CLEAN HEARTS….A NEW TONGUE
Our high school math teacher sprang a surprise test on us one warm spring afternoon. We were just getting started. Everything was quiet; you could hear a pin drop in the room, when, suddenly there was a piercing scream, as the smartest girl in the class fell on the floor and went into convulsions with a seizure.
The next thing we heard was the smartest guy in the class letting out a string of profanity that we didn't know was in him, as he headed for the door with most of the others. This guy was always so cool and collected, always knew the right thing to say. But Mary Jane's seizure scared him to death, and out spilled words which surprised even him. The heck with Mary Jane, get me out of here!
We contain ourselves pretty well most of the time. We don't shock anybody by what we say. Our conversation is civilized. But every once-in-a-while, when we're mad … or scared … or when we see a chance to push our own agenda, we say things that aren't quite true, or fair or kind. The words that come spilling out of us at such times not only cause harm to others ... they defile us ... weaken us. And they expose to the light what we've been keeping in the dark, even from ourselves.
Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another……Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear.
Ephesians
4:25,29
If the Spirit of God has come into me, transformed me into a new creation, it will show in two ways: the way I act, and the way I speak. What I often forget is that the way I speak is as important as the way I act. Because what comes out of our mouths has power ---power to lift people up and give them hope; but also power to tear them down and wound them. And while we are blessing or cursing other people with our words, we are also blessing or cursing ourselves.
Our Lord Jesus, who never wasted a word, has plenty to say about what comes out of our mouths.
Matthew
12:33-37
On Pentecost the first thing that happened to these men and women as they received the Sprit was that they spoke with new tongues. This was a sign that something miraculous had happened to their hearts. The sound of rushing wind was a sign of cleansing, and the flames of fire which came to rest on them were a sign that holy love had entered them.
Now they spoke with new tongues, edifying words, God-inspiring words, life-giving words. Their old unruly tongues had come under the power of a new Master. They spoke as they had never spoken before.
The same thing happened to Paul. As soon as he received the Spirit, he spoke
with a new tongue --- a sign that God had given him a new heart. "And
all who heard him were amazed and said, 'Is not this the man who made havoc in
Jerusalem?'"
When God gives us a new heart, the tongue comes under his power. It's a new tongue. When this tongue speaks, its words have power. Things happen.
Picture what would happen if the Spirit came down on our churches one Sunday like he came down on those believers at Pentecost. We would all walk out of our churches with new tongues. Maybe we wouldn’t be speaking in other languages as they did. Perhaps we'd just be speaking English. But our words would uplift, encourage, heal, awaken faith. People would be drawn into our churches by those words.
But here's what we often miss: before the Spirit gives you a new tongue, he first gives you a new heart. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." When the heart is filled with God, the tongue speaks words from God.
And our hearts will be ready for God's Spirit as soon as we are willing to let God give our hearts a supernatural housecleaning.
That's what happened to King David. David was the one who wrote all those beautiful Psalms. David was as fair and decent a king as Israel ever had. But slowly David's spirit began to dry up. He became more wrapped up in his own glory than God's glory. He began to take liberties. After all, he was the king, and he could do what he wanted.
One day David wanted another man's wife. So he took her. Things got complicated. One sin led to another, until he found himself ordering her husband's death. David remained blind to the mess he was making of all these lives, including his own, until the prophet, Nathan, nailed him.
"You're the man! Look what you've done! Look at it! You are under the judgment of God!" At last David is awakened to the mess he has made of his life, and all those other lives. No wonder he cannot write psalms any more. No wonder he cannot speak words from God. His heart is unclean!
Now David repents. He comes to God for housecleaning.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.
Psalm
51
David is repenting.
Confessing to God what he did, crying out for forgiveness and cleansing.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right
spirit within me. Cast me not away from
thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and
uphold me with thy free Spirit. Then
will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall
be converted unto thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou
God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
Psalm 51
When my heart is clean, my tongue will sing of thy righteousness. Clean heart, new tongue.
Sometimes we don't realize what a mess we are "in our hearts," until it gets jarred by a shock, and out it spills. But God knows what's in us. And if he could give David a new heart, he can do the same for us.
Once God housecleans our hearts, we soon have tongues to match. Tongues that sing aloud of his righteousness. Tongues that impart hope. To receive a clean heart from God, and a new tongue to match, we need to do two things:
1. Draw near to God, just the way we are, repenting of whatever we know about ourselves.
2. Draw near to the cross of the Lord Jesus to receive forgiveness, cleansing and
the power of the Spirit.
First, we draw near to God, just the way we are, repenting of whatever we know about ourselves. Many people have the idea that they cannot draw near to God until they "get their act together." If you wait until you "get your act together" you will never come.
Come the way you are, saying, "Here I am, Lord God. I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. I know how self-centered, impatient, judgmental and vain I am. I confess it. I repent before you."
Second, we then draw near to the cross of the Lord Jesus, even if we don't understand the mystery of its power. We open our hearts to receive his forgiveness, his cleansing, the power of his Spirit. "Lord Jesus, wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin….Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me. Flood me with your Spirit, Lord!"
That's all it takes.
Who of us would not like to see out churches filled every Sunday? Who of us would not like to see new faces drawn into our fellowships and receiving blessings beyond words? We can be sure that God wants this more than we do. And he will give us the one thing that will make it happen: A new tongue.
We don't need gimmicks.
We don’t need celebrity "Christian" entertainment to draw people into our churches.
All we need is for each of us to receive from God a tongue that knows how to
"sustain
with a word him that is weary."
Such a tongue is exactly what God longs to give to each of us.
And we will receive a new tongue, when we let God come in and houseclean our hearts. Who else but God can houseclean these hearts?
Are we willing to open up and simply invite the Lord to come in and do whatever it takes to make us clean within?
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Deliver me from
blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation;
and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy
righteousness.