Sermon Tone Analysis

Chapter 7

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide.

Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

Read and summarize

Look for

— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

— There is a lot of disagreement on the right way to approach chapter 7

— But it seems that there is a clear underlying theme and it is judgment

— It is not hard to see the connection between this chapter and the preceding one

— We should always regard the Sermon on the Mount as a whole, so it a quick review is in order

First, we get the description of the Christian man, his character.

Then we are shown the effect upon him of all that happens in the world in which he lives and his reaction to that world.

Then he is reminded of his function in the world as salt of the earth and as a light set for all to see, and so on.

Then, having described the Christian as he is and in his setting, our Lord goes on to give him particular instructions with regard to his life in this world.

He starts with his relationship to the law.

That was especially necessary because of the false teaching of the Pharisees and scribes.

That is the theme of that long section in chapter 5 in which our Lord, in terms of six main principles, enunciates his view and interpretation of the law over and against that of the Pharisees and scribes.

So the Christian man is taught how he is to behave in general, how the law applies to him, and what is expected of him.

Having done that, in chapter 6 our Lord looks at this Christian man who has thus been described, living in this world, and living it, especially in fellowship with his Father.

he has to remember always that the Father is looking upon him.

He has to remember this when he is in private and when he is deciding what good he is going to do — his almsgiving, his prayer, his fasting, everything designed to bring about the growth and nurture and culture of his inner spiritual life and being.

It always has to be done as realizing that the Father’s eye is upon him.

There is no value or merit in it if we do not realize that: if we are out to please ourselves or to impress others we may as well do nothing.

Then we come to another section, in which our Lord shows us the danger of the impact of the life of this world upon us, the danger of worldliness, the danger of living for the things of this life and this world, whether we have too much or too little, and especially the subtlety of that danger

Having dealt with all that He now comes to this final section.

And here, it seems to me, He is enforcing again the all-importance of our remembering that we are walking under the Father’s eye.

The particular subject He handles is one which is mainly concerned with our relationship with other people; but still the important thing to realize is that our relationship to God is the fundamental matter.

It is as if our Lord were saying that the final thing which matters is not what men think of us, but what God thinks of us.

In other words, we are reminded all along that our life here is a journey and a pilgrimage, and that it is leading on to a final judgment, and ultimate assessment, and the determination and proclamation of our final and eternal destiny.

— The natural man does not care about his eternal future

— Btu the Christian man is a man who should walk through this life as conscious that it is but transient and passing, a kind of preparatory school

— He should always know that he is walking in the presence of God, and that he is going to meet God; and that thought should determine and control the whole of his life

— We are undergoing a process of judgment the whole time, because we are being prepared for the final judgment; and as Christian people we should do all things with that idea uppermost in our minds, remembering that we shall have to render an account

— That is the controlling theme of this chapter — and it climaxes with the striking picture of the two houses

Q: Does this mean that we should never, in any circumstance, judge?

( 7:1-6 )

Stop Criticizing ( 7:1-6 )

( 7:1-6 ) “Judge not, that you be not judged.

2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite!

First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces

— “Do not judge” is not blanket statement against all critical thinking

— Paul taught that we should exercise church discipline ( 1 Cor 5:1, 2 )

— When is the last time you heard of a person being excommunicated?

— When did you last hear of a person being kept back from the Communion Table? ( 1 Cor 11:27-29 )

— Scripture teaches us that judges and magistrates are appointed of God

— It is part of God’s way of restraining evil and sin and their effects in this world

— So, if a man says he does not believe in police courts, he is contradicting Scripture

— The question of judging also applies in the matter of doctrine

— Jesus demanded the exercise of moral and theological discernment

— Jesus said to expose false teachers ( 7:15-23 )

— In light of what Jesus says about certain individuals being dogs and swine it is clear that no such wholesale condemnation of forming an opinion is intended ( John 24: cf. 1 Cor 5:12; 6:1-5; Gal 1:8, 9; Phil 3:2; 1 Thess 2:14, 15; 1 Tim 1:6, 7; Titus 3:2, 10; 1 John 4:1; 2 John 10; 3 John 9 )

— Remember what Jesus said about what to do if a brothers sins against you ( Matt 18:15-20 )

— First go to your brother and tell him his fault

— If he will not listen take witnesses and if he will not listen, take it to the church

— And if he will not listen to the church, treat him as a heathen

— Paul says the same thing in 1 Cor 5 and 6, he tells the Corinthians not to keep company with a man who is an idolater, but to withdraw themselves

— To be discriminating and critical is necessary; to be hypercritical is wrong

— Avoid saying what is untrue ( Ex 23:1 ), unnecessary ( Prov 11:13), unkind ( Prov 18:8 )

Q: If this passage does not mean that we are to never judge, what does it mean?

An Erroneous View of God and others ( 7:1 -2 )

( 7:1-2 ) “Judge not, that you be not judged.

2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

— This passage warns of the terrible danger of condemning or pronouncing judgment in a final sense

— “Lest you be judged” reminds us that we are not the final court

— To judge another person’s motives or to curse to condemnation is to Play God ( John 5:22 )

— Jesus warns us against a self-righteous spirit

— Jesus tells us to examine our own motives and conduct instead of judging others

— The traits that bother us are often the traits that we dislike in others!

— This might appear as smug, snide remarks to co-worker or as a sudden outburst of anger at your spouse ( which heaps sin upon sin )

— During the millennial kingdom Christ will share some of that judgement with us ( Matt 19:28 ) but until that time we blaspheme God whenever we take upon ourselves the role of judge

“ Who are you to judge another’s servant?

To his own master he stands or falls.

Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

( Rom 14:4 )

— Unless a person is continually teaching false doctrine or following standards that are clearly unbiblical, we are not to judge a person’s ministry, teaching or life

What does judgment look like?

— Whenever we assign people to condemnation without mercy because

— They do not do something we thing ought to be done

— Or because we think their motives are wrong

— We play God and pass judgment that only God is qualified to make

— When we setup ourselves as judge we imply that we know all of the facts, all the circumstances and motives

— If we set ourselves up as judge over others, we cannot plead ignorance of the law in reference to ourselves when God judges us

Your life as an example

— James has this principle in mind when he wrote

— “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”

( James 3:1 )

— The person who teaches will be judged more strictly because he/she has a greater understanding

— We are especially guilty if we do not practice what we ourselves teach and preach ( James 3:1 )

— To be gossipy, tale-bearing, critical and judgmental is to live under the false illusion that those whom we judge are somehow inferior to us

Q: Do you find it easy to magnify other’s faults while excusing your own ( 7:1-2 )?

— If you are ready to criticize someone, check to see if you deserve the same criticism

— Judge yourself first and then lovingly forgive an help your neighbor

Going Deeper

— The Pharisees and scribes had become oppressively judgmental

— They proudly looked down on everyone who was not part of their elite system

— They were unmerciful, unforgiving, unkind, censorious (severely critical), and totally lacking in compassion and grace