THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS
Matthew 5: 33-37
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Today, we will continue our series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
We will talk about the POWER OF THE WORDS we speak to people.
Many of us have not fully grasped the truth about this.
In fact, Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) says: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."
The word "power" is from the Hebrew "Tad" which means the strength, the influence, the capability, the potential.
It means that our tongue or the words we speak have power.
This tongue can have the power of life and death.
That means, we can either destroy or heal people through our words.
We can either crush people's hearts or bring confidence to them.
We can either encourage faithfulness by our words or ultimately discourage people by our words.
We can either bring devastation or bring healing to relationships.
We can either dismantle an ongoing plan or inspire dreams to be fulfilled through our words.
We can either build bridges or build walls.
We can bring poison or bring medicine to people through our tongue.
It is our choice.
This is the reason why Jerusalem and Judah fell.
Isaiah 3:8 says: (KJV) "For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of this glory."
Remember that they were God's own people.
They were under God's protection and care.
But there was a time when God's own hand of protection was lifted from them.
When they used their tongue against the Lord.
When acted in a manner that God despised.
They have provoked the Lord to anger.
Their own words have brought them down.
There is power in our words.
Our tongue has this capability that we can't ignore.
We must not overlook the positive or negative possibilities that this tongue can do.
We must not take this for granted.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Our words have power.
Therefore, our words must be under control.
Our words must be tamed.
Our words must be put under the subjection of the Holy Spirit.
Our words must be directed for the common good.
Because it says that those who love it will eat its fruits.
Those who use it well will bring assistance, confidence and cheer to people.
Those who use it well can bring consolation, faith and fortitude to people.
Those who use it well can bring optimism, inspiration and reassurance to people.
Those who use it well can bring help, support and reconciliation to people.
We must use our tongue because it has the potential and the power for good.
Illustration:
John Wesley was a great English preacher of the 1700s.
He was considered a rather a stylish or classy dresser.
One Sunday morning he wore a bow tie that had long ribbons that hung downward.
After the sermon was over a lady walked up to him and said, "Brother Wesley, are you open to some criticism?"
He said, "I guess so.
What would you like to criticize?"
She said, "The ribbons on your tie are entirely too long and inappropriate for a man of God."
And she took out her scissors and cut them off.
A hush fell over the people standing there as Wesley calmly asked,
"Now may I borrow the scissors for a moment?"
As she handed them to him, he said,
"Ma’am, are you open to some criticism?"
She answered, "Well, I suppose I am."
He said, "All right then, please stick out your tongue."
We will not cut out your tongue, but that is just an example of the menace that your words can do.
And so today, we will look at three things about the power of the Tongue and how to bring healing with your words.
How do we put our words under control?
1. Faithfulness with our words is required.
2. Curse words must be eliminated.
3. Simple words must be applied.
HOW TO BRING HEALING WITH YOUR WORDS:
1. WE MUST BE FAITHFUL WITH OUR WORDS.
Matthew 5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’
Jesus is speaking in this verse to his hearers inculcating to the them the value of promised words.
He said that when you make an oath, do not break or destroy it.
The word "oath" or vows in Matthew 5:33 is from the Gr "Horkos" which means that which has been pledged or promised to God or to a certain group of people.
The situation is something like this.
Life is tough.
Picture yourself experiencing any of these difficult events of life.
You are very sick, in physical pain and you don't know what to do. You need help.
You are in great financial debt, in trouble and about to claim bankruptcy. You need instant miracle.
You are in the midst of divorce and relationship problems with your spouse. You are desperate.
You are about to lose your job. You are getting nervous and frantic.
Then, you remembered that this is the time for you to pray.
Because you have not been used to praying before.
You only call upon God when you need Him and when your life is in an edge.
So, you pray and you asked others to pray for you as well.
And because you have not been used to praying, you thought you need to make a promise to the Lord.
You thought that you needed to add up some spice in your prayer, some seasoning, some flavor, some color.
And you did just that.
You promised God anything just to get you out of that difficult problem.
You promised God to serve Him for the rest of your life when you are delivered from that situation.
You promised God to be faithful with your tithes from now on.
You promised God to be regular in church.
You are willing to do anything to God.
But here is the problem:
You were not sincere in what you said.
You have been used to breaking your promises before.
You have been used to unfaithfulness all your life.
But God will not let you out that easy.
He wants to test you.
He wants to try your faith.
And so, miracle of miracles, God answered your prayers.
You were healed from that sickness. Hallelujah!
You got a job. Praise the Lord!
Your marriage has been restored. Glory to Jesus!
Your finances is resurrected. Amen!
Your life is back to normal.
But alas, you have forgotten the promise you made to God.
You have a sudden amnesia.
You went back to your old way of life.
You are not able to give your tithes because yo have a lot of things to pay.
You are not regular in attending the worship services.
You are not able to serve the Lord.
This is a common problem Christians encounter.
That is why God is reminding us, "Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made."
This is actually a quote from Deuteronomy 23:21 (NIV) "If you make a vow to the Lord, your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin."
God will surely demand for us to fulfill our vows.
He does not want us to defer or postpone it any further.
He does not want us to be slow in accomplishing our commitments to God.
We must execute and fully implement what we have uttered before God.
Otherwise, we will be guilty of committing sin.
We will be responsible of bringing death through our words.
We will be found at fault and condemned with the words that we have spoken.
And so, when we make a commitment to the Lord, we should fulfill it.
When we make a promise of serving the Lord we should accomplish it.
When we make a pledge to do good to people, we should put it into effect.
Do not break your oath but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.
This is the only way we can harness the power of our tongue.
That is why we need faithfulness in accomplishing our vows.
The dictionary defines faithfulness as strict or thorough in performance of duty.
It means that you are true to your word or promise.
You are reliable, you can be trusted or can be believed upon.
Christians who love God ought to be faithful with their words.
1 Samuel 12:24 (NIV) "But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you."
The word "faithfully" is translated "truth" in the KJV which is the Hb for "emeth" which means stability, continuance, reliability and sureness.
The idea here is that when we serve the Lord, we must do it with faithfulness.
Faithfulness is developed because of our fear of God.
Faithfulness is nurtured because of our love for God.
Faithfulness blossomed because of our submission to God.
Faithfulness prospered because of our need for God.
Faithfulness requires all our heart.
Faithfulness requires all our devotion.
Nothing must hinder our service to God.
Just think of the great things He has done for you.
God demands faithfulness in all areas of life.
Are you faithful to Him?
Are you reliable with your work to God?
Can you be dependent upon?
This is the only way we control the words we speak and put it under subjection.
Jesus reminds us again in Luke 16:10 (NIV) "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."
It means that our success in the future is dependent on what we do with the little we have.
If we are trustworthy with the little we have, we can be reliable with much.
If we are dishonest with very little, we will also be dishonest with much.
Everything we have is a test from God.
We must pass the test.
We must prove ourselves faithful with what we have.
Then, God will give us more and more as time goes by.
We must be faithful and careful with our words.
2. WE MUST NOT CURSE WITH OUR WORDS.
Matthew 5:34 "But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.
Here we find the word "swear" which is from the Gr "Omnuo" meaning to threaten with the use of profane words.
The same word is used on James 5:12 (NIV) "Above all, my brothers and sister, do not swear - not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple "Yes" or "No." Otherwise you will be condemned."
We usually use this word when we have a knowledge of something and try to hide it such as:
"I swear I did not do it."
"I swear he was not there."
"I swear it was not me."
That means you are binding yourself with an oath as you speak to the person.
That means you want to make your case stronger by giving an oath.
That means you are pressuring that person to trust your words by making an oath.
But if you have Christian integrity, you need not have to swear to people.
The Bible says in Proverbs 10:9 (NIV) "Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out."
If you have godly integrity your walk will be secure.
If you have godly integrity your walk will be safe, protected and sheltered.
If you have godly integrity, your words will be strong enough to back you up.
If you have godly integrity, you need not have to say more to defend yourself.
They already know your character.
Your godly integrity will make your intentions sure.
Your godly integrity will prove to them that you are honest and trustworthy.
When you have godly integrity, people already knew that you can be trusted, you are credible and sensible.
There is no need to swear.
There is no need to make an oath.
There is no need to curse.
Your purity of life is enough to back you up.
Jesus is the source of our godly integrity.
The more we spend with Him, the more our character is transformed.
The more we read God's Word, the more we grow in maturity.
And so, we can control our words by the integrity of our lives.
But sad to say, there are people who swear and have been used to swearing.
They have been swearing all their lives.
In fact, they cannot speak without cursing.
Here is the reason why:
You see that everywhere, especially in TV or movies.
The Scripture compared the tongue to a fire that destroys.
James 3:6 (NIV) "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself on fire by hell."
It says that the tongue is like a fire because it can be a source of evil.
It is like a fire because it can corrupt the whole body.
It is like a fire because people use their tongue to speak profane and blasphemous words.
It is like a fire because they use their tongue to speak vulgar terms and offensive slangs.
They speak words with sexual references.
They speak words to defame, discourage, depress, intimidate and frighten.
They speak words to demoralize, dishearten and dampen others.
Their tongue has not been tamed.
Their tongue has not been transformed.
The Bible says that these are the wrong uses of your tongue.
We are not supposed to speak those words that had been inspired by hell.
We must learn to control the words we speak.
We must bring healing with our words.
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) "Do not let 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 so, the goal is to speak helpful words.
These are the words that are useful, advantageous, applicable, conducive and constructive.
These are the words that are friendly, important and productive to all our hearers.
These are the words that are practical, profitable and significant.
These are the words that we need to choose to speak daily and consistently to people.
These are the proper uses of our tongue.
We must speak helpful words that would build up others.
That is why God gave us our tongue for that very purpose.
Going back to Matthew 5:24 "But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black."
Look at the underline words:
"By heaven", "By earth", "By Jerusalem" and "By your head"
The verse says that we must not swear by any of these things.
By Heaven, because it is God's throne.
This is beyond our human comprehension.
We have no authority over heaven.
God alone has been in heaven.
By earth, because it is his footstool.
This is beyond our human understanding.
We have no control over the earth.
God created the earth and He takes control over it.
By Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
This is beyond our human capacity.
We have no idea of God's plan over Jerusalem.
God was, is and has always been the King of this Great City.
By your heads, for you cannot make even one hair white or black even if you put dye in your hair.
You cannot deceive us into thinking you are blond for God alone knows the color of your hair.
This is beyond our human understanding for He created us and he knows the time of our departure.
And because of these truths, there is no reason to swear.
There is no reason to misuse our tongue.
There is no reason to prove something to people that you are not.
All you need to do is a simple "Yes" and a simple "NO".
If you add anything to your words that you don't know, you are condemning yourself.
But many people don't know that.
And they keep on swearing and making false promises.
And so, why do people swear?
What motivates them to do this?
Psychologists believe that people swear because of the company they keep as well as the social setting they are in.It is a way of their status quo.
They want to establish their identity as part of the group.
Their friends do it, and so they have to do this as well.They want to express solidarity and trust.
And so, they swear.
People swear because that is one way of venting their anger or frustrations.
They are angry and so, they swear.
They are frustrated with life, and so they swear.
They swear as a substitute to physical violence.Others swear because that is part of their natural human speech.They swear to make people laugh in a form of jokes and humor. They use these words for storytelling or self-depreciation.They want to hide their fears or insecurity.They want to relieve their stress and release tension.People swear for many various reasons.
Jesus warns us in Matthew 12:36 (NIV) "But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty words they have spoken."Look at the underlined words: "empty words"Empty words are those that have no meaning.These are useless, fruitless, worthless, idle, impractical, incompetent words that we have released.These are meaningless, pointless and unproductive words.They should not have been said at all.But sad to say, empty words are being said.People even say these words to their loved ones.And so, the Scripture reminds us that even these words have been included in the Day of Reckoning.These will be brought to our attention on the day of judgment.These words will be replayed in a public speaker for everyone to hear. And we will be ashamed of ourselves on that Day for speaking these words.We will give an account of these words also.We will have to explain why we said these words.Words have power.That is why before that great judgment day, we must control our tongue.We must learn to speak only encouraging words.
Story:
On a windswept hill in an English country churchyard stands a drab, gray slate tombstone.
The stone bears an epitaph not easily seen unless you stoop over and look closely.
The faint etchings read:
"Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, / lies Arabella Young, / Who on the twenty-fourth of May, / began to hold her tongue."
That is all that will happen to us someday when we die.
It will just be a lump of clay.
And on that day, we will hold our tongue.
But what had been said will be your legacy to people.
What you have said will always be remembered for all eternity.
3. WE MUST SPEAK SIMPLE WORDS.
Matthew 5:37 "All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
The word "say" is translated "communication" in the KJV which is the Gr "Logos".
This word Logos has a variation of meanings.
For one thing, this can refer to the words we utter in order to present the concept of our ideas.
And so, when we say something, this is our logos and this is the way we look at life.
And people look at our character on the basis of what we say.
People discern how we think on the basis of what we say.
Our words proclaim who we are.
This is our logos, our speech, our words and our ideas.
But the other meaning of the word "Logos" is found in the Book of John.
John 1:1 (NIV) "In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God."
We all know that this Word "Logos" refers to Jesus Christ.
He was already there from the very beginning.
He is the source of our wisdom and power.
He is the very Word of God.
We can know God through Him.
We can be changed through Him.
We can speak encouraging and loving words through Him.
If we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, our words will completely change for the better.
When Christ enters our hearts, we have no place for evil words to be uttered from our mouths.
When Christ become the center of our lives, there is no need to swear or make an oath.
When Christ is the focal point of our lives, our words bring forth life and healing to people.
When Christ is in control of our lives, we learn how to be faithful with our promises.
When Christ is in full authority of our lives, we grow in our Christian integrity.
When Christ enter our lives, our words will have power for good not for evil.
Christ makes a difference.
Give your life to Christ.
He is the source of your power.
He can make our lives simpler, clean and transparent.
He can make our words clear and bright.
He can make our countenance glowing, glittering and joyful.
He can make our minds enlightened, knowledgeable and wise.
Eph. 3:17 (NIV) "17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."
How will Christ transform us?
He must first dwell in our hearts.
The word "dwell" means to settle, to inhabit, to govern.
The idea here is that He is always present whenever we worship Him.
At the same time, He governs our hearts and minds through faith in Christ.
And because He is always there, we have no reason to misuse our tongue.
Because He is always there, it makes no sense to bring destruction through our words.
Because He is always there, it makes no sense to hurt people with our mouths.
Because He is always there, it makes no sense to crush a person's confidence with our mouths.
Not only that, when Christ dwells in our hearts, we are rooted and established in love.
The word rooted means you are thoroughly grounded.
You are firm, fixed and unmovable.
Your foundation is solid in Christ.
You are entrenched, settled and well-established.
Christ can make a difference in our lives.
Only Jesus died and rose again.
He is alive.
We will someday stand before the Judgment seat of Christ and be accountable for every word we speak.
And so, let us only speak of what will glorify Jesus Christ.
