---
# System prepended metadata

title: Matthew 7 - Kingdom Citizens
tags: [sermon]

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---
title: Matthew 7 - Kingdom Citizens
author: Keelan Cook
tags: sermon
created: 2021-02-03
---

# Introduction

I was in high school, we were on a field trip. A buddy of mine had his headphones in listening to music and he started singing out loud. In the middle of a crowded van, he starts singing, "I like to mobi chobi. I like to mobi chobi." Of course, the song he thought he was singing was the great Reel 2 Real hit, "I Like to Move It." The song had been out for several years, and that whole time, up until everyone laughed at him, my buddy thought the lyrics were, "I like to mobi chobi."

We all do that, don't we? Hear something real popular, hear it over and over, and think we know what it means. Only to find out later that we had it wrong the whole time.

Today's passage for our sermon is kinda like that. It's filled with verses that are some of the most often quoted verses in Scripture, but they're also some of the most misapplied. 

For weeks now, we've been walking through the Sermon on the Mount. 

In our passage today, we are coming up to the end of Jesus' sermon and we're seeing Jesus transition toward a conclusion that will engage both his disciples that he has been speaking directly to and the crowd of onlookers who have been listening.

Here, we find three admonitions from Christ to his disciples about how to live as kingdom citizens, and one invitation to everyone about how to enter his kingdom.

## The Passage:
The word of the Lord in Matthew 7:

>1 Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use. 3 Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye. 
>
>6 Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.
>
>7 Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him. 
>
>12 Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Now, let's look at these commands:

# Command 1: Matthew 7:1
First, Matthew 7:1 - Do not judge, so that you won't be judged.

I know we've all heard it used this way: *You can't speak out against things people are doing, because Jesus tells you not to judge people.*

Or perhaps, you've felt this way (I know I have): *I can't tell people who do not believe in Jesus that they're... wrong. I can't do that.*

Or maybe you have a friend at church involved in something they shouldn't be. You know it will hurt them and it destroys their witness for Christ. But... you just feel like you can't bring it up.

And then, like a wave of refreshing water, this verse comes to rescue. *Do not judge, so that you won't be judged.*

And that would be great, if that's actually what this passage meant. But it's not.

## So, what does it mean?
There are three important points here.

### (1) Jesus limits this statement to the way we deal with fellow disciples.
This statement can't be used to excuse the many other passages in the Bible that tell us to share our faith with people who are not Christians. Jesus says right here in verse 3 that he's talking about judging other Christians: "Why do you look at the splinter in your **brother’s** eye..."

When Jesus uses that term, he refers to those who have already crossed the line of faith. It can usually be translated brothers and sisters. The term is used for all people who are part of the family of God.

### (2) Jesus clearly explains what he means by the word *judge* with an example.
In verses 3-4, Jesus uses a very...uhm... colorful word picture to describe this kind of judgement.

>Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye?

Jesus then calls the person who engages in this kind of judgment a hypocrite. It's strong language, but that's because this is a big problem.

You see, it's a really human thing to be critical of the actions and motives of others and uncritical of our own. I've done it. I assume you've done it. We're not supposed to nitpick other Christian's problems, all the while overlooking and excusing our own. There is no place for that kind of judgement in God's kingdom.

But we cannot leave it there, either.

### (3) In this passage, Jesus explicitly tells us we *should* get involved in the sin issues of our fellow disciples.
Let's read on. In verses 5-6, Jesus says this:

>First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.

*Don't judge* can't mean we're not supposed to correct people, because Jesus says in the passage we are. 

In short, the sin you should be most concerned about is your own. But, that's not to say we do not care deeply about the conduct of others. We should. But, we are best equipped to help others in our church family with their issues, when we are already in the habit of dealing with our own.

# Command 2: Matthew 7:6
Alright, command number two in Matthew 7:6 - Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs. 

This one is much more cryptic, so we need a bit of context here.

In first century villages, dogs were strays not pets. Everyone knew not to feed them, because they were very likely to bite you in the process. They were dangerous because they would attack the person trying to give them a gift. 

A pig only wants what satisfies its appetite. If it's not food, a pig doesn't want it. So, attempting to give a pig something of far more value, more precious than slop, will only result in that pig stomping it into the mud.

### So what is this command talking about?
Like everything else in Jesus' sermon, this command is about the kingdom.

Many will hate the gospel. The gospel is not just a claim that Jesus makes you happy. No, the gospel is a competing worldview, that Jesus is lord. He is Lord over me, over all of my circumstances, over all of my decisions, my desires, my plans. It is all his, he made it, and thank God, he came to earth and purchased it with his blood, and he's coming back to restore it all to perfection one day.

You know, everyone of us have a little throne in our heart. And on that throne, we place the thing we love the most.

But there is only one that belongs on the throne in the human heart. Jesus should be on that throne. He should determine your decisions and set your desires. And the gospel ultimately tells us that whatever is sitting on that throne, if it's not Jesus, then it has to come down.

Frankly, that's an offensive message, because everyone loves whatever is on their throne.

You cannot force people to accept the gospel, and we should expect that some will be angered, even attack us, for it. **However, this *is not* him saying we should keep our mouths shut.**

In fact, in the very next section of this passage, Jesus shows his disciples how to invite others to the kingdom.

# Command 3: Matthew 7:7
Let's look at Matthew 7:7
>Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matt. 7:7-8)

Again, this verse is quoted all the time, but it doesn't mean that Jesus will give you whatever you want. 

This passage gets used to justify all kinds of misunderstandings like:

* If I want it, God must want me to have it.
* If I just pray hard enough, God will give me what I ask for.

But when it's misunderstood this way, what happens when we don't get that job we were desperately hoping for? What happens when our loved one still dies, despite the fact that we have been praying really hard?

If we think that this passage promises that Jesus will always give us the desires of our heart, then we accept a theology so shallow that we will not be able to weather the hard things in life.

God gives good gifts to his children. But that is not the same as giving us what we want. Anyone with a child immediately knows this to be true. It would be completely unloving to always give my child what she asks for. And even though we're adults, it is arrogant of us to assume we know enough about the future of our lives to always know what is best for us.

### So what does it mean?
Remember, Jesus basically has a primary and a secondary audience for this sermon. 

He has been speaking directly to his disciples, who are already kingdom citizens, about how they should live in the kingdom, how to be a visible witness to gospel transformation.

But, there's a crowd of onlookers too. By doing this in front of them, people who are not yet kingdom citizens, Jesus has given them a description of the kingdom he is announcing. And as we get very near the end of his sermon, Jesus takes a turn. 

He has just told his disciples not to throw the pearl of the kingdom before those who would simply trample it... but what about those who wouldn't trample it? You see, the "good things" that he mentions in these verses are the gifts of the kingdom, and for those who would earnestly enter this kingdom, Jesus says come.

Notice the progression in the verbs here. From ask, an initial inquiry; to seek, a proactive searching; to knock, a request to enter. All who truly desire to enter the kingdom are welcome to do so.

In one moment, Jesus has just invited the whole crowd to enter into the kingdom and demonstrated for his disciples how they should speak to others about the gospel.

# Command 4: Matthew 7:12
I imagine at this point, Jesus turns back toward his disciples. In one sentence he basically wraps up his entire sermon. It's the perfect conclusion for us too.

>Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matt. 7:12)

You likely know this verse. People call it the Golden Rule, and it's one we hear quoted all the time. 

You'll often here it used like it's some form of Christian karma. *If I treat people nicely, people will be nice back.* But this is not karma.

Read it again, this passage says nothing about how others will treat you. It just tells you how to treat them. In fact, Jesus has already addressed how people will often treat his disciples. He did so at the beginning of the sermon in chapter 5:

>You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven.(Matt. 5:11)

Jesus doesn't teach karma here. He's teaching the opposite. Jesus is saying to his disciples, you treat others with grace, honor, and respect (the way we would want to be treated), regardless of how others treat you.

# Application for the Family of God
If you're a member of the family of God, the ones sitting around Jesus' feet as he delivers this sermon, what should you walk away from our sermon considering today?

### First, we need to work on that beam.
*What's the beam in my eye?* That's the question Jesus tells us to address first. If you leave this kind of thing vague in your own life, then you never actually start working on it. Find half an hour today, or maybe your quiet time in the morning and ask yourself this question, and don't leave until you've written down something specific. Begin to continually identify the areas of your life that need to be shaped by the power of the gospel. The process eventually becomes a habit that is life changing.

### But, we work on removing the beam, so we can help our brother or sister with the speck.
Jesus is not telling us we overlook the issues of others in our church family. He did the opposite.

Do you have the kind of relationships with others in this church that allow you to speak into people's lives in a loving way? If not, you need to work on those relationships. 

Church isn't a thing you attend. It's a family to which you belong. 

The most obvious way in our church is being in a loop group. And, not just attending a weekly meeting, mind you. But really leaning in, and opening up to others. That kind of relationship allows us to serve one another, even in the hard things.

### Finally, don't try to force the gospel on those who resist it, but be quick to invite into the kingdom all who will listen.
That's not the same as inviting them to church. It's inviting them into a new way of life, made possible by Christ's sacrifice for us. We should be quick to share the gospel with anyone who will listen. Jesus was. Speaking the gospel to people is the most loving act of kindness we can provide to our neighbor.

### And in all things treat others with honor. Love your neighbor.

# Application for those Outside the Family
Maybe you hear this story and consider yourself one of the onlookers. You're not sitting at Jesus' feet yet, but you're hearing this description of the kingdom, and there's just something about it. 

His invitation is as good today as it was then. Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened for you. You may just be asking right now, or you may be earnestly seeking for something. All who truly desire to enter the kingdom of God can do so. 

Reach out to us. Leave a comment, send an email, text the number for response. We would love to talk to you more about that.

The good things of the kingdom have been made freely available to all who will simply surrender to Christ's rule and reign. May it be true of us.