In this week’s message, Pastor Mark Deering focuses on Jesus’s teaching “Judge not, that you be not judged” explaining that while we shouldn’t judge others, we should maintain a discerning spirit. Pastor Mark defines judgment as forming fixed opinions about others, assuming their motives, and viewing them through a lens of self-righteousness. Jesus calls believers to help one another grow spiritually by addressing faults with humility and relationship rather than harsh judgment, recognizing that we all have “logs in our own eyes” while trying to remove “specks” from others’. Pastor Mark emphasizes five principles for discerning wisely: being slow to speak without experience, learning others’ stories before sharing your own, recognizing that what bothers you about others might reveal your own issues, not giving wisdom to closed ears, and generously offering wisdom to those who are open to receive it.
Reflection Questions
- What stuck out in today’s message? What did you find challenging and encouraging? Did you learn anything new?
- Read Matthew 7:1-6. What are the commands in this passage?
- Count how many times ‘eye’ is used in this passage. What do they represent in Jesus’s example?
- Why does Jesus shift to talking about dogs and pigs?
- What is the difference between judgment and discernment from this passage and the sermon? Why is it important for us as Christians to differentiate?
- Why is it so easy to see the “speck” in someone else’s eye but miss the “plank” in our own?
- Take some time this week to reflect on your interactions and thoughts with others recently. What “plank” might God be asking you to confront in your own life right now?
- How can you cultivate a heart of mercy instead of criticism when dealing with difficult people?
- Which one of the 5 principles Pastor Mark mentioned resonated with you? Why?
