SERMON OUTLINE Sunday January 24th, 2021
Pastor David Cooke
The Problem of Hypocrisy – Matthew 7:1-5
• “You’re all a bunch of hypocrites!”
• The Problem of Hypocrisy
– the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s
own behavior does not conform
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you
treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be
judged.
And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your
own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that
speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?
Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough
to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-5 NLT
• Misaligned Beliefs and Behaviors
What we do….
i) Hide Them: Legalism, The Masked Life
ii) Justify Them
iii) Flaunt Them
v) Grieve over them (2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT)
• Integrity
– the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral
uprightness, the state of being whole and undivided
– Where we are unwhole and divided is where we need:
• What’s Your Gold Standard?
A. Are YOU Your Gold Standard? (Matt 7:1-2)
B. Don’t Fear the Judgement of Others
C. God’s Holiness Is Our Gold Standard – Job 38:1-14
• Living In Integrity
A. Measure Yourself Against God’s Holiness
B. Humble Yourself – (1 Peter 5:6, NLT) (Romans 12:3 ESV)
C. Listen (Mark 4:23–25, NLT) The Bible App
D. Stop Judging Yourself – You are the Beloved of God
• The Hypocrisy of Love
A. Love is lived by being a person of Grace and Mercy
Grace – getting what you don’t deserve. undeserved favor
Mercy – not getting what you deserve.
B. The scandal of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is it is hypocritical – you’re
getting what you don’t deserve and you’re not getting what you do deserve.
• Surrender – Follow – Listen – Do
A. Surrender your position as the Gold Standard, as judge
B. Follow Jesus’ example of love lived
• be a person of grace and mercy
C. Listen to the voice of Jesus when tempted to judge
• He touched people with compassion
D. Do the Good News of Jesus.
“Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless
them.” (Romans 12:14, NLT)
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (John 8:36, NLT)
Free to be broken. And free to be better.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”(Luke 19:10,
NLT)
SERMON STUDY GUIDE
We meet in Life Groups to: Connect deeper with God and each other through
prayer and relationship. Connect the Bible to life. Connect with our community
through serving.
ICE BREAKER: What one word would you use to describe yourself?
PRAYER: God is worthy to be sought – take time to pray together in your group.
LECTIO 365.24-7 PRAYER
https://www.24-7prayer.com/dailydevotional
Lectio 365 is a free daily devotional resource that helps you pray the Bible on
your computer, phone or tablet. It is written in real-time by leaders from the 24-7
Prayer movement, so it is truly pertinent to our times. This resource helps you
engage with Scripture to inspire prayer and shape your life.
YOU VERSION BIBLE APP
bible.com
The Bible App is a free resource. Choose from more than 1,200 Bible versions
on your computer, phone, or tablet – with many available as audio Bibles. This
resource also allows you to connect with friends. Many of our Life Groups are
finding that the shared experience of doing devotionals together is a great way
to keep in touch, while encouraging each other with real-life applications and
insights.
For free tips and resources on what is in the Bible and
how to read it, visit www.thebibleproject.com. The Bible
Project creates free videos that show the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus. To find out more about this
ministry, check out this short video:
https://youtu.be/vFwNZNyDu9k.
SERMON SERIES: “Unshakeable: Living The Words of Jesus”
In this sermon series we explore how to live according to Jesus’ teachings in
Matthew chapters 5-7. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom. It is something we
are not only to know, but to do, to live. And when we do that, we are immoveable, unshakeable because the foundation is Jesus and he is the Rock of our
salvation that is immoveable and unshakeable.
Series Reference: The Essence: Unpacking Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (2020).
Winslade. Wipf Stock Pub.
THIS WEEK: Matthew 7:1-6 “The Problem of Hypocrisy”
Watch the weekend’s sermon here:
http://www.coldspringschurch.net/sermons.html.
EXPLORING TOGETHER
The way we assess or judge other people is precisely the way we can expect
other people will categorize or judge us. Jesus spoke firmly on this issue
because of the powerful effect judgments have upon people, both for good and
for bad.
1. What is something from this weekend’s message that stood out to you?
How so?
2. Tell of an experience you have had of wrongly judging the character of a
person, only to find out later that they are someone to admire?
3. What experience have you had of being unfairly judged or criticized? How did
it impact you?
4. What kind of attitude or behavior might be the opposite of judging?
5. Why is judging another person so strongly warned against by Jesus?
6. In what ways do you think 2 Corinthians 5:16 might apply to everyday life?
7. If Jesus used the analogy of “specks of sawdust” and “planks” in our
twenty-first-century context, what might he have in mind?
WEEKLY REFLECTION
“Love is lived by being a person of grace and mercy. The scandal of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ is it is hypocritical – you’re getting what you don’t deserve and
you’re not getting what you do deserve.” – Pastor David.
The famous preacher F.B. Meyer said,
“When we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do
not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin.
And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed
him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the
same circumstances.”
Surrender – Follow – Listen – Do
(Romans 12:14, John 8:36, Luke 19:10)

8. In light of this week’s message, what do you need to surrender, follow, listen
or do to be (or help someone else become) increasingly restored and
strengthened as a Jesus follower?