Call to worship:
May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!Psalm 70:4-5
Questions for reflection:
Who is the “you” in judge not lest you be judged?
What log of my own must I address before I speak to the speck in my brother or sister’s eye?
If I am going to have hard conversations, what must my posture be?
Corporate Prayer:
Father,
Make us understand the way of your precepts, and we will meditate on your wondrous works. Grant us vision to see your Son and the grand work of redemption yesterday, today, and forever. Give us ears to hear and a heart to obey all that the Spirit would will for our lives.
May you increase as we decrease.
In Christ we pray.
Amen.
Notes//Quotes//Slides:
Matthew 7:1-2 - Jami
Slide 1
Theology class logo
Slide 2
“It is a phrase that has been used countless times during contentious conversations or in defensive moments when someone is confronted about their behavior. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” These famous words from Jesus are recited by many but are profoundly misunderstood. One could easily argue that Matthew 7:1 is by far the most frequently misapplied verse in the entire Bible, used and abused by both Christians and non-Christians alike.”
Eric Bargerhuff
Slide 3
Road map for today
The primary interpretive question
The result of the misinterpretation
The cost of the misinterpretation
The benefits of the proper interpretation
Slide 4
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”
Matthew 7:3-5
Slide 5
“(Some) reading this piece, however, might hear Jesus’s warning about the log in our own eyes and not actually deal with their brother’s speck. You were kind of hoping Jesus would say, “Take the log out of your own eye, sit down, shut up, and leave your brother alone.” But no. He says to remove your log so that you can see clearly enough to handle the speck. Love means offering helpful, risky correction, not letting our sibling remain in error.
Usually, when “judge not” is used to shut down moral conversation, it’s asserting that we don’t have the right to correct each other’s views on whatever topic is at hand. But contrary to that interpretation, we need to be deeply concerned with one another, that our view of sin and righteousness aligns with Jesus Christ’s.”
Rachel Gilson
Slide 6
“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14
Slide 7
““Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”
Luke 6:26
Slide 8
“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. “
Galatians 6:1
Slide 9
“It’s not wrong to lovingly help our brother remove a harmful speck from his eye. It’s wrong to self-righteously point out a speck in our brother’s eye when we ignore, as no big deal, the ridiculous log protruding from our own.”
Jon Bloom