The Heart Of Our Words
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· 14 viewsThe Gospel transforms liars and doubters into men and women who love the truth.
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“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. 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. But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.
「你們又聽過有這樣吩咐古人的話：『不可背約，向主許的願都要償還。』可是我告訴你們，總不可發誓，不可指著天發誓，因為天是 神的寶座；不可指著地發誓，因為地是 神的腳凳；不可指著耶路撒冷發誓，因為它是大君王的京城；也不可指著自己的頭發誓，因為你不能使一根頭髮變白或變黑。你們的話，是就說『是』，不是就說『不是』；如果再多說，就是出於那惡者。
Intro
Intro
The great G.K. Chesterton once said this, “When a man really tells the truth, the first truth he tells is that he himself is a liar.”
Sub Intro: remind people of the “logic of the Gospel”: that a life of obedience is produced by a transformed heart.
In the sermon on the mount Jesus always shows us that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
Main Point Of The Sermon: The Gospel transforms liars and doubters into men and women who love and speak the truth.
LIARS AND DOUBTERS騙子和懷疑者
LIARS AND DOUBTERS騙子和懷疑者
“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. But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne;
「你們又聽過有這樣吩咐古人的話：『不可背約，向主許的願都要償還。』可是我告訴你們，總不可發誓，不可指著天發誓，因為天是 神的寶座；
Oaths
In the Old Testament God allowed for oaths, vows, and promises to be taken.
“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.
「如果你向耶和華你的 神許了願，就不可遲延還願，因為耶和華你的 神必向你追討，那時你就有罪了。
Oaths were allowed in the Old Testament to guard against human deception and dishonesty.
So for example you see Abraham making an oath with Abimelech. Genesis 21:22-24
At that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. Swear to me by God here and now, that you will not break an agreement with me or with my children and descendants. As I have been loyal to you, so you will be loyal to me and to the country where you are a resident alien.” And Abraham said, “I swear it.”
那時，亞比米勒和他的軍長非各對亞伯拉罕說：「在你所作的一切事上，神都與你同在。現在你要在這裡指著 神對我起誓，你不會以詭詐待我和我的子子孫孫。我怎樣恩待了你，你也要怎樣恩待我和你寄居的地方。」亞伯拉罕回答：「我願意起誓。」
Big picture oaths were put in place to guard against our human bent towards dishonesty and deception.
By the time Jesus was teaching however, oaths were now being used not to help honesty, but being used as excuses to be DISHONEST.
Jesus says
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.
可是我告訴你們，總不可發誓，不可指著天發誓，因為天是 神的寶座；不可指著地發誓，因為地是 神的腳凳；不可指著耶路撒冷發誓，因為它是大君王的京城；
Jesus is speaking against something that was very common during this time. What was happening is that religious teachers, the pastors of that day, were using oaths as a tool not for honesty but for dishonesty. To get away with not keeping your word. There was a whole complex system that the Pharisees and scribes set up to do this. If you can imagine a money laundering scheme. People find all the loopholes and areas in the system they can exploit to get money illegally. Well this vow and oath system that the Pharisees had set up was being used to do the same. They could exploit it so they didn’t have to keep their word.
For example: Oaths “by” heaven were more binding than oaths “on earth”.
If an oath was taken by the temple, it was not binding, you had to swear by the “gold” in the temple.
It’s like when you were kids and you had your fingers crossed when making a promise. So I can get out of keeping my word.
This is what the Pharisees and Scribes were allowing to take place.
We shouldn’t be surprised. From the very beginning we see that we as human beings are not good at telling the truth and being honest.
In the very beginning our first parents believed a lie. From that moment on, we as humans are prone to deceit and to doubt. We are not good at being trustworthy, but rather we are good at finding excuses and reasons not to keep our word.
What happens when you or I hear an advertisement from a political candidate? Do you believe their promises? Absolutely not. Why? Because we are prone to doubt, but we also have been swimming deceit and dishonesty.
NO OATHS. DO NOT TAKE AN OATH. Talking about His disciples.
For those of you who know your bible however, you should be asking this question. Doesn’t God Himself make oaths? Promises?
Gods Oaths Reveal Our Doubt上帝的誓言揭示了我們的疑慮
Gods Oaths Reveal Our Doubt上帝的誓言揭示了我們的疑慮
This leads to an important question. If Jesus wants disciples to take no oaths, why does God take oaths, apparently violating his own ideal? For God does takes oaths:
• He said to Abraham, “By myself I have sworn … I will surely bless you” (Gen. 22:16–17 ESV).
• God confirmed his promises to Israel “with an oath” (Heb. 6:17).
• God swore to mankind that he would never send another flood (Gen. 9:8–11).
• He swore to send a Redeemer (Luke 1:68, 73) and to raise him from the dead (Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:27–31).
• God took oaths to guarantee his covenants (Pss. 132:11; 95:11; 119:106).
Why does God do something that he tells us not to do? John Stott replies, “Not to increase his credibility but to elicit and confirm our faith.” God does not take oaths because his credibility is in doubt, but because we, having told and heard so many lies, have learned to be doubters. We are accustomed to breaking our word and having others break their word to us. Therefore, God knows that we need assurance of his reliability. He knows that our standards are so low that we expect falsehood from everyone, even him. So for our sake he takes an oath to guarantee his word.
Imagine a couple who is dating where one of the persons is very insecure about the other’s love and commitment. The other needs to constantly reassure her/him of their love, NOT because they have been unfaithful, but because of the insecure unbelieving heart of the other. This is the same for us. God doesn’t make oaths because His character is in question, but because our hearts our prone to doubt.
So far through Jesus’ teaching we have seen that oaths, both our own, and God’s only reveal our human tendency towards dishonest, doubt, and deception.
So if that’s what we aren’t supposed to do, then what SHOULD WE DO?
But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.
你們的話，是就說『是』，不是就說『不是』；如果再多說，就是出於那惡者。
The disciples hearing this would have been shocked. What do you mean no more vows or oaths Jesus? What do we do? How will others be able to believe we will keep our promises? Jesus’ answer?
By your words. Christians words and promises should not need anything extra to make them more believable or trustworthy.
This means that as Christians we are called to be honest, truth telling people. Now I know there are some of us here who are thinking, “well is it really that big of deal if I just tell people what I think they want to hear?” Isn’t it okay if I say I’ll do something but never keep my promise if it makes a person happy? The answer is it is a big deal. Notice how Jesus says that anything but honesty, anything but speaking the truth comes from the evil one. Basically it is sin. This includes:
flattery:
A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
A person who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.
虛謊的舌頭憎惡被它傷害的人； 諂媚的口造成敗壞。
諂媚鄰舍的人， 是在他的腳下張設網羅。
Over promising but never intending on making good on those promises
Saying yes when we really mean no, or saying no when we really mean yes.
But why don’t we do this? Why are some of us over-committed? Why are some of us burnt out from ministry? Why do some of us struggling with saying “yes” when we should say “no”? Why do we flatter instead of being honest? Why do we struggle to speak honestly to people, and instead just say things that we know people want to hear? Jesus tells us that we don’t just have a speech problem, but we have a sin problem.
The “Yes” Of Man人的接納
The “Yes” Of Man人的接納
“anything more than this comes from the evil one”
See Jesus says our broken promises, our dishonesty, our flattery, is rooted not in wrong speech but in a wrong heart. If you walk away from this teaching and you say “Okay, I need to try harder and do better. I need to be a more a trust worthy person. Man I need to speak honestly when people ask my opinion” You’ve missed it. Jesus’ teaching here, listen church family, Jesus’ teaching her should not force us to have more willpower, but instead Jesus’ teaching here exposes our deep need for this Gospel!
I believe one of the main reasons we struggle with being honest, trustworthy people is because we are living for someone else’s “yes”. The reason why our ‘yes’ doesn’t meant ‘yes’ and our ‘no’ doesn’t mean ‘no’, is because we are living for someone else’s yes.
Let me explain what I mean. For some of us we have an “inner critic”. We are constantly trying to live up to our own standards. Because we feel like we are failing all the time, we over commit and over extend ourselves. We speak what people want to hear instead of speaking honestly. We are constantly trying to hear that “yes of affirmation” from ourselves.
For others it’s the “yes” of other people. We struggle with the shame of people rejecting us. How many of us have said “instead of speaking the truth, I’m going to just say something nice because at least this person will like me”. We don’t want to be rejected so we aren’t the trust-worthy, honest, truth-telling disciples Jesus’ calls us to be.
Research has found that about 25 percent of the lies we tell are prosocial — meaning they are lies we tell to benefit others. For example, imagine telling a co-worker who needs a confidence boost right before a presentation, “I know you’ll do great!” even when you have your doubts. That’s a prosocial lie.
Church family, all of this is called the “fear of man”.
The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.
懼怕人的，必陷入網羅； 倚靠耶和華的，必得安全。
The fear of man is a trap. When we live trapped by the fear of man we will not live out Jesus’ teaching here. That is why what we need is not just different words but a different heart.
This hurts our integrity and credibility as Christians.
Ultimately we don’t speak the truth to people because we fear people, but ultimately we love ourselves. We are loving ourselves, not the other person when we don’t speak honestly, we are loving ourselves when we over promise and over commit because we are afraid of what people might think. This self-love can only be rooted out by a greater love, the love that is only found in the Gospel!
Living a more honest and truthful life begins by confronting this idol we have inside all of us.
The “Yes” of the Gospel上帝的接納
The “Yes” of the Gospel上帝的接納
There is only one person in the universe whose “yes” has always meant “yes” and who has never made a promise that He can’t keep. That is Jesus Christ. Jesus has never broken a promise, never lied, never been dishonest. Even when it cost Him His life. In the Garden of Gethsamene Jesus sweating drops of blood, fulfilling a promise, bowed His head and even that moment, He stayed committed. Where we have failed, where have broken promises, Jesus has succeeded. Jesus has been victorious.
And hear this church. Jesus’ “yes” to the cross, in our place, opened up and made way for the Father’s eternal “yes” towards YOU. Hear this. Jesus’ “yes” to the cross, unwavering, unbreaking commitment to die in our place, made a way for you and me to receive an eternal “yes” from the Father. That church family, that Gospel, will root out the fear of man in your hearts. The God of the universe has spoken “yes” over you if you are in Christ. We need to no longer live for the “yes” of men, when we have the “yes” of the eternal, all powerful, God of the universe!
This Gospel transforms liars and doubters, all of us, into men and women who believe and love the truth.
Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.
作工的得工資，不算是恩典，是他應得的。可是，那不作工而只信那稱不敬虔的人為義的 神的，他的信就算為義了。
Making ourselves feel better than others doesn’t free us. What frees us is letting Christ give us his righteousness. When God gathers a group of people and those people open their hearts before him and, by his grace, keep them open, nothing about anybody surprises us anymore. We realize we’re one before the cross of Christ—sinners in need of a savior.
Ray Ortlund at Immanuel Church taught me that Isaiah 57:15 says God lives in two places: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.” He’s way up high where we can’t go, and way down low where we can go. But he doesn’t live in the middle, where okayness is the status quo. A church filled with people who know they’re sinners is a place where God abides, where his gospel shines brighter than anything else. As pastor Tim Keller says, “The church is not a museum for pristine saints, but a hospital ward for broken sinners.”
Would you join me as we are transformed by the Gospel of truth into being people who speak the truth?
Let’s pray.