title: the corrective value of truth

TITLE: The Corrective Value of Truth

TEXT: Matthew 7:1-6THEME: The believer should avoid the inherent risks of correcting others.

When they were arrested almost everyone believed them guilty- today, based on the evidence,

almost no one believes they are guilty.

"Judge not that you be not judged" is spouted by a lot of

people who have no earthly idea what Jesus meant by that. Most people who quote this verse avoid its context and understand it the

least.

The context of this verse deals with two different extremes of the problem of human judgment. The

first extreme is a harsh, critical spirit. The second extreme is

permissiveness

What are the inherent risks of correcting others?

I. You will be judged by the same criteria you judge others.

Matthew 7:1-2

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.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones “Sermon on the Mount” p. 184.

“If our Lord had finished His teaching with these first five verses, it would undoubtedly have led to a false position. Men and women would be so careful to avoid the terrible danger of judging in that wrong sense that they would exercise no discrimination, no judgment whatsoever.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones “Sermon on the Mount” p. 184.

There would be no such thing as discipline in the church, and the whole of the Christian life would be chaotic. There would be no such thing as exposing heresy and pronouncing judgment with regard to it.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones “Sermon on the Mount” p. 184.

Because everybody would be so afraid of judging the heretic, they would turn a blind eye to the heresy; and error would come into the church more than it has done.

I. You will be judged by the same criteria you judge others.

A. The standard you use to judge others will be used to judge you.

I. You will be judged by the same criteria you judge others.

A. The standard you use to judge others will be used to judge you.– There is an objective standard of holiness and

truth.

I. You will be judged by the same criteria you judge others.

A. The standard you use to judge others will be used to judge you.– There is an objective standard of holiness and

truth. – There are subjective standards of holiness and

truth.

I. You will be judged by the same criteria you judge others.

A. The standard you use to judge others will be used to judge you.– There is an objective standard of holiness and

truth. – There are subjective standards of holiness and

truth. – You can be judged by both.

You can be judged by both

Absolutes Relatives

You can be judged by both

Absolutes RelativesDo not murder Smoking is Dangerous

You can be judged by both

Absolutes RelativesDo not murder Smoking is DangerousDo not Covet Drinking Alcohol

You can be judged by both

Absolutes RelativesDo not murder Smoking is DangerousDo not Covet Drinking AlcoholDo not lie Food offered to idols.

You can be judged by both

Absolutes RelativesDo not murder Smoking is DangerousDo not Covet Drinking AlcoholDo not lie Food offered to idols.

Problem: We can confuse the two.

I. You will be judged by the same criteria you judge others.

A. The standard you use to judge others will be used to judge you.B. The intensity you use to judge others will be used to judge you.

I. You will be judged by the same criteria you judge others.

A. The standard you use to judge others will be used to judge you.B. The intensity you use to judge others will be used to judge you.– The level of harshness.

I. You will be judged by the same criteria you judge others.

A. The standard you use to judge others will be used to judge you.B. The intensity you use to judge others will be used to judge you.– The level of harshness. – The level of hostility

Principle: You can lose moral credibility by failing to live by

the standards you judge others.

John Stott

"Jesus does not tell us to cease to be men (by suspending our critical powers which help to distinguish us from animals) but to renounce the presumptuous ambition to be God (by setting ourselves up as judges)." That’s what drives this overly critical attitude: a belief that I can see as God sees. I can see your motives. I can see the way you’re thinking…”

NBA star Edward Arnett

"The thing that disappointed me the most is some people were overzealous enough to think it was me and attack me with a ferocity I can't comprehend,"

Galatians 6:1

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

What are the inherent risks of correcting others?

II. You may be blinded by your own flaws.

Matthew 7:3-5

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?

Matthew 7:3-5

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.

II. You may be blinded by your own flaws.

A. You may rightfully see another’s flaw

II. You may be blinded by your own flaws.

A. You may rightfully see another’s flaw.B. Your perspective may be distorted by your own flaw(s).

II. You may be blinded by your own flaws.

A. You may rightfully see another’s flaw.B. Your perspective may be distorted by your own flaw(s).C. You cannot have a clear perspective until you deal with you own flaw(s).

Principle: You lose moral authority by being blinded to your own sin.

What are the inherent risks of correcting others?

III. Some people do not see the value of criticism and correction.

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.”

III. Some people do not see the value of criticism and correction.

A. Not everyone sees the value of truth and holiness.

III. Some people do not see the value of criticism and correction.

A. Not everyone sees the value of truth and holiness.B. Not everyone welcomes correction.

D. A. Carson

“It is easy to see how new danger arises. The disciple of Jesus has been told to love his neighbor as himself, and to love his enemies. He is to mirror God’s graciousness, the God who even-handedly sends his rain upon both the just and the unjust.

D. A. Carson

“He has been told never to adopt a judgmental mentality. As a result, he is in chronic danger of becoming wishy-washy, of refusing legitimate distinctions between truth and error, good and evil. He may even try to treat all men in exactly the same way, succumbing to a remarkable lack of discrimination.”

Titus 3:10-11

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him (reject or dismiss, remove from the fellowship of the Christian community). You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned”

III. Some people do not see the value of criticism and correction.

A. Not everyone sees the value of truth and holinessB. Not everyone welcomes correctionC. Some will turn against you even if what you say is truth.

Principle: You have no moral respect from those who have

contempt for truth.

Mark 6:11

“ And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

I Peter 5:5

“God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.”

John Stott“If people have had plenty of opportunity to hear the truth but do not respond to it, if they stubbornly turn their backs on Christ, if (in other words) they cast themselves in the role of ‘dogs’ and ‘pigs,’ we are not to go on and on with them, for then we cheapen God’s gospel by letting them trample it under foot”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“My impression is that experience of the kind of thing shows clearly that it very rarely succeeds, or leads to anything. It provides entertainment, but as far as I am aware, and in my experience and knowledge of it, it has very rarely been fruitful or effective as a means of winning people to the Christian faith.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

But more important still are my detailed reasons. The first is, and to me this was an all-sufficient reason in itself, that God is not to be discussed or debated. God is not a subject for debate, because He is Who He is and What He is. …To discuss the being of God in a casual manner, lounging in an armchair, smoking a pipe or a cigarette or a cigar, is to me something that we should never allow, because God, as I say, is not a kind of philosophic X or a concept

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“Equal time is given to the unbeliever as to the believer, and there is the cut and thrust of debate and jocularity and fun. The programme is so arranged that the subject cannot be dealt with in depth.” (46-48)

APPLICATION:

1. Matthew 7:1-6 is a warning for us to avoid the extremes of judgment. We need to be careful not to become harshly judgmental, looking for faults, taking the opportunity to look down on others from our position of self-righteousness.

APPLICATION:

2. But neither are we to overlook sin. We need to be able to recognize sin for what it is. Any attempt to overlook or justify sin on any grounds is itself sinful.

APPLICATION:

3. A person can reach a point where the gospel would be withdrawn from him. This has happened in the past (see: Romans 1:18-26) and could happen in our times

APPLICATION:

Perhaps this is why scripture says, “Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2) and “harden not your hearts” is a repeated theme of scripture.