COMMUNICATION
Ephesians 4:22-32
(29) Let no corrupt communication proceed out
of your mouth, but that which is good to the use
of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the
hearers. (30) And grieve not the Holy Spirit of
God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption. (31) Let all bitterness, and wrath,
and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be
put away from you, with all malice: (32) And be
ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you.
Toxic talk…
Corrupt communication…
 Foul language
 Bitter and angry words
 Evil speaking
Is what comes out of our mouth good – wholesome…
Is it harmful – or helpful?
A like verse is:
Colossians 3:8-10 But now ye also put off all
these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth. (9) Lie
not one to another, seeing that ye have put
off the old man with his deeds; (10) And
have put on the new man, which is renewed
in knowledge after the image of him that
created him:
According to researchers, on an average day, we
open our mouths 700 times, using about 18,000
words!
Astronaut Michael Collins, speaking at a
banquet, quoted the estimate that the average
man speaks 25,000 words in a day and the
average woman 30,000. Then he added:
"Unfortunately, when I come home each day, I've
spoken my 25,000--and my wife hasn't started
hers."
Can it be that the average person spends one-fifth of
his or her life talking? That's what the statistics say. If
all of our words were put into print, the result would
be this: a single day's words would fill a 50-page
book, while in a year's time the average person's
words would fill 132 books of 200 pages each!
Among all those words there are bound to be some
spoken in anger, carelessness, or haste.
Today in the Word, June 15, 1992.
There was a man who professed to be a Christian
but his friends never knew. One day a friend of his,
on being told that he belonged to the church,
exclaimed, "Why, I have known him intimately for
some years, but I never dreamed he was a
Christian!"
He could not possibly conceive how the mouth that
spoke so violently and indecently of his fellow men
could be opened in church to praise and bless God.
We can use our words to comfort and
encourage… or to slander and destroy.
Our words can be like the gossip that spreads
like feathers in the wind, doing damage.
We must think before we speak!
As James puts it – be quick to hear and slow to
speak… James 1:19.
Ephesians 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient:
but rather giving of thanks.
Is it…
Filthy communication
Blasphemy
Lying
Careless words…
Paul describes impure speech here…
Filthiness or obscenity, profanity… It is from a
root word meaning disfigured, twisted, shameful.
When a man uses profanity to support an argument,
either the argument or the man is weak - probably
both!
Foolish talking - silly talk – foolishness.
Coarse jesting - obscene kind of joking - dirty jokes,
suggestive words, etc.
Are your words… Words…
 That discourage
 That bite
Or words…
 That heal
 That lift
 Be kind
 Tenderhearted
 Forgiving one another as God for Christ’s sake
hath forgiven you.
Do our words heal and bless?
Do our words minister life and kindness?
Or are we guilty of “Toxic talk”?
 With words that sting, that hurt…
 Words that crush the spirit,
 Words that leave people feeling hurt and
hopeless.
Words are powerful.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the
power of the tongue…
Proverbs 12:18 There is that speaketh like the
piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the
wise is health.
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the
tongue of the wise brings healing.
Let’s choose our words carefully… WHAT we
say and HOW we say it!
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing
and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the
same place sweet water and bitter? (James
3:10-11)
Quote about euphemisms…
"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy
God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him
guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Exodus
20:7)
Consider some of the words that are used as
substitutes for the Name of God. Look up these
words in a good dictionary and you will find the
following: GOSH is "a substitute for God used in
minced oaths." GOLLY is "a euphemism for God."
GOODNESS is a word substituted for God (compare
Matthew 19:16-17).
GOODNESS GRACIOUS are two key attributes of
God used in a careless and irreverent way. The
expression MERCY or MERCY SAKES is another
thoughtless use of a precious attribute of God.
HOLY COW, HOLY MACKEREL, HOLY SMOKE are
expressions that make fun and make light of the
awesome holiness of our God. If we really believe
Revelation 15:4 ("for Thou only are holy") then we
will not call other things holy in a thoughtless and
frivolous way. May the Holy Spirit control our lips.
Those who are outwardly lawless and wicked
often are heard saying, "for God's sake" or "for
Christ's sake." It is done in an irreverent,
blasphemous way. Those who are more cultured
use substitutes: "for Goodness sake" "for Pete's
sake" "for the love of Mike" "for crying out loud"
etc.
In a similar way the Name of Christ is abused.
GEE is a "euphemistic contraction of Jesus." The
same is true of other words such as GEE,
GEEWHIZ, GEEZ or CHEEZ, CHEESE,
CHEECE, SHEECE, "all of which relate back to
the Lord Jesus Christ when used as an
exclamatory remark" [Ibid.] It's not difficult to
figure out the origin of such expressions as
JIMINY CRICKETS and JEEPERS CREEPERS.
Curse words and swear words have also been
softened by minced substitutes. Remember,
garbage is still garbage, even if it is placed in a
nice container. We need to detest all curse words
and realize that the substitutes stink as well.
It is of interest how the ungodly so often speak
on themes of judgment, hell and damnation.
Deep in their hearts they blaspheme and rebel
against a God whose right it is to damn all those who
reject His beloved Son (John 3:18). DARN simply is
a substitute for "damn, a euphemism for the curse."
HECK is "an exclamation used as a euphemism for
hell."
(End quote)
thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy
words thou shalt be condemned.
Mothers once washed their children's mouths out
with soap for using bad language or expressing
verbal disrespect. The entertainment media
have made such words part of our households,
schools, and workplaces.
Your words can bless or curse.
James talks about the tongue…
James tells us that it is impossible for pure water
(blessings) and polluted water (cursing) to come from
the same fountain (the mouth) (Jas. 3:10-11).
Avoid…
 Name calling
 Gossip
 Complaining
 Putting people down
 Being insensitive
Matthew 12:35-37 A good man out of the good
treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things:
and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth
forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every
idle word that men shall speak, they shall give
account thereof in the day of judgment. For by
The tongue is as a vicious animal, whose words
are capable of causing ultimate destruction, and
it is a creature of such monstrous character that
no man can tame it.
http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/30326/eVerseID/30326
Pro 16:24 Pleasant words are as a
honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to
the bones.
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath:
but grievous words stir up anger.
Prov 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his
tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
Choose…
 Speaking the truth in love
James.1:26 If any man among you seem to be
religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but
deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is
vain.
Restrain your tongue from doing damage and
causing hurt.
Pro 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life:
but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
Perverseness in the tongue breaks the spirit…
Ask the Lord to help you guard your tongue…
Psa 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my
mouth; keep the door of my lips.