Sermon Central
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Never Series
Contributed by Steve Ely on May 13, 2020 (message contributor)
Summary: Words matter. Words are powerful. The Devil uses words against us and his words are dangerous to live by!
Pt. 1 - Never
I. Introduction
I am literally surrounded by words . . . maybe even millions of words. But I'm not the only one. Did you know that the average person uses 60,000 words daily! That is the equivalent of writing a 60 page book every day! Words are common. Words are everywhere. However, just because they are common and everywhere doesn't mean that words aren't important. In fact, according to Scripture . . .
1. Words matter!
Remember what Solomon said in Proverbs 18:21? There is the power of death and life in the tongue. Wow, I think we forget just how much words matter. And it isn't just the words we say, but also the ones we listen to as well. I have discovered that whoever has your ear has your soul and your destiny. That is why we are told in Scripture that as man thinks in his heart so is he. The words we listen to and entertain set up in our heart. Can anyone else remember the lyrics to a song that you learned when you were 15 or 16 years old? The lyrics linger. Words linger. That is why it matters who you listen to.
By the way the power found in words is not determined or based on whether the words are true. Untrue words have the same power of life and death in them. The power is in the words. That is why God can use words to create and the enemy can use words to destroy.
2. Learn to discern!
That is why it is absolutely essential that we learn to discern. We are told that the sheep know the voice of the shepherd. But how many of us choose to listen to another voice that is speaking death and because we don't discern the source of words we see the fruit of those words come to pass in our life? We are tasked with discerning who is saying what! Our life depends on our ability to learn to discern. The perfect example is found in Genesis. If Eve would have never listened to the serpent, then she would not have fallen. If she had learned to discern who's voice she was listening to, then it would have made all the difference.
We know that God is always speaking, but what we need to learn is that the devil is always speaking too. The Genesis account also shows us that discerning when the enemy is speaking isn't always easy. So, we must listen carefully and prayerfully. That is why I think it is so important to identify the words that devil has in his dictionary. I am convinced that the devil only uses a few words to keep us defeated. He knows how to leverage these words and he reuses them century after century. He repeats these same words and they are dangerous words we live by.
3. One of the most dangerous words the enemy uses is the word "never".
I think one of the most dangerous words the devil uses against us is the word "Never."
Let's go to the story of Abraham and Sarah. The enemy uses one word . . . never to impact history.
After all these things, this word of God came to Abram in a vision: “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I’m your shield. Your reward will be grand!”
Then he took him outside and said, “Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You’re going to have a big family, Abram!”
Sarai, Abram’s wife, hadn’t yet produced a child. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “God has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her.” Abram agreed to do what Sarai said. So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took her Egyptian maid Hagar and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife.
The men said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He said, “In the tent.” One of them said, “I’m coming back about this time next year. When I arrive, your wife Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was listening at the tent opening, just behind the man. Abraham and Sarah were old by this time, very old. Sarah was far past the age for having babies. Sarah laughed within herself, “An old woman like me? Get pregnant? With this old man of a husband?”
Abraham receives a promise from God. However, because time passed between the promise and its fulfillment, Abraham and Sarah become convinced that they will never see God's promise come true. Sarah comes to the conclusion that she will never have a child. So, they make a choice based on the word "never" that has created decades and centuries of war, hate and death. That one word has impacted the world.
