Anna Moore: Well, welcome again.
Anna Moore: Some new faces this morning, so I'm happy to see you and so glad you could all join us.
Anna Moore: Thank you again for giving up your Saturday to come.
Anna Moore: Um Delicious.
Anna Moore: Can I just ask?
Anna Moore: And you know, this has nothing to do with spiritual things.
Anna Moore: What flavor of bagel was the pink red one?
Anna Moore: Who who did that?
Anna Moore: Does anybody know?
Anna Moore: Huh?
unknown: I think it's red velvet, red mel bagel.
Anna Moore: With the nuts in it?
Anna Moore: All right.
Anna Moore: Well, it was good, whatever it was, red velvet.
Anna Moore: I love it.
Anna Moore: Uh don't even get me started as a southerner on red velvet craze because it all started down south.
Anna Moore: When I moved here 33 years ago, you didn't even know what a red velvet cake was.
Anna Moore: I promise you.
Anna Moore: My cousin had to mail me uh the cake mix when it came out from the south.
Anna Moore: She would mail me a red velvet box of cake mix.
Anna Moore: And now you say, I thought it had always been around, but it hasn't, see?
Anna Moore: Yeah, yeah.
Anna Moore: All right.
Anna Moore: It was delicious.
Anna Moore: Thank you.
Anna Moore: Um, last night we laid the foundation or the groundwork as we looked at what God says in his word about our hearts, the difference in the heart of stone and the heart of flesh.
Anna Moore: And Royal did a great job of summarizing that lesson for those who weren't here, and hopefully you can uh listen to that or catch up on that at some point.
Anna Moore: But today, our two lessons are more practical in nature, and we're gonna focus on two areas of our lives that will look different when God grants us a new heart through Jesus Christ his Son.
Anna Moore: It's our tongues and our hospitality.
Anna Moore: So those two areas we're gonna concentrate on today.
Anna Moore: And let me pray for us one more time.
Anna Moore: Father, thank you for these dear ladies, for this wonderful church.
Anna Moore: Thank you for this just beautiful, warm place to meet.
Anna Moore: Uh, we have so much to be grateful for.
Anna Moore: Lord, help us never to take that for granted.
Anna Moore: Thank you for the abundant uh breakfast we enjoyed.
Anna Moore: And now, as we partake in the food of your word, may Lord you bless us and teach us and change us.
Anna Moore: In Jesus' name, amen.
Anna Moore: So follow along on that wonderful, those handouts, that beautiful booklet, if that's helpful to you.
Anna Moore: And Roman numeral one on that handout, why the tongue?
Anna Moore: Why in the world a session on the tongue?
Anna Moore: Why throw this in when the conference is about our hearts, right?
Anna Moore: Well, if you ask that, then you just answered your own question because the tongue is all about the heart.
Anna Moore: So let's dig in.
Anna Moore: Letter A.
Anna Moore: If you control the tongue, you control your body.
Anna Moore: Control the tongue, control the body.
Anna Moore: James 3, 2 says, For we all stumble in many ways.
Anna Moore: If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man able also to bridle his whole body.
Anna Moore: That's how important the tongue is.
Anna Moore: If you can control your tongue, you control your whole body and you are perfect.
Anna Moore: But we all know that that is not fully happening this side of heaven, but that's how important the tongue is.
Anna Moore: And in case you're still not convinced that we need to be talking about the tongue in a conference that's entitled The Extreme Heart Makeover, not the extreme tongue makeover, although that would be a good one.
Anna Moore: Just look at the first phrase in the title of today's lesson.
Anna Moore: Out of the abundance of the heart.
Anna Moore: Letter B, the tongue is clearly a matter of the heart.
Anna Moore: Out of the abundance of the heart, that comes from Matthew 12, 34, where Jesus is telling the Pharisees that a tree is known by its fruit.
Anna Moore: And he says, You brood of vipers, how can you speak good things when you're evil?
Anna Moore: For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Anna Moore: So the tongue is clearly a matter of the heart.
Anna Moore: You see, the problem is the root.
Anna Moore: In the springtime, you're going to have those dandelions and the other weeds that come up in your garden or in your yard.
Anna Moore: And you know that unless you get them down deep at the root, they're going to keep coming back.
Anna Moore: The tongue reflects what is in your heart, just like those roots, those weeds reflect what is at their root.
Anna Moore: Have you ever said or heard someone say, Oh, I didn't mean it.
Anna Moore: My kids would do this.
Anna Moore: I've done it.
Anna Moore: I didn't mean that.
Anna Moore: I really didn't mean that.
Anna Moore: You would say something cutting or demeaning.
Anna Moore: I didn't mean that.
Anna Moore: Well, according to Jesus, what you said is what you meant.
Anna Moore: And I want to show us a little hope this works and I don't get water all over your lovely church here, but so just watch.
Anna Moore: I hope you can see.
Anna Moore: I couldn't get it any higher.
Anna Moore: So here we go.
Anna Moore: Remember, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Anna Moore: Whatever is inside you, inside your body, inside your heart, is going to come out.
Anna Moore: It's not chocolate milk, it's not lemonade, it's not iced coffee, I wish it was.
Anna Moore: But it's not.
Anna Moore: It's water.
Anna Moore: And water was in this, water's in that, and water is spilling out into this.
Anna Moore: Picture your heart, picture your tongue as your mouth is overflowing with whatever is in your heart.
Anna Moore: What's underneath or inside is going to come out.
Anna Moore: Now, this illustration, that illustration's great.
Anna Moore: This next thing I'm going to say breaks down because nobody wears dresses or slips anymore.
Anna Moore: However, do you remember the day when you would see a lady and or you yourself have had a dress on and you've had a slip on and just it constantly is coming out, or your, you know, the static electricity is keeping it up and your slip is showing?
Anna Moore: Some of the younger people are like, I don't even know what a slip is.
Anna Moore: But I, yeah.
Anna Moore: But I think it's a it is a good illustration because what you would say to that lady is, excuse me, ma'am, your slip is showing.
Anna Moore: You know, to go up and whisper to her, your slip's showing, and she would tug it down and fix her dress.
Anna Moore: Ladies, that's how it is with our tongues.
Anna Moore: We could say to each other, excuse me, ma'am, but your heart is showing.
Anna Moore: Now, I'm not saying that all bad is coming out.
Anna Moore: What I am saying, more importantly, what Jesus is saying is whatever is in there is coming out.
Anna Moore: Out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth is speaking.
Anna Moore: So that can be a good thing if there are peaceful, helpful, loving, encouraging words coming out of our mouths.
Anna Moore: On the other hand, it can be very embarrassing, like that slip that is showing under our hymn line.
Anna Moore: And just as we talked about last night, our hearts are so deceived and so wicked and depraved.
Anna Moore: No one is good, no one is righteous, no one understands, no one seeks after God.
Anna Moore: And after those verses in Romans 3 comes this next set.
Anna Moore: After we see that, Romans 3, 13 and 14, after we've read about no one is good, no one is righteous, no one understands, their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive, the venom of asps is under their lips, their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.
Anna Moore: Of all the ways we vent our inner wickedness, the tongue receives priority attention.
Anna Moore: Isn't that interesting?
Anna Moore: After those verses 10 through 12, no one's good, no one's righteous, no one seeks after God, and then immediately goes into our tongues.
Anna Moore: So what do we do about this?
Anna Moore: Well, we could stop talking.
Anna Moore: That would solve part of the problem.
Anna Moore: Probably one of my favorite or at least most convicting verses is Proverbs 17, 28.
Anna Moore: Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise.
Anna Moore: When he closes his lips, he's deemed intelligent.
Anna Moore: But he's he proves himself a fool when he opens his mouth.
Anna Moore: But if he could just keep his mouth closed, if we, she could just keep her mouth closed, she wouldn't prove herself to be such a fool.
Anna Moore: But we can't keep quiet forever.
Anna Moore: And after all, this is not the real problem.
Anna Moore: This is.
Anna Moore: So even if you cut this off and you stop talking, you've still got the root problem.
Anna Moore: So that's what we're addressing today.
Anna Moore: We have to deal with it at the root.
Anna Moore: A new heart, a changed heart, is not only what we need for doing good and kind things, it is what we need for saying good and kind things as well.
Anna Moore: Roman numeral two, our speech is related to our hearts.
Anna Moore: So I want us to see, we're gonna try to dig a little bit deep here.
Anna Moore: We won't cover everything, way too much that we could cover.
Anna Moore: We're just gonna take some specific areas of how our speech is related to our hearts.
Anna Moore: These are some specific sinful speech patterns that we're going to address.
Anna Moore: Letter A, an ungrateful and an unbelieving heart leads to what type of speech pattern?
Anna Moore: Grumbling and complaining.
Anna Moore: If we are not thankful people, if we are constantly ungrateful and we do not believe God, we will grumble and complain.
Anna Moore: The classic example of murmuring and complaining in the Old Testament is the Israelites in the wilderness being led by Moses to the promised land.
Anna Moore: They complained about everything.
Anna Moore: Numbers 14, 2, and 3.
Anna Moore: Do we have that, Matthias?
Anna Moore: I can't remember.
Anna Moore: No.
Anna Moore: Okay, so that's a long passage, and I did want you to turn to that.
Anna Moore: Can you open your Bibles and turn to Numbers 14, please?
Anna Moore: I want you to see this with your own eyes.
Anna Moore: Numbers 14, we'll read verses 2 and 3, and then we'll jump down to verses 27 through 29.
Anna Moore: Remember what we're talking about.
Anna Moore: We're talking about having an ungrateful or an unbelieving heart, leading us to murmuring and complaining.
Anna Moore: Numbers 14, 2 and 3, 27 through 29.
Anna Moore: And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
Anna Moore: The whole congregation said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt, or that we would have died in this wilderness?
Anna Moore: Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword?
Anna Moore: Our wives and our little ones will become a prey.
Anna Moore: Would it not have been be better for us to go back to Egypt?
Anna Moore: Down to verse 27.
Anna Moore: How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me?
Anna Moore: God says, I've heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.
Anna Moore: Say to them, as I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you.
Anna Moore: Your dead body shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number listed in the census, from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me.
Anna Moore: God says, Enough, you ungrateful people.
Anna Moore: That's it.
Anna Moore: I deliver you from slavery in Egypt, I bring you through the Red Sea.
Anna Moore: You have seen my mighty hand in all of this.
Anna Moore: And you do this.
Anna Moore: You're not trusting me, you're not finding contentment in me.
Anna Moore: The psalmist speaks about the children of Israel in Psalm 106, 24 through 26.
Anna Moore: Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.
Anna Moore: They murmured in their tents and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
Anna Moore: Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness.
Anna Moore: I want you to look at that again, leave that up there if you don't mind.
Anna Moore: They did not believe in his word.
Anna Moore: They did not believe him, an unbelieving heart did not believe him.
Anna Moore: Then they complained, then they did not obey, and then he punished them.
Anna Moore: And it's so easy to say, wow, those ungrateful children of Israel.
Anna Moore: If I had had all of that happen to me, I would have been thankful.
Anna Moore: Even when I was hungry in the wilderness, he provided manna and he gave us water from the rock.
Anna Moore: I would have never complained.
Anna Moore: Yes, you would, and so would I, because we do it all the time.
Anna Moore: The kind, gracious, merciful hand of God, constantly bestowing on us good, even when we're going through hard times and bad circumstances, remembering what he has brought us out of, our sin, an eternity in hell, and we don't believe him.
Anna Moore: His promises have proven true always and will always prove true.
Anna Moore: His faithfulness has been with us always and will always be.
Anna Moore: Yet we still grumble and complain.
Anna Moore: And you say, Well, I'm not really grumbling and complaining against God.
Anna Moore: I mean, they were obviously grumbling and complaining against God.
Anna Moore: I just, I'm just upset when the traffic stops me and I can't get home to my family in time to cook dinner.
Anna Moore: That's all.
Anna Moore: I just, you know, I got a little bit irritated because it rained out our family picnic for the graduation party.
Anna Moore: It's, I'm not, you know, what you're saying is in your heart, ladies.
Anna Moore: God, you don't know what's best.
Anna Moore: I am upset about this.
Anna Moore: I am angry.
Anna Moore: I am unbelieving, that I don't trust you, that you know what's best.
Anna Moore: And from the little to the big, we then begin to complain and murmur.
Anna Moore: But instead, ladies, we must heed the commands of Scripture.
Anna Moore: Philippians 2.14, do all things without complaining.
Anna Moore: And we must develop a heart of gratitude.
Anna Moore: Ephesians 5.20, giving thanks always for all things.
Anna Moore: 1 Thessalonians 5.18, in everything give thanks.
Anna Moore: All, always, all things, everything.
Anna Moore: Pretty much, I do not see a time that complaining and not being content and failing to be thankful is acceptable.
Anna Moore: It's kind of one of those things where you just can't squeeze that in, like the Romans 10 passage.
Anna Moore: I don't see any any wiggle room for us being good people at all in the no not one one.
Anna Moore: I don't see any room right here, any wiggle room where you can say, Yeah, but in this situation, no, in all things, always, everything, have a heart of gratitude.
Anna Moore: But why?
Anna Moore: Why should we not complain or grumble when things aren't going quite our way?
Anna Moore: But instead we should give thanks.
Anna Moore: Well, first and foremost, because of the gospel, I've already mentioned this.
Anna Moore: If you ever saw yourselves for who you really are, remember last night, the hard heart of stone, and what we really deserve, then we would stop grumbling and complaining.
Anna Moore: And second, whether our picnic got rained out or we have a flat tower or we have bigger problems like serious financial woes or cancer diagnosis, we must remember and rest in the sovereignty of God.
Anna Moore: These things are not out of God's control.
Anna Moore: They are allowed in our lives by a loving, wise, sovereign God who is working all things for his glory and our good, Romans 8.28.
Anna Moore: And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Anna Moore: I love that my husband uses the phrase, if we could get into, if you would get into your Romans 8.28 helicopter, and you would just get above that, and you would look down, you would see.
Anna Moore: I was flying uh in the other day from Atlanta to LaGuardia, and it was, you know, just uh, you know, you're just I'm I'm a little nervous flyer, but I do okay.
Anna Moore: But we're making this complete circle, and I'm like, where is he taking us?
Anna Moore: I know we're passing the Statue of Liberty.
Anna Moore: I know that we're going up Manhattan, I see Central Park, and you're supposed to just go and down at LaGuardia.
Anna Moore: But instead, he takes this very long circuitous route.
Anna Moore: I'm like, where are we going?
Anna Moore: And I see an airport out the left to the left of me, out the window, and I'm like, where's that's LaGuardia?
Anna Moore: Where did he go?
Anna Moore: And it hit me.
Anna Moore: I was looking at JFK, but it was like I could have thrown a stone, thrown, thrown a stone at it, not realizing when I was up in the air like that.
Anna Moore: Wow, Anna, now you got the whole picture.
Anna Moore: LaGuardia and JFK aren't that far apart.
Anna Moore: It seems like it when you're driving like little ants and the traffic is bad, right?
Anna Moore: But it's not that far apart.
Anna Moore: I could have reached down and just touched LaGuardia and touched JFK.
Anna Moore: I want you to do that with your lives.
Anna Moore: I want you to get up in that Romans 8.28 helicopter so you can see how all the pieces fit and see where it's really laid out and see a little bit of the picture of what God is doing.
Anna Moore: Because when we get the blinders on and we sit just stuck in our circumstances, yeah, it looks bad.
Anna Moore: But ladies, God is sovereign.
Anna Moore: He's got it all in control, he's got the big picture, and he's completed the puzzle, and you don't need to worry, and you don't need to complain.
Anna Moore: You need to have a heart that is grateful, that trusts your sovereign loving God.
Anna Moore: Another way that our speech is related to our hearts, a proud heart leads to boasting and selfish speech.
Anna Moore: A proud heart leads to boasting and selfish speech.
Anna Moore: Pride in our hearts can come in many forms.
Anna Moore: One of them is definitely our speech.
Anna Moore: We can brag on ourselves, we our kids, our abilities or their abilities and their talents and accomplishments.
Anna Moore: Maybe, maybe you even boast sometimes about your walk with the Lord.
Anna Moore: But listen to what Proverbs 27, 1 and 2 says.
Anna Moore: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
Anna Moore: Let another praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.
Anna Moore: Now, please don't misunderstand me.
Anna Moore: It is not wrong to share something if it is bringing glory to God.
Anna Moore: We should encourage people and say, Great job.
Anna Moore: I heard you got a new, you know, a promotion, or I heard you pass that test.
Anna Moore: You should go in, you know, to your small group or your Bible study or your prayer group, and you should be the first one to say, praise God, you know, I uh God healed me or I got this job or whatever.
Anna Moore: That's okay.
Anna Moore: That's not being proud.
Anna Moore: It's acknowledging where those gifts came from, which is from God.
Anna Moore: Every good and perfect gift comes from Him.
Anna Moore: Don't ever do it to build yourself up or to give yourself a pat on the back.
Anna Moore: Let another praise you and not yourself.
Anna Moore: And you know what's interesting?
Anna Moore: Pride doesn't always come out as boasting.
Anna Moore: It can can take another form of very selfish speech and show the true nature of your heart.
Anna Moore: Your proud heart can disguise itself in self-deprecating speech.
Anna Moore: Oh, woe is me.
Anna Moore: I'm so bad at that.
Anna Moore: And you say, Well, I'm not building myself up.
Anna Moore: No, you're always feeling sorry for yourself and you're letting it be known.
Anna Moore: Or you're pointing out how bad you are at something.
Anna Moore: And that is very selfish speech, and it comes from a heart of pride as well.
Anna Moore: It's saying, even though things are not going my way, I'm still going to draw attention to myself because it's all about me.
Anna Moore: It's all about me.
Anna Moore: That's coming from a proud heart.
Anna Moore: Letter C a wicked heart leads to gossip and slander.
Anna Moore: Now let's define our terms.
Anna Moore: Gossip is idle talk or chatter, going about from one to another, tailbearing, whispering, often done in private, behind one's back, in secret.
Anna Moore: The very word, you know, the gossip.
Anna Moore: You can just hear the whisper, the gossip, sip.
Anna Moore: You can hear the whispering going on.
Anna Moore: Slander, on the other hand, is open, intentional sharing of damaging information.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 11 9 says, with his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered up.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 16, 27 and 28.
Anna Moore: A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
Anna Moore: A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
Anna Moore: There's so many more verses from Proverbs and beyond that point out the fact that, you know, gossip comes between friends, and it's just not worth it, ladies.
Anna Moore: Your friendships are going to be harmed whether you are the one gossiped about or you're the one doing the gossiping.
Anna Moore: Aren't you just a little bit suspicious when you leave the room or you're not present at a gathering where a certain person may be who is just as apt to gossip about you because you've been a party to them gossiping about others?
Anna Moore: And you think, hmm, I do this sometimes if I've heard somebody gossiping about others and I do not attend something, and I'm just like, hmm, you know, you gotta wonder sometime, wonder what they're saying about me, because I've heard them say stuff about other people.
Anna Moore: Gossip damages friendships, no matter what end you are on.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 26, 20 through 21.
Anna Moore: For lack of wood, the fire goes out.
Anna Moore: And where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
Anna Moore: As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
Anna Moore: Did anybody up here ever watch the Andy Griffith show or you watch reruns of the Andy Griffith show?
Anna Moore: Do you know what I'm even talking about?
Anna Moore: Andy Griffith?
Anna Moore: And who was his deputy?
Anna Moore: Barney Fife.
Anna Moore: Yeah, the best.
Anna Moore: Yeah, you just gotta love Barney.
Anna Moore: And you know what Barney would say?
Anna Moore: He'd say a lot of funny things, but he would say, just nip it in the bud, Ange.
Anna Moore: Nip it in the bud.
Anna Moore: Do it, gotta do a little bud nipping.
Anna Moore: That's what he would talk about.
Anna Moore: You remember that?
Anna Moore: What is bud nipping?
Anna Moore: When you're when you're trimming your flowers and you get the bud before the flower blooms, that's to nip something in the bud.
Anna Moore: You're stopping the thing before it even starts.
Anna Moore: You're dealing with the problem while it is small before it can grow into something serious.
Anna Moore: Look, let the fire go out, and may we never be a party to starting it or keeping it going.
Anna Moore: For lack of wood, the fire goes out.
Anna Moore: We all know that.
Anna Moore: That's an obvious thing.
Anna Moore: Try a campfire, you you want it, you want it to get it out.
Anna Moore: Don't throw any more wood on it.
Anna Moore: For lack of wood, the fire goes out.
Anna Moore: Where there's no whisperer, you got no gossips around, quarreling will cease.
Anna Moore: You know the phrase guilty by association.
Anna Moore: Well, the Bible says we're guilty by listening.
Anna Moore: Even if we're not the one spewing it out of our mouths, we're just as guilty by being a party to it.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 17, 4.
Anna Moore: An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
Anna Moore: I mean, that is scary, ladies.
Anna Moore: An evil they call in, if you just listen to somebody spewing that out of their mouths, God says you are an evildoer.
Anna Moore: And a liar gives ear, listens to a mischievous tongue.
Anna Moore: But hey, don't worry, you're also guilty by association as well.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 20, 19 says, Whoever goes about slandering reveals secret, therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.
Anna Moore: Ladies, this is so scary and so serious.
Anna Moore: Let's heed the warnings of scripture.
Anna Moore: Stay away, be a good, trustworthy, faithful friend, and confidant.
Anna Moore: Letter D, an angry heart leads to harsh words.
Anna Moore: Now, most of our angry or frustrated tones or responses, they are not righteous indignation.
Anna Moore: So don't say to me, but you know, there is a righteous anger in the Bible.
Anna Moore: Yes, I do know that.
Anna Moore: Jesus did that perfectly.
Anna Moore: And sometimes we do have righteous anger, but 99.99999% of the time, our anger is associated with things not going our way.
Anna Moore: They are selfish responses to extreme disappointment or things not going as we had planned.
Anna Moore: It's when my schedule doesn't work out because somebody put a kink in it.
Anna Moore: It's my dinner not getting done in time because I was cleaning up another mess or I was dealing with a lengthy phone call.
Anna Moore: You know what I mean.
Anna Moore: You can fill in the many blanks that are there.
Anna Moore: But get to the root of the problem, which is your angry heart, not that you were stuck in traffic.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 15, 1 says, A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Anna Moore: James 1, 19 through 20 says, Know this, my beloved brothers, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Anna Moore: Oh ladies, please know that you don't have to be the one that throws the things or punches walls or gets very demonstrative with your actions, or even the one who screams and yells to prove that you have a heart of anger.
Anna Moore: Yeah, those are all signs of a heart of anger.
Anna Moore: But let me just say that your cutting or demeaning words, although spoken in a very normal tone, with a seemingly calm demeanor, also reveal your angry heart.
Anna Moore: So don't say, yeah, but it's my husband who punches walls.
Anna Moore: Your mouth will show.
Anna Moore: Your tongue will show if you have an angry heart as well.
Anna Moore: Excuse me, ma'am, but your heart is showing.
Anna Moore: Letter E, a careless, lazy heart leads to idle chatter.
Anna Moore: Oh my, this is another convicting verse.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 10-19 says, When words are many, transgression is not lacking.
Anna Moore: But whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 29-20.
Anna Moore: Do you see a man who's hasty in his words?
Anna Moore: There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Anna Moore: Ladies, in Christian love, sometimes you just need to be quiet.
Anna Moore: Keep talking.
Anna Moore: And there's just going to be some sin there.
Anna Moore: We just often talk too much.
Anna Moore: We spew forth too many words.
Anna Moore: And in a multitude of words, sin is not lacking.
Anna Moore: For those of you in here who are married, if your husbands were to come in one by one and parade across this, and we were to hear his complaints, which we would try to limit, and I'm sure he wouldn't have many.
Anna Moore: I'm sure he would not.
Anna Moore: But one of them probably would not be that you do not talk enough.
Anna Moore: Okay?
Anna Moore: Did you hear that?
Anna Moore: That would probably not be one of his complaints.
Anna Moore: It's not what you don't say, it's what you do say.
Anna Moore: So we must guard against all these sinful attitudes of our hearts to avoid all of these sinful patterns of speech.
Anna Moore: Now, perhaps one of these, and again, there are so many others, we just don't have time for that, but we wanted to concentrate on those today.
Anna Moore: Perhaps one of these has particularly struck a chord with you.
Anna Moore: You may not have even realized that your sinful speech pattern in a certain area is showing the true colors of your heart condition.
Anna Moore: So what are we to do?
Anna Moore: Roman numeral three.
Anna Moore: What do we do?
Anna Moore: We A look to the gospel.
Anna Moore: If you're not born again, you must be saved.
Anna Moore: Without a new heart, there will be no lasting permanent changes.
Anna Moore: You may be able to reform your mouth for a little while, but it will get the best of you.
Anna Moore: It's difficult when you are a Christian to control your tongue.
Anna Moore: I can guarantee you that if you do not know Jesus, if you do not possess the Spirit of God, this cannot be a long-lasting thing.
Anna Moore: It just won't.
Anna Moore: And number two, if you know Christ, if you've been given a new heart, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of the gospel that is in you, you can speak in a way that glorifies God and bears fruit indicative of one of his children.
Anna Moore: Remember, disciples are different.
Anna Moore: Christians look different than the world.
Anna Moore: And this is one way that the world is going to see a difference in us, our mouth, because we have transformed hearts.
Anna Moore: Now, here's how we live this out according to the gospel.
Anna Moore: Look at the example of Christ.
Anna Moore: 1 Peter 2, 21 through 24.
Anna Moore: For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his footsteps.
Anna Moore: He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
Anna Moore: When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.
Anna Moore: When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued in trusting himself to him who judges justly.
Anna Moore: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
Anna Moore: By his wounds you have been healed.
Anna Moore: Christ is our perfect example in this.
Anna Moore: He could have done a lot of things.
Anna Moore: He could have evaporated them.
Anna Moore: He could have defended himself.
Anna Moore: He could have said a lot of things.
Anna Moore: But he did not open his mouth.
Anna Moore: B, transform our thoughts.
Anna Moore: Philippians 4.8.
Anna Moore: This will help us in fighting this battle.
Anna Moore: Transform our thoughts.
Anna Moore: Philippians 4.8.
Anna Moore: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Anna Moore: Wow.
Anna Moore: I mean, again, not a lot of wiggle room.
Anna Moore: How many commendable things can be listed there to show us these are the things that we're supposed to be concentrating on in our minds.
Anna Moore: And they're all good things.
Anna Moore: So when other things creep into that mind, heart.
Anna Moore: That is connected, you've got to get rid of that.
Anna Moore: And you've got to think admirable, godly, biblical thoughts.
Anna Moore: Romans 12, 2.
Anna Moore: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Anna Moore: Transforming your mind, your thoughts are is going to help you because your thoughts are your heart.
Anna Moore: And our wicked speech and actions come from it.
Anna Moore: And we must renew our minds so that our words reflect grace, kindness, purity, and love.
Anna Moore: And how do we transform our minds?
Anna Moore: Through the word.
Anna Moore: I am more and more convinced of this as the years go on.
Anna Moore: I'm afraid that we have an evangelical culture in America.
Anna Moore: I don't mean this church at all.
Anna Moore: I'm so thankful for this church.
Anna Moore: I think we have an evangelical culture in America that doesn't think biblically and is not trained to think biblically.
Anna Moore: Our worldview is not biblical, and we do not think correct biblical thoughts when sin and issues arrive in our arise in our lives.
Anna Moore: But again, I'm thankful for New Hyde Park Baptist Church.
Anna Moore: I know that you do make God's word a priority here and you hold it in very high regard.
Anna Moore: I know the churches that are represented here do that as well.
Anna Moore: We must know and obey the word if we are to transform our actions, our thoughts, and our speech.
Anna Moore: Letter C, study how to answer.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 15, 28 says, the heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
Anna Moore: If you're like me, ladies, you just it's just like the first thing that comes to your mind, out it comes when you're responding to somebody.
Anna Moore: No, pick your words.
Anna Moore: Go back to the James thing.
Anna Moore: Remember, be slow to speak.
Anna Moore: Let's think, let's think, let's think.
Anna Moore: Pick your words, ladies, weigh them, remembering that sometimes it's not better, it's better not to say anything.
Anna Moore: Letter D.
Anna Moore: Practice kind, gracious speech.
Anna Moore: Colossians 4, 6.
Anna Moore: Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer each person.
Anna Moore: Everything else in life we practice.
Anna Moore: Our kids gotta practice the cello.
Anna Moore: Our kids gotta go to sports practice.
Anna Moore: We've got to practice so we're gonna pass that test.
Anna Moore: We're gonna practice knowing the books of the Bible.
Anna Moore: Whatever it is, we're practicing stuff all the time.
Anna Moore: Practice kind, gracious speech.
Anna Moore: Like intentionally practice it.
Anna Moore: You say my family will absolutely think that I've gone crazy.
Anna Moore: I think your family will like it.
Anna Moore: I think they will.
Anna Moore: Try it.
Anna Moore: Be like the Proverbs 31 woman, Proverbs 31.26.
Anna Moore: She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
Anna Moore: Just as that Proverbs 31 woman has that kindness on her tongue, we should be marked by wisdom and kindness coming out of our mouths.
Anna Moore: Letter E, guard your tongue.
Anna Moore: Proverbs 21, 23.
Anna Moore: Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Anna Moore: Well, I mean, that again, it goes back to control your tongue, control your body.
Anna Moore: Your actions will be controlled by a proper response from your tongue, which comes from a proper uh uh response of your heart.
Anna Moore: Psalm 141.3, and I sometimes pray this verse if I'm heading to something where I know I'm speaking a lot, and I need to pray this more regularly.
Anna Moore: Psalm 141.3, set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth.
Anna Moore: Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Anna Moore: Now, I literally, when I read this word or say it over again in my head, picture the guards dressed like the ones at Buckingham Palace.
Anna Moore: I just see those guards.
Anna Moore: That's how I've and one of them right here.
Anna Moore: They're each standing right here with their tall hats and their whatever they have in their hand.
Anna Moore: They're just standing there, guarding my lips.
Anna Moore: So as we close, I hope that you've seen that our tongues are directly related to our hearts.
Anna Moore: Ladies, are you afraid if you open your mouth, your heart will show?
Anna Moore: Because it will.
Anna Moore: One way or another, it will.
Anna Moore: But if we've been transformed by the gospel, if we are united with Christ and we have the Holy Spirit living in us, our hearts have been made new.
Anna Moore: And as a result of those hearts of flesh, our speech can be made new.
Anna Moore: May we be women who are like the Proverbs 31 woman who have wisdom and kindness rolling out of our hearts.
Anna Moore: Remember this, out of our hearts and off our tongues when we open our mouths.
Anna Moore: Let me pray for us.
Anna Moore: Father, thank you for new hearts for those ladies in here who have new hearts.
Anna Moore: And Lord, as you have convicted me, even as I have said these words out of my mouth, off my tongue, God, they have convicted me.
Anna Moore: And I pray that others in here are convicted by your spirit, and that we will indeed examine our hearts to see areas that need change so that our speech patterns will change.
Anna Moore: So, Lord, help us to tame our tongues, for we know that out of the abundance of our hearts, our mouths do speak.
Anna Moore: Lord, save women in here that don't know you.
Anna Moore: May they have the transformation of heart that is needed for eternal life and for forgiveness and for peace with you.
Anna Moore: So, God, grant us these things today.
Anna Moore: I pray in Jesus' name, amen.