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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

We’re talking today about words. Words have a meaning to them. And I want to talk to you about some things I think will help you. At least I should have hoped so. So take your Bible and turn with me to the book of 1 Corinthians 14, 1 Corinthians, and chapter 14. I have it here on the podium. Anybody know what this is? It’s a dictionary. A Webster’s dictionary. It’s an old one, but it’s a good one. Anybody have an idea of what’s in this dictionary?

Words. It’s got a whole bunch of words in there. But these words won’t do anything. Good or bad, as long as they stay right there, and you don’t use any of them. But lo and behold, we have learned how to use words, and we believe that these words are important. So every word has a meaning to it, or it’s not a word. It’s got to have a meaning. What does that word mean? Well, I think it’s important. Here in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 14, I want you to look there in verse 8, for if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue, words easy to be understood. How shall it be known what is spoken, for ye shall speak into the air? There are so many kinds of voices in the world and none of them is without significant. Every word important. And so I want to talk about why we need to seek clarity when we speak so that people understand what we’ve said. And so we are to be consistent because your life should match what you say.

So whatever you say with the lips should be consistent with the life that you live. And if one of them is out, somebody is liable to call you a, what’s that word? Liar. Hippa crit. And you don’t want that. So you want to be able to say the right thing and live according to what you say. So take Bible and look in Ephesians in chapter 4, the book of Ephesians in chapter 4. And noticed in verse 15, but speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things which is the head even Christ.

Speaking truth and love. If we take all these words in here, there’s not a message until you learn how to take certain words and put them together and make a sentence. Now when I was in school they said that you always had to have a subject and a verb. Then you had modifiers and adjectives and you had prepositions and direct objects and you had all these things that you had to learn and then you had to diagram them. Anybody remember diagram and sentences?

I don’t even know if they do that anymore But you found out that everything has a place, it has to belong in a certain place, and it meant something. And all the words were important. Today we have people that are speaking, but their message is not clear. And so because of that, and the inconsistency, we think they’re lying to us. I could get sidetracked here, but I’m going to do my dead level best not to get sidetracked this morning.

Turning the Bible to the book of Colossians in chapter 4. Colossians, just a few pages to you right, Colossians in chapter 4, and look there in verse 4. And verse 4 says that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt that you may know how you ought to answer every man. So God wants us to know how to speak, speaking the truth in love, and our speech should be seasoned with salt.

In other words that it may minister grace and edification to those that hear what we have to say. Now sometimes we don’t always say the right things. Nobody ever means all that they mean to say and not everybody means all that they did say and nobody says all that they said was all that they meant to say. You see I got confused. Don’t worry about it because that’s not what I meant to say. No. There’s a story about an eighty nine year old woman was arrested for shoplifting.

She went before the judge in Cincinnati. He asked her, what did you steal? She said, the can of peaches. The judge asked her why she had stolen the can of peaches and she replied that she was hungry. Then the judge asked her, how many peaches were in the can.” She replied, 6. The judge said, that I will give you six days in jail. Before the judge could actually pronounce the punishment, the woman’s husband spoke up and asked the judge if he could say something on his wife’s behalf.

The judge says, what is it? The husband says, she also stole a can of peace. Words. Just a few words. She stole a can of peace. Now you can read an awful lot into that can’t you? Now you know that sometimes when a boy meets a girl and he thinks long slow about those words like will you marry me? So he’s got to say those words, will you marry me? Will you marry me? Just four little words. But those four little words carry with it a life sentence.

Those are four powerful little words. So the guy has got to get the adrenaline going. He’s got to figure out how he’s going to say it and when he’s going to say it, the tone that he says it, will you marry me? She probably already has anticipated this moment. She’s waited to hear those four little words that’ll just make your feet dangle in the air. Go hang yourself. Those four little words that she’s been waiting. Will you marry me?

And she already has her answer ready. And when he finally says those four little words, words, will you marry me? Are those important words? Does it carry an important meaning to it? And is she gives that answer? What’s she going to say? Yes? But just think of the word yes. Look what that one little word can do to a man. Look what it has done to him. I mean, when you considered she could have said, no, the heartbreak, the devastation, the world is collapsing all because of a little word.

Words are important. You see, you and I have been given by God a message to convey to others. Is the message important enough for us to learn how to deliver that message. I believe it’s very important. You know, years ago they had a play that they were putting on around the country called My Fair Lady. Elasah Sing to Professor Do Little. Words, words, words. I’m so sick of words. Don’t talk of love. Show me. Don’t talk of love. Show me.

And the reason is because lips that speak what a life denies aren’t worth very much. We say we love the Lord. I love God. Three little words. Important word. Powerful words. But if it doesn’t translate into a life that’s changed, that shows you love the Lord, those words mean zero. Doesn’t have much meaning, not much value to it. A man wrote this, Harry Shankar, he put out a book called The Spoken Word. And in this book he said this, do not underestimate the power of speech.

Through it, people express their most personal feelings. Frustrations, hopes, dreams, anger, and love. Speech can instruct, correct, support, soothe, and evaluate. On the other hand, the spoken word can hurt, scold, embarrass, criticize, and attack. The power of a single word can be awesome. It really can. And sometimes we don’t think carefully what we say. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew 12. Matthew in chapter 12. A whole section here is written on this, but look there in verse 34.

But when he says in verse 34, O generation of vipers, how can ye be an evil speak good things, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh? A good man out of the good treasures of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasures bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you that every idle word, word, single, idle word, off the cuff word, that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment, for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned.”

Do you think words are important? If he’s going to bring every idle word into judgment, then God must be recording every word you and I say.” And that’s scary. That means that he not only knows the word we say, he knows the reason we said the word. He also has to know the thought behind the word. How does that make you feel this morning? See, I came to be blessed. Oh, I’m blessing you all right. I hope to help.

If words are so mighty a weapon, we ought to be careful how we will them, using them well means being consistent. It means making our lives match up with what our lips confess. Don’t you believe that we ought to practice what we preach? Have you ever seen somebody that And there’s one way at church and then there’s another way outside of church. That’s not very consistent. Take your Bible and we turn to this book the other night in the book of Habakkah, the book of Habakkah.

And it’s right after the book of Nahum, but it’s on page 956, 956. Habakkah chapter 2. Look at verse 2. And he says, and the Lord answered me and said, write the vision and make it plain upon tables that He may run that readeth it. That means that there is a message. They need to understand the message so that when they read it and understand it, they may run and carry that message. A lot of people are running and they haven’t got the message clear.

They haven’t got the message correct. That’s why it is so important. Now you can say words, but sometimes you just don’t remember, and you say things that you shouldn’t say. Words are so important, and a man put it this way. I want you to get the impact, because a dictionary is important. But they estimate about 500 of the most used words in the English language have about 23 different meanings to them. So just because you use the right word doesn’t mean it expressed the right thought.

So sometimes you have to know, well, what is the context? We’ll begin with a box and the plural is boxes, but the plural of ox should be ox and not oxes. Then one file is goose, but two are called geese. Yet the plural of moose should never be mise. Where can a man buy a cap for his knee or a key for the lock of his hair? Can you call his eyes an academy because there are pupils there? In the crown of your head, what jewels are found?

Who walks on the bridge of your nose? If you wanted to shingle the roof of your mouth, could you use the nails in your toes? When you sit in the shade of the palm of your hand or beat the drum of your ear, can you eat the corn that grows on your toes? Well why not grow corn on your ear? Can the crook of your elbow be sent to jail? If so, what did it do? Work a nice sharpen my shoulder blades.

I’ll be switched if I know, do you? Words. They have meaning to them. ever told someone I love you? What woman doesn’t want to hear her husband say I love you. Betty would say Yankee. It’s been a while since you said I love you. She said I love you. I love you too. Well you only said it because I said it first. If it ever changes I’ll tell you. It doesn’t have to be a lot and then the war began.

Then the war began. Look in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, 2nd Corinthians and chapter 3, 2nd Corinthians chapter 3, and look in verse 12 and verse 12, important verse, seeing then that we have such hope we use great plainness of speech. Isn’t that something that found in the Bible. So a lot of people are not sure about how to get to heaven, but look how many people go to church. And one of the things is shouldn’t all preacher be able to make the gospel clear.

I mean if there’s anything that a preacher ought to be able to do, is tell people how to be sure, positive of going to heaven when they die. Shouldn’t they? I mean it just seems like that ought to be one of the things they ought to know. If they don’t know that, what are they preaching? If they don’t know how to go to heaven, they aren’t not a preacher. God never called them. God never calls a man to preach a false message.

And if he doesn’t know Christ as his Savior and doesn’t know how to get to heaven, God never called him. So does that mean that there’s a lot of preachers that God is not behind them? But the devil has preachers too and the The devil doesn’t want people to hear the clearness of the gospel, so he can’t give you a clear gospel message. He gives you a muddy message, a false message that’s unclear. You don’t understand. Listen, I’m going to ask you a question here just a minute.

I do not want you to raise your hand unless you really know the truth. I’m going to ask you to raise your hand in just a minute. But raising your hand is not because somebody else did it, but because you really know and you believe and you know positively beyond the shevra, you know you’re going to heaven when you die. Let me see your hand. All right, put it up. Did you know you can’t do that in a lot of churches?

Because they don’t know. And most times the preacher doesn’t even know because he’s not clear. He doesn’t understand it. So you can’t make something really simple and easy for people to understand if you don’t understand it yourself. And that’s why it’s important. As Christians, we need to speak clearly and simply to those around us rather than in the highfalutin terminology of the hallowed halls of learning. By saying what we mean and meaning what we say, we attract others to the practical brand of truth that’s housed in the Bible.

We should track people to this book because what we’re saying is understood as this is the truth. If they don’t know the truth of the gospel, they’re not going to know how to go to heaven. They’re not going to know how to explain it to anybody else. So, error is multiplied, and that’s what we have to be careful. We should always say what we mean and mean what we say. Another word is important. It also to be concise. You don’t have to have a lot of words to say something that’s true.

If it’s simple, easy to understand. Some people have a multitude of words. The English poet George Herbert once said, good words are worth much, but cost little. Did you realize all the words in here, you can learn them all, and it don’t cost you anything. And then if you learn how to put them together, you can create a thought that people can understand. And yet that little message that we can convey can change people’s destinies. You can enlighten people, cause laughter or tears, all kinds of emotions.

He says this, talk is cheap. However, you phrase it, the guiding rule, more is better, doesn’t always apply in communication. I’m going to read something to you. And this was written by a man named Francis Junice about speech, talking about the tongue. Now you and I know that if we wanted to do pushups, push-ups. We get down there, we can do those push-ups. But for how long? After a while, and you have a limit, some of you will do more than others, but there’s a limit.

You can’t just stay at it because your arms give way. The pain starts hitting in all of your joints. You can get out here and start running and run and run and run and run. I’m amazed at how far some people can run and how fast they can run, but you can’t do it forever. The body breaks down. You can’t stay at it. Consider the stamina of the body parts responsible for speech. It never gets tired. Have you noticed that?

Have you ever heard somebody talk and they go on and on and on and on and on? my how they do run on and run on and run on. Now people who can talk they may get weary after a while because the rest of the body has to have sleep. I watched them do this when they’re trying to you know filibuster something in Congress and they’re going to talk and talk and talk as long as they can talk they can stand there and keep talking.

The tongue doesn’t wear out. The body has to have sleep they have to have water and their throat gets sore and dry, but the tongue. That’s a powerful little weapon. And this is why some people misuse it. They don’t know that you can’t actually give it a break. Well, I could get lost right here. But you do have to learn how to control the tongue. The Bible says no man containment. You have to give it a new birth. But this is what He says, the rapid flash of the eye cannot be compared with it.

The hand, the foot, the eye, and the ear become weary by continual action and require rest to recover their exhausted energies. But the tongue never falters or faints from the longest exertion. Have you ever talked so much to people tell you, would you just stop for what take a break? You want to say something but you can’t get a word in edge-wise. and they cause you to swallow all of those beautiful thoughts that you had because you didn’t get a chance to say them because they don’t know how to shut up.

They don’t know how to quit. A man wrote this and he said, talkative people who wish to be loved are hated. You know, when you just talk and talk and talk and talk, you know, not to stop. When they desire to please they bore. When they think they are admired, they’re laughed at. They injure their friends, benefit their enemies, and do incaculable harm to themselves. Not known when to quit. And I’ve noticed that here in church when he gets about five minutes till 12.

Y’all wonder, it’s about time for him to quit. You say, you’re watching me. That’s okay. I’m watching you. And whenever you go, I know you’re looking at the clock. Oh, I know. You’re not looking around and saying, who’s behind you? You already did. You didn’t show cans. You didn’t know all your fellowship, and you know who’s here. Robert Frost said this. Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t say it. You know, there’s some people who can think of things to say, but they just have trouble saying it.

And they don’t make good speakers in public, but they can think it and they got so much to say. Then he says, the other half who have nothing to say and just keep on saying it. Talk and talk and they don’t say anything. You know, I was listening one time, I’m driving up to George and up to the mountains and so on. And I turn on the radio and I’ll hear a preacher come on. And every once in a while, I need a little entertainment.

and I’m falling asleep and I need something to keep me awake and I’ll listen to some preacher and they’ll be on their hands the Bible saying, that’s glory, hallelujah, amen. And they’ll go on and say, and for five minutes they’ll say something like that and heaven said a word. And they haven’t taught you anything. Give me somebody, give me an amen. Ain’t that preacher boy that’s preacher, that’s a man brother that’s preaching. Why I tell you that you’ll never see me there.

And they haven’t said anything. They hollered and ran and raided the whole time and said nothing. I thought I would try that one of these days. It’s not here. Just a few words, not here. Carries with it a whole message. There’s a thought there. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you all. But you got to be concise in what you’re saying. Look in Proverbs. I want you to turn to Proverbs, chapter 10. Proverbs chapter 10. Old Testament, the book of Proverbs and look at verse 19.

There’s three verses that I want to just run by you. And he says here in verse 19, in the multitude of words they’re one of not sin, but he that refrainedeth his lips is wise. In other words, in a multitude of words you wind up saying something you shouldn’t say because you don’t stop to think about what you’re saying. And that’s how we do a lot of damage. Like for example, the husband’s certain they’re watching TV. The wife walks in and she says, what’s on TV?

He says, dust. It’s just one little word, but then the war begins. One little word. And what was said to our husband? No, I want you to give me your honest opinion. That’s scary right there. When I look in the mirror I see my gray hair, I see my wrinkles, I see I’m getting flabby, and I need a good compliment. Say something nice. Well, there’s nothing wrong with your eyesight. But did you really want an honest opinion? Oh, me.

You have been listening to another great message from Dr. Arnold, and we hope that Bibleline is a blessing to you. in appreciation for your support of this ministry, we’d like to send to you a gift. During this month, for a gift in any amount, we’re going to send the Bible Promise Book. It is a book that organizes verses of the Bible by topic. For example, if you wanted to know of verses that address humility, or forgiveness, or obedience, you would simply find that topic in the table of contents, go to the chapter listed, and there you would find the verses that address that topic.

It’s a wonderful study guide and resource for your own devotions, as well as for lesson preparation, and we’ll send it to you for a gift in any amount for this month. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634, and don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. God bless you and thank you again for supporting Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634.

And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. And we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.