Shedding A Critical Spirit
August 17, 2025
Scripture: Matthew 7:1-6
A family was driving home from church. Dad was complaining about the sermon being too long and sort of boring. Mom said that she thought the organist played a little too loud during the second hymn. Sis, who was a music major in college, said that the soloist sang about a half note off key during her solo. Grandma said she couldn’t hear very well because the sound system was not loud enough. Little Willie mentioned that he couldn’t see because of the big man in front of him. Tommy then said, “You got to admit, it was a pretty good show for a nickel.”
I think we would all agree that people like to complain and criticize. Many have a critical spirit, a tendency to cut people down, to talk about people’s faults, or to judge the actions of others. A person with a critical spirit can destroy interpersonal relationships. A constantly critical spouse will lead to separation or divorce. A constantly complaining parent can provoke a child. When my dad was critical of my choice of vocation and college, it broke our relationship for a period.
Over the years, I have learned constructive criticism can be helpful, but also, you cannot please everyone. In our text today, Jesus is warning about having a self-righteous, critical, judgmental attitude/spirit like these religious leaders. So, let’s look.
Verse 1a, Do not judge.
When I first read this verse from the Living Bible translation years ago. It caught my attention as it states, Don’t criticize.
Now people who know little about the Bible are usually familiar with Jesus' saying, Do not judge. It is often used to say that one should never criticize. Yet so many people simply misunderstand and use it to defend their sinful behavior.
Now, when interpreting Scripture, we must be sure to consider the context. The context is Jesus has been warning his disciples about the false teaching and the self-righteousness of the religious leaders throughout this Sermon on the Mount. So, considering that background, Jesus is instructing his followers not to judge like the religious leaders. The religious leaders promoted themselves and criticized others. An example of this is in Luke 18.
Luke 18:9-14 states, To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
They sat as condemning, self-righteous, critical judges of other people. Jesus said in Luke 6:45 states, The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." We need to realize that our critical words spring from a critical heart.
People can have a critical heart/spirit for assorted reasons. It might be because of self-righteousness or spiritual pride like these religious leaders. As Paul mentions in I Corinthians 8:1, Knowledge puffs up. Another reason people can be critical is because of their temperament type. They naturally have this weakness of being critical. Another reason as Psychiatrist David Pink noted is that people who have tension, stress or trials in their lives tend to be faultfinders and constant critics, but those who were free or able to handle the tension, the stress, the trials of life were the least faultfinding. Whatever the reason, it is important to learn not to judge.
Principle 1: Judge not! Don’t have a critical spirit!
It is so important to stop because it destroys relationships. It destroys community. It creates distrust and violates the values of grace and mercy!
Now let me note this. This does not mean we suspend all critical analysis. In Matthew 23, Jesus evaluated, unmasked, stripped naked, judged the ugly righteous, hypocritical nature of the religious leaders. In Matthew 7:6, Jesus noted that one needs to be discerning as he says, Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.
We need to be highly discerning, but we need to shed a critical spirit. It is all too easy to jump to a hasty, negative, critical, judgmental, unmerciful attitude towards others.
After Jesus stated, Do not judge, he says at end of verse 1 and 2, ...or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Jesus was warning the religious leaders and us to be careful in having a judgmental, critical, spirit because the Lord has the final word. He is the ultimate Judge!
James 4:11, 12 states, Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? (Also note Romans 2:1-6.)
Remember, if you are going to be critical/condemning of others, God will judge you critically.
You need to be incredibly careful in judging others because of pride or self-righteousness. Be careful in judging others out of an evil attitude be it anger, fear, certain expectations, one’s own standards or selfish desires. Also, be careful of judging people without all the information. This is especially true when hearing only one side of the story from two warring parties. We should not jump to conclusions when only hearing one side.
Chuck Swindoll told about a time when he spoke at a pastor’s conference. The first day there a man approached him and said how he looked forward to hearing Dr. Swindoll speak and his delight at now finally being able to realize that desire. That evening Swindoll noticed the man sitting near the front. But only a few minutes into the message the man was sound asleep. Swindoll thought to himself that perhaps he was tired after a long day’s drive and couldn’t help himself. But the same thing happened the new few nights, and Dr. Swindoll found his exasperation/a critical spirit growing concerning this man. On the last night, the man’s wife came up and apologized for her husband’s inattention to the messages. She then explained that he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer and the medication he was taking to ease the pain made him extremely sleepy. But it had been one of his life-long ambitions to hear Dr. Swindoll speak before he died and now had fulfilled that goal.
Now please take this to heart! The only criticism or correction which is praiseworthy is that which is prompted by genuine love. I Corinthians 8:1b Knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Instead of being judgmental or critical, it is important to put on love!
One of the big questions we need to ask ourselves is “What is the most loving thing I can do for this person to help them come to know Christ or grow in Christ.” Sometimes, this is tender love in showing extra kindness, encouragement, and support. Other times, the most loving thing one can do is show some tough love. This is speaking the truth in love. If we are going to do the most loving thing, it is important to learn the difference between enabling and loving others.
Enabling makes it possible and even encourages a person to remain in immaturity or irresponsibility. In contrast, love has the goal to help a person develop, to be responsible, to be a good steward, to grow into the character of Jesus Christ. Paul writes in Colossians 1:28, He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
Now, for many people it can be difficult to speak and show the truth in love. One of the greatest social skills that any of us can develop is to correct in a loving way without being judgmental. Another issue is often people don’t want to hear the truth, even if it is done in love. Remember, there is conflict because people want it or expect it their way (James 4:1, 2).
Years ago in an early pastorate, church people complained and criticized each other regularly. I would go home from board meetings and have a problem sleeping and of course, I would complain to my wife about it. Now, it would have been very easy for me to lower the hammer or plan to move on. Yet, as I was struggling with it, the Lord opened my eyes and heart to the principle: Teach without resentment! Gently instruct!
I learned this from II Timothy 2:24-26 states, And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
As a result, I started teaching about getting along. One of my core values as a congregation is to have a joy of the fellowship. I know conflict can develop very quickly among people. It is important to love, to learn to deal gently with difficult people. People also need to learn that constructive criticism can help one mature in Christ. (Note Proverbs 9:8; 12:1; 15:31).
It is important to have a Spirit-filled perspective as it is constructive, as it loves, as it builds others up. While pharisaical judgment is destructive, as it hurts others and ultimately hurts oneself. We must avoid the latter at all costs if we are going to effectively minister to others.
Principle 2: Do not judge because God is the True Judge! Put on Love! Gently instruct!
Steve Camp told about the time he talked with Keith Green. He wrote, I talked with Keith (Green) about a month before he died, and he told me, "You know, Steve, I finally realized that it's not 'they' that have to get their lives together but it's 'we' who have to get our lives together." And I have to say that for myself. It's been easy to stand on a platform the last few years and to point the finger at people and the inadequacies and shortcomings in their Christian lives. But when I finally slowed down enough to look at my own life, I realized that I couldn't do that anymore. When I exhort, it's from within now, but it's got to always be with love.
Then Jesus says verses 3-5, Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Here is the picture of a man with a large beam in his own eye attempting to remove a small particle from the eye of another. The irony is that we often try to correct others while our own problems far surpass the errors of those we criticize.
These religious leaders did not see their own sinfulness or they didn’t think they were that big of a sinner. As a result, they were spiritually prideful. They were blind to their own sinfulness. In Luke 6:39, a parallel passage to our text, Jesus said, Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?
Part of the issue of having a critical spirit is often one does not even realize it. An example of this is King David who was a great man of God. He was the writer of many psalms, a man of prayer and worship. Yet David became arrogant and committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. Then he had Uriah murdered and took Bathsheba as his wife. But then God sent Nathan to confront him.
II Samuel 12 states, The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup, and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
Then in verse 5 and following, we see a demonstration of a critical/judgmental spirit as it says,
David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!
David was blind to his own sinfulness. He had a plank in his own eyes, and he was eager to judge.
So many people are blind to their sinfulness today. How we need to remove the plank out of our own eye as we recognize and own up to our sinfulness before a Holy God. I personally believe this is the biggest problem for the Church today. We are quick to condemn, but don’t recognize our own sinfulness/weaknesses.
How can we remove the logs of various sins that blind us? For one we need to constantly evaluate/examine ourselves. I Corinthians 11:27 states, Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. We need to examine our attitudes, our words, our behavior, our relationships. Plus, since we have such a propensity to spiritual blindness, we all need to listen to others, the Nathans, in our lives. We need to be willing for people to challenge us and help us grow in Christ.
(2) One also needs to know, understand and experience the depth of one’s own sinfulness and know the extent of God’s love!
Luke 7:36-47 gives an example of this. Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. 39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." 40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. 41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" 43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. 44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
Understanding one’s sinfulness and the grace of God will motivate us to (3) confess our sin and forsake it. It will prompt us to love the Lord with all our being and to love others! It will motivate us to confess and repent of all sin and compromises to effectively minister to others. As we do this, God’s Holy Spirit can work in our life to bring transformation!
(4) We also need to forgive! In Luke 6:37, a parallel passage to our text. Jesus said this, Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Listen, if you are going to remove the plank out of your eye, then you need to forgive!
(5) If you are going to remove the plank out of your eye, then you also need to put on an attitude of gratitude. I Thessalonians 5:18 states, Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Colossians 3:15 states, Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:17 states, And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Studies have shown that practicing gratitude can reduce negative critical thoughts. I googled this idea yesterday. Artificial intelligence stated, When you find yourself dwelling on negative thoughts, actively try to reframe them in a more positive light and find something to be grateful for in that situation.
Principle 3: Recognize your sinfulness and remove the sinful planks from your life!
Verse 6, Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Jesus says to not give what is holy to dogs or pearls to swine. Holy and pearls seem to refer to the doctrines of the kingdom. Christ called God’s kingdom the pearl of great price that a person sells everything to purchase (Matthew 13:45, 46).
The dogs and pigs Jesus spoke probably does not refer to domesticated dogs and pigs. Rather, he is referring to wild dogs who were scavengers and sometimes attack people. Pigs were considered unclean, so Jews did not domesticate them. Some scholars believe Jesus is referring to wild boars who were dangerous.
There are some people in the world who will not only reject but become hostile to the Word of God. They have ample information but have stubbornly rejected it. They may even try to tear us apart if we present it to them. In that situation, we must have God’s wisdom and discernment concerning their character and potentially not share God’s pearls with them. Note Matthew 7:15-20.
Principle 4: Learn to be discerning about people! Be wise!
Jesus put it this way in Matthew 10:16, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Let me close with this story. Two golfers stepped up to the first tee on the St. Andrews course at Ardsley, New York, one of America's oldest courses. The elder one was a kindly man who played a thoughtful, deliberate game. The younger man was full of pride and impatience. On the first hole he sliced, lost his ball in the tall grass, shot another one, and had a score of eight instead of four or five. On the second tee he began to lecture the caddie: "Keep your eye peeled. I'm not here to do your job for you!" Thereafter, every bad shot was the caddie's fault! At the end of the first nine holes, the young man was so enraged that he discharged the caddie and carried his own bag. "That caddie doesn't like me," he said to his companion, " and I'm **** sure I don't like him. He made me nervous. Thank God he's gone!"
After several holes had been played without a word, the older player broke the silence: "Several years ago a little kid from Yonkers came up here and was taken on as a caddie. He was a wonderfully sweet-natured boy; quick-witted, willing, and had a nose for golf. Everybody liked him. His name was William; he had a club foot. But that didn't affect his quality as a caddie. It was a pleasure to go out with him. A certain famous doctor, a member of the club, became interested in William and took him South on a long trip. When William returned, he went back to caddying. The doctor, however, had to give up golf shortly after that because of his health. He died a few months later. One morning I was playing a round with William carrying my bag. Spring was running riot all over Westchester County and the fields and hedges were alive with blossoms. William gathered flowers until he had quite a bouquet. 'Who's the girl, William?' I asked. 'I haven't any girl, sir,' he said sheepishly. 'They're for my friend, the doctor--twice a week I take flowers to his grave.' "You see," the man went on, "the doctor took him down South that winter and operated on his foot. He made the boy whole again. And William never forgot the doctor's act of kindness." "Now that's a caddie worth having," the younger man said. "What ever happened to this William?" "He carried your bag today for the first nine holes." (Bits and Pieces, October 1990).
Oh, how we need to wake up and seriously realize our critical spirit and put on love. How about you?
