What The Bible Says About The Tongue？ — Sanjay Poonen

Good afternoon brothers and sisters good to see you all have a question for the children. What do you think are the three most? Common parts of the head that are in the Bible so neck and above. Children below the age of I don't know 10 Tongue good, that's one years to.

The Tongue, Lips, and Mouth in Scripture

Eyes beautiful. Which is why see no evil hear no evil speak no evil, right and Off those three, which do you think is repeated them? It comes the most often in the Bible of those three. Anybody Off the three.

Yes Tongue and it's not just the tongue tongue. Sometimes it's tongue its lips. I actually did this with one of my children I said, let's look up in the Bible. It's easy go to Bible gateway and you can search and then do that with your children.

Sometimes you have to look beyond tongue because sometimes it's tongue and lips and mouth so you have to add those all together and you'll find actually and it's because It's hard to hurt somebody with your ears.

You can hurt yourself With your ears. It's hard to hurt somebody with their with your eyes. You can hurt yourself with your eyes. Jesus says pluck out your eyes, but we can all hurt somebody with our tongue as we know and There's many many scriptures.

The Biblical Call to Speak as God’s Servants

I'd encourage all of you especially children. I Didn't print out all 131 references the Bible. I picked a few of them and Because this verse in 1st Peter 2 is so powerful it when you read that chapter in 1st Peter 4 People often think it's referring to people who speak up here speak in the utterances of God but the entire chapter is about let me just read a little bit of the context and You'll think like we're living in these times.

Okay. Let me read 1st Peter 4 around 7 The end of all things is near think about the times we're living in right now wars Israel Hamas Ukraine. Therefore be a be of sound judgment above all keep fervent in your love for one another.

Because love covers me be hospitable one another without complaint. Okay. Everyone has a special gift everyone in this room has a special gift. Which is to serve one another and it's in that context. It says whoever speaks is to speak in the utterance of God.

So is that just for brother Zach or You know that some of the other brothers say here though every brother and sister We have an opportunity to every time we open our mouth. We have a choice. It could be a fountain of love or it could be spewing venom and hate.

Learning Gentleness Through Conflict

I have a short story to talk about yesterday. It's been a tough week for Kathy as you guys all folks all know but yesterday we were driving and We were on El Camino and the car in front of her Brake suddenly and she got rear-ended by the person behind her and there's just two of us.

The kids were in the car and we pulled over and We got out and the lady behind her was really livid and I don't know how a rear-end you could think it's you. But she was absolutely guns blazing. Okay guns blazing and My natural instinct was to defend the family defend your paternal instinct takes over.

So I'm going back at her and we went on for a couple of minutes not there was no I don't have to confess any curse words were said, but I raised my voice. Because it was very clear it was a fault and at the end of a couple of minutes of that going back and forth where We ultimately exchanged You know driver's license and registration.

I thought to myself Wow she this is tough because her car was in a lot more damage than mine and Did I actually show her a bit of the Spirit of Jesus here? So it took a couple of minutes and then at the end of it I asked her we could get her an uber and she was in no mood to listen to me at that point in time.

But we left home and I you know prayed for her and I wish I could have called her and apologized. Because I asked myself if I saw her next at the kingdom In heaven or at the judgment seat. Would she say I saw a little bit of Jesus at that time when she was completely in the wrong.

The Last Words We Speak to Others

And so on and for you little children. It's really important. I think I've shared the story before there was a Famous reporter who talked about one day. She was a teenager and She was very upset at her dad for something something simple, you know, I don't know maybe she wanted to do something and her dad said no and As sometimes teenagers teenagers can do, you know stormed away went into a room and slammed the door and said, you know I can't believe you did this woke up the next morning.

Her father died of a heart attack. And I always think about that in the context of older folks, you know. What are the last words we say to them in an evening before they leave? I'd encourage my children to give their grandparents a hug.

Well, most recently Kathy's mom passed when I was thinking about what was the last thing we said to her? So brothers and sisters, especially the young children, I'd encourage you develop habits early in life that Everything you say we can live by this verse in first Peter 4.

Guarding the Tongue and Practicing Self-Control

Where that tongue is like that powerful rudder it can move a ship. I mean if you think about these big if you go next to these big ships aircraft carriers. Or cruise ships and you look at the bottom. There's this rudder.

That's a small fraction of the size of the ship and that moves the ships and you can see these big ships. They can park in a small Spot, it's a huge ship and it's a rudder that's moving them and allowing them rudders and engines.

So it's really a tremendous Reminder, we've heard so many times about how we need to use our tongue in these last days, you know explicit lyrics are on Spotify the world is filled with children who feel that they can say anything to their teachers.

Employees who feel they can say anything to their bosses. Pull it politicians who say they can say anything. We have to be a different generation. That guards our lips not just lips. Sometimes it can be an email, right?

Sometimes I think we have to also there have been emails I've had to that I regretted sending at work and I've learned sometimes we're the best thing to do. Even if you feel that way is write an email put in the draft section go over go to sleep and maybe in the morning You'll delete it.

That's a good practice. The draft section is there for a reason you don't have to send it. You can type it up. It's not a sin to type it up, but then next morning I've deleted some. So whatever the Lord gives you wisdom on how to do this.

Encouragement as a Spiritual Ministry

You know, the point of that passage is to be a servant to be an encourager. We've heard many times the most important I tell my kids this so beautiful story we used to read to them as a as a Young kids, which is at the end of every day.

You can either fill a bucket or you can drain a bucket. Do you want to be someone who has filled someone else's bucket? Not just in nice, you know pat on the back on the words, but in a spiritual encouraging way.

Are we brothers and sisters who fill other brothers and sisters pockets. Are we always draining them out and Started a young age brothers and sisters your young kids to fill other buckets with encouragement.

Encouraging being a prophesying is encouragement something we can all do and if we do that Then the utterances of God that this first Peter Ford Verse talks about isn't just some brother who preaches here or speaks here.

It could be every one of you. You could be a very quiet person and you don't may not have a gift or a or call to speak up here. But God can use you in a powerful way in your school. Or in your college or in your workplace or it might be an email that you send that could be a blessing to us.

Amen.