100:00:00,840 –> 00:00:09,360There are many proverbs that are about our words and they’re scattered all through the book what I’ve200:00:09,360 –> 00:00:16,280tried to do is simply group them together and to draw out the main themes and then for my own good300:00:16,280 –> 00:00:23,020and I hope this will be helpful to you just to turn them into prayers things that I would ask of400:00:23,020 –> 00:00:29,980God in regards to my speaking and encourage you to ask of God in regards to your speaking to well500:00:30,680 –> 00:00:35,619Welcome to open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick glad you could join us today and600:00:35,619 –> 00:00:42,080Colin today we’re continuing to think about the words we use and the way we use them and applying700:00:42,080 –> 00:00:47,480wisdom to our words if we’re anticipating a difficult conversation coming up and we’re800:00:47,480 –> 00:00:52,919asking God for help with the right words how should we go about that yeah well I guess900:00:52,919 –> 00:00:57,660the starting point is anytime we’re going to be speaking I mean we we speak thousands of words1000:00:57,700 –> 00:01:03,380every day and often it’s when we’re really not thinking carefully about what we’re1100:01:03,380 –> 00:01:07,779saying that we end up saying things that are foolish or things that are hurtful and1200:01:07,779 –> 00:01:11,720we don’t want to be in that place we want to be growing in self-control we1300:01:11,720 –> 00:01:17,519want to realize that the power of the tongue is very very great and therefore1400:01:17,519 –> 00:01:21,660that it must not be used in a way that’s destructive but that it must be used in a1500:01:21,660 –> 00:01:26,320way that is going to build other people up and honor the Lord so when is there a1600:01:26,559 –> 00:01:31,199day that I don’t need to ask of God that He would help me to have wisdom and1700:01:31,199 –> 00:01:38,800grace and restraint in regards to what I say and that in His kindness I would be1800:01:38,800 –> 00:01:43,040able to speak in a way that reflects the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ it1900:01:43,040 –> 00:01:48,040is a wonderful thing isn’t it that the Holy Spirit dwells within us and that He2000:01:48,040 –> 00:01:52,800is able to prompt us in regards to what we say and that He’s able to restrain us2100:01:52,800 –> 00:01:57,400and that’s what we want that’s what we need and I think these are things to ask2200:01:57,400 –> 00:02:02,959of God very regularly indeed. Well, we’re looking today at the four major themes2300:02:02,959 –> 00:02:11,800as we continue the message of words. Here is Pastor Colin. We all know that less is2400:02:11,800 –> 00:02:18,320often more when it comes to our words.2500:02:18,699 –> 00:02:25,839Someone in our congregation told me that many years ago when she was a student2600:02:25,839 –> 00:02:33,399she became engaged and looking back now she sees that if she had married the man2700:02:33,399 –> 00:02:38,160to whom she was engaged at the time it would have been a disaster but she did2800:02:38,160 –> 00:02:48,380not see that at the time. But her father did and one night her father came into a2900:02:48,380 –> 00:03:00,600room and said, honey just be sure that everything you see in him is what you3000:03:00,600 –> 00:03:08,759want to live with for the rest of your life and then he said I love you and3100:03:08,759 –> 00:03:17,020left. By the end of the week his daughter had broken the engagement ended the3200:03:17,020 –> 00:03:22,020relationship some time later met the man to whom she has been happily married for3300:03:22,699 –> 00:03:32,100Now, that was one wise father I think many fathers our instinct would3400:03:32,100 –> 00:03:38,460have been in that situation to pour out some great speech to go on and on and3500:03:38,460 –> 00:03:49,880on but this father had wisdom whoever restrains his words has knowledge and3600:03:50,619 –> 00:03:57,339whoever restrains his lips is prudent3700:03:57,580 –> 00:04:06,899Lord help me to speak with restraint there’s wisdom second Lord help me to3800:04:06,899 –> 00:04:11,619speak with humility I don’t want to stop long here but I do want to draw your3900:04:11,619 –> 00:04:16,660attention to it Proverbs chapter 27 and verse 2 let4000:04:17,079 –> 00:04:25,660another praise you and not your own mouth a stranger and not your own lips4100:04:25,660 –> 00:04:30,640remember how Jesus told a story about a Pharisee who went into the temple and4200:04:30,640 –> 00:04:37,000when he spoke to God basically what he was doing was singing his own praises4300:04:37,000 –> 00:04:43,579don’t ever sing your own praises making a great deal of all that you’ve done and4400:04:44,160 –> 00:04:51,019accomplished and all that you are let another praise you and not your own4500:04:51,019 –> 00:04:57,959mouth a stranger and not your own lips and so from that I’ve framed this prayer4600:04:57,959 –> 00:05:09,579lord help me to speak with humility restraint humility third word is wisdom4700:05:09,579 –> 00:05:17,100and here I want to point to two proverbs that go together making the point that4800:05:17,100 –> 00:05:25,980the right word spoken at the right time and in the right way has great power the4900:05:25,980 –> 00:05:33,420right word spoken at the right time and in the right way has great power chapter5000:05:33,420 –> 00:05:39,01915 and verse 23 an apt answer well that’s the right word isn’t it the5100:05:39,019 –> 00:05:45,420appropriate answer the apt answer the right word is a joy to a man and a word5200:05:45,420 –> 00:05:51,179in season well that’s the word that’s spoken at the right time how good it is5300:05:51,179 –> 00:06:00,679and then alongside that chapter 25 in verse 11 a word fits least spoken so5400:06:00,679 –> 00:06:06,540that is the word that is spoken in the right way fitly spoken is like apples of5500:06:06,700 –> 00:06:12,640gold in a setting of silver now put these together and we have this very5600:06:12,640 –> 00:06:17,420important principle of wisdom how can you speak with wisdom well it’s a matter5700:06:17,420 –> 00:06:25,079of speaking the right word at the right time and in the right way and when that5800:06:25,079 –> 00:06:32,459is done it is something beautiful it’s something of great value in fact it’s5900:06:32,980 –> 00:06:43,959here to a work of art here’s a craftsman and he has created these apples of gold6000:06:43,959 –> 00:06:50,380it’s a beautiful piece of artwork and these apples of gold have been crafted6100:06:50,380 –> 00:07:00,019in a setting of silver now what makes this a beautiful work of art is the fact6200:07:00,019 –> 00:07:06,380that the apples of gold are surrounded by the setting of silver its these two6300:07:06,380 –> 00:07:11,519together that make this the beautiful work of art that it is if you cut out6400:07:11,519 –> 00:07:17,980the silver setting the apples of gold would look very bare and of course if6500:07:17,980 –> 00:07:22,839you cut out the apples of gold from what the craftsman has made well the settings6600:07:22,839 –> 00:07:28,299of silver would just look like craters on the moon so the point of the analogy6700:07:28,500 –> 00:07:32,940is that the apples of gold and the settings of silver belong together and6800:07:32,940 –> 00:07:38,339it is the fact that they are together that makes them beautiful in the same6900:07:38,339 –> 00:07:47,600way what you see and how you say it belong together and it is the7000:07:47,600 –> 00:07:51,980togetherness of the right word said at the right time and in the right way7100:07:51,980 –> 00:07:57,640fitly spoken that’s the thing that is of great power and of great beauty what you7200:07:57,799 –> 00:08:05,760on a particular occasion maybe right but if it is said with harshness it will do7300:08:05,760 –> 00:08:12,019no good it’s not spoken in the right way it’s not got its setting but the right7400:08:12,019 –> 00:08:19,679word spoken at the right time and said in the right way as we all know from our7500:08:19,679 –> 00:08:26,600experience is a thing of beauty and a thing of great power Lord let me speak7600:08:26,600 –> 00:08:36,859with that kind of wisdom so restraint these are the things to pursue in our7700:08:36,859 –> 00:08:46,960words restraint humility wisdom right word right time right way and then Lord7800:08:47,099 –> 00:08:53,119help me to speak with Grace with Grace so many references to this in Proverbs7900:08:53,119 –> 00:09:00,880chapter 16 in verse 24 gracious words gracious words they’re like a honeycomb8000:09:00,880 –> 00:09:08,960and sweetness to the soul and health to the body and the passage that was read8100:09:08,960 –> 00:09:14,099for us from Proverbs in chapter 15 well this theme’s all over Proverbs 15 which8200:09:14,099 –> 00:09:23,400is why we read it today verse one a soft answer turns away wrath soft answer8300:09:23,400 –> 00:09:31,099or verse four a gentle tongue is the tree of life or verse 268400:09:31,099 –> 00:09:41,840gracious words are pure now don’t ever imagine for a moment that words that are8500:09:42,039 –> 00:09:49,140Soft gentle or gracious are thereby weak8600:09:49,140 –> 00:09:56,140Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 15 a remarkable statement with patience a8700:09:56,140 –> 00:10:08,799ruler may be persuaded and a soft tongue will break a bone a soft tongue8800:10:08,820 –> 00:10:17,900will break a bone now try and take this in it’s the soft tongue it is the8900:10:17,900 –> 00:10:28,320gentle tongue it is the gracious tongue that is stronger than a bone gracious9000:10:28,320 –> 00:10:36,039kind and gentle words are not weak words they are powerful they are very strong9100:10:36,119 –> 00:10:47,359and the reality of life is that venting has very little effect you can rage but9200:10:47,359 –> 00:10:53,119very little will be achieved as a result man’s anger the Bible says does9300:10:53,119 –> 00:11:02,599not accomplish God’s will but grace does grace can change a heart of stone just9400:11:02,640 –> 00:11:08,039think about your own life Christian brother sister how has God dealt with9500:11:08,039 –> 00:11:15,919you how did He change your heart of stone was it not his grace that one you9600:11:15,919 –> 00:11:21,520was it not his kindness was it not the glimpse of his love for you that drew9700:11:21,520 –> 00:11:31,260you to him God’s kindness leads us to repentance Romans chapter 2 you want to9800:11:31,260 –> 00:11:40,140lead someone to repentance show them kindness here’s Saul of Tarsus a man as9900:11:40,140 –> 00:11:47,479hard as nails and he’s breathing out threats and he’s breathing out slaughter10000:11:47,479 –> 00:11:54,659his hearts like stone but that heart was changed how was that heart changed10100:11:55,659 –> 00:12:04,559Paul tells us himself by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace to me10200:12:04,559 –> 00:12:13,260has not been without effect. It’s a beautiful statement the David makes in10300:12:13,780 –> 00:12:25,260Psalm 18 and verse 35. He says to God, it’s your gentleness that has made me10400:12:25,260 –> 00:12:32,979great. It’s the gentleness of God that has made you what you are. It’s the10500:12:32,979 –> 00:12:38,979patience of God. It’s the kindness of God that has led you to repentance. Since10600:12:38,979 –> 00:12:42,900you know that from your own experience let that be reflected in the kinds of10700:12:43,140 –> 00:12:49,380words that you speak and the demeanour that you have towards others. Lord help10800:12:49,380 –> 00:12:58,539me to speak with restraint, with humility, with wisdom and with grace.10900:12:58,539 –> 00:13:02,679You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called11000:13:02,679 –> 00:13:08,359Words from our series Wisdom for Life based on the Book of Proverbs and if11100:13:08,359 –> 00:13:12,059you’ve missed any of the series you can catch up or go back and listen again11200:13:12,419 –> 00:13:18,359online at our website Openthebible.org.uk or go to your favorite podcast11300:13:18,359 –> 00:13:23,900site and search therefore Open the Bible UK. Back to the message now. Here again11400:13:23,900 –> 00:13:33,020is pastor Colin. So how are we to grow in this? How can I speak in this kind of a11500:13:33,020 –> 00:13:40,500way? How can I be a person who brings words of life to other people and how11600:13:40,500 –> 00:13:45,340can I bring blessing into the lives of others? That’s surely the question that11700:13:45,340 –> 00:13:50,000is in all of our minds at this point and let me just commend this to you first.11800:13:50,000 –> 00:13:58,200It begins with the open ear. The open ear and two things to say here. The first11900:13:58,200 –> 00:14:02,580very obviously, if you want to bring blessing to others you have to listen to12000:14:02,580 –> 00:14:07,700them before you speak. Proverbs 18 in verse 13. If one12100:14:07,700 –> 00:14:16,580gives an answer before he hears it is his folly and shame. And we’ve all done12200:14:16,580 –> 00:14:20,659that surely many times, that we’ve come up with the answer before we’ve really12300:14:20,659 –> 00:14:26,239heard the question. And Proverbs 18 speaks to us so clearly. If one gives an12400:14:26,239 –> 00:14:32,840answer before he hears it is his folly and shame. And so in the New Testament of12500:14:32,840 –> 00:14:38,500course, the apostle James picks this up and he says,12600:14:48,719 –> 00:14:50,340and then with that, the12700:14:50,340 –> 00:14:55,979open ear means not only that we are cultivating the ability to listen to12800:14:55,979 –> 00:15:02,419others, but that we are practicing what it means to listen to the very Word of12900:15:02,419 –> 00:15:08,219God. Proverbs 22 and verse 17,13000:15:21,479 –> 00:15:23,039So you see, here are two verses, they13100:15:23,039 –> 00:15:29,039begin with the ear and they end with the lips. You want to have wisdom on your13200:15:29,080 –> 00:15:37,780lips? Well it begins with opening your ear. Now when Solomon speaks here about13300:15:37,780 –> 00:15:42,580listening to the words of the wise, of course he is referring to the words of13400:15:42,580 –> 00:15:47,039scripture, the very words that we are looking at here, in Proverbs, as a part of13500:15:47,039 –> 00:15:52,859the very Word of God. Solomon is telling his son, look, here’s how you get13600:15:52,919 –> 00:15:59,520wisdom, you get wisdom drip-fed into you as you listen to the Word of God. The13700:15:59,520 –> 00:16:09,659ready tongue begins with the open ear, and this is taken up very wonderfully in13800:16:09,659 –> 00:16:15,440Isaiah in chapter 50, which is a passage that speaks prophetically about our Lord13900:16:15,500 –> 00:16:24,299Jesus Christ. Isaiah chapter 50 and verse 4. The Lord God has given me the tongue14000:16:24,299 –> 00:16:32,419of those who are taught that I may know how to sustain with a word Him who is14100:16:32,419 –> 00:16:39,520weary. Let me pause there for a moment. Wouldn’t you love to have that? To know14200:16:39,520 –> 00:16:44,919how to sustain with a word the person who is weary. Someone who you’ll speak to14300:16:45,000 –> 00:16:48,239even this morning. Someone you’ll speak to this week.14400:16:48,239 –> 00:16:54,780And they’re weighed down. And you – what am I to say that could be in any way14500:16:54,780 –> 00:17:02,299helpful? And Isaiah the prophet says this, that it is the Lord God who gives the14600:17:02,299 –> 00:17:09,079tongue that is taught to do this, to know how to sustain with a word Him who is14700:17:09,079 –> 00:17:14,260weary. Well, of course, that leads us to say, well, how do I get this gift?14800:17:14,260 –> 00:17:17,060How did Isaiah get this gift? Notice what he says, because he14900:17:17,060 –> 00:17:26,180tells us, ‘…morning by morning, he that is God awakens me. He awakens my ear15000:17:26,180 –> 00:17:33,819to hear as those who are taught the Lord God has opened my ear.’15100:17:33,819 –> 00:17:39,579Now, do you see what Isaiah is saying? The prophet had a morning by morning15200:17:39,900 –> 00:17:46,300appointment with God. A daily discipline in which his ear was opened to the word15300:17:46,300 –> 00:17:53,939of God, and hiding it in his heart as it was drip-fed into him was the way in15400:17:53,939 –> 00:17:58,900which God gave him the tongue that knew how to say something that was helpful to15500:17:58,900 –> 00:18:07,420a person who is weary. And Alec Mateer says very wonderfully and rightly,15600:18:07,800 –> 00:18:14,579this morning by morning appointment is standard curriculum for all disciples. I15700:18:14,579 –> 00:18:26,359love that. So the wise tongue begins with the open ear and it involves a pure15800:18:26,359 –> 00:18:36,579heart. Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 23. The heart of the wise makes his speech15900:18:36,579 –> 00:18:41,020judicious. So now we’re being told something about how you get to wise,16000:18:41,020 –> 00:18:47,219good, judicious speech. It’s the heart of the wise that makes a person’s speech16100:18:47,219 –> 00:18:55,000what it is and adds persuasiveness to his lips. In other words, the words we16200:18:55,000 –> 00:18:59,020speak always reveal the state of our hearts. An anxious heart produces16300:18:59,020 –> 00:19:04,459anxious words. An angry heart produces angry words. A grace-filled heart16400:19:05,219 –> 00:19:09,959produces grace-filled words. A patient heart produces patient words and so forth.16500:19:09,959 –> 00:19:18,619Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Now James tells16600:19:18,619 –> 00:19:26,439us that no human being can tame the tongue and the reason, of course, that no16700:19:26,439 –> 00:19:32,000human being can tame the tongue is that no human being can change the heart, but16800:19:32,000 –> 00:19:39,719God can. And the way that God tames the tongue is by changing the heart. That is16900:19:39,719 –> 00:19:44,739why David said create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit17000:19:44,739 –> 00:19:50,739within me. So notice the pattern here. The ear teaches the heart, and the heart17100:19:50,739 –> 00:19:59,660teaches the mouth. That’s the how of growing in wisdom with our words. Then17200:19:59,680 –> 00:20:05,420the very last thing is simply this- a cleansed mouth. You remember when Isaiah17300:20:05,420 –> 00:20:12,000saw a vision of God, he found himself overwhelmed by the sheer17400:20:12,000 –> 00:20:19,079glory of God’s holiness. And he felt his own sin as he had never felt it before,17500:20:19,079 –> 00:20:25,660and he said, I am ruined. And you remember that the sins of which he was most aware17600:20:25,859 –> 00:20:35,619sins of speech. I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips.17700:20:35,619 –> 00:20:41,859And Isaiah was a prophet. I mean, already, he was speaking the Word of God. He had public ministry.17800:20:41,859 –> 00:20:47,500His lips were the organ of his ministry. His ability to speak was his greatest gift.17900:20:48,500 –> 00:20:56,020But Isaiah discovered that sin hides not only in our darkest failures,18000:20:56,020 –> 00:21:03,300it also clings to our greatest gifts. And, if sin inhabits even my greatest gifts,18100:21:03,300 –> 00:21:09,619Isaiah’s saying, then I am ruined. And do you remember what happened next in Isaiah’s vision?18200:21:09,619 –> 00:21:16,420Very wonderfully, he saw in this vision an angel of the Lord taking a hot coal from the18300:21:16,420 –> 00:21:21,979altar that was burning in the temple and bringing it right over to where Isaiah was,18400:21:21,979 –> 00:21:32,859and pressing it—where?—right on his lips. In the school I attended, if a boy used bad18500:21:32,859 –> 00:21:40,839language, he was sent out to the restroom to wash out his mouth with soap. I don’t know18600:21:40,920 –> 00:21:49,579if it ever acted as a deterrent. I know this, that soap can’t cleanse a man or a woman’s18700:21:49,579 –> 00:22:00,959mouth, but Jesus can. Jesus can. And when he died on that altar off the cross, He died18800:22:00,979 –> 00:22:11,839for all of our sins, including the sins of our lips. And, in the vision, God’s provision18900:22:11,839 –> 00:22:17,079that is pointing forward to what Jesus accomplished on the cross was taken and it was pressed19000:22:17,079 –> 00:22:23,160onto the lips of Isaiah, and what Jesus has accomplished on the cross can bring cleansing19100:22:23,160 –> 00:22:34,280to our lips and to our mouths too. See, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken19200:22:34,280 –> 00:22:47,319away. Your sin is atoned for. And then, God called Isaiah to go out and speak. And when19300:22:47,540 –> 00:22:54,540you have the open ear, and the open ear is changing the heart. When, through faith in19400:22:54,540 –> 00:23:01,180the Lord Jesus Christ, there is a cleansing of the mouth, then we by God s grace too we19500:23:01,180 –> 00:23:07,660will be able to go and speak. And the words that we speak will not be death words. They19600:23:07,660 –> 00:23:11,520will be words that bring life.19700:23:12,060 –> 00:23:17,119Pastor Colin Smith there wrapping up our Message, Words, based on the Book of Proverbs and a19800:23:17,119 –> 00:23:22,660series called Wisdom For Life. If you’ve missed any of the series so far, you can easily19900:23:22,660 –> 00:23:29,520catch up or go back and listen again, either online at our website, that’s at open themyble.org.uk20000:23:29,520 –> 00:23:35,319or where you find your podcasts, and there you can search for Open the Bible UK. When20100:23:35,319 –> 00:23:39,760you’re on our website, don’t forget about Open the Bible Daily, that’s our series20200:23:39,780 –> 00:23:45,880of short 2 to 3-minute daily reflections based on Pastor Colin’s teaching and read specially20300:23:45,880 –> 00:23:49,280in the UK. Open the Bible Daily.20400:23:49,280 –> 00:23:54,160As many listeners will know, Open the Bible is supported by our listeners financially20500:23:54,160 –> 00:23:58,359and if you already give to support our work, thank you so much.20600:23:58,359 –> 00:24:02,439This month, when you begin to support Open the Bible, for the first time, we’d love20700:24:02,439 –> 00:24:07,040to thank you by sending you a free gift. Here’s Open the Bible’s Amanda Cunningham20800:24:07,040 –> 00:24:08,260to tell us about it.20900:24:08,260 –> 00:24:14,459Hi David. This month at Open the Bible, we are giving away Pastor Colin Smith’s brand21000:24:14,459 –> 00:24:21,339new 30-day devotional, Grow in Faith. It’s a practical and encouraging journey through21100:24:21,339 –> 00:24:26,339Scripture, helping readers deepen their trust in God and grow stronger in faith through21200:24:26,339 –> 00:24:32,859everyday life. Colin explores what Jesus called little faith, and shows how we can become21300:24:33,040 –> 00:24:38,079more confident in God’s promises even in the middle of challenges and uncertainty.21400:24:38,079 –> 00:24:43,920We would love to send you a copy as a thank you for supporting the ministry, with either21500:24:43,920 –> 00:24:50,599a one-off gift of £60 or a new monthly donation of at least £5. But please do remember to21600:24:50,599 –> 00:24:55,239leave your name and address when you give so that we know where to send your book.21700:24:55,239 –> 00:24:59,640Well, we’d love to send you Pastor Colin’s new book when you begin to support Open the21800:25:00,359 –> 00:25:08,079Bible this month. Full terms and conditions can be found on our website that’s at openthebible.org.uk21900:25:08,160 –> 00:25:12,979and you can give online. For Open The Bible and Pastor Colin Smyth,22000:25:12,979 –> 00:25:17,140I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able to join us next time.22100:25:23,140 –> 00:25:28,859How can you become a more productive person? Find out next time on Open The Bible