GREATEST OF ALL TIME | Week 8 | Sermon · Rewind

GREATEST OF ALL TIME | Week 8 | Sermon · Rewind

Pastor Daniel Goulding · Jun 16, 2024

Big Idea

Judgment is a big deal, but Quoting the message: it's God who judges the world, and it's us who judges the church, end quote..

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.

Key points

1
1The 'do not judge' verse has been widely misapplied, both outside and inside the church
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.
2
2Judgment is delegated: God judges the world, believers judge (hold accountable) the church
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.
3
3Context shows Jesus is confronting hypocrisy, not banning discernment
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.
4
4Never judge people superficially
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.
5
5Never judge hypocritically
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.
6
6Never ask non-Christians to uphold Christian standards
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.
7
7Always restore fallen believers
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.

Application

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

Stop judging people superficially
Notice when you're filling in the gaps about someone based on appearance, weight, tattoos, or a first impression, and refuse to let that define what you believe about them.
Deal with your own log first
Before addressing a friend's struggle, get honest about your own two-by-four; let people watch you own your own issues so you have a real platform to speak into theirs.
Don't hold non-Christians to Christian standards
Stop expecting people outside the family of God to live by family values they never agreed to; hold the door open with grace instead of demanding behavior change first.
Always restore fallen believers
When someone in your small group or church stumbles, commit to walking with them toward restoration rather than shaming them out the door, remembering you could be there yourself one day.
Bring what's hidden into the light
This week, go to someone in your small group and talk honestly about what you're actually dealing with instead of hiding it.

Take it into your week

Sign in to ask Rewind about this sermon

7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

Sign in to track your progress through this devotional.

Day 1

Jesus opens Matthew 7 with words that have become one of the most quoted — and most misunderstood — lines in the entire Bible. 'Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.' Pastor Daniel made the case that Jesus is not issuing a blanket ban on discernment. He is firing a warning shot at a very specific kind of judgment: the smug, self-serving kind that religious people have always been tempted toward. The Pharisees were masters of it — sizing people up quickly, sorting them into neat categories, and walking away feeling better about themselves. That is the judgment Jesus is going after. The standard-you-use line is especially sobering. It is not just a warning about what you say about others; it is an invitation to look at the posture behind what you say. Am I speaking to help someone, or to feel superior? Am I engaging with a person, or am I managing an impression of them? Those are uncomfortable questions, but they are the right ones. Today is a good day to sit with them honestly rather than rush past them.

For reflection

When you find yourself forming a quick opinion about someone, what is usually driving it — genuine concern for them, or something else?

Pray

Pray for honest self-awareness about the moments this week when you have been quick to size someone up.

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

Think about a time you heard someone say 'the church is so judgmental' — this message digs into what Jesus actually meant when He said 'Do not judge,' and what He's calling His people to instead.

Discussion questions

1
In Matthew 7:1-2, Jesus says, 'Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others.' Pastor Daniel pointed out that this warning lands in a context aimed at religious hypocrisy. What do you notice in the surrounding passage that helps clarify what kind of judging Jesus is targeting here?
2
In John 7:24, Jesus says, 'Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.' How does that command sit alongside Matthew 7:1 — and what might it look like in practice to size up a situation without sizing up a person?
3
Matthew 7:3-5 uses the image of a log in your own eye versus a speck in someone else's. According to this passage, what is the log-and-speck picture actually saying about the sequence — what has to happen first, and why does that order matter for the conversation that follows?
4
In 1 Corinthians 5:12, Paul draws a sharp line between accountability inside the church and those outside it. Pastor Daniel applied this by saying it is not our responsibility to hold people outside the faith to Christian standards — our job is to love them to Jesus. What does that distinction change about the way a community like ours engages with people who aren't yet following Christ?
5
Galatians 6:1-3 describes gently restoring someone caught in sin, with a warning to watch yourself so you aren't tempted. Pastor Daniel challenged us to be the kind of community where it is genuinely okay to not be okay, and where restoration is always the goal. What would it take — practically — for a group like this to be a place where confession feels safer than concealment?
6
Pastor Daniel closed by saying it is the grace of God that enables people to actually hear and receive the truth of God — and that how Rock Point handles judgment, one honest conversation at a time, shapes the wider reputation of the church. How do you think grace and truth work together in that process, and where do people tend to lean too hard on one at the expense of the other?

Pray together

Ask God for the humility to look honestly at ourselves before we speak into others' lives, the grace to love people outside the faith without conditions, and the courage to run toward — not away from — brothers and sisters who are struggling

Sign in to save this message.

Topics

Church Accountability Grace and Truth Judging Others Religious Hypocrisy Restoring the Fallen

Powered by Rewind · make your church's Rewind →