This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 3 July 2022. The full video recording of the service can be found below along with the transcript.
How is Christianity different from all other religions? If you’re here this morning and are not a Christian, I hope this sermon will be a wonderful opportunity for you to find an answer to that question. Perhaps you have grown up in a Christian home, but haven’t yet personally trusted in Jesus for yourself. Or maybe you have no prior connection to or knowledge of Christianity at all. Whichever it is, you are very welcome, it is great to have you with us at our morning service, and we hope that when you leave it will be with a greater understanding of what the difference is between what we Christians believe and what all other religions teach.
If you have been with us in our evening services for the last few months, you will know that we have been slowly working through Matthew’s Gospel together, which is a kind of biography of Jesus Christ. And in the last few weeks we have been looking at chapters 5-7, known as the Sermon on the Mount, for it is a summary of a sermon Jesus gave one day as he stood on a hillside before a large crowd. It is the longest and most famous section of Jesus’ teaching that we have anywhere in the Bible, and so, it is a great place for us to understand the difference between what Jesus taught and all other religious leaders teach. So far, Jesus has taught on: prosperity (5:1-16), perfection (5:17-48), piety (6:1-18) and possessions (6:19-34). And this morning in 7:1-12, Jesus teaches about people, our relationships with those around us. Our passage splits nicely into two topics, which you see easily in the church bibles, for each has been placed into a paragraph. In 7:1-6 Jesus teaches on (1) how we treat others. And then in 7:7-11 on (2) how God treats us. However, rather than being two separate topics, we see that Jesus brings both together at the end for one final summary in 7:12. [READ]
This is one of Jesus’ most famous sayings and really summarises how we ought to treat others, condenses all Jesus has said in the first paragraph of our passage into a single sentence. There, in 7:1-6 Jesus said judge others as you would like to be judged. Here in 7:12 he summarises this more generally as ‘treat others as you would like to be treated.’ However, this isn’t just famous because Jesus said it, but rather because so many teachers have said it. For here Jesus repeats a moral principle found across countless religions and worldviews. It is often called the ‘Golden Rule’ and I’m sure you have come across it at some point. Perhaps like me, it was one of your classroom rules in primary school. ‘Treat others as you would like to be treated’ was placed on the wall for all to see, with the teacher pointing to it every now and then when she felt you weren’t being kind enough. This ‘Golden Rule’ has been a common mantra for millennia. Its first known appearance is in the sayings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius around 500 BC and similar statements are found in the literature of ancient Egypt, India, Greece, Persia and Rome. Almost every religion includes a version of the Golden Rule: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. And it is so pervasive that atheists and agnostics also affirm it as a good standard to live by. As a result, here we see one way that Christianity is similar to other religions and worldviews. When it comes to how we should treat those around us, like many other religions, Christianity teaches this Golden Rule.
And yet, 7:12 also highlights how Christianity is different. For this Golden Rule given by Jesus isn’t an isolated saying. Yes, 7:12 summarises the teaching in 7:1-6, the first half of our passage. But 7:12 is also grounded and founded on the truth in the second half of our passage, 7:7-11. That is why 7:12 begins with that little word, ‘So...’. Jesus says ‘because of 7:7-11, as a result of how God treats you, therefore treat others like you want to be treat’. 7:12 shows us the two paragraphs of our passage are connected. Jesus says you should treat others a certain way (7:1-6) because God treats you a certain way (7:7-11). That you should (1) be a gracious brother (7:1-6) (2) because you have a gracious father (7:7-11). Let us consider these two paragraphs together.
1. BE A GRACIOUS BROTHER (7:1-6)
It seems like this principle has been around forever. It can be applied to almost anything and has helped avoid countless conflicts. These things are all true of that ‘Golden Rule’. However, they are also true of another timeless moral principle, which we could call ‘the Cake Rule’. You all know it, perhaps you have had to use it: the child who cuts the cake gets the last piece. Whoever came up with it was surely a parenting genius, for it is an unbeatable tactic. When a parent deploys the cake rule, every child knows the game is up, for to ensure that they don’t end up with a tiny piece, they are forced to divide the cake as evenly as possible. And the beauty of the rule is that it works on almost anything, not just cake, but any food or activity. Locked into looking after their own self-interest, a child ends up treating others as they themselves would want to be treated.
This may seem a little bizarre, but the Cake Rule is a good illustration of what Jesus is speaking of in 7:1-2. [READ] That first verse ‘Do not judge’, is almost as famous as the last verse in our passage, the Golden Rule. However, it is often taken out of context and used in a way Jesus never intended. It is clear Jesus does not mean ‘don’t come to conclusions or assess actions of others’, for we shall see that is exactly what Jesus goes on to require of us in 7:6 and 7:15-16, where he tells us to recognise and avoid false teachers. If that wasn’t clear enough, in John 7:24, Jesus even explicitly commands us to ‘judge correctly.’ And the rest of the Bible says the same. No, what Jesus condemns here is not all judgement, but hypocritical judgement. We see this so clearly from his illustration in 7:3-5, where he speaks of that hilarious hypocrite who runs around telling others they have a speck of sawdust in their eye while he has a plank of wood stuck in his own! Here Jesus is saying that when it comes to assessing someone’s actions, take care how high you raise the bar, for you yourself need to be able to jump over it. That when you set a standard, make sure you yourself meet, for otherwise by judging others, you are also condemning yourself. 7:2 uses a common saying from the marketplace of the time: ‘with the measure you use, it will be measured to you’. This meant whatever measurement device a trader used to weigh what he sold would also be used to weigh the coins he was paid. If he tried to short-change a customer on the amount of grain they got, he himself would be short-changed on the amount of money he got. It was their version of the cake rule: if they used an unfair measurement for someone else, they themselves would suffer those very same consequences. And this moral standard is still accepted as a good one today. For example, think of the public uproar over politicians breaking COVID rules. It was the fact they had set our COVID standards that made it so scandalous that they would themselves break them. It is a perfect modern example of this hypocrite in 7:3-5, going about applying a standard to others that he is unconcerned about for himself!
Jesus warns us away from hypocritical judgement: condemning others for things we ourselves commit. And yet, we need to make sure we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. You see, just because there is hypocrisy in politics doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have any laws. No, it simply means we should elect politicians who care about keeping the laws they make. Similarly, just because there is the danger of hypocrisy in our faith doesn’t mean we shouldn’t point out when another person is at fault. No, for Jesus explicitly tells us to do that in 7:5, ‘first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’ He says, first fix your own fault and then second go and help your brother. Jesus don’t want us to be hypocritical, judging others for faults that we ourselves ignore. But equally, he doesn’t want us to be uncaring, failing to help each other address our shortcomings. No, Jesus wants us to be gracious brothers and sisters, those who are most conscious of their own failings and yet from that place of humility and honesty try to help others overcome theirs as well.
If you are a Christian here this morning, this is the kind of community Jesus calls a local church to be. A family of God’s children all helping each other grow in godliness and follow Jesus together. If we see a fault in another brother or sister, whether it is an explicit sin or just a dangerous or foolish practice, Jesus says that first of all, we should consider whether it is also present in our own life, and if it is, we should address it. However, we must not forget to also talk to our brother or sister so that they can address it in their lives as well. Maybe you notice another church member treating their spouse harshly, speaking unjustly about someone, having unhealthy work practices or missing church gatherings without a good reason. Jesus says if that is the case, the gracious thing for you to do is to approach them and share your concern. If it is something you see in your own life, tell them that as well, [...]. If you aren’t sure how to speak to them about it, go and share your concern with an elder and ask them to help you work out what you are going to say and when you should say it. Brother or sisters, when was the last time you had such a conversation? Kindly and gently told a fellow member you are concerned for them? Have you ever done that? If you don’t tell them, who will? Jesus says don’t just stand back and watch your brother or sister be devoured by sin, destroyed by Satan, endangered by this world. But in gentleness and grace go and help them. Again, this is something society around us seems to be able to understand in one way. Just this week, the British boxer Anthony Joshua sacked his coaching team because they didn’t tell him he was losing during his last fight. He was world heavyweight champion and the whole way through the match they told him he was winning, when he was actually being beaten. In the end, he lost his title because his team didn’t tell him the truth. Grace Church, are we telling each other the truth?
If we see someone in danger, we should say something. However, just as importantly, if someone says something to us, we should listen. We should consider their concern and recognise, even if it is wrong, they share it in love. However, that final verse in our paragraph, 7:6, tells us this will not always be the case. [READ] It is a peculiar proverb, but it basically balances what Jesus has just said by reminding us that there is both a time to speak and a time to be silent. That some will not receive our loving rebukes well and will simply attack us in return. It pictures such people as ‘dogs’ and ‘pigs’, not in a demeaning way, but rather simply depicting the danger you are in if you provoke them. When you read dogs, don’t think of Marley from Marley & Me. In the first century, dogs were closer to wolves than our faithful domesticated friends today. Similarly, for pigs think less about Babe or Percy the Pig and more of wild hogs rampaging through forests and trampling all in their paths. The idea is that such individuals are ferocious and cannot be reasoned with or talked to. And we still reflect this in our language today, by describing someone as ‘dogged’ or ‘pigheaded’. Just as Paul teaches us in Titus 3:10, here Jesus tells us to avoid such people. Indeed, we see Jesus do exactly that when he comes face to face with King Herod as part of his trial. There Jesus does not take the opportunity to share the precious truths of God’s Word, why? Because he had already rejected these truths by beheading John the Baptist. Such a man cannot be reasoned with, for he has already trampled God’s truth under his feet.
Here we see that Jesus wants us to be gracious brothers, not grating ones. While love often requires us to speak, it sometimes requires us to be silent. That can be a difficult decision to determine: do I say something? If so, how much should I say? Perhaps many of you have felt this pressure this last week as your companies and colleagues responded to the latest US legal developments on abortion. As corporate emails on it dropped into your inbox and watercooler chats turned to the topic, you found yourself having to weigh up whether to speak and what to say. For some of you, this tension is closer to home, for you regularly find yourself making the same choice about adult children: how many times do you ask them to come to church before you stop? How do you turn conversations to the gospel without them accusing you of ‘going on’ at them? There are never easy answers. And yet there is always prayer: prayer to ask God for wisdom to make these kinds of choices, prayer to turn the hard hearts of your colleagues and children to himself. In such situations, prayer is our greatest weapon. Our last line of attack. And so, it is unsurprising that it is to prayer that Jesus turns...
2. BECAUSE YOU HAVE A GRACIOUS FATHER (7:7-11)
Did you notice that Jesus follows the exact same pattern in this second paragraph as he did in the first one? First, in 7:7, as in 7:1, he gives us a command. [READ] Then, in 7:8, as in 7:2, he gives us an explanation. [READ] The rhythm and repetition of those first two verses reinforce a single simple truth: that God gives when his children ask. And Jesus emphasises this truth even further by finally, in 7:9-11, by giving us an illustration, just as in 7:3-5. Here we have another somewhat humorous picture: in 7:9 a son asks for bread and so his father hands him a round sand-coloured object that looks like a loaf, but when he bites into it he finds out that it is actually a stone. Or in 7:10 he asks for a fish, probably an eel like animal from that region, but upon being given one he finds it is actually an inedible snake! Our modern-day equivalent might be a child asking their parent for lunch money, but upon arriving at the school canteen and going to pay for their dinner, the hungry child finds out their parent has actually given them monopoly money instead. The idea of a loving parent doing that to a child is ridiculous. But that is Jesus’ point: if even a natural father wouldn’t act that way, how can we think that our spiritual father would? No, when we ask God for something good, he gladly gives it to us. Back in 6:8 we learnt that our heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask. Here we learn that our heavenly Father knows how to give when we ask.
Christian, God isn’t like that family member who has given you socks so many years in a row at Christmas that you can no longer fit them in the drawer! We never receive a bad gift from God, for he knows exactly what we need. And we need never go without something we need, for he is able to give us all good gifts. God never finds himself in that heart-breaking position that perhaps many families will face this year, knowing what their children need for the new school term but being unable to afford it for them, knowing what they want for Christmas but being unable to give it to them. Christian, your Heavenly Father has unbounded riches, unlimited resources, and he is happy to let you access them, to open up his wallet and supply all your wants, to meet whatever needs you have. O what a joy it is to be a child of a Father like this, one who is as gracious as he is all-knowing, as wise as he is generous. All we have to do is ask! Surely, we can see why the Psalmist might sing in Psalm 34:10: ‘The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.’ The same truth is found in that familiar verse you all probably know, Psalm 23:1: ‘The Lord is my Shepherd [what does it mean to have God as your shepherd, to have this heavenly father as your father this morning Christian?] I shall not want.’
Christian, is there something you need? Then ask for it, seek after it, knock and keep knocking on your father’s door. For if you need it, if your gracious Father knows that it is a good thing for you, then he will give it! We’ve already thought about two potential outworkings of these verses: if you face the difficulty of determining whether to speak or be silent in a situation, you can ask God for the wisdom you need. If you are heartbroken over the hardness of the heart of someone you love, someone who just won’t let you tell them about the Gospel, well then even if you can’t speak to them about God, you can talk to God about them, and ask him to work in their life. Those are two potential applications, but there are countless others. Indeed, our ability to ask is as extensive as our capacity to need. For we can ask for anything – I think that is why Jesus is so general in 7:11, where he says ‘how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!’ What is a good gift? Well, it is something that is good for us – it could be anything! Whatever we need, God will give. Whatever is for our best, he will bestow. And if we ask, seek, and knock for something but never get it in this life, then we can be sure that our all-loving and all-wise Father knows giving it is not for our good. For Jesus promised that our gracious father gives good gifts when his children ask. Christian, remember that promise your Father gives in Psalm 81:10: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.’
Brothers and sisters, with a father like this, surely the question is: why would we not ask? Why would we carry around all our concerns rather than casting our cares on him? As one writer puts it, ‘we carry around heavy bundles of wishes that never become [requests]. We talk to ourselves about our problems in the form of much thought, worry, and sleeplessness; we might talk about our problem[s] with those close to us, but [we] are stangely reluctant to talk about our problems with the Father.’ (Brunner) Brother and sister, do you see how this doesn’t make sense? To avoid a doctor with the cure for our disease? To ignore a benefactor who has enough wealth to cover all our debts? To forget about our Father who can fix all our troubles? Friend, the next time you find yourself worrying about something, ask yourself whether you have prayed about it? The next time you find yourself talking to someone about a desire or wish you have, ask yourself have you talked to God about it? ‘O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer!’ We have a gracious father.
And here Jesus is saying we can be gracious brothers because we have this gracious father. As we close, remember in 7:12 Jesus uses that little word ‘So’ to tie these two truths together, ground his teaching in 7:1-6 in the truth of 7:7-11. It is because our heavenly Father gives us good gifts that we can ‘do to others what [we] would have them do to [us].’ This is where we see how Christianity is similar to and yet different from all other religions. Yes, like them, Jesus teaches followers the Golden Rule. And yet, unlike them, Jesus explains how we can actually keep it. For while the Golden Rule is apparently accepted by everybody, you could be forgiven for thinking few people believe in it. Despite it being placed on our nursery school notice boards and taught in all the major regions of the world by all the major religions of the world for many millennia, it still doesn’t seem to have sunk in! This world does not run according to the Golden Rule: war, greed and distrust on the international level are but reflections of the personal conflicts and relational difficulties we all experience at an individual level. Yes, in everything we should do to others what we would have them do to us, and yet we all fall short of this standard on a daily, even hourly, basis. We all fall short of this summary of God’s Law, the Bible teaches that we all sin. Even here in this passage, Jesus assumes it is the case, for in 7:11 he presupposes we are ‘evil’: ‘If you, then, though you are evil...’. Not evil in the sense that we are as bad as we could possibly be, but rather that in everything we do we don’t measure up. O yes, hypocritical politicians broke the very COVID standards that they set, and they should be condemned for it. And yet, which of us did not also breach the same standards in some at least small way? Though they are more guilty, we are guilty still. By condemning them, we are also condemning ourselves. For even if there is a plank in their eye, there is still a speck in ours. The Golden Rule is the standard this world strives to live by, and so it is the standard that it will be judged by. And in that judgement, none of us will be declared innocent, but before God we will all be condemned, sentenced for falling short of the standard that is set. If you are not a Christian this morning, do you accept these charges? Do you admit you have not ‘in everything’ done to others what you would have them do to you? Do you see how you fall short of this standard in at least some things? Do you acknowledge your sin? If so, this is where every other religion runs out of road. For it is Jesus alone who explains how we can be saved from God’s judgement. How we can be forgiven for all we have done. How can we have our hearts change so that we begin to live up to this Golden Rule. For, here Jesus teaches us that we can be gracious brothers because we have a gracious Father.
This is the very opposite to what our secular society seems to believe today. Its takes as its anthem John Lennon’s infamous song Imagine. In it he argues it is only by removing God from the world that we can finally arrive in a peaceful paradise, reach universal utopia: ‘Imagine there's no heaven...And no religion, too.. [and so...] Imagine all the people...Livin' life in peace...No need for greed or hunger...A brotherhood of man...Imagine all the people...Sharing all the world.’ And yet Jesus here teaches the very opposite, that paradise is achieved, that utopia is realised, not without God, but because of God. It is because we have a gracious Father than we can be gracious brothers. The brotherhood of man will only ever be possible because of the fatherhood of God. For without our gracious Father, we are just a planet full of squabbling children perpetually spinning through time and space. We are supposed to be gracious brothers, but instead are rebellious children, rightly deserving the judgement of our just Creator. And yet, instead of giving judgement, God offers us mercy. Here Jesus speaks of a Father who gives good gifts to those who ask. And yet he himself was a good gift, indeed the greatest of God’s gifts. As John 3:16 reminds us, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son...’. Or as we are about to sing in our closing song, ‘How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that he should give his only Son, to make a wretch his treasure.’ Jesus Christ, God’s perfect Son, came into the world to perfectly keep this Golden Rule, this standard that is a summary of God’s Law and Prophets. And yet suffers God’s judgement on the cross, not for himself, but to take the punishment for all who will turn from their sin and trust in him. To reconcile God’s rebellious children to their gracious Father. To transform us and change us into the gracious brothers we were supposed to be. See here that Christianity is different from all other religions, because it has a God of grace, a God who gives, a God who knows we do not, cannot, measure up to the standard and so sends his Son to save us.
O if you are here and not a Christian this morning, with this greatest of gifts in mind, to be forgiven for your sin and adopted as a child of this gracious Father, read 7:7-8 again. ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.’ Friend, will you ask God for this gift this morning? Will you seek out the Saviour? Will you knock on the door of heaven? Confess your guilt, how you have fallen short of this standard, and receive the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ? For see here, Jesus promises, that if you ask for that, you will receive it. If you seek for him, you will find him. If you knock on the door of heaven, this gracious Father will bring you in.
ALEXANDER ARRELL