OPEN: The tongue.
The tongue is considered a very important part of our culture. So much so that it is central to many of our common sayings. Sayings like:
• I just said that “Tongue-in-cheek”
• Or “are you tongue tied?
• “Will you quit sticking your tongue out.
• Or “That’s a real tongue twister.
• Or “Cat got your tongue?”
Did you realize that your tongue (like your heart) is almost ALL muscle? But, unlike your heart - which goes through routine and repetitive contractions, all of which you have no control of - your tongue is very much under your control.
To prove that, let’s go through a few experiments:
• Put your tongue up against the roof of your mouth.
• Now, put it down behind your bottom teeth.
• Now put it up against your left cheek.
• And now against your right cheek.
Notice how versatile this muscle we call a tongue really is.
In fact, I’ve been told that only a certain percentage of the population can “roll” their tongue. How many of you can do it. (Be sure to congratulate of the members of the audience when they do this).
And so, the tongue is a very agile and intriguing muscle. And there’s a reason for that. First, it’s virtually impossible to eat without having a tongue. The tongue is designed to move food around in your mouth and direct it to your throat. Without your tongue, you would have an extremely hard time of surviving. In fact, one of the ladies of our church said her mother had her tongue removed because of cancer, and has been written up in medical books as being the longest living woman to have had her tongue removed. Despite the difficulty of eating, she pureed her own food and could swallow by tilting her head back.
AND even if you could “eat” without your tongue, you couldn’t taste anything. All of your taste buds are located on your tongue. Imagine going out to eat, paying a huge amount of money for your meal and then… not be able to taste what you’d paid for.
You’d be understandable outraged.
You’ve gone out to that restaurant explicitly to taste food you love, prepared in a special way. But you couldn’t do that if you had no tongue.
AND – of course – one of the primary reasons our tongue is important to us is that if you had no tongue you couldn’t speak. In fact, not only could not talk, you couldn’t sing, and you couldn’t even whistle.
So the tongue is VERY important to us.
But as important to us as the tongue is orthodontists/dentists will all tell you, your mouth and your tongue are the dirtiest parts of our body. That may be why dentists tell us not only to brush our teeth… but also our tongues.
And the Bible agrees.
James 3:5-8 tells us that… “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 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.”
Notice James says - our tongue is a world of evil.
It corrupts our whole person.
It sets us on fire because the tongue itself is set on fire by hell.
Then James goes on to say: “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
The tongue is restless.
It’s evil.
It’s full of poison.
James paints this picture that shows our tongues to be the dirtiest, foulest parts of our bodies.
And Jesus says much the same thing:
“… the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ’unclean.’ Matthew 15:18
What Jesus is saying here is that our mouths are a barometer of what’s in our hearts. If it comes off our tongue, it is inside our hearts. And because all of us sin and fall short of the glory of God our tongues have a lot of bad stuff to work with.
ILLUS: Have you ever eaten something and a couple hours later (there’s no really good way to say this) you belch. And suddenly you get this really bad taste in your mouths. And it even intrudes on your nostrils.
Have you ever had that happen?
IT’S DISGUSTING!
And you think to yourself: I wish I had NEVER eaten that!!!
That is what Jesus is describing here.
We “ate” something foul and sinful… and it’s that stuff comes back up out of your heart. And it leaves a really bad taste in our mouths because it’s so nasty.
And not only does it leave a bad taste in OUR mouths… it leaves a taste bad in God’s too.
Ephesians 4:29-32 “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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Now, this passage isn’t about not cursing
Granted – cursing is “unwholesome”, but that’s not what Ephesians is talking about.
Notice Paul says “don’t 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”
Our job, as Christians is to show kindness and compassion with our words. But too often, even some churchgoers don’t do that. Ephesians 4:31 says that’s because “…they harbor bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice” Ephesians 4:31
There are folks out there that pile up that bitterness and rage and malice etc… and they don’t deal with it. They don’t forgive others. They don’t give it to God for Him to heal. They just keep piling it up and revisiting it on a daily basis. And ultimately all that bad stuff in side of their hearts becomes like a bunch of oily rags thrown under the crawl space of a house. Eventually “spontaneous combustion” takes place and the whole house burns down.
These folks erupt in fury and rage and sometimes spew their toxic comments on people they’re not even angry with. They give anyone within reach of them a real “tongue lashing.”
But Paul says – You don’t want to do that.
Anyone who allows that to take place grieves the Holy Spirit.
And You DO NOT want to grieve the Holy Spirit
It’s not a healthy thing to do!!
Now Proverbs talks about the negative use of our tongues. It condemns the evil way in which we might speak to others. For example we read in
Proverbs 15:1 “…a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 15:4 “… a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”
Proverbs 12:18 “Reckless words pierce like a sword…”
Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts…”
Proverbs condemns such unwholesome use of the tongue for its evil ability to stir up anger, crush people’s spirits, pierce a person’s soul… and because of the hatred that is often lying behind those it attacks.
But what I found impressive in this passage in Proverbs 15 was its emphasis on how we can use our tongues to do good rather than evil.
(vs 2) “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge…”
(vs 7) “The lips of the wise spread knowledge…”
(vs 1) “A gentle answer turns away wrath…”
(vs 4) “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life…”
(vs 8) “…the prayer of the upright pleases (God)”
These are all GOOD things.
These are all “Wholesome” things.
These are the types of thing that God wants us to use our tongues for.
Now, a lot of people live their lives by a motto they heard in a movie.
The movie was Bambi, and the line spoken by a cute little rabbit named Thumper. Complete the line for me if you remember it:
“If you can’t say anything nice (don’t say anything at all.)”
Now a variation on that saying is this quote by a wise man that said…
“It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool.
Than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
When we follow that advice, we avoid a disease called “foot in mouth disease”.
The idea is: if I keep my mouth SHUT, I can’t put my foot there!
And that sounds reasonable.
But Proverbs 15 is telling us to open our mouths and use our tongues to do good things. You cannot use your tongue to speak these good things if your mouth is closed. Unless you’re a ventriloquist you just can’t do it!!!
SO, if we’re going to heed the advice of Proverbs 15… we have to open our mouths and use our tongues to do GOOD THINGS.
And, what are these “good things”?
The 1st of those “good things is to commend and spread knowledge.
Proverbs 15:2 says “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge…”
So obviously Proverbs thinks I should spread a special kind of knowledge.
What kind of knowledge do you think I ought to spread?
(God’s knowledge).
Proverbs 2:6 tells us “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
In Psalm 119:98 David praises God for the knowledge he received from Him… “Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.”
And James 1:5 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
The best knowledge is ALWAYS going to come from God.
It’s always going to be God’s knowledge.
• His knowledge gives me wisdom.
• His knowledge makes me wiser than my enemies.
• His wisdom is given FREELY and generously if I seek for it.
And where I am going find that knowledge?
(The BIBLE)
Now – here’s the deal – when I rely on THIS knowledge (Bible), I’ll never have to be ashamed.
Now I’m a pretty smart guy. I can give you all kinds of advice based upon my personal observations and wisdom. But frankly, I don’t care how smart I may be. I don’t care how many degrees I may have earned. Any wisdom that comes from ME will pale in comparison the wisdom of God. God’s wisdom far exceeds that of any psychiatrist, psychologist, sociologist or counselor. Without God’s wisdom, our puny ideas and ideals don’t even begin to measure up.
God has promised: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11
When I quote GOD’S wisdom I turn loose the power of God. It has the power to change the world around me and to help the people I care about. Why? Because God’s Word WILL accomplish what God desires to be done. Hebrews 4:12 says it “… penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
That’s why a Godly tongue will commend and spread God’s wisdom.
So, first, a Godly tongue will spread God’s wisdom.
The 2nd good thing a Godly tongue will accomplish is to bring healing.
Proverbs 15:4 “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life…”
What’s that mean?
It means that when we use our tongues for God, we heal people.
But, heal them of what???
You remember what Ephesians said grieved the Holy Spirit?
“bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” Ephesians 4:31
That’s the disease.
And your tongue (if you use it for God) is the cure.
Jesus said it this way: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9
What does a Peacemaker are do?
(They make peace)
Now, how do they do that?
(I walked off to the side of the stage and held my hands in a prayer way and bowed my head, then I said)
“Many people believe that being a peacemaker is somebody who’s ‘peaceful’. I’m just standing over here, not bothering anybody. I’m at peace with myself. And I’ve got a really peaceful look on my face.”
Is that a peacemaker?
NO! That’s a wall flower.
That person isn’t “making” peace, they’re just taking up space.
A real peacemakers deals with people. People who are…
• consumed with bitterness
• filled with rage and anger
• prone to brawling an slander.
And how would they go about doing that?
Proverbs 15:1 says “A gentle answer turns away wrath…”
ILLUS: Let’s say (go into the audience and pick on someone who won’t be offended being used as an object lesson) that Fred here is angry. Now, Fred you never really get angry do you? No, of course you don’t. But this time, Fred is really upset. His voice (I raised my voice till I was almost shouting) gets really loud because he’s so angry he can’t hardly contain himself. You never do that do you Fred?
Try this sometime if you encounter someone who is that angry.
(I began to speak very softly).
A real peacemaker will deal with a person who’s angry by softening their voice and speaking in low gentle tones.
You know what happens when someone does that? That’s right, the angry person begins to soften their words as well.
Proverbs 15:1 says “A gentle answer turns away wrath…”
Now, there’s one more way that a peacemaker will use their tongue to heal anger like this. They won’t focus so much on “being right”… as they are on making peace. When another person is angry, a “peace maker” tries to calm them down. A Peace maker will say things like
“I understand that you’re angry”
“I know that this hurts”
“I’m sorry this has upset you so much.”
And the peacemaker tries to bring the conversation down a notch or two.
They do that by “being gentle”… and giving a gentle answer.
This is such a powerful thing that Proverbs 25:15 tells us “…a gentle tongue can break a bone”. That’s how much force a soft voice and a caring heart have for the cause of Jesus Christ and for the healing of those whose lives have been torn apart by anger and bitterness.
So, if we use the tongue God gave us to do the things God wants done, we will…
1. Spread HIS knowledge
2. Heal others with our words
3. AND THIRD – we’ll use our tongues to lay hold of the greatest power in the universe
Proverbs 15: 8 “…the prayer of the upright pleases (God)”
A Godly person uses their tongue to do the most important task it can accomplish. When we pray we appeal to God, we talk to God, and we LAY HOLD of God’s power and assistance in their lives.
But if you I don’t pray, we’re not going to get anything significant in this life. We may plow fields, build buildings or create large companies. But it will all be for naught.
As Psalm 127:1 says “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain…”
But if we do pray and we seek to pray from hearts dedicated to His righteousness, God says that pleases Him, and He will hear us… and He will act upon our prayers.
CLOSE: Now, all that said, there is one thing that we can do with our tongues that Proverbs didn’t talk about. In fact, it is THE ONE THING God really loves for us to do.
How many of you have ever heard of a famous magic act called “Penn and Teller”? For those of you who aren’t familiar with this magic team – they’re really very good. They not only do magic, but they are extremely funny and entertaining.
Penn Jillette is the tall (about 6’5”) talkative part of the team. He has long hair and a very boisterous way of speaking. By contrast, Teller is much shorter and is portrayed in the act as if he were a “mute”. He never speaks at all, but always seems to have a puzzled, naïve look on his face.
Penn is an outspoken atheist. He’s very much in your face about his distaste for the church and his disbelieve in any kind of god. That’ what made this particular video stand out to me:
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhG-tkQ_Q2w
(I found I had to put it in the google search box and click on the link it found for me. I stopped the video just after Penn talks about the man who gave him a Bible having written phone numbers and an email in the front of the Bible he was given).
What caught my attention in that video was how touched Penn Jillette appeared to be by the gift of that small Gideon Bible. He actually seems to almost tear up at the memory. Now Penn is still an atheist. His life was not changed that moment by that gift.
BUT, because that one man used the tongue God gave him to show love and concern for this magician, it visibly shook that atheist. And that is what God calls us to use our tongues to do. To show those who are lost that we care for them and that we have a God who really does love them.
INVITATION
