Introduction - With our tongue, we can say words of great comfort or with it we can say words of great destruction. We as Christians must use our tongues for good and not evil !!!!! Christ warns us saying, that what comes our of our mouth is a reflection of what's in our heart or what type of person we really are and that by those words we will be justified, or by those words we will be comdemned. Christ also warns us saying, that we will give an account for every careless word that comes out of our mouth on the day of judgement. (Matt. 12:33-37) Paul also expresses his concern by saying, that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Heb. 10:31)
In Matt 12:1-32. Jesus and His disciples have been accused, by the Pharisees, of working (gathering and eating grain) on the sabboth but Jesus points out that He is greater than the sabboth. Then Jesus goes into their synagogue and heals a man's withered hand and basically puts the Pharisees in their place asking them a question, is wrong to do good on the Sabboth? Then the Pharisees make plans to kill Jesus. A little later Jesus tells them about the one sin that will not be forgiven man, neither in this life or the next and that is the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Matt 12:33-37
Note: Jesus tells them that they are known by the fruit that they produce. He calls them a brood of vipers. Which is a slap in the face to the Pharisees. He goes on to say, How can you, being evil, speak good things? And that they will be condemned by the evil that's in their hearts that are reflected in their words.
33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
Matt 15:18
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
James 3:1-12
Note: James tells us that the tongue is full of deadly poison and that it can defile the whole body. And that there was a problem in the early church with people blessing God our Father with their mouth and then turning around and cursing men with that same mouth. Then he goes on to say, That it ought not to be this way! This is not the way God intended for it to be. God wants us to love Him and to do His commandments and fill our hearts with His word. That way, if our heart is full of the goodness of His word, our speach will reflect that same goodness and not evil that will destroy us on the day of judgement.
3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
3 Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.
4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.
8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring can yield both salt water and fresh