“The Myth That It Is Ok To Sometimes Be Loose With The Truth”
Matthew 5:33-37
Sermon Series: “Myths That Make Us Miserable”
Introduction: The Old Testament encouraged the making of oaths or vows as long as they were not made lightly and as long as they were always kept. There are also New Testament examples of making oaths so I do not think Jesus was completely forbidding oaths such as in a court. The Pharisees were abusing the Scriptures and using certain oaths as a cover-up for lying. Jesus was exposing their hypocrisy and teaching us to always plainly tell the truth (the phrase “but let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no,’ ‘no’” is the key to the passage).
Main Principle: Followers of Jesus are to always be so honest that we do not have to swear, and people can always trust that we are speaking the truth.
1. Be straightforward. We should always say what we mean and mean what we say. John Stott says, “Swearing is really a pathetic confession of our own dishonesty.”
2. Be clear. Sometimes people talk in circles to obscure their dishonesty or avoid a meaningful discussion.
3. Be honest (Proverbs 6:16-19, 12:22, Ephesians 4:25, Colossians 3:9). Here are examples of lying (I am indebted to Pastor Kent Hughes for a lot of my knowledge in this area, and I would highly recommend his book on the 10 Commandments, Disciplines of Grace.):
A. Slander/Gossip
B. Flattery
C. Exaggeration
D. Carelessness
E. Truewordsusedinadeceptiveway F. Insinuation
G. Silence
H. Plagiarism
I. Half truths
J. Intentionally saying one thing to one person and
something else to another person K. False doctrine
L. Perjury
M. Breaking our marriage vows
N. Not keeping vows we make to God O. Pretending
P. Signing false/incorrect documents
4. Be authentic. Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34) so our words are a revealer of our hearts. The Pharisees were hypocrites (see Matthew 23), and their abuse of the Old Testament by crazy oath making that was used to mask lies was one of the evidences of their hypocrisy. They were not true followers of Christ, but they were playing religious games. Many people are the same way today. Habitual, unrepentant lying is a sign that we do not truly have a relationship with God (Psalm 101:7, Revelation 21:8). Jesus is truth (John 14:6), but Satan is a liar (John 8:44). Truth is reality and God wants us to walk in truth. Therefore, we are being like God when we are honest but like Satan when we are dishonest. Religious hypocrisy is dishonesty at a very deep level (see Acts 5:1-11). We need to be honest about ourselves, repent, and trust Jesus so we can receive the grace of God that transforms our hearts.
Concluding Applications:
1. Trust Jesus as Lord and Savior
2. Repent of dishonesty
3. Make things right with others
4. Stop deceiving ourselves
5. Deal with pride and insecurity that is often a root of lying 6. Deal firmly with lying and demand honesty in our children
