Only God Can Judge Me

Matthew 7:1–6 ““Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

Ladies and Gentleman today it is my assignment to preach to you a message titled: “Only God Can Judge Me.”

Lets Pray: Father we thank you for your word. We thank you for the transformative effect of it. We thank you for your presence. I pray that every single person under the sound of my voice will experience the freedom that your love and presence provides. as for me, Lord, fill me again. For your glory and in Jesus name I pray, Amen!

New City Church, when I was given this block of verses to cover from the sermon of the mount I was excited. The reason I was excited is because I believe that many people take this block of versus to mean something that it was never intended to mean.

Because out of these 6 verses was born what I like to call “Tattoo theology.”

Let me explain, growing in New York, Jamaica Queens, I had made an observation by the time that I got to my teenage years.

and that observation was that there seemed to be a very popular tattoo that many people unrelated to each other began carrying on their chest or on their arms and in some instances even on their necks. Both men and women, and that was the phrase .. “Only God Can Judge Me.”

I don’t know if you have ever came across someone with this tattoo, if i’m honest I don’t see it tattooed on people as much now as I did back then but people still live their lives today with this way of thinking tattooed on their mind and hearts.

Only God can Judge me…

Now, because my mother was saved and she was always talking about God and the bible i grew up thinking to myself - even though she didn’t encourage this … that yeah thats right “Only God can judge me.”

I even thought about tattooing it across my chest next to a bible verse i never read before.

What makes this saying very tricky is that most of the time when people say that, it’s not coming from a place of humility—it’s more like “Back off, don’t call me out, I do what I want.”

So guess what I too started to live my life this way.

Anytime I did anything remotely questionable i gave myself the out by saying, oh well all good “Only God Can Judge me.”

C’mon church you know exactly what i’m talking about too, don’t you?

You cut someone off on a line its all good - it doesn’t matter what they think because …“Only God can judge me” .

You make an unwise purchase on your credit card. Its all good no one needs to know because… “Only God can judge me”.

Or you just applied for the platinum amex because it looks good and feels good in your hands and how about that sound?! It sounds GOOD when you lay that bad boy down on a table to pay. No one needs to know you can’t afford that because “Only God can judge me.”

These examples are funny but its only funny until its not…

People live their lives shaped with this as an ethos for living and what ends up happening is that they hurt people.

it doesn’t matter what i said to my kids and how i said it.. people don’t understand what Ive been through so forget them… “Only God can judge me

I know that my poor decision making is hurting the people i love and i have taken no accountability but it is what it is .. “Only God can judge me.”

You see in this way this phrase does more harm then good. and that what the enemy loves to do.. he takes something that has truth in it but distorts it to mean something it was never intended to mean…

Now here’s the Irony.. this line is not found in the bible… Is there truth behind it? Is it biblical? Sure… but not in the way popular culture has taken it to mean.

In fact, when Jesus talks about judgment in Matthew 7, He’s not saying we should never judge—He’s warning us not to do it hypocritically. But today’s culture has taken this teaching and flipped it into a spiritual “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Here is the truth behind that phrase.. God can and will judge us. but Jesus didn’t teach this so we could avoid accountability for our actions here on earth. He taught this so we could take a hard look at ourselves before we start pointing the fingers at everyone else.

Because if we can speak openly on this beautiful Sunday morning, it is the norm for us to walk around pointing the finger at everyone and anyone who remotely does anything that seems like its missing the mark.

All the while refraining from doing what we are actually encourage to do and that is examining ourselves first.

1)The Standard You Set Will Be Used Against You.

watch and listen carefully. Jesus knows this is an issue in our hearts and so what does he say…

Matthew 7:1–2 ““Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Now lets remember

He’s speaking to a religious culture obsessed with looking good, not being good.

But like we have been learning through out these weeks. Jesus is more concerned with the heart of a person than outward display of appearing good.

And before you think this doesn’t connect—hang with me for just a moment.

We are reading the Gospel of Matthew.

In Matthew chapter 4 we read where Jesus begins his ministry and preaches for the first time.. Now with that in mind, what were the first words he announced at the launch of his ministry?

Matthew 4:17 “From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.””

Repent: A word that means to change ones mind. This changing of the mind leads to a changing of actions.

So from the start of his ministry Jesus announces that a new Kingdom has come.

A new culture. A new way of living and being.

He says STOP! you’re going the wrong way.

Well why should we stop?

Because the kingdom of heaven has come to invade the earth.

and now, Jesus is letting us know what kingdom culture looks like in the sermon of the mount.

Kingdom culture is loving not hateful.

Kingdom culture is patient, not reactive.

Kingdom culture is authentic, not fake.

Kingdom culture is humble, not hypocritical.

So when Jesus says, “Don’t judge,” He’s not shutting down accountability—He’s calling for a change in perspective.

He’s saying, “You’ve gotten used to pointing fingers outward. But be careful. Because judgment has a boomerang effect.”

You throw harsh words—you’ll catch harshness in return.

You cancel someone today—you might be the one canceled tomorrow.

The standard you use on others will turn back around on you.

Jesus is masterfully exposing how broken the man-made systems of casting judgment were—and still are.

He looks His audience in the eyes and says, “This isn’t working. You’ve created standards that not even you can live up to.”

And friends… how relevant is that for us today?

We live in a culture that cancels quickly and forgives slowly.

In our rush to call others out, we forget a sobering truth:

The same finger we point today may be pointing right back at us tomorrow!

you have to get this deep in your hearts this morning….

and here’s the problem of his time and of today..

It’s easy to condemn someone else when it makes us feel a little more righteous by comparison.

C’mon don’t act you haven’t done it before… maybe you’ve never said it out loud but internally you have felt this..

“At least I’m not as bad as them.”

But that mindset isn’t justice—it’s self-preservation wrapped in pride.

And guess what: it creates a culture that eventually turns on itself.

because there will always be someone that will always seem to be doing more “good” and doing better than you and living more righteous than you!

So you are opening yourself up to this faulty standard!

This is not the way of Jesus.

He doesn’t call us to comparison—He calls us to confession.

He doesn’t call us to pride—He calls us to humility.

He doesn’t call us to cast blame—He calls us to look within.

2) “Im not as bad as them.” reveals how broken I really am.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

For all have fallen short of the glory of God!

That means all of us—no exceptions—have missed the mark.

what i am not saying is that all sin is the same. Thats a problematic theology in itself.

but what i am saying is that all sin is bad enough to separate us from the glory of God. All sin is enough to cast us out of his presence.

And God—the perfect Judge—demands justice.

Not because He’s cruel,

but because real love requires real justice.

If he was a cruel God. he wouldn’t care about sin.

and if he wasn’t loving, He would have been content with the Separation. Yet that’s not what we see. In Jesus we see proximity to sinners.

Jesus proves He’s both just and loving.

Because instead of leaving us in our sin,

He came near.

He took the judgment we deserved.

He paid the price we couldn’t afford.

He died not just for “those” people—but for you.

and because of Jesus and the price he paid on the cross we have access to him through faith in what he has done.

And friends, this is where we NEED to start.

If Jesus had to die for you over two thousand years ago on that rugged cross.

Then surprise! You’re not better than anyone else.

Grace levels the ground.

At the foot of the cross, there’s only one category, people in need of a savior.

Now i don’t know about you but as for me! I am so grateful for that sacrifice! Im so grateful for the price that was paid for my admission back into the presence of God!

because, When i’m reminded about how desperately i needed him and how desperately i am still in need of him!

I don’t have time to be toxic!

I don’t have time to be pointing the finger at everyone else!

because he did it for me!!

Is there anyone else in this room that would say. Pastor Joaquin you’re right. he did it for me!!

he did it for me!

I was broken - and he did it for me,

I was lost - and he found me

I was sick - and he healed me

I had no future - and he gave me hope and a future!

can we have a moment of praise in this place!!!!!

C’mon lets just for a moment right now fix our eyes on Jesus - the one who rescued us in our worst.

thank you God!

Grace doesn’t just restore us - it reminds us.

It reminds us that we are no better than anyone else, we’re just desperate people rescued by a faithful Savior.

That’s why we can lock arms with the worst of sinners—because we know we were just as desperate to be saved.

This right here is an intentional moment of praise.

Because when I prayed over this message, I asked the Lord for one thing:

Kill our pride.

Why?

Because pride and self-righteousness are the very things that blur our vision.

They keep us from seeing people the way God sees them—through eyes of compassion, not comparison.

This is why I believe everyone should keep a few old photos tucked away somewhere—buried in a shoebox or tucked in a drawer.

And every now and then, you need to pull them out, wipe off the dust, and take a good, honest look.

Because sometimes, it takes a flashback of who you used to be

…to open your heart to who someone else could become.

Don’t forget where God found you—because that memory just might give you the mercy someone else is desperately needing.

Because when you remember how far God has brought you,

you’re a lot slower to look down on someone else.

And here’s what Jesus is getting at: We look down on people!

Don’t play God.

Don’t sit in the judgment seat of someone else’s story.

You don’t know their heart.

You don’t know what God is doing behind the scenes.

you see, God does call His people to help others.

But before He sends you out to rescue someone else…

3) You can’t help others if you’re not honest with yourself.

Matthew 7:3–5 ““Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Now let me tell you a true story. I taught myself how to swim.

That’s right—I had made it my whole life without ever learning. But one day, a friend invited me to hang out at his community pool with a group of friends. So I asked him one very important question: “How deep is the pool?”

because depending on the answer i was going to decide whether I was going to go or not!

He said, “Well, there’s a shallow side for kids… and then there’s the deep end.”

So I asked a very logical question, “Where are we gonna be?”

He said, “Obviously, the deep end.”

So I made a decision right there:

Today’s the day. Joaquin, you’re gonna learn how to swim.

Because I was not about to be 20 years old asking for floaties.

So what did I do? I jumped in. I grabbed the ledge and let myself go to the bottom kicked myself back up, and thought,

“Okay… this isn’t so bad. If I get tired, I’ll just push myself up again.”

And listen, I survived. So technically… I swam.

But let’s be honest—I wasn’t swimming… I was just not dying.

But now that I had survived the deep end ONCE, suddenly I was an expert.

I’m walking around telling people, “Oh yeah, I know how to swim. Taught myself.”

I’m basically Michael Phelps… with no technique, no breath control, and no idea what I’m doing.

So fast forward—another pool party. Another friend. He says,

“Hey man, I don’t know how to swim. I’m kind of nervous.”

And I go, “Bro! I got you! I taught myself. You can do this. Just grab the edge, get comfortable, let yourself sink a little, push up, you’ll be fine.”

I was out here giving swim lessons… when I still needed lessons myself.

So we’re at the pool, everyone’s having fun. My friend looks at me and says,

“Hey, if I get in trouble, you got my back, right?”

I said, “Bro… I got you.”

Well Remember when i advised him with my expert advice to grab on to the ledge first?… he cannonballs straight into the deep end—no warning, no grabbing the edge—and immediately he starts drowning.

He locks eyes with me mid-panic, spitting out water like a sprinkler.

So I just wanted to make sure he was in need of me?

So I yell, “You good?!”

Obviously… he was not good.

so i thought to myself … man this guy just dont listen i told him to grab the ledge hes over here cannonballing his way to sheol.

So I thought, “This is it. I’m gonna save him.”

I dive in, channeling my inner lifeguard.

But have you ever tried to save someone who’s drowning?

He grabs onto me—and now we’re both drowning!

I’m kicking, flailing, trying to tread water, but we’re sinking fast.

And I’m thinking, This is it. This is how I go.

I had just started pursuing my wife, and I’m like, Lord, I’m not even married yet!

So listen—don’t judge me—but I had to kick him off me.

I said, “Nope! Not today!”

And then… out of nowhere…

This petite girl—like 100 pounds soaking wet—jumps in like wonder woman, with perfect form, years of swim experience, and pulls him out like it was nothing.

Now, I wish I could tell you I was the hero of that story.

But I wasn’t.

I wasn’t honest with myself.

I overestimated my ability.

And someone else could’ve gotten seriously hurt because of it. All because i pretended to be a hero.

Ladies and gentleman we have too many people trying to be the hero of everyone’s story and people are getting seriously hurt because of it!

That’s what Jesus is saying.

You think you’re ready to fix someone else’s issue?

But you haven’t dealt with the plank in your own eye.

You’re walking around with a 2x4 smacking people in the head…

trying to do delicate surgery on someone else’s little piece of saw dust.

That’s not love. That’s spiritual arrogance.

Instead of walking around pointing out the small problems in people’s lives be honest with yourself and deal with the real issues you’ve been ignoring!

You can’t help someone who’s wounded… if you’re still bleeding.

You can’t offer clear vision… when your own sight is clouded by pride.

There’s a difference between healing from a scar and hiding an open wound.

and look, here we see the heart of Jesus on display once again.

In his rebuke, He uses a harsh word to refer to these people. He calls them hypocrites.

Here this word in the greek refers to a actor pretending to be someone who they are not.

But even this is coming from a place of love! Because if we would be honest with ourselves today we would admit that there are times where we too put on a mask.

Sometimes that mask is a mask of self preservation. “If i look like i have it all together and point at everyone else's issues, maybe no one else will notice i’m struggling with this sin.”

and sometimes its a mask of faux heroism - “Ill be the hero, even though im the one in need of saving.”

and so Jesus’ words are still once again wrapped in grace

Because One of the most loving things you can say to a friend is - you can stop acting!

You can stop acting like you have it all together

you can stop acting like everything is good

you can stop acting like you’re the hero of this story!

This is all about humility! This is all about killing your pride.

and i want to make something so very clear this morning.

The context of these verses tell us that he’s ok with you helping your brother or sister out with that issue in their life and even holding them accountable when they sin…

and in the scriptures it reinforces it:

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

and later in this same Gospel of Matthew Jesus says…

Matthew 18:15 ““If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.”

He wants to make sure you aren’t lacking mercy and grace to others when you yourself are in need of that same help or even more help!

He says do the work.

look within.

let me work in you so that i can then work through you!

4) Jesus can handle the speck and the plank.

Jesus never says “If you have a plank in your eye, stay away from me.”

Absolutely not what he is teaching but i point that out because many live this way. Jesus doesn’t want this junk. I have to take care of it before i can come to him.

its a warped unbiblical way of taking his words here.

thats twisted. He’s not offended by your plank or the mess. No matter how big or small.

Matthew 11:28–30 ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””

This is the God that we serve. One with open arms who’s not pushing you away because of what your are burdened with.

Give your life to him today! and if you have already done that make sure your trust remains in him!

look at how he ends this section:

Matthew 7:6 ““Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

At first glance, this feels like a sharp left turn—but it’s not.

Jesus is telling us: Don’t waste what’s sacred on people who have no interest in being healed.

You can’t force someone to change. You can’t do for others what only Jesus can do in them.

So don’t play God. Don’t carry the burden of judgment or false responsibility.

I dont know about you but i have been there before. I have tried to be others savior. I have tried to play God in a loved ones life.

Jesus is saying that role is reserved for one person and thats him.

Do you know how hard it is to trust God for someone else's life who you love who is so against the things of God?

If we arent careful our worry and anxiety will cause us to play Judge in there life and we make matters worst because we are bad at playing God!

That doesn’t mean we stop praying for them. But its a reminder that salvation is a work of the holy spirit. In other words its only made possible by the miraculous work of God himself through his spirit.

So keep praying. in those moments you show God how much you trust him. but don’t play God.

He’s not offended by the plank in their eye and hes not offended by the plank in your eye—but He is warning you:

Don’t confuse your role with His.

Your job is not to fix everyone. Your job is to come humbly and let Jesus deal with your own heart—

and then, and only then, help others from a place of grace.

Because Jesus can handle the speck and the plank.

And He’s the only one who can.

For those who would learn God’s ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the second, humility is the third.

Saint Augustine of Hippo