Worship Gathering: 2/07/2021 :: YouVersion Event

Specks, Planks, and Hypocrites

Matthew 7:1-5

Pastor Jerry Koller

Matthew 7:1-5 NIV

This passage is a part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which deals with kingdom living.

The world loves to use the phrase: Do not judge.

2 Ways to Understand Judging:

1. Within the context of discerning.

· Discern means to distinguish, to tell apart, or to recognize.

2. An element of condemnation

· The ability to pass judgment or a sentence upon someone or something.

We are not qualified to Judge.

Judgements:

· Final Judgment

· Judgment Seat of Christ

· Judgment that results in discipline.

1 Corinthians 11:28-29 NIV

1 Corinthians 11:30-31 NIV

1 Corinthians 11:32 NIV

Matthew 7:2 NIV

Jesus uses something he was very familiar with (specks of sawdust and planks), being the son of a carpenter, as parabolic illustrations.

Matthew 7:3 NIV

There is a bit of irony here as the one doing the judging is so concerned about getting the speck of sawdust out of someone’s eye even though there is a board in his own eye, a board he is obviously ignoring.

Matthew 7:4 NIV

The faults that a person can find in someone else are nothing compared to the faults God may see in him.

Matthew 7:5 NIV

The word hypocrite is a transliteration of the Greek word upokrites (Hupokrites).

· 18 times in the NT.

· 14 are found in the book of Matthew.

· 4 times it appears in the Sermon on the Mount.

Notice how Jesus talks about a brother, a fellow saint, not someone outside the kingdom.

This is not a prohibition against believers taking a stand against sin.

2 Timothy 4:2 NIV

It is an expression of love when we try to turn a brother or sister in Christ away from sin.

Galatians 6:1-2 NIV

· Spiritual is a reference to spiritual maturity

· One who has no plank or speck in his or her eye.

APPLICATION

We all struggle with judging others.

1. We can combat this is by making sure each of us keeps our eyes free of sawdust.

2. It is also wise to be very cautious when it comes to passing some kind of sentence upon another kingdom citizen (a rare occurrence).

3. Do a self-check: Each one should test his own actions

4. Leave the ultimate judgement up to God.

Happy Birthday!

· Nolan Marshall (2/12)

· Chris Rico (2/12)

Greeter Needed

If you are able to serve as a Greeter for any of our Sunday worship services this month, please let Kim know ASAP.

Church Office Hours

While Kim continues to work primarily from home, the church office will be open on Wednesdays from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM if you need to stop in for any reason.

FBC History Video #14 Available

Check out the latest video as we continue to celebrate FBC reaching our 150th year. We thank Rocky Starland for his dedication to this project and creating such an interesting recap as we journey through the years. If you haven't watched the videos, they are all available on Archive - check them out, you'll be glad you did. YouTube: https://youtu.be/DpaN3w_ZIeg | Archive: https://youtu.be/DpaN3w_ZIeg

Activities Resume

Children’s Sunday School, Children’s Worship, Men’s Group, and Craft Group have all resumed meeting. If you are interested in joining any of these activities, please see the “Opportunities this Week” section for meeting times and who to contact for more information.

Annual Meeting Update

The mailed in ballots were reviewed and tabulated by the Elder Ministry Team at their January 18 meeting. All items were approved (by-law amendment, 2021 budget, new Elder Brian Bocock, and the EMT for this year). Those who will serve on the EMT in 2021 are: Jason Avery, Brian Bocock, Steve Follman, Janette Hendrix, and Rob Zantello. Please keep them in prayer throughout the year as they serve in this leadership capacity.

2021 Giving Statements

Statements were emailed on 1/18/2021. If you did not receive yours or would like a copy sent via snail mail, please contact the church office.

FBC Church App Coming Soon

https://www.southhavenfbc.com

We are working out the tweaks, but we will soon have our own church app available. This will give you an easy place to check directory info for other church family members (address, phone number, email addresses, etc.), make prayer requests, check your giving information, give online, and so much more! We are excited to share more info with you in the next few weeks.

Check Out Our Web Page

We are keeping our web page (southhavenfbc.com) updated regularly. Please use it as a tool. Under "Resources" we have a page for FBC Members only which has our latest emails and letters from Pastor Jerry. If you try to access this page, you will need the password "Know Him" to see the content.

Online Giving is Available!

If you would like to support our ministries by giving an online donation via debit/credit card or your bank account, you can do so by using this link:

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-baptist-church-south-haven-mi

Items Needed for We Care Pantries

The We Care Food and Personal Care Pantries continue to need supplies. We suggest calling ahead to make sure someone is there to receive your items. For a list of items and pantry locations, please visit their website at

https://www.wecare-inc.org/pantries-and-programs

Opportunities this Week

children’s sunday school

· Sundays at 9:30 AM in the Resource Room

· Ages 5 years old through 5th grade

· Contact Janette Hendrix for questions or more information.

worship

· Sundays at 10:30 AM in the Sanctuary

· Available live on Facebook beginning at 10:30 AM

· If you're unable to join us in-person, you can view the service later in the week on Archive.org, Facebook.com or YouTube.com

children’s worship

· Sundays at 10:30 AM in the Gym

· Ages 5 years old through 5th grade

· Contact Alyssa Newell for questions or more information.

women’s virtual bible study

· Mondays, 6:45 PM online

· Forgiving What You Can't Forget by Lysa TerKeurst

· Contact Tracy Marshall for questions or more information.

men’s group

· Mondays, 7:00 PM in the Library

· Contact Dave Hollis for questions or more information.

church office open

· Wednesdays, 10:00am-4:00pm

women’s craft group

· Thursdays, 6:30pm in the Library

· Contact Tracy Marshall to participate.

· Vicki Olson is recovering from corrective surgery on both of her feet. Pray for a speedy recovery and patience as she is confined to bed while she heals.

· Rafael Cabrera (friend of Bob & Kim Collins) is recovering from a kidney transplant. He has fluid filling one of his lymph nodes which is then putting pressure on an artery causing his blood pressure to be high. Pray that draining the fluid will solve the issue and he will not need an additional surgery to have a stent inserted.

· Bruce & Vasha Ferguson and their family upon the death of their niece, Melissa Thompson, on 1/15. Please keep her husband, four children and only brother in prayer as well.

· Norman Forrest (friend of Bruce & Vasha Ferguson) who is grieving the loss of his wife, Vicki, on 1/14.

· Jim Seagren (friend of Stan Robinson) has liver and pancreatic cancer. He has an appointment at U of M Hospital today to see if there are any other treatment options available.

· Gena Bassett is asking for prayer that she can find a new job that is more suitable for her as a single mom; particularly one in which she can work Monday-Friday during the day and have weekends off. Please pray for a solution and if you're aware of any job openings, please let her know.

· Robert Pranger (Tracy Marshall's stepdad) who lost his father on 12/29 due to COVID. This has been an especially difficult year for him as he lost his mother very unexpectedly to cancer earlier this year as well.

· Steve Follman is recovering from surgery for a total knee replacement.

· Randy Follman (brother of Steve Follman) is recovering from hip replacement surgery.

· Deborah Kirby (Vasha Ferguson's sister) is in a rehab center following a massive stroke in July 2020. Pray that medicare/medicaid insurance can be upgraded to cover needed treatment. Her recovery is slowly progressing and although it is greatly painful, she is gaining movement on the left side with the help of therapy.

· Lynn Rarick continues to deal with hip issues. Pray that a resolution can be figured out.

· Check out our monthly prayer card on-line at southhavenfbc.com under “Weekly Bulletins” for a list of those with on-going needs.

First Baptist Church

1635 76th Street

South Haven, MI 49090

269-637-1291

southhavenfbc@gmail.com