Be Real Together:
Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together. Trust and friendship take time to build. If you’re launching a new DNA, one person should tell their story — what do we need to know about you? Next week, have another person in your DNA share their story.
Read Together:
Matthew 7:1-6 CSB
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. 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.
Grow Together: Observe and Apply
The phrase “Do not judge” is likely one of the most misunderstood yet frequently used phrases in the entirety of Scripture.
The fact is, we are judging things all the time. We check reviews on restaurants to judge whether or not we’ll eat there. We visit Rotten Tomatoes to see what the critics are saying about a movie we might want to watch. Even when it comes to people, we make judgements based on first-impressions on whether or not we’d like to pursue connecting with a person a second time.
So what does Jesus mean when he says “Do not judge?” In this week’s DNA, we’ll look at three directives on how we should approach judgement.
1. Do NOT judge others.
Matthew 7:1-2 // Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Daniel Akin // Jesus distinguishes between acts of judgment and an attitude of judgmentalism. God’s people are certainly called by the Lord to call sin, sin. We are certainly called by God to discern good from evil, right from wrong, and good fruit from bad fruit (7:17). What we are not called to do is judge people’s motives or look down on people with a self-righteous, judgmental spirit.
Jesus reinforces the fact that if we maintain a judgmental spirit and do not show mercy towards others, then we should expect the same accountability from God. What he’s getting at is that we need to recognize that while we’re putting others under our judgement, God has us under his and we are not to play God.
Have you struggled with looking down on people with a self-righteous, judmental spirit?
2. DO judge yourself before anyone else.
Matthew 7:3-5 CSB // 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.
The problem with judging others without assessing our own lives is that it desensitizes us to our own sin. Those who make a hobby out of calling everyone else out often fail to recognize the depravity within their own hearts - because if they were sensitive to their own sin, and if they were living in the wake of receiving God’s grace, then they would recognize the necessity of extending the same kind of grace to others as well.
But don’t misunderstand this directive! This is not a call to simply redirect judgement to ourselves and never address others. This is about order of operation. There is a process. Search your heart before you take a scan of someone else’s.
Have you been desensitized to your own sin, judging others without recognizing your own depravity?
3. Judge wisely.
Matthew 7:6 // 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.
These may seem like harsh words, but what Jesus is trying to communicate is that as we deal with our own sin, and as we endeavor to speak truth into the lives of those around us, we have to use proper discernment.
During the time of Jesus, dogs were not “man’s best friend” or “replacement children” like they are in Seattle. You didn’t keep them in your house, and you definitely didn’t take them to a groomer and get bows or scarves put around their necks. They were scavengers, more like possums or raccoons. In the same way, pigs have no discernment for what they’re consuming. They have no metric for determining what’s valuable and what’s not. They’re purely carnal. Jesus speaks of a type of person who is like a dog or a pig in the sense that they are like scavengers who don’t really value what is holy.
There are so many people who need to hear the truth about God’s love that are actually interested in hearing it, but we need to use discernment.
Sometimes the plank in our eye is our own egos when it comes to some spiritual success metric. Does that resonate with you? Have you tried again and again sharing the truth of Jesus with someone who was repeatedly unreceptive / unresponsive, but you held on out of pride?
4. 10 Practical Applications by Daniel Akin
1) Check your motives. Ask yourself, Why am I doing this? Check your heart, knowing that ultimately only God knows the motives and intentions of the heart (Prov 16:2; 1 Cor 4:3-5).
2) Examine your own walk with the Lord first. Ask, Am I walking in the Spirit, characterized by a gentle spirit, careful to monitor my own sin (Gal 6:1-2)?
3) Seek out the wisdom of God’s Word and godly counsel before acting (Prov 10:13-14; 11:14; 15:22).
4) Practice the Golden Rule. Think about how you would want to be treated if you were on the receiving end of correction (Matt 7:12).
5) Be careful not to make a snap decision or quick judgment. Take the time to get the facts, and listen before taking action (Prov 18:13).
6) Pray for the one who appears to be caught in sin before correcting him or her (Jas 5:15-16).
7) Do not forget the example of Jesus, who helped and ministered to sinners. Jesus was condemned and ridiculed for the way he cared for and loved sinners, tax collectors, pagans, and the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53–8:11).
8) Speak the truth, but do it in love (Eph 4:15).
9) Keep in mind that some things are right and wrong, but some things are just different (Rom 14:1-6, 13-23). Be careful not to judge someone because of personality or cultural differences.
10) Never forget that ultimately everyone must give an account to the Lord, not to you (Rom 14:7-12; 2 Cor 5:10).
Which of these applications sticks out to you most today?
Pray Together:
Thank you, Jesus, for your grace and truth.
Thank you for giving us the sermon on the mount to better learn how to grow in our relationship with you and how to love others.
Please help us to see the planks in our eyes and take the time needed to remove those before we move on to correcting those in the world around us.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.