The Self-Examined Life: Luke 6:37-49

The job of a referee is not a desirable job. They go unnoticed until they make a bad call. So being noticed as a referee is usually not a good thing. I had the distinct displeasure to serve as a referee one afternoon when I was 18 years old. I returned home from college after my first semester and my high school basketball coach asked me if I would be a co-referee for a tournament over break. I gladly accepted. I had been a basketball player for 7 years so I figured that I would be able to pass as a referee. Well, I arrived at the gym and quickly realized that this was going to be a big mistake. I was not going to be the co-referee, but I was going to be the only referee. Things did not go well. I had no idea what I was doing. During one of the games, I allowed things to get so out of hand, that when I actually called a foul. I got applause from both teams. It was an awful experience. After that experience, I have been a lot more generous to referees whenever I watch sporting events. I used to love to blame referees as a player, but when I became a referee I realized how difficult their job was to do. So I learned as the saying goes, “Do not judge a man until you walked a mile in his shoes.”

Unfortunately, like most sports fans, we love to pass blame or judgment on to someone else. It is hard to for the human heart to be sympathetic towards others. Our natural inclination is to judge and to condemn others. For by judging and condemning others, we exalt ourselves in the process. But in our passage this morning, Jesus is demanding a more excellent way. But in order to see the more excellent way, the way of love, we must first examine our own lives. I pray this morning that this text will challenge to live the self-examined life. So to that end, I want to ask you four questions this morning. First question,

I. What are you Seeing?

Look with me in verse 37, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Jesus gives as 4 commands here. He gives two of them negatively, and then he gives two of them positively, before applying the principle that gives understanding to both.

We start with the Bible verse that must be taught to every critic of Christianity by our culture. “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” This verse is taken by peoples to imply that people need to mind their own business. “Judge, not,” they say, giving them the freedom to serve the cultural idol of personal autonomy. “I am in control of my own life. So don’t tell me how to live.” The problem with this perspective is that it misses the point in which Jesus is saying. Jesus does not use this verse as a weapon to protect personal autonomy, but rather as a weapon of self-reflection to destroy judgment and condemnation of others. The world says, “Do not judge me,” but Jesus says, “Judge yourself!! Examine how you are treating others. ” Look at the principle, “For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” This is not a New Age idea of cosmic karma which says that the Universe will pay you back for what you do. This is a principle that is established from the very mind of God. We reap what we sow.

The principle is given by the one who is going to judge the living and the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is saying that the same measure you use towards others I will use towards you. Jesus is destroying the idea of personal autonomy for everyone will have to stand before Him as judge. Acts 17:30-31, “30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 2 Tim 4:1, I charge you before God and Christ Jesus, the judge of the living and dead.” And 1 Peter 4:5, “but they (meaning everyone) will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

So knowing that we are all going to be judged by the Supreme Judge, Jesus Christ, we must examine what we are seeing? Are you looking to judge and condemn others? Or are you looking to judge and condemn ourselves? Are you seeing the sins of others or are you seeing are your own sin? Jesus is calling us to a higher ethic than the world. We are called to love in mercy. So how do you apply this principle? Let me give you a small example. Let’s say you come to church and you walk by someone that does not say hello to you. A natural response, “What is wrong with her? What problem does she have with me? I hope she listen to the sermon today.” A response based on this principle, “I wonder why she didn’t say hi to me. Maybe she is having a down day. I have down days. I am sure their days when I am not very friendly. Let me pray for her and see if I can serve her.” Instead of assuming someone else’s motive, we examine our hearts. We give the person the benefit of the doubt. We believe the best about the person rather than the worst. Whenever we are offended we have to fight the natural response, and chose to walk in the Spirit for this is the way of love.

For look at the promises Jesus says positively in this sermon, “forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you.” Do you hear those promises? If you forgive others when they sin against you, God will forgive you. For our extending forgiveness to the one who hurts us is an indication that we understand our own forgiveness. Christians are all sinners, but we are forgiven sinners. We have no right to withhold forgiveness, because God has not withheld his forgiveness to us. But also notice how abundantly the Lord wants to bless His people. Jesus says when we give and it will be given to us. How will be given to us, “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be in your lap?” Listen how one scholar describes this process:

The measuring of the corn is a process which is carried out according to an established pattern. The seller crouches on the ground with the measure between his legs. First of all he fills the measure three-quarters full and gives it a good shake with a rotatory motion to make the grains settle down. Then he fills the measure to the top and gives it another shake. Next he presses the corn together strongly with both hands. Finally he heaps it into a cone, tapping it carefully to press the grains together; from time to time he bores a hole in the cone and pours a few more grains into it, until there is literally no more room for a single grain. In this way, the purchaser is guaranteed an absolutely full measure; it cannot hold more.[1]

When we follow God, this is how he blesses us. We are so blessed we cannot hold more. What a sweet promise!!

But before we move to our next point, let’s look at one more aspect of seeing. In verse 41 Jesus continues, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye’, when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.” It is easy to see the speck in our brother’s eye. The point is you have to examine yourself first. If we try and help our brother, without examining our own heart, we are hypocrites. It is hypocritical to tell someone that they should watch what they eat, while you are throwing down your third piece of chocolate key lime pie. We have to examine ourselves first. But notice reason why, it is so we can help our brother. First, take the log out of your own eye, and THEN you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. The goal is to be a blessing to your brother, but you cannot be a blessing until you examine your own life first. So Beloved, be careful how you see? Examine your own life, but we examine someone else’s.

Second question,

II. Whom are you Following?

Verse 39, “He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall in a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” This is a profound statement. Jesus will further unpack the meaning of this parable as the sermon continues, but he wants you to ask yourself whom are you following? If you are following someone who is blind, then you will both fall into a pit for the blind cannot lead the blind. So if you do not want to fall into a pit, a black hole, then you better be careful whom you are following? Jesus ultimately wants you to follow Him. Jesus wants all your devotion. He is the only true Guide that will lead you from the pit into eternal paradise.

So whom are you following? Who are the people that your desire to be like? Who are the people that inspire you? Whom are you following? For a disciple will become like his teacher. This is one of reasons why the Scriptures say that teachers will be judged with greater strictness, because they are inevitably creating disciples. This is the why, we want to ground everything we say and do in this church on the Word of God. We do not want to create disciples of our own way of thinking about disciples who live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. As Christians, our standard is the Scriptures. So we need to be very wary of any teaching that does not conform to the Word of God. Now, we should be active listeners during sermons, but we need to be active listeners all day. When we watch the news or television, we must listen to see if what is being presented is in line with the Bible. Jesus demands sole devotion. Stated negatively, if one follows a blind teacher than one will become a blind disciple. Stated positively, if one follows the true teacher, Jesus Christ, then one will grow up to maturity in Him. There is really only one option. As parents this should give us pause, our children and youth are being bombarded every day with an Aggressive, Anti-God Theology. This philosophy has seeped into our schools. Our schools do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, but only make Him as one of the many options people can chose to believe. We must be vigilant to teach our children that Jesus Christ is not one of the options, but he is the only option. He is the True Savior. All other Saviors are false. And following people who believe in a false savior, will lead to false disciples. So we must ask ourselves whom are we following?

Third, Self-Examining Question,

III. What are you Treasuring?

Verse 43, “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor grapes from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” It is very simply concept. Jesus uses a picture from the natural world. A certain kind of tree bears a certain kind of fruit. A fig tree bears figs, apple trees bear apple trees. The nature of the fruit reveals the nature of the tree. Most of us have probably heard it before that you can judge a tree by its fruit. Jesus applies this clear observation in the natural world to the spiritual life of a person. You can judge a person by their fruit. A good person produces good and an evil person produces evil.

Now remember, Jesus focus is not that you are judging spiritual fruit of someone else, but rather the spiritual fruit of your own life. Jesus is calling you to examine your fruit. And notice the key idea in verse 45, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil.” Our fruit will be determined by what we treasure. Let me this this in two ways. First to the Non-Christian, the Bible says that we are all evil because we do not treasure what is ultimately good, God. And since we do not treasure God, but rebel against Him, he punishes us for our sin. The biblical punishment for sin is death and eternal hell. But although we did not treasure God, he treasured us. For God so loved or treasured the world that he gave his one and only sin so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus treasured us so much that he died in our place and God raised him from the dead giving everyone the opportunity for true treasure. So today, if you examine your life and realize that you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, if you turn from your sin and treasure Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will be saved.

Secondly to Christians, the gospel message is not only our entrance in to the Christian life, but it is our sustaining grace for the Christian life. The Holy Spirit says through Paul in his letter to the Galatians 3:1-3, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfect by the flesh?” We are saved by hearing with faith and we are sanctified or made holy by hearing with faith. It comes down to what we treasure. The reason Christians continue to struggle with sin: besetting sins, hidden sins, relational sins, debilitating sins, is because we do not treasure Jesus Christ. The solution to overcoming sin is treasuring the Lord Jesus Christ above all else.

We sin because we value the pleasure from that sin more than we value Jesus Christ. Psalm 37:4, “Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” God wants to give us pleasure; our problem is we do not seek after true pleasure. Listen how C.S. Lewis explains this:
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”[2]
So Christian, never forget your treasure. Matthew 13:44 says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” If we are in Christ, we have found the supreme treasure. We have found the pearl of great price. And when we treasure Christ, we produce good things out of the abundance of our treasure-filled heart. So what are you treasuring? Let nothing be more of a greater treasure than Jesus Christ.
So how can we diagnose our own soul to see if there is anything that I am treasuring more than Christ? Jerry Bridges offers 12 questions in his book, “The Bookends of the Christian Life.” I offer them to you: