Alright, Matthew chapter 7. I
titled our lesson this morning, The Golden Rule. I'll give you a second, The Golden
Rule. It ran through everybody's head. And I have striven mightily
looking at this verse this week to not come here on a Sunday
morning and give you a feel-good talk. define Christ the Savior in this
verse. And I believe that the Lord has
given that to me. So I trust that you'll pay close
attention and this will be a blessing to you. I want to begin by making
a statement that would surprise almost the entire world and may
surprise many of you. The meaning of the golden rule
is to look to Christ for salvation. The meaning of the golden rule
is not telling us how to live. The meaning of the golden rule
tells us how much we need Christ. It doesn't tell us necessarily
the primary purpose of it is not to tell us how we should
treat others or how to get others to treat us well. The golden
rule tells us, look to Christ. Let's read it and see if I can
make good on that. Matthew chapter seven, verse 12. Therefore, all
things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, Do ye even
so to them, for this is the law and the prophets. The word Lord
begins this sentence with the word. Therefore, his brother
Henry told us so many times when you're reading scripture and
you see the word, therefore, go back and see what it's there
for. Now, what we call the golden rule is the conclusion of everything
the Lord has said so far, what we call his sermon on the Mount,
treating others The way that you want them to treat you is
tied to everything that the Lord said up to this point. That's
why he's saying, therefore, he's bringing what he's been saying
to a conclusion or to a there's a conclusion here than this in
this sentence. Now, there are a lot of ways that I would like
people to treat me. You feel the same way. I'm going
to confine myself to those those ways I would like people to treat
me based upon what the Lord has said so far in this sermon. I
don't want others to murder me physically. I would really like
to not be out taking a walk someday and get murdered. I would like
to avoid that. I don't want others to murder
my feelings by talking mean and ugly to me. I don't want somebody
to ruin my reputation by lying on me. Well, then not only should
I not murder others, I should seek to not murder other people's
feelings by finding a way to speak kindly And I should not
murder people's reputation by carrying tales about them, true
or untrue. I should try not to murder their reputation that
way. Then if I've done something to offend someone, especially
one of my brethren, I would really, really like for them to forgive
me quickly and to quickly find a way that things could be set
right between us and we could have fellowship again. I would
really like that. Well, then I should seek to forgive
others quickly. Maybe with some understanding,
you know, they may not amend it that way. If they had to do
over, they wouldn't do it. You know, I should find a way
to forgive others quickly. God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven
me. I really should try to do that. If someone, if I've done
something to offend someone, if I've done something, if I've
said something off the cuff, you know, and offended someone,
I'd really like it. if they would forgive me. And if the shoe's on the other
foot, someone's done something to offend me, I would really
like if they just quickly say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Those are
three powerful words. I'm sorry. I just, oh, I wish
that they'd do that. Well, then I should do the same
thing. If I've done something to hurt someone, I should quickly
say, I'm sorry. If I've hurt them, whether it's
intentional or not, I should quickly apologize to them. Here's
something I would like. I would really like this. Oh,
I would like this. I would like it if my wife would stay married
to me. I mean, I would like that so much. I want that so much.
I want her to stay married to me. I would just really like
for her to be faithful to me. I mean, I would really like that.
I have a goal that we'd be married at least 50 years. I told her
that right after we got married. I mean, I got a goal I'm telling
you right now. I would like for that to happen. Well, then I
should treat her so well that she wants to stay married to
me and that she wants to be faithful to me. In this relationship,
it all starts with me, doesn't it? It does. I should treat her
that way, then. I would like others to be honest
with me. I worked in a job one time. I was over the finances of a
company and over collecting the bills and so forth, invoices.
that we sent out and dealing with dishonest people all the
time made this a real pet peeve of mine. I would love for people
to be honest with me. I would like it that they don't
have to swear an oath all the time that they're telling the
truth or that they'll do what they said that they'd do. I'd
like for people to be honest so that I can trust them and
a handshake is as good as a written contract. I mean, I would like
for people to deal with me that way. Well, then I should be honest
with other people. I should be a man of integrity
with other people and let my word be my bond to them. And I don't want people to hold
my feet to the fire of the law. We all know what the law says.
We know that. But I would like it if they didn't
hold my feet to the fire, but that whenever it's possible,
they could deal with me in grace, that they could deal with me
in kindness, and not always seek to punish me and condemn me for
everything that I've done in violation of the law, it will
be hard to find something like that. I just wish they wouldn't
seek to find every little thing and condemn me to the fullest
extent for it. I would like for people to treat
me that way. Well, you know that I should not demand that others
obey the law perfectly, especially where it concerns their relationship
with me. I should not seek to hold their
feet to the fire. And then when they do something
that I don't like, I shouldn't, my first initial reaction ought
not be, I want to see them punished. I mean, I want to see them suffer.
That ought not be the way I deal with people. I ought to deal
with people in kindness and graciously with them. And then I would like to be treated
this way. I would like for others to look
for ways to help me out when I'm in a time of need. I would
like it, just be nice, if somebody would seek to do something extra
to help me when I'm in a time of need. Well, then I should
look for ways not to do the bare minimum for other people. But
I should seek to go the extra mile, to help my brother, and
I should just do more than what is asked of me for you all. I should treat you that way.
Then, this is another, oh, I don't want this. I don't want to be
around religious hypocrites. I don't want you to deal with
me as a religious hypocrite. That is just annoying. I mean,
it's so annoying. Especially doing what I do. preaching the gospel to you. I want the Lord to do a work
of grace in your heart and mine. I want it to be genuine. I just
despise seeing a religious hypocrite who acts all religious and so
pious in public, but I know good and well it's not that way at
home. They're just doing it to be seen of me. I want people
to have genuine faith in Christ, a genuine love for God, a genuine
love for God's people. Those people are easy to be around,
aren't they? They know something about grace
and truth. But one of my biggest desires
for myself is that I not be a religious hypocrite. I want God to give
me genuine faith in Christ. I want to have a genuine love
for God and a genuine love for people, and I want that love
to be real. And I want that to be shown in
my action to you. I want to be real with people,
genuine people, and be a real, genuine, true friend to folks. And then every time that I say
or do something wrong, I would like it if people would not harshly
condemn me, just quickly. I would really like it if when
I say something that people would think, there's more to this story
than meets the eye. And I would, maybe I ought to
find out what's going on. Maybe I ought to find out what's
really going on here and find out the rest of the story before
I condemn old Frank. And it could be, if I find out
the other side of the story, could be I'll not feel so harshly
at it. then I should do the same for
others, shouldn't I? Every time somebody says something,
I shouldn't look for a way to say everything somebody does.
Say, see? See? They're being a hypocrite. They're just looking for ways
to be mean to me. I shouldn't do that. But I should
think, you know, there could be another side of this story.
And if I would walk a mile in their shoes, maybe I'd think,
oh, I would have done even worse if I was in their place. I'd like to treat people that
way. There's always a story. There's
always a story. And then I would like it if people
did not treat me like they know that they're better than me.
I would like that. I would like it to not deal with
people who look down their nose at me. Well, then I shouldn't
act like I'm better than anybody else. You know, I should know
this. I should know this. My sin is just as great as your
sin. And actually, it's worse. I should really know that about
myself. Scripture tells us to esteem other better than ourselves. I esteem you better than myself. I really do. I mean, there's
just no way. that you all could have a black
as hard as I do. I mean, you're nicer than me.
I mean, in every way. I esteem you better than me.
Man, I just wish you wouldn't act like it. I mean, you see
what a mess we are? I esteem you better than me.
Just don't act like you're better than me. What a mess we are. Now, I took all those ways that
I would like people to treat me straight from our Lord's Sermon
on the Mount. And you go back this afternoon,
begin in chapter 5, verse 21. Food chapter 7 verse 11, where
we left off last week, those are things, ways I would like
people to treat me based upon what the Lord said here in this
message. And I thought of some other things,
a couple of things, other ways that I would like for people
to treat me. I would like for someone to be
faithful to preach the gospel to me. I like for somebody to
be faithful to preach it. I'd like for somebody to put
their agenda second and be faithful to preach Christ to me no matter
what. And I'd like for some folks to
support it so that I could come hear it. We've had that, haven't we? We've
had that. Then God help us to be faithful,
to preach the gospel to our generation, to faithfully preach it. that
have no other agenda than preaching Christ. God help us to do that. I would like for people to pray
for me. I mean, I really would. I often
implore you to pray for me. What a blessing that is to have
your name held up in a throne room of God Almighty. What a
blessing that is. Then I should not sin against
God in ceasing to pray for you. I ought to pray for you all the
time. I should pray for the blessing
and the welfare of others before myself. And then look at 1 Corinthians
chapter 13. I would like for others to deal
with me in love. I'd like that. Well, then the
Lord tells us that I ought to treat others in love. And if
I don't treat others in love, tell you what that means. That
means I'm nothing. Just a big old zero, nothing.
1 Corinthians 13 verse 1. Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels and have not charity, love, I'm become
as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, just an annoying sound.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, preaching, and understand
all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so
that I can remove mountains, but I'm not charity, I'm nothing. And though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, though I give my body to be burned, If I have
not charity, it profits me nothing. I'm nothing if I don't love God
and love God's people. Verse four, charity. Love suffers long and is kind. Charity envieth not. Charity
bondeth not itself. It's not puffed up. You know,
if I want others to deal with me in love, I should be long
suffering with others. Understanding they're made of
the same cloth I am, the flesh just like me. I should be long
suffering with others. And when God blesses them, I
shouldn't envy them. I shouldn't envy them those things.
I should not be rash with others. I shouldn't be rash to condemn
others. I shouldn't be rash to cut them
off. I just should not think of myself more highly than I
ought to think. Just not be puffed up. Verse five, charity, love
does not behave itself unseemly. Seeketh not her own. Is not easily
provoked. Thinketh no evil. Rejoiceth not
in iniquity, but rejoiceth In truth, if I would act in love,
I shouldn't act unseemly. I shouldn't act in a way that's
unbecoming to a child of God and being easily provoked to
anger. That's unbecoming a child of
God. That's unbecoming someone who loves. It's so quickly, just
being so ready to think the worst of my brother. And instead of
thinking the best of them, that's unbecoming a child of God. If
I'd like for them not to do that to me, Well, I ought to start
not doing that to them, shouldn't I? Verse seven, love beareth
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things. Charity never faileth. I can honestly tell you, I love
you, I love you. You're on my heart every single
day. Well, love doesn't quit. Love
don't quit. I don't want to quit. being loving
and a good and faithful friend to you. Because I don't want
them to quit loving me. Verse 8, charity, love never
faileth. But whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, they
shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
For we know in part, that's the best we know is in part. And
we prophesy, we preach in part. But when that which is perfect
is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When
I was a child, I spake as a child. I understood as a child, I thought
as a child. But when I became a man, I put
away childish things. For now we see through a glass
darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then
shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith,
hope, and charity, these three. But the greatest of these is
charity. See, faith's going to quit one
day, isn't it? Faith's gonna give way to sight. Hope, oh,
to have a good hope in this life, but hope's gonna give way to
the possession one day, isn't it? But love never quits. The greatest of these is love.
I'd like for people to treat me in love, and I'd like for
the Lord to enable me to treat others in love. All right, we
all know how we want others to treat us. That is not a real
difficult concept to get across. We're all experts in how we want
others to treat us. But we need to remember this
now. The Lord isn't telling us here how others are supposed
to treat us. That's not what he's teaching.
The Lord is telling us how we're supposed to treat others. The
Bible never talks to somebody else. Ever. Ever. The Bible always talks to me.
Always. You know, here's another thing
that's just a real pet peeve of mine, and you men, you can
join with me in making the determination, I just won't do this. I despise
it when a man tells his wife, you're supposed to submit to
me. We know real well what the Bible
says to our wives, don't we? But brother, that ain't talking
to us. You know what's talking to us? Love your wife. Sacrificially, as Christ loved
the church and gave himself for it. See, the Bible is not talking
to her. The Bible's talking to me. See
that? And you apply that in every situation. So the Lord is telling us here
how we're supposed to treat others. And more than that, more than
that, what he's telling us is what our attitude toward others
should be. Well, how are you doing with
that so far? I can tell you how I answered
that question. I was going through my notes. I was studying this
this week. And Frank, how are you doing with this so far? Not good. Not good. Sometimes
I can come up with, you know, kind of the right thing, but
all of this attitude problem that the heart's a problem and
that's a problem. So if in this verse, in this
golden rule, if the Lord is telling us how to live, Wayne is no blessing
for me there. No blessing there is if he's
telling us how to live, because we can't do it. And besides that,
this is just a, my experience in the world, I just bet you
your experience is much as mine. Many, many people will not treat
you good. I don't care how you treat them.
I mean, I don't care how you treat them, they will not treat
you good. I don't care how honest with
you are, they're going to be dishonest with you. I don't care how kind
you are, how loving you are with them, they're going to take advantage
of it every time. Some will, I grant you, you know,
many will, but some won't. Many will be unaffected by how
well that you treat them. They're just going to do what
they want to do anyway. Don't be surprised when people
do what they want to do anyway. They come in and say, yeah, I've
got this situation. What do you think about this? You may as
well not tell them because they're going to do what they want to
do anyway. That's just human beings. All they're looking for
is an excuse, you to give them an excuse to do what they want
to do anyway. And you just treat them so kindly and just, oh,
they're going to take advantage of you. It just doesn't matter
how well you treat them. But you know what? You know what? That doesn't matter, does it?
Because the Bible's not talking to them. The Bible's talking
to me. We're to treat people the way
we want to be treated. Do the right thing. No matter
what. No matter how other people act,
still treat them the way you would want to be treated. So
it ought to be obvious to us. The Lord doesn't tell us how
to live, does he? And he's also not telling us how to win friends
and influence people. He's not telling us how to get
people to treat us better. Well then, where is the blessing
in this golden rule? What is the Lord really teaching
us here? Well, we need to remember this. Whenever you're looking
at scripture and you think, what does that verse mean? We need
to start here always. I can tell you what it means.
All scripture is written to show us Christ. The subject of every
verse of scripture is the Lord Jesus Christ. Every verse of
scripture is written to reveal Christ the Savior. This verse
is no different. I thought back real hard, and
you know, I can never remember a time hearing anyone quote the
entire golden rule. I can promise you, I've never
quoted the entire golden rule, ever. We say, do unto others
as you would have them do unto you. Somebody asks you, what's
the golden rule? That would be your answer, wouldn't
it? But I've never heard anybody finish it. They always leave
out, for this is the law and the province. And that statement
for this is the law and the prophets is the key to understanding what
the Lord's teaching you. That statement for this is the
law and the prophets is what gives you the blessing in this
matter of the golden rule. Remember after our Lord's resurrection,
he met those disciples on the road to Emmaus and he was walking
along with them and talking and they were so sad and, and uh,
They said, oh, we thought this was the Christ. But, you know,
he has been crucified and buried three days ago. And they asked,
where have you been? Everybody in Jerusalem knows
this. And he said, oh, fools, it's low of heart to believe
all that's written in the law and the prophets and the Psalms
concerning me. And then he opened and he expounded
them in all the scriptures, the law, the prophets and the Psalms.
the things concerning himself. They're all written. The law
and the prophets are written to reveal Christ so that we'll
trust him. If you'll turn over a page, few
pages of Matthew 22, you know, this is not the only time the
Lord's made this statement. Matthew 22 verse 34. But when the Pharisees had heard
that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered
together. Now they said, all right, let's take our shot, you
know. He put the Sadducees to silence.
We don't think much of him now. We're going to take our turns
about here. Then one of them, which was a
lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, saying, trying
to trick him and trapped him, saying, Master, what is the great
commandment in the law? Jesus saith unto him, thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
The second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets." Here again, he's talking about
the law and the prophets. All the message of the law and
the prophets hangs on these two commandments. Loving the Lord
thy God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and loving your
neighbor as yourself. Well, just two commandments. How are you doing with those
two? Huh? How are you doing really now?
How are you doing with loving God with all your heart, with
all your soul, and all your mind? Pretty poorly, aren't we? Well,
how are you doing with loving your neighbor as yourself? Oh,
we're real bad at that, aren't we? We're real bad at that. I
always take care of self first before my neighbor, don't you?
Always. Well then, what is the purpose of the law and the prophets? What is the purpose of the Lord
giving this, saying these two commandments, all the law and
the prophets hang on these two commandments if I can't keep
them? What's the purpose of Him giving me those commandments
if He already knows I can't keep them? Here's the reason. The purpose of scripture is to
make us look to Christ. It's to make us see how much
we need Him and to make us trust Him to be our righteousness.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only man who ever lived who loved
God with all his heart, soul, and mind. He's the only one.
The Lord Jesus is the only man ever lived who loved his neighbor
as himself. And he proved it, didn't he?
By suffering and dying. By suffering and dying for sinners.
To honor the father that he loved and to save the people that he
loved. So this is the purpose then. of these two commandments,
look to Christ and trust him. And our Lord says that's the
meaning of the golden rule too. It's look to Christ and trust
him. The golden rule is no different
than all the rest of the Bible. You see, the only way I can fulfill
any commandment of the law is by Christ obeying it. By me being
in him when he obeyed it as my representative. That's the only
way I can be righteous. The only way God can look at
me as righteous is by Christ obeying the law for me. So this
is what the golden rule tells me. I need Christ to give me
life because I'm dead. I need Christ to forgive me quickly
because I'm a sinner and I'll be damned if he doesn't. I need
him to forgive me. Oh, I need. Christ to be faithful
to me. Even though to my shame, how
I am often unfaithful to him, I need you to be faithful to
me. I'll be damned if he doesn't.
I need Christ to be gracious to me. I need God to be gracious
to me in the Lord Jesus Christ and not hold my feet to the fire
of the law because I can't keep I need Christ to keep the law
for me. Obey it, because I can't do it. I need Christ to help
me. And by help me, I mean do everything
for me. I don't mean pick up the slack
for what I can't do. I need Christ to help me, to do everything
for me. Just like that poor woman that
came to the Lord, wanted the Lord to heal her daughter. She
bowed and worshipped, said, Lord, help me. She didn't mean, Lord,
you know, heal the part of my daughter I can't heal. She meant
do it all for me, didn't she? That's the kind of help I need.
I need the Lord to make me faithful, to make me genuine by giving
me a new heart and a new birth because this old one can't do
it. I need him to give me a new one.
I need Christ. I need his spirit to make me
able to hear the gospel in faith and to believe I need him to
make me believe Christ because I can't do it on my own. And
I need God's love. Oh, I need it. I need him to
love me first. Not because I gave him any cause.
I can't do that. I need him to love me first.
I need that because I can't love him. And if God would do that
for me, I'd have a nature that would want to treat others right,
wouldn't I? I would. And I wouldn't be doing
it because I'm wanting to get them to treat me right. I'd be
trying to treat them right because God gave me a nature that wants
to treat them right. And if God would do that for
me and you, I bet we'd be able to get along real well, don't
you reckon? Because we'd at least both be trying to treat one another
right. That would be our desire. And
then when we find, I'm still in the flesh, and I can't treat
you like I really want to treat you, like I really know you should
be treated, then at least we'd have a nature that has the motivation
to forgive quickly and be reconciled for Christ's sake. And we'd have
a nature that would love one another. Despite all of our faults,
all of our warts, all of our weaknesses, we'd love one another
freely without a cause, because that's how God loved us. And
that's the meaning of the golden rule. And if we get that meaning
and we look to Christ together, I bet we'd find a lot of love
and unity together. You understand? Well, I hope
the Lord bless that too.