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EP 119: Tell the Truth! (Matthew 5:33-37 – Sermon on the Mount Series)

by Marci Ferrell
Bible Study Christian Living Podcast Sermon on the Mount Theology

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Jesus calls us to be people of the truth and people who keep their word. @thankfulhomemaker

We’re on the fourth of Jesus’s illustrations of what true morality looks like to those that are in Christ. We talked about the sin of anger in EP 113 and dealing with our adulterous hearts or sexual purity in EP 115. Divorce and remarriage or better put our faithfulness in marriage in EP 117. Today in EP 119, we’re going to work through telling the truth, and in the next couple of episodes, we’ll get to the fifth and sixth illustrations of true morality as we’ll work through selflessness and love.

We have Jesus telling us again, “you heard that it was said, but I say to you statements.

Everything we do as believers matters—our actions, responses, and words. We have spent quite a few episodes here on the podcast speaking about our speech; it should be kind and gentle and not sinful like gossip or slander. God’s Word has much to say about how we should be speaking to one another.

Our speech affects others, and it matters what we say and how we say it. So we begin this next section dealing with the issue of lying.

Jesus calls us to be people of the truth and people who keep their word. We need to be people whose yes is yes and whose no is no.

Jesus calls us to be people of the truth and people who keep their word. We need to be people whose yes is yes and whose no is no. Click to Tweet

Ever since the Fall, man has been prone to lying.

As we continue on in our series on the Sermon on the Mount we’re working through in EP 119 on the sin of making oaths or promises that we don’t intend to keep in our text today of Matthew 5:33-37:

Let me read our text Matthew 5:33-37:
“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.


Listen to the Podcast Below:

Subscribe to the Podcast on Your Favorite App

Resources:

Sermon on the Mount Podcast Series @thankfulhomemaker

Sermon on the Mount Podcast Series & YouTube Series

On the Mount: A Ladies’ Bible Study of the Sermon on the Mount by Susan Heck

The Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom by R. Kent Hughes

Show Notes:

Kent Hughes illustrates the desire for truth in the prayer of the chaplain of the Kansas Senate: 

“Omniscient Father: Help us to know who is telling the truth. One side tells us one thing, and the other just the opposite. And if neither side is telling the truth, we would like to know that, too. And if each side is telling half the truth, give us the wisdom to put the right halves together. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

This prayer highlights what we all know to be just as true in America as it was in Israel in Jesus’ day…truth is a vanishing breed.

Today there is an urgent truth shortage! There was a time when western culture was distinguished from other cultures by at least a conventional outward sense of obligation to tell the truth. But now there is a pervasive indifference to truth-telling, and this has not only infected day-to-day conversation but the most solemn pledges of life. 

Perjury under solemn oath is epidemic. The sacred vows of marriage are broken almost as often as repeated. God’s name is invoked by blatant liars who purport to be witnesses to the truth. There is, indeed, a crisis, but we must not make the mistake of thinking it occurs only out there because it happens among us too. 

It is difficult to always tell the truth. The great preacher and writer George Macdonald wrote to his son on December 6, 1878, “I always try – I think I do – to be truthful. All the same, I tell a great many lies.” 

I identify with that. I am speaking to someone and suddenly realize that what I am saying is not the truth. Perhaps you have experienced the same. The difficulty comes from the combination of my own deceitful nature and the pervasive deceptiveness of the surrounding culture. 

~ R. Kent Hughes, Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom


Vows were assumed, even encouraged. But once made, they were not to be broken under any circumstances. The Bible taught that they were very serious business. 

~ R. Kent Hughes, Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom


“A vow is binding irrespective of it’s accompanying formula”

~ John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount


Oath taking is permitted, but it is not encouraged. In civil life oath taking, as in the courtroom, is permitted, and when one does so, he does not sin against Christ’s teaching. Also, on rare occasions, it may be necessary, as it was for Paul. However, oaths are not to be a normal part of our everyday conversation. In normal relations oaths should never fall from our lips. Kingdom men and women do not need such devices. Their commitment to truthfulness should be evident to all.

~ R. Kent Hughes, Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom


Rarely a day or week goes by that we don’t make a promise to a friend, or our husband, or our children, but do we keep that promise? For example, we might say to our friend, “I promise I won’t tell anyone what you just shared with me,” and then you call one of your other friends to tell her the piece of juicy news. Or you promise the kids that you will take them out after school for a special treat, but then you don’t fulfill your promise for one reason or another. Or you tell your friend that you will meet her for lunch at noon, but you don’t show until 12:15, or even worse, you don’t show at all! Or you tell your husband that you will iron his shirts while he is at work, but you find something better to do with your time. And we justify these broken promises by saying, “To err is human.” But God says to lie is a sin.

Susan Heck, On the Mount: A Ladies’ Bible Study of the Sermon on the Mount


I always try—I think I do—to be truthful. All the same, I tell a great many petty lies, things that mean one thing to myself though another to other people. But I do not think lightly of it. Where I am more often wrong is in tactile pretending I hear things which I do not, especially jokes and good stories, the point of which I always miss; but, seeing everyone laugh, I laugh too, for the sake of not looking a fool. My respect for the world’s opinion is my greatest stumbling block I fear.”

George MacDonald


6 ways to “Be” from Susan Heck from her study in the Sermon the Mount.

1. Be Sensitive to the deception that lying is not a sin, especially “little white lies.” Not only is it a sin, but a heinous sin. Do not desensitize yourself to the truth. I know people whose habit of lying is to the point they don’t even recognize it.

2. Be reminded of Matthew 12:36-37: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.” 

3. Be filled with God’s spirit and sensitive to His leading in your life in this area. If you are not walking with the Lord, His spirit has been grieved and His voice is dull. 

4. Be asking God to make you aware of the way you deceive yourself and others. You might be surprised how deception plays out in your life. Also, ask your husband if he sees any form of lying in your life. One year my husband and I held each other accountable for exaggerations, and that exercise was extremely profitable. 

5. Be feeding on the Word of God. When you feed your mind on the Word—the Truth—and obey it, it will produce what God desires, which is truth in the inner woman or man. A truthful inward spirit is bound to produce truthful outward speech. 

6. Be careful what you say—Think before you speak. If you have said something that is not true, go to the person and correct it. Believe me, after you do that several times, hopefully, you will be humbled enough to guard your words more carefully. 

~ Susan Heck, On the Mount: A Ladies’ Bible Study of the Sermon on the Mount


There is only one person that I know in the whole universe who has kept every promise He has made, and that is our model, our example, the Lord Jesus. One of the promises that He has made to you and me is that He will return. He will keep His Word, and so must we keep our word as well lest we fall into judgment!

~ Susan Heck, On the Mount: A Ladies’ Bible Study of the Sermon on the Mount


“Accustom your children constantly to this—telling the truth: if a thing happened at one window, and they, when relating it, say that it happened at another do not let it pass, but instantly check them; you do not know where deviation from the truth will end . . . It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentional lying, that there is so much falsehood in the world.”

~ Samuel Johnson


Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. - Matthew 5:37 Click to Tweet


Scripture References:

  • Matthew 5:33-37
  • Exodus 20:7
  • Leviticus 19:12
  • Numbers 30:2
  • Matthew 23:16-22
  • James 5:12
  • Matthew 26:63-64
  • 2 Corinthians 1:23
  • Romans 1:9-10
  • James 4:15
  • Matthew 5:37

Recommended Resources:

  • Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by Martyn Lloyd Jones
  • Sermon on the Mount The: Matthew 5-7 Expositional Commentary by James Montgomery Boice
  • Matthew 1-7 MacArthur New Testament Commentary by John MacArthur
  • Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Matthew by J.C. Ryle
  • The Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom (ESV Edition) by R. Kent Hughes
  • Sermon on the Mount by Sinclair Ferguson
  • The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 by Thomas Watson
  • The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott
  • Sermon on the Mount Teaching Series by Sinclair Ferguson at Ligonier Connect
  • Logos Bible Software
  • Bible Memory App
  • Study Guide for Sermon on the Mount

Related posts:

  1. EP 89: Blessed are the Meek (Matthew 5:5 – Sermon on the Mount Series)
  2. EP 86: Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount Series {Matthew 5:1-2}
  3. EP 88: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn (Matthew 5:4 – Sermon on the Mount Series)
  4. EP 92: Blessed are the Merciful (Matthew 5:7 – Sermon on the Mount Series)


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Marci Ferrell
Patience is our ability, under the control of the Patience is our ability, under the control of the Spirit, to persevere and endure in times of suffering or hardship.⁣⁣
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Come listen in (or read) EP 118: Cultivating Patience with One Another at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣ shows us our em By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣
 shows us our emptiness and weakness,⁣⁣
 draws us to the throne of grace,⁣⁣
 purifies our affections,⁣⁣
 weans us from the world,⁣⁣
 and makes us long for Heaven.⁣⁣
~ J.C. Ryle⁣
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Read more of Trusting God in Your Trials at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wi I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wives, and mothers.  How many times do we focus on our needs that aren’t met?  Unfair situations or circumstances?  Self-pity is a selfish tendency that takes our eyes off Christ and puts them on ourselves. ⁣⁣
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We forget that “God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Are we able to give God “thanks in all things”?⁣⁣
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Come listen in to EP 105: Practical Steps to Overcome Self Pity at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)⁣
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#rootedinChrist #rootedintheword #christian #christianity #thankfulhomemaker #bedeeplyrooted  #christianblogger  #christians #treasurechrist #joyinchrist #inchristalone #deeplyrooted #martynlloydjones #selfpity
Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣ ⁣ Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣
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Weekly Menu Planning Free PDF is at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest "God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest earthly gift to his people, second only to the living Word, Jesus. And because the living Word perfectly lived out the written Word, we are blessed beyond measure. Jesus fulfilled every precept found in Psalm 119, keeping the principles and commandments of this psalm, and he did so on our behalf.⁣
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Our failure to live wholeheartedly is covered by Jesus, who lived it perfectly for us. Ultimately, he is Psalm 119 in human form, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)."⁣
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~ Taken from Sing a New Song: A Woman's Guide to the Psalms by Lydia Brownback⁣
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With my whole heart I seek you;⁣
let me not wander from your commandments!⁣
I have stored up your word in my heart,⁣
that I might not sin against you.⁣
~ Psalm 119:10-11
Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, an Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, and effort. But remember that opportunities for doing good are not interruptions in God’s plan for us, but part of that plan. We always have time to do what God wants us to do.⁣
~ Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness⁣
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Listen in to 10 Things Helping Me to Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and s I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and systems that help me to get things done. It’s a practical episode, and I hope to encourage you, if nothing else, to take a look at how your days are going and ask yourself some simple questions like:⁣
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What is working and what is not working?⁣
Where do I find myself wasting time?⁣
Where can I make better use of my time?⁣
Can I simplify my days or various tasks or automate them?⁣
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These are just a few questions to ponder, and there are many more you can ask, but the main one is to seek the Lord and ask him, are you a good steward of your time? Is your desire to honor Him amid your days and in how you spend your time?⁣
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Many more than ten systems or tools help me manage my days, but these items top my list. I’ve shared more in detail on some of these in past blog posts or podcast episodes, but I wanted to put together an episode that walked through how I use each one.⁣
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An episode like this one is more helpful to me than you because it helps me to think through my days and systems and tools and determine what is working for me and what isn’t.⁣
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Listen to 10 Things Helping Me Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sani Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sanity, reduce stress, eat healthy and avoid the dreaded question, “What’s for dinner?” It sounds great, right, and we’d all love to do it, but how do we get there?⁣
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Menu planning is the answer to all those questions above. We have a jam-packed episode today filled with tons of tips, examples, and ideas, so stick with me, and I know there will be something that will appeal to each of you in some way.⁣
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Listen in at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.⁣
~ Joni Eareckson Tada⁣
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Come listen to EP 70: Finding Forgiveness After an Abortion at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
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