Overview
To confess means to say the same thing God says. The Greek word behind confession, homologeo, is built from homos, meaning same, and logos, meaning spoken word, so to confess is to agree with God out loud. In this Your God-Given Identity Conference session, Patti Cullen sets Proverbs 18:21, death and life are in the power of the tongue, against the old rhyme about sticks and stones, then works through James 3 on the tongue no man can tame, Hebrews 3 and Romans 10 on confessing Jesus as Lord, and Psalm 103:5, where the Hebrew word translated mouth, Adi, means ornaments. God satisfies your mouth with good words so your confession agrees with His.
Transcript
Death and Life Are in the Power of the Tongue
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me. False, right? Perhaps you’re familiar with this children’s rhyme from the early 1800s, but let’s compare it with this proverb from King Solomon. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it, love talking, shall eat the fruit thereof, or bear the consequences of their words. Proverbs 18, 21. Now, ladies and gentlemen, one of these sayings is a lie. One is from the God of this world, Satan, and one is from the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who’s our Father.
Let’s turn to the book of James. This morning, we’re going to spend some time looking at the power of our words, what we say, what we confess with our mouths, and the huge impact our words have on our lives every single day, and on the lives of those around us as well, but we start with ourselves. Let’s take care of home first. Think about it. God Almighty placed all creation, indeed, all life, into existence and perfect harmony with words. That said, even just two syllables, da-da, are powerful enough to make a grown man cry when he hears them uttered by his baby for the very first time.
A Testimony: The Words That Saved Kyle’s Life
I want to share with you a testimony I came across while preparing for this teaching. One day when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must be a nerd. I had quite a weekend planned with parties and a football game with my friends, so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran into him, knocking all of his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying and I saw them land in the grass about 10 feet from him.
He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him, so I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, those guys are jerks. They really need to get lives. He looked up at me and said, hey, thanks. There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me.
So I asked him why I’d never seen him before. He said he had gone to a private school before now and had just moved to this school. We talked all the way home and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football Saturday with me and my friends and he said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him and my friends thought the same. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd.
He had to prepare a speech for graduation and I was so glad it wasn’t me having to get up there and speak. On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. I could see he was nervous about his speech. As he started, he cleared his throat and began. Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach, but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn’t have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked at me and gave me a little smile. Kyle went on. Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable. I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.
Never Underestimate the Power of Your Words: James 3
Not until that moment did I realize its depth. Here in James, let’s go to chapter three. Never underestimate the power of your words and deeds. With a few words, you can change a person’s life for better or for worse. What were the words he spoke to Kyle? Those guys are jerks. They need to get lives. That was truth and that Kyle needed to hear at that moment and then it grew from there. God puts us all in each other’s lives to impact one another for the better. In James three and verse one.
My brethren, be not many masters knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horse’s mouth that they may obey us and we turn about their whole body. Verse five. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasteth great things.
Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members that defileth the whole body and it setteth on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beast and of birds and of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed and hath been tamed to mankind, but the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. It’s one of my favorite lines in the whole Bible.
No Man Can Tame the Tongue, but God Can
These things ought not so to be. Verse eight says that no man can tame the tongue. So why try? Why did God give us a mouth and a tongue if we have no control over it? Seriously. The key is no man can tame the tongue, but God can. Man needs God’s Holy Spirit power and wisdom to tame his tongue. And God wants us to speak up for him. He wants us to talk. So there had to be an answer. Look at James, the same chapter, drop down to verse 13.
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is what? Confusion and every evil work. But, verse 17, but, but, the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
What Confess Means: Homologeo, to Say the Same Thing
Please turn to Hebrews. Back a book. Hebrews chapter three. God’s power and God’s wisdom are ours. Our topic here this morning is God-given identity confessions. So here in Hebrews, let’s explore the meaning of the word confess and confessions. It’s not going to a church and going behind a little curtain and, I couldn’t, I looked, I couldn’t find it in there. So I’ll tell you what it is. Hebrews three, verse one.
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. The word profession is just a synonym for confession. We, confession speaks more plainly to us. So he, we consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. He whom we confess. The word confess is from the Greek, is the Greek word homologeo.
And it’s from two words. It’s made up of two words. Homos, H-O-M-O-S, which means same. And logos, L-O-G-O-S, which we all know, means, which means spoken word or saying. So to confess is to speak or say the same thing together with another, to speak the same language, to say the same things, or simply to agree. The one with whom we agree is our father, God.
Jesus Christ Was Sent With a Message: The Apostle of Our Confession
His plan for us was spoken by God himself all the way back in Genesis 3:15. And I will put enmity between thee, the serpent, and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head. Thou shalt bruise his heel. I wanna read to you the living, the new living translation of Hebrews 3.1. So dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and who are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus, whom we declare to be God’s messenger and high priest. See, the word apostle literally means one sent by God with a message.
That’s why this translation translates the word apostle as messenger. Jesus Christ was sent with a message. God sent him with a message to deliver. And that message was that he is the one. He’s the promised seed. He’s the son of God. And he was the Messiah promised in Genesis. That was his message. The high priest in the Old Testament was the priest who made the sacrificial atonement once a year to cover the sins of Israel.
Hebrews 10: One Sacrifice for Sins Forever
Look at Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10, verse 10. By the which will, by God’s will, it’s talking about, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily, ministering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Who’s them that are sanctified? Anybody else? Yeah. We’re perfected forever. God anointed Jesus Christ with a mission.
He gave him a message to deliver. He also gave him a mission. And the mission was that he was the final high priest. He was to sacrifice himself once for sins forever. When the mission was accomplished, God raised him from the dead. Jesus Christ was sent by God with a message and anointed by God with a mission.
Romans 10: Confess With Thy Mouth the Lord Jesus
We agree, according to Hebrews, we agree with God and we confess the same. We confess his son, which takes us, as you know, Romans 10. Romans 10. This is where that word homologeo shows up again. To speak the same thing, to agree with God, to speak the same language. Romans 10, verse eight. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith, which we preach. Notice the word is in my mouth.
Hey, speak it. That if thou shalt confess, homologeo, agree, confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. And confession is made is that same word, homologeo. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. We confess Jesus as Lord, the apostle, the one sent by God, the promised seed. He’s our Lord. We believe God did not leave him in the grave, but raised him up forever seated at God’s right hand. This is not only how we began our eternal lives, this is how we live our eternal lives every single day.
Jesus Christ Knew Who He Was
We agree with our father and the works accomplished by his son. You see, Jesus Christ knew who he was. He understood his identity. His completed mission included living a perfect life, never once sinning with his mouth. He never misspoke. He never lost his temper. And it’s Christ in us, the hope of glory. He always delivered truth and blessing when he spoke. And I want you to go with me to an example in John chapter six, the gospel of John chapter six.
And let me set the context for you here of this record. It takes place the day after Jesus fed the 5,000. The next day, many of those who were fed followed him across the lake to Capernaum, not because they believed, but because Jesus had given them a free lunch. Look at verse 26, if you don’t believe me. Jesus answered them and said, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me not because you saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled. It’s just hard to comprehend, but that’s what he was dealing with. He then spoke great truths to them so they could hear and believe. This exchange between Jesus and the people culminates at the end of the chapter. Verse 63, this is Jesus speaking.
John 6: The Words That I Speak Unto You Are Spirit and Life
It is the spirit that quickeneth. The flesh profiteth nothing, not one thing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Jesus spoke life by the spirit. But there are some of you that believe not, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him.
And he said, therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me except it were given to him of my father. And look at the response, verse 66. From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. They went home, they packed their bags, they went back to their old lives. Then Jesus said to the 12, will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the son of the living God.
He confessed what God said and what Jesus Christ had taught him. He could boldly confess this truth because he had been taught and he considered it and he confessed it and believed it. Peter spoke the same thing. He agreed with God and his son. The Bible has much to say about our confessions, what we say on a daily basis. Sometimes just look up the words, tongue, lips, mouth. There’s so many verses, it’ll amaze and inspire you. I want to share with you one of my favorites from Psalm 103. Please turn to Psalm 103.
Psalm 103: Forget Not All His Benefits
We’re gonna start with verse one. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases. Oh, we heard about a lot of that last night, didn’t we? All thy diseases, all thine iniquities. Let’s look at the next one. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction. We heard about that last night too. Firsthand accounts of people confessing what God has done for them and believing that he did it through his son, Jesus Christ. Because here we are, right? Who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies. Here’s my mouth verse.
My Mouth Verse: Who Satisfies Thy Mouth With Good
I call this my mouth verse. Verse five. Who satisfies thy mouth with good. Thy youth is renewed like the eagles. I’ve loved this verse for a long time, but honestly, the word mouth in this verse has perplexed me. Because I assumed it meant that God gives us good food to eat. You know, like nutrition, you know? But he really already covered that with healing all of the diseases in this section. But more than that, it doesn’t fit with what Jesus taught in the Gospels. In Matthew 15, he taught his followers, not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth. This defiles a man. In other words, we are not what we eat. We are what we speak.
Also the word mouth here in different translations, it doesn’t say mouth at all. In some versions of the Bible, it’s translated as life. He satisfies my life with good. I’ve seen it. He satisfies my desire with good. He said, or I saw it as years. He satisfies my years with good. Some versions just simply leave it out, the Hebrew word that’s here for mouth. They just leave it out and they say, he satisfies you with good. Not translating it at all. So guess what? I looked it up. I thought, well, after all these years, let’s look up that word mouth.
The Hebrew Word Adi: Ornaments, Not the Physical Mouth
And it’s the Hebrew word Adi, A-D-I, which is not the normal word for the physical mouth. In fact, it only appears in 13 verses of the Old Testament. And it’s defined as ornaments, which is how it’s translated 11 of those 13 times. But two times it’s translated mouth. Here in verse five, and keep your finger here and go to Psalms 32. Psalms 32 is the other place it’s translated mouth.
And you’re gonna love this. Psalms 32, verse nine. Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth, Adi, must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto you. Lest they come near unto thee. Adi actually refers to accessories worn by both people and animals. For people, it would be jewelry, as an example.
Remember the woman who lost one of her 10 pieces of silver in the parable in Luke 15? She wore those on her head, in her hair over her forehead. That’s jewelry. That’s an example of these accessories. But for animals, it’s trappings, like a bit in a bridle. So we’ve come full circle here. Let’s go back to Psalm 103.
God Gives Us Good Words So We Have a Good Mouth
But we’ve come full circle with James three. Back to controlling the mouth. Psalms 103, five. Who satisfies thy mouth with good. Thy youth is renewed like the eagles. God gives us the good words by way of his written word and Holy Spirit within each of us. He gives us good words to speak, so we have a good mouth. He provides perfect words. So we’re not like the horse or the mule, which must be bridled to control their mouths and to get them to do what they’re supposed to do.
They must be confined. No freedom. He gives us words. He satisfies our mouth with good words, so we can have a good mouth, a beautiful mouth adorned with jewels that agrees with his beautiful mouth. Made me think of Jeremiah 15, 16. Thy words were found and I did eat them.
What Comes Out of My Mouth Keeps Me Young
And thy word was unto me, the joy and rejoicing of my heart. My bottom line for me, just my mouth first here. I say, Patti, what comes out of my mouth keeps me young. I have that decision to make. I’m gonna agree with God. I’m gonna confess God. And that’s my bottom line. What comes out of my mouth keeps me young. In closing, I have a question for you.
Words That Agree With Satan and Words That Agree With God
How happy do you wanna be? Just how happy do you want to be? First Peter 3.10, I’m gonna read the New Living Translation again. For the scriptures say, if you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, I do. I wanna be happy. I like being happy. It’s so much fun to be happy.
So let’s avoid using ugly words that agree with Satan. Such as, words such as afraid, bitter, give up, problem, tired, worn out, miserable, discouraged, depressed, and angry. Rather, let’s fill our vocabulary with the words that agree with God. Words such as fantastic, beautiful, amazing, marvelous, appreciate, thank you, wonderful, terrific, enthusiastic, awesome, great, huge, superb, hope, faith, and love. In Ephesians 4.15, again, the New Living Translation. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Let’s grow and be happy.
Key Takeaways
- Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue, so the childhood rhyme that words will never hurt you is a lie.
- James 3:8 says no man can tame the tongue, but God can. Man needs God’s Holy Spirit power and wisdom to tame his tongue, and God wants us to speak up for Him.
- The Greek word for confess, homologeo, comes from homos, same, and logos, spoken word. To confess is to speak the same thing together with another, and the one with whom we agree is our Father, God.
- Hebrews 3:1 calls Christ Jesus the apostle and high priest of our profession. Apostle means one sent by God with a message, and as high priest He offered one sacrifice for sins forever.
- In Psalm 103:5 the word translated mouth is the Hebrew Adi, which appears in only 13 verses and is rendered ornaments 11 of those times, so God satisfies our mouth with good words and gives us a mouth adorned with jewels.
- Rather than the words that agree with Satan, such as afraid, bitter, give up and discouraged, fill your vocabulary with the words that agree with God, such as hope, faith and love.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the word confess mean in the Bible?
It means to agree with God out loud. Patti Cullen traces confess to the Greek homologeo, built from homos, meaning same, and logos, meaning spoken word or saying. To confess is to speak or say the same thing together with another, to speak the same language, or simply to agree. Hebrews 3:1 uses profession as a synonym for confession, and Romans 10:9 uses the same word when it says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, thou shalt be saved.
If no man can tame the tongue, how can a Christian control what he says?
James 3:8 says the tongue is an unruly evil that no man can tame, which raises the question of why God gave us a mouth at all. The key is that no man can tame the tongue, but God can. Man needs God’s Holy Spirit power and wisdom to tame his tongue, and James 3:17 describes that wisdom from above as first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
What does Psalm 103:5 mean by who satisfies thy mouth with good?
The word translated mouth here is not the usual Hebrew word for the physical mouth. It is Adi, which appears in only 13 verses of the Old Testament and is translated ornaments 11 of those times. In Psalm 32:9 it describes the mouth of the horse or mule held in with bit and bridle. So God gives us good words by way of His written word and Holy Spirit, satisfying our mouth with good words and giving us a beautiful mouth adorned with jewels that agrees with His.
Scripture References
Proverbs 18:21; James 3:1-2; James 3:3; James 3:5-6; James 3:7-8; James 3:9-10; James 3:13; James 3:14-16; James 3:17-18; Hebrews 3:1; Genesis 3:15; Hebrews 10:10; Hebrews 10:11-13; Hebrews 10:14; Romans 10:8; Romans 10:9-10; Romans 10:11; Colossians 1:27; John 6:26; John 6:63; John 6:64-65; John 6:66; John 6:67; John 6:68-69; Psalm 103:1-5; Matthew 15:11; Psalm 32:9; Luke 15:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 1 Peter 3:10; Ephesians 4:15
This text was prepared from the teaching audio. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
