Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

Scripture

 Matthew 5:13-16

"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. ¹⁴ "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 7:12

So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

Summary and Function

 

Summary: Sit back and think about all the mean people you know. I’m talking about the people who almost never do or say anything nice.  Now, ask yourself, do these people have any joy? The answer will be no. There’s a direct relationship between joy and kindness. The less you have of one, the less you have of the other. The more you have of one, the more you have of the other.

Jesus commands us to ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ Jesus commands this, not only because it’s the right thing, but also because it is what’s best for us. The more we do this the more we will have joy!

This, of course, begins with loving ourselves. If we love ourselves we’ll expect others to treat us with respect and love. This will motivate us to treat others with respect and love. It is not, however, always easy to love others as we want to be loved. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. We rely on the Holy Spirit to strengthen and enable us to always love others.    

Purpose: To help the congregation to rely on God to enable them to ‘treat others as they would want to be treated’. In this way they’ll have more joy.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Mean people

     1.  You probably know the following villains

• JR Ewing (From the ‘Dallas’ T.V. series)  
• Khan Noonien Signh (Villain in ‘Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan’ movie)
• Lex Luther (Superman’s memesis)

     2. One thing these villains have in common: No joy

• JR Ewing: There’s no joy when you are obsessed with growing a corporate empire.
• Khan Noonien Singh: There’s no joy when you are obsessed with revenge.
• Lex Luther: There’s no joy when you are obsessed with world domination.

     3. Although these people are fictional, they demonstrate some truth

• Think about some of the mean people you’ve met. These are the people who almost never do or say anything nice.
• Ask yourself, do these mean people have any joy? The answer will most likely be no.
• Now think about some of the kindest people you’ve met. These are the people who always have something nice to say or are always willing to help.
• Ask yourself, do these nice people have any joy? The answer will be a definite yes!
• There’s a direct relationship between joy and kindness

II. The direct relationship between joy and kindness

III. This is why Jesus commands us to be kind

     2. Not only is this the right thing to do, it is what is best for us.

• Remember, Jesus wants us to have a joyful life. He said, “…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “ (John 10:10)
• Jesus is the way to have a joyful life. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life…” (John 14:6)
• So, if Jesus wants us to have a joyful life and if he is the way to have a joyful life, then his commands will cause us to have a joyful life.

     3. Let’s take a closer look at Matthew 7:12.

IV. A closer look at Matthew 7:12

     1. The first observation: It sums up the law and prophets.   

• So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets
• Matthew 7:12 is very similar to the two greatest commands: Matthew 22:37-40 - “….You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
• So, Jesus expects us to love God, love neighbor and love ourselves in all situations. In all situations we are to “do unto others as we would want them to do unto us.”  

     2. The second observation: It begins with loving ourselves

• So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets
• If you love yourself, you’ll want people to love and respect you. This will motivate you to love and respect others
• Loving yourself does not mean: Being arrogant and having a chip on your shoulder. Looking for reasons to be offended. Thinking you are better or more deserving than others. Remember, God loves us all, not just you.
• Loving yourself does mean: Acknowledging your worth as a human being because God created you and loves you. So, we should want to take care of ourselves and better ourselves. 

     3. The third observation: Once you love yourself, you can begin to love others   

• So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets
• Loving others becomes a natural instinct when you love yourself.

V. Following Matthew 7:12 is not always easy

     2. When someone says or does something that is hurtful:

• Don’t immediately react
• Pray and ask God: “How can I respond to this person in a manner that demonstrates love for you, for me and for the person I’m responding to?”