Conviction with Compassion

Intro: Bacon!

Ok, this morning I am starting off with a super controversial question

This might be the most divisive question in America

And I am going to need everyone to answer!

Bacon: floppy or crispy?

By show of hands, who prefers floppy bacon?

Now, by show of hands, who prefers crispy bacon?

Seriously, we could have a good debate over bacon

Some would argue the merits of crispy bacon

And then, just maybe you would come to see how wrong you are

You would learn to savor the full flavor of floppy bacon, dripping with goodness

That there is a way to relish bacon, not just eat charcoal

And don’t even get me started on those of you who order your steak well done!

Well done is for good and faithful servants, not steaks!

If we get this riled up and divided over something as inconsequential as preference over bacon, it is easy to grasp why we, as a culture, struggle over truly significant matters

Some of these significant matters are not just about preference, but truly about right and wrong

Matters of sexuality, abortion, racial tension, and more

Instead of an ability to listen and to learn, we dig in our heels

Instead of seeking to respect and to dignify those we disagree with, we look down upon them

Values

So far in our series, Foundations, we have looked at what it means to be the church

Then we looked at our unique strategy to be ambassadors to Sarasota

And now we turn our attention to our values as a church

A value is a fundamental belief that guides decision making within an organization

I like to think of it this way: your values are those bumpers in the gutter when you are bowling

If the bumpers are up, you will not throw a gutter ball - it keeps you on the lane

Values, at their best, reflect what matters most in the organization and helps it operate accordingly

We, at New Creation Church, have identified 5 core values that we want to be true as we plant this church

Compassion with Conviction

Holistic Transformation

Beauty and Brokenness

Radical Hospitality and finally

Ministry is a Team Sport

In the coming weeks, we are going to look at each of these

We start today with Conviction with Compassion

And to help us understand the value and why it matters to us as a church, let us start by turning to Matthew 7

Transition

This is a passage that, if we engage with it well, will soften our hearts and shape our interactions with others

Let’s look at Matthew 7:1-6

And if you do not have a Bible, we have a few right in the back - please grab one and if you would like it, please take it as out gift to you

Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:1-6

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

Transition

If I was ever to do a series on misunderstood, misinterpreted, or misapplied verses, this passage is certainly making the list

But if we pause to grasp what Jesus teaches here, it will transform our relationships with others

Judge Not

We start here with some of the oft-quoted and even more oft-misapplied words of the Bible

“Judge not”

Now, clearly, it can’t mean not to ever judge

And we can be clear on that because Jesus then proceeds to give directions on how to judge well

Other verses confirm this as well, here are just 2 examples

John 7:24 “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.””

1 Corinthians 6:3 “Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!”

By the way, isn’t it a crazy statement to think about judging angels? I have no idea how that will work

And we have an entire book of the Bible called Judges!

But even more, “to judge” is simply to “decide between”

That is, each of us judged this morning which shirt to put on

Or maybe if you are smart, your wife judged for you!

But maybe even more pointedly, what is often meant by “judge not” is “criticize not” or “condemn not”

Ironically, of course, our culture tends to condemn some people as being “judgey” - doing the very thing they are condemning

Or to talk behind people’s backs, judging them in the process

As if to make the point, this week I came across a great tongue-in-cheek line

“I think people today are too judgmental. I can tell just by looking at them.”

So what then do these words really mean?

To grasp that, let’s focus on verses 3-5

How Great The Mercy

Matthew 7:3–5 “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.”

Before we break down these verses, let me give you my conclusion

To rightly judge is a heart posture

Notice that Jesus - since this is Jesus speaking - affirms recognizing that there is something wrong in the other person

There really is something in the other person to take note of

He doesn’t say focus only on your own stuff or mind your own business

Instead he tells us to “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”

That is, keeping your mouth shut and not saying anything is not helpful and is not what Jesus intends with those words of “judge not”

But instead, this is about heart posture

Each of us will one day stand before the judgment seat of God Almighty

One day every one of us will have to account for who we are and what we have done

What hope do any of us have except for the mercy of God?

Because of our sin, we rightly stand guilty and deserving of judgment

How great is the mercy of God that we have received?

It is the death and the resurrection of Jesus that extends the mercy and forgiveness of God to us

As we recognize how great is that mercy, two things happen to us

First, we start to recognize just how sinful we are

Every one of us will struggle with this

I don’t want to believe my actions, my words, my longings are as twisted and wrong as they are

That is, I don’t want to see how big that log is in my own eye

I like to think… and to put on this show for others to see… just how dependable and put together I am

But that is simply not true

Jack Miller, a pastor who died several years ago now, said it this way:

“Cheer up, you’re a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine”

But catch this what he says next

“Cheer up, you’re more loved than you ever dared hope”

That, my friends, is the gospel:

For as deep as your sin runs, his mercy runs deeper still

For as sinful as you are, the love of God is more

Here is the simple truth: each of us has a huge log in our own eyes

Seeing that is a gift, because only then can we also see how great is the mercy we have received in Christ

Second, our hearts soften to the needs and shortcomings of others, freeing us to move toward them in ways that are genuinely helpful, not merely reactive

Once you clearly see the great mercy of God in your own life, you can be a catalyst to help others see it too

And all of us need that - all of us have blind spots to our shortcomings

Maybe a sarcastic tone of voice that surfaces occasionally

Maybe some habit that is more destructive to the people around you than you know

We all need someone to help us see that thing we couldn’t see ourselves

But we have all experienced someone who is cruel or harsh in confrontation

Even if the observation is accurate, it goes unheard and unheeded because it came across as cruel

Again, let me restate my conclusion:

Rightly judging is about heart posture

When you are able to recognize how great is the mercy you have received, you are able to move toward others in a way that is gentle even as it is firm

Conviction With Compassion

Which all brings us back to our value: conviction with compassion

On our website, this is how we define this value:

We joyfully cling to the Bible as the true Word of God and to our Reformed doctrine as a faithful exposition of the Bible. We express our convictions with compassion. As those who have received the mercy of Christ, we love and serve our friends and neighbors with gentleness. In this, we are marked by both truth and grace.

We live in a culture that encourages non-judgment, and in about the least biblical kind of way

We are not to condemn or criticize anyone else - their decision, their actions, anything

But in so doing, we actually fail people deeply

Or we see the opposite - hyper-critical people who claim they are just “telling it like it is”

They are “just speaking the truth”

Let me ask this: is there a way to engage what is wrong, false, or destructive AND do so in a way that is honoring the person in the process?

John 1:14 tells us that Jesus came full of grace and truth

We, Christians, are called to be like Jesus

So what does it mean for us to be people of grace and truth?

What does it mean for us to be people of conviction and compassion?

Before we answer those questions, let’s ask what happens if we are not those people?

What if we had one of these without the other? Conviction without compassion or compassion without any convictions?

Truth without Grace, Conviction without Compassion

What is truth without grace? What is conviction without compassion?

The one true God is a God of truth

We are told that his word is truth

And here’s the deal:

If the Bible is the word of God, if the Bible is authoritative, if it is true, then we are bound to it

Doesn’t matter whether we like it or not, whether it agrees with the current cultural moment or not

The Bible is either authoritative or it is not

And if it is, then we are bound to it

We must be people of truth

We are to stand firm, holding on to what is true, what is good, what is right

But truth without grace can be cruel and harsh

This is the judgment Jesus is warning against ,where many people are right in their assessment, yet wrong in their heart posture

Grace without Truth, Compassion without Conviction

The flip is just as dangerous

That is, grace without truth, compassion without conviction is weak, passive, and enabling

In the quest for “no judgment”, all things become fair game and it is intolerant to show people their shortcomings

We thus create a world where “tell us your truth” is really code or justification for “whatever you want to do”

No rules, no objective moral standards

Just leave the speck in your brother’s eye, because who are you to point out any flaws in someone else

Truth and Grace, Conviction with Compassion

So now we can ask: what does it mean?

What does it look like to be full of truth and grace, to be someone of conviction with compassion?

Or, put differently: how does grasping the depth of the mercy you’ve received shape the way you engage others?

Let us look to the example of Jesus who held the tension with such beauty

He told the lame man his sins were forgiven, then told him to take up his bed and walk

He told the woman caught in adultery that he did not condemn her, but also told her to go and sin no more

We can hold our doctrines firmly, but with open hands

We can point people to the truth of God’s word… and his kindness to sinners

And here is why this is so important:

No one is walking around with a shirt that says “I just got a divorce”

No one writes on their name tag that “my kid has been battling a terrible disease”

We do not know what burden someone is carrying, what heartache is pulling that person down

Here is one of my presuppositions when I interact with anyone:

That person is going through something

I may not know what it is

It could be a relationship that is broken or chronic pain

It could be addiction or feeling trapped under a pile of bills

Or it could be a sin pattern the person has given up hope of ever escaping

Even as I don’t know what may be causing that level of angst or sorrow, I can pretty safely assume there is something going on for that person

And therein lies the opportunity to be a people marked by conviction with compassion

One final story

I had not really intended to keep telling stories from Narnia in this series, but there is just so much richness

The Horse and His Boy is the next book, chronologically, in the history of Narnia

In the story, Prince Rabadash, a prince in the far off country of Calormen had sought to invade Archenland, neighboring country and close friend of Narnia

That attack failed and now Rabadash must stand trial for his treachery

Edmund, now king in Narnia, argues for mercy stating that “even a traitor may mend”

Why is that so powerful?

Because no one in the story knew betrayal better than Edmund

It was his betrayal that led to Aslan’s death in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Because Edmund grasped the great mercy he had received, he could now extend mercy, even to his enemies

Edmund could be full of grace because he had received that grace upon grace

Edmund could live with deep compassion because he had received great compassion

At its best, gospel truth and gospel grace invite people to true relief and true healing in Christ

For there can be no true relief if not grounded in truth

And there can be no true healing without compassion for those hurting

At its best, conviction with compassion marks us as people who believe the Bible not just with our heads, but also with our hearts

This value, when we live it out as a church, proclaims that God is saddened by sin and suffering… but that he conquered sin and suffering on the cross

And it reminds us, even as it proclaims it to the world around us, how great is the mercy we have received through Christ

Pray