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The Blue Letter Bible

Chuck Smith :: Sermon Notes for Matthew 7:2

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Intro. We are under the general heading of "Judge not lest you be judged." We have seen that Jesus is not saying that we should not be discerning, for in a few sentences He will be telling them to not cast their pearls before swine. It is more of the critical spirit that Jesus is making a reference to. Often in our minds, there are some people that we think can do no good. If they do something that is good, we are sure that they had the wrong motives, and I am prone to be critical of their motives.
I. REASONS WE ARE NOT TO JUDGE.
A. We are setting the standard by which we will be judged.
1. If I judge and condemn a person for something he has done, it only indicates that I know that his action is wrong. I am thus setting the measuring stick for how I will be judged. I cannot plead ignorance of the law.
2. I am showing that I know it to be wrong.
ROM 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
3. So often the very thing that I am judging in another is something of which I am guilty myself. Just put it in a different light.
a. When Nathan came to David concerning his sin with Bathsheba, he just changed the story slightly.
b. It is interesting that God's judgment upon David was not nearly as severe as what David announced upon the man.
c. But David did not get off scott free. Nathan said to David:
2SA 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou [art] the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
2SA 12:8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if [that had been] too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
2SA 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife [to be] thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
2SA 12:10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
2SA 12:11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give [them] unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
2SA 12:12 For thou didst [it] secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
2SA 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
4. In Romans 2:21 Paul asked:
ROM 2:21 You who teach others, do you not teach yourself? you that preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
ROM 2:22 You that say a man should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? you who abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege?
ROM 2:23 You that make your boast of the law, through breaking the law do you not dishonor God?
ROM 2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.
5. The scripture indicates that a man will be judged according to the light that he has been given. Jesus taught:
LUK 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes].
LUK 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
JOH 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
JOH 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
2PE 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
B. You set the standard and measuring stick by which God will one day judge you.
1. If you are merciful, God will be merciful to you. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
2SA 22:26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, [and] with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
2SA 22:27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.
2. If you are forgiving of others God will be forgiving toward you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
3. James said:
JAM 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
JAM 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
4. If I am very severe in judging others, I will be judged very severely.
II. PUTTING IT ANOTHER WAY, JESUS SAID:
MAT 7:3 Why do you behold thou the sliver that is in your brother's eye, but you do not consider the beam that is in your own eye?
A. Often times we are guilty of far worse things than we are judging in others.
1. Jesus said that if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall in the ditch.
2. This is even worse, it is like going to a blind optometrist to have him remove a particle of sawdust out of your eye.
B. The problem is that we can see so clearly the faults of others, but seem to be blind concerning our own.
C. It is always amazing how horrible our sins look when someone else is committing them.
III. AT THIS POINT JESUS SPOKE OF THE HYPOCRISY AND COMMANDED, "FIRST CAST THE BEAM OUT OF YOUR OWN EYE."
A. Paul tells us that we should examine ourselves, for if we would judge ourselves we will not be judged of God.
1. David prayed: "Search me O God, and know my heart."
2. It is so important that we see ourselves in the light of God.
a. Job who had been justifying himself before his friends, when God came on the scene said:
JOB 40:4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
JOB 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
JOB 42:6 Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes.
b. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up with His glory filling the Temple, then Isaiah said, "Woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips. He became conscious of his own sin. There are many whose language is not pure, they get in a habit of filthy language, they need to see the Lord.
c. When Daniel saw the visions from the Lord he said: My comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
d. When Peter saw the power of Jesus manifested in the great catch of fish, he said:
LUK 5:8 He fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
B. Once you get the beam out of your own eye, then you will be able to see clearly to remove the speck of dust out of your brother's eye.
1. Do you remember the response of Jesus to those who had brought the woman to Jesus caught in the act of adultery?
2. Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.
a. The only one there who was qualified to throw a stone refused to do so.
Sermon Notes for Matthew 7:1 ← Prior Section
Sermon Notes for Matthew 7:6 Next Section →
Sermon Notes for Malachi 1:2 ← Prior Book
Sermon Notes for Mark 1:40 Next Book →
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