Today's Passage - Matthew 23:16-22

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Matthew 23:16-22   "You say, 'If anyone takes an oath in the name of the temple, it means nothing. But anyone who takes an oath in the name of the gold of the temple must keep the oath.' You are blind and foolish! Which is more important? Is it the gold? Or is it the temple that makes the gold holy? "You also say, 'If anyone takes an oath in the name of the altar, it means nothing. But anyone who takes an oath in the name of the gift on it must keep the oath.' You blind men! Which is more important? Is it the gift? Or is it the altar that makes the gift holy? "So anyone who takes an oath in the name of the altar takes an oath in the name of it and of everything on it. And anyone who takes an oath in the name of the temple takes an oath in the name of it and of the One who lives in it. And anyone who takes an oath in the name of heaven takes an oath in the name of God's throne and of the One who sits on it.     Back in the New Testament time, the Jews liked to take oath. They so casually took oath that they did not care whether an oath was for real or not. To sort this mess out, they made a list, e.g. in verse 17, "If anyone takes an oath in the name of the temple, it means nothing. But anyone who takes an oath in the name of the gold of the temple must keep the oath. ... If anyone takes an oath in the name of the altar, it means nothing. But anyone who takes an oath in the name of the gift on it must keep the oath." Originally, the Old Testament says that you can not take a false oath in the name of the Lord, i.e. people shall not take a false oath. However, by their interpretation, it becomes that as long as one doesn't mentioned the name of the Lord, taking a false oath is not a sin. In fact, heaven is God's throne, earth is His footstool, Jerusalem is God's capital, and even people are creation of God. Our lives are in God's hand. If it is not out of God, we can not even change a single hair to black or white. Heaven, earth, people, things, which one is not in God's hand? As such, we cannot casually take an oath.     It is actually very easy for us to make the same mistake as that of Pharisees. It may not be taking a false oath, but we may also mistakenly believe that God only lives in temples. When we worship, we are careful not to speak lies, because we are in front of God. But when we are in homes, shops, business venues, companies, we think that God is not there, so it is ok to say a little lie. It's like that of Pharisees, as long as not in the name of the God, it is ok to take false a oath. We think we can escape from God, just like that of tinting a car window. The tinting film first blocks the sunlight; also, while people on the inside can see the outside, people on the outside cannot see the inside. So after you close the window, you feel safe. Even though you can escape from the prying eyes of people, you cannot escape from the all watching eyes of God, especially for those who are believers. God will never just be in churches, but in everyone's hearts. The God we believe is the true God of Immanuel. Because of that, He lives inside of us, and we are right before Him every moment. May God help us to live a life of truth every day!   Pray with Pastor Tong     Lord, may your spirit help us so that we can live an honest life before You. Because you are true and real, we can live a true and real life.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!