Sabbath Afternoon
WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!
(What connection do you think the following illustration has with the Bible texts in Wednesday’s section?)
Jordan’s a good Christian. He really loves the Lord and wants to follow Him. Jordan’s dad is a minister, but Jordan’s not really all that rebellious. He likes being involved in church youth activities, especially when he can sing solos in church and at other events. When he’s singing, Jordan really feels on fire for God.
Some of Jordan’s friends aren’t active, churchgoing Christians, but they’re cool with his Christianity, and they don’t hassle him. One day Jordan is in a store with some friends. One of the guys is looking for some new athletic shoes, and the others are just hanging out and talking. Jordan accidentally leans back on a display and knocks a whole bunch of shoe boxes to the floor. He lets loose with a bunch of loud curse words, because that’s the way he talks when he’s around his friends. Jordan scrambles to stack up the boxes as his friends laugh and insult him about how clumsy he is. He shoots some insults back at them—in some very choice language.
Just at that moment the saleswoman comes along to see why these guys are making so much noise. “Don’t worry about the boxes; it was an accident,” she says. “But please keep your voices down and watch your language in here.” She says it nicely, and they’re all basically good guys, so they say, “Sorry, ma’am,” and start to move toward the door. But then the saleswoman notices Jordan.
“Hey, I know you,” she says. “Your dad is the pastor at my sister’s church. We went there for that big youth rally last month, and you sang that beautiful song—”I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb.” I enjoyed that so much.”
The saleswoman holds Jordan’s eye for a long moment, and Jordan doesn’t know whether to say “Thank you” or sink through the floor. Swearing in public was one thing when nobody knew he was a Christian. But this woman has him tagged and labeled. He wishes he could hit the rewind button.
Sunday
HERE’S WHAT I THINK
- Your friends (like Jordan’s) like to use some pretty bad language. You try not to because you don’t think it is right for a Christian, although sometimes you slip up a bit. One day they’re all slinging insults and rude comments at one another, curse words flying left and right. One friend notices you’re keeping quiet. “Hey, hold it everyone,” he says. “We got the preacher here now. You guys should watch your language!”
- Do you say, “No, that’s cool; I don’t care if you guys swear around me”? Do you throw in a curse word of your own to show how cool you are? Or do you say, “Thanks, guys, I appreciate it if you watch your mouth when I’m around”? Or do you have another response? And what would your friends’ reply to any of these answers be?
- Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be upfront and honest. Say what you think.
Monday
WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO SAY?
Different people, different opinions. Some of the quotations below represent the views of true kingdom citizens; others may not. Can you tell the difference? How do these statements compare with what God is saying in His Word? After reviewing the texts in the God Says . . . section of the lesson, write a statement that captures your belief. Be prepared to quote yourself at Sabbath School.
- “When angry, count four; when very angry, swear.”—Mark Twain, 19th-century U.S. writer.
- “Liars are always most disposed to swear.”—Vittorio Alfieri, 18th-century Italian poet.
- “Jack was embarrassed—never hero more, / And as he knew not what to say, he swore.”—Lord Byron, 19th-century English poet.
- “When a gentleman is disposed to swear, it is not for any standers-by to curtail his oaths.”—William Shakespeare, 16th-century English playwright.
- “When it was reported to General Washington that the army was frequently indulging in swearing, he immediately sent out the following order: The general is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing—a vice little known heretofore in the American army—is growing into fashion. Let the men and officers reflect ‘that we cannot hope for the blessing of heaven on our army if we insult it by our impiety and folly.’”—George Washington (1732-1799), first president of the United States.
- “Nothing is greater, or more fearful sacrilege than to prostitute the great name of God to the petulancy of an idle tongue.”—Jeremy Taylor, 17th-century English clergyman.
Write your own quotation. What I say is . . .
Tuesday
SO WHAT?
- “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me” . . . Right? Or wrong? In fact, words are powerful. Anyone who’s been on the wrong side of a name-calling bully or had a so-called friend insult you to your face knows that. What about swear words? We all know they’re supposed to be bad, wrong, or dirty—but why? We live in a world where “everybody’s doing it,” and Jesus’ name is just as common as “Oh, wow!” Does it really matter what we say? You bet it does! But it’s not always easy for Christian teens to go against the flow and use clean language when the air around is full of curse words.
- It matters because we represent God’s kingdom in this world, and everything we say or do reflects on Him. Rather than being the casual word we use when we drop a book on our feet, the name of God is the banner we march under, the label we’re known by. That means that not just casual use of God’s name, but any language that is degrading, insulting, or offensive shouldn’t be heard on the lips of one of God’s kingdom agents.
Wednesday
GOD SAYS . . .
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
James 3:5-10 (NIV)
“The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what 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 body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. . . . With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”
1 Peter 3:9, 10 (NIV)
“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.’”
Colossians 4:6 (Message)
“Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”
Matthew 12:34-37 (Message)
“How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”
“How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”
Ecclesiastes 5:2 (NIV)
“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”
Psalm 19:14 (NIV)
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Thursday
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
- If you’ve made the commitment to be part of God’s kingdom, then God expects your speech to reflect that. Can you make a commitment to stop using God’s name in vain, and to stop using swear words that reflect values of a kingdom different from God’s?
It’s not always easy—especially when the air around you is full of swear words. Clearing the air may be your first step. If you’re exposed to friends who swear, if you listen to TV and music that’s full of swear words, it’s difficult not to start using those same words yourself. You may have to change some of your listening habits in order to change your speech habits.
Think about the words you hear in the media and what they really reflect. You love Jesus—why use His name only as a curse or an exclamation? What about “swearing lite” words such as gee (for Jesus), or gosh (for God)? They may seem too insignificant to bother with—most people don’t even consider them real swearing. But nothing is insignificant to an agent of God’s kingdom. Many swear words are used mainly to reflect anger, hatred, and insults. Clean up your act, and clean up your language. Fill your mind with God’s words, and let your words show that you’re His child.
Friday
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- Think about the way you talk. Is swearing a problem for you? If it is, and you’d like to change that, choose three words you want to stop saying (there may be more than three, but let’s start small!) and write them on the lines below. Then write a sentence prayer to God asking for His Spirit to stop you and remind you before you speak these words.
- Maybe you don’t swear. Good for you! Are there other things in your speech (unkind words, quick temper, gossip) that need to be changed? Or maybe you want to use your words in more positive ways (encouraging others, saying kind things). On the lines below, write a sentence or two asking God to help you make these changes.
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