공동체와 양육

A Christian's Relationship (Matt 7:1~12)

2018.05.20P. Stephen Cha

Your relationships with others should reflect how God judges and treats you: examine yourself before you judge, be wise and prayerful in speaking truth, and come to God in prayer, for he works through the prayers of his people to bring about his kingdom.

Judge others only after examining yourself (1-5절)

Jesus says, "Judge not, that you be not judged," and how we judge others is connected to how we understand God's judgment. The speck and log illustration shows the hilarious picture of someone with a huge log in his own eye trying to pick out a speck from his brother's eye. We tend to magnify others' faults and minimize our own, and we are limited because we see only actions, not motives. David's response to Nathan's story shows that intense anger at another's sin can expose our own unaddressed brokenness. Paul in Galatians 6 teaches us to restore a fallen person gently while watching over ourselves. God does not look at all our faults and condemn us but relates to us in grace, so we should approach others in the same way.

Discern wisely with those who reject the truth

Jesus does not say we should never be critical, but calls us to discern. Dogs and pigs were unclean animals, and in this passage they stand for people who treat what is holy lightly, despise it, and attack those who offer it. Jesus told the disciples to move on to the next town when people rejected them, and Paul turned to the Gentiles when the Jews rejected the gospel. Jesus also tells us to be wise as serpents, waiting patiently for the right time. It is not that such people are unworthy, but that we must wait until they become open, so that the truth we speak can truly help them.

Ask God, for he invites us into his work through prayer (7-11절)

Jesus says, "Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you." Peter boldly claimed he would die for Jesus, then denied him three times, yet Jesus did not condemn him but prayed that his faith would not fail, so that he could strengthen his brothers after he was restored. We cannot live a righteous life or help others grow on our own, so we must come to God and ask for grace and wisdom. Prayer is not merely a way to twist God's arm; God invites us to pray so that we align ourselves with his purpose, and closed doors become the occasion for us to come to him and walk with him.

Prayer forms us to reign with God's kingdom

God owns all things and holds all power, yet he invites his children to ask so that they can work together with him in unfolding his plan. Dallas Wheeler writes that prayer is an arrangement God instituted so that we learn to govern and reign with him, that it often requires long, continual effort, and that it is above all a means of forming character. Like a king who lets his children sit beside him on the throne, God invites us through our prayers to extend his kingdom. The most important lesson in this passage is that, in the midst of every need, we are to come to him, for he will open the door as we keep seeking him.

Treat others as you wish to be treated, with love and truth (12절)

Jesus says, "Whatever you wish others would do to you, do also to them." The speaker remembers a friend who shared the gospel with him without being asked, and a friend who gently confronted his pride out of love, and says he is thankful for both. Those confrontations hurt, but they helped him grow so that God could use him. We should do for others what we are glad others have done for us, and speak the truth in love out of grace and thankfulness, not out of superiority.

Apply to Life

  • 자신의 눈 속에 있는 들보를 먼저 살펴봅시다.
  • 다른 사람을 판단하기 전에 먼저 기도로 자신의 마음을 돌아봅시다.
  • 진리를 전할 때 상대의 마음이 열릴 때까지 지혜롭게 기다립시다.
  • 어려운 상황과 닫힌 문 앞에서도 하나님께 기도로 나아갑시다.
  • 내가 받고 싶은 대로 다른 사람에게 사랑과 진리로 행합시다.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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