As Jesus' sermon continues, the ideas of "do to others" and "be merciful" are further developed by adding to them "do not judge", "do not condemn", and "forgive". The call continues for followers of Jesus Christ to live a higher moral standard. Why must we not judge, because we ourselves do not want to be judged? Why must we not condemn, because God is merciful and so must we be. Forgiveness offers the path to doing away with judgmental and condemnatory attitudes, when we learn to forgive as God forgives we no longer feel the need to elevate ourselves by bring others down.
Jesus continues by explaining that the blind cannot lead the blind, we must follow the example of our teacher (himself) and learn from those who have become like him. The final analogy, of the man with a plank in his eye trying to remove the speck in the eye of another shows the absurdity of those who have their own moral failings trying to correct those same failings in others. Yes, we must help others in their efforts to be Christ-like, but we should do so by first examining ourselves that we may offer help from a position of victory over sin.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
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