WE ARE DEFILED BY WHAT WE SAY NOT BY WHAT WE EAT

Proclamation:

“Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them.  Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”  Mark 7:15 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Mark.  This is the gospel as he received it from the apostle Peter.  He begins this chapter by relaying the discussion which Jesus, The Christ, had with the scribes and Pharisees regarding His disciples eating food with unwashed hands. (Mark 7:1-23)  Jesus made the point to them that it was not that which entered the mouth which defiled a person but rather it was that which comes out of the mouth that defiles them.  For the evil which is within a person’s heart becomes his thoughts, words, and behavior and that defiles him. (Matthew 15:11 and Mark 7:20-23)

Application:

People have claimed that eating certain foods and breaking certain traditions is sinful.  Unfortunately, man has created a number of traditions, even religious traditions, which have nothing to do with The Word of God.  Some people get so caught up in the little things, focusing on the details, until they miss the big picture, the overall purpose.  Not eating pork, meat, or dairy products does not make one a better person.  One can even eat too much of the “right” foods and make one’s self sick.  While most of our diets need improvement, we have a bigger problem with the words that we speak, and the manner in which we speak them.  Out of the mouth come the issues of the heart. (Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 15:18, and Luke 6:45)  Our evil and sinful thoughts lead to spoken words which are hurtful, not helpful, deceptive, untruthful, and not very nice. (Colossians 3:8)  Our words can defile us and we will have to give an account for them one day. (Matthew 12:36)  We need to pray that The Lord God will create within us a clean heart and mind, and that He will guide our thoughts, words, and behavior.

AVOID IDLE CONVERSATION

Proclamation:

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  Matthew 12:36 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were spoken by Jesus, The Christ, as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Matthew.  Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees and to the crowd which had followed Him after He healed the demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. (Matthew 12:22)  They accused Him of being the prince of demons. (Matthew 12:24)  After defending Himself, Jesus told them that the things which come out of a person’s mouth is that which is stored up within him. (Matthew 12:33-35)  Then He told them that they would have to give an account for the words that they speak.

Application:

Most of us think that our thoughts, words, and actions are either good, bad, or neutral.  The problem is that either they give glorify God, or they don’t and they are sinful.  The Bible says that all unrighteousness is sin. (1 John 5:17)  We should keep our conversations free from perverse and corrupt language. (Proverbs 4:24)  We would all also do well to heed the Apostle Paul's warning to Timothy to avoid all idle godless conversation. (2 Timothy 2:16)  Jesus, The Christ said that we would be judged on every idle word that we speak. (Matthew 12:36)  Christ also said that by our words we would be justified, and by our words we would be condemned. (Matthew 12:37)  Much of what we say could be left unspoken, because it is not helpful, and it does not praise God or give Him glory.  As servants of The Lord we are not to quarrel with others or engage them in pointless conversation.  We are to kindly tell them what The Lord says. (2 Timothy 2:23-26)  It is the job and sanctifying work of The Holy Spirit to convict, convince, and convert them as He deems necessary. (2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Peter 1:2)  If they will not hear us, or listen to us, it is better for us to just walk away than to argue with them. (Mark 6:11)  We should always be mindful of the fact that our behavior may be the only "Bible" that some people will ever read.

WE SHOULD WATCH WHAT WE SAY

Proclamation:

"But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV)

Explanation:

As witnessed and recorded by the Apostle Matthew, these are the words spoken by Jesus, The Christ, as He defended Himself to the Pharisees after He had healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. (Matthew 12:22)  Jesus knew their thoughts and presented several examples to them to explain the error in their thinking. (Matthew 12:25)  Then He went on to say that a man will be judged by what he does and what he says.

Application:

We often talk too much. We say a lot of words without really saying anything significant. Some of us seem to just talk to hear ourselves talk. Some people talk so much that it is hard for others to get a word into the conversation. However, idle conversation is also bad.  While this might seem like an insignificant "little thing", there is no such thing as a little sin; every sin is a sin against God. (Psalm 51:4)  Whatever we do, say or think that does not give God glory is unrighteous and the Bible says, "All unrighteousness is sin." (1 John 5:17)  We should therefore be very careful with respect to our actions and our speech because we will be held accountable for both.

WE SHOULD THINK BEFORE WE SPEAK

Proclamation:

"He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin."  Proverbs 13:3 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words of King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, were written under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God to the people of God to share his insights on human behavior and how believers should conduct themselves.  His point here was that believers should control their tongue, and not speak everything they think.  Harsh and rash words will not produce anything good.  Those who refuse to engage their brain before they speak will do more harm than good.  They will usually end up creating a far worse situation by speaking without first thinking.

Application:

There is a very familiar and popular quote which says, "Think before you speak." (Unknown)  We should engage our brain before we engage our mouth.  Most of us would be better off if we would put this into practice.  However, there is another quote based upon a similar principal which takes this to a somewhat higher level.  “If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." (Thumper, the rabbit, in the Disney animated film entitled "Bambi".  He may not be the original author, but that was the first time that I heard it)  As believers before we speak we should ask ourselves these three questions. One, is it truthful?  Two, is it helpful?  Three, is it kind?  If what we were going to say is untruthful, we should forget it.  If it is not going to help the person, or the situation, we should keep it to ourselves.  If it is not kind, or is insensitive, it is better left unsaid.  We should always let our speech be filled with the grace of God. (Colossians 4:6)  Some of the things that we say just do not need to be said.  We need to pray and ask God to help us control our words and our thoughts as well as our behavior.

Judged For What We Say And Think

"The 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.  But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."  Matthew 12:35-37 (NIV)

The Apostle Matthew recorded these words of Jesus as He spoke to the Pharisees in the large crowd which had followed Him.  After Jesus had cast the demon out of a possessed man who was brought to Him, they had said that He could cast demons out of people because He was also a demon.  Jesus gave them several examples to show them the error of their thoughts. (Matthew 12:25-34)  Then He told them that they were evil and that was why they spoke evil things, a good man would speak of good things.  He also told them that on judgment day, every man would have to give an account for every careless, evil, and sinful word they have spoken.

Today, we talk a lot, we speak too often, and we say things that we should not say.  We think that our normal idle conversation is innocent and neutral, and because it is not bad, evil, or negative, that it won't be held against us.  What we fail to realize is that all unrighteousness is sin. (1 John 5:17)  If what we say does not give God glory, then it is a sin.  The same is true for the for the unrighteous sinful thoughts that we have, and God knows them. (Genesis 6:5, Psalms 94:11, Proverbs 15:26, Proverbs 23:7, Matthew 5:28, Matthew 9:4, Matthew 15:19, 1 Corinthians 3:20, and Hebrews 4:12)  That which is within us, is what will come out of us.  When we pray, we should ask to be forgiven for our sinful spoken words, and our sinful thoughts, as well as our sinful acts.  We need God's help in all that we do, say, and think, in order for us to be more Christ-like.