14. group questions 1.“any speech,” the author writes, “that tends to tear down another person...

14

Group Questions1. “Any speech,” the author writes, “that tends to tear

down another person – either someone we are talking about or someone we are talking to – is sinful speech.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?

2. How do we know that God takes Respectable Sins of the tongue seriously? (See Matthew 12:36-37)

3. Read Ephesians 4:19. Bridges writes, “Note Paul’s absolute prohibition (in this passage). NO corrupting talk. None whatsoever. This means NO gossip, NO sarcasm, NO critical speech, NO harsh words…Think about what the church of Jesus Christ would look like if we all sought to apply Paul’s words”. If indeed we could live & worship together in this way, what would the body of Christ be like?

Average Words Per Day

1. MEN 7,000 – 10,000

2. WOMEN 20,000 -24,000

Sins of the Tongue

Lying

Gossip

Slander

Critical Speech

Insults

Ridicule Harsh Words

Sarcasm

Wicked Deceitful

Perverse

Filthy

Slanderous

Corrupt

FlatteringGossiping

Blasphemous

Foolish

Boasting

Complaining

Cursing

Contentious

Vile

Sensual

James 3:8no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Matthew 12:36I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Matthew 15:11,17-19it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."… Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander

Bruce BartonFor good or ill, your conversation is your advertisement. Every time you open your mouth you let men look

into your mind.

The Tongue…1. Controls

James 3:3-4If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

The Tongue…1. Controls2. Consumes

James 3:5-6So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire… setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

Proverbs 15:28The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

Proverbs 16:27A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Proverbs 26:20For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases

The Tongue…1. Controls2. Consumes3. Contaminates

James 3:5-6, 8…a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body… but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Proverbs 6:16-19There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies…

GossipThe spreading of unfavorable

information about someone else, even if that information is true.

Romans 1:29-30They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents

Proverbs 16:28A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

SlanderMaking a false statement or

misrepresentation about another person that defames or damages the

person’s reputation

Proverbs 20:19Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler

Critical SpeechNegative comments about someone that may be actually true but doesn’t

need to be said.

Ephesians 4:29Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear

Proverbs 6:16-19There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: …one who sows discord among brothers

1 Peter 4:9Show hospitality to one another without grumbling

Diagnostic Questions1. Is this TRUE?2. Is it HELPFUL?3. Is it KIND?4. Is it NECESSARY?5. Will it BUILD THEM UP?6. Will it IMPART GRACE to those who

hear?

James 1:26If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

Ray PrichardAn irritable spirit tends to show up when we’re under pressure. Most of us treat people pretty well when we’re relaxed. But as deadlines loom and work piles up, we turn from Mary Poppins into Cruella De Vil and from Andy Griffith into Mike Tyson, except that we don’t bite off someone’s ear. We go for the whole head.

John 2:13-16The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."

When Do We Tend To Become Irritable?

1. When we are PHYSICALLY WEAK2. When we are UNDER PRESSURE

3 Characteristics of Righteous Anger

1. Arises from an Accurate Perception of True Evil2. Focuses on God & His Will, not Me & My Will3. Always Self-Controlled

1 Peter 2:23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

3 Typical Causes Of Anger

1. Pride2. Selfishness3. Desire to Control

1 Peter 2:18-20Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

Principle…We are to choose to RESPOND biblically rather

than REACT emotionally…

Ephesians 4:32Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you

Colossians 1:13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive