Elder Ron Gannon reminds us to be careful what we say!

[0:00] Shall we pray? Father, we just thank you for all the fathers represented here this morning, Father. We are so thankful for their love and for their time that they invest in to supply for the needs of their family.

[0:14] Help them to be good and godly leaders of the family. And Father, help them to honor him as God intended him to be honored. We thank you for this congregation this morning, Father.

[0:26] Father, we thank you for their teachability. Be with those who are not able to be with us this morning. And Father, this morning we are so thankful that Marv is back with us.

[0:37] And we just pray for his continued recovery, Father. And that he get his strength back. He get his voice back. And we are thankful for the things you're doing in his life. Father, this morning also we want to lift up Mary.

[0:51] Mary now. Father, she is having trouble with her neck and her jaw. And we just pray that you'll be with her and be with those who will be able to correct this problem for her.

[1:03] And just guide her also with her son that she is having some problems with. Father, we know this morning that we are without excuse. That which is known about you is evident.

[1:16] However, we all fall short. But we also know that through Jesus Christ we have been justified and have been justified through faith.

[1:26] And now that we are, we have peace with you, Father. We're no longer at war with you. And we can exalt in your eternal hope. Father, this morning help us to be not of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

[1:42] Father, through your holy word. We know your word is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. Piercing in the soul and the spirit. And be able to judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart.

[1:55] Father, as we speak about words that come from our mouth this morning, help us to be aware of how hurtful they can be to those that we love and that we fellowship with. Help us to understand what you say about the tongue and the fire it's capable of putting out.

[2:14] But most of all this morning, Father, we just thank you for your saving grace, for the gospel, the good news. The fact that Jesus died on the cross, he was buried, and he rose again.

[2:27] That is the gospel. And we thank you for that. And help us not to go any direction other than that gospel. We thank you this morning, Father. We praise you.

[2:38] And we ask it this morning in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, this morning I'm going to continue in the book of Proverbs. And so far my study in Proverbs has been describing what wisdom is and how the Lord enables us to gain that wisdom.

[2:57] But as I stated earlier, I think in one of my first or second topics on this, that I'm not going to be taking this book chapter by chapter. It's very difficult. And what we'll be doing is just taking different topics out of the book of Proverbs.

[3:13] And this morning that I want to do that. And this morning I want to discuss what Proverbs says about the words that come out of our mouth. Remember that final quote that I talked about on Father's Day this morning?

[3:28] He didn't tell me how to live. He lived. And he let me watch him do it. Well, guys, that includes our mouth, doesn't it? That includes our mouth. And ladies.

[3:42] That which comes from the mouth is an expression of what is really in the heart, as Matthew describes. The Lord Jesus clearly stated it is not really a mouth problem, but it's a heart problem.

[3:54] What is in the heart? That's the problem. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. We see that in Matthew 12. I think 33 or 34 or 35.

[4:08] We also see that it's a fruit. If the fruit is bad, something must be wrong with the root, huh? There's got to be something wrong with the root. The heart. So what comes from the heart is what comes from the mouth.

[4:25] The book of James has a great deal to say about the tongue. We just read that there in chapter 3. And we're not going to turn there again. But it tells us how that the mouth can set things afire.

[4:38] That we have to be able to control it. Like you do a ship with that small rudder. We have to be able to control what comes out of our mouth. It talks about bridle.

[4:50] Bridal the tongue. Well, this just hit me just right. Because I spent the week using a bridle. Down there in Missouri, I got the chance to ride that horse.

[5:01] And I can tell you what a bridle does. You have a wild horse there. Especially that guy that was on that horse. That guy that could train it. You didn't even see him move his hand.

[5:15] But he was doing something there with that bridle. That would make that horse do what he wanted to do. So you control that wild beast. And how do you control it? You've got to control it with your hand.

[5:27] With that bridle. And that's what God is talking about here. When he says bridle the tongue. You know, you've got to control that tongue. Because if you don't control the tongue, then that tongue is going to wag and control you.

[5:40] And we don't want that to happen. So the bridle is used to control a horse and hold him back and keep him in check. A man's tongue is like a wild horse that must be controlled and held in check and restrained.

[5:51] And we all know that, don't we? We've all experienced what the tongue is to. We must not let it run loose. God is the one who can help us control the tongue. As we trust in him. All the way.

[6:02] Like James, the book of Proverbs is a very practical book. And has much to say about the use and the abuse of the tongue. God is the one who can help us control the tongue.

[6:15] As we must seek him. And we must seek his word on how to control the tongue. Just think of this. How many words can you say in a three-minute phone call?

[6:32] Well, in three short minutes, a slow talker can talk about 450 words. In a three-minute conversation.

[6:44] It is even possible to whiz through 750 words. If you're a very quick talker. And you like to talk a lot. How many words do you think can come out of your mouth during the day?

[6:59] Think about it. And I know some of you are thinking right now. And I know some of you are thinking. Wow. That's a large number, huh? And again, there's some of us that's thinking and saying, wow.

[7:15] I don't really say that much. And it. Well, it reminded me of a story. When. Joyce and I were younger. We had some friends and we always went to Norris Lake.

[7:28] With our friends every summer. And Eddie, he was a farmer. And he had a CB on every piece of equipment that man had. He had every tractor had a CB on it.

[7:39] His combine had a CB on it. And by golly, Ron, we're heading down to Tennessee today. I want a CB in that car. I never had a CB. I didn't want a CB. I've been with Eddie before.

[7:51] And all you hear is, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All the time. And. But he insisted. I have that CB in my car. And. We'd take off.

[8:02] We always took off early in the morning. So we didn't talk too much then. But as soon as that summit would rise. Oh, Eddie was on there just yacking away. Where are you at? Did you see that? Did you see that? Did you see that? And before long, I would just.

[8:16] Go down there. I'd shut that thing off. I'm not much of a talker. I think you guys probably realize that. I'm not much on talking. Yeah. Roger's saying amen to that right now.

[8:27] He was there with me last week. And a lot of those people says, is that guy having. Is he having a good time? Yeah, I'm having a good time. Sometimes I don't smile and talk. But in the inside, I'm smiling.

[8:39] And I'm talking. And so I'm a quiet guy. So there's probably not that much. But anyway. We'll stop and go during the restaurant. And Eddie would say, well, wait a minute, Ron.

[8:49] Where? Why weren't you talking to me? Where was the CB at? I said, I don't know. Eddie, there must be a problem with it. Well, he'd get in there and he'd look it over. He'd turn it on. Well, that thing shut off. I said, yeah.

[9:01] I don't know how it got shut off. It got shut off. Well, you know, with CBs, you always got to have a. What do they call that? A handle. A handle for all the CB users. Well, guess what my handle was?

[9:13] Lip lock. Lip lock. Do you believe that, Roger? Okay. So a little lip lock.

[9:25] He doesn't talk as much as. I don't know if I can get out 300 or 450 words in a three-minute conversation. Most of the time, my phone calls don't even last three minutes. So I don't think I put out that much.

[9:38] But anyway, think about it. How many words do you put out? We put out a lot of words, don't we? If we're going to be alive in a normal day, we're always talking. There's always communication going. So we're talking, talking, and talking.

[9:53] Words are powerful. They can create close friendships or they can destroy old friendships. They can prompt laughter or they can motivate tears. Words can hurt and harm and words can heal and they can help.

[10:08] Let us now consider some, how some of the words can be used in the wrong way. And there's a lot of ways that this can happen. False words.

[10:20] Do you use false words? What does the Lord think of a lying tongue? Well, in Proverbs 6, and by the way, my wife told me to slow down when you're giving out scriptures this morning.

[10:34] People were trying to get to the passages and you were just flying right on by. Okay, so Proverbs 6, verses 16 and 17.

[10:46] So I'm going to try to do that this morning. Hold me an account here. Proverbs 6, verses 16 and 17. He says, a lying tongue is one of the things he hates.

[11:00] And if you turn to chapter 12, verses 22. It says there, lying lips is an abomination to the Lord.

[11:12] An abomination to the Lord. If you would now turn to Acts chapter 5. We're going to see an example of that in the New Testament.

[11:24] And while you're turning to Acts chapter 5, we'll set the setting there. We have the, well, Pentecost is over. There's many people who've accepted the Lord Jesus Christ.

[11:38] Many Jewish fellows that have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. And these men are starting to meet. What is it? There's 120. There's 500 who have now accepted the Lord.

[11:51] What were they expecting? They were expecting the kingdom to come, weren't they? They were getting ready. They said, to do this, let's combine what we have. Sell your possessions.

[12:03] Sell these things and bring them to the leaders. And we can live off of that. Well, as you get into chapter 5, there's two people that come to mind. Annias and Zephyrna.

[12:21] And what happened to them? Well, they knew what they were supposed to be doing. They were supposed to be selling their land. And giving the proceeds to the leaders of that group of people there.

[12:32] The Jewish believers. And they said, okay, we'll sell their land. And they sold their land. But when they went in. When Ananias went in. What did he tell? They said, I sold my land.

[12:44] And this is the money from it. And they said, Ananias. Is this what you sold your land for? And of course, they knew he was lying. And instantly, he was struck dead.

[12:57] Instantly. And they drug him out. And then his wife came in later. She wasn't with him. She came in later. And again, they came to her and they said, did you sell your property? And yes, I did.

[13:08] And she gave him the same story. That their husband had given. And of course, she was also instantly put to death. So yeah, lying.

[13:20] God is abomination to God. Who is a liar's parent? John 8, 44. Says, you are the father of the devil.

[13:32] And there is no truth in him. For he is a liar and a father of all lies. So if we're liars, we're the father of the devil. The father of the devil is our father.

[13:45] Will a liar be punished? Yes, Proverbs 19, 5. You turn to that. And in there it says, a false witness will not go unpunished.

[14:00] And he who tells a lie will not escape. Well, just like Ananias and his wife. Did they face punishment for their lies? Of course they did.

[14:12] Now today, we get caught up in lies, don't we? And we may get away with it. Sometimes we just have to face the punishment and get dealt with whatever it is when we get caught in a lie.

[14:26] Okay, that's the punishment we get today. But in the future, what does the Lord say the punishment will be? The lake of fire. For all those who do not believe.

[14:37] For all those who false. Who lie. They will be in the lake of fire. Those who love lies are showing that they do not love the God of truth.

[14:48] Liars and deceivers hide the truth. Twist the truth. Misrepresent the truth. And lead others away from the truth. How truthful are you this morning? What always came out of the Savior's mouth?

[15:01] Turn to John chapter 8, verses 45 and 46. And what does it say there in that verse?

[15:15] Truth. Truth came from the Lord's mouth. And that's the only thing that ever came from the Lord's mouth was truth. So that's not what we need to do.

[15:27] We need to be speakers of truth. And not of lying. Oh, I remember as a kid. Boy, that's one of the things that my mother always beat me. Because I was a pretty good liar.

[15:40] She said, Ronnie, if you go to school and you get spanked at school, don't come home. Because if I found out that you got spanked at school, guess what?

[15:52] It's going to be nothing compared to what you get when you get home. Well, I lied. I lied. I lied. I never went home and said, hey, mom, I got spanked today.

[16:04] I think my brother told on me a couple times, though. I think that's what happened. So, tell the truth. That's one of the things that come from our mouth is lies.

[16:16] And we need not to be lying to one another. God does not want us to be liars. What's some other type of words? Perverse or filthy words.

[16:28] Perverse or filthy words. The person who is perverse or wicked in his lips is described as a fool. That's how God describes it. Proverbs 19.1.

[16:38] What kind of words flow out of your mouth? Corrupt words? Improper words? Swear words?

[16:48] Rotten words? Do you swear and use filthy language in public? In private? Do you copy the language of your unsaved friends?

[17:03] Or are you a testimony to them by the words which you use and which you do not use? Or words? And I guess men are worse at this than women.

[17:16] I don't know. But anymore, there's some real nasty stuff coming out of women's mouths. And I think it's going to get worse probably as the time goes on as we get towards the end.

[17:29] Because the sad perverse things will come from their mouths. But men have a lot of trouble with that. We always do. Now, you join the army. What do you get? Be a man.

[17:40] Go out there and cuss and swear with the best of them, right? That's what it's all about. When you go to your job, cuss and swear. Rotten, perverse things come out of your mouth.

[17:52] And I was the same way. When I started working at Right Pat, I was the same as everybody else. I didn't know the Lord at that point. And as I accepted the Lord and he started working in my life and I became more and more sanctified, I was conscious of what I was saying.

[18:11] And I tried to temper that down when I was at work. You know, and after a while, they caught on to that. It used to be I'd walk in an office and whatever, they're telling dirty jokes or whatever.

[18:21] It never fazed him. They just said, here comes another guy. We'll just keep on going. After a while, I'd walk in their room and they could be telling dirty jokes or using perverse language.

[18:35] And all of a sudden, it stopped. And why? Why? Well, they saw somebody that they knew, said that they knew the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

[18:47] And that they should be living a different way. Now, I'm not saying I live perfect and I still don't today. That's not what I'm getting at. But as I was trying to correct that language, people, they saw that.

[18:59] They saw that. And they respected that. And, you know, a lot of times, if guys are in a room and a woman comes in a room, what do we do? We keep, wow, okay, we stop the dirty language, don't we? We don't want to embarrass the lady coming in or whatever.

[19:13] So we stop that. So we can do it. I mean, it's not that we can't do it. It's just so it's so natural for us to get out there and use this language that we have when we're around guys or whatever. So perverse language is just, you know, God does not want us to use that.

[19:28] He doesn't want us to use the dirty talk. Not in public. Wow. I was down at Kings Island. I heard taking some kids down there on a school bus. And the things you heard out there on that park was just unbelievable coming out of people's mouths.

[19:43] So I think it's getting worse. It is getting worse. But God does not want us to do that. He wants us not to use that kind of language. In the New Testament, God tells us that no corrupt or filthy communication should come out of the believer's mouth.

[20:01] And we see that in Ephesians chapter 4 and also in Colossians chapter 3. Don't let the garbage and the filth fly all over the place. Keep it in check.

[20:12] Remember, our language reveals our heart. Filthy words come from a filthy heart. Have you ever allowed God to do a heart-cleansing job within you? Then I think we better do that.

[20:24] Let God cleanse our heart. You can ask Joyce. Even since I've been a Christian, I don't... And she'll tell you, if Ron goes out there in that garage and starts working on a car, she knows she's going to hear something.

[20:39] I don't know. Usually, if I'm pulling a wrench and that thing slips and I hit my knuckles, the first thing that comes out is curse words. I just said, praise the Lord.

[20:54] Yeah. That's what you're supposed to say. Praise the Lord. That felt good. Yeah. But no, what comes out? Hey, I go right back to that old natural language.

[21:07] It's just natural. It just slips out. The only thing different now is I know I do it. As soon as I do it, then I know I've done it. And I feel bad. You know, I know that, you know, I've let God down.

[21:19] I've said something I shouldn't be saying. So just watch your words. You know, what comes from our mouth? It can be filthy. Is he cleansing your heart? Isaiah 1.8 reads, Through your sins are scarlet and crimson.

[21:35] Other words, they're just as red as they can be. Very seeable. What will they be? They will be as white as snow or as of wool.

[21:47] Isaiah now, he's prophesying. What's he prophesying about? He's prophesying about Jesus coming. He's talking about the end times. He's talking about our perfected body. Those words are going to be as white as snow.

[22:00] We won't even think about cussing, will we? Or using bad language. So, as we're being saved, that's where it reads. 1 John 1.7 reads, The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

[22:15] So, that red language is cleaned up by Jesus' blood. And from that cross. And for what he's going to do with us in the future.

[22:27] That hope that I was talking about in my prayer. Jesus is going to come back and get us. And we are going to be perfect. In every way. Even in the words that come from our mouth.

[22:39] So, let Jesus cleanse you. Let him wash. Let him cleanse us from the words. Harsh and angry words. Well, we use those all the time too, don't we?

[22:52] Have you ever seen a person explode like a volcano? It's not a pretty sight, is it? Have you ever exploded in front of your wife? Wives, have you exploded in front of your husband?

[23:05] It gets pretty messy, doesn't it? When that volcano blows. It's just a fit of anger. And all kinds of stuff starts spilling out. When the human volcano blows.

[23:17] It usually explodes through the mouth. Usually, the angrier the person gets. The louder the words get. The louder the words get. The angrier the person gets. Have you ever heard an argument get louder and louder.

[23:29] Until the two people eventually end up throwing fists? Well, I have. When I started my jail ministry. I was involved in a place called the Exodus House.

[23:43] And I went in there. I did Bible studies. And these are men that had been in jail. And who were leased. And this was like a, if you might call it a halfway house. And I was in there one night.

[23:55] And I think there's about four or five guys sitting there. And one guy came in beside me. And he sat down. And as I was teaching. You started getting jabs at one another.

[24:07] You know, he was jabbing this guy. This guy was jabbing him. I'm talking about talking now. They'd make slide remarks. And all of a sudden it got a little bit louder. And it got a little bit louder.

[24:20] And I'm sitting there thinking. You know, I'm new at this. And I've never been in jail. I've never been involved with these kind of people before. And here I'm thinking. There's something going to happen.

[24:31] And all of a sudden. I can feel the vibration. I can feel the vibration coming off this guy. You know, it started from his feet. And it started on his legs. And you could just feel him vibrating.

[24:43] I said, it's going to blow. It's going to blow. And all of a sudden it just blew. And up they jumped. And fists started flying. I don't know how I got that stopped.

[24:54] I think it was just the power of God. Because I had no idea what to do. That just frightened me to all. I just didn't know what to do. I'd never seen that type of thing happen before. So, yeah.

[25:06] When that volcano blows. When we get angry. We do all kinds of things, don't we? We do all kinds of hurtful things. And that's exactly what these guys were doing. They got up and they wanted to hurt that other person.

[25:18] Because he was saying things about me. That just made me angry. What's Jesus' answer to that? A gentle answer turns away wrath.

[25:29] Proverbs 15.1 Next time, try using the weapon of soft words. Soft words quench, anguish, fire. Have you ever tried the soft answer approach when talking to your parents?

[25:42] Now think about it. When you was a kid. How you used to talk to your mom and dad. Sometimes we'd get pretty upset, wouldn't we? We'd say things that our mom and father that we just should never have been saying.

[25:53] And vice versa. Sometimes mom and dad. And discipline our kids. How do we do that? We need to use that soft answer. Harsh answers never do the trick.

[26:05] Loud, angry words only stir up wrath. Guaranteed. If you use loud and angry words, you're going to stir up wrath. That's from God's word.

[26:16] I thought about saying this one, but I'm going to go ahead and do it. Because the word talks about it. It's gossipy words. Once you don't step on somebody's toes, huh?

[26:31] Gossip is a terrible weapon of destruction. Oh, it's so terrible. The person who uses this weapon loves to reveal very personal and sensational things or facts about somebody else.

[26:45] And of course, this person is never present when they're doing this, are they? We're not saying it to their face. The gossiper loves to do anything except mind his own business.

[26:57] According to Proverbs chapter 11, verse 13. A talebearer reveals secrets, but he that is of a faithful spirit conceals the matter.

[27:14] There are some things that we are told or that we know about that are just not meant to be spread around. There are some things that if said would only hurt and harm the person that we're going to be talking about.

[27:28] So why do it? Have you ever heard someone say to you, Don't tell anybody I told you this. If it's not worth repeating, then we shouldn't be repeating it at all, should we?

[27:44] In spreading gossip, sometimes the gossiper pretends that it is with great reluctance that he speaks that he is grieved or even repeats such a word.

[27:58] But in actuality, if he were really grieved, then he'd probably keep his mouth shut to begin with. Proverbs 17.9 says, He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he repeats a matter separates intimate friends.

[28:19] Oh, my friends, how quick can we stop a friendship? By just uttering some words about somebody behind their back. Did we intend to end that friendship?

[28:32] Of course we didn't intend to end a friendship. But my, it's very hard to forgive somebody that slandered you when your back is turned. So gossip is a very thing that we have to watch that we don't do.

[28:49] Have you ever bitten someone in the back? Proverbs 25.23. The north wind brings forth rain and a backbiting tongue and angry countenance.

[29:07] Of course, when the Bible speaks of a backbiter, it's not really saying it in a literal sense, is it? Of course not. It means that you talk about a person in a bad way when his back is turned. That's easy.

[29:20] We can talk about somebody when their back is turned. That's what backbiting is. God doesn't want us to do that either, does he? Would you dare say this if this person was present?

[29:30] And that's not. That's what we need to be thinking about. When you get ready to say something, would you say this if that person was there? That's what gossip is all about. Can words of gossip hurt someone?

[29:43] Proverbs 26.22. It says that the words of a towel bearer are wounds. Are wounds and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

[29:58] In this case, a wound is inflicted even though no blood is drawn. No blood has to be drawn. But that person can be hurt.

[30:09] Hurt and hurt. So gossip. God does not want us to gossip. There's a simple way to kill gossip. Well, how do you do that? Gossip can never survive unless there's someone to listen to it.

[30:23] And that's the key. If somebody wasn't listening, you wouldn't be talking. So the problem is more than just with you. It's also for the person that would listen to it.

[30:34] So the problem is that most people enjoy hearing the latest rumor and they eagerly devour the latest gossip. They are as guilty as the one who gossips. Here's the suggestion that the next time somebody talks to you and says, Did you?

[30:49] Just stop him right there. Just stop him right there and say, I don't need to hear this. And just go on your way. And I think that would probably stop more gossiping than anything else.

[31:01] If we just let people know that you're not going to sit there and listen to somebody being gossiped about. Or you can say, hey, that might be good information. Let's go get him and bring him over here and just talk about it.

[31:14] That would definitely stop the person, wouldn't it? So we must be careful never to receive gossip from others. Don't give it out and don't take it in. Gossip is very hurtful.

[31:30] Other type words. Boastful words. Boastful words. Boasting is telling how great someone is. Don't do that about yourself. There is nothing wrong with boasting in and of itself.

[31:44] Except if you're just boasting on yourself. For example, we can boast in the Lord and tell how great he is. The problem comes when we use words to praise ourselves and tell others how great we are.

[31:57] This is sinful. And of course, it's all got to do with pride. Our pride. Our self-pride. Some very helpful advice about boasting is found in Proverbs 27.2.

[32:12] You know, people say the book of Proverbs. Hey, read that book. There's 31 chapters. Read a chapter every day. Every month. It's got the instructions on how to live your life.

[32:27] Is it dispensational? Heavens, no. It's just God's word instructing everyone. All of God's people. How to live their life. How to live their life.

[32:39] And it's there. What did I say? Proverbs 27.2. Let another man praise you. And not from your own mouth. Praise is a beautiful garment.

[32:51] But though you may wear it, another must put it on. Somebody else has to put that garment on you. That's what it's all about. An example from the New Testament.

[33:04] In Matthew chapter 3, verse 11. We have, O humble John the Baptist. And what did he call himself? As you read that, you'll see John the Baptist calls himself unworthy.

[33:19] I am unworthy. I am unworthy. There is one coming who is worthy. I am unworthy. I need, I indeed need to be baptized unto repentance.

[33:31] For he that cometh at me is minor than I, whose shoes I cannot worthy, I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. And he's talking about Jesus Christ.

[33:43] So he humbled himself. He said, I, you know, he didn't do any boasting about himself. But if you turn to Matthew chapter 11, verse 11.

[33:56] Here we see Jesus. And he's talking about John the Baptist. And he says, Verily, I say unto you, among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.

[34:14] So of any living being, there is none greater than John the Baptist. So you see how that works there. John the Baptist didn't praise himself.

[34:26] He praised the Lord Jesus Christ. And in turn, Jesus Christ praised John the Baptist. And that's the way we need to be going about. We need to be praising other people.

[34:37] And not praising ourself. John wore the garment of greatness. But he did not put this garment on himself. The Lord Jesus put this garment on him. Flattering words.

[34:51] We all like to be complimented, don't we? But what is better? More and more needful. Rebuke or flattery? Which would you rather have?

[35:02] Eh, I'd probably rather have flattery, to tell you the truth. But God says you probably need truth more than you need flattery.

[35:15] Proverbs 28, 23. He that rebukes a man afterwards shall find more favor than he that flatters with the tongue.

[35:29] God is saying we need to be telling people what they need to hear. Not necessarily what they want to hear. The person who flatters always says nice things.

[35:41] He says things that a person wants to hear. And he is unwilling to say things that a person needs to hear. He would rather speak smooth things than rough things. Smooth talker.

[35:55] He doesn't want to create any waves. He doesn't want to create any problems. Suppose you have a dear friend. They have a son or they have a daughter.

[36:08] And you know, now I'm saying this, you know that this child has been getting involved in drugs or alcohol. Would you go to those parents and say, wow, your son and your daughter, they are such nice kids.

[36:24] They are out there. They're witnessing and they're just they're just a blessing to all the other children out there. That's what I would like to hear somebody tell me about my kids. But if in fact, you know that that child is involved in drugs or alcohol, what should you be telling that person?

[36:41] You should be telling them, hey, do it very gently. Your child is involved in something that you need to know about. If you don't know about it, you need to know about it so you can get them help.

[36:54] That's what we need to do. Go to a doctor. We get checked out. Well, Marv just went to the doctor, didn't he? He got his heart checked out.

[37:06] The doctor could go back and said, hey, Marv, you're in great shape. Go on home and just have a good time. No, he said, Marv, you marked yourself right up to that room. You're going in for surgery.

[37:19] You've got arteries that's blocked. Marv didn't want to hear that. But a doctor, he tells the truth. He tells what needs to be said.

[37:31] And that's what we need to do when we're confronting our friends. Nice things and pleasant things are not always the things we need to hear. In his word, God always tells us what we need to hear, even if it is not what we want to hear.

[37:42] And you see that all the way through scripture. He talks about blessings. He talks about bad things that can come into your life. He's always talking and telling you about these things.

[37:55] He's always telling you the truth and he faces you face to face and tells you. Slanderous words. A person who slanders is the one who makes false charges or false statements. Or half statements or half truths about another person.

[38:08] And these statements are meant to do harm. Proverbs 16, 28. A perverse man spreads strife and a slanderer separates intimate friends.

[38:21] Think back to the Old Testament. Joseph. Joseph. His brothers hated him. They put him in a pit. They were going to lions eating.

[38:34] But some men came along in a camel caravan and said, Hey, let's just give them to them. Sell Joseph to these guys. And he can be their slave. They took him back.

[38:45] And they took him to Potiphar. And through the time they took him out of prison. And Potiphar liked this Joseph. And he says, I'm going to make you the head of my household. The management of my household.

[38:56] That's where the word dispensation comes from, by the way. He was a good man. He managed the household well. He did things in a timely manner from what his boss told him to do.

[39:09] Or what Potiphar told him to do. What happened? He was a good man. He was a great man. Potiphar loved him. He was doing such a great job for him.

[39:19] But through slanderous words from his wife. Through slanderous words, he was thrown back into prison because of what his wife did.

[39:31] She wanted him to come and lay with her. And what did he do? He just booked it. Remember last time I spoke, I talked about when you're tempted, put on your tennis shoes. Don't walk.

[39:42] Run. That's what Joseph did. He put on his sneakers and he ran. But it didn't do him to do it because she lied about what Joseph.

[39:55] So he was put back in prison. That's what slanderous things can do. So we need to watch that. May we be careful to never accuse someone falsely. Would you want somebody to attack you with words?

[40:08] If not, then don't do it to somebody else. Unless you know the facts. Matthew 7, 12 says. And it's what I think we call this the golden rule, don't we?

[40:22] And everything, therefore, treat people the same way that you want to be treated. Excessive words. There's real danger in the use of too many words.

[40:34] Proverbs 10, 19 says. When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable. But he retains his lips, is wise. Hey, I didn't know I was wise.

[40:46] Lip lock. So too many words can get you in trouble. Proverbs 17, 27 and 28 says.

[40:59] He who retains his words has knowledge. Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wise. And he that shuts his lips is respected for understanding. Sometimes it's just better not to say anything.

[41:14] Before we answer with our mouth, we should listen with our ears. Again, go back to James chapter 1. He talks about listening. What's the first thing we need to do in a conversation? Use these two things right here.

[41:27] He gave us two of these. He gave us one of these. Listen. Listen to what's being said. When it comes to talk, a good, brutal follower is. Weigh it before you say it. Weigh it before you say it.

[41:38] And you can't go wrong. The power of words to hurt and to heal. My goodness. Our words can hurt. They can hurt.

[41:49] But also our words can heal. Have you ever heard the expression, sticks and stones might break my bones, but words never hurt me. Well, that's false.

[42:01] Words can hurt. And they hurt deep. What words, what damage can words do according to Proverbs 11, 9? With his mouth, the godless man destroys his neighbor.

[42:15] With his mouth, he destroys his neighbor. 11, 11. By the blessing of the upright, a city is exalted. But the mouth of the wicked tears it down.

[42:26] The mouth of the wicked tears down a whole city. Do you think you would be hurt if someone pierced you with a sword? Proverbs 12, 18.

[42:39] There is one who speaks rashly like the thrust of a sword. But the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 16, 27.

[42:50] A worthless man digs up evil while his words are a scorching fire. The fire brings destruction everywhere he goes.

[43:01] Think of the forest fire. Out there in California. Once that spark is set, wow, it's hard to extinguish it. That thing just spreads like a forest fire, doesn't it?

[43:13] Well, not only can words hurt, but they can also help. They can also be of a great help to people. The tongue of the wise brings healing, it says in Proverbs 12, 18.

[43:25] A wholesome tongue is a tree of life. Proverbs 15, 4. And this tree brings forth good and healthy fruit. When we speak this way. When this tree is spoken, it brings forth good fruit.

[43:41] Proverbs 16, 24. Pleasant words are as a honeycomb. Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 10, 21.

[43:56] The lips of righteous feed many. Words that come forth from righteous lips are healthy and wholesome and good for the soul. Can you think of any time in your life when you've been helped or strengthened by someone who's given you good words of encouragement?

[44:12] I know you can. There's always somebody there. Somebody in our family. A grandmother. Your mother. Words of encouragement. Words of encouragement.

[44:25] That's what we need to be doing with our words. Well, I didn't get through with all this. And I'm not going to go over time. What is another?

[44:38] What is a prayer that we can say? When it concerns words. Psalm. Psalm. 14. Chapter 1.

[44:51] No. Psalm chapter 14. Verses 1 through 3. Set a guard, O Lord. Over my mouth.

[45:02] Keep watch over the door. To my lips. Watch this door. Watch it. What is another good prayer that the believer can pray? Psalms 19. Verse 14.

[45:13] Let the words of my mouth. And the meditation of my heart. Be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord. My rock. And my redeemer. Words are very powerful. Words are very powerful.

[45:26] Whether for good or for evil. May God help us to use the powerful weapons of words. For him. A couple weeks ago, my little granddaughter was over there.

[45:37] At our house. And she wanted to watch Bambi. Papaw. Mamaw. Put in Bambi. She loved that video with Bambi in it. And what's the one thing that you remember about Bambi?

[45:55] And thumper. If you can't say something nice about somebody, then don't say anything at all. Amen.

[46:08] God bless you. Have a good week. Thank you. Have a good week. Thank you. Thank you.