At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Wisdom,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.

We are in a series called Kingdom Wisdom, looking at the wisdom Jesus gives us for living in the Kingdom of God. Last week we talked about trusting God and knowing that He is good. Jesus told us to ask, seek, and knock. We can come to our Father with confidence because He knows what we need and He gives good gifts to His children. Jesus ends that thought by saying, “How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” That is a wonderful picture of the heart of our Father.

Matthew 7:9–12 (NIV)
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Then Jesus says something interesting. Verse 12 begins with a little word: “So.” Some translations say, “Therefore.” In other words, because your Father is good, because your Father gives, because your Father can be trusted, this is how you should live. Jesus says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” We usually call this the Golden Rule. Most of us have probably heard it many times, but Jesus is giving us much more than a nice rule for polite behavior. He is describing what happens when people who have received the goodness of the Father begin carrying that goodness into the lives of others.

There were sayings in the ancient world that sounded somewhat like the Golden Rule, but they were often expressed negatively. Do not do to someone else what you would not want them to do to you. That is certainly good advice. But Jesus goes further. He does not simply tell us what not to do. He tells us to “do to others.” That is active. It is intentional. It means looking for opportunities to treat people with the same grace, kindness, patience, generosity, and love that we would hope to receive ourselves. That is Kingdom love.

It is possible to go through an entire day without intentionally hurting anyone and still never actually love anyone. I did not insult anyone. I did not steal anything. I did not lose my temper. I did not treat anyone badly. Wonderful. But Jesus invites us to ask another question: What good did I actually do? Who did I encourage? Who did I notice? Who did I help? Who received a little more grace because I was there?

This week we are going to talk about the Golden Rule, but I hope we see that it really begins with the goodness of our Father. We have received His goodness, His grace, and His love. Now Jesus invites us to carry what we have received into the lives of the people around us.

This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.

Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.

At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Wisdom,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.

We are continuing our Kingdom Wisdom series this weekend. Last week, Jesus gave us a remarkably simple invitation: Ask. Seek. Knock. When we do not know what to do, we do not have to figure everything out ourselves. We can come to the Father. But underneath that invitation is another question—maybe an even deeper one: Can I trust the Father?

Matthew 7:9–11 (NIV)
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Asking is difficult when you are not sure about the person you are asking. Seeking is difficult when you are not sure the person you are seeking wants to be found. Knocking is difficult when you are not sure who is going to answer the door. So Jesus does not stop with “Ask. Seek. Knock.” He tells us something about the One we are asking.

In Matthew 7:9–11, Jesus gives us a simple picture. A child comes to his father and asks for bread. What loving father would hand his hungry child a stone instead? Or if the child asks for a fish, what father would give him a snake? We would not do that because we love our children and want what is good for them.

That does not mean our children always receive exactly what they ask for. Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes it is not yet. Sometimes we know something they do not know, and we have something different in mind. But even then, the response of a loving parent is shaped by love. Jesus says, “How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

This matters because our view of God shapes the way we pray. If we imagine God primarily as disappointed, distant, angry, or reluctant, prayer can become an attempt to convince Him to care about us. But throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has been giving us a very different picture. Your Father sees. Your Father knows. Your Father feeds the birds. Your Father clothes the flowers. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. And your Father gives good gifts.

Kingdom wisdom is not simply learning what to do. It is learning to live in daily dependence upon a Father we can trust.

This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.

Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.