As a sin, gossip is a dangerous one.  Gossip is one of Satan’s best tools.  If you have a church that is genuinely on fire for God, how else could Satan effectively destroy the church from the inside out?  Like Satan himself, a gossip is subtle, sly, ambiguous and bent toward the destruction of another.  Gossip is often concealed behind the mask of “concern” for someone else.  Listening to gossip is far more palatable if you are sharing in someone’s concern for another.  A conversation may begin with one person saying, “I really hate to bring this up, but I am worried about…”  Perhaps the gossip will turn to a confidant saying, “I just don’t know who else I can talk to about this…”  If you are a gossip, you can always talk to the Lord about it.  After all, the Lord is the one who can ultimately fix the problem.  If you are prayed up, you could even consider going directly to the person you are concerned about!  Perhaps your concern will be the motivation they need to fix the problem (if there is one at all). 

Romans chapter one shows us some very dire consequences for certain actions.  Many people point to Romans 1 as one illustration of what the Lord thinks of the lifestyle sodomy (homosexuality).   Yes, the Lord does take a hard line against the lifestyle of sodomy, but, sodomy is not the only sin listed in Romans 1.  The Lord’s view on these sins is dire - the wrath of God is revealed.  It is never good to be the object of the wrath of God!

Rom 1:18-19 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (19) Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

This passage is “revealed” to those who “hold the truth in unrighteousness.”  In other words, this passage would seem to have an application for those who know the Word of God.  Perhaps this could apply to someone who regularly sits in a church and hears preaching from the Word of God.  Perhaps it is someone who knows enough about the Bible to put on a good show, but not really know what it means to be a Christian.  In any case, this passage is clear: The wrath of the Lord may be poured out against these people at any time.

Rom 1:28-31 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; (29) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, (30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, (31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

The Lord lists a number of things in this list, but we will only deal with one aspect: gossip.  You may think that gossip is not in this list, but it is! Just as the lifestyle of sodomy is an abomination, the Lord gives us another list of abominations:

Pr 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

In this passage in Proverbs, we see that it is an abomination to speak lies and sow discord among the brethren.  We can immediately see the gossip there.  But as we look at the list in Romans 1:28, the Lord lists covetousness, maliciousness, envy, deceit, malignity, whisperers and backbiters.   Do those sound familiar when you think of a gossip?  All of these are traits of a gossip!  Let’s look at them each individually and how they apply to the gossip.

The first in this list is covetousness.  The gossip would likely deny all of these traits if she were confronted about the sin of being a gossip, but she would certainly deny being covetous.  After all, if she is degrading someone in gossip, the trait she is degrading or making fun of is something she would not want, right?  Ah, that is one of the keys.  Often, the gossip will make fun or make degrading remarks about someone if they have something she wants.  A gossip might say, “Just look at that new Coach purse.  I would never carry something like that.”  When she says this, she is really jealous and trying to look as though she does not care.  She is coveting what the other person has and out of her pride, she is trying to make it look like she does not care.  Of course, envy, appearing a little later in the list, walks hand in hand with covetousness.  Jealousness is a dangerous emotion that must be removed from the heart of the believer.  This ties in directly with the list of abominations the Lord listed in Proverbs 6!  The Lord literally hates a proud look!

Another aspect of her pride in gossip is her desire to be popular.  She wants the attention of other people, other gossips, who are looking for the dirt!  In order to be popular she has to spread the dirt, or gossip, around, but she also has to accumulate the dirt.  In her slyness, she may come to people seeming concerned, asking, “Are you ok? Is everything alright?” seeking those nuggets to build upon.  In her false concern, she reveals her true colors.  If she is concerned about someone, wouldn’t it be best to pray about it? 

Malice and malignity are two more aspects of the gossip.  As the gossip is jealous of what another person has, the gossip’s envy turns to malice.  Malice is defined in Webster’s 1828 Dictionary as Extreme enmity of heart, or malevolence; a disposition to injure others without cause, from mere personal gratification or from a spirit of revenge; unprovoked malignity or spite.  Consider some of those: enmity of heart, a disposition to injure others without cause for mere personal gratification or spite.  Here is another aspect of the gossip’s heart that is revealed by Scripture.  A gossip has a desire to injure someone else’s testimony out of spite, for personal gratification or for no cause at all!  When compared to Proverbs 6, this is the “heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,” and the “feet that be swift in running to mischief.”  Again, it is a sin that the Lord absolutely hates!

The gossip is deceitful, in other words, the gossip is a liar.  Perhaps she will take a small nugget of truth and add to it or twist it in such a way that the truth could not be found with a search warrant.  Or, a gossip may make up the facts all together.  So, if the gossip is perfectly willing to lie in the form of gossip, she has proven she cannot be trusted in other things.  After all, she is deceitful, she is a liar! If the gossip is deceitful, and a liar, we see yet another abomination from Proverbs six – a lying tongue!

Is there anything that needs to be said in a whisper? Gossip flourishes on secrecy and rides on the wheels of a whisper.  A gossip is cowardly.  If she hears of a problem, she does not consider going to the source of a potential problem. Instead, the gossip will work in the shadows.  

Finally, from Romans 1, we see that the gossip is a backbiter, or one who slanders, falsely accuses or speaks ill of the absent.  The gossip does not have the courage to confront someone to their face.  The gossip can only speak of another behind their back.  True, the gossip is a coward, but the gossip is likely only afraid of the truth. 

Pr 26:20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

Where there is a talebearer, or gossip, there is strife.  We have already looked at the traits and some of the goals of the gossip.  Another goal of the gossip is strife.  Yes, the gossip is interested in building herself up, in making herself look better, but one of her methods for doing this is not by making herself better, but by making others look worse.  The strife she causes is destructive and when the gossip is silenced, the strife ceases. 

All of this is a sad commentary on the gossip.  But the fruits of the gossip may be even sadder.  The gossip causes several things to happen. 

1Ti 3:8-11 ¶ Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; (9) Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. (10) And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. (11) Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

First, we see that the ministry of a gossip is limited.  If the gossip is a man, then he would be disqualified from becoming a deacon.  If the gossip is a woman, her actions would disqualify her husband from becoming a deacon as well. 

Ps 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me

Next, we see that the gossip, with their sin or inequity, in their hearts will have their prayers blocked.  The Lord simply will not hear them!

Pr 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

The gossip will face troubles in their heart. 

Pr 6:12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. (13) He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; (14) Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. (15) Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

In fact, the gossip, the person who sows discord in the body of Christ, can expect sudden calamity or destruction.  This could be the most frightening aspect of all.  To think that a few idle words could bring the judgment hand of God in to someone’s life in the form of sudden destruction. 

Rom 1:28-31 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; (29) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, (30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, (31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (32) Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Perhaps the saddest part is that the gossip has pleasure in their sin even when they know the penalty of their sin! 

Mt 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Jesus gave us a firm warning: we will give an account for every idle word.  Will that be a time of pleasure for you or a time of pain?
 

As I was scanning through the guide looking for something to watch, I came across something called "Handel's Messiah Rocks."  I admit, I was curious, so, I watched a few minutes of it.  It was a complete and total perversion of Handel's Messiah.

In the few minutes I watched, I saw immodestly dressed women, and men who could easily have been confused for women dancing and jumping around a stage to the sounds of a combination of a full orchestra, overdrive electric guitars, drums and vocals singing the almost familiar words of "The Messiah."  I say almost familiar.  The words they were singing were not the actual words from "The Messiah."  The words they were singing were not based on the KJV. 

Clearly, these people were presenting themselves as Christians.  But, were they?  Of course,  I cannot say if they are actually Christians or not.  However, I can draw some observations from the Scriptures.

2Cor 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

In this passage, the Lord is asking the same question several times over.  How can light and darkness co-exist?  How can Christ and Belial agree?  What fellowship does God have with idolatry?  How can one who is saved stand with one who is an infidel?  They simply cannot.  As Christians, we are to be separate, distinctly different and set apart.  A part of salvation is repentance.  When we are saved, we repent, or turn from, our sinful nature.  So, when it comes to something like music, what does that mean?  It means that the music we listen to as Christians should be completely and distinctly different from the music we listened to when we were not saved.  Like every other aspect of our lives, the music we listen to is an indicator of where we are headed.  When you were saved, did you want to change the music you listened to?  Even a little? If not, perhaps you were not saved.  

Some people claim you can take Christian words and apply them to the worldly music.  For something to be Christian, it has to be completely Christian.  We cannot walk partly in the world and partly in the Lord!  

Lu 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Jesus was making the point that we cannot keep ourselves in the sins and cares of the world while claiming to follow Him.  Jesus plainly said that one who looked back was unfit for the Kingdom of God.  The worldly Christian music is just that.  It is someone who wants the benefits of being  a Christian while holding on to the vice of ungodly music.

If you are genuinely saved, the Lord has already nudged you about some things.  How did you respond to the nudge?  Was music something the Lord nudged you about?  If you are listening to Christian Rock, or other contemporary (so-called) Christian music, and you are saved, the Lord has nudged you.  

How can you tell what is good music and what is not? Here are several things to help guide you in the choice:

1. Music should encourage you to get closer to God?
2. Music should encourage you to worship in a pure way.  That is, the music should not cause you to move your body in a sensual or immodest way.  That is, the music should not cause you to draw attention to yourself. Your worship should always direct attention to God.
3. If the words were removed, the music should still be honoring to God. Often, the music of the so-called Christian rock (rap, country, etc.) is identical to it's worldly counterpart. In fact, if you removed the words, could not tell the difference between the two. 
4. The musicians should have a good testimony.  Their life, as it is now, should clearly reflect the change Christ has made in their lives through salvation.  Their testimony should be clear and their lives should prove their testimony. Often, the clearest illustration of the contemporary musician's lacking walk with God is illustrated in their attire.  

Are you willing to change your music? 

It is amazing how, as we grow and mature in Christ, we see things differently. Day by day, the Lord illuminates different things to us. He shows us how we should grow in His likeness.

Shortly after I was saved, I played the role of Santa at a company Christmas party. At first, I was quite excited about it, looking forward to in, in fact. But as the time drew near, I had an uneasy feeling in me which I did not understand. As the party went on, that uneasy feeling grew and I recognized it as the grieving of the Holy Spirit. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I did not understand why. However, at the conclusion of that night, I knew I would never dress as Santa again.

The years passed, and I really didn’t think about it again until we had children. Really, I didn’t think about it until our kids were old enough to talk and start to understand things. As I thought about the subject, I remembered dressing as Santa and my spirit being grieved. I started to look at why. Why would the Lord be upset with me over this? After all, it’s really all just in fun, right? Let’s just look at that. Is it really all in fun? Does that make it ok?

Suppose I told my kids, like so many parents do, that they need to be good for Santa, that Santa could see them when they sleep and know if they were being good or bad. The first question is wouldn’t that be a lie? Wouldn’t I be lying to my children?

Mat 19:18-19 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, (19) Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

What exactly does it mean to ‘bear false witness’? Isn’t that a lie? Are there degrees to lies? Is a lie ok as long as it is just in fun? Of course not. There were no conditions set on lying. A lie is a lie, pure and simple. So, what if you don’t have kids, but you promote Santa to others? Wouldn’t you be promoting the same lie in someone else’s kid’s minds?

But lying is just one aspect. Think about the attributes of Santa.

He can see you wherever you are and he knows if you have been bad or good: he is all knowing. Jehovah God is omniscient. No one else is. To claim that someone else can ‘know’ if you have been bad or good is a lie and it is assigning attributes of God to another.

To deliver presents as he does, Santa must be able to transcend time and space in ways no one else can, or he is not subject to time. God is timeless.

But, there is more! In my opinion, this is the worst part. A few years ago, someone gave us a Christmas card which typifies the concern. This was a card with the simple phrase ‘Merry Christmas’ inside and a Norman Rockwell style picture on the outside. The picture was the concern. It was a picture of a young child on his knees, beside his bed, praying. Over his head, in the clouds was an image of Santa making a list. Who was the child praying to?

Exo 20:3-5 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

Do you get this? God is proclaiming that He is a jealous God and that he will not hold him blameless who puts another god before him. Clearly, God is commanding us to put no other god before him, yet as a society, we are holding Santa up as an alternative god for children. The card was an image of a child praying to Santa Claus. I met a young boy a few years ago who did not even know who Jesus was, but he quickly told me that Christmas was about Santa Claus.

We know of one church where Santa was invited to the Christmas party.  At the party, Santa was introduced by the Pastor of the church saying, "Here is is.  The man you've all been waiting for.  The man of the hour... Santa Claus."  First, the man I am looking for and waiting for is the man Jesus Christ.  Really, though, it’s all harmless since it is all in fun, right? It’s all done with a smile and a wink, right?

Prov 10:10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.

Whether it is with a wink, or in fun, playing or promoting Santa Claus is still a clear violation of the commandments of the Word of God.  Santa Claus has become a god in the eyes of many people. 

What do you believe?

‘Tis the season.  Everywhere we look there are sales, trees, shoppers, parties and fat men in red suits.  Does your kid sit on the fat guy’s lap?  Yes, in most people’s mind, ‘tis the season for Santa Claus.  Every year, I say something about Santa Claus.  Usually, I illustrate some way that people are making a god out of Santa.  This year, I am only going to look at one simple thought.  The lie.

We know one family where the parents make it quite clear that the kids must “believe” if they are going to get any kind of gift.  Is Santa Claus real?  Of course not.  So, if you are telling your kids he is real, and they must believe in him, what are you doing?  You are lying to them.  I know, many people think it is harmless.  Is there a harmless lie?  Is there some time when it is okay to break one of the ten commandments?  No. 

Pr 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Did you notice in that passage that one of the things the Lord hates, that are an abomination, is a “lying tongue.”  That was not qualified.  God hates it when we lie.  Whether it is a little white lie or a giant whopper, a lie is a lie.  Telling your kids they must believe is a lie. 

Not only is it a lie to tell your kids they must believe in a man that does not exist, you are teaching them to lie.  The family I mentioned has a seventeen year old son who tells you he believes.  I have met the boy, he is fairly bright!  Does he really believe in Santa Claus?  No, but his parents have taught him that it is okay to lie about this.  So, since he has been taught that it is okay to lie about believing in Santa Claus, why should we believe him when he says he believes in Christ?

The worst aspect of this is the lie perpetuated in some churches.  When someone brings the lie of Santa Claus into their home, it is their decision.  However, there are pastors out there who do not have the backbone to stand up to their congregation and remove this blight from their church.  They allow Santa Claus in their churches.  Some even make Santa Claus the centerpiece of their Christmas celebrations. This is simply perverse.  I cannot imagine it being anymore than an abomination. 

Christmas is not about Santa Claus.  Those who make Santa their god and deceive little children into a false hope will stand before God with the blood of children on their hands.  I cannot imagine being a pastor who participates in this lie and standing before God.  Christmas is about the birth of Christ.   Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth and was born in the form of a man for one reason: to give us the gift of salvation.  Because Jesus was willing to come and die on the cross, and pay the debt for our sins, we do not have to face the penalty of death and hell.  We can accept the gift of salvation Jesus offers us. 

Do you teach your children to believe a lie?  More importantly, what do you believe?  Jesus is ready and willing to come into your heart and save you. Will you ask HIM in to your heart today?