We Glorify God With Our Words, OR Not!

We Glorify God With Our Words

What would life be like if we could not communicate with speech?
What if God sent you a text-message?

God
10/28/07
“ily lets b bffls”

We reflect the image of God by our use of language, glorifying Him and strengthening one another, or not.

1. Language is an awesome gift.
a. Creation was accomplished by God’s Words.
i. And God said.
Gen. 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Gen. 1:6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
Gen. 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
Gen. 1:11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so.
Gen. 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;
Gen. 1:20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”
Gen. 1:24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.
Gen. 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

ii. The remainder of Genesis records what people said.
1. Gen. 2: Adam had the gift of language, as evident by his NAMING of the animals.
2. Gen. 2: Adam spoke to Eve.
3. Gen. 3: Adam did not say enough to Eve.
4. Gen. 3: Adam & Eve spoke to God.
5. Gen. 4: Cain spoke.
6. Gen. 11: People spoke among themselves.

b. The creation was made with full potency, declared with words.
Gen. 1:11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so.
Gen. 1:22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
Gen. 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

c. Speech is a uniquely human gift.
i. Serpent: how was it that the serpent could speak?
1. Some rabbis—perhaps all animals spoke then!
2. Serpent spoke as enabled by Satan.
3. Serpent was a visible manifestation of the Archangel Lucifer/Satan.
ii. What about Koko? [www.koko.org]
1. Many animals have a “language” to communicate basic needs and alarms, but humans have invented alphabets, writing,
2. Can a gorilla speak? No. Understand? Yes.
3. Does this not prove the rule?

For the believer…
d. Speech is a key sign of the Holy Spirit’s work within us!
Eph. 5:18-19 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord…

2. The purpose of the gift of Words
a. The purpose for the gift of speech to Adam…
i. Communicate with God.
ii. Communicate to animals: to “name” is to have dominion.
iii. Communicate with Eve et al.
b. The purpose for the gifts of speech all…
i. To speak the truth in love.
Eph. 4:15 But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head.
Eph. 4:25 ¶ Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
Eph. 4:29 You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Eph. 5:4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving.

ii. To speak words seasoned with grace.
Col. 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.

iii. To build up one another: 21 “one anothers.”

iv. To reveal the state of our hearts.
1. James: compares to a rudder and a bit & bridle;
2. We use words to praise God.
3. We use our tongues to curse his people.

3. The misuse of the gift of Words…
a. Descendants of Adam & Eve used language to plot against God.

Gen. 11:4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

Since then, we have shown similar trouble with our words…

b. We use language for good and for evil.
James 3:9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God’s image.

c. Our words reflect the condition of our hearts.
[Psychiatrist Paul Meyer: everything we say is true.]
Application: Listen to yourself for one day: you will self-discover what is in your heart.

Matt. 12:34 …For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart.

Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasury of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills his heart.

Transition: That’s the difficulty, we are all evil; our problem is…

d. We will be held accountable for all that we say.
Matt. 12:36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.

If our words do indeed reflect the state of our heart:
And if we will give an account for every word:
Then…
4. The solution to this grave dilemma…

a. Own your words, “I did say that!”
Matt. 12:34 …For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart.

b. Glorify God with your words…
Col. 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

i. Calligraphers: illustrate!
ii. Linguists: analyse!
iii. Philosophers: experiment!
iv. Attorneys: argue!
v. Writers: write!
vi. Poets: compose!
vii. Speakers: communicate!
viii. Teachers: inform!
ix. Believers: encourage, speak mercy, bear one another’s burdens, exhort, admonish, teach, love…

Transition: This is all very difficult to do, BECAUSE…
James 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual, able to control the entire body as well.

c. Look to the Perfect Man, The Word.
They called Jesus “the Word” because he is the perfect expression of the Father.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
John 1:5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

i. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
ii. When we give an account for every word, THE WORD will give an account for us!
1. Our Redeemer, Jesus.
Psa. 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Our Redeemer then becomes…
2. Our Advocate!
1John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous…
2:2 He is the offering for our sins; and not for ours only, but for all the world.

Conclusion:
We reflect the image of God by our use of language, glorifying Him and strengthening one another, or not.