So, in 1 Peter chapter 4, I'm going to actually just let me tell you I'm going to be preaching
about this morning is the title of the sermon, Being a Busy Body, Being a Busy Body. And
it says there in the context of 1 Peter chapter 4 is that we see that the world despises being
a busy body. Being a busy body is not something you want to be known as. And in fact, even
the world, when you look at 1 Peter 4, disdains this. This is something that even the world
would consider a reproach about being a busy body. Now, if you look here, Peter is speaking
about suffering at the hands of the world. He's saying in verse 16, yet if any man suffer
as a Christian, let him not be ashamed. So, who's the Christian suffering? Who's causing
the suffering in the Christian's life? It's the world. And to suffer as a Christian, of
course, is not a shameful thing. That's what this chapter is kind of explaining to us,
but it's actually a glory to God. What I want to point out is that, you know, Peter
warns about suffering for the wrong, though deserved, reason. You look there in chapter,
excuse me, verse 12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is
to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you. You know, we are as Christians going
to go through trials and it shouldn't surprise us. And he goes on and says, rejoice in as
much as you are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, he
may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy
are ye. And he goes on and says, for the Spirit of the glory of God resteth upon you, on their
part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. So again, he's talking about
the fact that we as Christians are going to suffer at the hands of the world, and it's
okay to suffer if you're being reproached for Christ's sake. But he goes on in verse
15 and says this, but let none of you suffer as a murderer. Now, it's interesting that
he lists these sins. Are you telling me a Christian can be a murderer? Yep. I'm telling
you even a saved person can go out and do wicked things. That's not the thrust of this
message but it's worth pointing out in this passage, isn't it? If you were to attain some
sinless perfection as a Christian or if when you got saved you're never going to ever do
certain sins again, then why in the world is Peter sitting here warning them not to
suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer? That's a heavy list, isn't it?
I mean, we're all guilty of some sins in our lives, but is every man a murderer? Is every
man a thief? Is every man an evildoer? I mean, just generally speaking, that guy's evil.
He's an evildoer. Then he goes on and says this, not to suffer as a busy body in other
men's matters. Now, it seems like, probably from our modern understanding of what a busy
body is, it seems like that list really drops off at the end there. You know, murderer,
thief, evildoer, man, a busy body. Don't do that either. But really what I think he's
saying here in this passage, in the context of this chapter, is the busy body in other
men's matters, probably talking about somebody who's more of a conspirator, somebody who's
working behind the scenes, causing contention and strife, working against people. But we
could also apply it even to just a more lesser form of being a busy body.
So being a busy body in other men's matters is mentioned alongside some very serious sins
here, isn't it? So we should definitely concern ourselves and figure out what does it mean
to be a busy body. I don't want to be included in that list. I don't think there's anyone
in here that wants to be known as a murderer or a thief or as an evildoer. But as much
as I wouldn't want to be any of those things, I wouldn't want to be a busy body either.
So what does it mean to be a busy body? What makes a person a busy body and how can we
avoid being a busy body? That's what I want to talk to you about this morning. We see,
first of all, that being a busy body means concerning yourselves with things that are
none of your business. That's one thing. Being a busy body means concerning yourselves with
things that are none of your business. That's what he says there. As a busy body in other
men's matters, not a busy body in his own matters. I mean, that would be appropriate.
You really couldn't call a person a busy body if they're dealing with things that pertain
to them, that they're involved in, that they have a part in. But it's when we start to
involve ourselves in other men's matters, that's when we become a busy body. Things
that are none of our business. And it's, you know, like I said, even the world looks down
on this. And that's what he's saying here. Look, don't bring reproach upon the name of
Christ by being a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or a busy body. So even being
a busy body, the world would say, man. And you know, we probably all work with guys like
that. We say, oh, that guy, you know, he just talks smack. You know, that guy just talks
smack behind his every back. Don't tell that guy anything. He's going to run his mouth.
We've all known people like that, even unsaved people in the world. And other unsaved people
in the world look at that person and say, well, I don't want anything to do that guy.
He's got a bad reputation as a busy body. In fact, we'll just real quickly go through
a definition here. It says a busy body is a nosy, meddling person who's very interested
in what other people say and do. If you're a busy body, you can't help offering advice
to friends, whether they want it or not. That's kind of what a busy body does. They see something
going on. They say, oh, let me just, let me just get in here and tell you what I think.
It's like, well, who asked you? Nobody. We're not interested. It doesn't concern you. The
outcome has no effect on your life. So don't worry about it. Whether they want it or not,
they're going to offer their advice. They're going to meddle. They're going to be nosy.
They're going to be busy bodies. Busy bodies are known for trying to help with situations
in which they are not necessarily welcome or needed. They want to get involved in situations
that the people involved would prefer them not to be involved with and that their help
and advice is not needed. You know, that you have some problem, you have some issue. It's
going to come to a resolution with or without this person, this busy body, this nosy person
who wants to just get in and give them their two cents. It goes on, it says a busy body,
do-gooder, meddler, or marplot. Okay, that's your word of the day right there, marplot,
and I couldn't even find a definition for that. I think it's pretty outdated, marplot.
Who's ever even heard of that? I didn't think so. I was like, what does that mean, a marplot?
Sounds like some kind of strange bug or something. A busy body, a do-gooder. Now,
it's interesting, that phrase. That's what you would say, oh, he's a do-gooder, right?
And we're going to come into that here in a minute. A busy body, a do-gooder,
a meddler is someone who meddles in the affairs of others, right? Somebody wants to get involved,
offer their two cents, interject themselves into situations that are none of their business.
An early study of the type was made by ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus. Theophrastus,
if I'm saying it right. I don't speak Greek and I reclaim it. Theophrastus, I don't know any,
you know, take this with a grain of salt and I don't know, consider the source or don't,
but he says in his typology, characters, so he, you know, wrote an essay or whatever called
characters and he went through all these different personality types or whatever.
And when he got to the, you know, the busy body, the do-gooder, the meddler,
the marplot, whatever that is, he said, in the proffered services of the busy body,
there was much of the affectation of kind heartedness and little efficient aid. So,
what's he saying there? He's saying in the proffered services, right? Now,
what's a proffered service? So, when you're offering up something, right? When you proffer
something, kind of like offer, you're putting it out there. In the proffered services of the
busy body, so this is what the busy body is going to put out there. This is what he's offering. This
is him putting his two cents. When he gets himself involved in somebody else's business,
when he gets himself into a situation that's none of his business, he proffers what? Much of
the affectation of kind heartedness. Now, affectation, that word means, you know,
he's doing it out of saying or writing or doing something in order to impress somebody.
Affectation. It's the affectation of kind heartedness. This is why he's called a do-gooder.
A lot of times, busy bodies, they get involved and they put themselves out there as they're
trying to do good, right? They're just trying to offer, just trying to help. But what they're
really trying to do is they're trying to impress people. What they're really trying to do is gain
some kind of notoriety or influence or popularity or whatever it might be. They're trying to get
ahead on somebody. But they do it through the affectation of kind heartedness. They come across
as very concerned, very worried. You know, just trying to help, just trying to get involved here
so I can offer my kind hearted, you know, services to you. But that's what a busy body does. And it
doesn't matter, even if they genuinely think that's what they're doing, they are a busy body.
Even if they genuinely think that they're being a help in some way, shape, or form, they are being
a busy body when they're getting involved in things that don't pertain to them. When they're
getting involved in other people's businesses, business. So busy bodies, you know, based on what
Theo Frastus said, can come across as concerned. They come across as just very concerned. I just
want to let you know, you know, I heard and I just thought I should tell you, hey, I noticed this
and I just want to come and bring this to your attention. Out of my own, you know, pious kind
hearted concern, they come across as concerned, right? But a lot of times, in reality, what
they're doing is conspiring. What they're really trying to do is to affect. They're trying to sow
discord. They're trying to separate friends. And you will see this here in Proverbs. We're going
to go through Proverbs quite a bit. In fact, turn over to Proverbs chapter 16. Busy bodies can come
across as concerned, but in reality, they are conspiring. And I was trying to think, who's an
example of this in Scripture? And I'm sure there's several that I haven't thought of. Maybe you could
think of one this morning. I wish you would have thought of it before I wrote the sermon, right?
But I'm sure this isn't the last time I'll ever preach on it. So if you got a good one, let me
know. But I thought, you know, Satan is a great example of this. Satan is a great example as kind
of a busybody. Say, Satan? A busybody? A do-gooder? Well, kind of. It kind of sounds like that when he
starts out, right? I mean, we all know the story in Genesis, right? We've all read at least that far,
Genesis 3. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God knoweth the day ye
eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened. Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Think about this. When Adam and Eve are in the garden, do you think they were struggling to not
eat of that tree? I don't think that they were. Because there was no sin in the world. I don't
think they were coveting after it. I think they were going about their life just saying, oh yeah,
that's a tree we don't eat of. We just leave that one alone. But then you have Satan come along as
this do-gooder. God knows the day ye eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened. Ye shall be as gods.
Don't you want to be a god? Don't you have some wisdom? Don't you want your eyes to be opened?
Come on! That's what he's doing here. But what's he really doing? He seems like he's coming out of
a place of concern, right? Well, what's so wrong with the tree? The tree's not that bad. Look at
it. It's good for food. It's pleasant to the eyes. It's going to open up your eyes. It's going to
enlighten you, give you wisdom. Go ahead. He comes across as very concerned as a do-gooder, right?
But what's he doing? He's meddling. And what he's really doing is conspiring. Because we all know
how the story turns out, and we'll see what he's really up to toward the end of the sermon. But I
thought that was a good example of somebody who seems to have come across with your best interest
in mind, but is really conspiring against you. That's what a busy body does. That's often the
motive for them concerning themselves with things that do not pertain to them. That's often the
motive for them to get involved in affairs that they are not a part of. And here's the thing. Being
a busy body takes effort. I don't think people just stumble into this. I mean, I'm sure that
happens, and there's an exception to every rule. But if a busy body is somebody who's conspiring
often, which is the case often, not always, I understand that, but often they are. And you have
to think about all this conspiring, knowing what to say, when to say it, how to say it. That all
takes effort. It takes effort to go around and get involved in everybody else's business.
Look at 1 Timothy. I should have had you go to 1 Timothy. You're in Providence. Just stay there.
We all know 1 Timothy 5, right? 1 Timothy 5, verse 9, it says,
Let not a widow be taken to the number under threescore years old, having the wife of one
man. You know, there's qualifications for being a widow. I mean, to be taken in by the church.
That's what it's talking about. In some instances, the church should take care of widows. But it also
gives a list of all these things. She has to be a certain age, threescore years old, having been the
wife of one man. You know, not a divorcee or whatever. Well reported of for good works, if she
had brought up children, if she had lodged strangers, if she had washed the saint's feet.
Right? Now, I don't think we have to take that one quite that literally today.
Fortunately, right? We can wash our own feet. We're not walking around barefoot all the time.
You know, maybe we should. I don't know, probably do some good for our back. But,
you know, what it's talking about is hospitality. You know, using hospitality.
If she had relieved the afflicted, diligently followed every good work.
Right? Then, okay, she's met all these qualifications. You know, take care of her
financially. That's what it's teaching here. But the younger widow refused, for when she had begun
to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry, having damnation. Now, it's not talking about
losing their salvation and saying they're going to be judged for having done that.
Because they have cast off their first faith. And look at this. This is what happens. And with all,
they learn to be idle. Wandering about from house to house. And not only idle,
but tattlers also and busybodies. Speaking things which they ought not. This is a great example of
a busybody in Scripture. Now, I know it's speaking specifically about young widows, but you don't
have to be a young widow to get involved in this. You don't have to be a woman. Men can do this
today. They can learn to be idle. They can start to wander about from house to house.
And not only idle, but they can also become tattlers, right? Telling on people. Telling
on people to other people. Did you know what so-and-so said about, did you see what so-and-so
did? What do you think about so-and-so's situation? Do you think this is sinful? Do you think what
they did is sinful? And they begin to tattle on people. And also, being a busybody involves
telling on other people. Talking about other people. Which are things, it says here,
speaking things which they ought not. We shouldn't be going around doing that.
That's what the Bible's saying. We should not go around getting involved in other people's
business, talking about other people's business. That made sense. There's a lot of people in that
sentence, right? We should go around talking about everybody else's business to other people.
Then he goes on, so he says here in this description, wandering about from house to house.
That takes effort, doesn't it? I mean, especially back then. You wanted to go talk to somebody,
you didn't just pick up the phone. You didn't message them on your smartphone.
You know, you actually had to go over to their house. You had to go meet them in the market.
You had to set a date, have an appointment, get together. Look them in the face and start,
you know, doing all this. This tattling. Being a busybody. It takes effort to go house to house.
Now, today it's made a lot easier, isn't it? Today we have phones. Today we have the internet.
And it's made quite a bit easier to wander about from house to house. Wander from this
YouTube page to this YouTube page. From this video to that video. This Facebook post to that
Facebook post. This Instagram story to that Instagram story. And doing what? A lot of times
you see people on there just tattling. Speaking things which they ought not.
Putting in their two cents in a situation that doesn't concern them. That's none of their
business, quite frankly. It makes it a lot easier today, but does not still require,
it still requires intention, doesn't it? No one just, oh, no one finds themselves,
you know, suddenly on their phone going, I'm being a busybody. How did this happen?
No one wakes up, just their thumbs moving. They sit down and say, I'm going to go here and
I'm going to message this person. I'm going to call this person. I'm going to text. I'm going
to comment. I'm going to get involved and make comments and put in my two cents. I'm going to
be a busybody. I'm going to be a tattler. I'm going to get involved in other men's matters.
I'm going to speak things which I ought not. And that's what made it a lot easier today,
thanks to phones and the internet and so on and so forth. And I'm not against those things.
I'm not trying to come across one of these guys that's just going to say, you know,
these things are all wicked evil. They're not, they're, they're, they're benign.
They can go either way. There's no inherent evil in the technology. It's the way people use it.
We understand that. What I'm trying to say here this morning is that being a busybody
takes effort. I mean, that's why it's called a busybody, right? Wandering about, Leviticus
chapter 19 says, thou shalt not go up and down as a tail bearer among thy people. A tail bearer,
a tail bearer, bringing tales. Let me just go over here and tell them this tale. Let me just
go over there and tell them what's going on with so-and-so. Let me go there and explain the so-and-so
situation to this person. Then they have nothing to do with that other person. They're just going
around, just telling, did you hear this? Did you hear that? Did you hear this? And he's saying,
in order to do that, you had to go up and down among thy people. That takes effort. And he's not
talking about an elevator, you know, up and down. He's talking about, you know, up from one end down
to the other in Israel. He shouldn't go up and down wandering about. So being a busybody, you
know, it takes effort. Why does it take effort? Because a lot of time busybodies, you know,
what they're really doing is they're conspiring. What they're really doing is trying to sow discord.
What they're really doing is trying to turn people against each other is what a busybody does.
So we see here also in Leviticus 19, he said, thou shalt not go up and down. He shall not put
in this effort to do what? To be a tailbearer among thy people, speaking things which you
ought not, being a tattler. So being a busybody not only does it require effort, but it also
involves gossip and tailbearing. That's what it involves. That's, you know, that's what it is.
What is the actual act of being a busybody? It's tailbearing. It's gossiping,
right? You know, and sometimes you're in Proverbs chapter 16. This gossiping, this tailbearing,
you know, this can take on different forms. How can I say this? Sometimes it manifests
in different ways. I'll just say this. Sometimes when people are tailbearing and gossiping,
they're openly being malicious towards somebody else. Not to that person.
To the person that they're gossiping and tailbearing to, they're being openly malicious.
I'm just going to tell you exactly what I think about so-and-so, and why this and why that,
and what's wrong with it. You should feel the same way I do.
Look there in Proverbs chapter 16 verse 28. A forward man,
which is not somebody you want to be, soweth strife. He sows strife.
Sometimes the gossiper, the tailbearer, he's just doing that. He's putting in all that effort
because he wants to sow strife. That's it. That's his goal. He's openly malicious.
It says, and a whisperer separateth chief friends. What he's saying is a person, you know,
the tailbearing, the gossip that can go on, sometimes a person can get involved between
two people that are the best of friends and just separate them. Through what? With their mouth.
Through talking smack. Through being openly malicious with their tailbearing. And of course,
I am speaking in generalities this morning, but anyone who's lived very long has probably
experienced this in some shape or form. You know, the people who talk smack, what is their goal?
It's to sow contention. Soweth strife among brethren. It's to separate chief friends.
The Bible says in Proverbs 17, go to Proverbs chapter 11. Proverbs chapter 11.
He that covereth a transgression seeketh love. He that covereth a transgression seeketh
love. You know, sometimes when somebody does you wrong, the best thing to do is just to cover it.
What does it mean? Just to put it away and forget it. Did you know you could do that?
Did you know you can just say, I forgive you, without them even saying I'm sorry?
You could just in your heart just say, you know what, I'm over it, and just move on with your
life. And what are you doing when you do that? You're seeking love. So you know what, this person
has offended me, this person has done me wrong, but I'm just going to put it aside. I'm going to
cover that transgression against me because I just want to love this person. I want to do what
the New Testament tells us to have fervent charity among yourselves, like we read this
morning in 1 Peter chapter 4. I'd rather just have fervent love. I'd rather just, you know,
have bowels of mercy. I'd rather just be compassionate and just forgive this transgression
and seek love, right? He that covereth the transgression seeketh love,
but he that, what, repeateth a matter. It doesn't say he's doing the same thing over.
You might be able to take it that way, but I believe what he's talking about is he that
repeateth a matter, meaning he's bringing it back up, he's telling somebody about it,
separateth very friends. Just like the guy who's going to go so strife, he's going to separate
chief friends. That's what he's trying to do. The guy who says, oh, this guy did me dirty,
I'm going to go tell other people about it. Oh, you're friends with so and so? Let me go
tell them what you did to me. See if we can separate chief friends.
You say, boy, does the Bible really talk about this? Yeah, it even talks about the
petty little squabbles that we get involved in in life. I mean, it addresses everything.
So sometimes the busybody, they put an effort to what? To be openly malicious,
to go ahead and say, you know what, I'm going to sow some discord. I'm going to go ahead and
separate chief friends. They're openly malicious. They talk smack. But a lot of times,
what I think we see more of in the scripture is somebody being more passive aggressive about it.
They're being the do-gooder. They're saying, oh, I'm coming to you out of concern.
I'm coming to you to try to be a help. And I just think you should know that this is what so and so
did or said or whatever. Now you're there in Proverbs chapter 11, look at verse 13.
A tale bearer revealeth secrets. They reveal secrets. Things that are not supposed to be
spread abroad. Things that are supposed to be kept in confidence. Things that are supposed to
be kept quiet. Did you know there's some things in life that should just be kept quiet? Some things
not everybody needs to know about. But he goes around the tale bearer and he reveals them.
He goes on and says, but he that is a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. He says, you know
what, this isn't anybody else's business. I'm going to keep it quiet. But the tale bearer,
he'll just go out and reveal secrets. Now, does that mean he's just ringing a bell in the street
corner? Read all about it. Come and get it. Hot off the press. I got all this sweet gossip.
I mean, yeah, sometimes that probably that type of thing goes on, but sometimes it takes the form
of just, you know, just letting something slip. Oh, did I say that? You know, just,
just a casual comment passing. Somebody's name comes up. Oh yeah, I remember when
you should have seen, oops, just one little comment. And then they just let that,
they let that sit there. And then they know that you're going to be thinking,
what did he mean by that? Is that really, and then what is he doing? He's starting this so
discord. Like we talked about earlier, sometimes it takes a form of pretending to speak from a
place of concern, right? A lot of times that's how this happens. Well, the only reason I'm bringing
this up is, you know, we need to pray for him. You know, so-and-so's really struggling with,
with this, that, and the other thing. I just wanted you to know so that you could pray for him.
That's not really what's going on there. It's a passive aggressive attack on that individual
in the form of tail bearing and gossip.
And you know what, another thing they often use is flattery. Go over to Proverbs chapter 20,
Proverbs chapter 20, because here's the thing. A lot of people, if they heard gossip,
if they heard tail bearing, they would hear, if they would recognize it right away and say, whoa,
I don't want anything to do with that. You know, keep that to yourself. That's not in my business.
So often what the tail bearer does before he reveals secrets, before he puts a bug in your
ear about whatever, is he uses flattery. Because flattery softens the blow. Flattery opens you up
to think, well, this person surely would never gossip. This person surely isn't tail bearing.
Surely they're not conspiring. They're just concerned. I mean, after all, they said some
nice things about me. They're very concerned people. Flattery softens the blow. Look at
Proverbs chapter 20 verse 19. He that goeth about as a, he that goeth about as a tail bearer
reveal the secrets. That's, you know, that's repeated for a reason. And it goes on and says,
therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. So how does he go about this tail
bearer? How does he spread his secrets? He flatters people. That's how he gets an ear.
He comes to a person and just starts to flatter them. And they're very, oftentimes it's very
subtle. I mean, I don't know how much preaching I've heard about this, about flattery and how
much time you read about it in the Bible. And then it happens to me. And I have to step back and go,
wait a minute, what's going on here? And look, I'm not saying every time somebody walks out and
gives you a compliment, they're flattering you. But the more you're around it, the more you've
been exposed to it, once you've gone through it a few times, you'll start to recognize it right
away. You'll start to say, this, this doesn't, this, here's, here's the, you know, the rule of
thumb. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. I mean, if they're telling you things about you
and you're like, cause you know you, right? And I'm going, uh, no, what's really going on here?
And you wait for it. They're going to start out with the flattery, tell you all these nice things
about you and whatever. And then they're going to bring up somebody else and it's not going to be so
flattering. That's how they soften the blow and they're doing it in a passive aggressive manner.
That's how being a busy body often manifests itself. Sometimes it's just blatantly right out
in the open. Just, they're just going to talk smack, but sometimes they want to slowly get your
ear and then slowly start to tell you things about other people. That's really none of our business.
And it takes quite a bit of effort to do all that, doesn't it?
And we can't understand it sometimes as normal people, as, as just good, decent people who are
just trying to, you know, live life and love the Lord. We can't, you know, we've, we've got enough
on our plate to sit here. We can't, who in the world is going to sit around with, who has the
time to sit around and think about what to say, when to say it, who to say it to, and have this
conspiracy against people. And why? What's the motive? It's very strange to us. I still,
to this day, don't understand it. All I can tell you is that it's evil. It coming from evil.
Because being a busy body always brings harm. Somebody always ends up getting hurt if you're
a busy body. Look at Proverbs chapter 18, Proverbs chapter 18. Say that that big of a deal. I mean,
I know we shouldn't do it, you know, but what's, what's a little casual talk about people here and
there over coffee or the internet or both. What is it really that bad? Look, being a busy body,
a tailbearer, somebody who reveals secrets and talks smack openly or passively, you know,
it brings harm. Somebody's getting hurt by that. Look at Proverbs 18 verse eight,
Proverbs 18 verse eight, the words of a tailbearer are as wounds. It doesn't say sometimes,
often, could be, might be. No, it says they are. They are as wounds.
They go down into the innermost part of the belly. You know, the words of a tailbearer as
wounds, the things that they say, they're meant to hurt. Not always the person that they're saying
it to. What they're really trying to hurt, who they're really trying to hurt is the person that
they're talking about. They're as wounds. They're coming to you to tell you something because they
want to hurt that other person. They want to get you on their side. So now that they can inflict
some more pain so that they have more power to do what they want. The words of a tailbearer are as
wounds. And not only that, not only do they inflict harm, but it says that they go down into the
innermost parts of the belly. You know, it's hard to unhear the words of a tailbearer. Everyone,
you know, well I know there's several husbands in the room so, you know, we know what it's like to
hear something and totally forget about it. Right? She comes to you, the wife says, says something
like, well why didn't you tell me earlier? I did. In fact, it was on this date at this time and you
said, oh yeah. Right? And it goes both ways. We know that works. But we've all done that some
way. Somebody comes and tells us something and we just, if we don't write it down it might as well
have never been said. But the Bible says that the words of a tailbearer go down to the innermost
parts of the belly. I mean, they're in there. They're not just going to go in one ear and out
the other. They're going to go down there. You're going to digest it. It's going to come back up,
you know, if it's bitter. It's something that you're going to stew on. It's something you're
going to think about. It's something that is going to occupy your mind is what it's saying here.
It's hard to unhear the words of a tailbearer. You say, well how does a person become a busybody?
How does a person get to the point where they're going about up and down amongst their people
revealing secrets, inflicting harm, you know, saying things that are going down to the innermost
parts of the belly. Well it comes from one thing, being idle. Being idle. Now I'm not saying that's
the only cause, but that is a major cause of being a busybody. Look, if you're an idle person
you're very likely to turn into a busybody in some way, shape, or form. Maybe not this evil,
conniving conspirator, but you know what? You might just start talking a little looser
than you should. You might just start saying things a little more casually than you probably
should. It comes from being idle. That's what it said in 1 Timothy 5. Go over to 2 Thessalonians
3. 2 Thessalonians 3. We'll keep something in Proverbs. I'm sorry, I should have had to keep
something there. But go over to 2 Thessalonians 3. Being a busybody, you know, comes from being
idle. That's what it said in 1 Timothy 5. And with all they learn to be idle. Wandering about.
What comes before the wandering about? And the tattling, and the tail bearing, and the busybody,
and the speaking things. What starts out? That list. Being idle. Having the time to do all this.
Because like I just explained, this all takes effort. This isn't something you just, you know,
casually do on the side. I mean, I guess it depends on to what degree you want to be a
tail bearer, but look, it starts out with idleness. You have to make time to do this.
That's what it says in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3.
Look at verse 11. For we hear that our son which walk among you disorderly, working not at all,
but are busybodies. You see the correlation there again? See how these things are related?
They're idle, wandering about from house to house, being busybodies. Working not at all,
being idle, and our busybodies. Look, these things go hand in hand.
Idleness is what makes a person a busybody. And look, if you struggle in this area,
and I'm not, you know, maybe you're not to the point where you're separating chief friends,
but if you find yourself just, you know, thinking about other people's business a little too much,
to the point where you even might bring it up in conversation a little too much,
maybe you just need to get busy. Maybe you need to make some goals in your life
and accomplish them. Maybe you need to get more concerned about your own business
and actually, you know, get some business going in your own life. Well, I don't have a lot going on.
Well, get something going on. And you probably won't care so much about what other people are
doing. You probably won't be so concerned with whatever so-and-so did, because you're too busy
with your own life, because you have one. Because I'm telling you, people go into being a busybody,
being a tail bearer, and they start to be idle, and they have too much time on their hands.
I mean, that's what we've been reading about this morning. Some which walk among you,
wandering about from house to house, going about as a tail bearer, going up and down
as a tail bearer. That all takes time. You have to have time on your hands to be a busybody.
I mean, the perfect example of this is daytime talk shows. No, the Maury Povich. Is that how
you say it? Maury Povich. Remember when Oprah wasn't so classy before she was just the open
witch that she became? Literally, you wouldn't believe she was a witch. Anyway, that's another
story. I remember as a kid back in the 80s, Oprah would come on. When you were on summer break from
school, and you'd turn on the TV to see if there were any cartoons, you'd have Oprah. Who was
Donahue? Who remembers Donahue? And you're just like, as a kid, you're like, oh, this is boring.
Where's Wile E. Coyote? And you had these adults just standing around. Who's the father?
Let's see if we can get some transvestite Nazi Eskimos up here. Let's get some of the KKK
Red Dragons and just get this weird thing going. See if we can get some chairs flying Geraldo.
You know what I'm talking about. What are those people doing? They're busybodies. They're tail
bearers. They're gossips. They just want to sit around and talk, just air their dirty laundry
in the world. And people are just at home eating it up. You say, who's watching this? Idle people.
And think about all the production costs that goes into that. The cameras, the stage, all the
overhead, the crew, the people running those cameras, editing the clips, the commercial breaks.
I mean, just everything that goes into it. The live studio audience. A lot goes into that gossip
program that people watch. And I'm sure they're still around. I'm not going to ask
anybody to tell me which ones are on now. I'm going back to Donahue, man. That's a throwback.
That is some old school, right? But they're still out there. I'm sure they're still out there.
They're out there. But the point being is that takes a lot of effort to do that. And who's
watching all this stuff? Idle people. And you know what? It's not just bored kids on summer vacation.
It's housewives. It's unemployed men just sitting around. Now, I know that there's a lot of other
things out there that people could watch. And they probably do. But there's a reason why those
programs are still on there. Because people like drama. People like it. And look, life is drama.
And you know what? Like it or don't like it, life is drama. I mean, you're going to have drama one
way or another. So you might as well just get used to that. And that's really another subject. But
you know, people watch that stuff because some people don't have enough drama in their life.
They want more. They want to eat up some more drama. Their old drama is not enough. Or maybe
it's just because they don't have any because they don't have a life. So they got to go get involved.
Well, I don't have any drama. Nothing's going on in my life. Nothing exciting. Keep me preoccupied.
I'm gonna go see what's going on. Let's go watch this paternity test. See how that turns out.
It's not your kid. You're not the father either.
Change the chat. Turn it off. Go start a business. Learn a language. Read a book. Do something.
You know, in my experience, the busybodies are typically, not always,
and I'm not just trying to pick on the ladies this morning, but typically it is,
you know, the lazy mothers, the lazy wives, or the unemployed, right? And look, if you're a wife
or a mother, you're going to do that job right, you're employed. You have a job.
But that's a lot of times people who take it in. And it always amazes me.
When you come across some, you know, wife, some mother of multiple children,
but they have all this time to go on Facebook and the internet and get involved in other people's
matters. It's amazing to me. Now, I'm not saying if you go on there and make a comment here and
there or you talk about, I mean, but it's when like there's just this vast conspiracy and you've
just got all of this evidence or whatever you want to call it. You just have been having
conversations for hours about stuff and people. You're a busybody. You know what that tells me?
You're idle and you're lazy. And I don't care how much of a front they want to put on. That idleness
is what leads to a person being a busybody. You see a busybody, mark it down, that person's idle.
That's what the scripture says. They're working out at all, but are busybodies. They're idle
before they learn to go about from house to house because being a busybody takes time and effort.
So busybodies need to get busy.
Say that sounds like an oxymoron. It's not though. Busybodies need to get busy in their own matters.
Stop being so busy about other men's matters and get busy about their own matters.
That's the solution that we see here, right? 1 Timothy 5, he says,
I will therefore, verse 14, that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house,
give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. You know, that's what he's saying.
Look, you better get busy. And look, if you're going to be a wife, if you're going to be a mother,
you're going to guide a house, you're going to be busy. You're going to have way too much going on.
Sit around and get involved in some online drama and be a busybody. Not saying that that's a
guarantee, but you've really narrowed down your ability to do that if you're going to be serious
about raising children. That's what the solution was in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3.
Look in there in verse 12. Now them that are such, now what's the such there? Those that are
disorderly, working out at all, but are busybodies. Them that are such,
we command and exhort by the Lord Jesus Christ. Those are some strong words, by the way,
command and exhort by the Lord Jesus Christ. This isn't just Paul's suggestion. This isn't just,
hey, you might consider, this is a good thing to think about. I don't know, you decide if it's
right for you. No, he's saying, look, we command, we exhort by the Lord Jesus Christ, he said,
that with quietness they work and eat their own bread, that they get to work.
You know what? I mean, you come home from a long, hard day of work,
and you've got a few hours before you're just going to slip into a coma for 8 to 10 hours.
Are you really going to spend that time? Well, let me go see what's going on over on so-and-so's
YouTube page. Let me go read the comments. Let me go read 138 comments or whatever,
and see who said what when, and then I'm going to have the perfect response.
No one who's that busy and that tired from putting in an honest day's work even wants to do that.
They'd rather just spend time, a few hours that they have with their family,
enjoy a nice meal, relax, do whatever they, maybe they have a hobby, go out in the garden
or something. I don't know. Whatever. But they're not going to be busybodies. They're going to be
too tired. They're going to be too unconcerned. They're going to be thinking about their own
business. That's how you avoid becoming a busybody, and that's how you fix being a
busybody if you're one already. It sounds like an oxymoron, but busybodies need to get busy
about their own business. That's the application, but here's another one. How to handle a busybody,
how to handle a tail bear, how to handle one who's going to come to you and reveal secrets,
because it's going to happen. It does happen. It'll happen again. Are you still in Proverbs?
Proverbs 26. Proverbs 26. People need to really think about this verse and let this sink in.
I know this verse has made a major impression on other people's lives.
I'm not going to tell you who it was because I don't want to be a busybody.
Proverbs 26. Look at verse 20. It says, Where no wood is, the fire goeth out.
Where no tail bear is, the strife ceaseth. As coal arb to burning coals and wood to fire,
so is a contentious man to kindle strife. Say, where is the strife coming from? What's the source?
What's the fuel for the fire? It's the contentious man. It's the one who sows strife by revealing
secrets. That's what it says there in 21. It's telling us the source of the fire, the fuel,
the strife is the contentious man. He's the one that's kindling it. Now, anyone who's ever had
a fireplace or started a fire knows you don't just hold a match on a log. You get the bick and just
go, any minute now. What do you do? You get kindling. You get the pine needles. You get a
little dried leaves. You get some smalls to it. And you just start a little fire. And then you
start to add bigger and bigger. Then you can just, you know, you can burn a whole forest down or
whatever. You can just have a fire going constantly feeding logs. But it says that the contentious man,
he kindles strife. He just comes along and just takes a little bit and goes, there you go. And
it goes down to the innermost part of the belly. And that's when it turns into a fire. He's saying,
that's the source of the flame. That's the source of this burning coals, this wood to the fire.
That's who he is. He's wood to the fire. But it says in verse 20, where no wood is, the fire
goeth out. Where no wood is, the fire goeth out. That makes sense, doesn't it? Take out the wood,
there's not going to be a fire. And it goes on and says, so where there is no tail bearer,
the strife ceaseth. Look, you want to get the strife out, get the tail bearer out.
And look, we've already talked about this morning about the damage that a tail bearer is going to
do. That's what they're there to do. Whether they realize it or not, they are going to wound people.
They will separate chief friends through their tail bearing. So you know what, the best thing
you can do with a person like that is get the wood out. Get them out of your life, cut them out,
take the wood out. You don't want anything to do with this. And I'm saying that because here's how
you handle a tail bear. Get mad. Get mad at the tail bear. I'm not saying you have to, you know,
physically assault the person or anything like that or get vindictive. You got to let them know,
I'm not having it. You could take that somewhere else, right? Proverbs chapter 25, go over there,
Proverbs chapter 25. And whenever I preach about this or this thing about the subject,
I always think about this instance I had with my dad. Two instances, once when I was real little,
just a little boy. Some kid, you know, we were out playing, he said some stupid comment about
my dad. Didn't even probably know who my dad was. Was just trying to hurt my feelings. Oh,
your dad's this or that, I don't remember who it was. So I, of course, got my feelings hurt because
I'm a little boy and my dad's, you know, my hero. So I run to my dad and said, so and so said this
about you. He just looked at me and was like, well, when he comes and tells it to my face,
I'll worry about it. I was like, huh? I let that sink in. Then years later, I was with my dad at
work. And he was a supervisor. And I was, you know, this was on an airport. He was doing ground
services. This is before 9-11, where you could just bring, you know, miners in on the tarmac.
We would clean airplanes. Yeah, great story about that. Remind me later. After lunch.
But I was there in the hangar, you know, and they, I don't know, they had gone and cleaned
the plane or whatever. And he was a supervisor. And all the guys came back and they immediately
go in this back room and they're kind of laughing and joking. And they know I, my dad kind of came
in later and I could tell he was mad. Like something must have gone on. I connected the
dots later. But I'm sure he was out there chewing people out or whatever. And so they go, hey, CJ,
that's what they called me growing up. And he said, CJ, go tell your dad somewhere. This is
down the island, some patois word or something. I don't know. And I'm just some dumb kid. I'm like,
oh, okay. So I go out there and say it to my dad. Said, hey, they said to tell you this.
And he knew what it meant. And he said, well, you know what? Tell him to come tell it to my face.
Same thing he told me when he was younger. And he said, you know what? I can't repeat what he said.
He's like, you go back there and tell them this and this for sending my own son to tell me that.
For being a tail, for sending you, what was he saying? For using you as some kind of a
tail bear to come and try to wound me or to cause, you know, hurt me in some way.
And I just remember him being very mad. And those guys would never come say that to his face
because they knew that he would just get mad. And I guess what I'm trying to say is this this
morning is that if somebody is going to come to you and talk smack about somebody or try to
reveal secrets to you or flatter you and conspire with you or try to get you to think bad about
other people, you know what you need to do? You need to get mad because that person is a
tail bear who's trying to sow strife. Are you in Proverbs 25? This is the verse. Think about this.
Verse 23, the north wind driveth away rain. The north wind driveth away rain. You know,
you have a rainy day, you know, I think we'll get rain down here, right? Well, where I'm from,
sometimes it'll rain for an entire day. Sometimes it'll rain for days on end.
I'm like, when is this rain going to go away? You want it to leave, right? That's what it's
talking about here. And it says it's the north wind. A strong gust comes and just blows it right
out. You're like, oh, these clouds are never going to break up. I'm never going to see the sun again.
It's just going to be rain, rain, rain, rain. And that rain is kind of like that tail bear,
right? Who's coming to just cloud up and just drip on you and just make you,
just saturate you with all their lies and everything, right? What you need is that strong
wind to come and blow them away. And it says the strong wind there, so does an angry countenance,
a backbiting tongue. You know what's going to make, you know what's going to make a tail
bear go away? It's not, it's not, oh yeah, I know. And you're thinking, I don't want to hear this.
This is tail bearing. This is backbiting. This is revealing secrets. This guy is,
I don't want anything to do with this. But if all you're just like, well, you know,
that's not, they're just going to go, oh, well, let me tell you some more. Let me tell you some
more. You know what's going to drive them away is when you get mad and say, hey, I'm not having that.
I'm not listening to your mouth. I don't care what you have to say. Get out of my face.
Nice. Get mad. This works, friend. I know for a fact this works. When somebody comes
and wants to just be a tail bear, if you get mad, if you have an, that's what it says there,
an angry countenance. I'm sure everybody in this room knows how to frown, right?
You know what it would be even worth, even if you didn't really feel it, to just make yourself
do that. Say, hey, I don't want to hear it. Just take your, take your tail bearing somewhere else.
That person will never come to you again and try to reveal secrets, ever. Because they're
like that rain that just got pushed out by the north wind. It should make you mad, first of all,
because a lying tongue, it says in chapter, Proverbs 26 verse 28, a lying tongue hateth those
that are afflicted by it. It hates the one that they're talking about. And a flattering mouth
worketh ruin. Don't come to me and flatter me. Don't come here and spread your hate and talk smack.
Get out of my face or whatever. You know, it's hard for me to get genuinely mad about it because
it's not going on right now, but I'm trying to express that to you. You know, you, how about
this? Get the person they're gossiping about involved immediately. That'll shut them up real
quick. Oh, they come and talk to you about somebody. Oh really? Let's get them on the phone.
Oh, hey, hey, come here. The so-and-so, you know, has something to say about you.
They'll never come to you again. They'll leave you alone for the rest of your life.
Anyone will be, it'll be no rain. It'll be sunshine and blue skies and birds chirping.
It'd be nice. You won't have to deal with this person coming to you and trying to
feed you this stuff. Nothing shuts up a gossip quicker by confronting them with their victim.
And let me just close by saying this today. Well, I'm still not convinced it's that big of a deal.
Listen, go over to Revelation chapter 12, okay? Revelation chapter 12. We'll close here. I'm done.
Being a busybody is satanic.
I'm not saying if you're a busybody, you know, you're painting pentagrams and chicken blood and
biting off, you know, chickens, you know, pigeon heads or something. You know, you're not painting
your nails black and hanging out in the graveyard at night listening to the Thrasher or whatever,
Slayer, I don't know, Metallico, and you pick the band.
But it is satanic in nature. Remember Satan in the beginning? The way he came to Eve.
Oh, you'll have your eyes. Oh, it's not so bad. God's holding out on you.
And it says in 1st Timothy 5 of those women that have learned to become idle and busybody,
Tatler's also wandering about from house to house speaking things they ought not.
It says that some are already turned aside after Satan.
Look, when you get involved in that, you're going in the way of Satan. It's satanic.
Look at Revelation chapter 12 verse 10. What's the real motive behind the tail bear?
Why should you get mad at the gossiper this morning?
Revelation chapter 12 verse 10. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
Now has come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God, verse 10,
and the power of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.
That's what it is. When you're going to somebody else and you're being gossiped,
what you're really doing is you're accusing other people to somebody else.
It's satanic. It's what Satan does. That's what I mean by satanic.
It's what the devil does. Now, he started out in Genesis 3. Oh, nice and concerned,
just being a do-gooder. But now you see his real motive,
just trying to get them in hot water so they can accuse them.
And you fix it by getting busy with your own business.
Look, we started out showing you that even the world despises a busybody.
Even the world doesn't like this type of a person. They understand that they're busy.
They understand the damage that they can cause, the discord, the strife that they can sow.
They don't want anything to do with them. They even got some Greek philosopher talking about
them way back in the day. They understand it. They get it. God's people need to get it too.
They need to understand the serious harm a talebearer can do and to not be one.
The world gets it. How much more so is the Lord displeased with it when it's directed
at a brother in Christ, when some other person is coming to you and trying to sow strife and discord
via gossip, tail-bearing, against another brother in Christ, the person you're supposed to love
and care about and look out for. So let's not be busybodies. And if we are,
you need to get busy doing something else. Get involved in your own business and you
won't be so concerned with the affairs of other men's matters. Let's go ahead and pray.