Scripture:
Matthew 7:1-5, 15-20 ESV
[1] “Judge not, that you be not judged. [2] For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. [3] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [4] Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Scripture
[15] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? [17] So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. [18] A healthy tree can not bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits.
Observation:
I know that it may look like I have done some cherry-picking of the scripture, but that is not the case. I chose these two portions of scripture because I feel like they help us to understand what it is we are supposed to do. So, let’s start with the first verse and settle in. We might be here a minute. This scripture is from the sermon on the mound… spoken directly by Jesus HIMSELF, and yes, it talks about judgment. “Judge not, that you not be judged. He goes on the say in verse 2 that the same judgment you use, you will be held to. I believe what is being said we have heard in a different manner from the same person. When HE said beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. HE was talking about hypocrisy. Verse 3 makes that pretty clear as well. Jesus tells us that we can’t help others with the speck in their eye when there is a plank in ours. FIRST, take the plank out of your eye, and you will see clearly to help your brother. It would be so easy to leave the observation right now and move on to the application… but I believe there is a point I am supposed to make here. The next group of verses is about fruit inspection. I know it deals with false prophets. However, it has to do with assessing someone’s behavior also known as fruit inspection. Jesus is warning us to be aware. There will be people who say they are one thing and the things they do will say differently. The fruit that is produced in their lives will be evidence of who they really are. HE tells us a good tree can not produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can not produce good fruit. HE tells us that every tree that bears bad fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. That’s HIS words, not mine. Knowing a tree is important
Application:
As someone who loves to help others. I have to be able to assess their lives accurately. GOD has given me a ministry to help other men who have struggled with addiction. Teaching them how to live for Jesus… but honestly, it’s not easy. A lot of times, I have to remember exactly where I came from. You see, there is no way that I could help another man who was stuck in addiction if I were currently using. The first thing I had to do was remove the addiction from my life. Then, and only then would I be able to help someone else with theirs. However, in order to help them, I would have to look at their lives and see if what they were telling me is true. The manner in which I look is where the difference is. Do I look with condemnation or compassion? I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this. There is a clear difference. Judgment or condemnation says something like… you are going to hell if you don’t stop… and compassion says, “Let me show you how I stopped.” Either way, an assessment is going to have to be made. You will have to look at their lives and see the fruit that is produced. You can’t do that without some kind of judgment. The thing is, you have to do it without condemnation. It’s not up to us who goes to hell and who doesn’t. We don’t know that, and we don’t know what GOD has planned. If they are still breathing, there is still hope. There is However one verse I should have included in this SOAP. I believe it’s Matthew 7:6, and I could be wrong about the address, so look it up and tell me, please. But what it says is something to the effect of don’t cast your pearls before swine they will trample them into the mud and turn on you. Again, that means we are going to have to assess others but not judge them. My point of all this is that if we are going to help others overcome things in their lives first, we have to make sure our lives are in order to the best of our ability. Only then can we help…and if we are going to help others, we have to be able to identify their fruit or observe their lives and accurately see that what they are saying is being backed up by what is happening in their lives. People will deceive you they will say one thing and do another. Compassion is the key not condemnation. It will only push them away from the one that they need JESUS.
Prayer:
Father, help us to see the difference between judgment and observation. We want to be used by you. That’s our heart’s desire. We don’t want to push people away. So help us approach every situation with an accurate assessment and go in with a heart of love and compassion… love covers a multitude of sins. But we need to know when we are dealing with swine as well. We never want to be hateful or judgmental. But we need discernment. The kind that only comes from you. Help us to see through all the stuff that distracts us to the heart of the matter. We are YOUR hands and feet… the very pates of you that we pierced with our sin. We know that all things work for good to those who love you and are called according to your purpose. We have been called, or we would not be reading this. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen.