Critical or Discerning?

 

“Critical or Discerning?”

Matt. 7:6 

Matthew 7:6, Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

SUBJECT: Judgment

THEME: Discern appropriate times to share God’s truth, our faith, or a spiritual insight and readily choose silence over self-defense.

RELEVANCE: God’s truth can be mishandled, treated with contempt, dismissed, rejected, argued, and not appreciated. We must exercise judgment to present the truth with clear motives and to entrust it with those we have appropriately considered. We must first assess the condition of a person’s heart before sharing God’s precious insights with them.

INTRODUCTION:  

According to Matthew 7:6, with the Lord’s help, we are to exercise wisdom and discernment when sharing sacred or precious things to avoid rejection, mocking, or even harm from people. The “dogs” and “swine” are hostile or unworthy and will not appreciate the spiritual truth. By sharing with them, we hazard or blaspheme the truth and risk negative repercussions. 

MESSAGE:

Some key features to consider:

I.                Jesus Commanded Discernment, Not Hypocrisy  

Jesus encourages discernment, which is the ability to distinguish between those who are receptive and those who are not, rather than being a hypocritical judge who pretends to abide by a higher standard or has superior uprightness. Being fake or disingenuous is frowned upon, but Christ-like authenticity is highly valued by the Lord Jesus!

II.             Jesus Prescribed Protection of the Sacred  

We are warned to protect the value of holy things—wisdom is crucial to spiritual perpetuation, to preserve the sanctity of sacred things for future generations, and precious truths by not exposing them to people who will disrespect, disregard, or ruin them. 

As God’s people, we are privileged to handle the ‘holy things’ of the Lord. He has entrusted to us the precious truths of the Word of God, and we must regard them carefully. 2 Cor. 4:7, says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

“That which is holy” and “pearls” picture the teaching of the gospel of the kingdom (see Matt. 13:45-46 where the kingdom of heaven is compared to a pearl of great value).

III.           Jesus Suggested we can Avoid some Hostilities

God also suggests that those who are hostile to the truth may not only reject the message but may also turn to attack the messenger. While we cannot eliminate all of this we can reduce some of it.

Jesus explained the futility of teaching the gospel to people who do not want to listen; such people will only tear apart what we say. ‘Pigs’ do not realize the value of “pearls”; all they know is that they cannot eat them, so they spit them out and then trample them into the mud. Disapproving, sinful people cannot grasp the value of the gospel, so they scornfully cast it away. We should not stop giving God’s Word to unbelievers, but we should be wise and discerning so as not to bring scorn to God’s message or hostility to ourselves.

It is important to remember that God calls us to be witnesses to “every creature” and when we discover a person or a group that is not receptive, we simply move on to the next opportunity. It is God’s will to walk away from unwelcoming scenarios (Matt. 10:11-14). Refuse to allow the rejection to hinder you in your quest to be a witness. Go ahead and restart with someone else who is receptive. We are called to be witnesses who testify, not ‘lawyers’ who win arguments!

IV.           Jesus Required Us to Exercise Wisdom in Evangelism

One immediate application is obviously sharing the Gospel of Christ. As believers, we are to be wise and cautious about whom we share the message with. 

When is evangelism wrong? Is evangelism ever inappropriate?

a.      Sometimes our witnessing requires discretion. There are times and places when witnessing can be uncouth and unfitting. As a result, the gospel will be ridiculed.

b.     When you witness, there will always be resistance to the message. Don’t be put off. Resistance is normal.

c.      But when your witness provokes anger, slander, or ridicule, consider another time, person, and perhaps place.

d.     All people need to hear the gospel, but effective witnessing occurs in appropriate settings.

While it is true that we must carry the Gospel “to every creature” (Mark 16:15), it is also true that we must not cheapen the Gospel by a ministry that lacks discernment and appropriateness. Even Jesus refused to talk to Herod (Luke 23:9), and Paul refused to argue with people who resisted the Word (Acts 13:44–49).

V.              Jesus Disclosed the Tendencies of the “Dogs” and “Swine”  

These individuals are closed-hearted (emotionally unfeeling and unsympathetic), they are more concerned about preserving themselves/position and guarding against more pain or trauma, they fail to appreciate God’s truth, they unknowingly ridicule spiritual things, they are reluctant to be vulnerable with us believing they are showing weakness, or they are generally hostile towards spiritual facts. 

What about offering reasons or explaining our intensions? You may feel like the smartest thing to do is share your thoughts, defend your position, or share your story. But, there is no guarantee that your logical explanations will fall on listening ears or be received entirely. The best course of action is to close your mouth…directly to that person, to the authorities, to people you once respected or who once respected you. Continue to live with integrity and character and let these be your means of communication. Trust God to address the misrepresentations or lies in His way and at His pace. Do not seek validation through social media! No doubt, it is surprising what people will listen to or believe without even hearing your side of the matter. Yes, former friends will treat you wrong based on that half-truth or lie, you may have to explain yourself to an authority when pressed but entrust the entire matter to the Lord and he will see that we are vindicated eventually.

Notice again that Jesus always dealt with individuals according to their needs and their spiritual condition. He did not have a memorized speech that He used with everybody. Jesus actually deeply understood his subject! He discussed the new birth with Nicodemus, but Jesus spoke of living water to the Samaritan woman at the well. When the religious leaders tried to trap Him, He refused to answer their question (Matt. 21:23–27). It is a wise Christian who first assesses the condition of a person’s heart before sharing the precious pearls.

This strategy can also be applied to students in Bible college, members in a church, in counseling situations, a colleague at work, in preaching, with a neighbor, while witnessing, a friendship, when teaching a class, and in marriage scenarios.

CONCLUSION:

To be clear, it is not that we might condemn others, but that we might be able to minister to them appropriately. So, when trying to help others, we must exercise care to do what would be appreciated, helpful, advantageous, and beneficial. We should never entrust sanctified concepts to secular souls who are unprepared for them.

Choose rather to be a living example of God’s truth! So, instead of forcefully sharing the gospel, or meticulously defending ourselves, Jesus encourages us to live out our faith with character, commitment, joy, and peace, because these are a more powerful form of communication for those who are not otherwise receptive. 

In essence, we must use wisdom and discretion when sharing God’s divine realities and teachings, recognizing that some people will mock, reject, and even become hostile when presented with things they do not value or understand. 

Christians must exercise discernment because everyone is not a sheep. Some people are dogs or hogs, and some are even wolves in sheep clothing! Clearly, we are the Lord’s sheep, but this does not mean we should let people pull the wool over our eyes!