DOWNSIDE UP LIVING – “The Flipside of Unfaithfulness” (Matthew 5:31-37)

In these 7 verses it was obvious to Jesus that the Jews had become really good at qualifying their commitments [faithfulness]. They had done what we so often do—they had found some loopholes. Instead of promising before God…they had begun to promise by heaven [God’s throne], by earth [God’s footstool], by Jersualem [God’s city], and by the hair on their head. With each qualification—they diminished their commitment!

KIND OF LIKE PROMISES:

  • With your fingers crossed behind your back.
  • With an asterisk by it.
  • With fine print—some restrictions apply…shpg/handling not included…void where prohibited.

TWO REASONS WHY FAITHFULNESS IS SO IMPORTANT:

REASON #1 – Every promise WE MAKE is a promise made BEFORE GOD.

No matter whether our promise/commitment is big or small… formal or flippant…legal or casual—no matter whether it’s a pinky-swear in a tree house or hand on the bible in the courthouse—it is made before God with Him as our witness.

REASON #2 – Every act of faithfulness ON OUR PART puts the FAITHFULNESS OF GOD ON DISPLAY.

When Christ-followers—moved/empowered by the Spirit of God—faithfully live out the commitments they’ve made in their life—they reflect in their faithfulness…the faithfulness of God!

CONVERSELY…Unfaithfulness is ungodly—unfaithfulness reflects the character of Satan…God’s adversary—whose sole purpose is to undermine the kingdom purposes of God!

Matthew 5:37…”Anything beyond [other then] our ‘Yes being Yes’ and our ‘No being No’ comes from the evil one.”

IN THE CONTEXT OF MARRIAGE…When husbands “love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her”(Eph. 5:25) and wives “submit to their husbands leadership like they submit to Christ’s leadership” (Eph. 5:22) they put the faithfulness of God on display through their faithfulness to each other.

Our marriage’s also give us this amazing opportunity to lift up our kids, our extended family, our communities and even the entire world by showing them what Godly love looks like and loves like—when times are good and when times are awful!

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

OPENING THOUGHT…Think of a time when you made a flippant commitment that became more than that [ie…In passing you promise a friend you’ll help them move but the day comes and goes and you totally forget. The next time you see your friend they ignore you].

QUESTION #1 – Whether it’s marriage, business, family relationships or friendships…”What do you do if you find yourself in a less than favorable commitment?”

QUESTION #2 – Since we’ve all broken commitments…“How have you dealt with that? And in the midst of that broken commitment how did God display His faithfulness?”

QUESTION #3 – “When you renewed your vows during the sermon how did that make you feel?”

GOING DEEPER…Knowing that your marriage does affect not only your kids but your extended family as well…Share a couple examples of how you’ve been able to influence your family in a positive way.

(Note: If there are some singles in your group ask them how this sermon impacted them.)