Psalm 1:1-3; 34:12-14; Proverbs 15:1-4; 16:20-24
July 8, 2018
preached by Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“That non-bony, flappable instrument between our bicuspids can be an instrument of tremendous good or cataclysmic destruction. It can be used to build people up in the faith or to destroy their hard-earned reputations. It can help bring about peace among nations or can start a war.”

~ Curtis Thomas, retired pastor and author

“You do not really understand the significance of words until you realize that the first words that human ears ever heard were not the words of another human being, but the words of God! The value of every piece of human communication is rooted in the fact that God speaks.”

~ Paul David Tripp (1950-present), pastor, author and public speaker

“Sarcasm, at its worst, is a naked expression of contempt, often masked as humor.”

~ Tim Lott (1956-present), British author and journalist

“Contempt is hateful. It is the attempt to symbolically murder somebody.”

~ Theodore Zeldin (1933-present), Oxford scholar and writer, an excerpt from An Intimate History of Humanity

“No enemy was ever yet won by a vindictive conduct. We may, it is true, silence him by power, but we never can gain his affections by anything but love.”

~ Charles Simeon (1759-1836), English clergyman and author

“Since God has been kind to us and chose to transfer our offenses to the cross, we who are Christian should be the kindest and least offendable people in the world.”

~ Scott Sauls, contemporary pastor and author

“Those who keep speaking about the sun while walking under a cloudy sky are messengers of hope, the true saints of our day.”

~  Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian

Sermon Passage

Psalm 1:1-3; 34:12-14; Proverbs 15:1-4; 16:20-24 (ESV)

Psalm 1

¹   Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
²   but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
³   He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. 

Psalm 34

¹² What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
¹³ Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴ Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

Proverbs 15

¹  A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
²  The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
³ The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
⁴  A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. 

Proverbs 16

²⁰ Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
²¹ The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
²² Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
²³ The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
²⁴ Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.