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You may turn in your Bibles to 
Matthew chapter 7. We'll read verses 1 to 12, a 
brief review over the section that we considered last week, 
verses 1 to 5, and then we'll take up the demand for discernment 
in verse 6. Matthew chapter 7, beginning 
in verse 1. Judge not that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, 
you will be judged. And with the measure you use, 
it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck 
in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your 
own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me remove the 
speck from your eye? And look, a plank is in your 
own eye. Hypocrite, first remove the plank 
from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the 
speck from your brother's eye. Do not give what is holy to the 
dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them 
under their feet and turn and tear you in pieces. Ask, and 
it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, 
and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, 
and he who seeks finds. And to him who knocks, it will 
be opened. Or what man is there among you? 
If his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he 
asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being 
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more 
will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who 
ask Him? Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do 
also to them. For this is the law and the prophets. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, how we thank you for the Sermon on the Mount, how 
we thank you for the instruction of our Lord Jesus, who didn't 
teach like the scribes and the Pharisees, but he taught as one 
having authority, authority from on high. And we just pray that 
you give us ears to hear, hearts to receive these things, and 
the grace to put them into practice. Do forgive us, Lord, for a judgmental 
spirit. oftentimes displayed toward our 
brothers and sisters. Forgive us for a lack of discernment, 
oftentimes displayed toward those outside the Church. Grant us 
grace to see the balance in this section. Grant us grace to be 
those who take seriously the entirety of Holy Scripture. Forgive 
us again for all of our sins, we pray, in the name and for 
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, remember, in verses 
one to five, the Lord Jesus condemns judgmentalism. He is not saying 
that there is not discernment in the life of the Christian. 
He is not condemning church discipline. He is not condemning law courts. He's not condemning even theological 
debate. It is not an infringement of 
this passage to disagree with one another in matters of theology. We can do that and hopefully 
be the better for it. Iron does sharpen iron. This 
text was not given to reduce us to a situation of PC or political 
correctness where we never say anything lest we might make somebody 
somewhere unhappy with what we've had the gall to utter. No, he 
is dealing with a petty, fault-finding, hypercritical, excessively eager, 
vainly curious approach to the specs in our brother's eyes. He is not dealing with those 
other categories. He's dealing with our relationships 
within the context of the local church. But as is often the case, 
Christians can become imbalanced. If we just focused on verses 
1 to 5, we might conclude we ought never, ever say anything 
untoward. toward anybody else. And that 
is why He gives us verse 6. In cautioning His disciples concerning 
judgmentalism, Jesus does not want His people to engage in 
an error in the opposite extreme. He wants us to have discernment. He wants us to be able to correctly 
identify dogs and pigs. He wants us not to throw holy 
things before them or cast our pearls before them. He wants 
us to operate according to discernment. He gives us these balancing statements 
so that we will be fit for life in the community and fit for 
life with those outside of the church. While judgmentalism of 
brothers is wicked, so is a lack of discernment. So is a toleration 
of all manner of heresy. So is a toleration of giving 
holy things to dogs and casting pearls before swine. The same 
Jesus Christ who prohibits judgmentalism demands that his disciples function 
according to discernment. We must be a discerning people. Just at the outset, the best 
way we can do that is to know our scriptures, to know our Bibles, 
to know the truth. and then, as well, to seek God. 
But more on that later. So we're going to consider the 
demand for discernment under three points. First, the contrast 
between parties. We need to see the difference 
between verses 1 to 5 and verse 6. Secondly, we'll look at the 
explanation of the text. And then, thirdly, we'll conclude 
with some application in the pages of the New Testament. In 
other words, we can go right to the New Testament documents 
themselves and see this principle played out. We see it in the 
life and the ministry of Jesus Christ our Lord. We will see 
it as well. We'll focus primarily on the 
Apostle Paul when we consider this application in the New Testament. 
That doesn't mean Paul is more discerning than the rest of them, 
just that we have an abundance of examples from the life and 
ministry of the Apostle. But first, note the contrasts. 
In verses 1 to 5, we are dealing with brethren. In verses 1 to 
5, we are dealing with the community of faith. In verses 1 to 5, we 
are trying to be helpful to a brother who has a speck in his eye. Remember, 
we're prohibited from being judgmental. But there is a remedial focus 
at the end. We are to take the plank out 
of our own eye so that we may be able to help the brother who 
has a speck in his own eye. It is shameful, it is vile, it 
is wicked when brethren treat brethren like dogs and pigs. We're not supposed to do that. 
If we differ on a doctrinal point, that doesn't put us into the 
category of doghood or piggery. Sounded like a cam-ism there. 
Piggery. Don't mean to pick on my brother, 
but a piggery does sound like something our dear brother would 
say, right along with the word swell. We'll use that word enough. Swell. It's wicked, though. We differ on matters of eschatology. There are some people I believe 
are very wrong on matters of eschatology. Get this, I realize 
they understand and they think I'm very wrong. But hopefully 
we can dialogue and conduct a conversation without consigning one another 
into this place. Conversely, verse 6 deals with 
dogs and pigs. It is dangerous for the sheep 
of Christ to deal with dogs and pigs like their brethren. You see, we need to keep these 
points, we need to keep these balancing things in view here. It's like a teeter totter, a 
seesaw. Jesus wants us to be well rounded. The believer is not to treat 
brothers like dogs or pigs. And the believer is not to treat 
dogs and pigs like brethren. This is the wisdom of Jesus Christ 
speaking to His disciples in those areas they most desperately 
need. You cannot judge the brethren 
in a petty, censorious manner. But by the same token, when God's 
glory is at stake, or when the personal safety of Christ's people 
is at stake, don't give holy things to dogs. Don't cast pearls 
before swine. God wants you to go home to your 
family at night. God wants His glory maintained. Just an interesting aside. You 
can read this for yourself later. Studies in the Sermon on the 
Mount by Lloyd-Jones. He asks the question, does verse 
six speak to us just indiscriminately passing on Bibles? Or should 
we make sure that people want the Bible? They may take it and 
roll up marijuana cigarettes with its pages. They may rip 
out pages and it might be a cause for further blasphemy of God. 
I'm not here to answer that question. I just thought it was intriguing 
that Lloyd-Jones asks this. Is it necessarily our task to 
give the dogs and the pigs Bibles so that they can further sin 
against the Lord God Almighty? It's an amazing thought. Jesus 
is wise. This prohibition against the 
censorious spirit toward brethren is not to be interpreted as a 
prohibition against discernment when dealing with the enemies 
of the gospel. Jesus does the same thing in 
Matthew chapter 10 when he sends his disciples out to preach. 
What does he say to them? I want you to be harmless as 
doves and cunning as serpents. What happens if you're harmless 
as a dove and you have no wisdom? you're going to be run over. 
What happens if you've got all the cunning of a serpent and 
you don't have any harmlessness? You're not dove-like. You don't 
accurately present the truth of your master. You see, Jesus 
balances here so that we as his people will know how to deal 
with brethren and how to deal with the enemies of Christ. Notice, 
secondly, the explanation of the text. The text does not contradict 
chapter 5, verses 13 to 16. The text does not contradict 
the necessity for us as God's people to be a city set on a 
hill, to be salt, to be light, to be faithful witnesses. The 
text does not say you are never to evangelize. The text does 
not say that every unbeliever is a dog and a pig. The text 
is to be held in balance with all that is before and all that 
is after. Paul the Apostle in Philippians 
chapter 2 tells the saints in Philippi they are to shine as 
lights in a crooked and perverse generation and they are to hold 
forth the word of truth. That's how we are to evangelize. 
That's how we are to witness. That's how we are to testify 
and not be ashamed to own our Lord. It is a twofold strategy. Live like you're the people of 
God. And when you have opportunity, 
hold forth the truth of God. Present the gospel. Present the 
cross. Present the reality of a crucified 
and risen Savior. So the responsibility to witness 
is not invalidated by this particular task. Notice specifically the 
prohibition. Do not give what is holy to the 
gods, nor cast your pearls before swine. An early Christian document 
called the Didache, probably around A.D. 120, applied this to the Lord's 
Supper, applied this to the Eucharist. The Didache, chapter 9, verse 
2, said this, or chapter 9, verse 5, says, But let no one eat or 
drink of your Eucharist except those who have been baptized 
into the name of the Lord. For the Lord has also spoken 
concerning this, Do not give what is holy to dogs. Well, that's 
an interesting point of ecclesiology. I don't think that's what Jesus 
is speaking about. The holy things and the pearls in view here is 
gospel truth, gospel treasure, the mysteries of the kingdom 
of God. This isn't a call, first and 
foremost, for the church to fence the table. The Scripture speaks 
to that reality, but in other places. Jesus is talking about 
the glory of the written word of the living God, specifically 
focusing in upon the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, when we look at dogs and 
pigs, again, we're not to conclude everybody's a dog and a pig. What do you think our tendency 
is in light of verse six? To be quick on the holster in 
terms of who's a dog and a pig, right? Because we're that discerning? 
No, no, probably because we're that cowardice. Well, I'd love 
to share the gospel with you, but you're such a dog and such 
a pig, I'm not going to cast holy things before you, or my 
pearls before swine. We need to be careful that we 
don't pull that gun out of the holster too quick. We need to 
make sure that we don't put everybody into the category of dogs and 
pigs. So who are the dogs and the pigs? I personally was not 
raised in a dog-friendly home. It took a long time for my family 
to work on me to allow us to get a dog. Now we have a little 
dog, and I have learned the benefits of dogs. They are friendly. They are companions. They're 
nice. They're pleasant. They wag their 
tail when they see you. The dog in view is not my little 
tikka. When we think about pigs, what's 
the tendency? Babe, the barnyard animal that 
just wrinkles its little nose and just there to nuzzle beside 
your leg. Is that who Jesus is speaking 
about? Tika and Bey? Dogs were vicious pack animals. They were more like what we would 
associate with wolves. And the pigs were wild boars. You don't go pet and play with 
wild boars. You shoot them and make bacon. When he speaks of dogs and pigs, 
he's got a different classification in his mind. He's not talking 
about the ebb and flow of the unbeliever. He is talking about 
the God-hater. He is talking about the rebel. He is talking about the one who 
will ultimately persecute the messenger himself. As Edward 
says, sinners can't get to God. They can't ascend to his throne 
to cast him down and kill him. So what they'll do is kill his 
servants and kill his people. Grant Osborne defines it this 
way. It must be realized that the 
dogs were not pets, but wild scavengers who often traveled 
in packs like wolves. And the pigs were not really 
barnyard animals, but more like wild boars. And then if you notice 
what Jesus says, what do the pigs do when you throw pearls 
before them? They trample them. What do the 
dogs do? I think there's what's called 
a structure that goes A, B, B, A. So it says dogs, pigs, tells 
you what pigs do and then tells you what dogs do. I think that's 
the flow of thought here. Not to say a wild boar couldn't 
turn on you and try and tear you into pieces, but more likely 
it's the dog. You see what Jesus is doing. These aren't garden variety unbelievers. As Osborne says, he has added 
persecution to the metaphor. Yes, the pigs trample the pearls, 
the dogs turn and they try and tear you into pieces. He is dealing 
with men that demonstrate an animalistic spirit with reference 
to spiritual things. The language of John Calvin, 
he says, it ought to be understood that dogs and swine are names 
given not to every kind of debauched men or to those who are destitute 
of the fear of God and of true godliness, but to those who, 
by clear evidences, have manifested a hardened contempt of God so 
that their disease appears to be incurable. So you don't treat 
every unbeliever like he's a dog or a pig. But you better be able 
to spot the dogs and the pigs. Because if you don't, the glory 
of God is at stake. We don't want to add fuel to 
the fire of blasphemy. And we certainly don't want to 
jeopardize our lives. There's nothing godly in that. 
Yes, God calls us at times to be martyred for His cause. But 
He also instructs us on the better part of wisdom how to try and 
avoid those particular ends. Right? Everybody with me? I think Bruner hits the nail 
on the head. I can't commend his commentary. 
I don't have it, but he was quoted by Chamblin. He says, some people 
have harmless specks in their eyes. Others have harmful clogs 
in their hands. Those are the dogs. Those are 
the pigs. Now, This speaks to the depravity 
of man, doesn't it? Look at the way Jesus just treats 
men in this small section. Some men are bestial. Some men 
are like animals. But before you Christians start 
getting an elevated view of yourself, he says, if you then, being evil, 
love to give good gifts to your children, how much more will 
your Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those 
who ask? You know, in light of the doctrine 
of depravity, in light of the doctrine of sin, in light of 
news reports, in light of incidents that we're all aware of, some 
men act in such a fashion that it's an insult to a dog or a 
pig to call them dogs or pigs. Some men act in such a fashion 
that it's a compliment to refer to them as dogs and pigs. You see, Jesus is using a metaphor 
that doesn't fully penetrate every jot and diddle of reality. You need to remember, with dogs 
and pigs, if a dog turns on you and tries to rip you to pieces, 
he's not doing it because he hates God. I know we look at 
animals that way. They're evil. They're not evil. 
They're not image bearers of God. They don't have the conscience 
we have. They don't have the law of God 
written on our hearts. When a dog turns on you and tears 
you into pieces, I mean, there's probably many reasons why he 
would do such a thing. But to hate God and to perpetrate 
evil, that's not in his worldview. If we can even speak of a dog 
having a worldview. Pigs, the same thing. When you're 
up that tree and that pig is oinking at you and wants to bite 
you and tear you up or trample your cross, he's not doing it 
with malice. He's not evil. He's not an image-bearer 
of God. You see, when we take the metaphor, 
we get the general sense of it, we get the general idea, when 
we actually penetrate it, men oftentimes are worse than dogs 
and worse than pigs. Dogs don't always do the sorts 
of things men do. Pigs don't do the sorts of things 
that men do. You talk about some of the martyrs 
for the cause. You talk about some people suffering 
for the cause. You talk about people dying for 
the cause. Their perpetrators act a whole 
lot more wretched than any dog or pig. You get a fair shake 
with the dog and the pig. You don't get that with sinners. 
So we need to understand, when Jesus uses dogs and pigs, the 
tendency for us is to say, that's mean, you shouldn't say that 
about anybody. No, what's mean is that sinners 
act worse than dogs and pigs. Later on, they tell Jesus, Herod 
wants to see you. Go tell that fox. Not because he was a beautiful 
and attractive man, but because he was cunning. is carnal. You see, we have been browbeaten 
to the place where we think to ever voice any opposition or 
any concern or to speak with any degree of discernment is 
somehow mean, is somehow evil. No, what's mean is when dogs 
turn and try and tear our brethren to pieces. And what's mean is 
when pigs try to trample down pearls. You've got this concept 
of what's mean and what isn't that's more informed by the current 
prevailing attitudes of a godless society than to the word itself. If Jesus says there are a class 
of man that behaves themselves like dogs and pigs, if you and 
I voice something of the same concern, it is not bigoted, it 
is not prejudiced, it is not vile, it is not evil. You see, 
again, what's more offensive in our society? Men acting like 
dogs and pigs or people saying that they're acting like dogs 
and pigs? Oh, you can't say that. What 
do you mean? Don't you know you'll hurt their 
feelings? What do you mean hurt their feelings? They're molesting 
children. Dogs don't even do that. Swine 
don't do that. There's a class of men that's 
worse. So again, when we penetrate the 
metaphor, it's a whole lot worse. Jesus is using the metaphor just 
to illustrate a particular point. We want to actually penetrate 
it and get into it. We'd have to conclude it's an 
insult to dogs and pigs to call some men dogs and pigs. It's 
a compliment to some men to call them dogs and pigs. Proverbs 98, same concept, same 
thought, same idea. Do not correct the scoffer, lest 
he hate you. It says rebuke a wise man and 
he will love you. The grim reality of sin is clear 
that in the mass of unbelieving thought, Some men are so opposed 
to God and so opposed to His people that they have that animalistic 
spirit. When they hear the truth, they 
will be led to blaspheme God and seek to hurt the person who 
brought them the truth. Again, I am not saying that if 
called upon to be a martyr, that you don't die for Jesus, if that's 
what He's called you to do. But live wisely for Jesus, too. He traced the strategy of the 
Apostle Paul. What does he do? He tries to 
avoid death. Why is that? Because he can bring 
more glory to God in his preaching ministry than he would otherwise. So let's look at some of these 
examples or the application, rather, in the New Testament. 
Matthew chapter 10, verse 14. Matthew chapter 10, verse 14. Prior to saying, I send you out 
as a sheep in the midst of wolves, therefore be wise as serpents 
and harmless as doves. What he says is whoever will 
not receive you nor hear your words when you depart from that 
house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Shake off 
the dust from your feet. I just neglected. I realized 
I neglected to read a good quote by Spurgeon sort of on this whole 
thing. He says, Saints are not to be simple. Saints are not 
to be simple. He says they are not to be judges, 
but also they are not to be fools. That's the import, that's the 
emphasis, that's the stress and accent of the text. In Matthew 
15, notice the way the Lord Jesus deals with the Pharisees. We 
don't have time to read beginning in verse 1, but you know the 
situation, you know the scene. Scribes and Pharisees come, they 
complain, why do your disciples eat with unwashed hands? Jesus 
says, why do you neglect the Word of God? Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that beautiful? Your disciples, 
they eat with unwashed hands. They're not talking about biological 
threat. They're talking about ceremonial threat. They're talking 
about cleanliness, laws, the ceremonies of Moses. In many 
respects, Jesus upholds that threefold division of the law. 
What's more important, eating with unwashed hands or obeying 
the fifth commandment? That's what he says. And then 
notice what happens here. Verse 10. He called the multitude 
to himself, he said to them, hear and understand, not what 
goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth 
defiles the man. You see, Jesus has this robust 
doctrine of total depravity. He never deals with us with kid 
gloves. He never tries to soft pedal. 
He never tries to make it sound like it's a whole lot better 
than it is. If you, being evil, love to give good gifts to your 
children. Some men function as dogs and swine. And here, specifically, 
he says, your problem isn't what goes in. Your problem is what 
comes out. Then his disciples came and said 
to him, Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when 
they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every 
plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the 
blind, and if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into 
a ditch. Now, the question might arise, 
how do we know if we're dealing with a dog and a pig? How do 
we know when we can come to the point where we say, leave them 
alone? We'll touch on that in a moment. But just suffice it 
to say right now, the practice, the application, the principle 
in action. In Luke's gospel, we find something 
very interesting in chapter 23. Pilate questions Jesus. Jesus 
answers Pilate. Herod questions Jesus. Jesus 
doesn't answer Herod. I think the idea is that Herod, 
being an Idumean, should have known certain things about Jesus. He should have known certain 
truths concerning the biblical witness. Pilate, no. Pilate Gentile. Pilate outside. And so Jesus 
speaks to the one, but he refuses to answer to the other. Again, 
you might be thinking, well, that's Jesus. He knows what's 
in all men. He has that pinpoint accuracy to be able to determine. 
Again, we're not talking about application for us. We're just 
looking at the principle illustrated. Because you will hear somebody 
say, you know, I felt threatened for my life, so I left. What 
do you mean you left? All those sinners needed you. 
Wait a minute. Jesus didn't open his mouth when 
he stood before Herod. I mean, here was a man that wanted 
to kill Jesus, according to Luke chapter 13. Herod wanted to kill 
him. So when Jesus is standing before 
him, knowing his murderous rage, knowing that he has a vain curiosity, 
knowing that all he wants is to be dazzled, Jesus isn't going 
to play his game. Jesus is not going to perform 
for him. Jesus is not going to give the people what they want. 
Absolutely not. So we have the life and ministry 
of the Lord Jesus, and then we have the book of Acts, which 
demonstrates to us the practice of the Apostle Paul in several 
instances. And again, we're going to look 
at each one of these. I want us to see the principle 
applied that at times men were treated like dogs and swine for 
the greater good of God's glory and for the protection of the 
Apostle. Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13. You remember the particular scene? 
They're in Antioch. Not the same Antioch in chapter 
11. That's in Syria. This is Antioch in Pisidia. And 
here we have godly men. They're praying and they're fasting. 
And the Holy Spirit comes and says, separate for me Paul and 
Barnabas for the missionary enterprise. Interesting to me, the church 
is the birthplace for missionaries. The church is where the spirit 
comes to fetch his men, to send them out, to preach his gospel. 
And so that's precisely what happens. Paul and Barnabas go 
out on this first missionary journey. Now in Pisidian Antioch, 
Paul stands before the people in the synagogue and he preaches. He preaches the truth. He ends 
with this statement concerning forgiveness of sins in and through 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now notice in chapter 13 at verse 
42. So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles 
begged that these words might be preached to them the next 
Sabbath. You'll know we're in revival when people are begging 
for the word of God. They don't neglect it. They don't 
despise it. They don't miss church. They 
don't put their Bible down and pick up the latest novel, even 
if it's a Christian novel. No, they want the word of God. 
This is a good sign. When the spirit is at work, people 
want scripture. How do we know we're in revival? 
Because we'll esteem God's Word. We won't treat it in contempt. 
We won't despise it. We won't reject it. We won't 
neglect it. That's an aside. Look at the 
text. Verse 43. Now, when the congregation had 
broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul 
and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue 
in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath, almost the 
whole city came together to hear the Word of God. Another great 
indicator of revival. You've got to come and hear this. 
I'd rather play lawn bowling on the Sabbath. No, you need 
to come to the synagogue. I'd rather go to Home Depot on 
the Sabbath. No, you've got to come to the synagogue. I'd rather watch football or 
hockey or baseball. No, you've got to come. The whole 
city is persuaded to come and hear the words spoken by the 
Apostle Paul. God is at work. What happens 
when God is at work? Satan is at work too. Generally 
speaking, a time of great outpouring of the Spirit is attended by 
challenges, it is attended by difficulties, it is attended 
by trials. You poke a hornet's nest, they 
don't just hang out, they fly around and they try to sting 
you. You poke the hornet's nest, which is Satan's kingdom, and 
he reviles and he seeks to fight back. Verse 44, "...on the next 
Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word 
of God." Let's just stop again. It wasn't because they saw the 
Twitter feed or they saw the Facebook post. It's because people 
who had heard Paul said, you need to come with me. You need 
to come and hear the gospel. You need to come and hear the 
truth. That's what happened. Word of mouth. The gospel is 
being preached. You, my loved one, you, my friend, 
you, my workmate, need to come and hear the gospel. It is the 
most important thing in the world. Verse 45. But when the Jews saw 
the multitudes, they were filled with envy and contradicting and 
blaspheming. They opposed the things spoken 
by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold 
and said it was necessary that the word of God should be spoken 
to you first. But since you reject it and judge 
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the 
Gentiles. You see, for the apostle Paul, 
there was a time to stop throwing holy things before dogs. There 
was a time to quit casting pearls before swine. And Paul makes 
this statement. He cites the prophet Isaiah. 
He says, we are God's means to promote Messiah to the Gentiles 
too. Verse 48, when the Gentiles heard 
this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as 
many as have been appointed to eternal life, believe. Put that 
in your basket of sovereignty text. As many as have been appointed 
to eternal life, believe. They didn't believe and thus 
were appointed to eternal life. They were appointed to eternal 
life and therefore believed. It's a beautiful display of the 
sovereignty of grace. Grace, grace, grace. Notice verse 
49, the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the 
region, but the Jews scurred up the devout and prominent women 
and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against 
Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their region. Note 
verse 51, precisely what Jesus had commanded the apostles are 
putting into practice, but they shook off the dust from their 
feet against them. and came to Iconium, and the 
disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Again, 
we're not asking the question, how can I determine a dog or 
a pig? We're asking the question, does 
the New Testament display this principle of Matthew 7, 6 put 
into practice? And we have to agree that it 
in fact does. So they come to Iconium, they 
so speak that a great multitude believes. But notice what happens 
in verse 2. The unbelieving Jews stirred 
up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. 
You'll notice in all of the examples in the book of Acts, it's the 
first primary enemy of the church. There would be greater persecution 
coming from Rome in later years. But the initial chief enemy of 
the church was unbelieving Jews. That's who stirred up these men. 
That's who caught up, taught, tried to call the Gentiles to 
poison their minds against the brethren. Verse two, verse three 
says, Therefore, they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly 
in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, 
granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the multitude of the city 
was divided, part sided with the Jews and part with the apostles. 
And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and 
Jews with their rulers to abuse and stone them, they became aware 
of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lyconia, and 
to the surrounding region. And they were preaching the gospel 
there. If you ever read church history and you've scratched 
your head at how a man stayed in the place. of utter persecution 
for so long. I don't want to call into question 
the wisdom of that. I don't want to call into question 
the motives. But you know, here the Apostle 
Paul saw this sort of animosity and he goes to other cities. 
And then you just keep following. This is the first missionary 
journey. What happens in Lystra? Paul is stoned. Paul is stoned. He's dragged out of the city. 
They suppose him to be dead. He gets up, he goes back into 
the city, which that is amazing. I might have said, you know, 
is that the wisest course of action? To go back into the city 
where the people are that just stoned you? Next morning, he 
gets up and he travels the 60 miles to Derby from Westrop. He takes as his text, through 
many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. There's going 
to be tribulations, there's going to be trial, there's going to 
be persecution, there's going to be hardship, there's going 
to be stoning, there's going to be rods, there's going to 
be whips, there's going to be that confrontation when we speak 
the truth of God's most holy gospel to an unbelieving world 
and we start poking the hornet's nest, which is Satan's kingdom. 
There will be opposition. Christ speaks to that eventuality. He speaks to it. He does say 
we need to stand firm. We need to persevere. If called 
upon to be martyred for the Lord, precious in the sight of God 
is the death of his holy ones. But nevertheless, he builds into 
the strategy this method that if there are dogs and swine, 
you don't have to give them your head. You don't have to orphan 
your children for that. You don't have to make a widow 
out of your wife. If it happens in the sovereign 
providence of God, it happens. If it happens because you're 
foolish, if it happens because you're not thinking, if it happens 
because you've got some machismo or some bravado or some idea 
of what it means to be a Christian, then that's your problem. Paul demonstrates wisdom. Acts 18.6. This is the second missionary 
journey there in Corinth, and at verse five, when Silas and 
Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit 
and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when 
they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said 
to them, Your blood be upon your own heads. I am clean. From now on, I will go to the 
Gentiles, probably the watchman passages from Ezekiel 18 and 
Ezekiel 33. What does God say? If you warn 
the wicked, then your hands are clean of their blood. But if 
you don't warn them, then their blood I will require at your 
hand. You see, Paul put these principles into practice. kept 
him alive for a longer time, so that he could preach the gospel 
and bring glory to God and genuine good to the rank and file of 
unbelievers. And then, of course, in Acts 
21, I'm sorry, 22, he's testifying before the Jerusalem, or he's 
testifying in Jerusalem. He's recounting his conversion. 
He's recounting how he was saved and employed to go out and preach 
the gospel. And when he mentions that Jesus says depart, I will 
send you far from here to the Gentiles. What's that? What happens 
to the people in Jerusalem? They go nuts. They go bananas. And they listen to him until 
this word. You see, Messiah for them was 
uniquely for Israel. They misread Isaiah. They misread 
the Psalter. They misread the prophets. They 
misread the promise to Abraham. Didn't God, too, Abraham, say 
in you all the nations of the earth should be blessed? That's 
why later on Paul says, I'm on trial for the hope of Israel. 
Don't miss what he's saying there. These guys aren't reading their 
Bibles properly. I am. I don't think he said it 
quite that brazenly. You see, this Jewish opposition 
to gospel preaching was not the consistent outflow of Old Testament 
scripture. The consistent outflow of Old 
Testament scripture was Paul preaching to Gentiles. And the 
dogs and the swines opposed this concept. So they got upset. They rallied around and they 
said, away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not 
fit to live. There's other passages we could 
go to one more. Second Timothy four. And when I say there's other 
passages, there really are. That's not preacher speak for. 
I need to get to one last thing here. We're going to ask 28. Where does Paul end up? He ends 
up in Rome. Who's his target audience? Jews. 
They don't like what he has to say. So what does Paul say? Rightly 
did Isaiah prophesy concerning you. You have ears, but you don't 
hear. You have hearts, but they don't receive. You're in a stupor. You're blinded. Notice in 2 Timothy chapter 4, 
probably a text that's most offensive in our PC climate, verse Nine, 
be diligent to come to me quickly, for Demas has forsaken me, having 
loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica. 
Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia, only Luke is with me. 
Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. 
And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak that I left with 
Carpus at Troas when you come, and the books, especially the 
parchments. Kruger makes the case. Paul's 
referring to his own writings. Paul is referring to the epistles 
of the New Testament. Bring them so I can pour over 
them. Bring them so I can study them. Here's an old man in a prison 
cell. He wants his cloak to keep his body warm. He wants his books 
to keep his heart on fire. Notice verse 14. Alexander the coppersmith did 
me much harm. May the Lord repay him according 
to his works. You also must be aware of him. For he has greatly resisted our 
words. At my first defense, no one stood 
with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against 
them." Notice the graciousness and the compassion of the Apostle 
Paul to his friends that forsook him. You see that? You see verse 16? May it not be charged against 
them. These were offenses against the 
Apostle. They weren't there for him. No 
one stood with me but the Lord. Even when reporting about Demas 
loving this present world, he doesn't say, may God charge it 
against his account. Probably in the heart and the 
bosom of the Apostle were prayers for Demas that the Lord would 
capture his heart and bring him back. These friends that forsook 
him, these friends that left him, these friends that were 
not available to him in his time of desperate need, he does not 
pray an imprecation upon their heads. He does not pray that 
God charge them with this sin. But Alexander, Alexander the 
coppersmith, did me much harm. What's his specific crime? What's his specific sin? He has 
greatly resisted what? Our words. He's an enemy of the gospel. 
He's an enemy of the cross. He's an enemy of those things 
which are true and holy. He is an enemy of Jesus Christ 
himself. May God charge him with this 
particular sin. John Calvin rightly comments 
on this situation. He says, because some have fallen 
through fear and weakness, he desires that the Lord would forgive 
them. For in this manner we ought to have compassion on the weakness 
of brethren." Again, don't treat a weak brother like a dog or 
a pig. Please, don't treat a weak brother 
like a dog or a pig. God, charge them with this sin. 
Destroy them. They did mean things to me. No. 
Lighten up. Stop. Do not treat a brother 
for whom Jesus died or a garden variety unbeliever as if they're 
a dog or a pig. Don't do that. Who do you think 
you are? You think you're all that? You 
think you deserve more? You pray for them. You're compassionate 
to them. You're kind to them. God is gracious. God is benevolent. God is full 
of love. God may arrest them and God may 
bring them to the fold. That's a reality that we ought 
to pray for. Luther said something to the 
effect that we ought to pray that the enemies of the gospel 
are converted and become our friends. But if they continue 
impenitent and they continue to resist the truth, then we 
pray that God will stop them to promote the truth of the Holy 
Gospel. But back to Calvin. We're mixing 
our reformers here. But because this man, speaking 
about Alexander, rose against God with malice and sacrilegious 
hardihood and openly attacked known truth, such impiety had 
no claim to compassion. And then again he says, in this 
man, Alexander, was exhibited a shocking instance of apostasy. He had made profession of some 
zeal in advancing the reign of Christ, against which he afterwards 
carried on open war. No class of enemies is more dangerous 
or more envenomed than this. So you see, for the Apostle Paul, 
when his friends forsook him, when his friends deserted him, 
he says to the Lord, may he not charge them with this. In other 
words, God be merciful. God forgive them. But when he's 
telling Timothy, Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. 
He greatly resisted our words. You need to avoid him. You need 
to stay away from him. Don't throw what is holy before 
that dog. Don't cast your pearls before that swine. So again, 
brethren, we find that to be offensive because we don't traffic 
in those things in the real world today. We're afraid to speak 
out against the horrors of abortion. We're afraid to speak out against 
the sinfulness of sodomy. We're called homophobes. No, 
we're theophobes. We fear God and we love men and 
we want them to be reconciled unto God through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. You know, the first step to healing 
is to understand the malady, to understand the problem. We're 
doing no one any service by kowtowing and not holding forth the truth 
of God's holy word. So for the Apostle Paul, the 
glory of God and the gospel of free grace meant more than Alexander 
the coppersmith who did him much harm. He didn't want Timothy 
to have a truck with him. He didn't want Timothy to get 
affected. He didn't want Timothy to get 
beat down. God's glory and gospel truth is more important. So back 
to Matthew 7 again, those are just some examples. When we finish 
up, summarize, look at 7, 1 to 6, we see in this small compass 
the believers' relationships. Toward brethren, we're not to 
be judgmental. Toward brethren, we are to be 
loving. Toward brethren, we are not to 
be petty. Toward brethren, we are not to 
be censorious. Toward brethren, we're not to 
be fault finders. Toward brethren, we're not to 
be nitpickers. Toward brethren, we're not to 
fix the speck in their eye while we've got a plank hanging out 
of our own eye. Toward brethren, we are to manifest 
and demonstrate and display the love of Jesus Christ. Interestingly 
enough, in this small compass of verses, it gives us our responsibility 
for self. What are we supposed to do? We're 
supposed to pull planks out of our eyes. Plank extraction surgery 
must be an ongoing reality in the sanctification of the believer. Do not walk around with planks. 
Do not walk around with logs hanging out of your eyes. Don't 
be like those blind guides leading the blind. Rather, we are to 
deal faithfully and righteously. We're to be more severe on ourselves 
and more charitable on others. We're to remember Augustine's 
maxim, in essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. And in all things, love. See, that's the way believers 
are supposed to deal. That's what ought to characterize 
us in light of Matthew 7, verses 1 to 5. Toward sinning brethren. You see in this small compass 
of verses, sinning brethren. We're not just to let them wander 
around with specks in their eyes. We're to pull out the log, and 
then we're to try and assist them to take the specks out of 
their eyes. We have their good in view. We don't want them to 
have specks. We want to lovingly, charitably, 
happily, and kindly deal with them in grace and in mercy. Don't 
knock them down with the log that's in your own eye. But as well, toward unbelievers. Well, it's not implicit or it's 
not explicit here. It's implicit from the larger 
context of the Sermon on the Mount. We are to be salt. We 
are to be light. We are to be witnesses to unbelievers. Do not take this verse again, 
verse six, and shoot everybody and call them dogs and pigs so 
that you don't have to be salt and light. That is not legit. 
toward unbelievers, what we might call the garden variety, unbeliever. We are to witness. We are to 
testify. We are to shine as lights in 
a crooked and perverse generation. We are to hold forth the word 
of truth. But toward dogs and pigs, we're not to give them 
holy things. You see, he's covered in these 
six verses how we're supposed to deal with everybody. It's 
beautiful, isn't it? It's wonderful. I got this situation 
at work. Well, here's what Jesus said. 
I got this situation at church. Here's what Jesus says. I got 
this situation. I'm a pioneer missionary and 
people are trying to shoot me. Well, here's what Jesus says. 
See, Jesus speaks to these issues. He wants his blood-bought children 
to conduct themselves with the ethic of the kingdom of God Most 
High. Secondly, we need to have discrimination. If that doesn't leap out at you, 
if you haven't been following. This is tough, isn't it? Just because someone calls us 
a knave doesn't mean they're a dog or a swine. I know the 
first time I was witnessed too, I wasn't the most pleasant fellow 
in the world. And I'm sure you would all say 
the same thing. Thankfully, that person didn't 
write me off as a dog and a swine. We need discernment. We need 
help from on high. Again, it's no accident that 
verses 7 and following come. Ask, seek, knock. It's no accident that Jesus highlights 
the necessity for importunate prayer in verses 7 to 11. Because we need wisdom in order 
to discern dogs and pigs from brethren. We need discernment 
in order to be able to tell brethren from dogs and pigs. We must learn 
to discriminate between brethren and gods and pigs because it 
is shameful when believers treat believers like this. Isn't it? Have you ever been in an argument 
with somebody and they treated like they were unsaved? That's not the way to advance 
the cause. Or maybe I should ask the question, 
have you ever treated someone else like they were unsaved because 
they didn't subscribe to the 1689? Now, I personally would like 
for all Christians to subscribe to the 1689. I think it's a wonderful 
statement of things most surely believed among us. But if someone 
doesn't, how are we saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. Not believe on the Westminster 
Assembly and their articulation of redemptive truth. Brethren, 
we are not to treat brethren like dogs and pigs. We may disagree. We may have issues. We may not 
see eye to eye. That doesn't put us in the category 
of dogs and pigs. So it is shameful when believers 
treat other believers as dogs and pigs. As well, though, it 
is dangerous when believers treat dogs and pigs as brethren. See, if I treat a pack of wild 
dogs or wild boar in the same way I treat Tika or Babe, I am 
going to get hurt. We need discernment. We need 
to think clearly. We need to understand. The sons 
of Issachar knew the signs of the times. They were an understanding 
lot according to the chronicler. The sons of Issachar need to 
live on in the church of Jesus Christ. But as well, it is dangerous 
when believers operate according to political correctness rather 
than biblical truth. You know, Pastor Butler, if you 
preach against homosexuality, they might throw you in jail. 
Maybe that's what the church needs something of, to see something 
like that. You say, well, that goes against 
everything you said. No, it doesn't. Preach the truth. They infiltrate, 
they sneak in and end up taking you away to jail, and so be it. 
PC doesn't dictate. Political correctness doesn't 
dictate. You know what, brethren? Some people are wrong. I know 
that comes as a shock. I know that's baffling. I know 
that's just strange to entertain in our day and age. There are 
false religions. There is bad doctrine. There 
are people that are fools. There are dogs, there are swines. 
All these things are reality. Don't let the civil government 
or don't let the social atmosphere or the cultural climate dictate 
how we operate. I think we've all been conditioned. 
I'm not up here saying, oh, you people need to be bold for Jesus. 
We all have been conditioned. Over the long haul, what happens? 
The voice of the church gets pared down. The voice of the 
church becomes marginalized. What took the Lord God Almighty 
that we would see something in our day like Paul saw in Pisidian 
Antioch? What happened there? The Gentiles 
are begging for the scripture. The next Sabbath, the whole city 
comes together. You've got people receiving the 
truth. You've got people blaspheming against the truth. But what's 
the underlying message? The truth is impacting culture. We get to the book of Acts in 
chapter 19. What happens when Paul comes to Ephesus? Idol makers 
say, we've got to stop this man. We've got to get this man, because 
if people believe his message, they're not going to buy Vianna. 
They're not going to buy our trinkets. They're not going to 
buy our images. And this man single-handedly 
will put us out of business. Pray to God the gospel would 
be preached in its purity and truth. in such a way that abortionists 
would be put out of business, in such a way that God haters 
would be shut down. The gospel is the power of God 
unto salvation for everyone who believes to the Jew first and 
also to the Greek. As I said, finally, the difficulty 
of this situation, the potential danger, the imbalance that we 
have in our bosom is to treat every unbeliever as a dog and 
a pig so that we don't need to witness. Pray to God. Seek God's 
wisdom. We not only have chapter 7 to 
11, but we have James' statement. If anyone lacks wisdom, what 
should he do? Go to the local junior college 
and enroll? Go take a course on wisdom at 
UFV? I'm not saying you can't do that. In fact, it might be 
helpful for a lot of us to go do such a thing. If anyone among 
you lacks wisdom, let him do what? Let him ask of God who 
gives to all liberally and without reproach. What does that mean, 
without reproach? Or what is the old King James? 
He upbraideth not. Here's what I think James means. 
When you come back to God the fifteenth time on Monday saying, 
Lord, please give me wisdom, he doesn't say, you're coming 
back to me a fifteenth time? You're bothering me again? He 
gives liberally without reproach. He doesn't mock. He doesn't put 
you down. He knows you're a wretch, and 
he knows you stand in need of wisdom. So he says, ask, seek, 
and knock. We need wisdom in order to properly 
discern between brethren and dogs and pigs. That shouldn't 
be that tough, actually. But between unbelievers and dogs, 
hopefully it's not that hard. If people need great wisdom to 
discern whether we're believers or dogs and pigs, then we need 
to do some work in terms of our sanctification. Spurgeon said 
it this way, Great King, how much wisdom thy precepts require. I need thee not only to open 
my mouth, but also at times to keep it shut. You see, the wisdom 
of God is absolutely crucial for us to live to the glory of 
God in this world as we engage with others, as we engage with 
self, as we engage with unbelievers, and as we engage with dogs and 
pigs. The Lord God has said, ask, seek, and knock. And Lord 
willing, we'll open that up next week. If you are here this morning 
and you have not believed the gospel, I am not calling you 
a dog and a pig. I am calling you to believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Stop from your folly. Stop from 
your wickedness. Look unto Christ and be saved. God the Lord makes this promise 
in the prophet Isaiah. Turn to Me and be ye saved, all 
the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. If 
all the ends of the earth are spoken to by God the Lord, then 
certainly you find yourself among that lot. Look to Christ. Believe 
the gospel, believe the truth concerning his life, his death, 
his resurrection. The scripture says, whoever believes 
in him will have mercy, will have everlasting life. Well, 
let us pray. Our God, we thank You for this, 
Your Word, and we thank You for the instruction of our Master, 
the great Word that He gives us in terms of living with others 
in this world. We do pray for wisdom. We do 
cry out, Lord God, with Spurgeon. We need wisdom to open our mouths. 
We need wisdom to shut our mouths. We just ask, God in heaven, that 
You would fill us with Your Spirit, that You would grant us grace 
to rightly represent the Lord Jesus Christ in this world. I 
pray that You would go with us now, watch over us on this Lord's 
Day, Grant us a day of rest, a day of blessing, a day of holy 
conversation. And we pray in Jesus name. Amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation and then be dismissed.