Sermon Series: Sermon on the Mount 

As Good As Your Word 

Matthew 5:33-37 

PSBC 3/19/00

In a nutshell: Without any standards of right and wrong, culture is moving farther and farther from being truthful. This flies in the face of what God wants His followers to be. He holds us up to a higher standard than just the legality of things. Law-keepers must be known as unquestionably truthful in everything.

I. Introduction

A. Story

Paul Harvey told this story a couple of years ago, and says it really happened...

It seems that four high school boys who walked into their first period class one day, just five minutes before the class was to end. Their tardiness happened to coincide with that day being the day of their mid-term exam. They entered the classroom very solemnly and told their teacher that they were late because they had had a flat tire on their way to school.

The teacher gave evidence that she was very sympathetic and told the boys that they could make up the test in just two minutes, by writing their answers to just one question. So she gave them each a piece of paper, and sent them to the four corners of the room. Then she told them that they would get an automatic "A" on the mid-term if they gave the correct answer to this question, "Which tire went flat?"

B. Transition to today's leadership

Don't you wish you had a similar test for some of the leaders of our nation, and the politicians who want to lead us?

The nose-dive into lies, deception and deceit by the leaders of our country is a relatively new phenomenon. We use to elect military heros and men of integrity to the leadership positions in our state and in our country. But we've had a succession of men lacking in integrity, assume the leadership positions in many places of leadership across this land, in recent years. As a student of history, I believe that downward spiral began in earnest almost 40 years ago.

Example: When President Kennedy took office, he continued a policy begun by President Eisenhower of sending a small number of troops to Vietnam as advisors. The policy was that we were going to let the South Vietnamese fight and win their own war. But over time, the United states became more and more involved. As many of you remember, before the was came to an end, there were more than a half a million American troops serving in Vietnam at one time.

As some of you remember, support for the war was very strong at the beginning. It was the place where the United States was going to stand and fight communism. But that support didn't last very long. Support began to erode when President Johnson and his secretary of defense, Robert McNamara began to be dishonest with the American people.

In his book, In Retrospect, Robert McNamara says that he and President Johnson repeatedly minimized American losses and told only half-truths about the war. For example, McNamara writes in his book, "Upon my return to Washington from Saigon on December 21, 1963, I was less than candid when I reported to the press... I said, ‘We observed the results of a very substantial increase in Vietcong activity' (true); but I then added, ‘We reviewed the plans of the South Vietnamese and we have every reason to believe they will be successful' (an overstatement at best)."

For a while, nobody questioned McNamara's statements because there was a trust in our country's leadership. But as time went by, people began to recognize that President Johnson's and Robert McNamara's words didn't match up to the facts. That's when America began to lose faith in the words of the people who lead us.

Since that time we have experienced Presidents who have received nicknames from the press like "Tricky Dick Nixon", and "Teflon Willy Clinton".

In fact, just in yesterday's Desert Sun newspaper, an article appeared about a special lawyers committee in Arkansas that "...is considering an ethics complaint against President Clinton that could lead to the suspension or revocation of his law license."

C. Reputation Used to Be Important

You know, there was a time when our values taught that our reputations were extremely important. People in past generations used to exhort their children to work hard to create a good name for themselves. Or they were told things like, "It's important to uphold the family name." Because family honor used to be a very important thing.

Have you ever wondered what people associate with your name? Do people say that you can be trusted... that you're reliable... that you can be counted on... or that you are a man or woman of integrity or honesty? Well, that's what Jesus has to speak to us about, today, in this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5:33-37. In this passage, Jesus lays down a challenge to people who want to be His followers. The challenge is this..."You need to be as good as your word." Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5, and I'll start reading at verse 33...

Matthew 5:33 33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'

II. The Prevailing View of Truth in Jesus' Day

A. The Old Testament References

Jesus is referring to several different Old Testament passages here...

Leviticus 19:12 12 "`Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

Numbers 30:2 2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

Deuteronomy 23:21 21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.

In these passages, God was providing for the practice of making oaths, and punctuating those oaths by using His name. Such practice was not a sin..., as long as you followed the rules that God had given, to ensured that dishonor wouldn't be brought to His name. So, the rules were, when you swore, using God's name,... –make sure what you said is true; –make sure you didn't break the promise you made, –and honor a commitment you make in a timely manner.

Now, there's a reason for these rules. The reason is that human beings need a code of conduct. People must have some set of standards to live by. When ethical and moral standards are removed, men and women simply make up their own rules for conduct. So we need some standards to which we submit. And this is what God was doing by giving guidelines in His Law. And it was on this code of laws and conduct and many others like it that our nation's founders built their lives and the original laws of this nation.

B. Things have changed

But things have changed. And the change that has crept upon us is so subtle that it may not have sunk into our consciousness yet. But friends, listen, we are living in a Post-Christian era in the United States and Canada, today. The guidelines God put in the Bible, that our original laws were based upon, and that most of us grew up with, are not followed by most people today. Post-Christian means that generally speaking,

–the people you live next door to, –the media and entertainment that influences you, –the public schools your children and grand children attend, –and the leaders that lead you ...cannot be counted on to operate by God's rules for conduct, as they once did.

This was significantly pointed out in a book written about 8 years ago...

James Patterson and Peter Kim, authored, The Day America Told the Truth. In their survey of over 10,000 Americans, they concluded that... -74 percent of Americans would steal from those who wouldn't miss it; -64 percent would lie for convenience as long as no one was hurt; -93% of the Americans felt that they alone decide the morality of issues, based on their decisions or their own experience or how they felt at the time. -84 percent said they would break the rules of their own religion for their own benefit. And -81 percent said they have violated a law they felt to be inappropriate.

That's the facts of the culture in which we live. That's the context in which we live our lives today.

C. No Different Than the Climate of Jesus Day

Now, the interesting thing is, that what we are experiencing today is very similar to what the people who sat on that Judean hillside, listening to Jesus speak these words were also experiencing. It was because of this bad moral climate, and the bad examples set by the Jewish leaders that Jesus wanted his followers to get back on track with God's values. So, He gives a new, more expanded standard for making promises, and being true to your word...

Matthew 5:34-36 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 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 swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

Here's some background that will help these words make sense to you.

During this time, the Pharisees and Scribes were saying that a person was only obligated to be truthful when an oath was taken in God's name.

You see, the business people of Jesus day wanted to be technically correct in what they said, yet be able to cover up dishonesty, if it became necessary. They wanted to be able to swear to only part of the truth, without violating the letter of God's law.

So, the religious leaders of the day accommodated these business men by watering down God's law to eventually mean that while it wasn't acceptable to swear falsely by God's name, it was acceptable to swear falsely or tell partial truth by another name–related to God.

In practice, people began to swear by heaven, or by other heavenly beings (like angels), or by the earth, or by God's Holy City, Jerusalem, or even by the hair on their own heads.

So, I want you to see at the outset, what Jesus is doing. He is condemning hypocrisy. The value He's addressing in these verses, is one of total honesty and unquestionable integrity, not half-truths and white lies.

While the business men of Jesus' day were trying to be technically correct, they were being practically dishonest. So Jesus cuts to the real issue. This is an issue that's at the core of a person. This is an issue of what's in a person's heart.

III. Jesus' View of Truth

Matthew 5:37 37 Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

A. An Issue of Character

Jesus tells us that our yes should equal yes. Our no should equal no. In other words, we should speak the truth at all times. We should mean what we say. Jesus' followers should be as good as our word.

B. Western Digital Illustration

Illustration: About two years ago, just before I left for Christmas vacation, the hard drive on my office computer, crashed. It was under warranty, so I called and got directions from the Western Digital Corporation on how to send it back to them. I followed all their instructions, and a month later, no hard drive had been shipped. So, I got on the phone and called Western Digital Corporation, and was promised by a man named, Lee, that I would have my new hard drive the next day. Sure enough, one was delivered, but it was a smaller-sized one than I had returned. So, the next day, I called Western Digital again, and this time I talked to a man named, Shawn. Shawn apologized and swore to me that I'd have a new hard drive delivered in 48 hours. Two days passed with no hard drive, so I called again, and this time I talked to a man named, Mike. Mike promised me I'd have my new hard drive by the next day. It didn't arrive. It was now Friday, and I called again. This time I talked to a man named, John. And John said, "I am so sorry. Things are so hectic around here that we are making promises that we cannot keep." He said, "I'll personally pack up your hard drive, walk it to the dock, and call you with the tracking number later today." And he did. And the next day, I got the equipment through a special delivery service.

But what got to me was the fact that I was promised something by four men in one week with the same company. And I was finally told that they were all making promises that they could not keep.

Now friends, what Jesus is telling us that we need to be as good as our word–whether in business or in our personal life. The next week, I sent a letter to Western Digital commending John as a man of integrity. Because he was the only one who followed through and did what He said He would do.

C. Are You As Good As Your Word?

Are you as good as your word, like John proved to be at Western Digital Corporation? Are you someone others can count on to be truthful in your business dealings, in your relationships, or at school? Are you a person of integrity and honesty? Does your yes mean yes, and your no mean no? When you are gone from this life, how will you be remembered by others in this regard? This is an issue of character.

"The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to be buried is the character of a man. What a man is, survives him. It can never be buried." (J. R. Miller)

You could call this concept by another name. It is our testimony. It is what our lives say to those outside the faith, looking in at us. It is what our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren remember about us.

IV. Conclusion

Friends, let me give you some practical advice. It comes from one of my favorite story tellers, and it's on the front of your bulletins this morning...

To know and to serve God, of course, is why we're here. That's a clear truth, like the nose on your face. It's near at hand and easily discernible, but can make you dizzy if you try to focus on it hard. But a little faith will see you through. What else will do except faith in such a cynical, corrupt time? When the country goes temporarily to the dogs, cats must learn to be circumspect, walk on fences, sleep in trees, and have faith that all this woofing is not the last word. ( -- Garrison Keilor from, We Are Still Married.)

How do you live circumspectly when our culture is no longer Christian? How do you ensure that you are a person who runs perpendicular to society, not parallel? And how do we teach our kids, grandkids, and great grandkids... honesty and integrity when our leaders don't set that example?

Let me give you some very practical suggestions in this regard. First of all, for you, personally...

A. YOU–two things:

1. Learn about leaders who demonstrate integrity. Learn what you can about leaders who were worth following–John Wesley, Martin Luther, St. Augustine, Billy Graham, Hudson Taylor, Dwight Moody, Mother Theresa, Jim Elliott, Susan B. Anthony and others. Make a commitment in the next six months to read at least one biography of a Christian leader who demonstrated integrity in his or her life.

2. If this is an area that you struggle with, or in which you've made mistakes in the past. Confess it to God, and ask God for help and strength to be a man or woman of integrity. Be like the apostle Paul says...

Philippians 3:12-14 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

B. FOR KIDS–two things

Now, let me give you some practical advice for teaching children and youth...

1.–Tell stories of honesty and integrity. Use stories from literature and from your own background. Tell them about your family, if you know anything about it, and times when your dad or mom showed honesty and integrity. Hold these times up as important times. Give them heroes to follow who are people of integrity, not people of convenience or popularity. One of the biggest tragedies of the generations born after 1975, is they have few heroes who have stood the test of time. Our children need more models of honesty and integrity, and less models of physical attractiveness and athletic prowess.

2.–Be an example of integrity. H. B. London wrote this in his Pastor's Weekly Briefing newsletter a while ago...

With all the talk surrounding the alleged immoral activity of our president, and the polls showing that people seemingly are more interested in the way Mr. Clinton handles the economy than his moral character, the word EXAMPLE pops up. Would you want your children to grow up to be like him? Would you want your spouse to act like him? Would we want all of our public officials to follow his pattern of behavior?

Paul wrote to a young pastor, "Be an EXAMPLE to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12) That is pretty straight forward.

It would seem to me that, with all the scrutiny that political and religious figures are under these days, we should all do everything we possibly could do to set an EXAMPLE for our families and those who watch us. In fact, we are EXAMPLES, whether positive or negative. (from the "Pastor's Weekly Briefing", Focus on the Family, February 6, 1998.)

I like what Garrison Keilor said... "The woofing is not the last word." Friends, this is (hold up Bible). 

Amen.