5.
We're in the Sermon on the Mount.
At the beginning of the sermon, Jesus shared the Beatitudes, blessed is, blessed is, and
he shows us a profile of what a Christian is, and that profile is a blessed life.
And for those who have been born of the Spirit of God, we bear the beautiful fruit that we
see there.
The effect is being sawed in light in a decaying and dark world.
In Matthew 5, 17, Jesus says something really interesting.
He says, do you not think that I've come to abolish the law of the prophets?
I've not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
So Jesus teaches the Sermon on the Mount, and what he teaches is the fulfillment of the
law.
And so he, in chapter 5, verses 21 and 26, he picks up this anger thing.
And he says, you know what?
Don't just murder, don't hate.
Don't lust either.
And 5, 31 through 32, he says, be actively keeping your life-long exclusive vows to your
spouse.
And in this morning, we're going to be looking at something that Jesus had to say.
And at the outset, he may say, what does that mean?
Well, as followers of Jesus, we no longer speak lies, and we're no longer unfaithful to
our word.
We speak the truth, and we are true to what we say.
And you know what?
We don't have to make oaths anymore.
We don't have to build scaffolding around what we say to ensure people that what we need
is what we need.
We can say something, let our yes be yes, and our no be no.
I'm going to end this sermon today talking about this concept called corum deo.
It's a Latin word.
It means before the face of God.
And we're going to be truth seekers because we live corum deo.
And so hold on.
We'll get there.
But right now, I want you to know that your words matter.
What you say matters.
It matters to God, and it affects the people around you.
And so here in Matthew 5, 33 through 37, Jesus is calling us, his disciples, to be truthful.
Let me read it.
Again, you've heard that it was said to those bold, 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 that comes from evil.
Our Lord Jesus, our King, is calling us to be truthful.
To be consistent with what we say in our lips and the walk we walk day after day.
We'll be truthful in what we say and true to what we say.
And so to help you see this, I'm going to make three points in the sermon this morning.
I want to help you see the truth about oaths, the swearing business, you know, what's that all about.
Let's look at the truth about that, what the Old Testament has to say about that.
And then we're going to look at the truth distorted by Pharisaical technicalities.
And then finally, the last move is Jesus.
He comes and clarifies this whole oath thing.
The truth clarified by living in quorum damn.
So, what we're going to find is we're truthful because we're living for God.
The truth about oaths.
If you look at verse 33, you can guess.
Again, you've heard that it was said to those of all,
You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.
So, the swearing Jesus is talking about is not cussing.
The swearing he's talking about is swearing to do something.
Committing something with your words.
And in verse 34, we see, he says,
What I say to you, do not take an oath at all.
And so swearing and oaths are talking about the same kinds of things.
It's not the same basket, including vows even.
So, what we need to ask at the outset is,
What is an oath?
What's a vow?
What does it mean to swear to do something?
Well, an oath or a vow or swearing to do something
is a verbal guarantee for a serious commitment you're making.
So, one takes an oath or makes a vow
when you're going to do something serious,
something weighty.
For example, January 20, 2017,
we will have a new president being sworn into the Oval Office.
I do solemnly swear that I will thankfully execute
the Office of the President of the United States
and will, to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect, and defend
the Constitution of the United States.
They're being sworn into office.
Or maybe you've taken this kind of oath before.
Left hand on the Bible, right hand up in a court of law.
I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.
So, help me God.
Take you none.
For wedding vows.
For wedding vows, I had the privilege of
officiating a ceremony this past Friday night,
and I said to the bride and groom,
having indicated your desire to join together as husband and wife,
will you please turn to one other, join hands,
and repeat these vows.
I groan, take you, bride, to be my wedded wife,
to have and behold, for this day forward,
for better and for worse, for riches, for poor,
and sickness and health, to love, to cherish,
put death to his heart, according to God's holy word,
and to that end, I pledge you,
I bow to you, my exclusive devotion.
We're surrounded by oaths.
We're surrounded by vows.
We're surrounded by swearing to do things.
When you speak an oath, when you make a vow,
you are binding yourself to your word.
You are committing, you say,
I'm going to do this no matter what.
What I'm saying is true.
And I'm going to be true to what I'm saying.
So the purpose of an oath
is to guarantee the truthfulness of one's word.
That's the purpose of an oath.
And as R.C. Sproul points out,
there is a place for folks and vows
on occasions of great importance
and lasting significance.
We'll come back to that.
But right now, I want you to realize that
oaths are binding.
Vows are binding.
But there's more to the truth about oaths.
Oaths frequently invoke the name of God.
Or at least something greater
to solemnize the importance of something.
I swear to tell the whole truth
and the truth, the whole truth is nothing but the truth.
So help me, God.
What they're saying in the court of law is,
hey, before God, as God is my witness,
I'm going to tell you the truth as I know it best.
It's a very solemn event when you take an oath.
When you swear to do something by invoking God's name,
or vow to do something in God's name,
or take an oath in God's name,
the Old Testament would say,
not only is that permitted, but it's encouraged.
Listen to Deuteronomy chapter 6.
Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 13 and 14,
you read this.
It is the Lord your God you shall fear.
Him you shall serve,
and by His name you shall swear.
You shall not go after other gods,
the gods and the peoples who are around you.
What Moses is saying is,
hey, if you're going to swear by a God,
swear by your God,
Yahweh, not Baal, not Molek.
Swear by the name of your God.
Deuteronomy 23, verses 21 through 23,
we read this.
If you make a vow to the Lord,
the Lord your God,
you shall not delay in fulfilling it,
for the Lord your God will surely require of you
that you will be guilty of sin.
But if you refrain from valuing,
you will not be guilty of sin.
You shall be careful to do what is past your list,
for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God
what you have promised with your mouth.
So what we're learning is that
in the Old Testament,
vows were not prohibited.
They were encouraged in some way.
And if you're going to make a vow,
you better do it.
And if you're familiar with Jephthah,
Judges chapter 11,
you read like the most tragic of vows ever.
It points to the flawed character
of Israel's leaders at the time.
So just this brief sampling of the Old Testament,
I just want to let you know
that oaths were okay.
Vows were appropriate.
You can swear by God's name.
You just need to make sure you did it.
But here's a little piece that you need to remember.
It's also in Deuteronomy.
Chapter 5, verse 11.
This is kind of a summary of the Ten Commandments
before Israel enters the promised land.
God says,
You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.
So here's what that means
in connection to vows and oaths.
If you were to make an oath in God's name
and then fail to meet the oath,
not only did you fail in the word,
you have now profaned the name of God.
You have emptied the name of God of its glory.
You're making a statement about God himself.
So in the Old Testament,
if they broke an oath in the name of God,
they were profaned in the name of God.
So not only was it a failed commitment,
they have defamed their God.
So as you can see,
making an oath is a pretty serious business.
And so this first section,
the truth about oaths,
as you want to see,
is that an oath is basically about
guaranteeing the truthfulness of one's word.
That's what an oath is about.
And oaths are binding,
and when God's name is invoked,
one's oath becomes a statement
about God's character,
and God will look to it.
So that's the truth about oaths.
Now let's look at this truth
that is distorted by
Pharisees,
Satan,
and the truth about it.
Amen.
Look back at verse 5,
verse 33.
Again, you've heard that it was said to those of old,
you shall not swear falsely,
but shall perform to the Lord
what you have sworn.
Jesus is not taking issue
with the Old Testament.
Jesus is taking issue
with the fair saying,
called twisting,
of the Old Testament
when it came to oaths.
Let me explain.
Now,
you've got to realize
that the religious leaders
of Jesus said
that Pharisees
were fully aware
of what the Old Testament
had to say about oaths.
And there's more
to what the Old Testament
said about oaths
than what I shared with you
just moments ago.
And so,
the Pharisees
certainly did not want
to take God's name
in the fair.
They didn't want to do that.
Yet,
they wanted to keep giving oaths.
And,
if they didn't have
to be held accountable to it,
that would be great.
And so,
they were seeking ways
to speak oaths
and vows
and swear
without binding themselves
to have to do
what they're saying
they're going to do.
They wanted the ability
to make an oath
without being required
to follow through
with that oath.
They wanted to keep
their options open.
So,
you know what they did?
They devised
a very complicated
and technical system
of determining
when an oath
was binding
and when an oath
was not binding.
And you get a glimpse
of that
in Matthew chapter 23.
So,
we'll just skip ahead
to Matthew chapter 23
verses 16 through 22.
And I just want
to let you know up front
what you're going to read
is a lot different
than Matthew 5
and Matthew 23.
This is a poem.
This is Jesus
coming after the Pharisees.
He is rebuking them.
It's a series of
woe to you
scribes and Pharisees.
And so,
look at verse 16.
Woe to you blind guides
who say
if anyone swears
by the temple
that is nothing
but if anyone swears
by the gold
of the temple
he's bound by his own.
You see what's going on there?
The Pharisees
have this devised
system
where they were
slitting hairs
upon
the gold
of the temple
and the temple
as to whether
they're bound
to keep their word
or not.
Let's read up.
You blind fools
for which is greater
the gold
or the temple
that is
made the gold sacred?
And you say
if anyone swears
by the altar
is nothing
but if anyone swears
by the gift
that is on the altar
he's bound
by his own.
You blind men
for which is greater
the gift
or the altar
that makes the gift sacred?
So whoever swears
by the altar
swears by it
and by everything on it
and whoever swears
by the temple
swears by it
and by him
who dwells in it
and whoever swears
by heaven
swears by the throne
of God
and by him
who sits upon it.
Jesus is getting
after the Pharisees
because they wanted
to preserve
the weightiness
of their words
but without
the weightiness
of having to
follow through on it.
They were manipulating
oaths
for personal gain.
Now I mentioned
before that
when you take
an oath
with God's name
you're bound to it
and so what the Pharisees
were trying to do
is they're speaking
making oaths
on the basis
of important things
that weren't
God's name
and the thing
was if we make
an oath
that's not God's name
but it's important
well then we're not
really bound
to do it.
And Jesus is just
blowing that out
of the water.
Imagine what we make
first century
Palestine
there's a widow
her name is Rebecca
she approaches
the Pharisee
named Levi
and she says
I need a fence
built around
my garden
all these rock
badgers
are eating
my cabbage
I'm not going to have
anything to eat
can you please
do something
about it?
And the Pharisee
Levi says
Rebecca
they're slammed
by the temple
we'll get it done
by Thursday
the following
Saturday
at synagogue
Thursday
is coming on
widow Rebecca
flies
to Levi
and says
Levi
you swore
you had that
fence up
by two days ago
and now
the rock
badgers
are going to come
they can eat
all my cabbage
I don't have
anything to eat
to which Levi
would say
yes I know
I swore to you
but I swore
by the temple
not the door
of the temple
let's get something
on the books
for next week
and so when Jesus
says you blind
gods
he needs it
you're misleading
the people
you're bringing
mistrust
the Pharisees
had devised
for themselves
a system
of oaths
and vows
that kept
them off
the hook
while soundly
authoritative
and truthful
and maintaining
their position
now you might
be saying
well that's
ridiculous
I've seen
through that
in a heartbeat
still not
for me today
we appeal
to all sorts
of technicalities
to get ourselves
off the hook
maybe it sounds
familiar
I know I said
that I would
tar the driveway
by the end
of the day
but technically
it's still
11.15pm
I still have
45 minutes
to tar the driveway
technicality
or maybe
you found
yourself
in a situation
like this
oh oh oh
when I agreed
to that
what I really
meant
was that
if I had
time
I would do it
kind of changing
the terms
of the agreement
technicality
you said
I couldn't
watch this
sexually explicit
Netflix show
on TV
and you said
I couldn't
watch it
on TV
but you
didn't say
I couldn't
watch that
Netflix TV
on my laptop
technicality
oh did you
mean you
didn't want me
to watch it
at all
well you know
what when we
had that
conversation
about my
gambling
we had both
agreed that
I couldn't
spend our
money
on gambling
so what I
did
was just
open an
account
my own
name
and I'm
using my
own money
to gamble
technicality
your risk is a
point
politics
today
technicalities
the Pharisees
were using
the system
of technicalities
to shield
themselves
from taking
responsibility
what they
said
happens
today
happens
with all
of us
I'll tell you
that
it's an
evisive
use of
oaths
and so
what the
Pharisees
were doing
what we
are calling
to do
ourselves
are use
oaths
and commitments
and technicalities
to the
thing
having to be
true to our
word
and deal
with the
consequences
of our
decisions
you see
what the
Pharisees
had done
is they
had twisted
the very
purpose of
an oath
the purpose
of those
was to
guarantee
the
truthfulness
of a
statement
and what
the blind
gods
blind
fools
these
blind
men
had done
is
they
can
make
this
system
of oaths
as a
guarantee
a way
out
and Jesus
has a
very
sharp
thing
to say
to them
in Matthew
23
they were
blinded
by this
they didn't
see what
they were
doing
and they
were blinded
by their
own
sinfulness
and pride
because
this system
was serving
their
personal
interests
they were
entrenched
in their
thinking
they just
thought
it was
okay
they didn't
want to
be
accountable
they didn't
want to
have to
submit
to
somebody
else
so
their
practice
of making
oaths
was actually
distorting
the truth
in misleading
people
at this
point
we're like
would someone
please
step into
this mess
and make
sense of
it
and if you
look at
verse 34
Jesus
steps in
but I
say
but I
say
let me
clarify
this oath
there
Jesus
says
but I
say
now those
three words
are really
three important
words
you gotta
remember
who's
saying
this is
God
incarnate
saying
but I
say
let me
bring to
you the
true meaning
of this
oath of
business
let me
just shed
light on
this
clarify this
because the
Pharisees have
just messed
this thing
up
this is
Emmanuel
Emmanuel speaking
this is
Emmanuel speaking
this is the one
and came
through without
giving in
this is the one
who said
after being
baptized
the father
is my son
with whom I
want to
please
this is our
king
and he speaks
with all authority
because he's God
in the flesh
would you just
look back to
the last words
of Matthew
chapter 7
verses 28
29
it says
and when Jesus
finished this
sermon
the crowds
were astonished
as teaching
for he was
teaching them
as one who
had authority
and not as
their
strongness
Jesus was set
apart in what
he's saying
that what I
say
is God
speaking to
us
and so we're
going to come
under what
he says
in verse 34
he says
what I say
do not take
an oath
at all
and I'm
guessing in
your mind
you're wondering
things like
well
is that
everything
does this
mean everything
out there
is that
an exclusive
prohibition
well the
simple answer
that is
no it's
not
Jesus
is not
saying
no you
can't
speak
any
oath
so here's
why
all throughout
the New Testament
we see people
taking oaths
we see people
making vows
swearing by
God's name
the apostle
Paul
will use
the phrase
regularly
he'll say
as God
is my
readiness
Romans 1
9
2 Corinthians
1.23
Philippians 1
8
1 Corinthians
2
5
10
surely
Paul
knew
what
Jesus
is
teaching
here
and
surely
Paul
understood
it
not
as
a
exclusive
prohibition
to
taking
the oath
even
in God's
name
and
Hebrews
chapter 6
God
himself
takes
an oath
guaranteeing
our
salvation
and
maybe
what's
most
interesting
is
Matthew
26
verse
63
Jesus
is
standing
before
Caiaphas
and
Caiaphas
says
what he
says
I
adjure
you
by the
living
God
tell us
that you
are the
Christ
the
son
of
God
he's
putting
Jesus
under
an
oath
swear
by God
your
answer
what
does
Jesus
do
uh
Caiaphas
you
shouldn't
take
oath
what
you
say
is
true
you
accept
so
when
Jesus
says
do not
take
an
oath
at
all
it's
not
an
exclusive
prohibition
but
he's
prohibiting
something
so
what's
he
prohibiting
what
he's
saying
don't
do
this
my
followers
don't
do
this
and
what
he's
going
to
say
is
don't
do
what
the
Pharisees
do
don't
do
this
business
of
turning
oaths
into
guarantees
of
ways
out
so
remember
in
Matthew
5
Jesus
is
teaching
his
followers
and
he's
saying
to
them
do
not
misuse
oaths
he's
not
challenging
the
scriptures
he's
exposing
and
rebuking
the
Pharisees
practice
of
taking
oaths
without
any
intent
to
follow
through
Pharisees
were
misusing
oaths
and so
what
Jesus
is
saying
he's
saying
no
that's
not
why
that's
in
the
Bible
oaths
are
in
the
Bible
to
guarantee
the
truthfulness
of what
you're
saying
don't
do
what
these
Pharisees
are
doing
they
messed
up
you've
heard
it
said
them
all
don't
do
that
so
Jesus
presses
in
verse
34
35
36
exposes
the
false
in the
Pharisee
and
he
says
you
shall
not
swear
falsely
excuse
me
do not
take
oath
at
all
either
by
heaven
verse
35
or
by
earth
or
by
Jerusalem
verse
36
or
by
your
head
that's
what
the
Pharisees
were
doing
they
were
taking
oaths
and
making
oaths
based
upon
heaven
earth
Jerusalem
and
on
their
heads
don't
do that
they were
trying to
avoid
taking
God's
name
and
making
an
oath
in
God's
name
and
binding
themselves
to
what
they
had
to
say
and
Jesus
here
in
Matthew
5
and
he
makes
the same
case
in
Matthew
23
he
makes
a
linkage
he
reunites
what
the
Pharisees
were
trying
to
split
apart
he
says
don't
you know
that
heaven
is
God's
throne
don't
you know
that
the
earth
is
God's
foot
stool
don't
you know
that
Jerusalem
is the
city
of the
king
don't
you know
that
you have
no power
to change
the color
of your
hair
before
heaven
happens
God
God's
promise
determines
the
color
of your
hair
and
the
point
that
Jesus
is
making
is
that
the
God
over
all
anything
you swear
by
it's
connected
to
God
you
can't
escape
accountability
with him
there's
no way
all of
your
swearing
God
hears
it
and
is
going
to
hold
it
what
Jesus
is
doing
here
is
reviewing
the
practice
of the
Pharisees
and
he's
calling
his
disciples
to be
don't
do
that
be
truthful
watchers
be
truthful
these
saints
in
verses
34
35
they're
not
in
God's
name
they all
belong
to
him
they're
all
under
his
authority
not
name
God
doesn't
excuse
them
for being
responsible
for what
their
commitment
is
on
so
Jesus
exposes
the
false
distinction
the
Pharisees
are
making
and
he
exposes
it
in
us
there's
another
thing
I
want
you
to
hear
it's
not
in
Matthew
5
it's
actually
Matthew
12
and
what
it
is
this
it's
another
shot
at the
Pharisee
Jesus
takes
appropriately
so
if you
look at
Matthew
chapter
12
verses
36
and 37
he's
talking
about
trees
are
known by
their
fruits
a
good
tree
produces
good
fruit
bad
tree
produces
bad
fruit
and then
it says
out of
the
abundance
of
your
heart
the
mouth
speaks
and
so
Jesus
said
in
verse
36
I
tell
you
on
the
day
of
judgment
people
will
give
an
account
for
every
careless
word
to
you
for
by
your
words
you
will
be
justified
and
by
your
words
you
will
be
done
what
Jesus
is
saying
there
is
for
those
of
you
who
may
think
that
not
by
swearing
by
God's
name
somehow
you're
not
accountable
for
what
you
say
Jesus
is
saying
that
on
that
day
every
word
every
careless
word
is
going
to
be
judged
by
God
he's
getting
track
of
it
all
he
sees
all
he
knows
all
it's
not
some
formula
that
saves
your
speech
Jesus
gets
right
at
the
heart
of
the
matter
what
we
need
is
not
new
oath
formulas
what
we
need
is
a
new
heart
and
that
is
something
only
God
himself
can
bring
about
by
his
grace
a
heart
that's
transformed
by
God's
grace
bears
the
fruit
of
words
that
are
transformed
by
God's
grace
let me
put it
this
way
a
pharisaical
heart
that is
consumed
with
oneself
is
going
to
speak
words
consumed
with
oneself
out of
the
abundance
of
the
heart
of
God's
grace
but
a
heart
radically
changed
by
God's
grace
that
has
been
made
alive
by
the
spirit
of
God
because
of
what
Christ
has
done
on
the
cross
and
raised
from
the
dead
that
heart
now
wants
what
God
wants
God
delights
in
truth
he's
the
God
of
truth
and
he
sets
Jesus
who
is
the
truth
so
that
we
can
speak
truth
and
be
true
to
our
words
what
this
all
points
to
is
the
need
for
a
new
heart
a
heart
that
is
transformed
by
God's
grace
lives
quorum
deo
before
the
face
of
God
the
face
I'm
most
concerned
about
with
my
speech
is
God's
face
what
he
thinks
his
eyes
his
ear
he
is
the
God
of
truth
the
God
of
truth
is
overall
he sees
all
he sees
your
heart
and he
knows
the
word
that
flow
from
it
and so
when
you
live
quorum
deo
you
no
longer
care
about
using
technicalities
to
evade
consequences
you don't
care
anymore
because
you want
to use
your
words
for the
glory
of the
living
God
and for
the
upbuilding
of those
people
within
ear
of your
speech
and so
the question
within
yourself
becomes
if I
say this
will I
get caught
up in it
will
somebody
hold
accountable
to it
it
becomes
oh God
with what's
in my mind
right now
will that
glorify
your name
if when I
seek that
love will that
build up
people around
me
when you
live
the
cora
of
deo
all of
your
words
matter
not if
some are
oaths or
vows
all of them
matter
your jokes
your whispers
your oaths
and your
minds
it's no
longer
what can I
get out
of this
it's
how do I
give my
glory
when you
live
cora
of
deo
you take
every
thought
captive
before
God
before
it
comes
out
and when
you take
that thought
captive
and ask
God
will this
glorify
you
when
you
speak
it
you
speak
it
in
love
to
build
Jesus
is saying
don't look
like the
Pharisees
live
for
God
let
what
you say
be simply
yes
or no
we don't
need to
make a
vow
vows
and oath
are to be
a few
and far
between
and when
you're not
making
oaths
and vows
let
your
yes
to
yes
and no
you
don't
just
do
what
you
say
what
you
mean
what
you
say
you
don't
get
scaffolding
around
everything
you
say
let
it
stand
because
God
is
my
children
because
God
hears
living
corn
down
will
ensure
that
you
speak
truthfully
and
are
true
to
what
you
speak
and
that's
what
Jesus
died
he
died
so that
you
couldn't
you
couldn't
afford
and with
him
living
in
us
as
Rick
was
speaking
of
we
are
now
able
to
do
that
so
the
truth
about
oaths
is
that
the
Old
Testament
allowed
for it
and they
were
made
in order
to
ensure
the
truthfulness
of what
you
said
the
truth
distorted
by
technicality
this is
a Pharisee
that's
twisted
oaths
into a
practice
of self
protection
and self
promotion
and then
Jesus
speaks
right into
it
and clarifies
no no
we don't
live
like that
we don't
live
like the
Pharisees
we don't
live
politically
we live
for the
glory of
God
in your
speech
let me
just
brief
through
some
applications
first
is this
there's a
place
for oaths
and vows
they should
be reserved
for occasions
of great
import
and lasting
significance
R.C.
Cole says
they're very
appropriate
on wedding
days
second
be slow
to speak
J.A.
119
calls us
to be
slow
to speak
consider
your
words
consider
they
glorify
God
consider
their
effect
on
others
live
for
them
day
would
you
think
of
your
practice
like
this
every
day
God
may
my
words
bless
those
around
me
for
the
glory
of
your
name
you
may
be
asking
what
if
my
life
has
undermined
my
credibility
what
if
my
lack
of
keeping
my
word
has
caused
people
to not
trust
me
the
solution
is not
putting
in
formulas
the
solution
is
quorum
down
the
solution
is
being
truthful
before
God
and that
starts
with
acknowledging
that you
have been
speaking
in ways
that
is
perfect
what
if
I
foolishly
found
myself
by
my
words
and
am
unable
to
follow
through
with
them
I'll
do
there
more
times
than I
like
to
admit
be
honest
be
honest
before
God
on
others
if
you're
taking
notes
write
down
Proverbs
chapter
6
1
through
5
we've
got
instructions
from
Proverbs
of
what
to
do
in
that
case
if
you're
being
convicted
this
morning
that's
God's
kindness
to you
and you
want to
grow in
your
speech
let me
encourage
you
take
September
and go
through
the
book
of
Proverbs
and as
you go
through
the
book
of
Proverbs
you pay
attention
to
words
like
tongue
lips
words
and especially
the effect
of one's
words
on others
a word
physically
spoken
is like
apples of
gold
in the
setting
of silver
Proverbs
25
and finally
when you
feel
condemned
by your
sinful
words
I do
regularly
remember
the
sinless
incarnate
word
who said
for you
on the
cross
it's
finished
it's
painful
it's
cross
work
forgives
the sin
of your
mouth
and
purifies
you
so that
now
you're
able
to
speak
words
of a
righteousness
that exceeds
that of
even
of
fairness
he's
the way
he's
the truth
he's
the life
that's
what's
right
Lord Jesus
we
are
you