Thou Shalt Not Swear

January 6, 2021

Series: Misc Sermons

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Scripture: Matthew 5:33-37

The greatest of vows or oaths is that of marriage. It’s not only sealed on earth but also in Heaven. 
 
Exodus 20:7, Leviticus 19:12 and Numbers 30:2; is where these scriptures relate to. Don’t write them off because they are in the old testaments. These apply today just as they did before Christ.
 
Forswear: To never falsely swear of unnecessary swear. In courtrooms one usually laid their hand on the Bible and swore to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. One is doing this under Gods witness. 
 
Is a mans word still his bond?
Should your life be enough in order to give your word? A lot of times we think we have to commit to something because we feel that the person doesn’t believe you. At times we bring Gods name into it and swear to it. Have you ever heard the saying, “I swear to God…”? We should use Gods name a simple by-word nor His son or anything related to Him. We don’t have the power to keep a swear. Jesus Himself said never to swear.  In the setting of a marriage the officiant will ask the two to repeat and if they promise to keep them. They usually say “I do” and this is the swear, commitment between all parties, witnesses and God Himself.
When you evoke the name of God He will not forget that. So the best thing to do is to not swear at all. Some will even swear by themselves and yet we can’t even control our own lives. Just don’t swear at all. If you promise to do something or give your word, KEEP IT!
 
Now James speaks that we shouldn’t  promise things that we can’t keep or control. This is like saying, “I’ll be there tomorrow.”. You can’t control tomorrow or your life and therefore you don’t know if you can promise that or not. We should be saying, “If the Lord allows” or “Lord willing”. These are things that God controls, not you.
 
Simply put, your communication should either Yes or No. There isn’t a single thing that we have control over. We should never be swearing by anything because there is nothing that we can control. Think back in your life of the men or women that kept their word. Most of those people didn’t say much but they always kept their word. Strong men and women.
 
Why should your word mean something? Because Gods does. His word never fails. He’s never broken a single promise. God wants you to be like Him. We are to be Christians, Christ-like. We should be reflecting His image and therefore never lie.