We’re in week two of our new Teaching Series “A Better Way.” Anyone looking for a better way to navigate life?
Anyone looking for a better way to lose weight? Other than changing your diet and exercise…
Kelly and I started running again. We’re getting ready for the Flying Pig at the end of the month. This will be our first race in Cincinnati, so we’re pretty excited. Kelly runs to stay in shape. I run so I can eat donuts.
Anyone looking for a better way to date, other than TINDER or going out to a bar? Can I just pause for a moment and give some love to my single Jesus followers?
Listen, sometimes the church hasn’t always been good to y’all… always talking about marriage and families and couples stuff. Can we just for a second show some love for all the single people in the room and online?
I think we may have just started a singles ministry…
Or how about this… anyone looking for a better way to navigate the news and social media right now?
It’s exhausting. The judging. The finger-pointing. The tension and irritation. Despair and division.
So, how’d we get here? Where's the grace? The peace? The answers? Jesus, where's the manual for all this? There’s got to be a better way.
Everyone say, “a better way." There’s gotta be a better way. That’s what this teaching series is all about.
As we come into the final stretch of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, Jesus gives us a collection of teachings that have very specific life applications.
Last week David shared Jesus’ teaching of "don’t judge, or you will be judged." And he did it while holding a bat…
It was very passive-aggressive… I liked it.
Today, as we continue in this Better Way teaching series, I don’t have a bat but I do have some Gold to give away. Real quick, I need two volunteers for a quick game of trivia (who aren’t allergic to Peanut Butter).
I’m going to ask you five questions. Each of these questions are about inventors who have made our lives significantly better because of their inventions. Ready?
In 1879, who invented and patented the first long-lasting LIGHT BULB? (Edison)
In 1976, along with Steve Wozniak, who invented the first Apple computer? (Jobs)
In the early 1900s, who invented over 300 products, including milk, soap, plastic, and paint, using peanuts? (GW Carver)
In 1898, who discovered the theory of Radioactivity and went on to be the first person to win two Nobel Prizes? (Curry)
In 1903, who built and flew the first motorized airplane? (Wright Brothers)
Winner gets the Gold!
All throughout history, people have committed their lives to make OUR lives better.
Roughly 2000 years ago, there was a teacher and a prophet who shared principles offering a ‘better way’ of living… a better way of treating people, a better way of dealing with the pressures of life… a better way of making the world around you… better. Not only that, he also claimed he was the Messiah and son of God… and his name was Jesus. Not sure if you’ve heard of him. If you haven’t, be careful, he’ll turn your whole world upside down.
For those who know Jesus, you know he’s not only a great teacher, but he’s also the way, the truth, and the light. He offers eternal life and forgiveness of all your sins… and as an added bonus, He invites you into a relationship with Him to bring Kingdom to Earth RIGHT NOW.
An invitation to change the world…. for the better.
Jesus offers a Better Way…
So, whether you’re BFFs with Jesus or never met the guy, I want to share with you a teaching of his that if we actually applied it, it would revolutionize our world.
This one principle would decrease crime, it would strengthen our local and global economy, it would improve our education systems, it would improve our mental health crisis, it would dramatically improve our international relationships, it would restore marriages, it would protect life, and it would transform communities.
If we applied this ancient teaching, it would be the greatest breakthrough of the modern era. Would you like to know what it is…?
Matthew 7:12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
Who can tell me what this principle is known as? Raise your hand… (Give Gold)
The Golden Rule.
Jesus summarizes God’s will for humanity as expressed through His law and the prophets into this one principle designed to govern ALL human relationships in ALL circumstances…
Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.
This sums up all the Law and the teachings of the Prophets. It sums up God’s will for His people. It’s Jesus’ summation to the Sermon on the Mount. Everything baked into this one statement. The Golden Rule.
How many of you have heard of it? How many of you apply it in all you do? I don’t either… (not always).
It calls us to a higher standard of living. A higher standard of love. It requires us to sacrifice. To treat enemies with respect… even love. To sacrifice our own rights for the rights of others.
Could you imagine what would happen if Jesus Christ showed up on the National stage in 2022 and presented his plan for Global reform? If he showed up and said:
“I want you to treat others the way you want to be treated. I want you to love your neighbor as yourself. I want you to love your enemies as you love yourself. I want you to sacrifice for those different than you. I want you to give as you have been given. I want you to FORGIVE as you have been FORGIVEN. I want you to give up your rights for the rights of others.”
How long would his campaign last? A week? How long would it be before someone tried to shut him up? How long would it take for someone to try to assassinate him?
You do realize that this is what actually happened to Jesus.
He stepped into an emotionally charged political arena when tensions were high and corruption in the government and the religious institutions was rampant… and he stepped in with this message:
Treat people the way you want to be treated. Oh, btw, I’m the Messiah… and the only way to God the Father is through me.
His message was so unconventionally revolutionary, so threatening to their way of life. So threatening to their comforts. So threatening to their preferences. So threatening to their money.
So what did they do? They killed him.
The Golden Rule… there must be a lot of power in this rule. Sounds simple though. So, why is it so hard?
Well, I think the reasons it was hard 2000 years ago are the same reasons it’s hard today. It threatens our comforts and conveniences. It threatens our preferences and politics. It threatens our money and our rights.
Who does this Jesus guy think he is?!? Coming in here, telling me what to do and how to treat people. That ain’t right. I know what’s right and that ain’t it.
We love to be right, don’t we? C’mon… don’t lie. Oh, man… we’ll go 13 rounds into an argument just to prove we’re right.
You know anybody like this? Are you watching this with someone like this? If you came here with someone who just HAS to be right… raise your… NO, don’t do that….
Maybe one of the reasons we don’t live out the GOLDEN RULE is, maybe because we’re too busy trying to be right.
Listen, Jesus was concerned about right and wrong, but he was also concerned about pride and humility. Jesus knew that for us to live out this principle, it would mean we would have to die to our pride. Because the GOLDEN RULE is an absolute threat and attack on our pride. Our selfish desires. Something all of us wrestle with if we’re being honest. Our pride keeps us focused on ‘self’ instead of others. Our pride keeps us focused on being right and looking down on those who are wrong.
As long as we’re looking down on others… we can’t be looking up to Him. I want you to seriously think about this…
How many times in the last 18 months have you found yourself slipping into this pattern of trying to be right about ‘this’ topic and trying to be right about ‘that’ topic and trying to make people online or people you work with… or your family (good luck with that)… trying to show people how wrong they are about this and that…proving to them that we’re right… and you losers are wrong?
And because I feel morally superior, now it’s easier to become judgmental of all “those people” who are NOT right and those people who are different, (here comes David’s bat)…
And because I feel superior and I’ve become judgmental, it's now become so much easier for me to become cynical and self-centered, and offended and angry. Unfortunately, this is where so many people find themselves today.
And this is the exact opposite of what Jesus wants for us. This is NOT His better way.
Think about this…Jesus was the most right, yet He was the least judgmental, least self-centered, least cynical, and somehow… the most loving.
What if instead of showing people how right you are, you showed them how loved they are?
Jesus was masterful at doing this. Over and over again in the Gospels, we see Jesus stepping in to show LOVE even when people don’t deserve it. We see him living out the GOLDEN RULE.
One place in the Gospels where this is on full display is in the Gospel of John. In John 8, we find Jesus teaching at the Temple in Jerusalem, "As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
According to the Law, the Pharisees were absolutely RIGHT, and the woman was absolutely WRONG. Yet look at Jesus’ response. At the risk of persecution, at the risk of his reputation, and at the risk of physical harm, He stood WITH the woman and He stood UP for the woman.
And then, after all the accusers had gone, after he had shown her LOVE… real love… sacrificial love, then he says (in the context of love), I don’t condemn you but there’s a better way for you to live. I want you to start down a new path. A better path.
He lived out the GOLDEN RULE right in front of everyone even though he didn’t have to. Even though she was absolutely WRONG and the Pharisees were absolutely right.
Listen, you can be absolutely right and look nothing like Jesus.
Jesus calls us to be GOLDEN more than he calls us to be right.
Isn’t it fascinating that the one person who had the RIGHT to throw the stone at the woman… didn’t? He gave her GOLD even though everyone else treated her like garbage.
What if we showed people how loved they are instead of how right we are? What if we followed Jesus’ better way, and treated people like GOLD instead of garbage?
Most of us wouldn’t admit that we treat people like garbage but let’s just be really honest with each other…
How are we doing with treating people different than us? How are we doing with treating people who vote differently, pray differently, love differently, heal differently?
David and I got an email last week calling us SATANISTS because we believe there are times when medication can help your mental health. Satanists! Really!?!
Sure, that’s extreme but let’s just keep it real… lately, we’re not very nice to people. Especially people who aren’t just like us.
If we don’t like what IT is people are talking about... if we don’t agree... if it doesn’t match up with how we were raised... if it challenges our comforts... if it goes against our personal opinions, which are always right… we flat out are treating each other like garbage.
I don’t think we’re treating people the way we’d like to be treated.
What if we gave GOLD instead of Garbage?
Jesus is calling us to a BETTER WAY… to choose to love more than choosing to be right.
If it was all about being right, there’s no need for Jesus to die on the cross.
God sent his Son to die a horrific death, to take on the penalty of sin, that was meant for ALL of us… because we couldn’t live up to the standard of always being RIGHT.
The only way we are seen as being “right” in the eyes of God is by virtue of the Golden Rule… loving His son and showing the Son’s love.
In the gospel of John, chapter 13, verse 35, Jesus says: Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
There are a lot of things we’re trying to prove right now. In our families, at school, online… Are we trying to prove we love them or trying to prove a point? How will we prove to them we love Jesus?
They won’t know by what we’re against or by how we vote… or how we post… or how RIGHT we are…
People will know we belong to Jesus by the way we love them. By how we treat them like Gold instead of Garbage.
So, very practically, I want us to try something different. I want us to choose a better way of treating people. I know, it sounds crazy. But Jesus kinda thought it was a big deal, so it should kinda be a big deal to you and me. This week, I want you to try this experiment…
I want you to write down on a piece of paper today or make a note on your phone… I want you to make a list of how you would like to be treated. This will be our GOLD LIST.
I did this. This is how I want to be treated… I want to be loved, supported, encouraged, empowered, respected, given the benefit of the doubt, given the freedom to fail…
My challenge to you this week is every day when you get up, look at one of the things on your GOLD LIST and choose to treat people with that quality… throughout your entire day… instead of choosing to show them how right you are or wrong they are.
For one week, we can do this. We’re gonna choose: GOLD OVER GARBAGE.