Preached Sept 21(PM), 1998, 1998 at Faith Baptist Church
By Pastor Steven Mays
LOCK-JAW
TEXT: Proverbs 15:23
A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season how good is it!
WHAT A GREAT VERSE. SOME MANY TIMES WE ARE UPSET WITH OURSELVES FOR SAYING TO MUCH. PROBABLY THOUGH, WE ARE JUST AS OFTEN UPSET FOR NOT SAYING ANYTHING. UPSET FOR GETTING LOCKJAW!
TONIGHT I WANT TO LOOK AT THE SUBJECT OF LOCKJAW. IT SEEMS THAT A LOT OF US HAVE GOT IT. IN OUR TEXT DAVID HAD LOCKJAW.
MUCH IS SAID IN PREACHING ABOUT NOT SAYING THE WRONG THINGS, ABOUT GOSSIP, TALE BARING, AND ALL OF THAT AND RIGHTLY SO. BUT TONIGHT I BELIEVE A LOT OF US ARE SHUTING UP WHEN WE AUGHT TO BE SPEAKING UP! WE'VE GOT SPIRITUAL LOCKJAW!
1. Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
2. Isaiah 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary:
ONE DESCRIPTION OF THE 20th century Christians WAS: "They are like deep-sea divers encased in suits designed for many fathoms deep, marching bravely forth to pull plugs out of bathtubs." NO COURAGE TO SPEAK UP! LOCK JAW!
Mark 9:50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
I. LOCKJAW WITH OUR KIDS….
I KINGS 1:5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6 and his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so?
10 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
11 ¶ Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?
12 Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon.
13 Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Why then doth Adonijah reign?
14 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
WE LIVE IN AN HOUR WHERE PEOPLE HAVE NO BACKBONE! THEY WON'T DEAL WITH THEIR KIDS. MOST HOMES ARE RUN BY THE KIDS, THE WHOLE THING IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. IT'S SAD.
DAVID HAS A SON HERE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN TOLD NO! WHAT DOES HE GET FOR THAT? ON HIS DEATHBED, HIS SON IS TAKING OVER!
Isaiah 3:4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths
II. LOCK-JAW WITH THE UNSCRIPTURAL
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Nehemiah 13:25 And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
Acts 6:9 then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10 and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
DID THEY ALL REPENT, BECAUSE THEY KNEW HE WAS RIGHT AND THEY WERE WRONG? NO THEY CHEWED HIM UP. BUT MY FRIEND THE GRACE OF GOD ALMIGHTY WAS SUFFICEIENT, AND STEPHEN HAS BEEN WITH THE ONE STOOD FOR ALL THESE YEARS.
WHEN STEPHEN STOOD FOR JESUS, JESUS STOOD FOR STEPHEN! SAY AMEN RIGHT THERE.
Titus 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SPOKE UP IN HONOR OF WHAT WAS RIGHT?
ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING!
Jeremiah 5:31 the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
IN THIS REBELLIOUS HOUR WHO WILL SPEAK UP? WILL YOU?
III. LOCK-JAW WITH THE FOOLISH
Proverbs 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
WE LIVE IN AN HOUR OF FOOLISHNESS. WE LIVE IN AN HOUR OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS. THE DEVIL AND THIS WORLD HAS SHUT OUR MOUTHS. IT IS SAD. WE WANT TO FIT IN SO BAD THAT WE SHUT UP WAY TOO MUCH.
HAVE THE RIGHT SPIRIT ABOUT IT… BUT SPEAK UP.
2 Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
OUR PROBLEM IS COWARDICE… SOMEBODY ASKED THIS QUESTION… How many would go deer hunting if the deer could shoot back?
IV. LOCKJAW WITH THE GOSPEL
SPURGEON WROTE, "Our cowardice has subjected the gospel to contempt. Jesus was humble, and his servants must not be proud, but Jesus was never mean or cowardly, nor must his servants be. There was no braver man than Christ. He could stoop to save a soul, but he would stoop to nothing by which his character might be compromised, or truth and righteousness insulted. To preach the gospel boldly is to deliver it as such a message ought to be delivered. Blush to preach of a dying Savior? Apologize for talking about the Son of God condescending to be made man, that he might redeem us from all iniquity? Never! Oh, by the grace of God let us purpose with Paul "to be yet more bold," that the gospel may be yet more fully preached throughout all ranks of mankind."
Backward Christian soldiers,
Fleeing from the fight,
With the cross of Jesus clearly out of sight:
Christ our rightful Master stands against the foe,
But forward into battle we are chicken to go.
Like a mighty tortoise moves the church of God;
Brothers we are treading where we've often trod,
We are much divided, many bodies we,
Having different doctrines, not much charity.
Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
But the Church of Jesus hidden does remain;
Gates of hell should never "gainst that Church prevail,
We have Christ's own promise, but think that it will fail.
Sit here, then, ye people, join our useless throng;
Blend with ours your voices in a feeble song.
Blessings, ease, and comfort, ask from Christ the King.
With our modern thinking, we won't do a thing.
The fear of God makes a hero;
The fear of man makes a coward.
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