{"id":1646,"date":"2022-02-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-20T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=1646"},"modified":"2022-02-20T15:43:15","modified_gmt":"2022-02-20T23:43:15","slug":"seventh-sunday-after-epiphany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/20\/seventh-sunday-after-epiphany\/","title":{"rendered":"Seventh Sunday after Epiphany"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Epiphany-7-02-20-22.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Luke 6:27-38<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What Makes the Golden Rule Golden?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cBut I tell you who hear me:&nbsp; Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.&nbsp; If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.&nbsp; If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.&nbsp; Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.&nbsp; Do to others as you would have them do to you.&nbsp; If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?&nbsp; Even \u2018sinners\u2019 love those who love them.&nbsp; And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?&nbsp; Even \u2018sinners\u2019 do that.&nbsp; And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?&nbsp; Even \u2018sinners\u2019 lend to \u2018sinners,\u2019 expecting to be repaid in full.&nbsp; But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.&nbsp; Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.&nbsp; Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.&nbsp; Do not judge, and you will not be judged.&nbsp; Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.&nbsp; Forgive, and you will be forgiven.&nbsp; Give, and it will be given to you.&nbsp; A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.&nbsp; For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.\u201d&nbsp; <\/em>(NIV1984)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have a grandson who is very fond of \u201cWhat if\u201d scenarios.&nbsp; For years he has been asking me questions such as, \u201cPapa, what if this happens\u2026\u201d or \u201cPapa, what if that happens\u2026.\u201d&nbsp; I usually try to answer his questions as well as I can.&nbsp; But, if the questions just keep on coming eventually I will respond with a question of my own.&nbsp; I might ask him, \u201cWhat if the sky falls?\u201d or, \u201cWhat if the Lord returns?\u201d&nbsp; That usually puts an end to the \u201cWhat if\u201d scenarios\u2014 at least for a while!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you know our sermon text for today is one of the places in Scripture (See also Matthew 7:12) where we find the \u201cGolden Rule\u201d\u2014 <em>\u201cDo unto others as you would have them do unto you.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Borrowing from my grandson, let me ask you, What if instead of giving us the Golden Rule Jesus gave us the Silver Rule of the Bronze Rule like in the Olympics?&nbsp; What if Jesus had told us, \u201c<strong>Consider <\/strong>doing unto others what you would have them <strong>consider <\/strong>doing unto you\u201d?&nbsp; Or, what if Jesus said to us, \u201cDo unto others <strong>before <\/strong>they do it unto you\u201d?&nbsp; Would that have the same impact, the same power and the same depth as the Golden Rule?&nbsp; Not at all!&nbsp; And yet, sometimes it seems as though people are very comfortable living by the Silver Rule or the Bronze Rule instead of the Golden Rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because living by the Golden Rule goes against our old sinful nature, today let\u2019s see how this portion of Scripture gives us the opportunity to ask the question:&nbsp; <strong><em>What Makes the Golden Rule Golden?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What makes the Golden Rule golden?&nbsp; While we will see a number of answers to that question the first answer is found in the opening words of our text.&nbsp; A very literal translation of these opening words would go like this, <em>\u201cBut I am saying to you <strong>who are listening <\/strong><\/em>(to me).\u201d&nbsp; <em>\u201c<\/em><em>But.\u201d <\/em>&nbsp;This world automatically directs us back to what Jesus had just said.&nbsp; When we look at the verses preceding our text (Luke 6:20-26) we hear Jesus remind His disciples of the tremendous spiritual blessings that belong <strong>only<\/strong> to those who believe and trust in Jesus.&nbsp; These blessings go far beyond anything we deserve.&nbsp; These blessings are ours purely because of the grace and the power of our God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who have received these tremendous blessings from the Lord are the ones who <em>\u201care listening\u201d<\/em> to Jesus.&nbsp; Those who do <strong>not <\/strong>believe and trust in Jesus as their Savior will <strong>not <\/strong>want to hear much less follow what Jesus is about to say.&nbsp; Our willingness and our eagerness to <strong>keep on listening <\/strong>to Jesus is one of the things that makes the Golden Rule golden!&nbsp; It comes from our Lord Himself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we <strong>are listening <\/strong>to Jesus what will we hear Him say to us? &nbsp;We will hear Him give us commands, rules, that sound shocking to the unbelievers, but when we look at them in the light of the cross (Pointing to the cross) we understand exactly what our Savior is saying to us\u2014 and why!&nbsp; In the light of the cross Jesus says to you and to me, <em>\u201cLove your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.&nbsp; If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.&nbsp; If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.&nbsp; Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.&nbsp; Do to others what you would have them do to you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I was working my way through this text I found it insightful that the verb forms here are in the present tense.&nbsp; The present tense emphasizes <strong>ongoing <\/strong>action.&nbsp; Very literally Jesus is telling us, <em>\u201cKeep on loving your enemies, keep on blessing those who curse you, keep on praying for those who mistreat you\u201d<\/em> etc.&nbsp; By using the present form of the verbs Jesus is emphasizing that one of the things that make the Golden Rule golden is that it is <strong>not <\/strong>just something we do every now and then.&nbsp; It is <strong>not <\/strong>something that we do only when we feel like it.&nbsp; It is <strong>not <\/strong>something that we do when we think it is convenient.&nbsp; The Golden Rule guides how we conduct ourselves each and every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think back over the course of your life, my friends.&nbsp; Think back over the course of just this past week.&nbsp; Is there anyone who considers you their <em>\u201cenemy\u201d<\/em>?&nbsp; Is there anyone who has said something or done something to hurt you or to harm you?&nbsp; If so, our natural reaction is to try and \u201cget even\u201d with them, isn\u2019t it.&nbsp; But, as we <em>\u201c<\/em><em>are listening\u201d<\/em> to Jesus we hear Him tell us to take a deep breath, remember what He has done <strong>for <\/strong>us and let the warmth of His love and His forgiveness shine forth in both our attitude towards others as well as our actions toward others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what if someone actually physically hurts me&gt;&nbsp; What if someone literally takes something that belongs to me?&nbsp; What if someone asks to \u201cborrow\u201d something and won\u2019t give it back?&nbsp; What are we to do in that type of situation?&nbsp; We continue to <em>\u201ckeep on listening\u201d<\/em> to Jesus and do\u2014 nothing.&nbsp; We don\u2019t strike them back.&nbsp; We don\u2019t demand that they give back what they took or borrowed from us.&nbsp; We take a deep breath, lift up our eyes to the cross and listen as Jesus reminds us that what we have or do not have does not and cannot change who we are and what we are worth to Him.&nbsp; (Pointing to the cross)&nbsp; Then we pray that the example that we give will help that person to see the power and the priority of Jesus\u2019 love\u2014 and maybe ask how they can have that same love in their hearts and in their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That thought leads us to yet another answer to the question, What makes the Golden Rule golden?&nbsp; Look at what our Lord says to us in verses 32-36 of our text, <em>\u201cIf you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?&nbsp; Even \u2018sinners\u2019 love those who love them.&nbsp; And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?&nbsp; Even \u2018sinners\u2019 do that.&nbsp; And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?&nbsp; Even \u2018sinners\u2019 lend to \u2018sinners\u2019 expecting to be repaid in full.&nbsp; But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.&nbsp; Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.&nbsp; Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What makes the Golden Rule golden, my friends is that it openly reveals to the people around us that we are \u201cdifferent.\u201d&nbsp; By the grace and power of God we think differently, we act differently, we react differently than the unbelievers because by the grace and power of our Savior God He has changed us from the inside out.&nbsp; By the grace of God we understand that as Christians our <em>\u201creward\u201d<\/em> is not found in this life but in the life to come.&nbsp; By the grace of God our goal in this life is to make sure that the people around us can not only see and hear that we are \u201cdifferent,\u201d but that they can see and hear that the reason we are \u201cdifferent\u201d is because we are the children of the Most High God!&nbsp; As children of the Most High God we consciously take the mercy that our heavenly Father so freely showers upon us and share it with the people around us\u2014 including our enemies, including those who hate us and curse us and mistreat us, including those who either consciously or unconsciously take advantage of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And finally, what makes the Golden Rule golden?&nbsp; It enables us to have a proper God-pleasing understanding of the closing verses of our text.&nbsp; Jesus says to you and to me, <em>\u201cDo not judge, and you will not be judged.&nbsp; Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.&nbsp; Forgive and you will be forgiven.&nbsp; Give, and it will be given to you.&nbsp; A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.&nbsp; For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cDo not judge!\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; It is painful to see and to hear people take these words of our Savior out of context and twist them to say that we should <strong>never <\/strong>judge anyone\u2019s actions or anyone\u2019s beliefs.&nbsp; That is <strong>not <\/strong>what Jesus is teaching us here!&nbsp; Think about it.&nbsp; Jesus Himself <em>\u201cjudged\u201d<\/em> both people\u2019s actions and their beliefs, didn\u2019t He.&nbsp; Jesus <em>\u201cjudged\u201d<\/em> the Pharisees for their hypocrisy.&nbsp; (See Matthew 23)&nbsp; Jesus <em>\u201cjudged\u201d<\/em> the Sadducees because they rejected what the Scriptures teach concerning the resurrection of the dead.&nbsp; (See Mark 12:18-27)&nbsp; Jesus <em>\u201ccondemned\u201d<\/em> the actions of the woman who was caught in the act of committing adultery by telling her, <em>\u201cGo now and leave your life of sin\u201d<\/em> (John 8:11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What Jesus is teaching here in our text is a real-life application of the Golden Rule.&nbsp; Don\u2019t <em>\u201cjudge\u201d<\/em> other people based on your own personal opinions unless you want them to <em>\u201cjudge\u201d<\/em> you based on their own personal opinions.&nbsp; Don\u2019t <em>\u201ccondemn\u201d<\/em> people based on your own concept of what is right and what is wrong unless you are willing to have them do the same to you.&nbsp; Forgive the words and actions of others when they sin against you with the same mercy and love God shows to you when He freely and fully forgives you for your sinful words and for your sinful actions.&nbsp; Generously share with others what God has generously shared with you\u2014 trusting that God\u2019s blessings to you can never run out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cDo to others what you would have them do to you.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; This is not a Bronze Rule.&nbsp; This is not a Silver Rule.&nbsp; This is the Golden Rule.&nbsp; And what makes the Golden Rule golden?&nbsp; It is golden because it is a command that we have received from Christ Jesus Himself.&nbsp; It is golden because it gives us an opportunity to reveal to others that we are different because we are the children of God Most High.&nbsp; It is golden because it gives us the proper way to <em>\u201cjudge\u201d<\/em> both ourselves and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To God be the glory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Luke 6:27-38 What Makes the Golden Rule Golden? \u201cBut I tell you who hear me:&nbsp; Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.&nbsp; If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.&nbsp; If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-worship-service-podcast"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1646"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1649,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1646\/revisions\/1649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}