Morning. Thanks for your prayers. While Beth and I were on vacation, we had a restful time,
but it's good to be back with you all. Some of you are thinking, he was away on vacation? I
didn't even know. I was, and it was good. It was restful. Thanks for your prayers.
So this morning, as you'll notice from the sermon card in the pew, we are actually launching into
a new section of the book of Proverbs. And let me say just a couple words about that before we get
into our main topic this morning. Why don't you turn with me to Proverbs chapter 10? Proverbs
chapter 10. Let me just double check what page number that is in the Bible. That's page 533.
Proverbs chapter 10. This is where this new section of the book of Proverbs begins.
If you've been with us this summer for the past nine weeks, believe it or not, we've really been
dealing with introduction. And you think, oh my goodness, a nine-week introduction to the book of
Proverbs. When will it end? No, but the first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs are mostly,
as we've seen, what? They're poems in praise of wisdom. They are meant to sort of serve as an
introduction to stoke our desire to want to get wisdom and grow in wisdom and obtain wisdom. But now,
starting in chapter 10, we get to the body, we get to the meat of the book. We get to the actual
proverbs themselves, these short, memorable, little, powerful sayings that you have to slow down and
really ponder in order to let them sink in and do their work of making you wise. But if you were to
start reading at chapter 10, one of the things you'd notice is that these proverbs don't seem to be
arranged in any particular order. Chapter 10, verse 1, all the way through chapter 22, verse 16, for
example, is the first collection of these proverbs, which is from Solomon, we're told. But you know, as you
read along through this first collection, one proverb is about hard work and diligence, and then the next one
is about pride and humility, and then the next one is about how to treat the poor, and you jump from one
thing to the next, to the next, to the next, it can feel a bit like walking through a cocktail party
and getting a snippet of 15 conversations all about something different. And you think, what is going on
in this book? And then after you finish the collection from Solomon, you find that there are five more
collections pretty much all arranged in the same way. A grab bag of proverbs that seem to be arranged
almost at random. And again, that makes us ask, why is the book of proverbs put together this way?
Well, actually, I don't think it's a mistake. I don't think the scribes were just lazy and happened to just
sort of jumble them all together as quickly as they could. I don't think the Holy Spirit made a mistake when he
inspired the book of proverbs this way. I think on the one hand, the way that this book is put together is meant to make a
slow down. It's meant, you know, we're not meant to read a proverb the same way that we read a narrative.
You know, if you read a narrative, you can just sort of get caught up in the story and kind of flow along
with it. But you know, a proverb, you're supposed to ponder it. You're supposed to turn it over in your
mind and think it through in the details of your life. And so, the book of proverbs almost
constantly interrupts you. So, you can't just sort of go into cruise control as you read along.
It sort of interrupts
your flow so that you have to stop and be arrested and really think about what's being said.
But on the other hand, the fact that all these different proverbs and all these different topics are kind of
woven together and all jumbled together, I think is really teaching us a lesson about what it means to be truly wise.
In other words, it's showing us that wisdom is a whole life sort of thing.
All of the different virtues, all the different elements of character that make up the life of one who is truly wise,
things like honesty and humility and generosity and diligence and discretion.
Proverbs is saying to us they are all inseparable.
Yes, you might be honest, but if you're not also generous, then you're not really wise.
We can't think that just because we've mastered one theme in Proverbs that we've arrived.
No, they all go together.
We don't have an excuse to not grow in the other areas.
They form a whole life.
So, in reality, Proverbs presents us not with a random assortment, actually.
It's not a grab bag. It's not a jumble.
It's more like a tapestry.
And each of these threads is woven in and through and back and around with all the other threads
so that we never lose sight of the fact that there's a complete picture of wisdom.
There's a complete life of wisdom towards which God wants to take us.
More practically, so that we never forget in our humility to also be truthful, for example.
So that we never forget in our discretion to also be generous.
So that we never forget in our hard work to also be humble.
And you know, the beautiful thing is that in creating a life of wisdom in this way,
it's actually forging us more and more into the image of God.
One of the things that we know is that God's attributes, his characteristics, who God is,
they're never inseparable from one another.
Has anyone here been attending Mike Bell's Sunday School class?
Mike, are you here this morning?
He's here. Hey, Mike.
Mike, did you cover the simplicity of God in your Sunday School class?
He did.
Now that sounds like a strange attribute.
God is simple, but what does that mean?
It means that none of the attributes of God can be separated from any other.
That God is always one in who he is.
That in his holiness, he's always loving.
That in his truthfulness,
he is always jealous for his name.
That God is always perfectly consistent with who he is.
And that's the kind of people that God wants to make us to be so that we reflect his image.
Now, all this raises the question, of course, of how we should teach this section of Proverbs.
How should we go about listening and learning and instructing ourselves in this section of the book?
Now, of course, we could go chapter by chapter and we could hit each thread as it happens to come up every week.
Or we could take one topic and we could go across the chapters and we could gather up as much as we can about what Proverbs has to teach us on that particular theme.
Now, of course, there are pros and cons of each method, right?
Of course, the benefit of going along chapter by chapter, verse by verse,
is that we'd see again and again how the life of wisdom is a whole life sort of thing.
We'd see all the interconnections between all these different virtues.
And that'd be good.
But, you know, I think the reality is,
and as we the pastors have thought about how to teach this book,
I think the reality is, is that we'd end up sacrificing some depth if we took that method.
After all, if we had to talk about honesty and diligence and doing justice all in one sermon,
we'd only have time to scratch the surface, right?
So instead, this summer, we're going to move topically through these last chapters of Proverbs.
Each week, we're going to take up one important theme that Proverbs presents to us,
and we're going to try to go deep.
But we have to remember as we do so,
that all of these topics that we'll hit over the next couple of months aren't standalone topics.
Rather, they all unpack just one interconnected element of what a whole life of wisdom really looks like.
They all go together.
So that's where we're going to go.
That's where we're going from here on out in our Proverbs series.
And this morning, we're going to begin with a topic, with a theme,
about which Proverbs has more to say than almost anything else.
And it might come as a bit of a surprise what that topic is.
Think to yourself, what are the marks of someone who is really wise in your mind?
What are they particularly known for?
Is it how they manage their money?
Is it how they maybe exercise authority and power?
Is it how they make decisions?
Is that what makes them wise in your mind?
Is it how they cultivate their family or their friendships?
Now, Proverbs has a lot to say about all that, and we'll get there.
But more than all of those things, more than money, more than power,
more than decision-making, more than family and friendships,
Proverbs comes back again and again and again to your tongue,
to your words.
In fact, there are over 90 individual Proverbs that have to do with your speech.
Does that strike you as odd?
Of all the things that Proverbs could be so concerned about in making us wise,
why is it so concerned with our words?
Well, the first thing that Proverbs teaches us when it comes to our words is their power.
This is our first big point this morning, the power of our words.
Turn with me to Proverbs 18, 21.
If you turn to only one verse this morning,
and we're going to look at a lot of different verses,
just rest on this one.
Proverbs 18, 21.
Proverbs 18, 21 says this,
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
You know, we can all remember being on the playground, can't we?
Chanting back and forth to one another,
sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
How many people have said that at one point in your life, right?
To that nasty so-and-so who is always picking on you.
And yet we all know that at a very deep level,
that playground taunt couldn't be further from the truth.
Sticks and stones merely bruise us,
but words have the power to rip us up inside, don't they?
Or in the words of Proverbs,
death and life are in the power of the tongue.
One wise pastor I read recently made the observation that adultery,
although considered by most to be a very serious sin,
and it certainly is,
in his observation,
adultery rarely sends a whole church into meltdown among the members.
But then he goes on to say that gossip, however,
even though gossip is perceived by many to be just a small little sin,
in his experience, gossip has destroyed numerous churches.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Now, why is that?
Why are words so powerful?
Well, on the one hand, words have the power to go deep.
Words don't just hit you, they go in you.
Proverbs 12, 18 says,
there is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs says,
words can be like the thrust of a sword striking to the very center of your being.
Or,
they can go down deep like a medicine,
healing you from the inside out.
After all, how many of us replay over and over words
or conversations that we've had with parents or friends
or loved ones that have wounded us
or shaped us in some way and we can't seem to shake it?
I recently saw Cars 3 in the movie theater
with my six-year-old son, Jack.
Spoiler alert, by the way.
I saw Cars 3 in the movie theater
and one of the main storylines is just that.
One of the cars,
Cruz Ramirez,
the yellow, I think it's a Porsche,
I don't know.
I'm not a car guy.
Anyway, she's been told again and again and again
that she isn't cut out to be a racer.
Dream small or not at all
is what her parents told her.
You don't have what it takes.
And that word has gone so deep
that it shapes her whole vision of life.
And of course, you guessed it,
by the end of the movie,
she ends up being a racer.
Hooray!
She overcomes.
But,
it takes the whole movie
for her to realize that.
And it takes a lot of people around her
to reprogram her
to actually think that she can do it.
That's a silly example, I know.
But more seriously,
how many of us are still trying to outlive
the damaging sword thrusts of words
from our past?
But on the flip side,
don't we also know the healing power of words?
The power of encouragement
or the power of truthful affirmation.
Even the healing power of timely correction.
And we'll get into that next week.
Matt's going to pick up that whole theme in Proverbs.
Words have the power to go deep
and heal those places
where nothing else can reach.
So, words are powerful because they go deep.
But words are also powerful,
according to Proverbs,
because they spread wide.
Proverbs 16, 27 says,
A worthless man plots evil
and his speech is like a scorching fire.
His speech is like a scorching fire.
What does fire do naturally?
What is it in the nature of fire to do?
It spreads, right?
It doesn't stay contained.
It goes wide.
And think about that.
Think about how quickly a rumor
can spread through a high school
or a neighborhood or a church.
It's almost effortless
how quickly it can happen.
Like fire consuming the dry grass.
It moves from person to person
without anything to stop it.
But again, the flip side is also true.
Proverbs 10, 11 says,
The mouth of a righteous man
is a fountain of life.
And in 15, 4, we're told,
A gentle tongue is a tree of life.
Like a fountain flowing with water,
rushing out for all to drink.
Like a tree spreading its branches
for all to find shade from the hot sun.
Words have the power to spread wide for good.
And don't we see that in the book of Acts,
for example?
Isn't one of the exciting things
about the book of Acts
that the word of the gospel,
the good news,
the good news about Jesus' life
and death and resurrections
just can't help but spread and grow.
And in its wake,
it leaves joy and peace
like a fountain,
like a tree of life.
Words are powerful
because they go deep
and they spread wide.
But you know,
the biggest reason why words are so powerful
is ultimately theological.
God, we see from the very opening chapter
of the Bible
is a speaking God.
God's words are powerful.
He speaks and what happens?
Worlds jump into existence
out of nothing.
His words are creative words,
but his words are also covenantal words.
They're words that make not just worlds and planets,
but they're words that forge relationships
and make promises.
They're words that project a future, a hope.
They're words that keep and hold.
And as humans,
we're made in the image of this speaking God.
And so our words,
in their own creaturely way,
also have a kind of derivative power.
Of course,
not to literally create worlds from nothing,
but still,
very powerful.
They bear the mark.
Our words bear the mark
of the God
in whose image we are made.
You see, friends,
to speak
is to participate
in the image of the speaking God.
I read this week
that the average American speaks
about 700 times per day.
700 times!
I'm not sure how they managed to count all those,
but there you go.
Maybe they had someone following around
with a clicker.
700!
That's not even counting all your Facebook posts.
700 times a day.
700 small reminders
that we are made
in the image of the God who speaks
and that we have been entrusted
with one of the most powerful realities
in the universe.
One of the things that characterizes God himself,
the power of words.
And if words are so powerful,
if ultimately they are part of what it means
to bear God's image in the world,
then of course,
we should pay very close attention
to how we use our words.
Death and life
are in the power of the tongue.
So first then,
we've seen how words are powerful,
but Proverbs is also going to describe
in more detail
what this death and life look like
when it comes to our words.
In other words,
how can our words be used to bring about death
and how can they be used to bring about life?
What do foolish and wise speech
actually look like?
Now let's take the negative first.
What characterizes foolish words
that lead to death?
What do we need to be on our guard against
as this book teaches us how to be wise?
Well, as we look across these chapters,
we see that there are three big areas
that Proverbs highlights.
Three big ways in which our speech
leads to death.
The first is lying.
Proverbs 12, 22 puts it
probably as starkly as you can.
Lying lips, it says,
are an abomination.
To the Lord.
But those who act faithfully
are His delight.
It's easy to think that lying is no big deal.
After all, that's how the world works, right?
Sometimes you have to lie
or bend the truth to get things done.
But that's not how God sees it, friends.
God is a truth-speaking God.
What He says always matches reality.
What God says is reality.
And so to misrepresent reality with our words,
to lie, to bear false witness,
is ultimately kicking against
the very grain of the universe.
Pastor Matt talked about this a couple weeks ago
when we looked at Proverbs chapter 8.
Wisdom is the very groove and grain
of the created order.
That's why we read in Proverbs 12, 19,
truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Lying is ultimately self-defeating.
It destroys relationships
by eroding the trust and sincerity
that real relationships need.
And so it ultimately
undoes the liar themselves.
It undoes any hope that they have
for trust and sincerity and intimacy.
And so Proverbs is saying that lying
puts you at odds with God,
with the world,
even with yourself.
It's foolish in the extreme,
no matter what the short-term payoff might be.
But in addition to lying,
Proverbs also points to gossip
as another prime example of foolish speech.
Proverbs 16, 28 says,
A dishonest man spreads strife
and a whisperer,
that's another word for a gossip.
A whisperer, a gossip,
separates close friends.
What is gossiping?
Gossiping, of course,
is spreading information
behind people's back,
not to help them,
but rather to damage their reputations.
And unlike lying,
the information in gossip
might actually be true.
You might actually be saying something
that's quite in line with reality.
But it's the intention
and the timing of the gossip
that makes it destructive.
And if we're honest,
we love gossip, don't we?
Come on.
A little dirt on somebody else?
Controversy, scandal,
the salacious details?
I mean, come on.
How many magazines at Target
are just full, basically, of gossip?
Some of it might be true.
I guess it's not technically
behind those people's backs
because it's blazing
across the front page of a magazine.
But I'm pretty sure
they weren't in agreement
when those publications
went to press.
Proverbs puts it this way
in chapter 18, verse 8.
The words of a whisperer,
the words of a gossip,
are like delicious morsels.
They go down
into the inner parts of the body.
In other words,
Proverbs is saying
gossip is dangerous
because we love
to just gobble it up.
But it's ultimately saying
that we are what we eat.
Listening to gossip,
gobbling it up,
will go down
into the inner parts
of your body
and turn you
into a gossip yourself.
In fact, Proverbs
time and time again
holds us responsible
not just for speaking
foolish words,
but also for listening
to foolish words.
Proverbs 17, verse 4 says,
an evildoer listens
to wicked lips.
A liar gives ear
to a mischievous tongue.
I read somewhere
that it takes two people
to destroy a church.
Someone who gossips
and someone who listens.
Rather than listen
to gossip or lies,
the right response
is to say,
you know what,
I don't want to talk
about that person
without them being here.
Why don't we go get them
and continue this conversation
or why don't we just
change the subject?
How easy is that?
You just saved a church.
You just saved a relationship.
You just saved a reputation
by saying those
two simple sentences.
There's a third way
that Proverbs depicts
foolish words.
It's not just lying.
It's not just gossip
that brings death.
Those are kind of easy
to spot, aren't they?
We sort of know
going in that like,
yeah, lying and gossip,
but those are pretty bad.
We just stay away from those.
But Proverbs highlights
another one.
Careless words.
We already looked
at Proverbs 12, 18,
but listen to it again.
There is one
whose rash words
are like sword thrusts.
Rash words,
reckless words,
unthinking words,
just saying whatever
comes to mind
in the moment.
That can be just
as damaging,
just as death-dealing
as lying and gossip.
Even if it's not
intentionally meant
to be so.
That's how powerful
our words are.
So friends,
I wonder,
as you think about
these categories
of foolish words,
do you see any of it
in your life?
Are you bending the truth
to cover things up,
to get your own way,
or to get people's approval?
Are you prone to speak
about others
when they're not around,
maybe telling yourself
that you're doing so
because you're really
concerned about the person
and want to help them,
but deep down,
you're just sharing the dirt
that you have about others?
Or do you find
that you're rash?
Do you find yourself
saying things often
without thinking first?
Now, of course,
we all put our foot
in our mouths at times.
Golly, I've done it.
I have to talk a lot
as a pastor,
so, you know,
sometimes my foot
has ended up in my mouth
many times.
And some of us
struggle more than others
with impulsivity.
I get it.
But at the same time,
friends,
being unfiltered
is not a virtue.
Just because you're
slandering someone
on social media
doesn't make it
any less slander.
Again and again,
Proverbs tells us
that these sort of
speech habits,
they corrode relationships,
they fracture communities,
and ultimately,
they bring death.
So what's the alternative?
If those are the kinds
of speech that we need
to confess,
repent of,
avoid,
help one another
to root out of our lives,
what sort of speech
should we pursue
and cultivate?
What characterizes
wise words,
words that lead to life?
And there are
four distinguishing marks
of life-giving words
in Proverbs.
Derek Kidner
actually points these out
in his very excellent
short commentary
on Proverbs.
Here are the four things
that wise,
life-giving words
look like.
First,
they're honest.
Listen,
truthful lips
endure forever,
1219.
The righteous
hates falsehood,
13.5.
A faithful witness
does not lie,
14.5.
A truthful witness
saves lives,
14.25.
You don't have to
write all those down,
but just listen
as they roll over.
Righteous lips,
that is,
words that speak
what's straight,
what's right,
honest,
integrity.
Those kinds of words
are the delight
of the king,
and he loves him
who speaks
what is right.
The wise are those
whose words reflect reality.
They're true and honest.
But,
that doesn't mean
that the wise
will always have to be
saying something.
Have you ever been around
someone like that?
I just need to say this
because it's true.
Well,
the next mark
of wise words,
according to Proverbs,
is that there'll be few.
And this point
is made with irony
in 1728.
Maybe you've heard
this proverb before.
It's a bit of a popular one.
Even a fool
who keeps silent
is considered wise.
When he closes his lips,
he's deemed intelligent.
There you go.
Do you want other people
to think you're wise?
Stop talking.
But what Proverbs
sort of says
with humor and irony there,
it gives a lot
of positive examples too.
When words are many,
transgression is not lacking.
But,
whoever restrains his lips
is prudent.
That's 1019.
Whoever guards his mouth
preserves his life.
He who opens wide his lips
comes to ruin.
That's 133.
Whoever keeps his mouth
and his tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.
21-23.
So, you see,
the wise person
knows when to speak
and when to remain silent.
And the wise person
also knows that
few words
will often have
more power
than lots and lots
of mere talk.
So, they're honest.
They're few.
The third mark
is that wise words
will be calm.
17-27 reads,
whoever restrains
his words
has knowledge
and he who has
a cool spirit
is a man of understanding.
Now, we'll get into this
in more detail
in a few weeks
when we talk about
the theme of anger
in Proverbs.
We're going to spend
a whole chapter
looking at how Proverbs
deals with a really
important issue of anger
because it has a lot
to say about that.
But for now,
this picture that we have
of wise speech,
of someone whose life,
whose words give life,
isn't speech that's ready
to just erupt
at any moment.
It doesn't come
gushing forth
with frustration
or anger.
It's quick to listen.
It's slow to speak.
It's slow to become angry.
as the epistle
of James will say.
It weighs its words.
It speaks directly.
It speaks honestly,
but it speaks gently.
Fourth and last mark
of life-giving words
is that they'll be apt.
A-P-T, apt.
They'll be fitting words.
25.11 says,
A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold
in a setting of silver.
15.23,
To make an apt answer
is a joy to a man
and a word in season
how good it is.
So words that give life
isn't just about
saying something right.
But also in the right way
and at the right time.
Proverbs 27.14
actually gives a funny example
of how not to do this.
There's a lot of humor
in the book of Proverbs
when you start to read it.
This is what Proverbs 27.14 says,
Whoever blesses his neighbor
with a loud voice
rising early in the morning
will be counted as cursing.
Do you see the picture?
In other words,
at 5 a.m.,
don't shout up
at your neighbor's open window,
Hey, good morning!
Have a great day!
Praying for your big meeting today!
That's not going to land well.
Just in case you need to know that.
What's the point being made?
Truly wise words
are spoken in the right way
at the right time.
That same thing said
maybe at 8.30
as you guys are pulling
out of the driveway together
might have been the best thing
that your neighbor
could have heard all day.
The New Testament counterpart
to all of this
is found in Ephesians 4.29.
Let no corrupting talk
come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good
for building up
as fits the occasion
that it may give grace
to those who hear.
And I think that verse
is the Apostle Paul
boiling down a lifetime
of meditation on the Proverbs.
Let no corrupting talk
come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good
for building up
as fits the occasion
that it may give grace
to those who hear.
And that's the promise
of Proverbs as well.
That our words
can actually be instruments
of grace and healing.
Not just death,
but life is in the power
of the tongue.
The tongue of the wise
brings healing,
12.18 says.
And this is a great one.
Proverbs 16.24.
Gracious words
are like a honeycomb.
Sweetness to the soul
and health to the body.
There is power
in our words
to do much good.
Friends, can you imagine
if our church,
if our homes,
if our friendships
were characterized
by that sort of speech?
What if we,
our local church,
what if all the local churches
in New Haven,
what if we were all
colonies of wise,
life-giving speech
in the midst of the world?
What if the way we speak here
is very different
than the way speech happens
outside the church?
Would we not be
if our words were honest
and apt
and few
and gentle?
Would we not be
the salt and light
that Jesus said
we would be?
And if the way we spoke
began to change
not just our individual
relationships
and not just our church,
but through
those relationships,
what if it began
to change
our broader culture
as well?
What if instead
of striving
for mere civility
in our public discourse,
there was actually
something greater
that God would bring about
through our presence
of salt and light?
But you and I both know
that as awesome
of a vision as that is
is not easy.
Proverbs admits
as much.
Proverbs 21, 15
says,
there is gold
an abundance
of costly stones,
but the lips
of knowledge
are a precious jewel.
In other words,
wise speech
is precious
and very hard
to come by.
It's more rare
than gold.
It's harder
to find
than costly stones.
But if it's so hard
to come by,
how do we get it?
And again,
this is where
Proverbs is so insightful.
And it's where
Proverbs connects
with the broader
scope of Scripture.
In Proverbs 4, 23,
we read,
keep your heart
with all vigilance,
for from it
flow the springs
of life.
Keep your heart
with all vigilance,
for from it
flow the springs
of life.
And in Proverbs,
that flowing
includes your words.
Listen to 10, 20.
The tongue
of the righteous
is choice silver,
but the heart
of the wicked
is of little worth.
Do you see
what that proverb
puts in parallel?
The tongue
and the heart.
As if to say,
what's in your heart
is what's going
to drive your words.
Jesus himself
put it clearly
in Matthew 12, 34.
Out of the abundance
of the heart,
the mouth speaks.
The ability
to speak wise,
life-giving words
is more than
just trying hard,
practicing,
or working
on new habits.
Of course,
the Bible would have us
make every effort
to do so,
but the solution
has to run deeper
than that
if it's going to work
and if it's going to last
because ultimately
there's a direct line
between your tongue
and your heart.
And what fills your heart
is what's going to come
flowing out of your mouth.
That's why Jesus
can say in the same place
in Matthew,
on the day of judgment,
people will give account
for every careless word
they speak.
On the day of judgment,
we'll all give an account
for every careless word
we speak.
Why?
That seems harsh.
Because Jesus is teaching us
that our words
reveal our hearts.
In other words,
our words reveal
what's truly important to us,
what we value,
what we really worship.
Think about it.
When you're tempted to lie,
for example,
what's really driving your heart?
I can tell you what it is
for me personally.
Nine times out of ten
when I'm tempted
to bend the truth
or to just straight up lie,
you know why I want to do it?
It's because I'm afraid
of losing someone's approval.
So rather than be honest
and say the hard thing,
the thing that maybe
won't make me look so good
because I actually forgot
that appointment
and now I'm sort of
making an excuse
and lying as to why
I didn't show up,
or rather saying the thing
that will make someone else
upset with me,
rather than do that,
I'm tempted to kind of
bend the truth a little bit.
And you know what's going on
in that moment?
My heart loves
and values
human approval
more than it loves
and values
God's approval.
Out of the abundance
of the heart,
the mouth speaks.
Now maybe it's not
approval for you.
Maybe you could care less
what people think about you.
But maybe for you
it's comfort.
If lying will just
get someone off your back,
if they'll stop annoying you
and you can get back
to the comfortable status quo,
that's the time
when you'll be tempted
to lie.
No, I'm not free tomorrow.
I can't make it.
I got this really big thing
I got to take care of.
Really, you're just going
to stay home and watch TV
and you just don't want
to be annoyed
by the person
that you're talking to.
Friends, we could go
on and on
and think through
all the different examples
of wise and foolish speech
that we've covered this morning
and do the same thing.
Think about it.
Why are we tempted
to talk and talk and talk
rather than just
let our words be few?
Why do we keep rambling on
even after we've made our point?
Is it because we're trying
to prove to others
that we really know
what we're talking about
and we're trying to get
their verdict on our lives?
Or are we really wanting
to teach them a lesson
after all they've done to us?
You see,
it all comes out of our heart.
It all comes down to the heart.
What has taken the place
of God in the center
of your life
in your heart?
Because the truth is,
friends,
if we cared more
about God's approval,
if we cared more
about God's verdict,
if we cared more
about God's glory
than we did
about human approval
or some creaturely verdict
or our own glory
or our own security,
if we cared more
about God,
then more and more
and more our speech
would be full of wisdom
and our words
would be honest
and few
and calm
and apt
and they'd give grace
to those who hear.
But how do we get that?
How does God
become the overriding center,
the thrilling highlight
of our hearts again?
How does God come
and fill our hearts
so that the abundance
of our mouth
is life and not death?
Well, in order to get there,
you have to look
not just to God's spoken word,
but you have to look
to His incarnate word.
Earlier in the service,
Kelly read for us John 1
where we're told
that the word
who was with God
in the beginning
and who was God
and through whom
everything was made,
the eternal word of God
became flesh
and dwelt among us.
And throughout Jesus' ministry,
you know what would happen?
People would marvel
at Jesus' words
for they were honest
and they were fitting.
No one has ever spoke
like this man
and they were free of guile
and they were free of fear
and they gave grace
to all who heard.
But then as His ministry went on,
the rumors began to spread
and then the slander.
He's demon-possessed,
they said.
He's out of His mind.
He's overstepping His authority.
He's a blasphemer.
Such were the words
that started to surround
Jesus' ministry.
And then in the final days
of His earthly life,
Jesus,
the eternal word of God,
stood before the court of man
and was condemned
by their word.
And He was mocked
and He was denied
and He was ridiculed.
And when He was crucified,
they hung a sign over His head
written in three different languages
so that no matter
what tongue you spoke,
you could understand the mockery.
There, on the cross,
hung up to Guy,
the sign said,
here is the King of the Jews.
But here's the surprising things, friends.
That as Jesus descended down
into all of our human words
of mockery and condemnation,
Jesus' own final words
from the cross
were not words of retaliation
or anger or judgment,
though all of those responses
would have been totally just.
No, His last word from the cross,
according to John's gospel,
was,
it's finished.
It's done.
In other words,
all the penalty for our sins,
every careless word,
every self-promoting lie,
every salacious piece of gossip
and slander,
everything that we had said,
every careless word
that we had spoke
for which God would hold us
accountable on judgment day,
Jesus bore upon His own body
on the cross.
And three days later,
Jesus rose from the grave,
proving that now
there's no longer judgment
for those who praise their trust in Him.
There's no longer judgment,
but acceptance.
You see,
on the cross,
Jesus bore the word of judgment
we deserve
so that in His resurrection,
He might give us
the word of acceptance
and the word of righteousness
that He deserved.
The whole story of the Bible
is a story of words.
From the creative word of God
that spoke everything into existence
to the covenantal word
that took Israel to Himself,
to the incarnate word
that fulfilled all of Israel's hopes,
to now the new creative word
that comes out with the gospel,
causing us to come alive
and place our trust in Him
so that we can know new life.
It's all about words, friends.
Not mere talk,
but powerful,
life-giving,
eternal words.
And if you're here this morning
and you've placed your trust in Christ,
then what we know
is that the Holy Spirit
has come
and given you
a new heart.
Do you remember
what happened at Pentecost
after Jesus rose from the dead,
ascended to the Father?
What happened at Pentecost?
Jesus sends the Spirit down
in power
like tongues of flame,
Luke says.
And what happens?
The disciples begin to speak.
No longer words of fear,
no longer words of self-accusation,
but words of praise
and words of glory to God.
God was healing their hearts,
healing their speech.
You see,
the words that God had confused
at Babel
in the Old Testament
in judgment,
God was now healing
and uniting at Pentecost.
He was bringing our language
back into line
with His new creative purposes.
And even today, friends,
the Holy Spirit will continue
to do His work
in your heart
because of what Christ has done.
And as the Holy Spirit
takes what Christ has done
and makes it a greater
and greater reality
on your heart,
your words will begin
to overflow with it.
Amen.
And then you won't need
to bend the truth
to get human approval
because now only the approval
of God is what matters.
The Holy God
who gave His Son
in love for you,
that's all that matters.
So you can speak words
that are honest and true.
And now you don't need
to talk and talk and talk
hoping that someone
will recognize you
and someone will acknowledge you.
You can let your words
be few
because your Father
in heaven
and His Son,
Jesus Christ,
is the only one
who really deserves
recognition
and acknowledgement
anyway.
Let all praise be to Him
and let your words
be few.
And the more you keep
in step with the Spirit,
the more you find
that your words
will be honest
and few
and they will be fitting.
Fitting to the occasion,
the right words
at the right time,
full of grace,
full of healing power.
This is what God
is doing in our midst,
friends.
Is that true
of you this morning?
If not,
this offer
is free
to all
who come
to Christ in faith.
Forgiveness,
a new heart,
the Holy Spirit
living within you.
Lay down
your old way
of doing things,
the way in which
you tried to
cover your reputation
with your speech
and protect yourself
and get ahead
in the world.
Lay it down
and entrust yourself
to the word
of life.
Jesus Christ.
And Christians,
you see how powerful
your words are?
If you do,
how are we using them
for wise,
life-giving purposes?
You see what a privilege
you have
to bring grace
to those who hear.
God has given you
a ministry
of speech
that will bring life
and grace
and healing.
how exciting
is that?
What a privilege
to bring grace
to those who hear.
Death and life
are in the power
of your tongue.
And through the Spirit,
may your words,
may the words
that characterize
our church
and God willing,
may the words
that characterize
our city
be more and more
by God's grace
words that bring life.
And may the word
of life,
Jesus Christ,
be praised.
Friends,
let's pray.
Lord Jesus,
word incarnate,
we pray that you
would come now
by your Spirit.
Lord,
help us to see ways
in which our words
have been foolish.
Grant us your forgiveness,
we pray.
And by your Spirit,
help us
to speak words
that are truly life-giving.
Show us,
Lord,
through the spotlight
of your Spirit,
those things
that are ruling
in our hearts
and help us
to lay them down
at your feet.
Oh Lord,
would you reign supreme,
would you fill our hearts,
we pray,
so that our words
might overflow
with truth
and grace.
In Jesus' name
we pray,
Father.
Amen.