Everyone, it's lovely to be together this morning.
My name is Graham and I'm the pastor here of the church.
And then we're going to pray and we'll get into it together.
So this is me reading from the NIV.
The NIV is also on the screen behind me.
This is Jesus speaking.
Do not judge or you too will be judged.
For in the same way as 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's 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.
Do not give to the dogs what is sacred.
Do not throw your pearls to pigs.
If you do, they may 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 the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives.
The one who seeks finds.
And to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
If you then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.
For this sums up the law and the prophets.
And God will bless the reading of his word to us this morning.
Father, we just pray as we think about this passage today,
realizing, Lord, how difficult a subject this is in so many ways.
Father, we pray that what we know not, you would teach us.
What we have not, you would give us.
And particularly what we are not, you would make us.
And we can pray that boldly and expectantly
because we pray it in the wonderful name of your son, Jesus.
Amen.
Well, folks, keep that passage open in front of you.
Complete the phrase, popularized by Elton John.
I'm going to go with 1986, but I can't remember off the top of my head.
What seems to be the hardest word?
Question.
Have you ever wondered why that's true?
See, while you're thinking on it,
here's what I reckon on the flip side is the easiest word.
Particularly when it comes to critiquing the motives and the failings of others.
If sorry seems to be the hardest word,
I tell you what, I think guilty seems to be the easiest word.
Same question.
Have you ever wondered why that's true?
And at this point, let me be the first to put my hand up and say,
Hi, my name is Graham and I've got a judging problem.
I'm my own best self-defense lawyer.
I love to play judge and jury.
I cut myself meters worth of slack,
but I offer a shoelace size worth of it to others.
And I desperately need Jesus to change my heart.
And if you're like me, you're thinking the exact same thing.
Do you know the good news?
Is that that's the precise thing that Jesus speaks into today
because he's desperate to heal us of it.
Now, let me give you two bits of context
that will color in the background to these verses.
They're really important.
Here's number one.
Remember the disciples are swimming in the cultural waters
dominated by the Pharisees,
the religious leaders of the day.
Do you know what their favorite hymn is?
The chorus goes like this.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
earned by a star like me.
They get grace in the head,
but they think that God shows them that grace
because of their religious devotion to his law.
And that's why they,
maybe we've tracked with this over the number of weeks
in the Sermon on the Mount.
That is why they are intent on lowering the bar
when it comes to the law.
Therefore, making it easier for people to try and obey it
or for them to feel like they're obeying it.
Because then they can feel really good about themselves
because their good deeds have got themselves
into God's good books.
But the gospel doesn't work like that.
And Jesus unmasks them and says,
they are proud lovers of self.
They are like Snow White's apple.
They look really juicy and life-giving on the outside,
but you take one bite of it
and it's full of poison on the inside.
And because they get grace in the head,
but it hasn't penetrated their hearts,
do you know what's their speciality?
Judging others.
Bit of context number two.
In stark contrast to the inner life of the Pharisees,
Jesus is speaking to his disciples
about how through his death and resurrection,
how united to him,
they can know God as their father.
And that, dear friends,
is the most wonderful privilege that any human being could know.
As the late English theologian D.I. Packer put it,
if you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity,
find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child
and having God as his father.
And Jesus has been spotlighting,
in light of that privilege,
the things that might trip up disciples
in terms of living out that truth.
And we thought about a few of these things over the last few weeks.
We thought about money,
if you remember that.
We thought about worry last week.
And this morning,
we are thinking about judging.
So Jesus is particularly talking in the context here
about relationships between people in the church.
And he's going to land it,
if you've got it there,
at verse 12.
Have a look at it there if you've got it.
Do you see verse 12?
And do you see the first word of verse 12?
It's the word so,
which tells us that the purpose of everything
that Jesus has just said in the previous 11 verses
is designed to get us there.
So if you like,
that's where the heat of this sermon is.
That bit,
that's where we're aiming today.
And with that verse in mind,
can I tell you what's been in my head all week
what I've been thinking about?
Here's the question.
How would I like to be treated by others?
Particularly when it comes to my failings.
What's on your bingo card?
Can I give you mine?
Here it is.
I'd like people to be patient with me
when I make mistakes.
I'd like people to be quick to forgive me
when I get it wrong.
I'd people to be quick to reach out and say,
I was slightly offended by that comment you made.
I would love to forgive you.
Do you see it?
I'd love people to say that.
I'd love people to give me the benefit of the doubt
again when I get it wrong.
And on and on and on and on,
this list could go about how I would love others
to treat me when it comes to my failings.
It's quite the wish list.
Now I'm going to fly a kite here
and say that your list is probably quite similar to mine.
And here's a thought for you at the start.
Would you not love to be part of a church community like that?
Which means we desperately need to pay attention
to how Jesus gets to that soul.
Yeah?
And so we're going to take in what Jesus is saying here
just under two headings.
If you're a note taker, these are the two headings.
If you're not, just get into the habit of that.
Just try and break it up like an orange.
Just don't bite it all at once.
Just try and break it up.
Here's number one.
We've taken in verses one to six.
Jesus is saying,
you need to work hard to see clearly.
And I think verse one is a prime contender
for being the most misquoted verse in all of the Bible.
You see it?
Because we'll come on to see
that Jesus is all for judging rightly.
What he's dead against is judgmentalism.
And to make his point,
he uses a bit of observational comedy.
Friends, if you're here today
and you think Jesus wasn't funny,
let this prove you wrong.
And he's taking it straight from a setting
that Jesus would be very familiar with,
the carpenter's workshop.
So Bogdan, are you here?
Bogdan, I saw you itching at your eye earlier
and I really don't want you to get conjunctivitis.
So can I just come here
and I'm just going to take it out of your eye.
Okay?
So Bogdan, this is only going to work, bro,
if you stay still.
Okay?
Bogdan, you're making this a lot harder
than it needs to be.
Bogdan, I don't think you're getting this.
You can sit down.
Okay.
So, here's the question.
Do you see how Jesus is using humor
to make a serious point?
And what do they say humor does to people
in terms of receiving really hard things to hear?
It lowers the defenses.
Yeah?
So, in this story,
Jesus probably doesn't even need to say it
as people laugh at what he's saying.
What does everybody hearing this
know needs to happen first?
The man needs to take the log out of his own eye.
Yeah?
That's exactly what he's saying here.
I'd imagine this is a bit like
when you're on a plane
and they tell you to fit your own oxygen mask
first before trying to help others.
It's got that,
those kind of vibes to it.
So, you see what Jesus is saying, right?
If the Chuckle Brothers did a sketch like that,
we'd have been hysterics, wouldn't we?
He's using humor to make a serious point.
And so, here is the serious point.
First diagnostic question of this passage.
Friends, are we willing to see our heart issues?
And it's worth reflecting on that phrase
that Jesus uses there.
Do you see it?
Do not notice.
Again, look at it in the text.
Or pay no attention to.
Do you see that in verse 3?
Now, it could be the things in our lives
we are willfully refusing to face them.
And Jesus is saying that's a problem.
I read one commentator this week
and he put it like this.
I thought it was really interesting.
It's so often the case that
what we condemn in others
are the very weaknesses we know exist in us.
And that we're scared to face up to
in ourselves.
And that's kind of true, isn't it?
How often the failings that I dislike in other people
and are so quick to pick up on
are the exact things that are issues for me.
Some questions for you, friends.
When was the last time that you and I
held our hands up and said,
I think I got it wrong?
When was the last time we owned a mistake?
When was the last time we said,
Fair Cop Gov?
When was the last time we said,
Sorry?
See if the honest answer to those questions is,
I can't remember.
Then can I lovingly suggest
that we shouldn't take that to mean
that in life we're playing a blinder.
It is much more likely to be the case
that that is an indicator of a proud heart.
Where would you love to change?
We always need to remember
that the best looking Christian
is one growing by the Spirit
into the likeness of Jesus.
And so where would you love to change?
But something else do not notice could mean,
if you think about it,
is that we just don't see our problems.
It's one of the first things they teach you
when you're learning to drive, isn't it?
How to use your car mirrors properly
and very quickly,
just before mirror signal maneuver,
what do they say you've got to be aware of?
Your blind spots.
We've all got them.
Problem is, by very definition,
we just don't see them.
And that's why we need people around us
who are lovingly invested in us enough,
who can gently and lovingly point them
out to us in love.
But back to the comedy sketch,
let's assume that the log is out.
What does Jesus say
is now able to happen for that person?
Have a look.
What are they now able to do?
Take the speck out of their brother's eye.
And don't miss how radical a thing that is.
Particularly in our world
where we are bombarded with that slogan,
each to their own.
And that is where it stops.
I mean, who are you to judge others?
Do you not remember Thumper Rabbit from Bambi?
If you can't say nothing nice,
don't say nothing at all.
But according to Jesus,
your brother has still got a speck in his eye.
And if you love him,
you'll speak into the speck.
Which takes us to the second diagnostic question
that this passage asks us.
Friends, are we willing to say the hard things?
Our job is not to be like girls in a hen do
who will only say nice things to the bride-to-be,
or to be like the guys down the pub with their mates
who put the world to rights,
but talking about the serious things of life
is completely out of bounds.
Hear me when I say, friends,
that echo chambers might be comfortable and affirming,
but they are terrible places
for the development of our character.
And that's why the local church,
this network of people,
is the God-given arena for us to grow in godliness.
That's why if you're here today,
maybe you're a student new to the city,
you've literally just arrived,
maybe you're starting a job here,
can I plead with you to prioritize
finding a local church?
Do we have people in our lives
who we have given express permission to
to tell us the things that we might not want to hear,
but that we need to hear?
And do you notice what has happened
by the time we get to the end of this comedy sketch?
Blink and you might miss this.
Look what's happened.
Do you notice
that both people are now seeing clearly?
What a win for the health of the church.
Now listen, really quickly as we move on,
this idea of seeing clearly
carries on to what Jesus talks about
when he says,
throwing pearls before swine.
Don't have an awful lot of time to get this,
but I just wanted us to touch on it.
I take it Jesus is talking about
if the gospel is the pearl
by the swine he's got in mind,
I take it those who continue to reject the gospel.
He's got in mind those people who we speak to
who aren't interested in seeing clearly.
And that can be hugely discouraging
just to own that.
Remember living in halls at uni,
right next door to a girl called Alice.
Alice and I got on great guns,
but she made it very clear from the start,
abundantly clear,
that she just wasn't interested
in any of my God stuff.
And that's fine.
Just kept trying to take opportunities,
kept trying to speak to her.
But then the Lord opened my eyes to say,
there's actually another 600 people in this hall
so you need to keep speaking to.
And so I take it, friends,
that it's true that there is a time
when we need to leave people with the Lord
and perhaps move on
and to start speaking to other people in our lives
who don't know Jesus.
We want to tease that out a bit more.
Just grab somebody who you've come with this morning
or one of the elders.
We'd love to pray into that a bit more with you,
but we need to move on.
Flowing on from seeing clearly.
Second thing that Jesus says is,
verse 7 to 12.
Look up and ask trustingly.
So when Jesus says,
ask, seek, knock,
I think this is Jesus just saying the same thing
three times in complimentary ways.
Why?
Because he knows that we so quickly forget.
What's the key to education?
Repetition.
Do you see how he says it?
Not once, not twice, three times.
Because he knows that we're slow to believe this.
And what this says is ultimately another opportunity
to gaze at the heart of our Father.
And to get us thinking along those lines,
Jesus says,
do you see,
I want you to think about
what kind of parent you are
or perhaps the kind of parent that you had.
And again,
this is where I need to hold my hands up
and say to you
that nothing has revealed my heart issues
quite like being a parent.
And there have been moments
when in the cool of the day
when I've honestly reflected on my actions
and I've thought to myself,
perhaps impatience is a bigger deal in my life
than I think it is.
Perhaps I'm not over anger.
I'm actually,
I still am deep down an angry man.
I go good cop when I should have gone bad cop.
I often go bad cop when I should have gone good cop.
But here's the thing.
See,
despite all the messed up work in progress nature of my heart,
I have never,
ever wanted anything
than to give my children what is good for them.
And that's Jesus' point
is he uses another bit of first century humor.
You know,
if I could translate what Jesus is saying
at verses nine and 10,
have a look at it there into modern terms.
This is the equivalent of wrapping a,
he's saying you would never do this.
You would never wrap a Christmas present,
put it under the tree
and on Christmas morning,
invite your child to open it
and say,
what's that little rosy?
Does it look like a squishmallow?
What is it?
No,
it's a live hand grenade.
Ha ha ha ha.
That's what he's saying,
isn't it?
And here's Jesus' point.
You would never dream of doing that
and you are,
do you see the word he uses?
You are evil.
You would never dream of doing that
and yet you are evil.
How much more then?
And we've seen that logic
that Jesus has been using
over the last number of weeks.
How much more then
will your perfect heavenly father
give you exactly what you need?
And again,
two quick diagnostic questions.
Here's the first one.
Friends,
will we trust his definition of good?
Back to the parent-child thing again.
You know,
there are times
when our kids ask for things
and it's just a no.
Other times,
it's a not now.
Right?
Maybe a mobile phone,
one day,
not when you're 10.
Right?
Not now.
Sometimes,
it's a yes.
But the thing is,
whichever option you choose,
the thing is,
you're trying to communicate
that the answer that we're given
is rooted in the fact
that we love you.
How much more then
does our heavenly father
who is for us
and has his full affection on us
because our lives are united to Christ,
how much more is he the perfect parent
with no speck in his eye?
How much more will he give us
what is good?
And friends,
what if that definition of good
included that which is tough?
How many of us in this room
have stories
that God took us through trials,
trials that we would never have chosen,
but that we came through them
knowing our heavenly father
so much better
than we ever did before.
There'll be a lot of stories
in this room like that.
But maybe just go and pastoral
for a moment.
I know so many of you
are in this room just now
and perhaps you're in the place
or you've been in the place
and you hear me say that,
you read this text
and you think,
not convinced.
Because I've been praying
for something for years
and it just feels like
I'm getting voicemail.
And dear friends,
the only thing I can say
in love
and desiring to walk with you
through life
and that's what church community
is all about.
Just encourage you to see
that Jesus knows
what that is like.
He knows what it is
for him to pray
to his father
and for his father
to stay silent.
Because fast forward
to the end of Matthew's gospel
and I have no idea
when we'll get there
but we will.
On the cusp of the cross
in the garden of Gethsemane,
Jesus would cry out
and remember
the thought before him
of the cross
was utterly terrifying.
That is why he sweats,
he sweats drops of blood
and he prays,
Lord, would this cup
pass from me
and yet silence.
But fully submissive
to the will of his father,
he goes there.
And so the plea,
pastorally,
is all of us
to consider Jesus.
And because he went there,
because he did that
in our Genesis 3
east of Eden world
where evil things happen
and we can call them evil
and life is full of loose ends
and hurts and heartaches,
this word good
means that we can play
the long game
knowing the father's heart.
we can look forward
to heaven
and to him
and not that he's
at the finish line
just waiting for us to come.
He's with us
through every single
heartache and pain
and tear that we shed.
And so second question
and we land with this,
will we embrace
his example
of good?
And perhaps
if that last application
point was wide,
I think this application
point is narrow
and it's probably
where the grain
of the text
is leading us
because I think
in the context
of those verses,
Jesus is still
talking about
relationships
with other people
in the church.
So he's not
changed the subject.
This can so often
read like an AOCB.
We were talking about
that in sermon prep
this week,
an AOCB to the
Sermon on the Mount
where he's just
chucking in things
randomly.
I think there's a lot
more purpose to that
than that.
He's not changed
the subject.
And I think this is
where we need to
close it today
as we think about
our life together.
You know,
I was up in,
we were up in Aberdeen
for John and Ali's
wedding on Thursday.
And it's actually
the first time
that I've been back
in Aberdeen
since I graduated
from there in 2008.
Shocking.
But we're driving
the streets
and I'm giving
Alex the tour.
This big part
of my life
that she never knew
and I'm giving
him the tour.
That's where
our halls
of residence were.
That's where
the lecture halls
were.
And that was
my first flat
when I moved
out of university.
And I scored
a great goal
on that football
pitch as if she
was caring.
But all these
memories come
flooding back to
me of that
season of my life.
But do you know
what else came
flooding back to me
in that same
moment?
It was all
the mistakes I
made.
particularly when
it comes to
how I treated
people.
And it struck
me afresh
because I knew
we were preaching
this this morning.
Just how
patient
our Father
is
with us.
And the thing
is we probably
have no
idea.
And knowing
his patient,
patient
with me
who is
evil
character
should change
how we view
and relate
to other
people.
Do you see it?
Because see if that
word good is
simply about
material things,
if God gives
me the good
things,
that's not
going to help
me love and
treat others
like I want
to be treated,
is it?
And that's
what convinces
me that's the
connection between
these two
things.
However,
what if within
that definition
of good
are the
character
traits that
you and I
need in order
to love
people in
our church
family the
way that
we'd love
to be
treated?
Lord,
help me.
Give me the
good thing
of being
more patient
with people.
Lord,
give me the
good thing
of not being
defensive when
I'm challenged.
Lord,
give me the
good thing
of dropping
my pride,
swallowing it,
and admitting
when I got it
wrong.
Because what's
going to convince
me,
friends,
to get down
off of my
high horse
and face up
to that log
in my eye?
When everything
about the
Pharisees wants
to lurk in
my heart,
that I want
you to think
I'm better
than I am.
What's going
to convince
me to get
off my
high horse
and deal
with that
speck?
What's going
to convince
me to treat
others the
same way
that I'd
like to be
treated,
particularly
when I feel
the sharp
end of the
faults of
others,
and for that
change to be
more than
skin deep?
It's only
knowing that
my father
has always
and will
always treat
me who is
evil with
his good.
You see it?
He is a
God who is
so generous
and patient
even to
those who
are evil.
Do you know
he's a God
so good that
he would give
what?
His one and
only son
to those
who didn't
deserve
anything but
hell and
judgment.
And that
son is the
very one
speaking,
and that
is the
son who
would give
his life
on the
cross as
a ransom
for many.
Friends,
this is the
kind of
father that
we have.
Let me
pray.
Lord,
we just
ask,
Father,
as we
think about
the challenge
of this
passage,
your word
has perhaps
uncomfortably
touched some
nerves in
our hearts,
Lord,
I pray that
you would
give us the
humility to
change.
Lord,
we recognize
our inability,
Father,
often to do
the thing that
we need to
do to change,
but Lord,
thank you that
this is not
about us.
You have
given us
your spirit.
And we
pray that he
would be at
work in
our lives,
pruning,
chipping away
revealing what
is bad,
and that,
Lord,
he would be
about his
work of
forming us
more into
the likeness
of Jesus.
So,
Father,
thank you
for your
commitment
to us.
Thank you
for your
love for
us.
And,
Father,
we pray that
you would
just be with
us now as
we move
into a
time of
communion
together,
as we
savor,
just a bit
more slowly,
savor the
blood and
the body
broken for
us.
So,
Father,
we pray all
these things
in Jesus'
precious name.
Amen.