First Baptist Church Delray

Sermon Application Questions

May 11, 2025

Pastor Steve’s Message: “Judge Like Jesus”

Scripture: Luke 6:37-42 (ESV)

Review the Exegesis of the Scripture

Read Genesis 12:1–3

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

1. How might Abraham’s descendants, especially the Jewish leaders, have barely noticed that their purpose was to be a blessing from God to the nations and, instead, have a judgmental attitude toward everybody who failed to keep the law?

Read Luke 6:37–38

(Jesus said,) “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 with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

2. How does Dr. Robert H. Stein, professor of Biblical Interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,describe what is meant by “judge not” and “condemn not?”

…It forbids a Christian from finding “status by negation,”i.e., looking better by criticizing others as worse.

(Luke: New American Commentary)

3. If you refuse to judge and condemn, does that earn you a status of innocence?

4. Are Jesus’ followers supposed to just ignore the sin of others?

5. How is forgiveness the opposite of judgmentalism?

6. What more did Jesus say about forgiveness in the Model Prayer (also known as the Lord’s Prayer) when He said “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” in Matthew 6:9-11?

7. How did Jesus use an illustration of grain purchase to show how much forgiveness and good will we continue to receive when we are generous?

Read Luke 6:39–40

He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

8. How can blindness to our own sin lead us to become judgmental of others’ sin?

Read Luke 6:41–42

“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.”

9. How did Jesus use hyperbole to emphasize His point of watching out that we don’t put others down just to lift ourselves up?

10. What would be Jesus’ ultimate proof of the value He places on mercy and grace?

Make Personal Applications of the Lessons

11. How can we church people be just as wrong about sinners as the Jewish leaders were?

12. What is the first thing we should check about our own heart when we see someone in sin?

13. How does repentance help us deal with our spiritual blindness?

14. If we are to judge like Jesus, what should be our primary concern for someone who is sinning?

15. Take this self-evaluation inventory:

a. Do you live like you have a special deal with God that others don’t deserve?

b. Does it make you feel good to make others look bad?

c. Who have you judged?

d. Who has no right to forgiveness?

e. Who has made you feel less of a person?

f. Who disrespects you?

g. Who has hurt you deeply?

h. Are you a hoarder of God’s grace?

i. Are you afraid to forgive too much?

16. Are you in the way or are you helping others access Jesus?

17. Does your life seem unstable, vulnerable, even temporaryand in need of salvation yourself first before you can help anyone else?