How to Obey the Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12-14
Let’s turn to Matthew 7. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring one to you. Matthew 7 is on page 812 in the Bibles we are passing out.
While you are doing that -- I want to find out how many of you have heard of the Golden Rule – “whatever you wish that others would do for you – do also for them.”
What that means is that instead of seeking to have others meet our needs – we focus on meeting their needs. We serve them, care for them, love them. That’s the Golden Rule. So most of you have heard of that.
So – how are we doing in this? How many of you have got the Golden Rule down – so it comes easily? Looks like we all could work on this one.
So here’s another question – how many of know the reason – the promise Jesus gives us to enable us to keep the Golden Rule? Do you know what it is?
So most all of us need help in obeying the Golden Rule. But most of us don’t know the promise Jesus gives to enable us to keep the Golden Rule.
What that shows is that too many of us – including me – think we can obey by our own will-power. We think we can obey without using the reasons and promises given in God’s Word.
But I hope that after this morning – we will all see how crucial it is to see in Scripture not just the commands – but also the reasons which will empower us to obey those commands.
So let’s look at what Jesus says in Matthew 7:12-14 --
12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Let’s start with -- What does it mean to do for others what we wish them to do for us? Read that again in v.12 --
12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus is saying – think of all the good things you like others to do for you.
Listen to you.
Buy you lunch.
Notice you.
Care about you.
Give you time.
Help you move.
Go to the restaurant you prefer.
Encourage you.
Affirm you.
“Like” your Facebook posts.
Jesus says – take all those things you like others to do for you – and do those things for them.
Listen to them.
Buy them lunch.
Notice them.
Care about them.
Give them time.
Help them move.
Go to the restaurant they prefer.
Encourage them.
“Like” their Facebook posts.
This is a radically different way to live.
See, here’s how we usually live. This empty cup is your heart – empty, needy. And what we naturally do is seek to have our emptiness filled by other people – I want to have this person listen to me – this person buy me lunch – this person encourage me – this person give me time.
But Jesus calls us to live a totally different way. Instead of seeking to have our emptiness filled by other people – Jesus calls us to fill other people’s emptiness. Only He can fill their emptiness – but we can point them to Him by – listening to them – buying them lunch – encouraging them – giving them time.
Here’s what this would mean. When you dads are home with your families – you are thinking – how can I serve my wife? How can I serve my kids? When you young people are home with your family – you are thinking – how can I serve my brothers and sisters and mom and dad. When you go on vacation you are thinking – how can I serve those I am vacationing with? When you are in your neighborhood you are thinking – how can I serve my neighbors? When you arrive at home group you are thinking – how can I serve my home group? When you come here on Sundays you are thinking – how can I serve others?
But this raises an obvious question – If I am called to meet other’s needs – who’s going to meet my needs? Who’s going to fill my heart, satisfy my heart, meet my needs?
One common answer is – well, that’s selfish thinking. We shouldn’t think about our own needs. You should just focus on others’ needs. But you can’t do that for very long. You will burnout if you try to do that. And God wants us to deal with our own needs. And you can see that in how Jesus states this command.
There’s one word in this command which helps us see who’s going to meet our needs. Let’s read the command again –
12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
The word is “so,” which can also be translated “therefore.” So Jesus is saying “therefore – whatever you wish that others would do for you, do also for them.” And what that “therefore” shows is that Jesus has already told us how we can obey this command. He’s already told us who’s going to meet our own needs.
To see the answer to that – read vv.7-11 –
7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
So who’s going to meet our needs? God is. Now if you are new here you might think you need to try to be good enough to have God meet your needs. But that’s not what Jesus taught. We can’t make ourselves be good enough. But the good news is that Jesus died on the Cross to pay for all our sin – and when we turn to Him as sinners and ask Him to forgive us – He forgives all our sins and clothes us with Jesus’ perfect righteousness.
So whenever you bring a need to God in Jesus’ name – He smiles. And that’s why He has promised -- “Everyone who asks receives.” Every single time you ask, seek, and knock – He answers --
“Father, I am empty. Fill me with the Holy Spirit.” He will.
“Father, I am insecure. Comfort me with your promises.” He will.
“Father, I am worried. Give me peace in your promises.” He will.
“Father, I am weary. Strengthen me with your joy.” He will.
That’s how our needs are met – our hearts are satisfied – our hearts are filled – by God Himself, and in God Himself.
And that’s the point of the “so” or the “therefore” at the beginning of the Golden Rule. Let’s read vv.11 and 12 together to see this –
11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12 So – therefore -- whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
So can you see that v.12 was never meant to be obeyed without v.11? Jesus never wanted us to just grit our teeth and try to serve others. Jesus never wanted us to ignore our own needs and focus just on the needs of others. No.
Jesus wants us to first bring our own needs to the Father – to ask God for everything we need. And whenever we ask God to meet the needs of our hearts in Himself – He always will. He will strengthen us in Himself – satisfy us in Himself – fill us with Himself – meet us in Himself.
And then – when our hearts are filled – we will be able to serve those around us. That’s how Jesus wants this command to be obeyed.
That link between vv.11 and 12 cleared up something else puzzling about the Golden Rule. Notice that Jesus says the Golden Rule “is the Law and the Prophets” – which means it sums up the whole Old Testament.
But the Law is not just about our horizontal relationships – it’s also about our relationship with God. But when we see that Jesus links v.12 – our relationship with people – back with v.11 – our relationship with God – then it all makes sense. Because Jesus is saying that both vv.11 and 12 sum up the Law and the Prophets. V.11 is – love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength – by trusting all your needs to God. And v.12 is – love your neighbor as yourself.
So the way we can serve others – is by bringing all our needs to God in prayer. When we do that – He will fill us – He will satisfy us – and we will then be able to serve those around us.
Four years ago Jan and I were going to our first Acts 29 Pastors’ Retreat – which meant that we were going to be the newbies among a group of people who already knew each other. And I felt fearful and insecure.
So what did I want others to do for me? Come up to me, talk to me, put me at ease, help me. And what did Jesus want me to do? Go up to others, talk to others, and put others at ease.
But how? I am feeling fearful and insecure! So before our first meeting Jan and I sat down on the bed in our hotel room and prayed. We asked God to fill us. We asked God to secure us. And then we asked God to direct us to people who were new that we could go up to, talk to, and put at ease.
And that’s exactly what happened. We saw one couple standing all by themselves, and we went up to them and had a wonderful conversation with them.
So that’s how it works. We lift our needs up to the Father – He will fill and satisfy us in Himself – and then we will have full hearts so we can meet the needs of those around us.
Now at this point I think Jesus is anticipating two objections. One is – it’s hard to live like that! And the other is – not many others are living like that!
So let’s raise this last question -- why go on a road that’s hard and only traveled by few? And these objections are valid points – right?
I mean, it is hard to live this way – for a number of reasons.
- One is that you have to battle your indwelling sin which makes you not want to seek God.
- Another is that you have to go against the flow of our world which tells us to use other people to have our needs met.
- Another is that Satan himself is trying to deceive you into thinking your heart won’t be satisfied in God, God won’t meet you, you’ve sinned too much – whatever.
So it is hard to live this way.
And you can feel alone living this way. Maybe you have family members who scoff at you for living this way – that’s hard. Maybe no one else at your work or in your neighborhood is living this way – that’s hard. Maybe your husband or wife isn’t interested in living this way – that’s hard.
So Jesus anticipates these two objections – it’s really hard to live like this – and it’s lonely living like this.
So what does He say? Look at vv.13-14 --
13 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
You’ve got two gates you can choose – two ways you can choose.
Over here is the wide way – the easy way. Don’t need to fight to trust Christ, attack indwelling sin, buck the pull of the world, resist Satan. Don’t need to walk feeling alone.
Or over here is the narrow way – the hard way. You do need to fight the fight of faith – you will at times feel alone.
So why not choose the wide, easy, popular way?
Jesus doesn’t pull any punches. It’s because the wide, easy, popular way leads to destruction – eternal destruction in hell forever. And the narrow, sparsely traveled road leads to life.
Look at what you have on this path –
- You have forgiveness for all your sins through faith in Jesus Christ.
- You have God as Your Father – who will fully satisfy your heart with His love – who you can trust for all your needs.
- You will be changed into a person who loves those around you.
- You will experience deep love with other believers – who are maybe small in number – but who will love and encourage you.
- At the end of the hard and sparsely traveled road you will have life forever in God’s presence.
Let’s walk on this path – lifting up our every need to the Father in Jesus’ name – letting Him satisfy our hearts in Himself – and loving and serving everyone around us.