Judge Not, Part 1

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces Matthew 7 as the final major section of the Sermon on the Mount, reviewing the preceding chapters (character, reaction to the world, function, relationship to…

Martin quotes Lloyd-Jones' succinct review of the Sermon on the Mount to provide a structural overview and context for Matthew 7, demonstrating the interconnectedness of the sermon's parts.

Many times the chapter divisions in the Bible do not mark a strict division of thought, and we should read from one chapter to another as though there were no chapter divisions. But this is one place where the men who broke up the Bible into chapters and verses for convenience of location were more accurate than at some other places, for there is a definite transition in thought from verse 34 of chapter six and verse one of chapter seven. And as we come to chapter seven, we are confronted, the last major section of the Sermon on the Mount. And again, it's necessary to view this particular sect...

0:26 - 1:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But this word, Judge not that ye be not judged, is one of the most abused passages in all of the Bible.

Martin recounts his early conversion experience and how he and newly saved friends were criticized with 'Judge not' when they confronted unsaved church peers, illustrating the verse's misuse.

And I have found personally that it's been a passage that's been hurled at me as almost an anathema. I can remember when I was first converted. I was brought to the Lord in the midst of a deep moving of the Spirit of God when a few fellows like myself who had a lit profession for years went to church, Sunday school, could tell you when we went to an altar and all the rest, but had never been saved. God genuinely saved us.

7:55 - 8:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin reads the key passage, Matthew 7:1-5, and immediately addresses the widespread abuse of the phrase 'Judge not that ye be not judged,' both in the world and in the church…

Martin shares experiences where 'Judge not' was hurled at him during attempts to exercise church discipline, highlighting how the verse is used to undermine biblical practice.

So I know from personal experience how much this verse has been abused. I've been in situations where it was necessary to exercise church discipline. Where you had to bring a professing Christian before a group of spiritual leaders and face them with their sin. And immediately when you do, people say, well, who are you to judge?

9:09 - 9:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: To correctly interpret 'judge,' Martin outlines two crucial principles: consulting the immediate and remote context, and comparing the verse with the 'analogy of faith' (the sum…

Martin uses Jehovah's Witnesses' method of proof-texting (yanking phrases out of context) to illustrate the danger of ignoring context and the analogy of faith in biblical interpretation.

Then when you come to an individual verse, you not only try to understand it in terms of what is before it and after it, but you hold it up with what the rest of the Bible says upon that particular subject. Now if we will do that with any passage and any doctrine by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, we can be kept from all forms of heresy and error. Why do the Jehovah's Witnesses go around spouting Scriptures like a machine gun and yet a thousand miles away from the truth? I'll tell you what they do.

11:48 - 12:24 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: To correctly interpret 'judge,' Martin outlines two crucial principles: consulting the immediate and remote context, and comparing the verse with the 'analogy of faith' (the sum…

Martin uses the Jehovah's Witness interpretation of 'My Father is greater than I' to show how comparing it with the 'analogy of faith' (Christ's deity) reveals its true meaning regarding His servant role.

They find a verse where Jesus says these words. My Father is greater than I. And they say, aha, see? He's not equal to God.

12:59 - 13:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Be instructed in the book of God and have guidelines to dig out meanings on your own to be kept from error and led into truth.

Martin uses the Roman Catholic interpretation of 'Thou art Peter' to illustrate how a few verses, taken out of context and without the analogy of faith, lead to doctrinal error regarding church headship.

And so not only do the Jehovah's Witnesses run headlong into this or ignore this principle, but this is what's done in Roman Catholicism. The average Roman Catholic knows two or three verses in the Bible. Thou art Peter and upon this rock I'll build my church. Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted.

14:05 - 14:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: What's looked upon as the cardinal sin in religious circles today? It's to have decided, definite opinions about truth and stand for truth and expose error.

Martin describes how, in modern ministerial meetings, having definite opinions about truth and exposing error is considered the 'cardinal sin,' illustrating the pressure to dismiss discernment of teaching.

He did not mean that we were to dismiss all discernment regarding the teaching of men. Now here's the second area where there's such shoddy thinking in the church and out of it. Do you know what the cardinal sin of professing Christendom is today? If I were to go to the local ministerial meeting, I can't do it.

20:50 - 21:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Listen carefully to the principles of biblical interpretation, as they may save your soul.

Martin uses the analogy of wolves in sheep's clothing to explain the subtlety of false teachers, who appear innocent and lovable like sheep but are inwardly ravenous.

They don't come as wolves, they come as sheep. Everybody, when it sees a little lamb or sheep, wants to go up and pet it. Few kids have gone on the retreats to Chester. They're the most popular creatures out there at Chester.

24:43 - 24:53 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Do you know the old reformers defined a church as a gathering together of believers where the word was rightly preached, where the sacraments were rightly administered, and where church discipline was exercised?

Martin cites the Reformers (Calvin, Luther, Zwingli, Knox) and their definition of a true church, which included the exercise of church discipline, to underscore its biblical importance.

But we're to regard him as an unsaved person until they repent. Now I tell you, this strikes strange territory in our day. We've become so anemic and flabby in our concepts of Christian principles. Do you know the old reformers defined a church as a gathering together of believers where the word was rightly preached, where the sacraments were rightly administered, and where church discipline was exercised?

32:31 - 32:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Fourth, Martin contends that Christ did not teach casting off the authority of civil government to pass sentence and judgment, referencing Matthew 5:25-26 and passages like Romans…

Martin criticizes Governor Mark Hatfield, a professing Christian, for supporting the abolishment of capital punishment, using it as an example of Christians misunderstanding the biblical role of civil government.

The man who's a professing Christian and we have no doubt to believe he is a Christian, Mark Hatfield, governor of Oregon, he's been behind the abolishment of capital punishment in the state of Oregon.

36:21 - 36:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't just pass on pretty little clichés; check passages in their context and with the analogy of faith to instruct your children.

Martin compares sermons without diligent work (context and analogy of faith) to 'religious blurb' or 'spun sugar candy' – looking nice but having no substance.

I don't. I've heard myself enough when I haven't worked. And I've heard too many others who haven't worked and it's just religious blurb. It's like spun sugar candy.

37:37 - 37:47 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin reiterates the importance of the context and analogy of faith for Bible study. He then begins to define what Christ *did* mean by 'judge not,' linking it to the Pharisaical…

Martin uses Jesus' metaphor of straining at gnats and swallowing camels to illustrate the Pharisaical hypocrisy of meticulously fault-finding in others while ignoring one's own greater sins.

He would strain at the little gnats of their sins while he swallowed the camels of his own vices. You remember Jesus said you strain you strain out a gnat but you swallow a camel. Later on as we'll see they have such close scrutiny of others that they can find a little speck of dirt in somebody else's eye. You've got to get up pretty close.

40:41 - 41:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin reiterates the importance of the context and analogy of faith for Bible study. He then begins to define what Christ *did* mean by 'judge not,' linking it to the Pharisaical…

Martin uses the physical act of getting very close to someone to find a 'mote' in their eye to illustrate the hypercritical, intrusive nature of the condemned judging spirit, implying a self-assumed right to find faults.

Mr. Bischoff's about ten feet away and he could have twenty pieces of cinder in his eye and I couldn't see it from here. For me to find a moat in his eye I'd have to get out of the pulpit out of the pew right up next to him and get my face about six inches from his. And Jesus said all the while you do it you've got a huge beam sticking out of your own eye.

41:04 - 41:22 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin further elaborates on the condemned judging spirit, describing it as self-righteous, assuming superiority, censorious, and despising of others (Romans 14). He also…

Martin creates the metaphor of a 'Mote Pickers union card' signed by 'Mr. Blind to my own sin' and 'Mr. I am better than thou' to vividly portray the self-righteous, superior attitude of the hypercritical judge.

That's the spirit our Lord is dealing with. It's that spirit of self-righteousness that makes us feel superior and then censorious and then we despise all others. We go about saying I have a Mote Pickers union card issued to me by Mr. Blind to my own sin and Mr.

48:01 - 48:20 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin further elaborates on the condemned judging spirit, describing it as self-righteous, assuming superiority, censorious, and despising of others (Romans 14). He also…

Martin shares a personal story about his sisters' hypersensitivity during their teenage years, using it to explain the concept of 'hypercritical' as 'too much' and easily offended.

The second thing about this spirit which our Lord condemns is that it's always hypercritical. Now what does hyper mean? It means too much. As some of you know I have seven sisters.

48:36 - 48:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin further elaborates on the condemned judging spirit, describing it as self-righteous, assuming superiority, censorious, and despising of others (Romans 14). He also…

Martin uses the metaphor of a person with a 'big red swollen toe' to describe hypersensitive individuals who are easily hurt by perceived slights, illustrating the nature of hypercriticality.

Sensitivity is a necessary thing but hypercritical hypersensitivity that's a terrible you ever meet people hypersensitive? They've got one big red swollen toe about 18 inches broad and anytime you get near to them you're always touching them. Oh you know what a sore toe's like? Well that's the way they are.

49:53 - 50:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin further elaborates on the condemned judging spirit, describing it as self-righteous, assuming superiority, censorious, and despising of others (Romans 14). He also…

Martin tells an anecdote about a Christian leader who hunts for communists among clergy, suggesting that if he saw the church's red curtains, he might label Martin a 'pink sympathizer,' illustrating extreme, unfounded hypercriticality.

We put ourselves in the place where we feel we have got to be critical about everything under the sun. It's not a matter now of having proper discernment about the character of men. We put ourselves in the place of God and we start reading the motives of men. It's not a matter of having proper discernment about the teaching of men but we begin to want them to jot their I's and cross their T's exactly the way we feel they must or we're ready to write them off.

50:52 - 51:19 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin further elaborates on the condemned judging spirit, describing it as self-righteous, assuming superiority, censorious, and despising of others (Romans 14). He also…

Martin uses the analogy of looking for a mote in his wife's eye when she's dressed up to go out. He explains that focusing so closely on a tiny speck means he would miss all her other beautiful adornments, illustrating how hypercriticality blinds one to others' graces.

You see if my wife had something in her eye I'll pick on her because I can get away with that. Suppose she had just fixed herself up to go out somewhere. The Lord willing Tuesday night we have some friends coming in from New York and we're going to go out for one of those rare times to eat together. And so she's done her hair up nice and she's put on her nicest new suit and all the rest.

51:53 - 52:11 Read in full sermon