Title: The Power of Words
Title: Mark 1:21-28
Thesis: We are known by the power of our words just as Jesus made himself known through the power of his words.
Introduction
I have a friend who is taking a rather extensive seminar that, from what I can gather, is designed to help a person reach his full potential in life. One of the weeks the participants were given instruction regarding the power of words and in particular, the “negative” power of words. There were three words they were forbidden to use for one week. And if they used those words, they had to self-monitor and pay $2 every time they used one of those words. He told me that at the end of the week he had to fork over $38.
The three words were:
• “Can’t”
• “But”
• “Try”
As in, “I can’t but I will try.” Often our first inclination is to find an excuse for why we cannot achieve something.
Fortunately Jesus did not think in terms of “I can’t,” “but,” or “I’ll try.”
In our text today it could be said that Jesus was launching his campaign… a campaign not to be confused with American politics and or sullied by the influence of a Super Pac.
The book of Mark unpacks a whole series of logical steps very quickly. Other gospels accounts offer a more complete narrative. But we see in chapter 1 that John the Baptist was the prophetic “voice in the wilderness” that told us that the Messiah was coming. Jesus came and was baptized. He then went into the wilderness for forty days of testing after which he emerged filled with God’s Spirit and ready to begin his earthly work. He chose his twelve disciples and then it was only natural that he kicked off his campaign in a synagogue.
In Jewish culture the temple is the place of worship and sacrifice and the synagogue is the place of teaching and instruction. A typical synagogue experience consisted of prayer, the reading of scripture and an exposition or a teaching of that scripture. In that the synagogue had no in house teacher the Ruler of the synagogue would generally invite any person of competence to teach. If a man had a new message to preach the synagogue was the place to preach it or teach it.
He apparently became a regular teacher at the synagogue. Mark 1:21 tells us that every Sabbath he went to the synagogue and taught the people…. and the people were amazed at his teaching because his teaching had real authority.
On one occasion a man described as having an evil spirit disrupted his teaching and began to heckle Jesus but his heckling was short-lived in that Jesus essentially told him to “shut-up!” The man fell to the ground in convulsions and it says the evil spirit left the man. All of which further impressed the listeners who marveled even more at Jesus’ authority. And we see that this event was an epiphanal moment in which the news of what Jesus had done spread quickly throughout the entire area. Mark 1:28
Jesus spoke with authority. His words were powerful in silencing and exorcising an evil spirit that possessed a man. And as we follow the life and work of Jesus through the gospels we see that the words he spoke were powerful words of deliverance, grace, encouragement and instruction.
Transition: So what may be said of our words?
I. Your words have the power to build-up
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:23-32
Illustration: Sean and Liegh Tuohy, the real-life couple portrayed in the movie Blindside, share in their book “In a Heartbeat” the story of a young man who had aged out of foster care. He was no longer eligible for support and having no family to encourage him was fortunate to be hired by a state senator as an intern.
One morning the senator breezed into the office and as he passed through the mailroom he saw the young man already there and hard at work. Impressed, the senator said to the intern, “This is amazing – the mailroom has never looked so clean. You did a great job.”
A few minutes later the senator came back through the mailroom and found the young man in tears. Thinking he may have said something to hurt the young man he asked, “Did I say something to offend you?” “No sir,” the young man replied, “That’s the first time in my life anyone has ever told me I did something good.”
The authors commented, “A little bit of attention and a kind word – that is how little it takes to affect someone’s life for the better.” ((Men of Integrity, “How Little It Takes,” November/December 2010)
It takes so little time and effort to make someone’s life better… to build them up and encourage them. So we speak only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:23-32
Transition: Just as our words may build others us… unkind words will surely tear others down.
II. Your words have the power to tear-down
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:1-12
This verse teaches us how inconsistent and hypocritical it is when praise for God and criticism of others comes from the same mouth. Our words need to be consistent to the character of Christ.
Illustration: I recently read that Boeing Company has just delivered the first batch of 30,000-pound, GPS-guided, bunker buster bombs to the U.S. Air Force. This bomb is 5 tons heavier than the bombs we have heard described as the “mother of all bombs.” They are designed to be dropped by the Boeing-made, B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber or the Northrop Grumman Corp.’s B-2 stealth bomber.
These bombs are more than 20 feet long and are packed with 5,300 pounds of explosives. One Brigadier General commented, “no other weapon can get after those hard and deeply buried targets,” like the Massive Ordinance Penetrator. It “is specifically designed to go after very dense targets… where our enemies put things that the President of the United States wants to hold at risk.”
Apparently the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have convinced the Pentagon that there are targets that cannot be reached by our current ordinance and the increasing threat of nuclear capabilities of North Korea and Iran have inspired the increased power to go deep and destructive.
I’ve sometimes likened the dropping of a word to the dropping of a bomb. The adage about stick and stones breaking bones while words can never hurt us is a lie. Words are hurtful and destructive.
Illustration: In one church I served there was a lady who was occasionally capable of dropping a bomb. One Sunday she informed a teenager in our congregation, “Your legs are too heavy to wear a skirt like that.” I suspect she meant well but the effect of her words was devastating.
Transition: We may be motivated by the fact that we are accountable for what we say as well as what we do in life.
III. Your words have the power of self-condemnation
One day Jesus spoke very pointedly to a group of Pharisees who spoke ill of his actions in exorcising an evil spirit from a man. “And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37
On the night that Jesus was betrayed he shared the Last Supper with his disciples during which he spoke of how being a follower of Christ may be very difficult. Peter, being Peter immediately piped up and assured Jesus that he would go to prison or even die out of his loyalty to Christ – to which Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will have denied me three times.” Luke 22:31ff
We know the story well and when the rooster crowed the next morning Peter stood condemned by his own words.
Illustration: Oscar De La Hoya had an outstanding career as a world class boxer. He won Olympic gold in 1992 and went on to claim world titles at six different weight classes. Last year after being caught in a bit of a scandal he opened up about his battles with alcohol, drug addiction, his unfaithfulness to his wife and thoughts of suicide. And then he ended his comments by saying of himself, “We’re obviously not talking a Tiger Woods here, but I was unfaithful.” (RadarOnline.com, August 31, 2011)
That self-assessment struck me as “the pot calling the kettle black.”
Just as our words have the power to reveal hypocrisy they also have the power to affirm our integrity. Our actions and our words need not condemn us… they may in fact be such that we cannot be criticized or condemned.
In Titus 2:8 the Apostle Paul wrote to Titus, who was serving the early church in Crete, these words of instruction: In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” Titus 2:7-8
We understand the word “condemn” to mean to accuse, to find fault with or to blame… we think of it in terms of judgment. So what we say can bring accusations, finding of fault and blame. But the word used in Titus instructs us to speak only words that cannot be condemned.
Transition: It is also important that we measure our words not only by if they build up or tear down others but by whether what we say will glorify God.
IV. Your words have the power to glorify God
Whatever you do [in thought, word or deed], you must do all for the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:31
Illustration: In a radio interview on XTRA Sports in Phoenix Jake Plummer commented on Tim Tebow: “Regardless of whether I wish he’d just shut up after a game and go hug his teammates, I think he’s a winner and I respect that about him. I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ, then I think I’ll like him a little better. I don’t hate him because of that, I just would rather not have to hear that every single time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff.
The following day, when asked about Jake Plummer’s comments during an interview on ESPN, Tebow said: "If you're married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife 'I love her' the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity?
"And that's how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ is that it is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell him that I love him or given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I'm gonna take that opportunity. And so I look at it as a relationship that I have with him that I want to give him the honor and glory anytime I have the opportunity. And then right after I give him the honor and glory, I always try to give my teammates the honor and glory.
"And that's how it works because Christ comes first in my life, and then my family, and then my teammates. I respect Jake's opinion, and I really appreciate his compliment of calling me a winner. But I feel like anytime I get the opportunity to give the Lord some praise, he is due for it." (Nate Davis, Tim Tebow responds to Jake Plummer’s comments on his faith, USA Today, November 23, 2011)
Conclusion
Following post thyroid and salivary gland cancer surgery, Screen writer and film critic Roger Ebert experienced complications that left him unable to talk. His was a famous voice and perhaps you remember his exchanges with fellow critic Gene Siskel who passed away in 1999. Ebert is still a prolific writer and technology allowed him to adopt a new computerized voice. However, in an interview on CBS Sunday Morning (which none of you saw or heard because you were in church), he was asked, “Do you remember what your last spoken words were?” Ebert replied, “No, because I didn’t know they would be my last words, or I would have said something great.” (Matt Woodley, News that Illustrates, PreachingToday.com, January 17,2010)
That is a profound thought to consider…
Transition: We likely may not know what our last words will be either, so it is imperative that all of our words bless others and honor God.
Let the words of my mouth and the desires of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14
