Series: The Beautiful Tongue, Sermon Five. "A Beautiful Tongue Is a Clean Tongue!"

 

Matt. 15:10-11; Exo. 20:7; and Eph. 4:29

 

Introduction:

A.   There's a lot of talk these days about pollution.  We hear a lot about Earth pollution: landfills and recycling.  Forsyth and many communities around have recycling available.  We hear about water pollution and air pollution too!

 

B.   But we don't hear much talk about pollution of the

sound waves.

 

C.   Jesus said in Matt. 15:11, "it is not what goes into

the mouth that defiles [maketh unclean or pollutes] a

person; but it is what comes out of the mouth that

defiles." NRSV

 

Trans:  Jesus taught that we are to have a clean tongue and in America today there seems to be less and less emphasis

put on this!  I want to talk about this today, "A Beautiful

Tongue is a Clean Tongue."

 

                            Prayer

 

I.   Our society accepts a lot of usages of our tongue that James wouldn't have considered clean!  James 3:1-5

 

A.   It is about common place to use a little bad language

 

1.   T.V.

 

2.   Everyday language.

 

B.   People talk behind others backs not thinking of how

they are hurting the other person, and in the case of

Christians, the church and God!

 

C.   Our society accepts and thrives on unclean usage of our tongues!

 

  *  It doesn=t matter what is common place or accepted by

society, Jesus said, It is what comes out of a persons

mouth that defiles!

 

II.  A Clean Tongue Shows Reverence for God!

Def. Reverence = Deep respect with awe and affection!

 

A.   Exo. 20:7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." KJV

 

B.   Society may think it's cute, and we may fit in real  well, but the Bible says God will not hold us  "guiltless!"

 

C.   Pretty serious, I want to be held guiltless before God, don't you?

 

D.   Listen to this; this is a problem today!

 

1.   Do we know what it means to take God's name in vain?

 

2.   Webster's def.  Vain =   Without value.

 

It is using God's name without value

(without there being a valuable reason why we are using it).

 

Ex.  "My God", "Good Lord", "Jesus Christ", "Lordie, Lordie, Lordie"

 

3.   When we use the Lord's name, it should mean

something to us and our listeners, or according

to this scripture, we are in trouble!

 

4.   When we use God's name (without value), we are making God less important to our listeners.

 

a.   They won't reverence God.

 

b.   God won't seem important to them!

 

c.   God's a joke, a by-word!

 

III. A Clean Tongue Displays Reverence For All Things Holy, Personal, Private, and Important.

 

A.   A Clean tongue is a beautiful tongue because it shows reverence for life, and the way God has made us and for God's creation!

 

B.   When we speak with a clean tongue, it expresses  

sensitivity to the spiritual.  It is a witness to the

world that we reverence and respect spiritual things!

 

C.   When we refuse to use four-letter words to refer to  sexual things, it shows that we hold very highly the

way God has created us, and we want that to be

something special!  On the other hand, when we use

them, it shows that the sanctity of the act is not

there, only the animalistic desire!  It isn't special

to us!!

 

D.   When we use words like "heaven","hell", or "damn" loosely it means these words don't mean much to us!  We don't even know if these places exist; it is just a

good by-word!  On the other hand, when we don't use

them loosely, it means we hold these words to refer to

things of value: Real places and Real things!

 

E.   We need to teach our children to use good language.

 

1.   By example.

 

2.   By disciplining when necessary, maybe not by

     washing their mouth out with soap, but some way.

 

IV.  A Clean Tongue Displays Good Stewardship of God's Gift of   Speech!

 

A.   God has given us all the gift of speech!  How we use it reflects our stewardship of it!

 

B.   Anybody can swear.  It takes no special talent to use curse words!  A parrot can repeat swear words and do it very well!

 

C.   But it takes stewardship and work to learn to

communicate clearly and to make full use of God's gift

of speech!

 

V.   A Clean Tongue is a Witnessing Tongue! (we talked about having a witnessing tongue last week; we talked about living lives such that people would ask why we live as we do)

 

A.   Profanity is so common place today; people will notice

if we have a clean tongue!

 

B.   People will probably ask, and they will certainly label us as a person with strong convictions.

 

C.   When they ask, it gives us an opportunity to share  Jesus!

 

D.   Our witness is really what's at stake here; if we are  genuinely trusting in God's grace, God's grace will cover those slips.  But people who are looking to us as representatives of God will loose their respect for our testimony or witness.

 

Story:  Before I went into the ministry, I knew a pastor of one of the sister churches in our community.  He was a very good speaker; I really liked to hear him preach.  He was very      enthusiastic and had a very likeable personality.  I really      liked him.  I don't doubt his commitment to God and the church!  As a community, we were preparing for one of our community services, and he was to be the speaker.  I was inviting people to the community service and talking about it one day.  I asked an older gentleman in our community if he were going.  He said he didn't believe he would go.  I    proceeded to share how I really liked to hear him speak and      encouraged him to go.  He said, "When I go to the coffee shop and hear him tell dirty jokes and swear, it is just a little hard for me to put much faith in what he has to say!" What was at stake was his witness!

 

Maybe he thought he was trying to fit in and be personable, but what was at stake was his witness!

 

Conclusion:

 

A.   Do we need to ask God to help us clean up our tongues?

 

B.   Perhaps, in our world today, it is so common place to

not have a clean tongue that we didn't even realize

what we were doing!

 

C.   There really is a lot at stake here; do we need to grow in this area of our lives?

 

 

"Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but

 only what is useful for building up, as there is

 need, so that your words may give grace to those

 who hear"  (Eph. 4:29). NRSV

 

     D.   As we encounter Christ at the table this morning, do

we need to ask Christ for help with this one?  Do we

need to grow in this area of our lives?

 

                      Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion

 

 

Series: The Beautiful Tongue, Sermon four. " A Beautiful Tongue is a Witnessing Tongue!"

 Introduction:

A.   When we think of witnessing, there are two extremes we think about.

1.   There are those who can't carry on a normal

conversation without making a strong sales-pitch

for someone to be saved or repent of their

wrongs! People begin to avoid them because they know they are in for a beating!  This isn't good! 

 

Most of us aren't at this extreme!

 

2.   The other extreme that comes to mind is someone

who you could work with and talk to for twenty

years and never know that they were a Christian!

If someone asked them how to become a Christian,

they wouldn't have the foggiest idea what to tell

them!  This isn't good either!

 

I Hope none of us are at this extreme.  I doubt we are!

 

B.   Most of us probably fall somewhere between these, and

we need to, but chances are most of us at times, if we

are honest, come closer to the second extreme than we'd like to and pass up good opportunities to witness!

 

Trans:

So, this morning I would like to talk about, "A  

Beautiful Tongue is a Witnessing Tongue."

 

                            Prayer

 

I.   We cannot have a private faith! (hear these words)

 

A.   Rom. 10:9 "because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

 

B.   (and again) Matt. 10:32&33    "Everyone therefore who

              acknowledges me before others, I also will

acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but

whoever denies me before others, I will also

deny before my Father in heaven."

 

C.   It goes hand in hand; someone with a true Faith will want to share some way!

 

II.  We should always be ready to speak for Christ!

 

A.   I Peter 3:15   "but in your hearts sanctify Christ as  Lord.  Always be ready to make your                            defense to anyone who demands from you an account for the hope that is in you;                         yet do it with gentleness and reverence."

 

B.   Notice this verse assumes people will ask!  We are to live our lives in a way that people will see us and

want what we've got!  They will be impressed, and they will ask how do we do that! (Story of dad hurting finger and saying, “Mike get a bandaid.)

 

1.   When they ask, we should be ready to give them the reason!  Christ!

 

2.   This is the most effective way to witness!  Get

them to where they will ask us!!

 

C.   This verse brings out 3 important things about a

witnessing tongue!

 

1.   It must be willing! Ready!

If we aren't willing, we will let the

opportunities go by, and the door will be shut!

 

2.   A witnessing tongue must be gentle!

 

a.   This means we must be gentle with the

seeker.

 

b.   We must show them the compassionate love of Christ. Offer Christ, not push Christ down their throats!

 

c.   They may have committed a sin that to us is terrible, but if they are coming to us for help, we have no right to judge them and slam the door on the opportunity to tell them about Christ.  We need to show them the way to a forgiving Savior and start them on a new life in Christ.

 

3.   A witnessing tongue must show respect. "Reverence!"

 

a.   Respect for God's word.

 

b.   Respect for people created by God!

 

     1)   People shouldn't get the feeling that

 we are looking down our noses at them

 but that we view them on the same

 level as ourselves.

 

2)   In God's eyes, their sin is no worse

than ours; the only difference being

God’s grace in Christ.

 

III. A witnessing tongue can be trained!

 

A.   It should be trained!  Too many times the Christian Church has been rather cruel to new converts; we win  someone, and we tell them what is expected of them and throw them out there to either sink or float: most sink.

 

1.   First, we need to teach people character

     development! This is what this series seeks to

     do!  They need to grow as Christians themselves!

 

a.   When they do, this will give them

opportunities to witness! People will notice

and will ask!

 

b.   Then, they will be ready to hear.

 

2.   Next, we need to teach people about faith, grace,  and salvation so they are ready when given the opportunity to lead someone to Christ!

    

B.   Our church is better at this than most!  We offer a lot to help Christian growth.

1.   The emphasis in the United Methodist Church of

doing something with our faith gives people ways

to exercise their faith.

 

2.   Children's Sermons/Church.

 

3.   Confirmation classes as needed.

 

4.   Small groups for prayer, service, and study!

 

5.   Preaching growth, especially during the seasons of growth!  We don’t just bring people to Christ

and forget them!

 

IV.  A witnessing tongue needs to trust in the guidance of the   Spirit!

 

A.   Without the Spirit, we are helpless:  training or no- training!

 

B.   All the training in the world can't prepare us for

every situation, but the Spirit can supply the need.

 

"When they hand you over, do not worry about how you

are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are

to say will be given to you at that time;" (Matt.

10:19).

 

Conclusion:

 

A.   Have we failed in this area?  Do we feel like at times  we have came too close to the second extreme that we talked about at the beginning?

 

B.   Sometimes it is because we have been scared!

Sometimes well meaning men/women have painted the

picture of witnessing that scares most of us to death, and we back off!

 

1.   That picture looks something like this:

 

a.   Knock on door!

 

b.   Stick foot in the door!

 

c.   Are you a Christian?

 

d.   You have sinned!!

 

e.   In another denomination, I participated in a

class on evangelism that basically described

a method just like that! No wonder people

are afraid at the thought of witnessing!  No

wonder people are afraid to come to church!

 

2.   You say, "I can't do that!"

 

3.   God probably isn't asking us to do that!

 

4.   By being too pushy, we can sometimes do more

damage than good.

 

C.   But that doesn't mean we shouldn't visit and get to

know people and rely on the Lord to give us an

opportunity.

 

D.   And there are other ways of witnessing!

 

     1.   Get to know people!

 

     2.   Create opportunities to be with them, besides at

work or places they would be embarrassed to talk!

 

          3.   Look for opportunities to share a word of

witness!  God has made a difference in my life!

Let the Lord lead you in what to say! If they are

not ready, respect that!  It will leave the door

open for another time!

 

E.   What God is asking is that we be ready and willing!

Are we ready and willing today?

Don't be afraid of the Lord!  God won't ask anything

of us that we can't do!  God won't put us in any

situation that God can't bring us through!

 

Remember our membership vow that we answer to when

joining the church:

 

“Will you faithfully participate in the ministries of

this congregation by your prayers, your presence, your

gifts, your service, and your witness?”

 

As we encounter Christ at the table, if we will say, "

Yes Lord, I want to be a better witness."  God will

give us the opportunities!

 

                      Prayer of Confession

 

Service of Communion

 

 

Series: The Beautiful Tongue., Sermon 3. "A Beautiful Tongue is an Appreciative Tongue!"

 Introduction:

 A.   What causes a person to not have an Appreciative Tongue?

 

B.   Is it merely a lack of awareness of the need to be appreciative, or is it a lack of awareness of things to be appreciative for?

 

C.   I think the problem is deeper than all of these!

 

Trans:

I want to look this morning at, "A Beautiful Tongue is

an Appreciative Tongue."

 

                            Prayer

                          Rom. 1:21-25

 

I.   Look at Paul's description of humankind.

 

A.   Notice, as Paul described the sad state of humankind,

          the first two wrongs he listed that they had

committed had set the rest in motion.

 

1.   They had failed to glorify God as God.

 

2.   They had failed to be thankful toward God.

 

B.   Paul considered being appreciative very important; he started out a lot of his letters with words of thanks.

 

II.  Failure to be thankful can set other sins in motion because

it is more than a tongue problem: it is a heart problem.

 

A.   We don’t want to get too hung up on the list of sins

Paul gives as a result of God giving them up. Things

we should note:

 

1.   Some of the sins are cultural and what Paul

“thinks” are a result of God giving them up. The

 list of sins are at most Paul’s opinion of sin.

 

          2.   Covetousness, envy, strife, deceit, craftiness,

gossips, haughty, boastful, rebellious to

parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, and

ruthless are all given equal condemnation with

the others sins he lists.

 

          3.   Some of these we have probably all been guilty

of!

 

          4.   The point is not for us to point fingers and try

to figure out who is doing what, but we are to

realize that because of their failure to

recognize God as God and to be thankful or

appreciative, God didn’t do something to them,

but God gave them up and let their sin take its

toll.

 

          5.   We don’t want God to give us up, so we should

recognize God as God and be thankful or

appreciative! That is the point of this passage!

 

B.   Again, it is more than just a tongue problem but also

a heart problem! It reveals an unappreciative

attitude!

 

C.   If we have an appreciative attitude, we won't be able

to help but express it.

 

D.   On the other hand, if we have an unappreciative

attitude, it won't be too important to us whether or

not we thank people or God for things they have done.

 

1.   Oh, it's just their job!

 

2.   They weren't doing it for me; they did it just because they had to!

 

3.   God didn't get me this job; I found it myself!

 

4.   They just teach because it gives them a sense of  authority!

 

III. An appreciative attitude will give us a better home life.

 

A.   The wife of Prov. 31:10-31 is a remarkable lady, but notice a very important part in vs. 28, "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." (NIV)

 

B.   Her family had an appreciative tongue.

 

1.   We want to help our family life?  We want to help our family members grow and be better?  We need to show appreciation for the things they do right!

 

2.   We want things to get worse and them give up on

ever being anything worth while?  Then run them

down every time they make a mistake!

 

IV.  An appreciative tongue will change our whole perspective on life!

 

A.   Do we see life for the good things that are there and express appreciation?

 

B.   Or do we see life for the bad things that are there and would express appreciation, but we do not see much to be appreciative about?  Then we are not appreciative! If we were we would see a lot of things to be thankful for!

 

C.   Illustration: (from Beauty Care for the Tongue by LeRoy Koopman)

 

1.   A vulture and a hummingbird fly over the same desert.

 

2.   The vulture will find a decaying dead body

     because that is what he is looking for.

 

3.   The hummingbird will find a beautiful flower

because that is what he is looking for.

 

4.   We will find what we want to find!

 

D.   An appreciative person will                                               and not the:

        notice:

 

1.   friendly bag-packer                                         1.   grumpiness of the

check-out person

 

 

2.   The good yield of                                               2.   a lot of weeds

tomatoes, squash, etc.

 

3.   The smile of a babies                                        3.   the dirty diapers

first accomplishments.

 

4.   The good in the church                                    4.   the bad in the Church

 

5.   The good in a person                                       5.   the bad in a  Person

 

          6.   Good things to respond                                                  6.   Bad things to

                 to online!                                                                                respond to online!

 

     E.   An appreciative tongue doesn’t feel that they deserve

all the good things in life, so when good things

happen, they are appreciative!

 

1.   They don’t feel they deserve blessings because

they are a Christian or so good!

 

2.   They don’t feel they deserve blessings because

they are Americans!

 

3.   They realize bad things are a part of life!

 

4.   When they are blessed, they are appreciative!

 

V.   An appreciative Tongue will not only change our perspective

on life, but will do something about it!

 

A.   An appreciative Tongue will speak words of

appreciation to those who have blessed them!

 

     B.   An appreciative Tongue will look for things to

appreciate! It will be the outflow of a positive life!

 

     C.   An appreciative Tongue will write encouraging words to

people online!  It will not only see the bad, but it

will look for the good and encourage it!

 

     D.   A heart that is filled with appreciation will respond

with words of appreciation!

 

 

 

Conclusion:

 

A.   Do we have appreciative tongues?

 

B.   If we haven't it is because we do not have an    

appreciative heart (attitude).

 

1.   God expects an appreciative heart!

 

2.   We don’t want God to give us up!

 

C.   There is no need to try to clean up the outside with a tongue that expresses thankfulness that we don't mean!

 

D.   As we encounter Christ at the table this morning,

let's ask God to give us an appreciative heart   

(attitude).

 

                      Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion

 

Beautiful Tongue Series: Sermon 2 "A Beautiful Tongue is a Silent Tongue!"

 

Introduction:

A.   Which would you rather be?

 

1.   A person who always has a fast answer?

 

2.   A person who has to think for a moment before answering?

 

B.   Which one would be more apt to be left out of the conversation today?

 

C.   Are we really left out if we are listening and the conversation keeps going?

 

D.      In our Society of instant everything, we have been left with the impression that we must have instant words! If we do not, we feel left out or that we do not fit in!

 

Trans:

The Bible has much to say about this!  Let's look this morning at what it has to say!

 

                            Prayer

 

                       Read from the NRSV

                        Proverbs 10:19,

                          Ecc. 3:1&7,

                          Psalm 4:4, &

                         James 1:19-20

 

I.   Let's look at these scriptures:

 

A.   Proverbs 10:19 tells us, when words are many sin is not lacking but when we keep our mouth shut we are wise.

 

B.   Ecc. 3:7 says, there actually is a time to be silent!

 

C.   Psalm 4:4 instructs us, when we are angry don't say a

lot of things that will hurt, but think about it (talk to ourselves in bed) and be silent until we have just the right, Christian thing to say!

 

D.   James 1:19 says we should be, “quick to hear and slow

to speak.”

 

1.   Too many times today, we do just the opposite of  this one!

 

2.   We don't listen to what someone says, but

instead, we are thinking of what we are going to say next!

 

3.   LeRoy Koopman in his book Beauty Care for the

Tongue says of this situation, "If both

individuals are going through the same little

ritual, we have the ludicrous situation of two

people talking to themselves together."  Sounds

funny doesn't it?  But it happens!

 

4.      This must of been what the Bible is speaking of

in Pro. 18:2, "A fool finds no pleasure in

understanding but delights in airing his own

opinions." (NIV)

 

E.   The Bible gets pretty practical doesn't it?

 

II.  There are 4 reasons that, "The Beautiful Tongue is a Silent Tongue."  They are:

 

A.   Silence at the right time eliminates gossip.

 

1.   If we think about what we are about to say and

how it is going to effect other people, much of what we are tempted to say will go unspoken.

 

2.   But what happens too much of the time is we gossip before we know what we are doing because we fail to be silent and think before we speak.

 

3.   Also, if we think before we post something, we might decide it is best not to post it!

 

B.   Silence at the right time promotes harmony with others.

 

1.   When we are angry, if we will be silent, it will promote harmony!

 

a.   We speak most impulsively when we are angry.

 

b.   We speak most rapidly when we are angry.

 

c.   We speak without thinking when we are angry.

 

d.   We post things we shouldn’t when we are

angry!

 

e.   Words fly, and the damage is done.  The hurt that is left is not from the fact we disagreed but what we said when we disagreed!

 

f.   So if we can learn the virtue of being silent until we have cooled down and are thinking rationally, we will be able to avoid hurting other people.

 

2.   Another way this promotes Harmony with others:

 

a.   If we are a good listener, people will want

to be around us.

 

b.   People may grow tired of hearing us talk, but they will love a good listener!

 

C.   Silence at the right time can give us an opportunity

for ministry to others!

 

1.   People "need" someone to listen to them!

 

2.   The books I've read on Counseling say that a large part of counseling is listening.  Many times people will discover the answer to their own problems if they can just find someone to listen to them objectively.

 

3.   Many times Marriage problems can be solved by the couple involved learning to "listen!"

 

4.   The world needs some good listeners!  We as the people of God need to be just that!!

 

 

D.   Silence at the right time is important in our relationship with God.

 

1.   Elijah expected God to be revealed in the great windstorm, in the earthquakes, and in the fire.  Instead, God was revealed with a still, small voice (I Kings 19:9-18).

 

2.   Too many times we don't listen for the still,

small voice!  We expect God to hit us with

something while on the run!

 

3.   We pray God give me this, God give me that, and thank you for this - amen.  We never listen for God to speak to us!

 

4.   Prayer should be two-way!  Let's give God a chance to speak to us!  Let=s give God some Silence when we pray and listen!

 

III. A word about being friendly and speaking!

 

A.   We need to. There is a time for friendly chatter.

 

B.   But there's a time to speak and a time to listen!  We

all need to learn that!

 

Conclusion:

A.   Does this message hit home for us?

 

B.   Remember what we said last Sunday.  The Bible says we

can't control our tongues by ourselves!

 

C.   We need the help of the Holy Spirit to do that!  The

Holy Spirit can help us be silent at the right time if

we ask and then listen to the prodding and guiding of

the Spirit.

 

D.   Do we need to yield to the Holy Spirit today so we

can grow in this virtue?

 

E.      As we encounter Christ at the table today, let’s yield

to Christ’s Spirit!  Ask Christ to help you with a

silent tongue.

 

                      Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion