Open Mouth Disease?
Thesis: People in the church need to avoid getting the open mouth disease. This disease always originates from the heart. If the heart is not guarded and taken care off it will have a heart attack and cause open mouth disease to pour out onto all that are in its path.
Texts:
Proverbs 12:18
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 16:23
A wise man¡¦s heart guides his mouth.
Matthew 12:33-37:
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. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The 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. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.¡¨
Matthew 12:33-37 ¡V The Message:
¡§If you grow a healthy tree, you¡¦ll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you¡¦ll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree.
¡§You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It¡¦s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.¡¨
Book of Jonah ¡V Have the congregation open to the book!
Introduction:
The open mouth disease is all too common in Christian circles today. We see this disease running unchecked in the church ¡V some people have allowed this disease to pollute every part of their life.
The Bible has a lot to say about this disease ¡V it causes strife, it causes quarrels, it divides people, it tears people down, it looks only at peoples faults and not at what matters most their hearts. It seeks to dominate by putting others down. It is self centered. It is easily angered at others. It is pharisaical and judgmental and lacks mercy or love for others.
Chinese Proverb says, ¡§Man stand for long time with open mouth before roast duck fly in.¡¨
Have you ever been in the place where you ask yourself these kinds of questions?
Why do we so often end up uttering words that make us sorry for letting them fly?
Why do we blow it with words that are hurtful and revengeful?
Why do we find our selves right in the middle of criticizing others in the church?
Why do we grumble and complain over insignificant situations.
Why do we let words of venom roll off our tongues shooting poison at others?
Why are we so willing to pass on information that brings others down?
Why do we exaggerate to make ourselves look good?
Why do we get judgmental about others and rip them apart?
The truth is usually it¡¦s because our heart is infected with open mouth disease. We open our mouths and nothing but infectious hurtful words spill forth. We know they are wrong and we even vow to change our ways but it lasts a short time and we find ourselves infected again and again.
Video Clip Illustration: Planes Trains and Automobiles- Start at 28:20 ¡V The scene ¡V ¡§After a long exhausting day, Neil is at the end of his rope. Not only does he have to share a hotel room with Del, they have to share the same bed! The noises Del makes as he tries to get comfortable are too much for Neil. His anger and frustration boil over, and he unleashes a torrent of words that catch Del completely off guard. Clearly wounded, Del considers what has been said and tells Neil that, although he knows he is far from perfect, he has no intention of changing. Realizing the extent of the damage he has done, Neil feels miserable. Knowing his words can never be taken back and the pain he has inflicted may never completely heal¡¨ (Fields, James page 124)
The problem is not with our words it is really an internal issue of an infected heart. The truth is you cannot get rid of an infection by treating the symptoms you really have to attack the infection at its core and cure it. The same is true with our words we need to find out where those words are coming from and deal with that source. The source is the place that needs surgery. And Proverbs and Jesus tell us clearly that out of the heart the mouth speaks.
So we need to really do open heart surgery. We really need to allow the Master Heart Surgeon to do emergency surgery on our infected hearts. Before we have a fatal ¡§Heart Attack¡¨.
Susan Maycinik states, ¡§How we long to speak words that are good and true, loving and helpful! How we wish we could always respond with kindness and wisdom. There is a way! If we allow God to transform our hearts, the words that flow from within will naturally be the kind that bless those who hear¡¨ (42).
Many wish they would not experience these ¡§Heart Attacks¡¨ where the blood stops flowing into the heart because of a blockage of anger and evil intentions.
So what type of open heart surgery do we need to get rid of the open mouth disease?
T.S. - There are 2 types of open heart surgery that we need to help heal our infected hearts and to cure our open mouth disease.
I. The first surgery of the heart is needed when we experience a heart attack caused by the infection of disobedience toward the ways of God.
a. We usually discover as we look around that we have sunk to the lowest possible position in life and we see that we going under and facing death. So we cry out to the great surgeon of the heart --God --to save us from ourselves.
i. This cry gives permission to the heart surgeon to do his work of mercy. The open heart surgery is performed by the Great Surgeon who then implants in us a spiritually transformed heart.
ii. This heart surgery occurs when we decide to repent of our infectious life style and decide to receive a new start in life. In essence we become born again because we have received a new heart.
b. We then decide to change our lifestyle to live a spiritually healthy diet so as to preserve our repentant spiritually transformed heart.
i. Jonah received this heart surgery in the belly of the fish after deciding to run away from God¡¦s will and direction for his life. Jonah found that you cannot run away from God He will follow you and do things to get your attention. He knew Jonah needed emergency surgery on his disobedient heart or it would lead to his eternal death.
c. The repentant heart will always help pave the way to a thankful heart. The thankful heart is grown and developed by experiencing the forgiveness from the Great Heart Surgeon ¡V the Lord.
i. When we realize how infected and deformed our hearts have become and we experience the skill of the Great Heart Surgeon¡¦s transforming work to our hearts. We get flooded with the emotion of joy and happiness and a great wave of thankfulness flows out our restored hearts.
ii. The result is we listen to the instruction of the Heart Surgeon on what we need to do next and we do it.
1. Jonah also experienced God¡¦s compassion in the belly of the fish and as a result he was delivered from his present dilemma.
2. When he hit dry ground he decided to follow the path of the Lord even if he disagreed out of gratefulness to God for sparing his life.
iii. Jonah had to experience a heart transformation which occurred when he repented.
1. Jonah had an infected heart which is discovered by his running away from God¡¦s direction in his life.
2. Jonah 1:1-3:
1The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2¡§Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.¡¨ 3But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
3. How many of us suffer from infected hearts that run away from the one who wants to help us?
4. How many of us have been called by God to do a certain task and we refuse and run the other way because we do not want to do it?
5. Can you relate to the heart attack taking place in Jonah¡¦s spiritual heart?
6. God says go and Jonah says ¡§No¡¨ and runs away from Him!
7. Jonah gets direction from the Lord and instead of following God¡¦s plan he rejects it and run¡¦s in the opposite direction.
8. Jonah headed south because he did not want to go to the city of Nineveh ¡V he did not like that city!
a. They were wicked.
b. They were enemies to the nation of Israel.
c. They were his enemies.
9. God decided to give him shock therapy on the sea and he gets Jonah thrown overboard by the other sailors because of the storm.
a. Notice Jonah¡¦s disobedience became an opportunity for the Lord to bring more people into the kingdom verse 1:13-17:
13Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14Then they cried to the LORD, ¡§O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man¡¦s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased.¡¨ 15Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.
17But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
b. Truth is we cannot escape from the call of God.
i. The truth is you can run but you cannot hide.
c. Jonah ends up being swallowed by a fish
i. But it¡¦s in the fish that Jonah gets heart surgery to heal his heart attack.
10. Jonah 2:1-8:
1From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2He said:
¡§In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave,ƒn
I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
a. Review verses 2-8 from the Bible
b. Listen to this heart of repentance
c. But notice the transformed heart of repentance leads to joy and thankfulness.
11. The heart of cheerfulness comes from another heart surgery to replace rebellion and anger with joy and thanksgiving.
a. Jonah 2:9,10:
But I, with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
Salvation comes from the LORD.¡¨
10And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
b. Notice his transformed heart and cheerful heart led to deliverance from the belly of the fish.
i. Truth is God will do the same for you today if you choose to allow him to perform open heart surgery on your deformed and infected heart.
iv. Jonah 3 reveals that he obeys the Lord and does what he is told to do and more heart surgery is accomplished in Nineveh.
1. The city and its leaders repented and Jonah reacts with another-- ¡§Heart Attack.¡¨
T.S. ¡V We see what happens when we go through open heart surgery at the hand of the master surgeon. He stops the heart attack by transplanting a new heart of repentance into our lives. But we must make sure that we guard our hearts and take care for them or they could experience another heart attack brought on by the Pharisee Disease.
II. The second type of emergency surgery of the heart is needed when we experience a ¡§Heart attack brought on by the Pharisee disease.¡¨
a. Jonah then suffers a heart attack brought on by God¡¦s compassion and his heart lets loose and open mouth disease pours out against God for his mercy.
i. Jonah 4:
1But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2He prayed to the LORD, ¡§O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.¡¨ 4But the LORD replied, ¡§Have you any right to be angry?¡¨ 5Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. 7But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah¡¦s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, ¡§It would be better for me to die than to live.¡¨ 9But God said to Jonah, ¡§Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?¡¨ ¡§I do,¡¨ he said. ¡§I am angry enough to die.¡¨ 10But the LORD said, ¡§You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?¡¨
ii. Jonah¡¦s problem of the heart caused his open mouth disease. You see his heart is filled with anger and prejudice against the people of Nineveh.
1. This disease is rooted in self-righteousness and affects a lot of people in the Religious realm. What happens is their lifestyle becomes infected with pride, arrogance, prejudice and judgmental attitudes toward others.
a. They reveal this disease by the open mouth disease pouring out of their mouths toward others.
b. They are quick to point out to others how they don¡¦t measure up to their standard of holiness.
c. They get enraged over mercy and grace filled words.
d. They hate to see forgiveness offered to people who are evil and not perfect.
2. Jonah became infected with this disease after God poured out compassion and mercy on the Nineveh. His Heart attack was brought on by the Pharisee disease which is revealed in Chapter 4 of Jonah.
a. He actually is so overwhelmed by God¡¦s compassion that the blood gets blocked from his heart and open mouth disease pours out not to others but to God himself.
b. Yes, he actually gets mad-angry-upset- enraged at God¡¦s willingness to show mercy to sinners.
c. Listen to his open mouth disease here in this passage and discover what a Pharisee¡¦s infected heart looks like and acts like.
i. Truth is he lacked a heart of Love for people.
ii. He cared for a vine more than he did for 120,000 people
d. Truth is how many of our speech problems would not exist if we had genuine love in our hearts.
b. The story of Jonah helps us discover a person who experienced open heart surgery at the hands of the Lord and received a transformed heart and deliverance from his self imposed bondage. But we also see how quickly a heart attack can come on us again if we don¡¦t guard our hearts and take care of our spiritual health.
Conclusion:
Video Clip from Jonah the Movie ¡V Play the part at the end of the story the conversation between Jonah and the worm. Jonah is having a heart attack and unleashing his anger toward the Lord for saving Nineveh. The worm speaks for God and calls attention to the condition of Jonah¡¦s heart.
I know most of us here have suffered from these types of heart attacks that Jonah suffered from. But the truth is those heart attacks do not have to be fatal. There is a Great Heart Surgeon by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ just waiting to intervene and do a heart transplant for us. All we have to do is ask for help and repent.
