Gracious Words

Introduction

Imagine for a moment that you have been selected to star in a documentary. It will require a camera crew to record your everyday life for a whole week. You, of course, agree to this and your week in the limelight is recorded. The time has come to view the results! Pop some corn, dim the lights and start the movie!

Some questions:

What did I spend my time doing?

Where did I go?

What did I see?

What was my speech like?

While this opportunity to star in a documentary may never happen, your everyday life is being observed

People are observing your behavior

People are listening to your speech

God knows everything about you

Do I have graceful speech?

Lesson Text:

Let your speech be always:

With Grace

Seasoned With Salt

That Ye May Know How Ye Ought To Answer Every Man

Let My Speech Be Always With Grace

Words have great power

“And God said...” (, , , , , , , , )

The Bible is inspired of God (; )

Gospel of Christ is power of God ()

Man has been gifted with words

From the beginning (, , , )

We always have a choice in how we use our gifts

Build up or tear down? ()

Bring to Christ or push away?

Lovely or ugly?

Gracious speech “affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness” (Thayer, J. H. (1889). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: being Grimm’s Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti (p. 665). New York: Harper & Brothers)

Example: Jesus Christ ()

Thayer, J. H. (1889). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: being Grimm’s Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti (p. 665). New York: Harper & Brothers.

Christ was quoting Bible and it was called gracious!

Can I afford to do anything less?

“The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious...” ()

Let My Speech Be Seasoned With Salt

Salt is good! (; notes passage: )

Every Christian is to be the “salt of the earth” ()

We put salt on food to:

Preserve

(Make) Palatable

Purify

So it must be with our speech

Each word must be thought about before we say it

“…swift to hear, slow to speak...” ()

Need to listen before we speak (, )

Need to study (meditate) before we answer ()

Winnie the Pooh had it right: think, think, think!

Give time to take those words and salt them with the preserving Gospel message

That Ye May Know How Ye Ought To Answer Every Man

We must be ready to give answer

It requires sanctification ()

If I have not sanctified God in my heart, I will not have an opportunity to answer due to my conduct ()

Does not mean I will have an answer for everything at the time asked

All questions take time and study to answer properly!

Some I have studied for, some I have not but I will always be ready to study to find out the answer

There is a right way to answer and a multitude of wrong ways

Our answers should lead people to Christ

“Having a good conscience…good conversation in Christ” ()

“...answer of a good conscience toward God...” ()

Careful with how you answer

“A soft answer turneth away wrath...” ()

Our goal is to bring others to Christ with our words, not repel them!

Control what goes in and you control what goes out

“…for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” ()

We are what we eat

Feast on the word and we can answer anyone!

Conclusion

Quote

When we all stand before the Lord in judgment, our words will justify or condemn us ()

Let us speak gracious words!