Our church is on a journey studying through the book of Matthew and we are currently in the Sermon on the Mount. Specifically, we are at that famous section where Jesus gives six examples of ways the Pharisees had twisted the Law and then shows what the Law was actually meant to teach us. We know these 6 examples by the phrase: “You have heard it said…but I say to you…”

This past Sunday, we studied Matthew 5:31-32 and saw what Jesus had to say about divorce. You can watch that sermon here. If you heard that sermon, you may remember that I mentioned that we were going to have to skip over verses 33-37 of that passage because we simply ran out of time. I promised to write a short blog post on those verses and this post is me attempting to make good on that promise. Ironically, these verses focus on the idea of making promises - or oaths.

Let’s first read the verses together:

“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.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV)

The Pharisees had read the OT Laws that warned heavily against making false oaths in the Lord’s Name (see Leviticus 19:12) and to prevent committing the sin of making a false oath in the Lord’s Name, they decided to recommend that people swear by different entities such as Jerusalem, or by heaven and earth. Jesus comes along and says “How about we don’t continue finding things to swear by and simply be people that tell the truth and follow through on our promises.

When we feel the need to swear by heaven, earth, or even the Lord Himself, we are not only in danger of breaking our oath and profaning the name of the Lord, but we are showing ourselves to not be people of the truth. Jesus says rather we should “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’” and show by our actions that we are people of the truth.

The Pharisees were always seeming to try and find ways to show forth an external righteousness, so they felt the need to make grand oaths showing how serious and ‘righteous’ they were. Jesus says that’s not why the Law warned against false oaths. Rather, the Law was meant to teach you how to tell the truth in all things and to be a people of your word.

It seems to be a rare thing these days to truly be able to ‘take someone at their word.’ It’s hard to know who you can really trust. Jesus says that those transformed by the Gospel should be known - not for their grand oaths and gestures - but by their simple, humble, and honest actions. Be someone that only has to say “yes” or “no” and have people trust you because you are always true to what you say.

There are so many applications to this, but since these words came off the heels of Jesus’ teaching about marriage and divorce, I think the context leads us to apply this in our marriages. How often do we tell our spouses that “things will be different next time, I promise?” How often do we sin against our spouse and promise to make it up to them, and then never really follow through with that? How often do we go against the vows we made on our wedding day to love them for “better or for worse?” Let our marriages (and all our relationships for that matter) be defined by truth. Let us be people who are known for being true to our word, because we are people of The Word.

Let us not feel the need to add grand oaths and gestures to what we say we will do in order to get people to trust us. May they know we are people of the Truth by our “yes’s” and “no’s.” May the Gospel cause lies and deception to fall off our lips and be replaced by the Truth in all things. This is a kind of righteousness that cannot be achieved on our own and must come from Jesus Christ - who is Himself The Truth. May our lives be so filled with truth that even when the world hates us for the truth we tell, they can never prove to catch us in a lie.

A song that’s a favorite of mine at the moment is “God Really Loves Us.” One of the things that I love about worship music is not only the time that is spent being able to praise God but also the moments that happen at times after worshiping. In those moments I (at times) find myself thinking about aspects of the song. “God Really Loves Us” is no exception.

My immediate thoughts about the song are just how awesome and amazing it is that God really loves us. We were lost in our sin. We were in constant rebellion, yet God really loved us. He was there for us. He has always been there for us. What’s even more amazing is that He has always loved us. It’s not just a one-time thing. It’s not like the short and fleeting love that we may feel as we indulge in our favorite snack. God has always loved us, and He continues to love us. It’s a mercy that we do not deserve yet He still gives it to us.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV)

If you really think about it, God could have easily given us exactly what we deserve. How many of us are guilty of delivering our own form of justice to another? I know I am. Despite our sin, God loves us so much that he sent Christ to be the payment for our sins. Despite how much we have rebelled against God and are deserving of his wrath, He loved us so much that he offered to us the gift of eternal life in Christ. Wow!

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 (ESV)

Despite all of our sin, God was merciful towards us. We were dead in our sin. But now through Christ we have life. What love that must be!

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 (ESV)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
John 10:11 (ESV)

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13 (ESV)

So just to recap. We are all sinners that have fallen well short.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23 (ESV)

God sent His Son to be the payment for our sins. Jesus laid down His life for us. We were dead in our sin, yet we have life in Christ. What love God must have for us! It’s such a beautiful thing to ponder. No matter how poorly we have faltered, no matter how poorly we may still yet falter, God still loves us.

As we approach Easter I invite you to take a moment and really think about how God loves us. What a love He has for us. God’s love is without a question the greatest love we will ever know. I am so thankful for His love.

If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, please know that you are loved. If you would like to learn more about becoming a believer, please check out Become A Believer on MissionWay’s website. We would love to also connect with you and pray for you. Please take a moment and fill out an Online Connect Card.

Verse 1
I was the fool. I still act like a fool any time I sin. Your Son Jesus became the fool in my place to suffer the fool’s deserved wrath. There have been none who do good except your Son. We have all been corrupted by our evil actions. We have committed horrific deeds, thought horrific thoughts, and said horrific words. Yet, Christ took the corruption and the abomination upon Himself although He was not corrupt nor were His deeds abominable

Verse 2
Apart from Him, none of us would seek you. You looked down from heaven for just one person of understanding and goodness. Can anything escape Your sight? If there had been a good person at any point in time, you would have found him. You did not. You knew we needed a good man sent to us. A God-man.

Verse 3
Apart from Him, all have fallen and have become corrupted by sin. No one does good. No not one. Without Christ, our best works are like rags fit only to collect waste.

Verse 4
Your Son.
He never turned aside from your will.
He always does good, for He is Goodness.
He has all knowledge.
He eats the words of His Father as His bread.
He prayed perfectly with HIs Father.
He called upon His name.
Oh, God! Help us be more like He is. Grant us wisdom and grace.

Verse 5
He, by taking the place of fools, made them righteous. His Father is with them because of Him. His Father was with Him from eternity to eternity.

Verse 6
He has been united with His Father and His Spirit since the beginning. The cross was the one and only time His Father came against Him as if He was the combined foolishness and sinfulness of His people.

At that moment, that terrible moment, His Father was no longer His refuge so that He could be a refuge for His Son’s people. For us, despite our sin.

The sin and foolishness can be forgiven of any fool who would turn from sin and believe upon His Son by the power of His Holy Spirit.

What a great God and Savior we have. All of God’s people, let us rejoice and be glad in Him!

Amen.

If you haven’t listened to All Glory Be to Christ by Kings Kaleidoscope please take a moment to do so. We will actually be singing this song together as a church for the first time this Sunday (12.12.21) One of the things that I love about this song is the simple truth that all glory belongs to Christ. It doesn’t matter what we do, without Christ we have nothing. It doesn’t matter how much we gain, without Christ we have nothing.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”
Psalm 127:1

Unless we seek Christ, unless we allow Him to do His work in us and through us, we labor in vain. Without Christ what do we have to boast in?

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
James 4:13-15

Outside of Christ, we have nothing to boast in. We can strive to make all the plans we want, but at the end of the day if it doesn’t align with the Lord’s will, what do we really have? That’s not to say that we cannot make plans, when doing so we must remember that God is ultimately in charge. It’s not my will be done, it’s His will be done.

Ultimately we should strive for not our will, but His will to be done. A well-known example is found in the Lord’s Prayer and when Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39). Is that a request that you are willing to make? I know personally, I struggle with it at times. It can be difficult to pray for His will to be done. Despite the difficulty, Christ is so much greater. He is so much more glorious. Through Christ, we have everything that we could ever need. So take Him up on His invitation and come to the water.

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
Isaiah 55:1

If you have yet to take Him up on His offer, come to the water, consider Jesus’ words to the woman at the well…

“Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
John 4:10

It’s a gift that is given without cost. It’s water that satisfies all thirsts. It’s water that gives such a great reward.

In Christ, we have the greatest reward, both now and in the future. Christ is our hope, the one that we can look back at what He has done and hold strong in the promises of what He will do.

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:3-4

What a glorious day that will be. Through Christ, we are adopted into God’s Kingdom. Allow me to rephrase that, we are adopted into God’s Kingdom now and forever. No matter what may come our way in this life, in Christ, we have all that we will ever need. In Christ we have life. In Christ, we can go boldly throughout knowing that we are saved now and forevermore. What a beautiful message. What wondrous love that God would send His son to die for us sinners. That he would express his unconditional love for us and give us the water that we so desperately need.

Christ is worthy of all the glory that we can give. “Saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12). To Christ belongs all glory. In all that you do, strive to glorify Christ. He is worthy of all the glory that we can give Him.

Likely by now, you have heard the news about what is happening in Afghanistan as the Taliban ravages through, killing, raping, and literally destroying lives and cities as they go. It has honestly been too much for me to imagine and I find myself in a bit of cognitive dissonance at times. As I study for my sermon on Habakkuk 2:6-20 this Sunday, a thought struck me that I wanted to flesh out a bit through this blog post: “we need a proper understanding of hell to help bring our souls comfort in times like this.” That may sound like a bizarre statement and I truly am not writing that for shock value. Let me offer two quick caveats to explain what I DO NOT mean before I explain what I DO mean.

CAVEATS
1. I am not saying that this is the ONLY truth we need in times like this, or even the most important truth in times like this. I just see this as an overlooked truth that can bring additional comfort from the Lord.

2. I am not trying to make the doctrine of hell seem less difficult to swallow. As a matter of fact, that is one of the last things I hope this article does. The truth about hell and those who will go there should make us tremble - always.

WHAT I DO MEAN
As we watch evil seemingly triumph and win the moment in Afghanistan, we find ourselves lacking words to say and yet full of doubts in God’s goodness and His nearness. This was the dilemma that Habakkuk faced as he thought about the destruction that the Babylonians would bring to his people in Judah. And He began to question whether or not God even cared. God’s response to Him in Habakkuk 2 was to remind him that evil will not go unpunished. God Himself would ensure that the Babylonians would receive just punishment for what they would do.

In all of our conversations about the goodness and love of God, if we forget to teach ourselves and our children that God is also perfectly just and does not overlook evil, not only will they have a shallow view of salvation, but they won’t be able to handle the atrocities of the world we live in. We must know and find comfort in the fact that our enemies will not win, they will face the Judge of the Universe one day and He will enact perfect justice.

Hell is a place that is known for fire, deep pits, and utter darkness. Those are terms that Scripture uses and while we cannot with certainty describe what Hell will look like, we know it to be the place that the wicked are cast - for eternity - where they will experience the wrath of God forever. And that for those in Christ, they will be welcomed into the presence of God where we will fully experience His goodness and glory for all eternity. That’s why Paul could say with certainty that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). On the flip side, that means that these ‘momentary’ victories that the wicked seem to be gaining are preparing for them an eternal weight of suffering and justice to be served to them.

While on the one hand, this is difficult to talk about, it should bring our souls tremendous comfort to know that “The Lord is in His Holy Temple” (Habakkuk 2:20), and “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.” (Habakkuk 2:14) as He one day eradicates evil from this world. He is not sleeping, He will return and “repay each one according to their deeds” (Romans 2:6). This does not mean we will not experience evil in this life. It means that God will repay the wicked for every evil deed and reward His children for enduring every evil deed. It means that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

The doctrine of hell should bring us comfort in these things. It should also cause us to pray for our enemies - yes, even the Taliban. As I read through Habakkuk 2:6-20 and saw all the evil and wickedness of Babylon, it made the evil of the Taliban hit home for me and I began to grow angry. But then, I remembered that I too was once a child of wrath, just like them (Ephesians 2:3). I too deserved the eternal punishment of hell for my sin against a holy God and yet, God in His kindness has redeemed me and showered me with His grace and Mercy.

I now have been given the charge to go into all the world and proclaim this Good News - yes, even to the Taliban. So we pray for their salvation, and we pray that God’s justice would be done in every situation, and we have complete confidence that He will ensure that to be true. We know that every deed done by mankind under the sun will either be forgiven by the grace of Jesus (because Jesus already bore the wrath for them) or repaid at His second coming through the eternal punishment of Hell. This truth should cause us to tremble and be comforted at the same time.

None of this allows us to sit back and throw off the responsibility we have to find ways to relieve the suffering of our brothers and sisters. None of this gets us ‘off the hook’ in any way, shape, or form. It does, however, give us an anchor for the soul that none of this is meaningless and God is not surprised, nor will evil win. We mourn with our brothers and sisters today and know that there is coming a day when Jesus will wipe away every tear, death and evil will be no more, and we will enjoy the goodness of the presence of the Lord forever.

There is so much more to be said, but let me end with this for now: Pray for your brothers and sisters in Afghanistan. Pray for the Taliban. Pray for God to fill the earth with His glory. Pray for Jesus to return soon.