Jesus Addressing Truthfulness. 11/27/22

Weekly Memory Verse: "But let your 'yes' mean 'yes' and your 'no' mean 'no.' Anything more than this is from the evil one." - Matthew 5:37

Sermon Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:13-21

-THIS SUNDAY'S SERMON- Jesus addresses Truthfulness

Dear River Family,

First of all, I hope that you and your family have a wonderful time together this Thanksgiving holiday. Heather and I are so thankful for the River family and the opportunity to serve alongside you. May God be glorified as we are faithful and obedient to His will.

Secondly, as we gather this Sunday, we will be looking at Jesus’ teaching on oaths. Jesus continues to challenge the false teaching of the scribes and Pharisees describing how citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven should live. As believers our lives should be marked by honesty, truth, and integrity. This Sunday’s passage will challenge the motivation of our hearts as we speak truth and live as citizens of Heaven.

Lastly, should Christians take oaths today? Anabaptists and Quakers have historically interpreted Jesus’ teaching on oaths to mean that we should not take any oaths or make any vows. I recognize and respect this view with the desire to be obedient to God’s Word. As I have studied this passage, I see Jesus’ teaching His disciples and us today, that our lives should be marked by truthfulness in everything we say and do, because God is truth and we are made in His image and are called to be holy as he is Holy. Is there room for Christians to take an oath, such as, in a court of law? What does the Bible say? We see in Matthew 5 that Jesus is saying not to take oaths. Does that end the discussion? Well, the Bible speaks of God Himself “swearing” as in Genesis 9:9-11, but not because He lies, but to help us believe (Hebrews 6:17). Paul offers an oath in 2 Corinthians 1:23, while Jesus testified under oath before the high priest in Matthew 26:63-64. There will be different views in the interpretation and application to this passage, but we must all agree that our words matter and we must be marked by truthful words as disciples of Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Matthew