Turn with me to the book of Proverbs. If you would like to turn to some of these I'll read them for you. But I'm just going to kind of go out a little different than what I normally do again. And we were in that Proverbs 6, and then we looked at other verses. and then a negative and a positive, dealing with this matter of the tongue, and this matter of discord and strife. It's evidently something that's possible in every church and in every person. because it was a concern that was warned against, that from Peter, John mentions it, Paul obviously mentions it in his letters, and then the Old Testament is filled with it. Jesus mentioned it, Matthew 5 and many other places, and definitely something that we all need to be careful with. And so I want to look, we looked at the negative, and we looked at by negative I mean the negative side of the issue. And then now a little bit we've seen what we should not do with our tongue. We look at the other side of the coin and see what we should be doing with it. And so we'll look a little bit at that tonight. Proverbs 18, Proverbs chapter number 18. Pray for this thing on my throat. I feel like I make progress and then it goes right back the other direction. So just help me pray for that. We ended last time on Proverbs 17, verse 14, so I'll mention this, the beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water, therefore leave off contention before it be meddled with. so just kind of pick up briefly of what can we do in this matter of the tongue. Number one I'll say this, we need to help each other with it. This is as far as I know no man can do alone without certainly the help of the Spirit of God. But it is helpful to me. I've told you the story about when I was driving Brother Blue to Florida and I kept referencing, and I knew better than this, but I kept referencing my pastor as Jeff. of Brother Jeff. And now that's not in the Bible that I have to give him a title. But it is showing honor. It is showing respect. And I knew better than that. And I knew to do that. Just because you don't have exact title and verses that you should say. We do know the Bible says he is worthy of double honor, especially that labor in the Word and in doctrine, right? And I don't know of a man. I more in the Word of God than my pastor, Brother Jeff Clemens. And it was just a mistake, I got too friendly in the conversation. And Brother Blue stopped me and he said, you know, and rebuked me for that. And that was a help to me. It has reminded me all these years later he said, you need to be referencing him as Brother Jeff. Now he didn't you know make a big deal of it, but I thought, man I knew better than that. And I've gone and embarrassed myself in front of a man like Stenna Ballew. But it was good that he would do that. And the reason I took it so well is because I knew he loved me. He wasn't trying to belittle me, or embarrass me. He was trying to help me, because that's not a good habit to get in. You know I think all of us do that to preachers. We try to say, brother, so and so, just out of respect for the Lord, and to their position, and the sense of being called of God, men of God. And I try to do that. And even try to do other Christians that way a lot of times, say, Brother Reed, you know out of respect to him. And I'm not calling you Brother Hunter, OK? Forget that. If you get any extra titles to your name it will be your middle name and you are in big trouble. Hunter Matthew, Usually if I don't call them by their names when it is ugly in my house, Tony. Boy, get in here. But no, those are just little signs of respect. And I appreciated that. I didn't take that in any way because I knew the man loved me and he was trying to help me. So, what I'm just saying is this, we have to help each other sometimes. When you are with your friend and you can tell they are just getting upset about something, and I know this from experience, you can tell that they are in that way, and they are saying things. It would be good for us to be just like, well hey, you know brother don't let yourself get bitter about that. You know you can in that moment, here let me give you this, this is what I'm trying to say, cut it off quickly. I wrote that beside this verse. You can always gear the conversation in another direction. My pastor is a master of this. I He's mastered the art of diverting you off topic to something else, and then you forgot what you were even mad about. You'd be talking to him about something, he'll say, now tell me again, how's your job? How do you fix those phones? And you'll forget all about what you were talking about and start talking about your job. He's a master at doing that. Now that's a good way to do things, just change the topic. But sometimes it goes a little further, you could say something on the positive side, say if one of your friends is upset at someone else, and you can always say something careful about that, and say something to them like, well I know brother, I understand how you feel, but we need to really pray for him, don't you think? That could be me being that. You can always say something, or you can throw fuel on the fire, as I have been guilty of sometimes, I would probably say if I examined it closely, and pour fuel on the fire, and say, you know what, you're right, I've had it up to here, I'm sick of it. And then you're both ready to go kill somebody, slap somebody. So really you've got a lot of power in your tongue just as well in order to diffuse the situation, or you can make it a whole lot worse and say something that really makes it a whole lot worse. And so if we have this mind and this spirit, that is we are going to get into these words if I'll go quicker here. and we're of this same mind, and all wanting to edify one another. Now, we're gonna see that word in a couple of these verses, and most of you know this, but let me just give you, again, the idea of what edification is. Edification technically means to aid in Christian progress, to build, the literal meaning is to build up. edification. Now edification is not always positive. It can be negative. That was an edifying thing that Brother Ballou said to me, though it was a negative. He, you know, instead of, you understand what I'm saying? So instead of saying, you know, complimenting somebody about something, you may have to call out something they're doing wrong in a loving way, with the purpose of building them up and aiding them in their Christian progress. Right? So, it doesn't mean that you just don't ever say anything negative. That's the way the liberals take it, right? And that's not the way it's always meant. Sometimes for your edification it may take somebody saying some pretty harsh things to you. Now, it seems harsh but when they love you and they want to build you up in your Christian character that's edification, right? Paul said, my power was to that edification and not to tear you down. Right? There is nothing that is going to hell and just lamb blasting somebody for your own vainglory, or just because you can. Right? There should be a purpose behind our speech. Right? We should speak with a purpose. we get in trouble a lot of times is when we are speaking to just speak. You ever get caught up in a situation where even though what you are saying is right it is totally worthless? There is no point of saying what you are saying. That's empty words. That's vain glory. That's emptiness. That's worthlessness. And I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit. So, let's not waste our words. Let's always try to speak with the purpose of edification. So, if you think about yourself, and there is nothing wrong, I've gotten a call from the same preacher at least every time I've gotten on the phone. I'd say at least, I don't know, I would say there is very few times he hasn't called me back the next day. it said to me, brother I've been guilty. He'll say, brother I've been terrible, all night I've been feeling terrible about what I said, I shouldn't have said that. And I'm thinking, what are you talking about? I didn't take it wrong, it wasn't even a big deal. But he was very sensitive as to what he was saying. He didn't want to seem as though he was just tearing somebody down just to tear them down. Now you can speak the truth and it can sometimes be a negative, but if it's done to the purpose of edification then I don't think it's wrong. nothing wrong with calling something out if it is spoken with the intent of trying to edify someone else. So if you say something that unfortunately has to be negative, if you are doing something wrong and I call it out not just so that I can make myself look better than you, but if I say it with the intention of trying to aid and build up your Christian character then there is nothing wrong with that. Right? So we have to be careful. Here's what it's saying in this verse, and we'll go to Proverbs 18. Cut it off quick. Strife is war. So the beginning of war, the beginning of strife, when it really breaks out is when one let about water. whole thing is about to bust. Anybody ever seen a dam break loose and see the whole lake empty out, and the flood that goes downstream? I'm telling you this strife is like when one lets the water out. There is a breach in the dam. And what it's saying here, it says, leave off contention. Contention is the lesser part. Contention is more like just tension. When you know that the two people are at odds with each other, don't meddle with it. That word meddle means to mix up. How about this? We know this language down here in the South, don't stir it up. Anybody know what I'm talking about with that? You ever heard somebody talk about stirring the pot? You ever been upset about something and have somebody on purpose? I know a fella like this and he'll do it as a joke, and it's a joke. But if he knows you're upset about something, he'll come by and just as a joke, I mean we did it all the time, my job, he'd come by and he'd know I'd be upset about something and he'd say, did you notice that? He'd make a comment about it and I'd say, oh you know I can't stand that, I'm mad about that. What he's trying to do is just stir something up. Anybody know, these Baptist pot stirrers. And they just like to get information and find out who's mad at who so they can jump right in the middle and just stir the whole thing up. They're not trying to edify anybody. They're not trying to make the situation any better. They're not trying to help. They're not trying to aid and build up the aid and Christian progress of anybody. They just like to see a fight. Well, who don't like to see a fight? I don't know about you, but I like to see a fight. My flesh does. And I don't like all the talking, but I like the fighting. I'm joking, please. God's not for all that. I'm not joking about my flesh, but I'm joking that that ain't right. That is right. So here is what is being said, so when you've got contention starts before that thing builds into strife which opens a breach in the unity and what is the strength of what is holding everything together, before we get a breach knocked in the thing, before we have a block knocked out of the foundation and the whole thing crumbles down, it started with a little bit of contention and it seems like somebody meddles with it. it. They get in there and they stir the pot up. They're not trying to edify anybody. They're not coming in there and saying, oh brother so and so. See if you get involved to the sense of reconciliation I've got no problem with that. If you hear somebody saying something about somebody and you want to make it right and you go to them and say, now brother you need to make it right with that brother, I'll go with you, I'll help you. Now, there's nothing wrong with that. What's being talked about here is meddling is in stirring it up. So I know that you're upset with him. I said, well, that's not as bad as it is. You know what he did yesterday? You know what he said about you last week? You know what else he's been doing? I've heard about this. You're just stirring it up. Shame on you. Shame on you for that. We got enough problems without somebody jumping in the middle of it and stirring it all up. So don't meddle with it. Don't mix it up. When you see contention, don't mix it up. Don't stir it up. But it doesn't mean you totally stay completely away from it. Try to do something to try to help the situation, right? That's what I think you ought to do. I don't have a problem getting involved, just make sure you are doing it for the right reasons, for the edification. So act quickly, don't let it build and then it will grow into strife and then a lot of people will get hurt. Am I telling it right? Anybody ever been in a Baptist church and see two people get upset at each other? probably several meddlers, pot stirrers, and they get involved in that thing and start stirring that pot up. And then before you know it they are teaming up. And this one is so mad at this one. It started out with a little tension that maybe the Holy Ghost could have got right. And then it stirred up and blew up and got really bad. And then the two are at war. Strife has begun now. And now everybody is teaming up. Well I'm for so and so. Well I'll tell you what I've been telling him. And then you've got a whole huge fight. There is no telling who all will be taken as a casualty in a strife. Generally, it's not the two at war. It will be all those around them that will be hurt the most, generally speaking. So when we see that thing happening, let's do all we can to try to cut that thing off quick. Don't let it build up. And if you'll do it to edification, it's not to belittle anybody, it's not to, I struggle with that sometimes. I've always struggled with, well I don't want to think I think I'm better than them if I rebuke them for this. But you can say things like that, you can say, look I'm no better than you, it could be me mad at any time of the day. But let's not let that thing build, let's do something about it. You know the Bible said if your brother have aught, or if you're on the altar and you remember your brother have aught against you, right? Let's deal with it. going to make any progress just acting like it doesn't exist, and going around and stirring it up, and having the problem in the background. Let's just get it out there and deal with it, don't you think? And I think that is the best thing to do, cut it off quick. Now Proverbs 18.17 says this, "'He that is first in his own cause seemeth just, but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him.'" That is Proverbs 18.17. So not only do we need to cut it off quickly, but we need to hear the whole story. The Bible is not for us making a judgment without hearing the entire matter. You have to be extremely careful at that. There is a lot of accusations that get thrown out there, and things that get said in generalities because the flesh is vile. And the flesh has a vile mouth. if it's not controlled, and as far as I know the Bible says I don't think really anybody has it under control. at any time anybody can fly off at the handle and say something they should not say. You need to be wise enough, and you young people too, start now being wise enough to see that kind of thing, and be able to understand it for what it is, and don't carry it on to somebody else. Cut it off quickly, right? And be able to discern between, sometimes people say things and maybe they did not mean them, but you need to deal with it. But it might grow into bitterness, and clamor, and and railing in strife if we don't deal with it, right? So, we've got to cut it off. Now, in this verse here in Proverbs 18, 17 we need to remember to hear the whole story. So, there's people that I love dearly and they could just about come to me and tell me something happened and I'm ready to go fight with them. You understand what I mean? Now, I'm not always talking about, you know I'm not talking about always that, but I'm ready to stand with my friends. I don't know about you, but I take being a friend of somebody very seriously. And if they're my friend, I don't want to see them hurt. And if they're going to sue through something, I want to stand with them. And if somebody else is tearing them down, I'm not for that. they are my friend and I don't want to hear it, and I'm tired of listening to it, and I don't like it, and I've got to figure out how to deal with it. And sometimes it is hard to know how to deal with it properly. And so you can always do it with grace seasoned with psalms, right? And speaking to edification and that will always win in the end. Now the Bible also has one place that talks about an angry countenance. You can just give them a mean look about that and say nothing and it will turn that wrath away, turn that anger away. Now, understand something, when somebody gets upset and they start saying something, you are generally gonna be left with one side of the story. I've heard young people do this a lot. That church down there mistreated me, like we were to blame for them fornicating and living in rebellion. If you young people take off and go live in rebellion to God, it won't be because we preached against it. And it won't be because we had standards to try to keep you out of it. It will be because you are wicked, period. End of discussion. It's no church's fault for what they preach in this King James Bible for some young person running out to the world. But undoubtedly, what do they do? They'll get out there, and they'll start telling one side of the story. Well, I'll tell you one thing, that church hurt me. Well, what about all the hurts you brought to us by living in rebellion to God? What about us that have been hurt when we prayed for you, and the tears that have been cried, and the altar prayers, and the burdens that we've carried, and the help we've, and the cleanup of your mess we've tried to accomplish, and the casualties you caused, and the fallout that you caused. It's funny they don't ever tell that side of the story. They don't ever tell the whole side. And yeah, maybe somebody did mistreat them at church. That's very possible. You're in a church full of people. You're gonna get hurt. I told the group on Monday night, and that verse in Proverbs, it says, a man that will have friends must show himself friendly. You know that verse? If you look at the second usage of that word in the Hebrew, of that word, show himself friendly, it carries the idea of cost. destruction that man must show himself friendly. It will cost you to love and befriend people. You are going to get hurt by involving yourself in any group of people. You better just buckle up and get ready for it. But are they not worth loving? Are they not worth some hurt? God loved you and all the pain you caused Him. I'd say so. So, always remember when you're hearing something from someone, generally speaking, you're hearing one side of the story. Always try to get the other side before you pass a judgment. So here's what happens. You'll get told one side of the story. be convinced of something, and you'll go down here and tell it, and that person has conveniently left off all they did wrong. And so you've got this idea, and you're battling for them buddy. I mean you can really use that thing, because they are your friend, and that person hurt them. And buddy can you believe they did this? And you didn't even see the text that they subtly sent and started all up to begin with. They forgot to mention that. So just be careful, always be slow. Know what the Bible teaches us to do? So we ought to just step back and say, all right now Lord how can I speak with intention? How can I help? And sometimes reactionary that's hard to do. But when you go home and have you messed up there is nothing wrong with calling them back and saying, look I'm sorry if I did this, I didn't mean to do that. I got upset and everybody will understand that, just humble yourself and apologize for it. Right? always hear the other side. In church matters, in the world, at school, on your job, everybody's always got their side of the story. And then it's funny, the neighbor that he's upset about comes back and searches him out, and starts exposing everything else that's involved, and then you find out, you know what, they're both probably wrong. And I'm not on either side, I'm on God's side, I'd just like to get over it, and I'd like to see both of you start living like Christians and shut up about it. Is that okay? Is anybody else feel that way? I can't think of anything so important that everybody ought to be so mad at each other about. I can't think of one thing. Get over it. Isn't that right? Will that help you? If you'll just learn that you're just as bad off as they are, and you'll see yourself properly, just love them and let it go. And just try to, hey, try to, if anything, do your best to try to help the situation out. Try not to meddle with it and stir it up, but try to edify and build them both up and help them to go on for God. That's Proverbs 18, 17. He is first in his own cause, and he seemeth just, but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him. So hear the whole story before you judge. Now, Romans 14, 19, you can turn there and I'll try to go quicker here. Romans 14, 19, because I've mentioned this already. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace. I think I need to say it again. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace. That would be a good thing to do, wouldn't it? I'm not going to be involved in anything that's going to disturb the peace, right? Now, I understand what I'm saying. Sometimes it's not so peaceful to have to deal with sin and deal with problems. Sometimes that's not what I'm talking, you understand what I'm talking about. But I'm not going to be involved in the discord side of things. I want to sew up the unity. I want to see us all woven together and strong together. I want to be building up, strengthening, endeavoring to keep that unity. I certainly don't want to be tearing it down, and I don't want to be involved in going after things that don't allow for peace, right? So let me say this, would going out and living in sin hurt the peace of this church? Sure it would. follow after the things that are made for peace. Don't you want to be at peace? I want to be at peace with each other. I want to be at peace at the Church. I want to live in peace, right? Even in the world the Bible says, it says, pray for those in authority that we may live a quiet and peaceable life. I want to be at peace even with a wicked government. I just want them to leave me alone. Right? Follow after the things that are made for peace. And then it says, and the things wherewith one may edify another. We'll go back to Proverbs 16, 24. Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones. Now this word pleasant here, I was amazed our translated in many places, or two places I know for sure, but the beauty of the Lord. It is often translated beauty. Beautiful, pleasant words. They are as a honeycomb, they are sweet to the soul, but they are also health to the bones. Now, let me get there with you because I think I want to go to one more verse. here with me. So, not only is speaking pleasant words, beautiful words, kind words, edifying words, building up words, and not only to your face, but when you are not around to others. doesn't say, just say beautiful things to me. Right? So, pleasant words, when I hear you say something just really great about Taylor. He just made a face like I would never do that. I can't use my kids anymore. When Brother Reed says some pleasant words about Amber, well he wouldn't do that either. Who can I use in here? If Dee was here I could use her with you, Brother Jeremy. She's got pleasant words for you. No, seriously, to hear Cody come to me and say, boy I tell you what, that Tim's real. He loves God. Hey, that's like sweetness to my soul. I live to hear those kind of beautiful things. They're sweetness to me. It's not only a help to me to hear those kind of beautiful words, it doesn't just strengthen, but I'm going to tell you something. There is an effect on your overall health to be negative and down and constantly complaining and mourning and just, that's an effect on your health. You're not a healthy person to be that way, to be depressed, to be negative, to be down, and the glass is always half empty. That kind of person, I know that. It hurts your overall, general, actual physical health to be that way. It's not good for you. But man, when you hear pleasant words, when somebody comes by, Taylor, and you feel like you just botched the whole thing, and somebody comes by and says, boy, that helped me tonight. I don't know how many of y'all have done that to me. I feel like I just botched the whole message and somebody will just text me and just say, boy, that helped me tonight. I appreciate you saying that, appreciate it. It's just, boy, that helps you, you know. I'm not talking about falsely just building people up. I'm just saying, find something good to say to people and try to put some sweetness in their soul and try to put some health to their bones. Right, quit being froward with your mouth and always causing problems and tearing everybody down. Wouldn't we all be just wonderful if we could just be like you? That's why you portray yourself, you couldn't name one good thing to say to anybody if it killed you. Boy, that just tears me out of peace. Why don't you find something good to say for once in your life and maybe you wouldn't be so miserable. Right. I've seen people like that. And man, the stars are out. The sun's shining. It's 65 degrees. It was beautiful today. And I know some people, they come over there and say, yeah, but I'll tell you what, I think it's getting a little hotter. If you notice, the sun's probably getting, I mean, the cold is getting, I mean, they would find something negative to complain about. Now, I have those tendencies in myself. I have a tendency to be very critical, to be very negative, to be very, my flesh is turned that way. And we have to take active steps in watching ourselves to keep ourselves from being that way. It is not healthy. I know what it's like to be depressed. That is not good for anybody. Their health, I'm no doctor, but I know that for sure it's not healthy to be that way. That's why I think the Bible, I mean there are spiritual things, but it wants us to think on good things, talk about good things. Speak to yourselves in Psalms, in spiritual Psalms, right? And so look with me just quickly, we are in Proverbs 16.24, the sweetness to your soul, and health to your bones. Look at verse 23, I'm in verse 16, and look at we are in 24, look at verse 23 it says, the heart of the wise teaches his mouth and added learning to his lips. So can I say something about this that would help all of us? Most of us are trying to gain wisdom and understanding so that we can teach with our mouth. Most of us are trying to get information so that we can share it, so that we can tell it, so that we can teach others. And that's a good thing. It's good to have information and knowledge and gain wisdom so that you can try to help others. But you know what would be really good? If we'd start teaching our lips a few things. Let's get some wisdom so that we can teach ourselves. Look at what he said again, the heart of the wise, if you're wise you will teach your mouth some things. If you, a man that's got a lot of wisdom and he's wise will be a man that will be able to some degree or another be able to control his mouth. And if you want to be a wise man, and you think that you've got a lot of wisdom, well why don't you show all of us by teaching your mouth to stop running? Right? Would that be wise? So a wise person is teaching his mouth. He's not just getting wisdom to share, he's getting wisdom, he's getting understanding, he's learning to teach his lips some things. That's humility. It's not everybody else that has a big mouth. It's not everybody else, we all do. Everybody's got a mouth. Isn't that what Isaiah, the year I saw the Lord, the year you can use iodine, I saw the Lord, I lifted up His train filled the heavens. And remember what's the first thing He said? Woe is me. My lips are unclean and I dwell among people of unclean lips. That's true about everybody. Teach your lips some things. want to be wise? Teach your mouth to speak to the edification, to speak pleasant words. Wouldn't you rather be a honeycomb, the honeycomb to somebody? Now there is some depth there that talks about if you study out that honeycomb before it's, if you study all that thing out about that honeycomb and once it is introduced to the air and through the process that we eat it and consume it. But I won't go into that. But if you'll just think to yourself about the honey itself. Now, if you get involved in that honeycomb, it's a blessing to you, but I'm telling you not. But the honey itself, the sweetness, that's what it's saying. Don't you want to offer some sweetness to somebody's soul? I want to tell you something, there's enough to be down about. There's enough going on to be negative about. I don't need your help. Right? You don't need my help. What you need me to help you do is to say something positive. Yeah, I know it's getting bad, but I tell you what, it's getting good in God's church. Yeah, it may be bad. Yeah, there may be some things going wrong, but I've seen almost 40 young people down here on the altar trying to get right with God. Yeah, it may be bad, but see, it just depends on how you want to look at things. I want to offer some pleasantness, some sweetness to the soul. Don't you want to give some health to some bones? Now, we got to go. I've gone too long now. Colossians 4, 6, I'll just read these. I'll just read these to you. Colossians 4, 6 says, let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. And I think this, turn with me to Ephesians 4, and I'll say this while we're in Colossians, while I'm reading that verse to you, let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. Can I say something? Every one of you all know James Jones. James Jones fulfills that verse right there. His speech, and he said some hard things. Has anybody ever heard a message that's burnt your hide up by James Jones? He can preach it straight. Brother Jones says no, but he can always deliver it in a manner where you're bleeding all over and you don't even know it, you're smiling about it. notice that about preachers like Brother Billy Mitchell? Brother Billy Mitchell could preach something and gut you up one side and down the other, but make you feel good about it somehow. think the delivery is important, don't you? When you are speaking to somebody a lot of times the delivery does matter, and you can have that, this is how you want to answer, grace and salt. Salt preserves from corruption, right? It's always speaking with intention to preserve from corruption. Grace, salt, that you may know how you want to answer every man. Ephesians 4.25. We'll try to Ephesians 4.25, wherefore put away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. That goes to speak to that, deal with it quickly. Don't let it fester and build up. I've been short with somebody before, and what they said I had interpreted wrong because of an image I had already built up in my head about them over a course of events of things that happened I never dealt with. Anybody ever done that? And then ended up having to apologize, and I don't like that. I don't like apologizing. I don't like to miss it. so just deal with it quickly. You'd be better off just to deal with it. Let it build up. Neither give place to the devil, let him that stole still no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the things which is good that he may be able to give to them that have need, or him that needeth. And let no corrupt communication. This word corrupt means rotten, worthless, Let no rotten or worthless communication proceed out of your mouth. So here's that intent, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And it follows that up. And listen, I know sin grieves the Holy Ghost. Fornication, adultery, all that stuff grieves the Holy Ghost. But this grieve the Holy Ghost like someone has died. This grieving of the Spirit is being talked about right after our speech. So our mouth, if it's speaking rotten, worthless things, will grieve the Holy Spirit of God. I've been in a service where somebody's been running their mouth and it feels like God's not doing a million miles. Anybody ever been there? Grieved God. Do not let that kind of corruption come out of your mouth. speak the things that are good, and to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers." Boy, I'm telling you I don't know of a higher standard to hold up for you and me. Grieving not in the Holy Spirit of God by yourself, David, redemption. Let all bitterness. I've got the definitions but we've got to go home now. So, bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor. This is speaking out. This is crying out against and evil speaking. That would be all the backbiting, and railing, and slander, and tail bearing, all those evil things. With malice. Malice is intention to see vengeance, to accomplish something, some kind of hurt in the object, malice. And be a kind one to another. forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you." I know I've been a little long, and I'm done here, but you know what this tenderhearted, you know what the picture is? I think Brother Michael will understand this picture. I think Jeremy will. I think Brother Reed will even have a memory of it. Miss Snow will remember it. You parents will remember this kind of thing. And my older kids now, Brother Shane just gets so, can't understand it. But one of those two little ones right here can come running in my bedroom. They can come running anywhere around me and me see them. And I'm going to give you the look and you're going to make fun of me. hate to do it. I'll hear about this later. But it's kind of one of these things. Everybody know what I'm talking about? My heart's just melted. And they've killed somebody, and they've been like a tornado running through the room. They've hit their sister. They've thrown, they've broke a mirror. And they flooded the house with toilet paper on the toilet. And I'm My heart is just tender. That's what we are Brother Shane, that little baby, just tender hearted. You probably started crying when you heard that heartbeat didn't you? At least you wanted to. Just tender hearted. You know that kind of word picture? That's how we are supposed to look at each other. So when you pass by I'm going to go... what will happen from now on people are going to do that to me and I'm going to smack one of you. But that's the kind of, I'm done, I know we've been a while. But that's the word picture is meant that we are supposed to. Now I know that's not popular. Somehow in fundamentalism the meaner and most hateful that you can be somehow makes you more spiritual. I don't know how that lie crept in, but that's a lie. The Holy Spirit is not that way. This is calm demeanor. You ought to be the one that the family get together when World War III is about to break out, and you ought to be the one calm, trying to speak to the edification. Now don't laugh at that because that is funny for some of us. And be kind, be tender hearted one towards another. That's how we ought to look at each other. I'll read them and we'll be done, we won't turn to these others, or they're good. speak with purpose, but be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, and honor preferring one another." You know that's what that's saying there? honor preferring one another. It's saying not seeking honor but showing honor. That's what's being said there. So we should live in such a manner being kindly affectioned one to another that we are living in this way. We are doing all that we can to show honor to others and not try to get it for ourselves. people in the world, here's how the world teaches you young men, is to try to get all the honor you can get out in the world, that's how they teach. Try to get all the respect and honor that you can get. And Jesus turns around and says just the opposite, let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus. There is the Lord God, humbled Himself, became obedient. Let that mind be in you. Not seeking to get honor to yourself, but living a life and trying to honor other people. Isn't that good? Boy, I wish I could do that better. It's easy to preach, but that's hard living. you my joy, that you be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord and one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man on the things of others." Now, we are done, but I hate to be. There are some good verses there in Corinthians and I was going to go to, but will be done tonight.