You can turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7. This morning we looked at the woman which was a sinner that's converted by the grace of God. She comes to the Lord Jesus.
She shows, demonstrates her love and her worship and adoration for Christ. And we meet with the judgmental attitude of the Pharisee. He both judges the woman and the Lord Christ. And so I thought we would develop that idea of judgmentalism.
It's an unfortunate reality that judgmentalism is probably not confined to Pharisees in the first century. But judgmentalism can indeed infest our own souls, our own hearts. It can affect our relationships with wives, with husbands, with children, with parents. It can affect our relationships within the church.
It's one of those subjects that we ought to often address and search our own hearts so that we do not fall prey to that mindset demonstrated by that Pharisee. His was a bit conspicuous, it wasn't so overt like, say, the Pharisee in Luke 18, that thank God that he wasn't like other men. thanked God that he wasn't like that tax collector there, so it can be somewhat hidden at times, other times it can be a lot more open and visibly demonstrated, but it's good for us to see what Scripture says concerning this and seek by the grace of God to guard our tongue, to guard our minds and our hearts. I love that Psalm, Psalm 141, that we began worship with. What does David say?
Set a guard over my mouth. We need sentries, we need sentinels, we need armed guards watching diligently over our mouths so that we don't use them as a means by which we sin. Well, let's look at Matthew 7. I'll read the verses 1 to 12, but our focus is on 1 to 5 this evening.
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, who if his son asks for bread, will 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.
Opening Prayer
Father, we thank you for the written word. We pray for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We pray that he would help us to understand this passage, help us to apply this passage, and may you, by your grace, keep us from sinning the sin of this passage. Grant us the grace, God, to deal with people in a righteous way.
Grant us the grace, God, in our families, and in our church, and wherever we find ourselves, to exercise self-control, and to exercise selflessness, and to judge with righteous judgment, not according to our own wicked and preconceived notions. We ask now that you would guide our study, and we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Introduction
Well, as we look at chapter 7, verses 1 to 5, there is, as I said, a prohibition against judgmentalism. This is in the larger context of the Sermon on the Mount. The Lord Jesus went up, He sat down, and He began to speak authoritatively, declaratively. He spoke the truth as it concerned the kingdom of God Most High.
So we might suggest that this is a kingdom ethic. This is the way we are to conduct ourselves as kingdom citizens. We say, by God's grace, we have entered into the kingdom. We say, by God's grace, we are washed in the blood of the Lamb.
We say, by God's grace, we have believed on Him, we have repented from our sin. Well, we must live like that. We must live consistently, and that empowered by the Spirit, not suggesting that we can just dig down deep and do what God says concerning His kingdom. We need the Spirit every step of the way, but we need this written Word to define for us the conduct that we are to imitate, the conduct that we are to demonstrate with reference to life in God's kingdom.
So this prohibition against judgmentalism, there are three particulars that we ought to notice. In the first place, there is a prohibition, verse 1. Secondly, some explanation in verse 2. And then thirdly, an illustration in verses 3 to 5.
The Prohibition: Judge Not
But note first the prohibition. Judge not that you be not judged. Now, this text, unfortunately, is oftentimes used as a weapon. When Christians speak out against any sort of evil, non-Christians show their biblical literacy by quoting Matthew 7.1 and throwing it in the faces of Christian people, saying, but you're not supposed to judge.
You're not supposed to engage in judgment, because Jesus says that in Matthew 7.1. I submit that this is a very abused text in our generation. But I don't think it's only been in our generation, for J.C. Ryle, writing in the 1800s, said this concerning the abuse of Matthew 7.1.
He said, the first portion of these verses is one of those passages of Scripture which we must be careful not to strain beyond its proper meaning. It is frequently abused and misapplied by the enemies of true religion. It is possible to press the words of the Bible so far that they yield not medicine, but poison. You see, if we took that interpretation that we are never, ever to exercise any sort of judgment whatsoever, it would put us in antithesis with the Bible itself.
There are
Lawful Judgment Is Required
several instances where God's people are called to judge, and interestingly enough, in this very context. Notice in verse 6, "...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 into pieces." Now that's an odd suggestion, recommendation, commandment by our Lord if He means we are universally forbidden from ever exercising judgment. Isn't there a degree of judgment involved in identifying who's a pig and who's a dog? Jesus isn't name-calling here.
He's talking about the enemies of true religion. He's talking about the enemies of the cross of Christ. There comes a point in time in our evangelism. There comes a point in time in our lives.
There comes a point in time where our own safety or the safety of others that we love comes into jeopardy, and we are not to give what is holy to the dogs. We are not to cast pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you in pieces. That demands judgment. That demands discernment.
That demands the exercise of identifying what a dog and a pig are and how we are not to deal with them. As well, we are called to judge in matters of doctrinal orthodoxy. Notice in verse 15, Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. It would be hoped that the church would practice this more diligently.
We are to beware of false prophets. Doesn't that demand discernment? Doesn't that demand discrimination? Doesn't that demand a certain degree of judgment?
So 7.1 cannot be a universal prohibition. As well, we are called to judge in matters of church discipline. If we continue in Matthew's Gospel, we get to Matthew chapter 18, where Jesus says, if your brother sins against you, go to him. If he hears you, if he repents, then you have won your brother.
If he doesn't listen to you, then take two or three witnesses. If he doesn't listen to them, then tell it to the church. If he still refuses to hear the church, then let him be treated as a tax collector and as a heathen. That's judgment.
That's discernment. That's discrimination. As well, in the New Testament, we are called to judge in matters concerning sins and the eldership. 1 Timothy 5.19, there is a process, do not receive an accusation against an elder without two or three witnesses, but the very mandate itself identifies the reality that discernment, discrimination, and judgment are pronounced. As well, we are called to judge in civil disputes.
In the Church, 1 Corinthians 6, the Apostle Paul recognizes that the people of God have the collective wisdom to adjudicate in matters concerning the people in the body. As well, Romans 13. Society, government, civil rulers are to exercise judgment. Can a Christian never occupy a position of authority in civil government?
Can a Christian, because of Matthew 7.1, not be a judge in a court? Can a Christian, in light of 7.1, not be a prosecuting attorney? Because after all, you're not supposed to judge. No, there is a lawful place for the exercising of judgment.
It is not an unqualified and universal prohibition to never engage in judgment. It is rather a prohibition against a particular activity that we are all often prone to in dealing with our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.
What the Text Actually Forbids
Calvin defines it thus, these words of Christ do not contain an absolute prohibition from judging. I hope everybody sees that, right? Matthew 7.1, I'm sure you've heard it. Judge not lest you be judged.
If I were to say, hey, homosexuality is wrong. Well, who are you to judge? Abortion is wrong. Well, who are you to judge?
The Bible says you're not supposed to judge. We are most certainly supposed to judge in those matters. We are most certainly supposed to press the law of God Most High, not only in our private lives, but family and church and society. These words of Christ do not contain an absolute prohibition from judging, but are intended to cure a disease which appears to be natural to us all.
We see how all flatter themselves, and every man passes a severe censure on others. This vice is attended by some strange enjoyment." In other words, the judgmental person that Jesus is condemning here is petty, is censorious, is fault-finding, is nitpicking, and there is, as Calvin says, some strange enjoyment to it. He says, for there is hardly any person who is not tickled with the desire of inquiring into other people's faults. Now, you might say, well, I know people like that.
I know there are certain people like that. You have to admit, brethren, that that's probably in all of our hearts to some degree or other. Somebody were to come into church and say, Wow, I had a great week, everything was wonderful, and I got a promotion at work, and my wife made me eggs and brought it to me in bed. You'd probably start to zone out and just go elsewhere, because that's not really that interesting.
But he happened to come in and say, You know, I got picked up in the park for engaging in some sort of immoral behavior. For whatever reason, that demands or grabs our attention. It's the same reason that on the news they don't show people that are faithful, people that work hard, people that do what they're supposed to do. They pay their taxes, they shovel their driveways of the snow.
We're drawn to those things, unfortunately, which are base and which are dark, and that's what the prohibition has to do with. The meaning of the text specifically, it forbids a nitpicking, fault-finding, petty approach to our brother's shortcomings. As Calvin said, it is often attended by some strange enjoyment. Now, I must suggest at this point, if there's some strange enjoyment in our hearts concerning something wrong with our brothers and sisters, we need to get a handle on that.
There ought not to be some strange enjoyment about such things. We ought to love our brethren. We ought to esteem our brethren. We ought to want to promote our brethren.
We want to weep with those who weep. We want to rejoice with those who rejoice. We don't get mad at the guy who had a great week. Because we didn't have one.
No, there ought not to be some strange enjoyment attached to this particular. This involves an utter disregard for that principle of love indicated in 1 Corinthians 13, 7. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. You see, this nitpicking, fault-finding, petty, censorious attitude is contrary to 1 Corinthians 13, 7.
As well, it's contrary to Colossians 3, 13. We are told there to bear with one another and forgiving one another. Royal again. He says, What our Lord means to condemn is a censorious and fault-finding spirit, a readiness to blame others for trifling offenses or matters of indifference, a habit of passing rash and hasty judgments, a disposition to magnify the errors and infirmities of our neighbors and make the worst of them.
This is what our Lord forbids. It was common among the Pharisees. Grant Osborne adds, the key component here is the absence of love. You see, Jesus is not saying never exercise judgment, never exercise discernment, never exercise discrimination, but he is saying that when you do, with reference to the people around you, do it in a biblical way, do it in a godly way, don't do it in a way that is demonstrated by or displayed by these Pharisees.
That man this morning in Luke chapter 7, isn't that pathetic? I hope that's not us. I hope we would never say this man, if he were a prophet, would know what manner of woman this is. She's a sinner.
Guess what, Simon? We're all sinners. We're all in this boat together. We've all got problems.
We've all offended God. We've all raised our fist at the Most High. We have all breached His commandments. We have all lacked conformity unto His law.
We have transgressed it. We have done every evil thing under the sun. So it's not the case that we, with our sort of self-righteousness and our high-mindedness, look down upon others. That's what Christ is condemning in the passage.
And
Reason for the Prohibition
note the reason for the prohibition. Notice specifically, that you be not judged. Now the judgment here is most likely God's judgment upon you. It's most likely the danger, the reality, that if you live a life like a Pharisee, if you live a life of nitpickiness, if you live a life of fault-findingness, then you are not going to do well at the throne of God Most High.
Doesn't James tell us, So speak, and so do, as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. If you have shown no mercy, if you have not been kind, if you have not been a man, a woman, a boy or a girl of love, you're not going to find that at the throne.
I saw an article recently posted on a blog with reference to pornography, and it was seven reasons you should not indulge in pornography. Now, I just skimmed the article. I can't vouch for every jot and tittle of it, but the first one was striking. The first reason why you should not indulge in pornography.
Indulging in pornography will send you to hell. It's a pretty candid way to treat that particular subject, isn't it? You get the gist, you get the drift, you get the understanding. A man or a woman who engages in a regular indulgement in pornography unrepentantly is in danger of hellfire.
Well, if we look at our passage and we understand what Jesus is saying, we might also suggest that this thing condemned by Christ, this self-righteous attitude, this judgmentalism, Do not indulge in it because you will end up in hell. This is something that the people of God need to take to heart. We are quick to judge pornography, and rightly so, but we're not always so quick to judge judgmentalism. As I mentioned this morning, we condemn the crack dealers and we condemn the prostitutes, but we don't condemn ourselves for what Bridges calls respectable sins.
Not Charles Bridges, the author of Proverbs, but Jerry Bridges, who recently passed and went to be with the Lord. It's a book called Respectable Sins. The idea behind the book is that within the life of the Church, there are respectable sins. Not really, but at least theoretically.
We preach against abortion. We preach against sodomy. We preach against euthanasia. And, well, we should, but our self-righteousness, our gossip, our slander, our judgmentalism are sins that don't seem to be so severe.
They're sins that don't seem to be so grievous to God. Well, Christ on the mount certainly dealt with this particular sin. Do not be judgmental. Do not be pharisaical.
Do not be nitpicky. Do not be censorious. Do not be a fault finder. Do not go against 1 Corinthians 13, 7 and Colossians 3.
Bear with one another. Be ready to forgive one another. Don't always be so quick to pounce upon a person, but rather exercise love. This is the point of our Savior's words in this very passage.
The Explanation: Measured Back to You
Now, note in the second place the explanation that He gives. Prohibition, verse 1, judge not that you be not judged. Secondly, the explanation. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." The idea being that if we judge persons according to our whims, according to our feelings, according to our standards, according to what we conceive is the best way to operate, then we will find ourselves at the bar of God in a very bad situation.
We will understand what James meant when he said, Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Christ spoke elsewhere concerning the righteousness of judgment. We are to exercise judgment, as I hope we've already demonstrated, but in John 7, 24, he says, Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
You know, if somebody flings 7-1 in your face, fling 7-24 from John back in there. So I'm just kidding. You don't want to get in a flinging match. But the Christ who prohibits in 7.1 in Matthew's Gospel is the Christ who defines how we are to judge in John 7.24.
For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged. And the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. If you engage in life as a petty person, if you engage in life as a merciless person, if you engage in life as a fault-finding person, then you will stand before the throne of God and have to give an account for such things. Mercy, charity, love, graciousness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, the fruits of the Spirit.
Those are the sorts of things that ought to characterize our interpersonal relationships, certainly in our churches, but in our homes. Brethren, isn't this what Solomon spoke to concerning the man who'd rather, you know, it's better for him to live in the wilderness or better live on his rooftop than with a nagging woman? Probably that woman was nitpicky. Probably that woman was fault-finding.
Probably nothing that man ever did was good enough for her. That's a wretched and a terrible way to live. And Christ condemns it, and Christ says, don't do it. You are kingdom citizens.
You have received grace. You have received mercy. You know what the love of God is all about. You are to exercise discernment, discrimination, judgment, all those things, but you're supposed to do it in a proper way.
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
The Illustration: Speck and Plank
And then notice, thirdly and finally, the illustration that Christ uses. The illustration, the speck and the plank, verses 3 to 5. Now, sometimes people object to humor in preaching. I don't think there's a place for telling jokes in the pulpit, but I don't think the pulpit ought to be devoid of humor.
A woman once came to C.H. Spurgeon and said, Mr. Spurgeon, in your preaching you say many funny things, and this was a complaint on her part. And he said, Woman, if you knew how much I held back, you'd be proud of me.
You can't read a Spurgeon sermon or a lecture without laughing. I mean, one of the most excellent things in print, dealing with the subject of depression, outside of the Bible, is Spurgeon's The Minister's Fainting Fits. Now, while it's called The Minister's, it is applicable to each and every one of us. But in that, you'll go from, you know, the hilltop of sadness and gloom, or probably the valley, and then you're laughing, because he just says funny stuff.
Christ said some funny stuff, brethren. He wasn't a stuffed shirt. He spoke the language of his day. Now, he wasn't vulgar, he wasn't godless, he wasn't unholy, he didn't sin, but just think about it.
You've got this log sticking out of your eye, and you're going after to police the speck in your brother's eye. That's funny. The picture that it suggests, it's like what Jesus does in Matthew 23. They strain out the gnats and they swallow the camel.
There was a kid, had to be standing there, that laughed out loud at that particular time. They would have texted back then, he said something, LOL, because it was funny. Think about it, he uses these sort of illustrations to highlight the wickedness of this manner of life. Look at what he says in verse 3.
And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? He says, 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.
The Effort of Fault-Finding
Now, this type of fault finding takes effort on the part of the judge. I think we have to appreciate this. This fellow's got a plank hanging out of his eye, and he's going after the speck in his brother's eye. That takes effort, brethren, just to navigate that plank so that you don't bang it against a wall and try to find the speck.
Who's got that kind of time? The people condemned in this passage. Fault-finding, nitpicky, censorious people that always go after the faults of others. Just back it down.
Listen to Solomon, Proverbs 4. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Don't you love the fact that God, through Solomon, told us to keep our own hearts? He didn't tell us to keep everybody else's heart.
He didn't tell us to be the RCMP of people's hearts in Chilliwack. He didn't tell us to go knocking on people's doors to look for specs. Just mind your business. Mind your ways.
This type of fault-finding is a betrayal of that law of liberty that James speaks of. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. This type of fault finding is a rejection of biblical procedure. You've got this plank, he's got this speck.
You are not to go after those sorts of things. Now, in some instances, and as Christ continues, deal with the plank, then go after the speck. The remedy of the brother is in view. You ought to want to help and to correct, but Christ is dealing with the procedure that is used.
Deal with your issue, get your house in order, then you'll be better poised to deal with the specks in other people's eyes. Because happiness, joy, harmony, charity, love, all those things are in view. And this type of fault-finding is a failure to come to grips with one's own shortcomings, failures, and sins. You do see the ridiculousness of this.
I've got a log hanging out of my eye, and I go over to Dawn and say, you've got this speck in your eye. What's her first response? You've got a log hanging out of your eye. Isn't it?
Now, beware of this. I mean, that's an issue, too. Somebody comes to correct you, reprove you, rebuke you in the name of Christ. They want to do so lovingly and righteously.
Well, what about you? You've got all these issues. Yeah, yeah, I do have all these issues, but insofar as I'm trying, I've withdrawn this log so that we can deal with the speck. Let's not be hyper-defensive when people try to correct us.
Praise God if there's people in your life that are honest enough to tell you what's what. If you don't have anybody in your life that's honest, you don't have a wife or a husband that will actually say, you're acting like a fool, then you're in trouble. Brethren, we're not at the place where we ought to just float to heaven without any help whatsoever from anybody else. The point is, procedurally, tend to the plank that's in your eye before you go and do spec surgery on your brother.
John Stott says, we have a fatal tendency to exaggerate the faults of others and minimize the gravity of our own. In Lewis's screw tape letters, he has this letter 3. Screw tape to wormwood. Aggravate that most useful human characteristic, the horror and neglect of the obvious.
You must bring him to a condition in which he can practice self-examination for an hour without discovering any of those facts about himself which are perfectly clear to anyone who has ever lived in the same house with him or worked in the same office. Let him examine himself for an hour. He's not going to be able to discern what everybody around him already sees. This type of fault finding may as well be a means of hiding one's own sin.
Remember that planks and specks come from the same place.
The Indictment: Hypocrite
Note the indictment that is pronounced here in our text. Verse 5, Jesus says, hypocrite. Now, this is a word that is used concerning the unbelievers in Matthew's Gospel. Matthew 6, 2, 5, and 16.
But it's not confined to them. There are times when the people of God engage in hypocrisy. There are times when the people of God swing their planks in an attempt to try and get the specks out of the eyes of others. Spurgeon says Jesus is gentle, but he calls that man a hypocrite who fusses about small things in others and pays no attention to great matters at home in his own person.
And then
The Exhortation: Remove the Plank
note finally, with reference to this illustration, he gives an exhortation in verse 5. First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eyes. Now there's two ways we can go here. Does that mean we have to be devoid of any sin whatsoever?
I'm a plankless man, so I'm coming after your speck. No, that's probably not what's in view. What's in view is the thing condemned in this very passage. Lloyd-Jones explains it this way.
If you really do want to help others, and again, that's the end view. It's not good that a brother has a speck in his eye. And you all know what that's like. You get something in your eye, it's quite irritating, isn't it?
It's nice to get that speck out. Well, spiritually speaking, you got a speck in your life, it's nice to rid yourself of it. It's nice to have a brother who comes along and helps you. You know, your wife, your husband might, you know, put their finger on your eye and pull out the shard or the whatever that's in there.
It's good to have that assistance. The end game in view is to help your brethren, but there's a proper procedure in helping your brethren. Lloyd-Jones says, if you really do want to help others and to help to rid them of these blemishes and faults and frailties and imperfections, first of all, realize that your spirit and your whole attitude has been wrong. If you are doing what this passage condemns, if you're fault-finding, if you're nitpicky, if you're petty, if you're censorious, the first method of speck removal is to realize that you've been wrong in the way you've gone about it.
Deal with the plank. Deplank yourself and then you can help him. He says this spirit of judging and hyper-criticism and censoriousness that is in you is really like a beam contrasted with a little mote in the other person's eye. France comments, while it is possible that the critic here is to be understood as aware of his own failings but concealing them, it is more likely that he is criticized for failing to apply the same standards to himself that he applies to others and thus being unaware of the inconsistency of his behavior.
Brethren, the reality is that in our interpersonal relationships, people are going to sin against us. People are going to do things against us that are wrong or inaccurate or unkind or untoward. They might not do something against us, but they do something against God, and we, because we love them, want to go to them. We need to check our spirits, we need to guard our hearts, and we need to imbibe the ethic of the kingdom, and we need to do so in a manner that is consistent with the law of God Most High.
We do not judge according to appearance, but we judge with righteous judgment. We do not judge devoid of love, and kindness, and gentleness, and all those things that are evidenced by the people of God throughout history. We are to imbibe the ethic that Jesus enjoins upon us in this particular passage.
Application
In conclusion, the first place, the manifestation of this particular sin. We've already covered this. Pettiness. Pettiness.
There's a sense, brethren, we can't fix the world. In case you haven't realized that, you cannot fix the world. I'm getting to the point where if people aren't actually assaulting me, I'm okay with that. Maybe I'm lowering the bar to some degree, but if they're not hurting me and putting knives in me, then I'm okay with that.
It's a pettiness that oftentimes settles upon the hearts of God's people. We're not the police. We're not God's police. We've got to leave room for the Holy Spirit of God.
And again, brethren, I'm not saying we don't go to brethren. We do go to brethren. We go in the way that Jesus specifies. But pettiness.
As well, fault finding. It's tough to live under that kind of regime, that everything you do is wrong. Again, I gotta think that man who'd rather live on the rooftop or he'd rather live in the wilderness has a wife that's condemned by this particular text. Then it can be husbands, too, that are this way to their wives.
As well, being hypercritical. Hypercritical. As Steve mentioned this morning, it's easier to complain about political leaders than it is to pray for political leaders. Yep, guilty, right here.
I need that admonition all the time. I need that reminder all the time. I need 1 Timothy 2, you know, on my forehead, pray for kings and those who are in authority because it's easy to complain. They give us lots of reasons to make it easy to complain, to be sure, but that doesn't get us off the hook.
But this hypercritical attitude or an excessive eagerness, you know, when you have to deal with somebody who's in sin, there's an excessive eagerness That's not really good. A person who's going to deal with sin effectively in the life of somebody else prays about it. They agonize about it. It's tough to go and say, Brother, you've got a speck in your eye and I want to try to help you get it out.
If you're, you know, running to him to grab his back, just back it down. Excessive eagerness is not a good thing. Curiosity, peevishness. These are some of the words suggested by John Calvin.
As well, we ought to appreciate the gravity of this particular sin. In a certain sense, it is an arrogant assertion of our authority over others. I don't mean that in some charismatic, Pentecostal, spiritual authority thing. I just mean we assume the role of lawgiver and we stand in judgment over brethren.
That's not a good place to be. As well, it is certainly an expression of self-righteousness. I mean, going back to the illustration, if my plank is about to hit Dawn in the head when I go after her speck, she's going to say, what about the plank in your eye? My self-righteousness is such that it clouds my vision.
I don't even see it. All I see are specs, and I'm on a mission. I'm SEAL Team 6 when it comes to specs. It doesn't matter, I've got a log hanging out of my eye.
It is a demonstration of a lack of charity, and it is a practical denial of the doctrine of remaining corruption. at least to the reality of remaining corruption in our own hearts and lives. If you recognize that every one of God's people has remaining corruption except you, you've got big problems. You've got remaining corruption like the rest of us.
Prevention of Judgmentalism
Thirdly, the prevention of judgmentalism. Now, I didn't master these. This is my list of how I've mastered judgment. No, no, no.
But just musing upon, reflecting upon certain scriptures, I think these can at least be helpful. Certainly not an exhaustive list. In the first place, seek the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit in your life. I mean, shouldn't that be where God's people start with every sin, with every issue, with every problem, with every trial?
We ought to seek the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit. God, I want to be faithful to my wife. I want to be faithful to my husband. I want to be faithful in my church, and I want to deal with people righteously.
I need the Spirit, because apart from the Spirit, I just make a mess of things. Apart from the wisdom of God from on high, I just ruin things, and I don't want to do that. Secondly, seek to apply biblical law to all matters of judgment. It's an amazing thing.
Again, we see the law of God violate an abortion. We all condemn with reference to the sixth commandment. We see the law of God violated with reference to homosexuality, seventh commandment. But we don't see this violation of the law of God when it comes to our own practice.
You've probably heard me say many, many times, and if it's becoming ad nauseum, I'm sorry. I don't know how else to say it, but Proverbs 18 is absolutely crucial. There are two passages in Proverbs 18 that every Christian ought to commit to memory. He who answers a matter before he hears it, it's sin or shame and folly to him.
Do we ever do that? We hear one side of a story and we just flip out. Before we've heard the matter, before we've heard the situation, before we understand the facts of the case, imagine going to court and you're prosecutor, you're the defendant, and the prosecutor comes and sets forth his case, the judge slams down the hammer and says, that's it, we've heard enough. Wait a minute, what about my defense?
What about the other side? And you know, how many times as Christians do we get one side of a story and we jump, we run, we fly to judgment? Proverbs 18, 17, the first to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him. I know that was you that robbed that bank.
I'm alibied, man, I was in Hawaii on vacation. You just never know the scenario until you hear both sides. How many times are churches destroyed, not by a denial of the deity of Christ, though they can be destroyed by that, not by a denial of justification by faith, but because of gossip, because of slander, because of things that arise, and then persons give ear to one side of the story, and it causes a rift, and it ruptures, and it splits the people of God. We need to pursue humility and kill pride.
A judgmental attitude is descriptive or demonstrative, rather, of pride, of arrogance. Who are you to stand in judgment over other persons according to your whims, according to your feelings, according to what you think? We need to judge with righteous judgment according to God's law. We need to understand the biblical doctrine of sin and how it is true of us.
Remaining corruption. I know. We ought to know. We ought to be able to say, I know it's in me to make a false assessment.
I know it's in me to be wrong. Right? Am I making sense? If you think that you're never wrong, or you're always right, you've got bigger problems than this passage addresses.
Spurgeon said, instead of beholding with gratified gaze the small fault of another, we should act reasonably if we penitently consider the greater fault of ourselves. So that's understanding the doctrine of remaining corruption in us. But remember the doctrine of remaining corruption in others. Do we expect too much out of people?
No, we ought to expect perfect, exact, entire, and perpetual obedience to the law. That's really what we ought to expect because that's what God commands. It's never been relaxed. It's never been reneged.
It's never been pulled back. So on the one hand, we should expect that. But when we're dealing with blood-bought children of God, and we know their weaknesses, and we know their remaining corruptions, I'm not saying excuse their sins, I'm not saying pretend they don't sin, but I am saying exercise charity, compassion, love, kindness. You can rebuke someone and then hug them.
You can rebuke someone and then go have coffee with them. You ought to be able to do this. This is what greases the wheels of the kingdom of God. Love, kindness, gentleness, graciousness, love to one another.
We ought to value, esteem and love our brethren. Do you realize to one another we ought not to be judges and hypocrites? We ought to be brethren. This is absolutely crucial.
And then interestingly enough, the final observation in terms of prevention is found in our passage. That golden rule in 7.12, Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets. Right? Imagine if 7-12 was actually in practice in our homes, in our churches, in society.
Imagine if people actually looked out for the well-being of others. I mean, it's a very simple rule. Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. You don't want them to swing their planks and to hit you in the side of the head while they fetch the speck out of your eye.
Well, don't do that to them. You want them to deal with you in kindness, with charity, with love, with graciousness, then that's what you want to do with them. You see, it's a very simple rule, but it does require great grace, and it requires the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God's people. And certainly, finally, the way by which we get these things under control is at the cross.
We don't get them under control at the cross. God gets it under control by means of the cross. In other words, what's the best death knell to self-righteousness in the heart of a person? It's the cross.
It's the crucified Savior. It's the Lord of glory. It's the gospel. We understand the Gospel.
If by the grace of God we believe the Gospel, if we have come to Christ, we have the ability, we have the empowerment by the Spirit to actually follow what God's Word says. And if you are not a believer here tonight, the only means by which self-righteousness will ever, ever vanish in your life is through the cross. You need Christ, you need His righteousness, you need that forgiveness. You are in sin and in rebellion against God Almighty.
Pettiness and fault-finding and nitpicking and censoriousness might not be your issues particularly. But if we look at that law of God, idolatry, or blasphemy, or insubordination to authority, or Sabbath-breaking, or murder, or adultery, or theft, or lying, or covetousness, those things will find you out. The only remedy and the only hope for salvation is through Jesus Christ the Lord. Believe, and by God's grace, you will be saved.
Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You that Christ does Address such things in this Sermon on the Mount, and I pray that we'd have ears to hear and hearts to receive, and that the Word of God would have a positive effect, not only in our lives as individuals, but in our families and in our church. Help us, as the people of God here, to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, Keep us from these sorts of things that evidence a carnal heart rather than a spiritual heart. Give us grace, God, to put into practice these things so that we may honor you, that we may glorify you, and that we may legitimately show love for our brothers and our sisters. We have been saved to love God.
We have been saved to love one another. Help us to do this, we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.