INTRO.- Words of wisdom can come from many different sources. The better words of wisdom come from above or from God’s people on earth. Here are some words of wisdom from signs at churches:
- "Fight truth decay - study the Bible daily."
- "How will you spend eternity - Smoking or Non-smoking?"
- "It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin."
- "Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church."
- "If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again." - “God makes me the person my dog already thinks I am.”
- “We use Duct Tape to fix everything… God used nails.”
- “ipad, ipod? try ipray.”
- “You have to wonder about humans. They think God is dead and Elvis is alive!”
- “The Devil may be stoking the fire, But God has his hand on the thermostat.”
- “A closed mouth gathers no foot.”
- “Prayer is wireless access to God with no roaming fee.”
- “God does not believe in atheists therefore atheists do not exist.”
- “Prayer is the only call that government can’t hear.”
- “It takes a lot of faith to be an atheist.”
- “Experts made the Titanic. Amateurs made the ark.”
These church sing are cute, funny and contain a certain amount of wisdom. And as good as they are, God’s wisdom in scripture is best of all.
PROP.- More wisdom from God’s dictionary.
1- Hatred stirs up trouble
2- Words can bless or blister
3- God’s way is a refuge
I. HATRED STIRS UP TROUBLE
12 Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. Hatred for others stirs up conflict, arguing, fights, and all kinds of trouble.
ILL.- I’m sure you heard about the man who shot another man in a movie theater because he was texting during some previews. It happened on January 13, 2014 in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Here’s the story. 71 year old Curtis Reeves confronted 43 year old Chad Oulson, who was texting during the previews of the movie “Lone Survivor.” The two argued and Reeves angrily left the theater, grunting and kicking the back of chairs.
When Oulson returned, the two argued again, and when popcorn was thrown, Reeves reached into his pocket, pulled out a .38 caliber handgun and shot Oulson in the chest. The bullet went through the left hand of Oulson’s wife, Nicole, who put her hand up to her husband’s chest just as the single shot was fired.
Mark Turner, a retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. and counter terrorism specialist, sat in the same row as Reeves that day, about five seats away. He said he saw Oulson throw a small bag of popcorn at Reeves and moments later, Reeves fired a shot into Oulson’s chest.
“Once he was hit, he took a step as if to turn towards his wife and he said, ‘I can’t believe this’ and at that point, he began to fall backwards and the gentleman who was sitting next to him caught him and laid him down in the aisle,” Turner said. “And I believe those were the last words he spoke.” Turner said after the shot was fired, Reeves said, “Throw popcorn in my face.”
Charles Cummings was sitting in the same row, Row B, as the Oulsons, three or four seats away from the couple. He said after the popcorn was thrown, “A very, very short time after that, there was a bright flash and a gun went off.’’
Why did this happen? Out of control anger. And maybe some hatred thrown in. Haven’t you heard people say, “I hate it when people drive crazy” Or “I just hate it when people disturb others by talking on their cell phone.” And sometimes they hate people!
Hatred and anger often cause nothing but trouble and sometimes, serious trouble.
ILL.- Sometimes ago John J. Harrington, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police and a 27-year veteran of the Philadelphia police force, says, “There is hatred today in this country that’s growing and growing. Near where I live a man was walking to church, and two men came up behind him and cut his throat. Another man was just standing on a street corner when a bunch of kids came along. They said, ‘Let’s give it to him,’ and they killed him. And a little girl was walking up the street from where I live, and a boy just came along and stabbed her. All these things seem to happen for no reason at all—just hatred.”
The evil one is a murderer and is at work in our world.
Ephesians 4:26-27 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Anger that leads to sin can sometimes be hatred. It has to be stopped before it’s out of hand or out of control and in the control of the devil!
James 1:19-21 “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
The only way to overcome anger that leads to all kinds of moral filth is by accepting God’s Word into your heart. We must hide His word in our hearts that we might not sin against Him and people. If we are going to hate anything it should be evil, not people.
Psalm 97:10 “Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”
Psalm 119:104 “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”
Jude 1:22-23 “Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” Hate the sin but love the sinner.
ILL.- "Harry Emerson Fosdick" (May 24, 1878 – October 5, 1969) was an American pastor. Although a Baptist, he was guest preacher in New York City at First Presbyterian Church on West Twelfth Street, Manhattan and then at the historic, inter-denominational Riverside Church, founded by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote: “A man who hates to be slapped on the back packs his coat with TNT and waits for this man who always slaps his back. His idea is when he hits me I will get him, I'll blow him up. Hate kills both the person who you hate, but also yourself as well. Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.”
12 Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. There is a better way which, hopefully, we are learning. Love never fails.
Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
1 Peter 4:7-8 “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
II. WORDS CAN BLESS OR BLISTER
19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. 20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. 21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.
ILL.- A husband was trying to prove to his wife that women talk more than men. He showed her a study which indicated that men use about 10,000 words per day, whereas women use
20,000 words per day.
His wife thought about this for a while. She then told her husband that women use twice as many words as men because they have to repeat everything they say. Her husband looked stunned. He said "What?"
When words are many. Oh my! Most of us are guilty of using too many words, meaning we talk too much. How many times have you left from visiting from someone and thought, “I wish I hadn’t talked so much...”? The problem is we have so much to say that it’s hard not to talk.
It is very true that the more we talk, the more susceptible we are to putting our foot in our mouths or of saying something we shouldn’t. When words are many, sin in not absent.
It may be that we sin most of all by what we say and how we say things.
James 3:2 New Century Version “We all make many mistakes. If people never said anything wrong, they would be perfect and able to control their entire selves, too.” Maybe not perfect but close to it.
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say
19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. There is a time to talk and a time to be silent. How can we know when to talk and when not to talk? Scripture helps, as well as love for people.
Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
We must speak words that build up people, encourage people, commend people but never speak words that tear down. We all remember the old saying, “If you can’t something good then don’t say anything at all.” Or something along that line. And it’s true.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. 21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment. How can we speak words nourish people, words that bless people instead of blistering them?
1- Realize that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34 If we have a speaking problem then we have a heart problem and we must let the Lord do some heart surgery. If we know we have a speaking problem then we must pray constantly that the Lord will change our heart. We must pray, “Lord fill me with your Spirit so that I speak words of wisdom and kindness, etc.”
2- We must practice speaking good words. Practice makes perfect. It may not make them perfect but it certainly helps. No one can get better at anything unless they work at it: athletics, art, public speaking, and personal speaking.
19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. 20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. 21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.
III. GOD’S WAY IS A REFUGE
29 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. 30 The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.
ILL.- After fleeing Hitler's Germany in the late 1930s, Albert Einstein found refuge in America. He purchased a quaint, old two-story house on a tree-lined street within walking distance of Princeton University. There the world's foremost mathematician entertained some of the most distinguished scientific and political personalities of the age. He discussed with his noted guests the issues which intrigued his celebrated mind, from physics to religion to human rights. Many of the great ideas which have shaped our modern world were conceived behind the green shutters of that modest little house.
But Einstein had another frequent visitor in his home. She was not a physicist or a world leader. She was a ten-year-old girl named Emmy. Emmy heard that a very kind man who knew a lot about mathematics had moved into her neighborhood. Since Emmy was having some difficulty with her fifth-grade arithmetic, she decided to visit the man down the block and see if he would help her with her problems. Einstein was very willing and he explained everything to her so that she could easily understand it. He also told her she was welcome to come and knock on his front door whenever she encountered a problem that was too difficult.
A few weeks later, Emmy's mother learned from one of her neighbors that Emmy was often seen entering the house of the world-famous physicist. When she asked Emmy about it, the girl admitted it was so. 'Why, Emmy!"" the mother exclaimed. 'Professor Einstein is a very important man! His time is very valuable! He can't be bothered with the problems of a little schoolgirl."
Then Emmy's mother rushed over to Einstein's house and knocked on the door. When Einstein answered the door, she was so flustered at the sight of the famous lined face, the kindly eyes, and the familiar mane of unruly white hair, that she could only stammer incoherently.
After a few moments, understanding dawned on Einstein's face. 'Ah! I think I understand. You're Emmy's mother, aren't you?"" 'Yes," she said, sighing in embarrassment, 'and I'm so sorry she's been coming over here and bothering you,""
'Bothering me! Ah, no!" he laughed. 'Why, when a child finds such joy in learning, then it is my joy to help her learn! Please don't stop Emmy from coming to me with her school problems. She is welcome in this house anytime.'" Ron Lee Davis, Courage to Begin Again, (Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR; 1978),
Even though Einstein found a refuge in America that little girl found a sort of refuge in Einstein. And as he said, “She is welcome in this house anytime.”
And God says to us, “You are welcome in my house any time and in my presence any time.”
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Psalm 5:11 “Let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”
Psalm 9:9 “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
Matthew 11:2828 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
CONCLUSION--------------------------
ILL.- Automaker Henry Ford asked electrical genius Charlie Steinmetz to build the generators for his factory. One day the generators ground to a halt, and the repairmen couldn't find the problem. So Ford called Steinmetz, who tinkered with the machines for a few hours and then threw the switch. The generators whirred to life--but Ford got a bill for $10,000 from Steinmetz. Flabbergasted, the rather tightfisted car maker inquired why the bill was so high.
Steinmetz's reply: For tinkering with the generators, $10. For knowing where to tinker, $9,990. Ford paid the bill.
God always knows where and how to tinker. His wisdom never fails! Smart is the person who seeks after God’s wisdom in His Word and anywhere else.
