Completed Through the Teaching of Christ (Part 3)

Honesty In Communication

Text: Matthew 5:33-37

Matthew 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Place Preached - (Mississauga International Baptist Church)

Date Preached - (03/25/01)

Introduction:  Some may not figure this out, you may not understand the importance of a message such as this, you may not get it.  But I will assure you this is important.

This message deals with our communication or speech.

James 3:2  For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

We need to think before we speak!   ILLUS: All words rooted in God’s Words or the serpent’s words EXPLAIN.

Now let’s talk about what Christ is teaching us in our text.  We’ll look first at how this relates culturally to the Jew of Christ’s day and then we will consider some biblical principles of communication that are universally applicable.

FORSWEAR – Swear falsely, perjure

OATHS - Thine oaths. An oath is a solemn affirmation, or declaration, made with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed, and imprecating his vengeance, and renouncing his favour, if what is affirmed is false. A false oath is called perjury; or, as in this place, forswearing. – Barnes Notes on NT

LIT. – A fence, or enclosure, that which restrains a person.

These definitions take in swearing, cursing, uttering of oaths, profanity, and frivolous speech.

Matthew 12:36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Now here is the OT foundation for this injunction…..

Leviticus 19:12  And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Deuteronomy 23:23  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.

ALSO LOOK UP & READ Numbers 30:2 & Ecclesiastes 5:4-6

“But I say unto you, swear not at all..”

Certainly Jesus does not prohibit oaths in a court of justice for he himself answered Caiaphas on oath. Paul made solemn appeals to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:27  I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

Romans 9:1  I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

God himself swears by His own name.

Hebrews 6:13  For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

What Jesus prohibits are all forms of profanity.

The Jewish Practice

The Jews were past-masters in the art of splitting hairs about allowable and forbidden oaths or forms of profanity  - Robertson

They sought to evade the difficulty of the practice by a quibble of interpretation.

The Rabbis taught that the only oaths made binding by the law were oaths containing some name or peculiar attribute of God.

So they would swear by the temple, by the altar, by the lamb, by the dishes, by the law, by Moses, by the prophets, by the life of the Rabbis etc. and consider such oaths non-binding.

Matthew 23:16  Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

EXAMPLES IN TEXT:

Heaven

Isaiah 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Earth

Isaiah 66:1  Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Jerusalem

Psalms 48:2  Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. (Rev 21:2 – “The Holy City”)

Thy Head

Matthew 6:27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

They were swearing by God nonetheless as everything is related to, comes from and has its source in God.

Hebrews 2:10  For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Our Practice

Just as modern Christians employ a great variety of vernacular "cuss-words" and excuse themselves because they do not use the more flagrant forms. - Robertson

Just as among ourselves, (as TRENCH well remarks), a certain lingering reverence for the name of God leads to cutting off portions of His name, or uttering sounds nearly resembling it, or substituting the name of some heathen deity, in profane exclamations or asseverations. - JFB

There is much profane language which is neither cursing nor swearing, as when one speaks irreverently of God, his Word, worship, or anything sacred.  And there are phrases in which the name of God is either omitted or disguised, so that persons fancy they are not wrong, which yet involve the essence of profanity. - Broadus

Modern Examples:

Gee, Gee whiz, Gosh, Darn, Goodness Gracious, For Heaven’s Sake, For Pete’s or Pity’s Sake etc.

Principles of Communication (Speech)

I. Seriousness

The Lord is not against vows, oaths etc., but against vain and profane oaths.

We need to take seriously the words we speak! Why?

Proverbs 18:21  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Not dour, unhappy, without joy.  This doesn’t mean that it’s sinful to have a sense of humor.

II. Selflessness

What is at the root of all evil communication?  ANSWER: Self

“Neither swear by thy head” vs.36

The principle here is that you are not your own, you do not belong to yourself.

LOOK UP & READ I Corinthians 6:19-20

For if no one would give up his own child to another, much more will not God give up His own work to thee. For though it be thy head, yet is it the property of another; and so far from being master thereof, thou shalt not be able to do with it, no not the least thing of all.

III. Sincerity

“Yea, yea; Nay, nay”

In other words straightforward honesty, personal integrity, be a man or woman of your word!!

James 5:12  But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

2 Corinthians 1:17-20  When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?

18  But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

19  For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.

20  For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

What a pattern!!   Do we keep our promises?  Is our word good?

EXAMPLES: W/ spouse w/ children  Examples of my failures.

Ephesians 4:25  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Colossians 3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

Be careful of perceptions.  Perceived truth is at times greater than the actual truth.

LOOK UP & READ John 21:21-23

IV. Simplicity

“Whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” vs.37

Why is simplicity of speech appropriate or necessary?  Because it reveals the heart.

Luke 6:45  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

LOOK UP & READ Matthew 15:17-20

Guard your lips!!

Proverbs 10:19  In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

James 1:19  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

Cometh of evil. (Not cometh to evil) Is evil. Proceeds from some evil disposition or purpose. And from this we may learn,

1. That profane swearing is always the evidence of a depraved heart.

2. That no man is believed any sooner in common conversation because he swears to a thing.

When we hear a man swear to a thing, it is pretty good evidence that he knows what he is saying to be false, and we should be on our guard.

“Honestly”, “I’m telling the truth”, “That is not one of my sins” etc.  *Here is a principle I’ve learned……..

*Proverbs 20:6  Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

When a man says to me, "I'd swear on a stack of Bibles a mile high," that is the fellow I do not believe because I think the lie he's telling is a mile high.

A man that is truly a Christian, and leads a Christian life, does not need oaths and profaneness to make him believed.  His life is his greatest testimony!!

3. God will not hold the profane swearer guiltless.

Deuteronomy 5:11  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.

Conclusion:     (Review)

4 PRINCIPLES – Seriousness, Selflessness, Sincerity, Simplicity

Colossians 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.