Matthew 7:1-6

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 98:1-3
• Hymn — Come, Let Us Sing unto the Lord (#16)
• Prayer of Invocation
• Psalm Reading — Psalm 11
• Hymn — Shelter in the Time of Storm (#619)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — (#316)
• Benediction

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Sermon Title: Right and Wrong Judgment

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-6

I. Wrong Judgment — Matthew 7:1-3

A. The warning: judge not, lest you be judged

1. Whatever standard you apply to others will be turned back on you
2. This is a general proverbial statement, not limited to specific circumstances

B. The speck and the log — a deliberate and startling contrast

1. The only heart you can truly see is your own; another's outward actions are like a speck compared to the log within
2. Nothing is more natural to fallen man than to justify himself by judging others — it is why gossip is so appealing

C. Quick judgment is self-condemnation; sanctification calls us to slow self-reflection

1. The wrong we see in others acts as a mirror pointing back into our own hearts
2. Illustration from 2 Samuel 24: David's words — put me in the hands of God, for where God is there is mercy, but man is a wrathful, judging beast
3. God's patience and long-suffering displayed in Romans 3: he passed over former sins to display his righteousness through the propitiatory sacrifice of his Son
4. Whatever humility we possess exists only by the grace of God

II. Right Judgment — Matthew 7:5

A. Jesus is not teaching a postmodern philosophy of no correction ever — he commands taking the log from your own eye first, then helping your brother

1. The word brother is significant — this refers to fellow members of the covenant community, the body of Christ
2. Correction comes after proper self-assessment, self-reflection, and mortification of sin — from humility, not pride

B. Illustration: two approaches to parental correction

1. Wrong: hovering over the child, screaming and wagging a finger from above
2. Right: kneeling down to eye level, correcting gently and tenderly, knowing you share the same sinful nature

C. The church's judgment must be visibly different from the world's

1. The world's utopian ideal of no judgment is itself full of harsh, prideful, enlightened-vs.-unenlightened condemnation
2. 1 Corinthians 6:1-3: the saints will judge the world and even angels — this life is a training ground for right judgment
3. 1 Corinthians 6:7: to have lawsuits with one another is already a defeat — why not rather be defrauded?
4. Illustration: a man whose neighbor was stealing from him was told, "We as Christians need to be about more than simply doing what is right"
5. Matthew 5:40: if anyone sues you for your tunic, give him your cloak as well — going beyond what is merely right disarms people and opens ears to the gospel

D. Telling our children we are sorry when we have wronged them is one of the most powerful forms of instruction — self-effacing, eye-level correction

III. Right Judgment to the Wrong People — Matthew 7:6

A. Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw pearls before pigs

1. Sinclair Ferguson: the New Testament clearly applies this to evangelism — we must be discerning about whether we are sharing the gospel with those who are genuinely receptive
2. Examples: Jesus sending disciples to Jewish homes — welcome means stay and bless, rejection means shake the dust from your feet and leave
3. Acts 13:46: Paul and Barnabas turn to the Gentiles when the Jews thrust the word aside
4. Jesus remains silent before Herod — he was already condemned, so no defense was offered

B. Two traps to avoid when we fixate on a particular person or group receiving the gospel

1. Repeating the true gospel so many times it goes in one ear and out the other
2. Compromising the gospel to make it more palatable — the pearls become corroded by the filth of the pig's pen

C. How to avoid these traps: be prepared for rejection

1. Not everyone will receive the gospel kindly — this is expected, not a sign of failure
2. John 6: Jesus preaches divine election; many disciples leave; he does not change his message to win them back
3. A bad response may mean faithful proclamation was rejected, not that you misrepresented the gospel

D. Verse 6 belongs together with verses 1–5 — gospel proclamation must be embedded in humble, self-effacing relationship

1. We come to unbelievers on equal footing as sinners who fall short of the glory of God
2. We go above and beyond what is simply right and put on Christian love
3. When people reject the gospel, they should be rejecting Christ as seen both in our conduct and in our message — not a proud, arrogant presentation
4. Closing exhortation: let the dogs be dogs and the pigs be pigs — but you always remain a humble, lowly sheep looking to your Shepherd