Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we’re 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 have 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 have ever encountered in my life. At the time I didn’t know what kind of snake it was but it was enormous. I didn’t know if it was a rattlesnake or poisonous and I made sure not to get too close. Later I discovered that I had come upon a bull snake, which is 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, so loud that I was absolutely astonished.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Apparently there is no other snake in Minnesota that can hiss as loudly as a bull snake. But just like a snake who hisses loudly and is on the attack, people do the very same thing with their tongues when they viciously 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 they can maliciously hiss at them, and spread all kinds of lies about them.
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.
According to different sources, to speak evil about another person is to use false and hateful words for the purposes of damaging another person’s reputation. It’s like somebody who spreads lies and gossip about you simply because they really don’t like you. These kinds of evil works are are produced by a bitter and malicious heart. Even in a divorce, a wife can turn completely cruel, twisting all of the words or activities of her husband, in order to make it appear to others that he is a terrible wicked person. The man that she spoke so highly of in the past and spent many years of her life with, she begins to speak evil of, and spread all kinds of wicked lies and false accusations about him. When she disparages him, she is insulting him in a way that makes her feel superior to him, or to look down on him. Disparaging speech is to say unpleasant things about a husband, or show that you have no respect for him, respect that is commanded by Christ Jesus for a Christian wife to do. When you speak evil about somebody else you malign them, and 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 the private things that you have confided in them? Things that you had entrusted to a close friend, but instead they betrayed you and went and maliciously shared the information with everybody else? A Christian doesnt do these kinds of things, because they are outside of the parameters of sincere love for others
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 that 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 Jesus.
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 for our sins. He helps us by dying for us on the cross so that we can have redemption and remission of sins. When people speak evil of others it’s led by a malicious heart, because it is done for the sole purpose of lifting themselves up in the eyes of others, and using their tongue to destroy the truth about the kind-hearted person that you truly are. These are the works of Satan, for he is the father of lies.
John 8:44 (KJB) Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
As a christian, this type of dishonest and evil speech must be put away far from you.
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:
The tongue can be used to speak the truth, or used treacherously in an attempt to destroy the lives of others. Many of the religious leaders were speaking evil about Christ Jesus, but He called them serpents and vipers and exposed them for their lying tongues. Many people are going to be bitter and very malicious, and will speak evil about the just, but all of the lies will be exposed, and the truth will be known, even if these wicked people can hiss just as loudly as,…….
…..The Bull Snake
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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