JUDGING, DISCERNING, AND THE DIFFERENCE

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Matthew 7:1-6
Lesson #18

JUDGING, DISCERNING, AND THE DIFFERENCE

• Memory verse: John 7:24
• What three things that upset you most about things that other people do?
• Read Mat 7:1-5 The Parable of the Mote and the Beam
  • What is the central truth of the parable of the mote and the beam?
    • We bring a lot of trouble upon ourselves because we condemn others for their faults seeking to correct them instead of seeing and correcting our own faults.
    • Condemning others is the greater sin.
  • In Jewish teaching, to think the best of other people was one of the good works of a great man.
  • What is the mote and the beam?
    • Mote = In English it’s a dust particle in the air.
    • In Greek, it’s a small splinter, twig, stalk.
    • Beam = a massive piece of timber.
      • The warning is against severe fault-finding. ‘
      • The greater sin is not what is in your brother, but the sin of severe criticism within yourself.
      • Therefore, severe criticism (condemnation) is the beam in your own eye.
  • Why did Jesus use this analogy?
    • He already spoke about having a healthy eye (6:22)
    • Vision is an interesting analogy
      • A spot on the glasses can be overlooked and not even seen because we are focusing beyond ourselves.
      • The Lord wants us to focus on Him and not on other people.
  • List the reasons why we are not to judge other people.
    • Don’t judge him because God has received him. (Rom 14:3)
    • Don’t judge him because God is his master (Lord). (Rom 14:4)
    • Don’t judge him because God is in control of his life. (Rom 14:4)
    • Don’t judge because it does not acknowledge or give honor to God. (Rom 14:8)
    • Don’t judge because Christ will one day judge him. (Rom 14:10)
    • Don’t judge him because he’s personally accountable for his own actions. (Rom 14:12)
    • Don’t judge because it causes him to stumble. (Rom 14:13)
    • Don’t judge because we have Christian liberty through Christ. (Rom 14:14)
    • Don’t judge because we are to edify our brother. (Rom 14:19)
  • Application:
    • Do you have the 3 faults you dislike in others?
    • We should use others as a mirror to see ourselves.
• Read Joh 7:24
  • What kinds of things fall under the category of righteous judgment that we are to judge?
    • The answer to that question is the difference between discernment and judging.
      • We cannot help but notice other’s character flaws.
      • However, judging is condemnation of people for these flaws. Usually the flaws that we focus on in others are flaws that we ourselves have.
      • Discernment is something we should all develop–
    • Discerning good from evil, true from false.
  • Confusion occurs because in English we often use the same word, judge, interchangeably with discern. It becomes more clear when we look at the Greek words, their meanings and their uses in the Bible.
    • =1= (Krites) = [judge] a noun that means ruler, one who tries and decides a case – (Heb 10:30)
      • Uses in the Bible: Jam 2:1-4 Jam 4:11-12 Jam 5:9
      • According to these verses we are not to show favor to some people over others because of outward appearance or position in life. We are not to condemn others to advance our own lusts. We are not to condemn others for how they live the law of love.
    • =2= (Krino) = [judge] a verb meaning to separate, select, choose, to determine so as to pronounce judgment; to assume the position of a ruler, to form an opinion about…
      • Uses in the Bible:
      • Mat 7:1-5 Luk 12:54-57 Luk 7:43 Joh 7:19-24 Joh 8:14-16 Rom 14:1-5,13-14
      • According to these verses we are to discern:
        • Spiritual times.
        • Your own attitudes and actions.
        • Spiritual principles of life.
        • Source of spiritual power and its motivation.
        • Other’s witness or confession–life in the Lord.
        • Our own actions that they not hinder our brother.
        • Spiritual level of another.
      • We are not to judge/discern:
        • Our brothers faults.
        • According to flesh appearance, according to our own feeling and human wisdom.
        • The manner in which our brothers worship God.
    • =3= (Anakrino) = [judge, discern] a verb meaning to examine, investigate, question, to hold a preliminary examination before a trial by looking to objects or particulars.
      • Uses in the Bible:
      • Acts 17:10-11 1Cor 2:14-16 1Cor 4:1-5 1Cor 14:24-25
      • According to these verses we are to judge/discern:
        • Other’s spiritual openness to God.
        • Spiritual things.
        • The results of a man’s ministry.
        • Your own attitudes and actions.
        • A message or prophecy.
        • Unbeliever.
      • We are not to judge/discern unnecessarily when you don’t have all the facts.
    • =4= (Diakrino) = [judge, discern] it is a verb meaning to separate, discriminate, discern, decide.
      • Uses in the Bible:
      • Mat 16:1-3 1Cor 11:29-32 1Cor 14:29
      • According to these verses we are to judge/discern:
        • Spiritual times.
        • Our own attitudes and actions and need for Christ.
        • Judge a prophecy or message.
        • Needs of those in the church.
    • =5= (Kriterion) = [judge] a verb meaning to hold a tribunal or court of law.
      • Uses in the Bible:
      • 1Cor 6:2-8
      • According to this verse we are to judge/discern:
        • The world.
        • Angels.
        • Small matters of dispute between believers as arbitrator.
    • =6= (Dokimazo) = [discern] a verb meaning to test, prove, scrutinize, so as to decide an issue/
      • Uses in the Bible:
      • Luk 12:56
      • According to this verse, we are to judge/discern: Spiritual times.
    • =7= (Diakrisis) = [discern] a noun meaning= clear determination, judging.
      • Uses in the Bible:
      • 1Cor 12:10 Rom 14:1 Heb 5:14
      • According to these verses, we are to judge/discern:
        • Discern spirits (good and bad).
        • Weak faith of others.
        • Good and evil.
      • We are not to judge/discern: Opinions on worship
    • =8= (Kritikos) = [discern] an adjective meaning that which relates to judging.
      • Uses in the Bible: (Heb 4:12)
      • According to this verse, we are not to judge/discern: The thoughts and intents of the heart for they are judged by the word of God
• Summary:
  • We are to have discerning discrimination of spiritual things, our own attitudes and actions, good and evil but not quick to judge without sufficient evidence.
  • We are not to judge with condemnation our brothers in Christ because:
    • It is not safe: (Mat 7:1 Rom 2:1)
    • We are not qualified: (Luk 6:41)
    • We cannot possibly be impartial for we do not know the whole facts or the whole person.
    • It is not within our province of operation: (Rom 14:4 Jam 4:11)
    • It is irrelevant: (1Cor 4:3-5)
• Read Mat 7:6 Parable of Dogs and Swine
  • What is the central truth of this parable?
    • I need to continually seek God’s wisdom in order to be able to discern good from evil in others.
    • Important concepts or principles in this parable:
      • Be discerning of those who are dogs and those who are not, those who are swine and those who are not (6)
      • To be discerning, you must continually be seeking the things of God (7)
  • This parable was especially important to the early church:
    • To maintain pure doctrine and a purity of faith
    • To maintain a Holy Communion table. The Lord’s Supper began with the announcement, “holy things for holy people“
    • What is “that which is holy”?
      • Literally, the flesh of the sacrifices = the gospel of Christ (Lev 22:6,7,10,16)
      • Truth is not to be forced upon those who reject it, nor holy things given to fault-finders.
    • What are the “dogs”?
      • These are snarling wild dogs like those that inhabited the garbage dump outside Jerusalem. Jesus likened the garbage dump called “gahenna” to everlasting hell because fires burned there continuously.
      • These dogs that inhabited this location represent non-believers who ferociously attack the things of God.
    • What are the “swine”?
      • Swine are pigs and considered unclean under Mosaic Law.
      • They, therefore, represent non-believers who hold to uncleanness.
    • What are “pearls”?
      • Considered to be the costliest of all jewels. (Mat 13:45 1Tim 2:9).
      • They, therefore, represent the preciousness of godly truth.
      • What is meant by “trample under feet”? To consider them worthless.
• Application:
  • In these two parables we see the tension and balance between judging with condemnation other people’s faults and ignoring our own and discerning with wisdom the evil or good within people.
  • Also we see the difference between our relationships with believers in the first parable and our relationships with non-believers in the second parable.

Homework

Matthew 7:7-12

• Application of mat 7:1-6
  • Examine your own attitudes toward other Christians. Of what do you find yourself consistently critical? (For example, tardiness in others.)
  • Honestly look for this same fault within yourself this week and write your successes and failures here. (In our example above, list every time you are late or on time.)
  • Ask God to forgive you of your critical spirit.
  • Ask God to help you correct your own fault or faults that you listed above.
  • Ask God to help you develop a forebearing spirit toward other believers.
• Preparation for Mat 7:7-12
  • Read mat 7:7-12
    • What is the central truth of the parable of stones and serpents?
    • After reading of God’s assurance that He will answer your prayers, how would you respond to a person who says, “I have prayed and prayed for something, but God never answers!”?
• Memory verse: Mat 7:7