Mouth, Feet, Eyes

You may be seated.

Good morning.

My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,

and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.

A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us.

We're glad that you're here.

And we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,

but because we're following Jesus together as one community.

And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good,

they don't need God's grace, and no one so bad that they can't have it.

Which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in his word.

We're continuing this morning our series in the book of Romans.

The book of Romans is a letter written by the Apostle Paul in the 50s AD,

and it is called Romans for a very simple reason,

which is that it's written to the churches in the city of Rome.

This letter is about the gospel.

It's about the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection.

And Paul's hope in writing it, as we saw in chapter 1,

is that these churches would be established in the gospel.

We're going to see many applications, as we already have,

but Paul is especially concerned with the mission and the unity of the church.

And while we go off on many different topics,

there will be many spokes in the book of Romans.

We are constantly coming back to the hub of the gospel.

We are approaching the end of chapter 3 of the book of Romans.

Paul is coming to the conclusion of his argument that everyone deserves God's wrath,

both the religious and the non-religious.

And so as he comes to his climax here, he presents one of his final arguments,

his final proofs of human depravity,

which are the words that come out of our mouths.

And so I invite you to turn with me now to God's word.

You can turn in your Bible.

You can turn on your phone.

You can turn in your worship guide.

No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's word.

Proverbs chapter 30, verse 5 tells us,

Proverbs 30:5

every word of God proves true.

He's a shield to those who take refuge in him.

And so that's why we read now Romans chapter 3, starting at verse 13.

Romans 3 · chapter mention

Their throat is an open grave.

They use their tongues to deceive.

The venom of asps is under their lips.

Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood.

In their paths are ruin and misery.

And the way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes.

I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Our Father in heaven, we do praise you and we thank you again as we do every Sunday.

That you have given us rich and deep, challenging and encouraging instruction in your word.

Lord, we ask that you would do that.

You do it again this morning.

That you'd pour out your Holy Spirit here now in a special way among us.

That we would be able to hear and believe and understand what you've written for us here in your word.

Most of all, we ask that you would show us Jesus with great clarity.

That we would see his beauty, his love, his mercy, and his grace.

That it would melt our hearts and we would follow after him in faith.

We ask all of these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

13 years ago, now soon to be 14 years ago, in 2011, we celebrated our great American event of Super Bowl XLV.

And as you know, for some people, the Super Bowl is about the football.

And for some of us, the Super Bowl is about the commercials.

And in 2011, Bridgestone Tire ran what became a famous commercial about how efficient and beautiful and durable their products were.

It starts out with two men who are together next to each other in a cubicle farm.

And we find out that one man, whose name is Rod, has just fired off an email to the man in the cubicle next to him.

That seems like a normal occurrence, except maybe they could talk to each other instead of emailing back and forth.

And his friend turns to him, though, and says,

Oh no, Rod, you sent this email, reply all.

You hit reply all.

And Rod looks like his life has just come to an end.

And so he runs off out of the office.

He gets into his car with his wonderful Bridgestone tires that take him quickly to a conference room

where we see him running around the ring of the conference table, slamming laptops shut

before anyone has a chance to see his email.

He then reaches into a home window where someone is working from home,

grabs their laptop, pulls it out of the window, and disappears.

He shows up in a restaurant where there's a man on a laptop,

and he interrupts the server so that she spills coffee onto his keyboard.

He slaps cell phones out of people's hands.

He even goes off-road, which I assume is to show us again how great Bridgestone is,

to hunt down a man who is backpacking in the wilderness.

So he can also intercept the email.

And at the end, we see him running into a room, perhaps full of computer servers,

and he rips the wires out of the wall.

All the while, Rod is screaming.

And why is Rod screaming?

Why is he in such a rush to intercept everyone's laptop and phone before they have a chance to see his email?

Well, we get a hint at the very beginning of the commercial because as Rod hits send,

there is a big smirk on his face.

Rod is screaming because he has just emailed out something so inappropriate.

Maybe it's scandalous.

Maybe it's hurtful.

But there's only one answer.

He needs Bridgestone tires to get him there in time.

Before they read his words and find out the truth.

Paul is making his closing argument here of chapters 1 through 3 in Romans.

I've been telling you that he sums it up in verse 23, which we'll come to soon,

when he says,

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

So I've told you over and over now, Paul's making this argument that everyone deserves God's wrath.

Chapter 1, non-religious people, the Gentiles, deserve God's wrath.

Chapter 2, religious people, the Jews, deserve God's wrath.

Chapter 3, Paul responds to objections and ties it all together.

He is answering all excuses.

He is closing all doors.

He is leaving no room for escape.

And so as he comes to the very end of this argument, the chance for him to clench it once and for all,

where does he go?

If he is going to answer every objection and close every mouth, he heads to our words.

Paul is saying this.

You think you can wiggle out of everything that I've said in these previous three chapters.

Maybe you're convinced that somehow it doesn't apply to you.

Well, as we come to the end, let's look at this.

What are the words that come out of your mouth?

That's why he tells us, verse 13,

Their throat is an open grave.

Imagine you go to the cemetery and you dig up a casket,

and it has been there for 20 years.

This happens in TV shows all too often, by the way.

And you open it up.

What will it smell like?

That's the image that Paul wants you to have.

He's saying that is what human speech is like.

The words that come out of our mouths stink like a dead corpse to high heaven.

It goes even further than that.

Verse 13, he says,

The venom of asps is under their lips.

Asps is a type of snake.

It's a category of snake.

There's snakes that are poisonous.

In other words, Paul is saying,

When you speak against someone,

Verse 14,

With curses and bitterness,

You are biting them.

But it is not the bite of a garden snake.

It is in fact the bite of a rattlesnake.

It doesn't merely hurt.

It kills.

You might say,

Sticks and stones can break my bones.

Words will never hurt me.

Paul here would seek to differ.

He's telling us the things that come out of our mouths

Have the power to kill.

The venom of asps is under their lips.

The commercial with Rod landed so well

Because we all know the truth.

There are things that you have said

And there are things that I have said

That we would like to remain hidden.

Some of you are going to the book of James

In Sunday school right now.

I don't know if you're to chapter 3 yet or not.

But James makes the same argument.

Chapter 3, verse 2, he says,

For we all stumble in many ways.

And if anybody does not stumble in what he says,

He is a perfect man.

Able also to bridle his whole body.

Now, if you lack self-awareness,

You might hear that and say,

Wow, I didn't know I was a perfect man.

But I'm perfect in the things that come out of my mouth.

Well, just in case that's your thought,

James follows up, verses 8 and 9.

But no human being can tame the tongue.

It is a restless evil,

This is going to sound familiar,

Full of deadly poison.

Paul hasn't made a mistake here.

He hasn't misspoken by talking about asps.

No, James says the same thing.

It's not a garden snake.

It's a rattlesnake.

If you have made it this far

In the book of Romans,

And you think you're good.

You think you're able to get off the hook

In every angle that Paul has exposed,

The question is this.

Have you ever spoken poorly of someone else?

Have you ever said something

In order to harm someone else?

No one does good, not even one.

Their throat is an open grave.

They use their tongues to deceive.

The venom of asps is under their lips.

Now you might say to that,

Well, you know,

Nobody's perfect.

Everyone has said things that they regret,

So it must not be a big deal.

And if you say that,

Of course you've made the great mistake.

And the great mistake is this,

To compare yourself

To the people around you.

What has Paul been telling us?

What's the standard?

The standard is the holiness of God.

The standard is not the people around us.

The standard is God himself.

And so that's why the prophet Isaiah,

In Isaiah chapter 6,

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

When he encounters the holiness of God,

Says this,

Woe is me, for I am lost.

I am a man of unclean lips,

And I dwell in the midst

Of a people of unclean lips.

For my eyes have seen the king,

The lord of hosts.

What's Isaiah saying?

He's saying my comparison to other people

Is irrelevant.

When I see the holiness and glory

And majesty of God,

I finally know how far I fall short.

Brothers and sisters,

The same is true for us.

And also, as I've been telling you,

What Paul teaches,

Jesus taught first.

These are Jesus' words from Matthew chapter 12.

Matthew 12 · chapter mention

Out of the abundance of the heart,

The mouth speaks.

The good person,

Out of his good treasure,

Brings forth good.

And the evil person,

Out of his evil treasure,

Brings forth evil.

But I tell you,

On the day of judgment,

People will give account

For every careless word they speak.

For by your words,

You will be justified.

And by your words,

You will be condemned.

Paul doesn't just leave us there, though.

We transition

From verses 13 and 14,

Which talk about our words,

The things that come out of our mouth.

And suddenly,

It gets worse.

Verses 15

Through 17,

Savage words

Lead to savage actions.

Verse 15,

Their feet are swift to shed blood.

Verse 16,

And their paths are ruin and misery.

And we shouldn't be surprised

That this is the progression

That happens here.

This is a truth

That world history bears out.

This is a foundational,

Fundamental principle of humanity.

And it's this.

Hateful words

Lead to violent actions.

Hateful words

Lead to violent actions.

We might even say more than that.

Dehumanizing words

Lead to violent actions.

You'll see this

On the back of your worship guide.

Dehumanization has fueled

Innumerable acts of violence.

Human rights violations.

War crimes.

And genocide.

It makes slavery, torture,

And human trafficking possible.

Dehumanizing others

Is the process

By which we become accepting

Of violations

Against human nature

The human spirit

And for many of us

Violations against

The central tenets

Of our faith.

Brene Brown is saying

In the 21st century

What Paul knew

In the first century

What history has borne out

Hateful words

Lead to violent actions.

Brene Brown then goes on

To give a list of examples

The Nazis

Called the Jews

Rats

In the Rwanda genocide

The Hutus

Called the Tutsis

Cockroaches

The Serbs

Called the Bosnians

Aliens

In fact this is

A recognized tactic

Of fascist leaders

You dehumanize

Your opponents

And then you justify

Violence

And what Paul teaches

Jesus taught first

This is from

Matthew chapter 15

Matthew 15 · chapter mention

Do you not see

That whatever goes

Into the mouth

Passes into the stomach

And is expelled

But what comes

Out of the mouth

Proceeds from the heart

And this defiles

A person

For out of the heart

Come evil thoughts

Murder

Adultery

Sexual immorality

Theft

False witness

And slander

These

Are what defile

A person

Hateful words

Lead

To violent

Actions

Now we could say

Many things about this

We could take it

In many directions

I'll say this

For

2024

As our society

As our culture

Becomes

Less and less

Christian

Dehumanizing

Words

Are becoming

More and more

Common

They're becoming

More and more

Common in our

Culture

In our

Politics

And so I want

To tell you

This this morning

Whatever you do

Whichever

Politician

You support

Do not

Participate

Do not

Participate

In throats

That are an

Open grave

In tongues

That deceive

In the venom

Of asps

That is under

Their lips

Don't participate

Do not celebrate

Our politicians

May refer

To people

As garbage

As deplorables

As trash

And as animals

Brothers and sisters

That is not

How Christians

Speak

Those are not

The words

That come out

Of your mouth

Don't use them

Don't celebrate

Them

Grieve

When others

Do

Do not

Participate

Paul is

Telling us

Here

It is

Evil

It is

Wicked

This is

The sign

Of God's

Judgment

On the world

This is not

The way

That Christians

Talk

It is

Language

That is

A stench

In the

Nostrils

Of the

Lord

Not only

That

Winsome

Speech

More and

More

Is part of

Our witness

In this

World

When you

Speak

In a way

That honors

Those around

You

People will

Notice

And they

Will notice

Because our

Culture is

Becoming

More and

More crass

Every year

They will

Know

That something

Is different

Remember

Sinful words

Are not a

Garden snake

They are

Paul has

Told us

This

James tells

Us this

A rattlesnake

They are

Filled

With venomous

Poison

I call

Your attention

To page

Five

Of your

Worship

Guide

Last week

I told you

I was giving

You one

Of my

Favorite

Quotes

What the

Heart

Desires

The will

Chooses

The mind

Justifies

I'm going to

Give you

Another one

Of my

Favorite

Quotes

This

Week

This

Is a

Prayer

For

Christians

About what

Comes out

Of their

Mouths

Lord

I am

Surrounded

By

Peoples

Whose

Words

Are

Either

Fawning

And

Flattering

Or

Malicious

And

Stinging

Don't

Let

Let me

Imitate

Them

Make

My

Words

Honest

And

True

Economical

And

Few

Wise

And

Well

Chosen

Calm

And

Kind

Give

Me

So

Much

Love

And

Grace

That

This

Kind

Of

Conversation

Comes

Naturally

To

Me

There

Are

Few

Quotes

That

I

Commend

To

You

As

Highly

As

This

One

There

Are

Many

Things

That

Show

Up

In

Our

Worship

Guide

In

The

Side

Bars

And

I

Have

Never

Said

This

Before

This

Is

One

To

Cut

Out

And

Keep

In

2024

Let

Us

Be

Known

By

Our

Love

Let

Us

Have

Words

That

Are

Honest

And

True

Economical

And

Few

Wise

And

Well

Chosen

Calm

And

Kind

And

How

Will

We

Have

Words

Like

That

When

And

Only

When

God

Gives

Us

So

Much

Love

And

Grace

That

It

Comes

Naturally

To

Us

What

Paul

Taught

Jesus

Taught

First

Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Chapter

5

You

Have

Heard

That

It

Was

Said

To

Those

Of

Old

You

Shall

Not

Murder

And

Whoever

Murders

Will

Be

Liable

To

Judgment

But

I

Say

To

You

That

Everyone

Who

Is

Angry

With

His

Brother

Will

Be

Liable

To

Judgment

Whoever

Insults

His

Brother

Will

Be

Liable

To

The

Council

And

Whoever

Says

You

Fool

Will

Be

Liable

To

The

Fires

Of

Hell

Paul

Then

Goes

On

To

Tell

Us

Verse

17

The

Conclusion

The

Summary

Of

All

This

And

The

Way

Of

Peace

They

Have

Not

Known

Of

Course

We

Don't

Need

Paul

To

Tell

Us

That

History

Proves

That

As

Well

One

Pastor

References

The

Historian

Will

Durant

I'm

Sure

I

Mispronounced

That

Who

Says

In

Over

3500

Years

Of

Recorded

History

Only

286

Have

Seen

No

War

What

Else

Is

There

To

Say

The

Way

Of

Peace

They

Have

Not

Known

What's

The

Reason

The

Root

For

All

Of

This

Paul

Tells

Us

That

As

Well

In

Verse

18

Why

Is

It

That

We

Have

These

Poisonous

Words

And

These

Violent

Actions

It's

Because

There

Is

No

Fear

Of

God

Before

Their

Eyes

The

Problem

Is

The

Problem

Is

Not

Read

Enough

Books

About

History

And

The

Power

Of

Words

The

Problem

Is

Not

That

There

Has

Not

Been

Enough

Education

And

Teaching

The

Problem

Is

Not

That

No

One

Told

Them

No

The

Problem

Is

That

God

And

His

Glory

And

Power

And

Authority

Are

Not

At

The

Forefront

Of

Their

Vision

To

Fear

The

Lord

Means

That

We

Have

A

Right

Understanding

Of

Who

God

Is

And

His

Role

In

This

World

We

Know

That

God

Is

The

Judge

Of

All

The

Earth

And

That

All

Our

Life

Is

Lived

Before

Him

It's

To

Know

Jesus

Words

That

We've

Already

Read

From

Matthew

Matthew 12 · chapter mention

Chapter

12

On

The

Day

Of

Judgment

People

Will

Give

Account

For

Every

Careless

Word

They

Speak

To

Know

That

Is

To

Know

The

Fear

Of

God

To

Know

The

Fear

Of

God

Is

To

Recognize

That

We

Don't

Belong

To

Ourselves

But

We

Belong

To

Him

And

If

We

Fear

God

We

Will

Know

That

We

Must

Have

What

Paul

Talks

About

In

Romans

Chapter

One

We

Must

Have

A

Righteousness

That

Comes

From

Faith

For

Faith

Why

Why do

We need

That

Righteousness

Because

All

Have

Sinned

And

Fall

Short

Of

The

Glory

Of

God

Our

Words

Expose

It

Our

Minds

Reveal

It

Why

Are

We

Told

That

Their

Throat

Is

An

Open

Grave

That

Their

Words

Are

Death

We're

Told

That

Because

Mankind

Is

Spiritually

Dead

Paul

Tells

Us

In

The

Letter

To

The

Ephesians

Ephesians

Chapter

Two

That

We

Are

Dead

In

Our

Sins

And

Trespasses

And

So

We

Actually

Don't

Have

The

Power

By

Our

We

Can't

Pull

Our

Our

So

Up

By

The

Boot

Traps

And

Suddenly

Make

Our

Words

Honest

And

True

Economical

And

Few

Wise

And

Well

Chosen

Common

Kind

You're

Not

Powerful

Enough

To

Do

That

You

Can't

Do

It

On

Your

Own

You

See

The

Problem

I've

Told

You

Before

The

Gospel

Is

This

The

Gospel

Is

The

Admission

That

We

Must

Change

And

The

Recognition

We

Cannot

Change

Ourselves

And

In

Holding

Those

Two

Things

There

Is

Great

Hope

Remember

When

We

Were

In

The

Gospel

Of

Mark

Chapter

Two

Jesus

Is

Accused

Of

Eating

With

Sinners

And

Tax

Collectors

What

Kind

Of

Words

Do

You

Think

Came

Out

Of

Sinners

And

Tax

Collectors

Mouths

Yeah

Not

Good

Ones

And

So

The

Scribes

And

The

Pharisees

Come

And

They

Say

Jesus

Why

Are

You

Doing

This

Why

Are

You

Hanging

Out

With

These

People

And

He

Says

This

Those

Who

Are

Well

Have

No

Need

Of

A

Physician

But

Those

Who

Are

Sick

I

Came

Not

To

Call

The

Righteous

But

Sinners

Do

You

That

You're

Sick

Do

You

Know

That

You're

A

Sinner

Do

You

Know

That

You

Must

Change

And

You

Cannot

Change

Yourself

Jesus

Christ

Offers

To

Heal

You

Come

To

Him

In

Faith

Let's

Pray

Our

Father

In

Heaven

We

Do

Praise

You

And

Thank

You

For

Your

Word

That

Pierces

Us

To

Our

Heart

That

Challenges

Us

That

Shows

Us

Our

Great

Need

For

You

And

Your

Grace

And

Also

Reminds

Us

That

Your

Grace

Is

Greater

Than

Our

Sin

We

Ask

That

You

Would

Move

Us

With

Great

Conviction

That

We

Would

See

Even

More

Our

Need

For

You

We

Would

Embrace

Even

More

Your

Grace

And

Your

Mercy

In

Jesus

Christ

We

Ask

These