It's my joy to have Tom Feil with us this morning. Tom has been working at the Boardwalk Chapel for the last number of summers. He's got some theological training in seminary, and Lord willing, we'll be picking up his seminary training at Westminster this winter. So Tom, we're thankful for you being willing to come and fill the pulpit for us this morning. Thank you. Great. Everyone hear me? Awesome. Excellent. Happy Sabbath, everyone. It's a joy to be in God's house with God's people. Yeah, why don't we go to the Lord in prayer, and then we're going to hear what God has for us today. Father, we thank you that you've drawn near to us as we seek to draw near to you. And we ask that we would come to you with clean hands and a pure heart. We ask to be hungry, we ask to be aware of your voice, and we ask that it would make its happy home in our hearts. We ask to be changed, to reflect more the light of Jesus in our life. We ask God for power, power to live and exude what we really believe, help our unbelief. We pray that this is a holy time, that this is a, transformative time, and that this is a life-changing lesson, that this is a lesson from your lips, and that it is a lesson that we can take home to heart. So please, God, do what we cannot do. We throw ourselves upon you helplessly. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask, amen. Okay. So we're gonna hop around a little bit. It's more topical than anything, but I'd like to go to John 40. John 6, 40, no, not John 40. John 6, 40, then we're gonna hop to John 7, 45, and then we're gonna hop to Romans 1, 28. So we'll start off with John 6, 40. And this was the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered them and said, murmur not among yourselves. Let's go to John 7, 45. John 7, 45. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees. They said to them, why have ye not brought him? The officers said, never man spake like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees, are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. Nicodemus saith to them, he that came to Jesus by night being one of them. Doth our law judge any man before he hear him, and know what he doeth? They answered and said to him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search and look out of Galilee, ariseth no prophet. And then we're gonna go to Romans 1, 28 to 31. Romans 1, 28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, malice, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, maligny, whispers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding covenant breakers, without natural affections, implacable, unmerciful, with who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death. Not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. So Pastor Jim told me we'd be having some guests this morning, and he said it was, I believe, like a woman's retreat or something of that nature. I'm like, awesome, we're talking about gossip today. But what's fascinating is you look at the Bible, the prominent gossipers in the Bible are men. I mean, you look at the Pharisees and how they murmur about Jesus, and how it goes from talking about Jesus, backbiting the Lord Jesus Christ, and then it eventually goes, you know what, let's throw stones at him. Then they all start throwing stones, and they're like, no, let's kill him. What I want to echo is what Reverend James Montgomery Voice echoed. More damage has been done to the church and its work by gossip, criticism, and slander than by any other single sin. And I'd emphasize with him that I would say gossip has done more harm to the church than martyrdom, persecution. And we even look at our Lord Jesus Christ, how gossip led him to his passion, led him to his crucifixion, as it stirred hatred, as it stirred false report amongst the people. And I would, I really felt a weighty burden on my heart to share this message because I was talking with a close friend in ministry this week about the sermon and he said, you know, I've never heard preaching on gossip. I've never, and I said, I honestly don't even know if I could define what gossip is because when you're in a conversation, when you're in a moment, you're like not to gossip or, well, this isn't gossip, but then you proceed to gossip. And it's because we are people who perish for a lack of knowledge. And so that is why it's important. to kind of understand and feel the weight and get the gravity and to have a proper understanding so that you can be on guard. And so that when you do gossip, when you back by someone, you can repent quickly. And so that you can recognize that you ought to be, have a chisel, not to, but you should have a chase mouth. So we are in dark times because as I want to tell you, gossip is everywhere. We drink it like it's water. We live in a world that doesn't understand what gossip is. And I want to ask that, have you wept before God? Have you gone to God in prayer? Have you confessed to God of your backbiting? Have you gone to God confessing of the things that you say behind people's backs? I purposely used the King James Version this morning because King James has a more graphic word for gossiping. And the word is backbiting. You know, it gives the word more teeth, pun intended. Backbiting, the word originated in the 12th century. It was a sport. It was called a blood sport. And what they would do is people in Europe, they would chain a bear and they would chain the bear to the ground and they would basically release a bunch of dogs. And so the bear would have to fight off like multiple dogs at once. And as he's fighting off, some are coming to the side, some are coming behind his back. And it's this idea of attacking someone while their guard is down. Attacking someone while they are unaware that they are being attacked. It's this idea that your words, your words, you know, in them have power of life. They can either kill, they can either give life, or they can kill. And so, you know, I find it funny that scripture It all talks about beware of dogs. In Psalm 22, which is the messianic psalm, Jesus says, for dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men encircle me, deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of wild dogs. And Revelation 22, it says outsider of the dogs. So when you gossip, when you backbite people, you go away from the image of God, you go away from reflecting the spirit of Christ, and you become a beast that is thirsty for blood and that hates his neighbor. I would say that we can see throughout the Bible that God does not take backbiting lightly. God says that he desires a people who backbiteth not with his tongue, nor do evil to his neighbor, nor take up reproach against his neighbor. So we see how God has a heart that despises and hates backbiting, but I think in order to understand backbiting, we have to understand what it is not. So backbiting is not talking about information that's public. Like for example, Tom Brady's getting divorced, and yes, the Lord hates divorced, but it's not inerrantly sinful in and of itself to share what is public information. Now, I would say a curiosity can become sinful. I would say that the secret things belong to the Lord, and I would say you have to guard your heart in speculating and talking, well, why is this happening, what do you think he said? The thing is, we have to be aware that We live in a world that loves to gossip. The news, the tabloids, TV shows. It feeds it as news, but in reality, it's just gossip. But backbiting is not seeking counsel for a difficult matter. Many families are dysfunctional. Many situations are made more difficult because of difficult people. And a wise man will seek counsel from wise men. And a good friend is built for adversity. But you can maintain your honor when you talk about in private, when you're seeking counsel on a matter, not merely to just slander or to vent or to bring someone's image or good name down. Like my grandmother, the last couple of years of her life, she had Alzheimer's and she would say and do things that were not socially normal, but it was difficult emotionally. It was difficult to understand how to communicate, how to love her, how to empathize with her and how to care for her because of her handicap. But seeking counsel and describing scenarios that happen and even things that are embarrassing in a situation like that, that's not sinful. That's me trying to understand a difficult situation and confidentiality. Backbiting is not speaking of neighboring good light. In fact, our confession says that we are to be promoting truth between men and men in the good name of our neighbor and to be preserving it. Backbiting is not calling out evil. It says in our confession that we are to discourage tailbearers, flatterers, and slanderers. And being a whistleblower, when you see abuse in the church, when you see false teaching, it's actually a commendable work of Christ. Christ called out false teaching. He called out abuse in the church. So I want to just kind of lay out what gossiping is not. Now, however, Jesus, I'm trying to backtrack. But basically, I would say that once we understand what gossip is not, I read this dissertation by Richard Baxter, he's a Puritan writer, and he has this one-page, twelve-point treatise on what gossip is, and what backbiting is, and the heinousness of it, and the sinfulness of it. He says this, and I love this. He says, they that speak most behind men's backs do usually say least to the sinner's face. In any way which tends to his salvation, they will not go lovingly to him in private and set home his sin upon his conscience and exhort him to repentance, but anything shall serve as a sufficient excuse against this duty that they may make the sin of backbiting sever instead of it serving. And all is out of a carnal self saying they fear men will be offended if they speak to their faces and therefore they will whisper against them behind their backs. Jesus calls out the Pharisees in John 7 26 that he said it says that they would not speak to Jesus to his face and Jesus called them out. What's also interesting is all this gossip, all this backbiting, all this malice towards Jesus was happening while he was teaching in the synagogue. And I think that's a picture how Satan so easily creeps into the church with the sin of backbiting. Baxter says that the sins that are most easily swallowed, the sins that are most subtly committed, are the ones that are most hardly repented of. I would say Paul Washer talks about that prayer meetings in churches, by large part, have become breeding grounds for gossip. They are the seeds in which gossip spreads to the church, unfortunately. And I would pray that we as a church would establish a God-honoring, God-seeking prayer meeting. that we may seek the Lord, but one way to do a prayer meeting is not to go around sharing a press for 25, 30 minutes, and then do five minutes of prayer. No, you start, you read the word of God, you fix your mind on the word of God, and one person begins praying, and if you feel burdened by what someone has prayed about, then you pray for them. And what happens, there's just so much talking, there's so much noise, and there's not enough praying. Leonard Ravenshill says that we often gossip about those that we don't pray for. Now, here's what gossip is. I'm gonna get into that. I would say backbiting, gossiping is a sin violating the ninth commandment where one shares misinformation, sins and embarrassments, confidential information that was meant to be entrusted and kept while not in the presence of the one spoken of. I would say that the motives for gossip, if you wanna hone them down to two essential motives, are for selfish entertainment, and an attempt to hate others subtly. I would say gossip is when you see Joe Biden speaking, and you go to promote about his shortcomings, his inability to put words and sentences together, and basically go on and on making fun of his dementia. And I would ask, well, do you believe he has dementia? And they're like, oh, yeah. I'm like, so OK, you're making fun of someone with a mental handicap. Oftentimes we see people on TV and we're like, all right, these people in the room are real people on TV. They're just puppets. They're entertainment. But I want to ask, has all your insults left you to praying as Romans 13 says, praying for our leaders, praying that God would save them, that they would lead, that would lead our nation in wisdom and knowledge. Have you, has all that gossiping, the flag making the jokes, have they solved any problems? Now, it's not wrong to be against policies that profane God's name. It's not wrong to call out evil. It's not wrong to lament. But what is wrong is this, again, we all know what we're talking about when I say the flags, when we talk about the bumper stickers. They don't promote love. They don't promote prayer. They just sow seeds of hate. And what we have to understand is that the Bible says God raises leaders up and he puts leaders down. And what you're saying when you insult, when you gossip, when you slander, you're not trusting the sovereignty of God and you're not throwing yourselves at the mercy of God in prayer. I would say gossip again. It's in the grocery stores, the magazines, the tabloids, reformed Facebook groups, churches. And I want to ask, when was the last time you fell before God and you lamented that we're under judgment? that we are under judgment, we see the leaders God has raised up. Calvin says that when God wants to judge a nation, he raises wicked leaders. When is the last time you went to God lamenting? No, you murmur amongst yourselves, you point out. Throw yourself at God in prayer. That will kill the gossip. I would say one way I got convicted, I talked to a former staff member. He said something very inappropriate and embarrassing. And in my trinity, in my sin, I went and shared it with others because I use the person for entertainment, rather than sowing seeds of love, rather than investing in discipling him. And it's beautiful that God has brought reconciliation and restoration to that relationship. But how often can we look at others, maybe, I would say, maybe like liberals, maybe like Democrats, maybe like people who look funny, maybe people talk funny, maybe football players who don't play, whatever, Why are you using people for entertainment that is not loving your neighbor? Why are you using what people say that is embarrassing, why people say that is mean or cruel, to hone it against them? When Paul gives his list in Romans 1, the whole point is that you see yourself. And that when you see yourself, you see that whether you are a literal murderer, like Jeffrey Dahmer, or you are a gossip, you are worthy of death. God should kill you each time you gossip, each time you backbite your neighbor, because Jesus says, what defiles a man isn't what, isn't what on the outside, or it's what defiles a man comes from within. For within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual morality, idolatry, greed, murder. Those things come from within. And the gospel teaches us, at least the foundation when we understand our depravity, is that we all start this life with the same heart posture, alienated, astrayed, and hating God. I want to read this Psalm, Psalm 101. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy. No one who has a haughty look and arrogant heart will I endure. Gossip is the antithesis of the Great Commission is spreading the bad news But the gospel the Bible says that blessed are the feet that come and bring good news Well, I come to bring you good news not merely to beat you over the head That you are a backbiter that you have sinned and that you are worthy of death, but here's the person of Jesus Christ He loved the Lord the God with all of his heart his mind his soul and strength. He was pure He had a beautiful heart and he loved his neighbor He rebuked disciples, he rebuked false prophets. He was very direct, but he never used his mouth to spread unrighteous hate. And when he exposed the faults of men, it was that they may be corrected and saved, and that he may give glory to God. His lips, his thoughts, his heart is pure. He is the perfect human. Jesus lays down his life to save you and save the world from gossip. Imagine eternity, no gossip, no backbiting. You won't have to worry about what people say. Isn't that a beautiful thought? The gospel shows us how men would murmur and gossip amongst themselves and meant it for evil, to kill Jesus and stir up hate, but God used that evil for good by showing that through the wickedness of gossipers, that you could see your own heart in Christ's passion, but that also, that through gossipers, God delivered his son to be crucified and raised so that good news could be spread. And so that man could love neighbor as he ought to love neighbor and love God as he ought to love God. And Jesus rises from the dead, he offers pardon to those who have spoken evil of God and neighbor. Not only pardon, but transformation. And he says, whoever comes to me, I will by no means cast out. And whom the sun sets free is free indeed. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And I want to ask, what have you spoken about your neighbor this week? Is your heart given to sin? I want to say if you have recognized this reality, the only solution is to come to Jesus in humble repentance and faith. What does repentance look like? Well, repentance looks like, you know, I'm in a room of people, we're Presbyterians, we know what the word repentance means, but what it looks like, it doesn't mean going up to every person you've ever gossiped about and confessing that you've gossiped about them. What it means is that, yes, you consider how the person would best receive love and you make a resolve to cease from gossiping and backbiting that person. It doesn't mean that now that you understand what gossip is, you're now the gossip police and you halt all gossip everywhere. No, it means that to those whom you have kept company with, you should clear the name of the one you've slandered and backbitten. It means that you should think about God being in heaven and you being on earth and your words being few. And he that reframeth his lips is wise according to the book of Proverbs. I want to ask, let's say God gave you ten words to speak your whole life. What would you say? Kind of like how we see rich celebrities, they blow money on chains or shoes. I saw a guy, he spent $10,000 on a pair of Nikes. There's a bottle of water, apparently, that costs $100,000, because it's taken from this really exotic place. But kind of like how the extremely, extremely wealthy, they'll blow their money on those things. We as a people just throw around our words carelessly. We throw around our words without bridle, without a filter, without caution. And I want to ask, you know, have you thought about Jesus saying that you will give an account for every careless word spoken? So it would be wise to understand that God is in heaven, you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few. I would say repentance unto God if you have not embraced the gospel. It's recognizing you cannot do these things in and of your own strength. Isaiah said, I am a man of unclean lips. I dwell amongst the people of unclean lips. and God took the stone and touched Isaiah's mouth and it was purified. What can clean your mouth, what can make you spread blessing with your mouth rather than cursing, is God touching you through the gospel of Jesus Christ. David Wilkerson has a sermon called Taming the Tongue, and he says that only God can tame the tongue. With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. The secret to taming the tongue is closeness to Jesus. I wanna read a Psalm, Psalm 15. It's a beautiful, beautiful promise. It's, Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up reproach against his neighbor. As God has shed the love abroad in your heart, as God has shed his love abroad in your heart, you can reflect kindness, you can overlook sin, you can overlook sin in others, I mean. Overlook, you can be kind, you can be patient with others. And I wanna call you to this God. Are you a Christian who struggles with gossip and has realized that your words and that the world you live is just a cesspool of gossip? Flee to Jesus, cling to Jesus, ask Jesus to give you a new tongue, a new heart, and a heart that wants to spread love and kind words and the good name of his neighbor. Are you a Christian? who maybe has not taken gossip very lightly. I wanna ask, there is no communion with God once you know that you have no intention or desire to repent of gossiping about your neighbor. Well, it's just what girls do. Well, it's just who I am. No, that's the problem. Who you are needs to be changed. It needs to be crucified with Christ. Are you an unbeliever this morning? And you have no intention of turning away from this. I wanna tell you that Psalm 101, God says he will destroy the one who backbite his neighbor. Remember, we deserve to die before holy God because we have not used our mouths to the glory of God and for the love of our neighbor. So be haste and repent and turn to Christ and cleave to him in closeness and you can have a changed and bridled mouth. I pray that this message would spread like gospel because the gospel overcomes sin that so easily entangles us. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we thank you for your honesty. We thank you that you are not like us. We thank you that your words are pure. We thank you that you have spoken to us words of life. And I pray, oh God, that we would be stirred, changed, and transformed through the gospel of Jesus. How we ask, God, We ask to be aware. You would show us where we need to repent, where we need to change. And we ask for power and grace. We ask for power and grace, but we ask also that we'd fix our eyes on Jesus, the one who overcame sin, who overcame the world. Please, please, please, Lord, may your promises remain true in our lives. Thank you for your faithfulness. In Jesus' name, amen.