What Rule Do You Live By?

What Rule Do You Live By?

Text: Luke 6:31-35

Intro: “My relationship with God is part of my relationship with men. Failure in one will cause failure in the other.” (Andrew Murray)

“The most important thing my dad taught me is that there are more important things than me.” (John Ashcroft)

I. Do unto others AS they do unto you (v 32,33)

a. To the world this system is wise

i. WE need to set things right

1. New year’s resolution: Better to my friends and worse to my enemies

1. “What goes around comes around”

2. Tit for tat

3. Kind to the kind and mean to the mean

4. Gentle to the gentle and a bully to the bully

5. Generous to the generous and stingy with the stingy

6. Giving to the giver and taking from the taker

7. Honest with the honest and a liar to the liar

b. To the world this system is natural

Trucker Illustration…

i. It is natural to want justice

ii. When you ignore God there is no one better to manage retribution than ourselves

c. We are unfit to be the judges

i. We are naturally wicked

1. We have no right to judge others because we are guilty

ii. We punish others by sinning along with them

1. Two wrongs don’t make a right

iii. We are unjust judges

1. Even wiser (in the world’s eyes) than doing unto others as they do unto you is to do unto others BEFORE they do unto you.

a. The wicked expect the same sort of wickedness in others

iv. We are ignorant judges

1. We do not know the hearts of men

2. We do not know the circumstances of men

d. God alone is the rightful rewarder and punisher of the deeds of mankind

i. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Gal 6:7)

ii. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (Rom 12:19)

iii. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecc 12:14)

e. Our revenge is kindness

i. Though we are unfit to judge motives, we can leave others to judge themselves

1. For in so doing thou shalt heap…(Rom.12)

II. Do unto others SO they will do unto you (v 34)

a. To the world this system is wise

i. The rich and powerful get favor because they can give favors

ii. Do favors for people who can’t return them?

b. To the world this system in natural

i. This system needs not be taught (at least not explicitly)

ii. Children understand reciprocation by age 7

iii. Everyone is selfish at birth

c. This is a selfish system

i. Motive for good deeds is love for self

1. “What’s in it for me?”

III. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (v 31,35)

a. To the world this is unwise

i. It is not fair (Rewards evildoers with good)

ii. What if there’s nothing in it for me?!

b. To the world this is unnatural

i. NOT selfish. Values others as much as self

c. What does it look like?

i. Love your enemies (not AS they do unto you)

1. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, (Luk 10:33)

ii. Give without expectation of return (not So…)

1. “Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” (Luk 14:12-14)

iii. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. (Phi 2:4)

1. I ought to want my neighbor to be happy just as much as I want to be happy

2. Not give up your own happiness to make someone else just as happy. Why them? Why not you?

3. NO ROOM FOR SELFISHNESS

iv. Honest, fair, generous, patient, kind, loving

d. Where do we practice it?

i. At home, church, business, politics and society

e. Why?

i. Your reward shall be great

ii. You shall be called children of the Highest

Conclusion: Apply the rule to your SAVIOR! “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.”

(Mat 22:37-39)