On the Record

What do your words say about you?

What do your words say about you?

The Lord Jesus told us that our mouths speak what our heart is full of.

Our words are an accurate reflection of us. Words are the fruit that displays the root of our hearts. Words reveal us so well that God can judge us accurately in the final day by measuring our words.

Matthew 12:33–37
33 “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 the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Good and bad trees are meant to be a picture of humans as Jesus confronts the leaders of Israel. How do you recognize a tree? By the tree’s fruit! The fruit in this passage are the words of these rebellious leaders.

Jesus makes a powerful connection between the heart and the mouth. The mouth is fueled by and filled by the heart.

Your words accurately describe you.

We immediately feel the impulse to distance ourselves from what our words say about us. We tell ourselves and others “I didn't mean it.” or “I was having a rough day.” or “I’m not usually like this.”

These words must not be used to minimize how those ugly words revealed ugly desires in our heart.

Our words reveal us so well that the Lord Jesus tells us, “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Is Jesus preaching salvation by words? A words-righteousness? No. The words are not magical incantations of salvation or mysterious curses of unbreakable condemnation. Our words are accurate demonstrations of our hearts.

We can be judged by our words because they reveal us.

We must not downplay what our words say about us. We must not distance our words from “who we are.” Our words reveal our hearts. Our words reveal our need.

When a believer hears the wrong fruit in her heart, she should conclude “these things ought not be!” The repentant believer addresses the heart-revealing words of sin through the heart-revealing words of repentance! We are people with hearts made alive by the Spirit that also war with the remnants of the flesh.

When believers see their need, they run to their Savior! Listening to what our words say about us will drive us in repentance to the feet of Jesus Christ. Christ has powerful words for repentant sinners!

When we confess our sins–verbally agreeing with God about our sin and verbally agreeing with God about our Savior– we kill our sinful words with the life-giving words of the Gospel.

In an age where communication has become more accessible than ever, it has also become much easier to hear people’s hearts online.

What do your words say about you? What do your posts and chats and streams say about you?