Words that are Sinful

1.  Blasphemy  ("impious or profane speaking of God or               sacred things," early 13c)

• Interestingly, if you consider what we call it when someone says a “bad word,” it pretty much always has a religious origin (“Swear,” “curse/cuss,” “profanity,” “vulgarity”…).
• When the Bible speaks of blaspheme, it means "to ascribe to someone or something else that which belongs to the Lord."
  - The enemies of the Lord blaspheme because of David’s      sin (2 Samuel 12:14).
  - Rich men blaspheme the name of the Lord (James 2:7)
  - Blaspheme against the Holy Ghost (Mark 3:29)
• Ways we can blaspheme with our words:
  - Taking the Lord’s name in vain.  
  
    Exodus 20:7  “Thou shalt not take the name of the              LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him        guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

 
          - Claiming something is from God when it actually goes                  against God’s word.
          - Claiming something that came from God is evil

            Isaiah  5:20 “ Woe unto them that call evil good, and                    good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for 
            darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for   
            bitter!”

2.  Cursing ("to wish evil to; to excommunicate," or "to                   swear profanely, use blasphemous or profane language" is         from early 13c)

•  James 3:10 “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things
  ought not so to be.
  
  
  • Cursing mother and father (Mark 7:10 [from Leviticus 20:9])
    - “I hope you die”
    - “Damn you!” (a curse, and also “damn” can be              wrong because it is profane
    
  • “Taking something sacred and making it common and meaningless.”) 
    
  • This is why, if your kid uses such words flippantly,    they need to be chastened. 
    

                    - We decided not to allow our kids to say “dang or                          darn”… or “gosh” or “geez”… (doesn’t mean if                                someone else does they are necessarily sinning)

3.  False witness

• Obviously, “Thou shalt not bear false witness” is another commandment given by God.
• Isn’t it interesting that 2 out of 10 commandments have to do with words we say (taking the name of the Lord in vain and bearing false witness).
• In the OT, if you intentionally bore false witness, you would be punished as if you had committed what you said someone else did.

4.  Self Praise

• Proverbs 27:2  “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips
  
  
• Proverbs 25:27  It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.”
  
  
• 2 Corinthians 10:12  “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measure in themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 

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• 2Co 10:18  “For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”          

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• 2Co 12:11  “ I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.”

• These may not necessarily prove that self praise is a sin, but I think we can all agree that pride is sinful, and thinking we are praise worthy is pride (if we say we have no sin, we lie… and that is a sin!)

5.  Inappropriateness

• (Ephesians 5:4) – Filthiness, foolish   talking, jesting (mocking/railing)

                - This would include “locker room banter”
                - This would include racial slurs
                - This would include making fun of people (fat jokes,                      bald head jokes)

6.  Flattery

• Flattery is a tool to get something out of someone else. 
• Don’t think flattery is a virtue!

                - Pr 29:5  A man that flattereth his neighbour                                  spreadeth a net for his feet.
                               
                - 1Th 2:5  For neither at any time used we flattering
                  words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God
                  is witness:
   

• It is also important that we speak the truth rather than “flattery” (which is false witness anyway.)            

 
                 -Pr 28:23  He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall                        find more favour than he that flattereth with the                          tongue.
 
7.  Silence (when a word SHOULD be spoken)

• When we know we need to say something and we  quench the spirit

                               

•  Jas 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

               

•   When we fail to pray for one another (1 Samuel 12:23 –      notice “sin against the Lord”)
• This is what some call the sin of omission.
• What about failing to preach the Gospel with our lips?

                               
                - Eze 33:6  But if the watchman see the sword come,                      and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not                   warned; if the sword come, and take any person                          from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity;                      but his blood will I require at the watchman’s                                hand.
                               
                 - Eze 33:7  So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a                         watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou                       shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them                         from me.


Conclusion:
We are going to misuse our tongue and our words all the time.  Sometimes it might seem pretty minor, and sometimes it will be an abomination to God.
 
Let me clarify, that what comes out of the man is a matter of what is in the heart!

Mt 15:19  “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”

​So, the main thing is to keep working on the heart, not trying to clean up the outside to impress people.