You Have Heard That It Was Said (Part 2) (Matthew 5:33-48)
Rev. William L. Barron, October 15, 2023Part of the Morning Worship at North Greenville Church series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
To enter into a covenant, you take a vow before God. In His teaching on the mount, did Jesus mean never to take vows? He actually meant not to take vows like the Pharisees do. They would take vows on all sorts of things, but never on the name of God. Do we do the same thing? Do we make a promise with our fingers crossed behind our backs? Swear upon our mother's grave? Jesus taught that this is foolishness. Why would we make a vow that we never intend to keep? We must strive to be persons of integrity and always keep our word. We must think before we speak. If we take the Lord's name in vain, we are saying that His name has no meaning. The name of God encompasses what is true and what we believe. In Deuteronomy 19, the lesson is that we must make the punishment fit the crime. This is the meaning of the Law of the Talon, or claw. We are not to retaliate, get even or gain the upper hand. Jesus was speaking to people under oppression by Rome and by the Jewish religious leaders. By turning the other cheek, we are to let the insults come our way, because God will avenge. We are to love our enemies, and to be perfect as God is perfect. We are to obey God's law completely, not just when it fits our agenda. If we fail, we must confess, forgive and be cleansed. We must strive to be molded into His image.
| Earlier: | Same day: | Later: |
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| « You Have Heard That It Was Said (Part 1) | None | Before The Eyes Of Men To Be Seen » |
Matthew 5:33–48 (Listen)
33 “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.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 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. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(ESV)