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SERIES: Sermon On The Mount
TITLE: Program 10 – When God Said ‘Do Not Judge’ What Did He Mean?
FRIDAY (1/29/10)
OPEN
Let me ask you a question. Are you concerned about a loved one because they say that they‟re a Christian? And yet you look at their life and you say, but I don‟t see any evidence in your life.” What is going on? How do we understand these things? Well Jesus taught on these things and you and I can know without a shadow of a doubt whether a person is going to heaven or not according to the way they live, according to the works they do. We‟ll see it today.
PART ONE
You know as I sit here on the Mount of Beatitudes with the Sea of Galilee in my back and the sun setting, my heart is already lonely. Lonely because we‟re going to leave this place because we‟re finished with the Sermon on the Mount. But as we looked at this sermon what riches it has brought to our lives as we have sat with Jesus, as we have listened to His teaching, as we
have seen the character of those that belong to the kingdom of heaven. As we have seen how they live and the blessings that are theirs.
We know also that He has shown us the conflict. The persecution that comes because of His name‟s sake. We‟ve also seen the conduct, but He says to us it‟s not just a matter of fulfilling the letter of the Law but it‟s fulfilling the intent of the Law. Having the love that is behind the Law and conducting ourselves in that way in this world and with our fellow man. And then we come to Matthew chapter 6 and in Matthew chapter 6 we see His concerns, His cautions. Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be seen of them. And then in chapter 6, in verse 19 we begin to see His commands. He tells them to not lay up treasures on earth and He tells them also that they‟re not to be anxious.
And then we come to another do not and that‟s in chapter 7. And it‟s a do not that the world seems to know. I mean they don‟t know any verse from the Bible but they know this one and it says, (Matthew 7:1) “Do not judge lest you be judged,” yourselves. He says, (Matthew 7:2-3) “For in the way that you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother‟s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:4)
“Or how can you say to your brother, „Let me take the speck out of your eye,‟ and behold, the log is in your eye?” He says, (Matthew 7:5) “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother‟s eye.” What is He saying here? We know the first verse do not judge lest you shall be judged.
And we say, “Okay, it is not right for me to tell anyone whether they are saved or whether they are lost. It is not right for me to tell anyone whether this is right or whether this is wrong. I mean, after all, it‟s a matter of opinion.” That‟s not what this passage is saying. Because if you did your homework, if you‟re studying along with me and studying this Precept Upon Precept or if you‟ve gotten the book Lord, I‟m Torn Between Two Masters then you know as you study these books that there are many things that you and I are to judge.
As a
matter of fact as we go through this 7th chapter, we‟re going to see some things that require judgment. So He‟s not condemning judgment but He‟s saying listen, in your judgment I don‟t want you to damage your brother. So what He‟s saying is make sure your heart is right. Make sure that you‟re life is right. Make sure that you‟re attitude is pleasing to God. Make sure that you have this character that I‟ve talked about. Make sure that you‟re meek. Make sure that you mourn over sin. Make sure that you are pure in heart. Make sure that you are merciful. Make sure that you are hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
Make sure that these things are strong in your life and make sure that there‟s nothing in your life that is going to keep you from seeing clearly to help your brother get the speck out of his eye. So He‟s not saying that you cannot judge and that becomes obvious with verse 6. He says, (Matthew 7:6) “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
Now listen, what He‟s saying is this. That there are certain people that are just in direct rebellion to God and are not going to listen and are not going to believe and He says don‟t just keep casting those things before them because they‟re going to turn and they‟re going to tear at you to pieces. So that‟s another command that He gives and then we come to the next verse to verse 7 of Matthew chapter 7. And He says, “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and you shall find; and knock, and it shall be opened to you.” He says what do you need? He says all you have to do is ask.
All you have to do is seek. All you have to do is knock and He‟s not saying just knock one time. He‟s saying you can come and you can ask me anytime you want and it shall be given to you. He says, (Matthew 7:8) “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.” He says, (Matthew 7:9-10) “…What man is there among you, when his son will ask him for a loaf, he‟ll give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake? He says, (Matthew 7:11)
Reason with Me. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more shall your Father who‟s in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” What is He saying?
Heaven belongs to you.
You‟re a son of God.
You‟re going to see God. Now, if that is your relationship with God is God not going to take care of you? Is He not going to provide? So all you have to do is ask. All you have to do is seek. All you have to do is knock and you will receive because your heavenly Father is of the character and the type that wants to meet all your needs. Do you realize that no other faith offers man such an intimate relationship with God as the one and only true faith? And what is the one and only true faith? It is the faith in Jesus Christ. He is our access. He is our source.
Well He goes on to tell us we are to treat others the way that we want to be treated and when we do that we‟re fulfilling this Law. Remember Jesus said that the Law will be fulfilled. That Jesus came to fulfill the Law not to destroy it. And so when you and I act in this love then you and I will certainly be like our Father who‟s in heaven and like our Savior and we will fulfill the Law and the prophets. As Jesus brings His teaching to a conclusion in verse 13, He begins a set of contrasts and in those contrasts He shows us that there are only 2 options all the way through. With Jesus there‟s no middle ground. Listen to what He has to say. He says, (Matthew 7:13-14)
“Enter in by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few there are who find it.” There are two ways. One way leads to life, the other way leads to death. One gate is wide, and the other one is narrow. Which way are you taking, Beloved? You see as He brings this teaching to a conclusion, He challenges us again to examine our hearts.
Yes, we know that this is what belongs to those who are citizens of the kingdom of heaven. But we need to make sure that we‟re on the right path. Even in 2 Corinthians Paul challenges them. He calls them Christians. He says I know that you‟re believers. I know that you have the gifts of the Holy Spirit but examine yourselves. Make sure that you‟re really
in the faith.
And we need to examine ourselves and how do we examine ourselves? Well first of all we see this contrast of the two gates, the two ways. And then He says, (Matthew 7:15-20) “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep‟s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree,” now watch the contrast, “bears good fruit; but the bad tree,” bad fruit.
“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.” In other words how am I going to spot a false prophet?
I‟m going to evaluate that false prophet‟s life and I‟m going to evaluate it by the fruit that they produce. What is their life like? And so He gives you the contrast of two trees. A good tree always produces good fruit. In other words the root system determines the fruit. What is the fruit of your life like? And what is the fruit of those that come to you and are saying, “Lord, Lord”?
What is the fruit of their life? Well He goes on to say this. He says, (Matthew 21) “Not everyone who says to Me, „Lord, Lord,‟ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” And did you hear that? He says, “Not everyone who says to me, „Lord, Lord‟….”
In other words they‟re saying Jesus is Lord. But He‟s saying not all of them are really going to go to heaven. The ones that are going to go to heaven are the ones that do the will of God. He says, (Matthew 7:22-23) “Many will say to Me on that day, „Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?‟
And then I will declare to them,” listen carefully, “„I never knew you….‟” Have you got it? Underline it. I never knew you. He says, (Matthew 7:23) “…DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.‟” Now there‟s a very important verb there and that verb is practice lawlessness. In other words this is your habit of life. Remember when we opened this program we were talking about concern for
people.
Concern for people that say, “Listen, I know that I‟m going to heaven. I walked an aisle. I joined a church. I prayed a prayer or I gave my money and look, I‟m all right. It‟s okay with me and the man upstairs. It‟s all right. Leave me alone.” We‟re going to look at it when we come back and when we look at it it‟s going to help you understand, my friend, how a person can know whether or not they really belong to the kingdom of heaven.
PART TWO
And then you say, “But I‟m concerned about you.” And then they turn around and say, “Hey, wait a minute. You‟re judging.” Well listen, you can judge and the way that you can discern the validity of someone‟s life is by the contrast of the way that they live. Are they doing good deeds? Are they doing the will of God or are they doing evil deeds? Are they practicing lawlessness rather than practicing righteousness? Now remember what the Sermon on the Mount is all about. Remember He‟s telling them that only those that hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied. And He‟s saying that your righteousness and my righteousness has to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees.
Well the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees was an external righteousness without an internal reality and both have to be there. So it‟s not just what you say with your mouth but its how are you living? How are you living? So He goes on to give us a very important illustration and once again we see the contrast. He says in verse 24, (Matthew 7:24) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them….”
Now this is absolutely critical. You hear and you act upon them. He says, (Matthew 7:24b-25) “…May be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.” Now listen. On this Mount of Beatitudes and we‟re not exactly sure which mount
it was. This is the one that we think it was. It doesn‟t matter it was on a mount that He brought this beautiful, beautiful teaching. But on this Mount of Beatitudes there are many huge rocks; many huge boulders and then they‟re other places where there is just dirt. There is just sand.
He says the wise man, the man that builds his house is a man that builds his house on a rock so that when the rains come and the floods descend that house holds, and that house holds because it was built on a rock. Now, contrast. Look at the contrast. He says, (Matthew 7:26) “…Everyone who hears these words of Mine, and,” and this is critical, “does not act upon them….” You know what this is like? This is like the first 3 soils in the parable of the sower.
The Word is sown but there‟s no fruit that comes from the sowing of that Word. No fruit at all. In other words you hear but it doesn‟t change your life. Or it changes your life but the change doesn‟t last. It‟s just temporary and when persecution comes you‟re gone. Or when the worries of this world or the anxieties of life or the desire for other things come in and choke out the Word, there‟s no fruit.
And what He‟s saying here is look, the man that builds his house on the sand is the man who hears but does not act, does not produce that good fruit. And it says, (Matthew 7:26b-27) he “…Does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.” The contrast, the contrast.
It‟s the contrast that shows you whether these are people that truly have the character of a true disciple of Jesus Christ. If they have the character of a true disciple of Jesus Christ then they‟re going to experience the conflict because the conflict comes because it is given to us not only to believe on Jesus but also to suffer for His name‟s sake. All who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. And then comes the conduct, the conduct. The conduct that goes beyond just the letter of the Law. Just beyond your own righteousness to a righteousness of the heart to a purity of heart that is going to see and look at God.
O Precious One, what happened
when Jesus finished this message? It says (Matthew 7:28-29) and “The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching;” why, “for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.” He taught them as one having authority.
Listen. It was the authority of God. It was the authority of God and if you‟re a wise person, you‟ll listen to what He had to say. I want you to go for just a quick minute to Luke chapter 11. And in Luke chapter 11, in verse 27 this is what it says. “And it came about when He had finished saying these things, that one of the women in the crowd raised her voice, and said to Him, „Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed.‟
But He said, „On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it.‟”
This wasn‟t one statement that He made one time. When Jesus taught many, many times He would come down and bring their attention to this. The attention, the question is this. You‟ve heard My words, are you doing them? You‟re saying blessed is the woman that bore me. Blessed is the woman that nursed me and I‟m saying even that, even that is not sufficient to get you to heaven. It‟s not a birth relationship of a familial relationship. No. It‟s a relationship of understanding that I am God and that I am the Son of God and that you are to obey Me. These are the words of God and if you want to have eternal life then, my friend, you must hear my words and you must act on them. You know, as I sit here the sun is going down.
The evening is coming. It‟s late in the day and I want to tell you right now that it‟s late, it‟s late in time. Jesus is coming soon.
Someday we‟re going to meet Him face to face.
He‟s coming and His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his deeds. If He were to come today, would He take you home with Him or if you were to die, would you be absent from the body and present with the Lord?
The only way, the only way that you can know without a shadow of a doubt that you would be with Him is to know that yes, I would be because my life proves that I have believed. And I‟m sitting at the Mount of Beatitudes and as I sit here I want to ask you a
question, do you feel like your life might lack purpose?
Do you feel like you‟re not contributing much to the kingdom of Heaven?
It was on this mount that Jesus made this statement, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”
My friend, if you‟re sensing a lack of destiny, a lack of purpose, have you ever thought about coming to Israel? Have you ever thought about studying God‟s book in God‟s land? Why don‟t you call your pastor and say, “Pastor, take a group of us to Israel.” Or why don‟t you call your Christian radio station or your television station and say, “Take a group of us to Israel.” I want to experience the Book in the land of the Book.
I want a fresh breath of air in my life and I know I can get it in the land of the Book because there‟s no other place in this world like the land of Israel.
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