All That Jesus Taught Bible Study - Part 48 — Zac Poonen

We turn again to continue our study in all that Jesus taught. We're looking through the Gospels to see what is it that Jesus taught that we need to do and teach others to do. And we were looking at Matthew chapter 12 and verse 33.

Christlikeness Includes Firmness as Well as Gentleness

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. And then he says you brood of vipers. He's talking to these Pharisees who had said that he was casting out demons by the prince of demons and he calls them brood of vipers.

Now there are many people who feel Christlikeness means you never speak strong words. There are numerous Christians. If a preacher ever got up and turned and said this group of people is a brood of vipers, there are lots of Christians who would jump on him and say brother be more Christlike.

What does it mean to be Christlike? This is Jesus Christ himself speaking. You brood of vipers. That is to be Christlike. To those who deserve it, you don't call those who don't deserve it by that name, but Jesus called those who deserve it by this name.

You brood of vipers. If someone were to turn the tables of money changers today, people would say you need to be more Christlike. The people who say these words don't realize that Jesus himself turned the tables of money changers in the temple.

So many people's understanding of Christlikeness is from their own head. They think Christlikeness means just be gracious and let the devil run the church. Don't say anything. Keep quiet. That's Christlikeness.

That's a lot of garbage. And that's the garbage that a lot of Christians believe as Christlikeness. Christlikeness includes gentleness, but it also includes firmness. It's tough love that is Christlikeness.

Not a wishy-washy sentimental type of love that ignores the glory of God. So Jesus turns around to these people and says you brood of vipers. How can you being evil speak what is good? The tree will only give forth the type of fruit depending on what type of tree it is.

Words Reveal the Condition of the Heart

And the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. Everything that comes out of our mouth comes from within our heart because the mouth is the overflow valve of the heart. So if your heart is filled with evil, evil will come out of your mouth.

If your heart is filled with anger, anger comes out of your mouth. If your heart is filled with goodness, goodness comes out of your mouth. Now, of course, we can act. And say things which are not in our heart.

But by a certain measure of self-control, I keep suppressed what is in my heart and speak words, which are not really true, you know, sometimes diplomatically we speak to people what we don't really feel about them for some personal gain or something like that.

But whenever you see a person suddenly out of control bursting out with something you can be sure that's come from his heart. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And like someone has used this illustration that if I'm carrying a jug of sweet water, no matter how heavily somebody shakes it or shakes me, only sweet water will spill out.

How can that sweet water in my jug suddenly become bitter just because somebody shook me hard? So when somebody irritates us, what comes out is what is always in our heart. There's something we never conquered, an irritability or an anger.

It's in our heart. It was carefully hidden, submerged, but someone approached us, said something, did something and out it came out like a flood. So let's never say that somebody else irritated me and therefore I said this.

Somebody shook you and what was inside your jar came out. Thank God he shook you so that you could discover what was inside your jar. You should be thankful to that person. Otherwise, you'd have remained constantly ignorant of what was in your jug, what was in your heart.

All the nice people around you who never shook you, never shook your jug, never gave you the opportunity to discover what was in your heart till this evil man came along and shook you really hard and out came all those bitter words for you to discover the bitterness that was in your heart.

So should you be thankful or not? If somebody came into your room and toppled the cupboard in your room and a snake came out from underneath there, that is living there all along, would you be thankful to that man who toppled the cupboard in his anger?

Sure. You'd say, hey, thank you very much. I never knew there was a snake living underneath there all these years. So if we take that attitude, we can cleanse ourselves. But if you get upset with the person who revealed the snake, then you got it all wrong.

So the mouth speaks out of the abundance that fills the heart. It's a principle we must remember. And the good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good, naturally. If a tree is good, it'll bring forth good fruit.

And the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. Imagine this, that a man can have an evil treasure in his heart. One wouldn't think that evil is a treasure. Good is a treasure. We can understand.

Good thoughts about people and good attitudes to people is certainly a treasure. But imagine people can be so bad that they have evil attitudes and evil thoughts about others and they call it a treasure.

This is satanic. And from that evil treasure, when some pressure comes in, like you squeeze a toothpaste tube, out comes what is inside. That's it. Now I say to you now, if you think that the way we speak is unimportant, so long as I've done a lot of good and done a lot of good things, the way I speak is unimportant, then you must be believing that which many religions believe.

Accountability for Every Careless Word

That in the final day of judgment, God's going to take a weighing balance and put all your good deeds on one side and all the evil words you spoke on the other side and the evil deeds and weigh the two.

And if the good deeds outweigh the evil deeds, you go to heaven. If the evil deeds outweigh the good deeds, then you go to hell. Now, you know, that's what many, many religions really believe deep down.

And that could be your belief too, even though you're a Christian, even though you say salvation is through the death of Jesus Christ. You may feel, oh, these bad words I have spoken, they are taken care of by all the good that I have done, which God will see.

Well, your faith is then the same. But look at the words of Jesus. I say to you, verse 36, and Jesus sometimes used that expression, I say to you, to emphasize that which most people wouldn't believe.

That every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. I have sometimes wanted to write a little article on all the verses that Christians don't believe, that born-again Christians do not believe and do not take seriously.

And this would be one of them. I don't know how many of you who are really born-again believe this, that every single careless, useless word that you speak, you'll have to give an account for it in the day of judgment.

I mean, Jesus forgave them for calling him Beelzebul, but they would still have to give an account for it in the day of judgment. That they cannot escape, because forgiveness has two directions. Whenever you sin against a human being, you first sin against God, and then against the human being, the vertical and the horizontal, like the arms of the cross.

Every sin is against God, but some sins are only against God. For example, if you have dirty thoughts, or you do something that harms your body, that's a sin against God. But if you hurt another person in some way, with words or actions, you've sinned not only against God, but you've sinned against that person.

And that person can forgive you only the horizontal element of that sin. That is the man-to-man part. He cannot forgive you your sin against God. How can he forgive what you have sinned against God?

That's impossible. So when the Pharisees spoke against Jesus, or you speak against somebody, that person may forgive you, but that's only the horizontal aspect of that sin. The vertical aspect you're still responsible for.

When Jesus said on the cross, Father forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing. He was forgiving that horizontal element. He says, as far as I'm concerned, I've forgiven them. But there was a vertical element to it, in the sense that they had crucified the Son of God.

That was a terrible sin against God, and one day they will all answer for it. And the Jewish nation answered for it also, by 40 years later, after 40 years, God gave them to repent. He scattered them all over the world.

So, we see that God is very righteous in these matters. So, every careless word that people speak, and in the context, it appears to be words of accusation, carelessly spoken. Have you carelessly spoken against God's people, against God's servants, without thinking how serious a sin that is, when you haven't known all the facts?

The Sin of Careless Accusation

You've judged people, you've criticized people, based on hearsay, without knowing all the facts. That's what I mean by careless speaking. Careless means you don't take care to find out if that thing is true.

You don't take care to think, is this something which I can stand before God and say is the truth? Or is it something I just heard, and I'm spreading scandal? Or is it something how I feel about this person?

I feel this is the prince of devils operating here. Well, your feeling is unimportant. Do you have some evidence for it? That's the test. So, he says every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account in the day of judgment.

In other words, think of all the words we have spoken every day. We have to be very careful that we don't speak words that hurt people unnecessarily. There's a need sometimes to speak strong words like Jesus spoke, to even to Peter saying, get behind me, Satan.

God is the judge of the motive with which we have spoken different words. But you can be pretty sure that the words we have spoken are being recorded somewhere, in our memory perhaps, and which will be played back in the day of judgment.

Every human being. And they're going to be judged on the basis of those words. And we're not referring here to humor, for example. God is the one who created humor, and I believe there's a place for humor in the Christian life.

So, if you crack a clean joke, which doesn't hurt anybody, that's a good thing. It sort of sometimes builds relationships. That's not a careless word. We're talking about words that are spoken, instigated by Satan, or designed to hurt people, etc.

Justification, Works, and the Words We Speak

And now, here see these very important words. We've all heard of justification by faith, Romans chapter 4. We've all heard of justification by faith that produces works, James chapter 2. We are justified by our works, which come out of faith.

But have you ever heard of this? To be justified by the words you speak. That is part of James chapter 2. The works that we do include the words we speak. And that's what Jesus himself said in Matthew 12, 37.

By your words, you will be justified. And by your words, you will be condemned. So, here we see how important our words are, that they are going to determine in the final day, whether we're going to be justified or condemned.

In other words, our words, in the context of this passage, are the fruit which determines what type of tree we are. You listen to a person's words, and you can pretty much tell what type of tree that is.

I mean, I can listen to a man for 15 minutes and gauge pretty much where he stands. Imagine God, you can see much more. Our words are a very important revelation of our nature and our character, especially the words that we speak when we are under pressure.

Speech Filled With Grace

So, be very careful with your words. In Colossians chapter 4, there's an amazing verse which says how we are to speak. Now, these are some words which most Christians don't take too seriously, but it says here in Colossians chapter 4 and verse 6.

Let your speech, always be with grace. Always, always, always, means 24 -7, every sentence we speak must be with grace. Seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you know how to respond to each person.

So, he says when grace is lacking in our speech, it's like salt missing in the food. It's tasteless. So, it's not just speaking about evil words. We can speak these tasteless words. God wants us to speak words rich in grace.

It could be strong words like you brood of vipers to shake people up into reality, but it's spoken in love. Or it could be gracious words like neither do I condemn you. So, by our words, we can encourage people.

By our words, we can condemn people. Let's make sure our words are always words of encouragement or challenge or comfort. Then, we go on to Matthew 12 and verse 38. Some of the scribes and Pharisees, they were always trying to catch Jesus in something or the other, came to him and said, we want to see a sign.

The Sign of Jonah and the Resurrection

Remember, we are trying to understand all that Jesus taught and Jesus taught a lot here about our speech, which is very important. Teach others to do what I've commanded you. Teach others to speak like I have taught you how to speak.

Here is a group of people who wanted to see a sign. They wanted to see some type of miracle. They thought Jesus was some type of magician who had come to show magic shows on earth. He answered and said to them, an evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign and no sign will be given to them but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

Do you know that it is an evil and adulterous generation that is always looking for signs? To ask God, please do a miracle. Please do a sign for me. It is to be part of an evil and adulterous generation.

When God has given us his word and spoken to us through Christ, there's no need to ask God for a sign. He has shown us his will in the scriptures through the life of Jesus and through the words the Holy Spirit has given us in the Bible.

An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign and he says this only sign you'll get is a sign of Jonah the prophet and that is the sign of resurrection as Jonah was in the whales in the belly of the sea monster for three days and three nights.

So shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth and then he'll come out. That's the sign. The Jonah came out of that sea monster's mouth and the Son of Man will come out after three days and three nights in the heart of the earth and that resurrection is the only sign that God is going to give to an evil and adulterous generation.

So remember that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a very very important aspect of our witness for him. Then he says here about Jonah being in the belly of this fish for three days and three nights.

The Timing of Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection

You know a lot of things that Christians believe and practice are tradition and not according to scripture. A lot of people think Jesus was crucified on what they call Good Friday and that he rose from the dead on a Sunday.

Now if you calculate simple arithmetic will tell you that Friday to Sunday morning is not three days and three nights. It's only two nights. Friday and Saturday and perhaps two days. But Jesus said it so clearly that it would be three days and three nights that he would be in the heart of the earth.

So it is obvious. We know definitely that he rose on the first day of the week. That's clearly written in John's Gospel and in the other Gospels. But if that is the case, which you know is true, then Jesus Christ was crucified on Thursday afternoon at three o 'clock in the afternoon.

He died. So that would be part of Thursday, one day, Thursday night, Friday day, whole day, and Friday night, Saturday whole day, and Saturday night. That's three days, three nights, and then early Sunday morning before dawn he rose up from the dead.

That's the only way it could be three days and three nights. So I don't have the slightest doubt in my mind that Christ was crucified on a Thursday. And because that was the Passover day, under the law, the next day had to be a Sabbath day, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

And that's why it says the disciples could not go, I mean the women could not go and anoint Jesus' body the next day. It says in John chapter 19 that when Jesus was crucified, verse 31, John 19 31, the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the body should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath was not an ordinary Sabbath.

It was a special Sabbath. It was a high day. It was not the regular Saturday. It was a Friday, which was, according to the law, the day after the Passover was to be a Sabbath. So there were two Sabbaths there, and that's why they couldn't come till Sunday.

And that's how Jesus Christ died on a Thursday. And he was three days and three nights in the grave and arose on Sunday morning. And the other question people have is this, I've had certain people ask me this, if Jonah was alive in the belly of the fish, does it mean Jesus was alive in the grave?

Christ in the Heart of the Earth and Paradise

Well, it doesn't say he was in the grave for three days and three nights. People read carelessly. He was in the heart of the earth. The heart of the earth is the center of the earth where, at that time, all departed spirits went.

It had two sections. One was hell, and the other was what is called paradise or Abraham's bosom. And those who qualified to be in paradise went there like the thief on the cross, and the others went to hell.

And Jesus made it very clear to that thief on the cross that that very day they would be together in paradise. And here it says in the heart of the earth. So from that we know that paradise at that time was in the heart of the earth.

And there Jesus was alive in the heart of the earth. His spirit, his body, of course, was in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. But he himself was not in his body then. He was alive. The Son of Man was alive in the heart of the earth where paradise is.

Three days later, he came into his body in the grave and rose up from the dead. That's how, if you don't read scripture carefully, you can be mistaken there. So he goes on to say the men of Nineveh shall stand.

By the way, paradise was then taken up to the third heaven when Jesus ascended. Ephesians 4 says he took all those captives captive and ascended with them. And when the Apostle Paul was caught up to the third heaven, he found paradise was there.

So that paradise is no longer in the heart of the earth after the ascension of Christ. It is in the third heaven. We go up to be with the Lord now when we leave this earth. Moving on to verse 41. The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it because they repented of the preaching of Jonah and some than greater than Jonah is here.

Greater Responsibility for Greater Revelation

To whom more is given, more is required. If the men of Nineveh repented of the preaching of an ordinary preacher like Jonah, and here people are listening to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and they don't repent, their crime is greater.

Verse 42. The Queen of the South, the Queen of Sheba will rise up in judgment and condemn this generation because she came all the way, all those many kilometers, to hear the wisdom of Solomon and someone greater than Solomon is here.

It's amazing how even today we find so many Christians who ignore the privileges they have. Right in their own street, some on a town across the street, sometimes the gospel is being preached and they don't realize it.

Next door to them may be living a man of God and they don't realize it. Well, their judgment will be greater. One last thing. It speaks here about unclean spirits that when they leave a man and go out, they're always looking for somebody else to possess.

Replacing Evil With the Holy Spirit and Goodness

Evil spirits have a longing to possess human beings. They pass through waterless places seeking for some place to settle down and they don't find it. They go back to visit the man from whom the unclean spirit was cast out and they find the man has not surrendered his life to Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

So they take along seven other spirits more wicked than themselves and go and live there. This is the way with this evil generation. This is how it happens with many individuals as well. When we cast out an evil, if you don't replace that with something good, we'll find we get into worse evil.

I've come across cases like that of demons that are cast out of somebody and they did not seek to surrender their life to Christ to be filled with the Holy Spirit. They get possessed by the demons all over again, sometimes worse situations.

So this is a warning not only about demon possession. For example, if we get rid of the habit of grumbling, replace it with the habit of thanksgiving and then that grumbling attitude won't come back. But if you just try to get rid of grumbling, you'll find that and don't replace leave it empty.

You'll find grumbling comes right back. This is an application in many areas. We'll continue our study in our next episode.