Every Word Before God

Christ’s Righteousness Exceeds Outward Obedience

Well this morning as our labors in the book of Matthew bring us back once again to the side of the mountain, as Jesus continues his discourse working through and dealing with the true nature of our issue and continuing to press us beyond this outward righteousness and outward obedience to the law, what we have seen so far is Christ providing several examples that have expounded upon his words from Matthew 5 and 20 where he says, for I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Each of the examples that we have seen in the preceding weeks that have been set before us go about the business of correcting false and shallow interpretations of the law. False and shallow interpretations that are done and actually reduce the effect and provide an appearance of righteousness while true righteousness remains far.

As we approach and just as we have approached in the previous examples, we have to be reminded that a proper understanding is required so that we ground ourselves in chapter five verses 17 through 20, that everything is anchored there so that we don't drift into any type of same traps as the scribes and Pharisees.

And I know sometimes it seems like we're redundant or we're continually bringing back the same point, but the truth is, is that's necessary. Our minds forget, our thoughts forget, and we need to be reminded of the guardrails that God himself has placed in his word for our benefit.

And so as we approach our text this morning in Matthew chapter five, beginning in verse 33 through 37, we will once again see what God has for us in his word. If you have found your place, I invite you to once again stand with me in reverence for the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, sufficient, complete, and certain word.

Jesus’ Teaching on Oaths and Vows

Matthew chapter five, beginning in verse 33 and following, we read these words. 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, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by 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, but let your statement be yes, yes, or no, no.

Anything beyond these is of the evil one. Almighty Father, we give thanks and praise for your word. May its truth search us this morning, and by the power of the spirit, illuminate all that is within us that is dark.

Father, we pray that we are strengthened by grace to mortify the sin that remains within us, that your word would grant us comfort, even as it brings light to the wretchedness that remains, that by the power of your spirit, through the reading of your word, a firm and sure foundation is formed in our minds, upon which we rest, even in the midst of our constant human wavering.

Lord, we are thankful that, as you have promised, so you will accomplish, that the good work that you began within us, you will bring to completion, bringing us to glory through faith in Christ alone.

Remind us that we are not the way, that we are not our own salvation, even when it is our own hearts that proclaim this to us. Father, we give thanks to you that there is no other name given under heaven by which we might be saved, except the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For it's in his name that we ask all of these things. Amen. You may be seated. So our passage this morning opens with Christ once again returning to the formula that we have seen him use time and again in this discourse.

And he does so to, for one thing, draw attention to the teachings that he has already given. He begins with the word again, reminding us that this is not a new statement that he is making regarding what you have heard and what he teaches, but that all of this, even though it appears to be a different subject, is driving us back to the main point that Christ has been unpacking throughout this sermon that he has delivered on the side of the mountain.

We also need to remember that it is imperative that we understand this text in light of Matthew 5, 17 through 20, and understand that Christ is not contradicting Moses. He's not introducing something new, but yet he is correcting false interpretations or mishandling of the law.

One of the things that we see here is that Christ seems to not be pointing to a specific commandment in the strictest sense. However, we do see and understand, or will understand, that there are two commandments, thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain, and the not bearing false witness against your neighbor that are dealt with through this particular statement.

What we need to recall, hopefully that you recall, as we talk about this, is that the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, are a listing of types or categories of sin. And if you recall, as we went through this, we talked about how the sin listed is the greatest, if you will, of that specific category, but yet that wasn't the be all to end all of each one of them.

In fact, if we see here that the commandment that prohibits the action of taking the Lord's name in vain and the commandment that prohibits us to bear false witness, we also see that contained within this passage are other truths that are mentioned in scripture.

So for example, Leviticus 19, 12 says, and you shall not swear falsely by my name so as to profane the name of your God, for I am Yahweh. Numbers 30 and verse two says, if a man makes a vow to Yahweh or swears an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word.

He shall do so according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. Later in Deuteronomy, he writes, when you make a vow to Yahweh your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for Yahweh your God will surely require it of you and it will be a sin in you.

However, if you refrain from vowing, it will not be a sin in you. You shall be careful and do what goes out from your lips just as you have voluntarily vowed to Yahweh your God, that which you spoke with your mouth.

We can continue to go on Deuteronomy 6 and 13, 10 and 20. All of these things talking about false and shallow interpretations of the law and what we see is that in the previous examples, as Christ has gone on to expound in the teaching, the truth, the nature, then he begins here to go in Matthew 5 and 34, tell us to make no oath at all.

Each one of the things that we have seen have pointed us backwards. So one of the things that Matthew Henry points out regarding this particular passage is that he is not so much pointing to just those specific commands as he is pulling together the teachings of the Old Testament regarding oaths and vows and ensuring that those things are done properly.

Whether Christ Forbids Every Oath

As we look at this though, we have some things that we need to deal with. As he comes out of the word again, we see that he says these things and in verse 34, he moves to make no oath at all. Now that particular clause in this verse has created a somewhat of not necessarily a controversy but a disagreement.

What we see here is that the plain reading of this command is what has created this. So for example, there are those who, even within our Reformed or particular Baptist heritage, believe that the force of this command is different.

Some who see this in the strictest sense, for example, Charles Spurgeon had this to say regarding this particular verse. He says, notwithstanding much that may be advanced to the contrary, there is no evading the plain sense of the passage that every sort of oath, however solemn or true, is forbidden to a follower of Jesus.

Whether in a court of law or out of it, the rule is swear not at all. And so Spurgeon's take on everything was that there was to be no swearing, no oaths taken, no vows taken. The problem is is that the good thing about that is obviously that it refuses to remove any teeth that is there in the scripture.

The issue, however, that arises is when we begin to look at all of scripture to deepen our understanding of this. And as much as I love Spurgeon, I do, this is one point where I disagree with his findings.

So what we see as we look in other places of scripture is scripture specifically speaking of taking oaths and making vows, specifically commands in some instances and then in others, it brings us to a point of understanding that the prohibition is actually against a sinful and an ordinary oath taking.

And one that is done with a very specific purpose in mind, that purpose being to make something false seem true or to add a level of sincerity to something that we have said. One of the issues with that is it demonstrates irreverence towards the name of God.

In other, it is us seeking to manipulate other people through that oath or vow. We already talked about the examples in Deuteronomy talking about making oaths and vows. If you go to Hebrews chapter six, verses 13 through 18, it talks about the oath that God made to Abraham whereby God swore by himself.

So if you're unfamiliar with the particular passage, right off the top of your head, this is where Moses falls asleep and he wakes and there's the whole scene where God moves through the middle of the sacrifice and swears this covenant, swears this agreement by himself.

So he's making this oath and he uses himself for reassurance. And it's not that God needs to be held to the oath, but rather that in our sinful condition, he condescends to us for our assurance, for our help.

If you look at Paul's letters, in his letters to Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Philippi, Thessalonica, in all of these, Paul calls God himself as a witness to that which he delivers, to the truths that are professed there.

In here in Matthew's gospel, you'll notice that as Matthew continues recounting the words of Christ on the Sermon on the Mount, Christ didn't leave it with just do not swear at all. What he does is gives us a list of things not to swear by.

And then again, in Matthew chapter 23, Christ again deals with this very similarly as he makes statements regarding the error of the Pharisees where they were swearing by the gold in the altar, but not by the altar itself.

And we'll kind of elaborate that on a little bit more as we move forward. But what has this has generated, right? This study of scripture has generated is the writers of our confession in the 1689 to write this in chapter 23, verses one and two.

By the way, chapter 23 is all about lawful oaths and vows. So chapter 23, paragraph one says, a lawful oath is an element of religious worship in which a person swearing in truth, righteousness and judgment solemnly calls God to witness what is sworn and to judge the one swearing according to the truth or falsity of it.

In other words, we are calling on God to be the judge of the truth of the statements that we are making. Paragraph two says people should swear by the name of God alone and only with the utmost holy fear and reverence.

Therefore to swear an empty or ill-advised oath by that glorious and awe-inspiring name or to swear at all by anything else is sinful and to be abhorred. Yet in weighty and significant matters, an oath is authorized by the word of God to confirm truth and end all conflict.

So a lawful oath should be taken when it is required by legitimate authority in such circumstances. Why do we bring all of this up? Well, we bring it up because it's important that we understand that this actually becomes a matter of conscience in the believer.

This tension that exists even within our own circles both seek an end result that desires a transformed heart not to swear false oaths. Both Spurgeon's view of not swearing any oaths at all and the majority of the particular reformed Baptist world's view of legitimate oaths are acceptable and commanded.

Both seek the same end, to not take God's name in vain, to not perjure themselves, to not bear false witness against a neighbor because they understand what is truly at stake in what Christ is talking about is the integrity of the believer.

The Meaning of Oaths and Vows

And so what we see as this unpacks is Christ develop this and then help us to understand. So as Christ moves forward, he moves on to a list where he says that we are not to make an oath by heaven or by earth or by Jerusalem.

One of the first things that we need to do here is to ensure that we are all on the same page with regards to the word oath in this case. Now, one of the tragedies, unfortunately, of the English language is that we tend to use words interchangeably that are not actually interchangeable.

So for us, we would use the word oath or vow or promise possibly interchangeably. The problem is is when we do so, we shortchange the definition of some of these words, oath being one of those. Oath is something very different from a promise.

It is something very different from a vow. In fact, if you go back to Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary, he writes the definition of an oath as a solemn affirmation or declaration made with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed.

The appeal to God in an oath implies that the person imprecates his vengeance and renounces his favor if the declaration is false. In other words, by invoking the name of God when we are giving an oath, what we are asking is for the judgment and the vengeance of God to fall on us if the oath is false.

That's what we're asking for. That's what it means when we say an oath. A vow, on the other hand, is something we do directly, is a promise we give directly to God. And so for example, as we read Romans chapter one verse nine, Paul writes, for God whom I serve in my spirit and the gospel of his son is my witness as to how without ceasing I make mention of you.

In other words, Paul says, I pray for you. I continually make mention of you and I call God as my witness to the fact that I do so. In Philippians chapter one verse eight, he says, for God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And so those two verses along with a multitude of others help us get a clearer picture of what it means when we use the word oath and sometimes in translations they use the word swear. In both cases, we are calling God as a witness for what is being said.

The Pharisees’ Evasive Oaths

And so in the previous examples, what we saw was Christ using this information to expose the heart of the matter. There is no difference here. The focus again has always been by the Pharisees on this adhering to the letter of the law as opposed to the intent.

And once again, Christ's words would seem that there are distinctions that were drawn with regards to oaths and legal consequences based on exactly what was invoked. In other words, if I swear by heaven and I don't uphold my oath, then it's not necessarily as tragic as if I swore by the name of God or if I swear by earth, it's not nearly as severe or serious as if I swear by heaven.

However, Calvin is helpful as he writes in his commentary, the Jews had circuitous or indirect ways of swearing and when they swore by heaven or by earth or by the altar, they reckoned it to be next to nothing and as one vice springs from another, they defended under this pretense any profanation of the name of God that was not openly avowed.

In other words, the way they saw it was it was not a problem. They defended any time where they actually profaned the name of God in their vow because, well, we didn't say God's name. We said heaven or we said earth or we said Jerusalem or we even said I swear on my own life.

So it's not really against God, it's against me or it's against heaven or it's against Jerusalem or it's against earth that I have sworn. If you consider, though, in Matthew's gospel, in the 23rd chapter, the woe chapter, where Jesus ascribes to the scribes and Pharisees the different woes that he gives them, he says to them in verses 16 through 22 these words.

Woe to you, blind guides, who say whoever swears by the sanctuary, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is obligated. You fools and blind men, for which is more important, the gold of the sanctuary that sanctified the gold?

And whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated. You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

Therefore, whoever swears by the altar swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the sanctuary swears both by the sanctuary and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven and swears both by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

And so as we take a look at that, this distinction that's being made here, these different levels of oath-making, help us to see that while they are making a distinction, they are making a distinction without a difference.

What they are saying is not actually what's happening. They're trying to get away with these falsities. You'll notice that these clear delineations are being made in regards to each one of these things that Christ mentions.

For example, heaven is defined for us as the throne of God. Earth as the footstool of God. Jerusalem as the city of the great king. Your head or your life as something you have no control over because you can't even make one hair black or white.

The places, this understanding, what Christ says, places all of this stuff at the feet of God. It places everything under the authority and the sovereignty of God. Isaiah 66 verse one, thus says Yahweh, heaven is my throne and the earth is the footstool of my feet where then is a house you could build for me and where is a place that I may rest?

All Words Are Spoken Before God

What we've got to understand is that heaven is not heaven apart from God. The earth does not exist without God. Jerusalem is not the kingly city without the king. What this teaches us is that all things exist, quorum Deo, before the face of God.

All oaths that are made are made before the face of God. All words that are spoken are spoken before God. God witnesses all words, all speech, all oaths because he is the creator, he is the sustainer.

Psalm 48 verse two says, beautiful in evaluation, in elevation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great king. The city is not a great city because it's an awesome place, it is a city that is great because of the great king.

King. So each of these first three things are sound solemn. They lend credence to the oath because they refer back to significance, they refer to as something that derives in significance from God while falling short in the eyes of the Pharisees from actually making an oath to God.

The fourth is this matter of an oath on our own head. Although we would not significantly just say that this is something similar to the first three, we would say that this is a personal thing, that it stirs the mind, not necessarily towards God, but toward this solemn oath sworn by ourselves.

I swear upon my own life that no harm will come to you. I swear by my own life that I will do this or I will do that. The problem is is that our life is not our life. Our life is God's. Our life belongs to him.

And so the meaning of Christ's statement here in all three of these situations is that we have an inability to do anything apart from this. So he meant, therefore, nothing more than this. Calvin writes it this way, that all oaths are unlawful, which in any way abuse and profane the sacred name of God, for which they ought to have had the effect of producing a deeper reverence.

As I think about this, to me, the words that we find in Psalm chapter 24, verse one and two are helpful because what we need to be reminded of is that there is nothing that occurs outside of the presence of God.

Psalm 24, verses one and two say, the earth is Yahweh's, as well as its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. And so whatever oath we make is before the face of God.

Yes and No as the Speech of a Transformed Heart

After Christ establishes this truth, he then makes this statement demonstrate, he makes this, he gives us this truth. He shows us that there can be no deceit that can be hidden before God. He proceeds to make this next statement where he says, but let your statement be yes, yes, or no, no.

What's interesting to note about this particular statement here is that the transition shows that in direct opposition of what the statements that he has already made, these oaths that are made, even though they seem to have a different reverence or a deeper reverence to them, that there is a different way in which we should speak.

The words that we have translated, let your statement be, carry an emphatic. In other words, they are a command. This is a statement by Christ that is a command. What he's telling us is that there is a specific kind of speech expected from his people.

And so it's necessary as we approach this to recognize the greater context again of what's happening in chapter five. You remember, he began with the Beatitudes, characterizing or describing for us the characteristics of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

He moved from the command into the call to be salt and light in the world. Then he goes into where he reminds us and assures us of his purpose, of the truth that the righteousness that is required is far exceeding something that they would have seen as the epitome of righteousness.

So these people sitting around would have heard this, your righteousness must exceed the scribes and Pharisees, and they would have asked, how can my righteousness exceed that? These people are righteousness.

And so there's a different way. As we move through each one of the different examples Christ has given us, that they have been there for the express purpose of demonstrating what that righteousness looks like.

And again, we have no, this is no different. This statement by Christ is telling us what that righteousness looks like. They have been bringing us to the point that the integrity of his people, that the integrity of those who believe should not need anything beyond our simple and ordinary speech to be trusted.

In other words, you may be familiar with the old saying, your word is your bond. Just the ability to say something and have it trusted by someone because not that you swore by something, not that you invoked the name of God, but because your life is so filled with integrity that they do not question whether you are being truthful or not.

The repetition here of the words yes and no simply serve the purpose of showing us that our yeses must be genuine yeses, and that our noes must be genuine noes. Meaning if we say we will do something, we follow through with it because this is what builds that integrity.

This is what shows people that they can trust us. However, we also need to understand that Christ is not merely demonstrating that we remove certain phrases from our vocabulary. By removing certain phrases from our vocabulary, basically we are falling into the same error that he has already been correcting.

We are seeking an outward appearance. We are reducing the command of God to an outward boundary and convincing ourselves that because we no longer cross that boundary, that we have changed. Or because we have changed our vocabulary, that we have somehow satisfied this greater righteousness that God requires.

That Christ is pressing us deeper. Christ is pressing us to become the kind of people whose ordinary words are true because our hearts have been transformed. In fact, this expectation is woven throughout Scripture.

Truthfulness as the Character of God’s People

If we return for a moment to Psalm chapter 24 and we continue, verses one and two describe that everything in the world belongs to God, is from God, is sustained by God. But then we read this in verses three and four.

Who may ascend into the mountain of Yahweh and who may rise in his holy place? He who has innocent hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to worthlessness and has not sworn deceitfully.

So who may enter? Who may enter into the kingdom? Those whose righteousness exceeds. Those whose righteousness is greater. Those who have innocent hands, a pure heart, whose soul is not lifted up to worthlessness, who have not sworn deceitfully.

As you move forward, the prophets, Zachariah continues and speaks this command of the people of God to speak the truth to one another. Zephaniah looks forward to a purified remnant whose mouth deceit is not found.

And then if we go all the way to Revelation, we see that there will be those who belong to the kingdom of God who do not have lies in their mouth. Now, as scripture from beginning to end presents God as gathering, redeeming and sanctifying a people who reflect his own character by becoming a people of truth, we need to understand this is a foundation beneath what Christ is teaching us here.

That you and I are to be truthful because we reflect the character of God. Scripture is clear, it tells us, it teaches us that God is not a man that he should lie. Titus speaks to us of the God who cannot lie.

Hebrews tells us that it's impossible for God to lie because his very nature is truth. And so when God commands his people to speak truth, he's commanding us to reflect that nature. Which means that every lie, every half-truth, every attempt to create a false impression contradicts God's character.

Understanding this, that all of these things contradict God's character, helps us to understand the final piece of verse 37. Where it says that anything beyond our yes or no is of the evil one. There's a contrast in scripture between God as truth and Satan as the father of lies.

In John chapter eight, Christ teaches us of the devil that does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. We go all the way back to Genesis chapter three. It was the deceit of the serpent that enters into the biblical story that was accepted by man as we fail.

The kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of the enemy, the kingdom that twists God's word is marked by deception while citizens of the kingdom of God are marked by truth. And so the question is, not whether you and I simply avoid certain statements or phrases or alter our speech, but whether we increasingly reflect the character of God as we speak truth.

Sinful Hearts Exposed by the Command

Once again, as in the previous examples, Christ brings the command back to the issue of the heart. In fact, if we have listened carefully to the words of Christ thus far, none of us could walk away from this passage congratulating ourselves.

As we sit here this morning, we ask ourselves who among us has always spoken truth? Which among us has never omitted a detail because that detail might change the way someone understood what happened?

Which one of us has never promised something because saying yes was easier than giving an honest no? Our words can easily become tools for protecting our pride, for preserving our image, for avoiding consequences or even manipulating and controlling the way that others view us.

Deception does not even require that every sentence be technically false. You and I can speak words that are factually accurate but do so in a way that intends to bring about a false conclusion in the other person.

You and I can tell a portion of the story that serves us and then convince ourselves that we have not actually lied. But you see, the words of Christ refuse to allow us to hide behind that technicality because if kingdom righteousness, if the righteousness that the kingdom citizens are required to have is a righteousness of the heart, then the issue becomes whether our intention is to communicate what is true before God, God who already knows the whole of the matter.

James tells us that if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man. Then he adds to that that no one can tame the tongue. Jesus tells us why when he says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, the tongue exposes that which is within us.

If you'll notice the pattern, the anger in verse 21 of Matthew five comes from the heart in verse 26. The lust in verses 27 through 30 come from the heart, the selfishness that can hide behind the legal treatment of marriage comes from the heart.

The problem of falsehood and manipulation in our speech comes from the heart. And I don't know about you, but the more I read, the more I see the impossibility of the words of Christ in Matthew chapter five, verse 20, for I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Continually, Christ seeks to remove every place where our self-righteousness might hide. When the law of scripture is allowed to speak in its true spiritual breath, you and I are left before God with no boast.

That's why we have to continually return to our anchor. That's why we have to understand that Christ says, what Christ says in verse 17 where he says, I didn't come to abolish the law of the prophets.

I didn't come to abolish, I came to fulfill. What exactly is it that he's gonna fulfill? He's going to fulfill or he hasn't fulfilled the righteousness that is required. Understand that he who exposes the righteousness required by God perfectly fulfilled that very righteousness.

Christ the Faithful and True One

Christ is not standing on the hillside merely giving us a list of things and then saying, do better. He is revealing the greatness of the holiness of his kingdom revealing to them and us that there are none, none aside from himself who have the righteousness required to enter into the kingdom because there are none who live in perfect conformity to the holiness of God.

And as we see throughout scripture, any time that sin comes into the presence of the holiness of God, it is disastrous for the sin and the sinner. Consider Christ's speech, not once does he lie, not once does he exaggerate something for his own advantage.

Not once does he utilize half-truths for manipulation. Not once does he make a promise that he fails to keep. Peter writes in first Peter chapter two verse 22 that Christ did no sin nor was any deceit found in his mouth.

Listen, the truth is that Christ did not merely teach truth, Christ is truth. If we look in Revelation, it calls him the faithful witness, the faithful and true witness. Literally the one who is called faithful and true.

Everywhere that you and I have been less than truthful, he has been perfectly faithful. Everywhere that our words have shifted according to convenience, his word has remained sure. Paul captures some of the beauty of this in 2 Corinthians when he writes that as many as are the promises of God in Christ, they are yes.

How often has our yes failed to be yes? Thanks be to God that his never has. God promised the Redeemer, the Redeemer has come. He promised that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent, Christ goes to the cross and rises from the grave.

When Christ cries out, it is finished, it is finished. And when he promises to return in the same manner in which he has left, he will return. One of the greatest truths of all the scripture is that our salvation rests not upon the reliability of our promises to God, but the reliability of God's promises to us in Christ.

That distinction is everything. If it relied on your honesty, your faithfulness, your words being perfectly true, none of us could enter. But Christ has fulfilled what we could not. He fulfilled the law inwardly, he fulfilled the law outwardly.

He possesses that righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees because his righteousness is perfect from the heart to the mouth to the hand. And that perfect righteousness went to the cross.

The one who is faithful died for the faithless. The one in whose mouth there was no deceit, bore the guilt of liars, deceivers, promise breakers and hypocrites. He bore our sin and by faith and faith alone, our righteousness, his righteousness is counted as ours.

Grace Produces Truthful Obedience

This is why as we read this text and we continually return to this heart issue, we can not let the point simply be try harder. You can't try hard enough. What's happening is you and I are being exposed.