HOW TO SWEAR PROPERLY Matthew 5: Fill in the blank. A man is as good as his.

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Charla Greene
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1 HOW TO SWEAR PROPERLY Matthew 5:33-37 Fill in the blank. A man is as good as his. When Jesus spoke about oaths or swearing, he was not speaking casually or trivially. The truth of the matter is, that as with everything we have looked at so far and found ourselves guilty of, it will be true of this as well. We are just ignorant of it. As in the other cases, Ignorance is not bliss. Deadly Hosea 4:6 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge... Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. NKJV Perhaps this is true of us. Could this be the reason we see so many young people that have been raised in the church, once they leave home also leave the church, their religious heritage, and the religious beliefs? Our day is no different than Jesus day. Matthew 5:33-37 is the 4 th illustration that Jesus gives. ANGER which leads to MURDER LUST which lead to ADULTERY MARITAL AFFAIRS which lead to DIVORCE 33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;

2 HOW TO SWEAR PROPERLY Page 2 of 8 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. NKJV Jewish teachers had always insisted on and said it was an obligation to tell the truth. "The world stands fast on three things: on justice, on truth, and on peace." "Four persons are shut out from the presence of God--the scoffer, the hypocrite, the liar, and the retailer of slander." "One who has given his word and who changes it is as bad as an idolater." The school of Shammai the conservative Rabbinical school, was so wedded to the truth that they forbade the ordinary courteous politenesses of society. I.E. You would not compliment the beauty of the bride when in fact she was plain. TODAY: When seeing someone you would not ask, How are you? We almost NEVER respond truthfully. In every case, in every way, at ALL TIMES be truthful. The Pharisees had their laws and traditions and their self-made religion and standards. When they got a phone call at home and did not want to talk to the person, they would say, Tell them I m not home. They would more than help or even do their child s homework and tell them to tell the teacher that they did it themselves. One of the strange things about the Sermon on the Mount is the number of occasions when Jesus was recalling to the Jews that which they already knew.

3 HOW TO SWEAR PROPERLY Page 3 of 8 It was THEIR STANDARD. Jesus is telling all of them that this is SUBSTANDARD. vv. 21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43 You have heard it was said... but I say to you... Substandard, personal standard VS. God s truth. They were so pious they were looking for a vacancy in the trinity. Here is where Jesus is headed after saying, Matthew 5:20 I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. NKJV Matthew 5:48 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. NKJV I. What The Law of Moses Said Matthew 5:33 33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' NKJV Just one problem. It is not in the Scriptures! This was an improper understanding of the 3 rd and 7 th Commandments. Exodus 20:7 7 "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. NKJV

4 HOW TO SWEAR PROPERLY Page 4 of 8 Exodus 20:16 16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. NKJV Deuteronomy 10:20 20 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name. NKJV Leviticus 19:12 12 And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. NKJV Numbers 30:2 2 If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. NKJV Deuteronomy 23:21 21 "When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. NKJV ii. what the Pharisees and scribes said In the time of Jesus there were two situations occurring about taking oaths. 1. FRIVOLOUS SWEARING - taking an oath where no oath was necessary or proper. It had become far too common a custom to introduce a statement by saying,

5 HOW TO SWEAR PROPERLY Page 5 of 8 Cross my heart and hope to die I swear it s true Oh Christ Good Lord Many people, I have to sadly say, carelessly use the Lord s name in vain. It s a habit they aren t even aware of! 2. EVASIVE SWEARING The Jews divided oaths into two classes: those which were absolutely binding and those which were not. Any oath which contained the name of God was absolutely binding. Any oath which did not use the name of God was held not to be binding. The result was that if a man swore by the name of God in any form, he would rigidly keep that oath; but if he swore by heaven, or by earth, or by Jerusalem, or by his head, he would not have to keep that oath. Matthew 5: But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. NKJV They had made a fine art out of the evasive swearing as many of us have. That s not what I meant. Oh, you misunderstood me. What I was really saying is... They had changed the emphasis of the law. HERE WAS THEIR THINKING If God's name was used, God became a partner in the transaction; whereas if God's name was not used, God had nothing to do with the transaction.

6 HOW TO SWEAR PROPERLY Page 6 of 8 JESUS was saying no man can keep God out of any transaction. God is already there. Heaven is the throne of God; the earth is the footstool of God; Jerusalem is the city of God; a man's head does not belong to him. Jesus said...: v. 34b neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. NKJV There is nothing in the world which does not belong to God; and, therefore, whether God is actually named in so many words or not, does not matter. God is there already. 1 Corinthians 3:20 20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." NKJV Dishonesty and Scripture Proverbs 12:22 22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight. NKJV Proverbs 62:4b... [the wicked] delights in lies... Revelation 21:8...and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." NKJV III. What Is Jesus Saying About Swearing?

7 HOW TO SWEAR PROPERLY Page 7 of 8 Matthew 5:34 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all... Matthew 5:37 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' Jesus is NOT forbidding OATHS. Deuteronomy 6:13 13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. NKJV Isaiah 45:23 23 I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. NKJV PAUL called God to be his witness. 1 Corinthians 15:31 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. NKJV 2 Corinthians 1:23 23 Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. NKJV Galatians 1:20 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.) NKJV Philippians 1:8 8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. NKJV

8 HOW TO SWEAR PROPERLY Page 8 of 8 JESUS Matthew 26: And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!" 64 Jesus said to him, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." Summing it all up, HOW DO WE SWEAR PROPERLY? Matthew 5:37 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' 1. Don t make oaths lightly or too quickly. 2. Let routine conversations be simple. 3. Be truthful in everything. 4. Keep an oath for important times. 5. Keep your promises.

They say, I say - Part 3 Less is Better! Sunday, November 15, 2015 All scriptures taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise indicated

They say, I say - Part 3 Less is Better! Sunday, November 15, 2015 All scriptures taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise indicated Intro: One of the things that I have always liked about