Empty Words
A.W. Tozer warns against the trend of empty words in Christianity, calling for a return to authentic and reality-based faith.
The preacher delves into the concept of falsehood, emphasizing that it describes intentional lies or deceptions, which are contrary to the truth. The sermon highlights how lies are the antithesis of God's unchanging truth and how speaking falsehoods aligns one with the deceitful nature of Satan. The importance of speaking truth, as members of one another, is underscored, reflecting the sanctity of truth in biblical teaching and the serious consequences of lying.
Text
We Christians owe it to ourselves and to the human race to be above all persons, candid, downright and completely transparent. We must have no truck with fancy, but see to it that our religious talk hugs the facts as tightly as a glove and that our words always have some reality corresponding to them.
Over the years I have been disturbed more than a little by the vague unreality of much that I hear among religious people. This is not a charge of insincerity. I have no doubt of the sincerity of most religious persons. It is the lack of reality that disturbs me. Indeed the gravity of the situation is increased by the very earnestness with which many persons are occupied with unreality.
Religion stands at the top as being among all fields of human interest the one most addicted to words. Nowhere else are there so many words and so few deeds to support them. There is something about a religious gathering, and particularly about a church building, that produces in the worshiper a state of pleasant languor and suspends his critical faculties for the duration of the service. The average Christian goes to church expecting to hear certain words and phrases and the average preacher knows what they are. It does not matter too much in what order they occur, and if they should be spoken with a considerable degree of enthusiasm, so much the better; only let them be familiar and harmless. Nothing more is required or expected.
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Vague Unreality
- The Disturbing Trend Among Religious People
- The Lack of Reality in Religious Talk
- The Consequences of Unreality in Religion
Key Quotes
“We must have no truck with fancy, but see to it that our religious talk hugs the facts as tightly as a glove and that our words always have some reality corresponding to them.” — A.W. Tozer
“Nowhere else are there so many words and so few deeds to support them.” — A.W. Tozer
“Nothing more is required or expected.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Christians should strive to speak words that are grounded in reality and backed by action.
- We must be willing to move beyond familiar phrases and explore the depths of our faith.
- Authentic faith is demonstrated not just by what we say, but by what we do.