Finding wisdom to find the path of life

Matthew 7: 1-14. PPT 2-6

Judge not… Why do we judged, from the fall we now judge everything from our perceptive, not Gods and if God showed us this great mercy in Jesus Christ, we are to do the same?

Jesus is clear that the way we judge others, is the way we will be judged, how do you judge others? (mercy(less), hurting to find fault? Swift, meek?)

- And Jesus asks the question Why do you see other peoples sin so clear? But fail to see your own sin? We see the smallest sin in others but can be blind to a log in our eye. (You ever had something small in your eye? Av av av. But a log?). (If we see others sin so clear, Jesus said look at yourself, how do I deal with the same things? It could be a help to see our self rightly).

The Jesus should we not address sin? You can, but take a look at your self first, remove the log, in your eye and then help out others. Okay Jesus, logs and specks, but practically daily? Are at we marked by the beatitudes daily? Knowing that it is God’s work in us, knowing that it was God’s grace and love that freed us, knowing we were not condemned but was shown mercy, knowing our weakness and where we fight against sin in our life. And having spend time with God, asking God to search our hearts, and show us what in hidden in there, that I my lay it down to serve God and not myself or be blinded, when we think we can see as we talked about 2 weeks ago. That we know that God is the judge, not us, we submit to him, it is not our job to judge, it is to encourage/rebuke people towards Jesus and his good news, that we don’t have to sin and there is true life as God intended, in following Jesus. (And God is good! whatever we need to give up, or start doing what God asked us to do in his word is good for us. Not away for God to rob us of life, no instead, we freed from the role of judge, and we trust with God with that job and we can enjoy Him.)

Is this easy? Not to judge, I mean we judge all the time, and with not knowing the facts, - all the time, that person should do this or this person should do that, and we don’t even know them, or someone tells you about their life and you get all offended on their behalf, and what that person needs to get punished, - until you hear the other side of the story, wow what I heard first is nothing like what I just heard now… - (Happens a lot with my kids). PPT Probes 18:17. We are so limited but we still think we can judge like God, or at least we do. Freedom in Jesus Christ is to rest in God being the judge, not me. My job it to obey and love and serve God. How much time and worry could you eliminate form your life? By trusting God to be the Judge?

When Jesus asks us not to judge, it seems counterintuitive, but it is to lead us to life in Christ instead, away from being God, to worshiping Him. Letting go of what is Gods. Enjoying the freedom to be what we are created for to worship and love God.

When we are surrender to Jesus, we can help others by encouraging and correcting them, as we point towards Jesus. Eph 4.15-16 Growing up in love.

Verse 6. Jesus, hhmm, sometimes I am not sure what you are saying, - (Oh I like Jesus he is so nice and kind, and easy – have you ever read what he said? Is my question to people.) In Matthew Jesus has almost entirely been challenge us all to let go of culture, what we think, and trust and get renewed by what Jesus calls us to. This verse. Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, why? They will trample it in the ground and attack you… - It reminded me about the two verses from proverbs PPT 9:7-8, rebuk a scoffer (in his foolishness, and don’t rebuke the fool). It takes wisdom to know which one? The person you are trying to help and correct and encourage, are they wise - humble enough to listen, receive your words? Or will they instead, scream and shout at you, that your judgmental and arrogant and mean and that you are worse that they... Who are you to tell me what to do? (Wisdom to not judge and to know who to correct and encourage). A fool is a fool, but who is submitted to Jesus, and who will listen, - and also as Jesus said who will not… (what is our motive for pointing out sin?)

Wow interesting Jesus goes right over to talk about prayer… Encouragement from Jesus is to ask. Pray Do we ask? If we don’t how can we expect to receive? Jesus said that we will receive it we ask. Seek and you will find, ever lost your keys? We don’t find them if we don’t seek, but ask first then seek, knock and it will be opened to you. Ever stood outside til someone let you in? But ask, pray, seek find the door, and then knock, then someone opens, most of the time people don’t open if we don’t knock. This is true about our life here on earth, And Jesus goes in to it in 9. That if one of our children asks for food, who will give them a stone or a snake? Jesus and a not so seeker friendly part where he called all the people evil, you who are evil, know how to give good gifts, how much more is God the father give us good, when we ask him.

Then why pray? Because God is able, infinite better than us and is willing to hear, when we ask, to be found when we seek, and to open when we need a door to be opened.

Okay great, then what Jesus, do unto others whatever you want them to do to you. That is what the law and the prophets say. (in connection with where we are and what Jesus is talking about, okay you see someone that is sinning going astray, if that was you, how would you like a person to love you enough to say, you have something in your teeth, or in you bead, - I mean everyone sees it, how would you like someone to help you see it and repent and turn to Jesus and trust him, instead of yourself or the sin committed, then what Jesus said makes sense, [because I have found it strange at times, do to others what you would like them to do to you, I would like to go play golf therefor I will get my wife golfclubs, no I don’t think that is what Jesus means], it makes a lot more sense the other way, - How would I like to be approached and loved and encouraged towards Jesus, when I have failed. Kindness, love, meekness, mercy, patients, fruit of the spirt. Then Love the Lord you God, and your neighbor as yourself.

Then 13 Jesus takes another turn, because we can take the easy way, that is wide that leads to destruction where many is going, oh ask seek, knock on the gate that is narrow, it is a hard way and few what to walk it, but it is the way that leads to life.

It is not easy, like I say most weeks it is simply impossible, if God did not send his son Jesus, like we celebrated last week and some of you today, that God emptied himself, became a servant, born as a baby, lived here on earth, did not sin, obey the father, died for our sin to reconcile us to God, rose on the 3 day to give us righteousness, and gave us power as the holy spirt was poured out over the believers. Then on our own, we will never be able to love God with all our heart mind and strength, but in the power of the Holy Spirt asking, seeking knocking God will let us find him, and true life, like Jesus said it is not because God is not good, we choses the easy path because it is easy, instead of Gods path.

Recap don’t judge, let God do that, you are free to not judge, and you will find life and freedom in Christ not judging. We are to ask, seek, to knock, trusting that God will meet us, help us, give us wisdom to know who and how and what to correct, as we look to what Jesus has done and how Jesus has dealt with us, how he does deal with us when we fail. And a strong call to take the hard way that leads to life, taking up our cross and following Jesus in to true life in him.