Liars are Not Righteous (Matthew 5:33-37)
Liars Are Not Righteous
Matthew 5:33-37
As you know, we are studying the Sermon on the Mount.
And in this sermon Jesus is absolutely cutting to the heart of man.
He is preaching to the most self-righteous people who have ever lived
And His purpose is to confront, to convict,
And ultimately to lead them to Himself.
And thus far as we have heard Jesus expound God’s Law,
We have been overwhelmed with the fact
That we do not measure up to it.
• We have found that if we are angry then we are murderers.
• We have found that if we look at a woman and want her then we are adulterers.
• And we have found that we cannot reinterpret God’s Law to fit our desires.
This we learned last week while studying divorce.
The Jews thought divorce was OK so long as it was done legally,
Jesus said, NO.
Divorce causes adultery and we already settled where adulterers go.
Well this morning we get to our fourth “You have heard, but I say sermon”
And based on the title, and the text that we just read
You quickly realize that the topic is integrity.
Jesus is confronting and exposing the heart of lying.
And regardless of how relevant you found the first three,
None of us can deny the absolute relevance of this concept.
Our society is not one known for integrity.
WE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO BECOME SKEPTICS.
Especially during times like today,
In which ELECTIONS are just around the corner.
Someone once asked, “How can you tell if a politician is lying?”
To which another person replied, “His lips are moving.”
But in reality we know lying runs deeper than just campaign promises.
• Just wait until the next time you get pulled over by the highway patrol.
• Just wait until you do your taxes.
• Just wait (young person) until your next test.
• Just wait until you give a report on your latest fishing trip
Deception is everywhere today,
So much so that some have suggested that if everyone
Were forced to tell the truth for a day that our society would collapse.
We know what it is to be lied to.
Well rest assured they understood it in Bible times as well.
David said:
Psalms 116:11 “I said in my alarm, “All men are liars.”
Jeremiah noticed:
Jeremiah 9:1-9 “Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the desert A wayfarers’ lodging place; That I might leave my people And go from them! For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men. “They bend their tongue like their bow; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” declares the LORD. “Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother deals craftily, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. “Everyone deceives his neighbor And does not speak the truth, They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves committing iniquity. Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, I will refine them and assay them; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people? “Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him. “Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “On a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself?”
Jeremiah wept because of the abundance of deception,
And God promised punishment on all those who do so.
Does anyone remember Ananias and Sapphira?
Acts 5:3-6 “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.”
And if you think that is severe,
Wait until you understand the eternal fate of those who lie.
Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”
And so even though deception is prevalent,
We never come to the conclusion that it is OK.
And while we are on the subject can we just say for a moment why lying is so loathsome to God?
BECAUSE IT IS AGAINST THE VERY NATURE OF GOD.
1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”
Titus 1:2 “… God, who cannot lie…”
God knows nothing of deception.
And so when a person deceives
They are clearly displaying a character unlike God’s.
WHOSE CHARACTER ARE THEY DISPLAYING?
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Adrian Rogers used to say,
“You are never more like the devil than when you tell a lie.”
Lying is the absolute opposite of Godliness
And God hates it so much
That men are condemned to hell who participate in it.
Yet even though we know these things,
It is amazing how prevalent lying remains.
And that is why Jesus confronts it here in the Sermon on the Mount.
And so lets look at the 4th “You have heard, but I say” sermon.
ALL ABOUT INTEGRITY.
#1 THE OBSERVATION
Matthew 5:33
Jesus again begins the section with the observation
About what they have been taught.
“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’”
And here Jesus is actually quoting
From two separate passages in the Old Testament.
Two passages which have been conveniently taken out of context
And put together to make a much more enabling command.
Leviticus 19:12 “You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.”
Numbers 30:2 “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”
Now first let me tell you what the command meant.
The commands are clear.
“You shall not swear falsely by My name”
“If a man makes a vow to the LORD…he shall not violate his word”
The clear understanding of those commands is that
YOU ARE TO BE REAL WITH GOD.
You are not to be a hypocrite, you are not to be disingenuous.
Remember the 3rd Commandment?
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”
And people are still getting that command wrong.
If I were to give a test in here this morning that asked, what does that commandment mean?
Don’t use the word “G-D”
Others would say “Don’t cuss”
I am certainly not advocating those behaviors,
But that is not at all what is meant by that commandment.
To take God’s name in vain was to falsely take His name upon yourself.
It was to claim to be God’s child
And then to live in such a way as to deny Him.
Isaiah 1:1-4 “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”
Today it would be seen as someone who claims to be a Christian,
But then lives their life in such disobedience
That they actually do God more harm than good.
This is what John indicated:
1 John 2:4 “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;”
And all these commands in which God gave in regard to vows
Were meant to tell Israel to be real.
If you claim to be Mine, if you claim to obey Me,
If you say you will follow Me
THEN DO IT.
THEY DEMAND THE INTEGRITY IN ITS FINEST FORM
KEEP YOUR WORD TO ME
And this concept of integrity is seen throughout the Old Testament.
Numbers 30:2 “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”
Deuteronomy 23:21-23 “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the LORD your God will surely require it of you. “However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. “You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, what you have promised.”
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 “When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”
And again you can see that all of those commands
Again reiterate that you are to be people of integrity.
Don’t tell God you will do something and then fail to do it.
And it doesn’t matter if it is something big or something small.
KEEP YOUR VOW TO GOD.
And Jesus recognizes that they have been told those commands.
However, He also recognizes that they are getting them wrong.
So let’s look at the next part of this sermon.
First – The Observation
#2 THE EXPLANATION
Matthew 5:34-36
I told you what the commands meant,
But now let me show you how they were re-interpreting them.
Jesus alludes to their misconception here.
We know based on verse 34 that they were making oaths “by heaven”
We know based on verse 35 that they were making oaths “by the earth”
We know based on verse 35 that they were making oaths “by Jerusalem”
We know based on verse 36 that they were making oaths “by [their] head”
And so we know their society had become a system of oath taking,
And one that included much more than honest oaths to God.
What was actually occurring in Israel’s day
Was a complete perversion of God’s command not to break a vow to Him.
Israel had actually gotten part of the command right.
• They knew you could not break a vow to God. (at least an external one)
• And they knew if you swore by God’s name you had to keep it.
However, they filled in the blanks to say
That every other vow could be broken.
In other words.
If you swear in God’s name, you have to keep it.
If you swear in any other name, you don’t have to keep it.
It was actually a system instituted to allow for lying.
And we see it occurring even in the New Testament.
Matthew 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘ Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’”
And so it actually was a system designed to make it quite legal to lie.
And so the only time you could believe someone
Was if they told you something and then said, “I swear to God”.
IS THAT NOT WHAT WE SEE TODAY?
There is absolutely not punishment for lying in our society,
Unless you do it under oath, and then that is perjury.
All other lying is fine.
And that was exactly the mindset in Israel.
They had completely missed the point that God expected integrity
And reduced that command to say you could lie to anyone
So long as you didn’t do it under oath.
And that is why Jesus gives this explanation.
“But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by earth, for it is the footstool of the 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.”
Now some have missed the point of this to say.
ALL OATHS ARE WRONG.
But that can’t be true.
• The Old Testament clearly taught making vows or taking oaths.
• God certainly recognizes the marriage oath.
• Jesus even made vows.
Matthew 26:63-64 “But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, ” You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”
Beyond that every time He said, “Truly, Truly” it was a form of vow.
• God Himself made vows.
Hebrews 6:13 “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,”
Acts 2:30 “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE,”
• Paul made oaths or vows.
Romans 9:1 “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,”
And so it is far-fetched to assume that all oath taking is wrong.
What Jesus is confronting is a person with such little integrity
That they are forced to take them to be believed.
And Jesus is saying you think
The only vow you don’t have to break is one to God.
But you don’t even have the authority to break other vows.
You can’t vow on heaven – “for it is the throne of God”
You can’t vow on earth – “for it is the footstool of His feet”
You can’t vow on Jerusalem – “for it is the city of the great king.”
You can’t even vow on your own head – “for you cannot make one hair black or white”
None of those things belong to you either.
And so you don’t have the authority to vow on them.
The point is not that taking a vow is wrong,
The problem is that breaking a vow is wrong.
You say not to break a vow in God’s name.
I say don’t break any vow,
And don’t live with such a lack of integrity
That you have to make a vow for someone to believe you.
BECAUSE YOU SEE, NOT KEEPING YOUR WORD IS LYING.
Telling someone you will do something and then failing to do it is lying.
Entering an agreement and then backing out is lying.
And we have already determined where liars are headed.
The Observation The Explanation
#3 THE APPLICATION
Matthew 5:37
The simple command is this:
“But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’”
What does that mean?
James 5:12 “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.”
James said be a man of integrity.
When you give a “yes” then live a “yes”.
When you give a “no” then live a “no”.
And James said to do it this way
“so that you may not fall under judgment.”
Point being, if you don’t live up to that standard,
Then you are a liar and liars are judged.
And that is what Jesus means as well when He says,
“anything beyond these is of evil.”
It is another way of saying,
Failing to keep your yes or failing to keep your no,
Is just like the devil who is the father of lies.
Proverbs 6:12-15 “A worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth, Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers; Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife. Therefore his calamity will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.”
And so this morning we simply ask,
HOW IS MY INTEGRITY?
Am I honest in all that I do?
(taxes, with the highway patrol, etc.)
The honest truth is that we are all guilty of a lack of integrity
And the fact remains that any and all deception
Is eternal guilt before God.
And the only answer for our guilt is to run to Jesus
Who can make us righteous in God’s sight.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
But there again, let me tell you
That you have to be honest when you do it.
Don’t make some vow to follow Christ that you never intend to keep.
Don’t take the name Christian upon yourself if you never intend to live it.
Jesus said:
Luke 9:61-62 “Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
If you determine to confess Christ today,
Then you must determine to obey Him for the rest of your life.
You can lie to me and tell me you want to be a Christian,
And you can fool me.
But if you lie to Him, He will know it.
This was the problem with Israel.
Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”
Jesus said:
Matthew 15:7-9 “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'”
You see there have been many people,
Who under the pressure of hell and judgment will tell God anything.
But God isn’t just trying to get you to scream mercy.
God wants you to fully give your life to Him in honesty in truth.
And so this morning if you know you are lost,
Then make a decision to give your whole life to Christ
And to never flinch on that commitment.
If today you have made that commitment, let me challenge you to keep it.
Don’t be a Sunday morning only Christian.
If you said your life belongs to Christ, then keep your vow.
Live your life for Christ.
Anything else is a lack of integrity,
And all liars will be destroyed in hell,
Even those who lied about having a relationship with Him.
So this morning get real and get honest with Jesus.
Matthew 16:24-25 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
