You and Me and The Golden Rule
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning.
If I were to ask you your thoughts on Jesus’ most famous teachings from the New Testament, what would you include in your list?
Lots of them would make the list, right?!
Here’s a few (in no particular order):
“Love your enemies ...”
“Judge not ...”
“Judge righteous judgment ...”
“Enter by the narrow gate ...”
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth ...”
“You are the light of the world ...”
“You must be born again.”
“You who is without sin cast the first stone.”
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
That’s ten of Jesus’ most famous sayings — We could list many more.
But here’s one more — from Matthew 7:12
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Also know as … the Golden Rule.
This morning we want to talk about the Golden Rule, as it applies to you and to me.
I want to begin by talking about some …
Common Misconceptions that people have about the Golden Rule
Common Misconceptions that people have about the Golden Rule
I think unfortunately many of Jesus’ statements are misconstrued by those who misunderstand the Bible or even purposely misconstrue it to achieve their own ends.
Just like people misconstrue many passages of the Bible!
So it should come as no surprise, then, that sometimes people misconstrue the idea of the Golden Rule.
Oftentimes people who have no interest in the Bible whatsoever will still be aware of the Golden Rule, and even those who have a general disdain for the Bible will still respect the principle of the Golden Rule.
It’s pretty hard to argue against treating others how you want to be treated!
That said, here is what the Golden Rule is NOT saying:
“Treat others how they have treated you!”
Now obviously, that’s not what Jesus said, but that’s how a lot of people act!
“Well, what goes around comes around, buddy, so here’s what you have coming!”
(Then the person who said that proceeds to mistreat the person on the other end, or fight them, or whatever right?)
“What goes around comes around” is kind of another way of saying “you reap what you sow,” right?
Which is true!
But that still doesn’t allow us to act like the person who says, “You have this coming!” and proceeding to punch them or chew them out or what have you!
We need to realize that even though you DO reap what you sow, we need to leave things in God’s hands and not take matters into our own.
People are going to mistreat us in life! (That’s called “life,” when life consists of people around us who are imperfect).
We can’t control how people treat us, what people do to us!
But we CAN control how WE react to those people!
So the Golden Rule does NOT mean you treat people how they treated you!
You treat people how YOU want to be treated!
Jesus says “This is the Law and the Prophets” (in other words, this proper mindset summarizes the Law and the Prophets!)
Now, here’s another misconception:
And this is not really a misconception that people would admit they have, but their ACTIONS would say otherwise, and that is …
“The Golden Rule doesn’t apply to me, just everybody else!”
Now again, nobody would ever SAY that, but some folks sure act like it!
Let me give a few examples:
The person who skips in line at the amusement park thinks that they are entitled to receive special treatment … and yet the moment someone jumps in line ahead of THEM … Watch out!
Or what about the person who jumps in front of someone to take the last piece of chicken at the buffet?!
How about a parent who teaches his or her children to do unto others as you would have them do unto you, but then turns around and verbally or emotionally or even physically abuses the children behind closed doors at home?! :(
What about the person who commits plagiarism in his academic pursuits? — certainly he wouldn’t want someone stealing HIS work — and yet, he will do it to someone else!
Or what about the person who takes advantage of a little old lady and knowingly sells her a bad car?
Or the cashier that sneaks some cash from the cash back feature of the purchase and hopes she doesn’t get caught?!
All of these and more are examples of people who basically think that the Golden Rule doesn’t apply to them based on the way that they are treating others!
Another similar saying of Jesus that we are all familiar with is His telling of the Greatest Commands:
Matt. 22:37-40
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
“All the Law and the Prophets!”
Where else did Jesus talk about that?
At the end of the Golden Rule! Matt. 7:12
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
15. Do we truly love God, and do we truly love our fellow man?!
If so, then we will have no problem treating others the way that we want to be treated!
16. I have one more common misconception about the Golden Rule, and that is this:
“You can’t say that.”
Or, “You can’t preach against that because that is mean, and meanness violates the Golden Rule.”
To which very quickly I would say that person has a major misunderstanding of the Golden Rule and needs to look at the entire body of work of Jesus’ sayings, as well as His apostles’ sayings, as well as the O.T. prophets’ sayings, too!
17. Let’s talk about the Golden Rule as it pertains to you and me in two ways …
The Golden Rule in Regard to Conversations
The Golden Rule in Regard to Conversations
Brethren, the Golden Rule does have major applications to the conversations that we have with one another on a day to day basis!
The question becomes, “If ‘so and so’ and another ‘so and so’ were talking about ME the way that I am talking about THEM, how would that make me feel?”
You see if we rightly applied the Golden Rule to some of our behind the scenes conversations that we’re having, something tells me that there would be a whole lot less gossip …
A whole lot less backbiting …
A whole lot less slander …
A whole lot less rumors …
And a whole lot less talebearing!
The Golden Rule dictates the kinds of language that we use within our conversations.
Eph. 4:29
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Tell me, would YOU want people using corrupt communication in front of your small children (2 or 3 years old)? (No)
Then why would you want to use that kind of language yourself when those children aren’t looking?
Tell me this — Do you want people’s words to edify you (build you up)? (Yes)
Then edify and build up OTHERS yourself!
Or this — Do you want people to be GRACIOUS in their dealings with you and their conversations towards you? (Yes)
Then be gracious in your dealings and conversations with them!
Take a look at …
Col. 3:8
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
Filthy communication out of your mouth! (Among other things we should be putting away from ourselves as well)
Do we want people using FILTHY, SMUTTY or INAPPROPRIATE flirtatious language around, let’s say, our spouse?
Then why would we ever use that kind of language or have that kind of attitude around someone else’s spouse?
The Golden Rule applies to our conversations!
But finally …
The Golden Rule in Regard to How We Treat People
The Golden Rule in Regard to How We Treat People
Let me ask you this — How do you treat the checkout girl at Homeland?
How do you treat the carhop at Sonic?
How do you treat the waiter or the waitress at the Cracker Barrel?
How do you treat the custodian who cleans up your popcorn at the movie theater?
How do we treat people we come into contact with out in the public — people who we probably don’t know their names — people that we probably won’t be seeing again in the future — so the question becomes, do we let that affect the way we treat those people?
If Jesus Christ were the one serving you at the restaurant (after all, He was a servant!), I wonder what He would think about the tip you left Him?
If Jesus Christ were your carhop at Sonic, I wonder if would chew Him out when your order takes 10 minutes instead of 3 or 4?
If Jesus Christ were the one picking up after you at the movie theater, would He hate to see you coming, or would He be like — “Those folks always pick up their OWN trash. How nice!”
Someone says, “Come on, you’re oversimplifying just a bit!”
To which I say, “Isn’t that the point?!”
Treating other people how we want to be treated really is simple to understand … BUT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO PUT INTO PRACTICE!
Do we not sometimes have the tendency if we’re not extremely careful to act like we’re better than other people because of things like status in life, or age, or background?
Yet, Philippians 2:3 says …
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
The next verse goes on to say … Phil. 2:4
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Hmm … Now that sounds a whole lot like … … … THE GOLDEN RULE, doesn’t it?!
Our interactions with and how we TREAT people are extremely important for our influence as Christians!
I want you to think about something … I want you to think about the works of the flesh with me.
Gal. 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
How many of those are a direct affront to God Himself?
And how many of them are direct affronts against other PEOPLE?!
Well, all of them in some way are one of these, if not both!
(Well, actually ALL of them are against God — and most of them against other people, too!)
Adultery — an affront against another man, taking another man’s wife (or another woman’s husband)!
Fornication — an affront against marriage (which is an affront against God, getting “ahead of the game,” participating in such before the covenant has been made!
Lewdness — an affront against public decency! (Caused by IN-decency!) (By the way, in Puritan times, a lot of the lewdness that is now common on the streets and in the dance halls would NOT have flown!)
Idolatry — an affront directly against God!
Sorcery — also an affront directly against God!
Hatred, contentions, jealousies, outburst of wrath, etc. etc. — All affronts to how we’re supposed to treat other people! (And we could go on)
So next time you go through that list, ask yourself — “Would I want people committing these sins against ME? Or against my FAMILY?”
(No)
Then why would we want to commit the very same things?!
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
The Golden Rule — A very well-known verse — A very well-known principle!
But not always properly applied!