Watch Your Mouth
A Look at the Sermon on the Mount • Sermon • Submitted
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**WARNING** THIS MESSAGE CONTAINS “SWEAR WORDS”
Read Matthew 5:33
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Those gathered around Jesus included His disciples, as well as a great crowd of Jews, and most likely some of the religious leaders as well. They had “heard”…not read for themselves as that was nearly impossible, but they had heard what the Pharisees, Sadducee, Scribes and so on had taught or chosen to teach them. May I say, they had heard wrong.
The usage of “foreswearing” refers to committing perjury, or simply dishonesty. In other words, to forswear or to take an oath in this context is to attach to your testimony something that gives it validity. This is not to say that we should never take oaths, such as a oath a solider or even a president takes to defend the country and uphold its constitution. This doesn’t even cancel out taking an oath in court in which you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
The issue in this passage is the fact that the Jewish leaders went to great lengths to create loop holes in swearing oaths. This evening we are going to examine the historical/Scriptural context of this issue and then bring it home to believers today.
Proposition: Let me say this that when it comes to our communication, we must “watch our mouth” - striving to be honest in all we say and do.
Notice first there is the warning regarding
Broken Promises v. 33
Broken Promises v. 33
What the Jewish leaders knew -
13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
This warning was given to those who would evoke the name of God in an oath that they were bound to it!
Do you understand that there is no greater name, no greater way to attest honesty than to evoke the name of God.
You understand that to attach the name of God to your testimony and truthfulness, and then to be dishonest is to attach the name of God to your sin!
The OT allowed people to take an oath by God’s name if, and only if, an oath was necessary. By doing this the oath was then binding! Consider these verses:
12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.
2 If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. 22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. 24 When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
To swear by God and then to break your oath was often considered a capital offense. To get around this holy demand the religious leaders had developed and entire “legal” system for swearing oaths that would be easier to break.
Listen to some of those loopholes before we move on to the next section, under the Pharisaical system you could swear by:
By heaven
By earth
By Jersualem
By their heads
Now, read with me Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:34-36
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Notice what Jesus said, “Swear not at all...”
He is saying it is best if you don’t swear any oath than to swear an oath knowing you never intend to keep it!
How many times do we hear people say to us such things as
“I swear I’m telling the truth”
“I swear on my bottom dollar”
“I swear on my life”
Why do we/they say such things if there is no reason to doubt what is being said?
What we need then in place of broken promises is...
Better Practice v. 34-37
Better Practice v. 34-37
I draw your attention again to Matthew 5:34-36
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Jesus demonstrated to those present that even if they did not directly evoke God’s name in their oaths, they were still swearing by God!
What is heaven if it is not God’s throne?
What is earth if it is not God’s footstool?
What is Jersualem, the holy city, if it is not the place where one day Jesus Himself will rule from the throne of David?
What right to you have to swear even by your own head when you can’t cause your hair color to change? When it was God that created and numbered the hairs on your head?
What then does Jesus expect from His followers? Matthew 5:37
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Plainly as Christians we should be known by our integrity.
If you tell someone its going to rain, then they need to have so much trust in your integrity that even if the sun is shining bright they still grab their umbrella.
There was a time when a man’s word was his bond.
You know as well as I do, when someone says to you, “I swear I’m telling the truth” or “This is the honest truth” immediately we suspect they are lying.
Jesus tells us plainly that when we say yes we mean exactly that. When we say no that is what we mean.
Conclusion:
As a Christian it is your duty to never use “double speak”. Be honest. Be forthright. Be a person of integrity.
I guess if I were going to summarize this message into just one sentence it would be this, “Watch your mouth”.