Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

This is the quick summary of judging. God said don’t, so don’t. There is more that goes with this in Matthew chapter 7 but I want to speak to a more practical and personal application of judging.

The closest I can come to an example of my thoughts here is a jury trial. As a juror you have the duty to sit and listen and view evidence for as long as the lawyers care to present their case. It could be weeks before you get to sit down and deliberate the evidence and then apply the law to only that which has been presented. How you personally feel about the evidence is irrelevant, the evidence and the law are your only guides. That could take hours, days, and yes, maybe weeks to deliberate.

You have to put your life on hold to serve on a jury. It is your civic duty to stop everything and give your life over to this one thing. You have to sacrifice yourself.

Now consider this about judging others. You are not on a jury and you do not have to put off your life to judge another. No time wasted, no emotional stress, and no sacrifice on your part. Aside from God’s commandment “don’t” why would you put yourself through that emotional wringer when you don’t have to do it?

So why do we do it?

This is where we get in trouble. It is always easier to look at other people’s actions and justifications than it is to do a close self-examination. We err in allowing other peoples judgments be a substitute for ours. We err if we judge ourselves alone.

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

If you see and accept this, then I ask you to consider the verse which led up to this fine point.

V22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

An honest confession of condition.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Ever hear the expression “don’t touch the third rail”? In subway systems the third rail is the power rail. It is to be feared. I think that many Christians go with God in this same condition of fear. I do not blame anyone for such thinking, after all fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but as I always ad, nor is it the end.

This morning please think about two tracks rather than the third rail. The right hand track is the power of God. It is driving the train to glory. Do not see yourself as a passenger but rather the left rail. The left rail is tied to the right rail by the ties that bind you on a parallel course which has the same distant destination as the right rail. You are on the right track so to speak, but not a monorail system.

In the distance you see that the tracks get closer and closer and within your vision is the illusion that you will be one at some point, perhaps the end of your journey. As you travel you never get any closer because that fearful respect keeps you from touching glory. I will never tell anyone who is not part of the monorail system that they will not get to that final destination. I will not derail anyone.

This is what the monorail system looks like.

Romans 8:29-30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

One Spirit that works all in all.