PT-2 "Intro to Matt. 7:1-6

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/12/2021 11:06 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  PT-2 “Intro to Matt. 7:1-6”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matt. 7:1-6

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 “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? 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 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. 6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

 

            We continue looking at the introduction to these verses that to me have always been kind of a problem to understand, at least in the correct way.

 

            We continue to write about the scribes and the Pharisees as we look at this introduction.  Now as we have been studying this sermon, we have seen Jesus talking about the scribes and the Pharisees in much of it, and their appearance has come up in much of this sermon as Jesus talks about them.  Things like how they looked when they were fasting had to do with their appearance as they wanted people to notice them.  Jesus said the following in John 7:24 “"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.’”  Let us now look at John 8:15 “"You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.”  MacArthur writes of them “They live to justify themselves in their eyes of other men; but Jesus told them that their judgment was utterly contrary to God’s and was detestable to His sight (Luke 16:15).”  “And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”

 

            We have written about the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee in earlier SD’s and so I won’t take too much time in going over it except to say that this is the classic portrayal of self-righteous judgment that is given in the Word of God.  We know from this parable that the tax collector was the one who was justified before God, and not the Pharisee as he thought that he was justified before God by his great works, but this was not the case.

 

            We mentioned in our last SD that when one is justifying one’s self then they are actually putting others down.  Humility is something they may never heard of.

 

            John MacArthur writes “It should be noted that this passage has erroneously been used to suggest that believers should never evaluate or criticize anyone for anything.  Our day hates absolutes, especially theological and moral absolutes, and such simplistic interpretation provides a convenient escape from confrontation.  Members of modern society, including many professing Christians, ten to resist dogmatism and strong convictions about right and wrong.  Many people prefer to speak of all-inclusive love, compromise, ecumenism, and unity.  To the modern religious person those are only ‘doctrines’ worth defending, and they are the doctrines to which every conflicting doctrine must be sacrificed.”

 

            There are some churches today who can care less about doctrine, as they are looking only for unity.  Unity is good, but doctrine is important.  Shall we all agree to do things wrong for the sake of unity?  I would hope not.  “Only right doctrine, biblical doctrine, can teach us what true holiness, unity, and fellowship are—and are not” writes John MacArthur.

 

            One more paragraph from MacArthur and then we will continue to look at this introduction in our next SD.  “In many circles, including some evangelical circles, those who hold to strong convictions and who speak up and confront society and the church are branded as violators of this command not to judge, and are seen as troublemakers or, at best, as controversial.  Yet at no time in the history of the church, or of ancient Israel, was spiritual and moral reformation achieved apart from confrontation and conflict.  God’s prophets have always been bold and controversial.  And they have always been resisted, often by God’s own people.  The church reformers of the sixteenth century were men of strong doctrine, conviction, and principle—apart from which the Protestant Reformation would never have come about.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that believers should stand up for the right doctrine as our Lord did even though it cost Him His life.  Find something you would die for and then go out and live for it.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to speak to my heart as I get the two lessons that I am to teach this week in my mind so that they will both bring glory to the Lord.

 

1/12/2021 11:36 AM