Taking Care Of The Tongue Series

The problem isn’t in the mouth. The problem is in the heart. Down in the deeper recesses of our being, where we don’t like to let people see what really exists, that is where the wild, bitter, deadly tongue gets its power. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 12:33-37. (Read) Did you get it? “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” You see, after some real heart searching, I have come to realize that there is sometimes an evil tendency to want to knock people down a notch or two so that it makes me feel like I am a notch higher. That’s not something I say with any pride, but it’s a reality that I have recognized by looking inside. It is a problem I have struggled with for years, and I always have to be on my guard. The sad reality is that I know I’m not alone. Many of us face the challenge of a tongue that runs out of control on occasion.

Now, I want you to be painfully honest with yourself today. What is the struggle you have with your tongue? Do you relish in the juicy tidbit of gossip? Do you have a tendency to be a verbal abuser? Is your tongue careless about what it says and the way it says it? Is there a streak in you that can’t stand to be wrong, and you will fight to the death before you will admit you made a mistake? If you have a problem with a wild, bitter or deadly tongue, realize it is just an overflow valve for a wild, bitter and deadly heart.

Now you know, there are two directions this sermon could go at this point. One is to give three helpful hints for taming the tongue. We could consider some self-help techniques for covering up the ugliness that can come out of our mouth. We could talk about counting to ten when you are angry before you speak, or some other very practical method for maintaining harmonious relationships. But in the end those things are only a superficial way of treating the real problem. That would be like using a band-aid to cure cancer.

You see, you can try the techniques of “How to win friends and influence people” all you want, but if you never take care of the root issue of a sin darkened heart then the bitter water is going to well up out of that poisonous spring. James and Jesus are all about telling us that if you notice that there is a problem with your tongue running out of control, you better recognize that down deep there is a heart that isn’t completely submitted to God. Don’t think you’re ever going to get your tongue under control until you give your heart completely over to God. You see, the problem with the tongue is that it eventually will show what is going on in the deepest part of your spirit. You might be able to cover it up some, but your tongue is really the showcase of your heart.

The good news is that God offers a cure for heart problems! Don’t you love to hear that? In an Old Testament prophecy, God spoke through Ezekiel about a time when He would offer a cure for the heart disease that ravages all human beings. God said in Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” The good news of Jesus Christ is that if we will allow Him to work on us, we are not destined to live by the evil whims of our heart. Because of God’s tremendous love for us, He wanted us to be able to overcome sin’s control over our lives. Paul says in Romans 8 “through Christ Jesus the Law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Through His Holy Spirit, God wants to remake you from the inside out. He wants to take the old heart that is corrupt and give you a new heart that is fashioned after His. He wants to remake you into the likeness of Jesus.