Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many years ago our family took a trip to go camping. We’ve always enjoyed camping and getting out in the wilderness to enjoy the nature that God created. One day we decided to go for a walk through a wooded forest trail on a bluff by some rolling hills.
I can still remember that morning because it was beautiful out. As we slowly walked on the foot trail I noticed something underneath a large red pine tree. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was so I went over to explore. Sitting under that tree was one of the biggest snakes that I’ve ever seen in my life.
At the time I didn’t know what kind of snake it was but it was huge. I didn’t know if it was a rattlesnake or poisonous and I made sure not to get too close.
I had happened to come upon a bull snake, more commonly called a gopher snake or pine snake. These snakes are the largest in Minnesota and average about five to 8 feet in length.
Just like a rattlesnake, when I approached this bull snake it coiled up and rapidly vibrated its tail and made an incredibly loud hissing sound. It was so loud that I was shocked. Apparently there is no other snake in Minnesota that can hiss as loudly as a bull snake.
Just like a snake who hisses loudly and is on the attack, people do the very same thing with their tongues when they visciously speak evil of other people.
James 3:8 – But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
People can use speech to edify and build other people up, or to hiss at them and tear them down.
James 4:11-12 – Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
When you speak evil of somebody else it means to denigrate them.
Denigrate means to attack the reputation of, or to defame and denigrate one’s opponents. To denigrate is to say bad things whether true or false about a person.
Denigrate means to attack the character or reputation of, to speak ill of and defame someone.
When you speak evil of somebody else it also means to disparage them.
When you disparage somebody else it is to insult them in a way that makes you feel superior to them or look down on them. Disparaging speech is to say unpleasant things about someone that show you have no respect for them.
When you speak evil about somebody else you malign them. If you malign someone it means that you bad-mouth them.
Titus 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Have you ever had somebody spread gossip about you and things in your private life? Things that you had entrusted to a friend but instead they betrayed you and went and told everybody else? A Christian doesnt do those things.
James 1:26 – If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Ephesians 4:31 – Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
When you put something away from you it means you don’t do it anymore. Instead of using our tongues to hurt other people in the church, you are supposed to lift others up through the grace of Christ.
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.
We turn away from Evil speaking in the church knowing that Jesus forgives us of our sins. He helps us by dying for us at the cross so that we can have redemption and remission of sins. For a lack of better words some people judge others just because they’re on a power trip.
1 Peter 2:1
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
If someone is professing Christianity as their faith they need to get rid of evil speaking about others in their life, otherwise they will eat the fruit of their wickedness.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Remember that whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart.
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Please consider the following verses.
Pro 13:3 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
Pro 11:13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
1 Pet 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
Instead of hissing like a treacherous dangerous snake and using our speech to hurt other people, we must learn to lift others up and to edify them in their time of need.
Let’s think about those things for today, and Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤
tlkjbc.wordpress.com
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 