wise and righteous speech using my own speech.
And so, Father, one thing that I do know is that nobody here today needs to hear my words.
They don't need to hear my thoughts or what I have to say about speech.
But they do need to hear yours.
They need to hear your word and what you have to say about it.
So, Lord, I pray that you would use this very flawed vessel to speak your word and that
you would give us eyes and ears to hear your word.
In Jesus' name, amen.
You guys may be seated.
Good morning.
I was thinking this morning that today was supposed to be our last day at Abiding Acres, and yet
now next week is, and yet here we find ourselves today.
We make plans, but we do what the Lord wills, and the Lord wills that we are here today.
So, today we're continuing our series in Proverbs and looking at what it has to say about speech.
Now, over this past week, I've been thinking and trying to come up with some sort of illustration
or story about why speech is important.
And in fact, it's actually been pretty hard for me, actually.
It was actually the very last thing that I put together for this sermon because I couldn't
come up with a story.
I came up with a few things initially, and I was working on them and mulling them over,
and eventually I tossed them out.
And so, I kind of went back to the drawing board, and I thought a little bit more, and
I came up with a few more ideas, and I was working on them, and I eventually tossed those
out as well.
And so, yesterday I was thinking and praying about it and, quite honest, feeling pretty nervous
because I still had nothing, and I realized something.
I'm not sure that I need a story or illustration to make us understand the importance of speech.
And the reason is because we have a lot of experience with it.
There's no story that I can give that can capture the importance of speech because we live it every
day.
All of us have experience of bad speech.
We have the experience when somebody speaks a word to us, and it wounds us deeply.
We all have the experience when a particular comment someone might make to us might shape
the way that we think or feel about ourselves for years to come.
Or, we've all had the experience in which someone's tone of voice might tell us everything we need
to know about how they feel about us.
And we've had good experiences too, haven't we?
We have experience when a kind word might brighten our day.
Or maybe a particular encouragement from a teacher or a mentor completely changes the direction
of our life.
Or, we've had the experience in the blessing of when a prayer or a particular scripture is
given to us from a brother and sister in Christ in a time of need.
I know that Mike, Eric, and I experienced that last week.
So we've had experiences.
We all had a lot of experience with good and bad speech.
And yet, with all that experience, don't you think we would be good at it?
Especially us as Christians, don't you think this should be an area that we are knocking
out of the park?
But we don't, do we?
Our tongues seem to be a particularly difficult area to handle.
And this has been true for Christians of every age, but it seems particularly true for us,
doesn't it?
And if the tongue is naturally difficult to tame, the internet sure doesn't make it any
easier, does it?
So, I don't think I really need an illustration, because we all understand the importance of
speech.
We live it.
You only have to live so long to understand it.
So, before we get into it, let me help us kind of orient ourselves just a little bit.
Maybe you're watching online or here, and this is the first time you're joining us.
And so, let me just kind of frame our time together this morning.
We've spent the last several weeks going through the first nine chapters of Proverbs, verse by
verse.
And in these chapters, we have a father who's writing to a son.
And if we could kind of summarize what the father's saying.
He's basically saying this.
The father is calling the son to leave his youthful life behind and choose the righteous
wise and not the path of the wicked fool.
So, after those first kind of eight, nine chapters, we've got a huge chunk of Proverbs.
Chapters 10 through 29.
And it's a collection of these kind of hundreds of different Proverbs.
And they kind of discuss how we apply wisdom to our life.
And because this section of Proverbs is kind of somewhat randomly put together, it doesn't
really lend itself to go verse by verse.
And so, we've been looking at these areas topically.
And so far, we've looked at self-control and anger.
Today, we're looking at speech.
In the future, we're going to look at justice and diligence.
So, our goal this morning is pretty simple.
We're going to investigate what God's Word has to say about speech.
And then we're going to try to apply that wisdom to our lives.
And that last part's really important.
Because typically, when we use the word wisdom, we typically use it to mean that someone who's
collected a lot of knowledge.
But that's not quite what the Hebrew word means.
It means a little bit more than that.
It's not just a collection of knowledge.
It's an applied application of that knowledge.
So, you can think about a craftsman.
A craftsman not only has the knowledge how to build a house, but he actually has the skill
to build it.
So, we don't want to just collect information about speech today.
We also want to see how to skillfully apply it.
So, I've got three simple points here this morning.
One, the first point is, what does Proverbs have to say about the characteristics of foolish
speech?
Two, what does Proverbs have to say about the characteristics of righteous speech?
And three, how do we skillfully apply it to our lives?
So, let's jump in.
First, foolish speech.
Proverbs has a lot to say about foolish speech, and not surprisingly, it usually says foolish
speech comes from the wicked or fools.
And when we study the foolish speech, we can start to see some characteristics of it.
And so, the first characteristic of foolish speech is that it's violent and destructive.
Listen to how Proverbs describes foolish speech.
Proverbs 12, 6.
And I'll be giving a lot of verses.
It's probably best just to write the verse, or write the verse, chapter and verse down,
and not trying to write the whole thing.
So, Proverbs 12, 6.
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood.
Proverbs 11, 11.
By the blessing of the upright, a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked, it's
overthrown.
Proverbs 16, 27.
A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
So, foolish speech is when we have a particular intention to injure.
It's the type of speech that's looking for an opportunity to strike and draw blood.
It's when we make a particular response or have a tone or an attitude that's crafted in a way
that it can inflict the most damage to the other person.
Foolish speech has the intention of destruction always kind of lurking beneath the surface.
So, this isn't just a random misplaced word.
It's not a slip of the tongue.
It's speech that has a mission.
And in Proverbs 16, it says that the mission is to function like a scorching fire.
Some of the most common language that Proverbs uses to describe the effects of foolish speech
is the destruction of a city.
And I don't think I have to provide any examples for us at what the damage a scorching fire can do to a city.
Fire devours.
It consumes.
It takes a once whole structure and leaves it rubble.
We understand this imagery, don't we?
We've seen it.
We've seen the effects of fire on a city.
It destroys.
It burns.
It tears down.
Foolish speech functions in the same way.
It leaves a wake of destruction in its path.
But that's not all it does.
The destruction not only affects those around the foolish speaker,
it actually affects the foolish speaker himself.
Proverbs 18, 7 says,
A fool's mouth is his ruined, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Foolish speech not only consumes like fire those on the receiving end,
but it also burns up the fool themselves.
It's like a cancer that's breaking you down inside.
And the stakes are high.
Proverbs 18 says that the foolish speech is a snare to his soul.
This is much bigger than just hurt feelings.
This has spiritual consequences.
In fact, Proverbs 11, 19 says,
Now, the Hebrew word for destroy here in this Proverbs,
it's interesting because it's used elsewhere in the Bible.
And if we look where that other word is used,
it kind of gives us an idea of what type of destruction
is talking about in this Proverbs.
So the word used for destruction here is the same word used for the destruction of the world in the flood.
It's the same word that is used for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis chapter 18 and 19.
So this isn't just bumps and bruises.
This is decimation.
It's not just about wounding and hurting each other.
It's about a spiritual laying waste of each other.
Foolish speech is destructive and violent,
destroying like a fire those around you as well as the fool himself.
Well, you might be saying to yourself right now,
Well, I'm glad that's not me.
I don't have any intentions like that, right?
When I talk to people, I don't want to destroy them.
I don't have violent intentions.
Well, maybe those aren't always our intentions,
but those are the consequences of foolish speech.
And let's not be so fast to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.
But Proverbs also talks about foolish speech not being blatantly destructive or violent.
So our second characteristic of foolish speech is that it's deceptive.
Listen to Proverbs 26, verses 24 through 26.
Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart.
When he speaks graciously, believe him not,
for there are seven abominations in his heart.
Though his hatred be covered with deception,
his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
Sometimes foolish speech is spoken in a way
that can disguise the hate and deceit that's hiding in someone's heart.
Where sometimes foolish speech might be flowing from our lips,
or sorry, gracious speech might be flowing from our lips
when sinful motives are sitting in our hearts.
The point is, let's not be so quick
to rule ourselves out of the category of the foolish speaker
because we don't have what we would consider
blatantly violent or destructive speech.
We need to do some heart work.
Each of us needs to check inside of ourself
and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us.
Is there any time that our speech is just fancy decoration
that is hiding a heart that actually wants some destruction for the other person?
I mean, think about Jonah.
Jonah was a guy who went to Nineveh,
Nineveh, and he is preaching repentance to the Ninevites.
He's preaching, you need to repent.
You need to give in to your sin.
You need to repent from your sin.
All the while, he doesn't want God to show them mercy at all.
Does that describe us?
Does that describe me?
We need to ask deep down,
do we actually want to see people broken when we speak?
And I'm not talking about a holy brokenness
when the Spirit convicts us.
I'm talking about,
do we want to be in a Hollywood movie scene
where we get to kind of charge into the room
and we tell it like it is
and then we slow motion walk out of there
while the room explodes behind us?
Do we want to bring destruction?
We have to ask the Holy Spirit to search our soul
because foolish speech is violent and destructive
and sometimes its intentions can be deceptively hidden,
not only from ourselves, but from others.
So, I think there's a question we can be asking ourselves.
We can use our fellow brothers and sisters
to help us with this question.
What effect do you see my speech having on other people?
Maybe we don't see the destructive nature of our speech
so we can use the help of our brothers and sisters
and we need the help of the Spirit.
This is something that can be difficult and hard
and without the Spirit opening your eyes
to your destructive speech,
if you have any,
you won't be able to see it.
So, the third characteristic of foolish speech
is that it is constant.
Now, before you start nudging your spouse
or person next to you
because they're a consistent talker,
Proverbs is not talking about the person
who just likes to talk a lot
or maybe an extrovert.
This is talking about someone
who is constantly arguing.
They never stop.
They keep speaking and speaking and speaking
and they never let it go
because they have to be right.
So, this isn't talking about someone
who's just talkative.
This is a perpetual, argumentative manner
in which they speak with others.
Proverbs 20, verse 3 says,
It is to one's honor to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.
So, the foolish speaker
is one who is not looking for resolution
in their discussion.
They're looking for submission.
They want the other person
to wave the white flag
and they're doing that
not because they've been convinced
of the person's argument,
but because they just want it to stop.
The unrelenting, argumentative speech
does not flow out of a conviction
to hear gospel truths proclaimed,
but simply because they want
their own opinion heard.
Proverbs 18, 2 says,
A fool takes no pleasure
in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
Sometimes we use the modern phrase,
Boy, that person sure likes
to hear himself talk.
And that's kind of what this proverb
is getting at here.
It describes the foolish speaker
as one who enjoys expressing
his own opinion,
but has absolutely no humble intention
of actually hearing the other person
and engaging with them.
And by humbly listening,
I don't mean that we are agreeing
or validating everything
the other person says.
There are some absolute truths
that we as believers
will not compromise on.
However,
we do take pleasure
in understanding people
so that we can preach
the gospel to them.
But the fool is only interested
in expressing his own opinion.
Proverbs 29, 9
expresses this a little bit more vividly.
It says,
A wise man has an argument
with a fool
and only rages
and laughs
and there is no quiet.
Can you guys see
how it's describing
the constant nature
of foolish speak?
It's not aiming
at anything specific.
One moment it rages,
the next moment it laughs,
and all the time
it never stops
because it has no righteous end.
So again,
let's not be so quick
to dismiss ourselves
from that category of speech.
This constant argumentative speech
may take on
some subtle forms.
Maybe it looks like gossip.
Instead of speaking
directly to the other person,
in order to gain understanding
and reconciliation,
do we talk behind their backs,
criticizing and belittling them?
Or maybe when we speak,
we're constantly
spinning the information
to make ourselves
look better.
If we're constantly
spinning to make ourselves
look better,
we're not looking
for understanding
and reconciliation,
let alone
we're not speaking
the truth.
Or maybe
we're constantly
condemning others
without the
corresponding
reconciliation.
Are we constantly
pointing out the wrong,
and never pointing
that person
to the reconciling
power of Christ?
We are
absolutely
called
to condemn
sin.
But foolish
speech
does this
without
the larger
context
of speech
that points
a sinner
towards their
need of a
Savior.
In the same
manner that
I
am a sinner
in need of a
Savior.
So foolish
speech is
destructive,
it is
deceptive,
it is
constant,
it wrecks
havoc wherever
it goes,
and it
eventually
consumes
the one
who spews
it.
So church,
I spent a little
time on
this area
because this
isn't a game.
Our speech
is not
a game.
sinful
speech
is real
sin
and it
carries
with it
the
devastating
effects
of real
sin.
And we
need to
take it
seriously.
So let's
move on
to righteous
speech.
The first
characteristic
of righteous
speech
is that
it is
humble
and gentle.
And when you
look at
Proverbs,
Proverbs has a
very poetic
nature to
it.
A lot of
times in
Hebrew
poetry,
you've got
comparison
type
sentences.
So the
first
sentence is
compared to
the second
sentence,
and sometimes
those comparisons
are similarities,
and sometimes
those comparisons
are opposites.
And Proverbs
use a lot of
those opposite
comparison
ways.
So listen
to Proverbs
15.1.
A soft
answer
turns away
wrath,
but a harsh
word stirs
up anger.
righteous
speech
is
gentle.
Or
Proverbs,
this particular
proverb uses
the word
soft
instead of
gentle.
Now if
you're like
me,
the first
thing that
pops into
your head
when you
hear soft
answer
is Mr.
Rogers.
Hello
boys and
girls,
would you
like to
be my
friend?
That's
not what
soft answer
is talking
about.
Proverbs
is not
encouraging
us to
walk around
speaking to
each other
in these
gentle
whispers.
Soft
answer
does not
necessarily
indicate
volume,
but it
indicates
control
and
effectiveness.
A soft
answer is
one that is
spoken in a
manner that
will quench
another person's
anger.
water.
It's like
putting water
on a fire
to suffocate
it.
Righteous
speech is
gentle in
the way that
it is
direct,
but loving.
It's
humble in
the way that
it is bold,
but not
arrogant.
I can't
help but think
of the way
that Jesus
speaks in
Matthew 22.
And this is
when the
Pharisees are
coming to
him and
they're asking
him about
paying taxes.
And in
Matthew 22.
15,
it says,
the Pharisees
came to
entangle
him in
his words.
So you
see those
deceptive
intentions?
They came
to entangle
him.
And when you
hear they
came to
entangle
him,
you should
think they
came with
foolish
speech.
And they
asked him,
they said,
is it lawful
to pay taxes
to Caesar?
And what
they were
really trying
to do is
they were
trying to
put him
into a
no-win
situation.
They
really
didn't
care what
his answer
was.
They just
wanted an
answer that
would get
him in
trouble.
And so you
can also
think they
spoke without
wanting to
understand.
More foolish
speech.
So what did
Jesus do?
He didn't just
roast him on the
spot for their
deceptiveness.
He didn't kind
of timidly say,
well, you know,
that's not really a
fair question.
He gave them
a soft answer.
He said,
give to Caesar
what is Caesar's
and give to
God what is
God's.
Do you
remember what
a soft answer
produces?
It turns away
wrath.
And so in
verse 22 it
says,
when they
heard it,
they marveled
and they
left him
and went
away.
Jesus gave
a soft answer
that turned
away the wrath
of the Pharisees.
His answer
wasn't weak.
It wasn't
timid.
It wasn't
shy.
It wasn't
unrealistically
bubbly.
It was
controlled.
It was
direct.
It was
gracious and
gentle.
Jesus could
have absolutely
lit them up
for their
deceptiveness.
He would
have been
right in
doing that.
But he
gave an
answer that
was filled
with truth
given in
love.
It was
direct and
loving.
It was
bold but
not arrogant.
And did
you notice
the power
of a soft
answer?
Look at the
effect it
had.
They walked
away and
they marveled.
Humble and
gentle answers
are powerful.
They carry
weight.
Proverbs
25 15
tells us,
with patience
a ruler
may be
persuaded
and a
soft tongue
will break
a bone.
I see a lot
of broken
bones.
It's kind
of hard
to break
bones.
A soft
tongue has
the power
to break
bones.
But did
you notice
something in
the beginning
of that
proverb?
With
patience.
Righteous
speech is
humble,
gentle,
and powerful
but it
requires
patience.
And to be
quite frank,
this is the
complete opposite
of our
hot take
society.
A hot
take is
when you
kind of
give your
opinion and
typically it's
a pretty
strong opinion
and you
give it as
fast as
you can.
Someone
asks you
and you
just shoot
off the
cuff.
You want
to be the
first to
say it.
Hot
takes are
the absolute
opposite of
a soft
answer.
Yet
righteous
speech is
characterized as
humble and
gentle and
powerful.
our second
characteristic of
righteous speech.
It is
restrained.
So if
foolish speech
is constant
and Proverbs
then portrays
righteous speech
as extremely
cautious and
restrained.
Proverbs 10
19
Sin is not
ended by
multiplying
words but
the prudent
hold their
tongue.
To be quite
honest, this
can be really
difficult,
can't it?
Holding our
tongues and
not speaking
might be one
of the hardest
things we have
to do in
life.
I don't think
that's an
exaggeration.
Proverbs
though has a
lot to say
about restrained
speech.
Proverbs 17
10
It tells us
not to
rehash old
events.
Be restrained.
Whoever
covers an
offense seeks
love but he
who repeats
a matter
separates close
friends.
sometimes the
wisest thing
we can do
is not
say anything
and that's
hard.
Our
restrained
speech might
also be in
the sense of
who we speak
to.
Do we
gossip or do
we speak to
the person
directly?
Proverbs 25
9-10
Argue your
case with
your neighbor
himself.
Do not
reveal another
secret.
secrets.
But it's
not only
who we
talk to
that the
restraint of
our speech
might be
connected to
it's also
the where
and the
when do
we speak.
Do we
speak to a
person now
in the
moment or
do we show
some restraint
and speak to
them later?
Do we speak
to the person
over social
media or
should we be
restrained and
speak to them
in person?
Where and
when matters
and it takes
restraint.
It's easy to
open the mouth
and let it
fly but it's
hard to be
restrained.
But Proverbs
tells us that
righteous speech
is restrained.
Third characteristic
of righteous
speech and
church this is I
think the
biggest point.
This is the
defining characteristic
I think of
righteous speech.
when we speak
it should be
giving life
to those
who hear it.
Righteous speech
is life giving.
Proverbs uses
some of its
most vivid
language when
speaking of
righteous speech.
And Proverbs
10 11 compares
righteous speech
to a well
of life.
Proverbs 15
4 it compares
it to a tree
of life.
life.
So in both
images we have
this idea of
something that
sustains life.
It would be
absolutely necessary
for a well to
be around in
order to sustain
life for a
family and its
livestock.
A tree would
provide shelter,
shade, a
source of food.
These images
were used
because it would
be understood by
the original
readers that
life flourishes
around wells that
give water and
trees that give
fruit.
And so in a
similar way
life flourishes
around the
life giving words
of the righteous
speaker.
So you may be
asking yourself
well how does
righteous speaking
give life?
How does that
actually work?
that's a good
question.
Is it because it's
just nice and
warm and gentle
and doesn't hurt
people's feelings?
Is it because that
positivity is just
kind of better than
negativity?
No, it's not any
of those.
Righteous speech
gives life because
it points us to the
source of life,
Jesus.
The moment we start
hearing well of life
or tree of life,
we should start
thinking about the
gospel of John.
John is constantly
speaking of Jesus
as the source of
life.
In fact, in the
gospel of John, we
get Jesus as famous
as I am, several
of which speak about
him being the
source of life.
Jesus says in
John 6, I am the
bread of life.
He says in John
11, I am the
resurrection and
the life.
He says in John
14, I am the
way, the truth,
and the life.
He says in John
10, I came that
they may have
life and have
it abundantly.
So how does
righteous speech
give life?
Because wise
speech springs
forth from
and points
to the
giver of life,
Jesus.
Church, if
Jesus is the
source of life
and he has
redeemed us
back, unifying
himself with us,
God, then how
could our words
not be coated
with life?
Scripture tells
us that out of
the heart the
mouth speaks.
Luke 6,
45 says,
the good person
out of the good
treasure of his
heart produces
good.
The evil person
out of the evil
treasure produces
evil.
For it is out of
the abundance of
the heart that the
mouth speaks.
The mouth is an
indicator of the
heart.
The mouth reveals
the heart.
The mouth can
make visible the
unseen heart.
So if our mouths
spew forth foolish
speech, what does
that say about our
hearts?
Brothers and
sisters, based on
God's word given
to us in Proverbs,
I would plead to
you that if our
hearts have been
raised from death
to life by the
blood of the Lamb,
then out of these
newly raised hearts
must flow life-giving
speech.
We must take the
path of the
righteous speaker,
which is humble,
gentle, restrained,
and life-giving.
And we are to
avoid foolish speech,
which is deceptive,
constant, and
eventually a ruin
to all.
So we've taken
some time to look
at the various
characteristics of
foolish speech and
wise speech, but
that's not good
enough.
It's not good
enough just to
have the knowledge
of righteous speech
and foolish speech.
As I mentioned
earlier, we want to
be able to
skillfully apply
that knowledge.
So how should we
let this knowledge
function in our
lives?
How do we
skillfully apply it?
Well, since there's
an innumerable amount
of scenarios we could
go over, I don't
want to pick some
random scenarios.
What I want to do
is I want to look
at a proverb and
see how it
skillfully applies
how to live a
righteous speech
out.
So in order to do
this, we're going
to use Proverbs
26, 45, kind of
as our framed
example.
So Proverbs 26, 4
through 5 says,
Answer not a fool
according to his
folly, lest you be
like him yourself.
Answer a fool
according to his
folly, lest he be
wise in his own
eyes.
So this proverb is
telling us in one
instance to answer a
fool and in another
instance it's telling
us not to answer the
fool.
And so what's the
deal?
Should we answer?
Should we not answer?
When should we do
it?
Well, let's take a
look.
We'll go through
this quickly.
The key phrase comes
in answer the fool
according to his
folly, which is in
both of the
sentences.
But the difference is
that in each sentence
the way in which we
answer the fool is
different.
In the first
situation, if we
answer the fool
using the same
speech and tactics
they do, we become
like the fool
ourselves.
Answer not a fool
according to his
folly, lest you be
like him yourself.
Yet in the second
one, according to
his folly, it's
saying that we
actually give an
answer to the
foolish things that
are being said.
So in other words,
we name and point
out the foolish
speech and the
destruction that it's
causing.
We answer the fool
according to his
folly, lest he be
wise in his own
eyes.
So when we
answer a fool, we
do so in a way that
exposes their foolish
speech.
But we never answer in
a way that makes us
become a fool like
them.
Therefore, there's a
skill in how we
answer the fool.
So how do we do this
practically?
So if you're going to
answer the fool, or if
you're going to answer
someone, we might have
to ask ourselves a
question.
Is my answer going to
show the fool his
folly, or is my
answer acting in the
same manner as the
fool?
And the answer to
that will give us
whether we should
answer them or not.
And guess what?
This isn't easy to
figure out.
It's hard.
We can't always do it
by ourselves.
We need help from
faithful brothers and
sisters to help us
decipher should we
answer.
So do you have any
brothers and sisters
you can go to and
ask them, should I
answer?
How is my answer?
How is my speech in
this situation?
Do you have a life
group that can support
you that you can go
to?
Sometimes we don't
have the time to do
that.
And so more importantly,
are we praying about
these things?
Are we asking the
Holy Spirit to help
us when it comes to
righteous speech?
Help us know when we
should speak.
Help us know when we
should hold our
tongues.
If we're not praying
about these things, we
need to be.
So I think what we can
gather from this
proverb is that when we
speak or when we don't
speak, it requires a
skillful application.
It requires us to know
first what wise speech
looks like.
It requires us to know
what foolish speech
looked like.
And then knowing those
two things helps us to
know what path to go to
so we can pursue that.
We can take that and
apply it to a lot of
situations.
We can ask ourselves,
what does wise speech
look like in this
situation?
What does foolish speech
look like in this
situation?
Am I exhibiting the
characteristics of any of
those in this situation?
I just want to give a
word of caution and a
word of encouragement as
we close when it comes to
speaking and when we
don't speak.
If we do decide to
answer, I just want to
give us a quick caution.
When we lovingly show the
fool their folly, we must
be ready to give up our
desire to be seen as
right in the fool's eyes
because it's not going to
happen.
We speak truth not because
we want to be justified in
their eyes, but because
we're being faithful to the
one who is the ultimate
standard of truth.
And how about when we
don't answer the fool?
Well, to be frank, on the
whole, Proverb actually
presents arguing with the
fool as an unprofitable use
of our time, even when our
argument or cause is
entirely justified.
But I want to encourage you
in those times when we
don't answer.
You might be thinking,
well, if we don't answer,
don't they win?
Well, no, not ultimately.
Because God is a righteous
and holy God, and he will
judge not only the actions
of the wicked, but the
speech of the wicked as
well.
When we don't answer, what
we're doing is we are
trusting in the Lord to
intervene by silencing and
stopping the foolish speech
and vindicating those who
have spoken wisely.
God is a righteous judge who
will make all things right,
if not now and the last
day.
God will judge not only the
actions of the fool, but
also the speech of the fool
so we can trust him to
handle it.
It's not our job to put the
fool in their place.
That will be accomplished by
the risen and reigning king.
We must leave it to the Lord
to trust in him as he is a
righteous judge.
And in fact, isn't this a
great summary of what the
father is telling the son in
the beginning of Proverbs?
Basically, the father is
telling the son, the Lord is
worth trusting even when the
way of wisdom doesn't seem
the most attractive.
Or even when we can't see the
Lord's actions in this world.
This is what the fear of the
Lord is the beginning of the
wisdom looks like.
putting our trust in him when
we speak or when we don't
speak.
So before I close and pray, I
just wanted to say something
quickly.
If God's used this time to
convict you about your manner
of speech and you've already
put your faith in Christ, then
praise God for his graciousness
towards you.
Run to him, confidently confess
your sinful speech, and
because his mercy is more than
your foolish speech.
By God's goodness and mercy, he
will continue to do a good
work conforming your speech to
a manner worthy of the
gospel.
But if you haven't yet put your
faith in Christ, I wanted to
be very clear about something.
I don't want something to be
mistaken.
Being more wise in your speech
will not save you.
Better speech will not earn you the
gift of salvation.
It is only by trusting in Jesus and
what he did for you on the cross
that will save you.
And when God has changed your heart
from a heart of stone to a heart of
flesh, it is only then that we can
have truly righteous speech.
So if you want to know more about that,
please come down after service and talk to
myself or one of the other pastors.
We'll be down here.
If you're online, contact the church.
We'd love to be able to talk to you about
that.
Let's pray.
Father, we are thankful that we have your
word that talks to many different areas of
our lives.
Father, I pray that your spirit does a
work in us, in our hearts, in our bodies,
that we are speakers of life.
That when we speak, it doesn't tear down,
but it builds up.
And ultimately, it points to Jesus and all
the glory is given to him.
Lord, thank you for your word.
Thank you for the direction that it gives us.
In your name, amen.