SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matthew 5:33-42
UNDER CONTROL
#14 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Under Control – As Christians we realize
that only God can empower us through the Holy Spirit so that we are truly under
God’s control.
Galatians 5:16 - This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Jesus’ topic in Matthew 5:33-42 is
control. When we follow Jesus’ teaching
and allow the Holy Spirit to control us, we find that the following things will
be under control:
OUR LIPS UNDER CONTROL– Vss. 33-37
I think that the Psalmist had us all pegged
when he confessed his need for help with his tongue:
Psalm 141:3 - Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep
the door of my lips.
In verses 33-37 Jesus deals with
one of the key problems with our lips. It is the problem of telling the truth,
and not lying.
Vs. 33 - In this
passage Jesus is not talking about swearing as we think of it today. He is not
referring to taking the name of the Lord in vain, although this is a sin.
Filthy language is definitely wrong. Exodus 20:7, Ephesians 4:29
What is at stake here with this passage
is the truthfulness, the honesty, the integrity of our lips.
Vows or oaths are not uncommon in the
Old and New Testaments. These were to be
done seriously and when absolute truthfulness was involved. Numbers 30:2,
Genesis 14:22-23, 2 Corinthians 1:23
Matthew 26:63-64 – Jesus is
at his trial. He is asked to swear by
the living God and He does give an answer.
So, why then, did Jesus say not to
swear?
There are two reasons.
First, swearing or using of oaths, was a
far too common thing in the days of Jesus. People would use an oath for things
that didn’t matter. They would think nothing of using an oath for anything.
Would you take much stock in a person
who used an oath to verify that:
Ø
He was going to wear a red shirt today
Ø
Right after the “Price Is Right” she was going to mop
the floor?
Ø
That he or she was going to do their homework?
Vows and oaths are and were not
necessary for such things.
According to James Montgomery Boice, “The
second reason perversion of the proper use of oaths by the people of Christ’s
time was worse. It was evasive swearing.
People who were afraid to swear by the
name of the Lord because they were not telling the full truth began to swear by
things, and because mere things were not thought to be as significant as the
name of God this second class of oaths was not considered to be binding.” James
Montgomery Boice, The Sermon on the Mount
( Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972),
p. 152
In our text Jesus gives some examples of
the ways people swore or gave oaths.
Vs. 34 – By Heaven
– That’s the throne of God
Vs. 35 – By Earth
– That’s God’s footstool
Vs. 35 –
Lord Jesus Christ
Vs. 36 – By the
head – The head can’t change natural things
like hair color.
Vs. 37 - Instead
of using an oath to convince people of our honesty, Jesus just wants us to be
honest with our words.
Let your yes mean yes and your “no” mean
no!
If you are placed under oath as Jesus
was at his trial, just do what Jesus did.
Answer the questions honestly.
If you have made an oath or even a
promise, and have not kept it, confess that sin to God. Then if you can, try and keep it. Just
remember that there is nothing more valuable than a man that keeps his
word.
OUR LENIENCY – Vss. 38-39
Vs. 38 – The quote
that our Lord was using came from a few passages in the Old Testament. The
principle of an “eye for an eye” and a “tooth for a tooth” referred to the
civil government. When there were
violations against people, the government was to exact punishment and to do it
fairly. The government has authority in
such matters. Leviticus 24:19-20, Romans 13:4
Vs. 39 – According to the Lord Jesus the
rule of vengeance, “an eye of an eye” or a “tooth for a tooth”, was for the
government and not individuals.
If I say something is “a slap in the
face”, what am I saying?
I am saying that I have been insulted.
If someone literally slaps me in the
face, my first inclination is to want to slap back.
If someone insults me, cuts me, hurts
me, demeans me, what is the first thing I want to do?
I want to insult, cut, hurt, and demean
back.
Jesus is saying, “Don’t retaliate”.
Be lenient towards the person who has
just insulted you or hurt you. Romans 12:17
OUR LAWSUITS UNDER CONTROL – Vs. 40
Vs. 40 – The picture is of a lawsuit in
court.
Someone wants your coat, your suit or shirt
as satisfaction for a debt.
In Jewish law he could take the shirt,
but he could not take the cloak which was the equivalent of an overcoat.
The cloak was needed to keep warm at
night.
Jesus says,
“Let him have the coat too!”
Why would Jesus say that?
The Lord Jesus does not want us to hold
on to our possessions selfishly. If our
possessions need to go, we are to let them go.
We must realize that even if something
precious is taken away from us, people can not take away what is really
important, our relationship to God.
And remember, God is responsible to take
care of our needs. Matthew 6:28-30
OUR LABOR UNDER CONTROL – Vs. 41
Vs. 41 –
One problem was a Roman soldier could
force a citizen of
Jesus said take the man’s baggage two
miles.
Jesus is simply saying,
do more than what is expected of you.
And I believe the implication is that we should do it cheerfully.
We are to go the extra mile.
Many times we do not like the
inconvenience doing something for someone else.
The easiest thing in the world is to say
“no”.
It will take consecration to the Lord to
go the “extra mile for others.”
OUR LOANS UNDER CONTROL – Vs. 42
Vs. 42 – An easy
way to go bankrupt would be to answer every appeal you receive for money.
I believe that Jesus is talking about
legitimate need here.
When someone comes to you and asks for
help, and it is a legitimate request, we should strive to help. 1 John 3:17-18
Why is it that we are sometimes hesitant
to give to legitimate needs?
Are we selfish?
Are we greedy?
Do we want to hold on to what we deem as
ours?
Sometimes we can’t give all that a
person might request.
However, we can give what we are able to
give.