1 Braggs church of Christ

2 Holiness And Purity Of Speech Lesson 1

3 Background: Holy, Holiness 1. Holy, holiness, sanctify, sanctification, saint, all come from the same root word

4 Background: Holy, Holiness 2. Holy – holiness = separation from a life of habitual sin and worldly defilements 3. It is a manner of life we enter into when we stop following the sinful ways of the world and start living as God wants us to live

5 Background: Holy, Holiness 4. It is a manner of life brought about by godly living----living a godly life leads to holiness 1 Th. 4:3, 7

6 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness

7 Background: Holy, Holiness 5. We are to be holy in every part of our lives --- in private and in public; in thought, in the words we speak and in what we do

8 Background: Holy, Holiness 6. Instead of following the things of the world that sinful men follow after, the Christian will follow after the things that are well pleasing to God

9 I. “Tongue Control” 1. The tongue is more powerful than a gun 2. What the tongue says depends upon the owner Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”

10 I. “Tongue Control” Mt. 12:33-37 “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. [34] O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

11 I. “Tongue Control” [35] A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. [36] But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

12 I. “Tongue Control” [37] For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

13 I. “Tongue Control” 3. Idle = wicked, malicious talk; vulgar and course language meant to corrupt the hearer; idle words excite the lusts and corrupt man 4. Eph. 5:4 “Jesting” = Lewd stories which tend to degrade the hearers as well as the tellers

14 I. “Tongue Control” 5. Our tongues should be used to edify—to speak wholesome words Eph. 4:29 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

15 II. Holiness & Filthy Language Col. 3:8 “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”

16 Col. 3:8 NKJV “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.”

17 II. Holiness & Filthy Language 1. A filthy mouth reveals a filthy heart Mt. 12:34 “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh”

18 II. Holiness & Filthy Language 2. Filthy language involves the use of profanities, vulgar sayings, off-color jokes, innuendos etc.

19 II. Holiness & Filthy Language 3. “A Christian’s conversation should be pure; he should not indulge in dirty jokes, obscene allusions and indecent talk which has a double meaning; nor should he smile when others tell such; he must think on things that are pure (Phil. 4:8) and season his speech with salt (Col. 4:6). Leroy Brownlow

20 II. Holiness & Filthy Language Eph. 5:3-4 “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; [4] Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.”

21 III. Holiness & Gossip 1. Gossip = “idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others: to go about tattling” Dictionary.com

22 III. Holiness & Gossip 2. Tattling = 1. to let out secrets. 2. to chatter, prate (foolish talk), or gossip.

23 III. Holiness & Gossip 3. Why do people gossip? “They find a degree of enjoyment in discussing the faults of others” Proverbs 26:22

24 Proverbs 26:22 22The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. KJV 22 The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body. NKJV

25 Proverbs 26:22 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. ESV

26 III. Holiness & Gossip 4. “Newscasters have long known that juicy scandals make good news copy and sells papers….Some folks love to create a sensation, so they gossip in order to be at the center of attention…

27 III. Holiness & Gossip …the basic reason (for gossip) is a lack of love. When we love people we do not constantly pick out their character flaws” Mile Riley Prov. 10:12

28 Prov. 10:12 12Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. KJV 12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins. NKJV

29 III. Holiness & Gossip 5. We do not advertise the sins of people we love any more than we would advertise our own sins If we truly love someone, we are slow to believe any wrong that we may hear about them

30 1 Pet. 4:8 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

31 III. Holiness & Gossip 6. Gossiping can be overcome Proverbs 26:20 “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.”

32 III. Holiness & Gossip A. Do not listen to gossip B. Pray for your enemies C. Instead of slandering others focus on doing them good D. We should pray for ourselves & others that we might resist temptation

33 References Holiness and Pure Speech by James Nash, Imitating Christ, Called Unto Holiness – 27 th Annual Southwest Lectures, 2008 Some Do’s and Don’ts for the Christian, By Leroy Brownlow “Let There Be No Gossipy Ears”, by Mike Riley “The Old Grapevine Of Gossip”, by Barry Newton,