12.07.2025. Sunday Sermon by Rev. Jeungbok Lee
Text: Matthew 7:1–5
Title: On Hypocritical Judgment

Matthew 7:1–5
“Do not judge, so that you will not be 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? 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.”

At youth retreats we often play many fun games. Sometimes these games are played on television programs as well. Only the first person in the front row is shown a slip of paper, and he or she must pass the sentence to the person behind without making a sound, only by moving the lips. The one who receives it adds his or her own interpretation and passes it on again. This continues until it reaches the last person, and that last person speaks out what he or she thinks was heard. But I have never seen any team convey the original sentence or word correctly. We laugh and enjoy hearing such absurd words.
Yet rumors or criticism about others within the church will never produce the same cheerful laughter as a game. This is because rumors or criticisms about others are often passed on with added personal thoughts, making the facts exaggerated.

Today’s passage begins with the imperative, “Do not judge.” So Christians often decide that they will not judge anyone at all. But we must understand that Jesus was not commanding His disciples to never judge under any circumstances. Jesus said, “Do not judge,” because of the hypocrisy of claiming to correct a brother’s sin while ignoring one’s own sin, which is greater and heavier.

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1. Christians do need truthful judgment and rebuke.

1.1

We must firmly judge and rebuke when evil arises in the church and dishonors the name of God. In 1 Corinthians 5, a brother commits immorality, yet he does not repent but boasts of it. His immoral act was something even pagans did not do. But the church did nothing to rebuke or judge him. The apostle Paul clearly judged and rebuked this issue, urging the church to expel the one who brings evil into the church and hinders the glory of God.

1.2

Judgment and rebuke are needed to turn a beloved brother or sister back from the path of sin. One of the reasons we avoid judging others is that we do not want to hear in return, “Are you doing any better?” But if a beloved brother or sister is clearly walking the wrong path, we must help them turn back through judgment and rebuke. If we see a loved one walking the wrong way and do nothing, it proves that we do not truly love that person. Judgment and rebuke that bring someone back from sin obey the words of Leviticus 19:17–18:
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall surely rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur sin because of him. Do not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

1.3

When false teachings (heresy) enter the church, they must be actively judged. One of the groups causing the greatest problems in the Korean church is Shincheonji. At first, when a new person registers at church everyone welcomes them. When they are very enthusiastic the church rejoices. But one day they begin interpreting Scripture strangely. Upon closer look, their teaching is from a heretical group, not the truth. In such cases, pastors, elders, and teachers must step forward and actively judge their false claims for the sake of truth, so that the congregation may clearly know what is true and what is wrong. This may sometimes seem too negative, but it is necessary for the church. The reason is to prevent “a little leaven from leavening the whole lump” (1 Cor 5:6; Gal 6:9).

1.4

Finally, proper judgment benefits the church and believers, and we need not fall into wrongful guilt. Beyond the cases mentioned above, there are many situations where we must judge for the glory of God, the church, and our beloved brothers and sisters.
But sometimes this judging negatively affects us. After rebuking, we feel guilty for violating the command “Do not judge.” Even though we judged for the sake of God’s glory and the church, we think we committed the sin of judging and repent of it. Such false guilt can take away the joy of the Christian life.

Though our jealousy and selfish desires often lead us to slander others, through our judgment and rebuke someone may return in repentance, and the church may return to the right path. Therefore, we must have a clear standard for judgment. Only then can we avoid guilt and gain the benefit that comes from proper judgment.

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2. Then why did Jesus command, “Do not judge”?

2.1

Because He knew that sinful human nature has a tendency to judge others automatically. Jesus wanted His disciples to live as sincere and godly people. He wanted them to always remember the command “Do not judge” so that they would restrain themselves from uncontrolled judgment.

We all know from experience how much we enjoy criticizing others. When I was working at an academy, one teacher behaved very strangely. He would argue with students over unreasonable things. When we had meals in the academy cafeteria, he would keep others from taking side dishes until he had taken his share first.
Every morning when we arrived at work, we gathered with coffee and began our day by criticizing what that teacher had done the previous day. We justified it by thinking that such a teacher would cause many problems in the academy. But a little after two months, that teacher resigned. A few days later, as teachers gathered to drink coffee, we realized something: the joy was gone. Without someone to gossip about, the coffee time was no longer fun.
It is the same in the church. People do not gather eagerly for Bible study, but they gather eagerly when it is to criticize someone. This is our hypocritical nature. We clearly know which gathering is spiritually beneficial. Yet we prefer gatherings that criticize others over those that benefit us spiritually. Jesus knew this and said, “Do not be a judging person.”

2.2

Because we tend to judge out of jealousy and selfish ambition.
Most conflicts in church arise from words. Those conflicts come from jealousy and selfish desire to obtain what we want. Yet we argue that our criticism is “for the church.”
James 4:1 says: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?”
If you feel the desire to criticize a brother or sister, first examine your own heart. Is it due to jealousy or selfish desire? If not, your judgment will be the hypocritical judgment Jesus rebukes.

2.3

Because we try to remove the speck in our brother’s eye while ignoring the log in our own.
A person with a log in his eye saying, “Let me remove the speck in your eye,” is the very essence of hypocrisy.
What is most important is acknowledging that we are greater sinners than the person we judge. Jesus said, “Do you not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
The one with a log thinks he sees the brother’s speck, but in truth he is seeing his own log—his greater sin.
We may think the reason we see others’ faults clearly is that we are spiritually mature, but that is a huge misunderstanding. It is because the log in our own eye is large—so large that we are actually seeing our own sin.
Therefore, when another person’s speck (fault or mistake) becomes visible to us, we must first examine whether there is a log (sin) in our own eye. Otherwise, we will never be able to remove the brother’s speck. One who judges without removing his own log is the hypocrite Jesus warned against.

A hypocrite is someone who does not see his own sin but magnifies the sins of others and condemns them. Outwardly he appears devout, but inwardly he holds many unrepented sins. Therefore hypocritical judgment or rebuke cannot turn others away from sin. It only provokes anger and causes conflict.

2.4

Because we will be judged by the same standard we use to judge others.
Romans 2:1–2:
“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.”
Matthew 7:2:
“For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”

We often see politicians being criticized for acting contrary to their own previous statements once they become presidents or lawmakers. How shameful those moments are. How much more terrifying will it be when we stand before God, who knows everything, and are judged by the very words we have spoken?
Therefore remember: criticizing others while leaving your own sins unrepented is extremely dangerous.

2.5

Because it preserves the peace of the community.
James 3:5–6 speaks of the tongue as a small fire that can set a great forest ablaze.
A peaceful church and a contentious, divided church can be distinguished by their words.
A peaceful church covers each other’s faults, respects one another, and prays for each other.
A quarrelsome church twists every word. When the pastor makes even the smallest verbal mistake, rumors spread strangely. The more one tries to correct the words, the stranger they become.

Fellowship in the church happens through words. After conversing at church and returning home, do you feel lingering joy? Or does your heart sink and feel heavy? The result reflects the spiritual condition of the people who participated.
A church full of hypocrites—those who only outwardly appear devout—can never be peaceful. Who can enjoy fellowship in a gathering led by hypocrites?
Therefore remember: hypocritical judgment divides the church. Let us, with sincerity and humility, build one another up so that our fellowship may overflow with true joy.

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3. Conclusion

Matthew 7:1–5 is not a command forbidding all judgment. Jesus’ command “Do not judge” means “Do not engage in hypocritical judgment.”

The core of Jesus’ teaching is this: hypocrites sharply identify the small speck (fault) in another’s eye while failing to see the log (sin) in their own. Jesus urges His disciples to look at themselves first and repent before judging or correcting a brother.

Therefore, obedience to Jesus’ teaching is not simply refusing to judge others. Rather, we must first remove the log from our own eyes so that we may see clearly. Through the Word we must recognize our sin and repent. We must not love only in words but obey by giving real help.

I pray in the name of the Lord that all beloved members escape hypocritical judgment and share sincere, loving exhortation and comfort with one another.

Let us pray.

We will now partake in the Lord’s Supper. As we prepare, let us meditate on how God has forgiven our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ. (End)