June 19, 2022- Every day we wake up, we try our best. We get ready by taking a shower or washing our faces, brushing our teeth, and combing our hair. As we head out for the day our heads held high, we notice something is amiss: the world is not like us, because we are not to conform to this world (Romans 12:2). We look around and see that there is still sin in the world. Suddenly, our heads are not so high. Why? Because we know that we commit sin ourselves. Therefore, my brother and sister in Christ, before you judge the world around you, let us see what Jesus said in Matthew 7, “1Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Setting Yourself Up for Judgement
Beloved, for every judgement we make, we establish a basis for our own judgment. Compare what Jesus said to what is written in James 3:1-2, “1My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” So, if we judge people, will we be blameless when judgements come? No, we will not be.
Paul (an apostle of Jesus Christ) stated that we need to be blameless, “our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:8). Jesus Christ is coming back, and the time draws near as each day passes. No one can know the time or the hour that Jesus returns, but we can certainly prepare ourselves for His return.
The Rest of Matthew 7
Yet, Jesus’s teaching did not stop at those two verses in Matthew 1-2. Let us look at the rest of the scripture from that teaching:
3And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.6 Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
Dearest Christian, do you not recognize your own sin before you speak judgment against your friends or family (or family in Christ)? For this is the speck in your eye that Jesus Christ spoke to. If you say, “stop lying” but you speak with a serpent’s tongue, or you say “stop with adultery” when you watch porn behind closed doors, or lust for a man or a woman than you are the hypocrite that Jesus speaks of in verse 5. While these are just a few examples, I know that you are aware of your sin(s). Now that you understand the hypocrite that Jesus said, let us look at the meaning of dogs and swine.
For verse 6, dogs and swine are people who are enemies of the gospel. These people are a different group of people than those who are unbelievers. Jesus Christ gives us advice about enemies of the gospel in Matthew 15:14, “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” Meanwhile, unbelievers are discussed in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”
Jesus Christ is the light of our world, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of the life” (John 8:12). Jesus explained sin to us through His teachings, and He lights our path as Christians. We therefore need to act as His ambassadors, and we should be in that image as well: a light for the rest of the world, teaching the gospel and calling people to repentance.
Accepting Jesus Christ
In the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ states that, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). Accepting Jesus Christ establishes our soul to God by giving you the Holy Spirit who will guide you in your Christian lifestyle. Jesus promised this in John 14:26,” But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” Accepting Jesus sets our hearts in holiness before God and Jesus. In fact, 1 Thessalonians 3:13 says, “He may establish your hearts in holiness before our God and Father at the coming our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”
Beloved, stop judging others, when you need to repent from your sins. If you have not already, accept Jesus Christ as your savior today. Straighten your path before the Lord before you call people into repentance. If you are ready to accept Jesus Christ, say this prayer:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen!
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