2.6.10 1.31.2021 Matthew 7.1-6 The Most Dangerous Passage in the Bible

Start:

1 Entice: It is

the most dangerous passage in the Bible

Matthew 7:1–6 ESV

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 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? 4 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? 5 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. 6 “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.

It is the most dangerous passage in the bible

1.2 It is used, abused, quoted and misquoted.

1.3 Everyone from the RC pontiff who once said “Who am I to judge?” When asked an important theological and ethical question. To a sweet, demure grandmother who does not want to reject the antisocial behavior or sexuality of a beloved grandson, to those in our culture who refuse to call evil evil, because they don’t want to be called a bigot.

2 Engage: The way the passage is used produces a false modesty and plastic humility that robs Jesus and His Church of a contemporary moral voice.

It is used to avoid conflict,

deflect criticism and to shroud moral discourse in flattery.

It is used as the coward’s way out of hard conversations.

In this passage, which we take as an indictment of any form of judging at any time, Jesus makes a whole series of judgements.

He compares people to dogs and pigs.

Some things are called holy which means that others are profane.

For every pearl in the world there is a mere clod of dirt.

It is a dangerous passage because we use it to excuse the church from critical thinking or from doing the right thing by claiming that Jesus commands us to do nothing.

3 Expand: God’s view of the world is not neutral. Some things are right, others wrong. There are sins. We are sinners. He made us in His image with Intellect, emotion and will: This means that we can have judgements and act on them. Call it fruit inspection, sheep/goat identification, bearing one another's burdens. What is galling is that we have no conscience about criticizing and defaming those with whom we disagree but will not think critically about our own tribe…thereby relinquishing any moral “high ground.”

Discernment is essential to living a life which pleases and honors God. It can be heart breaking and it requires courage. A courage we see exemplified best in Jesus.

4 Excite: It is liberating to apply the words of Jesus to our lives. It empowers our actions when we minister to others and helps us to look at our own thoughts and behavior boldly.

Explore:

Every one of us will make judgments. Jesus shows us how to make them count.

Explain: Jesus shows us that channeling our power of judgement requires:

1 Self-Examination. 7.1-2

1.1 Self-examination means understanding that our lives are transient and transparent.

Matthew 7:1 ESV

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.

1.2 Self-examination means that we are purposefully self aware.

Matthew 7:2 ESV

2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

2 Self-Correction.

Matthew 7:3–5 ESV

3 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? 4 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? 5 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.

2.1 Removing our own obstacles.

2.1.1 When we look fairly and squarely at our own flaws and failures we will work to fix them.

2.1.2 It is from that hard work of self-correction that we get the compassion, and capacity to help take specks out of the eyes of others.

2.1.3 The process of self-correcting; plank-from-our-own-eye removal goes by another name. Repentance. It is the first step towards effectively ministering to others.

2.2 Combating our own hypocrisy.

2.3 Ministering to our brother.

3 Self-Application

Matthew 7:6 ESV

6 “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.

(We will make judgements! If our standards are just we must have the courage to act.)

3.1 Simple Judgements:

Holy, dog, pearls, swine.

3.2 Clear actions:

Do not give, do not throw...

3.3 Real risks and results.

Shut Down:

1 Our judgments lead to actions. Actions become behaviors. Behaviors become habits. Habits make a life. If we refuse to look at our own life, we will make a life out of looking at others. If we refuse to repent, if we don’t allow Christ to help us take the logs out of our eyes we will either ignore or antagonize others. If we refuse to judge right, wrong, just, unjust, holy, profane, righteous, evil-others will make those judgements-the dogs will tear us up and pigs will trample us.

2 Repentance begins with a change of mind, but yields changed actions. Who knows whose eyes we might salve when the logs are loosed from our eyes.