Speak No Evil

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. Consider Others
• II. Consider The Law
• III. Consider God
• IV. Consider Ourselves

TRANSCRIPT

I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our text for this morning's message is taken from James 4:11-12. Allow me to read for you, "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?" (James 4:11-12). The Lord bless the reading of His holy and sacred Word.

To speak evil is to speak against or to slander. It is to speak callously, be critical, to cause defamation, or to bring a false and malicious report against another person. The purpose is to destroy the person's character and reputation, causing humiliation, hurt, pain, and injury. A person's good name is his greatest worldly asset, and to destroy it is most detrimental.

Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches," and Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, "A good name is better than precious ointment." Slander was the first sin to be recorded in the Bible. In the Garden of Eden, when God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was Satan who said, ‘God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.’ He was slandering God's integrity and motives, implying that God was holding something good from Adam and Eve. Adam disobeyed, ate of the fruit, and fell into sin. And when he was confronted, the first sin he committed was to slander God: ‘The woman whom you have given to me’—implying that God was at fault.

Not only is slander a devastating sin, but most of the time, it also goes unnoticed. While other sins may require a particular set of circumstances before they can be committed - for example, in adultery, you need two parties - slander only needs a malicious tongue, which is driven by hatred. In both the Old and New Testaments, the sin of evil speech is spoken against more than any other sins. The literal meaning of ‘speak not evil of one another’ is ‘do not speak down on one another.’ In other words, it forbids any speech, whether true or false, with the intent of bringing down another person.

Most people would agree that it is wrong to slander someone, but somehow they will still commit the sin. Let me give you some suggestions why people would commit this sin. Firstly, it is so tempting to speak evil against the one who has offended us. As the saying goes, ‘Revenge is sweet,’ and it has always been the motivation behind slander. Secondly, it is so tempting to engage in gossip, which is closely associated with slander. We don't want to be left out, so we join in the conversation to speak evil. Thirdly, we slander by criticising the person because we cannot stand the thought of him or her being better than us. Fourthly, we slander others by elevating ourselves. We not only put others down but do so with the intent of elevating ourselves - like the Pharisee who thanked God that he was not like any other sinners, or even like the tax collector. You can read about that in the Gospel of Luke 18:11.

All of us would agree that lying is wrong, but we think it is all right to pass on negative information if it is the truth, if it is true. But passing on damaging truth, even though it may be true, but with the intent to hurt someone physically, spiritually, and emotionally, is just as wrong. Sometimes, we may agree that speaking behind someone's back is not alright, but we think it is alright if it is done face to face. So we are driven by this moral compulsion to make others aware of their faults. We go around to find fault with others.

There are some people who are very keen to do that. Once there was a young man who was interested in finding out his spiritual gift. So, he read all the passages in the Bible regarding spiritual gifts, like in Ephesians chapter 4, 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and Romans chapter 12, and he decided that he had the gift of prophecy. Why? Because he noticed that all the prophets were confrontational when they rebuked the sins of the people. He knew that he had a sharp tongue, he loved to find fault with others, he was critical, judgmental, confrontational, outspoken, and had a strong personality, so he reckoned that he must have the gift of prophecy.

You may think that is ridiculous, but the reality is that there are some people who think that they have the gift to spiritually search out and destroy the sins of others. So, they make it their lifetime ministry to go around to find fault with others, to judge and condemn others. Remember, throughout this letter, James was trying to show us the characteristics of true saving faith. A person who is characterised by habitual slander and condemnation of others manifests an evil, unloving, and unregenerate heart. Such a person cannot possibly be a believer, because 1 John 4:20 says, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" So, the issue of speaking evil is not a small matter - it is a test of true, genuine faith.

Dear friend, are you someone who is characterised by habitual evil speech? Every time you open your mouth, do you speak words of evil with the intent to bring people down, with the intent to destroy the person's character and reputation? The sin of slander has destroyed countless lives. It has caused the victims of those slanderous remarks to be so devastated that they cannot recover from the pain and hurt. It has caused many churches and fellowship groups to be divided and broken. It has caused many pastors, ministers, and preachers to leave the ministry. Believers must have no part in this destructive sin.

We tell our children, ‘Be careful little mouth what you say,’ but are we careful with the things we say?How can we avoid the sin of evil speech? This is what we want to learn from this passage. Here, James gave us four things to consider so that you and I can avoid the sin of speech: by considering others, by considering the law of God, by considering God Himself, and by considering ourselves. The title of our message is "Speak No Evil."

I. Consider Others

Our first point is to consider others. Verse 11 says, "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother..." Notice, three times James used the words "brethren" or "brother." In other words, he was stressing to the people that those whom they were speaking evil of were their brothers.

Here, he reminds us of the family relationship we have with other Christians. The church is a spiritual family - it is a covenantal family where believers are commanded to love, support, and protect one another. We should not expect slander to exist. Believers are to expect slander from outside the church, but slander from within the church is unacceptable.

In Matthew 18:3, our Lord Jesus took a little child and said to the people, "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." This means that those who humble themselves, like the typical humble characteristics of children, have come to Him for salvation - they have become His children, the children of God. And then Jesus went on to emphatically say, but whosoever “shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." This means it is better to die a horrifying death than to offend the believers.

The Almighty God is concerned with how every one of His children - including you and me - are being treated, and He will take into account, He will hold those responsible who stumble the believers, whether in action or in speech.

Closely associated with the sin of slander is that of being judgmental. So, James warned the readers, ‘Do not judge your brother.’ Here, he does not mean that we are not to judge between truth and error or between right and wrong. It does not mean that everything our brother does is right and we just close an eye. Sometimes people will quote Matthew 7:1, where Jesus said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged," and they would say, ‘See, Jesus says do not judge.’ But they have taken that verse out of context. They should read the entire passage to understand what Jesus was teaching. Jesus went on to say, ‘Why do you see the mote that is in your brother's eye when you have a beam in your own eye?’ The mote is a tiny straw, while the beam is a piece of timber.

How can you say, ‘Let me help you by pulling out your mote,’ when you have this beam covering your eye? First, take out the beam from your eye. Then you will be able to see clearly the mote that is in your brother's eye. So, Jesus was not saying we should not judge at all—He wants us to judge righteously.

You and I have to beware of false prophets, right? But how can we determine who is a false prophet unless we judge him against the standard of God's Word? You and I are to judge adultery, murder, and lying as sins. But how can we say an action is adulterous, or murderous, or the words are lies, unless we judge? Jesus was speaking against unrighteous judgment - self-righteous judgment - having a critical spirit that judges everyone and everything, seeking to bring them down.

Here in James, the original Greek word for "judgeth," Keno, does not mean evaluation but condemnation. In other words, do not slander your brother, and do not condemn your brother. The first step to avoid the sin of evil speech and condemnation is not to keep our mouth shut, but to keep our thoughts about others right. We call one another brothers and sisters in the church, but what does it mean? It means the person is someone who has been chosen by God even before the foundation of the world. He is someone whom Jesus died for and saved by His precious blood. He is loved and honoured by God, and he is also someone whom we will spend eternity with in Heaven. That is who he is. Will we then slander and condemn such a person? God forbids.

II. Consider The Law

So, the first thing we ought to do is to consider others. The second thing is to consider the law. Look at the second part of verse 11: “Speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge”. I believe none of us here in this room speak evil of ourselves. Do you ever slander yourself? We love ourselves too much to do that. We are commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves, and if we do not slander ourselves, then we should not slander our neighbour as well.

To slander our neighbour is a violation of God's commandment, God's law. We are familiar with the Ten Commandments. If you look at the Ten Commandments, you will know that love is most essential. The first four commandments have to do with our love for God. If you love God, then you will have no other gods. You will not make a graven image, you will not take His name in vain, and you will remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. The other six commandments have to do with our love for others. If we love others, then we will honour our parents. We will not kill, we will not commit adultery, we will not steal, we will not bear false witness against our neighbour, and we will not covet what belongs to our neighbour.

That is why, when one of the scribes asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus replied: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).

So, slander is not only a violation of our personal affection, friendship, and relationship - you say something behind my back, you betray our friendship, you hurt my feelings, you are unkind. It is much more than that. In reality, it is a violation of God's law. This is what God's law says, and the one who speaks evil goes against His law. He is speaking evil of the law. He shows no regard for the divine standard. Instead of obeying the law, he becomes a judge of the law. In a sense, he claims to be more superior than the law. He is not bound by the law, he has no interest in the law, and he does not need to submit to its authority. That is what it means to be a judge of the law.

Oftentimes, people do not think speaking evil is very serious, but it is extremely serious. God says, ‘This is My law, you must obey,’ but the slanderous response is, ‘It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. It is not worthy of my attention, obedience, and submission. I choose to disobey You. Instead of loving my brother as You have commanded me, I choose to speak evil against him.’ The end result is that we have blasphemed God and His law. That is what happens whenever you and I commit the sin of evil speech.

III. Consider God

Our third point is to consider God. Verse 12 says: “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.” By placing himself above the law, the slanderer also attempts to place himself above the only true lawgiver and judge - and that is God Himself. Just like Satan, who said in Isaiah 14:13, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” But God said to him: “Ye shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Verse 15)

The Bible teaches us that all sin is ultimately against God. After David committed the terrible sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of Uriah, her husband, he was confronted by the prophet Nathan. David was convicted in his heart of the sins that he had done, and then he wrote Psalm 51:4: “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.” Every sin is ultimately against God because every sin is, in effect, a disregard of His law and a usurping of His authority.

God is both the lawgiver and the law-applier. What do we mean by that? Only God alone knows the heart of men. Only God alone sees into the deepest recesses of man's heart, and He will perfectly apply the law He has given. He is both able to save those who place their faith in Jesus Christ, and He is able to destroy those who refuse to repent and continue to sin, whether it be evil speech or any other sins.

Dear friend, consider this: we see the outward behaviour and actions of a person, and we jump to the conclusion, ‘This must be it. If he does this, if he behaves in this way, then he must be condemned.’ But do we really know the motivation and intention behind his actions? Do we really know the reason why he did it in this way? Do we really know the circumstances which led him to do it in this way? No, we don’t know. We should let God be the judge rather than we ourselves be the judge. If we truly believe that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and that we are always in His presence, then everything we say, do, or think cannot escape the scrutiny of Him, cannot escape the One who is able to save our souls and who is able to destroy the wicked forever and ever. Isn’t that sufficient for us to be mindful of the way we speak - that we should not speak evil?

IV. Consider Ourselves

So, consider others, consider the law, consider God, and finally, consider ourselves. Look at the last part of verse 12: “Who art thou that judgest another?” In our modern way of speaking, James would be saying, ‘Who in the world are you that you are judging and condemning your brother?’ Dear friend, who are we? If not for God's grace, we would be sinners doomed for eternal damnation - a million upon a million years we would still be tormenting in the eternal lake of fire. But God's grace came to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. If not for God's grace, we would not be sitting here this morning, rendering our voices to praise God, submitting our prayers and supplications unto Him who is able to guide and lead us. It is all because of God's grace. We are saved and sustained by God's grace. How can we be so ungracious as to sin against the One who has shown us so much grace and mercy by speaking evil and condemning others with the intent to bring them down? God forbids.

Oftentimes, people speak evil without considering the consequences. The devastation of speaking evil cannot be overstated. Many lives have been affected and destroyed by evil speech. Allow me to share this true story of a happy family living in a small town in North Dakota, in the United States. Even though the young mother had not been entirely well since the birth of her second baby, each evening the neighbours were aware of the warmth in their hearts when they would see the husband and father being met at the gate by his wife and two little children. There was always laughter in the house, and when the weather was nice, the father and children would play together in the backyard while the mother looked on with happy smiles.

Then, one day, a village gossiper started a story saying that the father was unfaithful to his wife - a story built entirely on lies. Eventually, it came to the ears of the young wife, and it was more than she could bear. That night, when her husband came back home, there was no one to meet him at the gate - no laughter in the house, no fragrant aroma coming from the kitchen - only coldness and something that chilled his heart with great fear. Down in the basement, he found the three of them hanging from a beam.

Unable to accept the fact that her children may have to live in a broken family, struggling with the realisation that the husband no longer loved her, and being sick and despaired herself, the young mother had taken the lives of her two children and then her own. In the days that followed, the truth of what actually happened unfolded. It was untrue. It was a lie. It was evil speech, a slander, a terrible tragedy. How sad.

Can you imagine if that evil speech had come from us? How will we be able to live with this troubled conscience for the rest of our lives? Perhaps we have committed the sin of evil speech, and we think, ‘well, we have not killed anyone physically’. But what about spiritual death, in the sense it has caused people to stop worshipping God, stop serving Him, and maybe some even leave the church?

May the Lord forgive us if we have done so, with the evil intent to bring them down. And may the Lord stop us from speaking evil from now onwards, because every word we speak, we have to give an account when we see our Lord Jesus face to face.

How can we do that? Each time before we speak, we should pause to consider the gravity of our words. Is it edifying, or is it discouraging? Will it build the person up, or will it tear the person down? Each time before we speak, we pause to consider others. These are our brothers and sisters in the Lord. How can we do that to them?

We consider the law - what the Word of God requires of us. Are we willing to obey, or will we disobey? We consider God Himself. Only God alone is the judge. He is the true and perfect lawgiver and the law applier. He knows the heart. Let God be judge, and not us. And we also consider ourselves. Who are we? We are but sinners, saved by the grace of God. How can we be so ungracious? God forbids.

If all of us were to apply these principles into our lives, into the way we relate with one another, the church will be a wonderful place. It will be a place where souls will be safe and the saints will be edified, built up, and encouraged to the glory of God. We pray that all of us will obey, and that the Better BP Church will be such a church. And when our Lord Jesus comes for us, He will say to us, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.’ Let us pray.

Our Father in Heaven, indeed, oftentimes we do not consider our speech in a serious way, and therefore we are callous, critical, and at times judgmental. And we speak in a way that we condemn others. Thou hast taught us through Thy word that we should not do this. We ought to judge, but with the intent to edify, encourage, to build up the lives of the people, not to tear them down. And Thou hast taught us how we ought to avoid the sin of evil speech by considering others, by considering Thy laws, by considering Thee and Thee alone, who is the ultimate judge, and to consider ourselves.

We pray that all of us who hear this message will apply this truth into our lives, so that when we stand before our Lord, when we are considered for all the things we have said and done, we will hear only commendation. Oh Lord, this is what we desire to hear from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord forever.’ May we make this our desire and our pursuit as we live our days on this earth, to the glory of Thy precious name. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

THE BOOK OF JAMES

Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]

Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]

James 1:1-4

Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]

Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]

James 1:1-4

The Need For Wisdom In Times Of Trial

The Need For Wisdom In Times Of Trial

James 1:5-8

Trial Is No Respecter Of Persons

Trial Is No Respecter Of Persons

James 1:9-12

How To Deal With Temptation

How To Deal With Temptation

James 1:13-15

Remember Who God Is And Who We Are

Remember Who God Is And Who We Are

James 1:16-18

Be Receptive To The Word Of God

Be Receptive To The Word Of God

James 1:19-21

Doers of the Word

Doers of the Word

James 1:21-25

Be Responsive To The Word Of God

Be Responsive To The Word Of God

James 1:22-25

Are You Transformed By The Word?

Are You Transformed By The Word?

James 1:26-27

The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 1]

The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 1]

James 2:1-4

The Sin of Partiality

The Sin of Partiality

James 2:1-13

The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 2]

The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 2]

James 2:5-13

Show Me Your Faith, And I Will Show You Mine

Show Me Your Faith, And I Will Show You Mine

James 2:14-20

Faith In Action

Faith In Action

James 2:21-26

A Warning To Want-To-Be Teacher

A Warning To Want-To-Be Teacher

James 3:1-2

Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)

Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)

James 3:1-13

The Power Of The Tongue

The Power Of The Tongue

James 3:3-6

The Taming Of The Tongue

The Taming Of The Tongue

James 3:7-12

The Danger Of False Wisdom

The Danger Of False Wisdom

James 3:13-16

The Blessing Of Heavenly Wisdom

The Blessing Of Heavenly Wisdom

James 3:17-18

Dealing With Conflict In The Church

Dealing With Conflict In The Church

James 4:1-6

What Constitutes True Salvation

What Constitutes True Salvation

James 4:7-10

Speak No Evil

Speak No Evil

James 4:11-12

God’s Plan Or My Plan?

God’s Plan Or My Plan?

James 4:13-17

Physically Rich But Spiritually Poor

Physically Rich But Spiritually Poor

James 5:1-6

How To Be Patient In Times Of Trouble

How To Be Patient In Times Of Trouble

James 5:7-11

Simply Speak The Truth

Simply Speak The Truth

James 5:12; Matthew 5:33-37

What To Do When It Hurts

What To Do When It Hurts

James 5:13-18

The Value Of The Soul

The Value Of The Soul

James 5:19-20