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Matthew 16:1-20
Words are more powerful than we ever give them credit.
Who ever said “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” must have been living in a fantasy world.
Words have power and have the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.
This week I visited a Christian school where the pastor is having to be in the classroom everyday because the school is too small to have a larger staff.
The pastor is tired and discouraged and dealing with family hardships on top of everything else.
I purposely tried to be encouraging rather than tearing him down over procedures that were falling through the cracks.
Praise the Lord I got an email letting me know my visit was an encouragement.
What we say, and how we say it can reveal a tremendous amount about what is going on on the inside.
Jesus in Matthew 15 is dealing with scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem that have come for no other reason but to tear Him and His disciples down.
They began by asking a question about a certain tradition.
Jesus took the opportunity to teach a kingdom truth about the revealing power of words.
He uses their words and question to teach a deeper meaning about purity, worship and relationships.
It all centers around what comes out of our mouths!
Experts tell us they can determine where we’re from based on 122 different words we say.
Depending on how we pronounce these 122 different words, they can estimate the geographical parameters ata given location and essentially pinpoint where we’re from.
How do you pronounce “route” (rhymes with how or who?)
What is your generic term for a sweetened, carbonated beverage?
(soda, pop, or coke?)
What do you call the thing from which you get a drink of water?
(water fountain, drinking fountain, or bubbler?)
Our speech can reveal specific information about us and our past.
Jesus understood this long before regional dialect studies.
What we say reveals more than just where we are from; it reveals what is inside of us.
Our words matter.
It can build up or tear down.
The pharisees in our text were insincere, and hypocritical in their accusations.
They were more concerned about what was going on on the outside (washing of hands) than what was going on on the inside.
I want to look at three things that our words reveal today...
I. Our Priorities in the World
1-6
The religious elite were aware of what Jesus was doing in His ministry.
They were concerned about His following, every where He went.
So this group of Scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem have come to Gennesaret just to find fault with Him and His disciples.
This is not a small thing!
As the crow flies it would be about 80 miles.
Essentially, their accusation, which they made in a form of a question, revolved around the elders’ tradition of “ceremonial hand washing” before eating.
It’s amazing how people can veil their criticisms in questions or suggestions.
The Pharisees ask about this tradition and why His disciples didn’t keep the tradition of the elders as if they were not honoring the elders.
But Jesus had some questions of His own.
Knowing not just their words, but also the intents of their heart, He knew they were continually breaking a direct command of God, not just a tradition of their elders.
They were valuing their traditions over the direct commands of God.
They were commanded to care for their elderly father and mother, but Jesus knew that some of these Pharisee were using a tradition to break this command.
A person could take some of the wealth that should have been used to take care of their family and declare it dedicated to God, or Korban.
This would be like a tax write off for them, they could then use this money while being able to say that they had no extra money.
These men’s words revealed they were not truly concerned about obeying God.
When we ask a critical question about what we do at church or why we do it, just understand there is a motive behind it.
Values form priorities and priorities are expressed with actions and words.
We can facilitate unity by asking the right questions with the right motives.
Breaking a church tradition doesn’t make you a bad person, and upholding a church tradition doesn’t make a you a righteous person, and vice versa.
Before we speak, examine your heart because your words will reveal your priorities.
In general conversation people reveal what they love.
They talk about what they love, enjoy, or get pleasure from.
Often the music you listen to, the movies or TV you watch, the activities you enjoy come out in conversation.
That in and of itself may not be bad…it’s just a truth to understand.
Your words reveal your priorities.
II.
Our Position in Worship
vs 7-9
Jesus’ response is an obvious and stinging rebuke.
Jesus continued this rebuke by quoting a passage from Isaiah, which these Pharisee’s would have been very familiar:
Jesus links their love of tradition over keeping God’s commandments to their personal worship of God.
It is impossible to remain close to God in worship (“hearts are far from me”) if we constantly value anything else over God (even seemingly good things like human traditions).
We can go through our calendar weeks as a church and doing, doing, doing...
Sunday School
Sunday Morning Worship
Singing in the Choir
Giving our offering
Kids for Christ
Sunday Evening Service
Philathea Class
Wednesday Evening Bible study
Choir practice
rinse and repeat
and there is nothing wrong with any of that!
But if our focus is just on valuing religious activity more than valuing and following God we as a church will drift father and farther away from God.
Religious activity does not equal a walk with God!
Insincere worship is fruitless worship!
Church member one moment cussing and criticizing and the next lifting up hands and singing the loudest.
Attendance to church functions cannot replace a true walk with God!
And a outward worship of God cannot replace what is in the heart.
Are we drawing nigh unto God with our mouth, and honoring Him with our lips, but our heart is far from Him?
It is in vain!
Our traditions will not get you closer to God!
Now through our traditions we have tools to help you in your walk with God.
But by themselves, it will not bring you closer to God!
Our words reveal our priorities in this world.
Our words reveal our position in worship.
Thirdly we notice that our words reveal...
III.
Our Purity from Within
vs 10-11, 17-20
Our words reveal what is really on the inside.
“I can’t believe I said that!”
What was on the inside just came out.
Jesus said it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, or makes him unclean
But what comes out of the man.
Truthfully, what comes out reveals what is in the heart.
Vs. 19
Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies...
These acts started in the heart!
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