Judging, Praying and Doing

Relationships. This is a relevant topic. Each of us has relationships in our lives:

with those we work with;

with those we live with;

with those we worship with;

with our neighbors;

And with that comes responsibility. Our influence and interaction with others is critical.

The English poet and pastor, John Donne (1572-1631), wrote in 1624:

No man is an island,

Entire of itself;

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

As well as if a promontory were:

As well as if a manor of thy friend's

Or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.

In other words, you are a part of the whole. And in being a part of the human race, there is responsibility.

In Matthew 7, as a part of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses the relationships we have. Donald Carson states that this passage can be divided up into our treatment of three relationships:

in verses 1-5, to believers;

in verse six, to those who are hostile to the gospel and to God;

In verses 7-11 to God and His ability to answer prayer.

In reality, five separate sermons could be preached from this passage. But for the sake of time, I will preach one. This is your lucky day!

First, Jesus speaks to our relationship to fellow believers. And so we learn that...

Grace should govern our thoughts and words to others.

Matthew 7:1–5 (ESV)

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

The verb for judge is κρίνω and means “to judge, to condemn or to discern.” (Carson, 183). In these verses, Jesus calls us to self-reflection and humility, in relationship to other Christians. Our Lord is not condemning all judgment or discernment, but instructing on our eagerness to criticize others.

The goal is to avoid being a hypocrite. He is not saying that there should be no judgment, no discernment between right and wrong. If that were the case, why would he direct us to know a tree by its fruit? Rather, He is stating: “Don’t behave as if you see perfectly.”

H.L. Ellison states:

“The judgment Jesus is particularly condemning is our efforts to make all conform to our own standards of perfection. Quite apart from our own failure to conform, we are liable to find those we judge spiritually unprepared.” (Ellison, 149)

Here we know that the Christian faith is both inward and outward. And we ought to take great care not to force people to our own standard of excellence, when even we do not live up to it. Luke 6:37 says something similar.

Luke 6:37–38 (ESV)

37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven...

And verse 41...

Luke 6:41–42 (ESV)

41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Donald Carson advises:

“Jesus’ demand here is for his disciples not to be judgmental and censorious. The disciple who takes it on himself to be the judge of what another does usurps the place of God and therefore becomes answerable to Him.” (Carson, 183)

And so our relationship to other believers is to be caring, yet discerning in our efforts to correct, and to make sure all things are done out of love and concern; never out of a critical spirit. And to choose our battles wisely. Some things are a matter of principle; other things are a matter of preference.

Ephesians 4:29 advises us how our speech should be as we interact with others, especially in the church.

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Build up. Don’t tear down.

Next...

Guarded-ness ought to govern our relationship with those who are hostile to Jesus and His message.

Matthew 7:6 ESV

6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

This verse has always challenged me with its intended meaning. That which is holy is coupled with pearls- things that are precious. Dogs and swine are unclean and can be wild and dangerous.

I remember getting lost in Athens, Greece and having to be concerned with the stray dogs that roamed the neighborhood. I had to be aware of their presence and avoid getting bit, which would turn my walk into a trip to the emergency room. Swine were vicious and unclean, as were dogs.

That which is holy is most likely the gospel of the kingdom of God. Carson states:

“The forbidance is only to persons of any race who have given clear evidences of rejecting the gospel with vicious scorn and hardened contempt.” (Carson, 185)

Proverbs 9:8 offers similar advice: “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.”

We are living in a world where this is becoming more and more apparent. People often equate Christianity with bigotry and narrow-mindedness, when in all actuality, our world embraces an “anything goes” mentality to behaviors that were once against the law. Our allegiance needs to be clear, but also guarded and kind.

Persistence and Confidence ought to rule our prayers to a loving Heavenly Father.

Matthew 7:7–11 ESV

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are 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!

What is interesting about this passage is that these three verbs are present active imperatives. In other words they are commands that are not expected to be followed once, but continuously. The gist is that you should not pray just once about something and expect that to be it. Rather, you should keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking.

God is able to answer your prayers in various ways. But He is also concerned with developing your faith. The point is that God knows what you need and gives it to you.

And He is a good Father. He is never about wasting your time or harming you. loaves and fish were a regular part of the diet. Jesus fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 with these items. In contrast, stones are near worthless and snakes are harmful, even life threatening.

I received the following from a friend recently and I thought it was good.

"When we pray,

God hears more than we say,

answers more than we ask,

and gives more than we can imagine.

In His own time and His own way."

But we must be about the business of persistence and determination. James 4:2 “You do not have, because you do not ask.” And we have a hesitation to ask for various reasons. One is just plain old distraction and laziness.

As Christians we must recover the idea of laboring in prayer. Martin Luther said: “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” and, The less I pray, the harder it gets; the more I pray, the better it goes.”

Some of you might be interested in these basic reminders by English Baptist pastor Francis Dixon:

Have regular times of prayer. They used to say of President George Washington that he would retire each evening to spend time with God, and would excuse anyone who was meeting with him, so he could keep his appointment with the Lord.

Begin each session of prayer by reading a short portion from the Bible. Be ready to listen to God’s voice before He hears yours.

Pray through the problems of the day as they arise. This diminishes the temptation to worry.

Do not be formal in the matter of prayer . Cultivate the habit of talking with God.

Study all that the Bible has to say on the subject of prayer. Gordon Keddie does this wonderfully in his Prayers of the Bible.

Start a prayer list and tabulate for your own guidance some of the people for whom you are going to pray regularly. Keep track and see how God answers your prayers.

Keep on keeping on. Don’t give up. Be as Samuel the prophet who said to King Saul in 1 Samuel 12:23

1 Samuel 12:23 ESV

23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

A.W. Tozer said:

“In our fast-paced life we have no time for contemplation. We have no time to answer God when He calls. Distractions must be conquered or they will conquer you.”

Love of self ought to translate into love for others.

Matthew 7:12 ESV

12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Here is essentially the Golden Rule, as also stated in Luke 6:31

Luke 6:31 ESV

31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

He is not saying that the essence of the Old Testament is the Golden Rule. Rather, he is saying that the Old Testament teaches this.

Jesus is ending His Sermon on the Mount with the way that He started it.

Matthew 5:17–18(ESV)

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Carson states about Jesus’ use of the Golden Rule, “… provides a handy summary of the righteousness to be displayed in the kingdom.” (Carson, 188). The Golden Rule is a wonderful verse to govern your ethical choices.

Matthew 7:13–14 ESV

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Many times in the Bible, two ways of life are mentioned, based on two choices. Jesus is here mapping the two roads. I ran across the following picture that depicts it. Notice some things about it:

Notice how wide the path is for those on the right. There is entertainment and belongings galore. Many are traveling that road of pleasure and self preservation, taking their things with them, being given over to materialism. Its destination is hell and eternal separation from God.

But the way of life is on the left; it is narrow and demands sacrifice and self death/denial. In Acts 14:22 we are told that it is not easy then and it is certainly not easy now.

Acts 14:22 ESV

22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

But which path will you choose? Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,”

Psalm 1 clearly points out the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. And finally...

Jeremiah 21:8 ESV

8 “And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

Conclusion

David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary and explorer. Before his death on May 1, 1873, Livingstone spent thirty-three years in the heart of Africa. He endured much suffering as he labored to spread the Gospel and open the continent to missionaries. This godly missionary once remarked:

“People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay?...It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink, but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which HE made who left his Father’s throne on high to give himself for us.” (J. E. Chambliss, The Life and Labors of David Livingstone)