• Today, we live in a culture which is given to universalism.
• The thinking goes something like this: “if’ there is a God, He is a good God who lives in a good place which is designed for good people. Since we all are pretty good and God is good, logically – one day all us good people will wind up in that good place, where the good God is, and it’ll all be good – for eternity”.
• The problem arises when we take a serious look at God’s word, that is, a serious look not simply a cursory or superficial look.
• Tonight – we see our culture’s most favorite verse and the misunderstanding thereof.
* Here are some statement which we know the Bible teaches;
• Homosexuality is a sin from which must be repentance
• Sex Outside of Marriage is a sin.
• Abortion is Murder.
• However, stand up in our society and speak these statements, you’ll find our culture quoting the Bible to you and they’ll quote what we are about to read. Continuing our study of the Sermon on the Mount today we read Matthew 7:1-6
• I’ll offer you four thoughts about this misunderstood text:
1)THE EXPLANATION – Vs 1-2 Years ago, I heard Dr. Ted Traylor say, “The Bible doesn’t say what it means, or mean what it says, the Bible ‘means what it means’.”
* There is no private interpretation. So the question is;
*What did Jesus really mean?
*The culture has so lifted this verse out of context in order to prove the popular concept that if we were to carry out their interpretation to its logical end, we would be forced to do away with; court, employment
* The Greek word (Krinos) has at least 12 different shadings for this word (choose, separate, discern, determine, adjudicate) It also means “to condemn in a manner which censors”. Talking about a critical spirit.
* There is one only step from critical to hypocritical and one more step from hypo to hypercritical. Through this process, Satan Wins.
* This type of judgment is about judging people by the wrong standard and with the wrong spirit.
* This text is not a total “thou shalt not” as you’ll recall the Church at Corinth fell under God’s judgment because they didn’t judge the sin within the church body. You see, Jesus is not talking about spiritually confronting sin. (Gal 6:1)
* The proper standards is God’s and His Spirit is always reconciliation first.
* Yet, as humans we are notorious for judging before knowing the acts.
I read about an owner of a manufacturing plant who decided to make a surprise tour of the shop. Walking through the warehouse he noticed a young man just lazily leaning up against some packing crates with his hands in his pocket doing nothing. The boss walked up to him and angrily said, "Just how much are you paid a week?" Well, the young man’s eyes got rather big, and he said, "Three hundred bucks." The boss pulled out his wallet, pealed off three one hundred bills, gave it to him, and said, "Here’s a week’s pay. Now
get out of here and don’t ever come back!" Well, without a word the young man stuffed the money into his pocket and took off. The warehouse manager was standing nearby staring in amazement. The boss walked over to him and said, "Tell me, how long has that guy been working for us?" The manager said, "He didn’t work here, he was just delivering a package."
* This type of critical judging causes us deep and continuing problems.
* Why and How, you might ask? Because it is reciprocal and bring about return judgment.
2)THE EXPOSURE – Vs 3-4 The principle which Jesus employs could easily be called “speck & logs.” Years ago, I heard a message about logs, dogs, and hogs.
* Consider this truth; “you cannot judge a person by what other say about him, but you can judge a person by what he says about others.” Jesus confronted the religious head on by their condecsending attitude.
* He said, "They have a speck (splinter, twig, branch)in their eye and you, you have a log in your own eye. It’s like you are looking at yourself under a telescope and them under a microscope."
If you are familiar with the Peanuts cartoon strip then you are acquainted with Lucy. She is a constant faultfinder and ever quick to criticize her playmates. One day Linus asks Lucy. "Why are you always so anxious to criticize me? Lucy replies; "I just think I have a knack for seeing other people’s faults." Linus says; "What about your own faults" And Lucy replies; "I have a knack for overlooking them".
A man was having some difficulty communicating with his wife, and he concluded that she was becoming hard of hearing. So he decided to conduct a test without her knowing about it. One evening he sat in a chair on the far side of the room. Her back was to him and she could not see him. Very quietly he whispered, "Can you hear me?" There was no response. Moving a little closer, he asked again, "Can you hear me now?" Still no reply. Quietly he edged closer and whispered the same words, but still no answer. Finally he moved right behind her and said, "Can you hear me now?" To his surprise and chagrin she responded with irritation in her voice, "For the fourth time, yes!"
* The Bible has much to say about “self-examination.” In 1 Cor 11 we are told to examine ourselves in order "to miss judgment" Gal 6 speaks of our works, and in Ps 139 it reads "test me and see."
* We love to point fingers at others and if we pay attention, we see that those pointed fingers have dirt on them. Abraham Lincoln once said “clean your fingers before your point out my spots.”
* Quite likely the most public illustration of this happened in the 80’s when Jim Bakker had such a public fall. I’ll never forget the day the story broke Ted Coppel had Jimmy Swaggart on nightline. As I look back on that evening, it was a sad state of affairs for the country, the culture, the church, and the kingdom. Mr. Swaggart, in a very defensive tone talked about "cutting the cancer out of the church." However, this story has 2 sad footnotes to it. First, it was about 6 months later that Mr. Swaggart was "found out" and HE was the one who needed grace and mercy. The second sad footnote are those who claim to be believers and seemed to relish in the fall of such a public Christian figure. What I learned through are all of this. First, be redemptive instead of condeming. Next, seek to spiritually restore. Next, if there is a refusal to be Biblically restored, it is at that time that the "cutting out the cancer" must take place.
3)THE EXAMINATION – V 5 - Used to sing a song, “sweet Jesus” / Because His has a wonderful nature, we mistakenly take that to mean – He lets things “slide”/
First word “hypocrites” “play actor” – playing the part
Now – Instructions – first remove then relieve/
Process of Removal – many splinters in my life – always HURTS to remove/ that hurt is less than other/ what is your sin? Most of us have that one sin/ speck/
Process of Restoration – prayer & repentance- Spirit
Process of Relieving – Gal 6:1- Spiritual/ “think of others more highly”/ motive is reconciliation/
HERE IS THE BIGGIE: Only the true believers understand this principle.
4) THE EXPECTATION - V 6 – read it/
Then, finally, (vs. 6) is command to the believer not waste time in sharing this lesson or any other spiritual lesson with an antagonistic unbeliever. This is why we do not share the gospel with some people--we do not "cast our pearls before the swine." They will simple make a mockery of it and trample it under their feet. The "dogs" and "hogs" represent the unappreciative, uncaring, & unsaved, men and women who belittle the value of what is offered to them. Jesus said to the disciples in Matthew 10:14, And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Message to them is come to Christ – for forgiveness, peace, saved from hell and to heaven…Eternal & Abundant – and then – they’ll come to know.
WHY DOES JESUS FORBID THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR?
1. It Undermines Love
2. It Destroys Community.
3. It Creates Defensiveness and Distrust
4. It Violates the Kingdom Values of Mercy and Grace
• Couple of warnings: Everyone either has or at least has the potential for splinters in our eyes and criticism in our mouths – none are immune and making bad judgments.
Culture’s Favorite Biblical Misunderstanding – Pg 3
Chuck Swindoll told about speaking at a Christian camp in California. The first day there was a man approached him and said how greatly he had looked forward to hearing Dr. Swindoll speak and his delight at now finally being able to realize that desire.
That evening Swindoll noticed man sitting near the front. But a few minutes into the message the man was sound asleep. Swindoll thought to himself that perhaps he was tired after a long day’s drive and couldn’t help himself. But the same thing happened every night and Swindoll became exasperated with this man who had so wanted to hear him teach.
On the last night the man’s wife came up and apologized for her husband’s inattention to the messages. She then explained that he had recently been diagnosed as having terminal cancer and the medication he was taking to ease the pain made him extremely sleepy. But it had been one of his lifelong ambitions to hear Dr. Swindoll speak in person before he died, and now he had fulfilled that goal.
