The Overflow of the Heart
Matthew 12:33-37
May 7, 2006
Introduction
Let me tell you a story about something that happened a number of years ago while I worked at Pizza Hut in Brookings:
One night we were very busy at the restaurant, and our supply truck came late, right in the middle of the supper rush.
I was in charge of the kitchen, and so I had to make sure all the stuff got put away and still keep the kitchen running.
I stood there in the middle of all this stuff that had to be dated, refrigerated or frozen, and make sure the other stuff got rotated.
And as I was discussing what to do with my co-workers, including another shift supervisor like myself, I uttered a swear word under my breath.
Which one? None of your business – but the one you’re thinking of will work just fine.
Anyway, the crew just stood there in shocked silence – they couldn’t believe I had said this, because they had never heard me swear before.
I got ribbed about it pretty good later on, and a few days later, as a crew of us was driving to another town to work that Pizza Hut so they could have their Christmas party, my little snafu was the main topic of conversation. They gave me such a rough time!
But it was light-hearted fun – they were playing up the fact that it had never happened before.
Today, I want to talk about what comes out of our mouths, because what we say says a lot. It says a lot about our character and our love and allegiance to Christ, or lack thereof.
And in doing so I want us to look at Matthew 12:33-37.
We looked at these verses last week in connection with Jesus’ words about the unforgivable sin, which was saying that the working of the Holy Spirit is the working of the devil.
But I wanted to revisit these verses because it’s a secondary theme to what Jesus was saying.
The Pharisees wouldn’t have said this horrible thing about the Holy Spirit if their hearts were right. But because they had hearts that either could not recognize or refused to recognize the working of the Holy Spirit, they blasphemed against him.
Jesus says in our passage today that words reflect the heart, and I want to address that aspect today.
If you are using the Bibles in the seats, this is found on page 690 –
"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. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 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. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
These are hugely important words about how we talk, and we need to take them seriously. So to help us get a grasp on these words, I want to look at three very important facts about your speech that need to be addressed out of this passage.
My intention is to give you some very specific information about how important our speech is and also how we can work to develop our speech to reflect a love for and allegiance to Christ.
So here we go – here’s the first fact that I want to address:
1. Your speech identifies you.
Look at verse 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.”
This is a pretty simple concept to grasp. If you see an apple on a tree, what kind of tree is it? An apple tree, right? This is the audience participation part, by the way...
If you see a cherry on a tree, what kind of tree is it? A cherry tree!
And teenagers, this one is one you can answer: if you see money on a tree, then what kind of tree is it? A money tree! Otherwise known as “parents.”
However, I need to tell you that this tree only exists in one place: your imagination.
If you see a lemon on a tree, what kind of tree is it? A lemon tree!
You get the picture right? A tree is recognized and identified by its fruit.
So how would your speech identify you?
Would it identify you as an encourager? Would it identify you as someone who is in love with Jesus and people? Or would it identify you as someone who knows the Word of God?
On the other hand, would your speech identify you as a gossip or rumor-monger? Would it identify you as a liar? Would it identify you as whiner or complainer? Would it identify you as someone who seeks to cause division among the church?
Because whether you like it or not, and whether you realize it or not, people hear what you say and they identify you by it.
And so if you want to be identified as a follower of Christ, you need to talk like one.
If you want to know how to do that, simply read through the book of Proverbs, as well as the gospels. Tons of stuff that’s understandable and practical.
Here’s the second fact about speech:
2. Your speech reveals your heart.
Look at the second part of verse 34 through verse 35 –
“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 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.”
If your heart is filled with good, your mouth reflects that. If it’s filled with bad, your mouth reflects that. It’s pretty simple.
If you claim to be a follower of Christ, but you’re liar, then you need to re-examine whether or not you are really in love with Jesus. Jesus wasn’t a liar.
If you claim to be a follower of Christ and you spread rumors, then you need to re-examine whether or not you’re really following Jesus. Jesus didn’t spread rumors.
If you claim to be a follower of Christ but you talk about others behind their back, you need to re-examine your life in Christ. Jesus wasn’t a back-biter.
If you claim to be a follower of Christ but your language is filled with four-letter words, then you need to check some things. Christ didn’t have a foul mouth.
Sometimes I’ll hear someone talking and I want to say, “Do you kiss your momma with that mouth?”
“What do you consider foul, PB?” I don’t think you need me to give you a list – I think most people know clean language from foul language. If you’ve got questions about something in particular, I’d be happy to visit with you – really! And if you don’t want to do that and you’re not sure, then use my little slogan: “when in doubt, throw it out.”
Now listen – we all mess up from time to time. I have been guilty of all of these over time and I’m not proud of it.
And I have had to repent and ask for God’s forgiveness, and in the circumstances where I am able, ask for forgiveness of the persons involved.
And I’ve been asking the Holy Spirit to get very tough with me about this. I don’t want to make excuses, because there are no excuses.
There’s no, “Oh well, that’s just the way I am – deal with it.” There’s no, “He’s always been that way.”
I can see children being brought up this way, and it’s shameful to the child and its parents.
But if you’re an adult, then you have absolutely no excuses for using speech that dishonors God and hurts others. None. You know its wrong, and its up to you to do something about it.
And we’re going to discuss some ways to do that so you’ll have some tools to help you.
But get over any thoughts that you “deserve” to speak badly or that you’re too far along to change. It won’t wash with me and it won’t wash with God.
Here’s the third fact that we need to address about our speech from this passage:
3. Your speech will be judged.
In verses 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. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
These are some pretty harsh words from Jesus here, and there’s no way to sugar-coat them.
If we’re serious about being a follower of Jesus in every area of our life, then we need to take these words seriously.
Words are better indicators of a person’s true character than his or her carefully planned and prepared statements and speeches. – Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
Let’s take me for example. My job is to preach to you, and you would expect that what I say up here would be God-honoring and beneficial to others.
But what I say out there is a much better indicator of the condition of my heart than what you hear in church.
Now hopefully, they’re pretty much the same. I don’t preach to people when I’m talking to them, but I want my words to be Christlike no matter where I am.
If you’re speech is filled with the stuff we’ve already talked about – gossip, backbiting, lying, or whatever, then it says that your heart is not right with God.
Now I want to be careful here. The context of the passage is Jesus talking to people who’s hearts were far from God and refused to recognize Jesus for who He was and the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him.
He was talking to non-believers, and their words would be used by God to show that they were not going to enter the Kingdom.
I don’t believe Jesus was talking here about someone losing their salvation.
What I think Jesus was saying here is that your words not only reveal your character, they also reveal your salvation.
If there is nothing in your speech to indicate that you have a love and allegiance to Christ, then maybe you don’t.
And God will use your words as evidence against you when you face Him at the judgment.
I say that because I don’t want to give people the impression that they need to live in fear that God’s just looking for an excuse to rip your salvation away from you, because that’s simply not the case.
What about slips of the tongue?
We’ve all had them, and we all regret them.
Here’s what I want to say about slips of the tongue. As you become more intentional about watching your speech and as you mature in Christ, this will happen less and less.
Why? Because you will be cleaning out some of the garbage and replacing it with good stuff, which I’m going to be talking about more here in just a moment. Your heart will be a place that is filled with good things, not bad things that come out through your mouth.
Well, let’s turn the corner and look at some...
Steps to storing up good in your heart:
The obvious application of this passage in Matthew is that we need to work to fill our hearts with good stuff, so that our speech will reflect our love for Christ. Here are three steps you can take to help you:
> Prepare your heart for good.
Two passages I want to look at very quickly here:
Colossians 2:7 (NLT) –
Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.
Ephesians 4:31-32 –
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
This is a heart issue, remember. And all these things I just read in these two verses are dealt with in the heart.
We’re supposed to get rid of the bad stuff, and add the good stuff of compassion and forgiveness.
This prepares our heart to receive the word of God so the Holy Spirit can work in us.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus says that the seed being spread is the Word of God – and that those who were able to receive it and produce a crop were those with a good and noble heart.
You can’t have a good and noble heart if it’s filled with rage, anger, bitterness, slander, and malice.
These things don’t nourish the soil, they poison it. And is it any wonder that those filled with this tend to speak in ways that dishonor God and hurt others, even if they claim to be followers of Christ?
Next...
> “Hide” the Bible in your heart.
Psalm 119:9 –
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Six ways to do this:
* Hear
* Read
* Study
* Memorize
* Meditate
* Apply
Here’s the third step to take in storing up things in your heart:
> Train your mouth.
Ephesians 4:29 –
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.
What does this have to do with storing up things in your heart?
When you become much more intentional about what passes out of your lips, then you will also find yourself becoming more conscious of what’s going on in your heart.
And as this happens, you can see where you can ask the Holy Spirit to do His work in you.
One of the best ways to train your mouth is to remember the words of James 1:19 and be slooooooowwww to speak.
One of the best things you can ask yourself is this – “Is this going to be Christlike?” If not, then you’re probably better off not saying it.
Another thing you can do is just simply ask, “Do I need to say anything at all in this situation?”
I have found that when I ask that question, I talk a lot less. And here’s the cool part – I find that a lot of times, what I was going to say was going to be said by someone else anyway, or that what I was going to say was so off-base I would have embarrassed myself or made the situation worse. And no one wants that, right? I sure don’t!
It’s been said that it’s better to be thought of as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!
Now let me say that this is hard for me. I love to talk – so I love being paid to do it!
But I have to get better at just doing this (zip my lip). I can still participate by facial expressions (examples), but I don’t always have to talk.
But in any case, I need to make sure that I’m training my mouth to say only those things that honor God and help others. And you need to do the same.
Conclusion
You know, I don’t think it’s a real surprise to anyone here today to hear that your speech impacts how others see you. It may not be a surprise to hear that your speech reflects your love and allegiance to Christ.
But I want to leave you with some positive stuff here.
You might be sitting here today and you’re feeling that your speech hasn’t been all that good. You’re guilty of some of the stuff I’ve mentioned, and your heart is heavy because of it.
The good news is that forgiveness is available for you. You can call out to God for forgiveness and he promises to give it. And if you’re serious about it, he’s ready to do something in your heart, beginning right now.
But you need to take the next step. He’s taken the first step by pointing out something in you that you need to deal with.
The step you need to take is to say to God, “You’re right, God. That’s sin. Please forgive me. And help me to become a person whose heart is right and who talks like it.
Then get serious about doing something tangible about it – taking the steps I mentioned a bit ago.
I can’t make you do anything. Only you can prevent forest fires. I mean, take the necessary steps!
So will you do it today? The invitation is for all of us, by the way. We can all use a check-up on this. Do it today – for your sake and the sake of the reputation of Christ.
Let’s pray.
