Dock Resource Kit
Sunday sermon, 24 November 2024
Summary
This week, Brigid spoke to us about the final chapter of the Sermon on the Mount as part of our Be Well series, where Jesus invites us to reflect on what it means to live a life of wholeness and wellness in God’s kingdom. From avoiding judgment and cultivating humility, to trusting God’s provision and building our lives on a firm foundation, Jesus calls us to a greater righteousness that transforms how we see ourselves, others, and God. Through vivid imagery like the plank and the speck, the narrow gate, and the house on rock, we are challenged to align our lives with His kingdom vision and to live in ways that bless those around us.
Dock Discussion Questions
Jesus speaks about the plank in our own eye versus the speck in someone else’s. How can we grow in self-awareness and humility when we feel tempted to judge others?
How does the invitation to ask, seek, and knock challenge you to trust God more fully with your needs and desires?
The narrow gate represents the harder path of following Jesus. What might this look like in your day-to-day decisions?
Considering the imagery of the house built on rock, what are the current foundations of your life? Are there areas where you feel invited to rebuild on Jesus’ teaching?
Long-form, editted transcript
We’re finishing our series on the Sermon on the Mount today. Over the last eight weeks or so, we’ve gone right from the beginning of Jesus’s teaching all the way through to the end. It didn’t take eight weeks when Jesus spoke it for the first time, you’ll be pleased to know. But today, we are finishing with the whole of Matthew 7. We’re going to do a whistle-stop tour through the entire chapter, so bear with me. These few chapters have shown us Jesus’ manifesto for what the good life looks like. Jesus has been painting a picture of what it means for God’s kingdom to be near. He calls us to repent, to turn around, and to live in what He describes as greater righteousness.
What is greater righteousness? It’s a way of living in a world where everyone is treated with respect, honour, and dignity. It’s where radical generosity inspires our actions, where participation in spiritual practices drives us deeper into a relationship with God, and where our security comes from trusting that God keeps His promises. This is what Jesus means by greater righteousness—and it’s so much more than just that. It’s how Jesus sees the good life.
Week by week, we’ve seen how this vision for greater righteousness reflects God’s desire and design for us to be well. That’s what we’ve been invited into: a life that is whole, flourishing, and aligned with God’s kingdom. If you’ve missed any of the weeks, let me encourage you to go back and listen to them. You can find all of it at sps.church/docks. There are also reflection questions there to help you take these teachings deeper into your everyday life. As I mentioned, we’re going to zoom through Matthew 7 today. It’s a rich chapter—one that could take us weeks to fully unpack. My hope this morning is to give you an overview of the key themes that Jesus touches on about what it means to be well. We’ll look at it in two parts: the first 12 verses and then the final section.
Do Not Judge
Matthew 7:1–6
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.”
Jesus begins this section with the well-known teaching: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” It’s a command we’ve probably all heard before, but what does it actually mean? Let me start with a story. A couple of weeks ago, I rewatched the BBC classic Pride and Prejudice. Now, I’m talking about the 1995 version—the right version. (We can debate this afterwards, but if you know, you know. Colin Firth, thank you very much.) It’s a Jane Austen classic, set in the early 1800s, and it paints a picture of a society where judging others was almost a pastime. People judged everything—your gender, your social class, your embroidery skills, your ability to do Regency dancing. Judging was completely socially acceptable.
Now, today, we might think we’ve moved on from that kind of overt judgement, but have we? I’m not sure we’re any less judgmental as a society. I think we’ve just got better at hiding it. We might not say things to someone’s face, but the thoughts are still there. Here’s an example. The other day, I was driving along a dual carriageway where the right-hand lane becomes a right-turn-only lane. Most people know that if you want to go straight ahead, you need to be in the left-hand lane. So there I was, sitting in the left-hand lane in rush-hour traffic, moving slowly along. And what happens? Car after car zooms up the right-hand lane, cuts in at the last minute, and merges in front of everyone else.
Now, I’ve driven this road a lot of times, and I know what to expect. But as I sat there, inching forward, I judged every single one of those drivers. I thought, “You know what you’re doing. You’re cutting in. You’re breaking the unspoken rules of the road. How dare you?” I felt completely justified in my judgement.
Why? Because I have a deeply ingrained sense of fairness. I grew up in a culture where queuing is practically a moral code. You wait your turn, you follow the rules, and you don’t push in. And so, in that moment, I judged those drivers harshly. Now, maybe some of you are thinking, “Yeah, I’d be annoyed too.” Others of you might be thinking, “Why didn’t you just go in the right-hand lane and do the same thing?” But here’s the thing: even though I was sitting alone in my car, my judgement of those drivers wasn’t harmless. Judging isn’t just about deciding between good and bad; it’s about something deeper.
Judging, at its core, is deciding between what is good and what is bad. It can feel very black-and-white. In some ways, it’s easy—especially in moments when someone has done something annoying or made a mistake. We look at their actions, we make our decision, and that’s that. But the judgement Jesus is talking about here is not the wise discernment we need to evaluate problems or injustices in the world.
For example, there’s a real need for justice in the world—for systemic issues to be addressed, for wrongdoing to be called out, and for fairness to be upheld. Judgement in that sense—discerning what is right and wrong—has a place. But what Jesus is warning us against here is the kind of judgement that condemns someone based on a single action or limited information.
This is where we get into dangerous territory. Jesus says, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” He’s using a vivid metaphor to make a point: we are so quick to notice the small flaws in others while ignoring the much larger issues in our own lives.
When we judge others, we put ourselves in the position of God. We decide their worth, their character, and their motives based on what we see on the surface. But here’s the problem: as humans, we can only ever see the outside. God alone sees the heart.
Seeing Clearly
Jesus’ example of the plank and the speck is almost comical. Imagine someone walking around with a massive wooden plank sticking out of their eye, trying to help someone else remove a tiny speck of sawdust from theirs. It’s absurd—and that’s exactly the point. Even the smallest thing in your eye, like an eyelash or a piece of dust, is incredibly distracting. If you’ve ever experienced it, you know how hard it is to focus on anything else until it’s gone. Now imagine trying to help someone else with their eye problem when you can’t even see clearly yourself.
The point Jesus is making here is about self-awareness. If we lack the ability to see our own faults and flaws, how can we possibly help others? Before we even think about pointing out what’s wrong in someone else’s life, we need to take a good, hard look at our own. And this isn’t just about acknowledging that we’re imperfect—it’s about doing the work to address our own issues. It’s about being honest with ourselves, examining our hearts, and allowing God to transform us. Only then can we approach others with the humility and love required to truly help them.
This teaching assumes that we are in honest and vulnerable relationships where we’re able to do this work with each other. It’s not about looking at someone from a distance and deciding they’ve done something wrong. It’s about being close enough to someone—knowing them well enough—to speak into their life with love and humility. But there’s a balance. Jesus adds this slightly odd picture about dogs and pigs: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.”
Wisdom and Discernment
At first glance, this might seem strange. What does this have to do with judgement? In Jesus’ time, dogs weren’t the cuddly pets we think of today—they were scavengers, living off scraps of rubbish. Pigs, similarly, were seen as unclean. Jesus is using these animals as metaphors for people who aren’t ready or willing to receive the wisdom of God’s kingdom. The pearls in this teaching represent the wisdom of God—the sacred truths of His word.
Jesus is saying that we shouldn’t force these pearls of wisdom onto people who don’t want them or aren’t ready for them. Even if what we have to offer is valuable, it won’t be appreciated or understood by someone who isn’t open to it. And sometimes, offering it anyway can lead to conflict or hurt.
This doesn’t mean we give up on people or withhold the good news of the gospel. But it does mean we need to exercise wisdom and discernment in how we share it. There’s a time to speak and a time to wait. Sometimes, the most loving thing we can do is to hold back, to pray, and to trust that God is working in someone’s heart in ways we can’t see.
Asking, Seeking, Knocking
Matthew 7:7–12
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Jesus now shifts the focus to our relationship with God. He encourages us to ask, seek, and knock—to approach God with confidence and trust. The image He gives is of a good parent who delights in giving good gifts to their children.
Have you ever spent time with young children? They’re not shy about asking for what they want. Whether it’s a snack, a hug, or even something completely outrageous—like a rainbow for their birthday—they ask with complete confidence. Why? Because they trust the grown-ups around them to provide for them.
Jesus is saying that we should approach God in the same way. God is a good parent who loves to give good gifts to His children. He delights in blessing us, providing for our needs, and even surprising us with things that bring us joy.
But this isn’t just about material blessings. The gifts Jesus is talking about here include wisdom, discernment, and the ability to live well in God’s kingdom. When we ask God for these things, we can trust that He will provide them. However, there’s also a challenge here: do we actually ask? Sometimes, we fall into the trap of thinking God is too busy, or our needs are too small to bother Him with. But Jesus is encouraging us to treat God as a good parent—to bring our needs, desires, and hopes to Him with confidence.
The Golden Rule
Jesus summarises this section with the Golden Rule: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” This simple yet profound teaching captures the heart of God’s law.
We all want to be treated with kindness, patience, and respect. We want to know that we are loved, valued, and cared for. Jesus is inviting us to extend that same love and care to others. This isn’t always easy. Loving others well requires wisdom, humility, and a willingness to put their needs above our own. But when we do, we create the kind of community that reflects God’s kingdom—a place where everyone is treated with dignity and grace.
Two Paths
Jesus moves on to describe two paths: the narrow gate and the wide gate. The narrow gate represents the way of God’s kingdom. It’s a harder path—one that requires effort, focus, and intentionality. But it’s also the path that leads to life.
The wide gate, on the other hand, is easy to find. It’s the path of least resistance, the one that everyone else seems to be taking. But Jesus warns that it leads to destruction.
Following Jesus isn’t always easy. It requires us to go against the grain, to make choices that are countercultural, and to trust in God’s wisdom rather than our own. But the reward is a life that is full, abundant, and aligned with God’s purposes.
Good Fruit
Jesus then gives us the image of trees and their fruit. He says, “By their fruit, you will recognise them.” Good trees bear good fruit, and bad trees bear bad fruit. This principle applies to us as individuals and to the voices we choose to follow. What kind of fruit is being produced? Is it love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control? Or is it fear, arrogance, selfishness, or harm?
This image challenges us to reflect on our own lives and the outcomes of the paths we’re on. It’s also a call to be discerning about the influences we allow to shape us.
Building on the Rock
Finally, Jesus gives us the image of two builders. One builds on rock, and the other builds on sand. The storms come—and they inevitably will. The house on rock stands firm, while the house on sand collapses.
The rock represents a foundation rooted in God’s presence and His teaching. It’s about not just hearing Jesus’ words but putting them into practice. The sand represents a shaky, unstable foundation—things that might look good on the surface but can’t withstand life’s challenges.
This teaching is a call to examine our foundations. Are we building our lives on the solid rock of Jesus’ truth? Are we aligning our actions, priorities, and values with His kingdom?
A Choice to Make
As Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount, He presents us with a choice: will we follow the narrow path or the wide one? Will we build on the rock or the sand? Will we produce good fruit or bad? This isn’t just about behaviour—it’s about transformation. Jesus invites us to bring our whole selves to Him, to allow Him to transform us from the inside out.
Closing Prayer
Holy Spirit, come and fill us now. Jesus, you present us with this choice: where will we build our house? Would you transform us into people and places where your presence can dwell? God, we know your kingdom is near. Make us ready for it. Let us be lights on a hill that cannot be hidden. May our lives reflect your love, truth, and hope to the world around us. Amen.