The LORD's Day Memorial Day Weekend, May 24, 2009

The Golden Rule

Matthew 7.12

Jesus boiled the Old Testament down to a few sentences:

Matthew 7.12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22.36 Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? 37 Jesus replied: “ 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

It is the second half that we are looking at this morning.

Jesus is calling us to treat others as we would like them to treat us.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.

Cashier at grocery store... “We are just trying to do our job. It isn’t our fault if things are going right for them.”

This message is going to be a series of questions for the most part. It is going to be a personal spiritual inventory on relationships. Colossians 4.5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt

Jesus was and is the Master Teacher. His statements were profound and deep with meaning for life. When He taught there were questions that arose. Doing to others what you would have them do to you raises some interesting questions...

1. How Do You Like To Be Treated?

Kindly Ephesians 4.32
We all like courtesy None of us enjoys to be treated harshly. We don’t like it when people are rude to us.

With Respect
When people are disrespectful we feel it. It is not pleasant. We ought to treat each person with dignity because they have been made in God’s image.
Genesis 1.27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him

With an Attentiveness to Your Needs
All of us have personal needs. Some of us need to have someone listen, others need to be encouraged. Some of us need to lead, other need to follow.
Philippians 2.4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others

Going Out of the Way to take care of you
We like it when people go the extra mile with us. It is good to be pampered a little. If someone does something they didn’t have to do but that they wanted to do we are touched. I know a waitress who took an order and then brought crayons to kids.

Fairly
When we are buying or selling we only want to be treated fairly.
in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.

Courteously
Manners bless us. I took two boys out for ice cream the other night who had moved the wood chips in the parking lot to the play area of the nursery school and I heard things like “thank you” and it was so pleasant. Do you like to hear thank you? Then say thank you!

Love=Agape
to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly, to be well pleased, to be contented
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.

Galatians 5.22-23 the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Is there rejoicing in others’ success?

Is there peace between you and others?

Are you patient with people?

Do you seek the good of others?

Are you a faithful person?
You are a rarity.
Proverbs 20.6 Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?

Are you gentle in dealing with others?
Paul wrote to the Thessalonicans: As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.I Thessalonians 2.7

Are you under self control in situations with people you have to deal with?

2. How Do You Treat Others?

Don’t Judge. (v.1)

Are you critical? Are you harsh? Do you think you know other people’s motives?

Are you giving grace? Better to ere there than come up short. Is your conversation seasoned with salt and full of grace? Colossians 4.5-6

Is there places where you know you are falling short of God’s love with people?

Jesus is telling here that we to need to think about how we treat others. We should be asking ourselves from time to time how we treat others in reference to how we would like other to treat us
3. What Changes is God speaking to me about right now?

In a message like this people come to mind, situations come the surface. Here is where we need to pray for God to change our hearts.

This is a good time to pray the prayer David prayed in Psalm 139.23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Look deep with in my spirit and my life O God

Show me what I am thinking.

See if in any way I am offending You or others. Lead me in the good path that leads to Life

Help me LORD (and this is not easy ) to make the changes I need to make immediately and to follow You in a selfless life. I am thankful that You have overcome the world and that through You we are made more than conquerors Help me to live like You, to walk in Your steps.
In Your Name, Amen