Announcements
- Men’s Hangout: We are have a mens hangout night THIS TUESDAY April 2nd at Rockin Rollers starting at 6:30pm. This is going to be a great time for men to get together outside of church and fellowship and have a meal together.
- College Worship Night: We are also having a College Worship Night on Thursday April 11th at 7:00pm! This is for all college students to gather as one group and have a time of worship together!
- Sunday College Class: If you are a college student and haven’t heard yet about Santi’s College class, students are meeting every Sunday morning at 10:00 upstairs at the well!
Objectives
- Identify both the harmful and profitible postures, according to Scripture, in which disciples of Christ can exercise judgment.
- Confess conditions of the heart in which we are most likely to seek to expand righteousness as a hypocrite.
- Discuss how the Kingdom of Heaven frees us up to address our own sin, as well as the sin of others.
- Praise God for HIS justice and mercy in light of the problem of sin in our world.
Key Passages
Matthew 7:1-6
Summary
The introduction of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount,” explained who the subjects of Jesus’ kingdom were and why they needed true righteousness.
In chapter 5, Jesus looked at passages from the Old Testament Law to provide specific examples of what life in his Kingdom looks like.
In the beginning of chapter 6, Jesus is more specifically addressing prominent misconceptions of Jewish worship practices to clarify what genuine worship is.
Now, at the end of chapter 6 and on into chapter 7, Jesus is showing how his disciples can seek righteousness while living in this broken world. He particularly focuses on their relationships with wealth, others, and even their enemies.
In 7:1-6, Jesus is showing how his disciples are to avoid hypocrisy when interacting with other’s sin.
Helpful Resources for Leaders
God’s Response to Hypocricy- *Skip down to “Essence of The Good News”*https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/gods-response-to-hypocrisy-kindness-and-judgment
Sample Questions
Feel free to use or reword the questions below that you think will be most helpful to meet the objectives above. Remember, these questions should ultimately cultivate discussion of ways to respond to or apply what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us through Scripture.
- Is Jesus suggesting that all judgment is wrong?
- What are other places in Scripture you can think of in which disciples are encouraged to use judgment and discernment?
- What was the heart of unprofitable judgment that Jesus is trying to get at in this passage?
- Share times in your life that you are most likely to judge others out of hypocrisy?
- How does the Kingdom of Heaven free us up to interact with our own sin here on earth?
- How does the Kingdom of Heaven free us up to interact with other’s sin?
- How is God unlike human beings when it comes to addressing sin?
Sample Responses
We often judge others in hypocrisy when we forget our own sins and God’s faithfulness in addressing them. When we declare who God is, we are reminded that he is both just and merciful in dealing with sinners. Spend time CONFESSING areas in which you are more focused on dealing with others’ sin rather than your own. Then take time to WORSHIP God for these attributes in prayer:
- Just: God is fair in all His actions and judgments. He cannot over-punish or under-punish. God is right to punish sin.
- Merciful: God does not give His children the punishment they deserve.