It is Time to Speak Life!

*Recite “Spit Life* poetry slam

John 14:5-6 “Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Introduction: The Power of Speech

My message today centers around the power of speech. In general, it is is understood that there is power in words that are written or spoken, regardless of your worldview. However, as with a great many topics, the Bible hones in on the true source of the power of speech. Even before we receive an explanaition of this concept, we are given a powerful demonstration.

The Bible itself begins in the book of Genesis- which means, beginnings or origins- with God demonstrating the power of HIS speech. In verse three of the very first chapter, God speaks as a creative act. God said let there be light in verse 3…He said let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters (essentially creating Earth’s atmostphere) in verse 6…He said let the water gather & dry land appear in vers 9…and so on. From this we see a powerful visualization of an important truth for all of humanity, especially the Christian: when God speaks, somethnig happens- always.

Jesus sums up this truth in Matt 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!”

Simply put, all of creation will be gone before any Word of God goes unfulfilled- God will do what He says He will do!

Now that we’ve established this premise for the origin of the power of speech, how doe we tap into that power? I am beginnoing from the presupposition that the beleiver has been given the power of speech through God in Christ. I will state my case beginning with the Hebrew text of Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”

This proverb follows on the previous one, being tied together by the common word ‘fruit’ and the common theme of speech. Here, ‘Death and life’ are said to lie in the ‘power of the tongue.’ The reference to ‘Death and life’ reminds one of Moses’ plea in Deuteronomy 30: 15, 19 : “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have placed before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants”. There, the reference was to obedience to God’s law, here it is the outcome of what one says. Indeed, one’s tongue is attributed with ‘power.’ The word ‘power’ is, literally, ‘hand’ in the Hebrew. In Proverbs: A Mentor Commentary by John Kitchen, he explains, “The expression reads ‘Death and life are in the hand of the tongue.’ The ‘hand’ is often used as a metaphorical expression for coming into the grasp of or under the power of another. The particular power attributed to the ‘tongue’ is the ability to grasp ‘life’ or ‘death.’ These benefits or liabilities seen as coming to the speaker of the words or those to whom he speaks…or both in most instances.”

Proverbs stresses the life-giving effects of wise speech. ‘The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver’ (Prov. 10:20a). ‘The lips of the righteous feed many’ (Prov. 10:21a). ‘The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom’ (Prov. 10:31a). The reverse is also true, however, and one’s words may destroy. “Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him; the beginning of his talking is folly, and the end of it is wicked madness. Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him?’ Eccles. 10:12–14 While the exact effect of one’s speech may not be determined exactly, the fact that ‘those who love it will eat its fruit’ is a given. We will reap the benefits or endure the pains of what we say. Our words are seeds sown in the soil of other people’s lives. Those words never remain neutral. They yield a harvest either to ‘life’ or to ‘death’ for them and for us. The one who loves to talk (Prov. 10:19; 18:2; 20:19) will live or die by his speech.

The verse in John adds another important element to the power of speech for the believer. You have herd me refer to this verse before, in defense of the concept of truth. Jesus makes this startling claim, which should take every Christian off the sidelines of the cultural war against truth. In one breath, Jesus invalidates every argument that truth is a subjective concept, with His claim in verse 6 that “I AM the Truth.” But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He says, I am THE life”

As C.S. Lewis puts it in “Mere Christianity”, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic– on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg– or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.” Eith er Jesus’ claims are right or wrong; you cannot have it both ways. I’m so glad to have the assurance that He is who He said He is- my Lord & God!

As is my custom, let me leave you with a few action points related to speaking life, so this is not merely an academic exercise or used for mere personal edification. No…both the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus and the cries of a dying world demand that we take action! We are not called to merely live in the world, but to speak life to it!

Point 1: Speak life to the culture- the way we vote, the way we conduct ourselves at work, at school board meetings, and community board meetings can effect major change. We can no longer remain silent, thinking the “fire” can never reach our houses; it’s already on our street…we can already feel the heat. Do not hide your Christian convictions- surely, no one else is hiding their beliefs!

Point 2: Speak life to the lost- above & beyond anything else God’s Church is called to do, the preaching of the Gospel takes priority. Yes, we can & should speak to cultural issues, and get involved in affecting change, but we can NEVER forget that the Lord is coming back, and when He does, your political affiliation, your financal status, not even your health will matter. There are many organizations that address these needs, but only one which properly addresses the eternal state of the soul. The Church’s primary business is SOUL business- let us never forget that!

Point 3: Speak life to your family- the reason this is last on this short list is not because our familes are not important to God, to you or to me. It is because it is so easy for us to focus soley on what affects us day by day. But we are called to be a light of the world- and not just the light of our rooms; we are called to be the salt of the earth- not just the salt for our house; and our God so loved the world…not just His Church. But you must speak words of affirmation to your children; you must speak words of affirmation to your spouses. When was the last time you looked at someone in your house and declared God’s blessings over them? When whas the last time you spoke to affirm their gifts & talets…to highlight their good deeds and attributes? Or do your family hear you complain more than compliment?

Addendum: the cost of Speaking life & the “‘Golden Rule’ of Christian Speaking”- I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t caution you that speaking life to a world that readily embraces death may come at a cost. You may be inconveniened…cancelled…or pressured in some way. Not to diminish this, but the Cross of Christ is worth it all- and such things are as nothing compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us! I also admonish you to follow one simple rule, which i have dubbed, “The ‘Golden Rule’ of Christian Speaking” Ephesians 4:15 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ” I’ve learned that love & truth are inseperable; you cannot be truthful without being loving, nor loving without being truthful. If your words are seasoned with grace, it will be more palitable & the hearers will be more apt to receive it.