God does not Judge by external appearances.

 

God does not Judge by external appearances

 

 

1.    God does not judge by external appearances. (Galatians 2:6)

 

2.    The Lord does not look at things that man looks at, man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

 

 

3.    Do not judge others, 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 against you. (Matthew 7:1, 2)

 

4.    For each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to someone else, for each one should carry his own load. (Galatians 6:4)

 

 

What others see is very small compared to who we really are.

 

We are called not to judge others and that includes our self, we are not to judge or compare our self to others.

 

We are who we are, unique in every way, Gods loved child.

 

Jesus said in John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

 

Living in Darkness, Living in Light, an demonstration and practical example for our children.

 

A good visual demonstration of this just came to me so as to give my children the true meaning of this.

 

First we would take them into a totally dark environment. We would tell them this represents the world and what Satan stands for – total and complete darkness. Then we would talk about what living in darkness would be like. How difficult it would be because we were unable to see. Then we would light a candle and tell the children that the candle was Jesus and he represented the light of the world. Even in total darkness we are now able to see because the flame of light brightens the darkened area. Now we could get around without stumbling. I think the kids would get the idea of this demonstration. I know I would.

 

 

 

 

God does not judge by external appearances

 

Galatians 2:6 – God does not judge by external appearances. 1 Samuel 16:7 – But the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.

 

The Lord does not look at things men took at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

 

In Luke 11:37-54 – we see the 6 woes of the Pharisees.

 

Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law

³⁷ When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. ³⁸ But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

³⁹ Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

⁴² “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

⁴³ “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

⁴⁴ “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

⁴⁶ Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

⁴⁷ “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. ⁴⁸ So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ ⁵⁰ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

⁵² “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³ When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, ⁵⁴ waiting to catch him in something he might say.

He says in verse 39 – Now then you Pharisees clean the outside of your cup and dish but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. In Matthew 23:25 – he replaces the word wickedness with self-indulgence. In verse 26 of Matthew he says, blind Pharisees, first clean the inside of the dish and then the outside will be clean. In Matthew 7:1, 2 – Do not judge or you to will be judged. For the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you. In 1 Corinthians 4:5 – Paul tells us therefore judge nothing before the appointed time. 1 Peter 3:3-5 – Peter is talking to wives, he says, your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as braided hair and wearing gold and jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's eyes. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – we see that love does not envy, it is not proud. 2 Corinthians 4:16, 18 – Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. So we fix our eyes not in what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 1 Timothy 2:9 – I want women to dress modestly with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. And finally 1 John 2:15-7 – Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For everything in the world, the craving of the sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the father but from the world. The world and its desires will pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

 

We live in a society where we are bombarded with things which appear beautiful on the outside. Our mothers use to tell us, you can’t judge a book by its cover. They also said beauty is only skin deep.

 

It is difficult, but not impossible to remain humble, live in humility, and not adorn ourselves with possessions which define who we are.

 

We live in such a fast paced world in which we don’t take the time to really get to know someone.

 

In fact most people are afraid to let others know who they truly are so they surround themselves with what is acceptable to the world, not necessarily to our Lord.

Appearance – the way something looks, outward aspect. A false show, pretense.

 

 

False – being contrary to truth or fact. Deliberately untrue or deceptive. Not real or natural, artificial.

 

Pretense – a false and deceptive appearance or action. A false purpose, pretext. An outward show or attempt. An unsupported claim. Ostentatious display.

 

Ostentatious – lavish or pretentious display.

 

What you see may not necessarily and most likely not be real. Many people adorn themselves with fancy clothes, homes, cars, boats, perfumes, makeup, toys, vacations to make up for a lack of a character trait they believe to be missing and therefore they create or present an image to mask or hide their perceived lack. It is a sad commentary on our society that so much of what we see and believe is based on outward appearance.

 

The Lord did tell us that men would look at the outward appearance but that he would not.

Be careful what you look at, what you hear and how you dress

 

As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to be mindful of what our eyes look at.

 

Luke 11:34 – Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body is filled with light. But when they are bad, your body is filled with darkness. We have to be very careful what we allow our eyes to see because they are the window to our soul.

 

If you allow your eyes to look at things of the world, your mind will be filled with things of the world. Remember what Matthew said in 6:21 – For where your treasure is there your heart will also be. Be cautious what you allow your eyes to see; through them your mind is filled.

 

This is also true of your ears, we need to be extra careful what we allow our ears to hear, they too are a window to our soul. If you allow yourself to hear things which are contrary to the Lords command of love, love, love, they you are filling your mind with senseless chatter.

 

With our eyes we watch TV, read newspapers, magazines, books, and look at our surroundings. We need to be careful what information we are putting into our mind and our thoughts. When you look at something, a magazine for example, ask yourself what value does the Lord want me to receive by reading the articles or looking at the pictures. Is this something Jesus would pick up and casually read? Or would he be offended by its content? How about TV shows, movies? Again ask yourself, if Jesus were here right now would he be sitting here watching this TV show or movie?

 

Likewise we need to be careful how we dress. Do we dress, makeup our self to please the Lord, our self or other people. Are we dressed modestly? Where do we draw the line? I believe it is important to take pride in your appearance, to look nice, to present a good image. It shows you care about yourself, you take pride in yourself. The real question that needs to be answered is this.

 

Are you dressing and making yourself up to please the Lord, yourself or other people.

We saw a few days ago that the Lord does not want us to be self-absorbed; he wants us to be humble, to not be conceited, vain, or prideful. He cautioned us in 1 John to not love the world or anything in the world.

 

He said that everything in the world the craving of the sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has or does come not from God but from the world.

 

Lust here is more than just sexual desire, it is envy, jealousy, wanting what others have, not be satisfied with what you have.

 

What is the 10^th commandment? Exodus 20:17 – You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, their spouse, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. In Galatians 6:4 – Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else, for each man should carry his own load.

 

You have everything you need with the Lord. No book or magazine, TV show or movie is going to give you the answers to life. They only come from the Lord.

 

Stop comparing yourself to others!

 

Stop seeking answers to your questions about life from the news, from magazines, the newspaper, friends, family, TV, books, church.

 

Start seeking the answers to your questions in life through prayer, prayer, and more prayer, reading and studying the bible and putting into practice, action what the bible has to teach us.

 

You will never find the answers to life in a self-help magazine. Never.

 

You will never find it in a diet pill or program, medication, alcohol, fine clothes, fine dining, expensive jewelry, homes, cars, boats, trips, it can only be found through a life of obedience to the commands of our Lord.

 

Peace, happiness, joy, a sense of fulfillment, pleasure comes from serving the Lord and not other men.

 

Matthew 16:26 – What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul.

 

We may learn what it takes to live in this world but in the process forfeit our soul because we failed to learn what it takes to achieve Eternal Salvation.

 

How much time do you spend each day reading the newspaper, a magazine or a book, watching TV, a movie or any other form of entertainment?

 

How much time each day do you spend in conversation with the Lord in prayer, word, thought or deed, reading the bible, studying the bible, putting the words and commands of the bible into action?

 

You be the judge of that.

 

Most people spend more time showering each day than they spend with the Lord.

 

How about you?

 

If Jesus were to come and spend a day or two walking around with you would he be happy with what he sees?

 

Our Lord and Savior will never forsake us or leave us, he is always with us. Do things in life that are pleasing to the Lord. Be careful that you don’t spend so much time preparing yourself to live in the world and the standards set by the world.

 

The truth is Jesus is right here walking with us each and every day. We are not trying to keep up or compare our self with our neighbors. We are all our own unique identity. No one has lived our life but us, the only one who knows you like you do are you.

Stop seeking answers outside of yourself and your relationship with the Lord.

 

Stop judging others and comparing others and stop this endless analyzing of yourself in relation to the world and the standards set by the world.

 

Analyze – to psychoanalyze.

 

Psychoanalyze – a means of treating mental disorders through the analysis of usually subconscious feeling or conflicts.

 

Satan loves for us to believe there is something wrong with our self, our relationship with others and that we are substandard, in need of more and more information, analysis in order to live up to the standards set by society.

 

When we live for the Lord, we don’t lack anything.

 

When we live for other men, we will never have enough, be enough, do enough, we won’t have enough of anything so we will constantly be looking for ways to fill the void we perceive we have in our lives.

 

There is no void when we live in obedience to the Lord.

 

What is impossible for men to achieve is possible for God to achieve.

 

Luke 18:27 – What is impossible for men is possible for God. Luke 1:37 – For nothing is impossible for God. In Matthew 17:20 – If you have faith as small as a mustard seed…, nothing will be impossible for you.

 

Yes it is difficult to live in this world.

 

To separate our self from the desires and standards of the world, to not compare, to not judge, to not be prideful, to be humble.

 

But it is not impossible, nothing is impossible for God.

Don’t let the world define who you are, don’t live in order to please men in the world, but God who is in heaven.

 

Don’t sacrifice your soul for worldly pleasure.

 

Stand tall, stand firm, stand confident, be honest, trustful, men and women of integrity, never by what others think, say or do. Be your own person, live for the Lord, don't live to please other men.

 

Have compassion, sympathy, live for others.

 

Plant the seed that Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior.

 

Serve others and stop seeking to be served.

 

Give to others without expecting anything in return.

 

Take pride in yourself and your appearance so as to please the Lord.

 

Luke 8:16 – No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.

 

We are the light of Christ. Let everyone see the light of Christ in you.

 

Don't judge others by their external appearance; don’t judge yourself on your external appearance.

 

You will be judged by others, no doubt about that.

 

But go about your own business, seeking to do the work and will of the Lord.

 

Don’t worry about what others think or say about you, especially when it comes to your appearance.

 

Matthew 6:25-34 – Therefore do not worry about your life … what you will eat, drink, about your body, your clothes. But seek he first the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

 

The Lord knows what we need and he will provide.

Don’t seek approval from man, but from God, there and only there will you find true happiness, joy, comfort, peace, contentment.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I love you Lord. I honor, respect and will obey your commands.

 

I will stop focusing on men and keep focusing on loving and serving you and my neighbor.

 

Control – to exercise dominating influence authority over, direct. Authority or ability to regulate, dominate or direct

 

Power – the capacity or ability to do or accomplish something. Strength, force or might. The authority or ability to control others. One having great authority or influence.

 

1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

 

That is it for this evening. I am going to pick this subject up again tomorrow. Don’t forget to write about self -control, as well as control of one’s self and others. I want to write about ones desire to have or exercise dominion, power, control, authority over other individuals. What effect does the loss of control have on an individual? Why do some people feel as though they need to be in control of the situation and of others and what happens when they lose control.

 

Absolute power corrupts an individual.

 

We know that the Lord does not want us exercising power control, authority over other individuals when it is negative.

 

I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

A little more……

 

God does not Judge by external appearances

 

 

1.    God does not judge by external appearances. (Galatians 2:6)

 

2.    The Lord does not look at things that man looks at, man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

 

 

3.    Do not judge others, 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 against you. (Matthew 7:1, 2)

 

4.    For each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to someone else, for each one should carry his own load. (Galatians 6:4)

 

 

What others see is very small compared to who we really are.

 

We are called not to judge others and that includes our self, we are not to judge or compare our self to others.

 

We are who we are, unique in every way, Gods loved child.

 

Jesus said in John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.