Christ's Titanium Rule

Good morning, friends. It's great to see everyone here. I thoroughly enjoyed the first message, and I think it will dovetail well, and that was extraordinary special music. Emma, that was so passionate, beautifully played. Thank you. We're here at the end of the Feast of 11 Bread. We have spent the time leading up to the feast, focusing on the 11 of Sin. But our focus now needs to focus on what we must do, of course, to keep sin out, but what do we replace it with? So, what should that be? I think a very natural reaction we can have as we say, well, treat them better, right? Okay. But what does that look like in practice? I'd like you to turn to Matthew 7 and verse 12. Matthew 7 and verse 12. There are many ways to live. There's the good way, there's the bad way, there's the army way, there's God's way. We live in an age where the predominant philosophy is to do things our way, right? Do things our own way. But what comes from a me-first focus world is griping and criticism, griping and criticism, unhappiness. Sounds a lot like Israel. Matthew 7, therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. For this is the law and the prophets. So, in Western society, this is commonly referred to as the golden rule, and it's usually misunderstood. Cynics like to substitute the word. A bunch of others before they do unto you. Some people say he who has the gold rules. Some think so long as we hold to the most generic and pragmatic application of our own understanding, okay, just try to be considerate of others, then we're in good standing before God. Others look at this and they see the same thing. Others look at this and they see this is some universal foundation for the ethical treatment of others. But I would say the most common application of this is a human-centered application, right? Most people have taken this and they see it entitled the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Notice you are the standard. If we look at Jesus' golden rule and if we compare it to other teachings of the time, we actually find it's not that unique at face value. The Pharisees had a saying, one should not do to others what one considers unpleasant to have done to oneself. Now, in this situation, the individual gets to determine the proper treatment of others. So, say the person was a masochist, which is a person who likes to hurt themselves or others. Then, from that perspective, it would be perfectly justified for them to hurt others. Even famous companies have used this verse as a foundation. I figure everybody here has shopped at JCPenney's, right? Did you know that the first several stores that Mr. Penny founded were called the Golden Rule Store? He began his company in 1902 and built it into this multi-billion dollar franchise right now. But his first several stores were called the Golden Rule because he tried to live this Golden Rule. He tried his best to always treat people just as he wanted to be treated. And so he treated them with love and respect and kindness and consideration and understanding.

But since all people are different, then trying to establish anything that's even a vague statement of being considerate is about as close as we can get, right, to something we can all agree on as a standard for conduct. Well, there's a problem there. When everyone does what's right or wrong in their own eyes, then chaos results. The Book of Judges is a simple enough place to look at that happening. Our normal instinct is also to think, you know, I'd be a lot nicer to you if you would just show me that attribute first, right? That's also a little bit of a human way of thinking. But that's the problem. The Golden Rule doesn't say treat people with the same respect they treat you with. Now, there's another rule you may have heard that was introduced in the business world by business consultant Tony Alexander that's called the Platinum Rule. And if that loses you, remember the platinum card is above the gold card, credit cards. He put together a teaching and a book around the principle, do unto others as they would have done unto them. Okay. This goes along that concept that the consumer is always right. But there's a problem there, because there's churches that have tried to hang on to this concept and focus on this, you know, this temptation of saying the ultimate goal of a church is to meet the needs of their customers. Happy members, successful church, doesn't matter what the Bible says, doesn't matter what God wants. So Jesus in Matthew 7, 12 taught his rule for treating others, which is not do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That's the world's golden rule, and it's focused on what we would have done. It is not do unto others as others would have you do unto them. That's the platinum rule. What Jesus taught is do unto others as others would have you do unto them. And to clarify that this was Jesus intended purpose and to not cause any confusion for the rest of the... well, actually, let me phrase, put one thing in there. This has been called the titanium rule. If you've never heard that, it's been referred to as the titanium rule with that perspective. So throughout the rest of this sermon, to show that intentionality, I'm going to refer to the titanium rule. But living the titanium rule is not the right thing to do. But living the titanium rule is hard. It's hard for us as humans because we're selfish. And we may say, I wish that God would make life and salvation easier. In fact, He has. But He did it His way. He gave His life for us. How many of us would have chosen that path? Right? But it's only through God, it's only through the help of the Holy Spirit, that we find enough love to truly love other people. Naturally, we want things our own way, right? Wanting things our own way goes all the way back as far as you can go in history. The first couple, they wanted their own way to pick fruit. And you and I are paying the penalty for that one you burn now. The first child ever born, well, He wanted His own way to give an offering. And He murdered somebody. The first people God ever worked with, Israel, they turned away. They rejected Him. They wanted kings and judges because they insisted on that rather than following God. If you'll turn to John 13, verses 34 through 35, John 13, verse 34 through 35, we tend to think love is something that just happens to us. Because that's what the world teaches, right? You fall into love like you fall into a ditch. You fall out of love like you fall out of a tree.

It just happens. You can't help it. But the Bible teaches love is something we can control. Now, let me share a perspective here, because this is foundational for you to make this connection to this holy days, to building on the sermon we heard just before. Humanly, we think of hate as the opposite of love.

That's because we judge things largely according to our senses. Love, therefore, is a strong feeling for a person. Hate is a strong feeling against a person. However, this definition isn't biblical. Biblically, the opposite of love is sin.

And like love, sin is something we do. It's not a feeling. It can have feelings, but it's something we do. When you start looking at the Bible that way, so many things come together, because you realize God is love. The opposite of Him is sin. God can't be in the presence of sin, because that's the opposite of who He is. They are contrasts. And that's an important thing to keep in mind. John 13 and verse 34, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. In other words, as He modeled. Turn forward a chapter to John 15, 9 through 12. Jesus instructs that our love for others is to be modeled after His love, which is modeled after what the Father shows to all. That's the perspective we're to have in mind. Jesus is talking about us obeying the titanium rule. He has loved us. And Jesus said He dwells in God's love by fulfilling God's commandments.

We dwell in God's love by fulfilling the commandments. And we only do this when we love others with God's love. We become channels of that love, not our choice of how it's applied. 13 verses 1 through 3. 1 Corinthians 13, 1 through 3. I think sometimes it is very hard for professing Christians to behave like we should, right? We want to. It goes back to, I guess, finding that love and along the way. You tried to get it all out, but there's still something around. We try to carry our crosses. We tend to lose our composure. We behave like the world around us. Truth be told, we probably grab our cross and wax somebody every now and then.

And realize, oh, that wasn't acting like I was supposed to. What we're about to read, 1 Corinthians 12, is where Paul was talking about spiritual gifts. And the chapter ends with him saying, do something more excellent than spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 13 and verse 1. Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

Back in the first century, many pagan temples had this big gong that hung at the entrance. When people came to worship, they hid it to awaken the pagan god so that they would listen to their prayers. So what Paul is saying is, even if he was so blessed to speak with the greatest of eloquence in any language ever spoken, but didn't have love, then his life was as useless as that ridiculous act of pounding on a gong to awaken a non-existent god.

1 Corinthians 13 and verse 2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, so next Paul is saying that love is more important than knowledge. We all talk about this concept of a know-it-all. Well, this person is a know-it-all. Even if they knew everything, everything there is to know about nuclear science and medicine and philosophy and theology and every kind of ology you want to come up with. But you don't have love, then you're nothing. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8 and verse 1, knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

And that word puffs up actually translates as swelling up. They could think of like a balloon or this arrogant person spewing out arrogant thoughts. But God's sacrificial love builds up. So this call of Christ is to love one another and not base everything on what we think we know, our knowledge. And if society is going to ever change, it can only change when people's hearts heed and start living the titanium rule.

Next verse. And though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. Can you believe? Paul went there. He says it's more important than faith. Now, in other verses, we're told that faith is so important, it's impossible to please God without faith. So he isn't saying faith isn't important. He is saying faith is less important than love.

Do you believe Jesus Christ is the only Son of God? Do you believe that He came into our world, that He lived a sinless life, that He was killed for the forgiveness of our sins, that after three days He was resurrected? Do you believe that He is now at the right hand of God, preparing a place for us, that one day He will come again? Do you believe in the power of the Holy Spirit? If so, fantastic. I commend you for your faith. But the Bible teaches if you believe all the right stuff, all the right theology, even if you have so much faith as to move a mountain or heal someone, but don't have love, then you're nothing.

Because even faith is of no value unless it's backed up by love. See, these holy days show where to remove sin, and we are to have faith in Christ, but we have to fill the void left behind with the opposite of sin, and that is God's agape love. That's what we are to fill that vacuum with, and it's vital for us to be the church that God is calling us to be. Galatians 5 and verse 6, Paul says, the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Let's continue in 1 Corinthians. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. So, fourthly, Paul is talking about generosity. Now, notice he doesn't say, if I give 10% of what I have, he says, if I give all that I have, all my bank accounts, all my retirement funds, sell my house, sell all of my possessions and my clothes, except for what I'm wearing on my back, and I give it all to help the poor, but I don't have love, then I am nothing at all. Why do you give? Why did we give the offering? Is it because a preacher preached a sermon? Is it because we're commanded to give an offering? Do we give because we feel guilty if we don't? Do we give because we want to impress others, or because we're afraid of what God will do if we don't? Do we give because we think we'll get more back than we've given? See, all of those are really wrong motivations. If the only reason I give is to receive or to benefit myself, then love is absent.

Giving is empty. The motive for giving must be love. Love for God and love for God's people. Next verse. And though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. So here he's talking about martyrdom. Being so faithful and committed to God that you end up dying because of your faith, but not from a proper loving motivation. See, as we finish this Feast of Unleavened Bread, we must look at ourselves. We need to consider what's most important to us. These things are listed because they remind us they can be accomplished without love. He wouldn't have said so otherwise. Love is more important than spiritual gifts. Love is more important than knowledge and faith and generosity, and even being a martyr. Love has to be a constant ingredient in all that we do and motivate us to do better, to act better, to be better. I'd like you now to turn back to the Titanium Rule, but let's back up a couple verses to get some context. Turn to Matthew 7, and we'll start in verse 7, and then we'll read through verse 12. The key I think to understanding the interpretation of this verse is the word, therefore, that starts verse 12. Therefore is a concluding argument. Right? It's summing up all that happened and was said before. Now, honestly, we could go all the way back to Matthew 5 and look at the whole sermon on the Mount. We don't have time for that, so we'll start in verse 7. But whenever you see a therefore, you want to know what it's there for. Let's start in Matthew 7 and verse 7. Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be open to you. So Jesus defines true disciples as those who hear the Word of God and then put them into practice. He then uses three words, three imperatives. Ask, and seek, and knock. They are all of increasing intensity. And then in the Greek, the present imperative is used, meaning it's supposed to be this habitual practice that we do along the way. Fervent prayer, the gene says, avails much. Our prayer should be based on this trusting relationship with God, knowing He is looking out for the good of His people. There was a hypocritical judgment that the Pharisees saw, where they saw God as the destroyer, the destroyer of the wicked. Gentiles, and tax collectors, and commoners, and basically anyone who didn't see things the way they did. The world's version of the Golden Rule. Golden Rule. They were more righteous than God. And not only that, if you want to play that logic through, when they accused Jesus of doing His miracles through the power of Satan, they were in effect saying that Satan was more loving and compassionate than God was. Now you get to see why the word therefore was being built up to this whole thing. It sets the context. Therefore, whatever you want man to do to you, do also to them for this is the law and the prophets. See, Christ never intended this rule to be this universal statement on ethical relationships between people. Its specific application is that true disciples must, on the grace of God and His goodness. We rely on that. God sets us the example for our treatment of others. That's the lens we're supposed to look at this verse in. True disciples know what it's like to be forgiven. And beyond that, true disciples must know how to forgive or to condemn or base it on what we see as the right way. It's this proper vertical relationship. And without a proper vertical relationship with God, this rule, it's impossible. It's meaningless. The titanium rule will never bring world peace. It'll never bring harmony until the vertical relationship with God is restored so that God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

But it starts with us learning how to live what God teaches us with this Holy Spirit guiding us. Have you been able to live the titanium rule in your attitude, this feast? How are we doing? Many people say they could do this with ease if only other people would measure up to our standard and do things our way. But Jesus didn't say to do what he commanded if only others do something for us first. He commanded us to love people, even when they don't meet any of our high and our mighty criteria.

There was once this man reading the Bible, leaning against a tree, and he looked down and he saw by the root that there was a scorpion that was stuck and was trying to get out, but it couldn't. And so he decided to reach down and try to free it. But as you'd expect, every time he went to try to grab the scorpion, the scorpion tried to sting him. Well, another man was standing nearby watching, and he says, don't you know that it's the scorpion's nature to sting? Just leave it alone and let it die there. The man smiled, and he looked back at him and he said, should it be necessary that I change my nature to accommodate someone else's nature? The scorpion may sting, but I help. That is my nature.

When God's love fills our hearts, then we can't help but share it to everything around us. See, there's two ways of giving. One way is to give in hope that we get something out of it. And when we give with that expectation of getting something back, we really aren't giving freely in its truest sense. The other way is to give with absolutely no expectation of getting anything back. That's what Jesus is talking about. The best way to show pure love is to fulfill someone else. We sacrifice our own feelings for someone else's feelings. Okay, so let's start making this personal. Let's start talking about how we apply this concept. It starts in the heart and the head. When we feel or watch to say what we feel on the inside, right? What's inside of our heart determines what we show on the outside by our attitude. Another way to look at that is living the titanium rules is process. It begins in our thoughts. Those thoughts will become our primary focus, right? That then starts coming out and seeps out into our words. And then very quickly, we will reinforce that by our actions. That's the way we work as humans. There's a quick way of putting that. Garbage in, garbage out. Well, we got the garbage out to start this holy day. Now we have to put the right thing in. So garbage doesn't seep back in again. In Philippians 2 and verse 5, it says, your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ. So has our attitude been titanium lately?

Someone once said, if you will cheat in practice, you will cheat in the game. If you cheat other people, you will cheat God. And when you cheat God, you really cheat yourself. Another phrase you probably heard before says, sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an act, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character, reap your eternity. It says, reap what we sow concept, right? What have we been sowing for God lately? Have you ever tried to love someone you really don't like? I'm going to make that a little easier for you. If you ever tried to like someone you really don't like, it's not easy. It's not that, you know, it's not that you have anything against them. It's just hard to say anything nice about them. Well, what God's teaching, Jesus is saying each of you should look, not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others. In other words, we are to love unselfishly.

We begin to think about other people. We begin to think about their interests, just like we think about ourself and our interest. Jesus' motivation. If you think of Him, it was never rooted in selfishness. It was never rooted in pride or money. It was rooted unchangeably in God's love for us and His desire to see us saved. Do we view everyone with that same desire to see them saved? Do you remember the man I told you about who tried to free that scorpion so that it could live? Jesus came to free us so that we could live. A farmer must sow his seed before he is able to reap a crop. And we're the same thing. The farmer's crop will be whatever, corn, wheat, soybean in this area. The seeds we sow are the seeds of love from our heart. And the reward, the crop we reap, are the rewards of God's love for us. So our motivation to serve God should be motivated by the love He has spread abroad in our hearts. Again, all the verses start turning together when you understand sin is the opposite of love. Any other motive, any other incentive, any other purpose is going to defile these services. Any other motive, even small, is going to blummish the gift that we are trying to give. And if you look at Paul, after Paul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, his motivation changed. 1 Corinthians 2, 2 says, Paul said he did not desire to know anything outside of Jesus and Him crucified. But that means his actions, his desires were transparent to those around him. He was evident of what mattered most. You could tell in his writing, right? Just a passion he put forward.

There was no hidden agenda. There was no hidden interest. And only Jesus and Him crucified. But the example that started that with him was Paul realizing the selfless love and sacrifice of Christ. And that motivated him to serve and even to partake in his suffering along the way. If we live this daily, think about what life would be like. What would it be like in our families? Well, we wouldn't bicker, because you'd be focusing on what the needs and interests are of the other person along the way. You would work through different challenges, because that is your focus. Pretty soon that would filter down to the relationships we have with our children. With the rest of our family. That would naturally spill over into the church family. You figure what Jesus said by this, they shall know that you are my disciples. If you have love for one another, we would then let it flow into the workplace. Those around us at work would be able to see by our example that Jesus Christ is our Lord. Ephesians 4 and verse 2. Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Kind of what we heard in the message before. Romans 12, 18. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Yes, sometimes it is difficult, and not everybody will be as easy to love. Right? Our unselfish sacrifice may inspire or motivate someone to move forward in faith. Our selfish actions may cause them to move backwards. Validate this belief that the Christian life is no better than anyone else's. It's how we exhibit what we're being taught. How we're being asked to live. Christians are to resemble their spiritual father. It is this attitude we have, and that's the reason Christ pointed out over and over how He reflected His heavenly Father. Like we are supposed to be doing, and how people see us. And the conduct of the Pharisees was like Satan. Therefore, Satan was their father. Another thing to realize is that when we do this, we always come up on the short end of the stick. Right? It's designed to do that. That's the intention of God's holiness, that it'll knock the props right out of from under any idea we may have of pride. Humility has its basis in this honest and this realistic comparison of us with God, the vertical relationship. And if we're striving to be like Him, to walk in His steps, to be in His image, then this is the compassion that gives us this realistic foundation, right, to work from, not only in how we relate to God, but how we relate to each other around us. It's this wonderful attitude, the gesture, this regulator of relationships. To compare ourselves with other people, that's the easy way. Because it always allows you this little bit of wiggle room. I see what you did wrong. Because we can always find flaws in their character, but our goal is not to be in the image of other people or them to be in our image. Our goal is to be the image of God, and therefore the comparison must be with God. There's a story I read about a young boy who was invited to his friend's birthday party, and he was just excited. If you have kids, you know when they're just week after week giddy to look, is it time yet? Is it going to come? Well, on the day that the birthday party was happening, there was this blizzard, and the father talked to him. He says, this is not safe for you to walk the three blocks to his house, and the rows are definitely not drivable. And they went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. Finally, the father relented, and so the boy bundled with everything he had. And what normally would have been a 10-minute walk took nearly an hour. At the time he finally got and rang the doorbell, he looked back, and he saw this shadowy figure of his father disappearing in the snow. His father had followed every single footstep to make sure the boy was safe. See, our Christian life is all about sacrifice, isn't it? We're learning to sacrifice the lovin' of what we want, what we need, what we think, so that we can freely be used to give to someone else what God knows they need. Has our attitude been one of success in Christ lately?

Turn to Philippians 2, verses 14-16, where we're told about the attitude that we're supposed to have. Six of the ten commandments are about how we treat others. How much do we love our neighbor? Do we work out our problems? Do we show attentiveness, consideration, no superiority, receiving feedback, and chastisement or a correction from them? Philippians 2, verse 14, do all things without complaining and disputing, that word all, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. To the message we just heard, can we take correction without justifying ourselves? The carnal mind doesn't like correction. Do we always respect those in authority? Whether work or government, do we always respect those in authority? What's our attitude toward the ministry, toward decisions that are made? Do we criticize? Do we find faults? Do we pray for God's kingdom to come with our whole heart? Do we bridal our tongue? See, Jesus made a statement that's perhaps the most important key to success we could have. It's so simple that any little child can remember it, but it's so complex and profound that none of us can live up to it without the power of God. Matthew 7 and 12 says, in everything due unto others what you, following God's example, would have them do to you. We're evaluated by God, and we're a reward in direct proportion to the way we treat and feel about other people. That's a little scary, but it's critical. It's what we must do. When the world sees us, do they see a resemblance to the Heavenly Father in our conduct, in our attitude, in our words? Because that's what Christ exemplified. And if not, it would do us well to reconsider the character of God again. That shows you in the next set of love and internally that we can work on over the next year. Jesus helped model the behavior and the attitudes that we should live once sin or once loving is removed. Do we care enough to help others bear their burdens? That's what it means when Jesus talks about loving one another as He has loved us.