1 00:00:01,680 --> 00:00:09,920 Well, praise the Lord church, the word is amazing, powerful, 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:14,480 wonderful. I would have never thought it 3 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:20,840 when I bought that first Bible at NYC, my first NYC and it's 4 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:24,480 just laid out in a way that just caught my attention. 5 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,040 I just read it, got more interested, read a little bit 6 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:31,960 more and a little bit more. And, you know, 17 years later, 7 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:36,160 here I am. Wow, That's more than I was only 8 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:38,880 like 1516 at the time. So that's more than twice my 9 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,640 life. That's time marches on. 10 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,440 It's brutal. Oh, yeah. 11 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:52,520 We give the Lord glory and praise through it all. 12 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:59,880 But tonight I want to give honor to God and all He has done. 13 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,080 I give honor to my amazing wife and beautiful daughters through 14 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:08,400 the chaos that I call home and I love coming home to them every 15 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,960 day. I give honor to Pastor and 16 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:15,320 Sister McGee, brother and Sister Mason, and Bishop and Sister 17 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:18,560 McGee. Our ministry team is amazing and 18 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,680 I don't want to forget about Brother Alex and Sister Grace. 19 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,160 They are absolutely wonderful and all they do and I'd love to 20 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:29,920 hear them sing and play and minister the Word just everybody 21 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:31,440 we have. I think it's absolutely 22 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,000 wonderful and and inspiring in many different ways. 23 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,280 Tonight. I just have one scripture to 24 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,960 start us off and it's in Ephesians 429. 25 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:49,800 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but 26 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:54,640 that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister 27 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:59,120 grace unto the hearers. Let's just take a quick moment 28 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,400 here to pray to seek the Lord's help. 29 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:03,960 God, we love you. We give you all the glory and 30 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:05,920 praise. God, thank you for the chance to 31 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:07,160 be in your house tonight. God. 32 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:10,800 Thank you God for the word God and its power in our lives. 33 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,680 And I pray, God, you anoint my mind and my lips to minister 34 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,080 your word tonight. God, open our ears and our 35 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:18,600 understanding. Let us hear and receive your 36 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:20,840 word, God. Let it do the work that you have 37 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:23,920 sent it out to do. Lord, we pray tonight in the 38 00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:26,880 mighty name of Jesus, Amen and Amen. 39 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:36,160 You may be seated. Now this message tonight, it 40 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,720 comes from a place of need I found in myself. 41 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,080 And I was talking with Sister Ray at work today and, and 42 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,160 telling her a little bit about what I was talking about and 43 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,360 thinking, I kind of need to put a mirror like right there so I 44 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,600 can just point to that mirror looking right back at me. 45 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,400 And I know I'm going to be stepping on my own toes tonight 46 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:00,080 with this word, but it's something that God brought to my 47 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,520 attention. I got, I got to repent of 48 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,200 mistakes and shortcomings every single day. 49 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,200 And my shortcomings are not justified, but I thank God for 50 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,640 his grace to receive the conviction and to get back up 51 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:17,040 when we realize we've been slack on some things. 52 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:25,400 And so tonight my message is the words we say because what we say 53 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,960 matters. What words we allow to pass our 54 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,160 lips matter. And even though it's not in my 55 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,960 notes, the words we allow to run in our minds that we think to 56 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:39,360 ourselves matter to your internal dialogue about 57 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,280 yourself. It matters to you don't want to 58 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:47,200 be speaking poison to yourself. You know the our worth is found 59 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:52,800 in Christ and who He says that we are and He the one who made 60 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:54,640 us and sustains us through every day. 61 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,520 He has said we are loved. He has said we are treasured. 62 00:03:57,640 --> 00:03:59,800 He has said we are of great value. 63 00:03:59,960 --> 00:04:04,080 He has says we are worthwhile. He said we were worth dying for. 64 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:09,680 So who are we to tell our own selves as if we know better than 65 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:13,640 Him that we are less than that? So what we say in our internal 66 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,440 dialogue about ourselves, it matters. 67 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:19,680 But to get on to my message and my notes. 68 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:26,720 So you know, what do words do? What is the purpose of words? 69 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,680 Words communicate. They make our thoughts and our 70 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,640 ideas known out loud where others can hear it. 71 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,920 In the very beginning, God used words to bring all of creation 72 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,840 into existence. He spoke, He used words and 73 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:47,080 everything that is was created the Word or the thought, and the 74 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,400 plan of God was made flesh. The Word Jesus Christ, God's 75 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:54,680 plan for our salvation manifested in the flesh. 76 00:04:55,760 --> 00:05:00,520 The ministry of the Word instructs us and leads us to 77 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:05,120 salvation. Words literally from the very 78 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:09,920 beginning of creation and still today are powerful. 79 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,400 And the words we speak may not be on God's level. 80 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,160 You know, I can say, look, there be light all day long, ain't 81 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:23,560 nothing going to happen. But our words carry weight that 82 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:27,840 echo through the lives of all those that hear us speak, even 83 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:30,880 those when words is talking face to face and someone's just 84 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:34,640 passing by and here's a glimpse. Our words still echo in their 85 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:38,640 life. And now to be able to speak out 86 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,640 loud, we must be able to produce a sound. 87 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,760 Sound. It's just vibrations moving 88 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:50,640 through a medium such as air that is picked up by our ears. 89 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,720 We are able to produce certain tones of various links from our 90 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,200 throats which are able to be picked up by our ears. 91 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:01,160 And the meaning of the sounds understood with our brains that 92 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:03,920 process the stimuli of our eardrums being vibrated. 93 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:10,000 The spoken word is a physical force that can be felt. 94 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,920 It makes a physical impact and meaning behind those words 95 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,960 spoken. You know what the dad voice is, 96 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:24,480 right? You feel the impact of those 97 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,360 words, the character you can feel. 98 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,040 You can feel your body. You hear it. 99 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,920 You know the intent behind it. It is a wonderful thing and I 100 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:40,800 love the dad voice, but all I'd say the physical impact upon our 101 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:45,760 bodies, as much as it happens, it isn't, it isn't huge, isn't a 102 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,600 very big thing. It is a it is an amazing thing. 103 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,520 I think it's really cool the way sound works, the way our bodies 104 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:53,720 work and everything's orchestrated together. 105 00:06:55,920 --> 00:07:02,000 But the message of our words is what is huge because the meaning 106 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,880 of our words we speak, or sometimes just the way we speak 107 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:09,600 it, it's going to influence thoughts, emotions, opinions, 108 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:14,920 moods, depending on what's said. With one sentence, we can change 109 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:17,840 someone's entire mood for the rest of the day. 110 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:21,600 Rest of the week, we need to talk. 111 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:25,160 OK, there, there goes your day. Your day is ruined. 112 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,160 I don't care if you had the best morning, you hear we need to 113 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,840 talk, you're done. That's it's too heavy, it's too 114 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:35,800 anxiety inducing, it is the worst thing and it's just 4 115 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,480 spoken words. We need to talk. 116 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:43,080 But the meaning is what carries all the weight. 117 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:49,720 Words, if I haven't said it enough, with only one adjective 118 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,560 to describe them, to describe them, are powerful. 119 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,160 And they are powerful because they influence, They have 120 00:07:58,160 --> 00:07:59,720 meaning. There is intention. 121 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:04,440 Being able to speak, whether it is with spoken words, with 122 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,360 written words, or if you got a sign. 123 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:12,800 It's an enormous responsibility. Are we using it well? 124 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:17,320 Because no matter what reason we used to try to justify what we 125 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:19,920 say, what we say is what we have said. 126 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,440 It is our fault, our responsibilities on us, for 127 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,880 better or for worse. So are we using it while are we 128 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:32,520 speaking well? Ephesians 429 Let no corrupt 129 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,960 communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is 130 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:40,840 good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto 131 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:47,440 the hearers. But that which is good, you 132 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:51,240 know, the opposite of good. Obviously, being evil, it's 133 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:56,000 anything degrading. It's anything that is to bring 134 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:00,840 someone down because what we are to speak by the command of God 135 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:02,760 himself to us is that which is good. 136 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:07,360 That is to the use of edifying, which builds up that it may 137 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:13,360 minister grace unto the hearers. Our conversations and jokes. 138 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:16,960 They should never degrade someone or lead someone away 139 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:22,120 from Christ. What we say should always be a 140 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,200 blessing to the ears of the hearers. 141 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:27,120 That's a tall order. OK, that's not easy. 142 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:30,840 I'm not here to say that's easy. I'm just here to say that is 143 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:36,160 what we are called to do. And I I know because I'm 144 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:39,400 preaching this to myself. It's because of how God 145 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,040 convicted me and made me realize things. 146 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:44,960 I'm realizing I need to watch what I say so that it is a 147 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:50,600 blessing and not a hindrance. This world is full enough of bad 148 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:52,600 news, bad jokes, and bad conversations. 149 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,520 So let the words that I speak be full of integrity and grace. 150 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,240 And it's I don't want to say that literally everything we say 151 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:08,360 a joke about should be heavenly, so to speak, but there should 152 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:12,000 never be anything that contradicts Jesus that comes out 153 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:15,520 of our mouths. I want my words to be so 154 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:19,320 consistent and my jokes and what I laugh at, what I entertain, 155 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,760 what I listen to, I want all of my words to be so consistent 156 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:26,000 with Jesus that people aren't surprised when I say, yeah, I go 157 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:31,000 to church. I would rather it seem redundant 158 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:35,640 to say it because the more I gossip or make inappropriate 159 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:40,840 jokes, the more ashamed I am to admit that I love Jesus because 160 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,360 I feel like a hypocrite and a failure in my witness. 161 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:50,160 I've, I've had opportunities to witness that I have missed, 162 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:54,800 knowingly missed because I felt so ashamed of maybe the jokes I 163 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,920 was saying 10 minutes ago that I'm like, I'm just such, I feel 164 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,520 like such a dirty hypocrite. I can't, I, I just don't feel 165 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,120 like I can actually tell them about Jesus now or invite them 166 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:10,800 to church because I don't feel like I'm in the right. 167 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,920 I feel like it's like I just got this thing dirty. 168 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:15,680 Now I'm supposed to present it like it's clean. 169 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:17,960 It's like, who's going to buy that? 170 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:25,560 Psalms 1914? Let the words of my mouth and 171 00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:31,640 the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, 172 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:37,440 my strength and my Redeemer. Jesus is the standard. 173 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:43,480 He's the standard in every area of our lives, including what we 174 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:47,360 say and what we think. Whether or not other people 175 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,120 think it's OK to talk a certain way or joke a certain way, it 176 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:53,960 doesn't matter. Our standard is to think and to 177 00:11:53,960 --> 00:12:00,120 speak in a way that honors Him. And again, I really wish I could 178 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:04,920 say I was imperfect. I was perfect in this and that 179 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:09,600 every one of my conversations glorify God and but I'm still 180 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:14,080 working on it. I could try to justify like I'm 181 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:15,800 a blue collar worker. Of course I'm going to be. 182 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:21,320 I can't justify anything because I am responsible for me. 183 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:29,080 So I'm working on it and thank God for his grace and conviction 184 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:32,080 because he didn't say you're doing wrong and slapped me down. 185 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:34,720 He said, Hey, you could do better. 186 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:41,560 And he's lifting me up. I will always be amazed by the 187 00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:43,640 grace of God. It's, it's a wonderful thing. 188 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:47,600 And you know, it seems like even though I'm still working on it, 189 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:53,480 it seems like I'll do good for a while and then realize, man, 190 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:57,200 I've been, I've been messing up for, for a little bit now. 191 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:00,040 And you know this, I definitely would not say this in the 192 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,480 presence of God. There was one time I don't even 193 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:05,440 remember what was on TV. We were watching it. 194 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:09,840 I was like 1415. And dad walked up behind us. 195 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:12,640 And this time he didn't tell us to change the channel or 196 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:14,040 anything. He didn't say what to do. 197 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:18,120 He just said if Jesus was physically sitting right next to 198 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,960 you, would you still be watching this? 199 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:25,520 And then he walked off and I thought, I'm like, and change 200 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:30,560 the channel. It was hard, but, and I, I kind 201 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:31,960 of feel it's the same with our words. 202 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:36,360 You know, if, if Jesus was there participating in the 203 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,640 conversation with me, would these words still pass my lips? 204 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:43,560 And that's what I'm working on for me. 205 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:46,480 And, and I know I'm not very unique or special or different 206 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:49,920 from any one of us. I'm not calling anybody out 207 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,600 except myself, but we all need to look at it that way. 208 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:59,720 If Jesus was here in the conversation with me, James 209 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:06,400 three six through 12, and the tongue is a fire, a world of 210 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:11,520 iniquity, so is the tongue among our members that it defileth the 211 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:14,640 whole body. I can say that, like I said, I 212 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:18,680 feel like such a bad hypocrite. I can't do anything else. 213 00:14:18,680 --> 00:14:23,120 I feel like all of me is dirty, when it was only my mouth that 214 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:28,600 did the wrong thing. But it defileth the whole body, 215 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:33,560 and setteth on fire, the course of nature, and it is set on fire 216 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,760 of hell. For every kind of beast, and of 217 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:41,000 birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea is tamed, and 218 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:46,440 hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. 219 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,320 It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 220 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:55,920 Therewith blessed we God, even the Father, and therewith curse 221 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:59,320 we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 222 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:03,560 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. 223 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:07,600 We really haven't changed much in the last 3000 years, have we 224 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,400 my brethren? These things ought not so to be. 225 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,760 Doth a fountain send forth the same place Sweetwater and 226 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,840 bitter. Can the fig tree, my brethren, 227 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:26,040 bear olive berries? Either a vine, figs, So can no 228 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,640 fountain both yield salt water and fresh? 229 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:36,920 The Bible, the word of God, it warns us how difficult it is to 230 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:41,440 control our tongues. And yet God still calls us to 231 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,760 stop using our words for both glory and sin. 232 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:52,560 We can't be dirty and clean. It is our responsibility to be 233 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:57,200 mindful of our conversations so that we give God glory with our 234 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:01,280 words, even if it's not necessary, saying, you know God 235 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,240 to you be the glory. It's just that there's no 236 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:08,920 vileness, no evil, no wickedness that is found in our lips. 237 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:17,960 So it is our responsibility to be mindful of what is coming 238 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,640 out. I've had troubles. 239 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,000 I apologize. It just jumped right back up to 240 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:31,640 the top here. I'll find it, I promise. 241 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,760 OK y'all ready? Good. 242 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:39,200 OK All right. So, yeah, it is our 243 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,520 responsibility to be mindful of our conversations, that we give 244 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:47,680 God glory with our words while letting cursing and gossip and 245 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:50,680 perverse things to cease from our lips. 246 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:57,760 Ephesians 431 and 32. Let all bitterness and wrath, 247 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:03,520 and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you 248 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:10,880 with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, 249 00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:16,560 forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath 250 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:20,599 forgiven you. Words have the power to shape 251 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:25,280 opinions and views. Even if we are right about the 252 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:30,040 facts. We are not in the right to speak 253 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:35,800 badly about one another, really about anybody, but especially 254 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,080 about your brothers and sisters in Christ. 255 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:43,920 Relationships are damaged and destroyed when we speak evil of 256 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:46,960 each other. Your view of your brother or 257 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:51,120 sister can turn sour after I talk about the negative views I 258 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:53,720 might have of them. You might have been fine with 259 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:59,560 them, but then my negative words influenced you to be like, we 260 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:03,160 know Jesus forgives and heals. You know I don't want to 261 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:07,120 downplay it because he does. He forgives, he heals, he 262 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:10,880 restores, and people on forgiveness, maybe from brother 263 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:15,440 to brother by sowing roots of bitterness and resentment. 264 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:21,240 Resentment, multiple parties, US venting our opinions about other 265 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:24,960 shortcomings may be the reason a soul leaves the House of God. 266 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,320 Oh, you know, sure, I I will preach about personal 267 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:31,480 responsibility a lot. And yeah, they are responsible 268 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:33,400 for their own actions and reactions. 269 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:37,040 But that doesn't leave us blameless for being the final 270 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:40,960 straw that broke them. Because the Bible does say, you 271 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:43,560 know, to bear your own burden. But the Bible also says to bear 272 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:47,840 one another's burdens. So we are responsible. 273 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:52,160 I'm responsible for me, but I'm also responsible for making sure 274 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:55,480 I'm not a hindrance to you, that I'd rather build you up. 275 00:18:57,360 --> 00:19:01,000 Our anger at each other may even be justified, and a lot of times 276 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,040 it is. We're humans, we we hurt each 277 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:04,520 other's feelings a lot. It's going to happen. 278 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:11,080 But God commands this isn't just some person saying you ought to 279 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,360 do this. This is God himself, the one 280 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:19,320 from eternity, the one who spoke and things popped into existence 281 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:23,360 from nothingness. The one who we're going to stand 282 00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:26,840 before someday and he's going to say welcome home or depart from 283 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:28,960 me. This is the one we're talking 284 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:34,720 about, the one that is saying to be kind and tender hearted and 285 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:40,360 forgiving to one another instead of using our words to cut 286 00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:43,720 someone down, whether it's to their face or behind. 287 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:49,520 Let us first. You know, habits are hard to 288 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:53,400 break, I understand. But before we go to gossip, 289 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:58,640 first lift up that person in prayer. 290 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:04,440 Take the time to do that first, because after you've done that, 291 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:08,800 it's going to be really hard to speak badly about someone you 292 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:13,640 just lifted up in prayer. Because I know not everything is 293 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:15,640 just you're instantly a better talker. 294 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:21,240 Things happen over time. So just take at least take the 295 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,480 time, even if he it's just a split second while you're 296 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,240 thinking about it before you gossip and say Jesus help this 297 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:30,920 person. I guarantee you we are going to 298 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:34,280 find it so much harder to say what we were going to say. 299 00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:38,280 There's a God. He's there to be vented to. 300 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:44,480 He is an amazing listener. I have unjustifiably, I was 301 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:49,480 angry at God, but regardless, I could vent that to him because 302 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:53,040 he is an amazing listener and there's no condemnation. 303 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:56,600 So you can vent everything you feel about someone to God 304 00:20:57,120 --> 00:21:00,920 because he can take it. But don't forget also to pray 305 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:05,240 for them because he does command us to pray for each other, to 306 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:07,520 bless our enemies, to pray for them. 307 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:12,800 And you know, really, how can we do less when he hung there on 308 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,400 the cross And one of the most painful ways for a human being 309 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:20,320 to die, not only the physical pain, not only looking like 310 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:24,480 literal mincemeat from being whipped, but he also had the 311 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:28,560 full weight of the wrath of righteousness against sin 312 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,480 pressed down upon him. And even in that moment, he 313 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:35,040 said, God forgive them. They know not what to do while 314 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:36,480 they're sitting there mocking him. 315 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:46,360 How can I do less? If we want to avoid most drama 316 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:52,080 in our lives, the best way to do is to always talk positive 317 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,400 things about people behind their back. 318 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:59,400 Be the one who is an advocate for people not part of the 319 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:01,920 gossip. Yeah, it's annoying. 320 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,360 It's annoying when you go to someone to gossip and they just 321 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:08,440 say good things. It's we just got to accept maybe 322 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:10,880 we'll be that annoying person for a little while. 323 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:16,560 But when it's known that you're not the one to talk bad about 324 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:20,920 others and you constantly point out the good people are going to 325 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,960 stop trying to gossip with you or get the bad news out of you. 326 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:30,440 But on that, they're going to not really have anything bad to 327 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:34,040 say about you. At least nothing honestly bad 328 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:40,520 and you become someone who is trustworthy, which is far 329 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:44,280 healthier mentally, physically, emotionally, relationship wise 330 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:48,080 in every way. And again, I know it's hard not 331 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:50,240 to gossip. We're human beings, we love, we 332 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:52,240 love bad news, we love juicy stories. 333 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,520 I'm guilty myself. It's just you hear something 334 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:57,600 like you know what they talking about. 335 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:01,680 It's part of our nature. It's not right. 336 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:06,760 I just understand the struggle and it's hard not to just 337 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:10,040 casually speak poorly of people behind their back because a lot 338 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:11,440 of times we don't even think about it. 339 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:14,160 It's just we're just talking like, yeah, I just don't really 340 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,160 like how they like the call of red so much. 341 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:21,240 I don't know. But you know, so I won't deny 342 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:23,760 how easy it is to to speak poorly. 343 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:28,840 But Jesus, he, he tells us to be kind and tender hearted to each 344 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:35,760 other, forgiving and moving on. So I pray, let my words reflect 345 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:41,480 that and let me rather bite my tongue than speak evil. 346 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,280 It's going to take an effort. It's going to feel like I'm 347 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,120 biting my tongue. You know, just don't say it. 348 00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:49,560 Don't say it, be conscious about it. 349 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,240 And you got to do it on purpose for a while. 350 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:56,160 It's, it's growing pains. You have to, when you start to 351 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:00,120 notice them, you want to change. You have to do it on purpose for 352 00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:04,360 a while. And as time marches on, you're 353 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:08,520 starting to realize it's the it's not an effort anymore. 354 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:12,720 It's just natural to speak good. And it just kind of like, let 355 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:16,480 the bad just wash away in one ear and out the other. 356 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,000 I mean, if we're honest, if we profess to be born again 357 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:26,600 believers, the words we speak must reflect that. 358 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:31,080 Because how can I claim to be a vessel of the Holy Ghost when my 359 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:36,520 words are profane or just starkly negative out of the 360 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,800 abundance of the heart our mouths speak? 361 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,160 Am I pushing the Spirit of God aside so that I can have my 362 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:49,160 jokes or so that I can gossip about the people in my life? 363 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:57,240 My words will reflect that which rules in my heart, that which I 364 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:03,280 entertain the most. My question to myself is, are 365 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:07,080 people hearing Jesus or are they hearing Zach? 366 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:12,920 Because I don't matter. I will die in two generations 367 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:14,960 from now. No one will know who I was. 368 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:18,600 But the name of Jesus will carry on. 369 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:23,560 And I want generations down the line, the name of Jesus, to 370 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:28,440 continue because of the impact I had in this short time that I 371 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:33,000 was alive here on this earth. Words have power. 372 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:39,160 Words are very powerful. With words God spoke all thing 373 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:43,760 and thanks into existence. With the word we are saved. 374 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:48,840 Words solidify thoughts and emotions, both good and bad. 375 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,240 A word of encouragement can help a person conquer their worst 376 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:58,520 fear, and a word of doubt can make the mightiest St. crumble 377 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:04,720 in despair. One word can lead a soul to 378 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:07,160 salvation. One word. 379 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,520 Sometimes that's all it takes to lead a soul to salvation. 380 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:17,760 And if you guys are like me, and again, I know I'm not unique and 381 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:22,560 I know a lot of us experience the same things, we worry about 382 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:24,600 being a witness because will they hear it? 383 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:26,360 Will it matter? Will they get angry that I'm 384 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:28,520 trying to witness to them? How will they take it? 385 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:31,720 We don't know. And a lot of times I know I 386 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:35,680 just, I find myself like holding back like, like I don't, I don't 387 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:36,760 know. And I'm not really sure how to 388 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:41,360 test the waters here. But sometimes it's just one word 389 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:49,040 and we don't know until we speak the word or something and they 390 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:51,920 don't want to talk about. I can bring it up, they can say 391 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:53,840 something where they clearly don't want to talk about it and 392 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,800 I move on. It's like, whatever, Why can't I 393 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:01,040 do the same about Jesus? They could hear that one word 394 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,360 that might lead them to salvation, whether the next day 395 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:07,080 or 10 years from now, who knows? But I just need to plant that 396 00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:14,560 seed of a word. But also one word can turn a 397 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:19,600 soul away forever. What a great responsibility we 398 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:27,800 have, but are we using it? Well, our musicians can go ahead 399 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:35,920 and come. Luke 644 and 45 For every tree 400 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:39,280 is known by his own fruit, for a thorns. 401 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:43,360 Men do not gather figs, nor every Bramble Bush gather they 402 00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:46,760 grapes. A good man out of the good 403 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:51,760 treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good, and an 404 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,320 evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth 405 00:27:55,320 --> 00:28:00,880 forth that which is evil. 4 of the abundance of the heart his 406 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:05,400 mouth speaketh. If my words are a reflection of 407 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,400 Was it? What is in my heart? 408 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,800 What kind of witness am I being to my lost family and friends? 409 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:20,360 What are the God? What is the gossip and the bad 410 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:26,600 jokes and the bad conversations saying about what is really in 411 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:33,720 here? Do my words point to Christ or 412 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:37,280 do they just blend in with the lost and dying world so well 413 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,200 that it would be a surprise for my peers to learn? 414 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:47,200 I profess to be saved. So if we can go ahead and stand 415 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:50,560 and whether you just stay at your seat or you come to the 416 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:58,520 altar, find a place to pray and my prayer is this. 417 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:04,200 It's Psalms 19 and 14. Let the words of my mouth, every 418 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:08,040 word I speak and and my Redeemer.