WISDOM SERIES
Proverbs #15
Pastor Mike Barnett,
Proverbs 15:1-7 (pg. 459)
says:
1
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
3 The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
5 A fool spurns his father's
discipline,
but whoever heeds correction shows
prudence.
6 The house of the righteous contains great treasure,
but the income of the wicked brings them
trouble.
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not so the hearts of fools.
V.
1 – 1 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
·
A gentle
answer turns away wrath like the way Gideon calmed the anger of the men of
Ephraim.
·
A Harsh word
stirs up anger like Nabal’s sarcastic response put
David in a fighting mood.
1
Samuel 25:10-13 says:
10 Nabal answered David's servants,
"Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking
away from their masters these days. 11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have
slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows
where?"
12 David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived,
they reported every word. 13 David said to his men, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their
swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while
two hundred stayed with the supplies.
·
We know the
end of the story that David and his men were victorious.
·
Clearly there
a times to be bold and direct.
·
Jesus was as
bold as a Lion and gentle as a Dove and he knew when to be which.
·
Jesus used
the strongest language in his denunciation of the Pharisees.
·
Jesus also
knew that there is a time for the very gracious, soft answer.
V.
2 – “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly”.
·
Jesus was
wise enough to know when to be _________________(bold)
as a _______________________(lion) and he knew when to be
______________________(gentle) as a _________________________(dove).
NOTE:
There is more said in the Bible about the abuse of the tongue that about the
abuse of alcohol.
·
The word of
God condemns drunkenness but even more severely condemns the abuse of the
tongue.
·
That little
tongue of yours will tell people who you really are – it will give you away.
·
Jesus said
that the _____________________(Words) that come out of
your _______________________(mouth), are the __________________________(overflow)
of what is in your ______________________(heart).
Luke
6:41-45 (pg. 729)
41"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's
eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42How
can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,'
when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first
take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the
speck from your brother's eye. 43"No good tree
bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each
tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The
good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart,
and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For
out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
·
To know
____________________(what) is in your heart, pay
attention to what comes out of your _______________________(mouth) - If God is
really in your heart, then he will come out in your
_______________________(speech).
·
EVERYDAY
REPRESENTS A NEW CHOICE AND A
·
“GOD’S
MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING”
·
“TODAY IS THE
DAY OF SALVATION”
·
THE MORE YOU
FEED YOUR MIND ON GOD’S TRUTH THE MORE IT WILL COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH.
·
WHATEVER YOU
FOCUS YOUR _________________(MIND) ON WILL EVENTUALLY
COME OUT OF YOUR ___________________(MOUTH).
Philippians
4:4-8 (pg. 832) says:
4Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will
say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phillippians 4:4-8
2
Corinthians 10:5 says:
5We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ.
·
Although the
tongue can get us into a lot of trouble, it can get us out of trouble too. It
can be a blessing or a curse.
·
A Harsh word
given to a person is usually __________________________(reciprocated)
back to the __________________________(giver).
Galatians
6:7-10 says:
7Do
not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that
nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to
please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper
time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore,
as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who
belong to the family of believers.
·
A gentle
answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger. V.1
·
If you speak
harsh words to others in most cases you will ____________________(receive) harsh words back…unless you are fortunate enough
to be encountering a ____________________(mature) person who is in
_______________________(control) of their emotions.
This
is because…
·
In life,
__________________(like) attracts (like), you will
___________________(reap) what you ____________________(sow) in life.
·
In life, you will ______________________(attract) more of the __________________(thoughts) you
think about and more of the ________________________(words) you speak about.
·
The Bible
tells us not to complain or grumble for two important reasons: 1) It does not
____________________(glorify) God and 2) You will receive
___________________(more) things you do not want to complain and grumble about.
Philippians
2:14-16 says:
14Do
everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you
may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and
depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[a] the word of life.
·
As a rule of
thumb, you will generally receive more of what you think about whether you want
it or not, so be careful what you dwell on.
·
If you are a
positive person, you will attract more positive ___________________(thoughts), more positive _______________(words) and more
positive ______________________(people) and more positive ______________________(circumstances)
in your life.
·
If you are a
__________________(negative) person, you will attract
more ______________________(negative) thoughts, more negative words and more
negative people and more negative circumstances in your life.
·
If you wait
to love people before they are ___________________(nice)
to you, you could be _________________________(waiting) for a long time.
·
People will
be kind to you ______________________(after) you are
considerate and interested in them.
·
In the long
term, how people treat you is often times just a _________________________(mirror) to let you know how you are ________________________
generally (treating) people.
Galatians
6:7-10 says:
7Do
not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that
nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to
please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper
time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore,
as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who
belong to the family of believers.
·
THE GOLDEN
RULE SAYS: TREAT _____________________(OTHERS) THE _____________________(SAME)
WAY YOU ________________(WANT) PEOPLE TO TREAT ________________(YOU) BECAUSE IT
WILL ABSOLUTELY _____________________(HAPPEN) THAT WAY!
Matthew
12So
in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums
up the Law and the Prophets.
·
The Proverb
tells us that is possible to break the negative ___________________(cycle) of ___________________________(reaping) a bad
harvest.
·
Instead of
complaining about the ugly harvest you are reaping, sow a better seed.
·
It is ____________________________(impossible) to reap a “Angry Harvest” if you are
consistently ____________________________(sowing) a “Love seed”.
1
Corinthians 13:4-8 says:
4Love
is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not
easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will
cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge,
it will pass away.
Proverbs 15:1-4 says:
1
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
3 The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
V.3
·
When you are
all alone behind closed doors you may think that nobody is watching you, but
God is watching and He sees everything you do!
·
GOD KNOWS EVERY
______________________(THOUGHT) YOU
______________________(THINK), EVERY ______________________(WORD) YOU
______________________(SPEAK) AND EVERY ______________________(ACTION) YOU EVER
__________(DO).
·
YOUR TRUE
____________________(CHARACTER) IS WHO YOU ARE WHEN
___________________(NOBODY) IS _______________________(LOOKING).
·
Remember when
Moses saw an Egyptian beating one of his Israelite brothers enslaved.
·
He looked in
each direction and then he killed the Egyptian thinking that nobody saw him.
·
But God knew
– Our lives are open books before Him.
·
What is
secret sin down here on earth is open scandal in Heaven.
·
“The eyes of
the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
·
This chapter
contrasts goodness and evil and emphasizes first the role of tongue, then of
the heart.
·
THE THINGS WE
DO WHEN NOBODY IS LOOKING CAN OFTEN TIMES ________________________(NEGATIVELY)
INFLUENCE OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND BRING CONFLICT – THE TEMPTATION IS TO FOCUS ON
THE CONFLICT, BUT WE SHOULD REALLY FOCUS ON ______________________(CHANGING)
OUR ______________________BEHAVIOR) WHEN NOBODY IS LOOKING!
HOW TO SOW SEEDS OF LOVE IN A BARRREN HARVEST FIELD.
1)
REALIZE
LOVE _____________________(ORIGINATES) WITH GOD AND
____________________(STARTS) WITH YOU, NOT THE OTHER PERSON BECAUSE LOVE IS
ALWAYS A ______________________(CHOICE).
2)
PUT
_________________________(SPACE) BETWEEN STIMULAS AND
RESPONSE LIKE PRAYER, PRAISING AND BIBLE
3)
DO NOT
COMPLAIN, GRUMBLE OR GOSSIP ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT YOUR RELATIONS WITH OTHERS ARE
BECAUSE YOU WILL GET MORE OF THAT BEHAVIOR YOU DON’T WANT BY
_________________________(DWELLING) ON IT – IN LIFE YOU GENERALLY
_________________________(RECEIVE) WHAT YOU _________________________(THINK)
ABOUT ALL DAY LONG!
Philippians
4:4-8 says:
4Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will
say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
2
Corinthians 10:5 says:
5We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ.
4)
INSTEAD OF CURSING THE PERSON WHO IS HURTING YOU BY RETALIATING AND FIGHTING
FIRE WITH FIRE – _______________________(BLESS) THEM
INSTEAD BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT IS MEANS TO BE A
__________________________(CHRISTIAN).
1
Peter 3:8-15 (pg. 858) says:
8Finally,
all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers,
be compassionate and humble. 9Do
not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to
this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
11He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[a]
13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer
for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear[b]; do not be frightened."[c] 15But in your hearts
set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who
asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with
gentleness and respect,
·
In Christ, it
is possible to not give the negativity and immaturity back – the cycle can be
broken.
·
It is
possible to be self controlled.
5)
PRAY FOR _____________________ _________________________
_______________________HOLY SPIRIT POWER AND _____________________(BELIEVE) YOU HAVE ALREADY _____________________(RECEIVED)
IT BECAUSE IN CHRIST YOU HAVE!
Galatians
5:16-24 (pg. 826) says:
6So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the
sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit,
and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with
each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But
if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual
immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and
witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies,
and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will
not inherit the
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Tho