Master Your Mouth
I. Three types of sin committed by believers
A. Sins of the thoughts
B. Sins of the tongue
C. Sins of actions
II. The worst type of sins
A. Sins of the thoughts
1. Sin does not start when the sin is committed
a. Adultery does not begin when two people jump into bed together
b. Adultery begins in the mind
2. Sin begins with the meditations of the heart
B. Sins of the tongue
III. Sins of actions and thoughts
A. Sins of actions
Mark 9:43 "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched."
1. Jesus was not saying to literally cut off the hand
2. Jesus was saying to repent quickly from sins of action
a. Adultery
b. Murder
c. Fornication
d. Stealing, etc.
B. Sins of the thoughts
Mark 9:47 "And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."
1. The eye is the doorway to lust and other sins of the thoughts
2.The longer a thought is meditated upon, the sooner it becomes a deed
3. Jesus, in speaking to religious leaders said "You look righteous and good on the outside but inside you are full of sins of the thoughts"
Matthew 23:27 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."
4. One of the fastest ways sins of the thoughts manifest is through the tongue
IV. A Psalm of deliverance from the tongue
Psalm 12:1-8 "Help, Lord; for the godly man ceases; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.
They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things:
Who have said, With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord (who is master) over us?
For (because of) the oppressions of the poor, for the sighing (groaning) of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffs (who maligns) at him.
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt guard them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation for ever.
The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted."
puffs: This refers to people who are hotly and passionately gossiping about you in secret
The wicked walk: This literally means "the wicked strut around"
A. The person gossiping
1. They may think they are talking about you but they are really talking about God
2. It may appear that those gossiping are prospering for the moment but they are not
B. The person being gossiped about
1. God says to the person being gossiped about, "At the right time I will arise and will defend you from those who are speaking against you"
2. God does not want you to speak in defense of yourself from those gossiping
C. Sennacherib's army (Isaiah 36 and 37)
1. The only army to have ever defeated the nation of Egypt was Sennacharib's army
2. Hezekiah and the children of Israel were facing an attack
3. To Sennacherib, Israel looked like a simple battle
4. Sennacherib sent a messenger (Rabshakeh) to put fear in the people
a. He told them if they did not surrender immediately, they would all be killed
b. He told them if they did surrender, they could stay with their families and simply be moved to another place
5. Hezekiah warned the people to keep silent
6. Hezekiah reminded the Lord that they were not speaking against Israel, they were speaking against God
7. God defended Israel and in the same way He will defend us against gossip and maligning
V. Sins of the tongue
Proverbs 6:16-19 "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
hate: The Hebrew word is abominate
A. Only one of the seven sins is an outward sin
"…hands that shed innocent blood" (murder)
B. Six of the sins are sins of the thoughts and tongue
1. Three of the sins are sins of the thoughts
2. Three of the sins are sins of the tongue
C. "A proud look"
1. All sin begins with pride
2. Satan said in his heart "I will exalt my throne"
VI. Sins of the tongue found in the Word of God
A. Lying
B. Gossip
C. Backbiting
D. Slander
VII. Judging
Matthew 7:1-5"Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (literally, what measure you measure it out), it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote (splinter) that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam (log) that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote (splinter) out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam (log) is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam (log) out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote (beam) out of thy brother's eye."
A. To judge another person is to mentally look down upon them
B. To judge another person is to mentally elevate yourself
C. Mental pride leads to words that follow up
1. Slander
2. Gossiping
3. Maligning, etc.
D. We have the right to judge things, but we do not have the right to judge people
I Corinthians 2:15"But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man."
E. God has not designed man to handle judgment
F. Regardless of the sin that has been committed against us, the moment we judge it is multiplied back to us many times over
VIII. Sowing and reaping
Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
A. Every good thing sown will come back to us many times multiplied
B. Every bad thing sown will come back to us many times multiplied
IX. We do not disregard sin
A. We are to have the utmost love and respect for the one who has sinned
B. We are to hate the sin that they have committed
C. We are to try to remove the sin without hurting the person
D. Immaturity will cause us to elevate ourselves in pride and condescend toward others
1. Speaking down to them
2. Speaking evil of them
3. Judging them
4. Forgetting the things we have done wrong in our lives
5. We should help those who have fallen into sin at the same time considering ourselves lest we also be tempted
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, if any man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."
X. Removing the log from your eye
Matthew 7:5 "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam (log) out thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote (splinter) out of thy brother's eye."
A. If we ask for forgiveness and confess our sins, we will be cleansed from all unrighteousness
I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
B. If you are guilty of sins of the tongue, ask God to forgive you
C. I John 1:9 was written to believers
XI. God is our defense
Romans 12:19 "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."
avenge: means "to revenge"
A. We are not to go seeking revenge for a wrong that was done to us
B. God did not design us to be able to handle revenge
C. We are to cast the care of it on the Lord
D. When we retaliate, we fuel an argument
E. Our responsibility is to walk in forgiveness
XII. The power of the tongue
James 3:2 "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect (mature) man, and able also to bridle the whole body."
A. If you learn to control the tongue, you learn to control your thoughts
B. If you learn to control the tongue, you learn to control the whole body
James 3:3-12 "Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, withersoever the governor listeth.
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? Either a vine figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."
C. The tongue is compared to a rudder on a ship
1. When you learn to conquer your tongue, your life will not turn around immediately
2. Controlling the tongue will turn your life in the right direction
3. To stay out of sin, start with your thoughts and controlling your tongue
D. The tongue is like a match
1. A little bit of gossip can spread fast and cause much damage
2. A small spark can cause a huge forest fire, in the same way that a little bit of gossip can bring damage with long-lasting effects
XIII. Those who are the object of the sins of the tongue
Psalm 64:3-4 "Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect; suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not."
A. When someone gossips about you, it is always in secret
B. The words of those gossiping are like arrows aimed for the hearts of people
C. Those gossiping try to turn the majority against you
D. Those gossiping often cloak the gossip in the form of a prayer request--in the shroud of "spirituality"
E. Those gossiping have no fear of God
1. They may not know what the scriptures say
2. They may know what the scriptures say, but may not care
XIV. God will vindicate those being attacked through gossip
Psalm 64:7-8 "But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away."
A. God's "arrow" is His Word
B. When God exposes them, those who have spread gossip about you will flee
C. The tongues that are coming against you, leave in the hands of the Lord
D. One arrow (Word) from God is better than a multitude (of words spoken in self-defense) shot by men
XV. Our words should be God's words
Psalm 12:6 "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."
XVI. No weapon formed against you shall prosper
Isaiah 54:17 "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."
A. The main weapon Satan likes to use is wagging tongues
B. You may not know when the gossip began or how far it has spread, but you will watch it fall before your eyes
C. God will bring justice
