27.y. “On the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak”

 

Ephesians 5:4  Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

 Proverbs 12:23   A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

 Proverbs 15:2    The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

 Jude 1:10   But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively

 Colossians 3:8   But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

 Matthew 12:34-37   You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,  for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 Romans 1:28    And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Paul’s appeal to the Ephesians was to be ever mindful of who they were in Christ and as such there ought to be a difference in how they speak and act even if the rest of the culture approves. They ought to know what is right, pure, and God honoring in their speech and actions. They ought to weigh every word in the light of God-honoring speech. As men, don’t have to spend much time outside our homes before we are bombarded with course language, filthy jokes, or other meaningless talk that adds nothing of value to our soul and certainly not toward God.  We need to recognize and be able to discern what is right, honorable, and pleasing to God.  The problem is we don’t recognize it as wrong or we shrug it off as fitting in.  This problem has many roots that are anchored to our heart, mind, and soul.  Neglect, complacency, remaining an infant in things of God, busyness, a lack of desire to honor and glorify God, wanting to fit in, shallow and stagnate knowledge of God’s Word, no hunger or thirst for His leading, and unwilling to fully commit to the will of God.  

Psalms says: Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge— the LORD—knows the thoughts of man

They forgot Me

Deuteronomy 31:20  For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.  And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.”  So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.  And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”  When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end,  Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD,  “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.  For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD.  How much more after my death!   Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them.  For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.”

Hosea 13:6     but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me.

Our life this side of eternity has many trials, temptations, troubles, blessings, joyous moments, and precious peace.

Hope, faith, and trust in God during times of trials, temptations, and troubles yields blessings, joyous moments, and precious peace.  No one wants trials, temptations, or troubles in their life.  It is in these times that we grow in our understanding and knowledge of the awesome love and power of God.  Yet it is deep within our sinful nature to forget God, the need for God, how worthy He is of honor, glory, and praise, and soon become complacent, neglectful, and deaf to hear His whispers of guiding, purpose, love, joy, rest, peace, courage, grace, and mercy, when “they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me” .  Humble service to Him leaves our thoughts.   Seeing His creation and praising His awesome power and might is gone.

God gave us instruction on how to fight this sinful nature of complacency and neglect.   “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates,

The heart of man

” Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

Isaiah 6:5  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!

Judges 13:22  And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.”

Job 42:5-6   I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;  therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Luke 5:8-9   But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Matthew 12:34-37    You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,  for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Isaiah 29:13  And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Jeremiah 9:3-8  They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 33:31   And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

James 3:6-10  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,  but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

I read this comment today: “When men refuse God’s offered grace, every refusal hardens.” Having the right understanding and reverence of and for God has an affect.  We see those who say; “woe to me”, “we shall surely die”, “I despise myself”, “I am lost and a man of unclean lips” and “depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord”.  We also see the opposite affect on people who choose not to humbly serve, honor and glorify God. “they hear what you say but will not do it”, “their heart is set on their gain”, “they do not know me”, “they honor me with their lips”, “their hearts are far from me”, “how can you speak good when you are evil”, and “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.  There is no middle ground, no grey area.  It is either either seeking, following, and obeying God or rejecting Him.  A great love was shown mankind and a great price was paid to redeem them.  The choice of every heart will be judged.  Believing it is not so does not mean it is not.  Nor does believing there will not be judgement mean it will not happen.  No one leaves this world alive.  All will die and all will enter eternity and all will be judged.  Those who choose to seek, follow and obey God will be welcomed into heaven and those who do not will be cast into hell. Repent, believe in the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ, and live a life that reveres, seeks, follows and obeys God.  Eternity, Judgement and either heaven or hell awaits everyone.

Precept upon Precept

“And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken”

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

 

Psalms 9:15
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

Psalms 7:15
He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.

Psalms 35:8
Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction!

Proverbs 5:22
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.

Proverbs 22:8
Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.

Proverbs 6:2
if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself

Proverbs 12:13  An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble

Isaiah 28:13
And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Psalms 83:17-18
Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

Our Christian walk is either getting closer to God day by day or getting further away day by day.  There appears to be no ground where we can stand that isn’t on the path of one or the other.  Both paths have something in common, they both have a single time point where there is a step closer or a set away.  I like what is said in Isaiah: “And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little”.  Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little there a little are exactly the steps taken in either walking on a path closer to God or one that is moving away.  Do you want to have a clue on what path or direction your on?  Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks – what is it that comes out of your mouth most of the time?  What are the thoughts that roam around in your head?  Do you find opportunity to speak God into the lives around you?  Does His word come to you while you are listening to songs or driving or listening to others speak?  Start a new day – purpose to read 5 min of His word each morning and let the beginning of “Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little guide your path from here to that time when time on this world nears it’s end and eternity is knocking at your door step.