This week, pastoral elder Matt Godsil makes the next step in the Sermon on the Mount series. He talks about swearing and taking oaths. 

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Sermon Passage: Matthew 5:33-37

Sermon Outline

1. Jesus confronts the issue of the Swearing of Oaths and the condition of manipuldated truthfulness.
2. Jesus exposes the illusion that some speech requires truth, while ordinary speech does not.
3. Jesus is not merely banning vocabulary, he is attcking dishonest speech culture, truth manipulation, and performative righteousness.

Questions for Discussion and Study

1. How doe sthe issue of swearing of oaths and manipulated truthfulness in our world and culture today?
2. What has the breakdown of truthfulness and broken promises doen to the trustworthiness of our institutions and in our relationships with each other? Cite some examples.
3. Where do we as a church culture here at Grace, stand in the battle for truthfulness in the world of deception wer are immersed in?
4. Can we individually live a life of our yes being yes, and our no being no, without using oath-like language, like "really, I swear to..., honest, etc." to substantiate the truthfulness of our declarations?