We see the reverse of this rule: "Do unto others before they do unto you." or "You got the gold, you make the rules." These are the world's answers, which are opposite of what Jesus said. He wants us to live by the Golden Rule.
I. Its Content A. It is broad: "in all things" in NIV: "so in everything..." 1. But what if they hurt us or one of our family? 2. But what if they get on our nerves? 3. But what if they obviously don't like us? B. It is clear and plain. 1. There is no escape clause or "except" or "unless...." 2. We have to love as Jesus loved, and practice grace as Jesus did. 3. Look at Luke 6:27-31 and see how to live out the Golden Rule. C. It is practical and useful. 1. If we all lived by this rule this would be a better world....better families.... better churches. 2. It would keep us from getting bitter. II. Its Challenge A. Its difficulties: 1. It is not the way Satan's world system works. 2. It awakens ourr weaknesses and makes us feel used and abused without the practice of God's grace in our lives. B. Its benefits: 1. Practicing it would make us more like Jesus. 2. It would keep others from determining our reactions. 3. It would keep us from embarassing ourselves by bad reactions. C. Only the Lord can help us meet the challenges of the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is not given as a suggestion. Living by it will make us better people and better witnesses.
0 Comments
There are many forces of influence in our lives: parents, peers, preachers, teachers, coaches, etc. But all of these boil down to two major influences - God and the devil. We experience the pull of both. Let's take a look at how this works.
I. Philippians 3:13-14 - The Upward Pull A. Fact: God is seeking to pull us upward. B. This upward pull is constant. 1. We never grow to the point that Christ says "that's enough." 2. We never reach a point that we do not need more of God. 3. We need the upward pull. C. We tend to resist the upward pull. 1. We resist by becoming smug and complacent. 2. We resist by becoming content in what we consider our achievements. II. 1 Peter 5:8 - The Downward Pull A. Fact: The devil is seeking to pull us downward. 1. The Bible amply illustrates this: Garden of Eden, Job, Peter's denial, etc. 2. The devil is the author of: spiritual complacency, internal conflict, internal conflict, etc. B. We must resisit the downward pull. 1 Peter 5:9 1. We resist by faith in Christ to deliver us. 2. The devil is not afraid of us, but he is afraid of Jesus. C . The downward pull is constant too. It is a fact that the devil never leaves us alone.... III. Matthew 25:40 - The Outward Pull A. Fact: How we react to the upward pull and downward pull will determine how we react to the outward pull. B. Notice the importance of the outward pull in Matthew 25: 40 and 45 1. Serving our fellowman through witness and ministry is the same as serving Christ - when it is done in His name. 2. Every obvious act of ministry slighted is a slight to Christ. C. The outward pull is not just a nice thing for Christians to do; rather, it is kingdom imperative. God and the devil are not equal foes. Through Christ and through our faith in Christ we can win the battle. Which "pull" are you responding to in your life today. In your heart, Paul usually closed out his epistles with words of advice. Our text is advice given to the Thessalonans at the close of the first letter to them. It is advice that we would all do well to heed.
I. Verses 12-13 - Advice Concerning Leadership A. Verse 12a - Get to know the leaders. B. Verses 12b-13 - Follow their leadership. C. Verse 13b - Then there will be peace. II. Verse 14 - Advice concerning fellow Christians A. "Warn those who are unruly...." B. "Comfort the feebleminded (timid)." C. "Support the weak." D. "Be patient toward all men (and women)." III. Verse 15 - Advice concerning all people A. "Do not render evil for evil unto any man (or woman)." B. "Follow that which is good..." C. "Both among yourselves and to all men (and women)." IV. Verses 16-22 - Advice concerning ourselves A. Verse 16 - "Rejoice evermore...." B. Verse 17 - "Pray without ceasing...." C. Verse 18 - "In everything give thanks...." D. Verse 19 - "Quench not the Spirit...." E. Verse 20 - "Despise not prophesyings (preaching)...." F. Verse 21 - "Prove (test) all things; hold fast to that which is good." G. Verse 22 - "Abstain from all appearance of evil...." Think how much better our fellowship would be and how much better our witness to the world would be if we followed this advice. We would be better people if we followed it. According to this text, we are living letters sent from Jesus to a hungry world. Allow me to use my imagination in sharing what this responsibility means to your life. I want to answer two questions in this sermon: (1) What kind of letter are you? and (2) Are you careful about punctuation?
I. What kind of letter are you? A. Are you a business letter? 1. We all receive them and they are not all bad, just usually impersonal. 2. Do not be a business as usual Christian. Love people and be involved personal with them as Jesus was and is. B. Are you a form letter, or a "junk" letter? We can be such letters, manipulating and interested only in what we can get out of people. C. Are you a hate letter? 1. I once had a woman who was very ill to tell me that she hated everybody. This did not make a good impression on me. 2. We are not permitted to hate - only love. D. Are you an unopened letter? We need to open ourselves up to God and other people. E. Are you a friendly letter? The Bible tells us that "if we would have friends, we would show ourselves friendly." If we would make a good impression on people we would be friendly. F. Are you a love letter? 1. This is Jesus' kind of letter and is what the world needs. 2. Read John 13:34-35 and 15:17 II. Are you careful about punctuation? (To illustrate the importance of punctuation, let me share an example with you: "Woman without her man is incomplete.' Now add commas: "Woman, without her, man is incomplete." The commas changed the meaning! A. Is Jesus the period in your life? A period completes a sentence. Does Jesus complete your life? We are incomplete without Him. B. What about your pause marks? (commas and semicolons) Do you pause to read your Bible? To pray? To witness? To help others? C. What about your question marks? 1. One of my professors at Seminary, Dr. Ted Adams, told us, "Do not believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs." 2. Do you question God's love for you? Your salvation? God's will? His word? D. What about your exclamation points? What excites you? Does Jesus cause you to exclaim? Does seeing people saved cause you to exclaim? Does fellowship with God's people cause you to exclaim? We need to get as excited about Jesus as we do about our favorite sports teams. Christian, you are Christ's letter to this world. Your life is being read! What kind of letter are you showing to the world? |
All of these materials are free of charge. There is no copyright on them and you are free to use them as you see fit. I am happy to be of assitance to you in your preaching/teaching minstry.
|