Words of Grace, Acts of Love
Foundations for the Family: Building Godly Homes • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 47:05
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Opening Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
We gather in Your presence today with hearts open to Your wisdom and guidance. We thank You for the gift of this gather together with the opportunity to come together to learn and grow in Your Word.
Lord, today we seek to understand more deeply the importance of communication and conflict resolution in our families. Open our hearts and minds to receive Your teachings. Help us to grasp the power of our words, to manage our anger with grace, and to pursue peace and reconciliation in all our relationships.
Guide us, Father, as we dive deeper into Your Scriptures. We dedicate this time to You, Lord. Let Your name be glorified in our worship, our learning, and our fellowship today. In Jesus' name, we pray.
Amen.
Welcome, to today's message titled "Words of Grace, Acts of Love: Foundations for the Family: Building Godly Homes" we're going to talk about how families communicate and how the way we speak to each other either helps or makes things worse.
As much pre-martial counseling and marriage counseling I have done I have come away believing that communicate and how you communicate is to each other is so vitally important. Most marriage and family are demolished by unruly evil full of deadly poison speaking toward one another. As believers and followers of Christ we must surrender this member of our body to the LORD. As will see it is an untamed beast that “out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing, My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3.10)
So, as we're here together today, let's listen to some wise advice from the Bible. We'll talk about how powerful our words to each other can be, controlling our anger, and making peace can make our families stronger and honoring to the Lord as our families are to bring Glory and honor the Lord.
Remember, Jesus is our example, as we consider the power of words, managing anger and resolving conflict, and pursuing peace and reconciliation.
Lets begin this morning and look closer at the power of words.
I. The Power of Words
I. The Power of Words
Proverbs 15:1 tells us that speaking kindly can stop fights and arguments, but using harsh words can stir up anger and thus making things worse.
1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Based on what the scriptures reveals about the tongue where speech is heard is a member of the body that in untamable. James explains it this way,
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
Truly God is the only one who can tame our unruly tongue, one must be filled with God to have Godly speech. For Godly speech can been characterized as gentle, kind, and honest
Godly Speech is gentle, gracious and tactful
Godly Speech is gentle, gracious and tactful
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Godly Speech is Kind
Godly Speech is Kind
25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.
Godly Speech is Honest and unadorned
Godly Speech is Honest and unadorned
37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Always speak truth, anything is of the devil.
II. Presiding over our Anger
II. Presiding over our Anger
Most of are familiar with Eph.4.26 which tells us not to let sun go down on your wrath, C.H Spurgeon tells a story,
Two Christian men had a sharp disagreement and hurtful words were exchanged and emotions turned to anger. As one of them walked home, still very upset, he noticed the sun setting and remembered the verse, "Do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Eph 4:26). He thought, "I should go back and apologize; I believe I spoke too harshly." So he headed back to his friend's office and met the other man halfway, who was coming with the same intention.
How wonderful it is when Christians are so mindful of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and so like the Lord Jesus!
How we deal with anger is critical within our families and churches
Let it be said that the emotion of anger is not a sin it is how you deal with it that it can become sinful.
The Bible teaches us to "be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry" (James 1:19). By presiding over our anger, we can prevent conflicts from escalating and promote understanding and unity.
Becoming slow to anger, quick to Listen
Becoming slow to anger, quick to Listen
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
It has been said,
Speech is … only good when it is better than silence.
Not taking revenge
Not taking revenge
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Anger is the desire of punishing the person who seems to have injured you.
Proverbs 27:4 (ESV)
4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
Think of a judge in a courtroom who remains impartial and allows the legal system to administer justice rather than taking matters into their own hands. By trusting God to handle justice, we free ourselves from the burden of revenge and allow His perfect will to prevail.
Put off anger
Put off anger
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
III. Pursuing Peace and Reconciliation
III. Pursuing Peace and Reconciliation
Marriage can sometimes be tough, even for those who believe in Jesus. It's not easy for anyone to talk kindly and lovingly all the time. For people who don't believe, solving problems in marriage can be really hard because they don't have the same kind of love that Jesus teaches about (Ephesians 4:22-32
If you're a Christian, you have the Bible to guide you in how to treat each other. Following what the Bible says about relationships can help you deal with problems with in marriage.
The most important thing when there's a problem in a relationship, especially in marriage, is to love each other like Jesus loves us.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Jesus also said
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
If all we are is angry, and filled with hate, resentment, etc…where is the peace…peace comes from knowing the LORD. Maybe we need to examine ourselves.
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Having peace within is a good way to determine whether or not you are in the faith…have you ever had peace, true biblical peace…listen to what the Lord says,
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Peace is a gift from God through Christ Jesus. We should desire to live peaceful lives, we should strive to bring peace into our homes and families.
God wants believers to help each other calmly Colossians 3:15
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Telling the truth kindly is really important if you want someone to listen to you, because only when we show others we care about them will they be open to hearing hard things (Ephesians 4:15
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
The Bible speaks a great deal about how to have good relationships and solve problems. Here are some specific things the Bible says we should do:
To solve marriage conflict, we must:
Be at peace with one another - Mark 9:50
Love one another - John 13:34; Romans 12:10; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12
Build up one another - Romans 14:19; Ephesians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Be of the same mind toward one another - Romans 12:16
Give preference to one another - Romans 12:10
Greet one another - Romans 16:16
Esteem others as better than yourself - Philippians 2:3
Serve one another - Galatians 5:13
Receive one another - Romans 15:7
Be devoted to one another - Romans 12:10
Rejoice or weep with one another - Romans 12:15
Admonish one another - Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16
Care for one another - 1 Corinthians 12:25
Be kind and forgiving to one another - Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13
Submit to one another - Romans 12:10; Ephesians 5:21; 1 Peter 5:5
Comfort one another - 1 Thessalonians 4:18
Encourage one another - 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13
Be compassionate with one another - 1 Peter 3:8
Pray for one another - James 5:16
Confess your faults to one another - James 5:16
Accept one another - Romans 14:1; 15:7
To solve marriage conflict, we must not:
Be proud against each other - 1 Corinthians 4:6
Judge one another - Romans 12:16
Lie to one another - Colossians 3:9
Be partial with one another - 1 Timothy 5:21
Provoke or envy one another - Galatians 5:26
Lust after one another - Romans 1:27
Hate one another - Titus 3:3
Take one another to court - 1 Corinthians 6:1-7
Use each other - Galatians 5:15
Conclusion:
Looking at what the Bible says, we're reminded to speak kindly, act with love, and be ready to forgive and understand others. Real strength isn't about controlling others, but about listening, forgiving, and trying to make things right.
Family is so important to God so if there is hurt try to foster reconciliation, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has shown forgiveness to all who will ask Him, show kindness and love in everything you do.
Protect your words, Preside over your anger and Promote peace above all.
Lets Pray!
Heavenly Father,
We come before You with grateful hearts, thanking You for the wisdom and guidance You have imparted to us today. We acknowledge the profound impact our words and actions can have within our families and relationships. Lord, help us to speak words of grace and love, to manage our anger with wisdom, and to seek peace and reconciliation in all our interactions.
Teach us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Grant us the strength to forgive as You have forgiven us, and the humility to seek forgiveness when we have wronged others. May Your Holy Spirit work within us, transforming our hearts and minds to reflect Your love and grace more fully each day.
As we go forth from this place, empower us to apply these truths in our daily lives. Help us to build up, encourage, and support one another, always striving to be agents of Your peace and love in our families and communities.
We pray for Your continued presence and guidance in our lives. May Your peace, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Fill our homes with Your love, our conversations with Your grace, and our hearts with Your peace.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we pray.
Amen.