We live in a world constantly bombarding us with messages about who we are, what the good life looks like, and how we can obtain it. In a culture carried by the whims of personal desire and comfort, we hear values like “follow your heart;” in a culture where we are constantly divided from one another, we start to believe that our spite is justified; in a culture that is constantly blaming others, we jump into the blame game. Yet each of these notions lead us not to life, freedom, or peace, but further into death, captivity, and anxiety. In Jesus’ ministry, He regularly spoke against all sorts of notions that we consider commonplace today, and in listening and applying His words together, we will find a lasting, peaceful, joyous life in the midst of a culture mired in anxiety, division, and hatred.
Listen as Pastor Clint examines Jesus' parable on examining the log in our own eye, the way that refutes our culture's tendency to blame or damn others, and how Jesus' process can lead us to true transformation in the midst of our difficulties with others.
Sermon Notes:
1. Study entitled "Less Evil Than You" at the University of Chicago: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/media-relations-and-communications/press-releases/holier-than-thou-or-less-evil-than-you-the-true-nature-of-self-righteousness
2. “People evaluate themselves by adopting an ‘inside perspective’ focused heavily on evaluations of mental states such as intentions and motives, but evaluate others based on an ‘outside perspective’ that focuses on observed behavior for which intentions and motives are then assumed.” -Nicholas Epley and Nadav Klein, "Less Evil Than You"
3. Barna study on the perception of Christians by non-Christians: https://www.barna.com/research/a-new-generation-expresses-its-skepticism-and-frustration-with-christianity/
4. “No person knows the strength of another person’s temptations. The person with the placid and equable temperament knows nothing of the temptations of the person whose blood is afire and whose passions are on a hair-trigger. The person brought up in a good home and in Christian surroundings knows nothing of the temptation of the person brought up in a slum, or in a place where evil stalks abroad. The person blessed with fine parents knows nothing of the temptations of the person who has the load of a bad heredity upon his back. The fact is that if we realized what some people have to go through, so far from condemning them, we would be amazed that they have succeeded in being as good as they are.” -William Barclay, Commentary on Matthew
5. "The Wounded Healer," by Henri Nouwen
