Worshippers and Whisperers
Proverbs 10:31 MSG
“A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.”
Introduction
A couple of years ago we went to Panama City beach for vacation with some friends. When we get there, we saw advertisements on the strip in Panama for an Air Boat swamp tour to see Alligators. We thought it would be something we would enjoy so we paid 40 dollars apiece and booked our trip.
We arrived the next day at the dock where the boat was parked and we were so excited. We put our life jackets and sun glasses on and hopped in the boat with anticipation because we wanted to see the alligators.
When we entered the swamp, we quickly found a couple of little pest that we could have done without. Gnats and Mosquitoes. Actually, we paid 40 dollars a person to be carried away by the gnats and mosquitoes. We saw no alligators, no signs of wildlife, just gnats and mosquitoes and their annoying BUZZ.
Many come to church with expectation and anticipation to hear from Jesus, but instead they are hearing the buzz from people.
I ain’t expecting any help this morning , but I’m gonna try to do better and preach like a pastor.
There are two types of people in the church.
Worshipers & Whisperers
There’s seems to be a misconception or a misunderstanding in the body of Christ but I want to help you understand…
You can be a worshipper or you can be a whisperer, but you cannot be both.
This is gonna get really deep really quick so I need you to stay with me.
We see in the book of exodus where there was a beneficial swarm of gnats. These gnats are not to be confused with the gnats that I am going to be talking about tonight. The gnats found in exodus served a purpose in displaying Gods power. However it was in this, that magicians in Exodus 8:18 tried to mimic God and bring forth gnats.
Replication as Mimicry will NOT work.
Mimicry is a false demonstration of Gods power, we don’t need a mimicry of Gods power, we need an authentic demonstration of the Power of God.
The plague of gnats, which was sandwiched between the frogs and the flies, represented Geb, the earth god who was over the dust of the earth and who was mythologically described as the father of snakes.
It is interesting to me that the god of gnats is also the father of snakes.
Satan handcrafted the art of gossip in the garden when he whispered to eve and left her spell bound. We see an alluring picture of Satans control as eve whispered his venomous words to Adam.
The Hebrew word for serpent is Nawkhawsh which means “To hiss; whispering a magic spell”
When you gossip, you are promoting witchcraft.
When the urge to whisper comes upon us, we must be quick to recognize this urge as Satan’s bewitching.
The devils name in Greek is “diablos” which means “malicious gossip”.
Satan’s agenda is to harm through not only his words but also by using the words of others.
James 3:10 says “But no one among mankind can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil; full of deadly poison. (9.) With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, who have been made in the likeness of God; (10) from the same mouth both blessing and cursing My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.
- Tiny but DESTRUCTIVE
Gossip is like a gnat. It appears as the smallest of sins but it is fully capable of destruction.
Gossip spreads like wildfire or like hundreds of gnats that are rapidly moving. Gnats are small, but so is the tongue. However, both of them are extremely destructive and neither can be tamed.
Proverbs 26:22 (amplified) says “ The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body.”
Proverbs 18:6-8 says “A fools lips bring strife, And his mouth invites beatings. (7) A fools mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul. (8) The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.
Notice that Solomon repeated himself when it came to gossip and whisperers. Solomon knew and understood the power of the tongue, but so did James in the new testament. James compared the tongue to in James 3:3-5
- The bit in a horses mouth
- A small rudder directing a large ship
- A spark that starts a destructive Forrest fire.
The tongue may be small but it can destroy lives when it is out of control.
When you came in tonight you should have received a childhood story of “The Lion and the Gnat”. The gnat kills the Lion but fell victim to the web of the spider. This tells us that Gossip can take down these strong with enough repetition.
Gossip when it leaves the mouth of one individual finds its way out of the mouths of numerous individuals.
EVERY GNAT WILL HAVE THEIR DAY.
Much like the lion in the story, Samson was a man of great strength but was swayed by the words of Delilah. Though the words seemed insignificant, they wore down Samson because they were Persistent.
While he was asleep on her knees, Delilah called for someone to shave off seven locks of his hair, which held the key to his strength.
Delilah defeated a Warrior with her words.
Be careful so that the words that leave your mouth does not destroy warriors for the kingdom.
We like to minimize certain sins because they seem harmless yet we like to put homosexuality, drug abuse, and a few more on billboards with flashing lights.
What you really need to be concerned about is your tongue and not someone else’s heart.
- Family Matters
Let’s be real for a minute, many of us were educated on the ways of life while sitting in the seat of a school bus. Amen?
I used to always sing on the school bus. It was just my thing. I didn’t care who heard or who told me to shut up…I just kept singing.
One day, there was a high schooler who did not appreciate my singing as much as I felt he should. He started to pick on me until my big brother stood up from his seat. I’m pretty sure there was a fight that followed at my expense but we were FAMILY and that was all that mattered because family sticks together.
I’m pretty sure afterward that my brother, away from the crowd, told me to keep my singing down on the bus.
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we have to fight for each other, but we also have to address our weak spots in order to grow and learn.
Many kids do not like to obey the rules of the homes they live in but here’s the truth in regards to household rules, they help us practice for maintaining a healthy, thriving, home life.
Many people do not like to follow the order and the structure of the church but it helps us maintain a healthy, spiritual life.
Ephesians 2:19 says “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s Holy people. You are members of Gods family.”
We are members of GOD’s family. We should behave like members of the family of God.
In Romans 1, Paul showed love to the church as he addressed them as brothers and sisters whom he prayed for constantly. However, Paul speaks of a group of people he knew of Hod but wouldn’t admit it or worship him. He listed their sins in verses 29-32.
(Read Romans 1:29-32)
These scriptures should be a warning sign to all who reads them. I’m the midst of Murder and sexual immorality….theres whisperers…gossipers…
I want to talk to some people in the room tonight who likes to point fingers at everyone else but never acknowledge their own sins…
You are not a worshiper if you are too busy whispering.
Gossip contaminates our relationship with God just as much as any other sin does. God does not intend for his worshippers to be whisperers. He wants us to break free from this so that we may resemble the family of God and not a family of Gnats.
- “I can say that but you can’t”
Many of us talk about our family…simply because they are our family. But if someone else says the same thing…it’s time to fight or in modern terms…Throw hands.
I have 2 blood brothers and a bonus brother and they can make me more mad than anyone I know…I can vent and say things about them and it doesn’t really bother me..but when someone else says the same thing, it makes me fighting mad.
Just because they are your family, does not mean that they come with a free pass for you to gossip.
It gets deeper than just blood family. Let’s talk about church family. We are sickened by sin and we strive to be free from bondage, but the smallest boxes can go unchecked. Large sins are quickly recognized, but in the Songs of Solomon 2:15 it says “It is the small foxes that spoil the vine.”
Gossip is only good for causing two things…Confusion & Division
In Matthew 12:25, Jesus knew the thoughts of the people and he said to them “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
Jesus knows the power of unity and so does Satan. This is why he has offered us excuses for our gossip and harsh words about fellow brethren. We have become whisperers without recognizing the sin trap we have fallen into.
James 4:11-12 says “Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. He who speaks evil of his brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and Judges the law. If you judge the Law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is no lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
If our words do not line up with the heart of God there is a problem in our heart.
Have you ever known someone who was hurt by the church and never came back?
If you trace most of the roots, it all roots back to the tongue of someone in the church.
- Fr-enemies
Whispering can disguise itself as friendly communication, but it enables your sin. It pollutes the truth, weakens standards, and weakens discipline.
Remember earlier in tonight’s lesson when we talked about how gnats multiply rapidly?
Just like gnats multiply, whispering will bring you to a place of compromise.
Here’s the truth, whether you are doing the talking or being talked about, you are not the only one. But while you are doing the talking or being talked about, you have a decision to make…
Will I speak or won’t I speak?
When someone comes to you talking about someone else, don’t speak.
Because if they are talking to you about someone else, they were probably just with someone else talking about you.
( Romans 16:17-19)
One of the greatest strengths of the church is family. However we need to keep it real. Real family defends and protects. A church family that is real, will not burn those who are around them. They will hold each other accountable and defend each other in prayer.
There is power in unity, we have an opportunity to create a beautiful family here at Renovation Church of God, however, what we ignore will multiply.
One gnat may not cause much damage but a swarm…is a different story.
Unity is directly linked to power and revival. Division in the church will quickly shut down any move of the spirit.
We must keep the goal simple…be like Christ and love others.
If gnats make their entrance, our love will be known as hate.
Conclusion
Gossip is a child of Jezebel. Her goal is to remove the authority, unity, and power from the church.
If she can break the unity, then she can stop he miraculous.
Family, we need unity! We need each other!
