The Character of Gossip

Welcome to the intense podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, December 7 heard a story about someone that was just too surprising to keep to yourself. The Bible warns believers getting into the temptation to spread rumors.

Here's a lesson on the character of gossip that God is given us a wonderful wonderful privilege really gave was a tall lips, gave us a voice to be able to talk to be able to say and we can talk to heavenly father we could talk to each other. We can sing the gospel. We can praise the Lord. We can teach others.

We can motivate then we can encourage then we can comfort them. We can express genuine loving compassion and a desire for them. We have a wonderful wonderful privilege of being able to talk yet sometimes we miss use that and when we misuse it. It can be absolutely brutal.

It can be devastating at it could be very, very destructive. The theme of this message is real simple.

It's gossip, not the most popular subject, but probably were the most popular activities. Now we could all give your opinion what gossips about what all of us to look at is to see what God thinks about it. That's the only really matters and I want to look at a couple of passages of Scripture because God has put gossip in a couple of categories here that are absolutely devastating so turn. First of all to Romans chapter 1, I want you to notice where he places gossip in this.

Probably the longest and most complete list of sins mentioned anywhere in the Bible in one particular location with what he says. Verse 28 and just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God in the longer God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips, slanderous haters of God, insulin, arrogant and boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy and unloving and unmerciful. I want you to see the Broadview because there are several things here that always interrelated with gossip look at this now. He says personal. He says deceit. Gossip is deceitful malice, which is always a part of gossip.

Slanderous is certainly a part of it. Arrogant pride is a part of culturing a moment boastful, inventors of evil date invent ideas and things that the seven people without understanding (don't know what they're talking about untrustworthy. You can't trust the gossip unloving they don't love it. They did it would gossip and unmerciful, they can be merciless in what they say now is the issue. The issue is as a believer that doesn't fit who we are. Gossip doesn't fit who we are sharing the gospel, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ and you meant what Paul said he gives this long list not altogether but in his epistles. He talks about one another. He says we are to love one another, build up one another, encourage one another comfort one another and only known he goes I think about Trevor. 15 those one another and they're all very positive actions that we are to perform toward one another. Gossip is a malicious idle talk about someone else that open times, not always but most of the time, probably with an intent to hurt in some fashion, sometimes in a very destructive way sometimes not so destructive but is still sinful. Anyway you look at gossip is one of those sins we like the popular side and say what everybody does it. Therefore, you know what it doesn't make any difference what you and I say about it. God says it's a sin and God hates it is or will not can understand some of that him not liking it will let's just get out of the hate business and turn over the Proverbs chapter 6 from Proverbs chapter 6. Listen to what he says because you see sometimes what we are prone to solo you want us to lighten up things in the color of a little bit so we will feel quite so guilty. Listen to what he says is six chapter the proper he says there are six things which the Lord hates, what are they, he says yes.

In fact, seven which are an abomination to him something that's an abomination to God is something that God absolutely hates it and he abhors a list of what he said. Number 140 is a proud look number to a lying tongue number three hands that shed innocent blood number for a heart that devises wicked plans number five E.'s feet that run rapidly to evil.

Number six, he says, a false witness who utters lies in number seven, one who spreads strife among Rob do you realize how many of those are related to gossip. Look at this party's pride has a part of secondment, a lying tongue so open people gossip in the longer they gossip the further from the truth. They get to the absolutely lying about things he says a heart that devises wicked plans are people who gossip they designed the gossip because they designed to hurt someone else in some fashion. Then he says feet that run rapidly to evil, and sometimes when a person hears something that they think is juicy related run to the telephone. Given the telephones of I got I just got to tie Kate Verdi no longer I've got to tell you.

And so what is it pure gossip pieces of false witness who utters lies seven is a part of our gossip. One who spreads strife among Rob when a person is gossiping, they are certainly spreading strife among them is because it creates disunity. It divides children from their parents and divides husbands from wives and devised employees and employers, employees, churches, businesses, government, you name it.

God hates it because he knows it is a divisive purple destructive practice that doesn't get a child of God because we are to be known by what Jesus said about this all men should know you, my disciples. He says because you have love one to another, and you can't gossip about someone and love them at the same time you can admit is a work that's like having poison and pure water coming out of the same stream and it does not work that way. God says he hates these thing even if you know the truth to talk about someone in a way that brings hurt and pain to them. No matter what the issue is he says listen the idea that a person could be praying and talking to God in the same time destroying someone else of the same out it doesn't work God hates it, and because he hates it. It has absolutely no relationship to ours it doesn't fit who we are what we are trying to do in life or anything else.

Now why the people engage in gossip. One of engaging gossip number one pride you have heard people say I want to tell you something, and what they're saying you can tell on their face.

They are so they are so proud that they know something you don't know BC, that's what a lot of it is it just pure pride they want to tell something that you don't know because it makes them feel better if they know something you don't know and they can tell you something, and you'll notice in these list that pride and arrogance.

God hates pride and therefore the heart that takes great delight in telling something the heart that takes great delight in maligning someone else's care to the heart that takes great delight in injuring someone else because they can tell something about them. My friend, God hates it because he hates pride. He just said he hated an arrogant look is a second reason the people gossip and that is it is the means by which they can express their anger or their bitterness and hostility toward someone without confronting them on the set again. It's a means by which they can express their anger or bitterness toward someone without confronting them personally so they live on their back. Which leads me to say it is a very very cowardly act of third reason people notice the pool of the people down to their level there people who live in a very low level of life they want to pull you down to where they are.

They live in a garbage dump.

They live with a poor self-image. They live with a critical spirit about themselves.

They live with. Sometimes self-hatred they cannot do that. So they got to be pulling you down criticizing you and getting you down there where they are.

The problem is they never get out of it, pulling you down but for some reason some people just a little better if they can put you down to where they are now. Sometimes it's for the purpose of destroying someone else. That's the reason some people gossip they want to destroy. They want to hurt they want to cause pain.

It's their way of expressing something bawling on the inside of them and listen carefully. Listen statement is with Elder. Sometimes a person will gossip about someone with the intention of hurting them and destroying them because they either want the other person and can have them. They would rather destroy them and see somebody else. Number one, or somebody else has possessions they covet. They want the same thing in it they can have it. They'd rather try to destroy the person so they can enjoy I'm telling you gossip is a wicked, vile sin in the eyes of God.

It has tentacles listed. It has that it has ferocious ferocious tentacles that go out to touch all kinds of situations and circumstances.

Gossip is an indication somebody has got heart trouble and is a kind of heart trouble. No medical position can help. It takes the work of the Spirit of God to reveal to them the root cause of their gossip.

What is it that's causing them to become such that people don't want to be around the minimal become such that everywhere they turn this criticism they can find some reason to criticize some reason the pull down some reason to destroy and projection is one of those things. For example, what, when you hear something about someone or you see a circumstance or situation before you project on somebody else. What you think. They think what you think that doing what you think they're active, you ask yourself the question is this real is this what I'm thinking just what I'm thinking that I would do and that is exactly how deceptive it can be yet. Oftentimes, people are reluctant well for the consequences. Listen to the consequences and the personal life of the person who's gossiped about that you listen statement listen to this, it's better to be gossiped about the be the gossip, it's better walk through the fire that the start of the fire in someone else's life.

It's better to walk through deep waters that the be the one who broke the dam and caused the pain. It's better to be the one who suffers the pain that the be the one who causes the pain.

You can mark that down. It may be painful, biblical trying purple bring tears and weeping or whatever it might be. It's still better the eyes of God to be the one who does the hurting, then to be the one who is the harder, better to be in the fire than the one who started in the waters of the one who broke the dam better than anyone who feels the pain than the one who causes the pain that many consequences of a person who is a gossiped about one about the person who's doing it the first thing that happens is it reveals the nature of their heart. What did Jesus say look, if you will, in Matthew chapter 12 verse 33. He said even told the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He said either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers that these were the religious leaders of Jesus day the Pharisees and Sadducees. How can you being able speak what is good for the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart so that it was hard so when somebody is really just pouring it on someone else and aligning them in some fashion or criticizing them and gossiping about them and what they're doing there, revealing the evil within their own heart.

What is the consequence like a person does the gossiping personal they reveal their own heart is very evident. They reveal their own her second thing is this, they reveal their lack of discipline. They are incapable of hearing something without it controlling them in the some people can keep anything 10 minutes and so they just got to get on the phone and call me on top of this regatta talked about and so a certain evidence of lack of discipline other thing is that there ruled by sin when you can't control your time euro by sin because the Bible says it's full of evil, because if the hearts evil.

The tongue is going to express that evil if the hearts pure.

You know what you hear things that I go by because when the hearts pure and the mind is pure everything about your life is going to be different you going to think more clearly you gonna work more joyfully you going to be able to make progress in ways and areas of your life that you had not before a person who is a gossiper has a fragmented mind because they're in the process of thinking that was going on someone else's lives to their own life and all of us have enough troubles of their own to be dealing with ourselves, let alone someone else's life. I'll tell you something else. It does, it drives godly people away when a person is a gossiper and you not a gossiper you know will be around, but it does it drives them away. It certainly destroys a person's fellowship, regardless you cannot have animosity. The intent to hurt to cause division and strife. You cannot have the intent to cause someone else pain hurt their character, their testimony, their witness in the same time have fellowship with God is no way there's no such thing as hostility toward a brother in intimacy with God in the same heart there's no such thing as genuine praise out of the same lips that have animosity, hostility, gossiping about someone else. Those things just don't come out of the same lips they don't come out of the same heart and a person cannot be in fellowship with God cannot be walking in the spirit and the truth is a gossiper a person you analyze what's involved, what God says about that condition and is in a person's heart.

That person needs help desperately.

Gossiper needs help they need to come to the realization of what's going on inside of them. How did they get this position want of a take delight in turn somebody else's life. What is it in their life that gives them a sense of satisfaction makes them feel like it that they have the right and the privilege the judge and to condemn someone else when all of us have enough about her own issues in life to deal with and so you look in the Scripture. There's no way to justify now some medicine okay then, how do I cure my gossip that took three things number one. It begins with repentance. God, I have been gossiping. I've been talking about so and so this is not right. I admit that my heart's not right about that.

I will ask you to forgive me that I gin you repent and turn away from that I will that my heart wobbled with a seal upon my lips and guarded my mouth.

I wanted thing I like that you hate God use it to separate yourself from gossiper Scott I want a separate gossiped from our life doesn't fit who I am is not who I am without one in my life because I want to be a godly person. I don't want to be someone who is the cause of someone else having fire in the life and deep waters of their life. Genuine repentance is the first step and I think a lot of people once they come to that conclusion. Sometimes they listen carefully. Not all the time because sometimes trying to make restitution for something increases the whole problem. It may be that there somebody you need to ask to forgive you for what you said about the way to write them a letter. Whatever you choose to do, but may be that you said it was God, and God says that it die right there. Let it die right there. I have forgiven you. That's the end of it. It doesn't belong in your life anymore. That's the end of it and so certainly repentance is a vital part of the restitution and then just what he said. Don't associate with gossiped all it takes is one person so you know what, I don't think this is pleasing to God. I think we'll get Hernandez right and pray to God for this person that lots of ways that dampen party of gossips and God says don't associate with them so I have responsibility to separate myself from them, repent of it, separate myself from them, and then I responsibility pray for that person. It isn't making them is what the situation is if that person is going through a hard time a difficult time of they done something wrong, whatever it might be responsible or pray. Encourage one another. Pray for another comfort one another, instruct one another, build up another all these one of us are all in the positive thing and listen out of these mouths about. We have the privilege of talking about Jesus and forgiveness and kindness and love and mercy and compassion and heparin and hold and they and joy and peace and contentment and hold it all and only could go with positive things.

Good thing, helpful things that all this fit who we are as the children of God, and it is my prayer that whatever's been going on in your life you make a turnaround. That's what repentance is all about recognizing my era, recognizing our sinfulness in choosing the turn and walk in the other direction in obedience to Almighty God and love for him and love of my brothers and my sisters matter who they may be what they going through. Then you and I will fit the category by this shall all men know that you are my disciples. Jesus said you have love one toward another.

Thank you for listening to the character of God that if you know more about Charles Stanley for InTouch ministries antistatic lagging is typecast as a presentation index ministries advantage of