TIME OUT with Pastor Ben Talley May 25th 2020

Good morning. This is Pastor Ben. My full name is

Benjamin Talley. I'm the associate pastor at Witton Memorial Baptist Church and this is another time out.

So our scripture comes from Matthew chapter 7 verses 1 through 6.

What's up Jennifer? So we hear this verse a lot.

Verse 1 we hear it a lot from unsaved people, from the media, all kinds of things.

So let's just let's just dive into it. Again it's Matthew chapter 7 verses 1 through 6 and it says this.

It says, Judge not that you be not judged for with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

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?

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?

Then he says 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?

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.

Do not give do not give dogs what is holy and do not throw your pearls before pigs lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

So there's a couple of things in here that I think are very helpful. First he says judge not lest you be judged.

Now a lot of people cut it off right there. They say judge not lest you be judged. You can't judge me only

God can judge me. And that's a big falsehood.

God does judge you but people judge us all the time. People can pass judgments on other people all the time.

The the big kicker is is it righteous judgment? Jesus told us to judge righteously and he shows that through verse 2.

He says he doesn't end it at judge not lest you be judged. He keeps going.

He says for with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

So what he's saying there is the way you judge other people in that same manner you judge other people you will be judged.

So parents, pastors, teachers, if you're passing judgment on those under you, your children, your students, your congregation, and you're not living up to that same judgment, those same teachings, those same principles, if you're not following those same principles, beware because that's the way you'll be judged.

If you're not living up to the godly standards of the Bible but yet you're teaching them, you got another thing coming.

So he says he says for with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged and with the manner you use it will be measured to you.

See the Pharisees were putting all these standards on these people from what the

Word of God says but they weren't living up to them. They weren't following them. That's why

Jesus said, you know, do what they tell you but don't do as they do.

He said your righteousness has to exceed that of the Pharisees. So we are to live by the

Word of God. We are to tell people and teach people the Word of God but we need to make sure we are being obedient to the

Word of God before we correct someone or before we tell others, you know, how to obey.

So I'm gonna get more into that in a minute. Then he goes on to verse 3.

He says, 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?

So he's basically saying don't be preoccupied with other people's sins.

He says, 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?

He's saying don't be so caught up in other people's sins that you miss out on the sins that are in your own life.

So one thing I noticed about bitterness and victimhood and unforgiveness is it gets us so focused on other people, you know, well they're not doing this right, they're not doing that right, they're wrong in this, you know, we get so focused.

Whenever we're bitter or wherever we harbor unforgiveness in our heart, we get critical of others.

A critical spirit can really be detrimental to our spiritual walk and so we tend to get outward focused on other people and get very critical of their walk, thinking that they're doing all these things wrong.

And so he's saying forget about focusing on what other people are doing in their sins.

Focus on your own first before you start judging others and passing these hypocritical judgments on other people.

So then he goes on and he says in verse 4, he says, or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is this log in your own eye.

So that's kind of like, that's kind of like, what's up Lisa, that's kind of like Shaq telling, teaching

Danny DeVito how to be, how to keep a low profile. You know, it's kind of like Shaq being like,

Danny, you know, Danny DeVito, brother, you got to keep a low profile, you know, and Shaq's like this big massive dude and Danny DeVito is like low to the ground, you know.

That's just, that's, that's crazy, you know. Or, you know,

I heard another pastor and that another pastor said, that's kind of like a redwood tree teaching a shrub how to how to keep a low profile.

You know, let me take the speck out of your eye and there's a big log in your own eye.

Now, I think, I think there is a place for us correcting others. There is, but, but first we have to focus on, you know, making sure we're in the right, making sure that our sins are atoned for, we're forgiven for them, we've repented of them, things like that.

Now, as far as in accountability groups, you know, you might think, you might think, well,

I have sin in my life, I have no right to judge that other person or, or point out sin in that person's life.

Well, I personally don't think that's right. I think if someone is in sin, you should first repent of your sin and, and confess that to God and to that other person, but you should correct them.

You should point out sin that, that is danger in their life. A way you can do that is, hey brother, you know,

I'm struggling with this sin, you know, confess your faults one to another. Hey, hey, hey sister,

I'm, I'm struggling with this sin. This is, this is a sin in my life. I, God has revealed to me, you know, certain sins that are detrimental in my life.

Hey, can we hold each other accountable? You know, can, can, can you hold me accountable for this sin and I'll hold you accountable for that sin?

You know, holding each other accountable is big in accountability groups and in small groups. So, but I do believe you have to focus on your own sin first.

You know, you have to remove the sin from the camp, just like you have to remove, you know, the, the, the, the wickedness from, from your heart, from your mind to get right with God.

You can't just walk around with sin in your heart and declaring all this wrong in other people's lives.

So if you're holding on to sin, you need to let that go before you, you correct other people.

So confession is big in accountability groups. Repentance is big. So a way to correct people is letting that sin go.

Confess and repent of it before you tell other people, you know, correct other people.

If you say, well, I'm, I'm not going to correct that person or I'm not going to,

I have no right to correct that person or help that person with any sin because I still have sin in my own life.

Well, the fact that you're hanging on to that sin shows that you got a real major problem and you need to confess that to the group.

But I digress. Anyway. Um, so he goes on to verse, um, verse, uh, five, he says, 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.

Um, what's up Jackie? The thing that is the number one problem in your life is not other people is not what they're doing in your life.

It's not what they're doing to you. It's not, it's not, uh, it's not

Satan. It's not your, uh, boss. It's not your family.

It's not, um, your, your spouse. It's not your children.

It's not your circumstances. It is your sin in your heart.

It is your, your wickedness in your heart, your sin nature. That is your number one problem in your life.

That's the number one problem in your life. It is. It is.

So the biggest sin you need to worry about is the sin in you, not other people.

If we were to focus on our own sanctification, on pursuing our, uh, forgiveness and, and maintaining a right walk with God, um, everything would be all gravy, baby.

If we were to pursue a right relationship with God, maintaining a right focus, uh, staying clean and clear from all sin in our life, in our heart, maintaining a pure walk with God, uh, you know, uh, then, then everything, uh, that we focus on, uh, making sure our head's right with God, making sure we're confessed and we're, and we're, uh, clean with God.

We got a clean slate with God. Uh, then, uh, we would be good. We would be good.

We would have circumstances. We made sure that we were, um, uh, forgiven and we main maintain a right fellowship with God.

We were always in fellowship with God and, uh, had a right understanding of God. Then, uh, we would have that peace.

We would have that peace, but what happens? We let sin build up. We have unconfessed sin in our life.

Uh, we let that worry us. We let circumstances worry us. We fear

God. We fear a man. We fear circumstances. Uh, we, we have, uh, worry.

We have, uh, unbelief. We have doubt. Uh, we have other sins coming in our life.

We have, uh, all kinds of things coming in our life. And we let that, uh, throw our fellowship off of God.

But our number one problem in our life is our sin nature, our sin in our heart.

So that is what we need to worry about. We don't need to worry about other people, uh, trying to get over on us or anything like that, or what other people's sins are or what their problems are or anything like that.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be concerned about other people's problems or, um, praying for them truly being concerned and trying to help people.

I'm not saying like that. I'm talking about gossip and being in other people's problems and, uh, you know, all that.

That's what I'm talking about. So, uh, and, and the beautiful thing is the more we see our sin, the more we see our sin for what it is, the fact that it is what separates us from God, to see that the detriment of our own sin in our life, see what it causes in our life, we will see a whole new appreciation for the grace of God, for the grace of God.

When we see that our sin, that we are sinners saved by grace, we are saints, but we are still sinners.

We are sinners saved by grace. We are saints who sin, but we still have a sin nature.

When we see sin is our number one problem in our life, we see the grace of God like we've never seen before.

Like we've never seen before. And when we do see it that way, when we see grace coming to our life and just overwhelm our sin and overwhelm us, overwhelm our hearts and our minds,

God just doesn't work in us to where we appreciate

Him more and more. A Puritan writer once said that grace is never so sweet when our sin is ever so wretched.

So the more wretched you see your sin, the more sweet you see grace. So I think that's a good, a good thing to remember.

Don't worry about what other people, all their gossip of their sins in their life and their marriages and all that.

Yes, you can pray for them, but don't get caught up in the gossip. Don't get caught up in all that other stuff. Man, focus on the sin in your life before you go correcting other people, before you go getting in other people's business.

Worry about your own sin first. So you can take that away. That's free.

Then verse 6, and I'll leave you with this. It says, Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and attack you.

This comes from Proverbs 9, 8, or 7, 9, 8. It says in Proverbs 9, 7, and 8,

The one who corrects a mocker will bring abuse on himself, and the one who rebukes the wicked will give hurt.

Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you. Rebuke the wise, and he will love you. So, don't give the pigs what is holy.

Don't try to correct someone who doesn't want to be corrected. I use this of atheists.

Don't go, don't go to an atheist and try to give him Scripture. He doesn't want that.

Don't go to a God -hater and try to correct him with Scripture. He's just gonna attack you, and yell at you, and cuss you, and all kinds of stuff.

So, that's kind of what he's talking about. So, it says,

Or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and man.

Oh, I'm sorry. Wrong verse. He says, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and attack you.

So, guys, when you judge, judge righteously. When you correct someone, correct them, but make sure you're right with God.

Make sure you've confessed, and make sure you've repented, and focus on your own sin in your life.

Don't get caught up in other people's business. Pray for them, yeah, but don't gossip.

Don't slander someone. Get caught up in your own, working out your own sanctification with fear and trembling, and let

God show you his grace. Let God show you how beautiful his grace is, and let it cover your sin.

Let it enter into your life, and just show you how awesome he is. Guys, it's a good day to be alive in Jesus.

It's a good day to experience the grace of God, to walk in his fullness, to walk in completeness.

Did you know that you are complete in Christ? That you lack nothing? You lack absolutely nothing.

You are full in him, and if you have repented of your sin, and placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you are his.

I love you, and God loves you if you're his. Walk worthy of the gospel today.