In this Sunday sermon from Matthew 7:1–6, Pastor Nate Holdridge continues the Upside Down Kingdom series at Calvary Monterey by confronting one of the most misused verses in all of Scripture: "Judge not." Pastor Nate shows how Jesus is not forbidding discernment but warning against a hyper-critical spirit that overlooks personal flaws while fixating on the flaws of others. Working through the memorable speck-and-log imagery, he calls us to humble self-examination as the necessary first step before we can become truly helpful to our brothers and sisters, offering practical categories—parallel sins, echoed desires, and overcorrections—for honest heart-level audits. Pastor Nate Holdridge then turns to Jesus' sobering counterbalance in Matthew 7:6, cautioning us against becoming "pearl pushers" who try to force truth on the decidedly hostile. The result is a pastoral, gospel-saturated vision of kingdom people: gracious, humble, discerning, and shaped by the One who humbled himself to extend his help to us.
Jesus Famous is a ministry of Calvary Monterey.We long to see the fame of Christ. By fame, we mean His glory, His renown, or, to borrow from Colossians, His preeminence (Colossians 1:18). When Jesus is famous, everything changes and He becomes our passion, because His love is better than life.
When Jesus is famous in us, we love Him. We know Him and He knows us. We are captivated by His grace, His forgiveness, and His love.
When Jesus is famous among us, we grow in Him. Our motivations change in pursuit of the gospel. His Spirit transforms us into a loving community.
When Jesus is famous through us, we share Him. Jesus saturates our everyday rhythms and conversations. We are empowered to be on mission, serving those around us.
