dirty words
Believe
me, these are 100% honest-to-goodness
headlines.
·
Lebanon
Will Try Bombing Suspects
·
Officials
Warn Clams, Oysters Can Carry Virus
·
Man Shoots
Neighbor With Machete
·
Multiple-Personality
Rapist Sentenced To Two Life Terms
·
Iran Claims
Success In Its Attack On Iran
·
Defendant's
Speech Ends In Long Sentence
·
Old School
Pillars Are Replaced By Alumni
·
19 Feet
Broken In Pole Vault
·
Terminal
Smog Not Lethal
·
Cause Of
Aids Found--Scientists
·
Police Kill
Man With TV Tuner
·
Milk
Drinkers Are Turning To Powder
·
Bible
Church's Focus Is The Bible
·
Two
Convicts Evade Noose, Jury Hung
·
Stiff
Opposition Expected To Casketless Funeral
Plan
·
Large
Church Plans Collapse
·
Potential
Witness To Murder Drunk
·
New Jersey
Judge To Rule On Nude Beach
·
Official:
Only Rain Will Cure Drought
Sometimes
it seems nearly impossible to say what one
really wants to say. Words keep getting in
the way.
I am confident that there is not a person here this morning that has not
been
·
hurt
and helped,
·
cursed
and blessed,
·
discouraged
and encouraged by somebody's words.
Whether
they are written or spoken, words are
powerful forces for good or evil.
Please
turn now in your Bibles to Ephesians 4.
Today I want to continue my series of
messages on verses 22-32. The Apostle Paul
is dealing here with the general theme of
Christian Living. In particular, he is
telling us that as saints we are to PUT
OFF certain things and we are to PUT ON
certain things.
So far, we have noted that we are
to:
·
put
off lying---verse 25,
·
put
off anger---verse 26,
·
and
put off stealing---verse 28.
We
are to be dead to these things and alive
to true righteousness in Jesus Christ.
Today
we will learn that we are to put off dirty
words.
Verse
29 notes: “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.”
He
is actually telling us to PUT OFF bad
words, in the first half of the verse, and
PUT ON good words in the second half of
the verse. (I will get to the second half
of the passage next Sunday.)
In
Matthew 15:17-19, Jesus notes, “Don't
you see that whatever enters the mouth
goes into the stomach and then out of the
body? But the things that come out of the
mouth come from the heart, and these make
a man ‘unclean’. For out of the heart
come evil thoughts, murder, adultery,
sexual immorality, theft, false testimony,
and slander.” I trust you noticed
how many of the aforementioned sins were
in fact sins of speech.
Five
of the Ten Commandments can be broken via
the month.
The
Unpardonable Sin is again a sin of speech.
Moses
missed out on entering the Land of Promise
partly because he blew his cool and spoke
words in anger.
Jesus
therefore warns us in Matthew 12:37, “For
by your words you will be acquitted, and
by your words you will be condemned.”
And
James 1:26 adds, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight
rein on his tongue, he deceives himself
and his religion is worthless.” James
3:2, (King James Version)
continues, “If any man offend not in word, the same [is] a perfect man, [and]
able also to bridle the whole body.”
Proverbs
6:16-19 lists seven things that God hates.
Three of these things are vocal sins.
Do
you get the point? Sins of speech are
common. Yes, even we who are in Christ are
vulnerable in this area.
SINS OF speech caN BE DEADLY
Robert Fulghum, in his book
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in
Kindergarten, shares a powerful
illustration of the power and force of
words. He writes: "In the Solomon
Islands in the South Pacific some
villagers practice a unique form of
logging. If a tree is too large to be
felled with an ax the natives cut it down
by yelling at it. Woodsmen with special
powers creep up on a tree just at dawn and
suddenly scream at it at the top of their
lungs. They continue this for thirty days.
The tree dies and falls over. The theory
is that the hollering kills the spirit of
the tree. According to the villagers, it
always works.
Me, I yell at my wife. And yell at
the telephone and the lawn mower. And yell
at the TV and the newspaper and my
children. I've even been known to shake my
fist and yell at the sky at times.
The man next door yells at his car
a lot. And this summer I heard him yell at
a stepladder for most of an afternoon. We
modern, urban, educated folks yell at
traffic and umpires and bills and banks
and machines‑‑especially
machines. Machines and relatives get most
of the yelling. I don't know what good it does. Machines and things just sit
there. Even kicking doesn't always help.
As for people, well the Solomon Islanders
may have a point. Yelling at living things
does tend to kill the spirit in them.
Sticks and stones may break our bones, but
words will break our hearts...."
Again
the author says that
"...The Solomon Islanders may
have a point. Yelling at living things
does tend to kill the spirit in them.
Sticks and stones may break our bones, but
words will break our hearts...."
The
Bible notes that we are made up of body,
soul and spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
declares: “May
God himself, the God of peace, sanctify
you through and through. May your whole
spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
·
The body is that which is
on the outside. We pamper it. Dress it.
Cleanse it. We spend thousands of dollars
over a lifetime caring for this piece of
clay which will eventually be put into a
hole in the ground.
·
We
also possess a
living soul. The soul is
eternal. It will live on long after the
flesh has turned to dust. The soul feels;
expresses emotion. Music and art
originates in the soul.
·
Then
finally, we are a
spirit being. The human will
has its seat in the spirit. The spirit is,
in fact, the real you.
As the soul, the spirit lives
forever.
The
Bible teaches us that words impact the
spirit. They may do little harm to the
body, but they can deal a death-blow to
one's spirit! As the natives on the
Solomon Islands have come to understand in
reference to trees, so it is that sins of
speech can kill the spirit of the man.
Proverbs
15:4 confirms, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful
tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs
18:21 says: “the
tongue has the power of life and
death....”
A
few years ago Paul Yocum died at the age
of 52 from a massive heart attack
according to various reports from The
Rocky Mountain News and The
Denver Post. After reading his story,
I would say that he really died of a
crushed or broken spirit. Those who knew
him best said that false accusations had
destroyed his health. Some serious charges
were leveled against the man. In neither
case though was he long considered guilty,
even by those who had accused him. The
accusations, however, devastated him. He
changed from a loving, caring person who
lived a quiet life to a fearful, nervous
person. Not long before his death Yocum
wrote: "I know this is going to sound
crazy, but I'm going to say it anyway. I
know I'm innocent, but you know what?
Sometimes I feel like I'm guilty."
The dishonest words crushed his spirit and
the fellow died, again, at the early age
of 52.
Psalms
42 captures well what Mr. Yocum must have
been experiencing. The writer felt
double-crossed. Tears were his constant
companion. People were accusing him and
even questioning his standing with God.
As a result, according to verses 5
and 11:
·
He
felt as if his very soul was downcast.
·
He
felt as if God Himself had forgotten him.
·
He
felt as if his very bones were being
affected by the evil taunts of his
adversaries.
Maybe
you relate to what I am saying. I have
seen people literally deflate right before
my eyes as they shared tragic accounts of
some mean-spirited verbal attack.
·
They
wilt.
·
Their
shoulders sag.
·
Their
inward pain takes on an outward
expression.
Why?
Their spirit is being crushed!!!
James
3:5-6 declares, “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The
tongue also is a fire, a world of evil
among the parts of the body. IT CORRUPTS
THE WHOLE PERSON, SETS THE WHOLE COURSE OF
HIS LIFE on fire, and is itself set on
fire by hell.”
sins of speech reveal a sinful soul
Our
words not only have an impact on the
spirit of another person, they likewise
provide a simple X-ray of what is going on
in our own heart. Jesus in Matthew 12:34
cries out, “How can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of
the heart the mouth speaks.”
Then
James 3 continues along this same line in
verses 9-12, “With
the tongue we praise our Lord and Father,
and with it we curse men, who have been
made in God's likeness. Out of the same
mouth come praise and cursing. My
brothers, this should not be. Can both
fresh water and salt water flow from the
same spring? My brothers, can a fig-tree
bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?
Neither can a salt spring produce fresh
water.”
The
application is simple, a corrupted spirit
is going to put out corruption while a
good spirit will put out goodness. Again “A
salt spring cannot produce fresh water.”
I
think I can prove this point:
How
many of you have heard Billy Graham
speak in one way or another? Do you think
you can tell what is in that man’s soul
by listening to his words?
How
about Madonna? Marilyn Manson? Howard
Stern? They are a trio of vulgar and
tasteless a-moral individuals. Judging
from their words, do you think you could
determine the condition of their souls?
I
can almost hear someone say, “But
pastor, we aren’t to judge people.” I
hate it when people try to hide
behind
that verse. I am not trying to be their
judge. I will leave that to God. However,
it doesn’t take a judge to inspect the
fruit that grows on a tree or the water
that flows out of a spring.
Having
said that, lets now look at some dirty
words.
Ephesians
4:29 once again commands: “Do
not let any unwholesome talk come out of
your mouth…”
Other
translations translate unwholesome as
·
“corrupt
speech”
·
“putrid
discourse”
·
“any
foul word”
·
“harmful
words”
The
Amplified Bible
reads,
“Let no foul or polluting language, nor
evil word, nor unwholesome or worthless
talk ever come out of your mouth...”
Obscenities
and profanities certainly qualifies as
dirty or unwholesome speech.
Ephesians
5:4 notes, “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are
out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
Dirty
jokes, off-color or course stories, have
no place in the life of the Christian.
·
They
defile rather than build up.
·
They
compromise one’s testimony.
·
They
set a terrible example before others.
·
They
offend descent folks.
·
They
grieve the Holy Spirit of a Holy God.
Paul,
in Titus 2:7-8, writes, “In
everything set them an example by doing
what is good. In your teaching show
integrity, seriousness and soundness of
speech that cannot be condemned….”
Let
me give you some simple rules here on how
to determine whether or not a story or
word is dirty or wrong:
·
If
you have to apologize before you say
something, you probably would be better
off not saying it.
·
If
you would not want your pastor or mother
to hear you say it, then again you
probably should not say it.
·
If
you feel that Jesus would not use those
words, then don’t use them either.
·
If
you feel the Holy Spirit convict you when
you say certain things, drop them from
your vocabulary.
·
If
it violates a clear teaching in Scripture,
it is wrong. Put it off.
Recently Marilyn and I were eating in a food court in
a shopping mall. Seated in the next table
over was a woman, a man and another
younger person. The older couple appeared
to be somewhere around middle age. The
woman – not lady – was rather loud so
it was easy to overhear what she was
saying. Her speech was laced with
profanity and vulgarities. I felt sorry
for her:
From
her conversation I could tell certain
things about her:
·
I
could easily tell that she was somewhat
limited in her education, therefore she
had to fill in the gaps in her vocabulary
with the language of the gutter.
·
That
she more than likely had not be introduced
to the taste of soap when she was growing
up.
·
That
she didn’t know God or His Holy Word –
no, not even the Ten Commandments.
·
That
she was not a lady of refinement.
·
That
she was simply a foul-mouthed boorish
woman, and wasn’t ashamed to let the
public know.
Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean to dump on
the person. I simply want to point out how
such speech sounds in other people’s
ears. It simply does not testify of a
relationship with either Jesus or His
church.
·
It
is rotten,
·
unwholesome,
·
corrupt,
·
putrid,
·
and foul speech.
using
god’s name in vain also qualifies as
dirty or unwholesome speech
In
Romans 3 the Apostle Paul describes the
condition of a person without God. In
verse 18 he notes “There is no fear
of God before their
eyes.”
·
Listen
to the comics on television.
·
Listen
to the words of much of the music of
today.
·
Listen
to the language used at school or in the
workplace.
·
God
or His name is no longer held up as
respected and holy.
Therefore
His name and His person is ridiculed,
mocked, and misused.
Why?
“There is no fear of God before their
eyes.”
Exodus
20:7 shares, “You shall not misuse
the name of the LORD your God, for the
LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who
misuses his name.”
God’s
names represent who and what God is. With
this in mind, we are to revere the honor
and good name of the Lord:
·
We are not
to swear by His name.
·
We are not
to use His name in an empty fashion. In
other words, we don’t simply say, “Oh
God,” or “My God.” His name is holy
and is not meant to be a filler or to be
used in some like empty fashion.
·
We are not
to curse or damn another person while
using the Lord’s name. (We aren’t to
do those things using any other names or
words either, for that matter.) In short,
we are to use the names of God with
respect and dignity.
SLANDER
also qualifies as dirty or unwholesome
speech
Again
Jesus in Matthew 15:19 lists slander among
the many evils that comes out of a wicked
heart. In fact he puts it in the same
company as “evil
thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual
immorality, theft, and false testimony.”
I
dare say that nearly everyone here this
morning is acquainted with the story of
Daniel and the lion's den. Nevertheless, I
want us to once again look at this
familiar passage of Scripture. Daniel 6
carries the account. I want to focus in on
verse 24. It says, “At
the king's command, the men who had
falsely accused Daniel were brought in and
thrown into the lions' den, along with
their wives and children. And before they
reached the floor of the den, the lions
overpowered them and crushed all their
bones.”
Notice
the phrase, “The men who had falsely accused Daniel....” In the original
languages, “falsely accused” literally
means that they “devoured”
Daniel. They “ate
the morsels of.…” “They chewed him
up and spit him out.” Slander almost
sounds like spiritual cannibalism, doesn't
it?
To
slander in the Word of God also means to
accuse maliciously. It is in this context
that we read Galatians 5:15, “If
you keep on biting and devouring each
other, watch out or you will be destroyed
by each other.”
·
Slander,
·
gossip,
·
rumor,
·
innuendo,
are all condemned.
They are built on a lie; a story that hasn't been
checked out. They are motivated by some
hidden agenda – possibly bitterness,
jealousy, or maybe hatred -- therefore
Scripture says, PUT IT OFF!
VERBAL
VIOLENCE also
fits well here.
Let
me give you an example of what I mean
here: A mother who had a baby rather late
in life (after her other children were
grown), was discussing this fact in the
child's presence, with a neighbor lady.
The mother said she did not understand
why she had to have another kid after
all of the others had grown up and left
home. (I am surprised that she didn't
know.) She then went on to state how she
wished that it had never happened but
since she was stuck with the child she had
to learn to make the best of it. HOW
HUMILIATING FOR THE LITTLE CHILD!
Uncommon?
Hardly. Someone has observed that a
typical child may hear 20 criticisms or
put-downs for every one positive
affirmation.
20 to 1!
Norman
Vincent Peale in Christianity Today tells the following story: "Once walking
through the twisted little streets of Hong
Kong, I came upon a tattoo studio. In the
window were displayed samples of the
tattoos available. On the chest or arms
you could have tattooed an anchor or flag
or mermaid or whatever. But what struck me
with force were three words that could be
tattooed on one's flesh, born to lose.
I
entered the shop in astonishment and,
pointing to those words, asked the Chinese
tattoo artist, "Does anyone really
have that terrible phrase, Born to lose,
tattooed on his body?"
He
replied, "Yes, sometimes."
"But,"
I said, "I just can't believe that
anyone in his right mind would do
that."
The
Chinese man simply tapped his forehead and
said in broken English, "Before
tattoo on body, tattoo on mind."
Who
puts the tattoo there?
·
We
do.
·
People.
·
Loved
ones.
·
Friends.
·
Fellow
students and employees.
Gordon McDonald, writing in The
Effective Father, tells of a 42-year-old
acquaintance who had a mind tattoo.
McDonald writes, "Tom is frantically
working himself into exhaustion; he spends
every dime he makes for impressive
artifacts of luxury and success; he is a
volatile human being whose temper explodes
at the slightest hint of disagreement or
criticism...
I asked Tom to tell me about his
childhood. At one impressionable point in
boyhood, when (he) was... displeasing his
father... his father said to him,
"Tom, you will always be a bum!"
Whenever his father was angry the
same prediction would be repeated until...
the words could not be removed. Thirty
years later Tom still suffers from his
father's verbal abuse. Those words drive
him day and night... to attempt to prove
that his father was wrong.
Ironically, even though Tom's
father is dead, the habit patterns of
Tom's inner life still maintain a fever
pitch to convince a dead father... that he
is not a bum.
Let anyone suggest that he is doing
something wrong... and hostility,
defensiveness, and furious energy are
unleashed to guard against what he senses
is a resurrection of the old accusations
from a thoughtless father...."
The father put a tattoo on the
young man's mind -- "Tom, you will
always be a bum. Tom, you are a born
loser."
Verbal
violence!
·
Name
calling,
·
Put
downs,
·
Public
humiliation/criticism,
·
Emotional
abuse,
All
constitutes verbal abuse.
Put
them off! These can be dirty words of the
worse sort!
Well,
I must close.
I want to do so with a simple
little poem:
There are three simple
words that begin with an "S",
That are wise with a wisdom
the world cannot guess;
But those who employ them
their beauty confess
Keep Silent Keep
Sweet and keep Stepping.
Keep SILENT when rumor
against you is stirred
When friendship is hurt
like some broken-winged bird;
When clamors the heart for
the right to be heard,
Keep SILENT -- keep Sweet -
and keep Stepping."
Keep SWEET when provoked by
some petty affair,
When those whom you love,
your loyalty wear -
When the milk of your
spirit is curdled with care,
Keep Silent-keep SWEET -
and keep Stepping.
Keep STEPPING when other
folks hinder your way;
When weary and worried you
finish your day,
Too footsore to walk, and
too breathless to pray-
Keep Silent - keep Sweet -
and STEPPING.
Keep Silent and spare
yourself needless regret -
Keep Sweet and the whole
world will be in your debt -
Keep
Stepping with Christ, the truest Friend
yet --
Keep
SILENT - keep SWEET - and keep STEPPING.
The
Psalmist prayed:
“Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep
watch over the door of my lips”
(Psalm 141:3).
Will
you pray with me such a prayer?
It
will certainly help in this process of
putting off dirty words!
