Specks & Planks

SPECKS & PLANKS

Mt. 7:1-5

INTRODUCTION

A. SKIT [Patient is seated in an optometrist chair. The doctor comes in with a 2X4 board across his eyes.]

1. Doctor: “Hello, I’m Dr. I. C. Faults. You’ve come to the right place. What seems to be the problem?”

2. Patient: “I work in a sawmill and I got a speck of dust in my eye.” Doctor: “Ah! Sawdust! That’s no problem, let me get my tweezers.” Patient: “Great!”

3. Doctor: “Just hold still.” [Doctor begins looking in the patient’s ear.] “Oh! What an unusual eye you have...and such a large pupil...”

4. Patient: “Doctor! That’s not my eye, you’re looking in my ear!” Doctor: “Oh, how silly of me. Of course that’s your ear. Now where have those eyes gotten to?” [He turns the patient’s head down & begins to looking in his hair.]. “You need to clip these eyebrows!”

5. Patient: “Doctor, can’t you even tell where my eyes are? [The patient looks at his plank.] “Say doctor, what is that in YOUR eyes? It’s 2 x 4! Doctor, let me help you get that out.” [Doctor laughs nervously & switches places with the patient, sitting in the chair. The patient pulls the plank off.]

6. Doctor: “Wow! I never knew there was so much to see! This is great! I think I can see good enough to get the speck out of your eye. Let’s switch.” [They switch positions & the doctor looks in his eyes.] “There’s that speck! I’ve got it!”

7. Patient: “Thanks so much, doctor! You do wonders!” Doctor: “What’s really a wonder is how we can help each other if we will!”

B. TEXT

1. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matt. 7:1-5

C. THESIS & TITLE

1. The Lord Jesus talked about judging ourselves before we judge others, because only then will we have clear enough vision – and humility – to assess other people’s issues are.

2. So we’re looking at when judging is permitted, the dangers of unscriptural judging, and the teachings of the Law of Love. The title of this message is “Specks & Planks.”

I. WHEN SHOULD WE JUDGE?

A. THOSE INSIDE THE CHURCH

1. Matt. 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (REV. 2:2)

2. 1 Cor. 5:12, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?” This verse refers to an official function in the church to ensure that evil people don’t infiltrate the church. It’s NOT about being judgmental.

B. SPIRITUAL GIFTS

1 Cor. 14:29, “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully [KJV – “judge”] what is said.” We have a responsibility to judge the accuracy and genuineness of spiritual gifts.

C. RIGHT & WRONG

1. Luke 12: 57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?” Jesus told the “hypocrites” (‘actors’ in vs. 56) that they were, in my terminology, ‘cherry-picking the truth;’ ignoring what they didn’t want to see.

2. Oftentimes people see truth through colored glasses. As Paul told Titus, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted” (1:15).

3. God said through Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness...” (5:20).

4. Let’s be sure we judge rightly, because we will all have to answer to the ultimate Judge some day.

II. OTHERWISE, WE’RE NOT TO JUDGE

A. IT’S NOT OUR PREROGATIVE

1. James 4:12, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?”

2. Rom. 14:4, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.”

3. Rom. 2:1, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”