1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,160 Amen. Well, what is the most well-known Scripture both inside and outside of the church? John 2 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:18,880 3 16, right? Right? John John, whether it's a football game, it's written on some football 3 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:26,880 players, you know, I make up there or stickers, right? It's on a sign on the side of the road 4 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:31,280 or even here. If you're, if you're a sacrum, if you're from Sacramento, then you may know 5 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:39,660 of a guy who wears an orange shirt that says John 3 16 on it. And he's often on an overpass 6 00:00:39,660 --> 00:00:47,040 on highway 50 as I'm driving into town, waving at everyone, right? The John 3 16 guy. And 7 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:51,620 you'll know that he, he visited your neighborhood because he also takes with him chalk and wherever 8 00:00:51,620 --> 00:00:56,320 he goes, he writes on the sidewalk, John 3 16. A couple months back, he came through 9 00:00:56,320 --> 00:01:01,880 this neighborhood and we, we found it on every corner. John 3 16. I would definitely say 10 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:07,500 probably the most well-known Scripture both inside and outside of the church. But while 11 00:01:07,500 --> 00:01:13,280 that's the most well-known and, and I will say at least the scripture references known, 12 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:17,120 right? I don't know how many people could quote the scripture, but they know John 3 13 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:25,440 16 as a reference. Well, the possible runner up or, or maybe the most quoted scripture 14 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:31,840 both inside and outside of the church, both with believers and atheists is the first verse 15 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,200 of the passage that we're going to look at today. And I'm going to, I'm going to say 16 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:45,480 that and the old King James judge not that ye be not judged. Judge not that ye be not 17 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:52,040 judged. Now, if you go online at all, or you go out into the, uh, the interwebs, you will 18 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:57,600 find this quoted all over the place. Everyone knows this scripture, right? And it's usually 19 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:04,120 in some thread where someone has called something out and the rebuttal is judge not, right? 20 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:08,800 A Christian has called something out or said something is wrong and the rebuttal is judge 21 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:15,040 not that ye be not judged. And the problem is that most people who quote it, they take 22 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:24,280 it as if Jesus is commanding a universal acceptance of all things, a universal acceptance of everything. 23 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:30,800 There's nothing wrong with a, a short of, um, a sort of a shut up to anyone who would 24 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:38,240 say something is wrong, not rights, not moral. And ironically, if you actually think about 25 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:45,480 it and pulling this out and saying, you can't judge me, they are doing the very thing they 26 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:52,800 condemn. Right? Right. They're, they're saying, you're judging me. You're judgmental. And 27 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:58,120 I want you to stop doing that. They're doing the very same thing. They're judging someone's 28 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:05,040 actions and telling them they're wrong. And I'm excited today because we'll explore Matthew 29 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:11,360 chapter seven, verse one through six. We're going to be looking at that passage in the 30 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:16,040 CSB version of the Bible. It'll be up on the screen. If you have your Bibles, you're welcome 31 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:23,360 to turn there. Matthew chapter seven, verse one through six. Do not judge so that you 32 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:29,920 won't be judged for you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others. 33 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:35,280 And you will be measured by the same measure you use. Why do you look at the splinter in 34 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:41,440 your brother's eye, but don't notice the beam of wood in your own eye? Or how can you say 35 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:47,040 to your brother, let me take the splinter out of your eye and look, there's a beam of 36 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:54,880 wood in your own eye. Hypocrite first take the beam of wood out of your eye. And then 37 00:03:54,880 --> 00:04:00,600 you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother's eye. Don't give what 38 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:06,440 is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their 39 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:15,680 feet turn and tear you to pieces. This is God's word. 40 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:22,120 Chapter seven of Matthew is the final chapter of a section called the Sermon on the Mount. 41 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:27,540 And in this sermon, Jesus is teaching his disciples and revealing the kingdom of God 42 00:04:27,540 --> 00:04:34,040 to them. And he's showing them what kingdom life looks like. What kingdom life lived out 43 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:39,000 looks like. And it, you might think of it as a sort of citizenship class. Like what's 44 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,760 it, what's it like to be a new citizen in the kingdom? Here's what it's like. Here's 45 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,320 what you should be doing. Here's what you shouldn't be doing. Here's how you should 46 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:52,080 act. Here's the attitude of your heart. That's the sermon on the Mount. One scholar put 47 00:04:52,080 --> 00:05:01,760 it that he is laying out a new way to be human, a new way to be human. And here Jesus is teaching 48 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:08,880 us what kingdom relationships will look like. What will kingdom relationships look like 49 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,740 in this new citizenship, in this new humanity, but not just within the kingdom, it will begin 50 00:05:13,740 --> 00:05:19,420 to bleed out into the world. And the way that we interact with one another, the way we treat 51 00:05:19,420 --> 00:05:28,200 each other, the way we judge or don't judge will matter as a witness to the world. Because 52 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:33,800 who is attracted to a kingdom or a citizenship that looks like everyone else? Every other 53 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:38,020 bickering, every, all the fighting, all the dissension, all the division, if it's out 54 00:05:38,020 --> 00:05:43,360 there and it's in here, what's appealing. But didn't Jesus say that they'll know we 55 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:49,520 are his disciples by what? The love we have for one another. And here Jesus is going to 56 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:56,880 teach on kingdom relationships and what they will look like in the new humanity he's creating 57 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:57,880 with his people. 58 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:04,280 So if you're taking notes, the first thing I'll have you write down is two types of judgment. 59 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:11,240 Two types of judgment. Do not judge so that you won't be judged for you will be judged 60 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:16,080 by the same standard with which you judge others and you will be measured by the same 61 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:25,920 measure you use. Now you guys probably know this in English and any language. Most words 62 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:32,240 have a range of meaning. They don't just mean one thing, but there's a range of meaning 63 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:38,440 and based on their context and based on their usage, we can discern which meaning fits the 64 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:46,720 scenario, right? So the word judge is no different. At its most basic level, the word judge means 65 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:54,300 to consider whether something is right or wrong, to consider whether it is good or bad, 66 00:06:54,300 --> 00:06:59,800 to consider whether it's wise or unwise or helpful or not helpful, a sort of determining 67 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:05,400 or discriminating one from the other, just determining which is good, which is bad, judging, 68 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:11,140 weighing two things, right? That's at its basic level. And if we come to this passage 69 00:07:11,140 --> 00:07:16,480 in Matthew chapter seven, with that definition, then Matthew chapter seven says something 70 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:25,000 like this. Don't determine what is right or wrong. Don't determine what is good or bad. 71 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:32,200 Don't determine what is wise or unwise. If you try to do that, it'll be measured against 72 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:39,040 you. And I think the problem with that definition, the most basic definition of the word is that 73 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:45,400 A, it leaves us in a kind of subjective, nebulous world that there is no right or wrong. Right 74 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:52,760 or wrong is whatever you say it is. But it also, on the other side, contradicts Scripture. 75 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:58,800 In Thessalonians chapter five, we are told to test everything and hold fast to what is 76 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:05,720 good. So we're to test everything and only what is good is what we're to hold fast to. 77 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:11,040 Or in Proverbs, it was part of my reading program this week for the Bible reading, and 78 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:15,760 I came across Proverbs chapter 24, and I was just chuckling because the wisdom writer, 79 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:20,600 man, he tells me that he goes out for this walk, right? And as he's going on his walk, 80 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:28,440 he walks past a field of a sluggard. Oh, oh my gosh. Like, don't you dare judge. Judge 81 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:35,520 not, oh, wisdom writer. How dare you call him a sluggard. How dare you call him lazy. 82 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:40,240 And then he goes on to say, he passes a vineyard of someone who has no sense. Well, that's 83 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:49,960 rude. How that's really rude. Who are you to say I have no sense? He says, thorns had 84 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:54,680 come up everywhere. The ground was covered with weeds. The stone wall was in ruin. I 85 00:08:54,680 --> 00:09:00,000 applied my heart to what I observed and I learned a lesson from what I saw. A little 86 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:06,280 sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come 87 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:11,040 on you like a thief and scarcity, like an armed man. 88 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:17,920 What did the wisdom writer just do? He discerns. He sees one property that's well tended. Someone 89 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:22,480 who rises in the morning and goes out and does their work and works hard. And he sees 90 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:26,720 the prosperity that brings and he sees another field of a sluggard and he sees it's overgrown 91 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:35,600 and nothing there. And he goes, Hey, I learned a lesson here. I judged between the two. We 92 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:42,160 know that to learn wisdom, we must observe, we must weigh the goodness or badness of innumerable 93 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:49,360 situations and actions in our lives. It would be impossible to live and to not judge in 94 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:56,840 this way. So whatever chapter seven, verse one is saying, it can't be this most basic 95 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:07,320 meaning. As a John Stott, the theologian says, don't judge does not mean don't think. We 96 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:13,040 have to think, we have to weigh, we have to consider. 97 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:19,280 But there is another meaning on the other end of the range of meanings of the word judge. 98 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:29,760 And it is the idea of judgment in a final sense. The Bible tells us that God's judgments 99 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:39,160 are final and absolute. That he has the power to judge and condemn. He has the kind of judgment 100 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:46,680 that has no appeals process because it's always right. He gets it right every time. It's a 101 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:56,960 kind of righteous judgment that has the power and is good and right to separate and condemn. 102 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:01,960 It is the kind of judging that is only appropriate for the one who created the standard of good 103 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:10,720 and right and who executes on that standard perfectly. And it's this kind of judging, 104 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:18,040 I believe that Matthew seven is talking about. A kind of judging that is proud, that is a 105 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:24,860 haughty that assumes a position that is not your privy. And so you might read chapter 106 00:11:24,860 --> 00:11:31,360 seven, verse one and two as saying, don't be proud. Don't be rude or self exalting or 107 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:41,320 exacting in your judgments. These are above your pay grade. Don't be nitpicky and fault 108 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:49,520 finding looking for ways that you can boost your self righteousness over someone else. 109 00:11:49,520 --> 00:12:01,880 But instead be generous in your judgments, be humble, be charitable, be measured. Some 110 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:07,680 want to use parts of this standard, the standard of good and right, this moral standard that 111 00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:14,560 God has. They want to use parts of those that you don't measure up to against you. And you 112 00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:17,880 know what they want to do with those other parts of that same standard that they don't 113 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:26,560 measure up to? They want mercy, mercy, please. But over you, I'm going to hold it as if I 114 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:34,680 want exact judgment right now. I want condemnation. I want it to fall on you. People do that. 115 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:41,120 And that's what the Bible is saying is hypocritical. That's a hypocrite because it's the same standard 116 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:47,080 and you want it applied to the other person different than applied to you. 117 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:51,040 Another way that we might use that is we might create our own standard, especially as it 118 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:58,880 comes to issues of salvation. Things that prick our conscience, things that guide us 119 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:04,680 according to the spirit, we might then take and make into salvation level issues and hold 120 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:10,520 it over other people. 121 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:19,280 Years ago, when I was a kid, if these were played in church, these were from the devil. 122 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:25,600 I'm quoting these are from the devil. And if they're played in church, whoever wants 123 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:29,640 to do that can't have the spirit, can't be a child of God. They must be a child of the 124 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:37,400 devil. What did we just do in worship then? Right? They made it a salvation issue. They 125 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:46,400 elevated, they created their own standard and then they held it over people. 126 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:55,120 This also is hypocritical. It puts them in the seat of judge. We should recognize that 127 00:13:55,120 --> 00:14:00,280 instead of putting ourselves in the seat of judge, instead of creating a standard of our 128 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:05,460 own or using the standard that is provided by the perfect judge and nitpicking which 129 00:14:05,460 --> 00:14:11,080 ones will apply to you and which ones will apply to me, instead we should recognize we're 130 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:19,720 both under the same standard. And we are both judged by that standard. And we both failed 131 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:27,720 to measure up to it. And so we are both in need of great mercy. Amen. 132 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:35,400 What does this result in? This results in not judgment that pushes away, not judgment 133 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:44,240 that writes off or condemns, but one that draws in a kind of judgment. We see the wrong. 134 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:50,160 We know there's something not right. We don't call something that is sin, not sin. But what 135 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:54,280 we do in response to that is instead of pushing away or drawing a line or say separating, 136 00:14:54,280 --> 00:15:02,320 we draw in, we say, Hey, we desire mercy and I want to show mercy and I want you to, I 137 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:09,760 want to help you to see what you cannot see. And I desire a good for you. And I desire 138 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:15,040 wholeness for you because whatever that is, is not bringing about the life God has for 139 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:17,360 you. 140 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:24,880 The difference between the two ways to judge is all about the attitude of our heart. And 141 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:36,160 verse two warns us that you will be judged with the kind of judgment you choose to use. 142 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:42,560 You will be judged with a kind of judgment you choose to use on others. And the, you 143 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:46,400 will be judged, quote, you will be judged. This is in the passive voice in the Greek. 144 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:50,640 And what that means is that who's doing the judging and the, you will be judged. God is 145 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:58,760 doing the judging. You will fall under the judgment of God with the kind of judgment 146 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:03,960 you choose to use against your brother or sister. 147 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:10,600 Another way to say this is the quickness to judge in a way that separates and condemns 148 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:20,440 is an invitation for God to judge with equal harshness and with equal expediency. If you 149 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:29,080 choose a form of judgment that is harsh and that is exacting and immediate, Matthew seven 150 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:41,840 says you've chosen how you want to be judged by God. Or as Christostom, a church father, 151 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:49,120 wrote when you judge this way, you are making the judgment seat dreadful for yourself and 152 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:53,240 the accounting strict. 153 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:57,560 I don't know about you, but when I get to heaven, I want God to fudge the numbers a 154 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:12,080 little bit. Hey, just a little bit. The way you judge others will be the way you are judged. 155 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:23,520 Number two, the law, the log, the law, the log and the spec. Verse three and five, they 156 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,840 have this comedic illustration that Jesus is used. 157 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:30,720 And if I guarantee that if you were there on that Mount, as Jesus is giving that you 158 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:36,760 would have been caught up in an uproarious laughter at just how ludicrous the sight of 159 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:44,560 this illustration is that Jesus gives. If you've ever had something in your eye, you 160 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:51,240 can also feel the pain of it, right? I remember as a child going to the beach and it's like, 161 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:55,200 I don't know what it was, but the beach is probably beautiful whenever you go there. 162 00:17:55,200 --> 00:18:01,520 But when I go there, the winds kick up and shoot the sand right into my eyes. Like, well, 163 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:04,280 especially if you're playing in the ground and you're throwing the sand in the air. But 164 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:13,520 I was a little kid. This happened last week. Getting something in your eye is painful. 165 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:19,800 The eye blinking, the watering of the eyes, the desperation to get it out, get it out. 166 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:25,160 It's not a way to live, is it? It's not a way to live, to have something caught in your 167 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:35,520 eye. In fact, it can affect the way you see everything or don't see anything, right? And 168 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:40,520 that's in the real physical sense. But Jesus is also through this illustration, alluding 169 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:46,900 to the spiritual sense. Do we have something caught in our spiritual eye? Do we have a 170 00:18:46,900 --> 00:18:52,280 speck in our spiritual eye? Do we have a beam in our spiritual eye? Do we have a besetting 171 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:58,480 sin or a hang up in our life or a pattern of behavior that is not life-giving and that 172 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:04,960 colors the way that we see everything? And Jesus says that the right thing to do is to 173 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:08,240 help our brothers and sisters get that thing out. 174 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:12,000 That's what I love about this passage is it doesn't say, leave it alone. Your brother 175 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:18,680 has a speck in his eye, your sister has a speck, leave it alone to each their own. The 176 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:23,040 ultimate result is you've got to be in a position to be able to help them get it out of their 177 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:32,560 eye. But you're likely not right on the front end. You're not in a good position. But at 178 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:38,400 the same time, you can't let them live with it. It's crippling their entire life. It's 179 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:45,120 not helping them to flourish. It is not the way it should be. But you also know that if 180 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:50,320 you have something caught in your eye, there is a way of removing it that is very important. 181 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:56,960 And that is to be delicate. If I show up to help you get the speck out of your eye and 182 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:03,360 I've got a chisel and a hammer, like run, right? Or if you're like, man, I need water 183 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:08,560 to flush out my eye and I go get the 2000 PSI pressure washer and I'm like, hold still, 184 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:16,240 right? I'll blow a hole right through your face. Right? Even a pair of tweezers, like 185 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:20,040 if my wife is coming at me with a pair of metal tweezers to get something out of my 186 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:29,920 eye, it's like, no, not at all. It's a delicate process. You might gently flush out your eye. 187 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:36,680 You might use the soft part of your fingertip or a tissue. And the delicate work of helping 188 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:44,640 your brother or sister address sin in their life will not be possible with a beam of self-righteousness 189 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:50,820 in your own eye. The delicate work that is necessary to help your brother through or 190 00:20:50,820 --> 00:20:56,260 the process of your sister is not possible with a beam of condemning, writing off or 191 00:20:56,260 --> 00:21:02,840 separating judgmental attitude from your brother. Imagine even the illustration of my wife is 192 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,800 going to help me get this thing out of my eye and she's going to use a 10-foot pole 193 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:18,160 to do it. That's not going to work. Especially my wife. That's not going to work. She can 194 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:31,880 barely see as it is. It's me, sweetie. Come to my voice. 195 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:38,000 But when we have that judgmental attitude, when we get up on our high horse of self-righteousness 196 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:43,200 and we don't recognize the shared mercy necessary between us, then it's like trying to get something 197 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:48,640 out of someone's eye with a 10-foot pole. The only way to get something out of someone's 198 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:57,520 eye is to draw them in near, not push them away, not draw a line between you and I, but 199 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:07,680 to draw in and near. And then up close in a delicate process, you can help them rid 200 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:17,040 them of their life of that thing that is making their life not flourish. 201 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:26,360 True discernment in this process begins with self-examination. Before addressing sin in 202 00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:32,480 others, we must face the areas in our own life where we are falling short of what is 203 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:39,520 good and what is right. We must hold the standard that applies to all of us, to ourselves. And 204 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:45,080 anywhere that we're not measuring up, we are to repent, which means to turn away from it 205 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:50,960 and turn toward the right, toward God and his ways to acknowledge. It's not simply saying 206 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:55,860 sorry. It's saying, hey, I'm turning away from that which is not causing life, and I'm 207 00:22:55,860 --> 00:23:05,060 turning toward the life-giving word of God and to allow it to change us inside and out. 208 00:23:05,060 --> 00:23:12,020 We have to come to the place where the blood of Christ has fully been understood as necessary 209 00:23:12,020 --> 00:23:17,340 in order for us to be clean. Without the blood of Christ, I am not clean. Without the blood 210 00:23:17,340 --> 00:23:24,320 of Christ, I am not whole. And when we get to the place of overwhelmed gratitude for 211 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:30,080 God's mercy shown to us through repentance and confession and self-examination, then 212 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:34,960 we finally got to the right place of mind and attitude where we can help a brother or 213 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:42,840 sister. And until we've done that, we are not any good or help. 214 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:50,320 You cannot see clearly when you are blind to your own condition. The third thing I'll 215 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:57,660 have you write down is wise discernment. The final turn in the passage that we're looking 216 00:23:57,660 --> 00:24:04,280 at today out of Matthew chapter seven is verse six. And it sounds a little bit out of place 217 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:10,440 because he throws in this word picture. This, I mean, we got dogs, we got pearls, we got 218 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:17,080 pigs, and then we got pigs and dogs turning on us and tearing us to pieces. What's going 219 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:24,340 on here? Don't give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will 220 00:24:24,340 --> 00:24:28,560 trample them under their feet, turn and tear you to pieces. 221 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:35,440 What you have here is a classic Jewish wisdom saying. And with all wisdom sayings, if you 222 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:44,080 spend some time in Proverbs, wisdom sayings are intended to require thoughtfulness, contemplation, 223 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:50,280 and consideration. You carry them around and you start to go, I can see how that saying 224 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:57,280 applies to this, or I can see how it applies to that. And you gain wisdom by that. Oh, 225 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:05,600 it's like tossing pearls to pigs. And I think in this context, as Jesus is writing, it's 226 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:14,560 something like this. What do you do when you have the right heart and you have the right 227 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:21,080 attitude and you go to a brother or sister and you point out what is obviously in their 228 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:28,240 eye and you offer to wash them in the water of the word and to help point them to Christ 229 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:38,480 and they refuse? What do you do? What do you do? What do they do when they double down 230 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:42,480 on where they're at or they deflect? What do you do when they harden their hearts to 231 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:48,960 the truth and they deny the word of God as true or the standard of God as true? What 232 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:55,040 do you do when they turn and accuse you of being judgmental? 233 00:25:55,040 --> 00:26:00,160 And I'll say this, the gospel of forgiveness, the good news of overcoming and crucifying 234 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:07,440 sin is for everyone. There is no amount of prejudgment over someone's worthiness to hear 235 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:12,520 the good news that is acceptable. You and I don't have the right to sit in judgment and 236 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,180 say this person should hear about Christ. This person should hear about the good news 237 00:26:16,180 --> 00:26:20,720 of Jesus and salvation. This person should hear about how they can overcome the sin in 238 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:26,200 their life and be free, but that person shouldn't. I'm going to withhold it from them. We don't 239 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:33,800 have that prerogative. But once the gospel, the good news, the truth has been shared, 240 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:42,960 there is a limit to the time that is to be given to an obstinate rejecter of truth. This 241 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:51,440 is what he calls giving what is holy to dogs and tossing pearls before pigs. Because in 242 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:56,600 the same way that it is important and necessary and vital that they hear the truth and respond 243 00:26:56,600 --> 00:27:03,560 to it, if they reject it, the gospel of Jesus Christ is more precious than anything. And 244 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:08,680 the holiness of God and his standard is more precious than anything. And the call from 245 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:13,720 God to come near to him is more precious than anything. And if you're chasing after someone 246 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,560 who rejects it over and over again, trying to keep offering it to them and they keep 247 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:24,520 rejecting it, you are tossing something precious to, in the metaphor, in the example, what 248 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:31,640 is holy to dogs, what is precious to pigs. 249 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:38,560 Dogs and pigs are blind to the value of pearls. My dogs wouldn't have a clue. They'd eat 250 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:48,200 them and play with them. They'd choke on them. They wouldn't have a clue. And there is value 251 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:55,720 in proper judgment from the right attitude that includes knowing when to speak and when 252 00:27:55,720 --> 00:28:03,960 to remain silent and move on. And we have to learn the difference. But I will say this, 253 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:12,040 if you're going to err on the side of caution, err on the side of grace, err on the side 254 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:19,760 that maybe one more time. But when you began to feel like you're tossing pearls to pigs, 255 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:26,820 go to prayer. Rattle with it. If this is, hey, I've got a formula, three strikes and 256 00:28:26,820 --> 00:28:32,920 you're out. You weren't given that formula from the Bible. The formula should be three 257 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:39,040 times and then I plead with God to give me another chance. But I know at some point, 258 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:44,200 pearls to pigs. But I cry out to God and I pray that maybe, maybe just one more, maybe 259 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:48,320 they need to hear it in a different way. Maybe send someone else. But I pray and pray it 260 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:55,080 should be an agonizing process to ever move on from someone and say, I'm casting what 261 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:59,040 is holy before dogs. 262 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:02,920 But that doesn't mean it doesn't ever present itself. And that doesn't mean that we don't 263 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:10,240 need wisdom to know when that time has come. And invite the worship team come as we conclude 264 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:17,520 this morning. In the end, Jesus isn't telling us never to judge, but he's calling us to 265 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:26,800 judge rightly. When we stand under the same standard of God's holiness, then we realize 266 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:34,100 just how much mercy we ourselves need. And that humble awareness changes the way we see 267 00:29:34,100 --> 00:29:39,240 others and how we address sin in their lives. 268 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:45,100 We are to first humble ourselves. We're to remove the beam out of our own eye, that through 269 00:29:45,100 --> 00:29:50,560 honest confession and repentance and gratitude for God's grace, before you ever try to help 270 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:58,360 another person, true discernment always begins by letting God search your own heart. But 271 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:05,120 then second, we are to help others with a gentle hand. Once our eyes have been cleared 272 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:12,200 by God's mercy, we're free to help others gently. 273 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:17,040 We don't come with a hammer or some harsh condemnation. Instead, we come alongside with 274 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:25,160 compassion. We want to draw them in and we want to draw them near, not push them away. 275 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:30,320 But at the same time, we must practice godly discernment because Jesus also calls us to 276 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:37,920 be wise. And sometimes, despite our best and most loving efforts, people will reject truth 277 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:43,840 and they will dismiss correction. 278 00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:50,640 And even then, we don't respond with pride. We don't respond with despair. We remain prayerful 279 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:58,920 and we trust that God knows every heart and can change even the hardest of hearts. 280 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:05,180 And this is what it looks like, my friends, to be kingdom people. This is Jesus's invitation 281 00:31:05,180 --> 00:31:09,120 in the Sermon on the Mount for us to enter the kingdom and reveal the kingdom through 282 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:15,880 the way that we live. Not excusing sin. I love that about this. He did not let sin off 283 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:22,720 the hook. That's how the world wants to use this passage, isn't it? You can't judge me. 284 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:30,320 But he doesn't let sin off the hook. Sin must still be dealt with. And this side of eternity, 285 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:34,560 it can be dealt with gently through bringing the Word and washing and pointing people to 286 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:40,280 Christ for their salvation. But there is a time and place where that will be done. And 287 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:48,240 the judge of all judges, Big Capital J, will ultimately judge all sin and evil. 288 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:54,040 And so, in the meantime, we are at a place of not writing people off, but drawing them 289 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:59,000 in and praying and hopeful to restore them to this King, this judge, so that when they 290 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:05,040 stand before that judge, he doesn't say, What merit do you want me to judge you by? What 291 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:09,880 you did or what you accomplished or how good you lived or what standard you lived by? Or 292 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:15,800 do you want me to judge you by the blood of Jesus Christ covering your sins? That you 293 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:21,120 turned from your sin. You repented. You picked sides. You didn't partner with your sin or 294 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:25,440 ally with your sin. You picked sides and you said, My sin is over there. I'm at war with 295 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:30,320 my sin. I choose Christ. And sure, maybe I warred with that sin my whole life, but we 296 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:36,680 weren't allies or friends. It's over there. It's an enemy. The blood of Christ covers 297 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:47,320 me. We don't get to judge. It's above our pay grade, that kind of judge. But there is 298 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:58,600 a judge who will judge according to his good, perfect and holy standard. And God save us 299 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:04,160 if we are found outside of that, not covered by the blood of Christ, not under the mercy 300 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:13,720 of God. Our hearts should burn for that and for our fellow mankind, our brothers and sisters, 301 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:20,040 both in the church and outside. And we should exercise godly judgment that's marked by humility 302 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:27,600 and mercy and a true, genuine desire attitude for wholeness in their life. And I'll tell 303 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:33,200 you, friends, we need the Holy Spirit to empower us. I don't know about you, this doesn't come 304 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:37,960 natural. At least not the very first thing that I wake up wanting to do. Our world says 305 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:44,280 like get on that digital computer there and be a keyboard warrior and destroy…I mean, 306 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:50,640 that's like one of the most watched videos on YouTube is, right? So-and-so destroys such 307 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:59,720 and such. They destroyed them. They took them down. They wiped the floor with them. Yeah. 308 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:06,760 Really? I'm all for debating ideas. I'm all for the best idea wins. Let's go to town over 309 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:12,240 ideas. But should we be destroying people? Should we be destroying people or should we 310 00:34:12,240 --> 00:34:18,760 be drawing near, drawing them in, drawing them with the same mercy that we've received 311 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:24,640 so that we can preach the same gospel that we received unto life? That's what marks 312 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:30,680 a kingdom fellowship. And that's what we're trying to build here at Village. Will you 313 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:34,920 join me in praying? Father, thank you for your word. And I pray that we would all submit 314 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:40,720 to it. We would all allow it to change our hearts and whatever it is in our particular 315 00:34:40,720 --> 00:34:45,640 situation, circumstance, or life, that we would allow it to transform us, that we would 316 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:52,360 walk out of here different than when we walked in. I pray your grace and mercy. May we recognize 317 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:59,880 the grace and mercy we have so been lavished with and may we freely give it to others, 318 00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:04,880 drawing them in, not with a judgmental attitude, not with drawing lines or pushing away, but 319 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:09,960 instead drawing them in, speaking truth and pointing them to Christ. 320 00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:14,080 And I pray that the world would be turned upside down around us. Our neighborhood would 321 00:35:14,080 --> 00:35:19,440 be turned upside down. People would go, what is going on? I want to be a part of that place. 322 00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:23,960 I want to be in a community that treats one another that way. I want to be in a place 323 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:32,280 where people love in that radical upside down way. Could you make us into those people, 324 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:36,560 I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.