The Gospel Series Part VII
Our closer look on The Sermon On The Mount continues.
Matthew 5:33-37 NKJV — “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ “But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; “nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. “Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
The Word of God tells us God gave the law to prevent chaos and for our own benefit;
Psalm 1:1-3 NKJV — Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
To bear false witness is to lie. So often we lie to ourselves, to others and to God. This leads to distrust and will lead people to swear to affirm they are telling the truth. When God met with Moses on top of Mount Sinai, He gave one of His 10 Commandments;
Exodus 20:7 NKJV — “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
This made an oath binding, and one had to abide by what he had said. Since the time of the Mosaic Law being given the Pharisees had created a legal way of lying, and they became very clever in their speech. Innuendo, word play and double talk had become common practice when the Pharisees interpreted the law.
Leviticus 19:12 NKJV — ‘And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.
God is very clear about this, but this doesn’t mean we cannot take an oath, because we witness people taking oaths to tell the truth in a court of law and politicians taking oaths to uphold the law before accepting their appointed office. Jesus, in Matthew 5:36 and 37, is emphasizing God’s desire for us to be trustworthy.
Matthew 5:38-42 NKJV — “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
In our lifetime we will most likely have an issue or a problem with someone else. When we want justice we sometimes go about it in the wrong way. As we witness in our society today, the situation was the same during the time when Jesus was ministering here on Earth. The Scribes and Pharisees were incorrectly teaching the people it was a personal duty to retaliate. We have seen the same when it comes to injustice in our society. Lawlessness and violence has been the result of society’s actions. The actions have brought no peaceful solutions, only more despair. Jesus says not to resist an evil person. Many ask why?
In the Greek this means “resist not the evil one.” We’re not to seek to get even in a personal way with the one who has wronged us. We can seek justice by going to the proper authorities. Vegilanté justice is not what we should be looking for.
Romans 12:17-19 NKJV — Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
We must be willing to go the extra mile with anyone because that person may be someone the Lord may want you to witness and lead them to the presence of the Lord.
Matthew 5:43-48 NKJV — “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, “that you may be sons of your Father 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. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Loving your enemy or enemies may be one of the hardest concepts to wrap our minds around. The Old Testament teaches we should love our neighbor, but nowhere does it say to hate your enemies. The key word Jesus uses is the word, “heard” not “it is written,” thus revealing this was a teaching handed down for generations. Praying for those who hurt and spitefully use you is difficult., but there is one thing we should keep in mind.
When Jesus was tried and crucified, He was beaten, spat upon and mocked. Once the Romans had stripped away His dignity, they led Jesus on a humiliating march to His death.
Luke 23:33-34 NKJV — And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
Despite all that had been done to Him, Jesus, in a gesture of love to all who had persecuted Him, asked God the Father for forgiveness to all who had rejected Him. It was the perfect example of what Jesus was teaching on the mount.
Extending God’s love through our actions can and will open doors of opportunity to witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who are looking for peace and reassurance.
Let us remember the ultimate act of love our Heavenly Father bestowed upon us and join us again when we continue our closer look on The Sermon On the Mount.
John 3:16 NKJV — “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
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