All right, well, good evening, everybody. It's good to see you here. It's such a beautiful day, and I don't know why I feel compelled to give away the report, but it is. So, Brandon, thank you. That was wonderful. I appreciate it. Turn with me in your Bibles, please, to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. We're gonna be reading from verse 16. Now, if you're a note-taker, or if you just like to mentally hang a sermon on an outline, I've got one for you. First, we have a calling. Second, we have a problem, and third, God has a resolution. A calling, a problem, resolution. I'm calling the sermon, Resuscitating Our Relationships, and give me this moment I'm feeling particularly pleased with myself, because I don't know if you saw what I did there, CPR, calling, problem, resolution, resuscitation, it was a beautiful thing. I could be a Southern Baptist, so, or a prosperity preacher, one or the other. But seriously, tonight I want to talk about a very serious subject, and that is the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God. Not from some lofty intellectual point of view, but from an angle I hope will be tremendously personal and applicable to every one of us. The question I want us all to ask this evening is this. How is our speech how we talk to one another, relate to one another, forgive one another, how is that impacted by God's sovereignty? How do we apply the doctrine of God's sovereignty, as great and as lofty as it is, to the very practical context of our everyday conversations? And why am I even preaching on this topic? Well, first, because God gave it to me. And second, because as I've studied and meditated on the scriptures we're going to go through this evening, I've felt that this may be perhaps the most important sermon I've ever prepared. And the reason for that is because it so applies to my heart and to my life. God has been doing a great and painful work in me as I prepared for this. And as I've pondered the scriptures, I've come to the conclusion that I need a lot of help in this area, and perhaps you do too. So that's why I brought this to you this evening. we're gonna be looking at the sovereignty of God in our speech and conversations. Going all the way back to Genesis chapter one, God chose speech as his primary means of communication with mankind. Before Adam was even created, God was speaking the world into existence. And he has ordained language as our method of communication with one another and with him. Our speech is very, very important. And I hope tonight you'll see just how important it is. Words come from the overflow of our hearts and have the power to do glorious things. And they have the power to do unspeakable things. And so look with me, please, at 2 Corinthians 5, starting in verse 16. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ, reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, verse 20, we are ambassadors for Christ. God making his appeal through us. we implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God this is God's word let's pray with me please father i I thank you for this passage, and I thank you for where we're going tonight. I pray, Lord, that as we unfold your scriptures this evening, may we have ears to hear, and may you move me by the unction of your Holy Spirit to speak clearly, and may we have a heart to apply what we hear in our lives, and may we all love you more for the content of the sermon this evening. So, Lord, I pray that you do a great work through me in the lives of the people listening, and I pray, Lord, As we submit to you and your sovereignty, may we look to you in all things, the great giver of all life, the sustainer of life. We give you praise and we give you glory for these things in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, amen. Brothers and sisters, if you're saved by the blood of the lamb, you have a calling. If you're in Christ, you're a new creation. The things of the old world, your past life, verse 17, have passed away. And now, with that, look at verse 18 in our text. Look at verse 18. God has decreed that we be a part of his ministry of reconciliation. All this, he writes, that is our renewed standing before God, is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. God wants to use us in his redemptive plan. Not that we save anybody, not that our words have the power in and of themselves to save anyone, right? But we're the tool that God wants to use in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is so important that Paul emphasizes that point. In verse 18, he says, God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. And then verse 19, he says he entrusted to us the message of reconciliation. And so he gave us the ministry of reconciliation and he gave us the message of reconciliation. Beloved, we're fully equipped to be a part of his plan of redemption. And now, verse 20, look with me. This is who we are in Christ. This is our calling. Therefore, because we've been reconciled to him, and because he has now entrusted to us this message of reconciliation, that is, we have a ministry and we have a message. Look at this, verse 20. We are ambassadors for Christ. God making his appeal through us. That's our calling, my friends. We have the privilege of being ambassadors for Christ in his ministry of reconciliation. Now that's a mouthful, so I'm going to break it down just a little bit. What does it mean to be reconciled? Well, Paul answers that question for us in verse 19, where he said that our trespasses are no longer counted against us. It's an accounting term, having your accounts reconciled, meaning your bank balances must balance somehow, might never do, but it means so much more than simply having our debts paid. To be reconciled means that friendly relations have been restored. Differences have been settled. We're back on good terms, if you will. Once alienated from God, we can now approach the throne of grace with great confidence adopted into the family of God. We've been reconciled to God. The message of reconciliation is how we can be made right with God. How we can be returned to good standing before Him. And so, what then is an ambassador? Well, that specific word is only used one other time in the New Testament. in Ephesians 6.20, where Paul describes himself as an ambassador in chains, opening his mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. The Greek word is presbyo. Forgive me, language experts in the room. Presbyo, to be a senior or an older person acting as a representative for someone else. From it, we get the word presbyter, which is another word for bishop or elder. To be an ambassador for Christ depicts older men in the faith, spiritually speaking, chosen to communicate a message. In typical modern usage, an ambassador is someone of maturity who acts as a representative of a specific entity or activity. You could be an ambassador for the United States, or you could be an ambassador for the local B club. The point is, as an ambassador, you're sanctioned or given permission by a governing body with the authority to represent them. And you're entrusted to faithfully communicate their message. That's what an ambassador does. In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, and then he entrusted with us that same ministry of reconciliation. And as his ambassadors, We're to go out and represent God to a watching world. We're to go out and communicate His message. Take a moment and let that sink in. We, as humble and as weak as we are, we're ambassadors for Christ, chosen to represent Him. We are the physical instrument that He's using to bring people into a right relationship with Him. He's making his gospel appeal the most important message ever given on the planet through us. Let that sink in for a moment. That is an incredible thing. How are you doing as God's ambassador? His chosen representative? You're on a mission from God. He wants you to represent him to a watching world. As an ambassador, you don't have the freedom to advance your own interests. Ambassadors aren't free to promote their own agendas. You're not given a license to make things up as you go. An ambassador, well, you've been put in place to advance the agenda of the one who sent you. You won't be successful if you're primarily motivated by your own worldly interests. You've been sent by the king to speak for him. To speak as an ambassador means that we ask ourselves, what does God want to accomplish in our hearts and in the hearts of our listeners? Ask yourself, do my words capture what is valuable to the Lord? Do my words fulfill the Great Commission to go and make disciples? Are we pointing others to Christ? Notice, by the way, in verse 20, Paul implored his Corinthian readers in the church, ostensibly believers, to be reconciled to God. He says, I implore you, be reconciled to God. This is a calling for us in all of our relationships. It's not limited to our conversations with unbelievers. It's not limited to the checkout gal at the McDonald's or something. It's part and package of our conversations with everybody. To how do we know that our words rightly represent Christ? Turn with me to Colossians 3, verse 12. What does God want from you? What is His goal in your communication and in your relationships? We know that it's to honor Him, to glorify Him, to give praise to Him. The only way we can truly know what God wants from our communication, God wants from us, is to know God, right? But Paul wrote in Colossians 3, verse 12, put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. I'm not doing very well so far, to be honest. Bearing with one another, and if one has complained against another, forgiving each other. As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these things, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. This is how our speech should sound. Compassionate, kind, humble, meek, patient, forgiving, loving. As ambassadors, our job is to communicate with others in a way that ultimately glorifies our master. but we have a problem, don't we? This is our second division tonight, we have a problem. Communication in the garden between God and Adam was perfect, it was undefiled, it was perfect in every way, but something happened, nothing that came as a surprise to God, but something happened that created a really big problem for us as ambassadors. So what happened? Satan came along, right? And he presented an interpretation of life that directly contradicted God's message to man. The serpent lied and Adam, well, what did Adam do? He listened, right? Adam listened. In fact, accusations started to fly thick and fast between Adam and Eve and blame was even spoken against God himself. You gave me this woman, she made me do it. And from that very moment, the very first moment Satan spoke, our words became a battleground. What was good and right and glorifying, edifying, became base and hurtful and destructive. We've taken what God has given us, something beautiful and redemptive, and made it ugly. the vast majority of battlegrounds in our lives, I submit the majority of bloodshed in our homes and in our churches and in our marriages, these battles are fought over our use of words. We have, and I don't think this will come as a surprise to any of you, we have a communication problem. And the truth is, beloved, our communication problem goes far beyond and far deeper than you probably realize. Our communication problem isn't merely an inability to choose the right word at the right time. I have a choice when someone offends me with their words. I can shower them with grace, assume the best interpretation possible, and work toward harmony. I can forgive them. Or I can dig in. Right? Use my words against them and turn a simple disagreement into a mountain to die on. I'm really good at that. I'm really good at taking small things and turning them into really, really big things. I have a gift. I'm sure you do too, frankly. We have a gift for making big things out of little things. To turn with me to the book of James, chapter three, we have a problem. Despite all of the warnings in Scripture, we're still very flippant in our use of language. Casual words thrown out carelessly, sarcasm labeled as sophisticated humor, really intended to inflict injury, always with an element of truth that the speaker intends to carelessly uncover. Hurtful words, and no, I'm not a snowflake that gets hurt at every snide remark and off look. This is the truth. Hurtful words, sometimes intentional, oftentimes not intentional. And I'm not saying we intentionally hurt others with our words. It's not what I'm saying at all, but we use careless words that fail to draw us into a deeper sense of relationship and a greater love for our Lord. Perhaps your words subtly elevate you over the person you're talking to. You ever done that? Do you use your words to position yourself as superior to others? Words chosen to impress? Slight exaggerations to make you look better than you are? Beloved, no surprises here, but words have meanings. And the tongue, said James, has the power for unthinkable destruction. Here's what he wrote, look at James chapter three verse six and following, and I'm gonna start at the end of verse five, look with me. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small, I'm sorry, how great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire. And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among a member, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. Every kind of beast and bird of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, says James, these things ought not to be so. Beloved, this is our default position. We all battle with the world of unrighteousness unleashed by our tongues, by our words, by our attitudes and thoughts. The tongue, said James, is a restless evil. Have you ever blessed God, praised Him, and then perhaps even in the same breath, cursed the very people who are made in the likeness of God? That's what James says. We bless our Lord and Father, and we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. We hurt each other because we're careless with our speech. We forget who we are in Christ and to what we've been called. We are ambassadors. James wasn't bloviating when he said that our tongues are a restless evil. Bet you've never heard that word from the pulpit before. Bloviating, look it up, it's a great word. James wasn't bloviating when he said that our tongues are a restless evil. He wasn't posturing and showing off his vast literary skills to get an A in English. But our word problems are not a disease in and of themselves. Our word problems are a symptom of a much deeper issue. Our word problems are always, always, always related to heart problems. They're heart problems. The Apostle Luke nailed it in chapter 6 of his gospel when he diagnosed our problems with words. He wrote in verse 43 of Luke chapter 6, No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit. For each tree is, what? It's known by its fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces None of us are immune. Our word problems come from heart problems. What comes out of your mouth is already bouncing around in your heart. When we're squeezed, when times are hard or interpersonal conflict comes along, we respond in the way in which our hearts are already conditioned. When a person publicly rebukes you, or wrongs you, how do you respond? Do you respond by showering them with grace? Or do you listen to your heart, which is conditioned for self-preservation and self-advancement, your heart that wants to lash out in retribution? How dare you say such things to me? The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of the evil treasure, out of his evil treasure produces evil. for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. And the heart, said the prophet Jeremiah, is deceitful above all things, and what? Desperately sick. Absorbing that, meditating on the truth of James' words, that our tongues are a restless evil in spite of our wickedness, in spite of the conflict in our hearts, and the residual sin residing in us, despite all of that, God has called us to be ambassadors. Isn't that crazy? And Christ died so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him. We've been called to live for Him. Are you living for Christ, who died so that you may no longer live for yourself? As ambassadors, we're called to speak in ways that contribute to His work in the lives of the people around us, to contribute to His ministry of reconciliation. Our speech and our conduct are to have a redemptive quality about them. Every conversation should in some way lead people, unbelievers and believers alike, to see the love of Christ. I confess this is very hard for me. The Apostle Paul told us to bless those who persecute us, but it's not my first response to bless a person who curses me. It's not even my first natural response to bless a person who corrects me, even when it's done biblically, frankly. It's not my tendency to forgive a person who continually sins against me. It's not my first choice to fight evil with good or to be patient, gentle, humble, and persevering under provocation. No, I'd rather hang on to the offenses, replay them in my head, stew on them. I'd rather move people by the force of my hurt and my anger rather than by patient humility and a forgiving heart. I confess I speak much too quickly. Do you get caught up in the moment instead of stepping back and preparing your heart to answer or speak in a way that honors God? The heart of the righteous, said Solomon, ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. So we're called to speak for Christ, to be his ambassadors. And yet we know that our hearts are desperately wicked and our words tear down rather than building up in love. The question then is how can we elevate our words, our very thoughts to a level that glorifies God? How can we train ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit to react to circumstances, all circumstances, all conversations in a way that honors God? And how can we interact with difficult people in a way that reflects our position as ambassadors for Christ? Well, that question brings us to our third and final division tonight. God has a resolution. God has a resolution. It brings us back to the question I started with. How do we apply the doctrine of God's sovereignty to the context of our everyday conversations? We have a calling. We're ambassadors for Christ. But we have a problem. We're not very good at it. Most of us aren't anyway. We tend to be absorbed by our own agenda and our own desires and the passions of our hearts. But God has a plan for us. That's good news, beloved. And it's a plan that gives us hope in the knowledge that his wisdom is far better than mine. A life of godly communication, my friends, is rooted in a personal recognition of the sovereignty of God. Godly communication is rooted in a personal recognition of the sovereignty of God. God is sovereign. He's in control of all things. We can rest in that knowing that while the heart of a man plans his way, God establishes his steps. Listen to Paul's doxology in Romans 11. This is beautiful. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. The prophet Daniel declared God changes times and season. He removes kings and he sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with him. He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. and none can stay his hand or say to him, what have you done? God is sovereign even over perplexing events. Acts 2.23, Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. This is amazing to me. He was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God knew, right? It was in his plan, no surprises. Ephesians 1 says God works all things according to the counsel of His will. And God is sovereign over apparently random events, too. He's sovereign over the plans we make for the day. He's sovereign over who we'll marry, if we'll marry, when we'll marry. He's sovereign over pregnancy, suffering, pain, trials. He's sovereign over employment, terminal disease, and even the unjust death of a son. God is sovereign over all things, beloved. God is in the heavens and He does all that He pleases. Amen? He rules over the specific details of our lives. Every detail has been ordained or allowed by God for our redemptive good and for His glory. So while much of our communication involves complaining about our circumstances, expressing irritation toward people who get in our way, shaking our fists at that person on the highway that cut us off, or expressing envy toward others who have it better than we do, Consider that God is active in every moment of your life. What room is there for complaints? How can we be gnashing our teeth, frustrated with the people and events around us, worrying when God has brought them to us for our good, for their good, and for his glory? God has called us and caused us to be born again, and he's refining us into the image of his son. And in so doing, he brings trials into our lives. And he uses those trials, including difficult people, as tools to accomplish his great work of redemption. So why can we complain? For those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purposes. And that's a promise we can cling to. Because behind the circumstances, behind the trials, behind the difficult people is a God of love. who is relentlessly at work to make us holy. And so the highest and first goal of our talk as ambassadors for Christ must be that our words reflect an attitude of worship that recognizes our dependence on God. And out of this recognition will come a life of communication that benefits others and honors our Lord. My friends, ask yourself these questions. I've asked myself these questions. I've pondered them as I've reflected my own failures in this area. What comes out of your mouth in times of trouble? What do you think and how does your mouth respond when your best laid plans fall apart? How do you respond when people let you down, disappoint you, frustrate you? How do you react toward people who seem to stand in the way of your schedule and plans? How do you react to trials that don't seem to be your fault? Do your words acknowledge the sovereign plan of God over all of your circumstances? There's really no room for careless communication. Difficult events expose darkened hearts. That's what they do. And we forget the presence of a sovereign God and we curse our situation and we blame the people around us. And we forget that God is on His throne. God is on His throne. The struggles that my relationships bring are not meaningless hassles or even irritating obstacles. They are there because God is covenantally committed to maturing us. And so embracing the sovereignty of God over our relationships will change our words. We won't lash out in anger because somebody stands in our way or because someone prevents our momentary happiness. Our conversations are opportunities to grow in holiness and to show others the love of Jesus. When we complain about the things and the people God has brought into our lives, we're rejecting his purposes for us. That we would be people who live and speak for his glory. People who live and speak for him, ambassadors for Christ. And so to that end, every word out of our mouth should reach or meet two standards. First, they should bring God the glory he deserves. And second, they should bring redemptive good into the lives of the people God has placed around us. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10, 31, that we must do all things for the glory of God. All things. When two believers come together, somehow they should walk away loving Jesus more because of their time together. Every time. Not just when the pastor is in the room or when you're talking about the morning's Bible lesson or when you're about church business. As ambassadors for Christ, we're on duty 24 hours a day. Every conversation should have a redemptive element to it. Ask yourself, how can I draw this person closer to Christ through our conversation? How can I point my children toward Jesus? How can I best help my wife or husband in this situation? And when you encounter an unbeliever, the principle is the same. They should at the very least walk away seeing how much you love Jesus. Will you submit to the King? Rest in his love and control and seek to represent him in all of your relationships. Will you commit to a ministry that's not just one aspect of your life, but is your life? All of it. I've done some wicked things with words in my life. I was pretty good at arguing. I was pretty good at debates. I can remember a time when I would use words to my advantage. I was good at it. I'd win debates, but not by having stellar arguments and better bullet points, but by tearing the other person apart. It was easy. tearing apart their logic, ripping apart their ideas, and if that didn't work, then resorting to superlatives and ad hominem attacks. You're just stupid. That's a horrible person. I was pretty good at winning an argument, not because I showered my opponent with grace and love, not because I showed him how beautiful Christ is or how much we need him, not because our point of discussion paled to insignificance when bathed in the light of Christ's great redeeming work. I have praised God and cursed man in the same breath, but I'm committed to a life of change. where my words reflect my calling to represent Christ to a watching world. I am an ambassador for Christ. Will you join me in that mission? I can't emphasize this strongly enough. Words matter, my friends, and too often we fall short, but there's hope, right? There's hope because when Jesus went to the cross, he didn't just purchase the possibility of salvation. that maybe would grow in holiness, if we're lucky. He didn't purchase the opportunity to do a little better. His work was personal, effective, and complete. When he was crucified, my sin nature was crucified with him. Hallelujah. I can offer the parts of my body, even my tongue, as restlessly evil as it is, as an instrument of righteousness. I have the power within me by the help of the Holy Spirit to do that. Now I'm not talking about victory over sin, because if you get bound up in victory, you're going to experience defeat. I'm talking about obedience. I'm talking about obedience to what God has called us to. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6, Presumptively, that means we have the ability to do so. with the help of the Holy Spirit. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. In Ephesians 4, Paul calls us to put off self-indulgent talk and to replace it with talk that flows out of a love for others. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, he wrote, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4 29. That word corrupt there, by the way, let no corrupting talk, carries with it the idea of rotten, putrefied flesh. Take a hunk of meat and stick it in the yard for a few months in the sun. That's what it's talking about. Disgusting, useless, worthless. Paul exhorts us to make sure that the only talk that comes out of our mouths is that which is good for building up. Talk that gives grace to all who hear. Only then will the body truly be able to build itself up in love. Only then will the body of Christ on earth function as it should. So in his book, almost done, in his book War of Words, I recommend it, by the way, War of Words by Paul David Trippin, a wonderful book. He gives us five steps that we should take to prepare our hearts to communicate. These five steps are for formal communication, like in a counseling session, but it's also for a casual chat in the hallways. It applies to all conversations. First, he says, choose words of truth. The enemy delights in deception. It's his specialty. He began his very work in the garden, buried deck, Wow, buried neck deep in deception. Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4 to speak the truth. Second, we must choose words of love. It's so easy for us to allow our thoughts and words to be mired in impatience and in bitterness and anger. But John wrote that we'll be known as Christ's disciples by what? By our love for one another. How much of our talk is impatient? How much of our talk is unkind? How often are our words spoken out of selfishness or personal desire? What about outbursts of anger or bringing up past wrongs? Third, we must choose words of restraint. Much of our trouble with talk has to do with a failure in self-control. We just blurt things out. Words of restraint are honest, but they're not controlled by anger. Fourth, we must choose words of grace. Our words should be conduits of the life-giving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. They should be redemptive in tone. And then finally, fifth, we must choose words of forgiveness. If someone has wronged you, you must forgive them. This is a heart commitment to letting go of the offense of another, even if they never ask you for forgiveness. Remember that the difficult people in your lives, and even the friends with whom we share less than honoring conversations, these people are opportunities that God can use to draw the people around us into a fuller and deeper relationship with him. Opportunities, not obstacles. God has put us right where he wants us in order to make his appeal through us. Remember, we have a ministry of reconciliation that God has given us as ambassadors. And as ambassadors, we need to be committed to his higher agenda. Living and speaking out of self-sacrificing love, humble forgiveness, and a commitment to reconciliation and redemption. Do you struggle in this area like I do? Is it hard for you to speak redemptively, to consider your position as an ambassador, your full-time position, your full-time occupation? Don't live in regret. That would be my first suggestion for you. Don't live in regret. There's never a mistake in God's timing. Rest in His sovereignty. God will restore what the locusts have eaten. A God who forgives also restores, rebuilds, and reconciles. It's all a work of God. Humility, confess your sin, your failure to act as God's ambassador. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, all unrighteousness. Friends, look for opportunities to be an ambassador. Commit to a new way of speaking. Embrace moments of difficulty as redemptive opportunities. Those moments when unkind, selfish, and ungodly words were spoken. Those circumstances are opportunities to experience and give the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to exercise newfound character and obedience. Your tongue will serve the master to which the heart has already committed. Commit to our heavenly master. As you submit to his claim on your tongue, as your king and redeemer, you'll learn to choose words of truth, love, restraint, grace, and forgiveness. So our battle with our tongues is only won when God rules our hearts and our minds so that we gladly and consistently speak for him. We are ambassadors for Christ. Let's pray. Father, I'm humbled to be called by you to a position that I feel eminently unqualified for. As an ambassador for Christ, you have called me to be an agent in reconciling people to you. You've given us the words. You've given us the message of reconciliation. Help us, Lord, to communicate that message faithfully. Help us to remember that all opportunities in conversation are opportunities of redemption, to bring others closer to you, to somehow show that Show the love of Jesus through our conversation with believers and unbelievers alike. Father, I pray that you help us to do that. Help us to honor you and glorify you in our communication with one another. And Father, as we go out this evening, I just pray, Lord, that we glorify you and praise you in all that we do. And may we apply these things in our hearts and in our minds. And Father, may we love you more for your sovereignty, resting in the knowledge that you are in control of all things. And we give you praise and we give you glory for that in the name of your blessed son, Jesus Christ. Amen.