The Weight of a Word: Honoring Truth in Speech

Devotional

Day 1: Keep Your Word—Let Your Yes Be Yes and Your No Be No

Jesus calls us to a radical honesty in our speech, urging us to avoid overpromising or swearing by anything to prove our sincerity. Instead, we are to be people whose simple "yes" or "no" is trustworthy, reflecting a heart of integrity and dependence on God rather than our own ability to control outcomes. This means resisting the urge to embellish, exaggerate, or invoke God's name to make ourselves sound more credible, and instead, humbly acknowledging our limitations and being truthful about what we can and cannot do. In a world full of false advertisement and letdowns, our words should be a refreshing source of reliability and truth, pointing others to the faithfulness of Christ. [02:02]

Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV)
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘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 this comes from evil.”

Reflection: Where in your life do you feel tempted to overpromise or exaggerate your ability to deliver? What would it look like to simply say "yes" or "no" this week, trusting God with the results?

Day 2: The Weight of Our Words—Bearing False Witness and Its Consequences

God’s commandments reveal that lying and stealing are deeply connected, and both are destructive to community and relationship. To bear false witness is not just to tell a lie, but to risk someone’s reputation, livelihood, or even life, especially when our words are used to accuse or mislead. The power of the tongue is not about manifesting our desires, but about the real impact our words have on others—either building up or tearing down. We are always under oath before God, and our speech should reflect the seriousness of that reality, avoiding careless or harmful words that can bring disappointment or even destruction. [13:03]

Exodus 20:7, 16 (ESV)
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. … You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Reflection: Think of a recent conversation where your words may have misrepresented the truth or someone else. How can you make it right, and what step can you take to ensure your words build up rather than tear down?

Day 3: Admit Your Limitations—Don’t Overcommit or Overstate

There is wisdom and humility in recognizing and admitting our own limitations, rather than pretending we can do more than we actually can. Just as a business uses disclaimers to acknowledge what it cannot deliver, we too should be honest about our capacity, saying "I can't" when necessary. This protects us from the trap of false advertisement in our relationships and commitments, and it frees others from disappointment. Underpromising and overdelivering is better than the reverse, and it honors God when we are truthful about what we can recall from the past and what we can commit to in the future. [25:20]

Proverbs 25:14 (ESV)
“Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.”

Reflection: Is there a commitment you’ve made that you know you can’t keep? What would it look like to humbly admit your limitation today, even if it means disappointing someone in the short term?

Day 4: Christ, the One Who Never Lets Us Down

While all of us have let others down with our words, there is One who never has—Jesus Christ. He took upon Himself the curse for all our falsehoods, overstatements, and broken promises, being consumed on the cross so that we could be truly clean. The gospel is not about us perfectly keeping our word, but about trusting in the One who is the Truth, who fulfilled every promise of God and offers us forgiveness and new life. In Him, all the promises of God find their "Yes" and "Amen," and we are invited to rest in His finished work rather than our own efforts. [54:29]

2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV)
“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to stop striving to prove yourself and instead rest in the finished work and faithfulness of Jesus?

Day 5: You Are the Marketing Campaign—Live as a Witness to Christ’s Truth

God has chosen His people—the church—to be the living testimony and "marketing campaign" for the truth and power of Jesus. Our integrity, honesty, and faithfulness in word and deed are meant to point others to the One who removes every stain and fulfills every promise. We cannot share a gospel we have not received ourselves, so we are called to first embrace Christ’s cleansing and then go out, letting our lives and words be a true reflection of His grace. The world is full of false advertisements, but we are called to be the real thing, showing by our lives that Jesus is better than anything else on offer. [55:49]

Philippians 2:14-16 (ESV)
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

Reflection: Who in your life needs to see the real difference Jesus makes? How can your words and actions this week serve as a true “advertisement” for Christ’s love and faithfulness?

Sermon Summary

We live in a world full of letdowns, where promises are made and broken, and words are often cheapened by false advertisement. But God calls us to something radically different: to be people whose words are trustworthy, whose “yes” means yes and whose “no” means no. This is not just about avoiding lies, but about living with integrity, humility, and a deep awareness of our limitations. Jesus, in Matthew 5:33-37, challenges us not to swear oaths at all, but to let our simple word stand on its own. He exposes the ways we try to bolster our credibility—by invoking God’s name, by overcommitting, or by pretending to remember things more clearly than we do. All of these are rooted in pride, insecurity, or a desire to please people rather than God.

The commandments in Exodus 20 show us that our words are not just about us and God, but about how we treat one another. To bear false witness is to wield the power of life and death with our tongues. Jesus goes even deeper, showing that lying and stealing are intertwined—both are ways of taking what isn’t ours, whether it’s someone’s reputation or their trust. The Pharisees tried to sound spiritual by making elaborate oaths, but Jesus unmasks this as empty posturing. He reminds us that everything belongs to God—heaven, earth, even our own heads—so every word we speak is spoken before Him.

We are called to honesty not just in what we say about the past, but in what we promise for the future. Admitting “I can’t” is not weakness, but wisdom. It’s better to underpromise and overdeliver than to create expectations we can’t fulfill. When we invoke God’s name to endorse our own words, we misuse His holiness and risk leading others astray. The only endorsement we need is the character of Christ formed in us.

Yet, all of us have failed in this. We have let people down, misused our words, and even invoked God’s name for our own purposes. But the good news is that Jesus never let anyone down. He is the true and better “OxyClean”—the one who removes every stain, not by false advertising, but by being consumed for us on the cross. All the promises of God find their “yes” in Him. Our calling is to receive His cleansing, walk in His truth, and become His living advertisement to the world.

Key Takeaways

1. Let Your Word Stand Alone Integrity is not about elaborate promises or spiritual-sounding oaths, but about the quiet strength of a simple “yes” or “no.” When our word is trustworthy, we reflect the character of God, who never lies. This challenges us to resist the urge to impress or manipulate, and instead to cultivate a reputation for honesty that needs no embellishment. [39:41]
2. Admit Your Limitations Saying “I can’t” is an act of humility, not failure. It acknowledges that we are not sovereign, and that only God knows the future. When we refuse to overcommit or overstate, we protect ourselves and others from disappointment, and we create space for God’s power to work through our weakness. [25:20]
3. Beware of Invoking God’s Name Using God’s name to endorse our own words is a subtle form of pride and manipulation. It’s tempting to add spiritual weight to our opinions or desires, but this dishonors God and misleads others. True spirituality is content to let God’s character speak for itself, without needing to “up the ante” with oaths or claims of divine endorsement. [35:04]
4. Jesus Bears the Cost of Our Broken Words Every one of us has failed to keep our word, but Jesus was consumed on the cross for our failures. He took the curse meant for liars and thieves, so that we could be truly cleansed. Our hope is not in our perfect speech, but in His perfect sacrifice and resurrection. [53:49]
5. The Church Is God’s Living Advertisement God’s marketing campaign for the gospel is not flashy or manipulative—it’s the transformed lives of His people. When we live with integrity and truthfulness, we become the “as seen on TV” demonstration of Christ’s power to cleanse and restore. [55:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Introduction: False Advertisement and Letdowns
[01:16] - Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:33-37
[03:22] - The Pain of Broken Promises
[07:49] - The Call: Keep Your Word
[08:30] - The Context: Exodus 20 and the Commandments
[13:03] - Lying and Stealing: Two Sides of the Same Coin
[15:40] - Life and Death in the Power of the Tongue
[18:57] - Don’t Report What You Can’t Recall
[20:50] - Don’t Commit Beyond Your Capacity
[24:45] - The Wisdom of Admitting “I Can’t”
[27:54] - Jesus’ Amendment: No Oaths at All
[32:29] - Taking God’s Name in Vain
[39:41] - Let Your Yes Be Yes
[42:52] - Jesus, the True and Better OxyClean
[49:18] - Peter’s Denial and Our Own
[53:49] - The Consuming Sacrifice of Christ
[55:49] - The Church as God’s Marketing Campaign
[57:49] - The Scroll and the Promises of God
[59:09] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV) — > “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘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 this comes from evil.”

Observation Questions

In Matthew 5:33-37, what does Jesus say about making oaths and the way we use our words? What is his main instruction?
According to the sermon, what are some ways people try to make their words sound more believable or spiritual? ([29:14])
What connection does the sermon make between lying and stealing, and how does this relate to the commandments in Exodus 20? ([13:03])
What does Jesus say is the source of the need to say more than “yes” or “no”? ([28:35])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus tells his followers not to take oaths at all, but to let their “yes” be yes and their “no” be no? What is he getting at about our character? ([39:41])
The sermon says that overpromising or pretending to remember things more clearly than we do is rooted in pride or insecurity. Why do you think people struggle to admit their limitations or say “I can’t”? ([25:20])
How does invoking God’s name to back up our words actually dishonor God, according to the sermon? ([35:04])
The sermon says that Jesus is the only one who never let anyone down and that he was “consumed” for our failures. What does it mean for us to trust in Jesus’ perfect word instead of our own? ([53:49])

Application Questions

Think about a recent time when you said “yes” to something but couldn’t follow through. What kept you from saying “no” or “I can’t” in the first place? How could you handle a similar situation differently next time? ([25:20])
Are there situations where you feel pressure to make your words sound more impressive or spiritual—maybe by saying “God told me” or making big promises? What would it look like to resist that urge and just let your word stand on its own? ([35:04])
The sermon talks about the power of our words to build up or tear down others. Can you think of a time when your words either gave life or caused harm to someone’s reputation or trust? What did you learn from that experience? ([15:40])
When you’re not sure you remember something exactly, do you tend to act like you do anyway? How can you practice more humility and honesty in those moments? ([22:49])
The sermon says it’s better to underpromise and overdeliver than to create expectations you can’t fulfill. Is there an area of your life—work, family, church—where you need to set more realistic expectations? What’s one step you can take this week? ([25:57])
Jesus says that anything more than a simple “yes” or “no” comes from evil. What are some practical ways you can build a reputation for honesty and integrity in your daily life? ([39:41])
The sermon calls the church “God’s living advertisement.” How does your honesty (or lack of it) reflect on Jesus to the people around you? What’s one way you want to grow in being a better “advertisement” for Christ this month? ([55:49])

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