The Speech of Spiritual Death

About this sermon

Introduction: The Word of God gives us the truth about mankind. When Paul charges that all mankind, both Jews and Greeks, are “under sin,” he isn’t offering his own viewpoint. These are not thoughts pulled out of thin air. Paul is giving us what God has given us. Old Testament passage, after Old Testament passage, is offered as evidence that demonstrates the charge. No one is righteous No one understands No one seeks for God Everyone is on the wrong road Everyone has become worthless No one does good This is Psalm 14. This is Psalm 53. Not a single person, born into this world, since the fall of Adam (with the exception of Jesus) is an exception. But the reality being described is even worse than some imagine; even worse than some imagine who profess to believe the Bible. Despite the clear language of Scripture, men still underestimate the sinner’s problem. Man is not just a sinner. Man is not just seriously affected by sin. (I mean, maybe someone would at least acknowledge that the problem is a serious one!) No, it’s worse than that. According to Scripture, Adam’s fall introduced the whole world to death. This is what God promised Adam regarding disobedience. Genesis 2:17 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” This is what the Bible says happened when Adam made that choice. Romans 5:12 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— This is what the Bible says of all humanity in very clear terms. Ephesians 2:1 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins Colossians 2:13 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, Man is does not begin life in a hospital bed. Man begins life in a grave, in a tomb. Man does not need some medicine, some personal development coach, a life doctor. Man needs a resurrection. He needs NEW LIFE. He needs a Savior. And this is no more evident, this is no more on display, than when men open their mouths. Out of the mouth comes what is in the heart. Out of the mouth comes the manifestation of what is in human nature. This morning, as we continue to consider the spiritual condition of the natural man, we think about THE SPEECH OF THE NATURAL MAN. We consider how man confirms God’s assessment of him, with his own words. Today we look at four statements that God makes concerning man’s conversation. THE CONVERSATION OF MAN REVEALS DEATH This is a powerful description. The Bible uses an image that not only contends that man’s speech is foul, it explains why it’s foul. Man opens his mouth and the evidence of death comes out. When the body of Lazarus had been a tomb for four days, his sister was afraid of the tomb being opened. ESV John 11:39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for ahe has been dead four days." Open a tomb and you meet with the evidence of death. John Phillips – “What an expressive way of depicting the corruption of so much of human speech! The offensive stench exhaling from an open sepulcher is due not to the grave itself but to the rottenness within. Just so, the unclean, unkind, untrue utterances of man betray a defiled, despiteful and deceitful heart.” The Bible presents man as spiritually dead, and the opening of his mouth is like the opening of a tomb. *His words demonstrate that he is not upright, not righteous *His words demonstrate that he does not understand *His words demonstrate that he does not seek God *His words reveal that he is not on the right road *His words reveal that he has he is in a ruined condition *His words reveal that he is not a doer of good This is a general statement about his speech, but it’s a powerful one. It says that his mouth reveals his spiritual condition.

Topics

• Self-Control
• Heaven & Eternity