Me, lie?

Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV)

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 

This quote is taken from the Law of Moses.  It is a combination of Leviticus 19:12, Numbers 30:2, Deuteronomy 23:21. 

34 But I (Jesus) say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 

35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 

The religious leaders had tried to dilute the Law of Moses by creating loop holes to violate it without legal repercussions.  

There is a great difference between appearing truthful and being truthful.  

  

36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 

37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

We shouldn't have to swear an oath to convince people that we are telling the truth. We should be known for our truthfulness without oaths.   

Psalm 51:6 (ESV)

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Jesus is teaching that honest men do not need to swear by an oath.  

Matthew 5:20 (ESV)

20 For I (Jesus) tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

The religious leaders were more concerned about appearing righteous than actually being righteous. An oath is only as good as the one who made it.  Since God is over everything, every oath is ultimately being made to God.  

Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV)

¹⁶ There are six things that the Lord hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
¹⁷ haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
¹⁹ a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.

Two of the seven things that God hates is lying. 

James 5:12 (ESV)

12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Matthew 23:16-22  (ESV)

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 

17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 

18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 

19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 

20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 

21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 

22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

People are always tempted to not keep their word.  We maintain our integrity when we say what we mean and mean what we say.  

Proverbs 12:22 (ESV)

²² Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
    but those who act faithfully are his delight.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 (ESV)

2  Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost.  When health is lost, something is lost.  When character is lost, all is lost.  

Integrity is being honest when we have made a mistake and ask for forgiveness. 

1 John 1:9-10 (ESV)

9 If we confess our sins, he (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Darryl Craft, Whitesburg Baptist Church

http://www.whitesburgbaptist.org/sermons/integrity-matters/