“The Negative Effects of Foolish Speech”
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Good Morning. If you have your Bibles turn with me to Proverbs chapter 18. Over the course of our time in Proverbs we have been looking at practical wisdom that relates to our every day living. These proverbs are so helpful and should cause us to look at how we are living and ask the Lord to help us to be wise. Nate mentioned last week Proverbs continually contrasts the way of the wise with the way of the foolish person. So many times you can look at foolish people and see that often they have made foolish and poor lifestyle decisions that show an absence of godly, sound, biblical wisdom which has led to humiliating and even destructive behavior. This is ever true especially when it comes to our speech.
The title of our message today is, “The Negative Effects of Foolish Speech.”
Today I want to take time and address our speech and how foolish our speech and words can be if we are not wise. I am a runner and it seems that it is easy for runners to draw unwanted attention from those looking on. Last night I went for a run and several young men shouted out some really hurtful words. Last week a car drove by and told me to stay out of the expletive way. These people did not even know who I was and yet they screamed these words at me. But what happens when this hits closer to home? I find that often we have the tendency to say hurtful things to the ones closest to us, the people that we know and this is where it really hurts. There are many times that foolish speech starts fights, ruins relationships, or hurts others in so many different ways.
The mouth and tongue make up less than 1 percent of your body and yet our mouth can do more to help or hurt you than anything else we possess. So often our mouth is the leading candidate for getting us into trouble, however it can also be the primary reason for receiving praise. Often times our mouth has unlimited ways to love, encourage, and even help; yet it also has endless potential to hate, curse and defile. So, it is no wonder that the wise King has much to say on watching what we say and how to say things that please God and others.
1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the righteous of justice.
6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
Notice here in verse one the problem with the fool. Foolish people isolate themselves. They are antisocial and can often be absorbed with themselves. They seek their own desires and they care about their own interests. They are not looking for others opinions which shows they don’t like sound judgement or advice. A wise person should desire to surround himself with good godly friends who love them enough to tell them the truth and keep them accountable.
Verse 2 goes on to tell us more problems. Foolish people are only interested in expressing their own opinion. They are not interested in listening to others. A fool has a closed mind, but an open mouth. A foolish person thinks he is right about everything and that everyone else is wrong. We need to take the advise that James gives us when it comes to being wise to listen.
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
The Consequences or Punishment of the Wicked are spelled out in verse 3. The series starts with sin because being wicked is sinful which leads to shame or contempt. Shame is a close step away from dishonor which leads to disgrace. Sin is a slow road which progresses downward and the consequences are severe. In fact, it can be deadly. We will see how this plays out when it comes to our speech. In verses 4-8 we see 5 effects of foolish speech.
1. Foolish words are bitter.
1. Foolish words are bitter.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
Church, what flows out of our mouths is an indicator of our spiritual health. When we choose harsh, slanderous, and even cursing words then these words show that we either do not know the Lord or are not honoring him by our speech. We don’t love others, and we don’t love our brothers in sisters in Christ by our bitter and hurtful words. Throughout the book of Proverbs we see over and over again the importance and power of the tongue. Here specifically in chapter 18 there is a focus on the words that come out of the mouth of the foolish person. Take notice here in verse 4 that the words of a wise person are a wonderful and continuous supply of nourishing and blessing to those around them. The deep waters that Solomon mentions here are cool and pure and refreshing. If you have ever been to a deep pool of water than this makes sense. They are words that bless others and build up others. When you speak do you use words that edify others and are an encouragement to others? Or do you speak cursing those around you? As believers are words are to be like a fountain or flowing river of wisdom. Our words should be like a bubbling brook which is a gushing torrent of wisdom. The contrast implied here is that a fools words are stale and bitter and could even be potentially poisonous. These words are foolish and wicked because they stir up strife. There is nothing good about foolish and bitter words, they are deadly and sinful. Christian watch out for this ungodly behavior. So, what are we to do? What is the application if this is true of your life?
24 Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Your words do not have to be bitter and harsh. In fact, healing can come from gracious, kind and uplifting or edifying words. Over and over again we see the importance of the one another’s from Scripture. Love one another, pray for one another, forgive one another, and edify one another. May we see how wise it truly is to edify and build up those whom God has surrounded us with.
2. Foolish words bear false witness.
2. Foolish words bear false witness.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the righteous of justice.
As we step into verse 5 here there is a sense of a foolish person who is showing favoritism to the wicked at the expense of the innocent. There are many times where those who are foolish will go against the righteous and take the side of the wicked. This suggests to us that an evil person or even magistrate will take a bribe or help them out in order to gain favor. How many times have we seen in our own day and age someone who has said something untrue or false to get what they want or to even help out someone else. The fool forgets the wisdom of Proverbs 19 and verse 5.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
There will come a time where all will have to give an account to God, and so even though someone may get away with things here on earth, God’s justice is coming.
May these words be ours as they were King David’s.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
We don’t have to bear false witness. We don’t have to spew out lies to be liked. Use your words to be truthful and honest even when it is tough. God hears our words and we should honor him and others.
3. Foolish words lead to trouble.
3. Foolish words lead to trouble.
6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating.
Verses 6 and 7 go together here, however there are two points that I need to stress this morning in both of these verses. First, foolish words often lead to trouble. The fool’s misuse of words can lead to conflict, and put he or she in trouble as well as others. A fool’s words lead them to danger and trouble by what they say, and then their mouth invites a beating. The words of a fool starts fights because they don’t understand that it is better to saying nothing at all then to speak harsh and wicked words.
27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
Restraint or withholding your words is the key here. My point is that a wise person will seek to avoid conflict or he or she will try to resolve it as quickly as possible. When someone says something or post something that we don’t like we don’t have to respond immediately or at all for that matter. Take time to pray about the situation before you say or post anything. Seek Godly Biblical counsel and then respond in a timely manner. Don’t go looking for fights! Yes, there are times where you have to address difficult matters or speak truth and correction to others but we always speak the truth with love and in love. We can be gracious even with difficult conversations. Paul says it this way in Colossians.
6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
4. Foolish words are deadly.
4. Foolish words are deadly.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
The proverb now goes from a troubling fight to words that bring death. The fools punishment goes all the way from a beating to his death. In verse 7 here we see that a foolish person’s mouth is his ruin and his lips are a snare or trap to his soul. Have you ever noticed how words are powerful weapons, and sometimes people use them to their own ruin and destruction. The picture here that King Solomon lays out for us is of a man who lays out a trap and in doing so he does so for himself. He does this by his own words from his mouth. The foolish person does not even realize that if they could just keep their mouth closed they would keep from ruin and wrecking their lives.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
A foolish person with their own words reap what they sow. The contrast here is that a wise person thinks before they speak. They are slow to speak and quick to listen. They are slow to anger and wrath.
The mouth of foolish people are quick to destruction and are trapped in their rebellious speech. My point here is don’t set a trap on yourself. Don’t get trapped by Satan and his deceiving temptations. So, how are we to speak as believers? Here is the application.
24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
The opposite of death and ruin is life and health. When we choose to use are words and be gracious it is truly a sweet thing!!! It brings sweetness to your soul and life and it does the same to others. But most importantly, using gracious and wise words bring honor and glory to God. Let us honor our Lord today by what we say.
5. Foolish words are damaging.
5. Foolish words are damaging.
8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
Foolish words are damaging because they destroy relationships. Have you ever said something that hurt someone’s feelings? Many of us have done this and often it can come in the form of gossip. We can even share true things about others that is gossip and it will hurt others to the core. Once you have said something or even posted something it is out there and you cannot take it back. That is why we as believers need to be so very careful about the things we say.
Proverbs 10 and verse 19 tells us that whoever restrains his lips are prudent. In other words the person who holds his tongue is wise.
Solomon the main author of Proverbs helps us to see that Gossip is a sin. When you use your words as a whisperer think of gossip. It is easy to go to everyone else and talk about the matter instead of going directly to that person that the information is about. We can even hide behind social media and post hurtful things about a person and not say their name when everyone knows who we are talking about. We can often forget just how deadly and powerful gossip and slander truly are. Solomon tells us here in verse 8 that gossip is like a very choice food. In the ESV here it says, “delicious morsels.” I naturally think about a delicious cookie or piece of cake. This means that gossip can often come across as wonderful and tasty to those who are foolish. Gossip goes into the innermost part of the body, and words become part of who we are.
28 A dishonest man spreads strife,
and a whisperer separates close friends.
A foolish person sees nothing wrong with what they are doing when they whisper and gossip about others. What they are doing is spreading conflict because gossip will divide close friends, brothers and sisters in Christ and even family.
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
In other words, when we stop using our words to gossip or slander the abuse and fighting stop. Relationships can be reconciled and the damage stops.
Watch out for damaging gossip and slanderous words. They hurt to the core and can ruin great relationships.
As we come to a close today, I want you to think about what Paul says to the church at Ephesus. This is my prayer for our church today and our people. When we speak may we keep this in mind.
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
The word corrupt here refers to rotten or bad fruit. This means that which is worthless, bad or rotten. Our words do not have to be dirty and worthless. What we see here is that the mouth and the heart are connected. Matthew 12 verse 34 tells us that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. When Christ changes our lives and our hearts, our speech should change as well.
(Close in Prayer and Lead into Communion)