Sermon on The Mount - 11 - Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12 NKJV

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Mat7.12

“Therefore” - look to see what its there for

Since we know we can Ask, Seek, Knock

And we know we will be Heard

And we know that we will be answered

and we know we will be answered as dear children

1 John 5:14–15 NKJV

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

1john

Then, we can be confident in our position as we relate to others

I can afford to treat you as I want to be treated

I don’t need to worry, God will take care of me

Like James, I can show you my faith by my works

Whatever

Whatever You want men to do to You

This was a revolutionary idea. And it still is today.

Similar statements are found elsewhere, but always in the negative

The Old Testament Apocrypha for instance

The Jewish Rabi Hillel said:

The Message of the Sermon on the Mount 4. Our Attitude to All Men (12)

‘What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else.

‘What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else.”

Some might even suggest (wrongly) that Jesus was quoting Hillel’s principle

there is really an enormous difference between the negative maxim of Hillel (‘Do not do to others what is hateful to you’) and the positive initiative contained in the instruction of Jesus (‘Do to others what you wish they would do to you’)

It was easy to understand the idea of not doing wrong things to people

But Jesus teaches us that “not doing” good things is a wrong thing...

So, we have an obligation, as a Christian, to go out of our way to do good...

We often say “I don’t owe them anything”, yet as Christians, we owe a debt...

Romans 1:13–17 NKJV

Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Perhaps nowhere is this principle of the Golden Rule better illustrated than in Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan

Jesus had been asked “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

He answered “What is written, how do you understand it”

we have The Word available to us

The man quoted the 1st and 2nd great commandments and Jesus agreed

Then the man, wanting to justify himself....

So many people are caught up trying to “justify themselves”

Worrying about their own interests instead of others

chasing their own glory instead of God’s

Oh, if only they knew the things that lead to their peace!!!

So, He asked “who is my neighbor?” and Jesus related the story...

Luke 10:30–36 NKJV

Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

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The Good Samaritan observed the Golden Rule

The Good Samaritan

The golden Rule in action

The Samaritan had no more obligation to help than the others

and perhaps considerably less

He had done nothing to cause the man’s troubles

He was also likely to get nothing in return for helping

Following are very important points.

The golden rule has nothing to do with what you expect others to do for you

There is no promise in this rule that your actions will be reciprocated, or even appreciated

In fact, providing this help was likely to cost the Samaritan something

We should do GOOD because it is GOOD.

As Jesus had explained, we are commanded to “love our neighbor”

The Good Samaritan

Matthew 22:39–40 NKJV

And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Romans 13:8–9 NKJV

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Romans 13:8 NKJV

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

So, if we really love God, we shoudl be pleased to do the good to others that we would like

If we really trust God, we need not worry about getting our recompense from men

If we honor or fear God, we should not try playing games with His Words - twisting - into such questions as “who is my neighbor”

Just do Good because God is good

Galatians 5:14 NKJV

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

We do have this promise though

Ephesians 6:8 NKJV

knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Ephesians 3:8 NKJV

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

So. how does this work in everyday life?

So. how does this work in everyday life?

It does not mean automatically agree with everyone.

A wise man is made wiser when he is corrected

It doesn’t mean just give away all your substance....

We must be good stewards of what we are entrusted with in order to give more

We must also avoid enabling people who are only harming themselves or others

Just as we should hope others would do for us.

It does mean being strategic in our thinking, with the goal of pleasing Jesus

what would Jesus do? You really are expected to do likewise

How are we doing in this area

If there is one command that we can master that helps us fulfill all the others, shouldn’t we give it extra attention?

The Golden Rule is all about our response to the world around us

In the past week:

How did you respond?

Did someone need your help?

How do you want people to respond when you need help?

Did someone say something to offend you?

How do you want people to respond when you say something they don’t like?

Did someone do something to inconvenience you?

How do you want others to respond when you do likewise?

Did someone ask for something you didn’t owe? (money, time, tasks, etc.)

How do you wish others would respond when You ask them?

Has the LORD brought a situation to your memory?

Lets do better

The past is behind us

Thank God for His grace.

But now, lets get this right!!!

Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them