Speak Life

INTRODUCTION

Now: Illustration -

Powerful words

You made a 100!

You failed.

You’re a loser.

I love you.

I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?

Will you marry me?

I want a divorce.

Words are powerful.

maybe the most powerful words ever spoken were spoken by God when He said, “let there be light!” Before God began his creation of the world, the Bible says that the world was formless, empty and darkness covered it.

God wasn’t like, “dang it’s dark in here” God is light but when he set out to create a living place for his ultimate creation, humans, the first thing he did was bring light to the darkness by speaking.

God then created humans IN HIS OWN IMAGE. We aren’t God, but we share some of his characteristics. And one of the characteristics we share is that we speak. We are the only creature that speaks. Dogs bar, birds tweet, goats.... but like God, humans speak… and our words are powerful.

Then: Background - When the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he taught them about the new life they had in Christ. and then here at the end of chapter 4, he gives them some examples of what that life should look like now that they have taken off the old self and put on the new.

and tonight, we’re focusing on just one of those examples, found in verse 29.

Always: Main Idea - Because our words are powerful, true disciples use their speech for good rather than evil.

New Living Translation Chapter 4

29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

BODY

Do not speak in a way that hurts others

dishonest

unkind

foul

Speak in a way that encourages others

truthful

kind

helpful

Speak Life (speak hope, speak love, speak life)

speak light into the darkness… exercise your trait of speaking that you share with the God of the universe

New Living Translation Chapter 12

18 Some people make cutting remarks,

but the words of the wise bring healing.

Look into the eyes of the broken hearted

Watch them come alive as soon as

you speak hope

You speak love

You speak life

Invitation

for the Christian -

for the not-yet believer -