Words (Part 2 of 2)

Our words have the power to bring harm or to offer help. Words can divide and destroy or restore and calm. But there's also the dangerous temptation to hide behind empty words today on Truth for Life.

Alistair Begg explains as he continues part two of a message called words.

Proverbs 13 verse three use of words that are harmful not only divides people and destroys praise, but it diminishes the progress of the people of God. Three things never come back. The span Tara spoken word, the lost opportunity.

See how quickly we can destroy a friendship decimate a relationship. Crush the spirit of some with just this little 3" x 5" piece of mucous membrane that all of us have stuck in here hidden behind our teeth very uncomfortable is that I find it so.

So let's turn to the positive something that's a little better about using words to help using words to help if the speech of a scoundrel is like a scorching fire in the mouth of the righteous is Solomon is like a fountain of life. One of oh picture is not scorching fire burning everything in its way.

Fountain of life. People love to come to and be refreshed or the healing time he says is like a tree of life, reminding us of the power of the tongue may be employed to encourage the firm to enrich to reconcile to forgive, to unite to smooth the blast at a very picky verb any herb. These words are described in graphic terms in Proverbs described as lovely earrings which would be an adornment for the wearer, beautiful ornaments, which would be an enhancement in the home, and perhaps in the most well-known and well-worn phraseology of Proverbs. These words that help are like golden apples in silver settings.

What are the characteristics of words that help if the words that harm our reckless, unguarded, and to numerous about employing words to help. What will they be marred by let me tell you without extension number one they need always to be honest words, honest words kings take pleasure in honest lips.

They value a man who speaks the truth. Secondly, they need to be thought out words, the heart of the righteous ways its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil, but a great verb gushes evil. The difference between the circumspect use of language in a completely unbridled reckless use of terminology is it II had a question about such and such and instead of simply getting a word they had a dictionary the words that help will also be fused rather than many Solomon deals with is quite ironically, in chapter 17 when he says even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent and discerning. If you hold his tongue. We know this from school. Many of his laundry is in the chemistry class. You gotta make sure you send is the right person knows what he's talking about an intelligent group. Don't sit with the clowns. Whatever they are. If you are a clown move in with the rest and say absolutely nothing. Learn the art of nodding and shaking and the pursing of the lips and the the deep thinking of the ramifications of these great theories and hopefully volunteer nothing at all because even a fool is still wise if he stays silent, you may be taken as discerning. If you hold your tongue. The words also that help need to be the calm words calming words that allow for the fair hearing in a dispute calming words that allow tempers to cool the canning soft song which says Solomon Brothers 25 graphically soft tongue has the power to break the bone. What an interesting statement, the soft tongue has the power to break the bone.

If you know it doesn't I when I saw Tony break a bone meeting about an end of Romans to do you not know that the kindness of the Lord Jesus is there to lead you to repentance that it is his kindness in the face of our rebellion that it is his tenderness in the face of our resistance that may be used to melt our hearts as we say this kind of love is amazing to meet the child's as my father should banish me from the house forever, but he spoke to me with softness. He spoke to me with tenderness and I close the door in my bedroom and it was though he had broken all the bones in my body by the soft of his tongue.

A gentle answer turns away raw.

Proverbs 15 one were all confronted by unfairness, unfriendliness, unkindness generally disagreeable people because we ourselves contribute to the mixture. It takes far more to respond in gentleness than it does to give way to unbridled passion and anger driving a car while fire get a chance again, I know what I'll say next time because I was slow off the mark. But I've got enough.

I hope she says it again. I hope she says it is soon as I get back because I'm ready for this time of three cheers go ahead and gosh, go ahead and be reckless. Go ahead and stir up dissension, glad, and defend your course I gentle answer turns away raw boys. This if you think it I hope that you all find this distinctly uncomfortable because speaking. It is much worse, some of you know me intimately so I retreat with Dave Lucas if you knew what I was really like you never listen to me preach if I knew what you were really like. I never preached to and there will sinners before the dictates of Scripture I gentle answer. I could only think of one instance in my whole life and the reason I thought of it was because it just came home to me as an encouragement in the last few days. I don't tell you this to be self-serving in any way. Indeed, it is it is a judgment on me, but we have traveled into the under Adirondack Mountains to go to the camp in which we spend time every summer and I'd seen as we arrived for on this initial occasion assign coming into the town. The said doughnuts and hotdogs and I made a mental note immediately and got up early in the morning and and made my way drawn by the allure of the sign because we traveled 450 miles the previous day. I had I gathered up all the rubbish that was in the car from the trip was extensive and is much as my hands could hold.

I then got out of the car and work my way into this small building and to the doughnut lady in the doughnut man who were immediately on the left-hand side is the kind of booth with shelves and donuts and and wastepaper basket garbage can and so I went before saying anything that started to stuff my garbage in the there can the lady who was fairly fierce said hey, over the top of the kind of what you doing so well. I was just proficient. Don't put your stuff in there that is not for your stuff.

If you have stuff that isn't doughnut stuff. That stuff goes down there so you know this is a crisis in my life that is looming right here I'm somehow maybe because I was tired.

I don't know.

It was the grace of God, but somehow or another I said okay I reason I remember this is because it know this never happens to and so I went down the thing put it in the big drum that was down at the end I came back and I said okay right in all that here we go cinnamon with the large coffee and then the next day and the next day before the week was ended.

We had not what you would call intimate relationship, but at least, at least, there was a civility between us now.

10 years of elapsed Thursday as I got ready to leave I could leave without going from my cinnamon so I had a cinnamon doughnut a large coffee in the New York Times and I was now sitting outside on the picnic table and it was hard as it was here and she says you know there's something you could do for me. I said was that she said could you pray to God that my son would be reconciled to his wife. I said well I would be a privilege to do that. She said because I have been praying to St. Anthony and he is really slow off the mark and nothing nothing is happening. It's all in the opportunity to break through that crusty religious frame was not generated as a result of some slick methodology, but actually was 10 years in the making. Now maybe that's just me. You know, maybe you don't.

You don't have those thoughts finally just a word about using words to hide what I'm referring to here is the temptation to hide behind empty words, sanctimonious jargon, pious platitudes, using words as a disguise for real, heartfelt devotion set Solomon mere talk leads only to poverty, financial poverty, relational poverty, spiritual poverty, he said like a coating of glaze over earthenware our fervent lives with an evil heart. He says you can do it. You can conceal it, you're not going to be able to disguise before God. The reality of your character by thinking that you can take the earthenware part of your life and simply glaze it over with all the kinds of terminology that make people think that you're in the know and that you're on track and there is nothing that creates this more in the realm of hypocrisy than within the framework of our religious environments would become adept at hiding the poverty of our own spiritual life behind terminology words that are within this guy's is a peculiar danger that presents itself to all who are teachers. That's why James says you know if every Western mom every southern mom wants her know that all the boys to grow up as cowboys as the as the country-western song says that every Jewish mom wants her boy to grub as a rabbi and James is going to force your boy to be a rabbi don't volunteer for the rabbi's job. Don't you become the teacher in the market square. Don't you by any wrong motivation.

Sign up for that with a presumptuous heart because let me tell you he teaches will be judged more strictly.

Isn't it amazing it is to me that when God reveals himself in his unsealing unblemished holiness to Isaiah the prophet, the prophet whose whole life is about his lips.

When God makes himself known to Isaiah, a falls on his face and what is he say I am a man of unclean lips. In other words, the realm of my greatest giftedness is the arena of my deepest failure. Jesus warns that we will give an account for these things. Paul says to Timothy, I want you to be an example to the believers. First of all in speech, not in preaching and speech George Herbert, the porridge some time ago has appointment in this book was just given to me by a friend call the Windows those of your poetry aficionados will be able to take this apart in a better way than I that I think I get the point.

I'm not sure we just read it to call the Windows Lord, how can men preach thy eternal word. He is a brittle crazy glass, yet in thy temple thou dost him up for this glorious and transcendent place to be a window through thy grace, but when I'm dust the kneeling glass thy story making my life to shine within the holy preacher, then the light and glory more reverent grows and more about the way in which Al shows Walter H bleak and thin doctrine and life colors and light in one when they combine and mingle, bring a strong regard and all but speech alone doesn't vanish like a flailing thing and then the ear, not consciously buying already seeing as this unless in the teacher. There is a closing of the gap between life and doctrine than the teacher needs to go back to basics Jesus of the same thing to the Pharisees as I get a bunch of talkers you love it when people take all of you seen them doing the rounds all of you seen them attending the services, or if you listen to their prayers in the corner of the street. He says if you live in such a way so as to hide behind the multitude of your words. Enjoy your reward because there never will be a reward on the day of judgment. One of my teachers in London years ago put it in this way, have you seen William dragons while toiling in prayer how he's pleading and weeping and tearing his hair getting here him all night famous bellowing bill because he shouts all his prayers from the top of a hill bill as had his reward and the praises of men and God's not going to give him over again.

Bunion and Pilgrim's progress which I've been reading again to my profit describes in a series of probably 14 pages. The conversation that ensues between faithful and talkative. Faithful is on his journey. As you know, to the heavenly city and he comes across a fellow whose name is talkative and that he says age might if you want to get a rebid and talkative says no that that would be absolutely fine and talkative says to talk of things that are good to me is very acceptable with you or with any other. I am glad that I have met with those that inclined to so good a work for to speak the truth. There are but few that care.

Thus, to spend their time as they are in their travels, but choose much rather to be speaking of things to no profit, and this is been a trouble to me very good so federal civil would you like to talk about will talkative says what you will. I will talk of things heavenly are things earthly things moral are things even just like all things sacred are things profane pastor things to come things former things at home things more essential are things circumstantial provided that all be done to our profit little bit of gushing there when you say faithful, then meets Christian Christians as the faithful, what you doing with him all says faithful.

This is a great guy.

His name is talkative. He seems to me very pretty man says Christian, that is to then that have not a thought or acquaintance with, for he is best abroad near home. He's ugly enough, you are saying that he is a pretty man brings to my mind what I have observed in the work of the painter whose picture show best at a distance, but very near more unpleasing. Religion has no place in his heart or house or conversation.

All he has lies in his tone and his religion is to make a noise. There with. In other words, the use of religious words to heightened the absence of genuine religious Christian experience and if all of that is not demanding enough.

Listen to Jesus as he says we will all give an account on that day for every careless word.

We have spoken and then he lays it down hard and heavy. By our words we will be acquitted or by our words we will be condemned resuming my simply this, that you know a metal by its tinkle you know I'm not by his talk, and our words and our works achieve nothing for us before the gate of heaven, but our words and our works are the evidence that our profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is true and not fake. Therefore, inasmuch as my words give testimony to where I stand before God by my works by your words by my words, we will either be acquitted or will be condemned and then I find myself going back to the little boy and that I say all the time and make a hash of it consistently.

If all that say in a single day with never a word left out were printed each night and clear playing black-and-white.

It would make strange reading.

No doubt, and then just suppose before our eyes closed. We should read the whole record through then when we sigh and when we try a great deal less talking to do and I more than half think that many of King would be smoother in life's tangled thread. If half what I see in a single day were to be left forever. Once small wonder that when David faces up to all of this, he says, set a guard over my words keep watch over the door of my lips. Prayer posts need to pray house to read challenging us to guard our words carefully. This is Truth for Life. Alister will close our program with proven just a minute, so please keep listening.

Alister's message offers just a hint of some of the valuable life lessons that we find in the book of Proverbs, and so to supplement this study, we want to recommend a book titled living well this is a book that provides a blueprint for how to build a life according to God's wisdom each chapter guide you through the practical lessons God gives in the book of Proverbs on topics like marriage, friendships, even the words we use the book, living will, makes the instruction found in the book of Proverbs applicable to our everyday life with illustrations and questions we can easily relate to request your copy of living well when you donate to support the ministry of Truth for Life. Simply click the image you see on the mobile app or visit us a Truth for Life.org/donate or call 888-588-7884. If you'd rather mail your donation along with your request for living well like to Truth for Life at PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139. Now here's Alister the closing prayer father your word searches as and tries is no sense cleanse us from our sin. Lord put your power within Lord take us as we are Lord and make us all your own keepers day by day, Lord underneath your sway Lord make our hearts your palace and your royal throne.

Forgive us when our words so recklessly and on guardedly and profusely harm helpless that our words may heal and help and exposes Lord for using religious words to hiding behind making ourselves and others think that we know you and love you and trust you and repented and come to faith in you, when in fact all we've done is just bought a bunch of religious jargon were a saint in the services and were a devil at home, look upon is in your nursing we pray and may your grace and that Satan there.

See the love that comes from father-son and Holy Spirit may have rest upon and remain with each one today and forever more men and Bob Lapine join us tomorrow as we are wise words from a father who is cautioning his son message titled warning against adultery, the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living