Theme: Don’t Neglect God’s Means of
Communication
1) Word to Heart
2) Heart to Mouth
Have you ever tried gardening? If you
have, would you say that you have a “green thumb?” Gardening can be a tricky
thing. We all understand the basic properties of a plant and what it needs to
grow. But practicing it in various settings can be difficult. You need to have
knowledge about the plant you’re trying to grow. You need to have knowledge
about the climate you live in. And you need to be consistent. Plants require
regular care.
In our modern age we don’t have to worry
about gardening too much. Most people garden as a hobby, not out of necessity.
For most people, especially in America, you can get whatever you want at the
grocery store. It only takes a couple of minutes and you can have just about
any edible fruit or vegetable, without any trouble. Even in Seattle, you can
buy your groceries with the click of a button on your computer or mobile
device; you don’t even need to get out of bed. Without a doubt, we could say
that we’ve come a long way in our ability to grow plants and provide food. But
it wasn’t always like this.
Not that long ago, almost everyone had to
garden or farm to survive and provide for their family. In world history, every
successful culture has needed a profitable agricultural system, and for a long
time that meant that individual families had to grow plants on their own. This
was certainly the way it was for the cultures in Biblical times. The Bible is
filled with lessons about plant life and gardening. In fact, it was such a
central theme to the people of Biblical times that the Holy Spirit employed
many spiritual applications through plant life.
Think of how Jesus pictured Himself as
the Vine of a plant and His disciples as branches that bear fruit through Him.
Another well-known example is the parable of the Sower and the Seed, where the
Gospel is presented as a seed that seeks to grow in the hearts of people. Paul
followed this same theme by describing the ministry of God’s Word as planting
and watering seed of which God brings forth the increase. Near the end of His
ministry, as holy week began, Jesus taught a lesson on judgment and repentance
through a barren fig tree that He cursed. In the Old Testament Isaiah
prophesied about the prosperity of the coming Messiah by describing a thriving
oasis in the midst of a parched desert. Even at the very beginning, God told
Adam that the curse of difficulty in gardening would be upon him as a result of
his sin. All of these examples, and more like them, contain spiritual
applications to our lives. It is true that in and of itself, gardening is hard
because of sin. That truth is absolute. But more important than the food we
grow or eat, is the effect of sin in our hearts.
Our text for today speaks of another
application taken from plant life; this time speaking about communication.
God’s message is that what we put in our hearts affects what comes out of our
mouths; just as the type of plant determines the type of fruit it bears. We
focus our hearts and minds on this message today as it comes from the words of
Jesus in Matthew 12:33-37:
“Either
make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit
bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being
evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good
things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account
of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and
by your words you will be condemned.”
When we speak of the 2nd
commandment, the immediate application is in the way we use God’s name.
Following on the heels of the 1st commandment, God expects us to use
His name with respect because He is the only God. The best way to start showing
our loyalty to God is to use His name to praise and worship Him, not to use His
name foolishly to curse or swear. This is the primary emphasis of the 2nd
commandment.
But there is a secondary application
too. As Luther pointed out in his explanation to the commandment, honoring God
includes not only turning away from what is sinful, but pursuing what is
God-pleasing. In this sense, we see how the commandment also points to the many
ways we should properly use the voices God has given us, even if we aren’t
specifically addressing Him. As Christians, everything we do or say reflects
back to God. This makes us think about all of the other vulgar ways that sin
can lead us to misuse our voices. In many ways, we may not be technically
taking God’s name in vain, but any type of vulgar language ultimately points
back to Him and still affects our relationship with Him. And when we use that
type of language, even if it’s common or acceptable in the eyes of the world,
it breaks our command to use our tongues to glorify God.
It’s probably this secondary aspect of
the 2nd commandment that trips us up more. I don’t think that most
of us blatantly take God’s name in vain or think lightly of it. But do we feel
the same about the other ‘lesser’ words and expressions that are commonplace in
society yet equally filled with sinful thoughts? Somehow, we often have a way
of convincing ourselves that it’s not that bad to use vulgar language,
especially since it’s so firmly entrenched in our culture.
The mediums we use to communicate also
play a role in this. Do you consider a text or a personal conversation the same
as a public speech? Would you feel comfortable using the same words that you do
with friends and co-workers with your pastor or your parents? On the surface we
look at these situations as different, and they are to some degree. But when it
comes to our souls and our witness as Christians, there is no difference. The
words and thoughts we put out on facebook or email carry the same weight as
saying that very thing in Sunday worship or Bible class; and sometimes even
more weight because they reach a much wider audience. And yet, we often don’t
think they’re the same. Often we convince ourselves that if we can hide behind
the anonymity of a computer or cell-phone, that its’ not the same as a face to
face conversation. I think we often feel this way because it’s the way much of
the world operates. The web is a breeding ground for hostile and inappropriate
language. The accessibility of a cell network or the internet allows you to
speak without immediate consequences. You can rip into someone or curse and
swear at liberty without being judged or rebuked face to face. You can’t get
away with the same thing in a public setting, or when you’re fellow Christians
are around.
When we consider these negative effects
of digital communication, it’s pretty amazing how direct the words of Jesus
from our text strike to the heart of the matter. At a time long before social
media, Jesus addressed the very core of the problem – the sinful human heart.
That’s where the picture of a plant comes in. Jesus applies it in this context
to communication; think of Jesus here as teaching a principle based on the 2nd
commandment. The heart, or properties of a plant, determine the fruit it bears.
In the same way, the status of the human heart determines the words that come
out of the mouth. And to help us out, Jesus teaches that God has a plan for our
communication; both when He speaks to us and when we speak to Him or to others.
Part 1: Word to Heart
We start with the blessing of the Word
given to us because that’s where our relationship with God starts. Without
faith it is impossible to please God and without the Word of God we would have
no promise of faith, because faith comes from hearing the Word of God,
specifically the words of what Christ our Savior has done for us. Jesus gets to
this point when He makes mention of the treasure in the man’s heart. We know
that He can’t be speaking about the state of our hearts before faith, or by
nature, because the natural human heart is an utterly wicked thing. It is the
source of all types of sinful language, both directed at God and directed at
others. Jesus said that is was the human heart that produced all manners of
sins, including “evil thoughts, murder,
adultery, other sexual sins, stealing, lying, and cursing (Matthew 15:19 GWN).”
Paul spoke of his own heart when he said, “I
know that in me, that is in my flesh, nothing good dwells (Romans 7:18).”
David pleaded with the Lord to “Create
in me a pure heart…” because by nature what David had was not so pure.
The treasure in the believer’s heart is
not his own feelings or attitude, it’s the gift of faith in Jesus. If you follow
the context of Matthew after chapter 12, Jesus continues with this thought. In
the very next chapter, in a single verse, Jesus taught this parable: the kingdom of heaven is like treasure
hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and
sells all that he has and buys that field (Matthew 13:44). A few verses
after that, in a different parable, Jesus said this: "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of
heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old
(Matthew 13:52)."
Think of a scribe simply as someone who
uses the Bible. In Jesus’ time, there was a specific person called to do that.
Bibles weren’t as commonplace as they are today. But each us are now scribes,
or Bible users, on our own. You all have the ability to gather from the
treasure of God’s inspired Word on your own. And from that treasure God’s
kingdom is established in your heart. A kingdom built on forgiveness of your
sins in Jesus Christ. When you have that treasure, and it is vibrant in your
heart, if will positively affect how you use your voice. You will be led to
glorify and praise God’s name in response to such a blessing of life and
forgiveness. And you will turn from the many ways you can misuse your tongue. The
treasure of the gospel, as Jesus says, brings forth good things in our lives.
Part 2: Heart to Mouth
But to have this treasure, God must
first communicate to you through His Word. The best explanation of how this
communication works comes from Romans 10, as the Holy Spirit explained it
through Paul: The word is near you, in
your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart
one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation (Romans 10:8-10).
Faith in Jesus first enters your heart and is
then transferred to what you confess with your mouth. Therefore, the picture
that Jesus gives holds up. What gives you nutrients as living members of God’s
kingdom is also what motivates the words you say. Likewise, if you are breaking
the 2nd commandment by cursing, swearing, or any other way to misuse
your voice, the problem begins in your heart and that’s where you should look
first to fix it.
We see a tragic reminder of this in the example
of the Pharisees. In our text, Jesus calls them a bunch of vipers; which isn’t
a loose description when we consider how sin was first introduced into the
world through the serpent in the Garden. The reason Jesus said this was to get
the Pharisees to look at their hearts. They claimed to speak for God and to
speak the truth, but they did this without considering their faith. They
believed they were in the right because of their physical lineage as Jews, not
at all considering that they too were sinners in need of a Savior. It may seem
here that Jesus was just unduly critical with the Pharisees and their lack of
truth and faith. But in these words Jesus pointed right to the solution. He
wasn’t being overly critical or harsh, He was trying to help the Pharisees see
their weakness and turn to God in repentance. Jesus, of course, does the same
for us in His Word, especially as we consider the 2nd commandment.
It may seem unfair at times for the pastor or fellow Christians to rebuke
vulgar language or cursing. You may be tempted to think, “what right do they have to judge?” Or you may jump to saying, “Everybody’s doing it, stop being so holier
than thou!’
Indeed, the Pharisees reacted to Jesus in a
similar way. They chose to accumulate evil treasure in their hearts; treasure
from Satan and the world, not treasure from the gospel. And their words and actions
were motivated by this treasure. When we react in hostility to the message of
God’s word, even if comes through God’s servants, what treasure are we being
led by? Consider that, because the treasure that’s in your heart will also be
what produces the words you speak. As Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks.”
Jesus freely offers you the treasure
contained in His Word; a treasure that grants you forgiveness and eternal life,
and a treasure that can guide your thoughts and words today, so that you can
lead your life for God’s glory and for the benefit of your fellow people. And
this treasure is a central theme in God’s Word, exactly parallel with all the
many expressions of growth, life, and fruit.
It’s pretty amazing how you have open
access to all varieties of fruits and vegetables. You don’t need to be an
expert farmer or gardener anymore today. In the same way, you don’t have to
work on your own to have the good treasure from God that will produce spiritual
fruits in your life. It is freely offered to you in the Word, freely won for
you by Jesus, and you have easy access to that Word every day. May your use of
God’s Word be as frequent and natural as a plant that bears its regular fruit.
And may the spiritual fruit that you produce be ever as healthy and wholesome
because it comes from the abundant treasure of God’s Word in your heart. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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