MATTHEW 7:6

"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Mat 7:6 NASB

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at 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,' and behold, the log is 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. "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. Mat 7:1-6 NASB

Proverb• What is a proverb?

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;    for understanding words of insight;

3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,    doing what is right and just and fair;

4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,    knowledge and discretion to the young—

Questions in Biblical Interpretation

• This proverb comes directly after an instruction on correcting others.

• How do you handle a proverb contained in a teaching?

• What do you do when one teaching in the Bible conflicts with other teaching or the lifestyle of Jesus?

Conflicts To Be Resolved• Is this the same teacher who said “freely give because

freely we have received?”

• Is this the same teacher that told us a sower went out to sow, and threw seeds on the highway, rock pile and weed patch?

• Didn’t the Old Testament prophets spend their how lives in telling God’s message to those who would not obey that message?

What Is Going On

What is different in this teaching that we need to understand it obey it rightly?

• Is there a difference in setting?• More about judgment and correction than sharing the gospel.

• Is there a difference is receptor, who is receiving?• Someone you already have a relationship with.

• Is there a difference in timing? • This is not the first approach, but comes after you have tried

several other things.

Before, During, After• When we look into the methods of Scripture, we may lean

that we adjust what we do AFTER we have shared our lives or the gospel with them.

• We are free to walk away, to shake the dust off• Free to go to the next town• Free not to carry the burden of their response• Free to not be entangled in their comments and remarks, their

attacks and intentions

Cannot Be Fully Loved• Some people in our world cannot be loved.

• They refuse love• They run from and reject kindness• Being honest is seen as being judgmental.

• These same people can be cared for.• Treated with love although they will not be loved• Treated with compassion while they die in their sin• Patient, kind, longsuffering, gentle

Our Hope

• Our hope is that when we care for people, the Holy Spirit will work in them to open their life to love.• Many know that God loves them• Many reject that Love, will not receive it

Just as the context presents someone who cares enough to remove a speck harming the vision of another, so Jesus comes to remove

the specks in our eyes. How do we respond to His actions?

Understand What Time It Is

• When we keep trying to fix what doesn’t want to be fixed we• Step toward manipulation• React to pressure • Fear drives us, faith (trusting God) is diminished

• “trying to make it happen”

Applying Matthew 7:6• We cannot just have a message for people to hear, we

must build relationships.• Rejection is normal and we need to mature so that we can

rightly handle rejection.• We can be the cause of our own pain when we press

people into sticking back at us in our attempts to love them. (judge, correct, re-direct, enlighten)

• Just because they kill you, doesn’t mean is was wrong (Jesus on the cross)