Opening question – What is one aspect/feature of your “dream home?”
- What would “rent” cost monthly for your “dream home?”
- For me, it would cost around $2,000 a month. That’s how much a year? $24,000. How much for 10 years? 240k. Could you work enough to earn that?
- If one of your kids you wanted to teach to be responsible lived there, how much would you charge them? 100$ a month?
Forbes reported on a 221 Million dollar 3 floor penthouse apt in London in Hyde Park!
- The most expensive apartment sale on record. More than 190 million more than a five-floor mansion sold in San Francisco.
- 25,000 square feet, equipped with a wine cellar, via partnership with the Mandarin Oriental next door, residents are treated as hotel guests and can order room service.
- The windows are bullet-proof and security comes courtesy of former British Special Forces officers.
How much would a room in heaven cost for rent? Let’s say God gives it to you on the cheap. I’m sure it’s dreamy. But let’s say it is 100$ a month. How many months are in a year? 12. So that’s 1,200$ a year. How much will that be in 10 years? 12,000$. How about in 1000 years? 1,200,000! (1.2 Million dollars!) How about in 1,000,000 years? 100,000,000 years? Is eternity more than 100,000,000 years?
This brings us to the next thing we need to judge in our discussion: Do good deeds get us into heaven? Or can we earn our salvation?
Romans 3:23
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
- There is some background here to help us make a little more of a connection to this scripture about the Law, the Jews, and the Gentiles.
- The Jews believed they were righteous because they had the “Law” handed down from God to Moses to them. The Jews looked at “non-Jews” or “Gentiles” as unclean (not right with God.) But the Jews were never able to totally and perfectly obey the requirements of the law. Therefore, they could not be right with God because of the inability to be made perfect by their own efforts. The law pointed out their imperfections before God and what they believe saved them (having the “laws” of God via their ancestor Moses) actually was their condemnation. The Jews were judging others by the Law.
- The Gentiles did not have the law. They did not care about what they viewed as a “Jewish tradition” or “Jewish superstition.” But non-Jews (or Gentiles) did have a conscience – like all people do. They could never perfectly live up to their conscience – therefore they were not able to be right with God via their efforts either. The Gentiles were judging other’s by their own moral compass/conscience.
- So neither Jews who have the law nor Gentiles who have their conscience can earn their own righteousness. “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Matthew 7:1-5
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
- Jesus says “Do not judge.” What does that mean? Why did Jesus say this?
- Judge = “to pass legal judgment on; pass sentence on (a person)”
- Judgemental = “having an attitude in which judgments about other people’s conduct are made “
- These definitions do not capture the Greek word for “judge” here, which is “krinō.” The word in Greek does mean to “Judge” – but, it means more specifically – “to pronounceanopinionconcerning right and wrong.”
- In other words – we are not to pronounce our opinion regarding what is right and wrong in someone’s life.
- If we define our righteousness or what is right by comparing ourselves to others – then who will God compare us to?
- Can you think of someone more deserving than yourself to be “right with God” and “go to heaven?” (Romans 3:23)
- Jesus then talks about the “speck of sawdust” we point out in our brother’s eye when we are “judging” them.
- It’s like, when we are pronouncing opinions about what is right and wrong in those around us (judging them), we’re not willing to see the plank in our own eye. (Judging ourselves.)
- What does pronouncing this kind of opinion sound like? “We’ll, at least I am not killing anyone! At least I am not as bad as that person on TV. I’m not like other people, who do this.”
- These are all actually judgments about right and wrong, and the measure used is ourselves – comparing ourselves to other people.
Can any of you share examples of “pet peeves?” Things that really bug you? Maybe in a family member or a roommate? (A couple of mine are eating chips with mouth open and chomping/slurping breakfast cereal with an open mouth? The sound of someone breathing through their nose and chewing at the same time.)
What about judging these kinds of things then? How can we know whether we are doing right or wrong by God? If we want to be with God forever – then we’d ought to know what ticks him off? If we are going to “live forever” with someone, we should care about their “point of view?” (POV)
- What does it look like to care about someone’s POV? (Ask the group to share what they personally think.)
- Have you ever listened to someone but “not listened” to them? When and why did you do that? (Personal example – I was mad, I wanted my wife to hear my POV so listened to her…just so I could make my point.)
John 12:48
There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.
- So what will be judging us? What condemns?
- What does it mean to “accept” Jesus’ words? What does it mean to “reject” Jesus’ words?
- What are some of Jesus’ words you accepted? You found hard to accept? Why are Jesus’ words hard to accept sometimes for you?
Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
- What judges our attitude? Where do our attitudes come from? What is an example of a thought you’ve had that the bible is judging?
- How did it feel to be judged? How did you work through those feelings? (Prayer).
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- Can you teach someone without judging them?
- Can you rebuke or correct someone without judging them? Why correct? (It’s wrong!) Why rebuke? (It’s REALLY wrong!) What do we use the bible to train each other in? Righteousness!
- According to who? GOD. It’s his word. It’s his opinion on what is morally wrong or right.
- What are we supposed to use to make “judgements?” Is it us making the judgements then? Why or why not? What standard are we using?
1 Corinthians 2:14-16
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
- Study the bible and learn how to get the Spirit of God and be spiritual. Decide to start judging by God’s Word instead of our own opinions, experiences and/or traditions.
- The same standard God is going to use on others in His judging is going to be used on you – the Bible.
- Learn his word, understand it, apply it to judging the plank in your own eye and help each other love God, truly, deeply, and on God’s terms.
- Discuss 3 practical things you can do to “train in righteousness” this week?
