"Sacred" Words
                                                                                                By Pastor F. M. Riley
                                                                                                May 28, 2018
     "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
     For by thy words thou shall be justified,  and by thy words thou shalt be condemned," Matthew 12:36-37.  
Introduction
     These inspired Scriptures set forth a subject, which today, is rarely, if ever, preached or expounded upon in most Christian churches.  Yet, according to the inspired Word, it is one of the most important topics in the life of every living person.  Why?
     For the exact reasons stated in the Scripture text for this study.  Every living soul will be either justified or condemned by their words.  If our readers have never given any thought to this, then it is far past time they were doing so.  
      Now our readers know the subject of this Bible Study, so let's go right into it.......
The Origin of Words
     Every reader of this study should be very careful about what they say to others, for the Lord Jesus Himself said in the Scriptures just preceding our Scripture text, "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?  for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," Matthew 12:34.  See also Luke 6:45.  
      Our readers may have never realized or even seriously thought about this, for nearly everything we do is dependent upon the ability of our fleshly body to function properly, including our tongue.  However, the words we speak with our tongue, come forth from our "inner man:" from the very heart or soul of man.  Think about it!
The Endurance of Words
     Words are one of those things in life that can never be taken back.  Once they are spoken, they remain spoken.  Yes, perhaps you are sorry for what you just said, and even apologize to someone for having said it.
And perhaps you need to apologize.  But does your apology bring the words you said into a state of non-existence?  No, it sure doesn't!  The words you say have come out of your mouth, and you cannot recall them back into your mouth again.  Once you have spoken them, they are there for time and eternity.   This is exactly why Solomon was inspired of God to say,
     "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few," Ecclesiastes 5:2.  
The Power of Words
     Back when I was a child attending grade school, sometimes at recess some of the children would get into an argument over some little matter, and go to railing against one another.   One of them back then would invaribly come up with the silly little ditty,"  "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me."  What a lie of Satan!   
     As I grew older, I came to realize that it is precisely the words that people speak that do cause most of the harm and wickedness and evil in this world among mankind.  Words hurt!  Words can rip and tear into the very heart and soul of others to whom we speak.  Words can be used to plot and plan evil and wickedness.  Words can instigate and encourage others to do evil.  Words can depress and discourage others, even to the point of taking their own lives.  
     And according to our text Scripture, the Lord Himself is listening to our words.  The words that come out of our mouths, will either justify us before God, or will cause us to have to give account for our words, when we stand in judgment before Him.  
     There is another little ditty sometimes sung by children in Sunday School that goes like this,
     "Oh be careful little mouth [or tongue] what you say!  Oh be careful little mouth what you say!  For the Father up above, is looking down in love.  So be careful little mouth what you say!"  
     What a great Scriptural truth this little Sunday School song sets forth.  Just as Solomon said, we should let our words be few, and think carefully about what we are going to say, before we speak!  
The Sacredness of Words
     Definitions: Sacred.....The English Dictionary defines the word, "sacred," as meaning, "Holy; set apart for the service of the Lord; to revere or regard as being sacred."  
     Shouldn't all true believers who have given their heart to the Lord, also consecrate their mouths and tongues to Him?  Well...??  
     Idle...."Worthless; useless; serving no good purpose."  
There is no question in my mind that the Lord God regards our words as the sacred utterances of our soul.  This is why the Lord Himself said that we will have to give account for every "idle word."  
      Solomon, one of the wisest men who has ever lived, not only gave to us the text Scripture for this study, but he then went on to say, "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou has vowed.
     Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay,"  Ecclesiastes 5:4-5.  I suggest that our readers carefully study the first seven verses of Ecclesiastes 5, for all seven Scriptures are dealing with the words which we speak.   
And Speaking of a Vow.....
     How many of our readers are familiar with the following vows.......
[All emphasis in the following ceremony is mine...FMR].

One Version of a Wedding Ceremony
     [There is no standard wedding ceremony.  Nearly every church and
preacher will have their own favorite ceremony they use in marrying couples who come to them.  The following is one I have used many times in
weddings].  
 
        "Marriage is an institution of Divine appointment, given in wisdom and kindness,  to increase human happiness and to support social order.  
      In the Bible, God's Holy Word, which should be the lamp to your path in every relation, you will find the direction needed.   [Psalm 127:1]  
     As a token [sign] of your decided choice of each other as partners for life, you John Smith and Mary Adams will please unite your right hands.
      Do you, John Smith, in taking this woman whom you hold by your right hand, to be your lawful and wedded wife, do you promise before Almighty God and these witnesses, to love and cherish her, to honor and sustain her, in sickness and in health, in poverty as in wealth, in the bad that may darken your days, in the good that may lighten your ways, and to be true and faithful to her in all things, until death do you part?   Do you promise?
     [I do!]  
     And do you, Mary Adams, take this man whom you now hold by your right hand, to be your lawful and wedded husband, do you promise before Almighty God and these witnesses, to cherish him, to honor and sustain him, in sickness and in health, in poverty as in wealth, in the bad that may darken your days, in the good that may lighten your ways, and to be true  and faithful to him in all things, until death do you part?  Do you promise?  
     [I do!]
     [If rings are being exchanged, the woman's ring will be handed to the minister, and he will hand it to the groom, asking him to place the ring upon the third finger of the bride's left hand, and briefly hold it there].   
     From the beginning of human history, the ring has been used to seal covenants.  It is  round, a circle with no exit, signifying a relationship with no ending, other than by the death of one of you.  It is gold, signifying that which is least tarnished.  
     John Smith, do you now give this ring to Mary Adams as a token of your love for her?  
     [I do!]
     Mary Adams, will you now receive this ring from John Adams as a token of his love for you, and will you wear it as a token of your love for him?   
     [I will!]  
     [In the event of a double ring ceremony, the woman will place a ring on the third finger of the man's left hand, and hold it there while repeating  similar vows].
     [The minister will call for a prayer for the couple being married].  
     [Following the prayer,  the minister will say something similar to this......]
     Having made your solemn vows to one another, and having given rings to one another as a token of your fidelity and love,  by the authority of the state of _____________, and the authority invested in me as a minister of the Gospel of Almighty God, I now pronounce you husband and wife, and, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder," Matthew 19:6.   
     Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Smith.    

     Now every reader surely knows that this wedding ceremony contains "vows" which are being made, and which God's Word explicitly and repeatedly  says are to be honored and kept.  But what do we see in the world today.....??
Broken Homes and Broken Lives
     Everywhere today we see women trying to care for one or more children, and no father figure in the home.  Yes, and sometimes we see men trying to care for one or more children, and no mother figure in the home.  This is not a rarity.  It is everywhere in our world system today.
     However, divorce is not the full extent of the wickedness being practiced by people living in this repetition of "the days of Noah."  Mankind today has advanced [???] to the extent, that some feel marriage is "out of date," or, out of touch with reality.  There are actually people today who would like to remove all marriage laws from our society, and allow cohabitation with whomever one chooses to cohabit with.  No, I'm not joking!  But even that isn't the bottom of the depravity barrel.   
     I have the sad experience of knowing a respectable [???], working,    woman who has had six children, fathered by four different men, and who has never been married.  Now guess where the money comes from to help her support her fatherless children.  
     Very rarely the broken homes we see in the world system today, are due to the death of one's spouse, but most of the time are due to divorce or just plain desertion.  I think this situation in our world today is terrible.  But what does the Lord God think of it?  
     Yes, it is true!  "God is love," 1 John 4:16.  But don't allow some Scripturally ignorant religionist to deceive you.   God is also capable of hatred, and there are some things He hates, clearly named in His inspired Word.   One of those things is the breaking up of marriages and homes through divorce.  "For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that He hateth putting away...." Malachi 2:16.  
     Divorce has a terrible effect.  Even if it is just between a childless couple.  One or both of them will suffer.  It may involve only emotional suffering, but often it involves fights, beatings, and even murder.  Such is  reported on the TV news with every passing day.  Where children are involved, it is even worse.  Those children ordinarily love both of their parents, and need both of them to grow up and mature properly.  Then when they see their parents pitted against one another, not loving one another anymore, what does that say to those children about "love?"  Not only the "love" of their parents, but the "love" of God?  How does one convince a lost, unbelieving, child that God loves them, and wants to save them, when their own parents don't love each other?  Hello!
     Folks, what we as believers do, does effect other people.  Our life is not our own to do with as we please.  We were born to love and serve the Lord, and others.  Romans  14:7-8 explicitly and plainly states, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.  
     For whether we live, we live unto the Lord: and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's."   
     The Lord God created us all, and we all belong to Him, either naturally, through being born into the world, or spiritually, through being "born again," John 3:1-7.  Therefore everything we do, and everything we say, effects someone, either for good or for bad.  
     When a married couple, who both claim to be "Christian believers," simply cannot get along and their marriage ends up in the divorce court, one or both of them are totally out of the will of God.  And when children are involved, the situation is even worse.  How does one convince a child that the Lord Jesus loves them and wants them to be saved, when their own parents cannot, or do not, show love for one another?  Well...??
The Sad Results of Violating Marriage Vows
     The Lord Jesus, in Luke 17:26-27  clearly predicted a repetition of "the days of Noah" going on in the world, when He comes to resurrect and rapture His Church and New Covenant believers to glory.  And it is here!  
      The Lord Himself described those "days of Noah," by saying, "They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."  Don't fail to notice that the Lord's statement about marriage is in the plural.  This tells us that men and women back then were not honoring their marriage vows, anymore than people today.  Obviously the solemn vows they had made before God and others meant nothing to them.  And what do these "vows" mean to people getting married today?  To many, it is just something the law requires.  
     Do men and women today stand in the sanctuary of a church, or some other place, and simply repeat words that mean nothing to them?  Or are the words of the marriage ceremony "sacred" to the couple swearing their love, loyalty, and allegiance to one another?   
     After they are married, do they "work" at building a good marriage and a home together, or is their marriage just something people do today to get a "kick out of life?"  One's attitude about marriage makes all the difference between a good marriage, and a shipwreck.  In fact, one's attitude towards what they are "vowing" at their marriage ceremony makes a big difference in how their marriage is going to turn out.  
     So what kind of marriage do our readers have?  What was your reason for getting married?  Did you really love the person you were marrying?  Did they give evidence before you were married that they really loved you?  Did you really comprehend the words you were "vowing" in the marriage ceremony.  Or did you get married to satisfy your sexual desires, and "try out" a spouse to see if they could meet your needs?   Or was your whole marriage just a lark?  These are honest questions that need to be answered honestly, and preferable before one gets married.
       Or did you get married with a true desire to have a Godly home, where love for one another, and love for the Lord, would prevail, and where hopefully one day the Lord would bless you with a family to bring up for Him?   It is glaringly obvious that one's mindset about marriage, and the "vows" one makes is to a great extent going to determine how your marriage turns out.  If some young people contemplating marriage are reading this, my prayer is that you will settle these issues between each other, and the Lord, before you ever step forward to say your marriage "vows."  Yes, we are living in the 21st century, but Matthew 12:36-37 is still in the Bible.  Take it to heart!
Conclusion
     Dear readers, you have the message the Lord laid on my heart so deeply, as I have observed all of the cheating, lying, carousing, fighting, and breakups of marriages and homes occurring today.  I have heard the cries of little children from some of these broken homes, who didn't ask to be brought into such a sin cursed world.  All those little children really want is a stable home with a Mom and Dad who loves them, and who love each other.  Is that too much for a little child to ask?  Be careful how you answer, for the Lord God is listening!  Matthew 12:36-37.  
     If any reader of this study is not saved by God's grace and mercy, or lacks the assurance of such salvation, but would like to be saved and have  assurance that you are, just read, believe, and by praying with faith in your heart, act upon.....
     John 3:1-7, 3:16-18, 3:36, 5:24, 14:6, Acts 4:12, 16:30-31, Romans 10:8-13, and Ephesians 2:8-10.  And after you are saved, write, send me an email, or call  me and let me know, so I can rejoice with you.  
<<<<<<<       O       >>>>>>>
     Permission is granted to any true believer, or Bible believing Christian ministry to reproduce this study to share with others, or to quote from it in context as written.  
  
<<<<<<<       O       >>>>>>>