The book of proverbs is a Christian library and drug store all rolled into one. It’s a book of wisdom, as well as a book of remedy. There is something in this book to instruct or heal anyone who suffers any type of spiritual malady.
God here – through Solomon – has condescended (or stooped down) from His heavenly throne to become our spiritual ombudsman on the affairs of life. These inspired words and instructions are plain, sharp and to the point.
Besides the threat of God’s judgments, we are warned against the evil of idleness, laziness, drunkenness, debauchery, injustice and verbal abuse. That last evil I mentioned is the one we’re focusing on today because there is a need for each of us to understand that what comes out of our mouths carries great power.
Someone might say, “Well Pastor... they’re just words.” But brothers and sisters, I’ve come to tell you that: words can bring life to a dead situation, or words can bring death, destruction, or a whole lot of trouble if misused!
For instance:
– Cold words freeze people...
- Warm words loose people...
– Hot words scorch people...
- Cool words calm people...
– Bitter words bite people...
- Kind words sooth people...
– Positive words bring positive results, while negative words bring negative results! I tell ya... there is power, there is great power within our words!
...And I believe that the devil recognizes the power that’s in our mouths and so many times he convinces us to say the wrong words . . . so as to derail this Gospel train we’re riding on.
They tell me that it doesn’t take much to derail a train. Just a kink, or a break in the tracks, or something that has ‘intentionally’,or maybe ‘unintentionally’ been placed on the tracks. . . can cause a train to jump its rails and cause a lot of destruction, or maybe even death.
Now I don’t like to give the satan credit, but the boy’s a genius! He knows that in order to cause a train wreck in the body of Christ all he really has to do is to get one Christian to talk about another Christian (or someone who’s thinking about becoming a Christian). And if can succeed in doing that, he’ll succeed in getting that Christian to leave the church and go back out into the world.
Think about it ... it’s not people in the world who cause some of us to leave the church, it’s folk right in the church who many times don’t realize that they’re on hell’s payroll, nor do they realize that one day eternal damnation will be their retirement benefit! That’s why I stopped by to tell you today “You’d Better Watch Your Mouth!”
When I was a child that’s what the old folk used to say us when said something we had no business saying. “Boy.... or Girl.... You’d Better Watch Your Mouth!” Sometimes they acted before they said it and some of us found ourselves picking our lips up from off the floor!
Well... I’m not suggesting that you slap anybody (that’s neither a Godly, or a healthy thing to do) but sometimes, brothers and sisters, I think that some of us need to slap ourselves – because we often say things we really have no business saying!
As believers– we must understand that we’re living in a time, where the enemy is going to and fro, seeking whom he may devour! The devil is busy!
He’s not taking a coffee break, and he’s not on vacation! And he devil recognizes that if he’s going to bring down, as many Christians as possible, he has to work over-time! Not only is he working over-time, he’s working triple time! Matter of fact, while you’re on your job, in church, or even sleeping at night, the devil is plotting up something to get you! That’s why before you go to work; to church, or to bed, you need to pray over yourself. Pray and ask God to season your words.
Somebody said, “Much prayer, much power, little prayer, little power, no prayer, no power!” When I think of seasoning, I think of salt. Salt is flavorful. Salt preserves. Know this: God has called us to be the salt of the earth. In other words, God has called us out of the darkness into the marvelous light to be good ‘seasoning’in a‘tasteless’ world.And God wants us to “preserve.”
Watch this: You can’t preserve nobody when you gossip about them! You’ve got to be careful that you don’t say the wrong things in the wrong way, and cause a person to turn totally away from God and miss out on their salvation – because if they miss it because of you, their blood is on your hands!
That’s why before we speak, we need to get our your biblical library cards, check out the good book, and see what God and Dr. Solomon have to say about our mouths– because God desires for us to use our words as instruments of praise, faith and righteousness — but in order to do that we must recognize the fallen nature of the tongue and the dangers it poses to destroy our lives and those around us.
Look at what Proverbs 18, verses 6,7 & 21 has to say: Verse 6 says: “A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.” In other words, “A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.” Another way of saying it is: The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and incite a riot.
I’ve discovered that it doesn’t take much for some church folk to jump on the gossip bandwagon and before you know it the whole church is turned upside down! Some of us say things and wonder why folk beat up on us, but it’s because many times we speak before we pray! That’s why I never preach a sermon that I haven’t first prayed about. Because I don’t want what is going to be said to come from me– I want it to come from God!
“A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.” But not only that, but, verse 7 says: “7A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.” In other words, what you say can bring destruction on YOU! It can ruin YOU!
If I had the time I’d go a little further, because verse 8 says: “The words of a talebearer are as wounds...” Tale-bearers are those who secretly carry stories from house to house, which MAY have some truth in them, but are secrets not fit to be told, or are basely misrepresented, and false colors are put upon them, and are all told with design to blast men’s reputation, to break their friendship, to make mischief between relations and neighbors, and set them at variance!
It’s amazing to me how some of us can get on the telephone and talk about other folk, get off that call and call somebody else, and talk about the person we just got off the phone with! Tell somebody, “You’d Better Watch Your Mouth!”
What we fail many times to understand is the reality of verse 21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” In other words, “Words can bring death or life! Talk too much, and you may have to eat everything you say!”
I’m gonna leave you alone in a minute, but the reason (sometimes) we have so much trouble in our lives is because we’ve spent so much time in the past
talking or gossiping about other folk that we’ve spoken judgement into our own lives and own homes! We’re on the telephone chattin’ and chewin’ on what’s wrong in the Deacon’s house, and the Choir members house, and the Trustees house, and the Usher’s House, and the Missionaries house, and the Preacher’s House, and the Pastor’s house and while we’re chattin’ and chewin’ on other folks woes, we are in reality speaking words of death into our own homes... AND.... one day we’re going to have to eat every word we’ve said!
Now... don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here. If someone’s life is headed for destruction because of sin, yes... you and I have a respon-sibility to help them try to get their lives in tune and in line with God’s word, but remember that
you and I are only instruments and an instrument cannot play itself – it has to be played by someone who knows what he’s doing!
What I’m trying to say to you is that “of yourself”... (that is of your human nature)... anything that comes out of your mouth has the potential to be a snare to YOUR SOUL or someone else’s soul — but when you recognize that God wants
to use your tongue to bring praise, faith and righteousness into a situation, you’ll not only say something, but you’ll say the “Right Something!”
...And I believe, as Christians, that we need consider four (4) things before we say anything to anybody. We need to ask ourselves:
#1: “Is It True?”
#2: “Is It Complete?”
#3: “Is It Necessary?”
#4: “Is It Kind?”
First, “Is It True?” Before you repeat a statement, MAKE SURE IT’S TRUE!!! Someone said ”I believe half of what I see, and nothing of what I hear!” Just because someone said it, doesn’t make it true! It’s easy to jump to a wrong conclusion!
It’s like the dog who was named August. August was always jumping and snarling at other dogs, but one day he jumped and snarled at a wolf. Guess what day that was? It was the last day of August! Before you believe something, before you repeat something, make sure it is true!!!!
Next: “Is it Complete?” It’s easy to get half of the story. Sometimes, what’s said is true, but the information we get is not always complete! Some folk like to leave out certain information because it makes their gossip spicier. But tell somebody, “Make sure you get the whole story!”
#3. “Is it Necessary?” What you say may be true, it may be complete, but is it NECESSARY? If it’s not going to build up, than maybe we need to shut-up! Ephesians 4: 15 says, “Speak the truth in love that we may be more like Christ.”
God wants us to build people up in the faith, not tear them down. They know they’re down. We need to tell them how to get up and we need to do with the love of God!
Finally, we need to determine: “Is It Kind?” Rom 12 &10 says: "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one
another;" And then I heard Paul say in Ephesians 4 & 31-32) "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you."
Well. . . I’m getting ready to close, but I heard a commercial on the radio the other day for a product called VERBAL ADVANTAGE. It’s a vocabulary building program that claims to increase your status in society by teaching you how to speak. The commercial says, “VERBAL ADVANTAGE: EVERY TIME YOU SPEAK, PEOPLE JUDGE YOU BY THE WORDS YOU USE.”
And you know, that’s the truth! Your words and what you says tells much about you. That’s why it was so important, when Jesus was tested in the wilderness by the devil, that He chose the right words to beat satan at his own game.
You see when Satan attempted to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, he was trying to subdue Jesus’ mission to the cross. When Satan came up against Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus didn’t say, I don’t know what I’m going to do; He opened his mouth and quoted the Words of God. He said, “It is written”. So if Jesus can speak the Words of God, (and He did say “these things I do, you can do, and even greater”) then somebody in here ought to be able to say something anointed and powerful that will break the yoke in somebody’s life!
When the Devil comes at you like a roaring loin, carrying some gossip, or foolish talk to us we need to speak back it him and tell him: “I don’t have time for that cause’ I’m too busy talking about my blessings!”
Matter of fact, I need to get a praise on right now because said at one time in my life somebody said that I wouldn’t be anything!
– Somebody said that I wouldn’t make it!
– Somebody said that I was washed up! Some of it was true, but most of it was a lie! But that’s alright...
– I’ve been lied on, cheated... talked about, mistreated—
– Buked, scorned, talked about as sure as your born!
I know you heard the gossip about me...
– I’ve been up, down, almost level to the ground. But as long... as I got King Jesus, I don’t need nobody else! And when I think of His goodness and all that He’s done for me, my soul cries out Hallelujah! I thank God for saving me! And so, you can say what you want about me... I’m still gonna praise God! If I don’t praise Him... “if I hold my peace, the rocks will cry out!” I don’t know about you, but I want no rock crying out for me! I’ve been through too much to let a rock steal my praise!
Is there anybody here besides me been through some stuff and now that God has delivered you, you don’t care what folk say about you anymore?
- I may be poor... but I’ll praise Him!
- I may be dirty... but I’ll praise Him!
- My kids may be on drugs... but I’ll praise Him!
- My marriage may be on the rocks... but I’ll praise Him!
- I may be on welfare... but I’ll praise Him!
- I may be sick... but I’ll praise Him!
. . . And because I praise Him, I have power in my words!
– I can speak to my empty pockets and tell them to fill up!
– I can lay my hands on my hearts desire and claim it in the name of Jesus!
– I can speak to devils and send them back to Hell!
– I’ve got power!!!! Power!!! Power!!! in my mouth!!!
If you know you’ve got that power, slap three people a high five and tell them... “I’ve got the power, because I’ve got the right word!”
Epilogue:
There once was a little girl who had a bad temper. Her mother gave her a bag of nails and told her that every time she lost her temper, she must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the girl had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as she learned to control her anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. She discovered it was easier to hold her temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the girl didn’t lose her temper at all. She told her mother about it and the mother suggested that the girl now pull out one nail for each day that she was able to hold her temper.
Well. . . the days passed and the young girl was finally able to tell her mother that all the nails were gone. The mother took her daughter by the hand and led her to the fence.
She said, "You’ve done well, my daughter, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. My brothers and sisters, when you say things in anger, or in gossip. . . they leave a scar just like the ones in the fence.
Likewise, brothers and sisters, you can put a knife in a person and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Physical wounds heal and bruises disappear. Words spoken out of anger or malice stay forever imbedded in our heart and mind. Be careful of what you say and how you say it. “Watch Your Mouth!” You never know how what you say will affect someone’s life!
