Yes or No

534.  "Yes or No"                                  June 5, 2012
James-Part 4
But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: about let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
James 5:12
LET IT GLOW

A simple yes or no will do. For some reason, I don't like a question that is supposed to be answered "yes" or "no." Maybe it's because I know it is so definite, no changing my mind. How about you? James tells us in our key verse to let our answers be yes or no. That's all that's needed.
James emphasized that a person's speech provides the most revealing glimpse of his spiritual condition.  James, echoing Jesus, in Matthew 5:37, is calling for straightforward, honest, plain speech. to speak otherwise is to invite God's judgment. (MacArthur)

According to MacArthur, this verse can be labeled "the test of truthfulness."
I didn't realize yes or no answers were that much of a big deal.

LET IT GROW

James says there are two things our speech should not do:
1. Do not swear.
    Matthew 5:34-35 says, But I (Jesus) say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is
    God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem; for it it the city of
    the great King.
    Heaven and earth are what He created, so if we swear by them, we are insulting God's creation,
    right?
    Swear means to grasp something sacred firmly, for the purpose of supporting what your're
    saying or doing. Christians shouldn't have to rely on this, because our words should be so riveted to
    truth that swearing or using oaths is unnecessary. (Swindoll)

   A song came to my mind, though the title escapes me, but the words say that God is above all powers, above all throne, above all nature and wonders, above all wisdom, and all the ways of man. God was here before the world began. Crucified, laid behind a stone, You lived to die, rejected, and alone. Like a rose, trampled on the ground, You took the fall, and thought of me, above all. Maybe that's the title-Above All (forgive my memory)

Yes, God is above all; He is Sovereign and in control.

An oath, according to Webster's Dictionary,  means a solemn statement with God as witness; according to Thayer's Lexicon, means that which has been pledged or promised with an oath; vows.
In a courtroom, an oath is taken by a witness to tell the truth, by the jury to judge fairly. At a wedding, an oath is pledging to stay married until death departs the man and woman.

It is often easy, in the midst of suffering, to make oaths we can't keep. We get caught up in the heat of the moment, our eyes are focused only on the present. We should wait.

James is advocaating plainness of speech for Christians. We should avoid appearing superspiritual and endure trials with humility and simplicity. (Swindoll)

MacArthur informs us that James condemned the Jewish practice of swearing false, evasive, deceptive oaths by everything other than the name of the Lord (which alone was considered binding).

Speech should be the first notaable change when the Spirit receives control. (Falwell)

Am I swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, as 1:19 tells me to do and be? Do I keep my oaths?
Swearing isn't a problem in my life, but it is in other's. do they take it seriously, what they say?

LET IT GO

Watch my words today.

Honor the Lord with my words.

Ansere yes or no more often and more willingly.