What did Jesus mean when he said, Let your yes be yes and your no be no? Wh why is it so important that we Don't take oaths. Hey friends, welcome to the line of fire. This is Michael Brown. As we continue in the Sermon on the Mount, our study in the words of Jesus.
Remember what Jesus said, John 15, 7, if you abide in me, and my words abide in you. Ask what you will, and it will be done for you. Why? Because as we are living in Him and His words are living in us, we come into harmony with His will. We come into harmony with His heart, and therefore what we ask is according to His heart, according to His will.
That's why it says in Psalm 1. That the man who meditates on God's teaching, God's Torah day and night, to meditate means to recite, to repeat, to mutter it over. And over and over, not only will that person be like a tree planted by streams of water that brings forth fruit in season and whose leaf never withers, but that person, it says, whatever he does will succeed. Why? Because he's in harmony with God.
She's in harmony with God. And what they set to hand to do is in harmony with the will of God. And therefore, he blesses it.
So taking in the words of Jesus is life. giving and life transforming in the Great Commission. He told his disciples in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples of the nations, teaching them to observe everything I have already taught you. It's past tense in the Greek. Everything I've taught you.
So we go back through the Gospels, we see what he's taught, and as we make disciples, we teach them these very things. Matthew chapter 5. Verse 33 again You've heard that it was said to the people, Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.
So you may remember reading the book of Numbers in particular. There are laws about vows. If you make a vow and how you then offer sacrifice at the end of fulfilling that vow. Or if you're married and your wife makes a vow, but the husband hears about it, doesn't agree with it, he can overrule it and so on. And lots of laws about vows.
So Jesus keeps going back to Torah law. I said, you've heard it said, remember, he didn't come to abolish, but to fulfill, to bring it to a higher level. to show what God's intent really was. To show there's more than what's just written in the letter of law. Like, this is good, but let's go deeper.
Right to abolish would be to say do away with. To fulfill us, this is good, let's see its full meaning. I tell you. You've heard this. But I tell you.
Do not swear an oath at all. either by heaven for it's God's throne, I swear by heaven What does that mean? What does that mean? That's God's throne. That's not your jurisdiction.
You have no power there. You can't invoke that. Or by the earth, I swear by the earth. You know, maybe someone would use that kind of language because Moses calls heaven and earth to witness what he's saying. But Jesus is making a point here.
It's it's It's the footstool, it's God's footstool. Right, the earth is his footstool, scripture teaches us.
So what business do you have swearing by his footstool? or by Jerusalem. for it's the city of the great king. Again, oaths were made in all different ways, as the Lord lives, or I swear by this, or I swear by that. He said, don't do it at all.
Jerusalem's not your city. You've got no power in these things. You can't invoke. These Heaven, earth, Jerusalem. and do not swear by your head.
for you cannot make even one hair white or black. You know, cross my heart and hope to die. I swear by the hair of my young you can't even make one hair black or white. What does that even mean? What powers are you invoking?
All you need to say is simply yes or no. Anything beyond this comes from the Evil One. Anything beyond this comes from the Evil One? Is he saying that we shouldn't swear? Yes.
Now if you're testifying in court And you're taking an oath as to the guaranteeing the truthfulness of what you're saying. You are, that is a legal formula as opposed to a spiritual formula or invoking God. His whole point, and there's. Hyperbole with a point in the Sermon on the Mount. Like we saw him talking about.
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, throw it away. This hyperbole with a. point.
So there's hyperbole in what he's saying, but what's the point? Watch Your words and mean what you say. Because words can bring life and words can bring death. There is this notion that that many have brought in recent years and it tragically contributes to the to the tragic assassination. of Charlie Kirk.
that words are violence.
So, if I say a man can't become a woman or a woman can't become a man. that I'm doing violence to people. If I say that in God's sight two men cannot, quote, marry, I'm doing violence. If I say that there's only one way to God and that's through Jesus, thereby excluding other religions and faith, that my words are violence. Of course, that's false.
That's absolutely false. My words are expressing a viewpoint, and you can accept that viewpoint or reject that viewpoint, but that viewpoint is not violence. And the idea, well, some violence you can't negotiate, you just have to kill and take out, that was the mentality of the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk Tyler Robinson, who in a text allegedly said, some hatred you can't negotiate. You can't negotiate.
So you kill the person. Because their words are violence. That is an absolute. demonic falsehood That has fueled all types of hatred and even acts of violence.
Well, your words are violence.
So Expressing a viewpoint. on a particular subject is not violence. even if the viewpoint is a wrong viewpoint. Even if you say, I don't believe women should have the right to vote. Or this group or that group should have the right to vote.
Well, it's idiotic and stupid and wrong, but it's not violence.
So we understand that at the same time Words have tremendous power. It says in Proverbs 18, death and life. We're in the power of the tongue. Is it 1821? It says in Proverbs 12, 18, that there's one who speaks rashly, and it's like the thrusts of a sword.
The tongue of the wise brings healing. You know, the the Children saying sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. Words can drive people to suicide. Words can bring people into deep depression. Words can make people feel worthless for life.
Words can be terribly. terribly destructive.
So, this notion that speech is violence the way it's used is completely bogus. And it's just a way for saying we don't want there to be any other viewpoint than our viewpoint. We won't tolerate it. And if you try to bring another viewpoint, we're going to censor it. And if we can't censor it, we'll kill it.
That's madness. That's cultural madness. And yes, people have gotten hypersensitive and can be triggered over everything. I get it. I think I wrote an article called Death by a Thousand Microaggressions.
Everything is seen as a microaggression. That being said, Words can bring life and words can bring death. And it says in Proverbs 10, 19, where words are many, transgression is not absent. But the one who who restrains his speech is wise. There's so much in the Bible about speaking too much.
Matthew 12:36, Jesus said, On the day of judgment, we'll have to give account for every idle word that we've spoken. Every idle word. Can you imagine? He says believers are. I don't know what accountability fully looks like as believers, but we will give account to God.
We're not being judged for our sins. Because our sins have been paid for and we're eternally saved by the blood of Jesus. But as believers, when we stand before God, as Paul writes in Romans 14 and 2 Corinthians 5, we will give account. Romans 14:12, 2 Corinthians 5:10, we will give account. To me, it's a stewardship issue.
It has to do with rewards and things like that. And we will give account. And and our words. Are terribly, terribly dangerous. We speak too much, gossip, slander, we spread things we shouldn't.
Proverbs 18, 2, a fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only erring his own opinion. I've been guilty of that over and over over the years. Before I finish reading the email, I'm responding to it. Before I fully get your point, I'm rebutting it. Before I fully digested the position, I'm refuting it.
I've done that over and over again. And the big point of what Jesus is saying is: don't invoke God or these other powers. Just say, yes, it's yes. You say, no, it's no, and zip it. And zip it.
I I know I'm going on a little tangent from what he said. But you get the point. You are a person of your word. And one way to be a person of your word is to speak circumspectly. When you speak rashly, you're going to say things you regret.
You said, Dr. Brown, are you preaching to me? Probably yes, but I'm certainly preaching to myself.
So many things I wish I didn't say, so many things I wish I could take back, so many things just the wrong time, or that person didn't need to know that.
So many stupid things like just zip it. Speak when it's good to speak. Speak when there's something to say. Ephesians 4:29, don't let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth. Only that would just fit and edify.
I want to read to you from Jacob, James, the fourth chapter. Because he makes this same point. It's so interesting. that he brings this up as well. I'm going to give a little larger context beginning in chapter 4, verse 11.
Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them Speaks against the law in Judges Ech. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you.
Who are you to judge your neighbor?
So it's not talking about within the context. of church government. Where someone is disciplined for unrepentant sin, and you were told to judge that person. Otherwise, Paul says in the previous chapter, that's 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Corinthians 4. He says, I don't even judge myself.
You don't judge the motives of people's heart. You don't judge why. You judge factual evidence, not just appearance, but factual evidence. And then it is done rightly. Otherwise, you don't pass judgments of, I think he did that because he's proud.
I think she did that because she wants to tell you. No, no, we don't do that. That's sin. That's sin. And then when we do it openly, we are now sinning against God.
as well as that person.
Now listen you who say, today or tomorrow we will go to this city.
So back to James Jacob 4, verse 13. Today or tomorrow we'll go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You're a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Instead, you ought to say, if... It is the Lord's will we will live and do this. Or that. As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.
If anyone then knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.
So so just a little bit more. A little bit more about this. And now in James the fifth chapter, Verse 12, above all, He's going through exhortation after exhortation after exhortation. Above all, My brothers and sisters, do not swear. And remember, all of James 3, Jacob 3, is about the tongue.
That's a whole other subject to really dive into. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear Not by heaven Or by earth? or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple yes or no, otherwise you'll be condemned. For those who say, Well, the words of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount, they're not for believers today.
That was just for the Jewish people hearing them to set them up for grace. No, no. As we said in the very first teaching we did on this a few weeks back, of course, his words are for today. We went through all the reasons why they are. But here, James, Jacob, is telling them they're absolutely for today.
is almost quoting verbatim. All you need to say is a simple yes or no, otherwise you'll be condemned. Why? Because you're invoking God. and you're invoking powers you don't have.
And now you're putting yourself in a situation where if you fall short, you've invoked, you know, crossed my heart and hope to die. I know it's just the saying, but... Zip it, is what God's saying to us. And and You need to be people of your word. We need to be people of our word to the point that when we say yes, it's yes.
I don't need to add. 20 qualifiers, 20 additions. Yeah. Is yes. And no.
There's no. And it is that simple. And why do we need to say more and unless We haven't kept our yes, or we haven't kept our no. Let us be people of Hours. Word All right.
Got a quick break. I'll be right back. Just want to share with you The latest special offer from our friends at Trivita. Remember, 100%. of your first order.
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on social media a while for the next 30 days. Read James, Jacob, the third chapter, every day to start your day before you talk to anyone else? or before you post a comment on social media or text. Read Jacob James, the third chapter first. If we all did this, boy The Internet activity on the Internet would die down probably about ninety per cent.
and probably change in terms of tone and content about 98%. I think it's a great reminder because of the power of... Words. Back with you on the next broadcast.
