A True Disciple

Introduction
I’ve been preaching through Jesus Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5-7.  These are the key precepts of Jesus’ message, revealing His core values for  His followers

My sermons for the last three weeks have been quite challenging.  I assure you, I would rather preach cheerful sermons.  But the texts from Jesus Sermon on the Mount have required I speak some harsh truths.

• Matthew 7:13-14 revealed the highway to hell is broad because many people follow it, but the pathway to life is very narrow and only a few ever find it.
• Last week I preached about telling true prophets from false prophets based on their fruit. We are called to bear love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
• My message today is just as challenging (maybe even disturbing). It comes from Matthew 7:21-23.

Matthew 7:21-23
²¹ “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. ²² On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ ²³ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

A True Disciple
In these 3 verses, Jesus warns about a terrible reality many people will face on judgment day.  He says many people who thought they were following Jesus and going to Heaven will be shocked to find out Jesus never knew them, and they are turned away from Heaven. 

And that’s disturbing, because it makes you question: “Am I one of those who will be horrified to find out Jesus never knew me?  Will I be one of the unfortunate souls turned away when Jesus says:  Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.”

This brings us back again to the concerns raised in Matthew 7:13-14.  “The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” 

Friends, the Message of Christ is very serious.  And we need to take it seriously.  So many dabble in religion as if it was an after thought of life.  They go to church whenever we feel like it.  If they pray, it is only when they are desperate and need something.  God is only an after thought if He is a thought at all.  Everyone has more important things to chase after than God.  

Friends, our relationship with God is the most important thing!  It will literally determine where you spend eternity--whether you will spend it in heaven with God or in Hell eternally separated from God. 

“I never knew you…”
Jesus warns one of the claims the damned will say on judgment day is, “We prophesied in your name…”   In other words, they said all the right things.  Maybe they even spoke on behalf of Lord Jesus—sharing His Word with others.  Others who are damned will claim, “We cast out demons in your name and did miracles in your name…”  These too will be cast into hell.  Why?

Jesus gives the answer in simple terms.  “I never knew you.”  Entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven starts with a real relationship—a relationship with Jesus.  It’s not about what you know.  It’s Who you know.  Jesus left the glory of Heaven to come to our broken world to be with us.  That’s the definition of one of His names we often sing about at Christmas is Emanuel; it means "God with us." 

Jesus did ministry with 12 Disciples.  He could have done it alone.  He didn’t need help.  But Jesus chose to work with 12 people to have relationships with them.  Furthermore, Jesus ate with sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, and other notorious sinners.  Jesus interacted with people.  He got to know people and built relationships.  Relationship is the most important thing to Jesus.  That’s how He knows people and saves people and heals people.

 

And that’s what Jesus wants with you—a relationship, to know you.  It’s what God has always wanted from the very beginning when He created us—a relationship.  But, because of sin, we turn away from God.  We chase after our own selfish ambitions instead of a relationship with God.

Matthew 11:28
Jesus came to invite us back.  He said:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  (Mt 11:28)

 

Jesus wants a real relationship with you—one where you talk every day and walk together, eat together, live together, serve together laugh and cry together.  Part of that relationship may include prophesying in His name and casting out demons and doing miracles in His name.  But it’s the relationship that’s really important.

 

It starts with a choice. Jesus wants a relationship with everyone. Some may think Jesus wouldn't want a relationship with you. Maybe you feel like you're not good enough or you've done something terrible and Jesus wouldn't want to be around you. But Jesus showed He loved everyone. He never shied away from anyone, no matter how bad they sinned.  Rich, poor, sinners, saints--Jesus loved them all and He still does today. There's nothing you have done or could ever do that would keep Jesus from wanting a personal relationship with you.

 

He stands at the door of your heart knocking.  But you have to open the door and let Him in.  And once Jesus comes onto your heart, you've got to walk with Him every day.  Are you spending time with Jesus every day in a real, personal relationship?  Some ways you can do that are through:

• Prayer and Bible study, which are the heart of a relationship with Jesus.  Through prayer and Bible study we talk to Jesus and hear from Jesus.  We learn who He is and how He wants us to live.
• Worship and Fellowship with Other Christians.  Just like Jesus called 12 Disciples to follow Him as a group, Jesus calls us to follow Him in a group with other believers.  We fellowship and and worship as a Church (which is a community of faith).  We have a relationship with each other adn with Jesus, together.
• Serving.  Jesus came to serve, not to be served.  His followers serve alongside Jesus--giving ourselves to make more Disciples who also have a relationship with Jesus.  Jesus doesn't need our help, but graciously invites us to work alongside Him.  Serving together is part of how we relate with Jesus and each other. 

Matthew 7:21
The other key part of Jesus warning is in His statement in verse 21, which says, “Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”  This statement connects to all the lessons we’ve studied from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount

(as well as everything Jesus taught in the Gospels and through His servants in the Bible).  Jesus tells us in the Bible how we are to live.  These are His teachings.  The Bible is the will of His Father in Heaven.  Are we living it?

 

God is gracious.  He understands we often misunderstand. We may read one thing in the Bible and totally misunderstand what Jesus wants us to do.  We may do the wrong thing.  But most people aren't even reading it to try and figure it out.  Most people aren't even trying.  Do you think willfully ignoring Jesus’ teachings in the Bible is “doing the will of God?”  Of course not.  It’s no wonder there will be so many people on Judgment Day crying,  “Lord! Lord!” and Jesus will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

Walking with Jesus and Doing God’s Will Go Together
Something else important needs to be said.  It’s this: Walking with Jesus and doing God’s will go together.  You really can’t separate them.  

You would think prophesying, casting out demons, and doing miracles in Jesus name must be “doing God’s will.”  Right?   Yet Jesus said many will tell Him they did all these very things in His name and Jesus will reply:  “I never knew you.”  Why is  that?  Maybe because Jesus didn’t tell them to do those things. 

Walking with Jesus means staying in tune with His daily instructions.  If He didn’t tell you to prophesy, don’t do it.  If He didn’t tell you to cast out a demon, don’t do it.  If He didn’t tell you to do a miracle, don’t do it.  Just because something sounds holy and impressive, doesn't mean Jesus told you to do it.  But do whatever He tells you to do--even if it's simple and unimpressive.

And if you truly have an intimate relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit will lead you to do everything Jesus wants you to do.  A true relationship with Jesus leads you to live for Him.  As you walk with Jesus, you become more accustomed to hearing His voice through the Holy Spirit.  And the Holy Spirit directs us exactly how to obey Jesus if we are listening.  Are you listening? 

Conclusion
Jesus words are unsettling today in His Sermon on the Mount.  “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” 

It’s troubling.  It’s unsettling.  But that’s good. 
Because maybe it will motivate us to take our relationship with Jesus seriously.

Let me conclude with a summary of some practical things you can do to ensure you’re traveling on the pathway to eternal life and not blindly following the highway to hell.  

• Ask Jesus to save you – decide to follow Him as Lord and start walking with Him. This is the very first step.  If you haven't already done so, please do this right now.
• Pray and read your Bible – these are the heart of our relationship with Jesus. They are how we talk to and hear God.
• Immerse yourself in Christian fellowship and worship.  If we are truly following Jesus, our most important social group will be other followers of Jesus.  We need each other.  
• Listen to how the Holy Spirit is leading you to live and do it.  Practice following the Spirit's guidance every day as He:
• leads your to forgive people who wrong you, just as Jesus forgave you,
• teaches you to be kind and compassionate
• enables you to be honest and ethical
• prompts you to be a witness who share how Jesus is changing your life
• calls you to serve.  God gives each one of us special gift so we can build up His church. Use them for the glory of God.

Prayer

"Lord Jesus, forgive us for the ways we have pushed You aside in favor of other things.  Thank You for inviting us to have a relationship with You so that we can know You and be known by You.  Help us to walk with You each day as we pray and study Your Word.  Surround us with Your people, so our fellowship and worship will honor You and build up our faith.  Lea us to know and obey God's law and live for You every day.  We ask these things in Your most holy name.  Amen."

Discerning Truth: Living the Fruits of the Spirit

Introduction
We are nearing the end of our series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount—just a few more weeks to go.  Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount our Lord’s foundational teaching in the New Testament.  It outlines the ethics of the Kingdom of Heaven.  If you want to be a Christian, you should understand these principles in Jesus' sermon.

I challenge you to go back over Jesus’ sermon, found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.  You can find the sermons I’ve preached on it here on this blog over the last 21 or so weeks.  These could be a resource for you as you study Jesus’ core teachings.  

Today's focus is Matthew 7:15-20, discerning what’s true from false in our spiritual journey.

Matthew 7:15
¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.

The Warning Against False Prophets
Jesus warned his people to watch out for false prophets.  Jesus' followers were poor.  They were oppressed.  They were hungry.  They were desperate.  They needed a savior.  This made them especially vulnerable to false prophets who would lie and tell people what they wanted to hear in order to use them for their own selfish gain.  Some real life examples we know of false prophets are:

• In 4 BC, Simon of Persia proclaimed himself as Messiah during the time of Herod's death, leading a rebellion against Roman rule; he was killed by Roman forces, and his movement was crushed.
• In 6 AD, Judas of Galilee led a violent resistance against the Roman census taxation, claiming to be the messiah who would deliver the Israel, ultimately leading his followers to a failed revolt and increased Roman repression.
• A false prophet mentioned in the Bible (in Acts 8) was Simon the Magician.  He used magic tricks to convince Samaritans he was full of God’s power for his own personal gain.  Simon’s influence was finally destroyed when the Apostle’s Peter and John brought the true power of God to Samaria and exposed Simon’s magic tricks as false.

One may ask why people would follow a false prophet.  When people feel desperate, they often will cling to anything or anyone who seems to offer hope.  But that’s when you need to be especially careful.  You must understand how vulnerable you are.  And Jesus gives some practical advise about how to discern if someone is a false prophet.

Slides – Matthew 7:16-20
¹⁶ You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. ¹⁹ So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Understanding "By Their Fruits"
Jesus says you can tell a tree (or a prophet) by their fruit.  That’s great advice.  It means look at the visible results of a person’s ministry.  But even here we have to be careful.  False prophets also often produce “signs” that may seem look like good fruit.  A magician can do tricks that seem like impossible miracles.  Charismatic leaders can often speak and act in ways that accomplish things that seem to be good.  You may think magic tricks are real or the accomplishment of a charismatic personality are show they are from God.  But that is not necessarily true.  You have to look closely at what kind of fruit they really produce.  

Hitler came to power in Germany during a time when people were desperate for hope.  Germans were in a state of deep economic despair, national humiliation, and the devastating effects of the Great Depression.  Hitler was a charismatic leader who could stir national pride.  He was going to make Germany great again!   And initially, Hitler had success.   Through hate, bigotry, and racism, Hitler rallied Germans to revitalize their country.  But they did so by evil means and, in the process, they committed the most terrible atrocities the world has ever seen.  Approximately 6 million Jews died because of the Holocaust.  Is that good fruit?  Absolutely not.  That’s rotten, poisonous fruit.

I want to warn you.  As you look to the leaders you admire—whether they be political or buisiness or spiritual leaders.  Consider the fruit they produce.  Is it good fruit or bad fruit?   And be careful becuase some will say the ends justify the means.  They may argue, "Yeah I wish they didn't do or say those bad things, but look at what they accomplish."  In other words, the good they accomplish is justified by the bad things the do to accomplish them.  

Jesus is clear about who to tell a false prophet that is a wolf in sheep's clothing who will tear you apart.  You have to look at their fruit.  And the fruit is not the results of their work but the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23
Galatians 5:22-23 names the good spiritual fruit a true prophet (and an authentic Christian) produces:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Just as we’ve seen bad false prophets (like Hitler, Jim Jones, and David Koresh), we have also seen true prophets lead movements to produce great fruit of the spirit (as defined by Galatians).  The early Methodists, guided by John Wesley's teachings, demonstrated the fruits of the Spirit in various impactful ways that reflected their deep commitment to living out their faith in practical acts of love and service. Their work led to:

• Evangelism:  passionately preaching the gospel in open fields, towns, and cities, reaching out to the marginalized and working-class people, leading to widespread spiritual revivals and the rapid growth of the Methodist movement.
• Social Reforms: Embodying the fruits of love, kindness, and goodness, they took strong stands against the societal ills of their time, including the abolition of slavery, prison reform, and the promotion of education for the poor.
• Visiting the Sick and Prisoners: Demonstrating compassion and faithfulness, early Methodists took seriously the call to visit the sick and those in prison to offer comfort, healing, and encouragement to those in need.
• Small Group Meetings: The early Methodist movement was marked by its innovative structure of small group meetings that met regularly for prayer, study, and mutual accountability. These meetings were essential for spiritual growth and community, fostering the fruits of peace, patience, gentleness, and self-control.

Christians can’t just believe in Jesus as an intellectual thing.  True Christians must live out an inward holiness that transforms our thoughts, words, and actions.  It’s not about moral superiority, but about being filled with the love of God and neighbor, a love that manifests in every aspect of your life.  Christian holiness is not static but dynamic and constantly growing and bearing fruit like a living tree.  It’s characterized by continuous self-examination, prayer, and participation in the means of grace, such as Holy Communion, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers.

Do you bear good fruit?  If a fruit inspector examined your life today, what would he find?  Would he find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? 

Now, we understand the life of a Christian is a journey.  Fruitfulness is not something that happens over night (just like a fruit tree does not bear fruit overnight).  But your life should definitely be heading in the right direction—toward fruitfulness.  God is the one who makes us grow and bear fruit.  But what are you doing to tend the garden in your heart that nurtures fruitfulness?  There are several things you can do to nurture the development of spiritual fruit God wants to grow in your life.

There is worship where you gather with other Christian believers and honor God.  Do you regularly in worship God with other Christians?

There is fellowship.  We may have many different groups we socialize with on a weekly basis at school and work.  But if you are a Christian whose heart's truest desire is to bear fruit for the Kingdom, other Christian friends should be your main social group.  Are you deeply involved with Christian fellowship?

Prayer is the heart of the Christian faith. Are you investing deeply in regular prayer throughout your day?

Bible Study is essential.  How else are you going to know how we are supposed to think and live unless we study God's Word--His official method for speaking to His people?

Are you in a small group where you talk about your prayer life and what you’ve read in your Bible and where people intentional hold you accountable and offer encouragement to live more fully for Jesus?

Are you practicing the means of grace Jesus specifically commanded His followers in practice in the Bible--Baptism and Holy Communion?

• Baptism is the initiation ceremony for Christians in the New Covenant that replaced the circumcision ceremony of the Old Covenant.  Baptism is a means for God to pour out His grace upon those being baptized and those who stand with them to help everyone know and walk with Jesus.  It is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.
• Holy Communion is as a means to receive God’s grace where we have our eyes opened as we experience the presence of Christ and receive spiritual nourishment for our faith journey. Communion is a sacramental act of thanksgiving and remembrance, commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, where bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of Christ. This sacred practice fosters a deeper communion with Christ and with one another, strengthening our bonds with the church and empowering us to live out our Christian discipleship in the world.

Conclusion

As we reflect on Jesus' warning against false prophets and the importance of discerning true from false in our spiritual journeys, let us be vigilant gardeners of our souls. May we not only seek to identify the fruits in others but also nurture the growth of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control within ourselves. Through worship, fellowship, prayer, Bible study, and participation in the means of grace like Baptism and Holy Communion, let us cultivate a life that bears good fruit, reflecting the light of Christ in a world often shadowed by deception. Live out the Kingdom ethics Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount, growing closer to Him and each other as we journey together in faith.

The Choice: Narrow vs. Wide Gates

Introduction
I couldn’t sleep last night.  I was very tired.  I worked outside in my garden all day Saturday and I was physically tired.  I went to bed early.  I fell asleep fast.  But I woke up just a couple hours later with this sermon and you on my mind.  In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said we all have a choice to make.  Listen to what He said. 

Matthew 7:13-14
¹³ “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. ¹⁴ But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

The Way of Eternal Life
Jesus used gates and roads as a metaphor for eternal life and eternal damnation.  The narrow gate and difficult road represents the way of life that leads to eternal life in heaven.  The narrowness of the gate represents the exclusive nature of the path to eternal life.  Jesus is the only way to eternal life.  Jesus explicitly said so in John 14:6 - “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

So, some will not go to heaven because they either reject Christ or never deliberately choose Him.  Jesus said the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult.  Living a life that adheres to Jesus' teachings requires self-discipline, sacrifice, and a willingness to go against the prevailing norms and values of society. This path is not the easiest, but it is the one that leads to true life.

Jesus wants everyone to have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.  (I want that for you too!)  But the reality is:  the gate is narrow and the road is difficult and few people ever find it. 

The Highway to Hell
Most people choose the wide gate and take the highway to hell.  It's the route that seems easiest and most convenient, requiring little to no sacrifice or change.  It aligns with our natural desires and the immediate gratification of our wants without considering the long-term consequences.  

And besides, it’s the road most people choose.  You don’t even have to think about it.  You just go along with the crowd.  It requires no discipline, no self-examination, no repentance or transformation. 

Yeah, it’s easy; it’s convenient; and it offers the false promise of freedom.  But it’s a lie!  While the gate is wide and the path is easy, it leads to spiritual death, separation from God, and eternal punishment in Hell. 

And I woke up last night full of sorrow and concern for the multitudes of people traveling on the
highway to hell and for the very few who choose the narrow, difficult road to heaven.  I lay in my bed thinking about how I may have failed to do my part to encourage others to choose the right path–the one that leads to Heaven.  I lay there thinking about everyone who would be sitting in my congregation  or watching online the next morning to hear this sermon, as well as everyone who might read it on my blog.  And I thought about how so many think you are walking on a path that leads to eternal life in heaven when you are not.  Maybe you think you're going to heaven because:

• You were baptized as a baby, (or as an adult), or
• You go to church, or
• Your parents or grandparents were great Christians, or
• You believe God exists, or
• Because you’re a good person, or
• Because you just believe everyone goes to heaven.

Listen to me.  No.  Don’t listen to me; listen to Jesus.  Jesus says it right here in our Scripture.  “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

Few Ever Find It
Most people think it’s so easy.  They say:  Just be a good person.  Go to church if you want to.  Be nice.  You’ll go to heaven.  But Jesus says:  “The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

You see, the idea here is, you can have good intentions and still miss the gate to life.  You can’t just casually walk through life assuming you’ll stumble through the right gate.  No sir.  You might still miss it.  You may think you went through the right gate but realize too late you chose the wrong one.  If you want to be one of the few people who find the gateway to eternal life, you better get serious about it.  You better study it so you'll recognize the right gate and the right path when you see it.  you better choose wisely.

People get serious about all kinds of things in this life.  They’ll work hard to achieve goals like:

• Athletic achievements
• Educational Achievements
• Finding a mate to spend their life with 
• Building a successful career,
• Home ownership
• Health and wellness
• Travel and adventure

Perhaps you can think how you have strived for some of these in your own life.

People plan and save and study and invest themselves in all kinds of things–some things that are good and important.  But the most important thing, the thing that will literally last for all eternity, so many people approach carelessly, as if this most important thing just happens automatically.  Few things worth having just happen automatically.  You have to be committed and strive for it.

How to Find the Narrow Gate
If you really wanted to be a winning athlete, you would intentionally train to succeed.  You might practice daily to get good, maybe workout to grow stronger; you might even change the way you eat to become healthier and fuel your body. 

There are things you can do to help you be one of the few who finds the narrow gate Jesus says leads to eternal life.  And I suggest everyone be dedicated to spiritual training.

1. Repent and seek forgiveness - Acknowledge your sins and mistakes, repent, and seek God's forgiveness. This process of turning away from sin is crucial in finding the narrow gate.  You will never find the gate until you decide to start looking.  And repentance is the the first step.
   
   
2. Commit to Live for Jesus - Jesus chose you.  But you have to choose Jesus.  You have to consciously decide to be His disciple–to apply Jesus' teachings in your daily life, including loving your neighbor, forgiving others, practicing humility, and serving those in need.
   
   
3. Join a faith community - Being part of a church or a spiritual community provides support, accountability, and encouragement as you strive to live a life that reflects Jesus' teachings.  Worship together.  Study together in a small group.  Serve together.  Jesus and the original Twelve Disciples worked together as a group.  If Jesus and the Twelve needed to be in a group, what makes you think you can do it alone?
   
   
4. Read the Bible - Regularly reading and studying the Bible helps you understand God's principles and Jesus' teachings. This knowledge is foundational to discerning the narrow path.  It’s the only way you are going to know which gate to go through and which path to follow in life.
   
   
5. Pray - Prayer is a powerful way to communicate with God, seek His guidance, and express your desire to follow Him. It aligns your heart with God's will.  Prayer is the heart of walking on the right path with Jesus. 

Closing
Some of you are already doing these things.
Some of you need to do better.
Some of you need to take a good hard look at your life and recognize, you’re just blindly walking through life along with everyone else, and you don’t even realize you are traveling on the highway to hell.
You better wake up now, before it’s too late and you find yourself suffering for all eternity!

 

Living the Golden Rule: A Deep Dive into Matthew 7:12

Introduction
This is the 19^th sermon I have preached from Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount.  Leave it to a preacher to turn Jesus' one sermon over 19 sermons!  Actually, this is not unlike what the Twelve Disciples would have done.  Jesus preached this Sermon on the Mount as an overview of His core teachings.  Then, the Twelve would have gone town to town to share His lessons, explandning upon them much ass I have in this series.

The sermon today is based on just one verse.  And I bet it is one most of you have memorized.  Can you guess it?

Matthew 7:12
¹² “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

It’s So Simple
Can you think of a time when someone treated you kindly and it left a lasting impression upon you?  I remember many.  One time when I was about 12 years old, my karate instructor started coming to pick me up for classes a few times each week.  My mom was a single mom with 4 kids and couldn't always get me to class.  So Jeff Carmichael picked me up every week.  I felt bad because I knew it was extra time and gas for him to come get me.  I offered to pay for his gas and Jeff said, "No.  Don't pay me.  One day you will have a chance to help someone else.  Whenever you do, you'll be paying me back."  I've always remembered that and tried to live it out.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  It’s so simple, many are taught the golden rule in Kindergarten.  It’s so simple, almost every world religion teaches some form of “The Golden Rule”. 
Judaism 16^th century BC: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow-man. This is the entire Law, all the rest is commentary.” (Talmud, Shabbat 3id)
Hinduism 15^th century BC: “This is the sum of duty. Do not unto others that which would cause you pain if done to you.” (Mahabharata 5, 1517)
Buddhism 6^th century BC: “Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others.”  (The Buddha, Udana-Varga 5.18)
Islam 7^th Century AD: “None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.”  (Hadith 13, The Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi)

It would seem the concept of treating other people with the respect, dignity, and kindness you would want for yourself is a universal law for all humans everywhere.  But if that’s true, it raises some questions.

But Why?
First of all:  Why should we treat people the way we want to be treated?  For what reason?  There have been many people throughout history who have rejected the Golden Rule in favor of something we could call The Law of the Jungle where only the strong survive and the weak are culled from the heard.  Why should we value and treat weak, less talented, less beautiful, less intelligent people with the same dignity and respect we want?  And what about people who act like animals and do despicable things?  Why shouldn’t we treat them like animals since they act like animals?

There may be some self-serving reasons to treat others well.  It could earn you a better reputation or open opportunities or encourage others to treat you well.  If you scratch someone else's back they may scratch yours.  So, it might benefit you to do good unto others.  The only problem with these motivations is sometimes it will not benefit you.  What then?  Does that give you an excuse to break the Golden Rule?  Not according to Jesus and the Holy Scripture.

All Humans are Sacred Works of Art
The Bible gives a reason to follow the Golden Rule that’s outside humanity all together and firmly grounded in the divine nature of God.  Genesis 1:27 says “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”  We are created in God’s image.  Every human being is a sacred, image of God.  And therefore, every person should be treated with dignity and respect—the way you would treat a priceless work of art.

Suppose several priceless works of art like Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh or the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper by Leonardo de Vinci were were inside a burning building.  Wouldn't you want people to do everything they could to rescue the masterpieces from being destroyed?  And it wouldn't matter if the building that housed them were a beautiful museum or a shack in a swamp.  The value of the art inside the building is not diminished by the type of building they're in.  We would want to save them either way.  The same is true of every human being.  Each one has sacred worth because they bear the priceless image of God--a divine image that should be treated with dignity and honor regardless of the shell that holds it.

When we treat people poorly, it's a denial of the divine image within them.  This kind of behavior doesn't just harm the person on the receiving end; it also impacts our relationship with God. It's a form of disrespect to what God has created and valued.  It reduces our interactions to something less than human.  We become less than human.  When we treat others like animals, we become animals ourselves.  When we treat any part of creation without respect for the Creator who made it, we degrade ourselves.

Jesus said, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”  They bear the sacred image of God just like you do.  God loves people.  He loves everyone.  And if we love God, we should love what He loves.  We can’t see God, but we can see people.  How can we say we love God (when we can’t even see Him) if we don’t love the people God made (that we can clearly see)?  One of the ways we express our love to God is by loving the people He made in His image. (And also by take good care of all His creation.)

That’s not just something Jesus said.  It’s something Jesus did.  He treated everyone with dignity.
He valued and included children in his ministry—welcoming them in his presence when adults tried to push them away.  He spent time talking with the Samaritan woman at the well and revealed his true identity as the Messiah to her.  He was even kind to the thief on the cross who was dying in agony next to him at the crucifixion—welcoming him into Paradise.

Why Doesn’t Everyone Follow the Golden Rule?
The Golden Rule is so simple and universal.  It’s been known by cultures all over the world for over 3000 years.  And if people would just follow this simple rule, the world would be a much better place.  So why doesn’t everyone just do it?

The answer is summed up in one simple, 3 letter word: SIN.

SIN
God created us to love Him and to love each other.  But our SIN is we love ourselves more. We are selfish.  We want to be in control and do things our way.  And when we want something, we are willing to go against God's laws and moral principles and His purposes in order to get what we want.

This SIN is captured in the creation story in Genesis when the Serpent tempted Eve to breaks God’s command and eat the forbidden fruit.  The Serpent promised the fruit would make Eve like God.  And that’s often still the temptation--that if we  bend God's rules a little, we will receive some benefit, some reward, that is better than what what we have when we obey God.  God's way is always the best way, but we think we can do better by cheating the system.

Lenten Challenge
Today is the first Sunday in Lent.  Lent is a season of 40 days leading up to Easter.  It is a time when Christians refocus their spiritual lives.  Some may give up something as a form of self-denial to draw them closer to Christ.  Others commit to do something positive to live out their faith more authentically. 

Perhaps, for Lent this year, you could simply make an intentional effort to follow Jesus’ Golden Rule to treat others the way you would like them to treat you (in every circumstance).  I challenge you to do it as a spiritual practice.  Maybe you could even keep a journal every day.  Prayerfully keep track of the different interactions you had and how you did or didn’t follow the Golden Rule in different situations.

Closing Invitation
In closing, I must say you will always struggle with the Golden Rule until you surrender completely to God and become a Christian.  There will always be a reason to bend or break it until you finally surrender control of your life to God.  Jesus is Lord.  Surrender and let Him be your Lord.  Perhaps you would like to do that right now.