## Beams, Splinters, and Sawdust

## Luke 6:39-46

I have entitled this message: "Beams, Splinters, and Sawdust". It has to do with the eyes. I am not seeing as well as I would like. I will hopefully get my new glasses next week. But our eyes are extremely important to us aren't they. I have had sawdust in my eyes before, it is very painful. I know a bit about splinters as well, although I couldn't imagine one in my eye. And, I have even been knocked in the head with a two by four, but I have never had one in my eyes.

In this passage we are instructed concerning both what and who we are to watch. The breakdown of the passage is as follows:

- Watch blindness: one's leaders and how one leads (v.39).
- Watch the Master (the Lord Himself) (v.40).
- Watch hypocrisy and the criticism of others (v.41-42).
- Watch the fruit that a man brings forth (v.43- 45).

I. Spiritual Blindness = Darkness: the first rule is to watch blindness. "Can the blind lead the blind?"

A. Note who the blind are.

1. They are the leaders:

a. Preachers, teachers, parents-- anyone who has influence or responsibility for anyone else.

b. In fact, any person can be blind and lead someone else down the same path of blindness.

c. But observe a significant fact.

2. Jesus also says that the blind are those who follow: the pupil, learner, listener, seeker, child--anyone who looks up to someone else for guidance.

B. Note why people are blind true both of physical and spiritual blindness.

1. A person can be born blind.

a. He can be handicapped:

b. (spiritually) never having had the opportunity to see the truth of things, never having been exposed to the light.

2. A person can be blind because of some injury: (spiritually) He used to be able to see and had every opportunity to see, but now he is blind, blind because...

a. he injured himself by some careless act. (He is guilty of blinding himself to the Light.)

b. he was blinded by someone else, either deliberately or carelessly. (Others led him astray, led him off into the darkness.)

c. he was blinded by nature. (Circum- stances, heritage, location kept him from ever having the opportunity to escape the darkness.)

3. A person can be blind because he wants and chooses to be in the dark. (The dark is his choice; he finds the dark is enjoyable and comfortable; therefore, he refuses to come out into the light and to see the truth of things.)

4. A person can be blind because he closes his eyes or turns his head and looks away. (He just refuses to see the light, the truth.)

C. Jesus warned against being blind.

1. He said blindness leads to two tragic results.

2. Both walk in darkness, both the leader and the follower.

a. Being a leader does not guarantee that one walks in the light.

b. A leader can be blind, and if the leader is blind, then the follower will remain blind.

c. The leader must see and have his sight if the follower is to ever see.

3. Both stumble and fall "into the ditch."

a. Being a leader does not guarantee that one will not fall.

b. The blind person will stumble and fall no matter who he is, leader or not.

c. And note, a leader will especially stumble about and fall if he is on strange or unfamiliar terrain.

d. The truth of Christ is totally unknown terrain to the blind teacher, no matter his profession.

II. Self-Denial = Dedication: the second rule is to watch the life of the Master, of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

'The disciple is not above his Lord: but ... shall be as his Master.'

A. The word 'perfect' means to complete, to mend, or to restore.

1. In the Bible it is often used for mending, repairing, or restoring broken things.

2. It is used when the James and John were mending their nets. cf Mt.4:21

3. And it is used of men who have been overtaken in a fault and need to be restored. cf Gal.6:1

B. The point is forceful: 'the disciple is not above his Master'.

1. The disciple is not better than his Lord; therefore, he cannot expect to be treated better, nor can he expect to receive more in this world than his Lord.

2. The disciple cannot expect to be better by having more honor, praise, recognition, or esteem.

3. He cannot expect to have more comfort, rest, or pleasure.

4. The Lord suffered, humbled, and denied Himself for the sake of the world and its needs.

5. The disciple, as a follower of the Lord, does the same; he denies himself in order to reach the world for his Lord. cf Ph. 2:5-8

III. Criticism = Hypocrisy: the third rule is to watch hypocrisy and criticism of others.

Note a crucial fact: Jesus was speaking to everyone seated before Him.

- No matter how moral, decent, strong, religious, or free of visible sin, He was speaking to everyone seated in the audience.
- No one was exempt.
- Everyone was to watch out for hypocrisy and criticism of others
- Why? Because whatever is in a person's eye, even if it is only a speck of sawdust, is serious.
- Even a speck of sawdust causes the eye to water, squint, blink, and close.
- The speck hinders a person's sight (life, walk) and holds him back from full sight and service.

A. Both persons, the one being criticized and the criticizer, do have a problem.

1. Both have a need to clean the dirt out of their eyes.

2. Neither one is free of dirt.

3. Not a single person serves in perfect obedience and ministry to the Lord.

4. There is at least a speck in everyone's eye.

B. The criticizer has the biggest problem.

1. This is usually overlooked.

2. Criticism of others is a beam.

3. If one has only a speck in his eye, when he begins to criticize others he immediately catches a beam in his own eye.

4. Criticism is the tree that strikes the eye and blinds one to his own need, his need for continued confession and repentance.

5. The criticizer becomes blinded to his constant need for the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

'But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins' (2 Pet.1:9). [8]

C. The criticizer is a hypocrite.

1. He is like all other men, full of many faults and coming short, yet he finds fault with others.

2. He criticizes, grumbles, gripes, condemns, judges, and censors others while he too is guilty of so much in so many other areas.

3. And note: his greatest fault is that he sets himself up as the Judge, as the one who has the right to judge men.

4. The disciple must examine himself first.

a. Judging himself first will enable him to see clearly just how to help others.

b. Rigid examination is required.

c. Simple honesty and thought say that a man must clean the dirt out of his own eye before he can see clearly enough to help others clean their eyesight.

"Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingbiock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way' (Ro. 14:13). [9]

IV. Fruit-Bearing = Words and Tongue: watch the fruit that a man brings forth.

A. Every tree is known by its fruit, its nature.

1. A good man is not judged by a bad piece of fruit here and there, but by the good fruit he bears.

2. Every tree produces some bad fruit, yet the tree is not cast away.

3. A tree is not rejected unless it leans toward bad fruit.

4. When testing and examining men, we must observe not single acts here and there; but the tenor, the lean, the whole behavior of their lives.

B. Every tree reproduces after its nature, after its kind.

1. How can we tell if a man is false?

2. There is one revealing mark: the fruit he gathers.

3. A man is known by the fruit he feeds upon and the fruit he feeds to others

4. A man must feed on and feed others the truth of the Lord and His Word.

C. Every man reproduces what is in his heart.

1. Note that Jesus is dealing with a man's mouth, the words a man speaks.

2. A man speaks what is in his heart.

3. His words expose his heart, the kind of man he is.

4. The idea is that words come out of an overflowing heart:

"...Out of the abundance [overflow] of the heart the mouth speaketh." (Mt. 12:34)

5. A man's words expose five things about him:

- A man's words expose his true nature: what he is really like beneath the surface.
- A man's words expose what he is down deep within his heart: his motives, desires, ambitions, or the lack of initiative.
- A man's words expose his true character: good or bad, kind or cruel.
- A man's words expose his mind, what he thinks: pure or impure thoughts, dirty or clean thoughts.
- A man's words expose his spirit, what he believes and pursues: the legitimate or illegitimate, the intelligent or ignorant, the true or false, the beneficial or wasteful.

"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit' (Mt.7:17).

Tonight, how is our Spiritual vision? Are we leading or following blindly? Are we focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we constantly watching for hypocrisy and criticism? Are we honestly looking at the results or fruit of our lives?