Thesis
In Matthew 7, Jesus does not forbid the use of godly wisdom to help others grow; He forbids the condemning, self-righteous attitude that judges motives and demands rights rather than seeking restoration. The problem is never the content of the truth we carry — it is the condition of the heart carrying it. Before we can rightly address anyone else's struggles, we must first confess our own sin, remove the log from our own eye, and approach people with the same grace and love Jesus showed. The world does not need more judges; it needs to see Jesus in us.
Key points
- 1
Judging in Matthew 7 is not using godly wisdom to help someone grow — it is a condemning, critical spirit that attacks motives rather than pursuing restoration.
- 2
Scripture commands believers to gently and humbly help a fellow believer back onto the right path — the opposite of harsh condemnation.
- 3
The log-and-speck illustration shows that a judgmental person becomes a hypocrite — pretending to have it together while blind to their own greater failures.
- 4
Throwing pearls before pigs means that when we hurl truth at people with a harsh, self-righteous spirit, we invite attack and accomplish nothing — condemnation comes back on us.
- 5
Jesus modeled being Jesus rather than a judge with the woman caught in adultery: He met her with grace and love first, and only then called her to walk a better path.
- 6
The practical key is to confess before you address — deal honestly with the log in your own eye, then bring truth to others wrapped in love and humility.
Outline
Introduction: Grace for Me, Justice for Them
Pastor Bill opens with a humorous story about cutting off drivers on the freeway — then being convicted that he was doing the exact same thing. This sets up the sermon's core tension: we instinctively extend grace to our own motives while judging everyone else's.
Question 1 — What Judging Is NOT
Pastor Bill argues that our culture has redefined judging to mean any challenge to behavior or belief. Using Galatians 6:1-2, he shows that Scripture actually commands believers to gently help one another back onto the right path — that is not judging, it is love.
Question 2 — What Judging Actually Is
True judging, in the Greek sense, means condemning and criticizing — attacking motives, making absolute 'always/never' declarations, and acting out of wounded pride rather than a desire for the other person's healing. It is about the condition of the heart, not the content of the message.
Question 3 — What Happens When We Judge
Jesus uses the log-and-speck illustration for a reason: the judgmental person becomes a hypocrite, invites the same condemnation back, and eventually goes blind to their own needs. Throwing pearls before pigs illustrates that a harsh, self-righteous spirit produces attack, not transformation.
Question 4 — What We Should Do Instead: Be Jesus, Not a Judge
The remedy is to confess before you address — look to God, examine your own heart, then approach others with truth wrapped in love. Jesus demonstrated this with the woman caught in adultery: He showed grace first, earned the right to be heard, and then called her to a better path.
Personal Testimony and Call to Action
Pastor Bill shares vulnerably about a 2008 season when fear and anger over the church's financial crisis caused him to preach with the wrong heart. He was lovingly confronted, confessed, and learned to pray that his heart for God's people would match God's own heart — closing with an invitation for the congregation to do the same.
Memorable moments
grace for me, justice for them
We're not called to be the judge. We're called to be Jesus
contemptation is about me. Restoration is about us. It's about helping them
confess before I address
The world doesn't need judges. The world needs to see Jesus in us
It wasn't the content of the message that was the problem, it was the content of my heart
Application
Pastor Bill's challenge is direct and personal: stop acting as a judge in other people's lives and start being Jesus to them. The first step is inward — examine your own heart before you ever open your mouth to address someone else's sin or struggle. Ask yourself whether your frustration is really about loving that person toward healing, or whether it is about being right, venting hurt feelings, or demanding your rights. Then confess — genuinely, out loud — the anger, fear, or pride you find there. Only after that can you bring truth in a way the other person can actually receive. This applies in marriage, parenting, friendships, and how we engage our broader culture. Truth without love runs people over; love without truth leaves people stuck. Jesus always does both — and so should we.
