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Speaker: we're in Proverbs,
uh, 10, Proverbs 10, so you

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can make your way over there.

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We're gonna be talking about
words this week, about words

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written, spoken, all of the above.

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But I took a quiz this week, actually.

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Uh, I haven't taken a quiz in a while.

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I took a quiz this week, um, and the
quiz was, "Should you start a podcast?"

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That was the quiz I took.

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Um, and it was two questions long.

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And, uh, the answer to the quiz, uh,
well, the, the question was, uh, "Do you

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have something to say that no one else in
the history of the world has ever said?"

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Uh, if it was yes, then it
said, uh, "You shouldn't start

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a podcast because you're lying."

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And if it was no, the, uh, you shouldn't
start a podcast 'cause everyone's

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already talked about what you said.

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Anyway, it was a funny quiz
because, uh, uh, I don't know

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if you know this, there are 4.5

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million podcasts in the world.

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4.5

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million podcasts.

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Everyone's got a podcast, apparently.

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And, um, Americans, I researched
this, listen to 70 s- or sorry, 773

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million hours of podcasts per week.

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773 million hours of podcasts are
listened to in America per week, which

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is 32 million days worth of podcasts in
a week, um, which is also 88,000 years.

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88,000 years of podcasts are listened
to every week in, in America.

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And, um, if you take average words
per minute of 150, which is average

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for average talking speed for most
podcasters, it's seven trillion words.

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So that means that America, as a
country, listens to seven trillion

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words every single week, which is crazy.

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And that's not including songs.

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That's not including TV.

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That's not including
friends and conversations.

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That's just podcasts.

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So the- our country listens to
seven trillion words every week.

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And now those words, right, some of
them are super helpful, some of them

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are garbage, some of them are useful,
some of them are inspirational,

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some of them are just fun, right?

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But there's a lot of words out there.

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And, uh, your words, right?

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You speak about, uh, 700 times,
depending on the average, a day.

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Uh, you speak about 7,000 words to
anywhere to maybe 20,000 words per day.

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Your words can be worthless
or they can be priceless.

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They can … Or they can be anywhere in
between, but they're never meaningless

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because your words always matter.

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Whether you think they do or
not, your words always matter.

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And what we're gonna see tonight
is that you have a responsibility,

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I have a responsibility to use my
words in a valuable way, a way that,

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that is important, a way that's
helpful, a way that's meaningful.

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Okay?

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So we're gonna be in Proverbs 10:20.

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Okay.

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And here's what it says.

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It says, "The tongue," right, the
… That's a metaphor for the words, "of a,

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of a righteous person is choice silver."

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Right?

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It's, like, super awesome.

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It's valuable.

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It's important.

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It's great.

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"But the heart of the
wicked is of little worth."

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Right?

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So not very important.

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Not very helpful.

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Not very valuable, right?

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Worthless.

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You don't even care

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What we see here is that your
words can be impactful and good,

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or they can be worthless, right?

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No one should listen to you ever.

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And what we're gonna see is that
your words actually aren't just

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more or less helpful to some people.

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They're actually even
more important than that.

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Um, what Proverbs says, um, is that death
and life are at stake with your words.

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Maybe you don't think about
that, but that's our first point.

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We're, don't underestimate
the power of words.

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Don't underes- u- don't
underestimate the power of words

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They can't just be…

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They're, they're valuable, right?

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But they're also impactful.

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They also accomplish things

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Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life
are in the power of the tongue."

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Right?

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You, with your speech, are
making life or death decisions,

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potentially, with how you talk.

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Right?

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It could be physical.

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Right?

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We saw that in the news
a couple months ago.

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There was someone your age
who died because of words.

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There was a conversation
at a high school, right?

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That, uh … There was the, the news … I
mean, this happened a year ago, right?

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But the, the news was two months
ago that they finally had the trial.

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But, um, that started with words.

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Right?

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That didn't start with a war.

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It didn't start with, um, actions.

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It started with things that were said.

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And it resulted in someone killing
someone, a high schooler killing

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another high schooler, right?

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So words can have a big impact.

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Right?

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Death and life are in
the power of the tongue.

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But not just in their impact, but
also in how they affect people.

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Right?

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When you open your mouth, you are
either moving people in a life direction

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or in a death direction, right?

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We've talked about this
in the Book of Proverbs.

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There's like two paths, right?

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There's the, the life
path, which is God's way.

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Right?

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God says, "If you follow me and my
instructions for you, my directions,

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my wisdom," it gives you life.

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Right?

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Not just like, oh, you live
forever or you live really long,

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but life in terms of quality.

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Right?

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God loves you, and His, p- His
words for you, right, His wisdom

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for you, is for your good.

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Right?

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That's why He gives us commands,
and that's why He gives us wisdom,

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instruction, is for, for us to live
His way, which is the best way to live.

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Or your words are moving people in
the opposite direction, the death

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direction, away from the Lord.

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They're, they're bringing
… They're tearing people down.

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They're discouraging people
from paying attention to God.

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Right?

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They're distracting people from God.

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Your words are, are doing one
of two things at all times.

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They're, they're moving
people one way or the other.

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Maybe you don't think about
it, but similar idea here.

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Proverbs 10:11.

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"The mouth of the righteous
is a fountain of life."

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Right?

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Someone who is speaking
God's way is life giving.

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Right?

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You wanna be around them.

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They're, they're the type of
person whose words help you.

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They're u- important to you.

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They mean good things for you.

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They push you in the right direction.

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You talk about the right type of things.

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They make you excited for things
that you should be excited about.

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But the mouth of the
wicked conceals violence.

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Right?

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Then maybe they're just talking.

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Maybe you think, oh, it's just … They're
just fun to hang out with or they're

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really funny or I like listening to them.

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But really what they're doing is they're
attacking you because they're distracting

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you from the Lord or they're promoting
things that replace God in your life.

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And that's not just, oh, yeah, that's
good for some people, good for others.

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It's actually violent.

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That's bad for you.

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It's killing you.

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That's what's happening when people talk.

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They're either giving life or they're
attacking you, or they're either

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healing you or tearing you down.

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And your words are doing the
same thing to other people.

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Every time you talk, you are
either giving someone life or

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you are being violent to them.

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You're hurting them by
the things that you say.

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Right?

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There's, there's a life direction
and a, and a death direction, right?

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There's no neutral direction, right?

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It made me think of…

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I don't know if you guys played Mario
Kart back on the Wii, you know, but

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you remember Toad Factory with the,
the things on the ground, right?

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You wanted to be on, on this one, right?

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Ex- unless you got hit by
that, then that would be bad.

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But you wanna be moving in,
like, the good direction, right?

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You want the boost, right?

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You don't wanna be going this way,
'cause then you're going backward.

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If you just want the safe route,
you're like, "Oh, I'm just gonna go

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in the middle and not worry about
the things that flatten you," right?

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That was, that's what
some people did, right?

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You, you play it safe.

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You don't worry about it.

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This person obviously stinks
at Mario Kart, so they don't

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know what they're doing.

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But in, in your words, your
conversations, there's no middle ground.

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There's no regular road.

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There's only this one or that one.

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Every word you say is either like
this, pushing people forward, giving

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them life, or it's pushing them
back, distracting them from God.

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There's, there's not this
regular road with your words.

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There's only one or the other.

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There's only two options.

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That's what I want you to see, is y-
y- when you talk to someone or when you

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talk about someone or when you listen
to someone, right, those words are

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either the green arrows, saying, "This
is life-giving," or they're the red

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arrows, saying, "This is killing you."

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There's only two options, right?

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You can't just play it safe and,
"Oh, I'm just not gonna talk about

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anything meaningful," and that's fine.

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Right?

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'Cause that's actually distracting
people from God, right?

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Your words are powerful, and
so is your listening, right?

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Your listening, what you listen
to, is also related to words.

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Your listening really shapes who you are.

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You're a product of all the words
that have ever been said to you.

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You think about that?

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Every single word that's ever been
said to you has conveyed an idea

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or a tone or a value, and it's
shaped you into who you are today.

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You're like a, like a pot of soup, and
everyone's been pouring ingredients

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in with their words your whole life.

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And the, the flavor you are, right,
the type of soup you are, is a

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product of all the ingredients
that have been poured in there.

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All the words that you've ever
listened to, all the sentences, all

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the ideas, all the paragraphs, all
the, all the things you've read, all

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the things you've watched, all the
things you've heard, have shaped you.

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Your listening is really you
becoming who you're gonna be.

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Every time you listen to something,
you're making a decision.

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Who am I going to be?

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Your words have power, and other
people's words have power, too.

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And that's what God wants you to
see, that words are one of the

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most important things in your life.

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Maybe you think, "Well, my words aren't…

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don't seem like that," right?

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"They don't seem like they're doing much.

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I speak and no one listens," or, "I
speak and people make fun of me," or, "I

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speak and maybe sometimes people listen."

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But little by little, they
are accomplishing something.

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They're shaping you.

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They're shaping others.

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And that's what God wants you to see,
is that your words have power, right?

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They impact people, and
you are impacted as well.

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And the reason your words are so important
is because they're related to your heart.

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You notice this in Proverbs, there's
the, there's always the parallel, right?

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There's like first half, second half.

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And so we've got, okay, little worth is
contrasted with choice silver, right?

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So th- those are the same kind of idea.

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Silver is good.

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Little worth is bad, right?

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So it's parallel, contrast, right?

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Wicked, righteous.

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Okay.

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So, so far these are all opposites,
but they're, they're related, right?

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And then we have tongue and heart.

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What God says about your words
and your heart is that your

240
00:10:55,156 --> 00:10:57,196
words reveal who you really are.

241
00:10:58,336 --> 00:11:00,576
And you're gonna see this in your
small group questions, but what Jesus

242
00:11:00,576 --> 00:11:06,276
says is that you know someone's heart
from what they say and how they say it

243
00:11:08,740 --> 00:11:12,040
So your words and your heart
are inseparable, right?

244
00:11:12,050 --> 00:11:15,700
Your words reveal who you really
are, what you love, what you think is

245
00:11:15,700 --> 00:11:16,800
important, what you care about, right?

246
00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:17,220
That's your heart.

247
00:11:17,250 --> 00:11:21,540
When you read s- heart in the Bible,
it's kind of the center of who you are.

248
00:11:21,980 --> 00:11:26,190
Your loves, your values, your desires,
your ambitions, that's your heart.

249
00:11:27,810 --> 00:11:32,280
And so the parallel is not, oh, the
words of the wicked are of little

250
00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,760
worth, the heart is, because the
heart and the words are connected.

251
00:11:35,310 --> 00:11:40,210
They're, they're interchangeable
in this sentence because what we're

252
00:11:40,210 --> 00:11:45,190
trying to see here is that your
words come from your heart, right?

253
00:11:45,190 --> 00:11:46,930
Your heart is the source of your words.

254
00:11:46,930 --> 00:11:50,969
And so point two is focus
on the source of your words

255
00:11:55,652 --> 00:11:57,152
Focus on the source of your words, right?

256
00:11:57,152 --> 00:12:01,152
Your words come from your heart, and
they show what your heart is really like

257
00:12:04,270 --> 00:12:06,160
I don't know if you've ever, uh,
you've ever said something and you

258
00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:07,140
said, "Oh, I didn't really mean that."

259
00:12:08,530 --> 00:12:08,610
Right?

260
00:12:08,620 --> 00:12:10,740
You, you ever say something and
you're like, "Oh, th- that's,

261
00:12:10,780 --> 00:12:11,890
that's not really what I meant."

262
00:12:12,630 --> 00:12:12,820
Right?

263
00:12:12,820 --> 00:12:19,200
Which sometimes maybe is true, but
really you did mean to say it, right?

264
00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:21,590
Maybe you didn't mean to mean it the
way the other person thought you meant

265
00:12:21,590 --> 00:12:23,590
it, but you did mean to say it, right?

266
00:12:23,770 --> 00:12:28,420
Or maybe … I remember when I was,
um, when I was in first grade, someone

267
00:12:28,430 --> 00:12:30,010
taught me all the bad words, right?

268
00:12:30,030 --> 00:12:31,420
There was a kid at my school.

269
00:12:31,810 --> 00:12:33,320
This is why parents homeschool their kids.

270
00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:36,519
There's a kid at my school, he
taught me all the bad words, right?

271
00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:38,290
So now they're, they're in me, right?

272
00:12:38,319 --> 00:12:38,870
I know them.

273
00:12:39,569 --> 00:12:44,559
And, um, me being a first grader
and being selfish and, and being a

274
00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:49,429
sinner, right, I decided to use them
and attack people with my words.

275
00:12:49,729 --> 00:12:53,150
Now, did the words, did learning
the bad words make me a bad kid?

276
00:12:54,819 --> 00:12:55,159
No.

277
00:12:55,650 --> 00:12:55,930
Right?

278
00:12:56,159 --> 00:12:59,129
I was a bad kid before I
had the bad words, right?

279
00:12:59,269 --> 00:13:02,269
The bad words just gave me weapons, right?

280
00:13:02,269 --> 00:13:07,340
But I was already a selfish, a selfish
kid who wanted to put people down, right?

281
00:13:07,389 --> 00:13:10,140
But now I just decided to, to,
you know, use the, the nuclear

282
00:13:10,140 --> 00:13:13,660
weapons of the playground and attack
people with my bad words, right?

283
00:13:14,050 --> 00:13:15,279
The words didn't make me bad.

284
00:13:15,949 --> 00:13:18,620
I was already bad, and now
I'm just using them, right?

285
00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:23,239
The words gave me an opportunity
to exercise my badness, right?

286
00:13:23,769 --> 00:13:24,759
It came from my heart.

287
00:13:26,069 --> 00:13:28,609
Someone didn't just drop the, the
bad words into me and be like,

288
00:13:28,609 --> 00:13:29,729
"Oh, now Lewis is a bad kid."

289
00:13:30,809 --> 00:13:31,109
No.

290
00:13:31,410 --> 00:13:31,640
Right?

291
00:13:31,669 --> 00:13:35,109
I was already a bad kid, and the
bad words gave me a way to express

292
00:13:35,109 --> 00:13:41,492
that in a even more obvious way Your
words always come from your heart.

293
00:13:42,222 --> 00:13:44,822
No one just drops the words in
your mouth, and you're like,

294
00:13:44,822 --> 00:13:45,822
"Oh, where did that come from?"

295
00:13:46,752 --> 00:13:47,482
It came from you.

296
00:13:48,612 --> 00:13:52,152
Right, when you say something, or
maybe the tone you said it with, right?

297
00:13:52,722 --> 00:13:56,292
When some- if you're driving and
someone cuts you off, that tone didn't

298
00:13:56,292 --> 00:13:57,732
come from that person cutting you off.

299
00:13:57,792 --> 00:13:59,372
It came from you, from your heart.

300
00:14:00,842 --> 00:14:03,532
Or when you drop something or someone
annoys you and you snap at them,

301
00:14:04,922 --> 00:14:09,802
that tone didn't come from, "Oh,
that, my brother's really annoying.

302
00:14:09,802 --> 00:14:10,562
I just can't help it."

303
00:14:11,462 --> 00:14:14,871
No, that, that anger in your
tone or the frustration came

304
00:14:14,872 --> 00:14:16,362
from you, from your heart.

305
00:14:17,841 --> 00:14:18,001
Right?

306
00:14:18,001 --> 00:14:18,842
They didn't make you do it.

307
00:14:19,702 --> 00:14:21,702
They just gave you an
opportunity to express that.

308
00:14:23,481 --> 00:14:26,072
And so when we wanna talk about
our words, what we really wanna

309
00:14:26,072 --> 00:14:28,962
talk about is our heart, 'cause
that's where everything comes from.

310
00:14:29,931 --> 00:14:30,061
Right?

311
00:14:30,062 --> 00:14:33,581
If you wanna change your, your words,
you need to start with the heart.

312
00:14:33,681 --> 00:14:36,262
'Cause you can just change all
the external words, and it's

313
00:14:36,262 --> 00:14:37,222
not gonna do much for you.

314
00:14:38,422 --> 00:14:41,021
It's kinda like when I, when I thought
of the word source, um, 'cause we were

315
00:14:41,021 --> 00:14:42,251
talking about Minecraft last week.

316
00:14:42,612 --> 00:14:45,252
Um, you ever, you know when you
play Minecraft, and you see lava?

317
00:14:45,771 --> 00:14:46,101
Right?

318
00:14:46,601 --> 00:14:51,342
And, uh, you gotta get the source
block to stop the lava, right?

319
00:14:51,542 --> 00:14:53,991
'Cause if you got a bucket,
you can't pick up all the lava.

320
00:14:54,101 --> 00:14:56,271
You, if you do the, if you pick,
try to pick up the lava and the

321
00:14:56,271 --> 00:14:57,421
bucket, it doesn't take it away.

322
00:14:57,442 --> 00:14:58,452
The lava just stays there.

323
00:14:59,131 --> 00:15:02,861
You have to find this, there's one block
that's like the source block of the lava.

324
00:15:03,501 --> 00:15:06,631
You pick that up, all the lava goes away.

325
00:15:07,332 --> 00:15:07,662
Right?

326
00:15:07,792 --> 00:15:10,611
If you climbed to the top of this
thing and found the source block

327
00:15:10,612 --> 00:15:14,512
and picked up the, the lava,
all the lava goes away, right?

328
00:15:16,112 --> 00:15:17,781
I don't even know if
you guys play Minecraft.

329
00:15:18,241 --> 00:15:19,191
I know some of you do.

330
00:15:19,191 --> 00:15:19,221
I love it.

331
00:15:20,071 --> 00:15:20,931
Okay, great.

332
00:15:21,442 --> 00:15:23,521
I was unsure if, like, you guys
were too cool for Minecraft, you

333
00:15:23,521 --> 00:15:24,851
move on to bigger and better things.

334
00:15:25,211 --> 00:15:27,011
No one's too cool for Minecraft, okay?

335
00:15:27,501 --> 00:15:29,052
You'll find that, same with Pokémon.

336
00:15:29,091 --> 00:15:30,391
Now, like, Pokémon's coming back.

337
00:15:30,931 --> 00:15:31,851
You're never too cool for that.

338
00:15:31,961 --> 00:15:35,881
Anyway, point is, right, you
can try to change your words.

339
00:15:35,881 --> 00:15:38,502
You can be like, "Well, I'm just not gonna
s- I'm just, you know, gonna substitute,

340
00:15:38,731 --> 00:15:42,941
you know, that word that kinda sounds
like a cuss word for, for instead, and

341
00:15:42,942 --> 00:15:44,432
that way it's gonna, like, be better."

342
00:15:45,251 --> 00:15:46,771
It's like, okay, well, that
doesn't change your heart, right?

343
00:15:46,771 --> 00:15:49,401
That's you just taking your bucket and
trying to take up this lava, right?

344
00:15:49,401 --> 00:15:50,071
It's not doing anything.

345
00:15:51,981 --> 00:15:55,492
You're like, "Well, okay, I, I
said dang instead of," you know,

346
00:15:55,501 --> 00:15:57,212
or, "I said gosh instead of…"

347
00:15:57,632 --> 00:15:57,972
Right?

348
00:15:58,651 --> 00:16:01,382
Not helping, because it's,
it's about the heart,

349
00:16:03,401 --> 00:16:03,751
right?

350
00:16:04,821 --> 00:16:07,131
To change your words, you really
need to change your heart.

351
00:16:07,821 --> 00:16:10,452
Because if you weren't selfish
and angry at people, you

352
00:16:10,452 --> 00:16:11,751
wouldn't even need those words.

353
00:16:16,932 --> 00:16:20,772
So if you try to, maybe you just say,
"Oh, well, I'm just not gonna say those

354
00:16:20,772 --> 00:16:22,362
words around those type of people," right?

355
00:16:23,222 --> 00:16:27,132
Again, not a, not a heart solution, right?

356
00:16:27,322 --> 00:16:30,952
You're just trying to, trying to
block the lava in or, or, you know,

357
00:16:30,962 --> 00:16:32,222
take the lava out from the sides

358
00:16:36,196 --> 00:16:42,165
Your heart is really what, what
you see when your words come out.

359
00:16:43,396 --> 00:16:48,756
So if you see a lot of complaining words
in your life, that's a heart problem.

360
00:16:49,286 --> 00:16:51,526
You're ungrateful, right?

361
00:16:51,606 --> 00:16:56,316
Or if you see a lot of, a lot
of angry words or impatient

362
00:16:56,316 --> 00:16:58,126
words, that's a heart problem.

363
00:16:58,856 --> 00:17:01,206
That's not a, "Well, I just
need to stop yelling at people."

364
00:17:01,946 --> 00:17:02,126
It's like…

365
00:17:02,526 --> 00:17:03,616
Or stop complaining.

366
00:17:04,205 --> 00:17:06,096
It's like, yeah, well,
you need a grateful heart.

367
00:17:06,276 --> 00:17:06,955
That's what you need.

368
00:17:08,185 --> 00:17:09,596
You don't just need to stop complaining

369
00:17:11,811 --> 00:17:16,612
So what happens is kinda like you're a
cup, and when you get bumped, what's in,

370
00:17:16,642 --> 00:17:19,902
what's inside your heart comes out, right?

371
00:17:20,031 --> 00:17:22,372
So the, the bumps, right,
that's maybe stress.

372
00:17:22,382 --> 00:17:25,012
You're, you're just like, "Oh, I was just
so stressed I just snapped and I got mad."

373
00:17:25,771 --> 00:17:29,082
It's like, well, the stress just
drew out that from your heart.

374
00:17:29,122 --> 00:17:29,962
It was already there.

375
00:17:30,442 --> 00:17:31,442
The stress didn't create that.

376
00:17:32,062 --> 00:17:36,292
Or maybe when you're happy, maybe when
you're happy, you get really selfish.

377
00:17:37,332 --> 00:17:39,412
Maybe you're, you're happy,
you forget about other people,

378
00:17:40,322 --> 00:17:41,342
or you forget about God.

379
00:17:42,812 --> 00:17:46,771
That's bumping you, and it's showing
you, oh, I'm actually just selfish.

380
00:17:47,632 --> 00:17:49,322
I forget about God when things go well.

381
00:17:51,161 --> 00:17:54,712
Or maybe you're, you,
there's conflict, right?

382
00:17:54,712 --> 00:17:58,152
There's a, there's a problem with
someone, and, and you s- try, you

383
00:17:58,152 --> 00:18:01,091
start gossiping about them, right?

384
00:18:01,101 --> 00:18:03,181
That's coming out of your heart.

385
00:18:03,222 --> 00:18:06,652
The conflict bumped you,
and now the gossip came out.

386
00:18:07,002 --> 00:18:07,862
The gossip was already in there.

387
00:18:09,112 --> 00:18:10,292
The conflict didn't create that.

388
00:18:11,781 --> 00:18:13,231
And obviously it goes
with good things as well.

389
00:18:13,252 --> 00:18:17,381
Maybe there you have a success in your
life and, and now you're, you're bragging.

390
00:18:18,401 --> 00:18:21,032
The bragging is a result of
the pride being in your heart

391
00:18:21,602 --> 00:18:24,972
before the success came, right?

392
00:18:24,972 --> 00:18:26,942
So it's, it's always a heart issue.

393
00:18:28,251 --> 00:18:30,972
And maybe you're thinking, well,
why do I care so much about words?

394
00:18:30,972 --> 00:18:34,051
It's like, you know, y- people say
actions speak louder than words, right?

395
00:18:34,051 --> 00:18:35,352
Isn't that, isn't that more important?

396
00:18:35,361 --> 00:18:38,271
Isn't there a parable that Jesus said
about, you know, isn't it better to be

397
00:18:38,272 --> 00:18:41,821
the guy who said he wouldn't obey and
then obeyed versus the guy who said

398
00:18:41,821 --> 00:18:43,611
he would obey and then didn't obey?

399
00:18:43,651 --> 00:18:44,651
Isn't that in the Bible?

400
00:18:44,661 --> 00:18:45,361
What about that?

401
00:18:46,661 --> 00:18:52,601
Well, if you think about that, deceptive
words are also from your heart, right?

402
00:18:52,831 --> 00:18:55,092
So if you're saying, "Well, you
know, I know my words aren't very

403
00:18:55,092 --> 00:18:58,221
Christian," or, "My words aren't very
humble," or, "My words aren't very

404
00:18:58,221 --> 00:18:59,702
loving, but my actions really are."

405
00:19:01,868 --> 00:19:07,098
Well then, that's showing that
your heart is divided because your

406
00:19:07,098 --> 00:19:09,068
words are saying one thing and your
actions are saying the other thing.

407
00:19:09,598 --> 00:19:12,618
So your deceptive, divided
words are actually coming from

408
00:19:12,618 --> 00:19:13,978
a deceptive and divided heart.

409
00:19:14,818 --> 00:19:17,108
So maybe you're like, "Well, you
know, I really care about them, but…

410
00:19:17,448 --> 00:19:20,408
And, and they know I love them, but I
just say really mean things to them."

411
00:19:24,004 --> 00:19:25,174
That's a heart problem.

412
00:19:26,924 --> 00:19:29,304
Because if you really cared about them,
you would also love them with your

413
00:19:29,304 --> 00:19:30,824
words, not just your actions, right?

414
00:19:33,476 --> 00:19:35,676
It's like, well, yeah, yeah, I,
my siblings know I love them,

415
00:19:35,676 --> 00:19:38,286
and I just, you know, say mean
things to them all the time.

416
00:19:38,456 --> 00:19:40,046
Or my friends, you know, we
just mess with each other.

417
00:19:40,046 --> 00:19:41,026
We're, you know, we don't really mean it.

418
00:19:41,036 --> 00:19:41,816
They know I don't mean it.

419
00:19:42,936 --> 00:19:43,116
Right?

420
00:19:43,116 --> 00:19:44,726
That's a heart problem.

421
00:19:45,356 --> 00:19:48,246
Because if you really love them, you
would love them with your words, and you'd

422
00:19:48,276 --> 00:19:49,666
make it really obvious that you care.

423
00:19:50,486 --> 00:19:54,286
You wouldn't leave them guessing, "Oh,
well, yeah, I, I guess they s- they might

424
00:19:54,286 --> 00:19:57,856
love me because they say they really love
me, but they make fun of me all the time,

425
00:19:57,856 --> 00:19:58,976
and they tear me down all the time."

426
00:20:02,756 --> 00:20:05,076
So if you say one thing but live
another thing, that, that means

427
00:20:05,076 --> 00:20:06,596
your heart's divided too, right?

428
00:20:06,596 --> 00:20:11,796
So yes, actions do speak louder
than words, but your words still

429
00:20:11,796 --> 00:20:16,176
matter because your words are also
speaking as well as your actions.

430
00:20:17,206 --> 00:20:20,926
So that leaves us, right, what do
I do about my words then, right?

431
00:20:20,926 --> 00:20:21,126
Okay.

432
00:20:21,126 --> 00:20:23,516
So we, we know that my
words are important.

433
00:20:23,516 --> 00:20:24,316
My words matter.

434
00:20:24,386 --> 00:20:25,766
God really cares about my words.

435
00:20:25,836 --> 00:20:26,936
My words show who I am.

436
00:20:26,976 --> 00:20:27,876
They come from my heart.

437
00:20:28,376 --> 00:20:29,226
It's not just word problems.

438
00:20:29,236 --> 00:20:30,505
Word problems are heart problems.

439
00:20:31,186 --> 00:20:33,685
Not those kind of word problems, you
know, that you don't like in math class.

440
00:20:35,585 --> 00:20:36,956
So what do I do with my words?

441
00:20:37,585 --> 00:20:41,475
Well, our responsibility with our
words, our opportunity, right, is to

442
00:20:41,475 --> 00:20:44,266
use our words for God's glory, right?

443
00:20:44,266 --> 00:20:47,816
To, to use our words to, to do,
to accomplish things, right?

444
00:20:47,816 --> 00:20:49,116
Productive, good things.

445
00:20:49,355 --> 00:20:52,266
So our third point, pretty
simple, use your words for good.

446
00:20:53,405 --> 00:20:55,315
Use your words for good

447
00:20:57,730 --> 00:20:59,480
Now obviously we have
to define good, right?

448
00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:03,500
We would say good is glorifying
God and loving others, right?

449
00:21:04,950 --> 00:21:05,510
That's good.

450
00:21:06,410 --> 00:21:08,540
Use your words for good

451
00:21:10,820 --> 00:21:13,520
And this isn't just like, "Oh, well,
my parents told me to use my words

452
00:21:13,530 --> 00:21:14,650
for good, so I guess I have to."

453
00:21:15,380 --> 00:21:15,620
Right?

454
00:21:15,620 --> 00:21:16,490
This is an opportunity.

455
00:21:16,510 --> 00:21:19,710
You have an opportunity to bless
people with your words, to love people,

456
00:21:19,870 --> 00:21:24,950
to bring people to Jesus with your
words, to help people see more of

457
00:21:24,950 --> 00:21:29,280
how great Jesus is, to help people
trust God more, to help people learn

458
00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:31,480
wisdom, God's wisdom from your words.

459
00:21:32,090 --> 00:21:32,230
Right?

460
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:33,840
You have such an amazing opportunity.

461
00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:38,490
I have such an amazing opportunity with
my words to, to do stuff like this with

462
00:21:38,919 --> 00:21:40,810
the thousands of words you say every day.

463
00:21:42,610 --> 00:21:42,810
Right?

464
00:21:42,820 --> 00:21:45,919
It's not just like, "Oh, I have to, but
it's more fun to be mean to people."

465
00:21:46,350 --> 00:21:51,580
It's like, no, it's actually way
more fun and way cooler to be, to

466
00:21:51,590 --> 00:21:53,119
be life-giving with your words.

467
00:21:53,910 --> 00:21:54,020
Right?

468
00:21:54,039 --> 00:21:56,720
No one wants to, to hang out with
someone who's complaining all the

469
00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,350
time, or who's angry all the time,
or who's boasting all the time

470
00:22:01,494 --> 00:22:03,074
No, no one wants to be with those people.

471
00:22:04,844 --> 00:22:08,474
Now, using your words for good
is, is the best way to do it

472
00:22:11,396 --> 00:22:16,496
In Proverbs 12 verse 18, it says,
"There's one," there's someone,

473
00:22:16,496 --> 00:22:18,286
"whose rash words," right?

474
00:22:18,436 --> 00:22:22,436
So careless words, thoughtless
words, "are like sword thrusts."

475
00:22:23,076 --> 00:22:23,176
Right?

476
00:22:23,176 --> 00:22:24,496
I just love the picture, right?

477
00:22:24,636 --> 00:22:28,376
When you say words without thinking, it's
like you're stabbing someone with a sword.

478
00:22:28,696 --> 00:22:28,956
And I…

479
00:22:28,986 --> 00:22:29,926
You know, we've all felt that, right?

480
00:22:29,936 --> 00:22:30,606
You've all been there.

481
00:22:30,766 --> 00:22:34,846
Someone says something i- in a heated
moment, and it really, it sits with you.

482
00:22:34,846 --> 00:22:35,686
You remember it.

483
00:22:36,076 --> 00:22:38,466
There's things that people have
said to you that you remember

484
00:22:38,466 --> 00:22:41,056
for the rest of your life because
they stabbed you with their words.

485
00:22:42,766 --> 00:22:45,515
There's someone whose rash words are
like sword thrusts, but the tongue of

486
00:22:45,516 --> 00:22:49,226
the wise, right, the words of, of someone
who's wise, they bring healing, right?

487
00:22:49,226 --> 00:22:50,236
They're good for people.

488
00:22:50,245 --> 00:22:52,355
You wanna be around someone
who talks like this.

489
00:22:53,186 --> 00:22:56,615
You wanna be around someone who, who
isn't careless with their words but

490
00:22:56,626 --> 00:23:01,676
who's careful, who's loving, who's
kind, who's gentle, who's loyal

491
00:23:07,276 --> 00:23:11,936
I read one book about words and, uh, what
the author said is he said, "Your words

492
00:23:11,936 --> 00:23:14,076
are, are participating in a war," okay?

493
00:23:14,256 --> 00:23:17,536
There's two, there's two
kingdoms in this war.

494
00:23:17,786 --> 00:23:21,356
There's God's kingdom, and there's
your kingdom, and I thought this was a

495
00:23:21,356 --> 00:23:22,656
really helpful way to think about it.

496
00:23:23,066 --> 00:23:26,206
There's, there's words, right?

497
00:23:26,206 --> 00:23:29,896
And, and my words are either serving
myself or they're serving God.

498
00:23:30,776 --> 00:23:32,006
All right, I'll give
you, give you an example.

499
00:23:32,446 --> 00:23:38,086
Let's say, um, I … You get
homework, and you're like,

500
00:23:38,086 --> 00:23:39,126
"This is way too much homework.

501
00:23:39,126 --> 00:23:39,836
This is terrible.

502
00:23:39,836 --> 00:23:40,596
Why did my teacher do this?

503
00:23:40,596 --> 00:23:41,296
This is the worst."

504
00:23:41,856 --> 00:23:42,116
Right?

505
00:23:43,216 --> 00:23:46,726
Your complaining is serving
your kingdom, right?

506
00:23:46,995 --> 00:23:51,256
Because what, what really the
complaining comes from is this isn't

507
00:23:51,256 --> 00:23:52,936
the way I want it to be, right?

508
00:23:53,045 --> 00:23:54,406
I want my life to be easy.

509
00:23:54,565 --> 00:23:55,836
I want my homework to be easy.

510
00:23:55,836 --> 00:23:56,836
I don't wanna have to try.

511
00:23:57,045 --> 00:23:58,956
I wanna have time to
do other things, right?

512
00:23:59,065 --> 00:24:00,725
The homework has inconvenienced you.

513
00:24:00,865 --> 00:24:01,745
It's bothered you.

514
00:24:01,916 --> 00:24:05,585
It's messed up your plan for your week
and your day, and so then what you

515
00:24:05,585 --> 00:24:09,886
say is, "I'm gonna complain, and I'm
going to use my words to serve myself."

516
00:24:11,106 --> 00:24:11,346
Right?

517
00:24:11,365 --> 00:24:13,625
There's nothing productive that
happened from you complaining, right?

518
00:24:15,925 --> 00:24:20,145
That's your words serving
your own kingdom, right?

519
00:24:20,166 --> 00:24:22,566
Or you can use your words
to serve God's kingdom.

520
00:24:22,905 --> 00:24:23,806
You can say, "You know what?

521
00:24:24,416 --> 00:24:25,596
I'm not gonna complain about this.

522
00:24:26,085 --> 00:24:29,845
I'm going to trust that God
knew my teacher was gonna give

523
00:24:29,846 --> 00:24:32,365
me this much homework and that
He's gonna use it for good.

524
00:24:32,425 --> 00:24:35,056
Even if it's really hard, even if I
don't understand it, even if I don't

525
00:24:35,056 --> 00:24:39,665
like it, I can trust that my loving
Father cares about me enough that He's

526
00:24:39,666 --> 00:24:44,245
gonna have me do hard things that are
good for me, and I want a God like that.

527
00:24:44,715 --> 00:24:46,266
I don't want a God that
gives me everything I want,

528
00:24:46,615 --> 00:24:47,855
and so I'm gonna trust Him."

529
00:24:48,266 --> 00:24:48,446
Right?

530
00:24:48,446 --> 00:24:51,055
Those are God's kingdom building words.

531
00:24:52,932 --> 00:24:55,532
So you see how there's, you
can go one of two ways, right?

532
00:24:55,532 --> 00:24:57,852
But there's, there's
no middle ground there.

533
00:24:59,372 --> 00:25:03,612
So there's rash words or
worthless words, right?

534
00:25:04,592 --> 00:25:10,032
Like complaining or grumbling or
gossip or starting division, right?

535
00:25:10,032 --> 00:25:12,112
Or quarreling, right, arguing with people.

536
00:25:12,602 --> 00:25:14,732
Um, there's l- like
lying, boasting, right?

537
00:25:14,762 --> 00:25:18,372
These are all ways that you can build
your own kingdom with your words.

538
00:25:19,752 --> 00:25:22,472
Flattering people, right, telling
them compliments that, that aren't

539
00:25:22,472 --> 00:25:23,631
really true or you don't really mean.

540
00:25:25,272 --> 00:25:27,031
Harsh words, we talked about that, right?

541
00:25:27,491 --> 00:25:31,632
Rude words, deceptive words, arrogant
words, hateful words, angry words, right?

542
00:25:31,842 --> 00:25:33,941
These are angry birds, not ang-
you know, you know what I mean.

543
00:25:34,362 --> 00:25:39,452
Um, these are all words that
build your kingdom, right?

544
00:25:39,452 --> 00:25:42,962
Because you're putting other people
down so you can feel good, right?

545
00:25:42,971 --> 00:25:45,472
Or you, you are bu-
putting yourself up, right?

546
00:25:45,472 --> 00:25:46,222
You're, you're boasting.

547
00:25:46,222 --> 00:25:47,362
You're, you're, you're prideful.

548
00:25:47,372 --> 00:25:48,482
Or maybe it's blasphemy.

549
00:25:48,511 --> 00:25:50,311
Maybe you take God's name in vain, right?

550
00:25:50,362 --> 00:25:52,491
Maybe you use Jesus' name
like a, like a curse word.

551
00:25:53,531 --> 00:25:56,641
That's a worthless use
of your words, right?

552
00:25:56,642 --> 00:26:01,331
You're taking God's name and you're
using it for something evil, right?

553
00:26:01,332 --> 00:26:03,032
An expression of your sinful anger.

554
00:26:04,811 --> 00:26:07,501
So those are worthless words and,
and maybe one, you know, certain

555
00:26:08,152 --> 00:26:09,331
ones of those stuck out to you.

556
00:26:09,582 --> 00:26:11,661
But then there's valuable words, right?

557
00:26:11,851 --> 00:26:15,242
Precious words, beautiful words,
and maybe that's praising God,

558
00:26:15,242 --> 00:26:16,312
or maybe it's being thankful.

559
00:26:16,312 --> 00:26:20,381
Maybe it's encouraging or maybe
it's sharing the gospel, right?

560
00:26:20,531 --> 00:26:21,931
That's a good use of your words.

561
00:26:22,311 --> 00:26:25,662
Or rebuking someone, calling
someone out in love, right?

562
00:26:26,271 --> 00:26:29,711
Or instructing someone, passing on
something you've learned to someone.

563
00:26:30,241 --> 00:26:31,752
Those are good uses of your words.

564
00:26:33,191 --> 00:26:34,132
Gentle words, right?

565
00:26:34,142 --> 00:26:38,021
Joyful words, loving words, faithful
words, patient words, humble words, right?

566
00:26:38,042 --> 00:26:39,341
These are valuable.

567
00:26:39,472 --> 00:26:41,461
Y- Everyone wants those words.

568
00:26:41,461 --> 00:26:45,571
When you think about it, you don't want
to be around someone who's grumbling,

569
00:26:45,581 --> 00:26:48,821
who's dividing, who's angry, who's
arrogant, who's flattering, who's

570
00:26:48,862 --> 00:26:52,132
You don't wanna be around that person,
and you don't wanna be that person either.

571
00:26:52,132 --> 00:26:52,222
Right?

572
00:26:53,862 --> 00:26:56,181
You wanna be around the person
who's gentle, who's patient,

573
00:26:56,182 --> 00:26:57,761
who's faithful, who's joyful.

574
00:26:58,261 --> 00:27:00,201
Those are the words you want to be around.

575
00:27:01,361 --> 00:27:02,002
So how do you do it?

576
00:27:03,111 --> 00:27:03,731
How do you do that?

577
00:27:03,751 --> 00:27:06,842
Well, we talked about heart change,
but part of it also is, is thinking.

578
00:27:07,881 --> 00:27:09,611
There's a … I'm gonna put a
couple of different verses up on the

579
00:27:09,611 --> 00:27:12,161
screen for you, but I want you to
see what they have in common, okay?

580
00:27:13,551 --> 00:27:18,082
So Proverbs 15:28, "The heart of
the righteous ponders," right?

581
00:27:18,082 --> 00:27:21,151
That means they think about it,
how to answer, "but the mouth of

582
00:27:21,152 --> 00:27:22,762
the wicked pours out evil things."

583
00:27:23,122 --> 00:27:23,322
Right?

584
00:27:23,322 --> 00:27:25,451
So someone who's, who's
righteous, who's using their

585
00:27:25,451 --> 00:27:27,011
words well, is thinking about it.

586
00:27:27,691 --> 00:27:29,001
They're using their words on purpose.

587
00:27:30,372 --> 00:27:32,972
Whereas the mouth of the wicked,
they're just dumping them out, right?

588
00:27:32,972 --> 00:27:36,461
We were, we were hanging out with,
uh, with Beckham, Matt's son, this

589
00:27:36,462 --> 00:27:40,232
weekend, and he doesn't take his
toys out very carefully, right?

590
00:27:40,421 --> 00:27:43,561
He just takes the bag, and
he just goes boom, right?

591
00:27:43,561 --> 00:27:44,111
They're all out.

592
00:27:45,072 --> 00:27:46,632
Maybe that's you with your words.

593
00:27:47,941 --> 00:27:49,871
You just, you just have to
say whatever you're thinking.

594
00:27:49,982 --> 00:27:50,731
It just comes out.

595
00:27:53,942 --> 00:27:53,972
Right?

596
00:27:53,972 --> 00:27:56,352
You just dump 'em out on whoever's
listening, or maybe no one's listening,

597
00:27:57,132 --> 00:27:58,512
and you just dump 'em out anyway, right?

598
00:27:59,362 --> 00:28:01,472
And that includes this,
all, all these words, right?

599
00:28:01,472 --> 00:28:05,502
This includes stuff you
text, by the way, right?

600
00:28:05,522 --> 00:28:09,822
That, that's still words that God
sees and God knows and everyone

601
00:28:09,822 --> 00:28:11,922
else can find too, by the way.

602
00:28:13,422 --> 00:28:15,152
Just 'cause it's on your phone
doesn't mean it's private.

603
00:28:17,382 --> 00:28:19,692
Or posting things, right?

604
00:28:20,402 --> 00:28:21,312
These are all words.

605
00:28:21,312 --> 00:28:22,922
They're real words that
you're really saying.

606
00:28:23,672 --> 00:28:25,412
Just 'cause it's typed
out doesn't change that.

607
00:28:26,901 --> 00:28:28,031
And then parallel here, right?

608
00:28:28,032 --> 00:28:30,742
You see a man who's hasty in
his words, who's, who's quick.

609
00:28:30,742 --> 00:28:32,951
I always think, when I think of
hasty, I think of, what's his name?

610
00:28:32,951 --> 00:28:34,191
Pippin from Lord of the Rings, right?

611
00:28:34,272 --> 00:28:34,332
He's like…

612
00:28:35,342 --> 00:28:38,702
Um, there is more hope
for a fool than for him.

613
00:28:39,932 --> 00:28:41,931
And that's, y- y- you wouldn't
think this is a bad idea.

614
00:28:41,932 --> 00:28:44,962
Oh, someone who's quick with their words,
someone who, who fires off things quickly.

615
00:28:45,971 --> 00:28:46,781
What's wrong with that?

616
00:28:47,611 --> 00:28:50,942
Well, Proverb says a- you're
actually better off being foolish

617
00:28:51,081 --> 00:28:53,312
than just shooting off whatever
you think needs to be said

618
00:28:56,004 --> 00:28:57,124
Big deal with your words.

619
00:28:57,124 --> 00:28:58,464
Two more, similar idea.

620
00:28:58,684 --> 00:29:01,374
"A fool takes no pleasure
in understanding, but only

621
00:29:01,374 --> 00:29:02,534
in expressing his opinion."

622
00:29:04,094 --> 00:29:04,754
Maybe that's you.

623
00:29:05,014 --> 00:29:06,824
You always have to give your opinion.

624
00:29:08,024 --> 00:29:10,064
You don't wanna hear
someone else's thoughts.

625
00:29:10,344 --> 00:29:11,394
You don't ask questions.

626
00:29:12,164 --> 00:29:13,664
You just wanna, you just wanna give.

627
00:29:13,694 --> 00:29:15,424
You just wanna say, "Oh,
here- here's what I think.

628
00:29:15,574 --> 00:29:15,784
Here…

629
00:29:15,814 --> 00:29:17,474
Oh, I don't like that,"
or, "I do like this."

630
00:29:17,864 --> 00:29:20,864
You don't wanna understand someone else's
perspective, you just wanna give yours.

631
00:29:22,174 --> 00:29:23,044
That's foolish.

632
00:29:23,094 --> 00:29:24,614
That's worthless, right?

633
00:29:24,694 --> 00:29:27,034
That's dumb to do that.

634
00:29:28,853 --> 00:29:30,354
Same thing a few verses later.

635
00:29:30,354 --> 00:29:33,754
"If one gives an answer before he
hears, it is his folly and shame."

636
00:29:33,944 --> 00:29:34,104
Right?

637
00:29:34,104 --> 00:29:35,024
It's embarrassing.

638
00:29:36,054 --> 00:29:38,144
You ever, you ever say something
when you didn't have all the facts?

639
00:29:38,633 --> 00:29:40,604
Right, you di- you, you thought
you had it all figured out and

640
00:29:40,604 --> 00:29:41,443
you're like, "Oh yeah, duh."

641
00:29:41,594 --> 00:29:43,733
And someone else comes along and gives
you more information, and you're like,

642
00:29:43,734 --> 00:29:45,614
"Oh, I look real dumb right now."

643
00:29:47,194 --> 00:29:47,584
Right, you…

644
00:29:47,624 --> 00:29:49,754
That's, that's what it's like
to, to be someone who, who

645
00:29:49,754 --> 00:29:51,004
speaks quickly all the time.

646
00:29:52,723 --> 00:29:57,914
So to, to use your words well,
they have to be thoughtful.

647
00:29:57,923 --> 00:30:00,194
They have to be on purpose.

648
00:30:00,453 --> 00:30:03,244
You don't just wanna fire 'em
off whenever you feel like it.

649
00:30:03,623 --> 00:30:10,094
So, um, I put together some
questions to ask before you speak.

650
00:30:10,413 --> 00:30:13,634
Um, I tried to do, like,
who, what, where, when, why.

651
00:30:13,813 --> 00:30:17,003
And we don't have time to go
through all of it, but just

652
00:30:17,004 --> 00:30:18,153
thinking about this, right?

653
00:30:18,154 --> 00:30:21,494
Maybe you think, before you say
something, "Who is this for?

654
00:30:22,593 --> 00:30:27,633
Am I saying this to make myself look good,
or am I saying this to make God look good?

655
00:30:28,833 --> 00:30:31,624
Am I saying this for their
benefit or my benefit?"

656
00:30:32,534 --> 00:30:32,734
Right?

657
00:30:32,734 --> 00:30:36,443
"Am I just saying this so I can
give my take on things, or am I

658
00:30:36,443 --> 00:30:38,783
saying this because it's actually
helpful for these people to hear?"

659
00:30:39,343 --> 00:30:40,223
Right, who is this for?

660
00:30:42,340 --> 00:30:42,880
Similar, right?

661
00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:44,150
What am I trying to get?

662
00:30:45,860 --> 00:30:46,740
Have you ever thought about that?

663
00:30:46,950 --> 00:30:48,810
When you speak, you're
trying to get something.

664
00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:51,250
Maybe you've never
thought about that before.

665
00:30:51,430 --> 00:30:52,320
When you speak, you're trying to get…

666
00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:53,170
Maybe it's attention.

667
00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:54,450
Maybe it's laughs.

668
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:56,590
Maybe it's you wanna
get your point across.

669
00:30:56,890 --> 00:30:58,830
Maybe it's you wanna make
someone feel a certain way.

670
00:30:59,460 --> 00:31:01,070
Maybe it's you wanna protect yourself.

671
00:31:01,990 --> 00:31:04,760
Maybe you need to stand up for
your reputation and your rights.

672
00:31:06,450 --> 00:31:08,180
You're always trying to get
something when you talk.

673
00:31:09,410 --> 00:31:10,800
So what, what are you trying to get?

674
00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:11,360
Is it…

675
00:31:11,420 --> 00:31:13,720
'Cause then you can a- okay, a-
am I being selfish with this?

676
00:31:14,410 --> 00:31:15,129
Is this really…

677
00:31:15,460 --> 00:31:17,880
Am I trying to get someone
e- else's good out of this?

678
00:31:18,430 --> 00:31:21,890
Or am I trying to just win
an argument and be right?

679
00:31:23,809 --> 00:31:25,860
Where will this lead, right?

680
00:31:25,860 --> 00:31:26,329
This is…

681
00:31:27,300 --> 00:31:30,159
Obviously, there's a lot of times
you, you, you get angry, you say

682
00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:31,480
something, you might as well just…

683
00:31:31,969 --> 00:31:33,980
If you waited three more seconds,
you would've thought about it

684
00:31:33,980 --> 00:31:34,610
and been like, "You know what?

685
00:31:34,849 --> 00:31:38,499
This is gonna, this is gonna snowball
and create a, a giant explosion."

686
00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:38,840
Right?

687
00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:39,540
Where will this lead?

688
00:31:41,169 --> 00:31:42,840
Or maybe it'll change the…

689
00:31:42,870 --> 00:31:44,130
Maybe you're in small groups.

690
00:31:44,390 --> 00:31:45,519
You can apply this very soon.

691
00:31:45,759 --> 00:31:47,800
Maybe you're in small groups and you
think of something really funny to

692
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:51,559
say, but you know it's gonna derail
the conversation and distract people.

693
00:31:52,499 --> 00:31:53,440
Where will this lead?

694
00:31:54,039 --> 00:31:54,770
Is this helpful?

695
00:31:56,170 --> 00:31:57,300
'Cause really, sometimes when you're…

696
00:31:57,340 --> 00:31:58,970
A- and it's okay to be fun
in small groups, right?

697
00:31:59,359 --> 00:32:03,690
But if, if you totally derail, that's
a, that's a violent use of your words,

698
00:32:04,099 --> 00:32:08,780
'cause you are distracting people from a
potentially life-changing conversation.

699
00:32:09,630 --> 00:32:09,800
Right?

700
00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:10,879
You are hurting people.

701
00:32:11,810 --> 00:32:12,920
You could be, right?

702
00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:15,060
You could be building group
chemistry and, and having fun.

703
00:32:15,219 --> 00:32:17,350
But you, you think about it.

704
00:32:17,350 --> 00:32:17,540
W- w- was this good to say?

705
00:32:17,540 --> 00:32:20,750
Was this a good time to make this joke?

706
00:32:23,396 --> 00:32:24,766
This one, you'll see
this in small groups too.

707
00:32:24,766 --> 00:32:26,626
When I stand before God, what will he say?

708
00:32:27,166 --> 00:32:32,616
Jesus says in Matthew 12, "You will be
judged for every careless word you speak."

709
00:32:33,376 --> 00:32:34,676
Every word you said, right?

710
00:32:34,676 --> 00:32:35,176
Imagine that.

711
00:32:36,546 --> 00:32:38,126
Every word you said, you have…

712
00:32:38,176 --> 00:32:39,496
God's gonna be like, "Why'd you do that?

713
00:32:40,266 --> 00:32:40,986
Why'd you say that?

714
00:32:41,146 --> 00:32:42,076
Why'd you say it like that?

715
00:32:42,936 --> 00:32:44,206
Why didn't you say this?"

716
00:32:45,216 --> 00:32:46,726
I don't know if he's gonna
do it exactly like that.

717
00:32:46,726 --> 00:32:48,976
I don't know if it's gonna be like a
film review of all your words, right?

718
00:32:48,995 --> 00:32:49,616
That would stink.

719
00:32:50,326 --> 00:32:53,855
But he says he'll, you'll,
you'll be judged for them.

720
00:32:54,336 --> 00:32:57,266
When I stand before God, am I
gonna be proud of saying this?

721
00:32:58,336 --> 00:33:00,896
Am I gonna be proud of making
this joke, or making that comment,

722
00:33:00,896 --> 00:33:04,846
or, or answering like that, or
talking to my parents like that

723
00:33:07,694 --> 00:33:08,424
How is that gonna go?

724
00:33:10,214 --> 00:33:10,754
This one, right?

725
00:33:10,804 --> 00:33:12,234
Why do I need to say this, right?

726
00:33:12,234 --> 00:33:13,834
This is similar to what
am I trying to get.

727
00:33:15,334 --> 00:33:16,924
And then how will this
affect others, right?

728
00:33:16,924 --> 00:33:19,344
And that's the main thing
is s- a lot of the times our

729
00:33:19,344 --> 00:33:20,684
words are all about ourselves

730
00:33:22,882 --> 00:33:22,972
Right?

731
00:33:23,002 --> 00:33:26,852
Our words are for our kingdom,
our, our priorities, our values.

732
00:33:28,212 --> 00:33:32,802
And that's really what this is all about,
is your words are an opportunity, right?

733
00:33:33,582 --> 00:33:36,591
This isn't supposed to be, it, maybe
you do need to feel really bad after

734
00:33:36,592 --> 00:33:38,172
your sermon, after this sermon.

735
00:33:38,242 --> 00:33:42,002
But it also is a, you have an opportunity
to do so much good with your words.

736
00:33:42,642 --> 00:33:45,232
To be so, such a good
friend with your words.

737
00:33:45,412 --> 00:33:48,522
To be such a good sibling with your
words, such a good kid to your parents,

738
00:33:48,522 --> 00:33:50,002
such a blessing to them with your words.

739
00:33:50,642 --> 00:33:51,762
You could share the gospel with someone.

740
00:33:51,772 --> 00:33:53,221
Those are life-changing words, right?

741
00:33:54,222 --> 00:33:58,142
You could teach someone something really
wise and really impactful for them.

742
00:33:59,401 --> 00:34:03,992
You have such an amazing opportunity
with your words, and so I hope

743
00:34:04,012 --> 00:34:07,682
you don't miss it or waste it
on worthless and careless words.

744
00:34:08,601 --> 00:34:11,371
So let's pray, and let's use
our words well in small groups.

745
00:34:14,908 --> 00:34:19,208
Father, we're grateful that you have
given us your word, that you have given

746
00:34:19,208 --> 00:34:26,388
us, um, your Son, the perfect expression
of who you are, um, that when we see

747
00:34:26,388 --> 00:34:32,288
Jesus in your word, the Bible, we see
everything we need to see from you.

748
00:34:32,838 --> 00:34:36,648
We see all of who you are perfectly
as you want us to see you.

749
00:34:37,277 --> 00:34:39,928
And so we're grateful that you've made
yourself known to us, that you've given

750
00:34:39,928 --> 00:34:45,498
us, as Peter says, the words of life,
the gospel, and the Bible so that we

751
00:34:45,498 --> 00:34:51,197
can live, um, the way you designed us
to live, and that we can have the grace

752
00:34:51,197 --> 00:34:56,956
we need to, to trust you, to follow
you, and to live with you forever.

753
00:34:57,177 --> 00:35:02,438
And so I pray that you help all of
us to use our words for good, help

754
00:35:02,438 --> 00:35:06,667
us to use our words for things that
matter, and help us to evaluate what

755
00:35:06,668 --> 00:35:08,738
our words say about our own hearts.

756
00:35:09,468 --> 00:35:10,417
We pray this in Jesus' name.

757
00:35:10,867 --> 00:35:11,217
Amen.