DO NOT JUDGE? God’s Law of the Heart (7) Matthew 7:1-6 Penge Baptist Church 28th October 2012

Matthew 7:1-6  “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way 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 is 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 dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

When not to judge  “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)  “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (Romans 2:1)

An illustration from carpentry  “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 is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite!

The risk of becoming a Pharisee  To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

There is a judge!  Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. (Matthew 12:36)  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10)

We too must judge  Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:15-16)  Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. (Philippians 3:2)  Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! (1 Corinthians 6:3)  Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)

Brothers and others  …the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye…  Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)

The need for pure motives  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.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (1 Peter 3:9)

A procedure for Christian justice  Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.  But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

All in all….  So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)