The Code of the Kingdom (aka The Golden Rule)

Everybody's got a motto they're living by.

Think of a motto as a flag that you raise every morning.

Maybe it's Carpe Diem, seize the day.

Maybe it's just do it.

Maybe it's Semper Fidelis, always faithful, U.S. Marine Corps.

Well, today, Jesus is going to say,

Oh, dear citizen of my kingdom,

every morning you raise the banner of the golden rule.

You live according to this one rule

which summarizes all I've taught you.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

This is the banner that flies over us as a church.

This is a banner that flies over us individually

as followers of Jesus.

This is what compels us in our interactions

with the people God brings across our path.

So the golden rule is Jesus Christ's all-encompassing command

to seek the good of everyone.

And we do that by putting ourselves in their place,

seeking their good.

So brothers and sisters,

as citizens of the kingdom,

the golden rule must govern all your relationships.

That's the claim Jesus is making on us this morning.

In order to help you see that,

I want to point to four clarifiers of the golden rule.

The golden rule is a conclusion.

The golden rule is a command.

The golden rule is a call to use your sanctified imagination.

And the golden rule completes,

fulfills the law and the prophets.

And so let me read it for us.

Jesus says,

So whatever you wish that others would do to you,

do also to them,

for this is the law and the prophets.

This rule governs all of our relationships as Christians.

And so let's get into this first clarifying point.

The golden rule is a conclusion.

Do you see the word so in verse 12?

It's the first word of the sentence.

The first word of the golden rule.

So.

So whatever in the ESV.

So in everything,

says the NIV.

So.

And so you may be sitting there like,

Hey, yo, hey, so.

So what?

So, so what?

So what's the big deal about so?

Well, insert here

that wonderful after school special

conjunction junction.

You know what?

Conjunction junction.

What's your function?

Hooking up words, phrases, and clauses.

So that word so is a conjunction.

It's connecting two things.

What are, what's that word connecting?

It's connecting all of the body on the Sermon on the Mount,

what Jesus has been talking about,

with this one sentence in verse 12.

It's connecting them.

It's making a conclusion.

That's why that so is there.

It's a conjunction.

It's a conjunction.

This conclusion that Jesus draws from his sermon.

He's saying,

So whatever you do,

whatever you wish that others would do to you,

do also to them,

for this is the law and the prophets.

This conclusion is a summary of the entire sermon.

And so here's what this means for us.

It's, it's,

think about the golden rule as a cliff notes

for the Sermon on the Mount.

You can just bring it wherever you want.

And so let's just say that you're tempted,

you're really ticked off at somebody,

and you want to,

you're like murderous intent in your heart towards them,

and you just want to cut them to pieces with your words,

and something in the back of your mind says,

you know what,

I probably shouldn't do that as a citizen of the kingdom.

In fact,

I think that Jesus said something about that in the Sermon on the Mount,

but I don't know where.

Go golden at that point.

Go golden.

Be thinking,

okay,

if,

if someone were angry with me,

how would I want to be treated by that person?

And then I'm going to treat them that way.

That's how you go golden.

It summarizes the entire sermon.

It's,

it's this,

this little sentence that gets a ton done for a citizen of the kingdom.

Someone does you wrong,

and you want to retaliate.

You want an eye for an eye,

and a tooth for a tooth.

And you start thinking,

oh,

you know what,

Jesus probably said something in Matthew.

I don't remember where he said that,

but I can go golden.

I can apply the golden rule,

because it summarizes everything he said.

So how would I want to be treated?

If someone wronged me,

if I wronged someone,

how would I want to be treated at that point?

And I'm going to do that unto this person.

If you're tempted to judge another believer,

another person,

if you can't remember what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7,

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

go golden.

Do unto that person what you would want them to do,

unto you are on safe,

golden ground.

Jesus is giving us a summary of the entire Sermon on the Mount.

It's his,

it's a conclusion he's drawing.

And what he's basically saying is,

put yourself in another person's place,

and then ask yourself how you would want to be treated,

and then you go and treat that person that way.

So the golden rule of the kingdom

is this versatile summary that Jesus gives us

that we can really apply in any situation with any other person.

It's absolutely brilliant.

Jesus is setting us up to live for the kingdom.

You can call this a kingdom code of ethics in one sentence.

J.C. Ryle,

a pastor from a bygone area.

I think he was English,

and I would try to use my English accent,

which ends up coming off as an Australian accent,

so I won't do it.

He says this,

the golden rule,

it settles a hundred difficult points,

which in a world like this

are continually arising between man and man.

It prevents the necessity

of laying down endless little rules

for our conduct in specific cases.

It frees us.

We can bring the golden rule

into any relationship.

It's a versatile summary command

that can be applied

to any relationship

you are encountering right now.

It also goes beyond.

Let's say that you're having an interaction

with somebody,

and nowhere in the Bible

does it address

this particular kind of interaction.

Go golden.

Do unto that person

as you would want them to do to you.

What this means

is that because this is a conclusion,

we cannot snip it

from the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.

We can't take the golden rule in isolation.

It's vitally connected

to the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.

Tell me,

do you recognize these words

from our nation's history?

Fourscore and seven years ago,

our fathers brought forth

on this continent

a new nation conceived in liberty

and dedicated to the proposition

that all men are created equal.

Remember where that's from?

The Gettysburg Address.

Abraham Lincoln.

Four-minute speech,

and here's how he ended it.

Now,

if we just took that last concluding remark

by President Lincoln in isolation,

it would be somewhat silly

because that concluding remark

is driven by,

it is empowered by,

there's force behind it

from the rest of the speech.

The rest of the speech

drives that last sentence

that President Lincoln made.

You cannot take the golden rule

in isolation

because the entirety

of the Sermon on the Mount

drives with force

the golden rule

which concludes it.

So the golden rule

provides a very potent summary

of kingdom ethics

and we are to live

every day

according to the golden rule.

So we can put it this way.

Do you want to live

in light of the Sermon on the Mount?

Live according to the golden rule.

That's what Jesus is giving us here.

Now at this point,

I want to ask you a probing question.

Do you have a relationship

right now with someone

that needs the golden rule applied?

Are you in relationship

with someone that's just waiting

for you to think about them

in a kingdom way?

I do.

I'm guessing everyone

in the room does.

So the golden rule

is a concluding summary

of this greatest sermon

ever preached

by the greatest man

that ever walked

the face of the earth,

Jesus.

Point two.

The golden rule

is a command.

It's a command

from the lips

of our king.

So what we see

happening in verse 12

is that Jesus,

our king,

commands us,

his 21st century disciples,

to relate to others

in a certain way.

To do to others

what we would want them

to do to us.

He commands us

to live

according to the golden rule.

Now,

I realize

that the golden rule

gets thrown around a lot.

It can sometimes

be thought of

as a golden recommendation

or a golden suggestion

or a golden idea.

But for citizens

of the kingdom,

it is a golden rule,

a golden command.

I mean,

just think of the one

speaking the words.

Jesus has a unique

authority.

He's God's anointed one,

the Messiah,

the one of whom

the Old Testament law

and prophets

pointed to

who would come

and establish

God's kingdom,

God's saving reign

on earth.

He is Emmanuel.

He is God with us.

And as God

in the flesh,

Jesus speaks

with an authority

unlike any other.

Just look down

to verses 28 and 29

of chapter 7.

If you were there

when Jesus was preaching

this sermon

on the hillside,

you would be surrounded

by people doing this.

And when Jesus

finished these sayings,

the crowds were astonished

at his teaching

for he was teaching them

as one who had

authority

and not as their scribes.

This is the guy

that spoke of

like this

in Matthew 6.

You've heard that

it was said,

but I say.

Jesus speaks

with the force

of divine authority.

He spoke that way

then

and he's speaking

that way

this morning

here

to us.

the golden rule

is a command.

Now,

if you look back

at 712,

here's where the command

actually shows up.

So whatever you wish

that others would do

to you,

we haven't hit

the command yet.

So whatever you wish

that others would do

to you,

do also to them.

The command

is that word do.

Do also to them

for this is the law

and the prophets.

Do to them.

You've got to

see that do.

You've got to feel it

as packing

a punch

of the Messiah.

Authority

right there.

Do this.

It's not a recommendation.

It's not a suggestion.

It's a command.

A command from the lips

of our king.

And this command

from the lips

of our king

concerns

others.

Do

also

to them.

So here's what's

going on so far.

Jesus,

our king,

is commanding

us as disciples

to do something

to them.

He doesn't

elaborate

on who

they are.

He just calls

them

them.

So he's talking

about people.

But if you look

at the beginning

of 712,

we get a little

bit more clarity.

So whatever

you wish

that others

would do

to you,

do also

to them.

So it's people

we're in

relationship

with.

And that word

others

comes from a word

that we get

the word

anthropology

from.

Just a general

word meaning

mankind,

all men.

He's not

very specific.

He's purposefully

generic.

Because Jesus

is being

hypothetical.

He's saying

anyone

anyone,

anyone,

whatever you

wish that

others,

whoever,

anyone that

crosses your

path,

whatever you

wish that

they would

do to you,

do also

to them.

And I know

what you may

be kind of

experiencing

right now

when you

encounter a

general word

like them

or others,

it lacks

some specificity.

and what

that means,

what can

happen then

is it's

possible for

us to be

all,

okay,

that's a

good general

rule to

live by.

And we

don't take

it the next

step.

We just

live and

are content

with the

general kind

of vague

word them

and others.

And what I

want to help

you do right

now is go

from them

and others

to concrete

people.

So I

haven't,

I realize

I haven't

yet fully

unpacked what

we are to

do to them,

but I want

to just take a

minute here and

linger a little

bit more on

them.

Who is

them?

Well,

we are to

live out the

golden rule to

real people

in real

time.

Husbands,

you are to

live according

to the golden

rule with

your wives

and wives

with your

husbands.

Parents,

you are to

live out the

golden rule

with your

children.

And children,

you are to

live out the

golden rule

with your

parents.

Brothers and

sisters,

Jesus is

calling you to

live the golden

rule with

each other.

Miracles do

happen.

Extended

family,

in-laws,

even exes,

we are to

live the golden

rule towards.

Classmates and

teachers,

governing

authorities,

supervisors at

work,

people you

oversee,

workmates,

teammates,

coaches,

fellow performers,

orchestra,

thespians,

anyone.

Specific people.

Your neighbor

next door to

you.

What is to

govern your

relationship with

them?

The golden

rule.

It's the

code of the

kingdom.

With all of

his authority,

Jesus is

saying,

you do to

others as

you would

want them to

do to you.

This is a

hallmark of

my kingdom.

I want you to

advance my

kingdom one

golden rule

opportunity at a

time.

now, here's

what I'd like

you to do

this morning.

Pick

somebody.

Pick

someone.

A person

in your

life who

you know

God would

want you

to pursue

the golden

rule with.

Pick

someone.

Now, don't

make the mistake

of thinking that

the golden rule,

because it

concerns others,

is just to be

limited to kind

of a horizontal

relationship.

We treat

others according

to the golden

rule because

Jesus commands

it.

We love

others this

way because we

love our king

and seek to

obey all that

he commanded.

And so, if I

were to ask

you, well, why

would you want

to pursue the

golden rule with

your, this

person?

And you say,

well, you know

what?

I really would

like peace in

our relationship.

I would say, me

too.

I hope that's

the case, but

are there any

other reasons why

you would pursue

the golden rule?

And if you were

to say something

to the extent

that, well,

ultimately, the

reason why I'm

going to live

according to the

golden rule with

this person is

to please my

king, is to

obey what he

requires, is to

do what's good

and pleasing in

his sight because

he commands it

out to me, you're

in a good

spot.

Ultimately, the

golden rule is

something that we

obey.

We live the

golden rule with

others in order to

obey our king.

It's all ultimately

about Jesus.

These aren't

suggestions.

This is not a

recommendation.

This is not a

good idea.

idea.

This is a

command.

We are to do

this to them.

We are to treat

them as we would

want them to

treat us.

Okay, so I've

sought to establish

so far that the

golden rule is a

summary conclusion

and that it's a

command.

It's all about

Jesus, but right

now you may be

asking a question

like this.

Okay, I buy it,

like, okay, I buy

it.

But come on, let's

get down to the

nitty-gritty.

How am I supposed

to do this?

Well, the golden

rule is a call to

use your imagination

for the good of

others.

It's how we do

it.

The golden rule is

technically what's

called a conditional

clause, which means

this.

Remember that command,

do also to them?

It doesn't mean much

until you realize what

Jesus says right in

front of it gives it

its meaning.

So let's look at

verse 12 again.

So whatever you wish

that others would do

to you, do also to

them.

Do that.

Whatever you wish

that others would do

to you, you do to

them.

That's what we do.

So what does Jesus

say?

Treat others the way

you would want to be

treated.

Jesus is wanting

to use us to

bless those people

he has placed us

among.

He wants us to

advance his kingdom

one relationship at a

time by living out

the golden rule.

Let's take a little

bit closer look at

what Jesus is saying

here.

Jesus is saying

put yourself in the

shoes of other people.

Now, you need to

realize that in order

to do that, people

need a reversing of

their natural way of

thinking.

The kingdom of God

is all about people.

The saving reign of

Jesus is all about

people.

And so it makes, it

should not be a

surprise to you that

the command above all

is a command of how

we relate to others.

Jesus is calling us to

a certain way of

thinking.

A reversing of the

natural flow of

thinking in a sinner's

mind.

Naturally, we approach

relationships with a

kind of earthly

thinking that goes

like this.

Well, what can I get

from that?

What can I get from

her?

What can I get from

him?

What can I get from

this situation?

But Jesus is

commanding a new

kingdom approach to

relationships that

requires a new

kingdom way of

thinking.

And it's not what

can I get?

It is what can I

give?

What can I give?

I remember my dad

telling me when I was

a young man, Mike,

there are two kinds

of people in the

world.

There are takers and

there are givers.

You be a giver,

Mike.

Jesus is saying on a

grander scale, as my

citizens of my

kingdom, we seek to

do good to others.

We give.

Now, in order for

this reversing of

thinking to take

place, it requires a

miraculous feat of

divine engineering.

I'm not sure if you

guys know this, but up

until 1900, the

Chicago River ran

through Chicago and

emptied into Lake

Michigan.

And it was causing

all sorts of problems

for the city of

Chicago.

And so someone got

the great idea, well,

why don't we just

reverse the flow of

the river?

So in 1900, through a

real miraculous feat

of civil engineering,

the flow of the

Chicago River was

reversed.

Instead of flowing

flowing into Lake

Michigan, it flowed

out of Lake

Michigan.

And it had quite

the effect.

All of us have a

default thought

flow.

A default thought

flow that falls

into this what can

I get kind of

thinking.

But when a sinner

comes to Christ in

repentance and faith,

God begins a

miraculous feat of

divine engineering.

He begins to

reverse the flow of

our thoughts from

what can I get to

what can I give.

He radically

reorientates our

heart from

ourselves to

Him.

And when our

hearts are living

for Him, we are

going to want to do

good to our

neighbors.

When we love God,

we will want to

love our neighbors.

Matthew 22.

And that's what

Jesus is getting

at here.

Jesus is calling

us to a kingdom

way of thinking.

This way of

thinking begins at

our conversions, but

then is strengthened

day after day,

morning after

morning, as we

seep our minds in

God's Word and pray

and pray and pray.

Hallowed be

Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done.

Oh, Father, I'm

asking, I'm

seeking, I'm

praying, I'm

knocking, I'm

coming after You,

I'm pursuing this.

I want to think

like a kingdom

citizen.

I want to love

others as You

would call me to.

Help me, Father,

with this.

And as we seek

Him and trust

Him, He

strengthens the

flow.

He gives us the

grace we need to

live the way He's

calling us to

live.

And so this

divine

engineering of

changing the flow

of our thoughts is

a work of God

radically changes

us.

Let's take this

another step.

Now that we've

talked about this

reversal of our

thinking, that we

move from thinking

of ourselves to

thinking of others,

then what?

How are we to

live out the

golden rule with

others?

How are we to

do whatever you

wish that others

would do to you,

do also to them?

How do we do

that?

Well, this is where

you employ your

sanctified imagination.

You've got to think

different.

You've got to think

about people

different.

And here's how it

works.

When there's this

reversing of

heart from me

to others, we

employ our

sanctified

imagination to

put ourselves in the

shoes of others.

white guy living in

Kenosha.

It doesn't really

take a lot of

imagination to do

that because it's

built into me.

But when I'm

confronted with

someone who's

unlike me, who's

not a white

middle class male,

then I'm

challenged in my

imagination.

But I want to

imagine.

I want to

imagine what it's

like to grow up in

Frank neighborhood

as a black male.

I want to put

myself in his

shoes.

do unto others

as you would

have them do

unto you.

I want to

understand.

I want to

imagine what

it is like

to live

to live

under the

poverty level.

I want to

understand what

it's like to

live as a

homeless woman

in Kenosha

when it's

December and

the temperature's

dropping.

I want to

understand what

it's like to

live as a

white 30

year old mom

of three.

I want to

understand that.

I want to

put myself in

her shoes.

That's where

your imagination

comes in.

It is

potent.

Because when

you start putting

yourself in the

shoes of others,

do you know

what happens?

You begin to

dignify that

person.

You begin to

realize, oh,

this person is

of tremendous

worth in God's

eyes.

They are an

image bearer

of God

regardless of

their gender,

regardless of

their race,

their sexual

orientation,

regardless of

their socioeconomic

status.

They are an

image bearer

and therefore

they have

intrinsic worth.

And I will

dignify them

because of

that.

And so when I

start thinking

that way and

you start thinking

that way,

we're going

golden.

Golden.

but it doesn't

end there.

You move from

dignifying someone

through your

imagination to

then identifying

with someone in

your imagination.

Oh, what would it

be like to grow up

in the Wilson

neighborhood if I

was a 13-year-old

black young man?

What would that be

like?

What is it like

during the

summertime when

I'm hanging out

with my friends

and black and

whites are just

cruising around

our neighborhood

all the time?

What effect

would that have

on me?

I start to

identify.

And when I

start to identify

with someone,

I begin to

empathize with

them.

I start to

feel for them.

I'm moved

by that.

Dignify.

Identify.

Empathize.

D-I-E.

Dignify.

Identify.

Empathize.

In order for

me to get

outside of

myself,

I've got to

die to

myself.

I've got to

dignify.

I've got to

identify.

I've got to

empathize.

And when that

falls into

place,

that compassion

compels me

to do

also to

them.

It drives

me.

This just

doesn't happen

when you're

eating your

cereal in the

morning.

You've got to

give this

stuff time.

You've got to

actually let

yourself enter

into somebody's

else experience.

You've got to

be thoughtful,

intentional.

You may not

want to feel

what you will

feel, but you

step in.

You, by faith,

Lord Jesus,

help me to

identify.

Jesus isn't

calling us to

something here

something here

that he

himself didn't

do.

If there's

anybody that

lived the

golden rule,

it's him.

He dignified

us.

Were we

sinners?

Oh, yeah.

Would that

stop him from

doing something?

No.

We were

valuable in his

eyes because we

are his image

bearers.

God's

eyes.

He

and he

actually

stepped into

our shoes

by becoming

a man.

Dignified.

He identified

with us.

He walked

this planet

for 33

years.

He knows

everything that

we've experienced

firsthand.

He is a

sympathetic high

priest.

priest.

He empathizes

with us.

Remember at the

end of Matthew

9, Jesus is

walking around

and he sees

these people

who are harassed

and helpless

like sheep

without a

shepherd and

he out of

compassion moves.

He had

compassion on

them.

Where did that

go?

Oh, he died.

He went all

the way for

us.

He lived

out the

golden rule

on a

blood red

cross

for us.

We've got a

king who's

walked it.

He's calling

us to something

he himself has

done.

He knows

the golden

rule firsthand.

In fact,

you are here

this morning

because he

lived the

golden rule

towards you.

Another way

you can sum

up the

golden rule

to do

unto others

as you

would have

them do

unto you

is to

love your

neighbor as

yourself.

Now,

we talked

about this

call to use

our imagination

for the good

of others.

It is a

God glorifying

good.

But I've got

to be honest

with you

about something.

There's no

promise of

reciprocity.

There's no

promise when

you move

towards someone

out of a

heart to

obey the

golden rule

that it's

going to

come back

at you

in the

same way.

Jesus

isn't saying

here,

hey,

you scratch

their back,

they'll scratch

yours.

He's not

saying that.

This isn't

some kind

of utilitarian

social engineering

Jesus has

got going

on here.

No,

he says

this.

He says,

you love

these people,

you put

yourself in

their shoes,

you feel

what they're

feeling,

and you

move to

them,

you do

good to

them,

without

expecting

anything

back.

let me

ask you

a question.

When you

start using

your imagination

this way out

of obedience

to your

king,

you start

approaching

people this

way in

order to

advance

his kingdom,

why would

you do

this?

Why would

you put

yourself in

someone else's

shoes if

you have

no personal

gain from

it?

Why would

you pursue

someone without

any promise

of benefit?

it?

Well,

earlier I

made the

case,

well,

it's a

command,

you obey

Jesus,

that's

enough.

But

Jesus

doesn't

limit it

there.

Look what

he says.

So

whatever you

wish that

others would

do to

you,

do also

to them

for,

means

reason,

for this

is the

law

and the

prophets.

prophets.

The golden

rule fulfills

the law

and the

prophets.

It

completes the

law and

the prophets.

Not only does

the golden

rule conclude

the sermon,

not only is

it a command,

not only is

it a call to

use our

sanctified

imaginations

for other

people's goods,

it fulfills

the law

and the

prophets.

prophets.

In other

words,

it's a

summary of

all of

God's

will revealed

in the

Old Testament.

Let me

remind you of

Jesus' opening

words at the

body of

his sermon

in Matthew

5,

17.

Would you

turn there

with me?

Jesus

says,

Do not

think that

I have

come to

abolish

the law

or the

prophets.

I have

not come

to abolish

them,

but to

fulfill

them.

For

truly I

say to

you,

until

heaven and

earth

pass away,

not one

iota,

not a

dot,

will pass

from the

law until

all is

accomplished.

Jesus

came to

fulfill the

law and

the prophets.

And we

can ask the

question,

well how did

you do

that,

Jesus?

And there

are three

ways he

did it.

First

one is

this.

He

fulfilled

the

prophecies

in the

prophets

about the

coming

Messiah.

This

child

born to

us,

whose

government

would be

on his

shoulders,

that his

reign would

never end,

he would

sit on the

throne of

David.

Isaiah

9, 6,

and 7,

that's

talking about

Jesus.

And he

fulfilled it.

He fulfilled

the law and

the prophets

by being the

Messiah.

That's one

way.

Another way that

he fulfilled the

law and the

prophets is in

his teaching.

He

clarified the

true meaning

of the law

and the

prophets.

That's what

Matthew 6,

you've heard that

I would

said,

but I

say to

you six

times over

again.

He is

fulfilling the

true meaning

of the law

and the

prophets.

And finally,

he fulfilled

all the

requirements of

the law and

the prophets

by living a

perfect,

sinless

life.

He

lived out

what he

laid out

in the

Sermon on

the Mount.

Jesus

fulfilled the

law and the

prophets by

obeying the

true meaning

of the law

and prophets

every moment

of every

day,

of every

week,

of every

year of

his 33

years.

Perfectly.

Here's what

this means.

Jesus is the

golden rule

incarnate.

That's what

that means.

He lived

it out.

Jesus not

just commanded

it.

He did.

He didn't

just model

it.

He did

that.

Jesus,

by dying

on the

cross,

the golden

rule on

the blood

red cross,

by dying

on the

cross for

us,

he makes

the golden

rule possible

for us to

actually live.

As new

creations,

born of the

spirit,

we are now

able to live

out the

golden rule.

and not

only are we

able to,

he commands

it.

He calls

us to

it.

So,

Jesus,

the Messiah,

fulfills the

law and the

prophets.

Jesus, the

teacher,

fulfills the

law and the

prophets.

And Jesus,

the perfect

human,

fulfills the

law and the

prophets.

prophets.

And he did

it all so

that we

could live

out the

golden rule

with others.

And when we

do,

God's

kingdom is

advanced.

This morning,

I sought to

show you that

the golden rule

is the conclusion

of the body

of the Sermon

on the Mount.

that the

golden rule is

a command from

the lips of

our king.

That the

golden rule is

a call to

use our

imagination for

the good of

others.

It's a call to

die, to

dignify, to

identify, to

empathize with

others.

And then

finally, the

golden rule

completes the

law and the

prophets.

prophets.

When we

live out the

golden rule,

we please

our heavenly

father and

the kingdom

of Jesus is

advanced.

So this

morning, we've

lifted up a

banner over our

church.

The banner of

the golden rule.

And I just

want to let you

know that banner

flies.

It flies off

the blood

red cross

of Jesus.

He made it

possible.

And he calls

us to it.

Let's pray.

God in

heaven,

Father,

we just

confess that

we do not

live the

golden rule

day to day,

hour by hour,

but we want

to.

God, would

you give us

the grace for

the balance

of this day

to do unto

others as we

would have

them do to

us.

That we

would love

our neighbors

as ourselves.

And God, we

would ask that

through our

humble,

broken steps

of obedience

that you

would advance

your kingdom.

Let your

kingdom come.

Let your

will be done

on earth

as it is

in heaven.

In Jesus'

name,

amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.