WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.879 Well, it is the last Sunday of the first month of 2022. 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:08.560 And as we've been talking about for the last few weeks, firsts are really important. 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:12.720 A first date is a very important date if you hope to have a second date. 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:14.480 First impressions matter. 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:17.760 Your first day on the job, that's an important day. 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:22.559 In fact, I'll never forget my first day at a job that I had coming right out of college. 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:33.759 I worked in sales for this company, and I got there, and it was one of those jobs where it was like, you know, tie, dress shirt tucked in, and I was so nervous, you know, right out of college. 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:35.600 I immediately got to the office building. 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:38.799 It was like a 45-minute commute, downtown Kansas City, Missouri. 00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:40.479 And I went to the restroom. 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:41.759 I just checked my tie. 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:43.600 I just made sure everything was all tucked in. 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:49.119 I walk in, and uh, this wonderful woman who had worked there for like 20 years, she introduces myself. 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:50.159 I say, Hi, I'm Justin. 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:51.359 She says, Hi, I'm Catherine. 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:52.560 Your fly is unzipped. 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:58.000 And I was like, oh, well, one second, you know, and that was my first impression. 00:00:58.240 --> 00:00:59.920 First day on the job. 00:01:00.159 --> 00:01:03.359 That's the I only worked there for like two months, but it's all good. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:05.120 Couldn't escape that, you know. 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:08.480 It's just, if it had been the third, fourth, fifth day, it would have been fine. 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:10.560 But day one, you can't do that, day one. 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:14.400 First matter, and it's the first month of our year. 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:23.680 So we want to get things going in the right direction for 2022, each of us individually, in our lives, whatever's going on, and that means we've got to put the first things first. 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:27.359 And thankfully, Jesus actually helps us do that. 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:31.760 There's many times where Jesus told people to put something first. 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:33.760 He tells us what to prioritize. 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:38.079 And look, if you're a Jesus follower, then his words should matter a lot to you. 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:39.120 They should rank number one. 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:50.400 Even if you're someone, by the way, who isn't sure where you stand with the whole Jesus thing, at least recognize the fact that this is a man whose words have carried weight for a few thousand years now. 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:55.359 And billions of people have built their lives around them, there's something there. 00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:59.120 That's just something to consider if you're not quite sure where you stand with Jesus. 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:01.120 At least listen to what he has to say. 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:09.680 And in Matthew chapter 7, Jesus says this: Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:12.319 For you will be treated as you treat others. 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:17.280 The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:22.080 And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:31.680 How can you think of saying to your friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye when you can't see past the log in your own eye, hypocrite, and that word in his language meant actor, pretender. 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:40.240 First, get rid of the log in your own eye, and then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye. 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:53.439 Jesus says, before you worry about other people and all the junk in their lives and all the stuff they do wrong and all their issues and all their problems, first deal with what you've got going on. 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:57.840 Now, this is actually one of the strongest statements that Jesus makes. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:03.840 Anytime you read Jesus and the word hypocrite shows up, which happens every once in a while, Jesus liked to use that word. 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:07.439 He acknowledged the fact that a lot of people live their lives just pretending. 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:12.319 And so when you see Jesus say hypocrite, that's like Jesus at his most intense. 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:15.039 This is a really, I mean, it's a strong statement. 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:20.800 Jesus says that the standard that we use in judging others will be the standard that we are judged by. 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:23.199 Like, I don't like that at all. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:27.599 Like if I think about my life and like, have I been a judgmental person? 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:30.639 Well, only to people who really deserved it, you know? 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:34.560 Like, to people who are wrong, yeah, obviously. 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:39.520 But like, seriously, that the standard that I use to judge others will be the standard that I'm I'm judged by. 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:41.199 This is not the only time Jesus says this. 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:51.520 In fact, there's a very famous prayer called the Lord's Prayer very often, where Jesus says that we we should pray, Father, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:53.120 There's this connection there. 00:03:53.360 --> 00:04:00.560 And Jesus tells us to not be judgmental, to not worry so much about what's going on in other people's lives. 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:18.720 And man, if only if only Jesus' followers throughout history would have taken Jesus really seriously when he said this, because at some point in time, for many people, the the church, Christianity got a reputation for being filled with judgmental people. 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:36.639 And you know, sometimes that's a little bit exaggerated because sometimes if if because of your faith you're unwilling to go along with something in society that is wrong because of what God has said, that's not being judgmental, to just say I don't agree, or or I don't believe this is right. 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:47.680 But but many Christians have definitely gone way beyond that to the point where it's like we exist to point out the flaws of other people. 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:52.959 There's a condemnation thing, and and that's something clearly that Jesus did not have in mind. 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:59.040 That we're not we're not meant to live our lives looking around at other people judging them. 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:03.360 And we're gonna talk about that a little bit this morning because it's hard to not, it's hard not to do that, right? 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:05.040 It's hard not to judge people. 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:07.680 Some people beg to be judged. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:09.759 Like our whole society is kind of built on it. 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:11.040 Like, think about social media, right? 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.120 There's there's like a button that you can just push. 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:14.720 It's like a judge button. 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:16.800 You know, someone posts a photo or a video. 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:17.680 I judge it. 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:20.079 Like, there's dislikes, there's emojis. 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:21.040 There's so many emojis. 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:24.879 There's happy emojis, like excited emojis, angry emojis. 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:27.040 You can judge with one click of a button. 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:35.680 Like, any of us in the room old enough to remember when TV shows like American Idol were new, like the talent competition shows before they were just so overdone that you're over them. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:37.199 Man, let's be honest. 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:45.920 Those of us that remember, like I was in high school when American Idol came out, and uh I didn't watch it because there were talented people that I got to see sing. 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:50.319 I watched it because of the crazy people who were horrible. 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.639 And it was just I mean, I'm just being honest, it wasn't like, oh wow, that's so cool, they're really good. 00:05:54.720 --> 00:06:06.480 It was like, that guy's terrible, and and the judges are about to lay into him, and it was fun to watch someone be humiliated on national television as they were judged by three people that I was joining in with. 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:07.759 Like, yeah, you are terrible. 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:11.199 I'm terrible at singing too, but I'm not on American Idol, right? 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:12.800 It's fun to judge people. 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:17.839 It's fun to be judgmental because when you're judgmental, you often feel superior. 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:18.879 Right? 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:20.639 That's the temptation of judgment. 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:23.600 You feel superior, you're more moral, you're more noble. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:25.600 You can judge anybody in our culture. 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:28.160 You can judge people less successful than you. 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:32.399 With this attitude of like, you know, man, maybe if you would have just worked a little bit harder. 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:36.399 Maybe if you would do the things that I do, maybe then you would you would be better off. 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:38.800 You can also judge people who are more successful than you. 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:40.480 That's a lot of fun, I think. 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:44.399 Where you're like, oh, well, yeah, you you just have your priorities all out of whack. 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:47.680 It can't possibly be that you're just more talented or that you work way harder than me. 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:49.519 Like, that's not possible, right? 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:52.800 You just must be greedy or or you don't care about your family as much. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:56.399 It's so easy to judge anyone and everyone around you. 00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:59.040 It's a temptation that is constant. 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:03.759 And if I ask myself the question, am I a judgmental person? 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:06.959 Outwardly, no. 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:11.600 Inwardly, oh my goodness. 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:19.120 Like it's it's it's kind of frightening how often I just automatically judge people. 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:31.920 And so what we're gonna talk about for the next few minutes is is why it's so vital that we don't, and why ultimately it benefits us greatly to avoid that temptation at all costs. 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:35.439 Now, a few things I want to say on the front end, some nuances, because there's always nuances. 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:37.600 We don't live in a culture that likes nuances. 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:40.800 But but I want to say this really important. 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:50.639 There is a difference between judging a human being and practicing wise judgment as you interact with other people. 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:59.279 Okay, so something we have to be aware of is that is that our enemy very often twists the words of God to have us do foolish and stupid things. 00:07:59.439 --> 00:07:59.600 Right? 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:03.920 So if you know the story of the very first temptation and sin, it's the story of the Garden of Eden. 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:08.240 God says, hey, don't eat the fruit from this one tree, but you can eat all the other fruit. 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:11.439 And and the serpent shows up and begins by twisting God's words. 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.800 Hey, did God really say that you're not allowed to eat any of these fruits? 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:16.800 The fruit from any of these trees? 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:19.360 And it's like a trap. 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:23.600 We see another example of this in Matthew chapter 4. 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:25.279 Jesus is being tempted. 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:27.680 Right after he's baptized, he gets tempted. 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:30.240 And it says, this is like temptation number two of three. 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:36.399 Then the devil took him to the holy city Jerusalem, to the highest point of the temple, and said, If you are the Son of God, jump off. 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:43.840 For the scriptures say he will order his angels to protect you, and they will hold you up with their hands, so that you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:46.399 Now, Satan is actually quoting scripture here. 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:56.000 He's quoting Psalm 91, verses 5 through 7 in Psalm 91, a little bit different, but they say this Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. 00:08:56.159 --> 00:09:00.720 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:06.080 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, those evils will never touch you. 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:08.559 Okay, that's another excerpt from Psalm 91. 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:15.759 I've seen many Jesus followers do really dumb things in the name of faith. 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:20.399 And look, sometimes faith seems like it's foolishness to everyone else. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:21.600 That is true. 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:30.879 But we have to recognize that Satan will even take scripture and twist it to get people to do foolish things, to get people to trip up. 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:31.840 That's what he's doing with Jesus. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:38.799 He's taking Psalm 91, which is about God promising to protect us, and he's trying to use that to basically tempt Jesus to do something really dumb. 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:40.480 And Jesus doesn't fall for it. 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:56.480 So I say that because I have seen people take this idea of Jesus saying, do not judge others, and what they do with it is use it as some type of justification for just not making judgment calls, for not practicing wise judgment. 00:09:56.639 --> 00:09:56.960 Okay? 00:09:57.759 --> 00:10:00.159 You have to have discernment. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:07.200 You have to have the ability to say, you know, oh man, this is a person that, you know, let's take a relationship. 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:13.360 You know, if you have big red flags in a relationship, you're dating someone, and you notice things that are concerning. 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:17.840 I've seen people go, yeah, but I don't want to, like, I don't want to, who am I to judge them? 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:23.039 Well, you're gonna, if you're gonna partner with them in life and you have a bunch of red flags, listen to those. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:27.759 This is not God saying that we're not supposed to practice wise discernment. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:38.080 What this is really about, this idea of judgment, is about it's like it's like placing a finality on our our judgment of someone. 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:40.720 It's basically saying, this person is this. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:42.720 Period, end of story. 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:54.240 I have I have seen all I need to see, I know all that I need to know, this person is whatever, evil, wrong, manipulative, whatever it might be. 00:10:54.639 --> 00:11:01.360 And saying it not with like, I think this is how they are now, and I'm praying for their growth, but it's like, I have declared that they are this. 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:03.039 There's a finality to it. 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.320 And that's what Jesus is telling us never to do. 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:10.080 It might be a person, it might be a whole group of people. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:14.320 It's one thing to have wise judgment. 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:18.799 We're meant to have that, but we're not meant to judge people with any finality for a number of reasons. 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:19.679 Let's look at a few. 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:22.799 Number one, we're wrong a lot. 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:26.799 Have have any of you, show of hands, how many of you have been wrong? 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:28.320 All right, good. 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:31.200 Some of you, wow, amazing. 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:35.360 By not raising your hands, you just raise your hands, which is cool. 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:37.200 Because you're wrong about that. 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:42.320 No, I get it, you don't have to raise your hands, but look, I I've been wrong about so many things in life. 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:44.159 Little things, big things. 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:50.240 I'm not gonna ask for a show of hands because this is too painful for many of us, but like, we can be wrong on major things. 00:11:50.320 --> 00:12:01.039 Like, there might have been relationships in the past where you were like, this person's amazing, and I love them, and they love me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with them, and they're just gonna be like the best person for my life. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:03.519 And then years later, you're like, how did I not see it? 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:15.759 How did I not recognize that they were so selfish and so whatever, and and it it was it was disastrous and ruinous because you know, you yeah, you can blame them maybe for the things they did wrong, but at some point you clearly misjudged something. 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:20.320 You were wrong about who you thought they were, and it was disastrous, right? 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:22.799 Like we've all been wrong about all kinds of things. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:27.519 History is is littered with with people who are just wrong. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:29.200 And there's like comical ones. 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:31.759 I mean, I say comical, I was gonna mention the Titanic. 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:38.240 That's not really comical at all, but it's been long enough now that I don't know, it doesn't seem real. 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:43.440 Uh, but you know, famously the Titanic was deemed an unsinkable ship. 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:47.440 First voyage, it sank. 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:50.159 It turns out it was sinkable. 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:52.720 And the people who were wrong about that were smart people. 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:54.159 They were like engineers. 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:56.960 They they built this thing like there's nothing can take this thing down. 00:12:57.120 --> 00:12:57.919 Nothing. 00:12:58.159 --> 00:12:59.360 Not true. 00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:08.320 Thomas Watson uh used to be the president of IBM, and in the 1940s, IBM was a company, uh business machines is what they made. 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:13.120 The computers were like a brand new thing, but a computer was something that like filled up a room, a building. 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:19.759 You know, they made uh like when you would have punch cards and you would clock in and out with a punch card, they made the machines that would tabulate all of that. 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:28.799 And Thomas Watson said that this is the the CEO of IBM, that he saw a world market for maybe five computers. 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:32.240 He's like, I can envision a world where there's five computers. 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:34.159 President of IBM. 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:36.000 There's more than five, right? 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:38.639 Like he was clearly, he couldn't see that. 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:44.480 There's so many examples in history of people who are wrong, and we have to recognize how wrong we can be. 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:50.720 And that should be this major, major uh word of caution for us when it comes to judging other people. 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:56.159 Listen to how Jesus describes it in a parable that he gives in Matthew chapter 13. 00:13:56.480 --> 00:14:01.279 He says, The kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:07.919 But that night, as the worker slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:11.279 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:15.600 The farmer's workers went to him and said, Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds. 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:16.639 Where do they come from? 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:18.879 An enemy has done this, the farmer exclaimed. 00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:20.159 Well, should we pull out the weeds? 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:20.639 They asked. 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:23.279 No, he replied, You'll uproot the wheat if you do. 00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:31.440 Let both grow together until the harvest, then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and put the wheat in the barn. 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:44.399 So this is a story that Jesus is telling, and he's trying to help his disciples understand that they're not the ones, they're not the ones who are going to sort all that stuff out when it comes to people and who's what and who belongs where. 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:45.600 Because they'd just be wrong. 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:46.559 They just mess it all up. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:50.159 Like, our job is to be the people who sort of uh sow seeds. 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:51.679 Tell the world about Jesus. 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:57.759 Tell people what Jesus has done in our lives, tell people about all the good things that God has done for us. 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:06.159 But if we ever start going, yeah, well, do you also want me to be the one who like says, Well, yeah, that person good, that person bad? 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:08.080 No, Jesus is like, no, not at all. 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:09.600 You'll you'll mess it up. 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:11.919 We see this happen a lot in the story of Jesus. 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:17.360 Two of his disciples one day see someone that offends them on behalf of Jesus, they're offended. 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:19.279 Never be offended on behalf of someone, by the way. 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:24.159 And they say to Jesus, hey, do you want us to call fire down from the sky and like burn them up? 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:26.000 You know, teach them a lesson. 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:29.120 And Jesus is like, no, I do not. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:37.200 Because we, if we had that kind of judgment, if we had that kind of power, we would just, we would get it wrong. 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:38.799 We are wrong very often. 00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:47.679 So we cannot make any type of judgment on people or whole groups of people, people we disagree with, people who think differently than us, whatever. 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:53.759 We can't do that with any sense of finality ever because we're just we're really good at being wrong. 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:55.200 There's other reasons. 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:58.320 You can talk about we one is we don't have the authority to. 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:00.080 I'll say this. 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:07.600 Um, as a father, one of the biggest pet peeves that I have with my children is when they try to parent their siblings. 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:10.320 Like those of you who have multiple children have experienced this. 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:11.759 It's just it's just not helpful. 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:27.919 You know, there'll be times where like one of my younger kids is having a meltdown, and one of my older kids will decide to like, I got this, you know, and they they step in to like tell the younger sibling what to do, and it never, I've never once seen like my five-year-old be like, thank you, seven-year-old sister, for setting me straight. 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:30.159 You have shown me the error of my ways. 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:33.360 I'm wiser because of you, and I will now change my behavior. 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:35.519 All it does is like intensify. 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:38.960 It just becomes like, and I'm just like, hey, raise your hand if you're a parent. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:44.159 This I have a lot of conversations through a rearview mirror in the back of my car, you know, with four kids in the car. 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:50.960 I'm like looking in the mirror, half looking at the road, more looking at the mirror, going, stop it! Hey, hey, hey, you're not a parent. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:51.679 Stop parenting. 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:52.480 I don't need your help. 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:52.879 Okay? 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:54.799 Like it's just, it doesn't help. 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:57.279 Because they don't have the authority. 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:02.159 And so when they try to step into that place of authority that isn't theirs, it just makes everything worse. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.920 We have to understand the authority that we have and the authority that we don't. 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:08.559 Jesus has been given the authority to judge the world. 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:10.000 There will be a day. 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:11.759 There will be a day. 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:16.240 Jesus talks about this where he will come and he will judge the world. 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:19.279 And to some that's a really scary idea. 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:31.200 And I'll be honest, sometimes it's a scary idea to me, except that I remember the character of Jesus, how good and how loving he is, and I'm like, who else would you rather have judge everything? 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:33.920 But he has that authority, he's earned it. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:35.039 I don't. 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:40.079 So I can't judge the world around me because I don't have the authority to. 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:43.200 Even if I said, hey, I deem it this way, God, what do you think? 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:44.400 He's like, no. 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:46.960 I never asked you to do that. 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:50.000 We we can't judge. 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:54.000 Not with any sense of finality, because we're wrong, we don't have the authority. 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:55.920 We also just don't know enough. 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:59.759 I don't know if you guys know this, but I have a son who plays basketball. 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:06.720 And uh, you know, oh, by the way, update five games this week, didn't get thrown out of any of them. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:10.799 So progress, progress. 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:15.519 I had two dads last week come up to me and say, I got thrown out of a game this week, too. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:20.799 So uh clearly a support group is needed for fathers in our church, fathers of athletes. 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:22.799 How do you not like we'll just practice? 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:25.599 Don't say anything, just don't say anything, don't talk. 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:26.880 That'll be what we work on. 00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:28.799 Um, but uh that that's good. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:36.480 But you know, a few years ago, I had one of my low points as a dad, and that's you know, I've had many, but this was a pretty bad one. 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:50.240 Um I I told my son was in the third grade at this point in time, and we had driven a couple of hours to a tournament, and he was playing on a really good team, and I told him, hey, look, man, I'm never gonna like come at you hard if you have a bad game, if you miss a shot. 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:51.039 I don't care. 00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:55.680 But all I do ask is that you play really hard, you hustle, and you have a good attitude. 00:18:55.759 --> 00:19:00.160 So I'll never I'll never like get on you about anything other than those things. 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:07.920 In this one game, uh, he was just slow, letharically, like there was nothing, he wasn't, it was like he was in slow motion, and I'm sitting there going, what are you doing? 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:12.160 Like this is a championship game, and your team depends on you, and you're just out there, you're giving it half effort. 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:20.799 And so we got in the car and I did that rear view mirror thing with him, and uh, and I'm just I mean, I'm really like, I'm fired up, and I'm going, I'm going at him. 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:23.920 Like, you can't do that, and it's it's pretty intense, and he gets tears in his eyes. 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:26.880 And we get home and he has a 103-degree fever. 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:28.480 Um, I know. 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:32.720 Now, don't go talk to him about this, okay? 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:37.599 He's forgotten about it by now, or at the very least, it's not on the front of his mind. 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:40.240 I don't need him having ammunition, right? 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:44.880 He's a preteen now, so he thinks I'm wrong all the time, so don't feed that, right? 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:52.799 But between us, I mean, here I am going, oh, maybe, maybe that's why he was a little slow out there. 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:54.880 Maybe it was the 103-degree fever. 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:56.720 It broke my heart. 00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:00.720 Because even he didn't know he had a 103-degree fever, right? 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:05.920 And we have to realize when when we judge people, we that's what we're doing. 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:17.440 You know, it's it's so easy for us to forget the fact that maybe if we were in the exact same situation as someone else, we would actually fare worse. 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:23.599 You know, you look at someone maybe who struggles with addiction, and you never you've never struggled with that. 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:25.440 And so in your mind, it's like, just quit it. 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:26.480 Stop. 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:28.400 And that makes sense. 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:33.599 But maybe you've never been tempted anything like that in your life. 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:35.599 And maybe one day you will. 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:42.480 And if you've never experienced that level of temptation, well, don't judge someone who has. 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:48.799 And maybe you you were raised in such a different way and you were set up to succeed in a way that someone else never was. 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:54.400 And if you had grown up in their circumstance, in their situation, maybe you would be doing even worse than they are. 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:58.640 But it's so hard for us to see that because we just we just don't know. 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:04.319 We're not aware of things, and so it's easy for us to make snap judgments being like, I don't have the full picture. 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:08.960 What we definitely don't know is like what's gonna happen in the future with that person. 00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:14.319 You know, we we we have to remember that every person's life is on some type of trajectory. 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:17.359 And we would all like to pretend with our own lives that it's just it's just like this. 00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:20.480 I'm just gonna get better and better and better and better. 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:22.160 Like cheese, like wine. 00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:24.160 I just get better with age, right? 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:26.160 Not so much. 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:28.640 It's it's it's more like this. 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:34.960 And sometimes we encounter people, and we encounter them, they're like soaring. 00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:39.119 And it's so easy in that moment to even say, wow, you're just you're amazing. 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:43.200 And yeah, they're amazing, but maybe they're about to have a a tumble. 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:46.640 Life's about to hit them hard and they're gonna do this, and that might shock us. 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:53.279 What often happens in life is we meet people when they're they're headed down and they're in a rough spot and they've had a rough go. 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:59.440 And it's very easy in those moments for us to look at them and make a judgment about who they are as a person, not understanding that they're not done yet. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:07.599 And they might be just a few months, days, years, or whatever away from some massive turn, and they're going to be someone that we can't even imagine. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:15.359 You know, this is the challenge we have, by the way, like when we read scripture, those of you who are passionate about that, you know how the story ends most of the time. 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:18.240 You know, so you can read the Old Testament about King Saul. 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:19.920 He's the king before David. 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:28.880 And if you don't know how his story ends, there's several moments in his story where he just knocks it out of the park, and you're like, yeah, this guy, he's awesome. 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:37.119 But because you know how his story ends, which is not well, even those victories in his life, you read them and go, yeah, you just kind of skip over them because you know it's not gonna last. 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:46.240 But on the flip side, you could read the story of someone like Peter, Jesus' disciple, who uh I adore because he just talks too much, and I have a soft spot in my heart. 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:51.440 Any any talkers in the room, any people who just like my mouth goes at the same speed as my brain and it gets me in lots of trouble? 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:52.720 Yeah, there we go. 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:53.359 I love it. 00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:54.400 You spoke, thank you. 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:55.200 You proved it. 00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:57.519 Um yeah, like that's how I've always been. 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:58.559 Peter's definitely like that. 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:06.559 Like, he just he just talks too much, and he opens his mouth at times no one should, and there's moments where Peter fails miserably. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:11.839 Like, guys, Peter denied that he even knew Jesus. 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:20.640 At Jesus' lowest point, when Jesus was about to be crucified, his closest friend, one of his closest friends, says, I don't even know this guy. 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:23.359 Like that, the betrayal level of that. 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:34.559 But when we read that story about Peter, because we know how his story ends and how he's redeemed and restored and ends up being a great leader in the church, we just kind of skip past that part like it's no big deal because we already know how it ends. 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:37.839 When we interact with people, we don't know how it ends. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:47.599 And so we might be having a lot of frustration with someone or some group of people that we just don't understand and we think they're completely and totally in the wrong. 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:51.519 And we have to remember like God's not done with that person. 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:56.000 So we're in no place to judge it because we don't know what's going on. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:57.839 We don't know what's about to happen. 00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:03.200 Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10 says that we are God's masterpiece. 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:08.799 He created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things that he planned for us long ago. 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:11.359 We're God's masterpiece. 00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:13.759 But we're not finished yet. 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:18.000 Like we're masterpieces in the making. 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:24.400 It'd be like going and criticizing an artist who's halfway done with a painting. 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:26.480 And being like, I don't think it's not very good. 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:28.480 Like, I'm not done with it yet. 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:42.799 And we have to recognize when we when we go so far as to judge a person with any degree of finality, again, this is not a judgment call where we say, hey, right now, this person's behavior, I think I might just need to steer clear or set some boundaries up or whatever. 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:50.559 But I'm saying when we say like, you are this, we place our stamp of approval or disapproval on it, we have to remember God's not done. 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:58.480 And especially when we're frustrated with someone, especially when we're ready to just be done with a person, God's not done with them. 00:24:59.119 --> 00:25:03.519 So we have to remember, we can't judge because we just we just don't know. 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:08.000 Here's a here's a big one. 00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:11.359 It just doesn't do us any good. 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:23.599 Judging people, judging other people, ranting about this group of people, that group of people, this person, that person, whatever, it doesn't benefit us at all. 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:27.440 Let's go back and read what Jesus actually said in Matthew chapter 7. 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:32.480 He says, Do not judge others and you will not be judged, for you will be treated as you treat others. 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:36.319 The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:39.920 And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:46.079 How can you think of saying to your friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye when you can't see past the log in your own eye? 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:47.039 Hypocrite. 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:52.160 First get rid of the log in your own eye, and then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye. 00:25:52.319 --> 00:26:01.599 Now, one of the biggest challenges to this scripture, this requires a tremendous amount of humility, is the ability to admit that you have a log in your eye. 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:04.000 That's hard to do. 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:09.279 It is hard to actually say, I believe I have serious issues. 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:12.720 But that's what Jesus is saying. 00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:25.519 I mean, another way to look at it, he would be saying, like, you don't have time to waste telling other people what they should be doing, shouldn't be doing, whatever, because you got stuff to work on. 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:47.759 And what if, what if every single person in this room, what if what if every single Jesus follower in the world took all the time and energy that they typically spend judging other people and put all of that energy and focus into dealing with whatever's going on with them? 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:50.559 Like, how much better off would we be? 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:54.079 Imagine going to a gym. 00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:57.279 And for some of you are like, no, I'm not going to, I don't want to imagine this. 00:26:57.440 --> 00:26:59.519 So, but it but imagine if you did. 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:02.240 And you're there, and it's like you have a choice. 00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:10.880 I can either exercise, I can work out, I can I can get stronger, I can, I can lose weight, whatever it might be. 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:13.599 Or I can just criticize all the people who are in here. 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:17.920 Like, I'll be honest, I've learned that you can actually do both at the same time. 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.200 But never mind. 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:19.839 Right? 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:21.680 Because a gym is an interesting place. 00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:24.400 Like the self-control it takes to not. 00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:35.359 I mean, it's hard to be in a gym sometimes where it's like there's different groups of people, and some of you might be these people, I'm I mean, like, there's the flexors, you know, where it's like, hey, you look great. 00:27:35.519 --> 00:27:37.119 You know you look great. 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:39.359 We all know you look great. 00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:43.200 With what you're wearing, clearly you know you look great. 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:45.359 Because it's practically paint. 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:51.839 And so just stop flexing in the mirror, you know? 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:58.559 I actually I so being the talker, I sometimes find myself in awkward situations because I just say things you shouldn't say in the gym. 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:04.079 And so there was a young guy, he was like 18, and he was just like holding up his shirt just with his abs. 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:08.640 And then again and again, he did it like 10 times, and I was right next to him. 00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:10.640 I've never seen my abs, I have no idea what they look like. 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:13.599 I imagine, I'm being honest, I've never seen them. 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:14.880 They're they're they're there. 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:18.079 I've even as a kid, I've always just been like a little extra. 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:21.119 Um, you know, that's why I've always joked about my marriage. 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:22.640 My wife, we're like salsa. 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:24.799 She's hot, I'm chunky, and it works. 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:25.839 It just works. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:26.480 All right? 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:28.000 Put those things together. 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:32.480 But like, I mean, he had like lots of abs, tons. 00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:44.720 And but after about 10 flexes, I just I looked at him, and I shouldn't have done this, but I was like, has any is it has does it look different than it did 30 seconds ago? 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:47.200 He's looked at me as somebody he's never met, and I was like, I'm sorry. 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:49.200 I just my bad. 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:52.240 I'm old, I'm an old guy now, you know. 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:55.039 But I was basically saying, stop it. 00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:03.279 Or or maybe you're someone who like you're you you know your way around a gym, and so you see people doing it wrong, right? 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:05.519 They're like doing like you're not doing that right. 00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:07.119 You could judge that. 00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:16.000