Week 9: The Sermon on the Mount (Do unto others possible?) Matthew 7:1-12 Discussion Questions

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1 Week 9: The Sermon on the Mount (Do unto others possible?) Matthew 7:1-12 Discussion Questions 1. In what ways have you heard the Golden Rule (v12) misquoted? Read Matthew 7: Why might we say that Do not judge! is not an absolute command for us? 3. What is the danger of being judgmental? 4. How do these other verses contribute to our understanding? Can you think of other relevant Scriptures that we should consider at this point? John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Matthew 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruits Luke 17:3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 5. When, whom, and how is it right to judge? Read Matthew 7:6 6. What is the meaning of sacred? 7. How were dogs and pigs viewed by the Jewish people (ie, Jesus original audience) 8. Jesus is using picture language. What might this look like in real life? Can you think of an example you have seen? Read Matthew 7: How would you put v7-8 in other words? 10. Why does God listen to and answer prayer? 11. What do you make of times when he (apparently) does not answer prayer? (Romans 8:28; Mt 26:39) Read Matthew 7: Do unto others possible?

2 Do unto others (and more) Matthew 7:1-12 Opener: I went to the doctor, said, What do I do? he said do it to them before they do it to you! (D. Lovelock Wonderful Life ). The Golden Rule a most famous (and oft misquoted!) saying of Jesus. The real version of course is 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Or a more word for word translation: Whatever you would have others do to you, this do to them. But is it possible? I am going to answer that in a very round about way. Bear with me! It ties in with the whole idea of being radically counter-cultural that has dominated this series. Context: Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaching his disciples with a wider crowd listening in. Being a follower of Jesus means being radically counter-cultural. It means being humble instead of being arrogant. It means obeying God s law at the level of heart, not just action. It means doing good works not to be seen by others, but because God values them. Now, as we move toward the end of Jesus sermon, we see some more areas where Jesus expects his disciples to be different. Part one: v1-5 Jesus disciples must judge WELL. 1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You I can hear what you re thinking: Hang on, did Simon just say, judge well? Look at the first three words: Do NOT judge! I m telling the Bishop! Why I don t think Js is forbidding any kind of jgmt: John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Matthew 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruits Luke 17:3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. There is a time for J s followers to exercise jgmt. Even v5 here implies that there is a way of exercising jgmt that is OK. Jesus is saying Do not judge, but he has a particular kind of judgement in his sights: What is NOT OK is this: being a hypocrite. Hypocrite is from Gk hypokrites = actor Morally, it means being a fake. It means openly applying rules to others that you refuse to apply to yourself. Jesus warns first: If that s what you do to others, you can expect no better for yourself. Don t forget, the one who judges you is God himself! Js picture in v3-5 is priceless. As if you would let someone operate on your eye when they ve got a plank hanging out of their own eye! It s funny/absurd, but that s what it s like if I get impressed with my own self- righteousness, forget that I too am a sinner saved only by God s grace, and start banging on about how youse are all really ungodly! Plank/speck same stuff. Deal with your own shortcomings before you presume to deal with others. BUT If you have had a good, hard look at yourself, sorted yourself out first, prayed about it and can still do so out of love for God and the other person, then you will see clearly to help them, v5.

3 hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Illustration: Christians have a PR problem when it comes to judgement. At an organisational level, churches have protected the worst kind of immoral offender, while at the same time ranting against homosexuality and abortions. A Christian waving a banner: God hates Fags! Not likely to win people over to the grace and mercy of Christ! Application: 1) Individual level how are we travelling? Do we rebuke people without examining our own lives first? Do we look down our noses at people who struggle with sins that we don t, while neatly ignoring the sins we don t want to get rid of just yet? (crystal meth: I don t struggle with that! But what do I struggle with?) 2) What about judging those outside the church? If I have the immense and wonderful benefit of God s Word and the Holy Spirit in my life, how harsh should I be in judging those who don t have that? But there s another time to use judgement or discernment in v6. 6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. [Hard to know how this verse fits in! doesn t seem particularly connected to what is before and after it. I think it is connected to v1-5 by the theme of discernment. We don t judge with hypocrisy, but nor are we called to be totally naïve. There is a time for deciding how much you are going to risk for or invest in someone and realising when you are just leaving yourself and possibly God open to abuse.] If something is sacred [not just a religious term, but anything that is set apart for a special purpose], or if something can be represented as a pearl, it is precious. You don t throw it away on those who will fling it back in your face. When Jesus sent his disciples out on a mission in ch10, he says, 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

4 You don t have to keep putting yourself out there to face abuse from somebody who hates Christians and rejects our message. Pray for them that God will do a miracle in their heart! And of course, you have no way of knowing if they even fit into that category unless you have tried! Part two: v7-11 Jesus disciples must pray. 7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! The outrageous privilege of the Christian: God is our FATHER! And this means, we don t treat God like a genii I rubbed the lamp, now God has to give me my wishes! Name it and claim it! But because God is so loving, he invites us, (here is his Son issuing the invitation!) to talk to him, to present our requests to him. Ask, and you will receive (cf not my will, but your will) Seek, and you shall find (what are Jesus followers urged to seek first? 6:33 Seek first God s kingdom and his righteousness) Knock, and the door will be opened to you The way Jesus uses those words: ask/seek/knock suggests not a one- off, or when I get desperate prayer life, but a steady, ongoing one. And God knows how to answer our prayers as is most expedient for us, because he is our heavenly father! He is the PERFECT Father. Illustration: Rockstar Bono, from the band U2, being asked about praying to Jesus and what he prays for: I pray to get to know the will of God, because then the prayers have more chance of coming true! I think he s on the money! Application: 1) do you pray regularly, as part of your RELATIONSHIP with God? 2) Do know the LOVE of God, as a perfect Heavenly Father?3) And if you know God and are spoilt rotten by the Lord of the Universe, who loves to cherish you and to delight you with the answers to prayer, and through the adventure of doing his will, how ought you to treat other people?

5 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. That sums up everything in these chapters. Do you want to know the Christian way of treating somebody? How would you like to be treated by them? Try that. Do unto others possible? Yes, by putting aside harsh judgement,and by praying for God s help as we reflect on his example. Let s do that now

6 my guess is that many of us here this morning struggle in this whole area we live among many well to do people some of us work for them some of us are quite well-to-do! We ve mucked up in this area Sometimes our money has been too important We ve tried to serve both We re not perfect!!... no of course we re not And for all our imperfections... we take them to the cross... and we lay them there... and find forgiveness and cleansing... And we come back again to God and say I want you only to be my Master I want to treasure you alone I want my heart to be about you I want you to be my passion and my drive and my guide and my rule...so take me again; fill me again; lead me back to you...save me from my own foolishness and darkness... And fill my life with your light as I gaze on you...! //// Jesus give us this clear exhortation... don t store up treasures on earth don t do it! Then he gives us this illustration what you are eyeing off will fill your life with either darkness or light... And then he gives us this application... you cannot serve God and Money... What is your treasure? What are you eyeing off? filling your life with? Who is your Master?