GREATEST OF ALL TIME | Week 8 | Sermon

The big idea

Judgment is a big deal, but it's God who judges the world, and it's us who judges the church.

Matthew 7's "do not judge" is one of the most misapplied verses in the Bible, but read in context it isn't a call to never hold anyone accountable. God alone judges the world outside the church, while believers do have a real responsibility to lovingly hold one another to the standard of Jesus, never superficially, never hypocritically, and always with an eye toward restoring, not destroying, one another.

Point 1 of 7

Pastor Daniel opens with the story of Bachelorette contestant Hannah Brown, an outspoken Christian who fired back 'who are you to judge me, the Bible is clear' after being confronted about her choices on the show. He uses this as an example of how badly the verse gets butchered and sets up the question of what Jesus actually meant.

Point 2 of 7

He defines 'judge' not as gossiping or forming negative opinions but as holding someone to an objective standard, the standard of Jesus that every person will answer to. He argues it would be absurd to think no one is ever allowed to evaluate anyone, using the examples of a teacher grading a paper and a police officer issuing a ticket.

Point 3 of 7

Pastor Daniel points out that Matthew 7 follows Jesus rebuking religious leaders for hypocrisy in Matthew 6, and that later in Matthew 7 Jesus tells believers to watch for false teachers, which requires judgment. He concludes the verse is aimed at hypocrisy more than at judgment itself.

Point 4 of 7

He tells the story of a friend treated with more respect after losing weight, and his own experience of being pulled into airport secondary screening only when his tattoos show. He then tells the story of a grieving couple laughed out of the president of Harvard's office, who went on to found Stanford University, to illustrate how superficial judgments can cause us to miss real blessings.

Point 5 of 7

Working through Matthew 7:3-4, he explains that Jesus condemns pointing out a speck in a friend's eye while ignoring the log in your own, but that this doesn't mean we never address sin in each other's lives. He uses the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8 and Paul's words in Romans 2 to show that our harshest judgments often expose our own hidden struggles, and we must deal with our own issues before confronting others.

Point 6 of 7

He shares results of a social media poll where people described Christians as judgmental and hypocritical, and argues the church's job is not to make the world follow its family values but to hold the door open with grace, citing Paul's statement that it isn't his job to judge outsiders but it is the church's job to address sin inside the church.

Point 7 of 7

He tells the story of a worship leader who stole guitars and, instead of being publicly shamed and cast out, was walked through a multi-year process of repentance and restoration by his church, eventually becoming a worship pastor again. He ties this to Galatians 6, warning that anyone gently correcting a fallen believer must watch out for the same temptation themselves.

Take it into your week

Pastor Daniel frames it as four commitments the church has to get right if it's going to handle judgment the way Jesus intended.