Defiled by the tongue
Text: Matthew 15:10,11
Proverbs 15:4, "A wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness therein [is] a breach in the spirit."
In the OT there were many rules and instructions that if one broke one of them, they didn’t lose their salvation but they would be in a state where they were called, "unclean," or "defiled."
As I understand it, defilement is: to be rendered unfit for Divine service. In other words you couldn’t go into the sanctuary and be used by God until the defilement was removed. While there is not an exact NT parallel my I suggest that there are things that can happen to us that will make us unfit for Divine service.
For example if you are in a funk, you will not be able to tell others about the "joy of the Lord." If you are full of anger, you are not going to tell others about the, "peace that passes all understanding." Jesus spoke of many being called and few being chosen. I think that it can refer to God wanting to use many people, (not for full time service, but to use them in certain situations), but because they are not in a fit frame of mind they are not ready when he calls them. If life comes knocking, and you are not prayed up, fasted up, or in the word enough, you may be described to be in a condition that is "unfit for Divine service."
Please understand, I am not negating the grace of God. Yet prayer, fasting, studying to show ourselves approved, not being entangled with weeds and thorns, are all scriptural examples of conditions that make for favorable seed growth, development, and multiplication. If these are not in proper order, we are probably in a state where God can’t use us as much as He would otherwise.
Now I want to relate this thought of being defiled or rendered unfit for Divine service to our text:
Text: Matthew 15:10,11 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Proverbs 15:4, "A wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness therein [is] a breach in the spirit."
What comes out of the mouth can defile you.
The Bible says it is the mouth that is the most accurate gauge of a person’s life.
Tonight I want to preach on defiled by the tongue, or giving a bad report.
What is giving a bad report?
According to the bible it is giving accurate information that has a negative impact on people.
In the Jews case (those on the border of the promised land), the defilement was that they trusted too little in God. The words ( bad report) they heard rendered them unfit for the Divine service of entering the promised land in a timely fashion.
Experience has taught us that it also includes information that is exaggerated so that a maximum impact of negative feelings or emotions may be elicited.
SARS is a disease that is causing many people dis - "ease" and the pathology of disease is also similarly to the pathology of spiritual ruin, or in this case defilement.
The pathology of disease (pathology development of disease) is 5 fold:
1. Ignorance - of "preventive" measures to avoid contamination;
2. Exposure - to the person who is already "infected";
3. Contamination - (defilement) by allowing the "germs" to enter our system;
4. Infection - as the "germs" overcome our normal defenses;
5. Disease - when the infection destroys vital life-supporting functions.
We will cover these briefly.
1. Ignorance
A. II Corinthians 2:11, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."
1. Ignorance, is Not Being Aware of the destructive power of casual contact with an infected person, in our message it is contact with untrue or distorted words.
2. Ignorance for example that a handshake can kill you. (That is if someone with a deadly easily transmited disease shakes your hand causing you to become infected) In our case it is ignorance that the tongue can destroy friendships. Proverbs 16:28, 17:9
3. Ignorance of how bad reports are given. (Like how a disease can be spread)
Bad reports are communicated by words, facial expressions, gestures, and tonal inflection.
4. Ignorance of Who Gives Evil Reports:
Giving bad reports is part of the fallen nature of every person.
1. Whisperer: --- One who secretly or privately passes on evil reports to others.
Psalms 41:7, "All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt."
2. Gossip: --- One who magnifies and sensationalizes rumors and partial information.
3. Slanderer: --- One who seeks to destroy another’s credibility or reputation with damaging facts, distortions of facts, or evil suspicions.
4. Busybody: --- One who digs up evil reports and makes it his business to spread them by means of gossip, slander, or whispering.
a. Such an action is as great a sin as murder or stealing.
b. I Peter 4:15, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or [as] a thief, or [as] an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters."
4. Ignorance of How Satan Uses Evil Reports:
1. To Discredit Spiritual Leadership.
2. To cause Christians to Close Their Spirit toward each other.
3. To Multiply Conflicts and produce more ungodliness.
4. To prompt non-Christians to Mock Christianity and reject Christ.
II. Exposure:
A. Proverbs 27:12, "A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished."
Exposure, Is Entering Into Conversation With A Person Who Is A Carrier of An Evil Report.
How Does God Want Us To Respond?
1. Romans 16:17, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."
C. How To Detect a Carrier of an evil report:
There are two kinds fishers, and slimers.
Fishers:
1. A carrier will usually Test Your Spirit before giving you the evil report --- Any evidence of a Compatible Spirit In You will Encourage him to give you the report.
2. A carrier will usually Check Your Acceptance of his report before giving it.
a. He may ask your opinion about the person ...
b. He may drop a negative comment and observe your response to it.
3. A carrier will often Get You To Ask for the report by Creating Curiosity for it .....
4. A carrier may communicate an evil report by Asking Us For Counsel or by Sharing A Concern for the person involved.
Slimers: Just dump it on you. They don’t necessarily look for a place to get the hook in, they just slime ya.
III. Defilement:
A. Proverbs 26:22, "The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly."
Defilement is Receiving a bad report from another person and accepting its intention into your spirit.(The intention is to render you unfit for Divine service, through anger, bitterness etc. )
B. In the same way that touching a diseased person will defile one’s hands, listening to an evil report will Defile One’s Mind.
C. Absalom --- used an innocent sounding evil report to steal the hearts of almost an entire nation and lead it in revolt against his own father, King David - How Did He Do It?
1. He gathered and organized a group that would be Loyal To Him, rather than the one whom he served.
2. He made himself Available To The People --- He offered to be the Representative to make sure things were done right.
3. He Sought Out Those Who Had Grievances.
4. He had a Personal Interest In People. He was a great people pleaser.
5. He stole respect, through accusation. II Samuel 15:6, "... so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel."
IV. Infection:
A. Proverbs 14:15, "The simple believeth every word: but the prudent [man] looketh well to his going."
Infection --- is responding to an evil report with human reasonings and emotions rather than with spiritual understanding and genuine love.
B. Proverbs 17:4, "A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; [and] a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue."
C. Symptoms of Infection:
1. Believing the evil report is true.
2. Forming Negative Opinions based on the report.
3. Focusing On Negative Aspects of the person involved.
4. Backing Away From The Person In Your Spirit.
5. Telling The Evil Report To Others.
V. Disease:
A. Proverbs 26:24-25, "He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for [there are] seven abominations in his heart."
B. Disease --- is being mentally and emotionally controlled by the evil report and by the destructive spirit of the one who gave it to us.
C. A diseased Christian has grieved and quenched the Holy Spirit by taking up the offenses of others, making them his own, and adding to them.
D. Symptoms of Disease:
1. Developing Bitterness and/or Rebellion, even though the person involved did not directly offend you.
2. Recruiting others to "our side".
3. Searching Out Evil Reports and using them to give the worst possible impression.
Proverbs 16:27, "An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips [there is] as a burning fire."
4. Believing that such actions are actually Accomplishing God’s Will rather than realizing that ----- We Give Non-Christians Occasion To Blaspheme God’s Name Because of Our Lack of Genuine Love.
Conclusion: --- How To Cleanse Your Mind of An Evil Report.
1. The test of defilement:
A. Has the evil report Affected How I Feel Toward The Person Involved? Have I been rendered unfit to minister to them in the Lord?
B. Do I have an Urge To Tell someone else the evil report?
1. Ephesians 4:29, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."
2. Proverbs 11:13, "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter."
How to be cleansed:
A. Ask God To Cleanse Your Mind from the defilement of an evil report.
B. Pray for God to give you Genuine Love for each one involved in the evil report.
C. Don’t be ignorant of the evil of defilement by the tongue. This will keep you free from further outbreaks of disease.
D. How Do I Know when I have cleansed my heart?
1. You will lose your urge to tell someone else the evil report.
2. You grieve over the fact that the report was given.
3. You have genuine love toward the person involved in the report.
4. You are prompt to examine your own life for failures.
Close: As you can see, words can render you unfit for Divine service, let us close in prayer for freedom from and forgiveness of defilement.
