Matthew 7:12

Introduction:

So the Story Goes…

From 222 to 235 AD, Alexander Severus Was the Emperor of Rome

He Was Not a Christian…

But He Was Extremely Impressed With One Saying/Rule of the Christians

So Impressed That He Decided to Have it Inscribed in Gold on the Wall of His Chamber

It Went Something Like This:

Matthew 7:12 (NASB)

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

To This Day We Still Call This Christian Way of Life:

The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12

This is the Final Teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount

He Ends With the Golden Rule

Jesus Wasn’t the Originator of This Command

It Was Taught in Many Different World Religions Before and After Jesus

Hinduism

Buddhism

Confucianism

Several Greek and Roman Ethical Teachings

And Also Jewish Rabbinic Teachings

But, it Was Almost Always Taught in the Negative Form

“Don’t Do to Others What You Don’t Want Them to Do to You.”

Jesus Changed it to a Positive Commandment

Robert Mounce (1921-2019) - “In its negative form, the Golden Rule could be satisfied by doing nothing. The positive form moves us to action on behalf of others.”

It’s a Wonderful Thing to Not Treat People the Way You Don’t Want Them Treating You

But Even Better Than That is to Treat People the Way You Want Them Treating You

Matthew 7:12 (NASB)

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus Uses the Word “Therefore”

That Means What He’s Saying Corresponds to What He Previously Said

What Had Jesus Previously Taught?

Well, There’s an Immediate Teaching

And There’s the Ultimate Teaching

Last Week We Looked at the Immediate Teaching:

How We Need to Be Persistent in Our Asking, Seeking, and Knocking Toward the Kingdom

Essentially, Our Top Priority Ought to Be His Kingdom

Living According to the Kingdom Standards

And Spreading the Good News of the Kingdom to Outsiders

And if the Kingdom is Our Top Priority, God Will Bless Us With What is Good

God Promises to Give His People the Holy Spirit to Help Us Live Righteously Toward Him in His Kingdom

So Jesus Just Taught That God Graciously and Lovingly Provides For His Children What We Ask For/Need/Want

And Now His Children Ought to Turn Around and Do the Same to Others

But Then You’ve Got the Ultimate Teaching:

The Entire Sermon

Let’s Quickly Review What Jesus Has Taught Us in His Sermon:

He Began With the Beatitudes

Characteristics of Citizens of His Kingdom

We are to Be Salt and Light in this Tasteless, Dark World

He Told Us That We Must Have Greater Righteousness Than the Scribes and Pharisees if We Want to Be Citizens of His Kingdom

This Became the Theme of His Sermon

How to Have Greater Righteousness Than Them

He Taught Us the True Intention of the Old Law (the Law the Scribes and Pharisees Had Twisted)

“Don’t Murder” Was Supposed to Include “Don’t Remain Angry, But Reconcile Instead”

“Don’t Commit Adultery” Was Supposed to Include “Don’t Lust”

Divorce Was Never Meant to Be an Option, Except For Fornication

“Don’t Make False Vows” Was Meant to Teach Us to Be Honest All the Time, Not Just When We Make a Vow

“An Eye For an Eye” Was Meant to Teach Us Not to Retaliate When Wronged

“Love Your Neighbor” Was Supposed to Include Everyone, Even Your Enemies

Then He Taught Us Not to Practice Our Righteous Deeds in Order to Be Seen and Glorified

Don’t Give to Those in Need in Order to Be Seen

Don’t Pray in Order to Be Seen

Don’t Fast in Order to Be Seen

Then He Taught Us to Store Up Treasures in Heaven and Not on Earth

Be Generous With What You Have, and You Will Be Generously Rewarded in Eternity

Then He Taught Us Not to Worry About Our Daily Necessities

If We Seek First the Kingdom and His Righteousness, God Will Provide For Us What We Need

Then He Taught Us Not to Judge Others Harshly or Hypocritically

Then He Taught Us About Persistence in Asking, Seeking, and Knocking Toward the Kingdom

When Jesus Says “Therefore” in the Golden Rule Text…

He is Saying, “Keeping in Mind All That I Have Taught You, Treat Others the Way You Want Them to Treat You.”

He is Summarizing the Entire Sermon

The Primary Characteristic of a Citizen of Jesus’ Kingdom is That They Treat Others the Way They Want to Be Treated

The Way We Have Greater Righteousness Than the Scribes and Pharisees is By Treating Others the Way We Want to Be Treated

The Lifestyle of a Citizen of Jesus’ Kingdom Can Be Summed Up Like This:

Citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom Treat Others the Way They Want to Be Treated

Is it Sticking Yet?

As it Relates to Others, This Sermon Summarizes Who a Christian is

And This Verse Summarizes the Sermon!

But Not Only Does it Summarize Jesus’ Sermon…

He Says it Summarizes the Whole Old Testament!

Matthew 7:12 (NASB)

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

39 Books of the Old Testament, as it Relates to Human Relationships, Can Be Summarized in 13 Words in the NASB

As the Story Goes,

A Gentile Approached Rabbi Hillel (110 B.C. - 10 AD)

He Promised Hillel He Would Convert to Judaism if Hillel Could Teach Him the Law While Standing On One Leg

How Do You Teach Someone 613 Laws While Standing On One Leg?

Rabbi Hillel Said, “Whatever you do not want someone to do to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Law; the rest of it is just explanation”

Hillel and Jesus Seem to Be On the Same Page

That Simple, Yet Profound Command is What the Law is All About

All the Rest of it is Just Explanation/Expounding Upon it

Jesus Began and Ends His Sermon With Talking About the Law and the Prophets (OT)

In 5:17-20, Jesus Explained That He Had Not Come to Abolish the Old Law But to Fulfill it

He Fulfilled the Law By Obeying it Perfectly

He Fulfilled Every Messianic Prophecy

He Fulfilled the Sacrificial System

He Fulfilled the Old Covenant Between Israel and God:

He Relived Israel’s History and Remained Perfectly Faithful to God as a Human

He Fulfilled the Blessed Promises to Abraham’s Descendants as God

The Entire Old Testament is Perfectly Fulfilled in Jesus

He Didn’t Come to Destroy it

He Came to Fulfill it/Perfectly Complete it

And Now He Tells Us How We Can Live According to the True Standard of the Law

Which is the Standard of the Kingdom as Well

Treat Others the Way You Want to Be Treated

Application

The Problem With Christians and This Verse is Not That We Don’t Know it

We Know This Verse Like We Know John 3:16

I Didn’t Learn This Verse in Church, I Learned it in Secular School

We All Know This Verse

Our Problem is That We Don’t Live it/Apply it

How, When, and With Who Do We Apply the Golden Rule?

Matthew 7:12 (NASB)

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

How Do I Treat People the Same Way I Want Them to Treat Me?

In Everything!

Put Yourself in the Shoes of Others and Ask Yourself:

“How Would I Like to Be Treated in That Situation?”

Or, Even Easier…

Think About Someone in Your Life

And Ask Yourself, “What Do I Want That Person to Do For Me?”

“How Do I Want That Person to Treat Me?”

Then Go and Do That For That Person

Go and Treat That Person That Way

When Do I Treat People the Same Way I Want Them to Treat Me?

“In Everything” Means “Always!”

We Should Always Treat Others the Way We Want to Be Treated

If Christians Always Followed the Golden Rule:

We Would Never Be Mean, But Always Nice

We Would Never Be Greedy, But Always Generous

We Would Never Be Harsh, But Always Gentle

We Would Never Be Judgemental, But Always Merciful

We Would Never Be Cruel, But Always Kind

We Would Never Be Hateful, But Always Loving

We Would Never Be Arrogant, But Always Humble

We Would Never Be Discouraging, But Always Encouraging

We Would Never Be Unpleasant, But Always Joyful

We Would Never Be Impatient, But Always Patient

We Would Never Seek to Harm, But Always Seek Their Good

Who Should I Treat the Way I Want to Be Treated?

“People”

That Means “Everyone”!

Citizens of the Kingdom Practice the Golden Rule:

At Home

At Work

While Driving

With Our Neighbors

With Our Friends

With Our Enemies

With Everyone

Another Name For the Golden Rule is the 2nd Greatest Command

Matthew 22:37–40 (NASB)

And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

It’s Also Called “The Royal Law” or “The Law of Our King”

James 2:8 (NASB)

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

If We Focus Our Lives On Following the Golden Rule…

However, Whenever, and With Whoever…

We Can Rest Assured That We Are Living According to the Standard of the Kingdom

The Golden Rule is Not a Hard Commandment to Grasp

But it is Hard to Obey

But With the Help of the Spirit, it is Possible

If We Will Only Make the Kingdom Our Priority…

We Will Follow the Golden Rule

We Will Have More Righteousness Than the Scribes and Pharisees

We Will Glorify God With Our Lives

And We Will Be Faithful Citizens of Christ’s Kingdom…

Waiting For the Wonderful Day of Our King’s Return…

When All Things Will Be Made New

When All Things Will Be Perfect Once Again

Let’s Go Out in Our Community This Week and Show the World What Our King is Like

Let’s Show the World How Great His Kingdom is

Let’s Show the World How His People Live

And if We Do That This Our Family/Community Will Grow

But Better Than That, Our God Will Be Glorified in Livingston, TN