Proverbs Portraits of the Tongue

Well, if you keep up with the daily news, you've probably noticed a number of things. You've probably noticed how normal, sadly, it's become for people to say some terribly blunt and ugly things about others publicly. Public speech has increasingly devolved into greater incivility. Recently, people who hate President Trump, and I do say hate, people who hate President Trump, and all he represents, have called him Hitler, a racist, a bigot, and worse, and along with typical hate-filled profanity, which is also, sadly, becoming more normal. And Mr. Trump, not one to turn from a fight, has said some rather blunt and belittling things about his loud protesters, too. Now, this volley back and forth of incivility, both from the left and from the right, it does color and shape the attitudes and beliefs of our people, of our society. It colors our attitudes and beliefs about individuals, about leaders, and about groups. And I think we can agree that the things people say and write have become increasingly more mean and hateful. Whether privately among individuals or publicly through the media, the tongue has lost its restraint. The tongue has become more weaponized, it seems. The tongue has become more weaponized. Civility is dying in our country. Words are destroying reputations, trust, and relationships between people and public officials and authorities, and even among family members, friends, and neighbors. What about you and me? What about you and me? We hear and see individuals disparaged and ridiculed. We see authority figures mocked. And we hear lies knowingly broadcasted as truth. As society's increasingly uncivil use of the tongue affected our attitudes and the way we talk about others and about those things that we should all value, can we talk like the world talks and yet walk with God? Of course, we need to remember and harken to the words of Revelation 18.4. We must respond now to that voice from heaven that exhorts the saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. That's Revelation 18.4. And so we cannot, or should I say, we dare not live according to the ways of the world. What, then, do the words from our tongues and our fingers reveal about the condition of our hearts? What comes from our hearts? It's in Luke 6.45. Jesus Christ is a very important man. Jesus taught for out of the abundance of the heart that man's mouth speaks. Do we remember the Bible's instruction about the use of the tongue? Well, because of the times we live in, I believe that the tongue is the tongue of the tongue. And I believe that the tongue is the tongue of the tongue of the tongue of the tongue of the tongue of the tongue.

And I believe that it is time for all of us to revisit that vital subject about the use of the tongue. And so today we will. The title of this sermon is Proverbs Portraits of the Tongue. Proverbs Portraits of the Tongue. In the New Testament, James gives some of the strongest and most direct instruction and warning about the works of the tongue, about how we should use our words. And that's where we're going to begin today in James 3.2.

I have some of these scriptures on the screen, but for those of you at home, and all of us here, please turn to James 3, verse 2. And I will find it here. James 3, verse 2 reads, For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. And so Paul tells us that, excuse me, James, it should be, James tells us that we will likely never perfectly control our tongues, not while we're human, of course.

And yet, as we read on in this set of scriptures in James, yet we must always strive to do just that. Continuing on, verse 3, Indeed, James writes, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships, although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. And even so, the tongue is a little member and boast great things. So just as a small bit in bridle we place in a horse's head and mouth directs this majestic animal, the horse, and just as a tiny rudder directs a ship, so does the small human tongue direct or affect the course of our lives and the lives of others around us.

It's a very powerful thing. And of course, it can direct our course and the course of others for either good or for evil. Continuing with verse 5, It is set on fire by hell. The uncontrolled tongue, James tells us, is like a fire. And like a fire, it can be quite devastating. Now perhaps you remember that terrible fire that ravaged Gatlinburg, Tennessee three months ago. It was just three months ago. The Lavas have kept the feast in the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge area. We're probably quite familiar with these pictures I have on the screen.

You may recognize some of those sites. In that fire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee three months ago, 14 people were killed and 191 injured. Over 14,000 residents and guests were forced to flee. More than 2,400 houses, businesses, and other structures were destroyed. And then nearly 17,000 acres in and out of the Smoky Mountains National Park were burned. The damage keeps going up.

The damage estimate is now up to over $842 million from that fire. Interestingly, that fire was started by several tiny matches dropped by arsonists. There were two teenage boys, aged 15 and 17. The burning vans had been in force for months, but these two boys were goofing around, dropping lit matches along a mountain trail. Both boys have now been charged with aggravated arson, and they possibly face murder charges as well.

I tried to find out what's happening to them, but the judges put a gag order on their case. No one knows exactly what's going to happen to them next. Their foolishness set on fire the course of nature.

Like what we read here in James. And it was as if from hell for those people who survived this firestorm. I just wanted to illustrate a little bit here the sort of devastation James is talking about, the devastating power of the tongue, what it can do. Continuing back in verse 7, James continues, James is urging us to control our tongues.

They cannot be perfectly tamed or controlled, certainly not by us alone, but he urges us to try hard to control our tongues. And by extension, I think we would understand how the words we use, the words we text and type and write.

It's part of our tongue, too. James' reference to controlling actions, the riding of a horse, steering a boat, even safeguarding a fire, should remind us that controlling the tongue requires know-how. It also requires diligent effort. We must practice patience and self-control in attempting to control our unruly tongue. Taming the tongue, much like taming, or rather, training a horse, also requires perseverance over time. Perhaps you're familiar with Roy Rogers. How many of you watched Roy Rogers as children? You can still catch the reruns on TV. Lone Ranger, too. His horse's name is Silver. But perhaps you are familiar with Roy Rogers and his horse, Trigger. Roy Rogers trained Trigger to do many amazing tricks.

But Roy never taught Trigger to bow, as you see in this picture, or to sit in a chair, or even to cover himself with a blanket in just one or two quick lessons. It would have taken Roy Rogers, and if you read about him, it took him many weeks and months to accomplish such amazing tricks. And my point is, it's going to take us some time and great patience to learn to control our unruly tongues. We're going to have to apply diligent effort, perseverance, and we're going to have to practice a lot.

And we will certainly achieve little for our efforts without the help of God. No man can tame his tongue alone. And that's why we must seek the help of God, the help of His Holy Spirit, and, of course, the help we find in His Holy Scripture. Now, the book of Proverbs in particular provides us God's instruction in how to tame our tongues. Proverbs is where we're going to spend much of our time in the sermon, but we're going to approach the subject, perhaps a little bit differently than we have before.

Differently than I've ever done before. The book of Proverbs describes several types of people. It describes several types of people. These types of people, their descriptions are based on how they use their tongue, how they use their words. Now, these descriptions or portrayals of types of people provide us what we would call the literature portraits.

They're kind of word portraits, word pictures of types of people. And together, these portraits form a collection. They're a collection. They're sort of a portrait gallery, we could call it. And we might call them a portrait gallery of the human tongue. A portrait gallery of the human tongue.

So now, I'd like to take you, and we're going to turn to the book of Proverbs. We're going to be spending a lot of time in Proverbs and out of Proverbs from time to time. So please have a bookmark or a ribbon there in your Bible. We're going to be coming back and forth to Proverbs. But we're going to be spending time in the book of Proverbs. So let's turn to the book, and we're going to examine six portraits of the human tongue.

Portrait number one is the liar. Portrait number one is the liar. The book of Proverbs reveals God's condemnation of the practice of lying. I think we know that. In fact, God declares lying an abomination. And if you turn with me to Proverbs 6, 16 through 19, we're going to read very stern words God inspired with regards to lying. Proverbs 6, 16 through 19. These six things... I've got to get rid of this cough drop. Excuse me.

These six things the Lord hates. Yes, seven are an abomination to Him. A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift and running to evil, a false witness who spreads lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. God hates these things. Now, the word abomination means something that is morally disgusting, something that's abhorrent and wicked. Besides lying, God also calls homosexuality an abomination, along with idols and idol worship, and the eating of unclean food is called an abomination. And many other things. Lying is among those. Let's also notice Proverbs 12.22. Proverbs 12.22.

Proverbs 12.22, lying lips are an abomination to the eternal, but those who deal truthfully are His delight. So clearly, God expects us to speak truth, but not lies. Well, what makes lying an abomination to God? Well, lying, you see, perverts, perverts or twists the truth. That's what pervert means, to twist, to contort, to take something straight and make it crooked. And so it is that the liar deceives, misleads, and misinforms people with his words. The liar only pretends or appears to be trustworthy, but he is not. He may look one way to us on the outside, but within, he is devious. He is telling a falsehood. He is twisted and perverted the truth. He appears to be trustworthy, but he is not. In contrast, here's what Proverbs tells us about one who speaks truth. Let's notice Proverbs 12-17.

Proverbs 12-17, He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness deceit. And also, Proverbs 12-19, The truthful lips shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

Truth will endure, lies will not, and those who speak truth will also be declaring righteousness. And if they do so, they will be established forever. That's a very encouraging scripture for us. Now, let's be turning back, hold your place, and let's look back in Revelation 21-8, because what we read here in Proverbs should remind us a little bit of something from the book of Revelation. They should remind us what we find in Revelation 21 verse 8. Revelation 21 verse 8.

Here's God's warning, about warning to us about the sort of people He will allow in His kingdom. Revelation 28, But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake, which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Lying, we need to understand very seriously. Lying is not insignificant to God. Our society is trying to make it no big deal if you're caught telling a lie.

We don't want to follow what society is teaching us, or our children. Lying is not insignificant to God. The liar who fails to repent will not enter God's kingdom. And I think we can trust God here. God never lies. He cannot lie. So whenever our unruly tongue forgets its training, and we are caught telling a lie, or far better would be to catch ourselves telling a lie, if we find ourselves in that predicament, we need to stop right there in the telling of the lie. We need to stop, repent of what we're doing, and apologize to God, and also apologize to the victim of our lie. We mustn't be like the liar, portrait number one, in our gallery.

Portrait number two. Portrait number two in this portrait gallery of the tongue is the gossip.

The gossip is also known as the tail-bearer, or in some translations you'll see the word the whisperer.

The gossip uses his or her unruly tongue to spread rumors about others. And sadly, what is shared may be unkind. It can even be malicious, slanderous. The heated conflicts the gossip causes is appropriately expressed in Proverbs 2620. I warned you ahead of time. We're going to go back to Proverbs 26.

In Proverbs 2620, we read here the sort of trouble the gossip causes.

Proverbs 2620, Where there is no wood, the fire goes out. And where there is no tail-bearer or gossip, strife ceases. Kind of reminds us what James is telling about the little tongue in a fire. The New English translation puts the last part of Proverbs 2620 this way, Where there is no gossip, contention ceases. And if you've been a victim of gossip, you understand. Where there is no gossip, contention ceases. One of the problems with gossip is that we wrongly enjoy it. We kind of enjoy gossip, as humanly speaking, of course. We see that thrill for gossip depicted in Norman Rockwell's illustration. If you're here in the room, I have Norman Rockwell's illustration. It's called the Gossips. It's interesting. It starts in the upper left-hand corner, and by the time you get to the bottom right-hand corner, it ends up back where it started.

But my point here, if you look at their faces, you'll see that these individuals in Rockwell's painting are just thrilled. They're happy to hear the gossip. Let's notice what Proverbs 18.8 tells us about gossip and rumors. Proverbs 18.8 reads, The words of a tale-bearer are like tasty trifles, like a really rich dessert, and they go down into the inmost body.

Even when we know that we mustn't gossip, our human desires to wolf down every juicy bit of the latest hearsay. Sometimes it's heresy. Sometimes it's just hearsay. Rumors. And while we're enjoying gossip and sharing it with others, the sad thing is we typically neglect God's command to love our neighbor, especially in that quality of love which is to be trustworthy. To be trustworthy. That's also part of love. There's still another problem about gossip, and that is once we hear gossip and believe it, we don't easily forget it. We don't easily forget gossip. You see, gossip goes down into the inmost body, like Proverbs 18.8 tells us. And so even when a rumor is proven to be untrue, and they usually are, that rumor still can poison our opinions and taint our relationships with others. That's why listening to gossip can be just as bad as being a gossip. It's a very poisonous and deadly thing. Let's also turn to Proverbs 11.13. Proverbs 11.13. We will hear gossip, but we should ignore it. And we certainly should not repeat it. Here in Proverbs 11.13 we read, A tale-bearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter. And so even if a rumor is true, I think a point here is that it does not need to be repeated.

Spreading gossip destroys trust and undercuts our own trustworthiness. If we're spreading gossip, why should anybody trust us with information?

And it's trust we know. It's trust that helps to bind us together as friends, as family, and as brothers and sisters in Christ. Hold your place here, and let's look back to 1 Peter 4.15.

We must guard ourselves from the ways of gossip and strive not to be a gossip. You know, sharing gossip and listening to rumors about other people's private affairs, well, that's certainly something we should not be doing. We need to listen instead to Peter's stern words in 1 Peter 4 verse 15.

Peter wrote, But let none of you suffer as a murderer, as a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. And certainly spreading rumors, that's being a busybody.

Instead, we're going to have a whole lot more peace in our own lives and better relationships with one another. And with God, let's not forget that, if we guard our tongues and refuse to be like the gossip. We need to refuse the gossip.

Portrait number three. Portrait number three is the flatterer. The flatterer. The flatterer is someone who makes words smooth and oh-so-easy to hear and to believe. However, smooth words can also be rather slippery things. They'd be rather slippery and untrustworthy and very difficult to hold on to.

Turn with me in Proverbs 29.5. Proverbs 29.5. We'll see it expressed quite well the deceitfulness of flattery.

Proverbs 29.5. A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet, setting a trap, as it were. And flattery is a trap that is easily set. Faults and cunning words can easily boost one's ego and pride, and easily can set one up for a fall when the truth inevitably becomes known. The illustration I have on the slide is taken from Hans Christian Andersen's tale, The Emperor's New Clothes. Perhaps you've read that, and it's a very popular metaphor and analogy in our society. This illustration is from The Emperor's New Clothes. In that tale, flattery and pride led a foolish emperor to pray down the street with no clothes on. I have a picture with the emperor clothed for our viewing audience here. The emperor was flattered into believing he had the most beautiful, luxurious and gorgeous clothes ever. But in fact, he was naked, in this case walking around in his underwear, and barefooted, I believe. And he was very full of himself until a little child loudly exclaimed the truth. He hasn't got anything on! He probably croaked just like that.

The point is, influencing people by telling them what they want to hear instead of truth is a trap. And it's a trap that any of us can fall into. And that's why the flatter is contrasted negatively with the one who bravely speaks the truth, like this little boy. One who rebukes or even rightly corrects another person instead of flattery. Proverbs 28-23, back of chapter, Proverbs 28-23, we read this, He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue. We might like to hear flattery, but it's slippery and it's not truth.

Humble and sincere honesty is wisely given. And if it's wisely received by us, that's far superior to the slick and manipulative words of the flatterer. And just imagine, if you will, just imagine how miserable we would be right now if God communicated to us only with deceitful flattery instead of speaking truth. Imagine if God never gave us words of correction or rebuke. Imagine if God only said compliments and praise to us. Oh, you lied? Oh, but you're such a good boy.

I think we need to understand how blessed we are that God would never flatter us.

We should not be flattering other people for manipulative means. It doesn't mean we shouldn't be nice. Don't get me wrong. But there's a manipulative, selfish motive behind flattery. Holding our place here, we can look to 1 Thessalonians 2. 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 4-5. You know, God requires His elect, that's us, to speak truth. He expects us to tell people what they need to hear, and what they need to hear is His gospel.

And speaking of truth, that's the approach Paul and the other apostles practice. 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 4-5. Paul states, But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness God has witnessed. They only spoke the truth. And of course, Paul, as well as all the apostles, suffered terribly at the hands of men that did not want to hear the truth. And so God expects us to speak truth, not lies, and certainly not the manipulative deceitfulness of flattery. Like the liar, the unrepentant flatterer will find no place in God's kingdom. It's another type of lying. And so we must avoid the ways of the flatterer. Portrait number 4 is the angry man. The angry man, or the wrathful man, uses his tongue to express that heart-pounding rage that burns deep within him. Of course, my experience has been that not all angry men express anger or wrath in the same way. For some, anger is a red-hot, furious thing. It's often a blast of volatile words and laced with a few foolish expletives. But for other, anger is a nearly silent coldness interspersed with just a few words. But each one of those words is icy and razor-sharp. I've experienced anger like that. And for others, still, anger is a seething cauldron just waiting to be poked or prodded into an eruption. People express anger in different ways. In Proverbs 29 and 22, we need to understand that anger can be hot or cold, in essence. Yet the words expressed in anger will likely not be humble or loving. In verse 22, we read this, Proverbs 29 and 22, An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression and sin. Words spoken in anger will be hurtful and poorly chosen, and they will typically lead to even greater contention and fighting and anger, and eventually to sin. Someone's going to sin when we let ourselves get so angry. Let's also turn to Proverbs 21 and 22. Proverbs 21 and 19.

Now, I've entitled this portrait, The Angry Man, but it's by no means gender-specific. Anger happens to anyone. Proverbs, you see, also speaks of the angry woman.

Proverbs 21 and 19, we read this, Better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and angry woman. I didn't want the men to think they're the only ones allowed, or the only ones that get angry. I've seen both sides. And here we read 21 and 19. I guess we did that better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and angry woman.

Words uncontrolled and spoken in wrath threaten the unity of our home. I think that's part of what it's referring to here. And it can destroy a marriage. A husband can get angry, the wife can get angry. Of course, kids get angry, too. And uncontrolled anger is just a terrible thing. Because if it's left unchecked, it's going to destroy relationships. It destroys trust. In angry people have a knack for stirring up conflict. And oftentimes, when we're angry, our words will lash out and strike at innocent others. Proverbs 15.1, for example, Proverbs 15.1 tells us that a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

If we don't control our emotions, we say things we shouldn't say, and it causes more anger. It causes other people to get angry. We spread it. And so we sin. In other words, we sin whenever we spew out angry and hateful words. And all too often, our failure to soften our emotional reactions causes us to verbally blast away at those we love most, and those who love and care for us, too. And so anger is really an unfair thing. It's really an unfair thing to do to other people. Hold your place here, and we're going to look at Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4, verse 31. We must control our anger and guard our tongues. Ephesians 4, 31. Paul admonishes us, and he says, Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, Paul says. Instead, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God and Christ forgave you. And so whenever our tongues hurt other people, because we haven't kept our anger in check, whenever our tongues hurt others, we must humbly repent and apologize to God. And we also need to repent and apologize to those whom we have hurt. If we do that, then we can be sure that the angry man or the angry woman will not be ruling over our lives. We need to control our tongues.

Portrait number 5 belongs to the scoffer. The scoffer is also known as the mocker. To scoff means to ridicule, to belittle, to despise, and sneer at, and to poke fun at. And usually we kind of screw up our faces and sort of a sneer and point at people or point at things that we mock. The scoffer is a person who speaks to someone or talks about something in a disrespectful or insulting way.

Back in Proverbs 21-24, we find a description, a definition of the scoffer. Proverbs 21-24 describes the scoffer this way, A proud and haughty man, scoffer is his name, he acts with arrogant pride. The scoffer is up above everyone else, it seems, better than others, or at least he thinks he is or she is. This person speaks from a heart-filled abundance of arrogance and pride. Let's also read Proverbs 14-6. Proverbs 14-6.

It's interesting. The scoffer seeks wisdom, but oddly enough, he never finds it, is what we learn here. The scoffer seeks wisdom, Proverbs 14-6. He seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands. It's easy to him who understands to be humble and to turn to God.

Look also at Proverbs 15-12. It connects here. Proverbs 15-12.

This is another oddity. It works in conjunction with Proverbs 14-6. A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, you see, nor will he go to the wise. He's looking for wisdom, but he's not going to go to the wise. He's looking for wisdom, but he's not going to accept correction from anyone.

The scoffer, then, we should understand, does not find wisdom. He does not find wisdom because he already has wisdom. He already has wisdom.

So he thinks. That's what he believes. That's why the scoffer hates to be corrected. The scoffer believes that his own opinions or wisdom is far superior to all others. Of course, he shares his wisdom eagerly with others. So often when he does that, of course, it causes more discord and upset among people. Notice Proverbs 29-8.

Here in Proverbs 29-8, the fiery conflicts the scoffer causes, I think, again, reminds us of James's warning about the unruly tongue. Proverbs 29-8, Scoffers set a city of flame. Scoffers set a city of flame, but wise men turn away wrath. Wise men turn away wrath. And one more here, Proverbs 22-10. Proverbs 22-10 about the scoffer. It's kind of like the gossip. Proverbs 22-10, Cast out the scoffer, and guess what happens?

Contention will leave. Yes, strife and reproach will cease. We cast out the scoffer from our tongue, from our minds and hearts. We might find a little more peace in our lives. Discord ceases when we remove the scoffer, or when we repent of arrogance and pride.

Now, today, it seems to me, the most divisive voices of society belong to scoffers. That's what I'm picking up. They're arrogant and they denigrate, or mock anyone, or anything that's contrary to their wisdom, that's contrary to their values, which typically are not God's values. If you hold your place, let's turn back to Jude 17-19. In Jude 17-19.

There's only one chapter in Jude.

Jude, I guess I should call it verse 17, not chapter. Jude wrote, But you, beloved, it seems to be referring to the end times, of course, or times we are living in, but you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how they told you that there would be mockers or scoffers at the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lust. These are central persons who cause divisions not having the Spirit. God's Spirit is not working with them. God's Spirit is not in them. So, the warning here is that we must reject any trace of the scoffer's arrogance in us. And we must build a right relationship with God. We must utilize God's Holy Spirit with us and in us. In reading verse 20, continuing in verse 20, But you, beloved, that's us, but you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

That is our task, to avoid the scoffer's influence in our lives, to keep ourselves faithfully walking with God and close to God, in prayer, studying His word, living according to His way of life. We do not want to be among the scoffers.

Now, there remains one more portrait for us to view in this gallery of the tongue, we find in Proverbs. And this portrait is an encouraging one to study. Portrait number six is the righteous. If we be turning back to Proverbs chapter 10, please. Proverbs chapter 10. And we will find here several scriptures that present God's perspective on how the righteous and the wicked contrasting them, how they use their words. We're going to start in verse 11, so Proverbs 10 verse 11. Here we read Proverbs 10 verse 11. The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

What we're told here is that the words of the righteous are like cold, fresh water from a deep well. His words refresh and invigorate others. And we'll find here that the righteous are like cold, fresh water from a deep well. His words refresh and invigorate others. His words are a fountain of life, we might say, and a source of well-being. But in contrast, the words of the wicked one are deceitful. It says violence covers the mouth. And what scholarship tells us, in other words, it means his words conceal the injustice he intends. He's hiding what's really in his heart and it's the way of violence. Another word for violence here would be wrong or injustice. Let's also read the same chapter, verse 20. Again, comparing the righteous use of the word and the wicked's use of the word. Proverbs 10, 20, The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, the heart of the wicked is worth little. Now in this verse, the words of the righteous are likened to the finest silver, highly valued and very desirable. But the heart of the wicked has little value.

Now remember, Christ taught that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So the Scripture suggests, then, that the words of the wicked are like his heart, self-seeking and void of any real kindness or love. Now let's read verse 32, the very end of chapter 10. Proverbs 10, 32, We read, The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked knows what is perverse. They're speaking two different sides. So again, we find another critical difference in how the righteous and the wicked use their words. The wicked perverts, again, perverts the truth, again meaning to twist or distort, to make crooked truth, and he does that through lies and gossip and flattery and being angry and scoffing, mocking. The righteous, however, deliberately speak truth because they do discern. They do value the Word of God, and they do believe what he says. They discern God's way of life, and they accept it, and they strive to live by it. The righteous believe and obey God. The righteous believe and obey God. They understand that God holds them accountable for what they do, including how they use their tongues. In fact, let's turn to Matthew 12, verse 35, a variation of what we read at the very beginning from Luke. We didn't read it, I read it to you. Matthew 12, verse 35. Let's read this together, please. Matthew 12, verse 35 through 37. Here's what Jesus taught. Matthew 12, verse 35. Jesus said, A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things. And an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. These are serious words to consider, and words are serious things. And so we mustn't deceive ourselves. We need to remember that what we say does indeed matter. What we say does indeed matter.

Now, of the six portraits of the types of people we have seen, no doubt we want to resemble the righteous. And we do resemble the righteous. We do resemble the righteous if, and there's always an if, we do resemble the righteous if we live a life of repentance and striving to tame our unruly tongues. Now, on the other hand, sad to say, and I include myself, we may have seen some slight resemblance of ourselves in those other unpleasant portraits we looked at.

We saw a little bit of ourselves in the portrait of the liar, or the gossip, or the flatter, the angry man, or the scoffer. Well, if we have, we mustn't let that discourage us. We mustn't let that discourage us. Instead, we should be very grateful to God for allowing us to see these things. We do discern God's Word, and we do understand that God is working with us. And God does hold up a mirror to us, and it's not always a pleasant thing we see in the mirror or in these portraits we've just looked at.

But we should be grateful that these portraits exist and that they have revealed something we need to work on, that they've revealed something that we need to repent of with humility and sincerity before God. And that is a blessing, and we need to thank God for this. With God's forgiveness and the help of His Holy Spirit, His Word tells us that we can, and we will, and we have, and will continue to control our unruly tongues, all to better serve Him and to better serve our neighbor, to serve one another in the church. Now, before we go today, and I'm not done yet, but to help us make good progress in our effort to tame the tongue, I want to share with you with all of us several keys to taming the tongue.

Now, each key is drawn from the book of Proverbs, and to save a little time, I'm going to give you the key in the Proverb. You can jot it down. But here are some keys to taming the tongue, and they're all drawn from the book of Proverbs. The first key is, use words sparingly. Use words sparingly. Proverbs 10.19, in the multitude of words, sin is not lacking. But he who restrains his lips is wise. Well, because we are human, imperfect, we will inevitably, we know it, and we do it, we inevitably will say something hurtful or wrong.

Therefore, the suggestion in this Proverb is that the less we speak, the greater our opportunity to say just the right thing and the better thing. Proverbs 10.19 would encourage us to use our words sparingly. Key number two is, think before speaking. Yeah, I have trouble doing this. Think before speaking. Proverbs 29.20. Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

And of course, those times I've spoken too quick. Yeah, I'm usually abashed afterwards. I spoke too quickly. You know, we can do much harm when we fail to engage our minds before we engage our tongues. I tend to get them reversed. Maybe some of you have that challenge, too. We might not intend to hurt others with their words, but that's what we do sometimes when we give too quick of a response.

We can do just that. So key number two is to think before speaking. Key number three, listen before speaking. That goes together, doesn't it? Listen before speaking. Proverbs 18.13. He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame for him. We could be so eager to speak at times that we really don't hear what the other person says. I've learned that we can be very good talkers, but really terrible at listening. We can be great talkers, but terrible listeners. Again, that's something I'm striving to work at.

There's an old saying I've heard a long time ago, and you've probably heard it, too. It goes like this. It's not biblical, but I think the lesson is very apt. It's an old saying that goes like this. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we ought to listen twice as much as we speak.

Doesn't that make sense? That makes good sense. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we ought to listen twice as much as we speak. So, key number three is listen before speaking. Key number four is be helpful in our words. Proverbs 25 and 11, a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

The most helpful words need to be chosen with care. This is the hard part. Those words need to be given at just the right time and in just the right setting or situation to be of the best benefit for our neighbor, for the one we're trying to help out. So, we need to choose our words with care and then give them at just the right time and the right setting. That is a word fitly spoken that is like apples of gold in settings of silver. A very beautiful thing, indeed a very precious thing when we share words in that way. Key number five, believe God and repent.

Believe God and repent. Proverbs 1620, He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the eternal happy is he. So, we must trust God totally. We must also humbly ask Him for the help of His Holy Spirit. We can't tame our tongue alone. When we do slip and sin with our tongues, we must be quick to repent and apologize to God and apologize to our neighbor. Again, that's key number five, believe God and repent.

So, with God's help, we can tame our unruly tongues. And when we do that, we know that we can be serving God better, and we can be serving our neighbor better and with greater love as well. And so we must. These are things we must be doing. Understanding the ways of the unruly tongue and the righteous tongue help us grasp where we need to repent and where we need to change our ways. And practicing the keys to taming the tongue can help along the way while we are always helping others. And though we will never be perfect speaking humanly, God will help us become more like He is.

So, brethren, a truly amazing future awaits us all. And so I encourage all of us to get busy, to watch our words, to watch our tongues, and let's speak and write, use words in a way that pleases God.