Power of the Word

The sermon opens by placing Jesus's teaching on words within the broader context of the Sermon on the Mount, which is about God's kingdom and the supernatural transformation of righteousness. The pastor emphasizes that God's kingdom is a realm where Jesus Christ holds supreme authority. When we receive Jesus, we relinquish self-control and accept transformation by His supernatural power. Paradoxically, we only gain true power by surrendering worldly power. Scripture teaches that this is "Christ in you, the hope of glory," and when Christians truly contemplate this transformation, their hearts must leap with joy.

The pastor then provides a biblical foundation for the power of words, beginning with Proverbs 12:18 about how "reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Words are fundamental to human existence and possess the ability to penetrate to the soul—they can destroy or heal the real self of a person. The pastor explains that words not only have powerful effects on hearers but equally powerful effects on the speaker. When we clothe a thought with words, it profoundly shapes us. Lies, slander, and complaints eventually reshape how we think and act. Words have "a life of their own"; evil words return like vultures to tear out our hearts, while good words nourish us.

The pastor explains that everything Scripture teaches about words reduces to two principles: truth and love. Truth without love is not really truth; it is merely coldness and self-righteousness. Love without truth is also not really love but pure self-indulgence. Jesus's teaching on oaths (Matthew 5:33-37) concerns truth, while His teaching on judging (Matthew 7:1-5) concerns love. In the section on oaths, Jesus rejects the various levels of honesty taught by Jewish leaders. He teaches that there are no "degrees of truthfulness" for Christians—every word spoken, whether public or private, is an oath before God's face because we can never escape His presence. This is why Jesus teaches: "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No,' 'No.'"

The pastor then moves to the second section on words—judging (Matthew 7:1-5)—to show that truth without love is also not truth. He explains that judging is not evaluating a wrong position; it is writing off a person, dismissing them from your life. Jesus's image of a blind eye doctor attempting surgery is humorous yet cautionary, showing that when we are concerned with personal face-saving, we cannot see truth clearly. The pastor identifies that judging is most often committed through gossip—speaking about someone else's faults to others rather than directly to them. The only motivation for gossip is feeling superior, not concern for truth or helping the person. To avoid judging, we must remember two truths: we are hopeless sinners in need of mercy, and we are completely accepted and declared righteous in Jesus.

The pastor concludes by inviting the congregation to reflect on how speaking truthful and loving words—or failing to do so—reveals the state of their souls. If we refuse to give criticism because we feel too sinful, we forget God's grace. If we are too proud in our criticism so that others feel terrible and defensive, we forget sin. If we are hopeless and write people off as unchangeable, we forget both sin and grace. To the degree that we know who we are in Christ, to that degree our words will become beautiful things and "the tongue of the wise brings healing."