Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 18. Our brother Milton Howard's pulpit
in Ball, Louisiana, he got a little piece of paper about that big,
taped down here at the bottom, and it says, K-I-S-S. Keep it simple, stupid. Brother Walter Groover told me
last time I was in Mexico, he always tells preachers, I told
you this, he said, preach to the heart. I was talking to Cody Groover
the other day, he made this statement, and I don't know if Cody will
ever realize what the Lord was pleased to say to me in this
little phrase right here. He said, Lord help us to get
out of the way. I thought about that and I prayed
that that be so. Let me tell you what I heard
in that, Lord help us to get out of the way. Don't try to
be clever when you preach. Don't ever try to be original. Preach the Word of God. Preach what God has to say. And don't try to make it say
something that it doesn't, but never omit what it does say. Almighty God is going to bless
His Word. Not my theatrical ability. It is not the speaker. It's the
Word of God. That's it. Get out of the way. I pray that God help me this
morning. Get out of the way. Proverbs
18.21. Death and life. are in the power of the tongue,
and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Now I do
want to be simple. I want to be as simple as I can
be. I don't want to get in the way. I truly desire to be a voice,
a voice. All I want to do is repeat what
God has to say and set forth the meaning of this Scripture.
I know that it's always concerning Christ, I know it is. So I know
this, you flee to Him, you'll be looking for the Gospel. You
look for the Gospel in this passage and you're looking right. Because
the Lord said, these are they, these scriptures, these are they
that testify of me. But I do know this. In the Proverbs,
there's always a practical and a spiritual significance. Always. Always. I see that. Death and life are
in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the
fruit thereof. Now practically, I'm just talking
now, just practically. Death and life, evil or comfort. Putting down or lifting up are
in the power of the tongue. I've heard this say, my mama,
I've heard my mama say this all my life. It's not what you say,
it's how you say it. Just flip back to Proverbs 15.1. This is exactly what is being
set forth right here. This is exactly it. Proverbs
15.1, a soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir
up anger. It's not what you say, it's how you said it. You know,
somebody walks in, they're late or something like that, and you
can say, hey, where have you been? Or you can say, where in
the world, where have you been? You know, one of them was a question,
the other was an accusation. It's not what I said, it's how
I said it. A soft answer. A sarcastic, angry
attitude is repulsive. It just grates. but a kind, courteous, sensitive
word is always appreciated and is always received profitably. Therefore, look at Colossians,
Colossians 4.6, always, next time I open my mouth, I hope
I can remember this, Colossians 4.6, let your speech,
now listen to this, Be often, is that what it says? Always, always. Let your speech be always with
grace, seasoned with salt, mercy, kindness, graciousness, that
you may know how you ought to answer every man. A kind answer, a kind word. Death and life are in the power
of the tongue and they that love it, one way or the other, shall
eat the fruit thereof. We're always drawn to kindness
and peace and sensitivity, but nobody, nobody wants to be around
a sarcastic, Just troublemaker. I just don't want to be around
them. Told my kids, speak kindly to
each other. And then I'm thinking, I better
listen to what I'm saying. Practically whatsoever a man
soweth, that's what he's going to reap. I'm telling you, you
come at somebody hard and sarcastic, get ready. It's coming right
back at you. I'm telling you. You know that. So number one, there's a practical.
Now, okay, I've got that out of the way. It's true, but it's
not the gospel. It's not the gospel. I mean,
we ought to walk kindly and, you know, sensitively, but that's
not the gospel. Well, concerning spiritual matters
then. you know, concerning the eternal. Here's what Scripture, death
and life, eternal death or eternal life, are in the power or is
manifested. The power there means the hand.
It's manifested in the speaking, the tongue. They that love it,
death or life, shall eat the fruit thereof." Now, there's
a way that God has set forth life in Christ. There is a way that God speaks. God speaks. The Lord speaks. He speaks today. He's speaking
this morning through the preaching of the gospel of God's grace
in Christ. Now, that's how He speaks. God
speaks. Some might say, I've never heard
the voice of the Lord. Well, a believer's never heard,
not in this life, I can tell you that. I mean, I do know when
the Lord walked upon this earth, they heard Him speak. There were
some that heard Him speak from heaven. Peter, James, and John. John said, I heard him. I heard
him speak. Peter said, I was there. I heard a voice from heaven. But how does the Lord speak today? He speaks through His Word in
the preaching of the gospel as that gospel is blessed by the
Holy Spirit to the heart of God's people. They hear. You hear me because you have
an ear. and all of the workings inside, and it works, and I come
out with a word, and it's amazing. The moment it comes out of my
mouth, you've heard it, processed it, understood it, and you're
understanding words just right in a... It's a marvelous thing. Hearing, understanding, perceiving,
you hear it. But there is a hearing ear that
is of the heart, the new man, a hearing ear. And life is manifested,
God's voice is manifested in the gospel. What is the gospel?
It is the declaration. It's not an invitation. The gospel
is not an invitation. It's not an invitation. It is
the declaration. We declare unto you. It is the
declaration of Almighty God's purpose and will to everlastingly
show mercy to a people that He has chosen to show mercy to in
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's the accomplishment
of that salvation and redemption in the Redeemer Himself. The
sure accomplishment of it. It's the gospel. It's the good
news of mercy and compassion to whomsoever God is pleased
to show. The gospel of God's grace. It
declares the Father to be the electing God, the Son to be the
Redeemer of God's elect, and the Holy Spirit who effectually
calls and seals and teaches and guides and comforts God's people. It's the message that is of the
surety of salvation to all that God Almighty has everlastingly
loved. It's the gospel. And life is
set forth, the surety of life, in the preaching of the gospel.
And it sets forth the death of all who refuse it. I'm telling
you, Romans 1, 16 and 17, Paul said, I've read this before,
I'll read it to you again, Romans 1, 16 and 17, Paul said, I'm
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is
the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. Therein, in the gospel, is the
righteousness of God revealed. From faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall
live by faith. God grants faith to believe that
salvation, righteousness, is by the faith of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Not my faith that saves. His
faith answers for me. His obedience answers for me.
Second Thessalonians 2.14, where unto he called you by our gospel
to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. And
this gospel It must be preached. It must be heard. It must be
believed for there to be salvation. God ordered it and ordained it
that way. Now let me tell you what happens
here. God Almighty has chosen to show mercy to whomsoever He
will. God shows mercy. And I'll tell
you another thing too. Concerning the gospel, concerning
salvation, do you have to believe in order to be saved? The answer
is yes. Yes. He that believeth. He that believeth not shall not
see light. He that believeth. But let me
ask you this. How did you believe? God Almighty
sent the gospel. God Almighty crosses the path
of his people with the gospel. And then God Almighty, when it
pleases Him in the fullness of time, He gives a new heart. He gives a heart to believe. He makes His people willing,
Psalm 110.3, willing in the day of His power. And He gives faith. He grants faith. And by faith,
by the grace of faith, they believe. But they believed because they
were alive. They didn't believe in order
to be saved. So do they have to believe? Yes.
But God grants faith and by faith we believe. We're saved by grace. We know it and believe it by
faith. So what God demands, belief,
God gives. God gives that. It's not of worth. We didn't do anything. Nobody
has anything to boast in. We believe God. Why? Because
He gave us a heart to believe. Because He gave us life. He made
us willing in the day of His power. Romans 10. Romans 10,
13-17. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. OK, but how shall they call on
him in whom they've not believed? How shall they believe in Him
whom they've not heard? How shall they hear without a
preacher? How shall they preach except they be sent as it's written,
how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace and bring glad tidings of good things? But they've not
all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah said, Lord, who hath
believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing,
hearing by the word of God. How are they going to hear? Well,
Ezekiel 36 says, I'm going to give you a new heart. I'm going
to put a new spirit in you. And I'm going to write my law,
my word. I'm going to write my word on
your heart. I'm going to be your God. You're
going to be my people. And God's people believe. They
truly believe. Because the Lord gave them life
first. God does something for them first
that they could not do for themselves. The gospel declares life. Death and life are in the power
of the tongue. The gospel declares life to all
who by grace believe it. And remember, that belief truly
was yours, but you weren't the source of it. You did do it. You did believe. You did believe.
But it didn't come from you. God gave you a new heart. And
He declares damnation to all that reject it. John 3.36. John
3.36. The Lord preaching here. John 3.36. He that believeth
on the Son hath an everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Now listen to this. Someone say,
well now I believe on the Son, but I just don't believe it the
way you say that I believe on him. You cannot separate believing
on the Lord Jesus Christ and not believe in the gospel.
You can't say, I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but I don't
believe the report that you're giving. John 12, 37-38 says this, John 12, 37-38, Though He had
done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on
Him, that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled,
which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report, our gospel? And to whom hath the arm of the
Lord been revealed? Who has believed the gospel that
we preached? Well, you say, well, the gospel? What do you mean? Paul answered
this beautiful, beautiful, under the inspiration of God's Spirit.
Romans chapter 1, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be
an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. which He had promised
to afford by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning
His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made of the seed of
David, according to the flesh." The Gospel is concerning God's
purpose in Christ. to save His people. To say that
you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to say, I don't believe
the gospel as you're declaring it, is contradictory. You cannot
separate believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and separate Him
from the preaching of the gospel of God's sovereign grace. Death and life are in the power
of the tongue. To believe Christ is to believe
the gospel. Paul, writing to the church at
Galatia, said this in verse 8, Though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached
unto you, let him be accursed. So, does a man believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ? He does if he believes the gospel.
The gospel of God's grace, sovereign grace. It comes right down to
this. Who gets the glory? Who gets
the glory? Who's going to get the honor?
Where does salvation start? Did it start with God offering
it to me and I have to make it effectual? That's not the gospel. Salvations of the Lord start
to finish. So death and life are practically
in the power of the tongue, just humanly speaking. But secondly,
death and life is in the power of the tongue concerning the
preaching of the gospel. Death and life, either the preaching
of it or the failure to do so. Thirdly, death and life are manifest. Death or life is manifest in
the power of the tongue concerning the confession of a man or a
woman, what they confess. This is what I mean. Matthew
12.37, for by thy words thou shalt be
justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. The scripture declares in Matthew
12.35, a good man One made so by the grace of God. I know that there's none good,
no not one, but one that God Almighty has called out of darkness.
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good
things. And an evil man out of the evil
treasure bringeth forth evil things. Words, now listen, words
are going to come into account in the day of judgment. What a man says he believes. I know that in me, that is in
my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. I know that. I know that. But I can tell you this, according
to that which the Lord has taught me, concerning myself. I know what I am in me. In me, I'm wicked. I'm wretched. That's what Paul said. Oh, wretched
man that I am. But let me tell you what the
Scriptures declares for a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. One
that God Almighty has taken and made His Son sin. Made him sin. You know what the
difference in sin and sins are? You know what the difference
is? One of them is what I do. Sins. The other one is what I
am. So if you want to ask, what is
a man born in Adam? Here's what He is. Sin. Sin. You sum Him up. I'm going to
just sum Him up right here. There's nothing about Him that's
good. Everything about Him is evil. Everything about Him. There's none good. No, not one.
All of His righteousnesses, what is it? Filthy rag. That's all
you can say about Him. What is a man born in Adam? He's
sin. What was Christ made? Sin made
what we are. I'm so far over my head in my
ability to grasp that Almighty God made His Son sin. If you think I'm off beat on
this, I'll tell you what. Turn to 2nd Corinthians. We've
read it before. Look at it again. You tell me
what it says. 2nd Corinthians 5.21. 2nd Corinthians 5.21. For he, that
is the Father, hath made him, now to be is in italics, So you
just read it like this without the italicized words. For He
hath made Him sin for us. For who? Well, for the ones for
whom Christ died. And the Lord Jesus Christ said
in John 10, 15, I lay down my life for the sheep. He hath made
Him sin for us who knew no sin. Not the Lord. He's holy, harmless,
undefiled. Separate from sinners. And here's
the reason that He made Him sin. That sin, what we are, and all
the manifestations of it comes back to what we are. He made
Him sin for us who know no sin and dealt with Him in absolute
justice. God cannot die, but I'll tell
you this, the God-man, the man, Christ Jesus did. That's another
great mystery. God shed his blood. That's what
scripture said. God Almighty in the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ died. unto the judgment of God, and
by one sacrifice for sin, one sacrifice, he hath perfected
forever them that are set apart by God, sanctified. Now here's
what happened. God made Him sin for us, who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him. We're going to have to be righteous. We're going to
have to be obedient. We're going to have to be holy. We're going
to have to have our sin taken care of. And Christ did it both,
did both of them. He finished it both. He made
Him sin and dealt with Him on our behalf, on the behalf of
His people. The Redeemer. And He redeemed. What does redemption mean? To
pay the price. Pay the price. What's it going to cost? It's
going to cost your life. And He died under the judgment
of God and now He robes His people in His righteousness, in the
faith of Christ. Robed in Him. Robed in His obedience. I'm telling you, a believer believes
that. I have nothing in myself to boast,
all of my righteousness that I can come up with filthy rags,
whatever you claim, whatever I claim to have done in order
to be reconciled to God is filthiness, filthiness. It's not Righteous,
it's self-righteousness. And a believer is taught that
by the Spirit of God, and he confesses it. Life and death
in the power of the tongue. My words is going to manifest
that you've been justified. Not that my words justifies me,
but out of the abundance of my heart, my mouth speaks. So life
and death is in the power of the tongue. And then lastly, life and death is in the power
of the tongue of the judge. Matthew 25, Matthew 25, 31. When the Son of Man shall come
in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He
sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered
all nations. He shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. He
shall set the sheep on His right hand, the goats on the left.
Then shall the king say, unto them on His right hand,
come ye blessed to my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world." Life. Life. Life. Life that He ordained. Life that He procured. Life that
He applied. Life that He kept. Life. Life. is in His tongue, and death is in His tongue. Verse 41, Then shall He say also
unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Death and life are in the power
of the tongue. Practically, in the preaching of the gospel,
in the confessing, in the manifestation out of the abundance or the lack
thereof of heart that knows Him or doesn't know Him. And then
fourthly, in the word of the judge. And they that love it,
Either death, because they will not flee from the wrath to come. I'm not going to have that man
rule over me. Well, I'm going to tell you something. He already
does. You may not bow right now, but
I'm telling you, you will. You may not confess that you
believe this gospel right now, but you will. In that day, it
will be too late. Too late. You remember the foolish
and the wise virgins? Those wise virgins, they made
preparation, a picture of those that God showed mercy to. Those
foolish virgins, they didn't make preparation, all spiritually
speaking. The bridegroom came, and all
of a sudden, the foolish virgins realized, uh-oh, we're in trouble. And he started coming and he
said, we've changed our mind. We've changed our mind. The door
was shut. When God shut the door in the
ark, and the earth opened up, and the water spilled out, and
heavens opened up, and rain came, and mountains were being covered,
and people, you know. God had shut the door. May the Lord bless these words
to the salvation of His people, the comfort of His people. I
pray God have mercy today. Call His own unto Himself. Comfort
us by these words for Christ's sake.