Judge Not?

Introduction

[Illus] In the news this past week you may have seen a headline about Elizabeth Smart and her father Ed.

Elizabeth’s name first entered the news cycle in 2002 when she kidnapped at 14-years-old. With no leads and little hope, her father pled with the public for help. Amazingly, after 9 months, Elizabeth was found alive and returned to her family.

When Elizabeth was 14 she was kidnapped and held for 9 months before finally being freed.

Now, a 30-something-year-old mother of three, victim’s advocate, and motivational speaker, this past week Elizabeth’s father, Ed, came out as gay.

Now, a 30-something-year-old mother of three, Elizabeth’s father

When Elizabeth was asked about it, she said that she would always love her dad unconditionally; that this decision was extremely personal and as such she would not pass judgment.

What do you think?

Is she right to not pass judgment?

Would she be wrong to pass judgment?

Jesus said, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned,” ().

By not judging or condemning her father’s homosexuality, is Elizabeth just obeying Jesus’ command?

is one of the most misunderstood and, therefore, misapplied passages in the Bible.

When someone says that we’ve done something wrong, we get defensive and out comes the KJV of , “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.”

But did Jesus really mean that we can’t make any moral judgments? Did he mean that moral judgments can’t be made about us?

Did he mean that like Elizabeth Smart we have to say, “I will not pass judgment,” on things that God has judged as abominations?

Did he mean that we can’t call sin “sin”?

Did he mean that like Elizabeth Smart we have to say, “I will not pass judgment,” on things that God has judged as abominations?

And if he didn’t mean that, then what did he mean?

[CONTEXT] Jesus began this sermon to his disciples talking about blessings and curses.

His disciples understand that true blessings are things that make us desperate for God. True curses are things that make us numb toward God.

True curses ar

Then Jesus talked to his disciples about the supernatural love that they must show to one another and the rest of the world.

And now Jesus transitions to the disposition that must characterize his disciples.

[CIT/PROP] Jesus said that his disciples must be characterized by forgiveness, generosity, grace, and humility.

That’s what Jesus meant when he told us to “judge not.”

[TS] We’ll see this as we look at three ASPECTS of the disciples’ disposition; three ASPECTS of our operational attitude in the world...

Major Ideas

The first aspect of the disciple’s disposition we’ll discuss is the disciple’s attitude (vv. 37-38).

Luke 6:37-38

Luke 6:37–38 ESV

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

[Exp/App] More literally, Jesus is saying, “Stop judging… Stop condemning.”

He is not ruling out differentiating between right and wrong as God has defined right and wrong.

The command “judge not” actually forces us to judge when we or someone else is being judgmental. So, the command “judge not” cannot mean “make no moral judgments.”

Jesus was not ruling out the legal system, discernment, or calling sin “sin” when something obviously opposes the Word of God.

In , Jesus said to oppose false teachers, which requires judging between true and false teaching (cf., vv. 15-23).

In , Jesus taught about reconciliation with a brother or sister in Christ who sins against us.

That would of course require us to determine when someone has actually sinned against us (cf., 15-20).

In , the Apostle Paul chastised the Corinthian Church for not exercising discipline against the sexual immoral in the church (cf., vv. 1-5).

How could Paul have chastised them for such a thing unless he first judged between sexual morality versus sexual immorality?

And Jesus told the religious leaders in his day to not judge by appearances but to judge with right judgment (cf., ).

Surely that applies to his disciples as well.

So Jesus is not ruling out judging between right and wrong as God has defined right and wrong, but he is ruling out operating with a harsh, critical spirit in our relationships.

John 7:24 ESV

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Jesus is, however, ruling out operating with a harsh, critical spirit in our relationships.

He is ruling out keeping a record of wrongs that we use to condemn others.

He is also ruling out pronouncing others guilty before God.

And he is ruling out the pride that views oneself as better than others.

Forgiving and giving are the positive side of not judging and not condemning.

Not judging and not condemning pull us from negativity to neutrality in our relationships, but forgiving and giving move us from neutrality to positivity in our relationships.

Rather than just leaving a person alone by not judging or not condemning them, we must do good to them by forgiving them and giving to them.

It could be that being forgiven in v. 37 refers to our neighbors. If we are harsh with them, then they will likely be harsh with us. If we are gentle with them, then they will likely be gentle with us.

Ultimately of course being forgiven refers to being forgiven by God (cf. ), but this does not teach that we must forgive to be forgiven.

We do not earn the forgiveness of God by forgiving others.

Rather, we reveal that we have been forgiven by God when we forgive others.

In the same way, we don’t give to get but give because we’ve already received an abundance by being a disciple of Jesus and we will receive an abundance as we follow him.

In the ancient world, the arms would be placed under the cloak to form a makeshift basket of sorts in the lap.

This usually done to catch the excess that overflowed as one received grain or corn.

You might remember from a Sunday School lesson not too long ago when Boaz in his care for Ruth, said to her, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her,” ().

Ruth 3:15 ESV

And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city.

One historian wrote about the process of receiving corn in the ancient world.

The corn would be shoveled into a sack and then shaken so that all the kernels settled and more could be added.

Then it would be gently patted around the outside to try and squeeze in every kernel of corn possible.

Then it would be formed into a cone shape and then allowed to expand once again so that as little space as possible was remaining in the sack when the final shovel-fulls were added.

Then, on top of a completely full sack of corn, the top would be mounded into a rounded heap until the buyer was forced to catch the rest in his garment.

That’s the kind of spiritual abundance Jesus said we would receive if we stop judging and condemning and start forgiving and giving as he commanded.

That must be the attitude we live with.

For the measure we use will be measured back to us.

[TS] That must be the attitude we live with - an attitude of forgiveness and generosity.

The second aspect of the disciple’s disposition is the disciple’s altitude (vv. 39-40).

Luke 6:39–40 ESV

He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

[Exp/App] Blindness was a familiar malady in the ancient world and so was often used as a ready example of spiritual ignorance.

[Exp]

This is parable is about being blind to one’s own faults while eagle-eyed concerning the faults of others.

“Eagle-eyed” is of course a figure of speech we use to describe someone with excellent eyesight.

An eagle soars high above the ground but spots its prey far below. Then it swoops down to snatch up its kill.

Through a thicket of trees an eagle sights its prey.

Through the choppy waters of rivers and lakes an eagle zooms in on its dinner.

We think we see the sins of others just as well, and then we swoop down with judgment and condemnation.

And then we swoop down with judgment and condemnation. All the while not realizing that we are more often “blind as a bat” rather than “eagle-eyed” in our judgments.

But we fail to realize that we are more often “blind as a bat” rather than “eagle-eyed” in our judgments.

The Pharisees were one group that thought they were “eagle-eyed” in their judgments, but Jesus described them as the blind leading the blind ().

So perhaps here he is warning his disciples about following the judgmental way of the Pharisees.

Following that way will make you just as judgmental as they are.

Following that way will take you to the pit.

But Jesus is our teacher, our Master, and his way rises higher than the pit.

It rises higher than the earth, higher than the heavens.

Our spiritual altitude will never rise above our Master Jesus, but when we are fully trained, we will operate (albeit to a lesser degree) like Him.

And how did Jesus operate?

Well, Jesus stood for truth, but He did not operate with a condemning spirit.

We all know , but listen to John 3:17-18...

John 3:17–18 ESV

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

The world was judged and condemned long ago in the Garden of Eden.

Jesus came as the answer to judgment and condemnation.

He came to offer forgiveness through the giving of his life on the cross.

As Christians we are called to follow the way of Jesus and to lead others in that way.

It is the way of forgiveness and generosity.

First, we receive the forgiveness and generosity of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

We can’t do that if we are blind to our own sins.

Then we offer that same forgiveness and generosity to the world around us.

That’s our how spiritual altitude rises.

But we can’t lead others in that way if we are blind to our own sins.

​ ESVFor God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

However, Jesus referred to the Pharisees as the blind leading the blind (). So perhaps here he is warning his disciples about following the judgmental way of the Pharisees. Following them will make you just as judgmental as they are. Following them will take you to the pit.

[TS] That brings us to our next ASPECT...

The third aspect of the disciple’s disposition is the disciple’s aptitude (vv. 37-38).

[Exp/App] The disciple of Jesus is meant to help the world see sin as “sin” and Jesus as Savior. That means that he or she has is to have the fitness or aptitude to help.

But whoever is blinded by self-righteousness is not fit to help.

That means that he or she has is to have the fitness or aptitude to help. But whoever is blinded by self-righteousness is not fit to help. The one blinded by self-righteous does not have the aptitude to be a disciple of Jesus.Jesus explained this with another parable; one that would be humorous if its subject were not so serious and its situation not so prevalent.Jesus has us imagine a brother with a speck, a bit of saw dust in his eye while we have a log, plank, or beam that is in our eye (v. 41). But rather than noticing how impaired we are, we decide to repair our brother with the speck in his eye (v. 42a). [Illus] Imagine two friends come out of a bar. One says to the other, “Whew, I feel light headed.” The other friend—barely able to stand, his eyes slowly blinking, on the constant verge of vomiting—hiccups and says, “Bat’s TOTAY, buddy, I’ll smive!”We would say, “Well, obviously you out to sober up yourself, sir, before you think about helping someone else get home.”In the same way, if we are drunk on self-righteousness, then we ought to sober up before we think of helping someone else walk with Jesus. This is what Jesus says in v. 42b, “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.”It’s clear that disciples of Jesus are to help. Jesus doesn’t say that we aren’t to help. He is saying that we are to help only after we’ve examined ourselves and confessed and repented of any sins we’ve committed. The problem is that we are often blinded by and blind to the logs we have while eagle-eyed concerning the specks of others.Like the Pharisees who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel, we nitpick the sins of others while missing large sins in our own lives.The answer, however, is not to get rid of the term “sin” and just make everything acceptable. No, as Jesus says here, we need to remove the pride that makes us blind to our own sins, and then we will see clearly how best to help our brothers and sisters in their battle against sin.

The one blinded by self-righteousness does not have the aptitude to be a disciple of Jesus.

Jesus explained this with another parable; one that would be humorous if its subject were not so serious and its situation not so prevalent.

Jesus has us imagine a brother with a speck, a bit of saw dust in his eye while we have a log, plank, or beam that is in our eye (v. 41).

But rather than noticing how impaired we are, we decide to first repair our brother with the speck in his eye (v. 42a).

[Illus] Imagine two friends come out of a bar and head for the car.

One says to the other, “Whew, I feel a little light headed.”

The other friend, who is barely able to stand, blinks his bloodshot eyes slowly as he barely holds back a sudden surge of vomit; he —hiccups and says, “Bat’s TOTAY, buddy, I’ll smive!”

We would say, “Well, obviously you out to sober up yourself, sir, before you think about helping someone else get home.”

In the same way, if we are drunk on self-righteousness, then we ought to sober up before we think of helping someone else walk in the way of Jesus.

This is what Jesus says in v. 42b, “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.”

It’s clear that disciples of Jesus are to help.

Jesus doesn’t say that we aren’t to help.

But Jesus is saying that we are to help only after we’ve examined ourselves and confessed and repented of any sins we’re committing.

We are to help only if we are willing to be honest about our own sinfulness.

The problem is that we are often blinded by and blind to the logs we have while eagle-eyed concerning the specks of others.

Like the Pharisees who strained out gnat-sized sins but swallow camel-sized sins, we nitpick the sins of others while missing large sins in our own lives.

Like the Pharisees who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel, we nitpick the sins of others while missing large sins in our own lives.

The answer, however, is not to get rid of the term “sin” and just make everything acceptable.

No, as Jesus says here, we need to remove the pride that makes us blind to our own sins, and then we will see clearly how best to help our brothers and sisters in their battle against sin.

But how do we do that?

How do we remove the pride that make us blind to our sins?

[TS] That brings us to what I think is the heartbeat of this passage.

Conclusion

Perhaps you’ve known someone who got a new position, a new responsibility that went to their head.

When I was in college we had a few security guards who thought they were Walker Texas Ranger guarding Fort Knox.

The position and responsibility went straight to their head.

That can happen to us all.

It even happens to us when we begin to follow Christ.

When we being to follow Christ, we begin to think of ourselves as more knowledgeable, more righteous, more favored.

And the truth is, we are!

We are more knowledgeable, more righteous, and more favored in Christ!

But we are only in Christ by grace, and grace squashes pride.

Inspired by the Spirit of Christ, Paul wrote about this very thing in .

At the beginning of that chapter Paul talked about how we were just as lost as anyone else.

We were following Satan, living in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the sinful desires of the body and mind, children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

Then says...

Ephesians 2:4–9 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

​ ESVBut God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

In that passage there are some things we should notice.

God is merciful. We receive mercy.

God is love. We receive love.

God is gracious. We receive grace.

God is kind. We receive kindness.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast!

Grace will not allow us to boast.

Grace will not allow us to be puffed up about our salvation in Christ or our service to Christ.

says...

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

​ ESVFor we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Our salvation in Christ is by grace!

Our service to Christ is by grace!

How could we then become prideful, thinking we are better than another?

How could we forget to be grateful, showing compassion to those who are still trapped in darkness as we once were?

[Illus] A while back there was the news story about the youth soccer team trapped in a dark, flooded cave.

It took an expert team of divers to rescue those kids.

But imagine the first kid rescued being interviewed on TV...

“Tell the world what it was like to be rescued from the cave?”

“Well, I knew I could do it if I set my mind to it.”

“What about the other players still trapped in the cave? What would you say to them?”

“Well, if they just do what I did, they’ll be alright.”

If that were the interview, how would you respond?

How do you think the world would respond?

I think we’d say something like, “Set your mind to it!? You didn’t do anything! You were the one who got trapped! The rescuer is the one who pulled you out! You ought to be grateful!”

“Set your mind to it!? You didn’t do anything! You were the one who got trapped! The rescuer is the one who pulled you out! You ought to be grateful!”But many times we Christians act like that. We say things like, “Ol’ so and so needs to get his life together,” but we forget that it was the grace of God in Christ Jesus that got our lives together.We shake our heads and think to ourselves, “How could people act so shamefully,” forgetting that we too once acted just as shamefully before the Holy Spirit graciously revealed to us that Christ took our shame upon himself at the cross.Oh, we can determine between right and wrong, between moral and immoral, between truth and deception...…but we must never forget that we’ve received grace...…and we must never judge someone as beyond the reach of grace.

But many times we Christians act like that.

We say things like, “Ol’ so and so needs to get his life together,” but we forget that it was the grace of God in Christ Jesus that got our lives together.

We shake our heads and think to ourselves, “How could people act so shamefully,” forgetting that we too once acted just as shamefully before the Holy Spirit graciously revealed to us that Christ took our shame upon himself at the cross.

Oh, we can determine between right and wrong, between moral and immoral, between truth and deception...

…but we must never forget that we’ve received grace...

…and we must never judge someone as beyond the reach of grace.

That is what Jesus meant when he said to us, “Judge not.”

[Illus] Marriage counselor divorced three times - removing a speck with a log in the eye

​ 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.

​ ESVTherefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

​ ESVTherefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

​ ESVDo not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

​ ESVBrothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

​ ESVDo not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

and you will not be judged;condemn not,and you will not be condemned; forgive,

​ ESV“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.

Forgive and give are the positive side of not judging and not condemning. Not judging and not condemning pull us from negativity to neutrality in our relationships. But forgiving and giving, however, move us from neutrality to positivity in our relationships. Rather than just leaving a person alone by not judging or condemning them, we must do good to them by forgiving and giving to them.

and you will be forgiven;

​ ESVFor if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

It could be that being forgiven here refers to our neighbors. If we are harsh with them, then they will likely be harsh with us. If we are gentle with them, then they will likely be gentle with us.Ultimately of course being forgiven refers to being forgiven by God (cf. ), but this does not teach that we must forgive to be forgiven. We do not earn the forgiveness of God by forgiving others. Rather, we reveal that we have been forgiven by God when we forgive others.In the same way, we don’t give to get but give because we’ve already received an abundance in Jesus.

give,

​ ESVThe point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

and it will be given to you.It will be given to you by God.Good measure, (not meagerly)pressed down, (no space for any more in the container)shaken together, (so the grain will settle and allow for even more grain)running over, (a rounded heap)will be put into your lap.

​ ESVBehold, it is written before me: “I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their lap both your iniquities and your fathers’ iniquities together, says the Lord; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds.”

In the ancient world, the arms would be placed under the cloak to form a makeshift basket of sorts in the lap. The lap is literally the ‘bosom.’

​ ESVAnd he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city.

For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

​ ESVAnd he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.

​ ESVAnd Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

He also told them a parable:

This is a parable about being blind to one’s own faults while eagle-eyed concerning the faults of others.“Eagle-eyed” is of course a figure of speech we use to describe someone with excellent eyesight. An eagle soars high above the ground but spots its prey far below. Then it swoops down to snatch up its kill.Through a thicket of trees an eagle sights its prey.Through the choppy waters of rivers and lakes an eagle zooms in on its dinner.We think we see the sins of others just as well.And then we swoop down with judgment and condemnation. All the while not realizing that we are more often “blind as a bat” rather than “eagle-eyed” in our judgments.

Can a blind man lead a blind man?Will they not both fall into a pit?

​ ESVLet them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

A disciple is not above his teacher,

​ ESV“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

but everyone when he is fully trained Jesus is our teacher, our Master. When we are fully trained, we operate like Him. Jesus stood for truth but did not operate with a condemning spirit. As Christians we are called to follow Jesus and led like Jesus. We can’t do that if we are blind to our own sins.

​ ESVFor God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

However, Jesus referred to the Pharisees as the blind leading the blind (). So perhaps here he is warning his disciples about following the judgmental way of the Pharisees. Following them will make you just as judgmental as they are. Following them will take you to the pit.will be like his teacher.

​ ESVFinally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

​ ESVequip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

​ ESVAnd after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

​ ESVI appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

​ ESVthat the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

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?

​ ESVAnd as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

Jesus often used hyperbole to make his point.

​ ESVFor it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

​ ESVYou blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

How can you say to your bother, “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.

Like the Pharisees who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel, we nitpick the sins of others while missing large sins in our own lives.

The answer, however, is not to get rid of the term “sin” and just make everything acceptable.

No, as Jesus says here, we need to remove the pride that makes us blind to our own sins, and then we will see clearly how best to help our brothers and sisters in their battle against sin.

--------------Things required: humility, confession, repentance, honesty What should characterize followers of Jesus? The critical spirit of judgment? Or a spirit of forgiveness and generosity?

Jesus was not ruling out the legal system, discernment, or calling sin “sin” when something obviously opposes the Word of God.

In , Jesus said to oppose false teachers, which requires judging between true and false teaching (cf., vv. 15-23).

In , Jesus taught about reconciliation with a brother or sister in Christ who sins against us.

That would of course require us to determine when someone has actually sinned against us (cf., 15-20).

In , the Apostle Paul chastised the Corinthian Church for not exercising discipline against the sexual immoral in the church (cf., vv. 1-5).

How could Paul have chastised them for such a thing unless he first judged between sexual morality versus sexual immorality?

Perhaps you’ve known someone who got a new position, a new responsibility that went to their head. When I was in college we had a few security guards who thought they were Walker Texas Ranger guarding Fort Knox. The position and responsibility went straight to their head.That can happen to us all. It even happens to us when we begin to follow Christ. We begin to think of ourselves as more knowledgeable, more righteous, more favored.And the truth is, we are!We are more knowledgeable, more righteous, and more favored in Christ!But we are only in Christ by grace, and grace squashes pride.Inspired by the Spirit of Christ, Paul wrote about this very thing in .At the beginning of that chapter Paul talked about how we were just as lost as anyone else. We were following Satan, living in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the sinful desires of the body and mind, children of wrath like the rest of mankind.Then says...

​ ESVBut God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

In that passage there are some things we should notice. God is merciful, not us.God is loving, not us.God is gracious, not us.God is kind, not us.For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast!Grace will not allow us to boast.Grace will not allow us to be puffed up about our salvation or service. As ...

​ ESVFor we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Our salvation in Christ is by grace!Our service to Christ is by grace!How could we then become prideful, thinking we are better than another?How could we forget to be grateful, showing compassion to those who are still trapped in darkness as we once were?[Illus] A while back there was the news story about the youth soccer team trapped in a dark, flooded cave. It took an expert team of divers to rescue those kids.But imagine the first kid rescued being interviewed on TV...“Tell the world what it was like to be rescued from the cave?”“Well, I knew I could do it if I set my mind to it.”“What about the other players still trapped in the cave? What would you say to them?”“Well, if they just do what I did, they’ll be alright.”If that were the interview, how would you respond? How do you think the world would respond?“Set your mind to it!? You didn’t do anything! You were the one who got trapped! The rescuer is the one who pulled you out! You ought to be grateful!”But many times we Christians act like that. We say things like, “Ol’ so and so needs to get his life together,” but we forget that it was the grace of God in Christ Jesus that got our lives together.We shake our heads and think to ourselves, “How could people act so shamefully,” forgetting that we too once acted just as shamefully before the Holy Spirit graciously revealed to us that Christ took our shame upon himself at the cross.Oh, we can determine between right and wrong, between moral and immoral, between truth and deception...…but we must never forget that we’ve received grace...…and we must never judge someone as beyond the reach of grace.

​Life Application Bible Commentary, Luke Jesus Teaches About Criticizing Others / 6:37–42 / 63The Jewish rabbis pictured God as having two scales—one called justice, the other mercy. If believers, having been forgiven (measured by the mercy scale), withhold mercy to others, God will judge them by his scale of justice. How easy it is for people to want strict and harsh justice measured to others while expecting mercy for themselves.

​Life Application Bible Commentary, Luke Jesus Teaches About Criticizing Others / 6:37–42 / 63God will use the same method to judge people (exacting or generous) that they use to judge others.

Judge the act or the attitude but not the person. A blind eye-surgeon is likely to produce blind patients. One cannot be a true follower of Jesus and continue to judge others harshly. One cannot be a true follower of Jesus and continue to condemn others. One cannot be a true follower of Jesus and act hypocritically, which is to judge people by a standard you can’t live up to yourself. What is Jesus teaching here? First our logs. Then their specks. OUTLINEIntro--illus - Dalton feeling judged by everyone Major Ideas -#1: The Disciple’s Attitude#2: The Disciple’s Altitude#3: The Disciple’s Aptitude

The disciple of Jesus is meant to help the world see sin as “sin” and Jesus as Savior. That means that he or she has is to have the fitness or aptitude to help. But whoever is blinded by self-righteousness is not fit to help. The one blinded by self-righteous does not have the aptitude to be a disciple of Jesus.Jesus explained this with another parable; one that would be humorous if its subject were not so serious and its situation not so prevalent.Jesus has us imagine a brother with a speck, a bit of saw dust in his eye while we have a log, plank, or beam that is in our eye (v. 41). But rather than noticing how impaired we are, we decide to repair our brother with the speck in his eye (v. 42a). [Illus] Imagine two friends come out of a bar. One says to the other, “Whew, I feel light headed.” The other friend—barely able to stand, his eyes slowly blinking, on the constant verge of vomiting—hiccups and says, “Bat’s TOTAY, buddy, I’ll smive!”We would say, “Well, obviously you out to sober up yourself, sir, before you think about helping someone else get home.”In the same way, if we are drunk on self-righteousness, then we ought to sober up before we think of helping someone else walk with Jesus. This is what Jesus says in v. 42b, “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.”It’s clear that disciples of Jesus are to help. Jesus doesn’t say that we aren’t to help. He is saying that we are to help only after we’ve examined ourselves and confessed and repented of any sins we’ve committed. The problem is that we are often blinded by and blind to the logs we have while eagle-eyed concerning the specks of others.Like the Pharisees who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel, we nitpick the sins of others while missing large sins in our own lives.The answer, however, is not to get rid of the term “sin” and just make everything acceptable. No, as Jesus says here, we need to remove the pride that makes us blind to our own sins, and then we will see clearly how best to help our brothers and sisters in their battle against sin. ConclusionGrace

On , MacArthur says, “Censorious, hypocritical, self-righteous, or other kinds of unfair judgments are forbidden; but in order to fulfill the commandments that follow, it is necessary to discern dogs and swine (7:6) from one’s own brethren (7:3-5).”