Anger And My Evil Tongue — Sandeep Poonen

The Call to Become Disciple Makers

We are going through in our Midweek studies. We are going through this series called all that Jesus taught and It's founded on Matthew chapter 28 Where it says go into all the world and make disciples.

Teaching them to do all that I have commanded you and that is baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. Who did Jesus tell this to? To disciples. What was he telling the disciples to do to go out and make? disciples.

NCCF is a church. That should allow into its church those who are disciples. Those who want to be disciples all other not all other people need not apply as they say. The NCCF must be a church not for anybody who wants to say they're a Christian for those who want to be disciples and the requirements of disciples have made very clear in Luke chapter 14.

You've got to love God supremely and All other things our closest connections like family. Like ourself must be hit you must hate father mother brother sister family. That's the call of discipleship. We must crucify our selfish will and we must not have anything that possesses us.

That's the call to be a disciple. But that's the requirement to come into NCCF. That's the requirement for what we believe NCCF ought to be about. But what is the purpose of NCCF? To just maintain people as disciples.

No, the purpose of NCCF is to make disciple makers. So that disciples can become disciple makers. So that's the question that we have to ask ourselves as we're sitting here. We have to go from being disciples to becoming disciple makers.

If I'm the head of my home as a man I have to make disciples out of my wife and my children. If I'm a parent I have to make disciples of my children. That's what it means to be disciple maker first of all.

Not to make them Christians not to get them to go to heaven but to make them disciples. It's not going to happen if we are not disciples ourselves. If our children don't see us if our spouses don't see us as disciples.

We're jeopardizing the chances for our children those around us to be disciples. So let's remember the call is not to be disciples. The call is to be disciple makers. We must be on the journey of becoming disciple makers.

That doesn't mean standing up and preaching. That doesn't mean going to another country. Can be right where we are. But we must be so rooted and grounded. Like a tree that it can bear fruit just like a tree bears fruit that can feed others and I can multiply.

We too must grow up. From being a seed to being a plant to being a tree that bears much fruit that can feed others. That's the goal of NCCF is to take disciples and make us disciple makers. Then God can take us and uproot us and move it somewhere else and plant us somewhere else and we've got new just more disciple makers.

Discipleship in the Sermon on the Mount

But I want to speak today about an area in our lives where I feel we are really Jeopardizing our chance to be disciples. When Jesus wanted to tell his disciples early on What it meant to be a disciple you can find a lot of that in Matthew chapter 5 6 7.

Because the requirements of discipleship are laid out as I mentioned you got a hate father mother. You've got to crucify your selfish will and you can't have anything in this world that possesses you.

But he practically laid that out in Matthew 5 6 7 all that Jesus taught a lot of what was taught was practically laid out in Matthew 5 6 7. And he talks about how the Christian life can be a very happy life.

Blessed that word blessed means happy. We can be a very set of happy people. That's ought to be the Christian testimony happy are you. That's how he started the Sermon on Mount and he kind of gave us ten Reasons or eight reasons or whatever it is why we ought to be happy.

How we ought to be blessed because we are poor in spirit because we're gentle because we're merciful and so on. And then he said the new covenant is very different from the old covenant and he gave examples of that in Matthew chapter 5 and he took two examples, which is murder and Adultery and he said, you know in the old covenant.

We talked about thou shalt not commit murder thou shalt not commit adultery. And then he said the new covenant is very different and he talked about how it starts in the heart. And he said that anger we can turn them at the chapter 5.

He says that anger in the heart is Like committing murder and he changed it completely. That's in verse 21 and 22. And then he does the same thing with adultery and he says with adultery. It's the same thing.

You thought is just committing adultery with somebody else, but it starts way earlier. It starts in the heart lusting in the eyes getting angry and I wanted to just make it explain it very clearly. How we ought to be disciples in the area of Anger and as it relates to anger and murder.

Anger as the Beginning of Murder

There's a slide up that you can maybe start. This is how the world looks at anger. Even the children should be able to understand that if you can read you should be able to understand this. This is how the world says anger proceeds.

It starts with anger on the inside. Nobody can check that except you. But then it goes to angry words or hurtful words then it goes to physical hitting and Eventually ends up in murder. Even the world will tell you this is the progression and how it moves.

How anger gets worse, right? We all know that this is how anger gets worse now the next slide tells you how the world views this anger and It tells you this is what is okay. And how do I know this is true because I see the evidence of it.

In the way people are at work. I see how my children are and I see how society seems to be okay with it. In Twitter and Facebook and conversations and children at school. They say that it's okay to have anger on the inside because you got to deal with it.

Then nobody can see it. So you can't judge any of anybody else but Hurtful words are okay. Just don't hit because if you hit You'll end up hurting people to where you kill them. That's how the world Operates whether or not they agree with what I'm saying in terms of the words.

That's how we're living out. We live in a culture where hurtful or angry words are permitted. How should the Christian view that's the next slide how should the Christian view Anger we know this that's what Matthew chapter 5 verse 21 was saying that None of them are okay, but I separated inside from outside.

Because we we can say oh, I shouldn't have anger in my heart, but we should identify the first External act that is calling you a murderer. Are you a murderer in the making? This is how you will know the next line.

This is how you will know if you are a murderer in the making. These are not my words, these are the words of Jesus when I Use angry words the word of Jesus says it is just as bad as you committing murder.

But if I look at the state of my life, I look at the state of Christian life. I look at the state of our children. I find that we allow a lot of angry words a Lot of hurtful was to be said and we do not see that that is a murderer in the making children.

If you say angry or hurtful words, you are on your way to becoming a murderer. These are the words of Jesus. This is the Sermon on the Mount. This is what it means to be a disciple. So when and and us parents have nobody to blame we can't blame our children.

Because we have been given the shepherding responsibility when I say hurtful and angry words to my children or to my spouse. Guaranteed my children are picking that up. And so I'm responsible for raising murderers.

They may go through life and will not go to physically shed blood and kill somebody but in God's eyes He said you just raised a bunch of murderers because of the way you spoke with your spouse. I'm not speaking what I have not judged myself radically in For a long time and I have sought to not be a murderer.

I'm not trying to physically kill people, but the way I make sure I don't physically kill people is by not. Definitely not having anger in the heart, but that may be harder to identify but not speaking hurtful or angry words.

We tend to say that the most of the ones we claim to love the most it's how it always is and that's why I need to judge myself radically and Jesus used another example, which is adultery and he says I'm going to do the same thing lust in the heart.

Equals adultery, but do you think you can draw a similar process flow as we call it in the business world? You start with the lust in the heart. What are the steps? Do you suddenly just lost the heart and become an adultery?

No, it never is never is there. There are a couple of in-between areas. Flirting. This word called sexting and different things. There may be different different ways when which starts out which are external evidences on your way to committing adultery.

And what the Lord was speaking to me recently was I Have no right to tell my wife that she is wrong in flirting with another man or sexting with another man because she's committing This and she's breaking the seventh commandment.

Thou shall not commit adultery. She's on her way to becoming an adulteress. But I have no business business to tell her that she's wrong when I'm breaking the sixth commandment. And I'm shouting at her and I'm saying hurtful words to her.

I have no right to tell her don't sext don't Lust don't flirt with other men. I Have no right to do that because I'm breaking the sixth commandment. I hope this is crystal clear. Because I guarantee you if some of you were having marriage problems and you came and told me you know what my wife was sexting with another man be like.

You should definitely not do that. And if a wife said the man is texting they're talking, you know flirting with another woman. I'd be like husband you shouldn't do that. Same seriousness. In fact, Jesus mentioned this commandment first in the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus mentioned the thou shall not commit murder comes before thou shall not commit adultery.

But you just ask yourself. Are you think are we taking that as seriously? Ask ourselves in the marriage relationship. Do we allow hurtful words to be to be driven out with the same violence that we would drive out or that same righteous anger we would have if our spouse was Having flirtatious conversations with some other man or some man was having flirtatious conversations with another woman.

We'd have a righteous anger and rightfully so do we have the same righteous anger to ourselves when we speak hurtful or angry words if we don't. God says I can't give you grace and you're raising murderers.

You're in an example of a murderer and you're raising a murderer. Skip a few slides to Matthew chapter 12 verse 34. Can we you can turn there, please? Matthew chapter 12 verse 34. I think I've made my point.

The Tongue Reveals the Heart

I hope my point is extremely clear to you. We have to really watch what we see because We are being Representatives to the outside world and what the world is Mostly gonna see in us in our work and other things is the product of our lips.

It's the fruit of our lips and we can't hide it. It'll come out the mouth. Dear brothers and sisters take this to heart. The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart and I must recognize Whether I am good or evil based on what this verse is I fear that we have tempered down and lowered the standard as it comes to the use of our tongue.

People say you know in marriages that money is the reason for the cause of marriage marriages to break down. I don't agree with it at all. Love of money is a great evil. But the tongue brings hell with it.

The love of money is a great evil, but the tongue brings hell with it. Let me show you this verse a couple more slides that I put in there. Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 21 and 22. Death and life not great evils.

Love of money is a great evil. Let the world say what it is about how money is the cause of many problems in marriages or adultery. What is death and life are in the power of the tongue and Those who love it eat its fruit.

And the very next verse says this is connected with marriage. This is connected with marriage. I'm absolutely sure about it. Then the state of our marriage if I want to know the state of a marriage. I want to see the state of our conversations.

I Want to see what children I'm raising. I got just look at the conversations that I'm having if I speak with kindness. To my wife and to my children. It's gonna filter down. They're gonna pick up on that.

Death and life not great evils. Love of money is a great evil. Death and life is in what I speak with my tongue. Proverbs 15 verse 4 a soothing tongue is a tree of life. We all keep saying Oh, look, we want to have a tree of life to know God is eternal life.

That's to eat other tree of life. Well Here's what the tree of life is too. It's a soothing tongue. It's a gentle tongue. But perversion in the tongue tongues with our which have hurt hurt and anger with crushes the spirit.

The Tongue as Fire and Poison

We've all experienced this. We pull out serpents. There's a slide. I think old James chapter 3 2 as well if you don't Know how serious the tongue is. Just read these verses. The tongue is a fire and is set on fire by hell.

Hell itself not evil people. By hell itself is my tongue can be set on fire by hell. It is an unstable evil. It is full of deadly poison. I'm poisoning my wife and poisoning my children every day. I'm giving him the healthiest foods and the Christian world we've been so obsessed with giving our children healthy foods and vegetables and figure out what's the right this and that and Meanwhile, we're feeding them with poison full of poison with our lips the way we talk disrespectfully.

Do and look it's not just the words you think our children don't pick up silent treatment. But I give my wife the silent treatment. Do you think my children are not picking that up on that? That too is a product of the tongue, so it's not just the words.

Definitely if you have to keep quiet, that's fine, but There's a lot of Sin that is happening in our tongues, and I don't think we take it as seriously as murder. In fact, I think we've been taking a lot of flirting with a lot more seriousness than we take the whole sin of the words and that Matthew 12 passage says that every Careless word God will say I'm gonna call you accountable for it.

I'm gonna go with you word by word and say you said that you said that you said that you said that to the one. You loved you said that to your children. Did you mean that and you were just so loose with your tongue talking talking talking?

Giving feedback here. Just expressing my opinion. I just you know, I'm a verbal processor all these words. We've used to negate what God's gonna say I'm gonna hold you accountable for it for all your verbal processing to another woman.

What how bad your husband is or verbal processing to a man about how? Women are or this and that and God's taking me to task to verbal processing about how your boss is. With other colleagues of mine and it's gone on and on and God's saying I'm gonna hold you accountable for it.

Your tongue is full of poison and you're trying to pray for them that you may be that they may be Christians. But meanwhile, you're just encouraging all the poison. What do you think of what your boss said in the meeting?

Somebody asked me that question now now there's a tongue full of poison ready to come out. Full of evil and death and life are right there in my tongue when that questions asked to me. What do you think of the meeting?

You remember what your boss said? Death and life are on the tongue I'm sure of it to the state of our marriages. Just put a tape recorder and record all the conversations that are happening and You'll have the feedback you need.

You'll have all the feedback you need for the state of our marriages and us men have to be the ones primarily accountable. But women too, you know how women who are married to unbelieving men will save their husbands.

Without even saying a word. That's the power of the restrained tongue. Can get an unbelieving man to become a Christian the power of a restrained tongue and that's what we ought to do. So I want to end with this.

Repentance for the Sin of the Tongue

What should we do? What should we do? There's. This is a massive evil. I think this is a massive set of serpents that are in our homes. I've no doubt about it. What should we do? That we must do the same thing that the people did.

When the Holy Spirit convicts and in Acts chapters 2 you see what people responded when Peter said You are the ones who crucified Jesus. And he said what must we do and Jesus. Peter said repent. Repent and this was a different kind of repentance than just what should we do because yeah, you're right.

You know what kind of I can agree with you intellectually. That's okay. It says they were pierced in their heart. It stuck in them so deep and they said what should we do in despair and Peter said repent.

And receive the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. That repentance is available for us. But I don't know if we are pierced in our heart to the poison that is in our lips the evil death and life that we've been Communicating to our children and to our spouses week in and week out and so there's no mourning over that.

There's mourning over the state of our marriages because this first thing is not happening. Mourning over our children because they're not behaved like this and that. Mourning over at the principal calling us in the office, but we're not mourning over the poison that's in our tongues.

So we never receive the Holy Spirit or we should but Peter said that and that's the Always the answer the Lord gives me when the Lord convicts me of sin. The Lord convicts me of sin. I say Lord, what should I do now?

He says very simple go to Acts chapter 2 verse 38. First of all make sure you're pierced in your heart and Then repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

That is for me and my for my children. I Can do that. But I have to start with a deep Spirit of repentance that is proved in the hours and in the days and the weeks to come. And let us ask the Holy Spirit.

We must take up our cross Ruthlessly dear brothers and sisters, we must take up our cross ruthlessly to our tongues. Let's not ask for the Holy Spirit. First let's ask take say Lord. I'm gonna take on my cross.

So I'm gonna put myself to death. Then the Holy Spirit comes and resurrects me to a new life. He gives me a different life, but the Holy Spirit doesn't come on living people. The Holy Spirit comes on dead people so I need to put my selfish tongue to death then.

Crucifying the Tongue and Receiving the Holy Spirit

When the entire tongue is put on the altar and God sees that we're serious that we will seek him with all of our hearts. For our tongue to be a tongue of Holy Spirit inspired fire and the Holy Spirit comes descends like a tongue.

Like he came in Acts chapter 2 he'll come and touch our tongue so that we'll have holy tongues. Not unholy tongues. He wants to do that dear brothers and sisters. And we have no chance of communicating the gospel if our tongues have not been purified.

No chance. Let's receive the Holy Spirit, but let us first put to death These tongues and let us have great restraint in James chapter 3. It says you know how a horse this powerful horse can be controlled with a little bridle.

It's all it takes. You know how a big ship can be moved with a little rudder. That's what James says. That's all it takes restraint in our tongues. I'd rather people know me to be boring and not have a lot to say and not have a lot of input a lot of issues.

Rather than to say one idle word. This is how the Lord has been asking me to judge myself. There's a lot of Areas in which the Lord can ask us to judge ourselves and we may become more and more boring people and I said Lord I'm okay being boring.

I Made that resolution a few years ago, or I'm okay being boring. But I don't want to say idle words because I need to speak your truths. I Need to have a tongue that is purified and the Lord asked me okay being boring to have nothing to say.

Because you're judging yourself. I'm okay Lord. He's taking me on a journey and he's showing me how I have to restrain it even more and more. And God says I won't fill you with the Holy Spirit first year to be died.

You had to put yourself to death. Put that tongue to death then he comes and fills us with the Holy Spirit. Tongues of fire will come upon us. We'll have words in season to give to other people. I Never.

I don't have any respect for a man who is an unrestrained on a man or woman. Because I know God can't speak through them. God can speak through a donkey because God could restrain his tongue very easily.

Speech Seasoned with Grace and Salt

He'll speak a donkey much easier than he can speak with most human beings because the tongue is not restrained in most humans. Colossians 4 verse 6. Let me end with those. I think I have those. Let your speech be seasoned with salt and I connected that with Jesus where he said you are the salt of the earth but if it's.

But if salt has become tasteless, what good is it? This is how we apply you are the salt of the earth. I'm seasoning my children with my speech. I'm seasoning my spouse with my speech. But if salt has lost its flavor, what good is it?

It's useless. It's not even good for the manure pile. Did you read that. That's how useless my spiritual testimony is and that's reflected in James chapter 1 verse 26. If you think you're spiritual, but you don't control your tongue, your religion is useless.

It's what it's saying here too. It's not even good for the manure pile. This is the words of Jesus. Then our speech always be seasoned with grace. As though seasoned with salt so that we should know how to respond to each person here brothers and sisters.

A Church Transformed by Holy Speech

I've no doubt in my mind that are that God wants us to leap forward in 2020. God wants us to have sensitive consciences. We don't need to be condemned. We need to take the little sins seriously and I am believed that God wants our church to be a reflection of a church that made a leap.

One of the areas for sure is in our tongues. For sure is in our tongues and I pray that our marriages and our families will reflect Tongues where God has done a dramatic work. God is not withholding his Holy Spirit of fire from us he's waiting for us to crucify our tongues, that's what he's waiting for and Spouses if you have a spouse who doesn't control their tongue.

They don't bother to it. You say Lord even if the whole world doesn't follow me. I'm following you to put my tongue to death. I'm gonna be Boring. I'm gonna be suddenly have nothing to say about so many issues.

I'd rather do that and Think good thoughts. Changing your tongue is not going to solve the problem. It starts in the heart but let our children are in great jeopardy and I hope you'll also see that it's a horrible reflection of Jesus Christ.

It's a horrible reflection of NCCF if we say we're part of NCCF and people who don't come to this church. Tell through our speech. That's not seasoned with the salt of God. That our speech is not reflecting of hearts that are becoming more good.

So the fruit that comes out of it is good and I pray that the Lord will help us drive out all the snakes that are hidden in our tongues and Things are not going to change overnight, but we can make a leap we can make leaps in 2020.

I'm absolutely confident that God will do the work that he's promised to do in our lives. That I can say I used to say, you know at the end of my sermons. May God help us. But I was thinking about this.

I have faith for my tongue. That I don't say may God help me. I say by the grace of God it will be so. And there's no place for may God help me. Even the alcoholic saying may God help me even the heroin addict is saying may God help us.

But the man of faith says by God's grace. It will be so it will be so.