Today, you are going to learn the biblical way to be judgmental. And I'll just let you know, it's the exact opposite of what the world tells us that judgmental is. So if you have your Bibles, grab them. Go to Luke chapter 6. We're gonna start in verse 37 this morning. If you don't have your Bible, don't worry about it. Click the NFC tag, tap the NFC tag on the chair in front of you. Uh, download the Church Center app, pull up the sermon notes, and my sermon notes will be right there for you. They're filling the blank, interactive, but it's like all the tests that I like to take. You can hit the eyeball and the answer's there for you. Okay. So you got a guaranteed hundred this morning. Amen. Okay, thanks for no amen on that. I appreciate that. Whew. Usually second service struggles this much. So if this is what first service is gonna be like, y'all better pray for me because second service is gonna be rough. All right, verse 37. Here we go. Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you. Good measured, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be the measure back to you. So the Bible tells us first and foremost to judge yourself before you judge others. Judge yourself before you judge others. Now, I'm gonna give you a little short aside. This one's not in the notes, this one's for free, okay? I learned something this week because oftentimes this verse is used for offering, give and it will be given to you the measure in which you give. I learned something this week that was kind of alarming to me. I follow my TikTok algorithm has church statistics. So, you know, you may not be a nerd like me, so your your algorithm may not be that. And there's one guy that I follow that gave an alarming statistic. He did, he took all of the church-going people in America and found what their average tithe to the church was. He found that the average American gives $17 a week to the church. The average American. So we will give more to Starbucks than we will to the kingdom of God. And we wonder, we wonder why we live without. Or even the Democrats or the Republicans. It's you. When Jesus says, judge not, he's attacking a contentious spirit, a heart that finds fault with everybody else while excusing itself. The problem isn't discernment, the problem is self-righteousness. Does anybody don't raise your hand? Does anybody have a friend that no matter what happens, they got something negative to say about everything? If you don't have that friend, you are the friend. Everybody has that friend. They're like, I'm not gonna text them because they're gonna have something to say about everything. If they see me on Facebook, they're gonna be like, You've been gaining some weight. Shut up, Karen. Nobody asked you. You probably got a hundred pounds on me. Never mind. You know what it's judge not, you will not be judged, right? Jesus immediately follows judge not with forgive and give. Why? Because people who understand how much how much mercy they've received tend to extend mercy to others. The truly mature Christian isn't the one who can identify everybody else's sin, it's the one who is most aware of their own need for grace. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to diagnose everybody else's parents? You know, I am a what I would like to call a seasoned parent. And by seasoned parent, I mean I have four kids. And what I love for people to do with one kid is tell me how I should parent my four kids. I love nothing more. And usually it's like, you know, when my kids, you know, I have a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old. And usually it's like, you know, when my kids get that old, they're not gonna have a cell phone. I'm like, thanks, Karen. I appreciate your opinion, but I prayerfully considered what is going on with my kids. And let me tell you, ask my kids. Their phones are locked down. They feel like the Gestapo runs their phone. They can text their mom, they can text their grandma and grandpa. In fact, they text their grandma and grandpa more than they text their mom and dad. And usually it's for Venmo requests. Randomly, I get a Venmo from my dad. I'm like, oh, dad's feeling generous to me today. Hey, I sent money to your kids. Thanks, Dad. Appreciate it. But here's the thing I've learned. Before you have kids, you're an expert. Then you have kids. And suddenly you realize parenting is harder than it ever looked from the sidelines. I love all those parents that are like, I'm going to wake up with my baby every three hours and feed them. No, you're not. I remember our first kid, we were like, okay, we're gonna wake up, we're gonna feed him every three hours. The second kid is like, we're letting that booger sleep. She can eat what she eats. Now, young people, you're like, oh, I'm not going to be like that parent. You are. You are. I'm never gonna allow my children to be on iPads. Shut up, you are. Because here's the thing: it's amazing to have adult conversations. And I'm not saying you should always shove a tablet in your child's face. But when a soccer sushi is taking 90 minutes on Father's Day, it's helpful to have an iPad. Now, fathers, before correcting your children, ask, Am I modeling what I'm expecting of my children? Before we criticize our wives, and this goes the same for husbands, wives, this is before we criticize our spouse, ask, Am I loving them like Christ loves the church? Before pointing out someone else's failure, ask yourself, what is God trying to change in me? You know, one of the things that I tell people, you know, one thing I was not ready for as a senior pastor is hello, my name is Pastor Todd, the chief of the complaint department. I never realized that was my job title. But what I've found is usually if God has pointed something out in this church as a flaw to you, usually He has sent you to me as the fix to that problem. It got real quiet there. And I've found that the complaints tend to stop when I say, you know what? I want you to pray into that with me, and I want you to be a part of the solution. Because the first courtroom a Christian should enter should be their own hearts. But the problem is we are more than willing to put everybody else on trial before we examine our hearts. Now listen, I was critical of fathers, but it's Father's Day, so I'll be critical of wives as well. Listen, if you have a list of what your husband needs to fix, you will never accomplish anything by knocking him down pegs. One of the greatest gifts you can give a man is encouragement. Because we live in a world that tells us that men are stupid, that masculinity is toxic. Well, I'm glad it wasn't toxic in World War II, right? Or we'd be speaking German. But here's the thing: this world is really good at tearing down men. But God, I've noticed that God has given a special innate ability to most, I won't say to all, ladies, that you are very good at building people up. And sometimes we have a list of what our husband could do better. Turn that list into words of affirmation to build him into the man that God is calling him to be. And see what the Lord doesn't do. See, guys, I got your got your back, it's Father's Day. Bro code, we gotta stick together, right? Also read on this week. It's like Father's Day is just bash on the men. I'm like, so okay, I'll bash on everybody, right? Okay. Verse 39, let's keep going. He also told them a parable. Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone, when he is fully trained, will be like his teacher. The second point judge your vision before you lead. Judge your vision. How well can you see before you lead somebody else? Why? Because Jesus asked the simple question Can a blind man lead a blind man? Everybody knows the answer to that question. It is no, they'll both end up in the ditch. And the this you the issue isn't sincerity, the issue isn't they're not trying, the issue is they can't see. The danger isn't always bad intention, the danger is blindness. Then Jesus says, a disciple becomes like his teacher. So in the first century, disciples learn by imitation, they were apprentices, they watched, they followed, they became that's still true today. Children become like their parents, churches become like their leaders, disciples become like their teachers. That's why you'll find we have an internship program around here at church because I don't the best way you learn to become a minister is not by me shipping you off to a school to a bunch of people that don't do ministry to teach you how to do ministry. Now, listen, theology is important. I've got my degree in theology, that is important, but where's the best way you can learn how to do ministry? In the shadow of someone that does it well. And the same is true in your life. The best way for you to learn to do anything is in the shadow of somebody that does it well. Because a father can tell his kids to pray, read the scripture, and serve God. But if they never see him doing any of that, they'll learn more. Guys, your kids will learn more from your example than they ever will from your instructions. You know, sometimes I look around, and especially with my older two, I'm just blown away at how they serve the Lord. Now, listen, we don't have a ton of conversations about serving the Lord at our church at our house. We have typical teenagers. We get the do I have to? And the answer is, do you want to live? And so I'm not saying that my kids are willing participants every, you know, the parents that drive me crazy are the parents like, listen, I don't want to make my kid do anything. I'm like, do you make your kid eat vegetables? Do you make your kid get up and go to school? Then make your kid get up, go to church, and serve the Lord. It's not gonna become natural to them. And listen, serving the church, giving to the church, being a part of the church is not gonna be natural to a kid when it's not natural to you. Whoops! You know why the church is on a decline? Because your kids saw that church was optional to mom and dad, and they're like, if it's optional to mom and dad, then why do I want a part of it? But here's the awesome thing. Did you know there is more young people in the church today than old people? Old people are checking out. You know why they're checking out? Because they're like, the church is not about me anymore. I'm like, oh. So when you grow older, you're supposed to invest in the next generation. That means it becomes no longer about you. Let me tell you, I go to youth group and I don't know what the heck they're saying. Like Noah was looking through the merch at youth camp and he was saying stuff, and I said, Does that mean it's good? He tried to explain it to me. I I don't know. I I just he Venmo his he's asked his grandpa to Venmo him some money for the merch at youth camp. So I assumed that meant it was good, right? But here's the thing. I don't go to youth group and expect youth group to look like Sunday morning. Because eventually, what is going on in youth group is what Sunday morning is gonna look like because those people are gonna take over. And one day I'm gonna be the crotchety old pastor and go, I wish we'd have sing songs like we used to in the old days. But you know what? I'm not gonna do that. I'm just gonna sit there and go, y'all lead worship, and I'll get up and bring the fire. That's what I'll do. Right? Because you know, this week I'm gonna go and do my grandma's funeral, and I look through the list of the songs that she wants in the funeral, and I don't know any of them. And I'm gonna have to stand up there because I'm at a Baptist church in a suit, and I'm gonna have to stand up there and sing with the organ and the piano, and I'm not gonna know any of the songs, and they're all gonna think I'm going to hell. But it's okay because none of them are gonna know them either. But that's the thing, things change over time because you cannot lead people beyond where you're willing to follow Jesus yourself. You could never expect your family, you could never expect those around you to go to a place that you're unwilling to go yourself. You know, that's one thing that we preach to the worship team. It's like if you don't go into deep worship with the Lord, you can't lead these people there either. And so if you want something deeper for your family, you go there first. Keep reading, verse 41. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but you do not notice the log that is in your own? You can say to your brother, brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not have the log in your own eye. It says, You hypocrite! Happy Father's Day. Uh first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will clearly see to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. So, number three, judge your log before the speck. Jesus gives one of the most memorable pictures in scripture. A man with the log in his own eye trying to remove a speck in someone else's eye. It's absurd. And that's the point. Jesus isn't saying the speck doesn't exist, he's saying the order is what matters. Notice he doesn't say ignore the speck. He says remove your log first. The issue isn't correction, the issue is hypocrisy. The issue isn't having flaws, the issue is being blind to your flaws while obsessing over everybody else's flaw. That's why Jesus calls him a hypocrite, not because he doesn't notice the spec, because he ignored the log. John, you set front row. So you're gonna get picked on. You ready? Can you come up here? Come up to the stage. Everybody give John a hand. He's an unwilling participant. I have a speck for John. Will you hold this? Stand here. Everybody look at John. Isn't he so handsome today in this shirt? Here's what the Bible is saying. Listen, John, this speck that you have, this speck that you have right here, this is absurd. Look at this. This little pointy stick, right? And then I'm just doing this. And then I'm like, John, John, can you get your life together, John? Thank you, John. You did good. You did good. Everybody give John a hand, right? We sit there and go, look at all these people. They're all going to hell. But we got this speck sticking in our own eye. We tell all these people, you should do this, you should do that. What about this that's in your own eye? Because nobody would be looking at a toothpick. Everybody's looking at this. Because you know what? I could take the toothpick and do this. Where did it go? You don't see it. That's Jesus' point. The speck is real. The problem is the guy with the log has somehow convinced himself that his bigger problem isn't the problem. So what Jesus is saying to you, before you correct someone else, you say, What is God trying to deal with me about? Sorry, I have to get this falling out of my hand. Guys, fathers, one of the greatest gifts that you can give your family is humility and admitting that you're wrong. Dads, moms, one of the greatest things that you could do is say, Hey, I was wrong. One of the greatest things you could do to for your kids is say, hey, I know that you saw mom and dad get in a fight, but we love each other. Sometimes adults disagree. Sometimes adults say things to each other that we don't mean. Sometimes adults do things, but the problem is we focus on the speck instead of the log. So I think what Jesus is saying to us this morning is what do you need to remove from your eyes? So what are our transformational moments this morning? Worship team, you can come back. Number one. Who are you judging while ignoring what God wants to change in you? What are you focused on when you need to be focused on this? A lot of people say, well, somebody looked at me funny at church. Could it be that you walked into church with a really bad look on your face? Somebody was mean to me at Walmart. Could it be that you took the last of the little Debbie snack cakes? Somebody cut me off in traffic. Could it be that you're driving ten miles below the speed limit? That's for somebody today. I don't know who it is. You know, I wish the pastor would know more about my life. Well, maybe you only come to church once every six weeks. I wish people were more friendly to be at church. Well, maybe you don't come enough that we don't know who you are. Got a dollar for everybody that introduced themselves to me at Walmart that says they go to our church that I've never seen before. I'd be a millionaire. Number two, if your children followed your example this week, would they look more like Jesus? That's the tough one. It's okay. I'll just take the two by four and hit you with it. And lastly, which log do you need to remove from your own eye? Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna leave the log here. And I'm gonna put the spec on top of it. Which one can you see? Some of you young people are like, I could see both. Wait till you get to 40. You'll just see the log, okay? I want to leave this here as an example. I think what God is saying to us this morning is what is going on in your life that you need to fix? What is going on in your life that you need to fix before you worry about a little old speck in somebody else's eye? It's like my mom always said, fixing yourself's a full-time job, quit worrying about everybody else. So I'm gonna ask you to stand this morning. The worship team is gonna lead us in a song. And I want you to ask the Lord, Lord, what is it that I need to remove? What is the log in my eye that I need to remove right now? Lord Jesus, we just come before you this morning. Lord, I just pray as we go into this time of reflection, Lord, help us to truly, truly remove the log from our own eye. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.