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SAY WHAT YOU MEAN &
MEAN WHAT YOU SAY |
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Does anybody
know what tomorrow is the 16th anniversary of? Don’t you just love these
quizzes? Does these
people look familiar? Anita Hill and Justice Clarence Thomas. July 1, 1991
- President Bush the First nominated Clarence Thomas to replace Justice
Thurgood Marshall - which began the bizarre and controversial confirmation
hearings that had little to do with truth and whole lot to do with
politics. What really did
happen? Don’t know. Is it important? Tomorrow is the 16th anniversary
of Judge Thomas’ confirmation as an Associate Supreme Court Justice.
What about this person? Two weeks
ago Marion Jones - who won 5 medals at the Sydney Olympics - who was
called one of the greatest women athletes in the world. Two weeks ago Marion Jones
admitted to a US District
Court Judge that she lied to investigators about her using banned
performance enhancing drugs.
Her Olympic performance was a lie. One
more: Take a look at this
car. The ad shows the rear
end of a beautifully conditioned Audi.
The rest of
the car is a pile of junk. The question
on the job application read, “Have
you ever been arrested?”
The applicant
printed the word “No”
in
the
space. The next question was
a follow-up to the first. It
asked, “Why?” Not realizing
he didn’t have to answer this part, the applicant wrote, “I
guess it’s because I never got caught.” Please turn
with me to Matthew 5 - starting at verse 33. In the passage we’re coming to
this morning Jesus is going to take on the dishonesty in our
relationships. The distrust - the lying - the deceit - that is way too
often prevalent in how people deal with each other.
Jesus is where? Out on a hill by the Sea of Galilee talking to who? a large diverse crowd of
people. He’s taking the
unimaginable - hard to wrap our minds around - reality of God and His
kingdom - and bringing all that down to the reality of where we live our
lives. Teaching us what it
means for us to live in relationship with the Sovereign God down on the
level where we live life. Jesus has
been teaching that God and His kingdom isn’t about us somehow reaching up
to God - trying to achieve some kind of righteousness - but that God has
reached down to us. Brought
His presence into our lives.
Blessed us with His presence and given purpose to our
lives. The
section of Jesus’ teaching that we began last Sunday - that we’re looking at
today - Jesus is focusing on our relationships with others - how
those who live in relationship with the living God - that’s us - how we
are to live out that relationship with others. Matthew
5 - starting at verse 33:
Again,
you have heard that the ancients were told, “You shall not make false
vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.” But I say to you…” Let’s pause there. There’s a pattern that Jesus follows in
this part of His teaching. First - He quotes a commandment or law
from the Old Covenant - “You have heard that the ancients were told...”
- in verse 33 He’s summarizing law from different
places in the Old Testament - bringing then together into one concise
teaching.
(c.f. Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2;
Deuteronomy 23:21-23) Second part of the pattern: Jesus
applies that commandment or law in a teaching that exposes the deeper
implications of what all that means for those He’s teaching - “But I say to you…” Point being: Jesus isn’t talking about
Scripture - like a rabbi or theologian. Jesus is teaching with Divine authority
as to what it means to live out our relationship with God in our
relationships with others. Let’s go on in verse 34: But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by
heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the
footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great
King.
Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one
hair white or black. We need to stop there and make sure that we’re
clear about two things. First: We need to be clear about
the meaning of the laws that Jesus summarizes in verse 33. In other words - if we were a first
century Jew listening to Jesus what should be going through our minds when
we heard Jesus summarize these laws. Remember Rodney Dangerfield? October 5th
was the third anniversary of Rodney’s death. What was his
most famous line? “I don’t get no respect.” Say that with me. “I don’t get no respect.” If you can picture Rodney Dangerfield as God then
you’ve got handle on what Jesus is getting at here. These laws
are about respecting God. Names for the Hebrews were a profound thing. Your name was
who you were - your reputation - the summary and representation of your
character.
With a good name you were respected. With a bad name you were
dishonored. In Scripture,
the “name” of God is the description of who He is - God’s reputation - His
character - His nature. In the Bible there are a number of
different names for God that God uses to reveal different aspects of His
character or how He deals with humankind. The two most significant are Elohim -
which describes the fullness of God’s divine power. The second
name is Yahweh - which describes God as the One who always has been - always
is - and always will be. God who is - absolute - unchangeable -
holy. Sometimes those names are used together
- the Lord God - even more awesome to consider. Yahweh is the name God uses when entering into
relationship with His people. When God meets Moses at the burning bush, Moses says
to God, “You’re sending me back to Egypt to the people of
Israel to tell them that the God of your fathers has sent me. They’re going
to ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?” God answers Moses - what? “I AM WHO I AM.” Same name - “I
AM” - “Yahweh.” The amazing reality is that this almighty awesome God
- Yahweh - enters into a relationship with His people - opens the door for
them - for us - to know Him. In the third commandment - Moses and the Ten
Commandments - God commands His people: “You shall not take the name of the Lord - Yaheweh - your God - Elohim - in what? vain, for the Lord - Yahweh - will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in
vain.” (Exodus 20:7) The third command says what? “Don’t use the name of your awesome - almighty -
relationship establishing - God in vain.” Then there’s God’s warning. “Misuse My name and there will be punishment.”
This is serious stuff. Don’t drag God’s name down into the gutter. Don’t
trivialize God’s name. When we trivialize the name of God - we
trivialize who He is. Don’t misuse the name of God. When we
misuse God’s name we disrespect God. Notice also who God is speaking to:
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in
vain” - “your God.” He’s talking to His people. When a non-believer misuses God’s name it bothers us
- and it should. But they don’t know God. They don’t
have a relationship with Him. When God’s people misuse God’s name it
disrespects God - trashes the name - the character - the reputation of the
God who loved us so passionately that He sent only Son to die in our place
on the cross to establish our relationship with Him. God’s people don’t trash His name. We’re called
on to respect Him. To honor Him. To give our
lives to Him.
God holds us accountable to respect Him. The third command and the laws that Jesus is
summarizing out on that hill - at their core they’re about respecting
God.. To
respect God’s name is to respect God. Let’s say that together,
“To respect God’s name is to respect God.” Going back to the people sitting on the hill
listening to Jesus - what they should be thinking - to make a vow - using
God’s name - Yahweh - the almighty self-existent God who’s chosen to have
a relationship with us - to make a vow using God’s name - and then break
it - is disrespecting God - punishable by God - a very very serious thing
to be avoided. The second thing we need to be clear about
is Jesus’ application of these laws to where we live life. Years ago - a lot of years ago - when I was as
student at Biola - there was a girl I wanted to take out on a date. But the only
way she would consent to go out with me was if she could bring her
friend.
Which meant that I had to find a date for this other girl. I asked every guy I knew. Everyone had
something to do - most of it legitimate. The best I could find was some guys who
were available early in the evening and some guys who could come
later.
Which I figured was good enough because I really wanted
to go out with this girl. So I called her up and said,
“I got a date for your friend. Let’s go
out.”
At the time it seemed like such a little deception
with a big payoff - going out with this girl. So this girl, her friend, and date #1 and I went out
to the movies.
Part way through the movie - date #1 and I excused ourselves and
went to the bathroom where date #2 - who looked like date #1 and was
dressed identical to date #1 - was waiting for us. We made the exchange - slipped back into the
movie.
Which worked out really good until after the movies - when we got
out to the parking lot - and my date’s friend realized that date
#2 wasn’t date #1. I did a lot of apologizing for that
one. A vow is a solemn promise. The Greek
word for “vow” is “orkos” “Orkos” is related to the word for
“fence.”
Invoking God’s name added an additional boundary - an additional
weight - legitimacy - to the solemn promise that was being made. People today understand this - in kind of a twisted
way - the authority - reputation - of God’s name. At an early
age.
They learn it from their parents - other kids - relatives. God’s name is
powerful.
That’s why it gets used in conversation so much. “God this and God that.” “Jesus H.
this and Jesus H. that.” Giving emphasis to what were saying,
“I swear to God.” Or as an exclamation: “Oh my God.” Its like identity theft. Remember
those commercials where some senior lady is talking in a deep male voice
racking up huge bills on some guy’s credit card? Have you seen
those? Consciously or subconsciously we use God’s name to
invoke God’s authority - His reputation and character - to cover our own
inadequacies - to make what we’re saying more seem powerful - more
deserving of respect. The people Jesus is talking to understood that the
vows which invoked God’s holy name - they were bound by. They had to
fulfill - otherwise they were misusing the name of the holy God - breaking
God’s law. So what the people did to get around this - the
deception - what Jesus is talking about here in verses 34 and 35 - was
that they would swear by everything else - heaven - earth -
Jerusalem.
“By heaven if you give me your three chickens today
next week I give you my goat.” “As sure as Jerusalem is there I
promise to come and fix your ox cart.” All of which was non-binding - deception - lies -
because of course they hadn’t used God’s name. So they were
off the hook. That may seem a little silly. “Hah. Hah. I swore by heaven. Not
Yahweh.
So I’ve still got your goat.” But think about that for today. The endless fine print in contracts today is a sad
reminder that people do not trust each other. That one’s
oath - one’s promise - is non-binding unless bound by reams of iron clad
fine print legalese - which any good lawyer - paid enough - can shred. Isn’t this great. Every copy of Windows XP is 100% Safe -
Reliable - Secure. Guaranteed by Bill Gates himself. So who needs
Vista?
Do we really trust the ads we read? Most politicians - not all - but it seems like most
politicians will make all kinds of promises to get elected - even invoke
God’s name.
Show up a churches acting all pious. Or now they show up at synagogues and
Mosques.
Do people really believe them anyway? Aren’t we all
just a tad cynical about what most politicians say? All the
rhetoric?
Today, someone keeping their word is only as important as the
benefit to them personally. When we loose genuine respect for God any deception
is possible. Jesus reminds us in verses 34 and 35 that all this
stuff people are vowing by is really God’s stuff: Heaven is the
throne of God.
The earth is His footstool. Jerusalem is His city. Vowing by
God’s stuff is still vowing by God - misusing His name - disrespecting God
and what it means to live in a covenant relationship with Him. Verse 36 is even more personal: “Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you
cannot make one hair white or black.” How many of you dye your hair? You don’t
have to raise your hand. Underneath all that dye the hair is
still grey.
Right?
We can try to deceive ourselves - or others - but ultimately if its
grey.
Its grey. We can vow something. “I promise to pay you back. I promise to
change.
I promise never to do that again.” From the depth of who we are we may honestly desire
to fulfill that vow. But, ultimately it’s only the sovereign
God who can change the core of who we are and what we’re able to do. God knows what limits us. Knows what we
struggle with.
Knows what will happen to us tomorrow. God is the
one who controls tomorrow and has orchestrated future history to fulfill
His promises. Jesus’ point? Say what we want.
But ultimately we must recognize that we’re accountable to God
for what we say. All of this oathing and vowing and
swearing has to do with our relationship with the Almighty God - our
understanding of who we are before the holy sovereign God - our respect of
God. Verse 37 - Jesus drives His point home with a
final application. So how do we live - knowing what we
know about living respecting God - how do we live all that out in our
relationships with people around us? Verse 37: But - instead of misusing God’s name - let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’;
anything beyond these is of evil. - it leads us into misusing God’s name. Think about how these Old Testament laws - the ones
that Jesus is summarizing - think how those laws could be put
positively.
“You shall make vows and fulfill them out of respect
for the Lord.
Otherwise, don’t make vows.” Have you heard this, “Say what you mean. Mean what you - what? say”? Two challenges for us - by way of
application. First: There are ways to swear using
God’s name. Say that with me. “There are ways to swear using God’s name.” Ways that don’t bring down God’s
judgment and wrath and hell fire and brimstone. Ways that
respect God.
Three examples. Deuteronomy 6:13 - “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall
worship Him and swear by His name.” Moses - giving instructions to God’s
people on how to swear. Swearing by God’s name - tied to our
fear of God - our respect of God - our worship of God. If we’re
going to use God’s name, do it in a way that shows that we respect Him -
honor Him - value Him above all others. Romans 1:9 - Paul, writing to the church in
Rome:
“For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching
of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make
mention of you…” Do you hear the oath? “God is my witness” “I swear to God.” - is an understanding that our God is integrally
concerned with - orchestrates - passes judgment on how we live our
lives. “I’m striving to live in obedience to the one God who
is worthy of serving. Who’s given purpose and value to my
life. He
knows what I’m doing for you.” There’s respect there. Third example - Revelation 10:5,6: “Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on
the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives
forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth
and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be
delay no longer.” Invoking God’s name - with respect for Him - giving
Him His rightful place - as creator - ruler - possessor and sovereign over
all that was - is - and will be. That’s respect. This is a challenge for us. Elbow the
person next to you and tell them that, “This is a challenge for us.” We all struggle with this. Church - hear
this. If
we say we respect God on Sunday and then disrespect Him on Monday - by
what’s coming out of our mouth - then we’re taking His name in vain. If we sing words of worship on Sunday - “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” - and on Monday we’re saying, “Me, me, me, me, me.” Doing what works best for us - even lying and
deceiving others to get our own way. That disrespects God. If we talk righteousness on Sunday - clean up our
speech and talk Church talk - with our Christian siblings - and Monday
we’re telling filthy jokes at the office - or talking using four letter
words - “God this and God that” - that’s disrespecting God. If we’re pleading with God in prayer on Sunday - but
Monday what’s coming out of our mouth shows that our hearts are not sold
out to God - that’s disrespecting God. But, imagine if we went through our week with our
“Yes” meaning “Yes” and our “No” meaning “No” - just telling it like it
is. Who
God is - respecting Him - honoring Him for who He is - testifying of His
grace and mercy and all He’s done for us. Using His name to speak words of
blessing and righteousness and encouragement - words offered in prayer for
other.
Honoring Him - lifting up His name. Would that make a difference in our families and
schools and the people we work with? Would people see something different in
us? What Jesus is teaching - here in the Sermon on the
Mount - is about God meeting us at the point where we live our lives. Not about us
earning a relationship with God. But about God establishing our
relationship with Him. Not about rules and regulations so that somehow we
earn God’s favor or avoid His wrath. But about the God who wants to pour out
His love on us - to take the burdens off our shoulders - to bring peace to
our hearts - to establish us and bless us and watch out for us and heal us
and care for us and guide and lead us through life into eternity with
Him. What God is saying here is, “Respect Me.” That’s what people do in a relationship. Its not just
the words we say. Its the characteristic of how we live
our lives with God. The people around us are desperate to
see that kind of relationship lived out - spoken about - demonstrated in
words which honor God and bring His Gospel and healing into their
lives. That’s a challenge for us. Don’t misuse
God’s name.
Use it respecting Him. Second thought of application: We have an obligation to speak the
truth. Repeat that with me, “We have an obligation to speak the truth.” We live in a society that rejects the idea of
absolute truth.
In our
schools - courts - politics - community - we’re told to be tolerant - inclusive - open to the experiences and
beliefs of others. “Truth is
relative to how I experience life - a matter of perspective.”
“Gay is okay.” “Marry whoever or whatever you
want.”
“Never question the beliefs - or faith journey of someone
else.”
“God is who I experience Him - or her - or it - to be.” You heard these? Or similar. If there’s no absolute truth then lying and cheating
and deception is an expectation. Would you agree with that? Do whatever
it takes - say whatever you want - lie to get ahead. As long as
you don’t get caught it’s okay. And, if you do get caught - lie. Blame someone
else. Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) Is there an absolute truth? What did Jesus say? John 14:6. Jesus said,
“I am the
way, and the - what?
truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but
by me.” That’s an awesome claim! Isn’t it? Jesus
doesn’t say, “I show
the way.
I teach the truth. I give life.” Jesus isn’t just someone who has a piece of a truth -
someone with a different perspective of spirituality - someone pointing
the way to some god. Jesus makes this absolute - dogmatic - exclusive statement about Himself that runs completely counter
to our “inclusive” society of today. Many people - even in the so-called
church - stumble and struggle over these words. But, these words of Jesus
mean absolutely what it sounds like Jesus is claiming: “There is no other way - no other truth - no other
life.
When you come to me you’re
meeting God. You’ve found
the ultimate
truth.
When you come to me you then and there possess life.” As Christians - call us whatever you want - blind -
easily led - people with fruitcake between their ears - we believe what
Jesus said.
That God speaks truth. He never lies. (Psalm 119:160) That Jesus is
God’s truth in the flesh. We believe - because God’s word tells us - we believe
that humankind is more that just a freak accident of some proteins and
energy. We believe that God values
and cares for each one of us and that He will give to us - even today -
life with Him. We believe God’s word when God says that Jesus Christ
is the means by which our sins are forgiven - that through faith in Jesus
and His work for us on the cross - paying the penalty for our sins - that
we can know God. We believe in the truth of the
resurrection of Jesus and that its possible to live in His triumph over
death and to spend eternity with God. We believe that God speaks to us the truth of how
we’re to live before Him - what we need to know that makes sense out of
life.
That in Him there’s healing for our lives and purpose for our
future. We believe that there is right and wrong. That God
demands that we live in obedience to Him - to do what is right - not
because He’s some kind of cruel - maniacal God - but because He loves us
and desires what is best for us. We who know that there is absolute truth have an
obligation - in the midst of a society that Satan has confused and
deceived and lied to and is leading into destruction - leading our
families and neighbors and anyone else he can get his claws on - leading
them into destruction - we have an obligation to speak God’s truth to
those around us - to challenge the lies of the society in which we
live. People need to know Jesus who is the truth. Say that with
me, “People need to know Jesus who is truth.” Remember Billy Joel? Listen to these words - and think about
the people we experience life with.
If you search for tenderness
I can always find someone
When I'm deep inside of me
Can we try singing this. I know its
strange singing Billy Joel in a Service of Worship. But - try it
with me…
You don’t want me to sing this alone.
Honesty is such a lonely word
People need people who are honest. People who
are the real deal. Who live out their lives based on
what’s true.
Who will tell them the truth. People need to see in us - people
in relationship with the living God living out that relationship in how we
live with others - respecting Him in what we say and do. 1. Billy Joel, “Honesty” - from his 52nd Street album -
released 1980 |