There was an ad on the radio a while ago which proclaimed that "people judge you by the words you use." It was for a program that was intended to help you build-up your vocabulary. Now, it is probably true that many of us assume that someone who uses four- or five-syllable words in their conversation is very bright and intelligent, even if they don't really know what the words mean. For example, if I say, "I think promillienation would be good for our local economy," some folks would think I was a pretty smart fellow, even though I just made-up that word. On the other hand, if we hear someone say, "I don't got no time to do dat no more," we assume he is not a very bright fellow, though in reality he may be a nuclear physicist, with an IQ much higher than ours. We give an impression about ourselves to other people by the words we use.
What we say also tells God something about who we are. Of course, we can't fool Him like we can other people. This morning our journey through Matthew takes us to what I think is a very interesting part of Scripture. We are in Chapter 12:33-37. Here Jesus tells us that yes, the words we speak really are important. In fact, God will judge us based upon things we say. Matthew 12:36,37 "But 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." Now, maybe that seems kind of scary, but I think the Lord has some important things to say to us in our text. Let's pray that He would help us pay careful attention to His words today.
Jesus is the One speaking in these verses, so let's start by looking at His message. First, He tells about trees and fruit. 12:33 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit." To make it clear, let's pretend Jesus is talking about apple trees. We are able to identify a good apple tree by the amount and type of apples it produces. If there are only a few apples on the tree and they taste really terrible, then we say it is a bad tree. "A tree is recognized by its fruit." But, it is not the apples which have caused the tree to be bad. It is the other way around. A bad tree makes bad apples. So, if we find some way to make the tree a good one, whether by pruning it or giving it fertilizer or water, then it will automatically produce good apples. The quality of the tree determines the quality of the fruit, and the quality of the fruit helps us determine the quality of the tree.
But Jesus is not giving a horticulture lesson. He is really talking about the relationship between character and words in human beings. 12:34a "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?" Now, calling people a bunch of snakes is obviously not a compliment. Maybe you are surprised that Jesus would use such language. But He is addressing the Pharisees in the crowd, and remember they are not very nice people. Just a few verses earlier, Verse 24, they had accused Jesus of being the devil Himself. It is these words to which Jesus is responding. But, He is not simply trading insults. These are religious, but very wicked, men who have done real harm to people's souls. Their words of blasphemy spoken against Jesus are intended to drive people away from Christ and the salvation He offers. "Brood of vipers" is a very appropriate label for them. 12:34,35 "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." This last verse is a close parallel with Verse 33. Just as the quality of the tree determines the quality of the fruit, the quality of a person, what he or she is really like on the inside, determines what that person says and does. When Jesus speaks of the heart, He is not talking about the organ that pumps blood. Rather, He is referring to the center of human personality, who we really are. The words that come out of our mouth reveal what is in a person's heart, shows what that individual really is like. Thus, Jesus says that it is no surprise that false and evil words come from the mouths of the Pharisees. They are rotten on the inside, so we can expect rotten things to show up on the outside.
Matthew 12:36 "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." The fact that the Pharisees say what they do because of their corrupt nature doesn't excuse them in any way. As human beings we will one day be held accountable for everything we say, even things which seem insignificant. Why? Because every word we speak is known by God and is a reflection of what we are really like. 12:37 "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Though all words matter, Jesus says that the most important words are what we say about Him. That is the true test of a person's character. That will be the basis upon which God's judgment is made. It is not Jesus who is being assessed when people proclaim Him as the Messiah or utter blasphemies against Him. Rather it is the people who speak who are being evaluated by God, and by their words they will be judged.
OK, these are interesting verses, but how are they significant for our lives today? I think there are two important implications for us today. #1) Words matter. Words matter a lot. What we say is important. Sometimes we forget this. In our day the emphasis is usually on actions, not words. We often hear that "talk is cheap" and that "when all is said and done, there will be a lot more said than done." Indeed, talk is very plentiful. It is estimated that most folks speak enough words in a week to fill a 500-page book. That would be about 3000 large volumes in an average lifetime. Yet, that doesn't mean what we say doesn't matter. This is something the Lord reminds us of in other parts of the Bible too. For example, James 3 tells us that even though the tongue is a small part of our body, it is a very powerful part, able to do both great good and evil.
One way that happens is how our words impact other people. Karen Carpenter, a very popular singer, died in 1982 at the age of 32. Her premature death was brought on by years of self-abuse from the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. Why was Karen so obsessed with her weight? It apparently started when a reviewer called her "Richard's chubby sister." Yes, my Mom told me "sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never hurt you." But that was one of the few times when she was wrong, and I think my Mom would agree. Names and other words can hurt a lot. When a friend of mine was in high school, his dad would often call him "A good-for-nothing bum." He spent the next twelve years trying to live up to that label, until one day he met Jesus Christ and his life was transformed. Though even after twenty-five years, the wounds that his father's words caused are still healing. Yet, our words can have a very positive impact as well. When I tuck the boys into bed at night and say, "I love you, Ben, I love you, Brady," they each respond, "I love you too, Dad." Almost every time that happens I get a wonderful, warm feeling inside. Those words, "I love you too, Dad," are a source of real encouragement. When someone here at church tells me that I have helped them grow in their relationship with God, that compliment really nourishes my soul. Our words have a powerful impact on others.
And, as Verse 37 implies, the words we speak about the Lord are important. James 3:10 says that sometimes the same mouth both praises and curses God, but it should not be that way. The Lord is pleased when His people express words of praise when they sing hymns at church or when they pray at the table before dinner. Cursing, however, is clearly a sin. There is a story about a pastor who was building a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. As he pounded away, he saw that a little boy was watching him. The youngster didn't say a word, so the pastor kept on working, thinking the lad would just leave. But he didn't. Finally the pastor asked, "Well, son, are you trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?" "No," he replied, "I'm just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer." Well, what a preacher, or anyone says, when we hit our thumb with a hammer, does matter. Oh, I know we live in a day where vulgar language and profanity are so common in movies and TV that many folks don't even hesitate to use the words in public. Even some Christians seem to think it is no big deal to swear a little. But the 3rd Commandment has not changed. It still says, "You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain," or as one version reads, "You should not misuse God's name in any way."
But perhaps most important are the words we speak to others about Jesus. This was the big problem with the Pharisees. They sought to drive people away from Jesus with their words. We, however, should try to speak words that the Holy Spirit might use to draw others to Jesus. Now yes, it is true that words by themselves are not enough. Our actions, the ways we show concern and compassion for other people, are an important part of how we communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to other people. But that doesn't mean we don't need to use words. Remember what Romans 10:14 says. No one is going to believe in Christ unless they hear about Him, and no one is going to hear about Christ unless someone tells them. Does this mean you need to be another Billy Graham, or another Reggie White, or Randall Cunningham? Of course not. It just means we need to speak words to the people around us, our friends and family members, which lets them know who Jesus is and what He has done for us. Last spring we went to a funeral in Superior for Floyd Peters, the father of one of our friends. During the funeral service, the pastor asked the people to raise their hand if Floyd had talked to them about Jesus Christ. Probably about 200 of the 250 people in that room put their hands up. Floyd wasn't a pastor. He was a school custodian. He was an ordinary guy, but he loved the Lord, and he told other people about Jesus Christ. Like all of his words matters. And to his credit, his words honored the Lord and had a positive impact on other people.
The second important implication of our text is that the words we speak reflect our character. Words don't just pop out of thin air. Jesus says they flow out of the heart, revealing the type of person we really are. Now, of course, there are sometimes exceptions to this. Very good people can occasionally say very bad things, maybe when they lose their temper or something. And very bad people sometimes say good things. But in general, people's words match their character because, as Jesus said, that's where the words come from. This is true when it comes to what people say about Jesus Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. Now the Living Bible seeks to clarify that a bit by saying, "No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord' and really mean it, except by the Holy Spirit." Certainly it is possible for a non-believer to utter those syllables. I have heard folks talk about "believing in Jesus and getting saved" in a mocking way. But, Paul's point is the same as Jesus'. The words that come out of our mouths reflect what is in our hearts. If our hearts are full of love, faith, and truth, that will be reflected in our speech. If the words we say don't reflect those characteristics, it is probably because they are not present on the inside.
This means that being a Christian involves speaking certain types of words. Lots of folks think that if someone claims to be a Christian, it doesn't matter what they do or say, because God must let them into heaven. Indeed, salvation comes to us by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Our actions or words contribute nothing to our salvation. But, if one truly puts his or her faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit then works in that individual and begins to transform both their actions and words. Friends, if we are gossiping and cutting people down rather than encouraging them, if profanity is coming out of our mouth instead of praise, and if we are never telling other people about Jesus Christ, we have a big problem on the inside. The bad fruit is showing that we are a bad tree. We have a heart problem which is far more serious than a clogged artery or an irregular beat. For some reason, we are not experiencing the transforming work of God's Spirit in our lives.
So, what do we do when there's a problem on the inside? What do we do if the wrong type of words keep coming from our mouth? I think first we need to ask ourselves: Why are we the way we are, why is the Holy Spirit not changing our character? There are two possible answers. #1) That He is not and has never been present in our life. We may have claimed to be a Christian and thought we were a Christian for years, but we have never truly been born of God, never really become a genuine Christian. Now, don't misunderstand. People who are truly Christians can still say very hurtful things to other people, they still use some pretty nasty language when they hit their thumb with a hammer, and they can still, like the apostle Peter, deny they ever know anything about Jesus when the subject comes up. As Christians we still sin with our mouth sometimes, we still say words we should not say. As James 3:2 says, "If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man" ... and no one I know is there yet. But, if the words that come out of our mouth reveal a heart that has no love for God and no love for other people, then a flashing red light should be going off in our mind warning us that our soul may be in grave danger. If our heart is rotten, it may be because we are not really a Christian. If that is the case, our sins have not been forgiven, and we are in danger of having our words condemn us on the day of judgment.
The second possibility is that the Holy Spirit is not changing our character because, even though we are a Christian, we are "quenching the Spirit." Paul uses that phrase in 1 Thessalonians 5 in a little different way, but I just mean we are preventing the Spirit from working in our life in some way. A true Christian cannot do that totally and permanently, but I believe we sometimes get in the way of God transforming our hearts, and our words, in the way He desires. How do we do that? By getting stuck in a particular sin, and not confessing it to the Lord. By neglecting to read and study God's Word regularly, by failing to spend time in prayer, by skipping church services and other corporate worship and fellowship. When we do those things, we obstruct the Holy Spirit's work in our life, our heart becomes sick, and the fruit of our lips, the words we speak, share that sickness.
So, if our words are not what they should be, what do we need to do? Well, we need an inside solution --- making New Year's resolutions to stop saying nasty things to people, stop using profanity, stop gossiping, and start telling them about Christ, is not the answer. Oh, we can make the resolutions, but on our own we are not going to keep them. Because again, if rotten words come off our lips, we don't have a mouth problem, but a heart problem. We need to experience the transforming work of God's Spirit in our life. The inside solution. That means if we are not a believer in Christ and the Spirit is not present in our life, we need to trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Instead of trusting in ourselves and thinking we are just fine the way we are, we need to confess that we are a sinner, and by God's grace receive the salvation that Jesus offers. If we do that, the Holy Spirit will then begin transforming our heart and our lips, and slowly but surely encouraging words, praises to God, and testimony about Jesus will start coming out of our mouths. If you are not sure what I mean about trusting in Christ, please talk with me or someone after the service.
Those of us who are believers and who have a problem on the inside need to stop quenching the Spirit. We need to pray and ask the Lord to restore our spiritual health and get us back on track. If you have not been reading the Bible, ask God to help you be disciplined in doing that. If you have not been praying, ask Him to give you a hunger to spend time with Him in prayer. If you have not been going to church, ask Him to help you stop making excuses and come get the fellowship you need.
Friends, if I am huffing and puffing as I walk up the stairs, if sharp pains are shooting across my chest, if my pulse starts racing or is irregular, these are signs that there is probably something wrong with my physical heart, the organ that pumps my blood. I would be foolish not to go to the doctor and check it out. If nasty words come out of our mouth, it is a sign there is something wrong with our spiritual heart, our inner being. It would be foolish for us not to go to the Lord and ask Him to forgive us and transform our lives and lips. May the realization that every word we speak counts motivate us to do just that.
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