Message by Dr. David Drake
Series: “Inside / Out”
Living Today The Life Of Jesus
A study through The Sermon On The Mount
Matthew 5-7
What Happens When A Christian Judges?
Matthew 7:1-5
Matthew 7:1-5 (NASB)
1 “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.
I. The Problem Christians Have … vs. 1-4
1. Judging always breaks God’s divine commandment … vs. 1
Matthew 7:1 (NASB)
1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
Luke 6:37 (NASB)
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.
Luke 6:27 (NASB)
27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
– “Condemn” – to pronounce guilty
– The Bible says we are not to judge …
* The appearances of others … John 7:24
John 7:24 (NASB) “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.“
* The motives of others … Romans 2:1
Romans 2:1 (NASB) Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
2. Judging always brings judgment upon ourselves … vs. 2
Matthew 7:2 (NASB)
2 “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
– Every act of judging condemns us
Romans 14:10-13 (NASB)
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11 For it is written, “AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.”
12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this””not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.
– We will reap what we sow
Galatians 6:6-7 (NASB)
6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
3. Judging always becomes a tool of condemnation … vs. 3-4
Matthew 7:3-4 (NASB)
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?
– We “SEE” the weaknesses of others beyond our own … vs. 3
Matthew 7:3 (NASB)
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?
– We “SPEAK” to the weaknesses of others beyond our own … vs. 4a
Matthew 7:4a (NASB)
4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’
James 2:1-4 (NASB)
1 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,
3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”
4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
II. The Solution Christians Need … vs. 5
Matthew 7:5 (NASB)
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.
1. Recognize … who you are … ( “You hypocrite …” )
Question – What Do I Do? CONFESS
2. Deal … with personal areas in your life … ( “first take out the log in your own eye …” )
Question – What Do I Do? COMMIT
3. Help … others through their areas of need … ( “then take the speck …” )
Question … What Do I Do? CARE
(Video)
Recently a young couple had moved into a rural neighborhood.
Living next door to this new couple was Bill and Mary.
One morning while eating breakfast, Mary looked out the window
and watched her new young neighbor hanging out her wash.
“That laundry isn’t very clean!” Mary told Bill.
“Our young neighbor doesn’t know how to get her clothes clean!”
Bill read the paper and didn’t say a word.
Every time her new neighbor hung her laundry to dry,
Mary would make the same comments.
Bill continued to say nothing.
A few weeks later…
Mary was surprised to look out her window and see a nice,
fresh and clean row of wash hung out to dry.
In surprise she said to her husband,
“Look Bill she finally knows how to clean her laundry!”
“I wonder what she learned?” Mary asked.
Bill replied, “Honey, I might have an answer for you.”
“Really?’ Mary said.
“Yes I do,” Bill said,
“I got up early this morning and washed our windows!”
“I guess we finally learned how to wash the windows!”
What window are you looking out of?
We would be wise to focus on our own laundry
before we worry about someone else’s.