Christ Wesleyan Church
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Matthew 7:12 ESV
A. The Sermon on the Mount was transformational to the hearers…
Matthew 7:28-29 NIV
1. The Sermon on the Mount was not new in its message.
Matthew 7:12 NLT
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 NLT
Matthew 22:37-40 NLT
2. The Sermon on the Mount was not different in its expectation.
Matthew 5:17-18 NLT
3. The “Golden Rule” principle had been in existence before Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. It was just given in a positive manner rather than a negative. It was given in an active manner rather than a passive one. The “Silver Rule” had been given before.
Hillel, a Jewish Rabbi, "Do not do to your neighbor what is hateful to yourself."
Socrates, "What stirs you to anger when done to you by others, do not do to others."
Aristotle, "We should bear ourselves toward others as we would desire they should bear themselves toward us."
Confucius, "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."
4. The Sermon on the Mount was complete in that it now accounted for a change of heart!
"We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit it to life." Edwin Markham
B. The Golden Rule encapsulates all of the Sermon on the Mount…
Matthew 7:12 NIV
1. Jesus sums up all the Scriptures to a few simple principles…i.e. the Golden Rule, the Great Commandment, and the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20 NLT
2. The gospel message challenges our selfish lives and our comfortable style of living.
Matthew 7:13-14 MSG
3. The gospel message is love!
1 John 4:7-16 NLT
C. God calls us to an active lifestyle of loving...
1. God calls us to listen and put into practice His principles.
James 1:22 NLT
2. Faith is practical and seen by our actions.
James 2:14 NLT
3. Faith is seen by both heart and action.
James 3:13 NLT
4. Faith is evidenced by actions that are peace-loving, gentle, and willing to yield to others.
James 3:17-18 NLT
D. The Golden Rule changes how we treat others...
“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” John Wesley
1. In speech.
Ephesians 4:29 NLT
2. In action.
Ephesians 4:2 NLT
Colossians 3:23 NLT
3. In reaction.
James 1:19 NLT
4. In attitude.
Philippians 2:5 NLT