"And now may the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen." For the last 11 years I have been saying that same exact prayer before beginning to preach.  It is a slightly amended version of Psalm 19:14.  I hope you do not mind the repetition because, like a pitcher who goes through the same wind-up before he lets go, I have a need to offer that prayer.  I guarantee you that I never say it by rote.  Quite the contrary, I am earnestly asking God to help me preach a sermon that is acceptable in his sight.

What is acceptable in God’s sight and what is acceptable in our sight are two different things.  This prayer is my way of making God responsible for what happens next.  I may not reach you with a given sermon, or I may fall flat in my own eyes, but I figure it must have been part of God’s plan because I prayed that prayer before I began.  So if you do not like this sermon, blame God.  It’s his fault.  Or if you do like this sermon, then go ahead and credit me.  Seriously, I must give credit to God for that because I am sorely aware of my own limitations as a preacher.

I know of one couple in this congregation that has had that prayer engraved on a plaque now prominently displayed in their home.  This couple understands that God hears every word that is spoken, whether spoken in a pulpit, pew or anywhere else.  They pray that their words are acceptable in God’s sight, and not unacceptable.  It would be interesting to know what percentage of the words we speak are acceptable in God’s sight, and how much of our talk is unacceptable.

I suspect that if we eliminated all the unacceptable talk from our mouths we would be speaking a whole lot less.  Less is often more when it comes to speaking.  When I first began preaching my mother used to say, "Why take 20 minutes to say what you can in 12?"  Or she would come through the receiving line and say, "You know that place where you paused and took a deep breath in the middle of your sermon?  You should have sat down right then and there."  I must admit that when I preach brief messages (like the one I am offering today) people tend to come through the line, pump my hand and tell me how much better I am getting at preaching.

In the Bible we read, Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue (Proverbs 17:28).  But how hard it is to hold our tongues.  Someone else put it a bit differently saying: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."  I suspect many celebrity handlers can appreciate that maxim, especially those working right now for Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson and Pat Robertson, to mention a few.

How many of our words are acceptable in God’s sight?  How many of the words we say here today, during our service and during our picnic, will be acceptable in God’s sight?  The title of our message is "Cussing in Church."  Certainly cuss words would not be acceptable in God’s sight, especially if spoken in church—including this place we have sanctified as a sanctuary of God’s presence for our worship service.  Most people are respectful when they are at church.  They refrain from using certain words that they might use elsewhere.  They are similarly respectful when speaking with a Minister.  If they let a colorful word slip they usually say something like, "Pardon my French Reverend," as if all pastors must have sensitive ears.

I have recently told you about my Dad’s side of the family—the Mennonite side where nary a cuss word was heard.  My mother’s side of the family, however, is another story.  That is the larger family I grew up around.  They were exceedingly colorful characters with a language to match.  My mother’s uncle, Jake, was the Sheriff of Franklin County--and a crook at the same time.  He actually ran for mayor of Columbus but lost to a fellow by the name of Jim Rhodes.

Jake and my grandpa and their other politically well-connected brothers spoke in quite colorful language, I assure you.  This was the language I was steeped in as I listened to them at the local barbershop and watched them play pinochle at the local pool hall.  I guarantee you that I do not have sensitive ears at all.  In fact, becoming a pastor did not remove the Old Adam in me completely, and occasionally he will make himself known in an off color slip when I stub my toe or bang my thumb with a hammer around the house (which is why I don’t want any church members living within earshot).

So why this sermon about cussing?  In the dictionary definition for cussing we read that the term is an alteration of the word "curse."  Originally, cussing was more than using vulgar words that were sexually explicit or references to certain bodily functions.  Cussing was cursing.  How can words become a curse to others?  If we lie about someone in derogatory ways, that could become a curse.  If we spread gossip about someone, that could become a curse.  If we reveal confidential information, that could become a curse.  If we verbally berate someone in abusive ways, that could become a curse.  There are lots of ways our words can curse someone.

Interestingly enough, there are folks who would not be caught dead using vulgar slang in church who have absolutely no compunction at all about gossiping in church.  In this sense they are verbally cursing someone else in church.  They are cussing in church.  Which kind of cussing do you suppose God abhors the most, colorful language or hurtful language?  Which kind of language do we abhor the most?  Would we rather be on the receiving end of language that offends our personal tastes or language that destroys our reputation?

You have heard it said that "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?"  Our text makes clear that quite the contrary is the case.  Consider that a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell (Verses 5-6).  Our words may seem small and insignificant, but they can do a world of harm when carelessly used in ungodly ways.

You will notice the terms our text associates with the tongue: a world of evil… set on fire by hell; a restless evil, full of deadly poison (Verses 6 & 8).  The devil vies with God for control of our tongues.  By ourselves, we are powerless against the demonic possession of our tongues.  As James writes, All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue (Verses 7-8).  But as Jesus said: "What is impossible with men is possible with God" (Luke 18:27), which is why I always say that prayer before I preach, asking God to make my words acceptable in his sight.

Otherwise it does not matter how fervently I praise God or how vocal I am about my devotion to him.  There is simply no way to love the creator and verbally abuse those he has created.  James writes: With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be (Verses 9-10).  That would be like somebody coming up to me and saying, "You know I really like you.  You are a really great guy.  But your son is a dirty, rotten so-and-so, and your daughter is a no-good blankety-blank."  That is no way to win my favor, and it is no way to win God’s favor.

That is why we should be very careful when talking about God’s other children.  God is listening.  Imagine how mortified we would be if we were gossiping about a person who was, unknowing to us, within earshot.  As one person put it, "Nothing makes a long story short like the arrival of the person you happen to be talking about."  We would be just as mortified if a father heard what we were saying about his beloved child.  He may not be listening, but God is always listening.

Before we presume to say something unkind, unflattering and especially unfounded about God’s other children, we should remember that their heavenly Father and ours is listening, and that we will be judged by what we have to say.  Indeed, what rolls off our tongues about others can reveal more about us than them.  You know how, when we go the doctor, he gets out a tongue depressor and asks us to stick out our tongues so he can diagnose our condition.  God can also tell a lot about our inner health and wholeness by examining our tongues.

Jesus said, …out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.  But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:34-37).