Pastor David continues through Proverbs, focusing on being wise about our words. Click below to watch the livestream or if you’d like to just listen to the sermon, we have the audio from that!
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Notes
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21) (16:24, 27)
Choice 1: Talk a ______________ or talk a __________
(Proverbs 10:8,10, 19; 12:18, 23; 13:3; 15:2; 18:2)
A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent; when they keep their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. (Proverbs 17:27,28)
Choice 2- Keep it to ____________ or ______________
(Proverbs 10:18; 11:9,13; 18:8; 20:19; 26:20, 22)
Disregarding another person’s faults preserves love; telling about them separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9)
Choice 3: Tell the ____________ or tell a ________
(Proverbs 2:5; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 17:4,7; 28:23)
For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)
One who conceals hatred has lying lips, And one who spreads slander is a fool. (Proverbs 10:18)
An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. (Proverbs 24:26)
There is no intimacy without ___________ and there is no truth without ________________.
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. (Ephesian 4:15)
Choice 4: Speak ___________ or speak ____________
Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can crush strong opposition. (Proverbs 25:15) (Proverbs 15:1)
An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. (Proverbs 12:25)
Digging Deeper
Q1: Can you think of a time when talking too much got you into trouble? If so, explain.
Q2: Can you think of a time when you should have spoken up but didn’t and later regretted it? If so explain.
Q3: What does the passage bellows tell you about controlling the power of the tongue?
So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. (James 3:5,6)
Q4: Consider the following list of consequences for lying. Which one do you think is the most devastating? What else would you add to this list?
- Crushed ‘spirit’ [Proverbs 15:4]
- Diminished influence.
Truthful lips endure forever, by a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” (Proverbs 12:19)
- Troubles and Problems
The crooked heart will not prosper; the twisted tongue tumbles into trouble. [Proverbs 17:20]
- Punishment [19:5,9; 21;28]
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.” [Proverbs 19:5]
- Broken relationship with the Lord
“The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful.” [Proverbs 12:22]
Q5: Of the five choices Pastor David mentioned, which one is the most challenging one for you? Why is that? What can you do to strengthen this part of your life>
Q6: Read Proverbs 16:13. Why do leaders value truthfulness so much?