Be Trustworthy and Sacrificial

This morning we are continuing our slow, steady march through the Sermon on the Mount in the book of Matthew. Go ahead and open to Matthew, chapter 5, verses 33-42 and stick your thumb in there.

If I say these phrases, what comes to mind?

“Pinky promise”

“Cross my heart and hope to die” illustration

You’ve probably either heard one of these or said one of these when you were a child. We felt we had to make this kind of promise because it added weight to what ever we were agreeing to. It was like if we simply said yes or no we thought there was still some wiggle room in there for us to maybe fudge the truth a little but if we crossed our heart then we were serious… of course if you had your fingers crossed then all bets were off. Today we are going to talk about how we interact with others regarding our words and our actions toward them when they ask us to give an answer for something or when we are confronted with someone coming against us.

I really struggled with preparing the sermon this week. I just really had to wrestle with the passage. I have it boiled down to two main points that Lord willing, I want to convey to you. But first, let’s pray and then hear from the Word of the Lord.

PRAY

Matthew 5:33–42 ESV

“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.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

That is the Word of God.

I mentioned that I was able to get this down with some help to two main points. Those two main thoughts I want to cover are this: Speak the truth, keeping your word and serve others sacrificially.

I. Speak the truth, keeping your word.

We want to be known as people who speak truth to others. And also, we want to be the type of people who are trusted when we simply give a yes or a no. We don’t want people to expect us to make some kind of vow because they aren’t sure they can trust us.

In the first part of our passage for today, Jesus is once again juxtapositioning the tradition of men with the heart of the law of God. He’s continuing to do what we’ve seen him doing the last few sections where he’s really applying the principles of the Kingdom of God, the exceeding righteousness to the lives of men. It helps us see where we are caught up in sin or self righteousness and helps us see the extent of the commands of the law all the way to the heart level. When we more clearly see our sin, we more clearly understand our deep need for the Savior.

Jesus also would have us understand, as Ligon Duncan has pointed out, that “you can see something of a person’s heart for God, or not for God, by the way they live in relation to one another.”

The Pharisees, were teaching what Jesus relates there in verse 33. All of us would say, that seems fine. However, we need to understand the context that the Pharisees were talking about. First, they were actually making a sort of patchwork of commands from different places in scripture.

Leviticus 19:12 ESV

You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

Numbers 30:2 ESV

If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Deuteronomy 23:21 ESV

“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

Culturally, vows were pretty common and they were solemn.

Secondly, they were using it primarily to refer to proceedings in a civil court. This is as if, one scholar writes, Jesus was saying yes, and… See, once again we find the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. The Pharisees limited this command to the vows they might take in court and that’s as far as they went. Just like in passages before Jesus takes it down to the heart level because that is where the life change has to happen. That’s where you find out what’s going on. That’s where the work has to be done, on the heart level.

A. God witnesses what you say.

They had left wiggle room in their oaths, like the illustration from when were children. This is especially egregious for men who likely would have known a text like Zechariah 8:16-17 which says:

Zechariah 8:16–17 ESV

These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”

These guys were just like some modern day people playing fast and loose with the truth whenever it suits their needs or desires.

Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus’s Wisdom on How to Talk to Others and How to Treat Others 5:33-42

Charles Quarles points out,

Some first-century rabbis emphasized only the importance of speaking truth to God and downplayed the importance of absolute honesty in all communication. They thought that they had a special obligation to keep promises made to God specifically but could break promises made to others when it was convenient. (Quarles, Sermon, 137, emphasis original)

So, instead of only paying attention and keeping an oath they made to God, they needed to realize that God actually is a witness to all of the oaths that you make. Your communication with each other and all people should be good and true.

Danny Akin wrote:

Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus’s Wisdom on How to Talk to Others and How to Treat Others 5:33-42

Disciples of Jesus are to be characterized by such honesty and integrity that an oath of any sort is completely unnecessary to add credibility to their words.

You shouldn’t have to add to your promise. Jesus says in verse 34 and 35:

Matthew 5:34 ESV

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

Matthew 5:35 ESV

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

God hears and stands witness to every word that comes out of our mouth. Our wedding vows, we take before God as well as every other word we speak. It’s no mistake that this section on vows or oaths comes directly after the section about divorce and remarriage. At the heart of the matter we must be true in our promises and keep our word because God does witness it. Again, our failure in this, our sin, shows us our need for the Savior.

B. All of your speech should be good and true.

As a follower of Jesus, all of our speech should be good and true.

Take a look at verse 37.

Matthew 5:37 ESV

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

This gets echoed in James 5:12

James 5:12 ESV

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.

Those of us who know Jesus claim to know the truth and love the truth so we must speak the truth always.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is the truth and if we know him we know truth.

And just a few chapters earlier in John 8, John records that Satan is the Father of Lies and we know that lies come from the evil one.

John 8:44 ESV

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Jesus makes his point in another passage later in the book of Matthew in chapter 23 when he is giving the Woes to the scribes and Pharisees.

Matthew 23:16–22 ESV

“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.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 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.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

In my study I discovered that throughout church history there have been a few groups who have over-read what Jesus means here and have rejected any oath and actually forbid them. I as well as scholars I trust would say that’s a bit of an over read of what Jesus is saying here, so let’s not get weird, even if for a good reason. So don’t use misleading oaths. But oaths such as marital vows or oaths of office are not against this biblical teaching.

Our second main point for this morning is:

II. Serve others sacrificially.

This may seem like a strange place for this section to appear, however, we know that our words and our actions are partners. They should be buddies.

Proverbs 6:16–19 ESV

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

It’s not often that words and actions are separated. And just like our words, God sees it all. He is sovereign King and witnesses our actions. Christians are citizens of the Kingdom who are blessed, as we read in the Beatitudes at the beginning of this Sermon on the Mount, and who must live differently in this world as citizens of God’s kingdom and His children. In the remaining verses of our passage, Jesus lays out five principles to guide how we deal with the issue of retaliation as those who follow Him. And as you may now suspect, they are vastly different than the way the world reacts and retaliates.

Matthew 5:38–42 ESV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

A. Don’t retaliate with violent aggression.

The goal of the referenced law was to ensure the fair and balanced judgement and sentencing. There was to be no discrimination and it was to be acted without prejudice. It was intended as a guide for the courts and not to guide individuals in extracting revenge according to Charles Quarles.

Jesus’s words were probably a bit scandalous at the most and shocking at the least to the hearers in the hills during this teaching. Telling them not to resist and evildoer was a wild thought to them. It’s a wild thought to many of us today as well. Jesus didn’t want us to treat them as enemies but as neighbors. Paul writes of this in the book of Romans:

Romans 12:17–21 ESV

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

“I don’t get mad, I get even.” This is a phrase that is against the ethics that Paul espoused for disciples of Christ. IT must be a foreign concept to us as well. We are called to follow Jesus and do as He did… even though it’s hard and causes us suffering to do so.

B. Turn the other cheek.

The best example of this principle is Jesus Christ. He willingly went through a beating by men and the most painful and humiliating death you can likely imagine. And he did it all and from the cross He asks,

Luke 23:34 ESV

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

He, God in the flesh, took the beating that we deserved and turned the other cheek, with, in the words of one scholar, “forgiveness on his lips.”

May we do likewise.

C. Let grace abound in you more than your demands.

If you get attacked legally you extend grace. Do what the law says and then go even further. Show an amount of grace to the person demanding from you that far exceeds what they are asking of you. If he wants your shirt, go ahead and give him your coat too. God is to be your provider and your defense. The wold will be astounded by this unselfish attitude. It’s revolutionary. Are you starting to see why the gospel is so attractive to the world when they see Christians actually living out the Christian life?

D. Be willing to go the extra mile with all people.

The saying, go the extra mile, has become kind of culturally appropriated in our language. I need to explain the background of the phrase for you to understand the depth of what Jesus means here.

The Jews were under Roman rule. They were subjected under Rome. As subjects of Rome, the citizens of Israel would be legally bound to assist the military if called upon to do so. (Simon of Cyrene forced to carry the cross of Christ) Ferguson tells us that the Jews hated the practice because it was an illustration of being a ruled or subjugated people. And of course it was pretty open to being abused. So, according to the illustration Jesus uses, the Jews were legally required to carry a load given to them by a Roman soldier for one mile which means one thousand paces in Latin. Jesus principle would not have you go the one thousand paces or one mile and simply drop the load at the feet of the soldier… No. Jesus tells them to keep going. Go another mile. The first mile was driven by the legally bindedness of the people as being ruled over. The second mile, in Jesus’s illustration was driven by compassion. When we live this way, it breeds gospel opportunities. Imagine being able to answer the questions of the person with the gospel as the reason why you have such compassion for them.

E. Be ready to help those in need.

In the last verse for today, verse 42, Jesus is addressing when someone comes into your life or across your path with a legitimate and desperate need. This isn’t a person who is lazy or irresponsible but hurting and need your help and you have the means to give them aid. According to Jesus - help them. Go for it. The Old Testament, which they likely would have been familiar with covered the responsibility of the people to help the poor. The Jews were a very proud people and would have rather done anything else than beg for anything. The people that were willing would be people with a legitimate need. (Not like the stories of the guy who makes 60K panhandling in the big city.)

Our motive is to help because we have been helped. We were spiritually bankrupt as beggars mired in sin with no way out. Jesus reached down with compassion, love, and kindness and rescued us out of our brokenness and sin by his death on the cross in our place. He absorbed the wrath of God that we rightly and justly deserved and died. He was our sacrifice. Then he rose from the grave bodily three days later and because we have been shown such great love and grace and forgiveness, we must help those who are in need as well.

When the gospel takes hold in our hearts, it changes our actions as well. So to conclude this morning:

(Call musicians up)

Conclusion

How’s your heart?

How do you react when people are aggressive to you or demand from you?

Are you full of forgiveness or do you lay in the grass and wait to get even?

Repent of your sinful desires and attitude and believe the good news of the gospel that Jesus died for your sin too.