1 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:08,160 God is good. I just want to give honor to God 2 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,280 tonight. He's brought me a long way. 3 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:15,440 A lot of patience with me, from the difficulty of me as a child 4 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:17,960 to the difficulty of me as a man. 5 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:23,560 I'm very grateful for the love and grace of God. 6 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,440 I give honor to our ministry team and all that they do behind 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,200 the pulpit. That's just a small fraction. 8 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,760 There's so much that they do outside of this and I want to 9 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:39,000 thank them for all of that. And I just want to say Pastor 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,240 and Brother Mason did amazing jobs on Sunday, the start of 11 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,960 ministry madness, of March, ministry madness. 12 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,160 It was great and really enjoyed the word. 13 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,560 I'm looking forward to hearing Doctor Mason and Bishop this 14 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,440 coming Sunday. So please be sure not to miss 15 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:53,480 that. You're going to absolutely love 16 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:56,480 it. I'm going to turn to the Book of 17 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:01,440 Psalms, Chapter 19, just one single verse, verse 14. 18 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:13,320 If you're there, say Amen. All right, Psalms, Psalms 19 and 19 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:17,720 14. Let the words of my mouth and 20 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:23,760 the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, 21 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:29,120 my strength and my Redeemer. Now before we pray, before we 22 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:33,960 see that, just to preface everything here, God's working 23 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:37,240 on me. Because in just the messiness of 24 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,400 life, there's sometimes you do things without being aware of 25 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,400 it. Because we're all influenced by 26 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:46,440 the world around us all the time, and we can't escape that. 27 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:52,320 But God can work on us so that we start to become aware and we 28 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,640 can start praying for God's help, even as David did in this 29 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,400 Psalms. And so the Lord started working 30 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:02,120 on my heart a while back. And when pastor asked me if I 31 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,840 could minister this Wednesday night, I knew exactly what to 32 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,560 speak on. My sermon title is just going to 33 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:16,240 be one word, words, words. If you would help me pray. 34 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:18,840 God, I thank you for everything you've already done. 35 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:21,320 God, thank you for your presence in this place. 36 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:23,800 God, thank you for how you've been working on my heart. 37 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:26,560 And God, I pray you to anoint my mind and my lips. 38 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,520 Lord, open our hearts, open our ears to hear what you would have 39 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,360 us here, God, to hear your word this evening. 40 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,840 God, we give you all the glory and the praise because you are 41 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,160 worthy forever. God, blessed be the name of the 42 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:45,560 Lord Most High in Jesus name, Amen. 43 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:51,200 You may be seated now if you would just put on your 44 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,440 imagination caps. Hopefully. 45 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:57,800 Hopefully you can imagine things in your head. 46 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,240 If not, do the best you can. So imagine this with me. 47 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:06,120 It'll be silly. A Penguin dressed in a sharp 48 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,600 business suit, confidently shaking hands with a Flamingo as 49 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:14,160 he sells him a brand new car. You see it? 50 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:20,680 Now shift the scene. Now imagine you're outside. 51 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,560 It's a full moon. It's a beautiful night. 52 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:29,680 You can see all the stars, every constellation just bright and 53 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:31,920 shining. There's just a piece in the 54 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:35,440 atmosphere is that everything is just still and quiet. 55 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,160 And you see a shooting star over the horizon. 56 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,880 Pink Elephant. The Empire State Building 57 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,640 sailboat going along the ocean. The feeling of finally paying 58 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:53,360 that last bill and being debt free. 59 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,880 Winning a marathon Mount Everest. 60 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:07,680 With just words, you can lead a person to picture something 61 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,080 really silly, something ridiculous, something 62 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:14,720 frustrating, really anything you want just by choosing certain 63 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:21,279 words to say are words, whether we speak them, we sign them, or 64 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:23,000 we write them down, we type them out. 65 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,400 They carry the power to shape our thoughts and change how we 66 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,480 view the world around us. The pen is mightier than the 67 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,320 sword because we're The sword has the power to end life. 68 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:40,320 The pen has the power to change lives and circumstances. 69 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:45,200 The sword may win a battle, but the pen is what signs the treaty 70 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:52,040 to end the war. Consider music if you will. 71 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,920 It's strength comes from the fusion of harmony and lyrics 72 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:59,760 that awaken and stir our emotions. 73 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:04,720 Music is able to calm us, energize us for some physical 74 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:09,080 challenge, guide us towards an altar of repentance, persuade us 75 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:12,760 that the party lifestyle is the ultimate way to live, or move us 76 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:17,440 in countless other directions depending on the message carried 77 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:23,000 in the words. That's why we'll we'll teach to 78 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:28,800 be very careful with the music you listen to motivational 79 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,760 speeches. They are so effective because 80 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:36,160 they blend A carefully chosen words and a powerful delivery 81 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,320 with the ability to ignite a fire within us, stirring A 82 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,200 belief that we are capable of achieving something meaningful 83 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,520 enough to justify whatever the sacrifice may be. 84 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:54,360 Actually, it's I've seen people and heard people talk about a 85 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:58,480 speech by Optimus Prime from a Transformers movie of all 86 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:01,520 things. But it inspired them. 87 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,800 They were ready to take up arms and fight for his cause. 88 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,480 And it's a movie. It's a Transformers movies of 89 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:15,600 all things, and as silly as it sounds, it makes perfect sense 90 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,360 because words carry weight and power. 91 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,840 With words alone, God brought everything into being. 92 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:33,600 We look at Genesis 1/3 and God said let there be light and 93 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:37,200 there was light and the rest of the verses continue that 94 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:40,480 pattern. God spoke into the void and to 95 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:45,240 nothingness and each day creation sprang forth at the 96 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:49,880 sound of His command. He didn't use any tools, He 97 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:53,200 didn't have an assistant to do it for him, and there was no 98 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:59,360 pre-existing materials to use. By His word alone, all of 99 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:04,600 creation came into existence except for us when she 100 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:11,920 handcrafted personally. But His words shaped everything. 101 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:14,640 Can you imagine the power of that? 102 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:16,920 For just a moment, I tried to hurt it. 103 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,840 To think of nothing is really, really hard. 104 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:25,360 We cannot really fathom that. The best analogy I can imagine 105 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,360 is when you try to imagine what a blind person sees. 106 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:31,440 Who really, who was like, born without eyes? 107 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:33,480 You don't actually see anything. It's like, well, don't you see 108 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,440 black? It's like, no, you're still 109 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,400 thinking of seeing something. What do you see out of your 110 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:40,560 elbow? You don't. 111 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,160 You don't see black, You don't see nothing. 112 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,800 You just don't. It's like before creation, it's 113 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,200 not that there was just nothing like a blackness, it just 114 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:55,720 wasn't. But when God spoke, there wasn't 115 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,880 even airwaves to carry the vibrations of a voice. 116 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:06,120 But using the Word alone, everything came into existence. 117 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:15,000 The power of words lie in their ability to alter the condition 118 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,600 of what they address. For God, that change was 119 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:23,200 physical and immediately visible as creation itself responded to 120 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:27,120 His voice. And because we are made in His 121 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:31,280 image, our words carry a profound influence as well. 122 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,360 Not that we can speak to something and reshape it 123 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:40,120 physically, but we can reshape minds and hearts with just the 124 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:45,560 words that we say. A single word or sentence can 125 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:50,600 shift someone's entire day or even the direction of their life 126 00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:57,480 without lifting a hand. Our speech alone can draw a soul 127 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:01,520 nearer to God or push them further away. 128 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,880 We can choose to speak in a way that helps someone rediscover 129 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:09,920 strength and courage when they feel overwhelmed, reminding them 130 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,800 that their life has value and tomorrow is worth reaching for. 131 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:20,000 Or we can speak carelessly and wound deeply, dimming hope where 132 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:24,920 it was already fragile. A handful of words has the power 133 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:30,720 to save or end a life. A single word from a nation's 134 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,640 leader can alter the course of thousands of lives in an 135 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,240 instant, which we're seeing first hand currently. 136 00:09:38,560 --> 00:09:43,320 A teacher's simple expression of belief in a student can inspire 137 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:48,560 them become the greatest artist of their generation with just 138 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:53,880 one word. Yes, my girlfriend became my 139 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:59,080 fiance and now my wife and the mother of our almost three 140 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:05,840 children. Now the word No2 little letters 141 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:12,120 is a complete sentence because it contains all the meaning it 142 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:20,040 needs to by itself. It's small, yet it can carry the 143 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:25,040 weight of an entire world. If Melinda had said no when I 144 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:29,400 proposed to her, my life would be unrecognizably different 145 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:37,000 today and three entire souls, our children, would have never 146 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:42,000 come into existence. One single word had the power to 147 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:47,840 change the course of several lives, because words are more 148 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:50,160 than just mere vibrations traveling through the air. 149 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:55,400 They are power, conveying meaning and intent with the 150 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:59,040 ability to reshape lives, relationships, your thought 151 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:04,680 processes, your beliefs. The words we choose are a 152 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:09,000 reflection of what is in our hearts and whether we realize it 153 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:15,320 or not, whether we acknowledge it or not, they carry weight and 154 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,480 impact. Proverbs 1821. 155 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:26,240 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that 156 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:32,000 love it shall eat the fruit thereof regardless of what 157 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:36,240 people or current science would have you believe. 158 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:41,320 We are not a simulation, we are not evolved apes, and we are not 159 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:45,320 random chance. We are so much more. 160 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:50,480 We are handcrafted by God Himself and made in His image, 161 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:55,440 entrusted with the authority and power to be able to speak both 162 00:11:55,440 --> 00:12:00,680 life and death into the lives of our own self and those around 163 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:04,640 us. How we choose to speak becomes 164 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:06,800 the fruit we eat and the life we live. 165 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:13,200 It's not usually the grand or the obvious moments that bring 166 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:17,600 life or death. A proposal was a pretty big 167 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:21,320 moment. It's pretty obvious it's not 168 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,680 always those though, where you really see life and death all 169 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:28,480 the time. Not just physically, even 170 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,960 spiritually or emotional. Most of our days are filled with 171 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,280 the ordinary and the mundane. It's just the everyday ebbs and 172 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,080 flows of life. We talk, we laugh, we joke, we 173 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,640 cry, argue, fight, cheer, etcetera. 174 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,040 It's in these everyday conversations that the true 175 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:49,440 fruit of our words become clear, shaping the world around us in 176 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:54,560 subtle yet powerful ways. It's not going to take long to 177 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:58,000 see what kind of fruit a person bears by listening to how they 178 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,760 speak. Regardless of how they first 179 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:07,160 come off, over time their nature will be heard because negative 180 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,560 people are going to just speak with negativity. 181 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:11,840 Gossipers, they're going to gossip. 182 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,080 Joyful people are going to share gladness. 183 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:16,640 Motivated people are going to speak with hope and 184 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:19,080 determination. Those who love the Lord are 185 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:20,760 going to be found Speaking of Him. 186 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:25,560 You get the picture. The nature of our thoughts will 187 00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:29,120 become the words that we speak and by extension, the life that 188 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:34,160 we live. Our words become our witness. 189 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:41,960 The book of Job tells the story of the man Job who lost 190 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:46,200 everything. And then so in the midst of his 191 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:50,080 suffering, not only was he fighting the grief and pain of 192 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:54,120 all his losses, the physical assault from the from the devil 193 00:13:54,120 --> 00:14:00,080 himself, but also the words of his friends who kept insisting 194 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,920 that everything that was happening was his fault. 195 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:10,160 I respect that they showed up to be there, but the words they 196 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:17,120 brought were like poison. And then the words of his wife 197 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,560 was urging him to curse God and die. 198 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:22,800 I'm sure he already felt like doing that. 199 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:24,400 He was doing all he could to hang on. 200 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,840 But through it all, Job chose to lift his voice in praise and 201 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:34,280 trust in God. He may not have been absolutely 202 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,640 perfect and everything he said, I know God rebuked him a little 203 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:41,200 bit towards the end, but he never once cursed God. 204 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:43,840 He never once put the wrong blame on God. 205 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:48,640 He made sure that his words, his voice was used to magnify God. 206 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:52,920 Regardless of what was going on. He had every reason to surrender 207 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:57,120 to the despair, the frustration and the pressure of those 208 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:02,040 speaking wrong into his life. But instead the fruit of his 209 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:06,800 faith was revealed and what he said and how he refused to curse 210 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:11,800 God or admit to something wrong even in anguish. 211 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:17,160 His words reflected trust in God rather than bitterness. 212 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:25,640 Just like the tube of toothpaste when pressure is applied, what 213 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:32,400 is in comes out the pressure the test was applied heavily, but 214 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:37,800 what came out was a praise to God was continuous trust and 215 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:43,080 God, you know that didn't those habits and those types of words 216 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:47,000 and the those choices didn't start when the trouble happened. 217 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:54,240 He always lived faithfully. He always gave honor to God. 218 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:58,480 He always spoke well. So when the pressure came, what 219 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:02,760 was in just continue to come out like it always did. 220 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:08,320 The Bible tells us that out of the abundance of our hearts, our 221 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:16,160 mouths speak if we are born again and we carry the Spirit of 222 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:20,360 God within us. And yet our speech is filled 223 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:26,680 with cursing or lies or gossip or provocative words or any 224 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:28,520 other negative thing you can think of. 225 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,080 What does that actually say about the state of our hearts 226 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,280 and what we're entertaining in here? 227 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:41,520 Our words reflect the condition of our inner self and reveal if 228 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:46,000 we are really full of Christ in entertaining His presence or if 229 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,080 we're just full of our self and what our flesh wants us to do. 230 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:54,960 When we are born again, we are called to crucify the flesh with 231 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:59,360 its desires and passions, to let the old ways and habits pass 232 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:04,520 away, and to become new. The thoughts and speech patterns 233 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:08,480 we had before salvation are not meant to carry over into our new 234 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:12,000 life in Christ. We are to strive for the mark of 235 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:16,640 the high calling and God, which requires a conscious effort to 236 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:20,599 guard our minds, to choose our thoughts wisely, and to speak 237 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:24,119 words that align with the transformation that has begun in 238 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:30,240 US, And I'm purposely saying, requires A conscious effort 239 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:33,120 because habits don't go away easily. 240 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:38,400 And again, the influence of the world around us is always there. 241 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,800 Now I don't go around cussing. It's just not my thing and I 242 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:45,760 never have. But I hear it all the time. 243 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,200 I work in a factory. We all live in the world. 244 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,320 We hear it constantly. And I have noticed that over 245 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:55,600 time some of those thoughts just naturally pop into a sentence in 246 00:17:55,600 --> 00:18:00,200 my head and I'm like wow, wait. And I have to consciously watch 247 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:03,920 it to make sure nothing slips. It's not even a habit of mine, 248 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:08,200 but it's a constant weight of something pushing down on me to 249 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:12,640 constantly be mindful of it and not make sure I slip or fall or 250 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,160 say something that dishonors God. 251 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:24,160 What you say is it's, I'm not. It's not easy to control 252 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:28,480 everything we say, because even in the book of James chapter 3, 253 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:33,360 verses 7 through 12, for every kind of beast and of birds and 254 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:37,520 of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed and hath been tamed 255 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:41,360 to mankind, but the tongue can no maintain. 256 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:45,840 It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. 257 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:54,080 We have to really, really watch ourselves, be aware of what we 258 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:55,760 are thinking, what we are speaking. 259 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:02,440 There with blessed we God, even the Father, and there with curse 260 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:07,800 we men, which are made after the similitude of God, which means 261 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:12,600 no matter what type of person they are, He loves them as much 262 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:15,760 as He loves you. He died for them as much as He 263 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:19,240 died for you. He will save them as much as He 264 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:24,720 saved you. We have no right to be cursing 265 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:28,760 somebody else, no matter what they do or say to us. 266 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:36,160 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing, my 267 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:38,080 brethren, these things ought not so to be. 268 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:42,720 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place Sweetwater and 269 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,720 bitter. Can the fig tree, my brethren, 270 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:52,000 bear olive berries either a vine figs, So can no fountain, both 271 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:58,680 the old saltwater and fresh. You can't claim to be one thing 272 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:01,920 and then be another. You can claim to be an olive 273 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:06,200 tree all you want to. But if you're bearing figs, it's 274 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:08,840 going to be really obvious you're not who you say you are. 275 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:16,360 The tongue is a powerful and untamable force. 276 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,400 Left to our own might, we don't stand a chance of controlling 277 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:24,360 it. But through the power of the 278 00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:29,160 Holy Ghost, we find the strength and guidance to speak with grace 279 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,840 and righteousness. God's Spirit works within us, 280 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:35,680 convicting us when our words go astray. 281 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:40,800 And as we grow in Christ, our speech becomes increasingly 282 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:44,760 seasoned with grace. And so over time, in this walk 283 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:49,400 with God, we should notice our conversations transform, no 284 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,840 longer filled with gossip or cursing, lies, tearing others 285 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:56,080 down, or perverted jokes or constant negativity. 286 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,560 Instead, we should see see it filled with what we see. 287 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:03,760 I like Philippians four and eight. 288 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:07,040 I think it's a good filter for almost everything. 289 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,200 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever 290 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:16,480 things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever 291 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:21,120 things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever 292 00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:25,640 things are of good report, If there be any virtue and if there 293 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,240 be any praise, think on these things. 294 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:34,240 Because again, what you constantly entertain becomes the 295 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:42,440 words you speak. Everything we speak, including 296 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:47,720 how we talk to our own self, because it's not just about the 297 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:49,200 people around you, it's about you. 298 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:57,280 Because you do matter. Everything we say say should 299 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,880 reflect truth, honesty, justice, purity, loveliness, and a good 300 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:05,000 reputation. Our speech should carry virtue 301 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:07,920 and be trustworthy to those around us. 302 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:14,200 Foul language, gossip, lies, negative talking, perverted 303 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:18,640 jokes, all of it should feel out of place coming from our lips. 304 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:28,360 And it should sound out of place coming from our lips to draw a 305 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:31,480 clear and obvious line in the sand. 306 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:35,200 Because I know some people, and I'm not saying anybody here, I 307 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:39,560 just know people in general. We want to see how close we can 308 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:42,560 get to something. Or like he didn't say it was 309 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:44,800 black and white. So I'm going to go ahead and do 310 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:50,280 whatever. Cussing, even in slang, is 311 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:53,840 wrong. I remember thinking as a kid, 312 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,280 it's just words. What does it matter? 313 00:22:57,280 --> 00:22:59,720 It's just, it's just words, you know, you could say anything. 314 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,840 It's not just words. It is words. 315 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:09,240 It is heavy. The weight of the word is in its 316 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:14,240 meaning and the cultural relevance and the words that 317 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:18,840 carry the purpose of cussing or cursing do not belong on the 318 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,720 lips or in the mind of a Christian. 319 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:25,240 It is foul. It is dirty. 320 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:31,480 It is meant for one purpose, to speak while foully and dirty. 321 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,760 And if we're called to be a spring of freshwater work, we're 322 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:43,560 called to bear holy fruit. That kind of language should not 323 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:50,440 be coming out of our mouths. Gossip is also wrong. 324 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:54,760 As I said, I like the tea, spill the tea says I love it. 325 00:23:54,960 --> 00:24:00,240 It's great. But it's wrong because it does 326 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:02,960 nothing but harm both lives and reputations. 327 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:06,560 And it's the opposite of what God has directed us to do, 328 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:11,000 because we are to provoke one another to love and to good 329 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:15,600 works and to pray for one another with effectual, fervent 330 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:20,640 prayer. It is very very very very 331 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:25,280 difficult to gossip about someone that you've been praying 332 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,520 affectionately and fervently for. 333 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:35,720 When someone irks us, we take it to God in prayer. 334 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:40,760 Not to my Co worker, not to my wife, not to my friends, 335 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:50,720 directly to God. Sexual jokes are wrong and 336 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:52,600 inappropriate for a follower of Christ. 337 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:57,280 Sex is something that is holy and wonderful. 338 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:00,720 It's not something to turn into a joke. 339 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:05,480 Human culture has always tried to make sex casual. 340 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:08,960 However far you want to go back into history, you're going to 341 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:10,960 find it. It's always the same types of 342 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:16,720 jokes, the same drawings on the wall, always the same that 343 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,000 doesn't belong in our mind, on our lips, or in our habits. 344 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:24,280 Because it's something that has been blessed by God for a 345 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:28,200 specific time and place, not something to be taken so 346 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:32,400 lightly. Speaking negatively contradicts 347 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:34,920 the way God calls us to use our words. 348 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:39,320 We have the joy of the Lord inside of us. 349 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:44,520 So why do we want to be a Debbie Downer or a Negative Nancy and 350 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:48,760 mar the image of the joy of salvation that we claim to have? 351 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:54,080 How can we win souls or encourage one another or make a 352 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:59,120 positive impact if they never hear anything positive from us? 353 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:07,920 Lying with the intent to deceive or hide the truth at any level. 354 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:17,600 White lie, big lies, sin, wrong, white lies or small lies, have 355 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:23,680 you want to call them, may have less impact than a big lie, but 356 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:25,560 it doesn't take away from the fact that it's wrong. 357 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:34,440 God is truth and He cannot lie. If we have His spirit inside of 358 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:38,480 us, why would we want to entertain that thing? 359 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:45,840 He is not now if you have recently been saved and God is 360 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:48,280 still working on you continue to grow. 361 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:50,920 You don't have to be perfect right now. 362 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,080 Even after all these years, I still like I said at the very 363 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,800 start, sometimes God catches me and I'm like whoa, I've been 364 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:02,600 speaking a way that needs corrected. 365 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:09,200 So if you're new at this, continue to grow, continue to to 366 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:14,360 do better and be encouraged in the Lord and let your words and 367 00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:18,120 your thoughts continue and increasingly glorify him. 368 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:25,200 And if you have been saved for some time and you had developed 369 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:31,040 a habit of profane speech, Saints, it's time to self 370 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:35,240 reflect and to pray for God's help in transforming our words 371 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:40,400 and our heart. We live in a culture of vulgar 372 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:45,280 words and casual speaking, Not just America, it's the culture. 373 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:48,800 It's the culture of a lost and dying world without a Savior. 374 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:53,000 It's impossible to go through life unaffected by it. 375 00:27:55,480 --> 00:28:00,280 Yet it is still our responsibility to be aware of 376 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:04,760 what we are saying and the thoughts we are entertaining and 377 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,080 to repent when we start to go astray. 378 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:12,720 It's easy to get comfortable and to not realize our words have 379 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:18,520 slipped from holy to profane. But now that we are being made 380 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:22,720 aware, we can start to do better. 381 00:28:25,360 --> 00:28:28,600 Our musicians can go ahead and come as I draw to a close. 382 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:38,440 Every single word we speak carries power and influence both 383 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:44,600 directly and indirectly. What we say is I heard only by 384 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:46,920 those we are directly having a conversation with. 385 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,680 Words have a way of traveling the ears that were never close 386 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:53,240 and were never meant to hear them. 387 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:03,680 So my question that I've been asking myself will my words be a 388 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:08,640 weight that drags others down or further from Christ, or will 389 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:14,040 they be a reflection of Christ shining as a light to those who 390 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:18,840 hear me speak? When in doubt, we need to ask 391 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:22,240 ourselves and take it seriously, not as a cliche. 392 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:27,680 What would Jesus say we can hear? 393 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:29,280 What would Jesus do? All the time? 394 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:32,920 And we kind of think it's silly, but if we take that seriously, 395 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:35,560 what would he do? What would he say? 396 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:39,560 What would he say? Would he say these words I'm 397 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:41,600 saying right now? Would he make this joke? 398 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,520 No. I need correction. 399 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:50,720 What? What are people going to think 400 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:53,280 if I suddenly stop? What are they going to think? 401 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,480 If you suddenly start cussing, you're not so concerned when you 402 00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:02,080 start. Don't let the fear hold you back 403 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:07,480 from correcting yourself. You know, I've been a I've done 404 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:08,880 a couple workouts with sister Ray. 405 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:10,800 She's very strong, by the way, very impressive. 406 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:15,800 And yeah, we were, we were finishing up a workout with the 407 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:18,040 AB wheel. I'm not good at it. 408 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:21,520 OK. Like, it's the strength is 409 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:25,720 there, the endurance is not. And it's weird to go from, I'm 410 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:29,000 very confident most exercise. I'm lifting hundreds of pounds. 411 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:32,240 I'm dead lifting 550 lbs more than once. 412 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:35,600 I'm a very strong dude. I'm very confident at the gym 413 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:37,720 and I get to that. I will. 414 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:41,800 I'm like, I'm not familiar with it. 415 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:45,200 I'm not comfortable with it. And I'm going to look ridiculous 416 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,640 in front of everybody because I can't do a full motion with it. 417 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:51,240 I'm just going to have to do like little half reps and look 418 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:54,800 pathetic and maybe even sound pathetic if I'm grunting from 419 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:58,440 it, you know? But I'm not going to get better 420 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:05,520 by avoiding it. And Even so, we're not going to 421 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,800 improve our speech or our words or anything else. 422 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:11,320 If we're so worried about other people going to think when we 423 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:16,480 start to change for the better. It's OK if people wonder why we 424 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:19,720 changed. It's an opportunity because they 425 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:21,880 might see that change, whether it's changing for the first time 426 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:26,040 because you just got saved or you're starting a course 427 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:31,200 correction. That's a witness because people 428 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:34,240 heard you go from one way and now to like, I don't hear you 429 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:35,640 joke like he used to joke, whatever. 430 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:38,040 Like what happened? Like, well, you know, God's been 431 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:41,040 doing a work in me and I just want to honor him. 432 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:47,680 And even through that, through what was our mistakes, souls can 433 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:52,480 be saved. Don't be afraid to start over 434 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:58,880 and try to do better. I just want God to be glorified 435 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:04,640 in my speech and in my thoughts. Life isn't about me. 436 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:07,080 What I want, what habits I picked up. 437 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:11,400 It's about Him and glorifying Him. 438 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:14,800 He saved my soul and changed my life. 439 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:21,440 It's my reasonable service to let my words honor Him, even 440 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:28,160 when I had to fight old habits. As always, this altar is open, 441 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:31,320 open to any who would wish to come. 442 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:34,240 If you don't wish to want to come, if you want to stay in 443 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:38,760 your seat, that's fine, but I encourage you to pray for God to 444 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:45,920 help. When I think of who He is and 445 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:52,280 all He has done for me, I just want to speak and think in a way 446 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,800 that gives Him all the glory in the big moments and the mundane. 447 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:03,480 So my prayer is our first verse. Psalms 1914. 448 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:09,200 God, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 449 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:15,320 be acceptable in thy sight. O Lord, my strength when I'm too 450 00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:20,720 weak to do it myself, and my Redeemer who saved my life.