The world’s most powerful weapon is the tongue. As one of the most exercised muscles in our body, it also is itself, a whole world of evil.
The tongue has the ability to wage war and corrupt our souls. It is the one thing behind destruction.
Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 13:3
He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
We are told to guard our lips and in doing so, guard our hearts. The words we say are important. It is not only what we say to others that matters, it is also about the harm we do to ourselves. To tame our tongues it so domesticate and train them to become mild and gentle. It is wild and to rein it in, is to rein evil in our lives.
Pastor Andy’s own mother taught him to tame his tongue by punishing him before he could tell a lie. His father taught him not to complain. Our words can mark the destruction of our past as well as our future, and we must be very careful of this especially with our children.
Proverbs 16:23-24
The wise in heart will be called understanding,
And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
1 Peter 3:10
For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
Our words must be like honeycomb.
Matthew 12:33-37
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 15:17:20
17“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ “
God will ask us why we said the things we did. And we will not be able to answer if we have cursed others, even if it’s just on Facebook. Be watchful of the things you write online; they reveal your heart.
We have the right to express ourselves of course, but not the right to create lies or spread gossip and slander. To be holy is watch our tongues. Gossip comes from a very judgmental and jealous place. Even children can spread gossip that we spread to them.
Psalm 101:5
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.
To slander is from the devil himself and the devil does not need any help with this. It comes from a heart condition of feeling bitterness. Even flattery and sarcasm come from hearts which are full of pride, selfishness, false and insincere. However subtle, they reveal the condition of your heart.
We are created for a divine purpose, and we should use our tongues for what they were intended. To glorify God and to bless others. To build, cheer, stir and encourage others. To edify others.
Colossians 4:6
6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Ephesians 4:25, 27, 29
Words that build others will life them up just as God’s word lifts us up. Imitate God without a hint of immorality. Do not joke obscenely and about these things, which are dirty because they come from the heart and the hearts must be clean. An uncontrolled tongue leads to hell and tear others apart, in ways that can’t always be repaired.
Pastor Andy also shared how in school he had slandered a boy who has considered him a friend, all behind his back. This boy ended up dying of cancer, and an apology was never made. To learn from this we should not join others in talking down other people, making fun of others, spreading lies and mocking others behind their backs.
None of us are perfect in taming our tongues, but we can ask God to help us and we can guard our hearts by watching our tongues and cleansing our lips in ways that will immeasurably do good to glofiy God to others. Many people stood up in Church today at the end of this message to ask forgiveness for having an untamed tongue and for having sinned with the world’s most dangerous weapon.
31 October 2010
Special Thanks to Pastor Andy Loh
