SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT
Proverbs 6:12-19
Illustration: Some people just have a knack for saying the wrong thing. A state trooper pulled a man over for speeding on a deserted road. Since the road was clear and the weather fine, the trooper was indicated that he may not give the man a ticket, and let them off with a warning. He even complimented both the man and his wife for wearing their seat belts. At that point the woman leaned over and said, "Well, officer, when you drive the speeds we do, you have to wear them." That’s when the trooper wrote the ticket.
Lie: Falsehood – lack of truth
False Witness: those who add to the truth and make it a lie
Discord: Those who project their opinion in order to produce trouble
I. A Lying Tongue
a. Proverbs 8:7
i.Every word of God is truth – faithfulness
ii.Wickedness abomination to the offender
iii.Proverbs 20:17
b. Proverbs 12:22
i.More importantly: abomination to the Lord
c. Murder with your mouth
d. Rob God of his Glory–your life should glorify
II. A False Witness That Speaks Lies
a. Exodus 20:16
b. Only two kinds of witnesses
c. Truth + your 2 cents worth = lie
d. Gossip is the devil’s radio.
e. Satan used false witness against Jesus
f. False witness leads to gossip
ILLUSTRATION: After three years of research, Indiana University sociologist Donna Eder has identified an important dynamic involved in gossip. Eder discovered that the initial negative statement was not the starting point for gossip. The critical turning point was found in the response to the initial negative statement. "She’s a real snob" is not the start of gossip. It’s when someone else agrees that the gossip fest begins. Eder found that the key is whether or not a negative statement is "seconded." If a second is provided, gossip has begun.
g. Proverbs 19:9
QUOTE: Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.
h. Proverbs 18:8
i. Proverbs 25:18
j. Proverbs 20:19
III. Those Who Sow Discord
a.Proverbs 16:27
i. Not wrong to have an opinion
ii. What you do with that opinion is the key
b.Proverbs 10:12
QUOTE: Thomas Carlyle “Sarcasm I now see to be, in general, the language of the devil.”
QUOTE: Billy Graham: “Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anything.”
c. Romans 16:17; 15:6-7
Conclusion:
ILL: Three churches--Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian--worked together to sponsor a community-wide revival. After the revival had concluded, the three pastors were discussing the results with one another. The Methodist minister said, "The revival worked great for us. We gained four families as new members of our congregation." The Presbyterian preacher said, "We did even better than that. We gained six new families as members of our congregation." The Baptist pastor said, "Well, we did even better than that! We got rid of ten of our biggest troublemakers!"
I have been at churches where we needed to loose some members before we gained some members. I pray that this does not become one of them.
Romans 16:17-18
God demands you to get and keep control of your mouth or God commands the rest to avoid you.
James 1:26 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”
