The Sermon on the Mount is a wonderful sermon full of so much.  Jesus is speaking to some who are truly seeking to learn and follow Him, and others who are looking for Him to slip up in something He says or does so that they can discredit Him.  They are the religious leaders of the day who thought that they had it all together.  Jesus goes to great lengths to show them that, in fact, they do not.  They often would judge those around them for not being as righteous as they were.  We can all fall into that trap at times and Jesus reminds us of the danger of that in Matthew 7.  Let’s look at it together today.

“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. 6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

It is important for not just the Pharisees but all of us to realize the importance of looking at ourselves and our own hearts before judging others.  If I see a brother or sister struggling I have a responsibility to come alongside them and help them.  I first need to be sure that my heart is not one of judgement but one of love and restoration.  For the Pharisees this was never the case but for us it should always be.  The key for this is the character and nature of our hearts.  We all will struggle at times in life and I hope and pray that we have others that care enough to come along side us and help us.  No one needs to be condemned when they struggle however.  That is God’s job alone.  I pray that God might help all of us to become His agents of reconciliation and restoration here on earth. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave