A Messiah Who Teaches Part 4: Living With Integrity
Text: Matt. 5:33-37
Introduction
1. Illustration: The name of Admiral Dewey was being acclaimed throughout the country after his victory at Manila Bay in the war between the United States and Spain in the early 20th century. A newspaper offered Dewey’s son two hundred dollars just to sign his name to a daily article which an experienced newsman would write. The editor wanted to use the famous name for advertising purposes. Young Dewey was then earning only twenty dollars a month at his first job. The chance to make ten times as much was an alluring offer, but he refused to be a party to such deceit and dishonesty. He decided he would rather keep on doing hard work at a small wage than be false to his father’s name and lose his self-respect.
2. There was time when our number one value was integrity, but things have changed.
a. We live in a society that teaches only the value of getting ahead.
b. We watch TV shows like Survivor and the Amazing Race that teach us the it is okay to lie, cheat, and steal as long as we win the game
c. People learn that you don’t have to work hard in life as long as you know how to play the system.
3. In Jesus teaching on integrity we learn:
a. The problem
b. The danger
c. The solution
4. Read Matt. 5:33-37
Proposition: By sacrificing our integrity, we dishonor God.
Transition: We must first look at...
I. The Problem: Finding Loopholes (33)
A. Carry Out Your Vows
1. In Jesus day, there was a major problem when it came to integrity. Instead of being honorable, people looked for a way to get out of doing the right thing.
2. In v. 33 Jesus says, “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’"
a. The traditional teaching that Jesus quotes here was a composite of ideas based on three separate Old Testament Scriptures.
b. Leviticus 19:12 (NLT)
“Do not bring shame on the name of your God by using it to swear falsely. I am the Lord.
c. Numbers 30:2 (NLT)
A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.
d. Deuteronomy 23:21-23 (NLT)
“When you make a vow to the Lord your God, be prompt in fulfilling whatever you promised him. For the Lord your God demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows, or you will be guilty of sin. However, it is not a sin to refrain from making a vow. But once you have voluntarily made a vow, be careful to fulfill your promise to the Lord your God.
3. It was perfectly acceptable in Jesus day to make a vow, and as a means of guaranteeing that you would keep your word, invoking the name of God.
a. Once Yahweh’s name was invoked, the vow to which it was attached became a debt that had to be paid to the Lord (Carson, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM).
b. However, what people would do is make vow and not use the Lord’s name to verify it.
c. The idea being that as long as you didn’t make your vow in the Lord’s name you weren’t required to keep it.
4. People would declare anything and promise anything with an oath, while having no qualms about providing means by which lying or breaking their word could still he done.
a. Indiscriminate and insincere vows became so commonplace that no one took them seriously.
b. Instead of being a mark of integrity, they became a mark of deceit.
c. Instead of prompting confidence they prompted skepticism (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 1-7).
B. Taking the Easy Way Out
1. Illustration: Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to Congress on December 1, 1862 that read: "In times like the present, men should utter nothing for which they would not willingly be responsible through time and eternity."
2. Instead of striving to be people of integrity, we are looking for a loophole.
a. We are looking for a way around it.
b. We are looking for a way out of it.
c. We are looking for an easy way out.
3. Instead of being people of integrity, we are looking to see what we can get away with.
a. Like little children, we are trying to see how far we can push.
b. We say things like "it’s not illegal if you don’t get caught."
c. We take what doesn’t belong to us, and rationalize it away by saying "they can afford it."
4. However, God commands His people to be people of integrity.
a. Psalms 24:3-5 (NLT)
Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior.
b. God’s desire is that our word would mean something.
c. God’s desire is that when we say we will do something we follow through with it.
d. God wants His people to be people of integrity, honesty, honor and respect.
Transition: Jesus also tells us about...
II. The Danger: Making Promises You Can’t Keep (34-36)
A. Don’t Make Any Vows
1. Jesus contrasts this bad teaching by saying, "But I say, do not make any vows!"
a. Though the Greek construction here is an unconditional negative (mç … holôs), that does not preclude all oaths.
b. Commentator William Hendriksen’s explanation is helpful: "What we have here in Matthew 5:33-37 is the condemnation of the flippant, profane, uncalled for, and often hypocritical oath, used in order to make an impression or to spice daily conversation. Over against that evil Jesus commends simple truthfulness in thought, word and deed."
c. In other words, a simple "yes" or "no" should be enough for a trustworthy person.
d. However, Jesus’ point is that a disciple’s simple word should be considered as trustworthy as a signed document or contract (Wilkins, 248).
2. Jesus also takes away the loophole by saying, "Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black."
a. This goes back to the idea of making a promise on anything other than God’s name. Instead, people would make on "religious" things in an attempt to give it credibility.
b. Jesus insists that whatever a man swears by is related to God in some way, and therefore every oath is implicitly in God’s name—heaven, earth, Jerusalem, even the hairs of the head are all under God’s sway and ownership (Carson, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM).
c. Heaven is God’s, the earth is God’s, Jerusalem is God’s, and every person’s head is God’s.
d. It is therefore wicked and sinful to use anything of God’s, whether His name or a part of His creation, as witness to anything that is dishonest, deceitful, insincere, or in the least way knowingly false.
3. What Jesus is saying, in essence, if you make a promise keep it, and if you don’t intend to keep a promise don’t make it.
a. If you intend to keep the promise, follow through.
b. If you do not intend to keep the promise, don’t make it.
B. Making Promises You Can’t Keep
1. Illustration: One day, President Abraham Lincoln was riding in a coach with a colonel from Kentucky. The colonel took a bottle of whiskey out of his pocket. He offered Mr. Lincoln a drink. Mr. Lincoln said, "No thank you, Colonel. I never drink whiskey." In a little while, the colonel took some cigars out of his pocket and offered one to Mr. Lincoln. Again Mr. Lincoln said, "No, thank you, Colonel." Then Mr. Lincoln said, "I want to tell you a story. One day, when I was about nine years old, my mother called me to her bed. She was very sick. She said, ’Abe, the doctor tells me that I am not going to get well. I want you to be a good boy. I want you to promise me before I go that you will never use whiskey or tobacco as long as you live.’ I promised my mother that I never would, and up to this hour, I kept this promise! Would you advise me to break that promise?" The colonel put his hand on Mr. Lincoln’s shoulder and said, "Mr. Lincoln, I would not have you break that promise for the world! It is one of the best promises you ever made. I would give a thousand dollars today if I had made my mother a promise like that and had kept it like you have done. I would be a much better man than I am!
2. Just as in Jesus day, promises don’t mean much today.
a. We say things like "promises were made to be broken."
b. We make commitments we don’t keep.
c. We make promises with no intention of following through.
d. We lack integrity and it doesn’t phase us.
3. We see negative role models everyday.
a. Politicians lie to us.
b. Sports heroes break the law and get only a hand slap.
c. Even members of the clergy let us down.
4. We say to ourselves, "If no one else is doing it why should I keep my word?"
a. Everyone else cheats on their taxes, why shouldn’t I?
b. Everyone else backs out on their commitments, why should I?
c. Everyone else lies and steals, why shouldn’t I?
Transition: The reason is that Jesus has called us to a higher standard...
III. The Solution: Standing By Your Word (37)
A. Yes I Will
1. Jesus illustrates this higher standard that His disciples are called to by saying, "Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t....’"
a. The word being translated here is the Greek word logos, which means "that which has been stated or said, with primary focus upon the content of the communication" (Louw and Nidda, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Symantic Domains).
b. Jesus teaches that ones word should be reliable at all times, rendering oaths unnecessary (Turner, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, 92).
c. Jesus is saying that His disciples words are to be so honorable that we don’t need to make promises.
d. That when we say we will do something, because we are people of integrity, we will follow through no matter how difficult it may seem.
2. Notice something here, Jesus gives us the permission to say "No!"
a. If it’s not something you know that you are capable of doing, just say no. That’s okay!
b. People stretch themselves too thin and break their promises to people simply because they don’t know how to say no.
c. If you can’t do it, don’t tell someone you will.
d. However, if you say yes, mean yes.
3. Notice what else Jesus says here, "Anything beyond this is from the evil one."
a. Why does Jesus say that anything else is from the "evil one?"
b. Because to break a promise is a lie.
c. John 8:44 (NLT)
For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
d. If you break a promise and lie, you are no better than the evil one.
e. Jesus is saying, don’t put yourself in that position. Say what you mean and keep your word.
B. People of Integrity
1. Illustration: John Maxwell said, "I commit myself to being a person of character. Truth, reliability, honesty and confidentiality will be the pillars of my life. I will treat others as I expect to be treated and I will live according to the highest standards of integrity amid all of life’s circumstances."
2. Micah 6:8 (NLT)
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
3. God has called us to be people of integrity.
a. People who speak the truth in love.
b. People who walk the truth in love.
c. People who keep the truth in love.
4. God has called us to be people of our word.
a. We mean what we say.
b. We stand on what we say.
c. We can be counted on for what we say.
5. God has called us to be people of character.
a. Just as He is known for His character, so His people must be known for theirs.
b. He is known for His love, mercy, and grace, but He is also known as a God of truth, honesty, and faithfulness.
c. Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Conclusion
1. Are you a person of integrity?
2. When you make a promise, do you keep it?
3. In your mind, were promises made to be kept or broken?
4. Be a person not only of the Word, but also of your word.
