The Devil’s Tongue - Sermon Blog
We’re in week two of our Hot Ones series—and yes, it’s getting hotter. Not just outside (hello, Arkansas humidity), but in the topics we’re tackling. This summer, we’re turning up the heat—not for controversy's sake, but because we believe the church needs real conversations, rooted in God’s Word.
This week we are looking at a sin that is both widely accepted and deeply destructive—gossip. And I’m just going to say it up front: Gossip isn’t harmless. It’s sin.
It’s sin that poisons families, fractures friendships, kills community, and destroys churches. And yet… it’s one of the most tolerated sins in the modern church. We laugh it off. We call it “venting.” We wrap it in prayer requests. But at its root, gossip is speaking the devil’s native language.
Wait—The Devil's Language?
Yep. The Greek word “diabolos”—translated throughout Scripture as “slanderer”—is the same root for the word devil. That hit me hard.
When we gossip, we don’t just sound like the enemy — We partner with his strategy.
The devil doesn’t have to destroy a church from the outside if he can divide it from the inside. And gossip is his favorite weapon.
What Is Gossip?
Let’s define it: Gossip is casual or careless conversation about someone—especially when it’s not confirmed or necessary.
It may be true. That doesn’t make it yours to share.
Some of us are great at justifying our gossip:
“I’m just being honest.”
“I just needed to process this.”
“Can you pray for them? They’re going through this...”
But let’s call it what it is: It’s sin.
And it’s a sin that spreads.
The Bible’s Warning: Miriam’s Story
I want to take you to Numbers 12, where Miriam—Moses’ own sister—gossips about him behind his back.
She wasn’t just family. She was a leader. A worshipper. A prophetess. Someone who had seen God move firsthand. But even someone like Miriam fell into the trap of gossip. And God called her out.
Literally.
He summoned Moses, Miriam, and Aaron to the Tent of Meeting. And what started as a whisper behind Moses’ back became a moment of divine judgment in front of everyone. Miriam was struck with leprosy—a physical sign of what gossip does spiritually: It isolates. It decays. It divides.
But here's the good news: God also brought restoration.
She was cast out temporarily—but she was brought back. That’s the heart of God. Truth, then healing.
Why Gossip Is So Dangerous
It targets healthy relationships. Gossip usually comes from those closest to you.
It disguises itself as concern. But it’s often rooted in jealousy, pride, or resentment.
It breaks trust. Once words are released, you can’t unhear them.
It poisons the church’s witness. A divided church has no credibility in a divided world.
And here’s the hard truth I had to face:
Are my words bringing life or leaking death?
What Do We Do About It?
The Tent of Meeting in Numbers 12 wasn’t just a place of confrontation—it was an invitation to clarity and correction.
If you’ve been the gossiper—it’s time to repent and reconcile.
If you’ve been the bystander—speak up.
If you’ve been the victim—pursue healing and seek clarity.
The enemy wants us to fight battles in back rooms. But God brings everything into the light—not to shame us, but to restore us.
Let’s Be Different
The church cannot afford to be divided. Not now. Not ever.
We have to build a culture of honesty, accountability, and unity. We have to confront gossip when it shows up and protect the community God has trusted us with.
Let’s be a church that doesn’t echo hell’s language, but amplifies heaven’s heart.
Key Scriptures:
Numbers 12 – The story of Miriam’s gossip and judgment
2 Corinthians 12:20 – Paul’s warning about gossip in the church
Galatians 6:2 – “Bear one another’s burdens…”
Proverbs 16:28 – “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.”
Final Thought:
Gossip doesn’t just break trust.
It breaks people.
But truth spoken in love?
That builds them back.
Let’s build the church God dreamed of.
Let’s fight for unity.
Let’s guard our words and glorify Jesus with every conversation.
Want to keep the conversation going or need prayer? Join us in person at Discover Church every Sunday at 9:00am & 10:30am
