Oaths
Notes
Transcript
33 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 34 “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 “Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.
Romans 9:6- 16
Let’s get up to speed on what Jesus is doing.
Jesus is forming the kingdom community of disciples throughout His ministry
At this stage He is telling them how they live.
Explaining and deepening the meaning and practice of the law for Israel.
“To bring fully to light its true and deepest meaning” -Ridderbos
“Not a correction of the law, but a true interpretation of it.” -Calvin
Jesus here is directly quoting Leviticus 19:12
12 and you shall not swear falsely in my name, and so one of you profane the name of your God; I am Yahweh.
The Jews had distorted this teaching by swearing by things other than God, so that they had a backdoor so to speak, allowing them to not keep their word since they had not sworn by God’s name.
This text that we read today is primarily about God, and how kingdom citizens or kingdom disciples should live. And His character
the first thing we learn from this text is:
Everything belongs to God.
Everything belongs to God.
Heaven above
34 “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
Since this is primarily about God’s character, Jesus says “Don’t swear by heaven for it is the throne of God”
If heaven is the throne room of God, how could a disciple swear by heaven and risk blaspheming God in this way.
But God doesn’t just reside in heaven does he?
Earth below
35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
This is a reminder that God fills all if His creation and there is no place that extends beyond His sight or power.
or even Jerusalem
35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
We wouldn’t swear to Jerusalem, but they certainly would because of it’s centrality to their story and hope for rescue.
Elsewhere in Scripture (Is 52) God calls Jerusalem the Holy city. It is the city that God had selected to be the seat of His rule in the earth.
What is the Spirit saying to the 1st c. Church?
What is the Spirit saying to 21st c. American church?
Up to this point you might be sitting in your seat and thinking, “listen Thomas I’ve got this in the bag.”
You’ve probably never sworn by any of these things.
Show absurdity.
Don’t worry, Jesus has some heat for you too.
Here’s where it gets real.
36 “Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.
Ransom story
Ransom was swearing by himself and we know he’s a liar.
Jesus said, “you can’t control anything.”
You can’t even change your hair color by yourself.
I think it’s interesting that Jesus refers to white hair here. As I sit and listen to Jesus words here, He reminds me of my mortality. Hair turning white is a sign of a body that is dying.
And it’s ironic that we, listening to this story live in a time when we will go to great lengths to fool others and ourselves as to our age.
And Jesus is saying “you ain’t fooling me, you’re body is dying. So don’t bother swearing by yourself because you can’t guarantee anything.”
(By the way, if you like to color your hair, color your hair to the Glory of God. You look amazing.)
Really what is at stake here is taking the Lord’s name in vain.
11 ‘You shall not take up the name of Yahweh your God for a worthless purpose, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who uses his name for a worthless purpose.
and
11 ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Bearing God’s name and sinning betrays our allegiance to our sin and blasphemes His name.
I’m a follower of Christ but I lie.
I’m a follower of Christ, but my life’s rhythm reflects a deeper commitment to Netflix than walking daily with Christ.
I’m a follower of Christ, but I care more about my rights and identity as an American than I do my rights and identity as a son of God.
I’m a follower of Christ, but I find more identity in my job title than I do in Him.
I have taken the Lord’s name in vain.
I have sworn an oath by His name, bent the knee in submission to Him, and then proceeded to raise the battle standard of my sin again and again in rebellion to Him.
God’s healing for wounded liars
God’s healing for wounded liars
If you’re a liar, and you are, you might be licking your wounds in light of God’s word.
And now Jesus makes it so simple:
37 “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.
In one version He actually uses the word “simple”!
Christians need to remember:
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Do you know how a yoke works?
Stages of training.
Baby ox yokes slide.
Jesus is the strong ox in this arrangement.
And He’s not running off without out us either.
The last words of Jesus that Matthew records are
“Behold, (an imperative or command) I am with you always, to the end of the age”
This is the beauty of the law being written on our hearts. A simplicity of obedience that comes from a love for God.
We struggle to see the beauty of the Law in the OT because Israel did not obey and embody this beautiful covenant community that they could have been.
We see glimpses of it and it’s beautiful.
David in Psalm 119
Kingdom Vision for a Salt and Light Community
Kingdom Vision for a Salt and Light Community
Let’s return to the question we asked earlier.
What is the Spirit saying to the 1st c. Church?
What is the Spirit saying to 21st c. American church?
What is the Spirit saying to the 1st c. Church?
The gathered community of believers cannot blaspheme the name of the King who’s own name they bear. And like our elder brother Christ, we tell the truth.
And what is the Spirit telling the 21st Century American church?
What is the Spirit saying to 21st c. American church?
The gathered community of believers cannot blaspheme the name of the King who’s own name they bear. And like our elder brother Christ, we tell the truth.
We can’t be about gathering in the nations to this community of faith if we are blaspheming God’s name through our verbal and physical duplicity.
And we continue to build this big picture of what the people of God look like.
That a salt and light community is both life giving and light giving to the world around them.
Murder and Reconciliation: A community that not only doesn’t murder anyone, but rushes to reconcile with one another.
Sexuality: A community that not only doesn’t engage in physical sexual immorality with others, but understands sexuality as one of God’s greatest gifts to His creation. And not only that, a community so rooted in God’s good design for human sexuality that they extend even mental dignity to others, not objectifying and debasing others made in God’s image.
Marriage: A community that fights for marriage, valuing it as a wonderfully mysterious picture of Christ’s sacrificial dedication to HIS bride, the church.
Oaths and Lies: A community that not only doesn’t lie, but because of God’s mastery of their lives, reflects His nature, always telling the truth and following through on their commitments.
Does this sound like a community YOU want to be a part of?
This is the community that Jesus was forming in Israel in the first century, and it’s the community that He is forming in the 21st Century.
A foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven on a New Earth.
A genuine appetizer.
An embassy of another country.
In a moment we will gather at the table together as this formed community.
Communion
Reflecting on the trustworthiness of Jesus commitment to be with us to the end of the age.
We meet Him in the bread and the wine.
We meet Him in the community of faith, His body.
As we gather, reflect on this meal being a genuine first dish to the wedding supper of the Lamb
And reflect on our obedience to Him in our bodies in this age as a community that is a true foretaste of the Kingdom of heaven to the watching world. To all nations.
26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
Doxology
Lift Hands in Thanks
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW
PRAISE HIM ALL CREATURES HERE BELOW
PRAISE HIM ABOVE YE HEAVENLY HOST
PRAISE FATHER SON AND HOLY GHOST
AMEN