Love People - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. Therefore, in everything, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the law and the prophets.

What are we talking about? Loving people. That's the context. This is called the golden rule. You see, you need to treat people the way you want to be treated.

That's how you love them. As I said earlier, this is hard. I'm just telling you, I know you people.

You see, this is hard. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's word meets our world. You hypocrite. By the way, it's Jesus' favorite word to describe all Pharisees. Scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites. Jesus just calls them that over and over again. What are these men? These are hypocrites. Remember, he said you're blind leaders of the blind. You're whitewashed sepulchers. You're beautiful on the outside.

You're dead inside. Jesus had nothing good to say about him ever. Now think of how Jesus spoke to a prostitute. Kindly. Tax collector. Kindly. Woman at the well? Kindly.

Woman caught in adultery? Kindly. Pharisees, you brood of vipers. You see, there is public enemy number one.

Why? They have built a religious wall around a relationship with God. They will never have a relationship with God. And worse, Jesus said, you stole the kingdom of God for the nation.

The Pharisees had so much influence that they had countless other people who would never come to Christ because they believed religion was the way to go. So Jesus had nothing good to say. He called him a hypocrite. He said, first take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. And then, sort of out of nowhere, he says something that the first time I read it, it shocked me to try to put it in this context.

Do not give what is holy to dogs, do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet and they'll turn and tear you to pieces. I thought we were talking about judging. That's his conclusion. His conclusion has to deal with this.

What does he mean by this? Now, let me say before I make some comments here, I've had dogs our whole lives. We've had as many as four at a time. I like dogs. But the Bible has virtually nothing good to say about dogs.

Nothing. There's nothing good in the Bible about dogs. The reason is people didn't have pet dogs. You could have a guard dog once in a while outside, but mostly shepherds used dogs. But most of the time they were not pets, they were wild dogs. And so when you see dog in the Bible, it's never usually a kind word about it.

And he's talking about these pack animals who were scavengers, probably disease carrying and all that. And notice what he says. He said, do not give what is holy to dogs. What is holy?

Well, think of this. I go and I make a sacrifice at the temple. I make a sacrifice, some of it is burned, some of it's given to the priest, and the rest is given to me. The priest will eat it, and so why? This is an offering, you see, an offering that I have and an offering that is called holy. Every time once it's offered, it's holy. So I now have some holy meat. You know, I have a holy ribeye.

I have, you know, something holy. Now, would it make sense to take what's holy and then find a pack of wild dogs and give it to them? You see, from their point of view, that'd be nuts.

That'd be crazy. You don't give what's holy to dogs. He's making his point as he goes on here. Then he goes to the next section and he says, do not throw pearls before swine. Now, please understand, for you pork lovers, in the Bible, it's forbidden in the Old Testament. If you wanted to say what is unbelievably unclean to a Jew, what would he say? Swine, pork.

We're not allowed to eat it. Remember when Jesus took the legion of demons out of the man in the Gerasenes? He took all the demons out of him, he exercised them, and he put them all in the swine, and the swine ran off the cliff and into the lake. Now, it was killing two birds with one stone.

You see, what these guys in the Gerasenes were doing is they were bootleggers, okay? They raised pigs, and then they'd sneak the pigs into Israel, and the people in Israel would buy the pork. So Jesus just got rid of the demons, but he got rid of the pigs. You see, that's the whole thing behind a swine. Now, here in America, for the first time, we're starting to learning how dangerous wild pigs are.

It's interesting to watch on the TV and anything. There's some place, I think Texas has a bounty on them. You can go and hunt them, and it's amazing why. They destroy your crops, they're dangerous, they're smart. But he said, would you give one a pearl? What would a pig do with a pearl? Now, knowing a pig, you'd probably eat it inadvertently. But the point is, what would you do with that? You wouldn't do that.

He said he'd just trample it under the feet, and then if you think of a big boar, he'd just turn and attack you. Who's he talking about here? Pharisees. Don't waste time with these people. Don't waste your time. These are not a perspective group in that way. If they're adamant enough to be against you, leave them. You think, wait a minute, how did they do that?

I mean, we don't want to ever leave anyone, do we? Well, it has a little bit to do with this. Remember when Jesus said, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. And remember how the Pharisees reacted? They hated him.

How in the world can you say that? If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. Jesus basically said to them, oh, that's right, you're of your father. Who? The devil. You're of your father, the devil. See, he sees him as an enemy. Remember the first time he encountered a Pharisee? The Pharisee comes to him at night so other Pharisees don't see, and he butters him up.

He's really smooth with this. He said, we come to a conclusion that no one could do the things you do unless God's empowering him. Now, he's thinking Jesus is going to say, thank you so much for the compliment. Jesus looks at him and said, you must be born again. And Nicodemus is thinking, wait, what?

Yeah, you have to be born again. He went straight after him with this, and they have a great dialogue. There's a lot of sarcasm in the dialogue.

It's a really interesting dialogue. Nicodemus gets offended. So he said, how can I go back in my mother's womb and be born again?

You know, all that stuff. But Jesus didn't spend a lot of time saying, look, let me take you down the Roman road. First you have to realize that you're a sinner.

And then you have to realize what I'm going to do. Jesus didn't say that. He said, you have to be born again. By the way, did Nicodemus convert? Yes. It's not like no Pharisee could convert.

They did. But he said, you be careful with this. Remember also in Matthew it said, if you go into a village and they're hostile to you, remember what he said? Shake the dust off of you.

Shake it off. I'm done with you. That's what Jesus is speaking of. Those who become the enemy of the gospel in that sense. He said, don't waste your time with that.

There's a lot of other things you have to do. So he says, look, we can't go about this idea of judging people. We have no right to. That's up for God. Can you judge the motive of somebody? No. Can you judge their heart?

No. All I can judge is on a basis by their fruit, I can judge what I see. And if it's sin, I need to talk about that. But I'm not judging anyone. That's the point. So now he moves to the second section. The first section is negative and the second section is positive.

And again, it's as misinterpreted as any verse in the Bible. Ask and it'll be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it'll be open to you. Everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds. And to him who knocks, it'll be opened. There it is.

You know what we call that? Blank check. That's what Jesus said. We have a blank check. Write any number in there and you get it. All you have to do is ask and seek and knock and it's yours.

Anything you want. It's amazing, isn't it? Does that even sound like Jesus to you? But it does to a lot of people. They really believe this is the way this is all going to play itself out.

Now, that's not exactly true. Hold your place here and go with me to First John, First John, Chapter five. And just one verse, verse 14.

So that we can get a balance here. First John 514. John writing. This is the confidence which we have before him. Here's the verse to get your confidence. I can be confident about my prayer life. That's what John's saying. This is the confidence we have before him that if we ask anything.

What's the next three words say? According to his will. I thought it was according to my will. He said anything. Yeah, anything according to his will.

He'll hear us. Anything that's according to his will. You see, when you read that verse in Matthew is saying anything according to my will, I'm going to get it. It's a complete misnomer.

Let me give you the best example I can think of. Jesus, the night before he's crucified, is in the Garden of Gethsemane. He's in tremendous duress. He's sweating droplets of blood.

He's off on his own. He's praying. And he prays as a perfect human being.

He says, Father, let this cup pass from me. Don't judge me for the sin of the world. Well, that's just humanity praying.

Remember, he's fully God, but fully man. I don't deserve it. I'm sinless. And now I'm going to have to bear the sin of the world? Yes. Father, let this cup pass from me.

What's his next word? Nevertheless, not my will, but yours. Did God let the cup pass from him? No. Was it God's will that he go to the cross?

Yes. You see, and that takes, by the way, great faith. You have to have great faith if you're the kind of person that says your will be done. You see, and we don't like this very much. What we want God is to submit to our will.

This is what I want to do. We do this over and over again, and then we're upset with him when he doesn't do what we wanted him to do. Remember early on in the book of Job, Job had one of the worst times ever? Ten children dead, all your servants dead. I mean, just everything. But he said early on in this whole trial of the whole book, he said, even if he slays me, I'll trust him.

You know what that's called? Faith. That's faith. Even if he slays me, why? It's his perfect will. You see, and Jesus is going to illustrate this in just a moment. He'll always say yes if it's his will. Why? It's his nature. You see, he's a good and great God.

If I'm praying for something that I think is really important, and I've done that actually not long ago, I was praying for a situation to end in a certain way. I thought about it a lot. I made a list, and I had a whole bunch of things in my mind, and it has to be yes. Has to be.

So far, it's no. I don't understand it. Because in my mind, like your mind, if I were God, I'd have said yes to this. It wasn't selfish for me.

It was for someone else. If I were God, I would have said yes. What's my implication when I think that way? God is not good. God is not as good as Bill Gebhardt.

That's what I'm saying. You're not as good as me. Boy, this teeters on blasphemy, doesn't it? I mean, this is like, who am I? By the way, how did God speak to Job at the end of the book? He came out of the whirlwind, confronted Job, and said, who do you think you are? Where were you when I created it? And Job just, he repents and sackcloth and hashes.

But that's the point, because you're saying you're not as good as me. I was praying for a healing, and it never came up. I'm mad.

Why? It's his perfect will. His will's not only perfect, but he also said, all things will work together for your good. That's what I'm telling you.

Boy, I don't like this. He'll say, but I get to tell you what's good, because I'm a good God. You see, we do this all the time. And so that's what he says. So he says, you do this, and you think, what's the context here?

Here he goes. He goes on, and he says, or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, he give him a stone? By the way, try that at lunch.

You got kids. Whatever they ask for off the menu, just get a stone, lay it on there. Daddy, could I have some bread? No, I got a nice stone for you. If they ask for fish, would you give them a snake? That doesn't look like a fish, Daddy. These are absurdities.

Jesus is saying, of course not, right? Now watch. If then you, being what? A good parent. Evil. You're evil.

Face it, that's who we are. We are sinners living in a cursed world. You being evil know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him? Why wouldn't God always give you what is good? Because God is infinitely good, and you and I are infinitely evil.

And yet we would still do good things for our kids. He said, why would you question me on this? So what Jesus sets up here is, if you're asking in this scenario, I'm going to grant what you ask. Now we get to the interpretive verse. Verse 12 interprets everything in front of it. The first two words shouldn't be the first two.

They should be the second and third. He says, in everything, therefore. The therefore is the first word in the Greek. It's emphatic. After Jesus talks about asking, seeking, knocking, he now says, therefore.

What do you mean? This is why I talked about prayer. Therefore. Like, wow.

OK. He said, therefore, in everything, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the law and the prophets. What are we talking about? Loving people. That's the context. This is called the golden rule. You see, you need to treat people the way you want to be treated.

That's how you love them. As I said earlier, this is hard. I'm just telling you, I know you people. You see, this is hard.

You see, how can I possibly do this? Notice, he doesn't say, here's how you treat people. Whatever way you expect them to treat you, you treat them the same way. Jesus doesn't say that. He said, how do you want them to treat you? You know and I know. Honestly, fairly, lovingly, forgivingly, on and on and on and on.

He said, yeah, you need to do that. And see, what's your first impulse? Because you've got to understand something. All of us have the same negative trait.

We're all preoccupied with us. And so consequently, I'll be honest, there are people who don't like me. I know it's hard to believe in it. But there are people that don't. And there are some people that really don't. And I'm sure there's some people that hate. I don't like that. I don't like the way I feel. Do I have a little bit of trouble treating them just the way Jesus said?

Yes, I do. That's why I said earlier, it's easier to love God. He's perfect.

People are not. But I need to treat him. Remember, Jesus takes this to the nth level. He told us to love our enemies. Love them. The people who have said words to you, even as a child, that have marked your life ever since, it still hurt you. Jesus said, yeah, you love those people.

What do you mean, you love them all? Yes, love your enemies, pray for them. Well, I can't do that.

And Jesus says, that's right. That's why you have to ask me. You see, that's why you have to ask me. You come to me in persistent prayer, I promise you. I'll give you the ability to do this.

I can love them. You can't. I'm not sinful.

You are. Think of James chapter 1. Consider it all joy, my brother, when various trials happen to you.

No one likes trials. And in the beginning, he says, because trials will mature you, strengthen your faith. And then he says, if any of you lack wisdom, ask me for it in a trial. See, what do I need?

How do I negotiate this trial? He said, ask me. I'll show you. Because it's my will that you have wisdom. He said, but don't you dare ask non-believing. Don't you dare ask when you don't have faith. Because if you don't have faith and you ask, I'm not going to give you faith. I'll give you wisdom if you believe me. But if you don't, I won't give you the wisdom. You have to trust me.

That's the whole point. And I promise, remember, anything according to his will, this would be his will. Is it God's will that you and I love people? See, we can't deny it. It's hard for us to do it. And he says, but I got it.

What I need you to do is come to me and ask me. Jesus is the only one who ever said this in a really positive way like this. It's always been negative. Jewish Rabbi Hillel, who was about 50 years before Christ, he said, what is hateful to yourself, do not do to someone else. Also, Confucius said, what you do not want done to yourself, don't do to others. A Greek philosopher, Epictetus, said, what you avoid suffering yourself, do not afflict that on others. The Stoics from the Greek philosophy said, what you do not want to be done to you, do not do those to anyone else. Jesus said, that's not good enough. What I'm telling you is, you have to treat everybody the way you want to be treated.

It's a positive thing. Jesus Christ understands, how do we relate to other people? Because the Pharisees didn't relate at all. You see, they thought they were better than anyone. They judged everyone. He said, don't you judge people on the negative side. He said, on the positive side, you love people. You see, you love people the way, and you treat them the way you want to be treated.

That takes care of the horizontal plane. That's what he tells us. It's our love for God that motivates and enables us to love others the way God wants us to. So, unlike the Scribes and Pharisees, Jesus wants you and me just to love people. Don't judge them. You're not in that position.

Certainly can judge sin, but not their motives, not their heart, and you need to treat them in the way that you want to be treated. Let's pray. Father, Jesus has such a unique way of teaching, so straightforward. He doesn't leave us much squirming room. He's very much categorically clear about what he expects of us. After all, he calls us salt and light. He indwells us with his Spirit. He enables us. He empowers us. The Spirit enlightens us. So, Father, we can do this.

We can find ourselves in a much closer relationship with you when we stop judging others and start loving and treating people the way we want to be treated. And we can do this because, as Paul said, we can do all things through him who strengthens us. Thank you for these wonderful words of Jesus Christ.

They are for our good and for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the Radio Ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called oneplace.com. That's oneplace.com, and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online.

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