Take your Bibles and turn with
me to the book of Proverbs chapter 21. Proverbs 21. Continuing our study of the book
of wisdom. Proverbs 21 verse 23 says this,
who so keepeth His mouth and his tongue keepeth
his soul from troubles." You know, we've said so many
times, without a doubt, the book of Proverbs absolutely sets forth
wisdom, moral virtue. to behold nothing more than good
advice. Just practical advice, which
is the way that most people consider the book of Proverbs. And it's
good. There's nothing wrong with good
advice on daily living. No doubt that's good advice. But when it comes to our eternal
soul, good advice, human advice, is not going to do you anything.
It's not going to profit us anything toward salvation. Now today, we're considering
the seriousness of words. That's what this is talking about.
The scripture says, Matthew 12, 37, By thy words shalt thou be
justified, and by thy words shalt thou be condemned. I want to know something about
what this scripture is dealing with concerning words, just to
read it and pass over it, and not consider the heart of what's
being said, to just slough it off. Just say, well, you know. is fatal. Whoso keepeth his mouth and his
tongue, now listen to this, keepeth his soul from troubles. Now there's something weighty
about that, Fred. Whoso keeps Now that word keep,
keepeth, it's a continual. Keepeth, that word is the word
that we must consider. Because it's talking about my mouth, my tongue, it's talking
about my heart. Because out of the abundance
of my heart, my mouth speaks. So there's something that's being
said. What does the word keepeth? What does it refer to? It sets forth that he who, and
here's the word, guards, tends to, watches over. Now this is a divine revelation. that ought to perk up our ears,
our spiritual ears, and cause us to hear, because what this
is saying right here concerning man as he's born in Adam, that's something he can't do.
I can tell you he can't do it. Listen, every kind of beast,
this is James 3, 7 and 8, every kind of beast, birds, Serpents,
things in the sea is tamed and hath been tamed by mankind. You know, you can catch a tiger
or a lion and put him in a zoo, put him behind bars, you know. Kids have pet snakes, put them
in a thing right there, close them up, you know. Every kind of beast, birds, serpents,
things in the sea, tamed and hath been tamed of mankind, but
the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil full of
deadly poison. So whoso keepeth his tongue,
mouth, keeps his soul. So the ability to control the
tongue is set forth as being that characteristic of one who
measures up to the very height of virtue and integrity to be
able to control it. Listen to this, for in many things
we offend all If any man offend not in word, never says the wrong
thing, always knows when to speak and
always knows when to be silent. Someone like that. Now that man,
the scripture says, is a perfect man, able also to bridle the
whole body. Now let me ask you this. Is there
anyone here that can of themselves do that? Now that we're all guilty. Now let's just go ahead and be
honest about it. That every one of us have opened our mouth and
said way too much. We're all guilty. Somebody said,
I've never done. According to these scriptures,
we're all guilty. But it doesn't change the fact
that these scriptures declare whoso does keep it, mouth and
tongue keeps his soul. Whoso keepeth. Now I wanted to
find out where was the first time that that word keep or keepeth
Same word. Where was that word found for
the first time? I'll tell you where it was. It
was over in Genesis chapter 2 verse 15. First time that word keep
was ever used. Listen to this. And the Lord
God took man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it
and to keep it. Same word, whoso keepeth his
mouth and tongue. First time that word was used
was concerning Adam in the garden. Now, he put him there to dress
it and keep it. Now, I know something about that
particular scripture. That word right there, to keep
the garden. I know that it could not have
meant to work it as we think of keeping it. Ah, he's a groundskeeper.
What does that mean? Well, he's out there doing stuff.
He's mowing the grass and weed eating stuff. He's a groundskeeper,
you know? Adam was put in that garden to
dress it and keep it, but the fall had not taken place yet
when that scripture was written. The man had not fallen, had not
rebelled against God, so I know that the word keep could not
have meant to toil or labor in the garden. So it had to have
meant something else other than labor. When God told Adam, I'm
going to put you here and you are to dress it and keep it. The Garden of Eden was a place
of worship. is what it was. It was a place
set forth by God for man to picture the glorious inheritance of God's
people. It was a place in which man,
mankind, and there wasn't but two, Adam and his wife Eve. It was a place where man might
behold and be thankful for. the kindness, the goodness of
Almighty God, a place where man might continually be careful
to give the sacrifices of praise unto God by keeping the garden. The word keep, right here, and
the word keepeth in Proverbs 21. Same word. It is to be aware, to take heed,
marking and looking narrowly to what? The goodness of God. This is what God told Adam to
do. I want you to keep the garden. Again, man had not fallen, the
ground was not cursed, weeds wasn't coming forth. He wasn't
to work it, you know, plant it, plant some more trees in it,
kind of keep it pretty and do what you can do and stuff like
that. lead to works. Man would have something to glory
in. I tell you what, I have really
done something for this garden since I've been here. No. Man was to observe it. That's
what it is to keep. Keep the sense, would be the
same as the scripture, Psalm 34 8, oh taste and see that the
Lord is good. Perceive it and experience that
the Lord is goodness. That's the word keep there. He
was to keep. He was to look at God put man
in the garden of perfection and man was instructed I want you
to consider. I want you to regard the glory
of God. That's what I'm putting you here
for. To look upon. Keep it. That's what the word
means. and man couldn't do it. He could not look upon with consistency
the goodness of Almighty God. Now just for a second, just think
about here we are today with an instruction. Behold the wonder
of God's grace and consider it and be thankful for it. mark
it, regard it. Who can do that as we ought? Who can do that with consistency? Nobody. None of us. When man
was tempted to rebel against God, when man was tempted to
forsake the observing with consistency when he was
tempted to forsake the observing or the watch care or the looking
to the glorious inheritance of God. When he was tempted to not
keep, not regard God's goodness, he failed. He couldn't do it. And since that time, every one
of us have come forth spiritually dead, incapable of the capacity
to be able to just observe with a heart of thankfulness. God's people want to be thankful.
I want to be. But I'm not. I want to be sorry
as I ought to be for my rebellion, my sin against God. And I'm not. I'm not. I'm just
honest with you. I wish I was regretful as I ought
to be. I could observe the glorious
mercy of Almighty God to me, but I am a wretched failure. Oh, wretched man, Paul says that
I am. That word does not change. This is God's command. In spite
of God's goodness, my frailty, thanks be unto God, He does not
look to me for my ability to be able to answer His demand. God Almighty, who is rich in
mercy, eternally purposed to save His people, save them from
their sins. And to save His people, there
had to be a man who could obey God, who could behold the goodness
of Almighty God toward mankind, who could look upon God's mercy
and compassion to helpless, hopeless, in themselves, sinners. A man
who could do that. And Almighty God, One who could
observe, watch, attend to His mouth and His tongue, to the
glory of Almighty God, took upon Himself flesh. And came into this world and
dwelt among men who could not keep their mouth, their tongue. In the fullness of time, according
to God's everlasting covenant of grace, a son was given and
a child was born and the God-man mediator was conceived. in the
womb of a virgin who walked before God and men as the representative,
the federal head of God's people. And he obeyed God in word and
thought and deed. He said, the words that I speak,
he said, these are the words of my Father. Listen. Listen
to John 8, 29. He that sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone.
I do always those things that please Him. Whenever He came,
when He spoke, He spoke only that which would endure forever. Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words, they shall not pass away. Whenever
he spoke, he spoke with authority. They were astonished, the scripture
said, that his doctrine for his word was with power. When he
spoke, he spoke that which was divine. He said, he that loveth
me not keepeth not my sayings. You know what he just said? He
that loveth me not doesn't attend to. look to, take care to, and
observe by faith what I have to say. That's what he said.
He that doesn't love me keepeth not. He doesn't do what God commanded
man to do. He said, the word which you hear
is not mine, but the Father's which hath sent me. So when he
spoke, he kept his mouth. He kept his tongue. but also
in this keeping, not only what he said, but what he didn't say. When he was silent, he did the
same thing. He guarded. He was aware of the
necessity of silence and his need to not utter a saying. Isaiah 52.13 says, Behold, my
servant shall deal prudently. He shall be dealing intelligently,
skillfully, with understanding. He shall be exalted and extolled
and be very high. When the woman of Canaan The
Syrophoenician woman came and besought the Lord for her daughter.
She was crying out for mercy. And the Lord, now listen, who
kept His mouth, His tongue, and did it with prudence, did it
intelligently, wisely. When she asked Him for mercy
for her daughter, here's what He did at first. He answered
her not a word. And he did this for his glory
and for her eternal good. What did he do? He kept his mouth
and his tongue. He didn't say anything to her. When he was oppressed and afflicted
before Pilate, Scripture says, he held his peace. He kept his
mouth and his tongue. Isaiah 53, 7. He opened not his
mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened
not his mouth. He, to that Syrophoenician woman,
by mercy, by power, excited her to ask him fervently Lord, I
know that the dogs get the crumbs. Lord, I bow to you. I come to you. Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy. He gave her what she asked, but
he knew when to speak and when not to speak. When he stood before
Pilate, Pilate told him, don't you know I have power? I can
put you to death. I can turn you. I can do anything
I want to. The Lord said, you can't do anything. You can't
do anything. Who do you think you are? He
was silent. Why? Because he stood there as
the Lamb. He would go to the cross, bear
the guilt of his people. Whoso keepeth his mouth and his
tongue keeps, watches, guards that which he says or doesn't
say. To the glory of God, he keepeth, he's aware, regards,
has an eye toward his soul. That's what the scripture says.
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul, keeps
himself from troubles. What was he doing? He was keeping
himself. Us. Us. He was keeping himself. We are
the body, we're His body. This is our body right here.
The church, the bride, that's His body. And when He watched
His mouth, He regarded what He said and didn't say. He was keeping
His soul, what, from troubles? Oh, the troubles that He's kept
us from. Oh, the troubles that He's delivered
us. There's so many times I'll go through a day And I'll just
observe something that happened. And I think, but for the grace
of God, what could have happened? But for God's grace, what has
he kept us from? He's keeping us, His people,
He's keeping us, His very heart, His soul, His body, those who
are one with Him in electing and redeeming grace, one with
Him in willful submission. I know He could do it, but what
about me? What about me, right here? I'll
tell you, according to the Scriptures, robed in His righteousness, how holy are His people. How holy, how right, when He,
on our behalf, for us, He who was made sin, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him. How holy are God's people
in Him. First John 4, 17, herein is our
love made perfect. That is love with Him, being
found in Him. By our union with Him, love is
brought to completion. Herein is our love made perfect,
that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. What is the boldness that we
shall have in the day of judgment? The scripture says, because as
He is, so are we in this world. Is He accepted of God? We're
accepted of God in Him. Is He holy and just? In Him, we are holy and just
before God. Did He keep His mouth and His
soul and His tongue? In Him, so did we. Did He watch
for our souls, protect our souls from troubles? He protected us. Last verse, Psalm 141, verses
1 to 3. These words could only be spoken
by the Lord Jesus Christ in truth. But I'm telling you in Him, this
is the desire of a believer, and this is the actual experience
of a believer in Christ. Psalm 141 verses 1-3, Lord, Jehovah,
Father, Son, Spirit, I cry unto Thee, Make haste unto me. Give ear unto my voice when I
cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set before thee
as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O Lord, before my
mouth. Keep the door of my lips. Those words is the desire. of a believer. They are the words
of actual experience of a believer in Christ. Only in Him can a
believer say, I have kept my mouth and my tongue. I have watched for my soul and
kept myself from troubles in Christ. Because as He is, so
are we. May the Lord bless these words
to our heart for Christ's sake. Amen.