INTRODUCTION
Nobody wants to be judged. Just thinking about people forming an opinion of you and looking down on you brings up bad memories and unpleasant emotions. But as Christians, what are we to do when we see someone clearly in the wrong? Are we just to sit and watch them make the same poor decisions for fear of coming across as judgmental? In this session we'll discuss what our responsibility is when we see something in someone else's life that we know isn't right.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- When have you felt judged? How did it make you feel? How did you react?
- When have you found yourself judging someone else in the past week (i.e. their clothes, their job performance, their choices)?
- Why are we so tempted to judge others? Where does that tendency come from?
- Read Matthew 7:1-2. When we judge others it will come back to us in the same way and with the same weight. How do you want to be judged by others and by God? How should this impact how you judge others?
- Read Matthew 7:3-4. Why is it that we can clearly see what is wrong with someone else, but it is so hard for us to see our own faults?
- Read Matthew 7:5. When you are tempted to judge someone else, you need to stop and look at the same issue in your life. As you think about where you are tempted to judge people, what issue in your life could God be calling you to address?
THINK ABOUT IT
Have you felt judged by someone recently? If someone confronts you about an issue in your life, they aren?t necessarily being judgmental; they may be sticking their nose into your life because they love you. What could you be missing out on by not listening?
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
When you come to terms with the sin in your life it makes you a perfect candidate to address the sin in someone else's life. How can you put this into practice this week?
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2