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Weimar University

Don Mackintosh

The Gospel or Gossip

Well, tonight I have given myself quite an assignment, talking about gossip.

And I was thinking about gossip when I was out and about the last couple of weeks because I went back to my old academy.

So 40, this is embarrassing, 44 years ago, I think it was, I started academy.

And I'm Kind of surprised I finished it, but I did start.

And I went back and I saw a bunch of people that I had not seen literally in decades.

And remembered some of the conversations, saw the places where I went to science class and the different classrooms and I went to the gymnasium where I had never really played basketball before I went to academy and someone gave me some cleats and the cleats are for football but I didn't know that So I wore them into the gym for basketball.

And I still remember when I walked in, I just remember the clickety-clack and all the people looking at me and all those emotions came back.

And then I remember the people whispering with each other about the guy is as dumb as dirt, he wore cleats.

And you still remember it because it was kind of embarrassing, right?

And then I was thinking back earlier today about gossip, about how you say things and do things.

And I remember I was a little kid and I blamed the neighbor boy for breaking a tree in the backyard that was my mother's favorite tree and actually told his parents that he had done it.

And actually, everybody in the neighborhood.

And I learned a great lesson that, well, that was slander.

Can really make life complicated for you.

So, with that little introduction, I'm certainly not preaching this message tonight because I'm having you in mind, I'm having myself in mind.

And I think every now and then we need to be reminded about what gossip is and what slander is so we don't fall into the trap, maybe unwittingly, of getting sucked into that.

Father in heaven, bless us tonight As we open your word and we think about this important subject and we come in Christ's name.

You know there's no real definition in the scriptures that says, here's what gossip is and here's what slander is, but you can kind of tell from the context of the scriptures where this word is found.

So if you just look at the context, Look at these scriptures and see what you come up with.

Romans 129, they are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, they are gossips, slanderers.

Does that sound like a good group of characteristics to be in?

Envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, and then gossips and slander.

How many think that's kind of some bad company there?

There may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, and conceit.

So here you have again, you know, conceit, pride, arrogance in that list.

Then 1 Timothy 5.13, besides that, they learn to be idlers.

Not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies.

So let's look at some principles coming out of these passages and then it might help us define what gossip and slander is.

Secondly, it's something that's akin to murder.

That's what it said in the text there, right?

Third, That's something that's often deceitful.

Sometimes we deceive ourselves into thinking we're not gossiping.

Sometimes it even happens during like prayer services.

How many of you remember Dennis the Menace?

Actually this weekend I was at my academy reunion this last weekend and someone said, you reminded me in school of Dennis the Menace.

I was so thankful for that remembrance that they brought up.

Now listen good, I can only tell you this once because my dad told me not to repeat it.

Now if you don't get that, it's supposed to be a little bit humorous, but it makes the point that we sometimes deceive ourselves that we are not gossiping because we have some standard like Dennis did from his dad.

Number 4, gossip is closely related to slander in the Bible in all these passages.

What's the difference between slander and gossip?

I asked someone this week that question, and they didn't really know.

But there is a decided difference between slander and gossip.

The difference is that gossip can be true.

That doesn't mean it's right to share it, but it can be something true.

But slander is actually spreading of false information.

So slander is you actually are saying something you know is a lie, and you're doing that on purpose.

Gossip is not just something that a person does.

In those texts we learned, it's something someone becomes.

So sometimes people just love to talk about other people.

And they become known, actually, as gossips.

Being a gossip is something that is a learned behavior.

If you hear your parents gossiping, you probably will gossip.

If you hear your teachers gossiping, you probably will gossip as well.

It is the sign number 7 that people are not busy enough with the right kind of things.

They're not consumed with the Father's business.

So they start going about and concerning themselves in the business of others.

So they're going all over the place, talking about stuff.

Not talking about God, they're talking about other people.

They make visits, they make house calls, and they're all over the place.

Number 8, those who engage in it often are conceited.

They have a high opinion of themselves, and the Greek word for that is fousiosis.

They might start with a great overview of how great they are and then they'll talk about how bad the others are.

Gossip in the Hebrew language means a betrayal of confidence or revealing of things that should be kept secret.

Again, they might be true, but they are confidences that are revealed.

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The Gospel or Gossip

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