Idle words
“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matt. 12:36).
Idle words profit nothing. They are salt that has lost its savor—altogether good for nothing. They are worthless because they never advance the kingdom of God. If no progress is made toward God, then regression is inevitably made toward the devil and his control. We are all accountable to everyone with whom we come in contact. We influence our acquaintances and friends for good or for evil.
This is unavoidable. Our influence is automatic; and the results are always dire or full of hope. We may believe our idle words and pat phrases and gestures that Satan has taught the whole world are helpful, but they are chaff instead of the wholesome, life-giving wheat.
The empty clichés and usages say nothing of Jesus or of righteousness. They are void of faith in God and add nothing to the effort of soul-sinning; and is there any other consideration to put above winning souls to God? Aren’t we close enough to His coming that we should be preparing people for judgment day? Isn’t it time we fear God and give Him glory?
Everyone not anointed by the Holy Spirit is to cease and desist speaking for God. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Ex. 20:16). “And when they [the apostatized northern Israelites] entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned My holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of His land. But I had pity for Mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.” (Ez. 36:20,21). “And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.…And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew Him.” (Mk. 1:25,34).
It is the emptiness of the hollow, trite phrases that brings the Lord displeasure. They imitate freedom of self-expression and they pretend to propagate truth. But in reality hollow, trite phrases do neither. The comedy they often promote and the laughter and light heartedness they evoke actually substitute for the joy God longs to give all of the children of Adam—the water of life. “He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (Jn. 7:38). But, rather, the world’s laughter is empty of faith and love and true happiness. It spits in God’s face.
It has moved into the denominations and into the Advent movement of God. From the pulpit we hear the leader or preacher making use of idleness to wake up the glazed minds of the congregation. It all mocks the God of Protestantism and the soul that is sick of sin. In the joking sermons, those dozing hearers have received nothing on which to feed—the rich, full truth flowing with milk and honey.
In every prophet and apostle, and infinitely more so with the Son of God, it could be said, “Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever.” (Ps. 45:2). Because these faithful men and women spoke from full faith in heaven they projected faith and transferred faith into the hearts of the people listening. As we saw with the mighty revival of faith in the days of Ezra, “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.” (Neh. 8:8,9) The hearers were convicted of truth and were filled with all the fullness of God. How true it is that “a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver”! (Prov. 25:11). By their right arrangement of sacred scripture and use of words, truth made perfect sense.
Likewise, it was with the apostles. “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.” (2Cor. 4:1,2).
Truth made perfect sense and the people wept because it had been so long, if ever, since they had fed on the durable principles of God’s law, rather than the empty husks of Babylon and Egypt. Thus it happened by a few that listened to Paul on Mars’ hill, “Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” (Acts 17:34).
Personal obedience prepares us to speak the truth. “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” (1Tim. 1:5). But because none of the people of God have settled into the truth—all of the truth —we have all been speaking tasteless, Christless, faithless verbiage. We have had no power to preach to every kindred, tongue and nation. All of our expressions of religion have been “vain jangling.” (vs. 6). And our religious vain jangling is no different from the atheist’s and the hedonist’s idle talk. “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.” (Ex. 20:7). Simply having religious overtones to words empty of faith will never grant Christ’s approval, and it has brought us the disfavor of the secular world. We have not the first reason for self-congratulation. “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Lk. 2:52). Even at a young age, Christ was sanctified by the truth of the holy scriptures. But, empty letters of the law leads us to idle talk and can leave no one sanctified.
Protestantism’s deadness in faith has crossed a new threshold. Demonic “holy” laughter is men’s invention to jumpstart their spirit, long dead in spiritualism. The hearts of the adherents of the Charismatic and New Age movements are so empty of life and the true Spirit of God that they must force laughter out of their heart and mind, lest they die of depression. True, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones,” but repentance for the separation from God is the only remedy for depression and a broken spirit. (Prov. 17:22).
“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.…
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.” (Ps. 51:3,7,8).
A new look at Jesus as detailed through the Old Testament laws in the words and characteristics of those ancient Israelites whom He empowered to represent Him to the nation. If Christians today will look for Jesus in the Old Testament and in the epistles of the New they will meet the true Savior through the power of the Holy Ghost. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 15:13). But all that are too proud to admit failure and wrong doctrine and unbiblical practice, will be locked in deception and continue the never-satisfying worship of antichrist, the Christ-imposter who thrives on the world’s worship of himself.
When are we going to say, “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (Is. 6:5).
Thank God for His mercy on us.
Idle words profit nothing. They are salt that has lost its savor—altogether good for nothing. They are worthless because they never advance the kingdom of God. If no progress is made toward God, then regression is inevitably made toward the devil and his control. We are all accountable to everyone with whom we come in contact. We influence our acquaintances and friends for good or for evil.
This is unavoidable. Our influence is automatic; and the results are always dire or full of hope. We may believe our idle words and pat phrases and gestures that Satan has taught the whole world are helpful, but they are chaff instead of the wholesome, life-giving wheat.
The empty clichés and usages say nothing of Jesus or of righteousness. They are void of faith in God and add nothing to the effort of soul-sinning; and is there any other consideration to put above winning souls to God? Aren’t we close enough to His coming that we should be preparing people for judgment day? Isn’t it time we fear God and give Him glory?
Everyone not anointed by the Holy Spirit is to cease and desist speaking for God. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Ex. 20:16). “And when they [the apostatized northern Israelites] entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned My holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of His land. But I had pity for Mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.” (Ez. 36:20,21). “And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.…And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew Him.” (Mk. 1:25,34).
It is the emptiness of the hollow, trite phrases that brings the Lord displeasure. They imitate freedom of self-expression and they pretend to propagate truth. But in reality hollow, trite phrases do neither. The comedy they often promote and the laughter and light heartedness they evoke actually substitute for the joy God longs to give all of the children of Adam—the water of life. “He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (Jn. 7:38). But, rather, the world’s laughter is empty of faith and love and true happiness. It spits in God’s face.
It has moved into the denominations and into the Advent movement of God. From the pulpit we hear the leader or preacher making use of idleness to wake up the glazed minds of the congregation. It all mocks the God of Protestantism and the soul that is sick of sin. In the joking sermons, those dozing hearers have received nothing on which to feed—the rich, full truth flowing with milk and honey.
In every prophet and apostle, and infinitely more so with the Son of God, it could be said, “Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever.” (Ps. 45:2). Because these faithful men and women spoke from full faith in heaven they projected faith and transferred faith into the hearts of the people listening. As we saw with the mighty revival of faith in the days of Ezra, “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.” (Neh. 8:8,9) The hearers were convicted of truth and were filled with all the fullness of God. How true it is that “a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver”! (Prov. 25:11). By their right arrangement of sacred scripture and use of words, truth made perfect sense.
Likewise, it was with the apostles. “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.” (2Cor. 4:1,2).
Truth made perfect sense and the people wept because it had been so long, if ever, since they had fed on the durable principles of God’s law, rather than the empty husks of Babylon and Egypt. Thus it happened by a few that listened to Paul on Mars’ hill, “Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” (Acts 17:34).
Personal obedience prepares us to speak the truth. “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” (1Tim. 1:5). But because none of the people of God have settled into the truth—all of the truth —we have all been speaking tasteless, Christless, faithless verbiage. We have had no power to preach to every kindred, tongue and nation. All of our expressions of religion have been “vain jangling.” (vs. 6). And our religious vain jangling is no different from the atheist’s and the hedonist’s idle talk. “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.” (Ex. 20:7). Simply having religious overtones to words empty of faith will never grant Christ’s approval, and it has brought us the disfavor of the secular world. We have not the first reason for self-congratulation. “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Lk. 2:52). Even at a young age, Christ was sanctified by the truth of the holy scriptures. But, empty letters of the law leads us to idle talk and can leave no one sanctified.
Protestantism’s deadness in faith has crossed a new threshold. Demonic “holy” laughter is men’s invention to jumpstart their spirit, long dead in spiritualism. The hearts of the adherents of the Charismatic and New Age movements are so empty of life and the true Spirit of God that they must force laughter out of their heart and mind, lest they die of depression. True, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones,” but repentance for the separation from God is the only remedy for depression and a broken spirit. (Prov. 17:22).
“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.…
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.” (Ps. 51:3,7,8).
A new look at Jesus as detailed through the Old Testament laws in the words and characteristics of those ancient Israelites whom He empowered to represent Him to the nation. If Christians today will look for Jesus in the Old Testament and in the epistles of the New they will meet the true Savior through the power of the Holy Ghost. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 15:13). But all that are too proud to admit failure and wrong doctrine and unbiblical practice, will be locked in deception and continue the never-satisfying worship of antichrist, the Christ-imposter who thrives on the world’s worship of himself.
When are we going to say, “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (Is. 6:5).
Thank God for His mercy on us.
posted by David | 1:14 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home