Heart to Mouth

Matthew 12:33-34 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

WE are influenced early in life by pictures of Jesus as a warm and compassionate friend. Many visual expressions of Jesus create a feeling of, “I want to be with that man.” We have such a drawing on the wall of our home.

Indeed, these are appropriate depictions of what we anticipate when we are with Jesus in heaven, his eternal home. He is eager for you to be there with him. John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Such a God who would come from Heaven’s throne to die for his wretched creation plainly reveals his intentions. Indeed, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Jesus is telling us he is a warrior for you. He is not warm and fuzzy when he confronts sin. Sin is death. Sin leads to the Lake of Fire. All outward signs of sin point to Hell’s horrible consequences.

That’s why Jesus hotly contends for those he loves. He burns with righteous anger against the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. He effectively calls them to make a decision. Jesus tells them that they can’t be in-between regarding him. Jesus viewed them as a group of men bent on destruction. Their pious words cannot hide their evil hearts.

Jesus grieved and was angered by humanity's persistent sin and his people's rejection of God's blessings. He did not, could not, will not tolerate meaningless responses to his passion for the world the Triune God had created.

Jesus wants you to be a warrior with him. He wants you to fight for the truth. When we wonder, “Should I tell the gospel?” we need Jeremiah’s passion to contend against sin’s condemnation: Jeremiah 20:9 But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

The Pharisees' words revealed the condition of their hearts. Likewise, our speech reveals what fills us. When Christ's grace fills our hearts, our words will increasingly reflect his truth, love, and compassion.

Jesus Teaches: What fills your heart will flow from your mouth.