02/06/11 - Power of a Whisper PT1 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore begins a new series entitled "The Power of a Whisper" with part 1, "Gossip", in this Sunday service.

The Power of a Whisper PT1: Gossip

Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, February 6, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com


Sermon Notes:

1 Kings 19: 11-13 11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Psalm 36:1 “Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.”

Luke 12:2-3 “The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!”

Luke 12:2-3 (Message) “You can't keep your true self hidden forever; before long you'll be exposed. You can't hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can't whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day's coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.”

Gossip:  4 step discipline process for all other sin.  2 step process for gossip.  (Titus)
 
Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Your mouth can be your worst enemy, and the worst enemy of others.  Or it can be your strongest ally.  Does it edify, encourage, enlighten?

Those things you whisper, will be shouted from the rooftops…  (Megaphone—it will be shouted—you choose who does the shouting)  What are you whispering? Where do those whispers originate?  Prince of Peace or the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2)?


Types of gossip and the anecdote:

•   The tale-bearer.  If I don’t know it firsthand, I don’t know it.  If I know it, I will bring it to those involved with the goal of healing and restoration.  God’s goal, which should be ours, is salvaging the person, not pushing them under.

•   The listener.  (Proverbs 17:4)  My ears are not garbage cans.  I will not allow others to dump garbage in my ears. I will not thirst for garbage, I will thirst for Godliness.

•   The “prayer warrior”-they are not doing spiritual warfare on behalf of the Kingdom of Light—they are using the guise of prayer to spread rumors.  More prayer, less talk.

•   The self-appointed “guardian of the sheep” (Jesus compared them to hirelings who don’t care about the sheep, they care about themselves).  They bring down leaders, pointing out every flaw and mistake.  They are always on the lookout for opportunities to correct and find fault.  Be proactive—head them off at the pass—“I love ________, don’t you.  I am constantly praying for them because I know the enemy would like nothing better than taking them out.  I feel it our responsibility to guard them—like the scriptures say, “Do things that bring them joy, for they watch over my soul.”   Example of me and Sheryll serving our pastors—even when they blew it, love covers a multitude of wrongs.  No one knew it, we covered them.  If and when it came to the point where we could no longer do that, after being open with them about it, we left without running them down and kept our mouths shut.  (Differences in opinion about the way things are handled are different than moral failure.  Moral failure that puts others in danger must be exposed.)

•   The questioner.  Jezebel spirit.  “What did you think about…”  “Did you hear today’s message…”  Tone, body language, inflection, the question, all looking for, setting up a negative response.  Again, proactive or flat out confrontation.


The 2 most effective anecdotes for the gossip spirit:

1.   Innocence:  Colossians 3:12-13; James 3:17-18  protecting a child-like attitude and heart.  Thinking the best of others.  No one has to earn the right for you to think the best of them.  It is your gift to give.  It is called respect.  Respect is not earned, it is given, in fact it is owed. (James 3:9-10) Trust is earned.  I will give you respect.  I will think the best of you.  Instead of an upside-down scale that starts you at the bottom and makes you work your way to the top, I will have the attitude of Jesus:  He puts me at the top, calling me blameless and without reproach.  He thinks the best of me.

2.   Confrontation:  Proverbs 10:10 “People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace.” “We don’t do that here.”  Darkness has a trick of making you feel guilty if you expose it.  What if their marriage fails, they sink into despair, etc?  If I have handled the confrontation with grace, speaking the truth in love, with the goal of restoration for all involved, then the results will reveal the heart of the one being confronted.  The consequences are the consequences of sin, not the results of the sin being made known.  Live your life as if there are no secrets.


The Result of Making Sure you and your Church are a Safe Place…

James 5:16 “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Are we a place where that can happen?  Are we safe enough to hear it?  Are we ready to share it?  If you share it, it may be shared with others.  Are you ready for that kind of healing?