What About Cuss n? ( Luke 6:45 / Profanity - Swearing )

Transcription

1 What About Cuss n? ( Luke 6:45 / Profanity - Swearing ) I remember the first time I ever heard my father use the F word. I was twelve, and we were on a golf course on the ninth green. I was my Dad s caddy for a golf tournament, and he had just missed a crucial putt. As the ball slid past the hole the F word slid out of his mouth and I was shocked. I had never heard him say it before. I knew other people said it casually. Obviously my father was acquainted with the word, but I never heard him say it himself, and it took me by surprise. It wasn t a moral failure, exactly. It wasn t a matter of lying, stealing, cheating, or whoring. It wasn t a problem of spiritual hypocrisy my father didn t claim any spiritual convictions for himself, so he wasn t being hypocritical. It wasn t an issue of tainting pure ears. At twelve years old I had heard the F word countless times each day at school. Used it myself. But this was different. This was my father; the man I looked up to. And just as soon as that word popped out of his mouth, my father took a step down off his pedestal. He wasn t less of a man, but he was less of an inspiration. It was at this same time in my life that revelations of the Watergate Presidential scandal came to the surface. Recordings of President Richard Nixon s conversations in the oval office were transcribed for the public to read, and throughout the transcripts the words expletive deletive appeared. This was polite way to replace all the cussing that went on in the oval office. President Nixon had a foul mouth; the transcripts revealed that he cussed all the time. So here I was, an impressionable adolescent, discovering my father and my president were both men who could not refrain from cuss n. Most Americans accept cuss n as a fact of life. I suppose this can be seen as good we aren t a prissy culture not easily embarrassed or selfconscious about social niceties. But we Christians are called to a higher standard. Americans may have accepted cuss n as a fact of life, but the Bible hasn t. The Bible uses strong language to condemn misusing the Lord s name, and it is clear that foul talk should not be a part of our conversation. So what is a Christian to do? Do we live by what is generally accepted in culture, or do we live by a higher standard? What are we to do when someone cuts us off on the freeway, or cuts in line at the grocery store, or cuts us off at mid-sentence? Should we vent our feelings with colorful language, or should we mute our feelings with kinder and gentler expressions? Manuscript By Win Green 1

2 I. Jesus Wisdom Jesus offered practical wisdom about what comes out of our mouth when we speak. He said: the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45) In other words our hearts are like a tube of tooth paste. When a little pressure is applied whatever they are full of will come out through the mouth. Have you ever heard someone use the expression You re full of it! Well, whatever you re full of will come out through your mouth. If you have a heart full of love, words of love will come out. If you are full of anger, your words will reflect anger. Jesus observed, The mouth speaks whatever the heart is full of. Of course there are some who believe that we should express what we feel that we shouldn t repress ourselves we shouldn t block any of our emotions from free expression even if it is less than polite. The rational here is that it is preferable to say bad things than to do bad things. Better to get your thoughts and feelings off your chest with a few choice words than to let them fester inside of you and turn cancerous. Who hasn t relieved their anger with a choice cuss word? The only problem is that the Bible doesn t agree with this approach. Indeed, the Bible says just the opposite. Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. (Proverbs 21:23) Clearly the Bible here isn t encouraging us to get things off our chest with a few choice words. The Bible cautions us that our language doesn t just reflect our feelings and circumstances, but that it also amplifies how we feel and influences what we do. The Bible warns us about the power of what we say: The tongue is a fire, a world of evil it corrupts the whole person. (James 3:6) The Bible maintains that what we say and how we say it has tremendous power to corrupt. Our speech is not just a reflection of what we think and how we feel, but it also serves to shape our circumstances, conduct, and character. The Bible doesn t caution us against foul talk just because God s Manuscript By Win Green 2

3 ears are offended, but because God knows that our language influences our future. He who guards his lips guards his life. (Proverbs 13:3) Scripture does not recommend letting it all hang out with our words. It counsels just the opposite that we are to be circumspect with what we say and how we say it. The Apostle James likens our tongues to a rudder on a ship. In other words, our lives are steered by our words. Our language has a huge influence. In many countries like England, France, and Spain your social standing is determined by how you speak. Scripture claims that our speech is not just a matter politeness, but a life and death concern. It says: The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21) So let me put into simple terms what the scripture is saying. If you want to relieve some hot tempered feelings with a few choice cuss words, it will be a short term gain for a long term loss. Using the F word may help you to let off some steam in the short run, but at a long term cost to your character and your future prospects. Your language matters not only to you but to others. You can say, well I don t care about what others think. I have the right to say what I want, and how I want it. This is true, but then employers also have the right not to give you a promotion, spouses have the right to be hurt and cold, and business associates have the right to give their business to someone else. The fact is language matters not just to God (and by the way our language matters very much to God.) It was Jesus who said: every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37) Our language matters to God, and it matters to the people around us. I was shocked when I heard my father say the F word for the first time, and people would be shocked if they were to hear me say it. It matters to people, and it makes a difference in our lives. Manuscript By Win Green 3

4 II. What Does The Bible Say About Cuss n? So just what does the Bible have to say about cuss n? Actually, it has a lot to say. First and foremost it says that we are not to miss-use God s name. We are not to take God s name in vain. This is so important that God made it His #3 commandment even before lying, stealing, and killing. God commanded: Do no misuse my name. I am the Lord your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name. (Exodus 20:7) God s last name is not damn. He takes His name very very seriously, and He demands that we do the same. Have you ever noticed that people, when they are hurt or angry, never swear using another religious leader s name? When they pound their thumb with a hammer they never say Oh Buddha! or when their kids defy them they never say Oh Allah, or O Mohammad! No, Christians, Jews, and pagans alike all choose to use the name Jesus Christ. This is because people instinctively know that there is power in His name, which there is. But this power is not to be misused. We are to call upon the name of Jesus in our hour of need, but we are not to disrespect His name with a GD here, and a JC there. We are to reverence His name as holy. God s word cautions: 12 "`Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. Lev. 19:12 NIV God s last name is not damn. We are to honor His name as holy at all times and in all places. This was the third of His Ten Commandments, and we are not to trifle with it. But the Bible doesn t stop here. It condemns foul talk and course language of all sorts. The Scripture says: Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. (Ephesians 5:4) Manuscript By Win Green 4

5 God is genuinely concerned for our long term best interests. He knows that much of our coarse talk and dirty jokes are intended to be harmless, but that doesn t mean that they don t harm. The over all effect of them is that they demean us all, and from time to time it will be used against us. In the end it was used against someone as powerful as President Nixon, so no one is immune to the long term damage of swearing. The Scripture says: If you claim to be religious but don t control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. (James 1:26) The Word of God does not mince words in its condemnation of foul language. We are to get control of what we say. If we have no discretion in what we say and how we say it, how will we presume to meet the bigger tests that lie in wait for us? Let all evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (Ephesians 4:31) Simply put, everyone has a choice about what he or she says, and there are rewards for making the right one. Here is one of scriptures promises for those who choose to speak well. Do any of you want to live a life that is long and good? Then watch your tongue. (Psalm 34:12-13) III. The Tongue No One Can Tame It! But before I conclude this message we must acknowledge that there is a problem a fly in the ointment if you will. It s this. We can t do it. Most of us can t get through a day without blurting out something choice from the forbidden vocabulary. When I played football at Navy the cuss n got so bad that the coaches decided to fine players and coaches alike a dime for every curse word they uttered on the field and in the locker-room. The players agreed. We knew that as students of the United States Naval Academy we represented more than ourselves. We were ambassadors for the country. But by the end of the season there was over a thousand dollars in the penalty pot, and we gave up on the policy. We just couldn t do it. So we returned to our old ways we Manuscript By Win Green 5

6 cussed our way though our last game against Army. We cussed, appropriately enough, like sailors. Like any sin of the flesh, we can t overcome cuss n by our own powers of discipline. It feels too good to too many people to swear a blue streak. St. James observed: no human being can tame the tongue, a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:8) Ultimately, swearing, like any other sin, must be brought under control by the power of God s Holy Spirit. And just what is it to be under the control of the Holy Spirit? First, let me begin with what it isn t. It isn t about self control, or will power. It s more than personal discipline. It has to do with surrender of surrendering your will and your life over to Christ. When a person makes the decision to give their life to Christ a new sign ought to be placed over their chest that reads Under New Management. To surrender to Christ is to place yourself under new management. No longer are you guided and directed by what you want, by what your family wants, or by what society, the government, or the culture wants. As a follower of Jesus Christ everything you do, and everything you say, is to be guided by the leading of Christ. You re under new management, which also means that your tongue is under new management. So, my closing thought is this. Have your surrendered your heart and your tongue to Christ? Are you under His wonderful management. The instinct inside every one of us is to do things our own way, but the true follower of Jesus opens their heart to do it, and to say it Jesus way. It is a great and glorious thing to be under the management of Jesus Christ. The Bible reassures us that the words He gives us taste like honey. And in days of strife and trial His words will be a comfort and a guide. The Word of God has great power to bless and heal if only we will speak them. May we, therefore, surrender all that we are, all that we do, and all that we say to Him who would bless the words He chooses with the grace of Heaven itself. Amen. Closing Prayer: Lord I pray Your Holy Sprit would guard my mouth so that I will speak only words that bring life. Help me not to be a user of foul language, or be one who destroys with my words. Instead, may I be disciplined enough to keep my conversation Godly. Your Word promises long life to those who keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceit. Manuscript By Win Green 6

7 Show me how to do that. Fill me with Your love so that out of the overflow of my heart words will come that build up rather than tear down. My Your Spirit reign in the words I speak so that I don t miscommunicate or wound. Help me to show respect, and to speak words of encouragement. May I allow you to show me how to share my feelings openly, and lead me to mutual agreements without strife and mean spiritedness. Lord, only You can do this. I trust You Lord to work Your miracle in me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight O Lord. Amen. Manuscript By Win Green 7