Speak no Evil

Read James 4:11-12

English Standard Version Chapter 4

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Give outline to what evil speaking means

Evil-speaking constitutes sin fundamentally because it usurps God’s exclusive authority(judgement) and inflicts multifaceted harm. By speaking evil of others, one confidently assumes the judicial role that belongs to God alone, the Judge of heaven and earth.

Beyond its vertical dimension, the sin damages those who hear it by poisoning their love for fellow believers and misleading the ignorant

Evil-speaking is i think an all inclusive term that includes slander, gossip, backbiting and bearing false witness.

What is evil speaking

One thing i notice that it says in verse 11 is “speak evil or judge”.

Would we have placed those two together?

How is slandering the same as judging?

Draw analogy (God on top- where we sit and where we think our brother sits)

See how bad that can look?

When we as adults see infants fighting over a toy selfishly we roll our eyes right??

Even Jesus showed us a pattern of not judging. John 8:15–16 “You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.”

The story of the adulterous women.

Matthew 7:1–5 ““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

How do we know we are or are not speaking Evil?

Are you building up or tearing down in your speech?

Are you Communicating positive or negative?

Evil-speaking fundamentally involves communicating something negative about an absent person—relating something harmful that was genuinely done or said by someone not present to defend themselves.

Again, The Wording -Speaking Evil covers at least two distinct but related forms of harmful speech.

Evil-speaking may be defined as Backbiting, Gossip, rumors or if its false speech it is slander, defamation or deceit.

Evil speaking can/is often be misunderstood.

Hear me: This can be so easily misguided i believe.

Maybe you are a in relational struggle and you are convinced you have the truth about that person and that is what flows from your mouth.

You do it from a “Clear Conscience”

Is it still evil speaking?

I think this is one of the more common examples i have seen.

Convinced you have the right picture of what happened so this is what you share with everyone(or just some) but its actually not true.

Evil-speaking frequently (i would say most commonly) disguises itself as righteous indignation, allowing us to commit sin under the pretense of zeal for God and hatred of wickedness.

Give an example of going to juniors tire shop and “warning” junior about someone.

This may differ from lying or slander - what i say may be entirely truthful, yet the act of speaking it can still constitute evil.

When delivered “softly with expressions of goodwill”, this can look Holy and feel righteous but it is actually Demonic.

Don’t believe me?

Who is the father of lies John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Who is the accuser of the brethren? Revelation 12:10 “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”

When listening is a sin; Do not Listen to slander.

It is no excuse to say, “If others tell me things I cannot be rude to them.” No one cares to speak to an unwilling listener.

 Jerome was a early Church scholar, translator, and monastic leader “An arrow never lodges in a stone; often it recoils upon the shooter of it. Let the detractor learn from your unwillingness to listen not to be so ready to detract.” Jerome”

Think about Adam and Eve? They listened to slander and the rest is history,

“Yay hath God said”?

and “You shall not die”

It is possible sometimes that we will have to hear the evil-speaking but we do not have to “listen” and i think it is so true that we can send the message that we are an unwilling listener.

Let me give you another story,

If i go to juniors and steal something off the back of this persons truck what would i be?

Yet, - God forbids robbing someone of their good name just as He forbids robbing their property or life.

When do we need to speak “Evil”

Scripture distinguishes between legitimate rebuke of correction, and necessary warnings—versus the malicious slander that characterizes sinful evil-speaking.

1 The difference isn’t truthfulness but motive and purpose.

Speech becomes sinful when driven by ill will, contempt, revenge, rather than pure charity for the good of those involved.

Another example at juniors.

If i hear that someone is mad at junior and they are bringing A GUN to the tire shop it might be a good idea to let ol junior know. Even if it does make this person “look” bad.

The difference is clear .

If i want my light to shine brighter or bring people down to my level.

Or If i cannot get along with someone i had better examine my motives.

Evil Speaking is clearly prohibited in Scripture-

Psalm 34:13 “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.”

Proverbs 24:28 “Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.”

Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

1 Peter 3:10 “For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;”

1. Want to lose favor with God? Psalm 15:1–3 “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;”

What to do if we are spoken Evil of.?

If i go to (pick someone) and slander (pick someone) is it ok for that person to become upset?

Than why do we?

It is a great deal easier to set a story afloat than to stop it. If you want truth to go around the world you must hire an express train to pull it; but if you want a lie to go around the world, it will fly. It is as light as a feather, and a breath will carry it. It is well said in the old proverb, “A lie will go around the world while truth is pulling its boots on.” Nevertheless, it does not injure us; for if light as a feather it travels as fast, its effect is just about as tremendous as the effect of down when it is blown against the walls of a castle. It produces no damage whatever, on account of its lightness and littleness. Fear not, Christian. Let slander fly, let envy send forth its forked tongue, let it hiss at you; your bow shall abide in strength. Charles Spurgeon

Its funny, i don’t think i have ever experienced it to quite this extent, but i literally am having to practice what i preach after i started studying for this message.

Proverbs 26:20 ESV

For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

No fuel - no fire.

you can blow and fan all you want the fire will go out.

Daniels testimony is amazing! Daniel 6:4 “Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.”

Titus 2:7–8 “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”

1 Peter 2:12 “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Also in verse 15, 1 Peter 2:15 “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

We may find ourselves being slandered falsely but I believe that “Integrity is a defence against Criticism.”

If you know who you are in Christ, the truth will eventually set you free. You do not need to battle your way through it.

Pray this prayer! Psalm 120:1–2 “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.”

And Remember Matthew 5:11–12 ““Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

If you return evil for evil you are you not in sin also?

1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”