Self-Reflection: Removing Our Planks to Help Others
Summary
In today's gathering, we focused on the profound message of self-reflection and the importance of addressing our own shortcomings before attempting to correct others. We began by acknowledging the significance of the resurrection of our living King, emphasizing that the cross is a symbol of our sins being washed away, and that our King is risen. This sets the stage for a renewed life, free from the burdens we often carry. We invited the Holy Spirit to saturate our church, reminding us that we can leave our burdens at the foot of the cross, as they were buried with Christ and did not rise with Him.
Our main scripture was from Matthew 7:1-5, where Jesus teaches about judgment and self-awareness. The humorous story of a husband who thought his wife was losing her hearing, only to find out it was his own hearing that was impaired, served as a metaphor for how we often project our issues onto others. This story illustrates the danger of focusing on the speck in someone else's eye while ignoring the plank in our own. Jesus calls us to first remove the plank from our own eye so that we can see clearly to help others.
We explored the Sermon on the Mount, highlighting its ten key components, including the Beatitudes, the call to be salt and light, and the importance of fulfilling the law. Jesus' teachings challenge us to live authentically and avoid hypocrisy. We discussed the concept of righteous judgment, emphasizing that while we are called to hold each other accountable, we must first address our own faults.
The sermon concluded with a call to action: to fix our focus on Jesus and not on the faults of others. We were reminded that when we focus on God, we make adjustments, not excuses. The story of Saul in 1 Samuel 13 served as a cautionary tale about the dangers of taking matters into our own hands instead of trusting God's timing.
In closing, we prayed for the strength to remove the planks from our eyes and to help others with love and humility. We were encouraged to be the Bible that others may not read, exemplifying Christ's love in our daily lives.
Key Takeaways:
- Self-Reflection and Humility: Before we can help others, we must first address our own shortcomings. This requires humility and a willingness to look inward, acknowledging our faults and seeking God's help to overcome them. [41:21]
- Righteous Judgment: There is a place for holding each other accountable, but it must be done with love and after we have dealt with our own issues. This ensures that our judgment is righteous and not hypocritical. [01:00:31]
- Focus on God, Not Man: When we focus on God, we make adjustments in our lives to align with His will. Focusing on man leads to excuses and a distorted view of the gospel. [01:06:14]
- Trust in God's Timing: Taking matters into our own hands can lead to negative consequences. Trusting in God's timing and His plan requires patience and faith, even when it challenges our understanding. [01:09:04]
- Living as a Testament to Christ: Our lives should reflect the love and truth of Jesus. We are called to be the Bible that others may not read, living in a way that draws others to Christ through our actions and words. [01:13:30]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Invitation to Worship
- [02:00] - Acknowledging the Resurrection
- [04:00] - Holy Spirit's Presence
- [06:00] - Children's Dismissal
- [08:00] - Gratitude for Family and Support
- [10:00] - Introduction to the Sermon
- [12:00] - Reading from Matthew 7:1-5
- [14:00] - Story of the Husband and Wife
- [16:00] - The Danger of Projection
- [18:00] - Overview of the Sermon on the Mount
- [22:00] - The Beatitudes and Salt and Light
- [26:00] - Fulfillment of the Law
- [30:00] - Righteous Judgment Explained
- [34:00] - Saul's Story and Trusting God's Timing
- [38:00] - Living as a Testament to Christ
- [42:00] - Closing Prayer and Invitation
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Matthew 7:1-5
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Observation Questions:
1. What humorous story was shared in the sermon to illustrate the danger of projecting our issues onto others? How does this story relate to Matthew 7:1-5? [41:21]
2. According to the sermon, what are the ten key components of the Sermon on the Mount, and how do they relate to living authentically? [48:13]
3. How does the story of Saul in 1 Samuel 13 serve as a cautionary tale about taking matters into our own hands instead of trusting God's timing? [01:06:14]
4. What does the sermon suggest is the difference between focusing on man and focusing on God? [01:09:04]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of righteous judgment differ from being judgmental, and why is it important to address our own faults first? [01:00:31]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that focusing on God leads to making adjustments in our lives? How does this contrast with focusing on others? [01:09:04]
3. How does the sermon use the metaphor of a plank and a speck to explain the importance of self-reflection and humility? [41:21]
4. What lessons can be drawn from the story of Saul regarding the consequences of impatience and taking matters into our own hands? [01:06:14]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you focused on the faults of others rather than addressing your own. How can you shift your focus to self-reflection and humility this week? [41:21]
2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of righteous judgment. How can you hold others accountable with love while ensuring you have addressed your own issues first? [01:00:31]
3. Identify an area in your life where you have been making excuses instead of adjustments. What steps can you take to align your actions with God's will? [01:09:04]
4. Consider a situation where you have taken matters into your own hands due to impatience. How can you practice trusting in God's timing in similar situations in the future? [01:06:14]
5. The sermon calls us to live as a testament to Christ. What specific actions can you take this week to exemplify Christ's love in your daily interactions? [01:13:30]
6. Think of a person in your life who may have a "speck" in their eye. How can you approach them with love and humility, ensuring you have first addressed your own "plank"? [41:21]
7. Reflect on a distraction in your life that prevents you from focusing on Jesus. What practical steps can you take to minimize this distraction and fix your focus on God? [01:09:04]
Devotional
Day 1: Embrace Self-Reflection with Humility
Self-reflection is a vital practice for spiritual growth, requiring us to look inward and address our own shortcomings before attempting to correct others. This process demands humility and a willingness to acknowledge our faults, seeking God's help to overcome them. By focusing on our own spiritual journey, we can better understand the areas where we need improvement and invite the Holy Spirit to guide us in making necessary changes. This inward focus allows us to approach others with love and understanding, rather than judgment and criticism. [41:21]
"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)
Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you need to grow. How can you invite God to help you address this today?
Day 2: Practice Righteous Judgment
Righteous judgment involves holding each other accountable with love, ensuring that our actions are not hypocritical. Before we can help others, we must first deal with our own issues, allowing us to approach situations with clarity and compassion. This practice aligns with Jesus' teachings in Matthew 7:1-5, where He emphasizes the importance of removing the plank from our own eye before addressing the speck in someone else's. By doing so, we ensure that our judgment is fair and rooted in love, rather than self-righteousness. [01:00:31]
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." (Galatians 6:1, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you judged someone. How can you approach them with love and understanding instead?
Day 3: Focus on God, Not Man
Focusing on God allows us to make necessary adjustments in our lives to align with His will, rather than making excuses or distorting the gospel. When we fix our eyes on God, we are reminded of His love and guidance, which helps us navigate life's challenges with faith and trust. This focus shifts our perspective from the faults of others to our own spiritual journey, encouraging us to live authentically and in accordance with God's teachings. [01:06:14]
"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2, ESV)
Reflection: What is one distraction in your life that takes your focus away from God? How can you redirect your attention to Him today?
Day 4: Trust in God's Timing
Trusting in God's timing requires patience and faith, even when it challenges our understanding. Taking matters into our own hands can lead to negative consequences, as illustrated by the story of Saul in 1 Samuel 13. By trusting in God's plan, we demonstrate our faith in His wisdom and timing, allowing Him to work in our lives according to His purpose. This trust fosters a deeper relationship with God, as we learn to rely on His guidance and provision. [01:09:04]
"For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:3, ESV)
Reflection: Consider a situation where you are tempted to rush ahead of God's timing. How can you practice patience and trust in His plan today?
Day 5: Live as a Testament to Christ
Our lives should reflect the love and truth of Jesus, serving as a testament to His teachings. By living in a way that exemplifies Christ's love, we become the Bible that others may not read, drawing them to Him through our actions and words. This call to action encourages us to embody the principles of the gospel in our daily lives, demonstrating the transformative power of God's love to those around us. [01:13:30]
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, ESV)
Reflection: How can your actions today reflect the love and truth of Jesus to those around you? What specific steps can you take to be a living testament to Christ?
Quotes
And if we're not careful, comedy always finds a way of relieving some reality for us. And if we're not careful, we will find ourselves projecting onto others things that we ourselves aren't dealing with. We'll find ourselves projecting onto others, Pastor Max, things that we are internally dealing with, but because we don't recognize it as an issue, reproject it and make it somebody else's problem. [00:40:48] (25 seconds)
Jesus is using himself in this illustration as the living water. Meaning if we are the salt, we are to draw them to the living water that they might never thirst again. Amen. He then goes into what it means to fulfill the law because Jesus says, I did not come to fulfill the law, but I came to do what the law could not. We know that Jesus stripped himself. He's in heaven. He strips himself, dethrones himself from heaven. He takes on humanity so that through death, hell, and the grave, he could conquer sin on all of our behalf. [00:44:31] (35 seconds)
Jesus is showing the illustration you dealing with something that you haven't gotten through is only going to hurt the person you're trying to help it's only going to hurt the person that has something minor because what you have is more dangerous to them than what they have is to you and we find we find ourselves getting in a mess of trouble when we don't understand that we are walking around with something that we have no business judging others for we want to have smoke for everybody else but don't want to repent and turn to the father [00:56:28] (33 seconds)
Jesus is taking the time to tell us the importance of focusing on ourselves first focus on whatever it is that you're battling what you're dealing with what you haven't gotten through in order to help somebody else so long as I'm walking around with this plank in my eye all I gotta do is walk past somebody and they are gonna get hurt because of something that I haven't dealt with and if I'm not careful I'll run the risk of running away the very people that God sent me to because of my inability to address because of my inability to address something that he told me to give to him in the first place [00:57:48] (45 seconds)
When we present ourselves as anything other than children of God, we are counterfeit. When we judge others while walking around with a plank in our eyes, it's counterfeit. When we don't repent every single day, it's counterfeit. When we look at somebody else and judge them for what they have going on, it's counterfeit. And Jesus is saying, I cannot have you being the sole reason why people aren't coming to me. [01:00:10] (29 seconds)
When you try doing things your own way, hear me with caution. When you try handling things your way because you don't like God's timing, because you don't like God's approach. Sorry, let me personalize it. When I don't like God's timing, when I feel that God isn't wearing a stopwatch, when I feel that a thousand days are as a day, when I feel that's frustrating, when I hear stuff like that and say, I've been battling with this issue for five years and it still ain't been a day in your eyes yet. [01:08:53] (28 seconds)
If you don't see yourself the way God sees you, you will only see yourself the way you see you. And you see yourself every single day. You see every defect. You see every fault, every wrinkle, every spot, every blemish. God doesn't. If you want to have a godly view of you, it starts with Psalm 51 verse 10. The entire Psalm 51 to be exact. But verse 10 where it says, create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast or some translations a righteous spirit within me. [01:09:37] (35 seconds)
If our focus is not to be on the world, that means our focus has to be on Jesus. And we see far too many times throughout scripture where you learn to fix your focus. We see in Genesis chapter 50 where Joseph realizes he sees his brothers. He says, what you and what the enemy meant for evil? God meant it for good. God meant it for good. That's focus. [01:10:45] (29 seconds)
Can you be the presence of God that the people around you desperately need? Something my mother used to say to me and my brothers growing up, I need you to be the Bible that people don't read. I need you to exemplify yourself in a way that convinces others that Jesus is real. It's a hard thing to say in public, but it's the truth. Jesus is real. Jesus is real. [01:14:48] (26 seconds)
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