Proverbs 18 verse 21, surely the serpent will bite without enchantment, and a babbler is no better,. Ecclesiastes 10 verse 11, their poison is like the poison of a serpent,. Psalm 58 verse 4, the tongue is an unruly evil full of deadly poison, the tongue is an unruly evil, it's not controlled by God as a result of your yieldedness and control, that's all it means to be filled by the Holy Spirit, the tongue is an unruly evil full of deadly poison, James 3 verse 8, an hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor, Proverbs 11 verse 9, the hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor, who's my neighbor, quite a question in any second, destroyeth his neighbor, you don't have to take a gun sir and shoot a man until he lies dead, you don't have to take a knife and stab a man until he's dead, you can destroy him more cruelly one sentence, I guarantee, it's all Satan needs, I don't know how many people I've met lying ruined, destroyed, their honor, their credibility, their testimony, their ministry, I don't know how many I've met across this world, in your country, a man in one of the most revered theological seminars in the world was destroyed by one sentence of two students who took exception to his discipline of them, that man was excommunicated, ostracized, his family threw him out in disgust and shame, he was on the streets, divorced, disowned, dishonored and destroyed, I don't care what your doctrine is, that man was destroyed, about three years later, one of those two students couldn't live with himself, he came back and all he did before he fled never to be seen again was to say, we lied, it wasn't the truth, a hypocrite with his mouth, that's all the devil needs is one sentence, destroy it, Proverbs 16 verse 27, an ungodly man diggeth up, diggeth up evil and in his lips there is a burning fire, the tongue is a fire, James warns, an ungodly man diggeth up evil, he's got to find something to destroy, he that uttereth a slander is a fool, God says, Proverbs 10 verse 18, whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off, God says, oh God lied, him will I cut off, that is destroyed, Psalm 101 verse 5, their tongue is as a sharp sword, God says, Psalm 57 verse 4, swords, swords are in their lips, Psalm 59 verse 7, the words of his mouth were smoother than butter but war was in his heart, that's a dangerous man, oh I've met them, you don't know what they're about to do with you in words, a hypocrite is an incredibly good actor, he that hideth hatred with lying lips, God speaks of them, Proverbs 10 verse 18, the words of his mouth were smoother than butter but war was in his heart, his words were softer than oil yet were they drawn swords, God warns, Psalm 55 verse 21, he that hideth hatred with lying lips and he that uttereth a slander is a fool, he that hideth hatred, you see God says, he that hated his brother is a murderer in the New Testament, you can commit murder with one sentence Christian, if the devil gets hold of and you yield your members to him, he's waiting in every congregation, in every movement, don't doubt it, he that goeth about as a tale bearer, he that goeth about as a tale bearer revealeth secrets, Proverbs 20 verse 19, a tale bearer revealeth secrets but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter, Proverbs 11 verse 13, what does that mean, he that is a faithful spirit, he that has integrity and is truly godly, conceals it to protect everyone, a tale bearer revealeth secrets, oh he digs for dirt, the devil will make you find something, don't worry, but he that is of a faithful spirit doesn't destroy a man if he finds out anything, he conceals the matter, he protects the man rather than destroys him, but I was reading in Brandon's home, 1 Corinthians 13, does not keep a record of other people's sins, he that has integrity that is, in Port Elizabeth back in southern Africa, a very large city, I saw a young man many years ago now and he looked so filled with sin that my heart just sunk, as I looked at him with ease like a mohawk hairstyle and there he was gloating at me, he knew I was a preacher and so I walked up to him and I said with a loud voice and I just found myself broken looking at him, you need God, you need God desperately, you need to seek God to save your soul before you do something terrible in this world, young man, then they called me, I couldn't say another word, I'd love to have, that night he took a knife, him and a friend, grabbed a woman off the streets down at the beach of a city, dragged her into the field and did the most atrocious things imaginable that sinners would do, who've given themselves over to the devil, reservedly, then after their wickedness, they took a knife and stabbed her 24 times, ripping, not just stabbing, they were determined, no evidence for their wickedness is going to be left, this woman is dead, stabbing, stabbing, by a miracle no one can even comprehend, even medical science was stunned, how she crawled holding her body, inch by inch screaming in pain, after two hours she got to the street and of course cars stopped, people, the ambulance, the police, they took her somehow by medical science that God gave men wisdom, don't ever attribute it to men, to know how to make a woman in that condition so moral, showed everything they've got to kill, somehow they helped that woman to survive, after a while of therapy, she was able to speak to the police and she gave a description, the police didn't have much difficulty knowing who she's speaking about because not all boys are like that, outwardly, so they went, they found these two boys, they put them in the back of the car and as they were driving, the one policeman said he heard the other, one saying to the other, she can't be alive, no one could survive, she must, she couldn't be alive, she can't have lived, she must be dead, jailed for life, three lifetimes, never to see the night of day again, outside of the prison, that woman has written a book and I've read different interviews she's had and meetings she conducts, I wish she'd bring God into it now, nonetheless I don't judge her, but why do I use such an atrocious, outrageous illustration, in this sense, well, do you think there's any less wicked, I want you to answer God, every single one of you, in the light of all the scriptures we've been reading, only in the light of God's word, do you think there's any less wickedness, what men do with this, they've got to find something, they dig for dirt, every single thing they've got to, and you still survive, you can't be still, oh, be careful, what you do with your lips, to destroy someone else, when those men took up stones, in anger and indignation and sin, to stone to death a woman, who they caught in adultery, they had scriptures justifying now to kill her, but Jesus, as she cast herself at Christ's feet, he shouted with a loud voice to these men, as they were casting the stones already, let him who is without sin, cast the first stone, then Jesus stooped down, the Bible says, and in the stunned shocked silence of men's consciences, unable to move, on the ground, on the sand, he began to write with his finger, on the ground, one by one, every single man put down the stone, and they walked away, I don't believe anybody spoke, only to their own consciences, when God speaks, they walked away from that situation, where they had mercilessly judged someone else's sin, many people have speculated as to what those words were that Christ wrote upon the ground, I've heard different sermons, but no one, no one can be sure about that, let's be sure of that, and I'm not sure about it, but personally, I think it could have been the words that he had already uttered a few chapters before, some men's sins are open beforehand, like this woman, found out here on earth, face the condemnation of men, some men's sins are open before and going before to the judgment, and some men, they follow after 1 Timothy 5 24, some will face judgment on the day of accountability to God, Christ says, which is why Jesus warned us all in Matthew 7 verse 1, judge not, judge not, that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you, again, God said, or God lied, in case you say this doesn't apply, to you, through grace, and a little prayer, after you've destroyed someone, be careful, every idle word, every idle word, oh, that little statement in the light of all the scriptures, that men shall utter, they shall give account of on the day of judgment, God said, or God lied, you say it's sacrilege to say such things of God, no, it's sacrilege not to say that, not to believe that, God doesn't mince words like we do, every idle word that men shall utter, they shall give account of on the day of judgment, for by thy words, by thy words, by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned, God said, God said, but now we need to be very careful, and prayerful, as to what to do when people cruelly attack me, and try to destroy me, all that hate me, whisper together against me, against me do they devise my hurt, Psalm 41 verse 7, come and let us smite him with the tongue, Jeremiah 18 verse 18, literally, come and let us destroy him, with what the devil has shown us is all that's needed, come and let us destroy him with the tongue, Jeremiah 18, but beloved, this is always a time to seek God's grace to keep silence, you say Paul rebuked a sinner, gave him over to Satan, careful, careful, don't forget the rest of the scriptures, I'll tell you something, it'll shock you, 99 of every single time, and I've seen it again and again, where a man stood up and condemned publicly, and destroyed someone's credibility through it, that person who condemned him, was exposed in worse sin, and was destroyed without mercy, I mean that, on that alone I become scared, before I open my mouth, we beloved, must know that this is a time to seek God's grace to keep silence, when people try and destroy you, say not I will recompense evil, say not I will recompense evil, I will pay back, repay evil, wait on the Lord and he shall save thee, Proverbs 20 verse 22, wait on the Lord and he shall save thee, strewn across the pages of the sacred book, you will find that there's the message of the cross, Old Testament and New, strewn across the pages of the sacred book, you will find there's a message of the cross, but there is also the example of the cross, if you miss that, you miss everything, Old Testament and New, there's the message of the cross, but there's also the example of the cross, Isaiah 53 verse 7, he was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth, he's brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and the sheep before his ears is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth, 1 Peter 2 verse 21, leaving us an example, that he should follow his steps, who where did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, when men would destroy you, be careful, leave the fighting to God beloved, this is the only religion in the entire world, where most arguments you win by saying nothing, you'll never forget that, and you lose by fighting back, it's the only religion on earth, I would say 99 of the circumstances you face in life, you will win the argument, no matter what men are doing against you, if you seek grace to keep quiet, the 1 of the time when you need to speak back, is when God the Holy Ghost has given you such wisdom, such a heart, that as you speak, you will destroy your enemy's anger, and dismantle him, when men would destroy you, be careful beloved, leave the fighting to God, be still the Bible Christ, and know that I am God, Psalm 46 verse 10, what does that mean, be still, silence is the closest you come, silence God says, silence, know that I am God, I'll deal with this, if you let me, thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue, Job 5 verse 21, thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues, the Bible says, Psalm 31 verse 20, in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion, in the secret of his tabernacle, shall he hide me, Psalm 27 verse 5, thou art my hiding place, O God, Psalm 83 verse 3, you don't have to go back to the house a few miles, hide in a room to find safety, no, you'll find God, you can be in your hiding place in a crowd, as men try and destroy you, you flee in your heart to God and you find, you find God protects you in that hiding place, there's a prayer in a song we sing, hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is passed, safe into the haven guide, thou art my hiding place, it's a wonderful, wonderful concept of Christianity, these things drive us to find God in a way we would never have ever found closeness to him, Psalm 73 verse 7, verse 3, be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort, for thou art my fortress, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpassed, Psalm 57 verse 1, he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow, that's the protection of the Almighty, because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, the Most High thy habitation, you see with every single promise in the Bible there's a condition, God has no holy obligation, to fulfill his side until you fulfill yours, as I flee to my hiding place, to seek God's guidance and instruction, I'm always given instruction of how to behave before my enemies who would destroy me, Psalm 190 verse 97, oh how I love thy law, it's my meditation all the day, thou through thy commandments has made me wiser than mine enemies, and the whole Old Testament is not history, these things are written to you, to me, for us Christians, Paul says, as warnings, and as munitions, guidance, God, their strength is to sit still, it's not written to the people of God, it was written for you and me, everything in this book sir, yes it's historical records, but it was meant, it won't be in this book, don't tell me two -thirds of the Bible is record of history of God's dealing with a nation or individuals, no, it's vital for your survival, for mine, to know the heart of God, these commandments are written for us, and oh beloved, their strength is to sit still, that is to leave the fighting to God, in 99%, oh he openeth not his mouth, leaving us an example, you see God has given us promises in the Old Testament, for right now, he made a pit, God says, digged it, and has fallen into the ditch which he made, Psalm 7 verse 15, his mistress shall return upon his own head, Psalm 7 verse 16, they have prepared a net for my steps, they've digged a pit before me into the midst of which they are falling themselves, Psalm 57 verse 6, so shall they make their own tongue to fall upon themselves, Psalm 64 verse 8, he that diggeth the pit shall fall into it, that's literal, but in the light of the rest of the scriptures, I believe God speaking, without cause they've hid for me a net, in a pit which they've digged for my soul, oh let that net that he hath hid, catch himself into the very destruction that he set before me, let him fall, these are things of the Old Testament, of course the New Testament has more light, but these things give you the heart of God, keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, let them fall into their own net, you see there's something here that's fearful, without exception, every single man, and there have been so many that you will not believe it, I can't share, I couldn't, that have tried to destroy me, when I found out to the extent of what they were saying, of course I fled to God, without exception it happened to them, I mean this without exception, over the years there's not one that didn't destroy themselves, I left it to God to fight though, I asked for grace just to keep quiet, to open not my lips, the worst attacks that ever came upon me in my life, I sought God and all God said to me is he openeth not his mouth, he's brought us a lamb to the slaughter, sheep before his ears, his dumb soul he opens not his mouth, all God required of me to keep quiet, I want you to seek grace, don't do anything, and I sought God's grace, and I sought God's grace, and then I watched them being destroyed by their own mouths, oh be careful, be careful, I saw a man screaming at me publicly for what I preached, and all I'd done was quote the scriptures, he was so unnerved he began to scream, and I said oh God said to watch before my mouth, keep the doors of my lips, so many are watching now, why become this man, his level if I fight back, he just fell dead, stone dead, oh I aged, I wept for weeks, I didn't want that, but listen carefully, whilst thou art in the way with him, there's a terrible warning to every one of us, you see you never know if this is the last moment you will ever have in eternity, the last moment God will ever give you, to pass the exam in front of this man and everybody that's watching, whilst thou art in the way with him, be careful, you don't know if he's going to fall dead, they told me of three preachers once in one big city that were fighting to keep me, to destroy me, to keep me out of the town of ever preaching there again, and they were forced, when I heard what did I do, I went up in the hills, I went in my face and I sobbing, crying to God to stop them, and a farmer came out, put his arms around me weeping, and he said oh brother, the last 30 minutes since you came out here and prayed about this, all three of those men have fallen dead, 30 minutes, I aged a couple of years in the next two weeks if that happened and said God I can't, I can't serve thee if this happens to people who try to destroy me, I don't want that, but I did learn something where God says love your enemies, it isn't just to prove a point, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which will spitefully use you and persecute you, you see they're not fighting you, they're fighting God, they're in danger, if they're fighting what you're doing for God, it's God they have to do it, I got on my knees a few times, once particularly publicly I had to, and I meant it as I got down weeping and said I'm begging you to stop, I don't care what happens to me, I just don't want you to die, please don't, don't carry on, I meant it, that's why God says love your enemies, not just to prove a point, be careful, the judgment of God comes upon me in this side of eternity, this side of the day of judgment, but listen very carefully now, listen very, very carefully now, there's a time to keep silence God says, which is most occasions I've learned, and there's a time to speak when God permits you to, and all you do is edify every soul that's watching you, beloved there's a time to keep silence in the home before your family, keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom, Micah 7 verse 5, that's your wife, God says there's times you've got to stop speaking to your wife, not generally but about the things that make you, you could lose her, in its context when a man's enemies are the men of his own house, you don't know how cruel an enemy can be until you get one in your own family, he's talking about the consequences of the gospel of Christ, a life who gets saved and faces the consequences now of his separation from evil in the house, you didn't have to go down the road to some wicked people who you used to sin with, in your house those who don't want God, it doesn't mean you're seeking God, presses buttons and everybody in your house is seeking God, no ways, when a man's enemies are the members of his own house, you've got to learn something brother, it's mostly a time to keep, you've made your stand, they know it, their hearts are condemning but if you keep going on coming down on them expecting to live the saved convictions of a saved man while they're unsaved, you're wrong, you're going to lose your wife sir, I know men in this country who lost their wives because what they said was right, it's wrong, the stops, but you don't say that to unsaved people, they're getting in the home, that isn't going to save them, I know people who've lost their children's heart and their wife's heart, vice versa, forever, who left divorced, separated because they couldn't keep quiet, their convictions, their anger, their indignation, it's wrong in the house, isn't brother, it's a time you've got to stop speaking to men about their sins, all you do is speak to God or you lose those men, it's a time you keep quiet, you silence to people, they know your convictions, their hearts are condemning them, they know you're on your knees weeping as they're watching television that you used to laugh with them at the moral decadence, they know the music, they know this is now, you didn't mind before but now these are moral suggestions, these blasphemous statements, the moral decadence in most music today, now you can't bear that, they know and their hearts are condemning them, let me tell you the greatest sermon in the world is not when you get them to hear some great preacher, it's your life, but a life that has the grace, won't do what has happened across this world and I've been in many, many homes where men lost one man, his wife's divorcing him, she can't bear another minute of him with his convictions, I know him in another country, I was in his home and so he phones me, she's divorcing me, the kid left me, they want to be there, they don't want me, I said listen brother, go to the book of Proverbs, take a highlighter and carefully on your knees and prayerfully read, highlight every single verse that says what God says you must do with this, in every circumstance, highlight it and then what you've highlighted, read every day, it'll take you a few minutes and ask God for grace that day to live it, it might stop her, you know she stopped the divorce, she doesn't want a divorce anymore, yes, time, give time, but how many children hate, as enemies, don't want you and you didn't listen to God's word, as a child of God and ask for grace, no compromise is expected in your life, that would be anathema, you don't have to partake of it, but you don't have to lose everyone, they can be sanctified if you don't throw them away by the saved life, 1 Peter 3, I can give you passages upon passages, be in subjection to your own husbands that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wife, the life of the wife, while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear, whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting hair, wearing of gold, putting on apparel, let it be the hidden of the man, of the heart, that was of a meek and quiet spirit, you win him, don't leave him and don't drive him before you've got time for God to win him through your life, I tell you what, most victory, beginning in the home, is here in Christianity, when your wife opposes you for your godly convictions, you could lose her sir, vice versa lady, you have to seek God for grace and he'll give it, always be slow to speak, slow to wrath, James 1 verse 19, especially in the home, it's always in that order, seek God for the grace to keep quiet before you speak your mind out all the time and get them habit, slow to speak, slow to wrath, he that is soon angry, that's quick tempered, dealeth foolishly, God warns, Proverbs 14 verse 17, he that is slow to wrath is of great understanding, but he that is hasty, impulsive, short -tempered, exalteth folly, Proverbs 14 verse 29, the discretion of a man deferreth his anger, I love that, and it is his glory to pass over transgressions, that doesn't mean to condone, this your face doesn't condone, but be careful of your words, you could lose them, they will hate you so much if you don't ask God for grace, you see, Proverbs 15 verse 1 says, a soft answer turneth away wrath, and I tell you it works, home upon home, seek God for that grace and he'll give it to you, but you've got to want it, in a way that he will give it to you, a soft answer always will turn away wrath, but grieve is his harsh word, stir up anger, you don't want to do that, and lose your family, do you?