Showing posts with label Sermons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sermons. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Fear God - Sermon Notes

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,  
“As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’”
  although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said,       
  “They shall not enter my rest.”
   Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, 
  “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
   For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 
(Hebrews 4 ESV)





Hebrews was written to the persecuted church.  They faced various challenges, such as Roman persecutions and the Judaizers who wanted Christians to remain under the law.  The writer of Hebrews extolled the Superiority of Christ - He is better than angels, better than the law, better than anything.  Christians at the time of the writing of Hebrews may have fallen into apostasy and given up their faith.  The writer wrote to encourage them not to give up.


The Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Hebrews Chapter 4 starts with fear, too:



Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. (Hebrews 4:1 ESV)

Why should we fear?  We are secure in Christ.  Oh, some people can think to themselves, "If I sin again and again, continually falling into the same pattern, will the Lord give up on me?"  One of the great truths of the Reformation was the Perseverance of the Saints, along with Justification by Faith Alone, and the Priesthood of the believer.  The Reformation was against the false teachings of the Roman Catholic church, which wanted to control the people, to frighten them in order to make them give money and to obey the church leaders.


We don't believe those priests.  We don't have to fear that we will lose our salvation.


What, then, should we fear?  Why should we fear?  Who should fear?  In what kind of situation ought a believer to fear?


Let us fear lest we fail to reach His rest.



Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:11 ESV)


We ought to fear that some that we love may not be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus said that not all of those who will say, "Lord, Lord" are really His.  


In the great Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, Moses led the people across the Red Sea, to Mt. Sinai, and to Kadesh Barnea.  Twelve spies were sent out, and ten of them feared the people of the land, instead of fearing God.  They then were forced to wander forty years in the wilderness, and all of the people of that generation (except Joshua and Caleb) died, not permitted to enter the promised land.  


This is a picture of our Sanctification.  We are stuck in slavery, then "baptized" in the Red Sea as we follow Christ.  We spend years of wandering in the wilderness, and the Lord leads us by night and by day.  The crossing of the Jordan River into the promised land is a picture of death - the pathway to heaven.


We should fear

  • not that God would change His mind
  • not that God would give up on us
  • not that Jesus will stop interceding for me
  • not that He will separate Himself from me
For He promised never to leave us.  He knows His sheep, and we hear His voice and follow Him. However, we should fear that some may not be able to enter into this rest.  How can I be sure that my beloved spouse will enter?  It is not to be taken lightly.

Why should we fear? We have work to do!  We are not justified by our works, but by faith in the finished work of Christ.  Yet we still have work to do - Work prepared beforehand by our loving Heavenly Father.  We need to be diligent, to be careful, to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, knowing that some day we will give an account to God.

Who should fear?  I am sure that I am a Christian, so why should I fear?  

. . . no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 

Everything is naked and open before God.  He knows my conscience.  He knows my thoughts.  He alone knows if my faith is real.  He is the One to whom we must give an account.  We should have holy fear and holy reverence for our Holy God.   Yes, we are justified by faith, but we are to be judged according to the works we do.  He declares that He knows our works.

Let us hold fast our confession.  What is our confession?

  • I do not deserve grace.
  • I am a sinner.
  • I deserve nothing but a lake of fire.
  • Jesus is my Saviour.
  • My salvation is a free gift to me, but it cost God everything.
We can't take it easy, or take it for granted.  Should I ever forget the day that Jesus carried the cross for me?   He worked so hard for me.  He did it all; He paid the full price.  Should I not fear, and work for Him?

I need to fear - that I will not live with the gift of Grace in mind every day.

When should I fear?  Today!  Today I should fear that I will mess up and disappoint my Master.  I should constantly fear that I would sin against God.  I do not want to dishonour such a lovely Saviour.  

Think of the Prodigal Son, after he's been welcomed back home by his Father.  How will he act?  What will he do?  He will not fear that his dad might not love him - his dad already proved his love, over and over again.  He has been forgiven, and brought back into the family. His greatest fear ought to be that he would disappoint his dad.

We are on a long journey, travelling through the wilderness, following the Lord.  Let's be like the five wise virgins, prepared and ready when He returns.  Let us therefore come BOLDLY to the throne of grace.

When?  In time of need - all of the time.   There is never a time we don't need the Holy Spirit to guide us.  There is never a time we don't need our Father to provide for us.  There is never a time we don't need our Saviour to intercede for us.  We are needy people.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, fearing to dishonour our Beautiful God.

Lord, help us to have a holy fear, for You are worthy to be praised.  You are worthy for us to strive, to do our best, to work hard, to further the Kingdom for Your name's sake.  Help us not to take it lightly.  Thank You that You love us, pitiful sinners that we are.  Help us to know You more, to look to Jesus, to know His love - because only the Love of Christ is able to transform us.  Our only hope is in You, Oh God, and we look to You for everything.  We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.






Monday, July 12, 2010

WARNING - Don't take it lightly.

Royal Hamel preached a powerful, practical message yesterday - A message of warning:

Do NOT take sin lightly!



There are four false ideas about sin that are prevalent in our society:

  1. Let go and let God
  2. I am saved but I can lead a holy life by myself.
  3. Sin isn't all that important.  You can have Jesus as your Saviour, not your Lord.
  4. Let's not focus on being holy... but on being forgiven again and again.

Paul teaches something completely different:
1 Cor. 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be a disqualified.


Notice that Paul is talking about running the race well, in order to receive the prize.  There is strategy and effort here.  The Christian life is not about floating up to the clouds with a harp - Christians must work hard, strive to achieve, work and sweat and toil.  Like an athlete, they need strict training, careful self-discipline, and watchfulness.  Paul is in a real fight in this passage - with HIMSELF!  


Why does Paul exercise self-discipline?  Why does he mortify the flesh and put off sin?  Because he does not want to be disqualified!


Royal taught us that this warning in 1 Corinthians is there for our benefit.  


Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.



What sorts of things would disqualify a believer?  Paul goes on to explain, using the example of God's chosen, covenant people.  They'd been saved from a life of slavery and led by a miracle across the Red Sea to the Wilderness.  The Lord was with them during the day in a pillar of cloud; at night His presence was seen in a pillar of light.

Warning Against Idolatry
1 Corinthians 10 For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
(They were all baptized; all ate; all drank --> They were God's people. Yet with most of them God was not pleased.  Only two of them out of hundreds of thousands pleased the Lord.)
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 

Five Clear Warnings

1.  Do not crave evil things.  (Read Numbers 11)

God had rescued the people from the clutches of Pharaoh, and had provided them with daily food.  They weren't happy about the manna, and began wailing.  The Lord became exceedingly angry, and gave them the meat they were so desperately craving.  Quail came upon the camp, so much quail that the birds were three feet deep.  When the people put the roasted quail to their lips, the anger of the Lord burned against them and He struck many of them down.

There's no prohibition against eating meat, so what was going on?  Eating meat is not sin.

No, but craving an evil thing is sin.  The people were rejecting God's provision for the moment in which they were living.  God had decided that at that time, manna was what His people were to eat.  He provided the manna, and they should have been content.

How about you?  Are you content with God's provision for your life right now?  Are you contented with your financial situation, with your relationships, with your health, with your job?  Are you pleased to wait on the Lord and trust His provision?

Or are you wailing?

2.  Do not be idolaters.  (Read Exodus 32)

God had appointed Moses to be the leader of His people, and Moses taught them that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was immortal, invisible, omnipotent and omniscient.  While Moses was on top of the mountain, meeting with the living God, the people demanded a "god" they could see.  They did not stay true and faithful to the invisible God who had delivered them, but instead opted to worship a golden calf made out of the jewelry they had received from the Egyptians.

God sent a plague and the sword against His people in judgment.

Are you waiting on this invisible God?  Are you trusting His timing?  Do you worship idols - "gods" of your own making?  What takes you away from God?  What occupies your thoughts and takes your energy?  What makes  you despise God and His ways, and prefer people or fortune or fame or things?

God hates idolatry.  He judges people for it.  Take heed lest you fall into the sin of idolatry and are judged.

3.  Do not be se x ually immoral.  (Read Numbers 25)

God instructed His people to remain pure, and to marry within the Children of Israel.  They instead went whoring after Moabite women.  God brought judgment upon His people, and thousands died in a plague.

In our culture, immorality is everywhere.  It doesn't shock us anymore, because it is so prevalent.  Music videos, dancing shows, singing shows - many of them demonstrate impurity, and nobody bats an eye.  Guard your purity!  If you don't, there will be consequences.

Royal has seen the destructive effects of people who choose to be impure.  Marriages crumble, lives are destroyed.  Immorality is the great destroyer.  Take heed.  Do not fall into this sin lest you face judgment now.

4.  Do not test the Lord.  Do not provoke the Lord your God. (Read Numbers 21)

Don't try to see how far you can go with Him.

Numbers 21:4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.

There's a clear downward spiral that can be present in your life:


  1. Discouragement
  2. Impatience
  3. Rebellion

"There's no bread and no water, and we detest this worthless food!"  All they could do was complain.  They let their discouragement over their circumstances cause themselves to be impatient... and their impatience soon led to rebellion.

Don't do it!  Don't let  your discouragements make you impatient so that you rebel.  If you are discouraged, turn to God.  Give your troubles to Him.  He will remove the thorn in your flesh in His good time.  Trust Him.  Wait on Him.

Discouragement should cause God's people to flee to the only One who can change things.

5.  Do not grumble. (Read Numbers 14)

God promised His people the Land of Canaan.  His intention all along was that there would be a battle for the land.  It was never His intention to hand the land to them without effort and strategy on their part.  

The people didn't trust God.  When the spies went in to check out the land, most of them came back saying "There are giants in the land.  We can't attack them.  We're too weak!"

Most of that generation would fall by the way, because of their grumbling and their lack of faith.

Numbers 14:29
. . .your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me. . .

None of them would be allowed to enter the Promised Land except Joshua and Caleb.  Everyone 20 years old and up would die in the wilderness.   What a tragedy!  And all because they grumbled and did not trust God to do what He said He would do.

It is crucial that we keep our faith and trust in God.  We must build ourselves up in our most holy faith.  Troubles will come, trials will come, and what will our reaction be?  God wants us to react as people of faith.

We are not to grumble.  We are not to react in anger against His will.

Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands
take heed lest he fall.

  • Take sin seriously.
  • Fight against sin!  Be like Paul, and beat your body into subjection.
  • Rest in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Listen to His prompting.  Obey!
  • Don't get comfortable with sin.

God finishes this section of 1 Corinthians 10 with this promise:

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

God is faithful.  He'll make a way to escape!  When we are tempted, we can flee to God.  He stands ready to help, ready to make a way of escape, so that you can endure the temptation.

WARNING:  All these things happened to Israel, the covenant people, when they fell into sin. Take heed!  Don't take sin lightly.  Don't think that it's not important.  Don't think that because you are part of the new covenant that you are somehow exempt from temptation.  It's a battle.  You were called to a life of holiness.  You were called to battle against sin.

Fight on!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Inside Out Living

I am constantly blown away by the gospel. It is hard for me to understand why people aren't jumping for joy every single day, like the man who went walking and leaping and praising God after he was healed.

For this is what Jesus has done for me. He saw me...He sees me now, just as I am. He knows all about me. He knows my thoughts, my words, my actions. He knows why I do what I do, and how I fail to do those things I know I ought to do.

And get this: HE LOVES ME! He approves of me. He is on my side. He helps me, He guides me, He whispers to me, He hedges me in, behind and before. He never, ever leaves me.

This is really, really good news. No matter what I face, no matter if my children are mad at me or my friends don't call or I don't get the laundry done or my neck hurts from picking the chicken off the bones for soup, I am deeply and thoroughly loved by the only ONE who really matters.

We all seek approval. We want to be recognized for our talents. We want to be acknowledged for our abilities. We long to be loved, truly loved, just the way we are. We go through life doing our best, but we always know deep down that we haven't quite measured up.

The good news is we don't have to! We'll never be able to. We can't do it. We're deeply flawed, and we'll never be that person we want to be - a perfect parent, a righteous child, a holy Christian, a loving friend.

The good news is that Jesus did it! He was the perfect Son of Righteousness. He lived that life on our behalf, and He died the death I deserved so that I might live.

Here is a message by Tim Keller that is worth listening to. If ever you've tried to live a godly life, but failed; if ever you've looked down on someone else for not measuring up to your standards, if ever you've tried your best to witness but come away discouraged and perplexed... here is a message for you. Stop trying to live a perfect life! You can't do it. Just be thankful that Jesus did live that perfect life on your behalf. Live from the inside out!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

The Terrible Nature of the Tongue

Pastor Bob opened his sermon today with an illustration of just how devastating wrong communication can be. He told the story of how the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1899 began. He got his information from a book, James:Faith that Works, by R. Kent Hughes.

Four reporters were having trouble coming up with a good story for the morning newspaper. They decided to fabricate a tale, and the next day's headlines screamed, "GREAT CHINESE WALL DOOMED!" The Chinese people were furious, and in a short time, the Boxer Rebellion began - resulting in the deaths of over 100,000 people, many of them missionaries.

In 2005, English Professor Henry Hart released a book, Lost in the Gobi Desert, to commemorate his great-grandfather's efforts to save the life of western missionaries and their Chinese followers from the hands of the Boxer rebels.


The murderous Boxer Rebellion came as a sudden thunderstorm; all foreigners were to be killed not in the sudden merciful death of a bullet but sliced to death by big, old rusty knives and swords.... I had an old Winchester rifle and plenty of ammunition ready for the journey....The Boxer uprising ultimately claimed the lives of more than 32,000 Chinese Christians and several hundred foreign missionaries (historian Nat Brandt called it “the greatest single tragedy in the history of Christian evangelicalism[9]




Thousands of people died because four men, in a drunken stupor, decided to make up a story and spread it around the world.

The text for the sermon today was James 3,


Taming the Tongue

3 c Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.


The first introductory point was that we ought to take our teaching responsibility very seriously. Whether we're homeschooling parents, or lead a small group, or simply interact with others God brings into our lives, we ought to be very careful what we say, and what we teach. Life or death proceeds from our lips, and we will be held accountable.

Powerful Nature of the Tongue

The horse is a great and powerful animal, weighing nearly 1,000 lbs, yet it can be controlled by a very small bit. Look up descriptions of the power of the horse in Job 39:19 - 25, which begins, “Do you give the horse his might?Do you clothe his neck with a mane?". The horse laughs at fear, and is not dismayed...yet he allows himself to be directed by a tiny piece of metal.

In the same way, we need to control our tongues, realizing the power they have to kill and destroy, or to make alive and encourage.

The Bismarck was a powerful ship, the pride of the German navy. Yet one small torpedo took out its rudder, leaving the mighty battleship crippled.

Our lives can be ruined, too, by words - our own, or others'.

Destructive Nature of the Tongue

One small spark can set an entire forest ablaze. Flora and fauna are destroyed, all because of a tiny flash.

The whole body, the whole course of life, can be set on fire by the destructive nature of the tongue. A few cruel words can rip apart churches, families, or ministries. We must be careful not to open our mouths to criticize the personal, private affairs of others.

Do you use innuendo? Do you use comments that are of a disparaging, derogatory nature?

Illustration: The captain of a ship wrote in the log, "Ship's Mate drunk today." The Ship's Mate noticed, and let it go...but a few months later, he wrote, "Captain sober today." It was the truth, but what did it imply?

Do you use gossip? Flattery? You should be sincere and full of integrity!

Do you use discernment? Or do you criticize, find fault with someone; do you harass them when you don't agree with their choices? Do you nit-pick?

Illustration: A man who had gossipped about a close friend tried to make amends. His friend forgave him, but told him to go to the tower and take his feather pillow. When he got there, he was told to slice the pillow open with a sharp knife, releasing the feathers to the wind. He did so, then went back to his friend, who said, "Now, go and gather all the feathers!"

"Impossible!" insisted the gossip.

"In the same way, it is impossible to repair the damage caused by the gossip."

Words can destroy lives. People have gone through life crippled, because of unkind or vicious words.

Untamable Nature of the Tongue

It's a restless evil, full of deadly poison. This ought not to be so. It goes from bad to worse: the tongue is powerful, destructive, untamable... so what are we to do? WE cannot do anything of our own accord, for too often we use our tongue for evil rather than for good.

Diabolical Nature of the Tongue

With the same tongue we praise the Lord and curse people made in His image. This ought not to be so.

We must cast ourselves on Jesus, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us to enable us to use our tongues for good.

Good Uses of the Tongue

Speeches that changed the course of history have been a force for good. Winston Churchill's famous speech inspired his countrymen at a time when the forces of evil were spreading throughout the continent of Europe.

We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the Old. .

Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired the United States of America, and indeed the watching world, to fight for freedom and equality of opportunity for all races.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

Tongue Control

Wisdom

Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

The tongue can be used for good. The tongue of the wise is a tree of life, it builds up, it commends knowledge, it is aware that the Lord is watching.

Proverbs 25:11
A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

Wise reproof is beautiful. The right word spoken at just the right time is a treasure - like gold in settings of silver.

Wisdom comes from above. James 3:17 - 18 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

How wise have you been in your reproof lately? Have you spoken carefully, with discernment? Have you been peaceable, gentle, open to reason? Have you been full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere?

Without the filling of the Holy Spirit and the trusting in His power, the tongue is a restless evil. Yet God can and does redeem it, and uses it for His glory.

Ministry

Proverbs 12:17-18
Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
but a false witness utters deceit.
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

We all have a ministry, whether it is in our homes, or churches; whether it is public, on a message board, or private, with close friends or family. In your ministry, do you bring healing, or are your words like sword thrusts, cutting and carving up others for your own selfish reasons?

Worship

Psalm 35
Let those who delight in my righteousness
shout for joy and be glad
and say evermore,
“Great is the Lord,
who delights in the welfare of his servant!”
Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.


This is the best use of the tongue! Shout for Joy! Say evermore, GREAT IS THE LORD! We'll be shouting the praise of God all the day long for all of eternity.

I can't wait!