Part six in the series “The Sermon on the Level Place" (Luke 6:37-42)

1. Part six in the series“The Sermon on the Level Place" (Luke 6:37-42) Judging and Logs (Fra Angelico; c. 1450 AD)

2. Sermon on the Level Place Context (Luke 6:17-19) • Paradoxical Kingdom Virtues (Luke 6:20-26) • Kingdom Love (Luke 6:27-42) A. Love your enemies B. Be careful with judging III. Kingdom Obedience (Luke 6:43-49)

3. Do not judge? I. No Unmerciful Judgment (vv. 37-38)  Parenthetical Parable 1: We must love to lead others to love  Parenthetical Parable 2: We must learn to love from Christ II. No Log-eyed Judgment (vv. 41-42)

4. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you … For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

5. The Misinterpretation  the permanent suspension of all critical faculties  a pious, all-accepting, perfectly-tolerant, blindness to the moral failures of others  The ideal Christian (and especially pastor) is an undiscerning, morally-flabby, socially-popular, tolerant-of-everything jellyfish, who never calls anyone to repentance.

6. Are we to judge?  Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.(Matt. 7:6; cf. 7:15)  Matthew 18:15-17 •  Romans 16:17-18; Titus 3:10 •  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.(1 Jn. 4:1) •  1 Corinthians 5

7. We are instructed to … • Discern between right and wrong • Discern healthy souls from unhealthy souls • Love what is good and hate what is evil • Discern, confront and possibly discipline an unrepentant brother • Discern, warn, and reject a factious man

8. Jesus is not condoning moral flabbiness or an abdication of our moral responsibility and mutual accountability. He is here disallowing a hyper-critical, condemning disposition, what Frederick Godet described as “judging for the pleasure of judging.” A discerning spirit is constructive. A hyper-critical spirit is destructive. It is also often an unwitting revelation of one’s own soul.

9. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you … For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

10. I. No Unmerciful Judgment 1ST Point: Be merciful and redemptive in your loving judgment (& confrontation) of others. • Be merciful in whether you confront • Be merciful in how you confront • Be merciful in the goal of confrontation

11. Parenthetical Parables • Blind leading the blind We must be loving (& merciful) to lead others to love. Otherwise our efforts will only lead them into more sin. • Disciple like his teacher We must learn from Christ if we are to love others rightly and redemptively.

12. II. No Log-eyed Judgment 1. Speck / Log • There is a relation between speck and log. • Such judgment is  Hypocritical  Ineffective because of the obstruction

13. II. No Log-eyed Judgment Solution: “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”  Point: Please don’t ignore the splinter in my eye  Point: Eye-surgery is a delicate procedure. Please don’t attempt it with a log in your eye.