20160111 Evil Hearts, Idle Words

Evil Hearts, Idle Words

Matthew 12:31-37 "So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven.  (32)  Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.  (33)  "A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.  (34)  You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.  (35)  A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.  (36)  And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.  (37)  The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you."

It’s been several weeks since I last wrote here, so let me remind you what the Pharisees had said. Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, "No wonder He can cast out demons. He gets His power from Satan, the prince of demons."

In verses 22-30 Jesus sheds some logic on their thinking. In this passage He sheds some frightening light on their dark hearts. Those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Jesus explains it clearly here. It is speaking against the Holy Spirit. It is calling the work of God, demonic. For that reason, we must be careful about judging another man’s work. Romans 14:4 Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

We have discussed this before. We can judge an action as good or bad, sinful or righteous, but we cannot judge the motive of the heart. And, in the case of good works, we cannot judge the power behind them. God often used wicked people to accomplish His works.

What we should really concern ourselves with is our own hearts. I must ask myself and you must ask yourself, “What is in my heart? Is my heart wicked? What pours forth from my mouth?

In verses 36 and 37 Jesus takes it back to our words. It is with words that we blaspheme. It is with words that we praise and give thanks. It is with words that we condemn our fellow man. It is with words we criticize, gossip, encourage, console, bless.

What do your words reveal about your heart? Jesus said we will be judged for every idle word. Strong defines “idle word” as a word that produces no good effect. Are your words producing good? Are they building someone up? Encouraging someone? Bringing joy to someone?

I know I quote this passage often, but it should be the cry of our hearts and today it is my prayer for all of us.

Father in heaven, Psalms 19:14 May the words of my (our) mouth and the meditation of my (our) heart(‘s) be pleasing to You, O LORD, my (our) rock and my (our) redeemer.

And Father, put a guard on our lips. Let no blasphemous words escape us. Cleanse our hearts of all evil. Fill them with praise for You and Your marvelous works. Fill them with encouragement for our fellow human beings, especially those of the household of faith. In Jesus Holy Name, AMEN!!!

20150824 JUDGING

JUDGING

Matthew 7:1-5 "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  (2)  For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.  (3)  "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own?  (4)  How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye?  (5)  Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.

Don’t misunderstand this passage. Many try to use it to justify their own wickedness. 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 Don't you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can't you decide even these little things among yourselves?  (3)  Don't you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.

I believe what Jesus is making clear here is that we are not to judge motive or character. What we can judge is what is right and what is wrong based on the truth of God’s Word. However, before we attempt even that we must search our own life to see where we stand in accordance to God’s Word. We are to get our own heart and life right before we try to help someone else get right. That is not to say that we cannot tell the good news until we get our lives perfect. If that were the case we would never share our faith.

When we do judge a person’s character or motives we attempt to sit on God’s throne, a place none of us belong. What is the difference in judging an action and judging a person’s character? We can say, “That was a lie, it is wrong to lie.” What we cannot say with any certainty is, “Because you told a lie you are nothing but a liar.” From a purely technical point of view, yes a person who lies is a liar, a person who murders someone is a murderer, but we are not being purely technical here. We do not know the motive of the individual. Only God knows that and therefore, only He can judge the person’s character. We can only judge the action. When we choose to judge them further than that we set ourselves up to be judged with the same measure we use.

The same standard… I believe this is why alcoholics beget alcoholics and why abusers beget abusers and why drug addicts beget drug addicts. When a child grows up in an abusive home and judges her parents she sets herself up to become the very thing for which she judged them.

What can you do to set yourself free from past situations where you have judged another?

1.  Confess the sin of judging to God. Ask His forgiveness.

2.  Forgive the person you judged for whatever they did that caused you to pass judgment in the first place.

3.  Ask God to call back any judgments you made against another.

4.  Ask God to bless the people you have judged. (Or in the case of his or her death to bless the memory of them.)

Father in heaven, search our hearts. Show us those we have judged and help us to deal with this sin of taking over Your throne. Give us grace to forgive and to even bless those who have hurt us. Remove from our lives the devastating effects of having committed this sin. Thank You for Your faithful forgiveness and love. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!