“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:37-38; Matthew 7:1-2)
This is a favorite verse of believers, and non-believers! We can "judge"; we have a whole judicial systems based on judging, which was set-up by the guidelines and moral codes outlined in the Old Testament books. But before we judge, we have to first judge ourselves. Then we will find that most of us come far short of the standards of God; therefore, we'll be a lot less likely to hold someone else at a higher standard than we ourselves can attain. Remember, For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. (James 2:10) And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? (Luke 6:39-41; Matthew 7:3) Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye. (Luke 6:42; Matthew 7:4-5) We can never be above Christ, our teacher, but we can be like Him, Christ-like (Christians). For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:17) We are not to condemn or judge one another, but speak the truth in love...(Ephesians 4:15)
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. (Matthew 7:6) This "pill is a little hard to swallow"! How do we determine when not to bother with a person or a situation anymore? We'll study in a future lesson how a non-Jewish mother came to Jesus, begging Him to help her daughter, who was demon-possessed. But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matthew 15:26-28) For now, we'll just summarize by saying that we should not give our best to someone or a situation, where our best will be thrown away or treated as if it were trash. We should be wise, in our giving of money and time, in the relationships we have, etc; pray without ceasing,... (I Thessalonians 5:17) about all the decisions we make, and let the Holy Spirit of God lead us.
And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. (Luke 11:5-8) Just like the woman who continued to beg Jesus to help her daughter, until she finally proved that she had genuine faith in Him, we are to be just as persistent in our prayers and petitions we make to God. Just like a child continues to call his mother and father until they answer him, we are to be the same way with our Heavenly Father. Call on God, with all sincerity, Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ (Isaiah 58:9)
If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:11-13; Matthew 7:9-11) Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12) When a child persistently calls on his mother or father, it's usually because they want something. That's the same reason the woman kept begging Jesus, because she wanted Him to help her daughter. Well, if we are God's children, saved through our belief in Christ Jesus, He is our Heavenly Father, and He will answer our prayers. But we have to accept that eventhough we are saved, God “will render to each one according to his deeds”: (Romans 2:6) Let's be sure to approach Him the right way.
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10; Matthew 7:7-8) But in all of our "asking", "seeking" and "finding", lets make sure that we focus on the most important thing. Let's have the same mind as King Solomon, when ...God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” (I King 3:5) Solomon's response was, Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. (I Kings 3:9) Basically he was asking God to give him "wisdom", the ability to know how to deal with all people and all situations. The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, ... then I will lengthen your days.” (I Kings 3:10-14)
The lessons of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount"! Refer to the previous lessons, to study the entire sermon in context:The "Beattitudes" Lesson!; "Salt & Light" Lesson!; Importance of The Commandments!; "You Shall Not Murder" Lesson!; "You Shall Not Commit Adultery" Lesson!; 'Til Divorce Do Us Part?; Watch Our Mouth, and Responses!; Don't Be A Hypocrite, A Show-off!; God and His Kingdom First!; Don't Judge; Be An Example!; Follow The Leader!; Not Just Hearers, but Doers Also!
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