Promises, Promises Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Promises, Promises-------------------------------- Date: 9/22/2000 Keywords: "hypocrite" "oath" "promise" "swear" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Matthew 23:13, 15* 16. "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17. You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18. You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath. 19. You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20. Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 22. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. Questions 1. What is the point of swearing an oath if the oath is not binding?   2. How many times have you committed yourself (sworn) to stop your pornography habit?   3. Would it not be better to simply confess your sin habit and admit to God that you alone are not able to defeat it, than to tell yourself ineffectually again and again that you've got to stop?   Practical help Jesus was unimpressed by people who made oaths they knew they wouldn't keep. Swearing by the temple or by the altar was the ancient equivalent of making a promise with fingers crossed behind your back. How many times have you switched off the computer after a smut session with the idea, "I'll never do that again," yet keeping a catalog of bookmarks hidden in the back of your mind that you can go back to when the weakness hits again? It's a lot like the bottle at the back of the cupboard for the alcoholic. Elsewhere Jesus said, "Do not swear at all. ... Simply let your 'Yes,' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' be 'No'" (Matthew 5:34-37). Now's your opportunity to say, "Yes," to God's grace, and "No," to anything that distracts you from grace, including idle promises you can't keep on your own. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2000 by eXXit *Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version, © copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.