“Watch Who You Follow!”
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Good morning, turn in your Bible with me to Luke chapter 6. Last week we took time to look into a model of genuine love and address the fact that the Lord’s true disciples are marked by love because they don’t just love their family and friends, but they also are able to love their enemies. This is not easy, but it is what Christ commands us to do. Today I want to speak to you on the importance of watching who you follow. We now turn the page to look at one of the most misunderstood passages in Scripture. The phrase “judge not” is one of the phrases that our unbelieving world knows and quotes more than any other phrase and verse in Scripture. Our world tells us that it is unfair and unjust to judge others. There are many who think that judging can even be immoral. The world’s mindset behind this is that we are never to judge because we don’t know others hearts. Yes, we do! Man’s intentions and thoughts are only evil and sinful. I think that the main reason that unbelievers are so familiar with this verse is that because any time the church takes a hard stance on any particular sin or sinful practice that the world is quick to say, “judge not.” Hey you Christians, don’t judge me.” You’re not supposed to judge us. So, today we are going to rightly understand what this phrase means, but more importantly we also will look at being careful who we follow.
37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 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.
Watch who you follow! Today we have a central lesson that Christ gives to us and, also an illustration that helps us to see the point. Let us begin with the Lord’s lesson.
1. The Lesson.
1. The Lesson.
When we think about the Lesson the Lord teaches here we see 4 specific commands. There are two commands that are negative and there are two that are positive.
A. Judge Not.
A. Judge Not.
What exactly did the Lord mean when He said, “Judge not, and you will not be judged?” Clearly here we know that Christ did not mean that there will not be times where we have to deal with a person’s spiritual condition and even confront sinful situations. This generally happens when we have to talk to other brothers and sisters in Christ, but could even happen when unbelievers come to us with questions. We see this happen throughout Scripture.
3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,
20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.
One of the biggest passages in regards to dealing with sin and bringing others to repentance is found in Matthew chapter 18 which speaks to what we do when a brother or sister sins against us. Typically, in the church the elders will take care of these matters. So, all of these passages show us that there will come times where we will confront and judge. In fact, we as believers are to act and be discerning which means that we need to know right from wrong and the only way that we can truly know this is by understanding what God tells us through His Word. As believers we are discerning as God’s Word tells us how to act and behave. However, what the Lord does forbid here is that when we do have to confront others that we are not to act harshly, over-critically, vengeful, or condemning our enemies as if we are the one’s who have final say or judgement. Of course, we know that that is ultimately God’s job.
24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
There were of course times where the Lord himself came to certain conclusions concerning the religious leaders of His time, and He did not hesitate to call them out.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”
B. Condemn Not.
B. Condemn Not.
The next command that the Lord gives us here in His lesson is, “do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.” What does the Lord mean by this statement? The word condemn here carries the meaning of discriminating or judging harshly. As believers we should watch out that we do not say anything that is untrue, unnecessary and unkind. This command is similar to the first one that we saw. However, it also adds to it another component in the sense of finality in judging. We can often be the ones who come across as the executioner. We as believers need to keep in mind that apart from God’s grace we are no better than those who are not Christians.
In 2 Samuel chapter 12 and verses 1 through 7 we see that King David falsely condemned to death the rich man who had stolen and killed the poor man’s little lamb, not realizing that in condemning him, David himself was passing sentence on himself. The point here is that we are not to falsely condemn and we will not be condemned. As believers we are to be very careful of judgment and condemnation. Give your neighbor the benefit of the doubt and keep in mind the Golden Rule of verse 31.
31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
C. Forgive.
C. Forgive.
Instead of judging and condemning others the Lord now sheds some light on the positive commands. As believers we are called to pardon or forgive others and we will be forgiven. As believers we demonstrate that we are more like Christ when we forgive others. As believers we are not to hold onto grudges and become bitter at others. Like Christ, we as believers are to forgive even our enemies no matter how hostile others are toward us. This is command that we must put into practice. In fact, we see this incorporated as part of the Lord’s prayer.
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
What if you offended someone and they apologized to you about what they said or did and asked for your forgiveness and you said, nope, not right now. When we refuse to forgive others who have repented or ask to be forgiven we forget the mercy and forgiveness God has shown to us when we ask Him to forgive us. So, remember the next time you ask God to forgive you of your sin the importance of showing others forgiveness.
D. Give.
D. Give.
The final command that the Lord teaches us here is that we are to give, and it will be given to you. This command calls for the generosity of all believers. The description that the Lord gives here comes from the ancient marketplace. In the Old Testament God prohibited false weights and false measures because these were an injustice to people. In the ancient world when you would go to the market and buy a bushel of grain or corn they would fill it or pack it into the basket or sack three-quarters full and shake it down or press it down until it was packed. Then they would come back and fill it to the top and give it another shake. Then they would press it down with their hands to make sure it was full. Why would they do all of this? To guarantee that the purchaser had an absolutely full measure of grain or corn. The promise here was that when you give generously to others like this illustration, you will also receive back generously. Jesus was giving some practical applications here of the Christian faith. He wanted His disciples, His people to be generous and kind.
7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
God does not want us to be stingy or cheat people out of what is rightfully theirs. Jesus said, “I want you to be generous. I want you to give in great measure, and the more you give, the more that God will graciously give because God is not a stingy God. God knows all that we need and He will take care of you.
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
2. The Illustration.
2. The Illustration.
As we have seen from the Lord’s lesson, there are many things we should be watchful of, but now Christ through His illustration shows us 3 examples of people to watch out for. The reason that the Lord’s language here seems harsh is because false teachers lead people astray from the truth of God’s Word, including the need to turn from their sin and turn toward God. Many false teachers have deceived people into thinking that they are truly saved when in fact they are not. True disciples are marked by their submission to Christ as they are not merely hearers of the word but doers of God’s Word. They follow Christ, and obey Him because Christ first loved us.
A. Watch out for the Blind.
A. Watch out for the Blind.
39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
The parable that the Lord now gives us can refer to an extended analogy, but it is also a simple proverb. This parable reflects a problem that was all too familiar with people during the time of Christ. Blindness was just as common in the day of Christ as it is in our time. We know that there would have been dangerous things all around those who were blind. They could step in a hole, they could walk off a dangerous cliff, or even lead another blind person into harmful things. The result here is that the blind leader could potentially lead both and they fall into a pit and be severely injured or killed.
But, Jesus was not talking simply about physical blindness here. Jesus was talking about spiritual blindness. Blindness is often used in the Bible metaphorically. It means to be void of truth and lacking in spiritual insight. The Spiritual principle here shows us that those who follow leaders who do not know God’s Word and God’s Way will never come to God’s kingdom. What happens is that they fall into a deadly pit, which is the pit of hell. Now of course, Jesus is speaking here to the religious leaders of Israel, which were the Scribes and Pharisees. These leaders had been leading many astray.
14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
These religious leaders were sadly leading their followers to the same hell to which they were headed. The good news here is that we as believers know that there is only one way to heaven.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Because Jesus is the Light of the World and those who follow Him no longer walk in darkness but have the light of life, we pray for others to come to know Jesus. We pray that Jesus will open the eyes of those who are spiritually blind so that they will no longer be oppressed and come to have a true peace and joy.
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
B. Watch out for the false disciple.
B. Watch out for the false disciple.
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
The illustration here that the Lord shows us is that the student is not able to rise above his teacher, since a teacher cannot give wisdom or understanding that they do not posses themselves. In other words, the teachers errors will definitely be seen in their students. Since false teachers do not know God, nor do they know the way to God, they cannot bring people to God. On the other hand Christ taught His disciples to be like Him since He was the way and the truth. Of course, many of these men had very little education when they met Jesus. These disciples were unschooled and untrained. They did not know as much as the scribes and Pharisees, but what they did have was Jesus. Under the love and direction of Jesus these men would grow in wisdom and knowledge to reflect Jesus to a lost world. Their lives would look different because they had been with Jesus.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
For a disciple to become effective or a leader of men we have to come to and understanding of who God is and what He has done for us. As Christ’s disciples we must understand God’s mercy and generosity. When we follow Jesus we will become more and more like Him. Here is how John explains it.
2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
C. Watch out for the hypocrite.
C. Watch out for the hypocrite.
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.
Maybe this will help us to better understand what the Lord is speaking about here.
Here we see the Lord’s humor in this illustration of a very serious issue. We see two people walking down the street, one with a totally, unnoticeable speck of dust in his eye that would take a microscope to detect, while he is walking with another individual with a two by four sticking out of his eye. The man with the two by four comes up to the brother with a speck in his eye and says hey you need to take that speck out and the other guy says, “how can you even see in my eye with that two by four coming out of your eye?”
Jesus gives us the illustration to show us how foolish we are. We can so often be quick to see everyone else’s problems and sins, and yet we are blinded to our own sin. Jesus tells us this to show the foolishness of the false teachers who were quick to judge others while they were blinded by their own sin of self-righteousness. They could not overcome their own sin and yet they were quick to tell others how to live and act.
We need to deal with our own sin first! We can never help others out until we have first dealt with our own sin and sinful behaviors. If you have ever been on a plane flight you have heard the illustration of this point. Shortly before taking off the flight attendant reviews the safety rules and gives the instructions for putting on the oxygen masks in case there is an emergency. The attendant tells the passengers they must put on their own masks before helping those around them. So, it is with the sin in our own lives. We must check ourselves first before we help others. Notice here that Jesus says, “You hypocrite.” Jesus commands us to first take the log out of our own eye. There were many times where the Lord came against the religious leaders of His time and called them hypocrites.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
They appeared righteous, but they were only full of hypocrisy. Only by confessing their sin and turning to Christ could they be made clean. Only through repentance could they then begin to help others. The good news today church is that there is one who is perfect and sinless.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
His name is Jesus and He is the one who we are to follow. It is very easy for us today to follow those who have a big name and draw large crowds. But is their teaching from God’s Word? How is their life? So, we are to watch out for the blind, false disciple, and hypocrite. Get your eyes on Christ and His Word and follow Him the rest of your days.
Pray.
Lead into Communion.