Sermon: Foul Language
by Chris Cumming
Are you using foul language in your communications with others? I am
not necessarily speaking to rude, crass or profane words or what we call
cussing, but words and phrases that do not stand up to the Word of God.
My purpose, with this sermon, is to expose the negative idioms and
phrases we might be using in our communications and encourage the
positive ones.
What I am going to do today is read through a list of both the negative
and positive idioms and phrases, then take one and expose what it is
saying.
NEGATIVE IDIOMS
AND PHRASES
1] Looking at the World through rose-colored glasses:
--Cheerful or optimistic, especially to an excessive degree: took a
rose-colored view of the situation.
--With an unduly cheerful, optimistic, or favorable view of things: see
the world through rose-colored glasses.
2] Beat around the bush.
--Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue.
3] Cut corners.
--When something is done badly to save money.
4] Drastic times call for drastic measures.
--When you are extremely desperate you need to take drastic actions.
5] I heard it on the grapevine.
--This idiom means 'to hear rumors' about something or someone.
6] In the heat of the moment.
--Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.
7] That is the last straw.
--The final problem in a series of problems.
8] Let the cat out of the bag.
--To share information that was previously concealed
9] I am going to give him a taste of his own medicine.
--Means that something happens to you, or is done to you, that you
have done to someone else.
10] He' playing fast and loose with the truth.
--Lying
11] A leopard can't change his spots
--the Salvation Process is all about changing and building better
and righteous character
12] Beating around the bush.
--counter to being direct in communication. Matthew 5:37 Let your
communication be Yea or Nay.
Colossians 4:6
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may
know how ye ought to answer every man.
13] Between a rock and a hard place.
1 Corinthians10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are
able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye
may be able to bear it.
Romans 12:21
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
14] Castles in the air.
--Plans that are unlikely to happen.
Proverbs 2:6-11
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and
understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them
that walk uprightly.
8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his
saints.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity;
yea, every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto
thy soul;
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
15] Go with the flow.
--To do what people do and accept things as they are.
Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
16] In your face.
--An aggressive and bold confrontation.
Galatians 6:1-2
1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest
thou also be tempted.
2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
17] Knock on wood.
--Knuckle tapping on wood in order to avoid some bad luck.
The origin of knocking on wood for this purpose is believed by some to
be from early pagan mythology. Wood gods, or dryads, lived in trees, and
people would go to them for blessings and to prevent bad luck.
18] Sweep the situation/problem/subject under the rug.
--could be a form of lying.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding.
6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
POSITIVE IDIOMS
AND PHRASES
1] Actions speak louder than words.
--People's intentions can be judged better by what they do than what
they say.
1 John 3:18
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in
deed and in truth.
2] Back to the drawing board.
--When an attempt fails and it's time to start all over.
--Repentance and overcoming
3] Cross that bridge when you come to it.
--Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before.
Matthew 6:34
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take
thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof.
4] Hit the nail on the head.
--Do or say something exactly right.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no
work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou
goest.
5] He is a man of few words.
Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter
any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth:
therefore let thy words be few.
6] Walk a mile in his shoes.
--the only real way to have empathy for the other guy.
Romans 12:15-16
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but
condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
7] It's in the bag.
--Certain or extremely likely to occur; assured about the success of
something.
Proverbs 16:3
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
8] Let bygones be bygones.
--To forget about a disagreement or argument.
--Matthew 18 Process
Ephesians 4:31-32
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.
Let us take the first one on the Negative list:
NEGATIVE IDIOMS AND PHRASES
1] Looking at the World through rose-colored glasses:
Source
--Cheerful or optimistic, especially to an excessive degree: took a rose-colored view of the situation.
--With an unduly cheerful, optimistic, or favorable view of things: see the world through rose-colored glasses.
--If someone sees things through negative rose-colored glasses, they see things
as being better than they really are.
For example:
Tina sees things through rose-colored glasses, so when things aren't
going very well, she won't do anything to improve the situation.
If you have the courage and maturity to see things as they really are,
you'll no longer need to see things through negative rose-colored glasses.
Let us look at a key verse connected to this idiom.
Proverbs 16:2
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth
the spirits.
Let us take a look at the meaning of the verse:
We are blind to our own faults, do not see ourselves as others see us.
There is One who tries not the “ways” only, but the “spirits” Hebrews
4:12 : this is the true remedy against self-deceit.
~Barnes Notes
Quoted verse:
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart.
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes
(Proverbs 21:2) - He may deceive himself, and be blind to his own
faults, or be following an ill-informed and ill-regulated conscience
(Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 14:12), yet this is no excuse in God’s eyes.
The Lord weigheth the spirits. Not the "ways," the outward life and
actions only, but motives, intentions, dispositions (Hebrews 4:12-quoted
above). He too knows our secret faults, unsuspected by others, and
perhaps by ourselves (Psalm 19:12). ~Pulpit commentary
Quoted verses:
Proverbs 21:2
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the
hearts.
Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto
counsel is wise.
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death.
Psalm 19:12
Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
In this proverb, Solomon makes a stark contrast that can be described
variously:
between what men see and what God sees
between behavior and motives
between the outward and the inward
between a human perspective and a divine perspective
between personal justification and divine denunciation
In a word, this proverb is about self-deceit.
This is an issue that every one of us needs to consider.
We have all been there many times over. We may still be there today!
This proverb is not for us to use to judge others, but to judge our own
hearts.
Continuing with Proverbs 16:2
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth
the spirits.
A. The WAYS of a Man
Way: most often used metaphorically to refer to the pathways of
one’s life, suggesting the pattern of life… lifestyle.
The term is quite general and broad.
It is broad enough to include the WAY we think, talk, walk.
It is broad enough to include the WAY we SEE things; the way we DO
things; the way we approach things; the way we handle things…
Psalm 119:5
O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Our ways are often NOT in the way of obedience.
Our ways are often wayward!
Our ways need to be directed towards obedience… because obedience does
not come naturally.
Jeremiah 10:23
O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man
that walketh to direct his steps.
We are often misguided in our way… and in the individual steps along the
way.
It is not IN us to know the right way… yet we often THINK we do.
This is a danger: we don’t know the right way, but we THINK we do!
It is bad enough to be blind, but it is far worse to be blind and not
know it!
Proverbs 20:24 –
we very often do NOT know our own ways well.
Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?
Psalm 119:27-28 –
the way of lying vs. the way of truth
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy
wondrous works.
28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy
word.
Psalm 37:5 -
commit thy ways unto the Lord.
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it
to pass.
Psalm 119:59 –
I thought on my ways and TURNED!
I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
Continuing with Proverbs 16:2
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth
the spirits.
B. Clean In His
Own Eyes
In spite of the fact that the Bible says that we do not know our own
ways well, those ways are often misguided, and we are inclined to wander
OUT of the right way… our proud hearts persist in putting the best
possible face on our ways.
Proverbs 21:2 [quoted
earlier] – EVERY way of man is
right in his own eyes.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the
hearts.
Twice Solomon informs us of this aspect of human nature: we see
ourselves through negative rose colored glasses…
Proverbs 30:12 –
pure in their own eyes… yet unclean! They
are unclean and don’t realize it
There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and
yet is not washed from their filthiness.
Proverbs 14:12 –
there is a way that SEEMS right, but the end
thereof is the way of death.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death.
What is the meaning here? Remember that we are firstfruits here and
working above the meaning here. We need the meaning here to insure we
do not fall into anything negative here.
When examining our own hearts, we tend to judge superficially.
If something SEEMS right on the surface, we choose to dig no deeper… lest we discover something incriminating!
Just because something SEEMS right, that doesn’t mean that it IS right.
Many things SEEM right to us… but can prove deadly.
There is the example of a couple living together in sin, who stated that
it seemed right to them because they were in love.
Examples:
1 Samuel 15
– I have obeyed the Lord!
2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to
Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and
spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and
sheep, camel and ass.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of
the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and
would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and
refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned
back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it
grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told
Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place,
and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of
the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine
ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
--Saul THOUGHT he obeyed, but he did not.
--He may have convinced himself that what he did was good enough… close enough.
--But close is not good enough for God.
--It’s not good enough for your math teacher either!
--Saul was self-deluded… deceived.
--He was clean in his own eyes, but he soon discovered that his judgment
would not be based upon the way HE saw the situation, but on the way GOD
saw things!
Another example:
Luke 18:9-12
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the
other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee,
that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or
even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
--the Pharisee thanked God that he was not like other men!
--These proud Pharisees actually thought they were doing well in God’s sight.
--But all of their actions were quite superficial… and God dug deep into their hearts.
--Being clean in one’s own eyes means nothing.
--We must guard against being partial in judging ourselves.
--Do not fall into the trap of giving yourself the benefit of the doubt
--Humans nature often finds it hard to see our sins and negative elements, while at the same time easily seeing them in others.
--We must refrain from overlooking our faults.
--We must measure ourselves by the Word of God rather than relying
on our own devices. We see this confirmed in the latter part of
Proverbs 16:2.
Proverbs 16:2
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth
the spirits.
C. But the LORD
weigheth the spirits.
God REALLY knows the ways of men.
Psalm 1:6 –
He knows the way of the righteous and the
ungodly.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the
ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 119:68 –
all my ways are before Thee
Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
Proverbs 5:21 –
all the ways of man are before God’s eyes…
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth
all his goings.
1 Samuel 16:7 –
man looks at the outward appearance, but the
Lord sees the heart.
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the
height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth
not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the
LORD looketh on the heart.
When God scrutinizes, we get to the truth of the matter.
God weighs the SPIRITS of men.
Spirit = breath… sometimes used of an attitude…
Some translate this: God weighs the motives…
In either case, God digs much deeper in analyzing us.
Even when our actions seem quite good, the motive may not be. The spirit in which it was done may be evil!
Even when we justify our actions as being clean… our motives and the intentions of the heart may not be clean.
God knows it all. God is viewing it all.
God is weighing it all on His perfect, infallible scales. And His scales always gives us the correct weight… the proper analysis… the TRUTH… and He is no respecter of persons.
No person has ever or will ever get away with ANYTHING before the Lord.
Even if we deceive ourselves into THINKING that our ways are clean… God judges according to truth… not according to our slanted version of the truth like we get from negative rose-colored glasses.
Even if we have excuses for all of our actions and a Bible verse that seems to back us up… God judges according to truth… rightly divided!
Regardless of all of our excuses and self-justification, what matters ultimately is not OUR perspective, but God’s!
He doesn’t always judge immediately, but He does judge… and His judgment is according to TRUTH… not the individual’s perception of truth.
So do not look at the World through negative rose-colored glasses but look at the world and yourself with God's glasses.