What Jesus Really Meant About Judging
Matthew 7:1-6
Summary
Preaching from Matthew 7:1-6 in the "Jesus Said What?" series on the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Kent Keller shows how the kingdom of God runs on different values than our earthly kingdoms. He unfolds three guidelines for kingdom living—leave judgment to God, leave criticism to others, and leave your pearls to those ready to receive them—all anchored in the gospel of grace, where guilty sinners are pardoned because Jesus served our sentence.
Sermon Outline
- 1
Why does the world hear good news as bad news? ▶ 0:08
Kent opens with a story of a young believer whose classmate rejected the gospel as "rules and guilt," raising the question of how the greatest message of freedom came to be heard as repression.
- 2
A different kingdom with different rules ▶ 0:08
Reading Matthew 7:1-6, Kent frames the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus describing life in the kingdom of God, which we are called to bring into Miami and our circles of influence.
- 3
Guideline one: leave judgment to God ▶ 0:08
It is freeing, not our place, to declare who is in or out—God alone is the judge—and the same standard we use will be measured back to us.
- 4
Grace, not karma: guilty but pardoned ▶ 10:03
Through the picture of a judge who steps down to pay the rebel's penalty and adopt him as his own child, Kent shows that the gospel is grace, and a pardon must be received to be effective.
- 5
Guideline two: leave criticism to others ▶ 15:46
Jesus' image of a log in our own eye while we hunt the speck in another's is deliberately absurd; the hypocrite is the actor wearing a mask, and we are to deal with our own sin first.
- 6
Guideline three: leave pearls to those ready to receive them ▶ 22:48
We must judge actions as moral agents, but use discernment in sharing our faith—pray for those who keep refusing rather than pushing them to dig in their heels.
- 7
An invitation to receive the pardon ▶ 29:54
Kent closes with a prayer of salvation, urging anyone who has never trusted Christ to receive the payment Jesus made on the cross.
Key Points
- Life in the kingdom of God runs on different values than any earthly kingdom, and we are called to make our world look more like it.
- Judging people's eternal standing is God's job alone, and the standard we impose on others will be measured back to us.
- The gospel is grace, not karma—God renders a verdict of "guilty but pardoned" because Jesus served our sentence in full.
- A pardon must be personally received to take effect, so the offer of forgiveness must be accepted, not merely extended.
- Before we critique the speck in someone else's eye, we must deal with the log in our own—hypocrisy is what Jesus condemns most sharply.
- Being a moral agent means judging right and wrong actions while leaving the judgment of persons to God, and sharing our faith with discernment.
Quotable Moments
“Fortunately, the gospel is not about karma. The gospel is about grace, God's unmerited favor, where we don't get what we deserve and we do get what we don't deserve.” ▶ 0:08
“Your penalty has already been paid. Your sentence has already been served. Not only are you free, I want you to come home with me as my adopted child, and live with me forever.” ▶ 10:40
“A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon.” ▶ 12:29
“We're all sinners. Some of us care and some of us don't. And if you care about your sins, this is the place.” ▶ 14:56
Discussion Questions
- 1
What are the three guidelines Kent draws from Matthew 7:1-6, and how does each one describe life in the kingdom of God?
- 2
How does Kent distinguish between karma and grace, and why does that difference matter for how we treat others?
- 3
Kent says a pardon must be received to be effective. Where are you in receiving—or resting in—the pardon God offers in Christ?
- 4
Jesus calls us to remove the log from our own eye first. What "log" might God be inviting you to deal with before you address others' faults?
- 5
Is there someone you have repeatedly pressed about faith without fruit? What would it look like to shift from pushing to praying for them?
Take It With You
- Pause before judging someone's heart or eternal standing—pray "God knows, I don't" and entrust them to him.
- Ask God to reveal one "log" in your own life this week, confess it, and if needed make amends to someone you have wronged.
- Identify one person you have been pressuring about faith and commit to simply praying for them and waiting for an open door.
The study guide above (summary, outline, key points, quotes, questions) was generated from the sermon transcript with AI and reviewed by our team. Spot something off? Let us know.
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