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Next Sunday is a big Sunday. It's Easter Sunday. And we got a lot going on here at Central. We're going to be introducing Central Station Kids' Worship. We're going to also have an Easter egg hunt here at the building. And next Sunday for the Easter message, we're going to talk about the new covenant of the cross. And so I hope that you'll plan to be here for that as we take a break from the Sermon on the Mount and we look at the new covenant that the cross of Jesus established. The scripture focus for today is verse 12 of chapter 7 of Matthew. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Kind of depends on the version of or translation that you're reading this morning, but essentially treat others the way that you would like to be treated. Now, how many of you remember the first time you ever heard that? I don't see a whole lot of hands, and here's the reason why. You heard it when you were so young you can't remember anything else. Okay? This is one of those that you hear in vacation Bible school. Walk around this campus, you will see the golden rule in different places on the walls of our children's classrooms. It's something that we talk about with our children when they're growing up. And now let me ask you this: how many of you have heard a lot of sermons after elementary school on the golden rule? It's like we just stop talking about it. We know about it. Probably because we're telling our kids and grandkids, hey, you know the golden rule, treat your friends the way that you want to be treated. But it's like it stops. Jesus begins chapter 7 by saying, don't judge others. And then he wraps up this section that we're looking at this morning in verse 12 with treat other people you want to be treated. And those bookend everything that's in the middle between there. And so we've been looking at the first 12 verses of chapter 7, and we're going to come back to the golden rule. Now let me just go ahead and tell you. There's a lot more to the golden rule than what we learned in vacation Bible school. And we're going to take a look at it this morning. And I'm just, again, going to say this. If we look at the golden rule, treat others the way you want to be treated. If we look at it for what it is and we line it up beside the way that we as believers treat it, it doesn't always paint a pretty picture. We don't always treat others the way that we want to be treated. And we're going to take a deeper look at that this morning. And I hope that we will come away with a deeper understanding of what we as believers have been called to with regard to what we know as the golden rule. So let's go to God in prayer together before we begin. Father God, we thank you so much for loving us. Loving us so much that you sent your Son Jesus to die for us. As Blake said in his communion thoughts this morning, Jesus came first, came when we were at our worst, came when we were at our filthiest, came when we were as deep in our sin as we can possibly get, knowing full well that we may not accept the sacrifice that he made for us. Father, we thank you for loving us that much. We thank you for this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus. We thank you for these words. We thank you that you sat down on that mountainside and you shared these words of wisdom with us. We're thankful for what we've come to know as the golden rule. Treat others the way that you want to be treated. It seems pretty simple, but like a lot of other things, Father, we make it we make it pretty hard. Spirit, I pray the message is your message this morning that this message will bring glory and honor to your name, Lord, and and that we'll have a deeper understanding of what we've been called to as we revisit this scripture that we have known our whole lives, and we think we know so well, but when we apply it, it has a very deep and meaningful impact on our life. Lord, we love you so much. We thank you. We praise you in all things, and in the name of Jesus, we pray together. Amen. You know, when Jesus went up on that mountainside and he sat down, he's sitting down, and these people have come to him. They're looking for something. They're looking for healing because they had heard that he had done these miracles. And they they had heard that people had been healed of their ailments. They were looking for their next meal. They were looking for something from Jesus that was meaningful. Some in the crowd were skeptical. The religious establishment, I call it. They were there to just see how legitimate this guy was and to see how big of a threat that he was. And when Jesus sat down and he said, treat other people that you want to be treated, he's saying a lot more than what we see on the surface. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Think about the time frame in which he's saying this. Treat treat not just your brothers and sisters that are fellow Jews, treat others. Doesn't put a specification on it. Who are others? Others are people not like you. You mean you want me to treat the Romans like I want to be treated? This is what Jesus is talking about. And it applies to us today. And so when Jesus said this, he's saying something that for the time then, and quite honestly, for a lot of people today, is a pretty hard pill to swallow. And so today, when you ask just about anyone on the street to tell you what the golden rule is, nine times out of ten, they can quote it to you right on the spot. Just like that. However, a growing percentage family of those who can quote it on the spot do not realize that they're quoting the words of Jesus from the Bible. Again, Jesus wraps up the first 11 verses of chapter 7 with some plain and simple common sense in verse 12 before shifting gears and transitioning in the sermon. In verse 12, Jesus takes interpersonal relationships and how to be successful in human relations, and he condenses it down to 10 words. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Church, most people can quote what Jesus says right there. But when it comes to applying it to their interactions with others, family, those wise and simple words of Jesus just don't go into application nearly as often as they should. Now don't miss what Jesus says at the end of verse 12. We get the first part. We can quote that on the spot. It's the back end of verse 12 that we so often forget and we miss. Look at what he says. He says, For this is the law and the prophets. Let me tell you something. That little tidbit at the end of verse 12, I believe, was especially for the members of the religious establishment in the crowd. He's reminding them of what they're supposed to be about. He's reminding them of the authority of what he has just said. This is the law. Treating others the way that you want to be treated. This is the prophets. Treat others the way you want to be treated. In other words, Jesus is saying that all of their additional rules and regulations that they had added to the law had made the law more complicated than his father ever intended for it to be. In fact, their meticulous and overbearing attitude and quite honestly, abuse of the law for their own power, their own purposes, had overshadowed and had suffocated the very spirit of the law. Church, in that simple proclamation, treat others the way you want to be treated, Jesus is saying loud and clear, loud and clear, that the law was never intended to be about rules and regulations. It was always intended to be about relationships. So what Jesus says on the front end of verse 12 tells us everything that we need to know. Everything that we need to know as believers about how to treat other people and how to treat those who aren't a part of the family of our Father. If you remember, Jesus begins chapter 7 by talking about judgment. Do not judge. And Jesus sums up on the other end of this passage in his sermon by saying instead of judging others, that we should treat them with kindness, that we should treat them with consideration. We should treat them with respect as if the roles were reversed. We want people to treat us the way that we would want to be treated if the situation and the circumstances were reversed. Family, the golden rule is a magnificent say. And yet, it's not the norm. It's not the norm when it comes to human interaction and relationship, even within the church. In fact, rather than being adopted as a way of life, the world leans more toward twisting it and perverting the spirit of the golden rule to their advantage. One of these attitudes and one of these perversions says, do unto others before they do unto you. You ever heard that one before? Because the good nature of the golden spirit, of the golden rule family, has been ignored. It's been ignored by a lot of people today. And the reason why is that they live on the defensive. And they live out of self-preservation. In other words, they've been burned too many times. Other people have done unto them before they could do unto them. For them, the objective, family, with regard to this perversion of the golden rule, is to get the best of somebody before they get the best of you. Church is a view of life. And we've all known people like this. It's a view of life and relationships that functions from an assumption. It functions from the assumption that we not only assume the worst will happen to us. But family, we also try to foresee what the other person is going to do before they do it. Right or wrong, based upon previous experience, you protect yourself. You go into protection mode by burning them before they can burn you. And here's the deal. Ironically, even sadly, based upon previous experience, you protect yourself. You protect yourself. You expect the worst regarding others while at the same time expecting others to assume the best regarding us. It's a judgmental approach to relationships. Because it requires us to assume the worst in others, which incorporates another pretty popular saying: assume the worst and expect the best. Family, living this way is a shallow way to live. Because it's lived more out of fear of being hurt by others than out of the joy of loving others. A second attitude that goes against the golden rule that we're all familiar with is this attitude that lives by asking a question. And that question is, what's in it for me? Church, this approach is in conflict with the golden rule. And it lives life not from the perspective of how I can get hurt like the previous one, but from the angle of how can I benefit from it. I'll treat you the way that you want to be treated. So long as I feel like I'm getting something out of it. But it's a popular way to live. And it's lived in opposition to the golden rule. It's a conditional approach to relationships that's reward-driven rather than love-driven. Family, at its core, this also is a very judgmental lens to view others by. And remember what Jesus began chapter 7 with do not judge. This is a judgmental way to look at people, wanting to know what I'm going to get out of it. It's judgmental because we determine other people's value to our benefit. And so when we come to that and we're judging others based upon their value to our benefit, then we have to decide something. We have to make a decision. We have to determine whether or not the return on our investment of time and energy and emotion in relationship with them is worth it. Paul would write some years later to the Romans chapter 12, verses 15 to 18, rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people, if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. Take a good look at what Paul says there. Paul expounds on the spirit of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in these words to Christians in Rome. And church, what he says there in the original language goes much, much deeper than we think. Because what he is encouraging there is not a superficial rejoicing and not a superficial weeping with others. Family Paul is actually saying that we should connect so deeply with one another that we enter into and experience one another's joy and pain. Church, that's what the family of God does. When someone responds to the Lord's invitation and walks these aisles, the thought that should be going through our mind shouldn't be, well, I wonder what they did wrong. From a position of sitting back in judgment. But rather, praise God that they've decided to finally give their heart to the Lord and to come back to Jesus with their life. I can't wait to embrace them when this service is over. I can't wait to tell them how proud I am for the decision that they've made because I've been praying for them. I can't wait to tell them that I love them as my brother and sister in Christ. Church, that's the family of God that I dream of. That's the church home that I long for. That's the heaven on earth that central has been called to. Again, that's what the family of God does. And that's what so many people all around us are hurting for. And maybe even somebody here today. Deep down inside hopes that they will find. And it's an important one. Central, what would happen if they opened up their heart and came to or came back to the Father today? What would they find? What would they find here at Central? Family in the golden rule, Jesus is showing us a better way to live. He's showing us an approach to life that compels us to see life through the eyes of another person. To see life through the eyes of others. To meet them where they are. And to assess their situation and their needs. Not from an attitude or a standpoint of judgment, but from an attitude of love, an attitude of kindness, an attitude of mercy. Church, our Savior says, treat others the way that you want to be treated. Treat the homeless. Treat the children. Treat those who don't look like you the way you want to be treated. Treat those who don't dress like you the way that you want to be treated. Those who don't smell like you. Those who don't speak like you. Those who don't vote like you do. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Because, family, at the end of the day, the golden rule is a mandate. It is a mandate from our Father through our Savior Jesus to apply ourselves to the same standard that we apply to others. That's the golden rule. So, what does that look like? It looks like this. It looks like giving others the benefit of the doubt rather than assuming the worst. It looks like going to someone when there's a problem rather than waiting and assuming that they'll come to you. Remember what Jesus said earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, chapter 5, verses 23 and 24. It says, Therefore, if you're presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Take a good look at what Jesus says right there on the screen. What priority does he place upon our relationships with one another? Look at what he says. Before we come in here and we offer our sacrifice of praise, what Jesus is saying is, hey, look, if you know that your brother or your sister has something against you, not that you have something against them. You know they got something against you. They got a beef, they got a problem with you. It may be a misunderstanding, whatever. There's a problem. Jesus is saying, you know what? Your worship, your sacrifice of praise is not going to be what it needs to be until you get things right. That's what he's saying. And yet, how many times have we? I include myself in this, because I'm no better than anybody else. How many times have we walked in to worship, knowing good and well that somebody's got a problem with us? And yet we continue to worship as if there's no problem. Jesus says, make things right. It looks like being present when others are hurting. That's what the golden rule looks like. It looks like at the times when we're at the hospital, we're at the funeral home, family, when tragedy strikes, let me tell you something. People rarely remember what anybody says, but they do remember who was there. It looks like encouraging others for the things they're doing well rather than criticizing others for the things that they're not doing so well. This includes our children. Because here's the thing, they already know what their weaknesses are. But they need to be shown what their strengths are. Church, it means talking to people. It means talking to people rather than talking about people. And I'll just tell you that that's one of the biggest challenges that I've seen in the church all over this nation in all my years of ministry. That one right there. The golden rule means that we talk to people, not about people. Google defines that in this way. Quote, talking about others behind their back is a complex social behavior that often is driven by a mix of psychological need and evolutionary survival instincts. Take a good look at that. That's how AI defines talking about people behind their back. Quote, a complex social behavior driven by a mix of psychological needs and evolutionary survival instincts. Do you know what that's saying? Family, this is a mental and emotional deficiency. Talking about people behind their back that's induced by a selfish desire to cannibalize people by feasting on their shame and their humiliation for our entertainment. Sounds disgusting, doesn't it? To the Lord it is. And it should be to all of us. You can call it whatever you want to. I can call it whatever I want to. We can call it gossip. We can call it drama. We can call it the grapevine. We can call it the rumor mill. We can call it whatever we want to. We can define it however we want to. Let me tell you what the Bible calls it. And how the Bible describes it. It's divisive. And that's something that we should not take lightly. Solomon writes in Proverbs chapter 16, verse 28 A perverse person spreads strife and a gossip separates close friends. Take a good look at that. Church Solomon lumps perversion and gossip in the same sentence. Don't miss that. He also states that gossip separates close friends. In other words, it's divisive. Paul carries it a step further in a specific case. When he writes to Titus in chapter 3, verses 9 to 11, he says, avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife. Avoid gossip and disputes about the law, for they are useless and worthless. Now notice what he says next. Paul says, reject a divisive person after a first and second warning, knowing that such a person has deviated from what is right and is sinning, being self-condemned. That right there is pretty serious. And understand something. That word reject there, and your translation may actually say this. That word reject there means have nothing more to do with them. Church, that should make us stop. And should make us think about the severity of gossip and drama. And the church, I've found, everywhere is full of it. Here's the deal. Following the golden rule in our life by treating others the way that we want to be treated will greatly diminish gossip and drama in the church. I can assure you, please don't miss what I'm about to say. I can assure you that if we become known, if Central becomes known as the church in this area that does all these things, giving others the benefit of the doubt, going to others when there's a problem, being present when others are hurting, encouraging others rather than criticizing them, and talking to others rather than talking about others. Family, if we will commit ourselves to doing all of these things, Central will be a church without walls. As it is intended to be. And Rhodes was a stickler about dressing properly for the proper occasions, but not at the expense of someone else's feelings. And so this young man comes in and his suit is dirty and whatnot from traveling. He's not dressed appropriately. Everybody else is. And he's looking around and he noticed that Rhodes is not there. And then a little bit later, Rhodes comes down the staircase and walks into the party in a tattered old blue suit. He had heard what happened when the young man had come in and he went upstairs and he took off his tuxedo, took off his black tie and tails, and he put on an old tattered blue suit just so that this young man would feel more accepted. Church, that's the golden rule. That's treating others the way that you want to be treated. That's what we are, to help them feel better, to help them be better. And in the process, believe it or not, we feel better. And we are better. And that's what we've been called to. I don't know what you're struggling with this morning. It very well could be that you're struggling with drama and gossip in your life. It could be from the standpoint that you're a carrier. I'm going to look at it as a disease. You may be a carrier of it. You may be someone that passes this stuff along and you didn't realize how damaging it can be. Honestly, my personal opinion, it's third-party bullying. We have to be careful about what we say. We have to be careful about the judgment that Jesus talks about that we pass on others not knowing all the facts. And when we experience it, we need to call it for what it is. Not be mean about it. But we might want to say, hey, look, have you talked to so-and-so about what you're talking to me about? Are you sure of your facts? Maybe you ought to be sure before you pass on any information that may not be accurate. Those few steps right there will be invaluable. And maybe that's something that you've struggled with. Maybe you're on the other side of that coin. Maybe you've been the victim of gossip. Maybe you made a mistake. You know we do that. And somebody has exploited it to their advantage to make them feel better. And you've been hurt by it. Whichever side of that coin that you find yourself on this morning, and you need us to pray with you and to pray for you about this issue because it's a serious issue in the church. That's what we're here for. You may be going through something totally different. You may have had a rotten week this week. That happens too. And you just need some encouragement. Let us pray with you, let us love on you, let us hug on you, let us encourage you as your church family. Because if you can't find that here, you're not going to find it anywhere. Because this is what it should be like here. If you need to confess Jesus as your Lord, wash all those sins away in baptism and live life from a fresh, new perspective. That invitation is open to you. Regardless, don't ignore the Lord, don't deny the Spirit while we stand.