"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." - Matthew 7:12
Much of what God expects to us has to do with our relationship with one another. This passage comes in the middle of the sermon on the mount, which deals a lot with our relationship with God and Man.
The Greatest Commandment in the Law.
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." - Matthew 22:37-40
- Romans 13:9
Live by the Golden Rule
Our Obligation to Our Fellow Men
- DO unto others
- The Golden Rule says to “Do”
Obligation of Love,
- John 13:34-35; 15:12
New Commandment; love one another AS I Have loved you. Love is not the new command, but as CHRIST has loved is how we are to love others.
The Obligation to be Merciful
- Matthew 5:7
The Obligation of Kindness
- Ephesians 4:32
An Obligation of Compassion
- 1 Peter 3:8
Obligation of Gentleness
- Philippians 4:5, Gentleness, NKJV, Moderation, KJV
Obligation of Forgiveness
- Matthew 6:14,15
- Luke 17:3
- Luke 23:4
A Sharp Contrast to The World’s Rules
Society’s Rules
- The Vandal Rule - satisfaction in creating misery for others.
- The Pleasure Rule - leads followers into the pleasures of sin, for a season, Hebrews 11:25
- The Iron Rule, Get what they want because of their might, they take what they want.
- The “It’s Legal Rule - Don’t show mercy,
- The Non-involvement Rule - to ignore what is wrong, to ignore what is needed.
The Bronze Rule -Do unto others JUST as they’ve done to us - The Silver Rule - Live and let live
The Lord gave us the Golden Rule
How different our world would be if others lived by the golden rule.
Some areas of life where the golden rule would make a difference.
Our Relationships
- Marriage, 1 Peter 3:1-5, 1 Peter 3:7
- In our Family, Ephesians 6:1-4, Exodus 20
With Society
- No labor union,
- no jails
- no locks on windows
In the Church
- We help to would return the lost sheep
- Warmth
- Friendliness
With God
Our relationship with God would be better if our relationship with man were to improve.
Ways the Golden Rule is Broken
Neglect, James 4:17
- We neglect to see the needs of others, Philippians 2:4
- We neglect to look out for our fellow man.
- Galatians 6:10
- We neglect active good will.
- We often neglect to teach the lost.
It’s broken when we think we are better than them.
"“There was a man who thought he was better than me, and he was, until he thought he was…!” – Mark Twain
- We need lessons on humility.
- Sarcastic remarks spoken with sharp words can cause dissension.
- Tone of voice can lead to misunderstanding.
- Gossip & Slander, Galatians 5:14,15
- The tongue needs to be guarded, James 3:3-6
Why do we break the golden rule?
- Our own sins cause us to treat other s as we do.
- Jealousy and envy is often the cause of wrong treatment of others.
- Ignorance is a source of breaking the golden rule.
- When we do judge we should use righteous judgment, John 7:24
- A lack of Love… John 13:34-35
Nothing could go farther in changing life for the better than to obey the golden rule. Whatever your role in life is, consider how it could be improved by simply living the golden rule. Look for ways you can help them, and do good for them. The greatest way you could help others is to tel them about the Lord Jesus, and the good news of the gospel.
The wages of sin is death, but he took that death upon himself. He said if we love him we keep his commandments. When we obey Him He forgives us our sins. We have to change and stop committing sin, turn and follow God. We must confess that Jesus is the son of God. and be baptized to have our sins washed away.
Then live faithfully unto death to receive the crown of life.
