Matthew’s Unique Message #7
The Power of Words
Matthew 12:36-37; Matthew 16:16-19
CHCC: Preached on July 13, 2007
INTRODUCTION:
This month we celebrated Independence Day --- the day our Nation was born. The good old US of A is far from perfect, but no one can deny that we are a nation of unprecedented Freedoms. One of our most important freedoms is found in Article 1 of our Bill of Rights. Among other things, it says: Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech …
Our Founding Fathers understood the Power of Words! Through the 231 years of our existence, men have fought and died to preserve our Freedom of Speech as well as our other Liberties. Today we’re going to look at what Jesus taught about the Power of our Words. The Gospel of Matthew records two statements Jesus made that are not recorded anywhere else.
In Matthew 12:35-37 Jesus gave this warning about the danger of Careless Words. “I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
1. Careless Words --- Matthew 12:35-37
I think we can agree that “careless words” are pretty common in our Nation. A lot of people seem to think “Freedom of Speech” means we can let anything fly without consequences. But all of us have a responsibility to keep guard over what we say. And that’s especially true for Christians.
James, the brother of Jesus, had this to say: The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:6 Strong words! --- but not an exaggeration.
A famous theologian from the 16th century named John Calvin had this to say: “I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels.” Think about THAT next time you want to run off at the mouth.
Never underestimate the power of words. Words ALONE can ruin friendships and destroy families. Proverbs 15:4 says Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush your spirit. Take a minute to think about the way you talk to your children. Are your words giving them life or are you speaking Careless words that crush their spirits?
Are you Careless in the way you talk to your wife or your husband? I read in a book on marriage that it takes 100 compliments to balance out ONE criticism from a husband or wife. I don’t know about you, but I’d have trouble coming up with 100 compliments! It’s a lot smarter --- guys --- to swallow that careless criticism! Remember this helpful quote from Winston Churchill. He once said, "By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach."
Careless words can poison friendships, wreck families, and end careers. We saw a very public example of this just last spring. I’ll quote an Associated Press news report from April 12, 2007 to refresh your memory. It said, CBS announced Thursday that it has fired Don Imus from his radio program, following a week of uproar over the radio host’s derogatory comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. The article went on to say that MSNBC also fired Don Imus from his television simulcast of the same program. NEW YORK, April 12, 2007 (CBS/AP) www.cbsnews.com
Now I’m not that familiar with Imus in the Morning, but I’ve been told that Don Imus pushed Freedom of Speech as far as he could. He regularly said all kinds of things that were derogatory and improper. But since his show brought CBS Radio about 15 million a year, Imus probably figured he could say whatever he wanted without any consequences.
But he was wrong. One careless statement --- about three words long --- cost him his career. In an interview, Imus said he wasn’t going to whine about his fate. “I said it,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t say it.”
According to Matthew 12:35, EVERYONE stands in danger of being Imused. Jesus said, I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
Let’s take some time to understand what kind of words Jesus had in mind when he warned that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. A few verses earlier, here’s what happened:
They brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." Matthew 12:22-24
This wasn’t the first time the Pharisees had made this attack on Jesus. Back in Matthew 9:35 they made the same claim, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” I think the Pharisees were trying to be cute --- using a sort of play on words. They thought they were being really clever and cute, but Jesus took their Careless Words seriously.
They spoke Carelessly, but Jesus used Logic to refute them. You see, Jesus never spoke carelessly. That’s an astounding statement if you stop and think about it. Jesus never spoke carelessly. There’s not a single one of us who could make that claim.
Jesus took the opportunity to share these words of Wisdom: "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?” Matthew 12:25-26
It turns out that Jesus was much kinder to the Pharisees than they had been to him. He showed amazing Grace toward his enemies when he said, I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12:31-32
In other words, Jesus did not condemn the Pharisees even though they had condemned him. But he warned that such careless words uttered against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. This is a sobering statement --- and I’ve heard a lot of different ideas about exactly what it might mean. One thing is clear. Careless words are dangerous … and careless words against God’s Holy Spirit are deadly.
We live in a culture where we hear people use God’s name carelessly so often we hardly notice. I remember back with our daughter, Kaysha, was in Kindergarten. She came home one day confused by something that happened in the Lunch Line. She overheard a little girl standing behind her say “Jesus Christ” loudly.
Until that point, Kaysha hadn’t heard anyone taking the Lord’s name in vain, so she turned and asked the girl, “Are you praying?”
The girl said, “No,” and Kaysha innocently told the little girl, “It’s not right to say that unless you’re praying.”
The little girl was quick to reply, “Nuh-uh! My daddy says it all the time!”
Now days, it would be hard to get as far as Kindergarten without hearing someone use the Name of Jesus like it was a curse word. People are quick to joke about Jesus. They mock His People and His Church. They misquote his words. There seems to be no fear of God’s judgment in our society.
But people who speak carelessly WILL be judged. Jesus said, “By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” We’ve looked at the kind of Careless Words that can condemn. Now let’s look at the Blessed Words that hold the power to Save.
2. Blessed Words --- Matthew 16:16-19
According to the Atlanta Journal, the Bible contains less than 800 thousand words. The Ten Commandments contain just 297 words. By contrast, the United States TAX code contains over 7 million words … and growing. On the other hand, the Good Confession of Peter --- which I believe is the most Pivotal Declaration ever made --- contains only 10 words.
In Matthew 16, Jesus asked his Disciples “Who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:16 records Simon Peter’s answer: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this Good Confession, but Only Matthew gives the full statement. And Only Matthew records Jesus’ response to Peter’s declaration of Faith. Matthew 16:17-18 says Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
If you’re not familiar with the origins of the Christian Church / Church of Christ --- about 200 years back --- you may not know that our churches started with the slogan, “No creed but Christ; no book but the Bible.” That’s why no one needs to memorize some complicated doctrinal statement and sign on the dotted line in order to join our Congregation.
Our unity is built on that simple Confession that Peter first made 2000 years back, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus said he would build His Church on that Confession of Faith. And Jesus went on to tell Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19
There’s been a lot of controversy over these verses recently with the rise of the “Positive Confession” movement within churches. This is the idea that our words can create reality. Taken to its extreme, this kind of teaching says you can pretty much have anything you want --- whether it’s health or wealth. All you need to do is speak it with faith and it will be yours. That’s why it’s sometimes called the “name-it-claim-it” gospel. The problem is, this can reduce the promise of Jesus to a kind of Magic Wand we can wave to get our own way.
If you avoid that extreme, then there’s another danger on the other side. Too many Christians simply ignore the powerful promise Jesus made here. There is no doubt that our words have power --- the power to condemn and the power to save --- the power to loose and the power to bind. In His Church, I believe Jesus has offered us a very real Partnership. He wants to put HIS Power behind OUR Words so we can make an eternal difference in our world.
Words are so powerful that the Gospel of John calls Jesus Himself the Word. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God.” As Christians, we have no business speaking Careless words.
I’ve read estimates that men speak about 15,000 words a day and women about 30,000. Generally,when I get home from work, I’ve used up my 15,000 words, but Susan generally saves up half of her 30,000 words to use in my presence, and if I’m smart I’ll listen to all 15,000 words directed at me.
That’s a lot of word power --- power to encourage and uplift --- power to forgive and comfort --- power to teach and inspire --- power to draw others to Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 10:32, Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” I’m glad I can look back on the first time I publicly confessed faith in Jesus Christ and was baptized in obedience to Him.
I was just 10 years old when I made that Good Confession --- to the folks at the Scottsdale Christian Church, to my family, to the Lord Himself --- and even in the hearing of Satan.
On that Sunday Morning --- it was in the Summer after a week of Church Camp --- I declared my Allegiance to Christ as the Son of the living God and my own Lord and Savior. I believe those simple words … given by a 10-year-old boy … carried eternal Power.
In fact, I believe every time that Good Confession is spoken in genuine faith, the foundations of Hell shake and Heaven throws a party. Words of faith are life-saving words. Our words can bring us in line with God’s will and purpose for our lives.
CONCLUSION:
That’s why every week we take time to offer an Invitation at the end of our Worship service. If you’ve gone to church all your life, you might start to see the Invitation Song as just “the signal that church is over and it’s time to go to lunch.”
But the time of Invitation is much more than that. I came forward at a time of invitation very much like this one … and a lot of you did, too. How many of you first publicly confessed Christ by walking up an aisle at a church service? …
Don’t underestimate the power of your Confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 10:10 says, It is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
I want to encourage you to walk up this aisle and make that Good Confession today.
