We are in Matthew chapter 7, and we have been going through the Gospel of Matthew for about half a year.
And before I read this passage, let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.
! Heavenly Father, I tremble before your Word because this is such an important message.
But it is also such a difficult message.
Lord, speak through me. May the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing in your sight.
And help my dear brothers and sisters here at the church to hear you speak in and through your Word.
And to receive it humbly.
Despite the faulty and fallen messenger, may your perfect, infallible Word do the work.
Accomplish your purposes.
And build this church up.
Our church up.
For your glory.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
Matthew chapter 7.
I'll just read the first six verses out loud.
If you are able, please stand as we honor God.
As we hear from Him as He speaks to us in His Word.
Judge not that you be not judged.
For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged.
And with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Why do you see 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,
when there is the log 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 dogs what is holy,
and do not throw your pearls before pigs,
lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
Please be seated.
I titled my sermon to Judge or Not to Judge,
which may have piqued your curiosity.
After all, isn't judging a bad thing that we should never do?
Doesn't it say right here in verse 1,
Judge not?
Clearly, we should never judge, right?
This is a common misunderstanding of this passage.
And one of the reasons why Welsh pastor D. Martin Lloyd-Jones argued
that this passage held special significance for the people of his age.
And I think that's true even more for us in our age.
This is what he had to say in one of his sermons.
He says,
Different periods in the history of the church need different emphases.
And if I were asked what in particular is the need of today,
I should say that it is a consideration of this particular statement.
This is so because the whole atmosphere of life today,
and especially in religious circles,
is one that makes a correct interpretation of this statement quite vital.
We are living in an age when definitions are at a discount,
an age which dislikes thought and hates theology and doctrine and dogma.
It is an age which is characterized by a love of ease and compromise.
Anything for a quiet life, as the expression goes.
It is an age of appeasement.
It dislikes a man who knows what he believes and really believes it.
It dismisses him as a difficult person who is impossible to get on with.
We want to be open-minded and non-judgmental people, of course,
but only to a certain point.
Open-mindedness is a function of humility,
a posture of learning that acknowledges our ignorance.
However, when we have learned the truth,
then we should close our minds to the falsehoods that masquerade as truth.
That's the goal for which we opened our minds in the first place.
As 19th century English author G.K. Chesterton once put it,
the object of opening the mind,
as of opening the mouth,
is to shut it again on something solid.
We don't keep our mouths open all the time as we live, do we?
Right?
We open it only to put food in the mouth,
and then once we have food in the mouth, we shut it.
Right?
He's using that analogy to say, likewise,
that the point of opening the mind
is to take hold of something solid,
to take hold of something true.
And once we have done that, we should close it,
keep out the lies,
and hold on to the truth.
We don't want to become like the people that Paul condemns in 2 Timothy 3, 7,
always learning and never arriving at a knowledge of the truth.
Some people are so nonjudgmental that they stand up for nothing.
They don't disagree with or object to views that are contrary to Scripture.
And that kind of nonjudgmentalism fits the ethos of our postmodern age
that despises claims of exclusive absolute truth.
But Jesus' teaching in this passage is far more nuanced than that.
What we really need to be able to do
is to make true and right judgments
without being bigoted and judgmental.
What we really need to be able to do
is to be men and women of conviction and courage
as well as humility and mercy.
Is that possible?
Yes, according to Jesus it is.
And he teaches us in this passage
that only those who have humbled themselves
before the judgment of God
can judge others rightly.
I'm going to first talk about how not to judge
and then secondly I talk about why not to judge.
I'm going to kind of reverse this passage
talk about verses 3 to 6 first
and then talk about verses 1 to 2.
Because the idea of judging is so widely misunderstood
and reviled today
before I can explain what Jesus' command judge not means
I want to first explain what it doesn't mean.
It doesn't mean that we can never critique views
and beliefs or bring correction to people.
Jesus himself says in John 7 24
do not judge by appearances
but judge with right judgment.
It's the exact same word that he uses here.
He commands us to judge
but not by appearances
but judge with right judgment.
Shortly after this passage in Matthew 7 1 through 6
in Matthew 7 15 to 20
Jesus tells us
Beware of false prophets
who come to you in sheep's clothing
but inwardly are ravenous wolves
you will recognize them by their fruits.
How can we tell that these are false prophets
who deceive the world?
By judging their fruits.
The fruit of the ministry that they do.
The words that they speak.
Their teaching.
Because remember if you're with us
in our series through the book of Revelation
in Revelation 13 11
it describes the second beast
which is a symbol of representation
of all the false prophets
that have deceived the world
throughout the ages.
And it says
it describes the second beast this way
is that it looks like a lamb
but that it speaks like a dragon.
False prophets when they come
they never announce themselves as false prophets.
You know?
I mean it's not like the fairytale
what is the little red riding hood?
The wolf is dressed like a grandma
but it's like patently obvious
that he's a wolf.
That's not the case with false prophets.
They don't announce themselves.
They come in sheep's clothing.
And what do sheep appear like?
They appear honest, innocent, harmless.
They're often very nice
at least on the outside.
They know how to pass as Christians.
They know how to say the right words.
They know the culture and the jargon.
They know how to ingratiate themselves
into the community,
the Christian community.
However, we can tell
that they are ravenous wolves
by their words,
by what they teach.
So undoubtedly we must exercise
discernment and judgment.
Jesus is not forbidding
this kind of necessary
and healthy judgment.
The Bible is full of examples
of this kind of necessary judgment.
After speaking about various segments
of the church,
widows and the elders
and the masters and servants
should behave and be treated
in the church,
Paul says in 1 Timothy 6,
3-5,
if anyone teaches a different doctrine
and does not agree
with the sound words
of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the teaching
that accords with godliness,
he is puffed up with conceit
and understands nothing.
He has an unhealthy craving
for controversy
and for quarrels about words
which produce envy,
dissension, slander,
evil suspicions,
and constant friction
among people
who are depraved in mind
and deprived of the truth,
imagining that godliness
is a means of gain.
That sounds like
some hard-hitting judgment,
doesn't it?
But it's accurate judgment.
It's right judgment.
You can go down the list
and search through the scriptures
and find it all over the place.
2 Timothy 2, 17-19,
Titus 1, 13,
Titus 3, 10.
Even the apostle of love,
John himself,
he says in 2 John 9-11,
this is the apostle
most known and famous
and passed throughout the history
for being someone
who was supremely loving
He says in 2 John 9-11,
Everyone who goes on ahead
and does not abide
in the teaching of Christ
does not have God.
If anyone comes to you
and does not bring this teaching,
do not receive him
into your house
or give him any greeting.
For whoever greets him
takes part in his wicked works.
All that to say,
Jesus is not commanding us
to never judge
in this kind of necessary
and healthy sense.
What then does Jesus mean
when he says judge not?
I think there are three kinds
of judgments that are forbidden
and I'm going to call them
one, hypercritical judgment,
two, hubristic judgment,
and three, hypocritical judgment.
They're all related,
so remembering the categories
are not important
because those categories
are from me
and not from the Bible,
but hopefully it helps us
to classify them
and remember them.
Looking at the context
of verses three to five,
we can first discern
that Jesus is forbidding
a kind of hypercritical judgment
that harps on other people's specks,
the specks in our brothers
and sisters' eyes
and to pass judgment on them.
For example,
Romans 14 teaches us
that there are matters
over which sincere Christians
might disagree.
And it says in Romans 14,
verse four,
who are you to pass judgment
on the servant of another?
It is before his own master
that he stands or falls.
And then it continues,
why do you pass judgment
on your brother?
Or why do you despise your brother?
For we will all stand
before the judgment seat of God,
for it is written,
as I live, says the Lord,
every knee shall bow to me
and every tongue shall confess to God.
So then each of us
will give an account
of himself to God.
There are non-essential matters
over which true believers
might disagree.
And we should not pass judgment
on one another
regarding those issues.
In that passage in Romans 14,
Paul gives two specific examples
of what we call
matters of indifference
or adiaphora
that Christians can,
are permitted to disagree on.
He says in Romans 14, verse two,
one person believes
he may eat anything
while the weak person
eats only vegetables.
Again, he says in verse five,
one person esteems
one day as better than another
while another esteems
all day alike.
We call these matters
of indifference
because Paul says
in Romans 14, 17 explicitly,
for the kingdom of God
is not a matter
of eating and drinking,
but of righteousness and peace
and the joy in the Holy Spirit.
So these matters
of eating and drinking
are not matters
that pertain ultimately
to the kingdom of God.
And it's okay
if believers disagree
on these things.
However,
that doesn't mean
that he's not telling us
to have no opinions
about these things at all.
He's not telling us
to suspend judgment.
No, Paul says
in Romans 14, 5,
each one should be
fully convinced
in his own mind.
Right?
Not only that,
Paul clearly
has an opinion himself
when he writes
about these issues
because he says
in Romans 14, 14,
I know and am
persuaded in the Lord Jesus
that no food
is unclean in itself,
but it is unclean
for anyone
who thinks it unclean.
Paul thinks
that Christians
can eat all kinds
of foods,
that there are no
clean and unclean foods
for the Christian.
And he describes
the person
who thinks
that Christians
cannot eat certain foods
as the weaker brother
or the weaker person
because of
his weak conscience.
So clearly,
Paul has an opinion
on this matter.
He's not saying
don't have any opinions
about these things,
but he's saying
you could have an opinion
and you can be fully convinced
in your own mind,
but it's just not
that important.
Don't pass judgment
on one another
for these things.
In the end,
God's going to judge.
Paul confirms his view
in Colossians 2, 16-17,
therefore let no one
pass judgment on you
in questions of food
and drink
or with regard
to a festival
or a new moon
or a Sabbath.
These are a shadow
of the things to come,
but the substance
belongs to Christ.
There are no holy days
or festivals
that Christians must observe.
There are no unclean foods
that Christians
must abstain from.
So obviously,
Paul did have an opinion
about this.
What he's saying,
however,
is to not be hypercritical
and to despise
a brother or sister
in Christ
for disagreeing
on matters of indifference.
When disagreeing
between brother and sister
becomes despising
between them,
we know that sinful judgment
that Jesus forbids
in this passage
has taken place.
Another kind of,
the second kind of judgment
that Jesus forbids here
is hubristic judgment.
Hubris is a Greek word
that describes arrogant people
who believe themselves
to be above human limitations.
Humans,
the classic,
tragic Greek heroes
who claim to be above
the rest of humanity
and dare to challenge
the gods,
the Greeks described
as having hubris.
Our hubristic judgment
goes beyond correcting
to condemning.
The parallel verse
in Luke 6, 37
of this passage
confirms this interpretation.
It says,
judge not
and you will not be judged.
Condemn not
and you will not be condemned.
Forgive
and you will be forgiven.
Condemning
involves a kind
of definitive judgment
that is inappropriate
for us.
Rendering
final verdict
is an exclusively
divine prerogative.
Paul writes
in 1 Corinthians 4,
3-5,
But with me
it is a very small thing
that I should be judged
by you
or by any human court.
In fact,
I do not even judge myself.
For I am not aware
of anything against myself,
but I am not thereby acquitted.
It is the Lord
who judges me.
Therefore,
do not pronounce judgment
before the time,
before the Lord comes,
who will bring to light
the things now hidden
in darkness
and will disclose
the purposes of the heart.
Then each one
will receive
his commendation
from God.
Only the Lord God
who brings to light
all the things
that are now hidden
in darkness,
only the Lord
who discloses
the purposes,
the secrets of our hearts
can pronounce
final judgment.
Only he has
all the knowledge
and information
and all the authority
to pronounce
that kind of judgment.
So it says
in James 4,
11 and 12,
Do not speak evil
against one another,
brothers.
The one who speaks
against a brother
or judges his brother
speaks evil
against the law
and judges the law.
But if you judge the law,
you are not a doer
of the law,
but a judge.
There is only one
lawgiver and judge.
He was able to save
and to destroy.
But who are you
to judge your neighbor?
To speak evil
against someone
is another translation
for the word slander.
When we are no longer
trying to correct
our brother or sister
to build them up,
but are instead
condemning them
to tear them down.
When we are no longer
seeking to restore
an erring brother
or sister
from sin,
but are instead
condemning them
in sin,
we are no longer
submitting ourselves
under the law.
We are putting ourselves
above the law
by breaking
the law
of the love
of neighbor.
We are no longer
law keepers,
but instead
we are arrogating
for ourselves
the seat
of law giver,
the judgment seat
of God.
That's hubristic judgment.
The surrounding context
also clues us
to the third kind
of judgment
that Jesus forbids
and that's
hypocritical judgment.
He says in verses
three to five,
why do you see
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
when there is
log 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.
Jesus is commanding us
to not judge
the same way
the Pharisees
judged him
in John 17
when he said
do not judge
by appearance
but by right judgment.
Jesus uses humor
and irony
in this passage
to accentuate his point.
Imagine a person,
it's really quite funny
to imagine it,
a huge log
sticking out
of his eye
and while he
has had the log
sticking out
of his eye,
he's straining
that very eye
that has a log
in it
and trying to perform
ocular surgery
on a brother or sister,
trying to remove
a speck
from his or her eye.
It's ludicrous.
Not only is it
impossible
to do
while the log
is sticking out
of your eye,
you cannot see clearly,
it's also ridiculous
that he is
trying to help someone
with such a little
tiny problem
when he himself
has a much bigger
problem.
This metaphor
of the eye
continues the theme
from chapter 6,
22 to 23
when Jesus said
the eye
is the lamp
of the body.
So if your eye
is healthy
or more literally,
if your eye
is single,
your whole body
will be full of light.
But if your eye
is bad,
your whole body
will be full
of darkness.
As I said,
then the attention
of the eye
reflects the affections
of the heart.
The direction
that your eyes go
reflects the orientation
of your heart.
So if your eyes
do not have
a singular focus
on the kingdom
of God
and on God's righteousness,
then we are distracted.
Our hearts
are divided.
And when that's
the case,
we do not have
the clear
spiritual sight
to perform
ocular surgery
on someone else's
spiritual eye
or soul.
Let me give you
some illustrations,
examples.
Have you ever felt
that your spouse
or your roommate
is lazy?
Or at least
that they're not
pulling enough
of their own weight.
They're not holding up
their end
of the bargain.
Maybe
that's true
to a certain degree,
but maybe
that deficiency
is merely
a speck
and there's actually
a log
in your own eye,
a log
of self-righteousness
that exaggerates
your own contributions
but belittles
or ignores
the contributions
of the other.
Maybe there's
a log
of selfishness
that exaggerates
your own needs
and wants
but minimizes
the needs
and wants
of the other.
Maybe you think
that your co-worker
or boss
or your principal
investigator
or your professor
is incompetent.
incompetent.
They don't deserve
his or her job.
But have you
considered that
their weakness
might be a speck
all the while
there's a log
in our own eye,
log of pride,
selfish ambition,
rivalry
that's envious
of others
and elevates
ourselves above
others.
perhaps you think
that someone
in church
is too
lax
or complacent
and unserious
about spiritual
things,
about important
doctrines
and spiritual
matters.
But maybe
the bigger
problem is not
them
but you.
They have a speck
in their eye
whereas you have
a log of legalism
and self-righteousness
stuck in your eye
making you
hypercritical
and unmerciful.
You can also
go the other way.
Perhaps you think
that someone
in church
is too
legalistic,
strict,
harsh,
demanding.
But what if
their problem
is actually a speck
and yours
a log?
What if
instead of
being merciful
and gracious
you're actually
being indulgent
and permissive
and making
your own
feelings
and not
God's word
the final
arbiter
of what is
important
and what is
true
and what is
good?
We cannot
see clearly
to remove
the speck
from our
brother or
sister's eye
if we have
a log
stuck in
our own
eye.
So we must
first humble
ourselves
and examine
ourselves
before the
light and
the judgment
of God
before we
attempt that
delicate
spiritual
operation
of removing
the speck.
This is
very challenging
and I know
because I
failed many
times.
And look at
what it says
in verse 3.
Why do you
see the speck
that is in
your brother's
eye but
do not
notice the
log that
is in
your own
eye?
As
sinners it
is our
natural
sinful
tendency
to think
that we
can see
the speck
in other
people's
eyes very
clearly.
But we
do not
notice the
log that
is in
our own
eye.
Jesus
doesn't
accuse us
of seeing
the log
in our
own eyes
and then
ignoring it
and not
doing anything
about it.
He says
that we
don't
actually
notice the
log in
our own
eye.
This is a
vivid
illustration
of spiritual
blindness
which is
caused by
pride.
Pride is the
root of all
sin.
Spiritual
pride has a
tendency to
blind us.
Every sin
has a
tendency
to blind
us.
In John
9 Jesus
tells the
Pharisees
that they
are blind
to spiritual
realities.
Why does
he tell
them that?
Precisely
because they
claim to
see.
That's the
trouble with
having a
log in
our eye.
We think
that we
see but
we are
in fact
blind.
The log
of sin
distorts
our vision
so that we
live in
this world
of carnivore
mirrors.
fun
house
mirrors.
You
guys know
what I'm
talking
about?
The
mirrors
that you
look at
and it
just distorts
your body
or face
to comedic
proportions.
You
look at
someone's
speck in
their eye
and then
it looks
like a
ten foot
pole.
And then
you look
at your
own log
in the
mirror
and it's
barely a
dot.
You can
hardly
see.
How
then can
we know
we have
a log
in our
own
eye?
If this
is blinding,
if it's
hard to
notice,
how can
we pay
attention
to these
things?
I think
there are
two telltale
signs that
indicate that
we have a
log in
our own
eye.
One is
a tendency
to magnify
other
people's
specks.
Ask
yourself,
do you
have a
hawk eye
when it
comes to
other
people's
sins and
faults,
but you
tend to
be blind
as a
bat when
it comes
to noticing
their
strengths,
their
gifts,
their
virtues,
things to
encourage
about
them.
If that's
the case,
then it's
very likely
that you're
not even
seeing the
specks that
you think
you see
clearly.
If we
find ourselves
becoming
very critical
of someone,
we used to
like and
appreciate this
person,
I used to
be friends
with that
person,
oh,
but we've
fallen out
of friendship.
We had
disagreement,
we had
conflict,
and now
all you can
see is
their flaws
and
specks,
then likely
you have
a log
of
unforgiveness
in your
own eyes.
And your
perception
is skewed,
and you
have one
dimensionalized
that person.
When you
find yourself
being very
critical
towards
someone,
this is a
practice that
I found
really helpful,
you start
making a
list of
their
redeeming
qualities,
and start
thanking God
for them.
Give thanks
to God
for them.
A spirit
of thanksgiving
and encouragement
counteracts the
hypercritical and
censorious spirit.
Remember,
the Bible
commands us to
outdo one
another in
showing honor.
never,
never in the
entire Bible
does it
command us
to outdo
one another
in showing
each other's
faults.
We have
to do it,
but it's
not a
competition
that we
should be
overzealous
about.
A second
telltale sign
of a log
in our
own eye
is that
when we
are overzealous
to correct
someone,
a good
question to
ask yourself
is,
do I
have
first-hand
knowledge
of this
brother or
sister's
sin?
If we
only have
second-hand
knowledge of
their sin,
then we
are not the
first line
of defense.
It's the
person with
first-hand
knowledge of
that sin
who should
bring that
loving
correction.
That person
who has the
relational
proximity to
have first-hand
awareness of
that sin,
if instead
of correcting
that brother
or sister,
comes to
you and
talks about
it,
not only
have they
shirked
their
responsibility
to love
their brother
or sister
by speaking
the truth
in love,
they have
also sinned
by gossiping
or slandering.
Speaking
ill of
someone in
a manner
that reflects
and shapes
negatively
other people's
view of
them.
If you
have only
second-hand
knowledge,
it is highly
likely that you
have incomplete
knowledge.
You have
partial knowledge.
Proverbs 12,
17 is
exceedingly
wise.
It says,
the one who
states his
case first
seems right
until the
other comes
and examines
him.
When you
have heard
only one
sided story,
even if
that person,
even when
that person
is well-meaning
and trying
his or her
best to be
fair-minded
and balanced,
that story
is going to
be inherently
incomplete.
So if you
have only
partial
second-hand
knowledge
of someone's
sin,
don't be
the first
to confront
that person
of sin.
Encourage
that person
with first-hand
knowledge to
go and
do that.
It's only
after the
first line
of defense
has fallen
that you
should consider
prayerfully
stepping in.
If despite
the fact
that you
have only
partial
second-hand
knowledge,
you're very
eager to
confront
your brother
or sister,
I heard
him say
that you
said,
that he
saw
that you
did
that.
Oh,
man.
You know
what it
says right
here?
That
overzealous
spirit is
reflective of
a log in
your own
eye.
Make sure
that your
heart responds
to the sin
that you
see in your
brother or
sister is
grief,
not glee.
If that
is how not
to judge,
then before
I go to
the next
point,
let's talk
briefly about
how to
judge well.
Jesus says
in verse
five,
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.
Note that
Jesus
doesn't
say,
mind your
own business
and never
try to take
the speck
out of
your brother's
eye.
No,
he says,
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.
So the
first step
to judging
well,
then,
is examining
ourselves,
self-reflection,
and confession
of our own
sins.
Confessing
our own
sins to
fellow
believers
is a
profound
form of
humiliation.
And
humiliation,
for us,
though hard as
it may be,
is spiritually
healthful,
it's good,
good,
because it
destroys
pride,
which is
the root
of all
sin.
A habit
of self-reflection
and confession
prepares us
to judge
and bring
correction
well.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
writes in his
book,
Life Together,
anybody who
lives beneath
the cross
and who has
discerned in
the cross
of Jesus
the utter
wickedness
of all
men
and of
his own
heart
will find
there is
no sin
that can
ever be
alien to
him.
Anybody who
has once
been horrified
by the
dreadfulness
of his
own sin
that nailed
Jesus to
the cross
will no
longer be
horrified by
even the
rankest sins
of a
brother.
When we
remove the
lock from
our own
eye first,
then we
can judge
our brothers
and sisters
fairly and
correct them
not out of
self-righteousness
but from a
broken and
contrite heart.
Secondly,
we need to
make sure
that we
are bringing
correction in
love and
gentleness.
Why?
Because removing
a speck from
someone's eye is
a very delicate
operation.
If you have
had the
blessing of a
brother or
sister trying
to do that
with you,
as I have
had many
times,
one of the
benefits of
being married
and being in
a church
where church
members actually
do that,
you know how
sensitive that
can be.
I think it's
appropriate that
Jesus uses the
metaphor of the
eye because
eye is one of
the most
sensitive parts
of our entire
body, right?
When you
have, you
know, when
you get some
sawdust on
your hand,
you just,
you know,
you get
sawdust in
your eyes.
It's stinging
and then it's
burning and
then you're
crying like a
baby to flush
that dust out
of your eye.
eye.
The eye is
such a delicate
and zealously
protected part of
our body that
when God wants
to communicate to
us in his
word just how
precious his
people are and
how protective as
our father he
feels over us,
he describes us as
the apple of his
eye, the pupil
of his eye.
When you touch
my people,
God says,
you touch the
apple of my
eye.
That's how
sensitive the
eye is.
So when we're
trying to remove
a speck from
the apple of
someone's eye,
we must take
great care and
we must be
gentle.
So Ephesians
4.15 commands
us to speak the
truth in love
to one another.
That means we
should give one
another the
benefit of the
doubt.
That means we
should give each
other the best
possible construction
question because
1 Corinthians 13
4-7 says this
is what love is
like and we're
supposed to speak
the truth in
love.
Love is patient
and kind.
Love does not
envy or boast.
It is not arrogant
or rude.
It does not insist
on its own way.
It is not irritable
or resentful.
It does not rejoice
at wrongdoing but
rejoices with the
truth.
Love bears all
things, believes
all things, hopes
all things, endures
all things.
That looks like
benefit of the
doubt.
That means we
lead when we
bring correction.
We lead with
questions, not
presumptions.
That means we
speak the truth
boldly yet with
gentleness and
humility.
I know if some
of you are like
me, you don't
like conflict.
conflict.
You'd rather
avoid conflict.
And so this is
making you really
uncomfortable and
you really, really
don't want to do
this.
Well, you're not
alone if that's
you.
Sometimes people
don't respond well
to correction even
when you do a good
job of bringing it.
And so we prefer to
avoid it sometimes.
But we must not be
controlled by the
fear of our
brother or sister.
We must be
controlled by our
love.
of our brother or
sister.
It says in James
5, 19 to 20,
my brothers, if
anyone among you
wanders from the
truth and someone
brings him back,
let him know that
whoever brings back
a sinner from his
wandering will save
his soul from
death and will
cover a multitude
of sins.
What kind of
privilege it is that
we get to partake
in that work.
That when we
restore an erring
brother or sister
from sin who has
transgressed and we
bring them back.
we cover a
multitude of sins.
We save their
soul from death.
Do you not want
your brother or
sister to do that
for you?
I want you to do
that for me.
I need you to do
that for me.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
says, nothing can
be more cruel than
that leniency which
abandons others to
sin.
Nothing can be more
compassionate than
that severe reprimand
which calls another
Christian in one's
community back from
the path of sin.
We are accountable
to one another.
We are members one
of another.
We are part of the
one body of Jesus
Christ.
Part of the same
family of God.
And that's why
three times in this
passage we see the
word brother.
And you could
insert there sister.
Brothers.
After Cain murders
his brother Abel and
God confronts Cain by
asking, where is your
brother Abel?
Cain famously responds,
I do not know.
This is right after he
killed him.
I don't know where he
is.
I'm not my brother's
keeper.
What do you think I
am?
Just watching my
brother all the
time?
I know that it's a
common attitude of
people in New
England.
Well, that's none of
my business.
But as Pastor
Matthew Smethers
puts it in one of
his podcasts,
church membership
is where it's none
of your business
goes to die.
is where we say, I
am my brother's
keeper.
I am my sister's
keeper and they are
mine.
You might not be a
close friend of your
brother or sister in
Christ, but you don't
have to be a close
friend to bring loving
correction.
The bigger problem is
not the lack of
intimacy.
The bigger problem is
the lack of maturity in
the way people bring it.
the Bible is full of
examples of prophets
rebuking other members
of the covenant
community with whom
they have little to no
relationship.
Because it was a large
covenant community.
Micaiah with King Ahab
in 1st King 22.
Peter with Simon the
magician who was
supposedly a convert in
Acts 8, 18 to 23.
If we only admonish
those people that we
are close to, what
happens when a member
of a church is on the
fringes and they don't
have close friends?
Do we just abandon
them to sin?
On their path to
destruction?
Galatians 6, 1-5 is
inspiring and
convicting.
It says,
Brothers, sisters, if
anyone is caught in any
transgression, you who
are spiritual should
restore him in a spirit
of gentleness.
Keep watch on yourself
lest you too be
tempted.
He's aware that
confronting others of
sin can be very
tempting for
ourselves.
Bear one another's
burdens and so
fulfill the law of
Christ.
But let each one test
his own work and then
his reason to boast will
be in himself alone and
not in his neighbor.
For each will have to
bear his own load.
Isn't that interesting?
He says on the one
hand that each of us
will have to stand on
our own at the final
judgment.
Each will have to bear
his own load.
judgment judgment judgment
judgment judgment judgment judgment
we will not be judged according to the fruits of our church.
We will not be judged according to the fruits of your family.
You will not be judged according to the fruits of your friends.
You will be judged according to the fruits,
whether you yourself bore fruits keeping with repentance or not.
We must stand alone in final judgment.
But until that day,
it says, bear one another's burdens.
How do we do that?
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression,
you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.
On that day, we will bear our own love.
We must stand alone as individuals.
But until that day, we get to help each other.
We get to bear each other's burdens.
We get to restore each other from sin.
We get to speak the truth and love to each other
so that on that day when we have to stand alone,
we can actually stand and not fall before the judgment of God.
That's the privilege of being a member of the body of Christ
and speaking the truth and exhorting one another in love.
So I want to encourage you,
if you are members of the same local church
and you have enough relational proximity
to have come to firsthand knowledge of a sin of a brother and sister,
then it is not only your right,
it is your responsibility to say something
if there's unrepentance in it.
When it comes to unbelievers, however,
our responsibility is different.
That's why Jesus adds in verse 6,
Do not give dogs what is holy
and do not throw your pearls before pigs,
lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
It's kind of a random verse.
If you read it in context,
it seems like a random verse.
What does this have anything to do with the rest of the passage?
I've mentioned to you before
that when the Bible speaks of dogs,
you should not think of your cute pet corgis
and Pomeranians, right?
That would be anachronistic.
Dogs in the Bible times are,
and still in many parts of the world,
are scavengers, wild, disgusting animals.
They are symbols not of insiders,
pets that live in your home,
but they are symbols of outsiders,
pests that live on the street.
For this reason,
evildoers are sometimes described figuratively as dogs.
In the Bible,
in 2 Samuel 16, 9,
Psalm 22, 16,
it was the unflattering term
that the Jews of Jesus' day
used of unbelieving Gentiles.
Speaking of those who are excluded
from the new heavenly Jerusalem
in Revelation chapter 22, 15,
it says,
outside are the dogs
and sorcerers
and the sexually immoral
and murderers and idolaters
and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
pigs,
as you may have guessed,
is also not a complementary term.
According to Old Testament ceremonial law,
pigs were ritually unclean.
They were unclean animals,
unfit for consumption by Jews
and unfit also for sacrifice.
That's why in the Gospels,
when you read the narratives of Jesus' travels,
you only encounter pigs
when Jesus goes into the region of the Gentiles,
like the country of the Gadarenes
in Matthew chapter 8, 30 to 32.
Because of these associations,
the dogs and pigs here
refer to unbelievers,
those who have rejected Christ,
those who are incapable of receiving
the precious pearls
of God's holy truth and wisdom.
Jesus is here qualifying
what he said earlier on.
We should remove the locks
from our own eyes
so that we can remove the specks
from our brothers' and sisters' eyes.
But when it comes to those
who are not our brothers and sisters in Christ,
it is not our responsibility
to try to remove all their specks.
Why?
Because they lack the spiritual capacity
to receive the truth of God
that we bring to them,
lest they trample them underfoot
and turn to attack us.
Paul speaks of this exact same principle
in 1 Corinthians 5, 12 to 13.
For what have I to do
with judging outsiders?
It is not those inside the church.
Is it not those inside the church
whom you are to judge?
God judges those outside.
Purge the evil person from among you.
It is not our place to judge outsiders.
It is our place to judge insiders,
those who are in the church.
Paul says this in the context
of exhorting the Corinthian church
to exercise church discipline
and to excommunicate a professing believer
who is living in unrepentant sexual immorality.
It is not our responsibility
to become moral crusaders
and pass judgment on every passer-by unbeliever.
It is our responsibility rather
to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them,
to call them to repentance and faith
in the mercy and grace of God.
We cannot expect unbelievers
to behave like believers.
If you are here this morning
and you are not yet a believer,
how should you respond?
Your response shouldn't be,
a dog?
A pig?
How dare you?
Instead, your response should be that
of the Canaanite woman,
the Gentile woman in Matthew 15.
She asks Jesus to heal her son
and Jesus, to test her faith,
asks her, tells her,
it is not right for me to take the bread
that is for the children
and to give them to the dogs.
Ha, that's a hard test.
I'm sure she's heard that growing up
from Jews, unkind Jews.
But you know what she says?
She doesn't say,
forget your bread.
She says,
but even the dogs
get the crumbs that fall
from the children's table.
She humbles herself before God.
That should be your posture.
If you are here
and you do not yet know Christ,
before the holy and perfect God,
every single one of us,
dogs and pigs,
but worms,
unworthy and unfit
to worship him
and come to him.
But if we have the humility
to come to him and say,
but even the dogs
get the crumbs that fall
from the children's table.
Can you just let me scavenge?
Get some crumbs?
Can I just have a little bit?
And then God opens his arms
wide open and says,
no, no,
you are not a dog.
You are my child.
And welcomes us in.
Here is the feast
reserved for you.
Eat, take,
without payment.
In addition to teaching us
how not to judge,
I'm getting to my second point,
but I promise the second point
is a lot shorter
than the first point.
Jesus also teaches us
why not to judge.
Just two verses.
He could have commended us
to not judge,
you know,
without giving us
any reasons or motivations,
just because it's simply
the right thing to do,
but Jesus is very kind
and gracious
to give us additional motivation
in verses one and two.
It says,
judge not,
that you be not judged.
For with the judgment
you pronounce,
you will be judged.
And with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you.
These verses have been interpreted
differently by various people.
In one sense,
this verse can refer to
how we will be judged
by other people.
If we tend to be judgmental
and censorious toward others,
you'll likely draw the ire
of other people
and they will likely be judgmental
and censorious toward you.
That is true.
So,
however,
while that's true,
I don't think that's what
this passage means.
I mentioned earlier
that Luke 6, 37 parallels
this passage in Matthew.
And there it says,
judge not
and you will not be judged.
Condemn not
and you will not be condemned.
Forgive
and you will be forgiven.
Do you remember
that last clause?
Forgive
and you will be forgiven.
Where have we seen that before
in Matthew,
in the Lord's Prayer?
Echoes Matthew 6, 14.
For if you forgive others
their trespasses,
your heavenly Father
will forgive you.
It's referring to
God's forgiveness,
not man's forgiveness.
Based on that parallel,
I think we should interpret
the judgment of Matthew 7, 1-2
also as referring to
God's judgment.
Judge not
that you be not judged
by God.
For with the judgment
you pronounce,
you will be judged
by God.
And with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you.
But how can that be?
Does this mean
that we are saved
not by God's grace
through faith,
but by our good works?
Is it our obedience
to the command,
judge not,
that saves us
and delivers us
from the wrath of God?
Not at all.
We are saved
by grace alone,
through faith alone,
but the faith
through which we are saved
is never alone.
But it's always
accompanied by good works.
James 2 teaches us
clearly,
faith by itself,
if it does not have works,
is dead.
That is not saving faith,
but empty faith.
Faith without works
is empty faith.
It's a nominal faith.
Even demons
have that kind of faith.
They believe in God.
They just don't submit to Him.
Obey Him.
A genuine faith in God,
however,
is always accompanied
by obedience.
You can think of it
this way.
Many of you
graduated recently
from schools,
and when you graduate,
you get the cap and gown
and the diploma,
and you have
a graduation ceremony.
Those are the accompanying marks
or proofs
of your graduation.
But it's not
the cap and the gown
and the paper diploma
in your hand
that makes you a graduate.
It's the fact
that you have finished
your course load.
It's the fact
that you have met
the requirements
of your degree.
That's what makes you
a graduate.
In the same way,
the finished work
of Jesus Christ
on the cross
for,
on behalf
of His people,
that is the basis
for our graduation.
That is the basis
for our salvation.
What Jesus has already
done for us
on the cross,
but when we believe
in that,
and when we have faith
in Jesus,
and trust ourselves
to Him,
there are these
accompanying marks
and proofs
and evidences
like cap and gowns
and diplomas
that come with that,
and those are
the good works,
the fruits
of our faith,
the fruits
of the grace
that is at work
in us.
Consider James 2.13,
which says,
For judgment
is without mercy
to one who has
shown no mercy.
Mercy triumphs
over judgment.
If we,
as Christians,
show no mercy
to our brothers
and sisters in Christ,
then God's judgment
of us
will have no mercy.
It will be without mercy.
But if we do
show mercy
to our brothers
and sisters in Christ,
then at the final judgment,
we will receive mercy,
and mercy will triumph
over judgment.
It's the same principle
that we've seen,
that we've mentioned
over and over again
throughout the Gospel
of Matthew,
the parable
of the unforgiving servant
in Matthew 18.21-35.
We had sinned
against God
far more grievously
than any of our brothers
and sisters
ever have against us.
Our debt of sin
to God,
according to that parable,
is in the order
of magnitude
of billions,
7.2 billion dollars,
figuratively speaking.
And our brothers
and sisters'
debt of sin
toward us
is in the order
of thousands.
But if God
has been so merciful
to forgive us
our billions,
should we not,
also would we not,
forgive our brothers
and sisters
of their thousands?
Forgiven people
forgive.
Those who have
received mercy
extend mercy.
When Jesus first came
to our world
as the Messiah,
the Jews expected
judgment,
judgment of the wicked,
fire and brimstone,
sword and conquest,
but instead,
Jesus said in John 3,
16-17,
for God so loved the world
that he gave his only son
that whoever believes
in him should not perish
but have eternal life.
For God did not send
his son into the world
to condemn the world,
but to save the world
through him.
even though this world
spurned God
and all of his blessings,
even though we were
guilty of treason
because we have sought
to usurp
the very throne of God
by setting ourselves up
as the masters
of our own fate
and of our own lives,
and we didn't submit
to the rule of God,
Jesus did not come
to crush the rebels,
but to rescue them,
to reconcile them
to God the Father.
instead of sitting
in judgment over us,
Jesus,
the King of kings,
the Son of God,
subjected himself
to the humiliation
of sitting under
the judgment
of sinful men.
It's all so backwards.
It says in Matthew 27, 19,
that the Pilate
sat on his judgment seat
over Jesus.
We gave Jesus
a sham trial
in a kangaroo court
and charged
the very Son of God
with blasphemy.
Think of that,
the irony.
Sinful men
charging the Son of God
with blasphemy.
I should have been
the one
there
under that judgment seat
squirming,
crawling in shame.
That should have been me.
But instead,
Jesus sat
in that humiliating position
under the judgment seat
of idolatrous,
sinful,
rebellious
human beings.
But that was according
to God's sovereign plan.
Because it says
in Acts 2, 23,
this Jesus
delivered up
according to
the definite plan
and foreknowledge
of God,
you crucified
and killed
by the hands
of lawless men.
It was the will
of God the Father
to pierce his Son
for our transgressions.
It was the Father's will
to crush his Son
for our,
our iniquities.
In our place
condemned he stood
so that in his place
justified
we stand.
And then
God the Father
raised him
from the dead,
exalted him
above all rule
and authority
and power
so that he now
has the authority
to judge
all the quick
and the dead.
in anticipation
of this,
Jesus says
in John 5,
21 to 24,
which we read
in our assurance
of pardon.
Let's read it again.
Follow with me.
For as the Father
raises the dead
and gives them life,
so also the Son
gives life
to whom he will.
For the Father
judges no one,
but has given
all judgment
to the Son,
that all may honor
the Son
just as they honor
the Father.
Whoever does not
honor the Son
does not honor
the Father
who sent him.
Truly,
truly,
I say to you,
whoever hears
my word
and believes
him who sent me
has eternal life.
He does not
come into judgment
but has passed
from death
to life.
Beloved
child of God,
do you live
with fear
of God's judgment?
Do you live
with fear
of the punishment
of God?
Do you fear
living that
the other shoe
is going to drop soon?
hear this assurance,
this double
sure assurance.
Truly,
truly says Jesus,
I say to you,
I have received
all judgment
from the Father,
Jesus says,
and I say to you,
truly,
you have passed
from judgment.
You have passed
from death
to life.
There is
no condemnation
for those
who are in
Christ Jesus.
Praise be to God.
So have you passed
sinful judgment
on your brothers and sisters
in Christ?
Christ.
So have I.
I'm grieved
by it.
The good news
is that we
can repent
and God
shows us
mercy.
And it's
as we receive
God's mercy
that we are
enabled by the
power of the Holy Spirit
to dispense
this kind of
mercy that Jesus
commands us
to give.
this is how
we come to
obey this passage.
This is how
we become
enabled to
offer constructive
critique
and loving
correction to
one another
without contempt
and condemnation.
So I invite you,
drink more
deeply of the
mercy of God
at the foot
of the cross.
I assure you
that as that
mercy flows
deep inside you,
it will flow
more and more
out of your life
to those around you.
That's how
we remove the
log and get
after the
specks.
Let's pray.
Father,
thank you
so much.
Oh,
it gives
me
so much
joy,
freedom.
Lord,
it makes us
want to
shout
in exaltation
that there
is no more
judgment for
us,
that there
is no more
condemnation
for us.
we will be
judged by you,
yes,
but we await
the judgment
of commendation,
not the judgment
of condemnation,
because of your
son,
Jesus Christ.
Oh,
we love him.
We love you,
Father.
Thank you for
sending him.
Thank you for
your mercy.
Help us to
know your mercy
more so that we
might be more
merciful people
who can judge
rightly because
we have said
under the
judgment of
God.
In Jesus' name
we pray.
Amen.
Thank you.