The Bottom Line

Matt 7:15-23

Today we wrap up our study of the Sermon on the mount. As you have noticed during these lessons, Jesus didn’t mince words. They were short, sweet, and to the point.

Not like the young man that was sent by the railroad to a small desert outpost. He was given orders to report back anything unusual. Months went by and nothing happened. Then one day a pig wandered onto the track and was hit by a passing train. The young man, wanting to impress his superiors, wrote an extensive, detailed several page report on the incident. The reply back was that next time please keep his report as brief as possible. Not too long afterwards, a similar incident happened, and the young man had learned his lesson. His report; pig on track; toot, toot; sausage.

You see this very clearly in vs12 READ. He takes all the words on 5 major books of the Bible and condenses it down to one statement. THAT, is the art of bottom lining things.

PRAYER

I. The Golden Rule

A. Other rules

1. Throughout history various rules have dictated how people behaved.

2. Iron Rule - do to other before they have a change to do something to you.

a) This was the rule of the aggressor

3. Bronze Rule - Do to others what they do to you

a) It was the law of retaliation

b) at best it was the law of reacting to someone else’s kindness

4. Silver Rule - Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you

a) It’s the law of passivity

b) Don’t bother others, just leave them alone

B. Golden Rule

1. The golden rule is so different from all these others

a) It’s proactive like the Iron rule, but with a positive spin.

b) Do to others what you want them to do to you.

2. Hospitals are the result and living monument to the golden rule.

a) They were designed by someone long ago who must have thought, “if I were sick, where would I want to go to get taken care of.”

3. In fact all of charity work is done on the basis of the golden rule, not on any of the other rules.

II. Solid Faith

A. Don’t look for shortcuts

1. I have to admit, I like shortcuts.

2. Why do something the hard long way when you can do the same job simply and easily.

3. The reality, is that most shortcuts aren’t nearly as good as the right way.

B. No shortcuts in faith either

1. We even look for shortcuts in faith.

2. What’s the least amount of work we have to do?

3. What’s the easiest way to practice our faith.

4. Jesus tells us that you can’t take a shortcut in your faith.

5. That’s really what he is talking about with the wide and narrow gates.

6. The easy ways isn’t the right way.

C. True, solid faith is about being not just doing

1. When you boil down Christianity, it is about who you are.

2. If you are right with God, you are going to naturally produce good fruit.

3. If you are not right with God, you will naturally produce bad fruit, even if you say all the right things.

4. So many religious people claim a relationship with God.

a) They even do some good things in God’s name.

b) The truth is, in their hearts, they are serving themselves rather than serving God.

c) They are just making it look religious and thereby legitimate.

d) 1 Corinthians 4:20 (NLT) For the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God’s power.