King Jesus and the Queen City

This morning we looked at the 4th of 6 case studies that Jesus taught during His sermon on the Mount. These studies showed how Jesus came to fulfill the law. Matthew 5:33-37 teaches that our words matter. Being a man or woman of our word is critical to living an abundant Life in Christ.

In Jesus’ day, there were rules and laws galore! On top of the written laws, there was also oral tradition, know as the Mish’na. Within the Mish’na, there was a whole section on oaths. In order to show how truthful you were being, there was a whole system of hierarchy. You could swear by heaven, by earth, by Jerusalem, or by your own head. Each identifying swear showed the level of importance or truthfulness. I know it sounds silly, but many of us still do that today in our own way! Jesus refutes all of this and says that we should simply, “let our yes be ‘yes’, and our no, ‘no.'” A promise should always be just that…a promise.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If we choose to make Jesus Lord, then we should speak the Truth, even when it is inconvenient. Too often we say things to profit ourselves or to “save face.” Proverbs 6 says, “God hates a lying tongue”. Let’s not live that way.

Thankfully, we have a God we can trust. God made a commitment to man to offer a way of redemption. He kept His word by sending Jesus. He said He would come, live a perfect life, die for our sin, and come again. We can trust and know that He will return!

Questions to discuss as a family today

1. Can you remember a time that you lied? What were the circumstances and why did you do it? Did it benefit you in the long run? Why not?

2. Why is it so important to be truthful?

3. Is our family known for being trustworthy? Why or why not?

Prayer

Spend time reflecting on God’s love and his promises to you. Praise Him for absolute Truth that you can count on every time. Confess areas of your life that you are not being truthful with Him and with others around you. Commit to be a person of your word who can be counted on in all situations.