Our heart towards our community matters to the Kingdom. 

1) Check your heart before you check your friend’s heart. (vs. 1-6)  What did Jesus mean when He said, “Don’t judge others.”?  We are to critically evaluate others at times.  We should not approach others with a condemning heart.  We are not to be negative and destructive toward others.  There’s a warning when we are destructive toward others in verse 2.  For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

Jesus moves further into the heart in verses 3-5.  Jesus is giving a great illustration of hypocrisy.  Not only are we not to condemn others, but we are to examine ourselves before we help other Christians with their relationship with God.  When we fail to recognize our sin, we fail to recognize God’s grace in our own lives.

Why do we check our hearts before we check our friend’s heart?  We rip away the community of God when we seek to tear down rather than build up.  Most of our energy should be spent equipping and lifting up.  At times, we are called to help our brother or sister by removing a barrier between God and them.  This should be done carefully and with a ton of self-examination.  The hope is that the result will be that BOTH people are deeper in their relationship with God.  Our hearts towards each other matters to the Kingdom.

2) Let your heart see God’s goodness. (vs. 7-11)  The previous verses were how we see other Christians.  Now Jesus is giving us a window into the goodness of God.  What Jesus wants us to see first is that we are to seek Him. 

Look at verse 7:  7“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.“  Three times we are told to “keep on.”  The only way to see God’s goodness is to seek Him.  When we fail to seek God, we fail to encounter God.  And when we don’t encounter God, we don’t receive the good gifts He has in store for us.  When we seek God, there are promises we receive. 

Look at the promises in verse 8.  8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”  You will receive, You will find. You will find an open door.  Why does God promise us these things? Because He wants us to seek Him.  He wants us to ask, to seek, to knock.

What are the promises we receive?  Look at verses 9-11.  9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!”  Jesus gives a clear picture of God’s goodness.  God will give us bread and fish, not stones and snakes. 

Jesus brings home the illustration even more.  11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.”  What are the good gifts exactly?  Do remember the context of The Sermon on the Mount?  It’s about living in God’s Kingdom while we are living in this world.  “Good things” = things that pertain to the Kingdom of God.  God never gives evil things.  God will never give you something that will harm you.

That’s God’s goodness! He wants to shower us with gifts that bring us closer to Him and more prepared for kingdom living!  We often only let our hearts see God’s goodness when we receive what we want.  We will fail to see God’s goodness when we receive something we need, but don’t want.  God is more concerned about your Kingdom growth than your earthly comfort.  Do you see how these verses are building on each other?  Our hearts toward our brothers and sisters in Christ matter to God’s kingdom.  We don’t want to tear others down, but build them.  Our hearts toward God matter to the God’s kingdom.  When we see God’s goodness and His promise to shower us with what we need for kingdom living, it affects His kingdom.

3) Let others see your heart. (vs. 12)   We know verse 12 as the “Golden Rule”.  12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”  This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.  How does this verse relate to our hearts, our community, and the Kingdom of God? 

The Golden Rule is not a way to get what we want.  “If I do these things for you, then you should do these things for me.”

The Golden Rule is not a way to get out of doing good things.  Many try to phrase the Golden Rule in the negative.  “I’m not going to wrong others, because I don’t want to be wronged.”  That’s not the Golden Rule.  That’s a way to avoid the Golden Rule and be complacent.  When you think of this verse in a negative framework, it put limits on what Jesus is saying.

So what is the Golden Rule?  The Golden Rule is a response to God’s goodness.  The Golden Rule is a positive statement – “do!”  When we are experiencing God’s goodness, we will put ourselves in other people’s shoes and do good things for them.  There’s no limit on how we can demonstrate God’s grace.

Do you see how this all fits together?  Because we set our hearts on seeing God’s goodness, we don’t condemn our fellow Christ-follower and we put the grace of God on display for all to see.  That’s kingdom living!  See God’s goodness and grace. Let God’s grace lead you to lift up your brother and sister in Christ. Put God’s grace on display for those around you to see.

How deep has God’s goodness seeped into your heart?  The only way to live the “judge not” and “do to others” kingdom life is to first taking in how much God loves you.  God has amazing promises and good gifts for us.  Go sit in His lap this week.  Surrender to His love.  Be a kid in the presence of good, good Father.

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