In this message, Pastor Scott Thom unpacks Jesus’ teaching on judgment from Matthew 7:1–5. He emphasizes that while Christians are called to make righteous judgments, they must avoid four key pitfalls: judging someone’s salvation, judging hypocritically, judging over minor or disputable matters, and judging through gossip or grumbling. He also outlines when and how believers must judge wisely, rooted in love, responsibility, and spiritual discernment.

💬 Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus warns against judging others in Matthew 7?
2. Can you recall a time when you judged someone hypocritically? What did you learn?
3. How can we tell the difference between righteous judgment and gossip?
4. What does it look like to suspend judgment with wisdom?
5. What role does humility play in confronting sin?

🙏 Prayer Points

• Pray for a humble heart that recognizes personal sin before judging others.
• Ask God for discernment to know when and how to righteously judge in love.
• Pray for relationships where offense or misunderstanding has led to judgmental attitudes.
• Invite the Holy Spirit to help you restore others gently and not out of pride.

🚶‍♂️ Action Steps

1. Reflect on your own heart this week: are there any “planks” you need to remove?
2. If you’ve gossiped or judged someone unfairly, go and make it right.
3. Next time you're tempted to criticize, ask: Am I helping or just complaining?
4. Read Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10 to deepen your understanding of disputable matters.
5. Offer support, not just correction, to someone who’s struggling with sin.

🔑 Keywords

• Righteous judgment
• Pastor Scott Thom
• Matthew 7 explained
• Christian teaching on judgment
• Hypocrisy in the church
• Spiritual discernment
• Bible teaching 2025
• Judging others in Christianity
• Biblical correction
• How to confront sin in love