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Eloquent words concerning death11/28/2023 Second, we need to look closely at what our words accomplish what precisely is the power they wield. I want us to think, first, about what our words tell us about the nature of a person. I’m going to use some representative texts to make four important points. Given the massive amount of material in Proverbs on this subject, I have to be unavoidably selective. So today we are going to look at how wisdom is displayed in our words. Which words we use and how we employ them makes all the difference in the world.Īnd in Proverbs it becomes very clear, very early on, that you can easily recognize the fool by his speech, just as you can recognize the wise person by his. Men and women don’t commit adultery they have an affair. People don’t kill babies they terminate pregnancies. It’s rare that you hear the word homosexual now it is same-sex attraction or alternative lifestyle. People aren’t drug addicts they are chemically dependent. Rather, someone is merely sexually liberated. Today we rarely hear anyone speak of fornication. Or consider how words manipulate public opinion and shape social policy. One person declares, “Salvation is ours by faith, not by works,” while another declares, “Salvation is ours by faith and by works.” The difference between saying “not by” instead of “any by” is the difference between heaven and hell. Have you ever stopped to think that how you define the gospel, at least from a human perspective, determines eternal life and eternal death. Or again, one of every six verses in Proverbs talks about how we talk.Īgain, the reason for this is that the tongue is either the greatest of blessings which may accomplish a world of good, or it is the most lethal and destructive of weapons, able to generate endless evil. If you want to know how important words and speech are in Proverbs, consider this one fact: approximately 150 verses in Proverbs are devoted to the tongue, to our speech, to our words. That, dear friend, is sobering to consider. Your words will either make it clear that you are a born again disciple and lover of Jesus Christ, or they will betray you as one who knows nothing of God and his saving grace. All that is needed is a recording of your conversations, both public and private. Our words, our speech, what we say and how we say it, is so perfectly a reflection of what is in our hearts that, according to Jesus, there won’t even be a need to list or evaluate your works on the day of judgment. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:33-37). The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. In Matthew 12:33-37 Jesus confronts the religious leaders of his day with this stunning statement: Let me give you but one other example of how important your words, your speech, even your casual comments ultimately are in the grand scheme of things. We see it in the passage we read a moment ago: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (Prov. There is simply no way to exaggerate the life-giving and life-taking power of our words. They may captivate our attention for a fleeting moment, but they leave no lasting impression and are of little benefit to anyone. At other times, words are as harmless and insignificant as a lightning bug. They can also denigrate and humiliate and destroy if we do not carefully monitor and control their use. They can bring life and joy and encouragement and hope and healing when spoken in the right tone and at the right time. A lightning bug, on the other hand, is a harmless, powerless, momentary diversion on a summer’s night. Lightning can stir awe and wonder at the power of nature. It can stun the unsuspecting and blind the person who doesn’t know any better than to stare directly into it. Lightning can light up an otherwise dark and dreary night. The difference between the right word and the almost right word, said Mark Twain, is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug! His point, I believe, is that just as there is a frightening world of difference between a bolt of lightning, on the one hand, and the luminescence of an insect, on the other, so also between saying the right thing at the right time and the wrong thing at the wrong time. Your Words have the Power of Life and Death
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