Series in Proverbs - A Holy Guided Heart and Tongue

          

A Holy Guided Heart and Tongue

Proverbs 15:1-9

Solomon wrote in several proverbs about the tongue and its effect on lives. As well, Jesus told us the words from the mouth were the fruit that came out of the heart, so it reflected the heart. “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” ( Luke 6:45 NASB 1995)

 As we look at the proverbs through the characters of the Bible, let's look at John the Baptist. What John the Baptist spoke at the Jordan river addressed what is treasured in the heart, and reveals the earnestness for repentance. He was baptising whomever came to the Jordan river for repentance. In one encounter, there were religious leaders as well as the true seekers of God. “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. ” (v.8 NLT) or the Voice translation “If you think that simply hopping in the Jordan will cleanse you, then you are sorely mistaken. Your life must bear the fruits of turning toward righteousness. (v.8)

The religious leaders had to tell people how good they were (Luke 18:9-14), but the true seekers of God came humbly and contrite to John seeking God’s forgiveness for sins and the symbolic cleansing of baptism. 

Both Jesus and John as well as Solomon knew that the proof of the repentant life was in the fruit of the heart. What was truly treasured in the heart spilt out of the mouth. For some their treasure was only the pious acts of religiosity and the reliance on heritage or religious affiliations. Whereas, the evidence was an unyielded heart filled with pride. God sees the heart and knows everything. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Prov.15:3 NKJV), so truly you can’t fool Him or others for the fruit of your mouth reveals your heart. 

As Jesus proclaimed in the sermon on the mount, "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matt. 7:16-20 NKJV)

So with that introduction to the lesson, let’s look at the first portion of the text. “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

In the life of almost every character in the Bible, we see their heart and its fruit. So let’s apply the proverb to the life of John the Baptist and to those lives the scripture  revealed who came to be baptized. John was a flamboyant and esoteric character. From his prophetic style Elijah apparel (camel skin tunic and leather belt), to his dietary choices of wild honey and roasted locust. “Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.” He was a sight to see and hear. But it was the fiery words from God the Father through the Holy Spirit that John spoke that set him apart from other preachers of righteousness in his days. John, being a prophet from God, spoke out against the hypocrisy of the religious rulers and the political leaders and their sin ladened lifestyles; Herod’s marriage to his brother’s wife and the lifestyles of the jewish religious leaders. John’s heart and words were to reveal God’s anger over sin and to bring a message of repentance to those who would listen and yield to the message. He was the Voice calling out of the wilderness, making a smooth path for the Messiah.

John’s name meant “God is gracious.” Though John seemed anything but gentle or gracious to the religious leaders or Herod, John was preparing the convicted heart of the people to the path for Jesus. The path to holiness was made possible only through repentance of sins and the evidence they were on the pathway was through the fruit of repentance and holiness demonstrated through the inward change of the heart and wholehearted dedication of their lives to God by the Holy Spirit and belief in Jesus Christ. 

Holiness is the narrow path that John preached. For Jesus is the only gate to the narrow path. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matt. 7:13-14 NIV)

Saying all this, the words produced from the heart of John and Jesus were the evidence or fruit of a holy life and wholehearted devotion to God.

Jesus taught his disciples and all those who followed him with tenderness, for He saw them as harassed sheep, who needed a compassionate shepherd. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36 NIV) 

His wise words brought knowledge of God and through His authoritative words and actions brought healings and conviction to their lifestyle. Many exclamations and exhortations that He spoke with authority, wisdom, were unlike any other teacher of the scripture. And a few times, God the Father spoke audibly on the approval of His only begotten Son, commending Him and admonishing mankind to listen and obey His words. For God the Father was watching, His eyes catching the acts of every person and hearing the words from every mouth.

God spoke in gentle terms to those who sought Him in Spirit and Truth. As evidenced by the Woman at the well  by Jesus. (John 4:7-10)

And yes, he spoke in harsh terms to the prideful and arrogant who used God for their own purposes, who followed the traditions of men and the waywardness of a rebellious heart. The fruit of the tree gives evidence to the state of the heart and the deceitfulness of the tongue. As Solomon said and understood, “Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

Application - I don’t have to go far in the world today, to see and hear the words from the heart. Some are laced with grace, mercy, gentleness, and compassion. Others are deceitful words coated in a thin veneer of self-righteousness, they are like some candies, sweet until they dissolve in your mouth and then the tartness permeates your palate and throat, then sours your stomach. 

We all would like to hear words of grace and kindness, hear a gentle word of endearment that is truly meant from a godly heart. But in truth, most of the words today, whether over social media, main media, or in person reflect the darkness of the heart of our world. The fruit of righteousness and a repentant heart are borne on the limbs of a few trees. 

Today’s wisdom and knowledge are laced with evil intentions and selfish ambitions. We are rewriting history to reflect what we want it to say. We promote and propagate hate yet scream for tolerance, equity, and inclusion. Words like syncretism, disinformation, and misinformation are the popular words for our personal and public milieus. The harsh words of a foolish world seem to be belched out in several venues and the hearts crushing of all who listen.

But there is hope for those who humble themselves to yield to God and receive His gifts of heaven’s treasures. To walk in the narrow path of holiness, acknowledge the God who created all things. He is ever watching us “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love … We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” (Psalms 33:18,20) 

God responds with gentleness and godly wisdom to his creation who seek him, His words are appealing to those who seek knowledge and understanding from Him. And the Words of God are like the fruit from the tree of life in the eternal garden in heaven, they bring healing words. “On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Rev. 22:2 NASB)

Next, Solomon moves into the state of the households and how the heart and tongue can be a treasure trove of wisdom that builds up or wage-master of destruction that deposits only unwise debts and tears down.  Let’s read the last portion of the text. “Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise. There is treasure in the house of the godly, but the earnings of the wicked bring trouble. The lips of the wise give good advice; the heart of a fool has none to give. The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright.The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue godliness.” (NLT)

First, God gave parents the responsibility to raise children for Him. God gave the parents wisdom and instruction through His Word. "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise". (Deut. 6:6-7 NIV) 

The household that cherishes and teaches the Word of God will reflect on their action and yield to God’s discipline, whereas the household of the foolish and rebellious despise correction and discipline because they haven’t conformed to God’s way, their own way takes precedence. 

Second, the treasured time in the house of the godly is found in peace and civility, whereas the household of the wicked who treasure pride, selfishness, and worldly human wisdom ends in calamity for each one believes they are right in their own eyes. The fruit of their mouths bear trouble and ungodly advice. The sacrifices of the ungodly are tainted and their prayers are self-focused for they are absorbed in their own pursuits. Whereas God delights in those who pursue Him and godliness. 

Application - I have been in many homes as a pastor and as a teacher in public education I have seen the hearts of many children bearing the fruit of upbringing, whether by the world and social media, and those whose hearts reflected discipline and godly wisdom in their training and rearing. It is true that what the heart treasures and is filled with reflects the words and character of the offspring. The house of the godly wise are teeming with Godliness and its fruit. And the house and hearts of the godly bring a sacrifice of praise to the One true God "The one who sacrifices thank offerings honors me; to one who orders his way aright I will show the salvation of God!" (Ps. 50:23 ESV), while the sacrifice of the self-ambitious reciprocates no authentic praise to God but a heartless praise “And the Lord said: Because these people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.” “And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.” (Isa. 29:13, Ezk. 33;31 ESV)

  The prayers of both will go up before God, but it is God who will decide which to answer. 

Last, the heart and the mouth reveal the state of the home and the person. God gives good gifts, and is generous to those who will obey His Word, who bears good fruit, and show themselves yielded and humble. 

Again, God knows everything about everyone. Our accountability is to Him, and he loves those whom he disciplines.

So which one shall we be? What is stored up in our hearts, it is a new year, let this be the year of God’s transformation in your heart, mind, and mouth.

 As always, I want to conclude by presenting the gospel in the form of the basic principles of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ. For Jesus, God the Son, came into this world to save all who believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you; he is the light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and has given him all authority in heaven and on earth. He will answer you if you truly believe. If you haven't yet asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

First, A: Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a just God, and a change of heart takes place: we change our minds, and God changes our hearts and regenerates us inside and out. Romans 3:10: As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners, so we must be born spiritually to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.) Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death; in other words, our sin means we have been sentenced to death; we have the death penalty hanging over our heads; that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast. Secondly,

B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised him from the dead. This is trusting with all your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is righteous, and with the mouth confession is made and is saved. Third,

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every person who sees lThose who have lived since Adam will kneel andthey confessed with hismouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, Lord of lords, and King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: “As I live,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess to God.” Don’t wait, do it now. Romans 10:13 - For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” “O God, I am a sinner. I repent of my sin. I want to turn away from it. I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son; I believe that he died on the cross for my sins, that he was buried, and that you raised him from the dead. I have decided to put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting in his shed blood alone as sufficient to save my soul and take me to heaven. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen.”

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please visithttp://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In Your Service Mike Davis

I've reviewed my website on spiritual warfare. Please take a look. Thank you.

http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com