Kingdom Wisdom

Week 10- Matthew 7:1-6

Good morning Church. Grab your Bibles and make your way to Matthew 7.

We are in the 10th week of this sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount. And this morning we come to one of the most famous verses in the entire Bible.

This morning— we are at one of the verses that non-christians love to use without any real knowledge of what it means.

If there’s one verse that the world seems to know—especially in 2025—it’s Matthew 7:1.

Even folks who’ve never darkened the door of a church can quote this one: “Judge not, that you be not judged.”

People who do believe in the name of the Lord— will throw this verse out as some sort of gotcha.

It’s like the world’s favorite Bible verse to throw at Christians.

Ever notice that?

It’s the verse people keep in their back pocket, ready to pull out the moment you say something’s wrong or call something sin.

You can’t call how I live a sin— you’re not supposed to judge— thats all christians do is judge.

Jesus loved every body and you just hate. hate hate hate. If Jesus was alive today— he’d be on my side not your side— even though I don’t believe in Him or trust Him or want anything to do with him— let me tell you how you should be a christian. So judgmental.

But here’s the problem, sally—most people who quote that verse have no idea what Jesus actually meant.

They think He’s saying, “Hey, don’t ever make a judgment about anyone or anything.” But that certainly cannot be the case— but they’d know that if they actually studied the Bible. Not even studied it— just read it.

Just look at the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.

In chapter 6, Jesus calls out the Pharisees and scribes—by name—and calls them hypocrites.

That’s a pretty strong word! And He doesn’t just do it once. He’ll do it again and again throughout Matthew’s Gospel.

In verse 6 of this very chapter, He refers to certain people as dogs and pigs—graphic language meant to show spiritual discernment. Sounds pretty judgy.

Later, in verse 15, He warns us to watch out for false prophets who look like sheep but are really wolves in disguise. Sounds like we are called to make a judgment call.

That sure doesn’t sound like someone saying, “Don’t judge anything.”

So clearly, Jesus isn’t forbidding discernment.

He’s not saying, “Turn off your brain.”

And that’s a problem with the world today— too many people think you have to turn off your brain to be a christian— these are the same people who claim men can be women and women can be men btw so let that sink in for a second.

You can’t call a sin a sin because you’re judging me.

See how that doesn’t make any sense at all.

We aren’t called to turn off our brains and just go with the flow.

He’s teaching us something deeper—something about the kind of heart we have when we make judgments.

Jesus draws a clear line between making a judgment and being judgmental.

There’s a big difference between the two.

As God’s people, we’re absolutely called to call sin what it is—sin.

It is not loving to affirm what God calls sin. In fact, the most loving thing we can do is call out sin.

John Stott says “To call sin ‘sin’ is not judgmentalism; it’s agreement with God.”

We’re called to discern right from wrong, truth from error, good fruit from bad fruit. That’s part of what it means to walk in wisdom and truth.

But here’s where we- as christians- often get it twisted—Jesus isn’t giving us permission to play the role of judge, jury, and executioner over someone’s motives.

He’s not calling us to look down our noses at people with a self-righteous spirit.

That’s not discernment; that’s judgmentalism.

and you can’t have your nose up in the air at someone while simultaneously bowing your head in humility to the Lord.

Matt Chandler says “You can’t preach grace to others while denying your own need for it.”

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Don’t judge people because they sin differently then you.

Its conflicting ways of life.

And that attitude doesn’t reflect the heart of the Savior—it reveals a heart that’s forgotten grace.

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said “When we judge others, we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”

and when we fall into the trap— the snare— of judgmentalism, we are more like a pharisee then like Jesus.

And Pharisees were called brood of vipers and white washed tombs by Jesus. We look great on the outside but on the inside is nothing but death and decay.

We better realize— We need Jesus just as much as everyone else— We need the gospel every day because its not your righteousness the Father sees. Its His Son.

Here’s what I want us to do— lets read Matthew 7:1-6 together. and lets unpack what the Lord is telling His disciples to do.

Matthew 7:1–6 ESV

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 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? 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? 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. “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.

pray

1. Jesus Warns Us about Being Judgmental toward Others Matthew 7:1–5

When Jesus addresses the issue of being judgmental, He does it head-on—and He does it biblically, theologically, and practically.

He makes it clear that a judgmental spirit is dangerous (v. 1), detrimental (v. 2), dysfunctional (vv. 3–4), and self- deceptive (v. 5).

When we slip into a judgmental attitude, we start playing a role that doesn’t belong to us—we start trying to play God.

We hold other people to a standard we don’t want applied to ourselves.

And heres the thing—We always want to be judged by our intentions. But we judge everyone else by their actions.

You ever notice that?

When we mess up, we say things like, “Well, that’s not what I meant.” But when somebody else messes up, we say, “What were they thinking?”

When you snap at your spouse, you say, “I was just tired.” But when they snap at you, you say, “They’ve got an attitude problem.”

When you cut somebody off in traffic, you’re like, “Oh, I didn’t see them!” But when somebody cuts you off, suddenly it’s, “That guy’s a jerk!”

When you miss a meeting, it’s, “Man, I had a lot going on this week.”

But when somebody else misses a meeting, it’s, “They’re so irresponsible.”

When we see somebody else’s kid acts up, you think, “That parent clearly doesn’t discipline their child.”

Doesn’t matter that your little image bearer— was doing the exact same thing yesterday and its because he was off his schedule and tired.

We want to be judged by our intentions while we judge other by behviour and it shouldn’t be that way.

A critical spirit is not a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Our spiritual eyesight gets cloudy when we begin to do this.

We lose perspective. We stop seeing people the way God sees them.

CS Lewis said in Mere Christianity; A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

We can’t be focused on the savior when we are looking down at others.

And here’s the tragedy—God’s people should be known for how deeply they love one another, not how harshly they judge one another.

Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

A judgmental spirit blinds us to grace. It shrinks our hearts, poisons our relationships, and makes us forget that we, too, are sinners in need of mercy.

Jesus is warning us—not because He wants to silence truth—but because He wants His people to reflect His heart.

Jesus highlights three negative aspects of a judgmental spirit in verses 1–5.

It Is Foolish (Matthew 7:1–2)

Jesus doesn’t tiptoe around the issue—He comes right out and says it: “Do not judge.” The language He uses is strong. It’s a command, not a suggestion. In fact, the way He phrases it in the original language carries the idea of “Stop it!”—as in, “Stop judging right now.”

Why so direct? Because Jesus knows how quickly our hearts drift into hypocrisy. He’s already called out the Pharisees multiple times in chapter 6 for doing the right things with the wrong heart—praying, fasting, giving—all for show. Now He’s addressing that same spirit in us.

And here’s His reasoning: “So that you won’t be judged.” In other words, the same standard you use on others is the one God will use on you. The same measuring stick you hold up to everybody else? God’s going to hold it up to you.

That ought to stop us in our tracks.

Jesus is saying, “Be careful how you measure, because one day you’ll be measured by that same ruler.” It’s foolish to demand perfection from others when we ourselves are works in progress.

We want God to grade our hearts on a curve—but we hold everyone else to the letter of the law. Jesus says that’s hypocrisy, and it’s not the way of the Kingdom.

How awesome would that be if we all just gave each other the benefit of the doubt? Or how about believed the best about people until they proved you otherwise? Already we're crazy if we're just doing those two things.

As Voddie Baucham puts it, “The problem with the world is not that they don’t know God—it’s that we, who claim to know Him, sometimes live as if we don’t.” Hypocrisy isn’t just a bad look; it’s a betrayal of the grace we’ve received. We can’t represent a merciful Savior with a merciless spirit.

Showing mercy to others is one of the clearest signs that you get the gospel. When you’ve really tasted the mercy of God—when you know how much grace He’s poured out on you—you can’t help but extend that same mercy to others. Mercy isn’t weakness; it’s wisdom. It shows that you understand the heart of God.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

That’s the gospel logic of mercy. When we forget that truth, judgment becomes our default posture. But when we remember it, mercy becomes our reflex.

The more deeply we understand grace, the less we’ll sit in judgment and the more we’ll reach out in love.

It Is Prideful (Matthew 7:3–4)

Jesus gives an illustration that’s both hilarious and humbling.

He says, “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye?”

It’s like something out of a spiritual cartoon—you’ve got a two-by-four hanging out of your eye, but you’re walking around trying to help your buddy get a little dust out of his.

Wrestling season just started up this week. Not wrassling. But High School wrestling.

I’ve coached wrestling now for almost 10 years now.

Its the best sport on the planet. Football might build teams and comradery but wrestling builds men.

Its a hard sport— and if you want to build a kid into a mentally and physically tough adult. Have them wrestle.

And we got a few new kids on the team already— never wrestled before and they’re trying to tell the experienced wrestlers how to do things.

Like I imagine—If Jesus were preaching this to a wrestling team, He might’ve said, “Why are you yelling at your teammate about his sloppy takedown when you’re the one who just gassed out in the first period?” You’re pointing out that tiny flaw in his technique, but you’ve ignored the fact that you haven’t been conditioning, you’ve skipped practice, and you’ve still got last weekend’s nachos weighing you down.

That’s the picture Jesus is painting. It’s prideful. It’s hypocritical.

Pride blinds us—it makes us think we’re the coach when, truth is, we’re the ones who still need drilling. We’re trying to fix somebody else’s form when our own foundation is off.

Jesus isn’t saying don’t ever correct your brother; He’s saying make sure you’ve wrestled with your own sin first. Deal with your own weaknesses before you step on the mat to help somebody else with theirs.

Those who make it their mission to be the spiritual police—the “sin sniffers,” the “garbage inspectors,” or the “Christian critics”—have completely lost sight of their own brokenness. They’ve become so focused on pointing out everybody else’s faults that they’ve gone blind to their own.

It’s like the wrestler who critiques everybody else’s stance, shot, and sprawl—but hasn’t noticed he’s been pinned three matches in a row. He’s so busy coaching from the sidelines that he doesn’t realize his own form is a mess.

That’s what Jesus is getting at. When you’re constantly scanning for specks in other people’s lives, it’s usually because you’ve stopped letting the Spirit search your own. As Sinclair Ferguson puts it, “So deeply has his sin conquered him that he has become blind to it. Sensitive to sin in others, he has been desensitized to the sin in his own heart.”

In other words, the more you stare at someone else’s flaws, the less you see your own. Pride will make you a critic; grace will make you a confessor.

Maybe the clearest example of this whole “log and speck” thing in the Bible is when the prophet Nathan confronted King David after his sin with Bathsheba.

You remember the story from 2 Samuel 11—David had slept with another man’s wife, tried to cover it up, and then had her husband killed to hide his sin.

So Nathan walks in and tells David this story about a rich man who stole a poor man’s one little lamb and killed it. David gets furious—he’s ready to hand down the death sentence: “That man deserves to die!”

And that’s when Nathan drops the hammer: “You are the man.”

In that moment, David saw it. He had been burning with anger over someone else’s sin while totally blind to his own.

And if we’re honest, we can be the same way. We get all worked up about other people’s failures, but we never stop to look in the mirror. Jesus is saying—before you light someone else up for their sin, you better make sure you’ve dealt with your own. Before you point out their speck, take care of your log.

It Is Hypocritical (Matthew 7:5)

Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat this—He looks His listeners straight in the eye and says, “You hypocrite!” That’s not a word meant to insult; it’s meant to expose. He’s calling out the absurdity of someone with glaring sin in their own life trying to correct someone else’s minor fault.

Jesus says, “First, take the beam out of your own eye.” The word “take” isn’t a suggestion—it’s a command. He’s saying, “Deal with it—and deal with it now.” Before you try to fix someone else, let God fix you.

Only then, Jesus says, will you “see clearly” to help your brother. The order matters. You can’t bring clarity to someone else’s life while you’re still clouded by your own sin.

What Jesus is after here is humility.

He’s not forbidding correction—He’s forbidding hypocrisy. He wants His people to confront sin with clean hands and compassionate hearts, not prideful, judgmental spirits.

Now don’t miss this—Jesus also isn’t saying we should never correct someone.

He’s not calling us to silence or indifference when a brother or sister is caught in sin.

What He is saying is that correction must begin with confession. You’ve got to deal with your own heart before you can help someone else with theirs.

Once I’ve let God deal with my sin, then—and only then—am I in the right place to lovingly help someone else. Scripture actually calls us to that kind of redemptive correction. Jesus lays it out in Matthew 18, and Paul echoes it in Galatians 6: “If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”

The problem comes when we inspect others without ever doing any introspection ourselves. That’s when we drift into hypocrisy. We start acting like moral referees instead of fellow sinners saved by grace.

Yes, we must correct others when they’re trapped in sin—but we must do it with humility, not superiority. As Charles Spurgeon put it, “After we are ourselves sanctified, we are bound to be eyes to the blind and correctors of unholy living; but not till then.”

In other words, let grace do its work in you before you try to be the tool of grace in someone else’s life.

2. Jesus Counsels Us to Judge Those Who Live Wickedly Matthew 7:6

In verse 6, Jesus brings some much-needed balance to what He just said in verses 1–5. He’s not calling us to be naïve or spineless; He’s calling us to be discerning. His words here are strong—and they may sound harsh to modern ears that don’t like moral clarity.

But Jesus isn’t interested in being “politically correct.” He’s interested in truth. And in a world that’s lost all sense of moral restraint—where anything goes and nothing’s called sin anymore—Jesus reminds us that love doesn’t mean ignoring evil. Love requires discernment.

He’s saying, “Yes, don’t be judgmental—but don’t be blind either.”

Don Carson says “After warning us against judgmentalism, Jesus warns us against being undiscriminating, especially in our choice of people to whom we present the wonderful riches of the gospel. However, in seeking to do full justice to this warning in 7:6, we ought not fail to note that five verses are reserved for judgmental people, and only one for undiscerning people. The ratio reflects an accurate assessment of where the greater danger lies.”

So why do we not “give what is holy to dogs or toss pearls before pigs”? Jesus gives us two reasons.

Practically Speaking what Jesus is saying here is simple but serious—don’t try to force the gospel on people who have already hardened their hearts toward it.

There’s a difference between someone who’s searching and someone who’s seething.

Some folks aren’t just unreceptive—they’re downright hostile to the truth.

They mock it, twist it, and attack anyone who tries to share it.

Jesus says, don’t waste time arguing with people who have no interest in listening. Instead, move on and find someone whose heart is open.

There’s wisdom in that. Not every conversation is fruitful, and not every confrontation is worth having.

If you keep pushing truth on someone who’s made it clear they despise it, Jesus says you’re just inviting trouble—you’ll get torn apart, maybe verbally, maybe worse.

We’ve seen that kind of hostility in our world today. When Charlie Kirk was killed for simply having open conversations about truth and conviction, they killed him for it— then how many people rejoiced and cheered because he was killed?

That’s the world we live in: one where speaking truth will make you a target.

If you say a marriage is between a man and a woman thats hate speech. If you believe only women should compete in women’s sports, you’re a bigot.

But if you say you want your political opponent and children to be killed— they’ll make you the Attorney General of the State of Virginia.

People are so opened minded now there brains have fallen out.

You cannot rationalize with irrational people; you cannot reason with unreasonable people.

That’s why Jesus’ warning matters. There are moments when the wisest thing we can do is step back and pray.

Let the Holy Spirit do what only He can—soften hearts, open ears, and prepare the soil. Some hearts need planting, some need watering, and some need time.

Our job is to be faithful and discerning, trusting the Spirit to guide us to those who are ready to receive the pearl of the gospel.

Some Trample God’s Precious Truth

When Jesus mentions pigs in verse 6, He’s tapping into a powerful Old Testament image. Pigs were considered unclean animals (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8). They were never viewed positively anywhere in Scripture. In fact, in 2 Peter 2:22, pigs and dogs are used together as pictures of false teachers—people who distort or reject the truth.

If dogs attack the messenger, pigs trample the message. Jesus uses the image of pearls to describe the gospel—the priceless treasure of God’s truth (see Matthew 13:45–46). But pigs can’t see the beauty or worth of a pearl. They don’t understand its value. To them, a pearl is just another pebble in the mud.

That’s what happens when hard hearts encounter holy truth. They see it, reject it, and trample it underfoot. They treat what’s sacred like it’s worthless. They not only turn away from the gospel—they try to drag it through the dirt.

It’s a sobering reminder: not everyone will recognize the beauty of God’s truth. Some will mock it, misuse it, or attack it. But for those whose hearts have been opened by grace, the pearl of the gospel is more precious than anything this world could ever offer.

Just like dogs wouldn’t recognize the sacredness of a sacrifice, and pigs wouldn’t see the worth of a pearl, people with hardened hearts won’t value the message of God’s kingdom. They don’t see it for what it is. Instead of receiving it with reverence, they mock it, dismiss it, and make fun of those who believe it.

That’s the tragedy Jesus is pointing out—what’s holy and priceless to us looks worthless to the world. What we treasure, they trample.

The phrase “don’t give” in Matthew 7:6 isn’t just a gentle suggestion—it’s a command. It carries the weight of, “Never do this.” Jesus is being very clear: there’s a time to speak and a time to stay silent, and wisdom knows the difference.

And as He often does, Jesus explains what He means by using His own words elsewhere. In Matthew 10:11–15, He tells the disciples:

“When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. Greet a household when you enter it, and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it; but if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”

In other words, Jesus is saying, don’t waste kingdom truth on hardened hearts that have no interest in hearing it. You can’t force someone to value what they’ve already decided to reject. Your job is to faithfully share the gospel—and when it’s clear they won’t receive it, move on and find the ones who will.

Jesus makes it clear—we’re not called to judge in advance who will accept or reject the gospel. Only God can see the human heart. Our job is to share the good news freely and faithfully with everyone, without prejudice or assumption.

But when the message is met with outright hostility—when it’s rejected harshly or mocked persistently—Jesus says it’s time to move on. There are others who will listen, others whose hearts are ready, and it’s our mission to go and find them.

Charles Spurgeon said it perfectly: “You are not to judge, but you are not to act without judgment. Saints are not to be simpletons; they are not to be judges, but also, they are not to be fools.”

In other words, discernment and compassion must walk hand in hand. We don’t write anyone off—but we also don’t waste God’s pearls on hearts that have made it clear they want nothing to do with them.

As we wrap up this passage, I want to end in a way that’s both helpful and practical.

The question we’ve got to wrestle with is this: How can those of us who’ve been redeemed by the blood of Jesus make right judgments without becoming judgmental people?

Here are some truths to keep us grounded:

Check your motives. Before you ever confront someone, stop and ask, “Why am I doing this?” Be honest about what’s driving you. Proverbs 16:2 reminds us that only God truly knows the motives of the heart.

Examine your own walk first. Before you go pointing out someone else’s sin, take a hard look at your own. Are you walking in step with the Spirit? Are you being gentle, humble, and aware of your own weaknesses? (Galatians 6:1–2)

Seek wisdom. Don’t rush into confrontation without prayer or counsel. Let the Word of God and godly people help guide your response. (Proverbs 10:13–14; 11:14; 15:22)

Live out the Golden Rule. Think about how you’d want to be treated if the roles were reversed. Correction should never crush someone—it should help them. (Matthew 7:12)

Don’t rush to judgment. Take your time. Get the facts. Listen before you speak. (Proverbs 18:13)

Pray before you confront. Bring that person before the Lord. Ask God to prepare their heart—and yours. (James 5:15–16)

Remember Jesus’ example. Jesus loved and served sinners. He didn’t excuse sin, but He met people with compassion and truth. Think about how He treated tax collectors, pagans, and even the woman caught in adultery. (John 7:53–8:11)

Speak truth—but always in love. The tone matters just as much as the truth. (Ephesians 4:15)

Distinguish between sin and difference. Some things are right or wrong—but some things are just different. Don’t judge someone for having a different background, personality, or culture. (Romans 14:1–6, 13–23)

Remember who the Judge really is. At the end of the day, everyone—including you—will stand before the Lord and give an account. He’s the Judge, not you. (Romans 14:7–12; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

The goal in all of this is simple: treat others the same way God, in Christ, has treated you—with truth, grace, and love.

Alright church, here’s the bottom line:

Jesus is not telling us to walk around with our mouths shut and our brains turned off. He’s not telling us to call evil “good” so people won’t get offended. He’s not telling us to avoid discernment because someone somewhere might call us judgmental.

He is telling us to start with our own hearts before we ever start on someone else’s.

Because the truth is—we all have logs. We all have blind spots. We all have areas where the Spirit needs to do surgery. And until we let Him deal with us, we have no business pretending we’re the spiritual quality-control department of the universe.

But after He deals with us? After grace breaks us? After the gospel humbles us?

Then we help our brothers and sisters. Then we speak truth in love. Then we make right judgments the right way—for their good and God’s glory.

And on the other side—Jesus tells us there will always be people who mock truth, hate truth, twist truth, and violently reject it. That doesn’t mean we stop preaching the gospel; it means we preach it with wisdom. We don’t chase arguments with people who have already made up their minds to hate everything we stand for. We look for the ones the Spirit is drawing… the ones whose hearts are soft… the ones who are hungry for what is holy.

Church, at the end of the day, there is only one Judge—and you’re not Him, im not Him. You’re not the final word on anybody’s eternity. You’re not the one who sees the whole heart. You’re not the one who gets the last say.

Jesus does.

And that should do two things in us:

Humble us—because we deserve judgment but got grace and mercy.

Steady us—because we can speak truth without fear, knowing the Judge is just and the gospel is powerful.

Understand— Our job as believers is not to save anyone— we can’t— and to be completely honest— i don’t want to talk anyone into being a Christian because if I can talk someone into, someone can talk them out of it—Salvation is the work of God alone. Our responsibility is to remain faithful to Christ, to use wisdom, and to walk in obedience.

We are called to share the gospel with boldness and conviction, but we are not called to force the truth on people who have already made it clear that they want nothing to do with it. Jesus warns us against wasting spiritual energy on those who have hardened their hearts.

Instead, we must pray and ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. We need to recognize when a heart is open and when a heart is closed. And when it becomes clear that someone is hostile to the truth, the wise and obedient thing is to entrust them to God and move on to the people the Lord is drawing. He will lead us to the ones who are ready to hear, and He will open doors we could never force open on our own.

So here is the essence of what Jesus teaches in this passage: We judge ourselves first. We help our brothers and sisters second. And we trust Jesus with everything else.

This means dealing honestly with our own sin before we ever address someone else’s. It means taking a long look in the mirror and allowing the Holy Spirit to expose what we would rather ignore. And when God does reveal things—pride, harshness, hypocrisy, a critical spirit—our responsibility is to confess it, repent of it, and lay it down before Him.

Do not walk out of this room carrying the same “log” you carried in. Do not cling to attitudes that the Holy Spirit is trying to remove. Jesus never exposes sin to embarrass us; He exposes it to free us. He never convicts us to crush us; He convicts us to cleanse us. He shows us what needs to change because He intends to change it.

And the same Jesus who warns us about judgmentalism is the Jesus who shed His blood to forgive every sin we confess. He is the One who restores, the One who heals, and the One who empowers us to walk in humility and grace.

Let’s go to Him now and ask Him to do that work in us.

Let’s pray.