Helper Not Hinderer

The Sermon on the Mount is full of revolutionary teaching. Jesus turned the religious community upside down when he taught that internal purity was more important than external compliance. Religion tends to focus upon the outward appearance of others in order to find some fault in their walk. You see, if I can find a problem with you, then I do not feel so bad about myself.

What do we do? We are commanded to provoke one another to love and good works. Our passage today gives us three principles to practice as we help each other along the way to spiritual maturity.

Do not be judgmental.

Matthew 7:1–2 KJV

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

A. Do not judge outside your realm of jurisdiction.

Romans 14:4 KJV

Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

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B. Do not judge unrighteously

1. Based upon appearance.

John 7:24

24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

2. Based upon incomplete information.

Proverbs 18:13 KJV

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, It is folly and shame unto him.

Deal with your own issues first.

Matthew 7:3–5 KJV

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

A. Mote = speck – small offence

B. Beam = large square piece of lumber.

1. Clouding judgment.

2. Impairing your ability to carefully deal with your brother’s mote.

C. It is much easier to try to deal with the minute faults of another than to deal with your own glaring problems.

John 8:7–9 KJV

So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

D. If you deal with you brother’s sin before you deal with your own, you are a hypocrite, a play actor.

Psalm 51:9-13

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Do not give a masterpiece painting of God’s truth to a blind man.

Matthew 7:6 KJV

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

A. Dogs = unbelievers who are blind to the truth.

1 Corinthians 2:14

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

B. Swine = those still in this world, blinded by their own carnality.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

C. Pearls = great truths.

1. Trampled by those who cannot comprehend their value.

2. The swine will turn against those who offer pearls of truth.

Proverbs 9:7-8

7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. 8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

Conclusion:

Hebrews 10:24–25 KJV

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We are commanded to point each other in the right direction. We are also commanded not to judge. How can we obey both commandments? Jesus gave us some very basic principles. Now you try to figure out why this message was preached right now and to whom it is aimed, let me warn you that you are already on the wrong path. I preached Matthew 7 because it came after Matthew 6. I cannot help the fact that God is sovereign and knows what we need and when we need it. Do not be judgmental, coming up with evaluations in areas over which you have no jurisdiction. That is ungodly and unfair! When you deal with issues within your realm, make sure that you deal with your own issues before you try to help your brother deal with his. Do not throw precious truth before folks who are not born again, or before folks who are rebelliously clinging to their sin and carnality. If you practice these principles you will be able to effectively help others along their way to godliness.