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| SERMON #179 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, MAT 7:12. The connecting word Therefore is Jesus' admonition to hold this golden rule in context with the other verses of this section of His Sermon on the Mount. We must see the meaning in the context with what lays before it. Secondly, our text is a commandment which presents us a standard of complete unselfishness. Thirdly, our text is a reminder of the continuity of the law of love. In our text, the Lord Jesus has brought forth the law of love that is taught from Genesis to Revelations. From the very beginning of the gospel in Genesis 3:15, the law of love has its continuity. ROM 3:31 says, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." What law? 1TI 1:5 says, "Now the end of the commandment [the purpose or intent of the law] is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." During the time the Lord Jesus Christ lived on earth, and the time of the apostles, as well as today, there was a tendency to overreact. Satan loves an overreaction which leads to either a pharisaical way in which we can earn salvation by the law or the way of an Antinomian spirit that would abolish the law. Some people teach that if there is no salvation in the law, then it is abolished. Jesus warns us of this throughout His gospel. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law [or abolish the law as it is in the original], or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil" MAT 5:17. That is exactly what the Apostle Paul is saying; "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." The law of the gospel is the law of love which is to love God above all and our neighbour as ourselves. It is the law of the Old Testament; the validity of the law has not changed. The gospel establishes the law. The connecting word Therefore teaches us that we are not to be of a judgmental spirit, but we are to judge the actions of others as we would want them to judge ours. With the connecting word therefore we must go back to the beginning of Chapter 7, setting ourselves on the judgment seat of our own conscience, considering that we judge others as we would want them to judge us. That is where judgment must begin, putting ourselves in the other man's position. How do I want to be judged? "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again," MAT 7:1-2. Jesus says that if we pass judgment, it must be on the basis of how we would want to be judged if we were in his place, and he was in ours. We see this in the connecting word therefore. This same lesson is taught in GAL 6:1-2, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." All of us are overtaken in a fault occasionally. What would we want the brethren to do to restore us? We would not want them to speak to us in a condemning spirit, a self-righteous spirit that passes judgment on us as though we were something less than they are. We would want them to restore us. The spirit of this verse teaches us to do to them as though we were the ones taken in a fault. If we have ever learned to know anything of our own corrupt heart, then we know the seeds of corruption are there. They must be constantly restrained and weeded out. That is what Jesus is teaching us in our text, "considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." He is teaching us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Watch what GAL 6:2 says, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." We fulfill the law of Christ when we bear each others burdens, when we help them in their infirmities and weaknesses. We are to help such a one by giving them the hand of fellowship; we are to help them out of their problem; we restore them. We do not heap condemnation upon them with a judgmental spirit. The connecting word Therefore looks back to what Jesus' said in V:7-11 in connection with prayer where He teaches the principle that privilege and duty are never to be separated. If we ask for a privilege or petition, it is never disassociated from a duty to respond to others in the exact manner we ask the Lord to do for us. Notice that as God blesses, it is to better enable us to discharge our responsibilities to our neighbour. As we grow in grace, as we learn to see what God does for us, we ask for mercy knowing that what we ask is absolutely undeserved. A right knowledge of our own heart makes us so much more capable of showing mercy. When we seek pardon for the sin we see is condemning us on the basis of undeserved favor, it makes us so much more understanding of what it means to be forgiving toward those who trespass against us. Our right attitudes toward our neighbour cannot be separated from our success in prayer. In MAT 7:7-11 the Lord is teaching us not to be judgmental, to have the right spirit toward our neighbour, and we will find if we seek, receive if we ask, and it will be opened for us if we knock. What is Jesus telling us to seek? We are to seek for that Spirit of Christ in our attitude toward our neighbour. If we come pleading for a pardon for all our sins, see how Jesus conditions His answer to our attitude to our neighbour in the Lord's prayer. MAT 6:12 says, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Now I want to ask you a question. In a sober, sensible, and conscious realization of how unforgiving we are so often, how many of us truly would dare ask that petition before the Lord? We are asking to be forgiven in the same manner as we have forgiven our brothers. Can I come before the Lord when I see the guilt of my sin, the consequences of my sin, and ask for a pardon with an unforgiving spirit toward my neighbour? The Lord Jesus taught us to pray, "...forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." When a person really understands his own unforgiving spirit, it would make them shudder to recite the Lord's Prayer. Then my first plea must be, "Lord forgive my unforgiving heart!" I need a pardon that far exceeds the pardon that I am able to give. The Lord is teaching us to come in prayer, asking for the Spirit of Christ. It is most awesome when we consider how Jesus immediately followed this teaching with the same principle that all the law and gospel hang on the second table of the law as well as the first. Jesus follows up in MAT 6:14-15, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." He will forgive us with the same quality of forgiveness as we forgive others. Now who has a pardon? Now we need a pardon for our unforgivingness. It is our unforgiving spirit that needs forgiveness; that brings our hearts in a right posture before the Lord. See this in ISA 1:15-17, "And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. [Now see what is meant by that.] Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." That is what is necessary before He will hear our prayers. If we have a wrong attitude toward the second table of the law, pertaining to any person, we have closed the gates of heaven to our prayers. In ISA 58:6-9 the Lord says if we do these things, "Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. [Now see the contingency] If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity." Then when we call, He will say, "Here I am." See how the prophet Zechariah unfolds God's jealousy over His law of love, and how God pleads with rebellious man to hear His law of love. Sometimes we overlook how vital our attitude towards our fellow man is; it determines our relationship with God. There is a powerful passage of Scripture in ZEC 7:9-13, "Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. [1CO 13:5 says that love thinketh no evil.] But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit [the law of love] by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. Therefore [for this reason] it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts." The Lord has been crying unto His people through His prophets to observe that law of love toward their neighbour, and they refuse to hear. Therefore, "I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts." Do you see how important this law of love, i.e., this golden rule, is to our spiritual success? The connecting word Therefore teaches us that we are to ask, seek and knock at mercy's door for a rich portion of that Spirit of Christ as we see in Luke's counterpart. Take notice of the harmony of the gospel when you blend Matthew and Luke. When we are told to seek, ask, and knock, it is to find the Spirit of Christ. LUK 11:13 says, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children [Notice the wording is exactly the same as MAT 7:11]: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Luke is telling us it is the Holy Spirit for which we are to pray; he is admonishing us to pray for the Spirit of Christ. MAT 7:11 is the counterpart to LUK 11:13 which follows with, "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." In other words, He is saying we should not be judgmental, but to ask for, seek for, and find the Holy Spirit, i.e., the Spirit of Christ. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his," ROM 8:9. "Therefore...," if we do not abide by the golden rule, we are asking in vain. We will not find because Jesus said "do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets," all the law of love and the gospel hinge upon the golden rule. The connection between these two things, then, shows that in the practice of the golden rule, we are to consider not only how we would be dealt with by men, but by God Himself. "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them" also means that we are to do unto others as we want God to do unto us. We show mercy, and God will show mercy. We forgive, and God will forgive us. If we are unforgiving, God will not hear our prayers. The golden rule is really telling us that we are to do unto our brethren as we would have God do unto us. This connecting word Therefore places us as judges in the judgment seat of our own destiny. This is an amazing thing; we must consider it very carefully. As we judge our fellow man, in like manner we pass judgment upon ourselves. It teaches us that whatever measure we would have God mete to us, with that same measure we must dispense to others. It is a blessed thing when one begins to understand this golden rule. Do you want mercy? You must show mercy. Do you want pardon? You must grant pardon to others. "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." MAT 7:2. Do you see how that puts you in the judgment seat? It is how you pass judgment which determines how you will be judged. Mercy will be measured to you the same way you gave mercy to others. You are demonstrating to the Lord by the quality of pardon and mercy you show your fellow man what quality of pardon and mercy you want. How can we expect God to be merciful if we show no mercy? JAM 2:12-13 says, "So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. [Now see what is meant by the law of liberty.] For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." Where do we see the law of liberty? You become the judge; it is how you judge your fellow man that God judges you. When you judge another person to be worthy of mercy, mercy rejoices against judgment. How can we expect God to deal liberally with us if we are eaten up of selfishness? How can we ask God to be liberal with us if we have this world's goods, and we are not liberal to our fellow man? Isn't that being eaten up with selfishness and covetousness? "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give [Now see how important our attitude is]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever," 2CO 9:6-9. God is able to make all grace abound to you and prosper you above what you are able to give. Those who are generous to their fellow man will receive much more. It is very difficult to fight with a person who is willing to give in. It is hard to quarrel with one who is generous. We just read that those who sow liberally will have a liberal harvest. All inordinate affection toward the world, which results in violating the golden rule, is showing God we do not trust Him when we love the things of this world more than our fellow man. If our hearts are right with the Lord, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, we would also be relying on His promise to add everything He sees best for us--without any inclination toward covetousness or injustice. If we truly trust the Lord, there is no reason to covet the things of others or to be unjust toward our fellow man. Now let's see the context of this word Therefore with the preceding verse. Watch to see how the word therefore ties the two segments of the verse together. There is also a tie to the generosity of God; if God is so generous, why should we not obey the golden rule? "...how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 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," MAT 7:11-12. Consider the connotation in this context, since your Father in heaven gives good things to you when you ask Him, make it your practice to do good unto those to whom you are able. This golden rule is the hinge of the entire law and the gospel! EPH 5:1-2 says, "Be ye therefore followers [imitators] of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." The word followers comes from the Greek word mimetes which means an imitator. Notice the use of the word followers in this verse. Even as Christ sacrificed Himself, giving Himself as an offering for us, we are to sacrifice ourselves for our fellow man; the Scriptures specifically command us to imitate God and to walk in love, imitating God. Make it your practice to imitate God. We are to walk in love as Christ has loved us. If that isn't what we would want others to do towards or think about us, we should not do so to them. Do unto others as God does unto you, not as they do unto you. Do unto others as you would like to have them do unto you. You would like to have them be imitators of God in their attitude toward you, so do unto them as God does unto you. Then your righteousness will exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. The scribes and Pharisees had a righteousness of their own that didn't follow the golden rule. In EPH 6:8 we read, "Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." The Lord imitates us. That is something to think about! Show mercy, and receive mercy. Forgive and be forgiven. The Lord says we are to be imitators of God, but here we see how God imitates us when we walk in the law of love, "Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord..." So how are we to determine what will be good for a neighbour? Where is the guideline? What is the standard that we must use to judge what is good for our neighbour? The answer is in our text, "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," MAT 7:12. Christ did not come to teach a double standard! He not only came to teach what we are to believe, but what we are to do. Many times we see a conflict between what people say they believe and what they actually do. This double standard is not acceptable. See how Jesus concludes by His reference to "these sayings of mine" in MAT 7:24. He is referring to all of the things He has taught in His Sermon on the Mount in MAT 5, 6, and 7 of which the golden rule is the highlight and a summary. MAT 7:24-27 says, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." That is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. We are not understanding the golden rule if we claim to have obtained mercy when we show no mercy; we are only deceiving ourselves. It is utterly vain to speak like angels when we are on our knees before God if we act like devils in our actions toward men. What we are speaks so loudly, the Lord can't hear a thing we may say. The Lord is looking as well as hearing. If He sees rebellion, hatred, strife, and the wrong attitude toward our neighbour, our prayers rendered on our knees will never get beyond our prayer chamber. The golden rule teaches us three most important lessons. First, we are to appeal to our own judgment of what would be reasonable and fair if we were in that person's place. Secondly, we are to put other people on our own level and realize we are as much obliged to them as they are to us. Thirdly, we must look at the circumstances of the one with whom we deal and imagine ourselves in those circumstances. If I were labouring under their infirmities and afflictions, how would I wish to be treated? Let us for a moment consider various supposed classes of people: the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. If those in the upper class are going to truly deal with one in the lower class according to the golden rule, they must be able to visualize themselves in those circumstances, with those needs. Also, they must picture the other person in the upper class. How would I want them to treat me? We may not realize what infirmities that person struggles with and the trials they are going through. We may not be showing much mercy if we take into account their living conditions and trials and why they are asking to be treated differently. The golden rule is God's witness in every man's heart. Every person naturally has a high regard for himself and quickly feels the slightest wrong done to him. Have you ever met a person who didn't feel the slightest injustice or disrespect accorded him? Now the Lord says that we must judge by our own heart or our own response under that situation. How would we want to be treated? How would we want that person to treat our name, or our feelings, under that identical set of circumstances? The golden rule says that is how we deal him. When we apply this principle to our conduct toward others, the right or wrong of our actions immediately convict our own conscience. Have you ever been rude to a person only to feel later how embarrassed you'd have been under those conditions? That is the conviction in our own heart if the golden rule is truly applied to every act of our conduct. Nature itself teaches that you would not want anyone to injure you in body, property, or name. Anyone would feel wounded if someone stole or cheated them out some of their property or slandered their name or abused them physically. Do you see what the Lord has done? He has picked a judgment seat that calls for equity. Put yourself in their place; if that is the treatment you would want, then you gave the right treatment--if it is an honest judgment. Think how in the day of judgment, the golden rule based upon the WORD OF GOD will judge the heart of man when they approach the gate of heaven and Christ, the light of heaven. We will come before Christ and every thought and intent of our heart will be laid naked before Him. Now did we really treat our fellow man the way we want to be treated? Were our thoughts, suggestions, and acts according to the golden rule? This golden rule not only applies to giving, but also to forgiving. As long as we are in this world, our infirmities will cause offenses. You and I offend in many ways, and we must realize the infirmities of others. We should not be so easily offended. So often the offense is minor. Would we want them to be that offended, that easily, if we had done something that minor to them? The golden rule applies to that too. COL 3:12-15 says, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering." We must do this because we are dealing with people who are fallen creatures. Remember the Lord's Prayer says, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." If a fellow man is somewhat unforgiving, are you able to forgive him for his unforgiveness? We want God to forgive us for being unforgiving. Are we able to go to that person and seek their favor even when we can tell they are not forgiving us? Even when others fall short of living the golden rule and do not treat us as they would want to be treated, we must be forgiving. Verse 13 continues, "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you [we must imitate Him and], so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity [undeserved love and looking at them in the best possible light], which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." We usually resent it when others demand perfection from us; therefore, we should not expect perfection in others. We want people to realize that we are fallen creatures, and we need forgiveness. JAM 3:2 says, "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." That means we also need forgiveness from others. We don't require flawless perfection in another person in order to be their friend because they are human. ECC 7:21-22 says, "Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others." That is quite a conviction. We should not be so quickly offended by words because our own tongue has often run when it should have been stopped. When we hear the unkind comment or remark about ourselves, we have a whole new responsibility to witness to our community. Triangle Press published a book, Character Built by Patience that makes that point. The main character in the book had been slandered, and he saw the extra responsibility this placed upon him because now the eyes of the whole community would be upon him. Now he felt the responsibility to walk in the Spirit of Christ because he was a very visible witness. Now his job was to reflect the Spirit of Christ to show forgiveness and love by applying the golden rule. The bottom line was that it gave him the greatest opportunity to be God's witness to the whole community which had the ultimate effect that God's name was glorified, and the community was edified. We all offend; our tongue is as a fire of iniquity, but when our tongue is bridled, it can be a great witness. Here is a principle to think about and ponder; he who has suffered the most wrong becomes the most liable under the golden rule. When you have suffered wrong, you know how it hurts. You know the grief and sorrow and shame. You know the consequences of suffering wrong. Now look how much more responsible you become under the golden rule so you do not bring that kind of suffering upon the next person because you have a feel of what it would do to them. EXO 22:21 says, "Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." The Lord is telling them they know what it feels like to be the stranger that is vexed and oppressed; now if you treat another person that way, you know what you are doing to them. Look how much more responsible that makes you. It isn't that you do unto others as they do to you, but that you do what you would want them to do to you. The more you have suffered by others violating the golden rule, the more accountable you become before God if you do the same thing. Look how far that removes revenge. The very thought of revenge is horribly wicked because we know the consequences. This is often quite a struggle when we suffer wrongfully. A right understanding of the golden rule will make us guard the reputation of our neighbour. If we know what it is to be slandered, shamed, and how it hurts, it should make us so considerate of our neighbour's reputation that we do not put him through the trials we have known. For natural man, self-love is the biggest obstacle in doing our duty to our neighbour. Let us consider the wisdom of God in setting the golden rule as the standard for judgment. The Lord uses that very self-love as the standard whereby we are to judge our neighbour. Isn't that precious? Self love is our greatest obstacle to righteous judgment, therefore it becomes the standard by which God commands us to judge others. This golden rule, like all other Divine precepts, is spiritual; it concerns the thoughts of the heart as well as the actions of the person. If we have a grudge against our neighbour in any way, that is looked upon by the Lord as already hurting that person. It is in the same category as one lusting after a woman; they have already committed adultery, MAT 5:28. If that grudge in our heart kindles a desire to harm the other person, we have already harmed him in the eyes of the Lord, as if we had already acted it out. We must learn to understand what ROM 7:14 says, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." The law of God's Spirit converts the thoughts of the heart as well as the actions. "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple," PSA 19:7. When the soul is converted, we have new thoughts, desires, and intents of the heart. They are converted, they become changed! Our desire is tempered with love. Jesus said the second table of the law is like unto the first; it is spiritual as the first. We know the first table of the law, to love God with our heart, soul, and mind, is spiritual; the second is like unto it. That means it is also spiritual. The law of love not only gauges our action, but also our thoughts and intents and desires towards our neighbour. One time a man was involved in a lawsuit which he had filed against me. When the evidence proved he had filed a malicious claim against me which he could not prove, he thought I would sue him for malicious prosecution. He sat in my home pleading for settlement. The tears were running down his face when he asked, "Ralph, what would it take to settle?" I replied, "I don't want your money; all I want is justice. If I were to have what I'd call true fruition, in this matter, then you and I would be able to sit side by side at the table of Christ and lay our crowns at His feet." That would be total victory. The man sat there weeping and saying, "You testified to that under oath, didn't you? I saw it in your transcript." Therefore, not only what I do to my neighbour, but what I think about him must be gauged by that same self-love. My thoughts must be those I would want him thinking about me. GAL 5:13-14 says, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Christian liberty is to be delivered from the power of sin and the curse of the broken law. Contention and a state of confusion is the curse of the broken law. This is found in GEN 3:16 "Unto the woman he said...thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." That word desire comes from the root word shuwq in the Hebrew which means "a yearning, longing desire to run over the top of; i.e., to overflow." Think of the confusion which has resulted from this curse of the broken law! The natural woman who is void of the Spirit shall have such a yearning, longing desire to run over the top of her husband, but God says, "...he shall rule over thee." However, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty from that curse of the law, i.e., contention and confusion. The law of liberty is stated here so beautifully, "but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." All of the law is in one word, love. We don't realize how important it is. Our text says, "...for this is the law and the prophets," i.e., "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets," MAT 22:40. The law of the gospel hangs upon these two tables of the law. If we don't understand them, we don't understand the gospel. The good news of the gospel is not merely to escape the consequences of sin, but to be delivered from the power of sin as well. It is to be delivered from the curse of the law, from contention and confusion, from bitterness and strife, and to be brought under the law of love to serve one another. "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," GAL 5:14. This is the law of the gospel. Love and charity are the end, or the purpose of the law. God is love; He created man to reflect His image. The image and character of God is love. We see this purpose of God in 1TI 1:5, "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." The purpose of the commandment is charity. Charity is undeserved love. If you hit me on the one cheek, I'll turn the other and give you a kiss back. You may have tromped upon me, done everything you can to offend me, and I'll go right out to defend your name. I'll do what I can to build your image. That is charity. Jesus said in MAT 5:44, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless [speak well of] them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." The justice and equity required from the golden rule is a righteousness that proceeds from a principle of love. The golden rule is not only a guide to our conduct, but a revelation of the sin of our heart. Who is there that knows his own heart who will say he measures up to it? The more we understand what the Lord teaches under the golden rule, the more we see what hell- deserving sinners we are. We see how far short we come. What does the Lord look at? He looks at our heart; we must come before Him daily with the confessions of our wrong thoughts and attitudes. All we can do is come before the Lord and plead for mercy, but we must also have mercy toward others. Now we understand what it is that God requires of us, and we see what our responsibilities are to our fellow man. What should our prayer be? It should be that the Lord will forgive us our short- comings under the golden rule. We must realize our need and plead daily for the Lord to set a watch before the door of our mouth so we are not an offence to others. So often I get into a set of circumstances where I know I could bespeak myself, and I must struggle before the Lord, "Lord set a watch before my mouth," which prayer He often honors. If we go out thinking we can handle the thing in our own strength in the situation, we come home with our head hanging down. Once I had to appear at a hearing for a member of my family. I read in PSA 12 about those who trust in their own lips and wisdom. V:5 says, "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him." My heart's cry was the cry of the needy. So I went with confidence that the Lord would set a watch before the door of my mouth and let me speak a word in season. It was very successful. The Lord so blesses prayer that is seasoned with tears. Amen. Our text says, "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," MAT 7:12. We should have the same desire for our neighbour's good as for our own. |
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