2.25.29 6.15.2025 What our Words Say About Us Matthew 12.33-37
Mathew: Proclaiming the Kingdom, Building the Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Start:
Entice: We know God listens. He listens to our prayers and petitions, even the unspoken cries of our hearts. Children can remind us that God hears a lot more than that.
Oh be careful little tongue what you say…
Oh be careful little tongue what you say…
For the Father up above, is looking down in love.
So be careful little tongue what you say.
Engage:
Are you?
Are you?
Am I?
Am I?
Do any of us really realize that
every word,
every sigh,
moan,
or harumph
is signaling to everyone around us exactly what we think, feel, and have concluded about the world in general and those around us in particular.
Expand: Jesus knew.
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Jesus engaged constantly with people who questioned His motives, yet even when being contentious His words revealed a stability of character and purpose.
What do our words say about us?
What do our words say about us?
We live in an age typified by various forms of deceit. Lot’s of people think that demeaning people is good and that meanness is fine. Jesus would disagree.
Words can hurt or heal.
Words can build or destroy.
Words can encourage or discourage.
Words can lift up or drag down.
Words can be the antidote or poison.
Words can be a door to heaven or a door to hell.
Choose your words carefully.
Choose your words carefully.
They say more than you intend.
They say more than you intend.
Explore:
We must be careful, because our words guarded or unguarded unfailingly disclose what is inside.
We must be careful, because our words guarded or unguarded unfailingly disclose what is inside.
Expand:
Our own words answer three questions for God—and everyone else!
Body of Sermon: Question:
1 What Kind of Tree?
1 What Kind of Tree?
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
1.1 Cultivation
1.1 Cultivation
1.2 Identification
1.2 Identification
Pure tree? Pure fruit.
Pure tree? Pure fruit.
Putrid tree? Putrid fruit.
Putrid tree? Putrid fruit.
Question!
2 What Kind of Heart?
2 What Kind of Heart?
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
2.1 Our heart is the essential content of our identity.
2.1 Our heart is the essential content of our identity.
(Snakes?)
2.2 Our heart overflows with the content of our character.
2.2 Our heart overflows with the content of our character.
Question!
3 What Kind of Treasure?
3 What Kind of Treasure?
35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
The objects of the two clauses are technically indefinite. However because the subject is speech and Jesus is specially addressing what our speech says about us the appropriate object is our words.
So,
3.1 Good treasure yields good words.
3.1 Good treasure yields good words.
3.2 Bad treasure yields bad words.
3.2 Bad treasure yields bad words.
Think of it like this. If you thought that who you really were was a secret treasure only known to a few, you let the secret out of the bag virtually every time you speak. Our job is not to hide the treasure, but to allow God to transform it. From bad to good, from good to better, from better to Godly.
Shut Down
I have often asked myself; “Who is in control of this tongue of mine?” We need to be careful because there are consequences.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
This subject is more common in the NT than one would think by the Church’s messaging and the behavior of believers.
James leads the way in discussing the positive or negative possibilities of our speech
4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Paul does not neglect the issue in his instructions for the Church
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
It is important to remember than our job is not to monitor the speech of others. We make that mistake more often than we should. Our job is to monitor our own words! Perhaps more than our deeds, our words reveal our own interior. Through the Holy Spirit a part of my discipleship is to monitor who I am in this world, and who I am becoming by the power of Christ.
People listen and respond to you.
People answer questions you ask,
and
you answer theirs.
We have dozens of interactions every day.
Other than being
accurate,
helpful,
informative,
clever,
even funny,
What does your speech disclose about your relationship with Christ?
What do your words say about you?
