Scripture Reading; 1 John 4:7 thru 21 (Please read)
I’m going to read the words of the chorus from that song that’s called, “angry Words”. And I want to ask you to repeat the words to your self, as I read them. They have to do with exactly what that scripture reading was all about.
Here we go; “Love one another.. thus saith the Savior; Children obey the Father’s blest command. Love one another.. thus saith the Savior; Children obey the blest command.”
Isn’t that simple? Love one another, thus saith the Savior. That’s the commandment that we have from God; “..that the one who loves God, should love his brother also.” (1 John 4:21) The previous verse had said; “..For the one who does NOT love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”
I’ve never seen God, have you? John says in John 1:18; “No man has seen God at any time..” But we’ve all seen one another haven’t we? And if you don’t love the person sitting next to you, and the person in front of you, and the one behind you, and the person out on the street, and the person that you work with, then you don’t love God. It’s that simple isn’t it?
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”, Jesus said in John 14:15. “And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God, should also love his brother.”
Here’s another simple command from God; “Do Unto Others, As You Would Have Them Do Unto You”.
That’s what people call “The Golden Rule”. Jesus said, in Luke 6:31; “And as you wish that men should treat you, so also treat them.” All the different versions of the bible word it a little differently, but they all mean the same thing. “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.”
That sounds like a pretty simple little rule, but is it? It must be a lot harder than it sounds, because I don’t think it gets done anywhere near, often enough. Do you think most people actually do.. Do unto others as they would like others to do unto them? I think that most people, including ourselves, treat others very nicely in casual situations, as long as things don’t impose too much on our personal life. But when things do get “personal”, you knowhow easy it gets, to be a bit “self-centered”. A bit “uncaring”, and a bit “unbending”. You know how it can be.
You know what the problem is right? And sometimes, treating YOU, the way I want to be treated, doesn’t get ME, what I want.
It’s truly a shame, but this world seems to have acquired a very self-centered attitude. Instead of living by the principle of “doing unto others, as you would have them do unto you”, the world seems to live by the principle.. Do unto others, BEFORE they do unto you! And that’s not meant in a good sense either.
But God’s word says “..but with humility of mind, let each one of you regard one another as more important than your self. Do not look out for your own personal interests, but for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)
Think about these examples if you would; If you would want to have first choice in something, then give that choice to someone else. If you would prefer that someone gave you first choice, then give it to them instead. Do unto others.
If you would like it if someone gave you a compliment, then give them a compliment instead. Do unto others.
If you would appreciate it, if someone would pray for you, then pray for them. Do unto others.
If you would like it, for someone to simply make a kind gesture to you, like to tell you that they appreciate you, then tell them, that you appreciate them. Whatever you would like someone to do for you, do it to them. Do unto others.
How would you like it if a friend gave you some small gift, nothing expensive, just something to say thanks for being a friend? Would you like that? Then why don’t you do that, for a friend of yours? Do unto others.
If everyone did that, it would be inevitable, that it would come back around to you, and you’d get just what you want after all. And so all we’d have to do, is just be patient, and do unto others. But you know what? Even though we know that the world isn’t really going to “help us along” with that.. Why don’t you just “do unto others, as you would have them do unto you, anyhow? And I think I can guarantee you, (because I know what the scriptures say) that it will all work out for good for you, in the end.
What’s that other really simple little rule that Jesus stated? The one that He mentioned right after He told us to “Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” I know what it is; “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” If that other one is a “golden rule”, maybe this one should be a “platinum rule”.
Love your neighbor as yourself. The Jews one time asked Jesus; “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus answered by telling them a parable.
Let me go ahead a read that parable, from Luke 10:25 thru 37… Follow along in your bibles if you wish. Luke 10:25 thru 37..
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You, go and do likewise.”
Do you see that happening in the world? Do you see people loving others as themselves, and proving to be a neighbor to those in need? Sometimes we do, but more often than not, we don’t.
Here’s the really important question; Do you see it happening in YOUR life, and in YOUR behavior? Do you love others, as you love yourself? And do you DO unto others, as you would have them to do unto you? And do YOU prove, to be a “neighbor”, to those in need?
Have you ever criticized someone, or said something behind their back, when you know full well, that you wouldn’t say the same thing to their face? Have you ever done that? Is that how you want people to treat you? Maybe someone HAS done that to you, and you found out about it. If that has ever happened to you, then you know how it made you feel.
Sometimes we say things that we just shouldn’t say. Sometimes we get frustrated, sometimes we get angry, and sometimes maybe we just don’t agree with someone. And a result, we treat someone in a way that we sure wouldn’t want them to treat us. But that just goes to show how imperfect we all are. And it shows how un-loving we sometimes are.
Jesus said in Mathew 7, verse 2; “For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. And with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you.” That verse fits here doesn’t it? Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you, because, with what measure you measure to them, the same will be measured back to you. And give your love, to your neighbor, so that God can measure His love, back to you.
If you were to say things to someone, about another person, but you wouldn’t say those same things to that other person’s face, what do think the reason for that would be? Would it be that the things you’re saying, have no business being said in the first place? And would it be that what you’re saying, is hurtful, instead of being helpful? And would that be a reflection, of the fact, that we don’t love GOD like we should? But we’ve never acted like that, have we?
God exhorts us, in Philippians 2:5 thru 7; “Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God, as a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men.”
God demonstrated His love for us didn’t He? That’s what it says in Romans 5, verse 8. “He demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” And now He wants us to demonstrate our love for Him, by loving one another. By doing unto others, as we would have them do unto us. Isn’t that simple? That’s what Christianity is!
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” You’ll believe that Jesus is the Christ, Mat 16:16. You’ll repent of your sins, Acts 17:30. You’ll confess the name of Christ, Mat 10:32. You’ll be buried in baptism for the forgiveness of your sins, Acts 2:38. And you’ll walk in love, as Christ has also loved you..” Eph 5:2.
And I want to remind you once again, of the words of the chorus of that song I mentioned earlier. “Love one another.. thus saith the Savior. Children obey the Father’s blest command. Love one another.. Thus saith the Savior. Children obey the blest command.”
