Judge Wisely: Matthew 7

Repentance in judgement.
Same characters and scene as prevalent in Matthew 5 & 6.

Questions on Vs. 1-6
   > Should we, as Christians, judge?
   > Condemn?
   > Discern?
We are to be marked by equality in our judgement. We are to repent before judging.
Anti-hypocrisy
   > Jesus shows us how to judge wisely
     He shows repentance in judgement
     Shows what to judge

1. Choose your desires (7-12)
Ask yourself, "what is it that I really want? Is it pure?"
   > Don't fool yourself
[Joe said sometimes you can be taken away w/ modern convenience. We should be asking for a broken relationship.]

2. Choose your path (13-14)
There is a right and wrong choice--make sure you've chosen correctly.

3. Choose your influences (15-20)
We are easily swayed by people
   > Be careful who you listen to.
[Joe said when someone errs, approach them rightly, and be ready to correct and reconcile.]

4. Choose your actions (16-23)
Is your confession influencing your profession and vice-versa?

5. Choose your foundation (24-27)
Foundation = Rock = Jesus Christ

[Joe commented regarding the preeminence of Christ: Christ was an authority, separate from other teachers.]
[Andrew commented regarding the importance of good choices: Bad apple = Bad bunch.]

Conclusion: We, as Christians, must always judge. We must discern between right and wrong and are obligated to choose rightly. We must choose to honor our Lord rather than dishonor Him. The first place we need to look and judge is in our own lives.