Speak The Truth Clearly

SPEAK THE TRUTH CLEARLY

"All the words that come out of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understand, and right to those that find knowledge " (Proverbs 8:8-9).

"The commandment of the Lord is a pure word" (Psalm 19:8); "there's not any dross at all in it; it's like silver tried seven times in the fire" (Psalm 12:6). The word of God is plain and simple, so we should speak and teach this clear truth in an easy language that our hearers can understand. There are different categories of hearers. Some are quick to assimilate the message, while it may take others some time to digest the truth.

God promised His church and people that "the oxen also, and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, free from the straw, and chaff, dust, and dark" (Isaiah 30:24);  "For it is written in the Law of Moses: do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is concerned?"(1 Corinthians 9:9) - This message is literally for our sake, to preach the truth to the believers that are yearning for it. 

The church is exceedingly pleased with the character of those who come to her, "the doves" (the new converts/the new believers), "who fly to their windows" (to Christ in His church) (Isaiah 60:8). Who are these people that fly? They are those who fly because they can not stop where they were, and they fly somewhere else for refuge, to "a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10)". They are unable to continue in their sins. They want to abide by the truth, which the world cannot give. They live on the "good corn of the kingdom." -The truth. 

How do we present the Gospel truth to them? Do they really understand it the way Christ preached it to us? Are we concerned more about their applause or the conviction of their hearts while preaching? Are we moved by their influx into the church, only to be entertained by comedians, not by the truth of the Gospel that was purchased by the blood of Jesus? God sends "the doves" to His ministers to feed them with pure, holy, wholesome doctrine, not with the chaff of unwritten traditions, nor with the mixtures of human inventions.

Oh Lord, help us! Where else should the doves fly but to their dovecot? They are meant to be in the dovecot of the church, where they belong. Yes, the joy of the church is that the poor sinner does not fly to man, nor to the law, but flies to Christ, the dovecot! The world can't give them the truth. God's servants live in this truth, but they fail to speak the truth clearly.

They should be taught clear knowledge, as Elihu here speaks, "My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart, and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly." (Job 33:3)

"I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3), therefore "I have not delivered the soul of my turtle dove into the company of the wicked" (Psalm 74:19).

DO NOT JUST SPEAK THE TRUTH, BUT SPEAK IT CLEARLY.

The Lord promised, "For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent." (Zephaniah 3:9). What they speak should be the pure truth. Their language should be not only grammatically pure, proper, and genuine, but theologically pure, without any tinge of error in it.

1. Some speak clear and pure truths, but don't speak them clearly. They speak great truths, but observe them in their own way; those who wrap sound doctrine in hard, uncouth words, or deliver it in an unnecessary multitude of words, confuse and confound their audience rather than inform or instruct them.

2. The ministers of God who don't speak with clear knowledge are like those who mud the waters or raise dust in the air, which will not let others see distinctly what they hold or put in either. Speaking with dark words and strange notions is like speaking in a strange language. The man who speaks clearly speaks profitably.

3. We commonly say, "Truth seeks no corners." - the truth will not be hidden. Corners are obscure and ambiguous words, of doubtful construction and interpretation, wherein many hide the truth while they pretend to speak and publish it. Such speakers, as well as those who speak in an unknown language, are barbarians to their hearers. 

4. "He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself, but he that prophesies edifies the church" (1 Corinthians 14:4). We must speak the clear truth in a known language in order to edify the hearer. We would rather speak five words to edify others than ten thousand words in difficult and strange expressions.