House Rules

If you have your Bibles, please find Luke 6:37.  I want to share a message with you entitled, “House Rules.”

 

Many of you know what I mean when I say “house rules.”  There are some instances when special rules are allowed in a certain location or under special circumstances in sporting events.

 

For example, some basketball tournaments that Caroline plays in plays 4 quarters like high school ball.  Others play 2 halves like college ball.  Some use a regular clock.  Others use a running clock.  Some allow 5 fouls.  Others allow 6 fouls.

 

If you have ever played Uno, some families have special house rules.  For example, when multiple Draw 2 Cards are played consecutively, does the person have to only draw 2 or the sum of the consecutive cards played?

 

Last week, Jesus reminded us of our ethic as followers of Christ for the world.  He gave us the Golden Rule in positive terms.  We are to treat others as we want to be treated.  We are to love our enemies. 

 

Today, how are we to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ?  What are the rules or guidelines or instructions for this house of faith?  What are our house rules?

 

 

1. Be as gracious as you can be, Luke 6:37-38.

37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” 

 

It is interesting to note these four imperatives.  They are don’t judge, don’t condemn, pardon, and give. 

 

If you follow the instructions, Jesus said God will then treat you accordingly and others will most likely treat you accordingly. 

 

Verse 38 then ends with a picture of this idea of reaping what you have sown.  If you don’t judge or don’t condemn and pardon and give, God will or THEY will pour into your lap. 

 

They will pour into your laps a good measure into your jar.  You will then shake it up and let it settle further down, and they will give more to the point of running over.  You then have an abundance.  By your standard of measure it will return to you.

 

As it relates to folks in this house of faith, let’s be as gracious as we can and not judge and not condemn.  Let’s be as gracious as we can be forgiving and giving.

 

Why?  Because what is how we want to be treated.  That is how we want God to treat us and how we want others to treat us.

 

However, nothing that Jesus said here precludes biblical Christian accountability and biblical Church discipline.  If you sin publicly and egregiously and with an unrepentant heart and attitude, you should be held accountable by this house of faith because you will be held accountable by your Father in heaven. 

 

I will talk more about the multiple New Testament passages that speak to Christian accountability on Wednesday night.  However, generally speaking, we want to be as gracious as we can be with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  That is a house rule.

 

 

2. Stay in your lane, Luke 6:39-42.

39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye. 

 

In verses 39-40, Jesus asked some rhetorical questions.  Can a blind guide lead anyone?  No, he can’t.  Will anyone who follows a blind guide end up in a ditch?  Yes, they will. 

 

This parable hit home with all of the Pharisees in the congregation.  For a follower of Jesus, He is the ultimate leader to follow. 

 

In verse 41, Jesus returned to our next house rule, but He used a humorous illustration. It is the example of a speck and a plank or a speck and a log. 

 

Humorously and logically, you can’t take the speck out of someone else’s eye when there is a plank or log or beam in your own.  You just can’t do it.  It is silly to try it. 

 

First, you have to take the log out of your own eye.  Then you can see clearly in helping your brother.  Therefore, stay in your own lane.

 

At the end of John’s gospel, Jesus gave this stark reminder to Peter.  See John 21:18-23.

 

18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”  20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”  22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”  23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”

 

Brothers and sisters, let’s make sure we worry the most about the person in the mirror.  Let’s trust the Holy Spirit to take care of those around us.  Let’s stay in our own lane.

 

 

3. Guard your heart, Luke 6:43-45.

43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

 

The last three verses of this text speak of a tree and its fruit.  The reality is this.  Trees produce a specific type of fruit. 

 

Apple trees don’t produce oranges some of the time and apples the rest of the time.  They produce only apples.  The same is true for peaches or pares. 

 

That applies to you as well.  If you are good or saved, you will produce good fruit or the fruit of the Spirit.

 

If you are not saved, you will produce fruit of the flesh.  If you are producing fruit of the flesh but you think you are saved, you might want to check again. 

 

This specifically applies to what you say with your mouth.  It also applies to what you say with your fingers on social media.  From your mouth and with your fingers, you speak what is in heart.

 

We have to make sure and guard our hearts or otherwise we produce unwanted fruit.  See Proverbs 4:23.

 

23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

 

 

Charlie Woolwine

1. Started attending on Sunday morning, Sunday nights, and Wednesdays.
2. Came to my office to talk about joining; told me he was a registered sex-offender, but he still wanted to join.
3. I listened to his story, and told him the congregation would have to know. He agreed.
4. He stood with me during a member’s meeting, and I told the congregation his story. I told them he could never be in our children’s building or memorial hall for any reason.  They were to watch for him.
5. They voted him in and agreed to hold him accountable. He went on to be a faithful member even singing in the choir until he moved.

 

We tried to be as gracious as possible.   We wanted to stay in our lane but understood our lane to be the good of Emory Baptist Church.  We want to guard our heart because sin breaks God’s heart as Charlie’s sin broke guards heart.