OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART THE MOUTH SPEAKS

OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART THE MOUTH SPEAKS Matthew 12:33-37 With grateful acknowledgement of these sources of direction and inspiration: the Holy Spirit; the Word of God; George Beasley-Murray, Jesus and the Kingdom of God; Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah; Os Guinness, Steering Through Chaos; Donald Hagner, Matthew 1-13 (WBD, vol.33A); John MacArthur, Matthew 8-15 February 27, 2005 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction The words that we say and the way that we say them have a profound effect. Often what we say isn’t received by the hearer in the way we intended. The real objective of the words we speak is to communicate what we are thinking/feeling. Film clip from As Good As It Gets: in this scene the man, Melvin, played by Jack Nicholson, is a fusty, aging man who is afflicted with obsessive compulsive disorder. He is a cantankerous man who never has a good word for anyone. He has just returned to the nice restaurant where he left his friend, Carol, played by Helen Hunt. He has just gone out to buy a coat and tie because the establishment required them and he refused to wear the loaners offered by the maitre d’. He refused to wear anything that had been worn by others. Watch for the variety of emotions in the dialogue and the emotional responses they provoke. What we say, and how we say it, has power. And it is important that we do our best to choose carefully those things that we say. Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt"… The book of James says that the tongue is powerful—it makes great boasts, starts fires and steers ships, and with it we praise God and we curse men who have been made in God’s image. We can do great good with our speech or we can inflict much harm, so powerful is the tongue. So, James concludes, "If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." (James 3:2) How does a person clean up a bad habit of swearing or lying or slandering or plain old potty mouth? A news report told of a middle school in Oregon that was facing a unique problem. A large number of the girls in the school were beginning to use lipstick, and they would put it on in the bathroom. The trouble was, after they applied their lipstick, they would press their lips against the mirrors leaving dozens of little lip prints. It was becoming a widespread prank. The principal decided something had to be done. She called some of the lipsticked girls into the restroom and met them there with the custodian. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian, who had to clean the mirrors every day. To demonstrate how difficult it was, she asked the custodian to show the girls how he had to clean the mirrors. He took out a long-handled brush, dipped it into the toilet, and scrubbed the mirror until was clean. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirrors. This morning I want us to consider not methods for cleaning up behavior and speech from the outside in, but rather Jesus’ answer for unrighteous speech and behavior. Jesus tells us in our text this morning that the real key to what we say is our heart. Our words are symptoms of the condition of our hearts. Note that Jesus is speaking here and He is still addressing the Pharisees. He has just finished those ponderous words we studied last week, "…anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." Matthew 12:33-37 – "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow [or, abundance] of the heart the mouth speaks. 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." The scariest part of this text must be the phrase in verse 36, "men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." But are these words any more frightening than, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) or, "But, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5:30) or "anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." (Matthew 5:22) Such passages talk about the depth of sin in fallen human beings and the outcome of judgment on those who are not redeemed through Christ. Such is the case with the text before us. The ugliness of sin and the severity of judgment must always be considered in the light of the salvation Christ offer us. Question: for the person who has been redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, will we be condemned for our careless words? No. Jesus Christ took our condemnation for us! If you have placed your faith in Jesus, you are forgiven, and there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) I hasten to add that there is a judgment for believers, too—not a judgment for sentencing to hell, but one that concerns the way that we lived our lives as followers of Christ. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthains 5:10) Remember not only that "mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13), but also that "sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." (Romans 6:14) The Principle If there is anything we have learned from the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7) to this point in the study of Matthew, the tax collector’s, gospel, it is this: God is primarily interested not at what “shows” in our lives, but what is in our hearts. So David wisely prayed, "Create in me a pure heart, O God." (Psalm 51:10) 1 Samuel 16:7, that great memory verse, says, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." This teaches us that our outward actions and behaviors matter less than what is in our inner person, our heart.  This is not to say that our actions aren’t important to God at all—they certainly are. The psalmist declared, "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart." (Psalm 24:3-4) So what exactly is the connection between what is in a person’s heart and what that person’s outward behavior is? Jesus makes two things clear. First, the condition of a person’s heart, his inner being, is more important than his temporal behavior. Second, there is a cause-and-effect relationship between a person’s soul and his behavior. He makes this abundantly clear with the metaphor of the trees. Good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. When we first moved into our home in Belleville we had the most glorious cherry tree alongside our driveway. It was huge and the blossoms were gorgeous. The first two years we had a plentiful harvest of cherries—the birds ate most sumptuously. They even left us some. Then, the second fall a thunderstorm took out a major limb from the tree, rendering it less beautiful and far less productive. I don’t know whether it was the shock or some disease that got into the rest of the tree, but the cherry harvest fell to almost nothing. The few paltry cherries that did make it were anemic—the birds didn’t even bother. Healthy tree – good fruit. Healthy heart – good behavior and speech. The bad example is clear. Jesus berates the Pharisees: "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?" (12:34a) This is obviously a reference to the sin of speaking against the Holy Spirit as Jesus remarks, But, of course you we couldn’t expect you to say anything good and edifying—because your hearts are bad! The summary statement is proverbial: "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34b). Sooner or later, your behavior, especially your speech, will betray what is in your heart—because it is the source of who you really are.  Jesus went on to clarify the point in verses 35-37: "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." What is “stored up” in your heart? It is the accumulation of all that you have given your attention and devotion to. If your life has been the living out of Philippians 4:8, good speech and edifying behavior will present in your life. Look at the list of good heart content in Philippians 4: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." In other words, if you will store up in your heart such things, your speech will be pure and holy and edifying, and what is in your heart will be evident. Sometimes a person’s true heart feelings don’t’ come out right away. I heard about a young woman who was traveling with her male friend, a devoted Christian when their car broke down on a deserted highway, in the middle of winter, and it was very cold in the car. Fortunately this guy had some blankets in the trunk, so when the young woman said, “I’m cold,” he said, “Let me get you a blanket.” He stepped out into the frigid air, went to the trunk, got a blanket, gave it to her. Soon she said, “I’m still cold.” So he gets out of his car again, goes out into the cold, gets another blanket and gives it to her, but she’s still cold. She said she remembered reading somewhere that the body heat of another person was the best way to keep warm in an emergency, “Would it be OK if we snuggled together just to get warm?”  Because of his strong faith, he said, “I could never do that with someone I’m not married to. I’ll go get you another blanket.” She said, “No, don’t do that. Why don’t we pretend, just for tonight, that we’re married?” He said OK. She waited a minute and said coyly, “I’m still cold.” He said, “Go get your own blanket.”  If, however, your attention is given over to less wholesome thoughts and pursuits, that, too, will be made manifest. Garbage in—garbage out. Sometimes those whose hearts are darkest pretend to speak holy and righteous things, but they can’t fake it for long. Even when they are feigning good speech, there is something just not right about what they say—it doesn’t seem sincere. I know two men very well whose religious pretense has collapsed. One church-going man was a moralist to the extreme. He joined Promise Keepers and made a point of declaring his devotion to his family. All the while, though, he devoted himself to pornography and increasingly lascivious behaviors. The fa?de failed him and his true heart was exposed. He is now separated from his family and living a lifestyle that grows out of a decadent heart. The other man preached against sexual sin with Pentecostal fire. But it was only a front, as his heart was far from God. He is now separated from his family and pursuing a passionate affair with another woman. You can fake a healthy heart overflow for only so long. Then the true colors will show. A Warning about keeping your heart pure I believe the Holy Spirit would have us be reminded of how deadly it is to give in to little temptations, thinking they will not affect us. There’s an old legend about a trapper who was high in the mountains one time when he came upon a rattlesnake. It was a much higher altitude and colder temperature than the snake could stand and it was almost dead. He stopped and looked at the snake. The snake said, “Please help me, I’m about to die. Take me down the mountain where it is warmer.” The trapper took pity on the snake and picked it up curling its cold, sick body inside his coat. Half an hour later the sun was shining and the trapper unzipped his coat to set the snake free. As he did the rattler lunged and bit him twice in the neck, mortal wounds both of them. The trapper said, “Why did you do that when I helped you?” “You knew I was a snake when you picked me up!” Small compromises lead to larger compromises and soon your heart is a prisoner to sin. "Do not give the devil a foothold", Paul warned (Ephesians 4:27). Proverbs 4:23 – "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves: One is evil: he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, guilt, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. "The other is good: he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. "This same fight is going on inside you -- and inside every person...." The grandson thought about it and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." The famous preacher, Ray Stedman, preached one weekend in New England and stayed in a bed and breakfast- intriguing pewter salt and pepper shakers. “I could take these and no one would know.” The Holy Spirit rebuked him and he didn’t, but he told the story as an illustration the next Sunday back in California. A lady from church contacted the B&B and had the shakers sent to him as a gift. Next Sunday he mentioned that to the church and added, “They had a beautiful large screen television set I almost stole, too!” Don’t let the momentary acquiescence to sin harden your heart and change it even slightly. Satan is a master schemer, and if you give an inch, he will take a yard. He will gradually, almost imperceptibly take your heart, a piece at a time. And the more of your heart that is given over to his control, the more evil will belch from it in terms of your behavior and speech. A bad heart results from the sins we willfully commit, but… Other influences on the heart Not all evil influences on the heart come from voluntary sin. There are other forms of evil in our sin-scarred world that leave their marks on human hearts, staining them, wounding them and keeping them immature. There are often things, not that we have done, but which have been done to us, that have left us hurt, angry, bitter, confused, unable to trust, incapable of loving. There are things that happen in the sinful world that are not our fault directly, but that negatively influence us nevertheless.  I’m thinking of abused children, and the wounded adults they grow up to be. I’m thinking of victims of crimes, wars, terrorism and other forms of violence, and the powerful effect they have on the minds and hearts of victims. I’m thinking even of tender hearts that have been wounded by desertion, unrequited love, death of a parent, betrayal of a friend. Boys bullied on playgrounds, girls whose trust left them vulnerable to the worst forms of manipulation.  Often, hearts are wounded and twisted from other events outside their control—not necessarily from the sins of others, but as a consequence of living in this sinful world. What about the hearts that are warped, wounded and wasted through no fault of their own? They, too, will produce behavior and speech that is often bad. They have tendencies toward distrust, anger even vindictive malice toward others, but it just doesn’t seem to be their fault. Out of the overflow of their hearts come words that are less than pure and righteous. Conclusion I want to assure you whose hearts have been assaulted, the Lord has an answer for you as well. He wants to heal you, deep down in your heart where the hurt is. That’s His way. You see, biblical salvation includes a lot more than having our sins forgiven, though that is our greatest need. In addition to paying for the debt of our sins, the death of Jesus Christ has purchased our wellness of soul. Some people don’t really know where their anger or rage is coming from. All they know is they have this problem of being ugly toward others, unforgiving and mean. They say things and do things that are less than godly—and they’re Christian people, and they’re embarrassed! They mistreat even those whom they love through sarcasm, withholding love, passive aggressive behaviors. Jesus came to deliver you of those behaviors, no matter what is causing them—either what has happened to you, or what you have brought on yourself—the answer is still the same. Let Him heal your heart, then out of the overflow will come healthy things, like love and compassion and healed relationships. He said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10) A skeptic once challenged his Christian friend, saying, You don’t really believe that God turned water into wine, do you? He answered, I’ll tell you what—in my case, he turned beer into groceries! The Christian life is not a matter of instant perfection, nor is it a matter of us just making ourselves better people in our own strength. No, God comes into the life of any person who will trust Him and receive Christ, and by His Spirit He discovers, one at a time, areas that need healing—spiritual repair. And, as we give Him permission—and sometimes even when we don’t—He delivers us from the hurts and scars we have. Bearing good fruit begins with letting Christ save us and heal our hearts. The result is, we are free to begin to bear good fruit, because our heart is healed. Jesus heals us and matures us from the inside out. Let Him save you, heal you, and give you a good heart. Prayer for salvation and deliverance: Who may ascend Unto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand In His holy place? Who may ascend Unto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand In His holy place? He who has clean hands And a pure heart Clean hands  And a pure heart Who may ascend Unto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand In His holy place? Who may ascend Unto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand In His holy place? He who has clean hands And a pure heart Clean our hands  Purify our hearts! He who has clean hands And a pure heart Clean our hands  Purify our hearts!   [Back to Top]