Bridled Tongue: Abusive Speech

Introduction: The Bridled Tongue and Abusive Speech

0:01 James chapter 1 and verse 26, the title to our brief series of studies being A Bridled Tongue, the Measure of True Religion. James 1 and verse 26. If any man thinketh himself to be religious while he bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his heart, this man's religion is vain. James, with his great attachment to the practical implications of true faith,

0:41 states in a very blunt manner that the measure of your true religious experience is in direct proportion to the bridling of your tongue. And so we're...

0:59 We're considering together what it means to have a bridled tongue. In our two previous studies, we have looked far and wide in the scriptures to see the tremendous importance of the tongue in the revelation of God in the scriptures. And then we began in our last study, several Lord's Days ago, to consider those paths down which a bridled tongue will not, walk, or traverse. The image being, of course, an animal bridled is controlled by an external force.

1:38 And therefore, when the tongue is under the control of God, there are certain paths down which it will not go. This is not meant to be an exhaustive study of the sins of the tongue. That would take months, if not years. If you don't believe me, just read the answer to the question, what sins are forbidden in the ninth commandment, in the larger catechism, and you will see 50 lines of definition of the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment.

2:09 Rather, I'm trying to focus on some of those sins of the tongue, which in my own pastoral dealings, I feel, have peculiar relevance to us as a body of God's people. Last time, we looked at the ninth commandment, what it means to bear false witness, and how a bride, who has a little tongue, will not go down the path not only of outright lies, but of passing on as fact that which we are not sure is fact. We shall not go up and down the land as tail-bearers, the scripture tells us. And then we looked at corrupting speech.

2:49 Paul says, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace, to those that hear. So much for our review. This morning I wish to direct your attention to a third path down which a bridled tongue will not go. Turn, please, to Colossians chapter 3 and verse 8.

3:18 Colossians chapter 3 and verse 8. But now do ye also put them all away, anger, wrath, malice, railing, and here's the phrase, shameful speaking out of your mouth, which could be rightly translated abusive speaking out of your mouth. And I want to deal then this morning with the third of those paths down which a bridled tongue will not go, the path of abusive speech. First of all, as we think our way through this aspect of God's teaching,

Defining Abusive Speech: A Verbal Weapon

4:01 this aspect of God's truth, let us consider the meaning of the word itself. When the Apostle Paul sat down and wrote or dictated to his secretary the word, shameful speaking, what word did he use? Well, he used a word which can mean and in some instances does mean obscene speech. That which is lecherous and reflects the attitude of filthiness and rivalry so prevalent in our day.

4:30 Paul says in one place concerning sins of that nature, it is a shame to speak of the things done by them in secret. Obscene speech makes those shameful things the subject of conversation and of jest and of laughter. So the word can mean and sometimes does mean obscene speech, or it can mean an abusive speech. And most of the lexicographers, those are the men who work at trying to give us an accurate meaning of biblical words, and the commentators,

5:08 those who seek to give us an accurate understanding of the words in sentences and in their paragraphs, agree that in this context, Paul is speaking not of obscene speech but of that which is abusive speech. Notice the context. Anger, wrath, malice, railing, abusive speaking out of your mouth. The context of this word is the inward disposition of anger, the inward disposition of wrath and of malice, and when you have anger, wrath, and malice in your heart,

5:49 the way it expresses itself in your lips is by abusive speech. Having established then the meaning of the word, in the second place, consider with me a description of the sin which the apostle is here denouncing. And I take no pleasure in this. It is never pleasant for me to trace out a biblical description of sin.

6:14 First of all, I know I cannot go too long, but what I'll see my own heart described in that is never pleasant. But we must do this if we're to be honest in our handling of the word of God. Having looked at the meaning of the word, and established that he's referring to abusive speech, what is the sin in some more fleshed out description? Well, the best way I know to describe it is this.

6:39 It is the kind of speech in which your tongue is turned into a verbal whip. The kind of speech in which your tongue is turned into a vicious scourge, a stinging lash, or a cruel cudgel with which men and women are then bludgeoned. In other words, abusive speech is one in which the tongue is turned from an instrument of edification and life-giving power into a deadly weapon. And when this kind of speech is indulged in,

7:21 the tongue becomes both an offensive and a defensive weapon. Think of it as an offensive weapon. You become angry or disappointed in someone. The nearest weapon you have with which to strike them is what?

7:37 Your tongue. Hence, the tongue begins to strike out in a kind of reflex clubbing with words. Perhaps you've allowed unchristian jealousy to take root in your heart. And then you calculate how you will, as it were, get even with the object of your jealousy or your malice or your suspicion, and what happens?

8:04 Your tongue then becomes your weapon to get even or to get at the person. The tongue becomes, you see, an offensive weapon. But then there are times when this abusive speech is seen when the tongue becomes a defensive weapon, like the quills of the porcupine. When backed into the corner, the only thing the porcupine can do is stand its quills up and say, All right, buster, come near if you dare.

8:30 And this is what happens with the tongue. Perhaps you've been backed into the corner, and someone is saying something about you, true or not true, and in self-defense, what do you do? Up come the quills of your lashing tongue. You retort.

Distinguishing Abusive Speech from Biblical Rebuke

8:49 You may use excessive sarcasm. But your tongue is being used as a defensive weapon. Now let me say by way of a caution here, it should be clear by now that in describing the sin of abusive speech in which the tongue is used as an offensive or a defensive weapon, we are not touching that use of the tongue in which there are verbal rebukes essential to Christian health. The Bible says open rebuke is better than secret love.

9:24 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. But you see, that use of the tongue in which you must rebuke someone is always motivated by love, which is seeking your brother's good, not by hatred, disappointment, hurt, which retaliates and seeks your brother's harm. And there's all the difference in the world. It's motivated by love, and oft times it is forced out against your emotions on the basis of principle.

10:01 Whereas abusive speech is driven out by the sinful passions against your principles. See the difference? I see my brother doing something that I know is not for his good and God's glory. He may have even done it to me, but I'd much rather just forget it and swallow it.

10:20 But I know he needs to be rebuked, but I don't want to rebuke him. I don't want to run the risk of rupturing friendship. And so everything in my emotions says, shut up about it, forget it. But my principle says, if you love him, rebuke him.

10:34 If you love him, wound him. You see, love forces me to rebuke him against my emotional tendencies. Principle prevails. It's just the reverse with abusive speech.

10:46 Principle says in my sober moments, I must not abuse my brother with offensive or defensive, lashing with my tongue. But because of anger, because of jealousy, because of malice, because of hurt, because of disappointment, what do I do? I let my emotions take hold of my tongue, make a weapon out of it, and it does its deadly work against my principles. Second thing that sets them off is different is this.

11:16 Rebuke always has the restoration of my brother as its goal, never his harm. Motivated by the principles of love, it always has his restoration as its goal, not his harm. Abusive speech never has restoration. The third thing, it's generally given, as I've indicated, with much reluctance because of inward pain.

11:41 So when we talk then about abusive speech, let no one infer from this that we are trying to enter that saccharine, unprincipled, no man's land where as believers we no longer exhort one another, where we can no longer do what the scripture says, if thy brother sin against thee, rebuke him. Then that sin rebuke sharply that others may fear. No, no, we're not entering that no man's land of saccharine, unprincipled mush called Christian love. But we're dealing distinctly with that kind of a use of the tongue that is prompted by sinful passions and has the hurt of its object in mind, not the good.

Manifestations of Abusive Speech in Family Relationships

12:24 Having looked at the meaning of the word, having in the second place described the sin in detail, in general terms, contrasting it with true biblical rebuke, in the third place, follow with me as we now describe the specific manifestations of this sin in detail. And again, I do this with pain, dear ones. But I know my Bible in my own heart and have had enough experience in the ministry to know that I could stop where I've gone right now describing the sin in general. And many of you guilty of this sin would go out of here this morning saying, isn't that a terrible sin?

13:04 And not see your own sin unless I descend from the general to the specific. As Joseph Allian says in his excellent treatise on true conversion, it is in hand-to-hand combat that the battles of the soul are won. Think of this sin in its specific manifestation, first of all, in family relationships. The Apostle Paul says, let shameful, abusive speech be put away from you.

13:35 And yet sad, sad it is that in Christian homes abusive speech passes between husbands and wives. What a tragedy that a relationship which is to reflect that beautiful, sanctified relationship between Christ and the church should be an occasion to reflect almost the relationship between the devil and the church. He is the accuser of the brethren and husband and wife take the position of mutual, abusive, accusative speech one to another. As a husband, maybe your wife has disappointed you in certain areas.

14:17 And what do you do? Well, you've never doubled up your fist and smacked her. That would have been a lot easier for her to take, for the bruise that it brought would have been healed and gone perhaps weeks or days after the blow was struck. But what have you done?

14:33 You've learned how to use your tongue. As a verbal lash until if someone could visually conceptualize the state of your wife's soul and make it visible on her back you'd see a back that was open and lacerated with ulcerated wounds where the stripes of your vicious tongue have cut her again and again and again and again and again. You've made jibes about her stupidity. Maybe jibes about her weight.

15:12 Jibes about her carelessness in certain responsibilities. I'm not talking about those loving gracious rebukes of a husband to the wife. No, no, they have their place as there is that relationship between Christ and the church and whom he loves. He scourges and admonishes.

15:32 Yes, but I'm talking about and you know what I'm talking about you husbands in which when that disappointment when that failure of the wife stirs up anger within you you lash out with the tongue. Conversely, some of you wives when you're disappointed when you're angered when you're upset with what your husbands have done you then form that lash out of your words and you lay it upon the back of your husband. What does God say? Let all shameful speaking be put away.

16:11 Let it be done. And I just wish and maybe it's a carnal wish for one week God would let me be a fly on the wall of every professing Christian husband and wife in this place. I wonder what my ears would hear. Some of you who appear so lovey-dovey here in the church so sweet and kind your own children when you sit here have to kind of look up and say what in the world's happened to mommy and daddy?

16:51 That isn't the way I know. My friend, if you want to cooperate with the devil in sending your kids to hell just go on living in that kind of hypocrisy. Let your children be witness to abusive speech between a husband and wife as part and parcel of the pattern of the family life. I'm not talking about that occasional fall in which your repentance is made evident to husband and wife and if the children have heard the abusive speech you gather them together and you say, kids, daddy sinned when he spoke to mommy the way he did.

17:24 Will you forgive daddy? And you pray with them. God knows I've had to do that more times than I can count. I'm talking about those of you who allow abusive speech to pass between you and there's no repentance, no confession.

17:40 The Holy Ghost is grieved and Christ is dishonored. Take the parent-child relationship within the family. How is abusive speech found here? The child disappoints or frustrates you as a father or mother and what do you do?

17:58 You say, you stupid idiot, you dummy, you clumsy ox. Do you know what you're doing? Listen, you know what you're doing? You're cutting scars into the soul of that dear child.

18:12 Scars that he may carry all his life. I have to deal with grown adults who are psychological cripples. If their soul could be pictured physically, they would come into my study like crippled spastics because they never maintained or attained a proper self-image. Mom and Daddy called them dummies, stupid.

18:43 Why can't you be smart like your brother? Why can't you be neat like your sister until crushed, crushed, twisted, broken, what? Have no proper self-image. They go through life psychologically crippled.

18:59 Abusive speech. And some of you Christian parents are guilty of it. And I believe if Almighty God bears down upon us today, some of you, if you need to let the roast burn, you're not going to pick up fork and nut at your table until with tears you put your arms around your kiddies and have an old-fashioned confession meeting. And may God bring it to pass.

19:26 Abusive speech. We used to say a little saying when we go out into the neighborhood and somebody would call us names. And I was naturally very sensitive as a child. It had nothing to do with grace.

19:42 It had to do with genes and temperament. And I can remember being taught the little phrase, sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me. And I was supposed to go out and remember, well, the names can't...

19:56 Who said they don't hurt? Oh, my friend, they hurt. Abusive speech goes deeper than the wound of any stick or stone in the heart. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can break my heart.

20:11 The parent who says to his child, you dummy, stupid, clumsy, what is he doing? He's breaking the spirit of that little child. And then it comes to light in the child-parent relationship. Listen to me now, you children, you teenagers, listen.

20:32 The parent makes a judgment which you feel is unfair or unfair to the child. The parent makes a judgment which you feel is unfair or unloving. And you wouldn't dare go up to mom and dad and pop them one in the nose, because pop can still handle you if you pop him. But what do you do?

20:54 Well, you may do what I tried to get away with when I was about my present height. I weighed about 50 pounds less, but when I was 14, I was almost six feet tall, began to feel my oats. When my dad told me to go clean out the basement in that old house on 94 Soundview Avenue, Stamford, Connecticut, and I don't know the zip, because that's before the days of zip codes, I was going to be smart enough to mumble some abusive speech under my lips. I was spanked until I told him what I said, and then when he found out what I said, I got spanked for saying that.

21:36 You see, I didn't dare turn around and openly defy my dad, nor would I have ever dared to double up my fist and say I won't. But what did I strike back with? I made a rod of my smart-alecky 14-year-old words, and I tried to club my dad with it. So, and some of you are doing that.

21:54 Mum and dad correct you. Mum and dad admonish you. You wouldn't strike back physically, but you strike back with your words. And God says that's shameful, abusive speech that must be put out of your life.

22:09 You know another way you may do it? You may not even dare do it in their presence, but when you get with your buddies and your girlfriends, you say, you know, I really got something else for parents. Oh, what are you doing? From a distance, you're taking pot shots at your mum and dad.

22:29 Why? To save your own image. That's why. God says let all abusive speech be put away.

Manifestations of Abusive Speech in Church and General Relationships

22:39 In the family relationships, and dear ones, I'm not just giving this as preacher's rhetoric. I'm dead in earnest when I say I believe there are some of you before you dart into that roast today, you better have some house cleaning at your table when you leave this place. What about church relationships? How does abusive speech come out here?

23:00 Well, you feel you've been ignored. You're convinced the pastor and the elders have their pets and their favorites. What you don't know is that as the shepherd seeks to give more attention to the weak sheep, that which motivates the pastor and the elders spending more time and interest with certain sheep in the flock is their knowledge of the weakness and the need of those sheep. But you've been hurt and wounded.

23:30 So what do you do? You make a lash of your words and where possible you begin to make accusations. I'm being neglected. So-and-so has his favorites.

23:42 So-and-so... What is that but abusive speech?

23:45 You're not being Christian and coming to the elder or pastor and saying I'm probably wrong in thinking this but I'm thinking it and to help me get victory over it will you assure me it isn't so and come openly and lay the thing out no, no, no, no. Abusive speech. The church as a congregation or various departments of its leadership have made decisions relative to certain policies of church life and it doesn't fit your own personal inclination and you're angry. You're petulant.

24:19 You're like the little child that wanted three lollipops and only got two and you're in the corner and you're going to sulk and how are you going to fight back? Well you wouldn't dare stand up in a congregational meeting because you know that the sentiment is against you. So what do you do? You look for little opportunities to make your lash and to strike out to strike out and to strike out.

24:39 This is abusive shameful speech and a bridal tongue will not indulge it. So much for family relationships church relationships but now let's descend to some of the general more mundane relationships of life and under the general relationships I must confess that this one's first in the list because this is where God nailed me to the wall in this text more forcibly than any other. What about when you're driving? And I'm dead serious dear ones God has wounded me and since I've been laboring in this text I've had this thing come to me with such force.

25:20 You're going along and I've never seen in all the places I've driven both in Britain and the United States the most careless selfish drivers I've seen anywhere are in this northern New Jersey area and I'm not accepting New York City either. Right here in this northern New Jersey I don't know what it is I think they're extra demons of selfishness that sit on the hood of the cars or something I don't know what it is. You're going along and somebody does a stupid thing cuts you off or turns without signaling and what do you do? What's the first reaction?

25:55 You can't get out of the car and grab the guy by the shirt and pop him so what do you say? You knucklehead. If you don't say it you think it. And there are some of us who must confess there are times we haven't said it but we've thought you damn fool and some of the language of our unconverted days has actually come up into our minds and with but a little effort would have been right out in the end of our lips.

26:18 Yes, I'm that unspiritual dear ones to have those words be that close to coming off my lips at times. And if you're honest you'll confess the same is true of you. What is that? It's abusive speech.

26:34 Someone has wronged me and what am I doing? I'm retaliating. Not with my fist. I can't get to them.

26:41 But there is anger frustration and the way it comes out is you selfish person you stupid woman driver et cetera, et cetera. Now do you see how practical James is? You see where true religion impinges upon you? Driving in Northern Jersey it will keep your tongue from going down the path of abusive speech.

27:11 It will give you that ability to react in love and in self-control. To swallow the words and then to have God purge away the very attitude that would produce the words. Now what about your work relationships? This is under general relationships driving.

27:29 What about your work relationships? It is here that the superior the employer or the foreman can be guilty of abusive speech to his inferiors. A mistake is made and you're angered and frustrated it means extra work for you overtime work and what do you do? You call a man a knucklehead a dodo.

27:49 What are you doing? You're striking him with words. It's the same field of sin. It's abusive speech.

27:57 You're weaving a scourge of the fabric of words and laying it on the ears instead of weaving one of leather and laying it upon the back. But it's abusive speech nonetheless. The reverse may be true. You may be the inferior and something is expected of you that's unjust or there's an unjust accusation made as to where the blame lies for certain failure and what do you do?

28:21 There is that retorting self-defense contrary to 1 Peter 2.18 and following. Then there's the teacher-pupil relationship. Teachers, the principle that we dealt with with parents applies to you and I feel for you.

28:38 Thank God for the eight people we have in our own membership who are given over to the holy task the holy task nine people of taking your brats and working with them five hours a day. Thank God many of yours aren't brats. I shouldn't have said that. Taking your dear children.

28:56 Taking my children. They're not brats. Thank God I don't see many brats amongst us. So forgive me for using that term.

29:03 We need to pray for these. Why? Because all the frustrations you have as a parent with your one, two, three or four they have with anywhere from 15 to 25 or 30 and they don't have the natural tie of a mother or a father's love to help neutralize the frustrations. There are times when you think that tie doesn't do much and you could blow your cool completely.

29:28 Think of the poor teacher. Day in and day out five, six hours a day. But I speak to you Christian teachers have you not been guilty of abusive speech? That child has disappointed you that child has frustrated you and what have you done?

29:43 You've struck out that sin that sin put off all these abusive speech out of your mouth. You pupils you who do have teachers same with you you feel the teacher was unfair you feel the teacher was unjust you feel that you didn't get a fair deal in a certain marking period what can you do? You show your anger and you strike out by telling people that that teacher is an old scrooge or she's a battle axe or something else. What are you doing?

30:16 You're making a scourge with your words and your whipping. See? It's an ugly sight dear ones. I don't enjoy this.

The Root Issue: Abusive Speech as a Manifestation of a Murderous Spirit

30:23 But these are the areas in which this sin is manifested. Having then looked at the meaning of the word described the sin in general looked at it in its particular manifestations in the home, in the church and in general relationships in the fourth place consider with me very briefly what is the root issue of this sin? What is the real root issue involved in this sin? Turn to Matthew chapter 5 and let our Lord answer that question for us.

30:51 In Matthew chapter 5 we read in verses 21 and 22 Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time Thou shalt not kill and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment but I say unto you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment and whosoever shall say to his brother Rekha shall be in danger of the counsel and whosoever shall say Thou fool shall be in danger of the hell of fire. What is Jesus doing here?

31:34 In short what Jesus is doing is this He's showing that abusive speech for the modern parallel of these two terms Rekha and Thou fool would be you blamed fool you knucklehead that would be the modern parallel what He's saying is that kind of speech is but a manifestation of a murderous spirit What is murder? Murder is the willful destruction of another man's life contrary to the law of God What is abusive speech? It is but a manifestation

32:19 of the same spirit of which murder is the climactic expression That's the only difference It's only a little bit back further on the scale That's all Notice the context You've said Thou shalt not kill and if you didn't take a man's life you're alright Jesus said no Anger in the heart entertained and indulged is the essence of breaking this commandment the sixth commandment and how does that anger express itself? Jesus doesn't deal with it Jesus doesn't deal with the greatest manifestation taking a man's life He says when it breaks out at the lesser level of abusive speech you've broken that commandment

33:00 You see the murderer takes the gun forged in steel and loaded with powder and with the bullet and pulls the trigger Abusive speech takes words weaves them together into a lash and starts a slow process of scourging which if it could have its end would also take the life And it's not until we look upon this sin in the light of our Lord's teaching that we'll recoil against its first risings that we will genuinely mourn over this sin that we will deal with it

33:45 with a holy vengeance when it would be seen in our own lives That's the root issue of the sin Abusive speech is but a manifestation of a murderous spirit murder being the climactic expression of the abusive attitude which desires the destruction of another And I close with this last question How can we deal with this sin? The Lord willing two weeks from now I want to give a general message on principles by which to weave a bridle for our tongues But I dare not close without giving this brief word of direction Turn back to Colossians

Dealing with Abusive Speech: Put Off and Put On

34:28 the very context from which the phrase we've been expounding is extracted You will notice that the thought begins in verse Well, we have to start with verse 1 of chapter 3 The Apostle speaks of Christians raised together with Christ seated with Him and their responsibility in the light of that position to set their affection upon things that are above Then comes the command verse 5 Put to death therefore your members that are upon the earth fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire covetousness, which is idolatry for which things sake the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience

35:11 wherein ye once walked when ye lived in them but now put them all away anger, wrath, malice, railing abusive speaking out of your mouth Now notice He says as those who've been raised to newness of life in Christ endowed with new life in Christ with spiritual powers and faculties put off these sins verse 12 put on therefore as God's elect holy and beloved a heart of compassion kindness, holiness, meekness, long-suffering forbearing one another forgiving one another if any man have a complaint against him as the Lord forgave

35:55 so do you forgive and above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfectness and here is the inseparable directive put off put on putting off is another word for genuine confession and repentance putting on is another word for faith that appropriates the grace of God in Jesus Christ and all the graces of God in Christ through the spirit how can you as a husband put off abusive speech to your wife well to put it off you've got to acknowledge that it's sin ah but you said if you live

36:39 I don't care what problems your wife has some may warrant serious rebuke faithful and patient admonition but no fault in your wife ever warrants abusive speech never abusive speech is cruel and cowardly put it off acknowledge it to be sin repent of it look to that fountain open for sin and uncleanness and say Lord Jesus I stand with Isaiah I am a man of unclean lips Lord Jesus purge me

37:23 cleanse me wash me you wives you wives you need to do the same put off by genuine confession and repentance but don't stop there then put on say oh Lord fill me with the spirit of love that when that situation arises instead of retorting I may be long suffering kind manifesting meekness and one of the marks of meekness is patience amid suffering what are you to do with this if you're a child of God the directives are here in Colossians put off put on but some of you here aren't Christians and you'll never be able to deal with this sin until

The Unbeliever's Need: A New Heart for Good Speech

38:08 something happens on the inside right here and for your directive I turn you to Matthew chapter 12 the last passage we'll look at this morning Matthew chapter 12 beginning with verse 33 the Lord Jesus is speaking about the abusive speech of the Pharisees they're upset with Jesus so they said alright we're going to clobber him and the way we'll clobber him is we'll say that he's got a demon and all the works he does he does by the power of demons alright they're guilty of abusive speech now notice how Jesus attacks the problem verse 33

38:53 either make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt for the tree is known by its fruits that's the principle how do you know a grape a pear tree from an apple tree by the kind of fruit it bears that's the acid test the kind of fruit it bears now the application of the principle verse 34 ye offspring of vipers how can ye being evil your evil trees speak good things for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh the good man the saved man out of the good treasure of his heart

39:36 bringeth forth good things the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things and I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned you see what he's saying he's saying until you cleanse the fountain the stream will never be cleansed some of you will never be delivered from abusive speech until you get a new heart you need to be born again you need in the gracious beautiful biblical words you need to be saved

40:18 you need to have God do something that would be as radical as my walking down Runnymede Road and finding an old tree that looked like it was half dead with little scrubby little remains of what perhaps apparently were apples on it the thing is diseased and it's a mess if you came down that same road two days later and you saw that tree flushed out with beautiful leaves and full luscious fruit you'd say somebody's been monkeying around with this tree and they haven't just been spraying it a different color they haven't just been rearranging the leaves they've done something to the very nature and the character of this tree

41:02 that's exactly what Jesus is saying here some of you abusive speech will continue to flow out of you now you might can a little bit of it restrain a little bit of it and alter it a little bit but it'd be like spraying a different color paint on that tree you need something more radical than that you need to have God take out your heart of stone cleanse you by the blood and by the spirit and give you a new heart a loving heart a gracious heart then out of that good treasure good things will flow from your lips thank God some of us know how real this is I can remember when my mom and dad would find out from the neighbors that I was using curse words

41:47 and the rest in the neighborhood and mom and dad would face me with it and I'd always break and sob and weep and I'd pray and ask God to help me and I'd determine I'm not going to use any more foul language and it would last a week two weeks three weeks one time six months but the tree had to bear its proper fruit and out came the filth and the rot that at times makes me so ashamed in the presence of God that I have to cry with David remember not against me the sins of my youth but thank God when he gave me a new heart when by his grace he gave me life

42:31 from heaven those very lips that were the means of abusive foul and in the midst of that God's seen speech began to be a well of life thank God for the work of Christ in making corrupt trees good that they might bring forth good fruit and that's the problem some of you have you've never been born of the spirit of God and until you are you'll go right on with your abusive speech and in the jay of judgment you'll meet every word of it and God says on the basis of your true character is manifest to men to devils and to angels by thy words thou shalt be condemned

Christ Our Substitute and Indwelling Power

43:15 depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire my friend listen I don't care what you claim about being a Christian being a child of God if your words don't reflect that God has made you a good tree you're deceiving yourself and in the day of judgment your words of abusive speech your words of cursing your words of blasphemy and defamation and in the name of Jesus help me and never be a fool or a fool that's why I have the principle that you can learn the Bible from God and not from the Bible but from the Bible and when we remember

43:59 that those who have the truth in the well there's a little crust of bread and it didn't go around first one there is going to get it he was brought up in a poor home never once did he speak abusively of his brothers and sisters never once of his mom and dad never once of his teachers of his neighbors as a grown man look what was heaped upon him here he was pouring himself out for sinners and what did they do they said oh it's obvious some powers got hold of him must be the devil say we not well that

44:39 thou art a samaritan and hast a demon then because he loved sinners enough to go and sit and eat with them and enjoy their food and their wine they said yeah look at him he's an old wino winebibber friend of publicans and sinners look at him never once did he retort never once did he strike back why that as the sinless son of god he might be the spotless lamb of god to bear away our sins of abusive speech what's it mean to have christ as savior it means that i have him as my substitute who bore the wrath of god against my sins of

45:23 abusive speech but more than that it means that i have him as the indwelling power through the spirit to govern my tongue that i no longer am dominated by abusive speech that's what it means that i have him as the indwelling power through the spirit to govern my tongue that i no longer am have Christ as my Savior from sin? From the sin of abusive speech. If you're only saved from sin in the abstract, you've missed it, my friend. Jesus Christ is a Savior from sin in the concrete.

45:50 The sins of abusive speech. Is he saving you from those sins? Is he? Is Jesus Christ saving you from the sin of abusive speech? If he isn't, you're not a Christian. If you are a Christian,

46:07 one of the ways he's saving you today is by wounding, convicting you, bowing your heart before his word so that you can't wait to go home and find a place to pray and gather with your family or your wife and make things right. That's how Christ is saving you. But if you can sit here this morning as a professing Christian and you can go home and there'll be no shutting up with God, no prayer, my friend, Christ is not saving you because he saves by his word. Fathers sanctify them through the word. The word's come. It's pointed.

46:37 If you're a Christian, your heart's going to respond to that word. Which is it? May God grant that we may be unable to put away all these anger, wrath, malice, railing, abusive speech out of our mouths. Can you imagine what it'd be like to have an assembly, to have homes in which abusive speech was as much taboo as blasphemy against the God of heaven?

47:10 May God make it so for his glory and our good.