Wisdom for Our Words
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“Wisdom for Your Words”
Budget: Family forum (Questions) – Ask a deacon or elder if you can’t be there!
Leadership Nomination – Matt Hausman video
Preaching Planning/Prayer:
August Sermon Series: Over the next four weeks we’re going to dig into the book of Proverbs in a new series entitled “Walking in Wisdom.” Each week we’re going to examine how we can apply God’s wisdom in four key areas of life: Our Words, Our Pride, Our Wallet, and our Plans. Did you know the book of Proverbs provides divine wisdom for some of the most critical areas of your life? May God have His way with us as we walk through this mini-series in Proverbs.
Introduction
Image
Tongue Twisters
Sally sells seashells by the seashore. Sally sells seashells by the seashore! Battle – Two volunteers and two tongue twisters!
Great job! Tongue twisters can be troublesome, the twisting of our tongue as we try to pronounce the words is a real struggle, but an even greater struggle in our lives is the taming of our tongue. Every day we face the struggle of taming our tongues.
How many of you said something you wished you wouldn’t have said this week? How many of you said more than you should of said this week (talked too much)? How many of you hurt someone with your words this week? How many of your burned someone with your words or were burned by someone?
The struggle to tame our tongue is real. In James we see a vivid description of the tongue—it’s a small part of the body that has the power to control the direction of our lives, our tongue is a “fire” (burn), our tongue is restless evil full of deadly poison (kill)—and the tongue is untamable by mere human strength.
Ben Franklin
Need
All of us in this room have struggled to tame our time at some time in our lives. All of us have said something we shouldn’t have said—a harsh word, a cutting comment, a sarcastic suggestion, a profane putdown, or word of condemnation—words spoken out of anger, frustration, hurt, or retaliation. Often we regret the words we speak and wish we could take them back. The words we speak have a profound impact on our lives and the lives of others.
The use of our tongue is a serious matter. We spend the majority of our day communicating with words. Everyday each of us say thousands of words. According to statistics and stereotypes women say more words each day than men—at one time studies declared that women say 20,000 a day while men only say 7,000 words a day (“The Female Brain” by LouAnn Brezendine)—but guys before you give a gal next you you the old “applicational elbow” (or whisper to your wife or daughter “you talk too much”) in a recent study done by an “electronic activated recorder (EAR) on average women speak 16,215 words a day and men 15,669 words a day so it seems the difference is as great as once thought. Regardless of the stereotype, some people talk way more than others—you know who you are—and yet all of us need divine wisdom to guide us in the use of our words.
Today we kick-off a new four week series in Proverbs—gleaning wisdom for several key areas of our lives—today we begin with God’s wisdom for our words. God’s Word (OT & NT) has a great deal to say about the tongue. Proverbs has much wisdom about the use of our tongue. Before we dig let me give you a brief overview (primer) on the book of Proverbs.
Introduction
Open your Bible to the book of Proverbs. If you didn’t bring a bible there is one in the pew rack in front of you, feel free to grab one and follow along. Today is a good day to review the basic structure of the Bible.
OT (39) & NT (27) – Old Testament recording God’s dealing with the nation of Israael that foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ and the NT recording the coming of Jesus Christ to bring salvation to sinful humanity. The OT was originally written in Hebrew and the NT in common Greek.
OT Divisions: The Law/Torah/Pentateuch (first 5 books), History (12), Poetry (5), and Prophets (12) The book of Proverbs is one of the books of Hebrew Poetry (along with Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, & Song of Solomon)
PROVERBS
Penman: King Solomon, Agur, & King Lemuel (Collections of Sayings)
Meaning: “A pithy saying, a statement that seeks to reveal the true nature of one thing by comparing it to another (Bullock); short maxims that reveal practical wisdom for life.
Purpose: “to initiate the reader into wisdom and instruction “(Bullock) – very practical book!
Summary: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (1:7) – the fundamental nature of wisdom is theological; the underlying basis of life is one’s relationship with God and out of that relationship comes wisdom for one’s relation to God, other human beings, and the natural world.
Structure: We find two-line, four-line, six-line, and an occasional eight-line proverb.
Hebrew Poetry: Since Proverbs is Hebrew poetry it can be difficult to understand. When you read and study Proverbs you must remember that it’s Hebrew poetry—it’s filled with lots of poetic expressions; figures of speech, similes and metaphors. One of the main features of Hebrew Poetry is parallelism. This is what makes Hebrew poetry different from English poetry. English poetry is characterized by rhyme and meter—the words rhyme and it has a distinct rhythm and meter—which helps it flow. That’s not the case with Hebrew poetry. Parallelism in Hebrew poetry is more than style but it’s the cornerstone of how to find the meaning of the Proverb.
Synonomous parallelism—each line are synono ous or say the same thing ().
Anitthetical parallelism where the lines contrast or our opposite of one another to make a point () Synthetic parallelism where the second (subsequent lines) reinforce or amplies the first line ()
Principles not Promises: We must read and interpret Proverbs as divine wisdom principles and not divine promises. It’s inappropriate to claim the Proverbs as a book of promises—“Train up a child in a way that he should go and in the end will not depart from it” (22:6) is not a promise from God your children will always walk in the way of wisdom/follow Jesus all the days of their lives—it’s a principle about a parent’s commitment to instruct their child in the way wisdom, and generally speaking when a child is instructed in the way of wisdom from an early age, he or she will persist in that way.” (Bullock) More often than not a child instructed in wisdom will walk in wisdom but not a guarantee!
Practical: Proverbs give us divine wisdom for practical issues of life. Proverbs is best studied by topic/themes like friendship, parenting, money, speech, sex, work, etc. (Kidner quote & themes)
Proverbs point us to Jesus – Proverbs are more than moralistic teachings—they are more than wisdom principles declaring “do this” and “don’t do that”—they are more than statements to help us become better people (good). The divine wisdom principles in Proverbs anticipates and point us to Jesus “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:30. Our search for wisdom can begin in Proverbs but ultimately ends in Jesus! Jesus didn’t come to make us a moral person—He came to give us life and make us more like Him—He came to transform our lives from the inside out and we can live out the wisdom principles by abiding in Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit. We can’t and won’t walk in wisdom apart from Jesus! Consider Colin Hansen’s summary statement that highlights Proverbs ultimate connection to Jesus.
Colin Hansen - For our own good and the glory of God, the book of Proverbs invites and instructs God’s covenant people—especially young men—to embrace wisdom. For Christians, such wisdom comes through fearing God’s beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ (), and walking in his wisdom.
I don’t want you to walk away from this series with the mindset—“Try harder to live better” or “I’m a horrible person and I will try harder to better” – I want you to walk away with a conviction that God cares about how you talk and through abiding in Christ and the power of the HS the use of your tongue can be transformed for His glory.
Preview
With that as a giant backdrop, let’s consider “Wisdom for our Words” from Proverbs. The book of Proverbs has a great deal of divine wisdom about our speech, the words we say, and guidelines for how we use our tongue. The use of our tongue is one of the most repeated subjects in the book of Proverbs. Now there is no way that I can teach you all that the book of Proverbs says about your tongue. I don’t have time to back up the dump truck and unload all of God’s wisdom for your words from the book of Proverbs. But I do have a little summary that I can send you via email or get you a copy if you want to read and study more about this topic. Today we’re going to discover three wisdom principles for our words as we strive to follow Jesus.
I) God’s Wisdom for Your Words
One of the most critical areas of our life is communication. There is non-verbal communication (examples) and there is verbal communication. This is one of the most important areas of our lives—what we say and how we say it—and therefore it’s vital that we discover God’s wisdom regarding our speech. The book of Proverbs has a great deal to say about your words.
Oswald Chambers - “The great test of a man’s character is his tongue.”
This is important stuff. And this book is filled with divine wisdom that addresses your tongue, your lips, your mouth, your words, etc. We begin in . Take your Bible and turn to . . Notice the progression of this Proverb—“a call to guard the heart above all else because from it springs the issues life—followed by several specific commands moving from the mouth, to the eyes, and ending with the feet. Gordon Wenham calls this “The anatomy of discipleship.” Everything flows from our hearts—the words we speak, what we fix our eyes upon, and where our feet will go. What you say originates from your heart. Everything you say originates from your heart. Jesus taught this connection as well.
- The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. [1]
Words of encouragement flow from a transformed heart of love, compassion, and kindness. Words of boasting flow from a heart of pride. Words of gossip flow from a heart of jealousy or criticism. Words that tear down others flow from a heart of envy, hatred, or revenge. Here’s the good news—Jesus came to give us a new heart—a transformed heart that is given new desires, consecrated, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak words that are Christ-like and glorify Him. Every wisdom principle we learn this month can be lived out through the renewed heart we have in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s consider three wisdom principles for our words from Proverbs.
A) Some of the most beautiful words are words timely spoken ()
Turn to . . . (Read ) We begin the search for wisdom for our words in . . These Proverbs follow the wisdom of handing a quarrel privately instead of in court (25:9-10).
11A word aptly spoken
is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
12Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear. [2]
The Proverbs are given in the context of our court decision but has broad application about the beauty of words that are spoken. We begin by noting the both statements contain a simile—a figure of speech that compares to things with the word “like”—in this case comparing “words spoken” to “apples of gold” and “earring and ornaments of gold” to a “wise man’s rebuke.” The poetic expressions are highlighting the “beauty” of words spoken in an appropriate manner, and even the beauty of a spoken rebuke that is well-received by a listening heart. Let’s discover the first wisdom principle from both Proverbs.
1) The beauty of words (a decision) aptly spoken (25:11)
reveals “The beauty of words spoken at the right time.” A “word” (court decision or spoken word in general) “aptly” spoken is compared to apples of gold in settings of silver. The apples of gold in settings of silver might refer to “gold” colored fruit (apricot, orange, or quinces) set before a silver backdrop but more likely refers to “carvings of fruit in gold on columns with a silver backdrop—regardless the image highlights the “beauty” of words spoken “aptly”—words skillfully spoken are words spoken in a timely manner and appropriate setting! Properly timed words are as attractive (beautiful) as a work of art! Timely words are both beautiful and good! “A person has joy giving an appropriate answer, and a word at the right time—how good it is! () How beautiful are the words spoken at the right time and in a proper circumstance/setting. Wise people know how to bring the right word to a situation. The appropriate, well-time word—words spoken skillfully—words carefully timed for the situation are as beautiful as a work of art.
2) The beauty of a rebuke spoken to a listening ear (25:12)
Secondly, we also see the “beauty” of a rebuke spoken to a listening ear. We begin with the image of beautiful jewelry. The “beauty” of a gold ring worn in the nose or ear and an ornament made by a goldsmith is likened to “a wise man’s rebuke spoke to a listening ear.” A wise man’s rebuke (words of correction) that comes to a listening ear is as beautiful (lovely) as the finest jewelry. A wise man’s rebuke that is heard and acted upon (obeyed) is beautiful. Words of rebuke spoken to someone who is willing to listen and accept correction is just as beautiful as exquisite gold jewelry. Speaking words of rebuke to a heart whose is willing to listen (a heart engages what he hears) is beautiful. Saying the right thing to a person ready to listen is a beautiful thing! In this case we see the beauty of saying the right thing (rebuke) to the right person (one who will listen).
APPLICATION
Today we glean God’s wisdom for our words! reveals the first wisdom principle for our words– “The Most beautiful words are timely.” “The most beautiful words are timely.”
Let’s apply this wisdom principle to our lives this morning. Words “aptly” spoken, words “skillfully” spoken are timely—words carefully timed to fit the situation—words spoken in the right circumstance. Words aptly spoken fall into the area of tact—“having a keen sense of what is appropriate”—the skill of knowing what to say and when to say it. The right words, spoken at the right time, and in the right way are beautiful! All too often we speak rashly—a flurry of words that flow without giving any thought or care if it’s the right thing to say and the right time to say it—we just vomit out sentence after sentence with little or no consideration if our words are timely. Even a rebuke can be beautiful if well-timed and well-received by the listener.
The call for timely spoken words will transform your relationships—husbands & wives, parents & children, co-workers, friendships, and fellow believers—our relationships with others will be strengthened and deepened if we apply this wisdom to our words by speaking words that are well-timed and appropriate for the circumstance. We’ll all said the “right thing” to someone at the “wrong time” – how does that generally work out?
Dale Brown
Take some time this morning to evaluate the way you speak (the use of your words). Ask
Are your words timely? – Do you care? Are you tactful with your words? – Do you exercise discernment and keen insight into what, when, and how you will speak? (Hard to do in the “heat” of emotions).
Ask the Lord to give you the strength to live out this wisdom principle for your words—speaking words timely words—saying the right words at the right time in the right way through the power of the Holy Spirit. The most beautiful words are timely spoken.
B) Some of the most valuable words are words that give life to others ()
Lets’ consider a second wisdom principle for our words—Turn to . . . (Read )
20The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment[3]
In context these Proverbs (many others) are instructions given from a father to a son to motivate him to be righteous (10:1). In we discover more divine wisdom for our words. In these two Proverbs we find a stark contrast in the use of words. The proverbs promote the good use of speech. Here we find a contrast between the righteous and the wicked and the righteous and the fool. The words of the wicked are spelled out in the preceding verses (), speaking what is foolish, lying, hatred, and slander, all are in stark contrast to the words of the righteous.
1) The righteous speak words of great value (10:20)
highlights the value of the words we speak. The “tongue of the righteous is choice silver”—the “tongue” or “lips” refers to the words we speak (speech)—and the “lips” or “tongue” of the righteous speak words that are like “choice” (pure) silver. The righteous speak words are likened to pure silver, the words spoken by the righteous have value, the words spoken by the righteous are valuable to those who hear them.
In contrast, the heart of the wicked, is worthless. Why use heart instead of “tongue” or “lips?” The connection of “tongue” and “heart” reveals the heart produces words and the word reveal one’s heart. Our speech originates in the heart and is spoken by the tongue. The “heart of the wicked” is literally the “thoughts of the wicked”—thoughts that will eventually be expressed as words. Proverbs teaches us that the “issues of life” (including our words) springs from the heart. Jesus taught that what defiles us originates from the heart—“from out of the heart comes evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” ()—the words we speak originate from our heart. The “heart of the wicked is of no value”—the thoughts they think that leads to the words they say are of little worth—in contrast to the “lips of the righteous is choice silver.” The words of the righteous are free from impurity and are valuable. The words of the righteous have great value, the words of the wicked have little value.
2) The righteous speak words that nourish others (10:21)
highlights that the righteous speak words that nourish others—“the lips of the righteous nourish many—the words the righteous literally “shepherd” others by meeting their needs with what they say—the righteous “feed” many people with the words that they speak. The words of the righteous can “pastor” someone—leading them, providing for them, reviving them, and protecting them ()—a few choice words that we speak can give life to others!
In contrast “fools die for lack of judgment”—fools lack the judgment (wisdom and knowledge) to receive nourishing words—fools ruin themselves and others by their lack of wisdom and knowledge to feed on the words of the righteous. Bruce Walke write “the fool is surrounded by the life-preserving words of the righteous that nourish many, he starves to death because he lacks the good sense to feed on them.” That’s one of the marks of a fool—the lack of sense in listening to the good words of others—and their lack of judgment leads to their own ruin and the ruin of others.
APPLICATION
Let’s glean this divine wisdom for our words this morning. In we discover a second wisdom principle for our words—“Some of the most valuable words give life to (nourish) others. Some of the most valuable words give life to (nourish) others. Again, the wisdom of God’s Word is calling for further and ongoing evaluation of our tongue.
Do your words give life to others? Are you shepherding others with your words? Do people get nourished by the words you speak?
The words we speak must be life-giving—benefiting all who hear them—use your words to shepherd others! Feed people with the words you speak. A few choice words you speak can give life to others. A few choice words can give life to others. The words we speak have a powerful impact on others.
Illustration
There is a saying I remember hearing as saying as a child – I don’t know if anyone says this anymore – it goes like this: “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me.” I think I get what lies at the heart of this saying – letting people know that when they call you a name it won’t hurt so their words don’t have power over us. The problem is it’s not true – when I’m called a name with ill-intent it does hurt. I’m not sure why we teach our kids that. If someone says you’re an idiot” even though we say it doesn’t hurt, it hurts. Words kill. Words destroy. Words hurt. Wisdom calls us to use our words to give life to others. We find more encouragement to speak words that nourish and give life in the NT.
--“Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only that which is good for the edification of others according to their present need so that it will grace those who hear.” Let no (none of your words be unwholesome) unwholesome word come out of your mouths—“unwholesome” words are words that are harmful or corrupt”—in contrast to speaking good words that build up those who hear them. Our words must give life—building up others with the words so that the words we speak will give grace to those who hear—speak words that will give life. You know what kind of speech doesn’t nourish, shepherd, or give life to others?
Gossip: providing harmful information about a person, often spoken in a whisper or low voice, knowing the information is not widely known and should be kept secret ( – “separates close friends”). Profanity: godless, worldly, and irreverent words Slander (blasphemy)– speak against someone to harm or injure their reputation; defameName-calling Unjust criticism spoken with a prideful heart Deceit () – falsehood; to trick people with your wordsEvil ()– harsh, bad, damaging wordsClamor – “shouting” CondemnationCursing: () - injury or harm others with a statement regarded as having supernatural power
There is not beauty or value in these words! These kinds of unwholesome talk will destroy marriages, friendship, and churches. Stop speaking them to others and typing them on social media. These types of speech are not life-giving, they do not nourish others, so we must repent and speak words that will give life to others. Some of the most valuable words give life to others. Walk in wisdom by the power of the Holy Spirit.
C) Some of the best words are words left unspoken ()
Let’s consider a third and final wisdom principle for our words and we don’t have to go far. Turn your attention to . .
19When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise. [4]
This Proverb reveals wise speech in contrast to the foolish speech highlighted in the previous proverb (10:18)—hidden hatred that produces lying lips and slander is the speech of the fool—but here we find the words spoken by the wise.
The first half of the Proverb declares that the more words you speak sin does not cease, when an abundance of words inevitably leads to transgression, multiplying your words will cause sin to increase in your life. If you keep talking sin will become inevitable! The more you run your mouth, sooner or later you will sin.
In contrast “he who holds his tongue is wise”—restraining your lips from speaking is wise (the Hebrew word depicts putting a piece of wood in a goat’s mouth to prevent it from sucking)—exercising self-control to hold back words from coming out of your mouth is prudent. Zipping your lips is a wise decision.
We find the same wisdom principle found in —“The one who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his life from troubles”—just like posting soldiers on a city wall to guard from enemy attack one who “keeps watch” over their mouth will protect their life from calamity, misfortune, and anguish. Keeping watch over your tongue, restraining it from speaking, this is wise and it will protect your life from sin and unnecessary harm. The NET Bible note says “Careless and free talking could get a person into a tight spot.” True!
APPLICATION
We come to the third and final wisdom principle for our words this morning. Some of the best words are often left unspoken. Some of the best words are often left unspoken. Another cliché that you’ve heard that affirms this wisdom principle—“If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”– good theology from parents or grandparents (Imagine that!). Moms & dads, grandmas & grandpas are really wise!
Sometimes the best words are left unspoken. The best of our words are the words we never speak.. If (when) we keep running our mouths, we’ll eventually sin. If (when) we fail to keep watch over our words, we welcome calamity into our lives.
– “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
In our flesh we speak too rashly, too harshly, too carelessly, and too excessively! When our boys were young we talked about not using the “s” word—“Shut up”—we didn’t want to tell each other to “shut up” but here in Proverbs we discover it’s wise to tell ourselves to “Shut up.” Again, God’s Word calls for further evaluation of our speech.
Do you speak when you should shut up? Are you keeping watch over your tongue? – Do you guard what you say? Do you restrain or lips or let them rip?
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you “hold your tongue” and “guard your lips.” Ask the Holy Spirit to help you hold your tongue—restraining the words you say in person or on social media—wisdom reveals that some of the best words are often left unspoken.
II) Walk In Wisdom by the power of the HS!
Let’s walk in wisdom! Let’s heed the wisdom for our words revealed in Proverbs. The words we speak have an impact on others and matter deeply to God. There is a connection between our hearts and the words we speak—the hope of the gospel is that God to change us from the inside out—so this is much deeper than the morality of our words and trying harder be better. Jesus came to give us new life, a new heart, giving us a new desire to use our words in ways that glorify Him and giving us new power of the Holy Spirit to transform the way we talk! May others see Jesus living in and through us by the way we talk. May the wise use of our words reveal His transforming work in our lives. Let me give you a simple acrostic to help you “walk in wisdom” as we apply these wisdom principles for our words from Proverbs.
When it comes to our speech – think of the word “TALK” – and ask these questions:
Are my words Timely – See the beauty of speaking words at the right time! Are my words Appropriate – See the beauty of saying what is appropriate! Are my words Live-giving – Shepherd people with your words! Are my words Kept in check – Restrain your lips and leave words unspoken!
Conclusion
Refresh – Tongue Twisters
Tongue twisters can be a real struggle – we have trouble saying the words – but the greater struggle is taming our tongue. God cares about how we talk – God wants to transform our lives from the inside out by His Spirit – including the way we talk.
Review
The words we say have a tremendous impact on our lives and the lives of others. The use of our words is a battle we’re going to face every day as followers of Jesus. The words we say are a reflection of our heart. The way we talk should demonstrate the God’s transforming work in our lives. All of us need the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts which will in turn transform our tongues. I pray the wisdom principles for your words from Proverbs will have a profound impact on the way you talk. These are only three wisdom principles for our words – there is so much more that God wants to teach us about our words but today we have discovered three truths to apply to our lives.
Restate
Some of the most beautiful words are timely spoken. () Some of the most valuable words give life to others. () Some of the best words are often left unspoken ()
May the new heart you have in Jesus transform the way you talk. May the words you say reflect Christ living in and through you. May we grow in wisdom in the way we talk – finding His grace sustaining us and His Spirit empowering us to use our tongues in a way that glories Him!
[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .
[2] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .
[3] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .
[4] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .