"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will
see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6 “Do
not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before
swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you
to pieces."
7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
12 "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my honor and great privilege to have you
here with us today. We are especially grateful for those of you who have
been sharing the ministry website, and social media platforms with all of your family and friends.
Your faithfulness and commitment to share God's Word with others
continues to bring about tremendous results. People all around the world are responding to
God's Word, with more and more coming to Christ. This is so amazing!
Therefore, we
ask you to pray that God will
continue to give those of who teach the Word of God the courage and
boldness to speak the truth in ministry, as we continue increasing face
of adversity in the coming days! It's
becoming increasingly difficult in the world in which we live to speak
truth to a
culture that's literally offended by everything, especially biblical
truth. Pastors are being silenced for speaking the truth in God's Word. Christians worldwide experienced high levels of persecution.
This is a dramatic increase from previous years. Therefore, I ask that
you would please join us in praying for our brothers and sisters who are
being persecuted for their faith in Christ.
Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has been warning His disciples about all of the areas of truth related to living within the kingdom. Touching every area of the believers life, with a perspective on an inward commitment not just an external one, given in contrast to the view of the scribes and the Pharisees, who had denied the Word of God and established their own standard of righteousness. This is a very fascinating portion of Scripture, one often quoted and frequently referred to but rarely as a complete package.
In fact, verse 1 "Do not judge so that you will not be judged," is a favorite saying of many people, especially those who unsaved, living in sin. However, Jesus is calling us to realism about ourselves that will keep us from judging someone else until we have dealt with the sin in our own lives.
The scribes and Pharisees were more preoccupied with possessions and money rather than the kingdom of God. In a hypocritical and ostentatious external manner, they acted out their religious activities of giving, praying and fasting before men to appear righteous. Jesus has been affirming that true righteousness and religion comes only from God. It begins in the heart, with humility and requires an internal morality. And in doing so, He has been contrasting Himself with them. In other words, Jesus sets things right!
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we again thank You for this much needed, difficult to hear Word for us today. We confess that what we need to hear is rarely what we want to hear. Lord, You have been so gracious as to forgive us, You have been more merciful with us than we are with each other. Lord, help us to follow Your lead, to stand for the truth, while being compassionate, tender-hearted and forgiving and not to set ourselves up as self-righteous judges of others, believing we are better than we are. We need Your help in maintaining balance in our lives, when we must confront sin and the evil in this world, to do it in love and meekness, without being judgemental or critical, help us to follow Your example, remembering to always seek Your counsel and instruction. May pursue the truth, first applying it to our own lives.
We ask and pray in Christ’s name.
Amen.
Today's Message: Judgment Or Discernment
As we continue our study of this tremendous portion of God's Word, we come to chapter 7, verses one through six,. In the last area of our Lord's comparison, He is unmasking the inadequacy of human religion and wrongful relationships, which goes all the way through verse 12. This is not only very profound teaching, it is a very convicting message for the church. Christ’s command not to judge is another challenge for those of us to not be hypocrites, lifting ourselves up by condemning and judging others.
Sadly, this often happens in the church as people begin to grow in knowledge, but fail to grow in discipline. As ones who are to be known for our love, we have become unmerciful, unforgiving, unkind, and lacking the grace, we have freely received. Often despising those who struggle with the very things we have previously struggled with. Or in some cases, currently struggle with. As long as we are in these bodies, we will always struggle with sin and we will always need to help others who also struggle. How often we allow our pride and egotism to cause us to look down upon others. How soon we forget our own propensity to weakness and that we were once one of them.
Open your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 7. Jesus says more in these twelve verses than all of the secular books written on human behavioral psychology. As with most Scripture, these verses are frequently misinterpreted. Without considering the surrounding text, one is able make these verses mean almost anything. Many assume that Christ is forbidding all judgment. However, that would be a wrong interpretation.When interpreting Scripture, we must be sure to consider all of the surrounding context, as well as that particular book, and the entire Bible as a whole. Then, we must rightly judge ourselves to see if we are in fact truly born again. Therefore, Christ is not forbidding all judgment.
I invite you to follow along with me as I read these twelve verses, as we prepare our hearts for the Spirit of God is saying to each of us.
Matthew 7:1-12.
"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
"In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
In verses 1 to 6, Jesus is instructing us first with a negative, on how we are to act with one another and what we are not to do. And then in verses 7 to 12, with a positive or what we are to do. Jesus gives us an amazing summation in just twelve verses on how we are to deal with people. Today, in dealing with the first six verses, we’re going to be looking at it in terms of the negative.
Let's look at verse 1, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged." Sounds simple enough doesn't it, don't judge." We live in a society, where we often hear people throwing such phrases around as "You have no right to judge me!," or "Who do you think you are to judge me?" I'm sure at one time or another, we've all heard such expressions in frustration with those who are defending their sinful behavior. Even in most Christian circles, they want to speak about God's love, and they talk about unity and compromise, literally anything that will get everybody together. But they hate to talk about sin, conviction and judgement. In fact, they may even try to tear those of us in ministry apart if we present convicting doctrine to them. Such teaching is branded as controversial and offensive.
I have heard a number of people say that "One thing that must be eliminated in Christianity is doctrine. Doctrine is dividing the church." That's absolutely absurd! The only thing dividing the body of Christ is satanic doctrine and false teaching. Those of us who know what they believe and why they believe it and are not intimidated in the least in speaking the Truth. Quite frankly, there wouldn’t have even been a reformation if there hadn’t been men who stood up for the Truth and their convictions.
Jesus' entire Sermon on the Mount is predicated on a clear understanding between true and false religion and true righteousness and self-righteous hypocrisy. As we will see later, in verses 13 to 20, Jesus points out there are many in the church who are not saved at all. And in verse 23, He tells them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’" There must be discernment, there must be judging to be able to distinguish between the true and the false. Throughout the pages of Scripture, we are commanded to discern, test, discriminate, and evaluate between good and evil. If you only perceive things superficially, you can't possibly know who you're dealing with. The Bible commands us to discern. I won't belabor all of them, I'll just run through a few quickly.
In Galatians 1, Paul said "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!"
In Proverbs 16, "A worthless man digs up evil, while his words are like scorching fire. A perverse man spreads strife, and a slanderer separates intimate friends."
That’s not what Jesus is talking about here. Because we cannot know why a person does what he does, so we can't judge their motives. Our Lord is talking about having a self-righteous, judgmental, critical spirit. This is the kind of spirit seen in gossips, who enjoy broadcasting the failures of others. We’re not to condemn others because we don’t like they way they think, act and talk. Jesus is saying that we have no business in doing that.
I can assure you that when you're pointing out someones failures and it is motivated by love, pain and heart break will surely accompany it. As we see in
Luke 13, "
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!" Jesus is not glad, He does not rejoice, His heart is breaking. There's no place in a Christians life for personal vengeance or hasty judgments spawned by self-righteous pride. To judge other people and their motives is to usurp the divine position of God. In fact, it's strictly forbidden. If you do this, you will be judged.
Look at verse 2 "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you." That's pretty straightforward. Let me put it another way, every time you sit in judgment of someone, you're playing God! We're not talking about if there's an obvious sin, that must not be tolerated and the principles of biblical judgment must be followed. It's interesting that even the omniscient God gathers information before pronouncing final judgment.
In the Garden, God asked Adam if he had eaten from the forbidden tree, although He obviously already knew the answer. If God gathers all the facts before coming to a conclusion, how much more should we? Many people think they're in a position to judge, held to a different standard, exempt from rules that apply to everybody else. Jesus' words are clear, you’re going to get just what you give! We should not jump to conclusions. Because if you know enough to judge someone else, you'll prove you know enough to be judged on it. Therefore, God is going to evaluate you on the basis of your knowledge. Quite often, we allow our sin and the sins of others often shade the truth.
That brings us to these next three verses, 3 through 5. "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will
see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."
Here Jesus describes how sin blinds our ability to effectively evaluate and minister to others. We must always allow mercy and love temper our judgments. Spirit-filled judgment done in love, is constructive, it restores others as it builds them up. Harsh, critical judgment is destructive, done in spite tears others down, it hurts people. And it ultimately hurts us as well. If we make judgments without showing mercy, then no mercy
will be shown when we are judged.
Notice that Jesus is pointing how the one trying to help the other has the bigger problem, making him unequipped for ministering to others. That’s why Scripture says, "To whom much is given, much is required." In other words, the more you know, the more you’re responsible for. If you know enough to judge, you have no excuse. When we focus on the sins of others and we diminish our own.
To sit in criticism and judgement of others is to play God, and a very serious offense. People tend to see everything wrong in somebody else’s life, while seeing absolutely nothing wrong in their own life, even the most vile, wretched sin. It’s the plank in your own eye, that makes you incapable of helping anyone else. We are unfit to judge anyone, not only because we are partial in our own
favor, but we are fallible, helplessly and hopelessly blinded by our
own sin, that's the point of verse 5, "You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will
see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."
If you’re really concerned about righteousness, deal with your own sin before dealing with someone else's. Since the fall, man
has blamed others for his problems. When God asked Adam if he ate from
the forbidden tree, he essentially blamed God and the woman God gave
him.
Galatians 6 says, "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."
And in I Corinthians 11, Paul tells us "But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world." As we abide in God’s Word and in prayer, we must pay attention to discerning our own sins. Because of our spiritual blindness, like it or not, we all need people who to challenge us when we seem to be straying from a righteous path.
In
II Samuel 12, The Lord sent Nathan to rebuke David for committing adultery with Bathsheba, killing her husband Uriah, and then marrying her. We all need Nathans, someone will is willing to speak prophetically into our lives.
That brings us to verse 6, "Do
not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before
swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you
to pieces."
Dogs in those days were not the little lap dogs pets wearing designer sweaters, with rhinestone collars we see today. Dogs in those days were trained to work with the sheep. In the city, dogs were wild scavengers, which people lived in fear of. They ate the garbage around the city. They would sometimes attack people to steal their food. When Jezebel fell out of a window, the dogs came and ate her. The pigs that Christ refers to were probably wild boars, dangerous and unclean. The point is, neither would recognize the value of God’s truth.
The same is true for some who we preach the gospel to, they become angry, they mock God and us and even become violent towards us. In His earthly ministry, Christ was not indiscriminate with God’s Word. In fact, He told the disciples when they went into towns and preached the gospel,
if people rejected it, they should wipe the dust off their shoes and go elsewhere. Jesus was patient with Peter and He was patient with Thomas but when He was brought before Herod, He said nothing, He did nothing. When Israel continually rejected God’s Word, Christ eventually stopped sharing it clearly with them. He hid the Truth from them and began to teach using parables.
There are some people who will hear your criticisms, and will respond your efforts and the Truth. But don't waste God's precious truths on those who would disregard it, reject it without giving a single thought to its significance. Don’t waste things of value on those who don’t appreciate them. That's what the Lord is saying here. This a very powerful truth!
Paul said the same thing when writing to the Corinthians "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?"
In Closing...
When Christ rose from the dead, never one time did He appear to an unbeliever, even once. We have to learn to be discriminating in our ministry. We have to be careful not to throw holy things to dogs. He's talking about the Word of God.
As I hear the teaching coming from many of the pulpits, there's very little clear teaching of God’s Word. All that seems to be being shared is human philosophy, personal stories and illustrations with vague references to Scripture. I can't help but to believe God is doing the same with many of our churches today. For those who want more, who are willing to listen we must continually offer it. However, much of the church has developed an attitude of rejection, denying the truths of Scripture, trampling on the pearls of wisdom offered to them by God. Therefore, God ceasing to offer it.
That said, I will continue to offer to the Truth to those who desire to hear, sowing the seed and water it, but God is ultimately the one who prepares the hearts of the hearer. Regardless of how long I've been teaching, I still rely upon God’s wisdom to help me discern the best way to minister to others. It's important to continue to share the Gospel, but also to discern the condition of people’s hearts. We must be patient, as Christ has been with each of us, and wait until the time is right, as God prepares their hearts. We must be very careful how we share the Bible, faithfully continuing to seek the Lord in guiding us as to when and with whom we are to share the Gospel. We must discriminate, but we must never be judgmental and critical, because we only set ourselves up as a self-righteous judge. It all comes down to a matter of the heart.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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