Talk is Not Cheap

lass=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'>1) 2-20-11…AM…SBC     2)“Talk is Not Cheap”

Intro:                                                                       Selected Proverbs

1-      Because our communication largely takes place in the inconsequential moments of everyday life, it is easy to underestimate its significance

2-      We live in the world of the ordinary—the moments are rare when what we say will literally be life changing

3-      What set’s the course for a person’s life are the ways he responds to the little moments.

4-      The character developed in a thousand little moments is what you carry into the big, important moments.

5-      It is your everyday communication that influences the shape, quality and direction of your relationships

·         every day you we tell each other what you think of them, what you want from them, and what you would like to enjoy with them

·         but we don’t do this in the grand moments of oratory—we do this in the ordinary moments of our life

6-      Because our talk happens in the world of the ordinary, it is easy to forget their true significance

7-      For the vast majority of us…

·         our names will not show up in history books someday

·         we will not make very many big decisions

·         within a few decades of our deaths our families will struggle to remember who we even were

8-      we live life in the mundane—but if God doesn’t rule our mundane He doesn’t rule us because that’s where live

9-      Because so much of what we do revolves around talking, it is easy to forget the impact that our words have on every relationship

·         there has never been a good relationship without good communication

·         there has never been a bad relationship that didn’t get that way in part because of something that was said

10-  Today I invite you to look at your words through the lens of Scripture

·         the Bible has much to say about our world of talk

·         the Bible does not consider this area of life ordinary and unimportant—it’s just the opposite

·         Scripture assigns our words the extraordinary value they actually deserve

Transition:  Today I invite you to consider this…

Proposition:  Words bring life and words bring death (1st slide)…you must make the choice. (2nd slide)

PRAYER

Ø      I remember going to the dentist and asking whey they use that cloth to hold my tongue

·         they said it was because the tongue kind of has a mind of it’s own

·         it gets in the way and moves seemingly freely on it’s own

·         watch yourself the next time you brush your teeth—your tongue moves on its own

·         to the dentist and to you your tongue can be an enormous nuisance in life

Ø      recall with me a child’s first words, “googoobinblublu”

·         to which his dad said, “Did you hear that?  He said, “Chevrolet”

·         Parents fighting over whether or not the kid says mama and dada first

Ø      Now recall when a loved one when can no longer talk—no more words—devastating

Ø      From birth to death our lives are engulfed by words

Ø       

Transition:  Because Scripture has much to say about our words then we must see first of all today the…

1)   Characteristics of a good tongue

A-    Dispenses Wisdom

15:2, 7----------------------------11:9

(just the 2nd references of these verses)

1-      The wise and foolish are distinguished by their speech

2-      The wise aim at a careful expression of their words – “spout out”

3-      Through use of the tongue we can make knowledge attractive

4-      Godless = to be defiled or estranged from God—“person who does not trust God” or “turns his back on God.”[1]

5-      The mouth used for slander and gossip destroys

B-    Possesses Understanding

10:13-----------------------------11:12

1-      Wisdom is found in the words of one whose heart understands and applies 1:7

2-      What a fool says causes him trouble and eventually ruin because he foolishly speaks the wrong things and gets himself in trouble [2]

3-      To remain silent is to resist the temptation to say things that may be harmful to others.[3]

C-    Owns Knowledge

17:27----------------------------18:6-7

1-      A wise man is cautious in what he says; he thinks before he talks (cf. 14:8) and does not gab. This reveals that he is even-tempered (lit., “cool of spirit”; cf. the recent phrase “keeping one’s cool”).[4]

2-      A fool finds himself in trouble because he speaks thoughtlessly (cf. v. 2)[5]

3-      nlt expresses this line as “Fools get into constant quarrels.”[6]

D-    Distributes Justice

16:10----------------------------19:1

1-      verses 10–15 are royal proverbs in which a king or kings are the main subjects.[7]

2-      Generally speaking here we have leadership speaking judiciously—making judgment

3-      When God’s word comes out of his mouth he does not make a mistake

4-      A fool may try to get rich by devious means, but honesty is still a better policy, even if it means going hungry.[8]

5-      The word for “poor” means destitute or hungry; it is not a dishonorable term suggesting poverty from laziness. [9]

E-     Teaches Truth

12:17----------------------------10:32

1-      He that makes conscience of speaking truth, and representing every thing fairly, to the best of his knowledge, whether in judgment or in common conversation shows forth fearing God (1:7);[10]

2-      these people know how to choose their words; or, as reb says, “The righteous suit words to the occasion.”[11]

3-      Perverse – turned around, crooked – the wicked’s words are turned around from the norm

F-     Maintains Righteousness

8:6-8-----------------------------19:28 

1-      our duty, according to Solomon is to listen to wisdom calling out to us

2-      we should listen and then emulate her with our words by speaking truth and righteousness

3-      the wicked who gulp down evil.[12]

4-      the worthless witness is one who doesn’t tell the truth and that lying nature is connected to an insatiable appetite for sin

Ø      Solomon identified the mouths of the sanctified by their grace: “the tongue of the just” (10:20), “the lips of the righteous” (10:32), “the lip of truth” (12:19),“the lips of the wise” (15:7), “the words of the pure” (15:26), and “the lips of knowledge” (20:15). 

Ø      Christians seek a particular counselor because he has the tongue of the wise, to name just one characteristic.

Ø      Not only is a good tongue known by its fruit; so too is an evil tongue. An evil tongue: “speaks forward things” (2:12), “is covered with violence” (10:11), “hides hatred with lying lips” (10:18), “speaks deceit” (12:17), “stirs up strife” (15:18), “digs up evil” (16:27), “separates chief friends” (16:28), “is perverse” (19:1), “mocks at justice” (19:28), “talks of mischief” (24:2),‘‘covers his transgressions’’ (28:13), ‘‘utters all his anger or mind’’ (29:11), “works ruin by flattery” (26:28), and “complains” (23:29).

Ø      You are known by your tongue.

Transition:  After seeing Solomon’s assessment of the characteristics of a good tongue, we must find…

2)   Ways to obtain a good tongue

A-    Heart Transformation                    16:23, James 3:5-10

1-      The difficulty of teaching the tongue new habits is delineated in James 3:5-10, but hope rests in the fact that a regenerated heart supplies the source for its new godly habits.

2-      Luke 6:45

·         Christ teaches us in this passage that we live out of our hearts. Your behavior isn't caused by the situations and relationships outside of you. It's caused by the way your heart reacts to those things.

·         Our problem with words is not primarily a matter of vocabulary, skill, or timing—it is with out hearts

·         The real problem with your communication is WHAT you want to say and WHY you want to say it, which ultimately has nothing to do with your language skills

·         If we hope to transform the way we talk w/ one another, the heart must change first

B-    Listen to godly people                  13:20, 14:7, 20:19

C-    Meditate and Assimilate God’s Word to life       1:5

Conclusion:

1-      It might be said that in the over 150 separate verses dealing with speech, Proverbs supplies the commentary on two verses from Ephesians 4:29-30

2-      Speaking as an ambassador of Jesus Christ is not about using biblical words, it’s about speaking w/ a biblical agenda

3-      If you want your words to reflect what God wants more than what you want, you should consider three things from Ephesians 4:29-30

·         Consider the Person – speak in a way that builds others up

·         Consider the Problem – think about what the struggle is and what they need the most

-          encouragement, comfort, hope, direction, wisdom, courage, rebuke, warning, forgiveness, correction

·         Consider the Process – focus on the best way to say what needs to be said

Quote:  (Tripp) “If we are ever going to give grace when we talk, we need grace to free us from our bondage to ourselves so that our words may be liberated to be used by God.”

Closing Song:  Speak, O Lord

----

[1] Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (2000). A handbook on Proverbs. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (245). New York: United Bible Societies.

[2] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Pr 10:13–14). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[3] Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (2000). A handbook on Proverbs. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (247). New York: United Bible Societies.

[4] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Pr 17:27–28). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[5] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Pr 18:6–7). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[6] Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (2000). A handbook on Proverbs. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (385). New York: United Bible Societies.

[7] Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (2000). A handbook on Proverbs. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (351). New York: United Bible Societies.

[8] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Pr 19:1–2). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[9] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Pr 19:1–2). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[10] Henry, M. (1996). Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Pr 12:17). Peabody: Hendrickson.

[11] Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (2000). A handbook on Proverbs. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (237). New York: United Bible Societies.

[12] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Pr 19:28). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.