1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:05,200 Well, good morning everyone, please open your Bible at Proverbs and chapter 15 that has been 2 00:00:05,200 –> 00:00:12,320 read to us. We’re continuing our series, The Way of Wisdom. And of course Christ is our wisdom, 3 00:00:12,320 –> 00:00:20,559 and so the way of wisdom is by definition always the way of Christ. So this series 4 00:00:20,559 –> 00:00:25,200 is really about what it looks like to be a disciple, or a follower of Jesus, 5 00:00:25,200 –> 00:00:31,360 to follow the way of wisdom is to follow the way of Christ. And we’ve looked at what this 6 00:00:31,360 –> 00:00:37,680 way is like, particularly in regards to friends and in regards to family, and today we’re going 7 00:00:37,680 –> 00:00:43,520 to look at the very important subject of what it is like to walk in wisdom, to follow Christ 8 00:00:43,520 –> 00:00:52,000 in regards to our words. The book of Proverbs has more to say about our words, about the tongue, 9 00:00:52,000 –> 00:00:59,279 about our speech, than any other subject. And so there is much before us today. The outline 10 00:00:59,279 –> 00:01:04,800 for the message is very simple. It’s going to be the why, the what, and the how. Why your words 11 00:01:04,800 –> 00:01:14,480 matter. What our words should reflect. And how our words can be blessed. So let’s begin here then. 12 00:01:14,480 –> 00:01:26,559 Why do our words matter? And your words matter because of the effect that they have on others. 13 00:01:27,680 –> 00:01:35,360 Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. 14 00:01:35,760 –> 00:01:44,239 In other words what we say, the tongue, will be the means by which we bring the greatest help or 15 00:01:44,239 –> 00:01:52,480 the greatest harm to other people. Life or death is in the power of the tongue. Notice first the 16 00:01:52,480 –> 00:02:00,720 references to death in the power of the tongue. In other words your tongue is like a weapon 17 00:02:01,599 –> 00:02:10,399 that can wound another person deeply. Now if you carried around a weapon that you knew 18 00:02:10,960 –> 00:02:17,839 could wound another person deeply, you would carry that weapon with great caution and with 19 00:02:17,839 –> 00:02:24,720 great care. Well remember you do carry such a weapon with you every day and your tongue 20 00:02:24,720 –> 00:02:32,399 is a weapon that can bring deadly wounds. In fact Proverbs chapter 12 in verse 18 says 21 00:02:32,399 –> 00:02:39,839 rash words are like sword thrusts. So again notice the analogy of the weapon that can kill. 22 00:02:40,639 –> 00:02:45,600 Rash words. We talk about cutting remarks and perhaps this is where it comes from that the 23 00:02:45,600 –> 00:02:51,360 book of Proverbs says the word that’s just blurted out it’s like the thrust of a sword 24 00:02:51,440 –> 00:02:55,679 and it can bring deep wounds. Some of you know about this in your life someone 25 00:02:55,679 –> 00:02:59,759 who has said something that is deeply wounded you and it stays with you. 26 00:03:01,440 –> 00:03:10,399 You’ll never amount to anything something of this sort. Death is in the power of the tongue 27 00:03:10,399 –> 00:03:16,720 and our Lord Jesus speaks about this with great clarity in the Sermon on the Mount. 28 00:03:16,720 –> 00:03:23,279 You remember when our Lord Jesus quoted the sixth commandment which is do not murder 29 00:03:24,639 –> 00:03:28,399 and perhaps of all the commandments that’s the one that makes us think well at least I’m not 30 00:03:28,399 –> 00:03:36,160 close to that but Jesus made very clear that the sixth commandment you shall not murder includes 31 00:03:36,800 –> 00:03:43,119 death by words. He said you have heard that it was said of old you shall not murder 32 00:03:43,119 –> 00:03:52,960 and whoever murders will be liable to judgment but I say to you that whoever is angry with 33 00:03:52,960 –> 00:04:03,360 his brother will be liable to judgment and whoever says you fool the original word that Jesus spoke 34 00:04:03,360 –> 00:04:12,399 was raka it was a term of belittling of insult demeaning contempt and abuse it meant you’re 35 00:04:12,399 –> 00:04:23,200 useless whoever speaks to another person like that Jesus says we’ll be in danger of the fires of hell 36 00:04:25,119 –> 00:04:28,000 now that would certainly have got the attention of the crowd 37 00:04:28,880 –> 00:04:32,720 the vast majority of the crowd listening to Jesus on the slopes and the sermon on 38 00:04:32,720 –> 00:04:37,279 the mount oh well at least when it comes to the murder commandment we’re no place close to that 39 00:04:37,279 –> 00:04:41,119 and when Jesus explains what it really means that it includes death by words 40 00:04:43,200 –> 00:04:47,279 well we’re all recognizing that it comes much closer to home than we may have thought 41 00:04:48,880 –> 00:04:55,839 abusive speech is an offense for which a person is accountable to God 42 00:04:57,440 –> 00:05:04,640 it is a violation of the sixth commandment that would put a person Jesus says in danger of the 43 00:05:04,640 –> 00:05:18,239 very fires of hell death is in the power of the tongue and then Proverbs tells us that life 44 00:05:19,279 –> 00:05:27,279 is also in the power of the tongue and again Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 18 says that well 45 00:05:27,279 –> 00:05:33,679 rash words are like sword thrusts the tongue of the wise brings healing 46 00:05:35,040 –> 00:05:38,640 there is the extraordinary thing about our words about the tongue that it can 47 00:05:38,640 –> 00:05:46,480 not only do great harm it can also do great good larry crab a name as some of you may 48 00:05:46,480 –> 00:05:51,519 know has written a number of books related to counseling and he has a very helpful book 49 00:05:51,519 –> 00:05:57,200 on the subject of encouragement and he tells in that book of how as a young 50 00:05:58,079 –> 00:06:07,279 he developed what he calls a thoroughly annoying and humiliating problem of stuttering he says 51 00:06:07,279 –> 00:06:15,119 that he had particular difficulties with the letters l and p and since his name was larry 52 00:06:15,119 –> 00:06:22,000 and he went to the Plymouth School in Pennsylvania he had a real problem when he was a teenager 53 00:06:22,720 –> 00:06:29,359 and he describes how in the church that he grew up in on sunday mornings it was their 54 00:06:29,359 –> 00:06:36,320 normal custom to have a time of open prayer when anyone could speak out and lead and participate 55 00:06:37,359 –> 00:06:42,239 and there was a certain pressure that as a person grew into their teens that they should be able to 56 00:06:42,239 –> 00:06:51,040 do this and one sunday morning larry got his courage together and led public prayer for 57 00:06:51,040 –> 00:06:59,040 the very first time as a teenager and i’ll quote you what he says here he says filled less with 58 00:06:59,040 –> 00:07:07,839 worship than with nervousness i found my theology becoming confused to the point of heresy i 59 00:07:07,839 –> 00:07:14,320 remember thanking the father for hanging on the cross and praising christ for triumphantly 60 00:07:14,320 –> 00:07:23,519 bringing the spirit from the grave stuttering throughout i finally thought of the word amen 61 00:07:23,519 –> 00:07:31,440 and said it and sat down i recall staring at the floor too embarrassed to look around 62 00:07:32,239 –> 00:07:39,839 and solemnly vowing never again to pray or speak aloud in front of a group 63 00:07:40,799 –> 00:07:46,640 he then describes how at the end of the service he decided to make a dart for the door and 64 00:07:46,640 –> 00:07:52,480 escape as quickly as he could but he didn’t get to the door fast enough there was an older 65 00:07:52,480 –> 00:08:00,399 christian a man by the name of jim dumbar who caught up with him put his arm around his shoulder 66 00:08:01,519 –> 00:08:08,079 and then cleared his throat ready to speak larry says i thought oh here we go i’m just 67 00:08:08,079 –> 00:08:11,679 gonna have to endure this and then i’ll get out of the car and i’m out of here 68 00:08:13,119 –> 00:08:20,079 what jim dumbar said to him was this larry there’s one thing that i want you to know 69 00:08:21,839 –> 00:08:27,519 whatever you decide to do for jesus i’m with you one thousand percent 70 00:08:28,959 –> 00:08:32,159 and that was all he said and then he walked away 71 00:08:32,400 –> 00:08:33,200 sure 72 00:08:34,320 –> 00:08:39,280 writing years later as a mature adult larry crabs says even as i write these 73 00:08:39,280 –> 00:08:44,960 words my eyes fill with tears those words were life words they had power 74 00:08:46,000 –> 00:08:53,039 they reached deep into my being and my resolve never again to speak in public weakened instantly 75 00:08:55,919 –> 00:08:59,440 your words matter they can wound 76 00:08:59,440 –> 00:09:07,359 or they can heal they can harm or they can help 77 00:09:10,080 –> 00:09:18,239 second our words matter not only because of their effect on other people but also because of the 78 00:09:18,239 –> 00:09:26,559 very profound effect that your words will have on yourself back to proverbs chapter 18 and verse 21 79 00:09:26,559 –> 00:09:32,320 and now the second half of the verse having told us that death and life are in the power 80 00:09:32,320 –> 00:09:38,000 of the tongue solomon tells us that those who love it will eat its fruits 81 00:09:41,119 –> 00:09:48,479 in other words what you say will certainly have an effect for good or for ill in the lives of 82 00:09:48,479 –> 00:09:53,200 other people but in the same way as it has an effect for good and ill in the lives of other 83 00:09:53,200 –> 00:09:58,799 people the words you speak will have an effect of for good or for ill in your own soul as well 84 00:10:01,119 –> 00:10:05,520 what you say comes out of you but in a very profound sense what you say goes 85 00:10:05,520 –> 00:10:12,080 into you as well in fact one of the proverbs proverbs 18 and verse 20 speaks about our words 86 00:10:12,080 –> 00:10:21,919 going down to our own stomach cursing raging oh yes it’ll have an effect on someone else 87 00:10:21,919 –> 00:10:27,039 but it’ll go deep down into your own soul it’ll go down into your own stomach to quote Proverbs 88 00:10:28,400 –> 00:10:30,000 it’ll make your soul sick 89 00:10:31,919 –> 00:10:37,119 you will in a very profound sense eat your own words we use that phrase and what Proverbs is 90 00:10:37,119 –> 00:10:41,599 saying is we always eat our own words they not only go into the ear of another person 91 00:10:41,599 –> 00:10:44,640 they go into the soul of the person who speaks 92 00:10:44,640 –> 00:10:52,960 what will bring help and blessing to others as you speak it will bring help and blessing to 93 00:10:52,960 –> 00:11:02,400 you the person who blesses others is blessed the one who curses others brings that back 94 00:11:02,400 –> 00:11:11,119 upon themselves remember Jesus says with the measure you use and he’s speaking particularly 95 00:11:11,119 –> 00:11:17,359 about our words here in the sermon on the mount with the measure that you use it will be measure 96 00:11:17,359 –> 00:11:27,280 to you so speaking destruction into the lives of others will bring destruction to you and speaking 97 00:11:27,280 –> 00:11:37,760 life into the lives of others will be life giving to you that by the way as we were praying this 98 00:11:37,760 –> 00:11:46,719 morning about being forgiven as we forgive others this is just another reason why it is not only 99 00:11:46,719 –> 00:11:55,359 right to forgive others but why it is wise to forgive others because to hold a grudge 100 00:11:56,799 –> 00:12:02,960 is simply to harm yourself it goes deep down into your own soul down into your stomach 101 00:12:03,840 –> 00:12:10,960 Third we’re looking at why words matter and perhaps this is why there 102 00:12:10,960 –> 00:12:15,039 are more Proverbs on the subject than any other it is so important 103 00:12:16,719 –> 00:12:21,440 because of the degree to which they can help or harm other people the degree to 104 00:12:21,440 –> 00:12:26,239 which they have an effect in your own soul and thirdly and very obviously the effect 105 00:12:26,239 –> 00:12:32,239 that your words have before almighty God listen to these words of Jesus from Matthew in chapter 12 106 00:12:32,239 –> 00:12:41,679 I tell you on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak 107 00:12:44,159 –> 00:12:50,640 that’s the word of Jesus so let’s settle this in our minds friends that God will 108 00:12:50,640 –> 00:12:56,239 hold us accountable not only for what we do but also for what we say 109 00:12:56,400 –> 00:13:02,960 and that means that freedom of speech which is a wonderful blessing 110 00:13:04,880 –> 00:13:14,719 is also an awesome responsibility because our Lord says people will give an account for every 111 00:13:14,880 –> 00:13:28,320 careless word they speak and God knows every word that every one of us ever speaks. 112 00:13:31,599 –> 00:13:38,159 From time to time I have the opportunity of doing an interview on the radio 113 00:13:38,159 –> 00:13:44,400 and the normal format for these things is that the radio station calls and you pick up the phone 114 00:13:44,960 –> 00:13:50,799 and you have a few words with the program host, usually while some music is playing on that 115 00:13:50,799 –> 00:13:56,719 particular station and then the host will say at some point, well we’ve got about 30 seconds to go 116 00:13:56,719 –> 00:14:03,359 and then we’ll be live on the air. Well on one occasion a few years ago that I will never forget, 117 00:14:03,359 –> 00:14:09,520 I picked up the phone and the voice said, hi this is Jim or whatever his name was from such and such 118 00:14:09,520 –> 00:14:14,080 a radio station, how are you? Oh fine I said, you know it’s been a busy weekend, 119 00:14:14,080 –> 00:14:18,559 I’ve been looking forward to speaking with you today and what are we going to talk about today? 120 00:14:18,559 –> 00:14:22,479 And he said what he wanted to speak about and I said, oh yeah that’s fine and 121 00:14:22,479 –> 00:14:26,000 I think what I’d really like to get across is, you know, this and that and 122 00:14:26,640 –> 00:14:35,919 the other and he kept going talking and I began to wonder as two, three, four, five, six minutes 123 00:14:36,159 –> 00:14:40,880 passed, when is this interview actually going to begin? 124 00:14:43,200 –> 00:14:47,280 And then I had an awful growing feeling in the pit of my stomach, 125 00:14:49,919 –> 00:14:58,400 it’s already started. And it started the moment that I picked up the phone and here’s me rambling 126 00:14:58,400 –> 00:15:02,559 on thinking that I’m talking to one person, there are probably thousands of people who are listening 127 00:15:02,640 –> 00:15:11,760 to this. Now here’s something far more serious, every word that you and I ever say is heard by 128 00:15:11,760 –> 00:15:20,880 almighty God. Every word you say in private, every word you write online, 129 00:15:22,320 –> 00:15:29,039 every tweet you ever make, every comment you ever post is known and it is weighed 130 00:15:29,039 –> 00:15:39,059 by Almighty God and God holds us accountable not only for what we do, but also for what we say. 131 00:15:39,059 –> 00:15:50,239 And when you see this you will know how much you need a savior. So, our words matter. Our 132 00:15:50,239 –> 00:15:54,359 words matter because of their effect on others, the effect that they have in our own soul, 133 00:15:54,359 –> 00:15:59,919 and the effect that they have in the presence of God. People will give account for every 134 00:15:59,919 –> 00:16:08,739 careless word they say. Therefore, our words really matter. Now, let’s move on then to the 135 00:16:08,739 –> 00:16:14,840 second thing. That’s the why. Why does it matter? And now let’s look at the what. What should our 136 00:16:14,840 –> 00:16:23,039 words reflect? And as I say, there are many proverbs that are about our words, and they’re 137 00:16:23,359 –> 00:16:28,000 all scattered all through the book. What I’ve tried to do is simply group them together and 138 00:16:28,000 –> 00:16:33,919 to draw out the main themes. And then for my own good, and I hope this will be helpful to you, 139 00:16:33,919 –> 00:16:41,000 just to turn them into prayers. Things that I would ask of God in regards to my speaking, 140 00:16:41,000 –> 00:16:47,239 and encourage you to ask of God in regards to your speaking too. And the first of these is, 141 00:16:47,380 –> 00:16:55,640 Lord helped me to speak with restraint. The book of Proverbs commends again and again the virtue of 142 00:16:55,640 –> 00:17:06,900 speaking with restraint. Chapter 15 and verse 28. The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, 143 00:17:06,900 –> 00:17:15,359 but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. Now notice the contrast between the 144 00:17:15,400 –> 00:17:22,859 righteous person and the wicked. Words just pour out of the wicked, blurted out, 145 00:17:22,859 –> 00:17:32,459 the first thing that comes to mind. It’s all instinctive. It’s all visceral. But the righteous 146 00:17:32,459 –> 00:17:41,939 ponder. There’s a thoughtfulness and thereby a restraint in regards to the words of the righteous. 147 00:17:42,260 –> 00:17:49,959 Now of course this is radically countercultural because self expression is a leading idol in our 148 00:17:49,959 –> 00:17:58,780 culture today. And so it’s very common to hear people say, well I must say what I think. I must 149 00:17:58,780 –> 00:18:07,060 say what I feel. And you hear that just sometimes you think, you want to say really? Must you? Must 150 00:18:07,459 –> 00:18:12,219 you? I mean what would happen if you didn’t? What if you just restrained yourself? I mean you 151 00:18:12,219 –> 00:18:18,099 wouldn’t explode or combust. I mean what would be so terrible if you were to exercise some 152 00:18:18,099 –> 00:18:26,540 restraint? Listen to this from Proverbs 29 and verse 11. A fool gives full vent to his spirit, 153 00:18:26,540 –> 00:18:38,500 but a wise man quietly holds it back. It is a very important distinction. It’s the fool who 154 00:18:38,500 –> 00:18:47,459 gives full vent to his spirit, just lays it all out there. But the wise person knows how to 155 00:18:47,459 –> 00:18:55,180 exercise some restraint. Now, this word restraint recurs throughout the book of Proverbs. Let me 156 00:18:55,180 –> 00:19:02,260 give you another couple of examples. At Proverbs chapter 17 in verse 27, whoever restrains his 157 00:19:02,260 –> 00:19:09,099 words has knowledge, he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. I like that, 158 00:19:09,099 –> 00:19:15,900 the cool spirit. Of course what is being said there is that when we get heated our words get 159 00:19:15,900 –> 00:19:23,459 more and more and they become less and less clear and less and less effective. And so the cool 160 00:19:23,819 –> 00:19:30,459 spirits reflects the person of understanding. Or Chapter 10 in verse 19, when words are many, 161 00:19:30,459 –> 00:19:34,219 when they’re multiplied up, heaped up, transgression is not lacking, 162 00:19:34,219 –> 00:19:44,180 but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. So here’s a way to pray about our speaking, 163 00:19:44,180 –> 00:19:53,099 Lord help me to think before I speak. Well that’s one of the distinctive marks of a righteous person 164 00:19:53,560 –> 00:20:04,579 . Exercises restraint, ponders rather than pouring out, holds back rather than giving full vent, 165 00:20:04,579 –> 00:20:21,020 restraint. And we all know that less is often more when it comes to our words. Someone in 166 00:20:21,020 –> 00:20:31,339 our congregation told me that many years ago when she was a student, she became engaged. And looking 167 00:20:31,339 –> 00:20:37,219 back now, she sees that if she had married the man to whom she was engaged at the time, it would 168 00:20:37,219 –> 00:20:48,660 have been a disaster. But she did not see that at the time. But her father did. And one night, her 169 00:20:48,660 –> 00:21:01,660 father came into her room and said, Honey, just be sure that everything you see in him is what 170 00:21:01,660 –> 00:21:10,920 you want to live with for the rest of your life. And then he said, I love you, and left. 171 00:21:11,280 –> 00:21:18,979 By the end of the week, his daughter had broken the engagement, ended the relationship, 172 00:21:18,979 –> 00:21:24,839 some time later met the man to whom she has been happily married for many years. Now, 173 00:21:24,839 –> 00:21:34,520 that was one wise father. I think many fathers, our instinct would have been in that situation 174 00:21:35,239 –> 00:21:47,459 pour out some great speech, to go on and on and on. But this father had wisdom. Whoever restrains 175 00:21:47,459 –> 00:22:02,219 his words has knowledge, and whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Lord, help me to speak with 176 00:22:02,599 –> 00:22:11,400 restraint. There’s wisdom. Second, Lord, help me to speak with humility. I don’t want to stop long 177 00:22:11,400 –> 00:22:19,439 here, but I do want to draw your attention to it. Proverbs chapter 27 and verse 2. Let another praise 178 00:22:19,439 –> 00:22:29,359 you, and not your own mouth, a stranger, and not your own lips. You remember how Jesus told a story 179 00:22:29,420 –> 00:22:34,119 about a Pharisee who went into the temple and when he spoke to God basically what he was 180 00:22:34,119 –> 00:22:43,500 doing was singing his own praises. Don’t ever sing your own praises. Making a great deal of 181 00:22:43,500 –> 00:22:49,640 all that you’ve done and all that you’ve accomplished and all that you are, let another 182 00:22:49,640 –> 00:22:57,839 praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger, and not your own lips. And so from that I’ve 183 00:22:57,939 –> 00:23:04,939 framed this prayer, Lord, help me to speak with humility. 184 00:23:06,859 –> 00:23:13,859 Restraint, humility. Third word is wisdom. And here I want to point to two proverbs that 185 00:23:15,280 –> 00:23:22,280 go together making the point that the right word, spoken at the right time and in the 186 00:23:23,199 –> 00:23:30,199 right way, has great power. The right word, spoken at the right time and in the right 187 00:23:30,900 –> 00:23:37,599 way has great power. Chapter 15 and verse 23, an apt answer. 188 00:23:37,599 –> 00:23:43,040 Well that’s the right word, isn’t it? The appropriate answer, the apt answer, the right 189 00:23:43,040 –> 00:23:49,920 word is a joy to a man and a word, in season, well that’s the word that’s spoken at the 190 00:23:49,959 –> 00:23:59,880 right time, how good it is. And then alongside that chapter 25 and verse 11, a word fitly 191 00:23:59,880 –> 00:24:07,560 spoken. So, that is the word that is spoken in the right way, fitly spoken, is like apples 192 00:24:07,560 –> 00:24:13,839 of gold in a setting of silver. Now put these together and we have this very 193 00:24:13,839 –> 00:24:18,800 important principle of wisdom. How can you speak with wisdom? Well, it’s a matter of 194 00:24:18,839 –> 00:24:27,219 speaking the right word at the right time and in the right way. And when that is done, 195 00:24:27,219 –> 00:24:34,479 it is something beautiful, it’s something of great value. In fact, it’s compared here 196 00:24:34,479 –> 00:24:41,339 to a work of art. Here’s a craftsman and he has created 197 00:24:41,339 –> 00:24:50,719 these apples of gold. It’s a beautiful piece of artwork. And these apples of gold have 198 00:24:50,719 –> 00:25:00,439 been crafted in a setting of silver. Now, what makes this a beautiful work of art 199 00:25:00,439 –> 00:25:08,459 is the fact that the apples of gold are surrounded by the setting of silver. It’s these two together 200 00:25:08,760 –> 00:25:15,520 that make this the beautiful work of art that it is. If you cut out the silver setting, 201 00:25:15,520 –> 00:25:20,900 the apples of gold would look very bare. And, of course, if you cut out the apples of gold 202 00:25:20,900 –> 00:25:25,760 from what the craftsman has made, well, the settings of silver would just look like craters 203 00:25:25,760 –> 00:25:32,219 on the moon. So the point of the analogy is that the apples of gold and the settings of 204 00:25:32,219 –> 00:25:39,000 silver belong together, and it is the fact that they are together that makes them beautiful. 205 00:25:39,000 –> 00:25:49,660 In the same way, what you say, and how you say it, belong together, and it is the togetherness 206 00:25:49,660 –> 00:25:55,400 of the right word, said at the right time and in the right way, fitly spoken, that’s 207 00:25:55,400 –> 00:26:00,540 the thing that is of great power and of great beauty. What you say on a particular occasion 208 00:26:00,540 –> 00:26:08,599 may be right, but if it is said with harshness, it will do no good. It’s not spoken in the 209 00:26:08,599 –> 00:26:18,900 right way. It’s not got its setting, but the right word spoken at the right time and said 210 00:26:18,900 –> 00:26:25,040 in the right way, as we all know from our experiences, is the thing of beauty and the 211 00:26:25,199 –> 00:26:36,660 thing of great power. Lord, let me speak with that kind of wisdom. So, restraint, these 212 00:26:36,660 –> 00:26:45,020 are the things to pursue in our words. Restraint, humility, wisdom, right word, right time, 213 00:26:45,020 –> 00:26:53,160 right way, and then, lord, help me to speak with grace, with grace. So many references 214 00:26:53,160 –> 00:27:01,239 to this in Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 24. Gracious words. Gracious words. They’re like 215 00:27:01,239 –> 00:27:09,959 a honeycomb and sweetness to the soul and health to the body. And the passage that was 216 00:27:09,959 –> 00:27:15,560 read for us from Proverbs in chapter 15, well, this theme is over Proverbs 15, which is why 217 00:27:15,560 –> 00:27:26,119 we read it today. Verse 1, a soft answer turns away wrath. A soft answer. Or verse 4, 218 00:27:26,119 –> 00:27:36,280 a gentle tongue is the tree of life. Or verse 26, gracious words are pure. 219 00:27:36,280 –> 00:27:47,680 Now, don’t ever imagine for a moment that words that are soft, gentle or gracious are thereby 220 00:27:47,680 –> 00:27:58,380 weak. Look at Proverbs 25 and verse 15, a remarkable statement. With patience a ruler 221 00:27:58,380 –> 00:28:14,020 may be persuaded and a soft tongue will break a bone. A soft tongue will break a bone. Now, 222 00:28:14,020 –> 00:28:22,619 try and take this in. It’s the soft tongue, it is the gentle tongue, it is the gracious 223 00:28:22,660 –> 00:28:34,180 tongue that is stronger than a bone. Gracious, kind, and gentle words are not weak words. They 224 00:28:34,180 –> 00:28:43,459 are powerful. They are very strong. And the reality of life is that venting has very little 225 00:28:43,459 –> 00:28:53,420 effect. You can rage, but very little will be achieved as a result. Man’s anger, the 226 00:28:53,420 –> 00:29:02,060 Bible says, does not accomplish God’s will. But grace does. Grace can change a heart of 227 00:29:02,060 –> 00:29:09,939 stone. Just think about your own life. Christian brother, sister, how has God dealt with you? 228 00:29:10,079 –> 00:29:18,619 How did He change your heart of stone? Was it not His grace that won you? Was it not 229 00:29:18,619 –> 00:29:27,560 His kindness? Was it not the glimpse of His love for you that drew you to Him? God’s kindness 230 00:29:27,560 –> 00:29:34,260 leads us to repentance, Romans chapter 2. You want to lead someone to repentance? Show 231 00:29:34,819 –> 00:29:38,500 kindness. 232 00:29:38,500 –> 00:29:45,500 Here’s Saul of Tarsus, a man as hard as nails and he’s breathing out threats and he’s breathing 233 00:29:47,099 –> 00:29:54,099 out slaughter, his heart’s like stone. But that heart was changed. How was that heart 234 00:29:55,660 –> 00:30:02,660 changed? Answer, Paul tells us himself, by the grace of God I am what I am and His grace 235 00:30:04,560 –> 00:30:11,560 to me has not been without effect. It’s a beautiful statement that David makes in Psalm 236 00:30:15,619 –> 00:30:22,619 18 and verse 35. He says to God it’s your gentleness that has made me great. It’s the 237 00:30:22,619 –> 00:30:34,040 gentleness of God that has made you what you are. It’s 238 00:30:34,040 –> 00:30:40,180 the patience of God, it’s the kindness of God that has led you to repentance. Since 239 00:30:40,180 –> 00:30:45,140 you know that from your own experience, let that be reflected in the kind of words that 240 00:30:45,140 –> 00:30:55,439 you speak and the demeanor that you have towards others. Lord, help me to speak with restraint, 241 00:30:55,439 –> 00:31:07,400 with humility, with wisdom, and with grace. Well, that’s the why and the what. And, of 242 00:31:07,400 –> 00:31:15,119 course, the most important is always the how. So, how are we to grow in this? How can I 243 00:31:15,119 –> 00:31:23,380 speak in this kind of a way? How can I be a person who brings words of life to other 244 00:31:23,380 –> 00:31:30,140 people? And how can I bring blessing into the lives of others? That’s surely the question 245 00:31:30,140 –> 00:31:35,439 that is in all of our minds at this point. And let me just commend this to you first. 246 00:31:35,439 –> 00:31:43,579 It begins with the open ear. The open ear. And two things to say here. The first very 247 00:31:43,579 –> 00:31:48,599 obviously, if you want to bring blessing to others you have to listen to them before you 248 00:31:48,599 –> 00:31:59,380 speak. Proverbs 18 in verse 13, if one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly 249 00:31:59,380 –> 00:32:03,420 and shame. And we’ve all done that surely many times 250 00:32:03,420 –> 00:32:08,520 that we’ve come up with the answer before we’ve really heard the question. And Proverbs 251 00:32:08,959 –> 00:32:16,500 speaks to us so clearly, if one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. 252 00:32:16,500 –> 00:32:23,319 And so in the New Testament, of course, the Apostle James picks this up and he says, know 253 00:32:23,319 –> 00:32:31,439 this my beloved brothers, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow 254 00:32:31,439 –> 00:32:37,079 to anger. Then with that the open ear means not only 255 00:32:37,079 –> 00:32:44,959 that we are cultivating the ability to listen to others but that we are practicing what 256 00:32:44,959 –> 00:32:54,079 it means to listen to the very word of God. Proverbs 22 and verse 17. Incline your ear 257 00:32:54,079 –> 00:32:59,959 and hear the words of the wise and apply your heart to my knowledge for it will be pleasant 258 00:33:00,000 –> 00:33:07,000 if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. So you see here are 259 00:33:07,199 –> 00:33:13,680 two verses they begin with the ear and the end with the lips, you want to have wisdom 260 00:33:13,680 –> 00:33:20,680 on your lips, well it begins with opening your ear. Now when Solomon speaks here about 261 00:33:22,839 –> 00:33:27,959 listening to the words of the wise, of course he’s referring to the words of scripture, 262 00:33:28,119 –> 00:33:33,119 the very words that we are looking at here in Proverbs as a part of the very word of 263 00:33:33,119 –> 00:33:39,439 God. Solomon is telling him, his son, look here is how you get wisdom. You get wisdom 264 00:33:39,439 –> 00:33:46,439 drip fed into you as you listen to the Word of God. The ready tongue begins with the open 265 00:33:48,439 –> 00:33:55,439 ear. And this is taken up very wonderfully in Isaiah and chapter 50, which is a passage 266 00:33:55,800 –> 00:34:02,800 that speaks prophetically about our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah chapter 50 verse 4. The Lord 267 00:34:03,599 –> 00:34:10,600 God has given me the tongue of those who are taught that I may know how to sustain 268 00:34:14,120 –> 00:34:20,199 with a word him who is weary. Let me pause there for a moment. Wouldn’t you love to have 269 00:34:21,100 –> 00:34:28,100 that – to know how to sustain with a word the person who is weary? Someone who you’ll 270 00:34:29,360 –> 00:34:36,040 speak to even this morning, someone you’ll speak to this week. And they’re weighed down. 271 00:34:36,040 –> 00:34:43,040 And what am I to say that could be in any way helpful? And Isaiah the prophet says this, 272 00:34:43,260 –> 00:34:48,959 Isaiah the prophet says this, that it is the Lord God who gives the tongue that is taught 273 00:34:48,959 –> 00:34:55,260 to do this, to know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Well, of course, that 274 00:34:55,260 –> 00:35:01,439 leads us to say, well, how do I get this gift? How did Isaiah get this gift? Notice what 275 00:35:01,439 –> 00:35:04,280 he says, because he tells us. 276 00:35:04,280 –> 00:35:13,020 Morning by morning, he – that is, God – awakens me, He awakens my ear to hear as those 277 00:35:13,020 –> 00:35:21,840 who are taught the Lord God has opened my ear. Now, do you see what Isaiah is saying? 278 00:35:21,840 –> 00:35:29,080 The prophet had a morning-by-morning appointment with God, a daily discipline in which his 279 00:35:29,080 –> 00:35:37,879 ear was opened to the word of God, and hiding it in his heart as it was drip-fed into him 280 00:35:37,879 –> 00:35:43,939 was the way in which God gave him the tongue that knew how to say something that was helpful 281 00:35:43,939 –> 00:35:51,239 to a person who is weary. And Alack Martyr says very wonderfully and 282 00:35:51,239 –> 00:35:59,639 rightly, this morning by morning appointment is standard curriculum for all disciples. 283 00:35:59,639 –> 00:36:08,580 I love that. So the wise tongue begins with the open ear, 284 00:36:08,580 –> 00:36:20,879 and it involves a pure heart. Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 23. The heart of the wise makes 285 00:36:20,879 –> 00:36:27,260 his speech judicious. So now we’re being told something about how you get to wise, good, 286 00:36:27,260 –> 00:36:34,219 judicious speech. It’s the heart of the wise that makes a person’s speech what it is and 287 00:36:34,340 –> 00:36:41,979 persuasiveness to his lips. In other words, the words we speak always reveal the state of our 288 00:36:41,979 –> 00:36:49,320 hearts. An anxious heart produces anxious words. An angry heart produces angry words. A grace-filled 289 00:36:49,320 –> 00:36:54,699 heart produces grace-filled words. A patient heart produces patient words and so forth. 290 00:36:54,699 –> 00:37:03,780 But Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Now James tells us 291 00:37:03,780 –> 00:37:12,120 that no human being can tame the tongue. And the reason of course that no human being can 292 00:37:12,120 –> 00:37:19,620 tame the tongue is that no human being can change the heart, but God can. And the way 293 00:37:19,739 –> 00:37:25,219 that God tames the tongue is by changing the heart. That is why David said, 294 00:37:25,219 –> 00:37:30,219 create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. 295 00:37:30,219 –> 00:37:36,739 So notice the pattern here. The ear teaches the heart and the heart teaches the mouth. 296 00:37:36,739 –> 00:37:42,500 That’s the how of growing in wisdom with our words. 297 00:37:42,500 –> 00:37:51,020 And then the very last thing is simply this, a cleansed mouth. You remember when Isaiah saw a 298 00:37:51,020 –> 00:38:00,419 vision of God, he found himself overwhelmed by the sheer glory of God’s holiness. And he felt 299 00:38:00,419 –> 00:38:08,540 his own sin as he had never felt it before and he said, I am ruined. And you remember that the sins 300 00:38:08,899 –> 00:38:18,100 which he was most aware were sins of speech. I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a 301 00:38:18,100 –> 00:38:25,540 people of unclean lips. And Isaiah was a prophet, I mean, already he was speaking the Word of God. 302 00:38:25,540 –> 00:38:31,639 He had public ministry. His lips were the organ of his ministry. His ability to speak was his 303 00:38:31,959 –> 00:38:40,939 greatest gift. But Isaiah discovered that sin hides not only in our darkest failures, 304 00:38:40,939 –> 00:38:48,179 it also clings to our greatest gifts. And if sin inhabits even my greatest gifts, 305 00:38:48,179 –> 00:38:54,439 Isaiah is saying, then I am ruined. Do you remember what happened next in Isaiah’s vision? 306 00:38:54,439 –> 00:39:02,179 Very wonderfully he saw in this vision an angel of the Lord taking a hot coal from the altar that 307 00:39:02,179 –> 00:39:08,159 was burning in the temple and bringing it right over to where Isaiah was and pressing it where? 308 00:39:08,159 –> 00:39:18,100 Right on his lips. In the school I attended, if a boy used bad language, 309 00:39:18,419 –> 00:39:26,139 he was sent out to the restroom to wash out his mouth with soap. I don’t know if it ever 310 00:39:26,139 –> 00:39:37,500 acted as a deterrent. I know this, that soap can’t cleanse a man or a woman’s mouth. But Jesus can. 311 00:39:37,500 –> 00:39:47,139 Jesus can. And when he died on that altar off the cross, he died for all of our sins 312 00:39:47,179 –> 00:39:57,600 including the sins of our lips. And in the vision, God’s provision, that is pointing 313 00:39:57,600 –> 00:40:03,020 forward to what Jesus accomplished on the cross, was taken and it was pressed onto the lips of 314 00:40:03,020 –> 00:40:10,179 Isaiah. And what Jesus has accomplished on the cross can bring cleansing to our lips and to 315 00:40:10,179 –> 00:40:23,860 our mouths too. See, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away. Your sin is atoned for. 316 00:40:23,860 –> 00:40:35,699 And then, God called Isaiah to go out and speak. And when you have the open ear, and the open ear 317 00:40:35,860 –> 00:40:41,459 is changing the heart, and when through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, there’s a cleansing 318 00:40:41,459 –> 00:40:50,500 of the mouth, then we by God’s grace too, will be able to go and speak. And the words that we speak 319 00:40:50,500 –> 00:40:59,979 will not be death words. They’ll be words that bring life. Let’s pray together. Our Father in 320 00:40:59,979 –> 00:41:09,500 heaven, as we have opened our ears to your word, the great desire of our hearts is that our lips 321 00:41:09,500 –> 00:41:21,580 should be brought under your control. Forgive our many sins of speech. Touch our lips with the 322 00:41:21,739 –> 00:41:29,919 cleansing power of Jesus. Purify our hearts. Help us to speak with restraint, and humility, 323 00:41:29,919 –> 00:41:43,280 and wisdom, and grace, so that we may bring words of life, words of blessing, words of hope, 324 00:41:43,280 –> 00:41:53,840 that help others and honour our matchless Saviour, in whose name we pray, AMEN.