WATCH YOUR WORDS

The Book of Ecclesiastes #8

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Sunday, March 9, 2025

(Psalm 45:2, NLT) “Gracious words stream from your lips.”

(Matthew 7:24–25, GN) “Anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers overflowed, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock.”

(Ecclesiastes 10:12–13, Message) “The words of a wise person are gracious. The talk of a fool self-destructs— He starts out talking nonsense and ends up spouting insanity and evil.”

(Ecclesiastes 12:10, NLT) “The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.”

 1.  FOOLISH TALK IS DESTRUCTIVE

“The talk of a fool self-destructs.” (Verse 12)

2.  FOOLISH TALK IS BABBLING

(Ecclesiastes 10:11, NKJV) “A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different.”

3.  MY HEART DETERMINES MY WORDS.  THOUGHT LIFE

(Matthew 15:18, NLT) “The words you speak come from the heart…”

(Psalm 19:14, NLT) “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

“The most influential person who will talk to you all day is you, so you should be very careful about what you say to you.” –Zig Ziglar

4.  MY WORD SHOULD BE ENOUGH.  TRUST

(Matthew 5:37, LB) “Just a simple ‘Yes, I will’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough.”

5.  LEARN TO HOLD MY TONGUE.  HUMILITY 

(Proverbs 12:15, NLT) “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.”

• History – Tell me your story.
• Heart – What’s your favorite …?
• Habits – What do you do for recreation, hobbies, etc?
• Hurts – How are you doing?

“We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.”  –Winston Churchill 

a.  Gossip

b.  Complaints

“Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom. For a little bird might deliver your message and tell them what you said.” (Ecclesiastes 10:20, NLT)

c.  Vulgarity 

6.  MY WORDS CAN HEAL.  INFLUENCE 

(Proverbs 18:21, NLT) “The tongue can bring death or life…” 

“Words have an inherent power, a force capable of lighting one’s paths and horizons. Used correctly and positively, words are the first building blocks for success and inner peace. Used incorrectly and negatively, they are capable of undermining even the best of intentions.” –Steven Covey 

(Proverbs 15:4, NLT) “Gentle words are a tree of life.” 

a.  Learn to praise God 

(Psalm 145:2, NLT) “I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever.”

b.  Learn to encourage others 

(Hebrews 10:24, Message) “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out,” 

c.  Pray with gratitude for people 

(Ephesians 1:16, NLT) “I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,”

d.  Tell your faith story

(Matthew 10:19–20, Message) “Don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.”

• My life before Jesus
• How I met Jesus
• My life since I met Jesus

   

“We never know how God will answer our prayers, but we can expect that He will get us involved in His plan for the answer.” –Corrie Ten Boom