Jesus Taught Us to Be People of Our Word

Teaching

Why We Make Oaths

Matthew 5:33 CSB

“Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.

Snake in a can

Broken Trust Hurts

Have you been hurt by a broken promise?

Have you hurt someone else by breaking a promise?

Have you ever broken a promise to God?

We Were Created for Trust

If everyone were trustworthy:

No signing receipts, no contracts, no clicking “I agree with the above terms and agreements”

No perjury, no false accusations, no “Oops, I meant to do that and forgot.”

No wondering, “Will he come through?” No wondering, “Did she really mean what she said?”

No broken promises (We were made for this kind of world, but we broke it)

Long ago, we broke that trust

Beginning

Adam & Eve did not obey God as they intended: They broke His trust

Adam blamed Eve for his sin; he broke her trust as a husband

After that, sin entered the world

After that, sin entered the world

Marriage contracts were broken

Business deals were broken

Children and teens say they will be good, and then they aren’t

People start accusing each other of made up things, broken trust all over!

Without trust, no one can really interact with anyone and feel safe!

Without trust, society falls apart, we needed a fix

Oaths Were Made to Help Our Trust Issues

Presidents Oaths Video Here

Defining oaths

Definition: a solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, regarding one's future action or behavior

Barney Fife video

Deuteronomy 23:21–22 CSB

“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to keep it, because he will require it of you, and it will be counted against you as sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, it will not be counted against you as sin.

Someone has broken my trust and now wants me to trust them again

They swear (make an oath) by God they will do what they said

This means if they fail, they choose to bring God’s punishment on them self.

In other words:

An oath is a promise backed by the punishment of God if it is broken.

This helps because:

If someone has broken my trust before, I put myself at risk by trusting them again

If that person swears by God they do as they say, then I might believe they are serious

So, a relationship is restored

If I trust someone who has broken my trust before, I put myself at risk.

Needed for society, broken trust leads to problems

Examples: Contracts, receipts, president oaths, perjury, marriage even

Chosen to honor God

Examples

Failed, really want to get it right now

Loan $

___________ loans me money, I say I will pay it back, I don’t.

Now, I need more $. __________ doesn’t want to give it

I swear by God I will pay him back this time. _______ says, “OK, you do this at your own risk.”

Marriage

Husband cheats on wife, wife says she is going to leave him

The husband says he swears by God he will never do this again

The wife believes he is serious, gives him another try

Oaths are of some help because:

If someone has broken my trust before, I put myself at risk by trusting them again

If that person swears by God they do as they say, then I might believe they are serious

So, a relationship is restored

Matthew 5:33 CSB

“Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.

Why Oaths Didn’t Fix the Problem

Matthew 5:34–36 CSB

But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.

Barney Fife Video Here

Barney Explanation

Barney said he would do something, he made a promise

Non-Binding Oaths by other things than God for every little thing

He made the promise several times, insisting on it.

But the promise means NOTHING!

In Jesus’s day, people made non-binding oaths on things other than God, often times for frivolous things.

Other things: Made promises on other things: Heaven, Earth, Jerusalem, their head.

Non-binding oaths: Came up with oaths that could be more easily broken

Other things: Made promises on other things: Heaven, Earth, Jerusalem, their head.

Every little thing: People would swear by these things all the time for every little commitment

“By me head, I WILL do the dishes dear!”

“By the temple, I WILL remember to put the toilet seat down”

“By Jerusalem, I WILL show up for that meeting.”

This brought them back to square 1

Other things: Avoiding God’s wrath

Non-binding: They can break oaths

Every little thing: their character has not changed a bit! Still untrustworthy! Barney Fife!

They’re charcter

Frivolous Oaths

Oaths don;t free us from God’s judgement

Oaths

Jesus Gave a Higher Standard Than Oaths

Don’t Take Oaths

Matthew 5:34–36 CSB

But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.

Matthew 5:34–35 CSB

But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.

Matthew 5:37 CSB

But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.

You can’t avoid God’s wrath by swearing on lesser things: it all belongs to God!

God will hold people accountable for breaking their word!

Oaths are DEADLY! You can’t even control your hair color, you put yourself in danger by taking them!

Just Do What You Say

Matthew 5:37 CSB

But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.

Jesus leads these people to a higher standard than oaths: being people of their word

If you truly intend to do something, say yes and ACTUALLY DO iT!

If you’re not sure, say no and be okay with that, it’s ok too

Trying to get around being true to our word is from the evil one,

the Devil does not want us to be people of our word.

Loving God & Others

God’s Idea of Perfection

Matthew 5:48 CSB

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

God is completely consistent with His own words! When God swears by Himself, he does it

Ezekiel 12:25 CSB

But I, the Lord, will speak whatever message I will speak, and it will be done. It will no longer be delayed. For in your days, rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’ ”

Numbers 14:28 CSB

Tell them: As surely as I live—this is the Lord’s declaration—I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.

Ezekiel 12:25

We Love God by Being People of Our Word

We should respect God by fulfilling our commitments to Him

It is disrespectful to think that we can avoid being accountable to Him

We Love Others by Being People of Our Word

We show care towards others when we do what we say we will, it is respectful

We can build loving relationships on that kind of trust!

Rebuking & Correcting

Tough Questions

Admonish the unruly

Are you someone who makes commitments to others and tries to escape them?

You break trust with others! Your inconsistency is harmful!

you need

Have you told God: “I will do X” and not followed through with it?

If so, you are taking God’s wrath lightly!

Repent of these things and attach yourself to Jesus, the Vine; then the spiritual fruit of faithfulness will come from your life!

Have you used profanity to get people’s attention and take you seriously? I do read your facebook posts!

This is also an offense to God:

Ephesians 4:29 CSB

No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.

As Jesus says, our words overflow from our mouths. A mouth that swears is connected to an unfaithful heart! Check your heart!

WHATEVER THE ISSUE, SUBMIT TO KING JESUS! HE SAVES THOSE WHO CONFESS HIM AS LORD!

Encourage the Fainthearted

Do you make promises to people because you think that’s what they want to hear?

Take courage and be the limited human being you are! (No be no!)

Don’t use empty promises as a way to inflate yourself! Be weak!

2 Corinthians 12:9 CSB

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.

Do you attempt to keep your word to God by making commitments, but fail at them?

Let your no to God be no as well, not just the yeses

Take courage and believe that He loves you as you are, not as you wish you were!

And continue to walk in a way that is pleasing to Him one yes at a time.

JESUS DIED FOR OUR WEAKNESS! HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT IS TO BE A LIMITED HUMAN!

Isaiah 40:29–31 CSB

He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.

Help the Weak

Some of us want to be people who keep our word to others and to God but we are too weak and limited.

Correcting

As Jesus said, We cannot make one hair on our head white or black. And so we NEED HIM!

Isaiah 40:29–31 CSB

He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.

GOD STRENGTHENS HIS CHILDREN FOR THE TASK HE GIVES THEM!

Th Gospel

Training

Pure Heart

What keeps me from living by my own word? How can I get rid of that?

Good Conscience

What will it cost me to be a person of my word? Am I prepared to pay that cost?

Sincere Faith

Can I do this on my own or will I need God? How must I depend on Him to be a person of my word?