Series: The Importance of…
The Importance of Telling Others the Right Things
INTRO: Continuing with the series, “The Importance of...” I have looked in the past two weeks “The Importance of Telling God Yes”, and “The Importance of Telling Satan No.” Today I want to look at Today I want to talk about “The Importance of Telling Others the Right Things.”
What gets people in trouble almost every day of their lives?
What is so hard to control that it is like a wild fire?
What can ruin someone’s life in an instant?
What can be sweet one minute and cutting the next?
It is the tongue. It is one of the most destructive forces on this earth. Yet it can be for good.
How are we supposed to use our tongues? As it pleases us? As it pleases God? Certainly He has a plan for how we talk to others. Let’s see today what we can find in God’s Word showing us His idea of what our telling, talking, speaking should all be done.
Lesser relationship
Different attitudes
Okay with distance
Different goals (or master)
Returned feelings (mutual)
If we are honest, we all have some of these. We all have some close and not so close and those we do not want to even be around. One would think that we would treat each of these different, but I am sorry to say that often we treat those we love wrongly. We talk to them poorly. It is important how we talk to each other.
James 3:6(KJV) 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Ephesians 4:31(KJV) 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Proverbs 17:14(NKJV) 14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
Job 6:25(NKJV) 25 How forceful are right words! But what does your arguing prove?
Proverbs 16:24(KJV) 24Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
Ecclesiastes 10:12(KJV) 12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
Lack of civility prevents closeness with God – 23
Matthew
5:21-24(NKJV) 21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You
shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
22But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a
cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother,
‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall
be in danger of hell fire.
23Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember
that your brother has something against you,
24leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be
reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
1 Peter 2:1(NKJV) 1Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
1 Peter 3:10(NKJV) 10For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.
Matthew
5:33-37(NKJV) 33“Again you have heard that it was said to those of
old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’
34But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it
is God’s throne;
35nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for
it is the city of the great King.
36Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair
white or black.
37But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is
more than these is from the evil one.
James 5:12(KJV) 12But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
Titus 2:8(NKJV) 8sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
James 4:11(NKJV) 11Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
Psalms 34:13(NKJV) 13 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
Isaiah 50:4(NKJV) 4 “The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned.
Titus
3:1-2(NKJV) 1Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities,
to obey, to be ready for every good work,
2to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all
humility to all men.
James 1:26(NKJV) 26If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
Colossians 4:6(KJV) 6Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
2 Timothy 1:13(NKJV) 13Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
God’s Way is right
Deuteronomy 6:7(NKJV) 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Ephesians 5:19(NKJV) 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
Luke
24:13-14(NKJV) 13Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day
to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
14And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
Luke 24:32(NKJV) 32And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
Malachi 3:16(NKJV) 16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name.
Acts
3:1-10(KJV) 1Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at
the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
2And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom
they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask
alms of them that entered into the temple;
3Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an
alms.
4And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have
give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and
immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the
temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful
gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that
which had happened unto him.
God’s Way is great
The Muslim radicals have been often quoted saying, “Allah akbar!” This means Allah is the greatest. I am here to tell you today, that God is great and not only is He great, His way is great. Greater than any way of life that did, does or can exist.
Paul had been held and was facing King Agrippa and allowed to testify. I want us to look at his declaration of the greatness of the Way of God.
Acts
26:1-29(NKJV) 1Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak
for yourself.”So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:
2“I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer
for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the
Jews,
3especially because you are expert in all customs and questions
which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.
4“My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the
beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.
5They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that
according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
6And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by
God to our fathers.
7To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God
night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused
by the Jews.
8Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the
dead?
9“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the
name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in
prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were
put to death, I cast my vote against them.
11And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them
to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them
even to foreign cities.
12“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority
and commission from the chief priests,
13at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven,
brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
14And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking
to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting
Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you
are persecuting.
16But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for
this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you
have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
17I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from
the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
18to open their eyes, in order to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified
by faith in Me.’
19“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly
vision,
20but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and
throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they
should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
21For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to
kill me.
22Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand,
witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the
prophets and Moses said would come—
23that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise
from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the
Gentiles.”
24Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice,
“Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”
25But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words
of truth and reason.
26For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things;
for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this
thing was not done in a corner.
27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do
believe.”
28Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a
Christian.”
29And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who
hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for
these chains.”
Paul, facing death conveyed to all those around that…
Paul was religious to the max – 5
Paul had lived his life with the hope of the Messiah – 6-7
Paul had not doubted God’s ability to even raise the dead – 8
Paul had doubted Jesus of Nazareth was the Anointed One – 9-11
Paul had a miraculous conversion on the way to Damascus – 13-18
Paul had served the Lord from that time forward – 19-20
Paul wanted others to know Jesus as their savior too - 29
So he told everyone he could in every situation he found
What do we tell others around us?
Do we tell them the right things?
Does our tongue say the wrong things?
Do we put forth a good example in how we talk and walk?
Do we see it as important?
Gary Marcum – New Beginnings Church – 061310am