Amen. Thank you, Brother James. Well, good morning, everyone. It's good. I don't want to trip on those. Good morning, everyone. It's good to be with you all this morning. If you have a Bible with you, would you please open it to Matthew chapter 7. Today, we're going to be continuing in our series on the Sermon on the Mount. And as Paul has reminded us time and time throughout this series, the subtitle for this series is a beautiful tune we love so well and play so poorly. The Sermon on the Mount is meant to tune us, to be a tuning fork, to bring out a clear, true note that we should tune our lives to match. So here in Matthew chapter seven, Jesus is addressing a part of the Christian life that is frequently out of tune. In fact, this is one area of the Christian life that the church has consistently failed to get right. And yet ironically, this is probably one of the most quoted verses you will ever hear, and one of the most misquoted for that matter. You see, we hear all kinds of people, don't we? Not just Christians quoting this verse, People say, don't judge. Christians aren't supposed to judge. A major part of our culture and society is founded upon the idea that it's wrong to judge one another. The world praises tolerance as the highest virtue above all other things. Society will tell you that you cannot judge other people, that you don't know them, you don't know their story. The world will tell you that it's wrong to think critically or negatively about other people in any way, shape, or form. That to disagree with someone's lifestyle or decisions is to hate them. However, as we'll see this morning, that's not at all what this passage is saying. First and foremost, we have to remember what the Sermon on the Mount is. It's not a sermon telling people how to get saved. It's a sermon telling saved people how they ought to live. So here in Matthew chapter seven, Jesus is telling saved people how to walk the narrow road between being judgmental and being naive. He is teaching us the proper way to view and interact with others. He's laying out the proper tune for us to match. So hopefully now you have your Bibles open to Matthew chapter seven. Hear now the word of the Lord, beginning at verse one. 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 was a 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. 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. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God." So here in this passage, Jesus is laying out two major ditches that lay on either side of the road that we ought to tread as Christians. So I want to unpack these two ditches, and the first ditch that I want to unpack is the most apparent in the text. the ditch of a judgmental spirit. We see that right away in verse one, judge not. Seems to be pretty explicit on the surface, doesn't it? Clearly, however, Christians have continuously struggled to properly understand and apply this simple instruction. We've seen that over the last two years, haven't we? So we know that we need to submit to Jesus' instruction, but in order to do so, we must be clear on what exactly he's teaching. Is Jesus saying that we should not think critically about how other people live? Is he saying that we should not pass condemnation on others? Is he saying that we should not analyze and evaluate others' lives and choices? Commentator Leon Morris is helpful here. He gets at the heart of what Jesus is saying. He says this, the verb is used not only generally of passing a verdict, but specifically of passing an adverse verdict, condemning. And it is this that Jesus is forbidding. The present imperative gives the sense, don't make a practice of judging. I love that line. Don't make a practice of judging. That's the heart of what Jesus is saying here. Don't be judgy. Use your critical thinking abilities with discernment and discretion. But I want you to also notice the reason that Jesus gives for why we shouldn't judge others. I think that's important for us to see as well. He says, judge not that you be not judged. And then he drives it home in verse two, saying, for with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged. And with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And do you not know, Jesus asks, that you too will be judged? That you yourselves stand under judgment. And more than that, the way you have judged others, the way you have treated others, will be held against you in God's eternal court. Jesus says, you look at the world around you and you judge those around to make yourself feel better. You are just like the Pharisee standing in the temple, thanking God that you are not like the tax collector beside you. Now remember that this was a sermon written to Jesus' followers. He's not correcting the wildly judgmental, hypocritical Pharisees that we would expect. He's correcting his disciples. He's correcting us. And if we're being honest with ourselves this morning, we know we need this correction. We know that we still slide into this ditch because it's easy and natural for us to do. We all struggle not to be judgmental, each and every one of us, because we have a natural tendency to make less of our own sins and to make much of others. We have a natural bend to look out at the world with judgment and condemnation because it makes us feel better about ourselves. It makes us feel better about the fact that we don't measure up. That's what Jesus is getting at in verses three, four, and five, when he talks about trying to take the speck out of your brother's eye, where you have your log in your own. Once again, commentator Leon Morris is helpful. He writes this, the meaning is not that in every case, the person passing judgment is a worse sinner than the one he criticizes. It is rather that what he finds wrong in his brother is a very small matter compared with what God sees in him. What you find wrong in your brother or sister, what bothers you in another person is a very small matter compared with the sin that God sees in you. Jesus says, before you even think about judging someone else, take a good, long, hard look in the mirror. I also like how commentator RT France puts it. This passage, however, is concerned with a fault-finding, condemnatory attitude, which is too often combined with a blindness to one's own failings. We are in no position to judge others. We all have fallen short of God's standard. So it doesn't matter if you think you've lived a good life. It doesn't matter if you think you're a good person. You know and I know that each and every one of us is facing condemnation and judgment when compared to God's perfect standard. That is unless you put your faith in Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for our sins, his resurrection from the dead. Because if you have done that, then by God's grace, you were saved from judgment and condemnation, not by your works so that you may not boast, but by God's grace alone. And then if that's you this morning, if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then we followers of Jesus above all other people, forgiven as we have from such an incredible weight of sin, ought not to be judgmental. We should not have a judgmental spirit. We should not make a practice of judging or condemning. That stance, that heart is not compatible with a heart that is saved by God's grace. we ought to have a disposition of generous grace and mercy towards others. Yet if we're not careful, we're in danger of coming right out of this ditch of judgmentalism and going right over the road into the other ditch. Jesus does not pull us out of the ditch of judgmentalism without also providing a warning not to fall into the ditch on the other side of the road. That's the second ditch that Jesus instructs us to avoid, a lack of discernment. Jesus spends most of his time dealing with the first ditch of judgmentalism, five of six verses in this passage, because that's what his people struggled with the most. Remember that two of his disciples were nicknamed Sons of Thunder. He has only a short quantifying statement reminding his people not to be completely indiscriminate so as to help them avoid overcorrecting. If Jesus was preaching this to us now, it would probably be the other way around. He would probably be emphasizing this ditch. And this is the primary idea of what's going on in verse six, where Jesus says, do not give dogs what is holy. Do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. Now on the surface, this seems completely disconnected from what Jesus was saying. Why does he go from talking about judgment to all of a sudden talking about dogs and pigs? Doesn't seem to make much sense. But if we're paying attention, it's actually very much connected. Because Jesus is warning against taking the correction of not judging too far. He's trying to keep us from over-correcting, from moving from a judgmental spirit to a complete lack of discernment whatsoever. Jesus is saying that there's an appropriate way, an appropriate time for Christians to exercise judgment and discernment. There are times when Jesus' followers have to know when not to share the gospel with someone, for example. Craig Bloomberg helpfully lays this out. He says, Jesus is obviously not telling his followers not to preach to certain kinds of people. But he does recognize that after sustained rejection and reproach, it's appropriate to move on to others. And this is a consistent teaching of the New Testament. Jesus himself tells his disciples in Matthew 10, 14, if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. And we see that the apostles put this into practice all throughout the books of Acts. They would consistently leave towns after sustained rejection. There are times when it's necessary for Christians to withdraw from those they are trying to evangelize, especially in the face of repeated rejection and mockery. And to take it one step further, there are times when it's unwise for Christians to try and share the gospel in the first place. This is something that I've had to learn throughout my time working in construction. Now, I've been blessed by God with the opportunity to share the gospel with virtually everyone that I've worked with. In doing so, I've seen a variety of responses. A lot of my unsaved co-workers like to make jokes about my Christian faith and Christianity as a whole. And so I have had to learn to use discernment and to figure out whether or not to turn those jokes as an opportunity into gospel conversations or when to let them go. You see, some of my co-workers are genuinely curious about what I believe and about what the Bible says. And I can have productive spiritual conversations with them. But other of my co-workers simply like to tease me and make fun. And others use every opportunity they can find to just attack and discredit Christ. So I have to use discernment. I have to know when to try and turn these jokes into gospel conversations. when to try a different tactic and approach, and when it's simply best to say nothing at all. Because there are times where certain people, when trying to begin a gospel conversation, will only result in rejection and mockery of Christ. That's what Jesus is getting at when he says, do not throw your pearls before swine. Christians must exercise discernment in sharing the gospel, and they must exercise discernment in who they allow into the flock of Christ. You see, a huge part of the problem with many churches in the world today and throughout church history is the lack of discernment in these areas. There are churches and pastors who are completely unwilling to address blatant and unrepentant sin in their congregations. And there are churches not demonstrating any discernment whatsoever, welcoming anyone and everyone, regardless of their lifestyle, into the fold, into the membership in the body of Christ, in a celebration of tolerance and a lack of judging. And this isn't just a problem for us today, this is a problem for the early church as well. In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. It details Paul's rebuke of the Corinthian church for allowing a man to continue sleeping with his father's wife while being an active member in the community. Indeed, not only was he a member, the Corinthian church was praising themselves, patting themselves on the back for being so gracious and tolerant, for understanding the gospel so well that they allowed this man to continue in his incestuous relationship. And so the Apostle Paul writes to them, for what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you. So clearly, there's an appropriate way for Christians to judge. Craig Keener highlights this in his commentary. He writes this, Jesus does not oppose offering correction, but only offering correction in the wrong spirit. We must exercise discernment, brothers and sisters. We must, but we are to do so in the right spirit, to correct one another in love. The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 6.1, Brothers, if anyone was 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. Restoring one another in a spirit of gentleness. That's the road that Jesus is laying out for us. That's the road that threads the needle between these two ditches that we often find ourselves falling into. You see, we're like a pendulum constantly swinging back and forth from one extreme to the other, from one ditch to the other, back and forth, which is why we need this correction. I know that I personally, throughout my life, have spent time in both of these ditches. And there are times when I have somehow managed to be in both ditches at the same time, showing a lack of discernment in one area of my life and hard-hearted judgmentalism in another. It really is immensely difficult for us to find the balance, to stay on this narrow road that Jesus has set before us. And that leaves us with the question, how do I stay on this narrow road? How on earth can I walk this path? How can I find the balance? There's three ways, three things for us to do to help us stay on this road. And the first thing is to lead yourself. This is one of the major applications of this passage. The Christians should hear Jesus's words and understand that before they can be helpful to others, they must first lead themselves. Or as Matthew Henry hopefully puts it, here is a good rule for approvers. First, reform thyself. First, reform thyself. That's the natural emphasis that comes when we understand the depth of our sinful state before the three times holy God of the universe. That when we know that, we should be filled with the desire to put to death our own sin before considering the sins of others. That's what Jesus is driving at with his analogy of trying to take a speck out of your brother's eye while you have a log in your own. Now, in addition to interning here at the church, I also work in construction as a carpenter. And a couple years ago, I was working on a deck, and I was cutting a piece of wood, and there was a knot. And when my saw hit the knot, the knot exploded, and a sliver of wood flew into my eye. And I tried to get it out. I tried to blink and blink and blink. I tried to wash it out with water, but it didn't help. The pain got worse and worse throughout the day. My eye was beginning to swell, and so I went to an optometrist. And he inspected my eye, and apparently, I managed to get it out. but not before it had scratched my cornea really badly. Now, luckily, your cornea heals itself very quickly, and I was back to work in a couple of days. But exactly one week later, I was cutting a piece of decking, and wouldn't you know, another sliver flew into the exact same eye. So maybe the moral of the story is I need safety goggles. But this time I learned my lesson. I went to the optometrist right away, and I sat down in the chair, and he pulled out his little magnifying headset, and he looked very closely at my eye. He flipped my eyelid, and he pulled out this tiny sliver super delicately. But it's safe to say if I went there, and he had a giant beam protruding from his eye, there's no way I would let him near me. Not only would he not be able to pull the sliver out of my eye, he would likely beat me to death in the process. He would certainly do more harm than good. And that's the point, isn't it? That if you're the kind of person who is consistently looking at everyone else's flaws, then you'll naturally be more harm than good to those around you. That we ought to focus primarily on our walk with the Lord. We must lead ourselves. Now this doesn't mean that Christians aren't at all concerned with their brothers and sisters walk. As we saw in Galatians 6, we are to restore one another in kindness. As we see in Matthew chapter 18, Christians are to be concerned when a brother or sister is living in sin. It's not a matter of indifference. It's a matter of focus and a matter of priority. The speck in your eye is a problem. It will cause damage. It needs to be dealt with. However, the log in your eye is a much bigger problem. That should be your focus. I think there's something to be said for the fact that noticing the sin in others should also make us reflect on our own sinfulness. I don't know where the saying originated. Truthfully, I don't know if it's a saying or my mom made it up. But the things that bother us most in other people are the things that we ourselves need to deal with. Now, I have a twin brother, and it's safe to say that he's easily been one of the greatest sources of sanctification in my life. And growing up, we had a rocky relationship, to say the least. We would constantly get on each other's nerves, provoke one another. I remember getting so frustrated at the fact that he was so impatient. And I remember thinking to myself, what is wrong with you? Can't you just be more patient? I get the irony of that now. It took me a long time to realize that my impatience at his lack of impatience, of lack of patience, said more about my sinfulness, about my heart, than it did his. I realized I had a lot of work to do on myself. And that's a lesson I'm still learning today. So one of the ways that we can make sure we are emphasizing our own holiness, focusing on our own walk with the Lord, leading ourselves, is that when we notice other people's sins or other things that bother us, is to take that moment to pause, to reflect, to think about our own sin, our own need for grace. Rather than react in judgmental thoughts or actions, we ought first to consider our own sinfulness. our own need for grace, we should pause and look in the mirror. Because doing so will better prepare us to help that brother or sister in a spirit of love and kindness. Because we know we're in the same fight, that we're in the trenches beside them fighting the same battle. There's nothing more important than helping someone in their battle against sin, than an awareness of our own need and our own dependence on grace. Because without that, it's easy to be distracted, to take our eyes off of Christ, to look down at those around us. We must stay focused on Christ. We must know that we first need to lead ourselves. And the section instruction for us to stay on this narrow road is to be alert. This is a natural instruction to keep us out of the ditch of a lack of discernment and arguably the greater concern for many Christians today. We must be aware of the dangers of welcoming anyone and everyone into the congregation without discretion. This is actually what the early church understood verse six to be saying. The didache, which is one of the earliest written texts in Christian history, gives us a picture of how the early church interpreted verse six and says this. Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist, but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord. For concerning this also the Lord has said, give not that which is holy to the dogs. So we must be careful who we allow to take communion. Or in other words, we must be careful who we allow into the church. We see this kind of instruction all throughout the New Testament, that we are consistently warned to watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing, for those who will seek to infiltrate and destroy God's people. We must be alert. We cannot let down our guard, because if we're not careful, we are bound to be lulled into the same mindset as the world around us. We will be conditioned by the world rather than by God. And that's pretty easy for us to do if we're being honest. Because it's easier after all, isn't it? It's easier to overlook people's sins. It's easier not to correct people, not to be labeled as judgmental or a bigot. It's easier to live and let live, because that's what our flesh desires. It gives us permission to then live however we want. Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more, right? Therefore, let sin abound that grace may abound by no means. If we had it our way, we would live just like the world. We would be indistinguishable from society. In open rebellion against God, we would indulge all the desires of the flesh and we would pat ourselves on the back for our grace and our tolerance as we rocket down the path towards hell and destruction. This is why church membership matters. It's why we must exercise discernment so that we will not be led astray. We must be careful who we admit as brothers and sisters in Christ. We must guard the flock, and we also must be discerning in our evangelistic efforts. That's the second aspect of being alert. There's a reason Jesus uses the analogy of throwing treasures before dogs and pigs. Both animals were considered the epitome of unclean to Jesus' audience. Dogs in those days were not household pets like we think of them today. They were considered giant rats. They were dirty, savage, garbage-eating animals. If you tried to feed them, they're more likely to bite you than eat the food. And so this means we must be careful and considerate of our audience when sharing the gospel. The Bible clearly teaches that there are times when we must cease sharing the gospel to certain people in the face of repeated rejection and mockery. They're clearly not ready. The soil is not prepared. It's time to move on. All this is simply to say that Jesus is not instructing us to never use judgment or discernment. To do that would be to overcorrect when his instructions are not judging. Rather, we must exercise judgment and discernment without developing a hard and judgmental spirit. We cannot let ourselves be numbed and distracted into thinking the same way as the world around us. We cannot afford to lose our saltiness. We must be alert. And the third and final thing on this narrow road is that we must look to Jesus. And this is the ultimate application. Because usually we're falling into either of these two ditches because of our arrogance or because of our ignorance. And Jesus Christ is a cure to both. You see, often when we hear this verse, it's done so with the implication that we're not supposed to exercise any discernment whatsoever. But when we look to Christ, we see that this is not the case. We see that Jesus exercised tremendous grace and mercy. And we see that he was also wise in discerning. John 2, 23 to 24 demonstrates this fact. It says this, now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them because he knew all people. You see, Jesus knew what was in these people's hearts. He knew that they only wanted his signs and his power and his miracles. He knew that it was not worthwhile to entrust himself and his message to these people, and so he moved on. Jesus is our example. He's our guide. He's the model for us. He walked this narrow road. He's the one who broke bread with tax collectors and with sinners, who spoke tenderly with a Samaritan outcast woman at the well. He's the one who knelt down in the sand and said, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. And yet he tells the women, go and sin no more. He demonstrates the balance, the perfect balance of grace, mercy, and discernment and judgment. He is the one we must follow. Because looking to Jesus demonstrates this fact, teaches us how to live this out. He's the model to live out this intricate and difficult balance. But looking to Christ also humbles us. It reminds us that we have been forgiven a debt, a debt so insurmountable, so massive that we ought to be the most merciful people in the entire world. that we ought not to judge others because we are aware of the depth of our sin, our absolute dependence on God's grace. Are you tempted this morning to look out at the world with a heart of judgment and condemnation? Look to Christ. Are you tempted to make little of your own sin and much of others? Look to Christ. Gaze into the blazing white radiance of Jesus's glory and majesty, and every shadow of sin in you will be laid bare. Dig deep into the word of God. Seek to gain a deeper understanding, a deeper experience of Jesus. And as you see the righteousness and splendor of our Lord, you will know the depth of your sin, your need for grace. For when we fix our eyes upon Jesus, we find that this leads to humility and graciousness. When we know that our righteousness is but filthy rags in comparison to him, it will decimate our tendency to judge others. We must look to Jesus, as Hebrews 12 reminds us. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Listen to this. looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus is the founder of our faith. He is the perfecter of our faith. He initiated this race that we are running. He placed us on this narrow road, and he's the one who will keep us on it. He is the one who will help us avoid these two treacherous stitches as we seek to be salt and light around us. Getting this right, getting this balance of judgment and discernment correct is critical to maintaining our witness to the world. We do not want to be judgmental and hard-hearted and ruin our witness of Christ's love to the world. And neither can we lose our saltiness. Neither can we be no different than the world around us because of our lack of discernment. We need to find the balance. And it is only by the grace of God that we have any hope at all of walking this narrow road. Oh God, help. Let's pray together. Father, we come before you, God, just in awe of your goodness. Lord, looking to Christ and seeing his goodness, his holiness, his grace, his love, Lord, his righteousness, and we are aware, God, that we do not measure up. God, we have fallen so far short of his standard. And so help that, Lord, help us to use that to remind us not to be judgmental, to not think more of ourselves, Lord, that we would not look down at those around us, but we would see that they are in the same battle as us, Lord, that we would correct one another with a spirit of gentleness, kindness, and love, Lord, that we would maintain our witness to the world around you, not by being judgmental and hard-hearted, Lord, but by being wise in discernment. Innocent as doves, but wise as serpents, God, would you guide us today? Lord, we know our need for you. We know that we cannot live this balance, Lord, that we cannot maintain our saltiness and our light to the world apart from your grace and your Holy Spirit. So would you fill us today, guide us as we go forth, Lord, so that we would bring glory to your mighty name. Amen.