Sermon Transcripts

Blessed Blessers

Let me share with you a true story. A number of years ago a missionary employed a Chinese scholar to translate the New Testament into the language of the Chinese people. The scholar was a follower of Confucius and had never heard of Christianity before the missionary had hired him. The Chinaman was a pains-taking person and wanted his work to be perfect.

As the scholar completed the translation, the missionary recalled that he had not said one word to the intellectual about his need of Jesus Christ. Finally the man of God said, "You have been a great help to me. As you translated the New Testament, has not the beauty of Christianity appealed to you? Would you not like to be a Christian yourself?"

The fellow stated that he would. He went on to say that "it does appeal to me. It is a wonderful system of ethics. I think that if I could see a Christian, I might become interested."

"But," said the missionary, "I am a Christian!"

"You?" said the scholar, "You are a Christian? Oh pardon me, I don't want to offend you, but I have observed you. You are not a Christian. If I understand aright that a Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, and Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another”, then I have to conclude you are not a Christian. I have listened to you talk about others who were not present. I heard how unpleasant and unkind you were about them. Yes, I have watched you closely. I have listened to your words. I think that if I could see a Christian, I would like to be one," concluded the Chinaman.

Do you know what? Most people are like that unbeliever. They are taken by the truth claims of Jesus. They are seeking a better life; one that truly offers hope, love, peace, and joy. Lets face it, who wouldn’t be interested in the life Jesus offers? However, it is so rare that such a life is consistently lived out before the world.

· Someone has said that the devil is willing for a person to confess Christianity just as long as he does not practice it in word and deed.

· Benjamin Franklin once noted, "If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be without it?"

· A little English girl once prayed, “O God, make the bad people good, and the good people nice.”

Where do such statements come from? They arise out of the general notion that we Christians are mean, self-righteous, critical, and intolerant.

Let me give you a rather sobering thought. It will take 85 of us one year to bring one soul to Jesus Christ. Please keep that stat in mind as you listen to this passage of Scripture. 1 Peter 3:1-5 says, “Wives, …be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.”

Many times people place the emphasis on the word submissive here. In truth, I think the emphasis should be placed on the importance and effectiveness of a godly life lived out in gentleness, quietness, and grace. That is where the Lord really places the emphasis here.

· Such a good life will bring people to Jesus even if the saint never utters a word of Scripture.

· Such a lifestyle will draw the lost to the Lord like honey draws bears.

Look at the life of Jesus. The lost sought him out. They wanted what He had to offer.

Author Stephen Brown notes that a veterinarian can learn a lot about a dog owner he has never met just by observing the dog. What does the world learn about God by watching us His followers here on earth?

Please turn now in your Bibles once again to Ephesians 4.

Today I want to continue my series of messages on this outstanding chapter. Today we will look at verses 29-30: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God….”

Again, as I noted last Sunday, the apostle is dealing here with the general theme of Christian living. In particular, he is telling us that as saints we are to PUT ON certain things and we are to PUT OFF certain things. Last week I noted that we are to PUT OFF dirty or unwholesome words.

Also, in that message, I taught that "dirty or unwholesome words" can actually CRUSH the human spirit.

Verse 30 then gives us another consequence of evil talk. Paul notes that such conversation GRIEVES THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Let me share with you what it means to grieve the Holy Spirit. I am not so sure that everyone here relates to that term. Grieving the Holy Spirit speaks of hurting the Holy Spirit; of offending Him and/or making Him sorrowful.

· William’s translation says here, “You must stop offending the Holy Spirit of God....”

· Phillip’s translations says, “Never hurt the Holy Spirit....”

· The Knox translation warns us not to bring “distress” upon the Holy Spirit.

· The Living Bible notes, “Don't cause the Holy Spirit sorrow by the way you live.”

The Spirit of God that lives inside of us knows what we are doing and He hears what we are saying! Some of those things can and do grieve Him!

Genesis 6:6 notes that the people prior to the great flood were so bad; so sinful that “The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”

The Living Bible says, “he was sorry he had made them. It broke his heart.”

Therefore, Paul is saying here in Ephesians 4:

· When we steal, we grieve the Holy Spirit.

· When we give vent to unbridled “anger, bitterness, rage, shouting and evil speaking,” we grieve the Holy Spirit.

· When we use unwholesome, unkind words, we again grieve the Holy Spirit.

Do any of these phrases sound familiar?

· "Say Joe, have you heard the one about the traveling salesman who...?" Before you continue on, think about how the next words will affect that Holy One

who is living in you.

· "My mother warned me about marrying the likes of you. Now how I wish that I had listened to her. You are nothing but a...!" Whoa! You may be doing more harm here than you realize! You may want to weight carefully the next words that are about to come out of your mouth.

· "Jimmy, why can't you be like other kids? Why you are so...!" Are you sure that you want to finish that sentence? Someone is listening and being affected that you do not see, but He is there nonetheless!

Such words are rotten, thus they grieve, hurt, offend, and bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit of God Almighty!

Along this line, have you ever noticed the physical changes that come with age?

· The hair grays and/or falls out.

· The hearing deteriorates.

· The eyes dim.

· One’s strength begins to wane.

· The mind seems to lose something over time.

· The get up and go gets up and goes!

And yet, interestingly enough, rarely does the tongue seem to age. It seems to stay just as sharp as ever. The responsibility to control it never ends!

HAVING SAID THAT, LETS NOW LOOK AT THE POSITIVE, AT THE THINGS THAT WE ARE TO “PUT ON”.

· Paul says to put on good words.

· Edifying words,

· Kind words,

· Helpful words,

Or again as Ephesians 4:29 notes, “Only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen…

that they may be a means of blessing...

that they may help other people...” according to various translations.

Lets break this passage down:

1. we are to speak words that are “HELPFUL FOR BUILDING OTHERS UP ACCORDING TO THEIR NEEDS.”

As a pastor, I find myself being called upon to "say a few words" occasionally. In fact, of all the various functions of my ministry, I find that the role of "speaker-of-words", (whether it be preaching, teaching, or public praying) is the role with which I am most identified.

In this role I have come to appreciate the power of GOOD words.

· I've seen good words dry a tear,

· mend a heart,

· create new hope,

· booster faith,

· lead a person to salvation, as well as

· bring a smile.

Proverbs 25:11 thus states, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

Listen to a few of the words of Jesus. You will readily see what I mean by “apples of gold in settings of silver.” You can judge for yourself whether or not His utterances was helpful to His hearers.

· To the man with leprosy He said, “I am willing, be clean.”

· To the paralytic He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven. Get up, take up your mat and go home.”

· To the blind beggar He said, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”

· To the woman that had been caught while committing adultery He said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and sin no more.”

· Then those who crucified Him heard Him cry, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

He could have told:

· The beggar to go get a job; He didn't.

· The sick to tough it out, He didn't.

· The adulterous woman; "You are a no-good sinner that is bound for a devil's hell." He didn't.

· Those responsible for His death that they would face Him again at the final judgment. He didn't!

Colossians 4:6 commands, “Let your conversation be always full of grace….”

Jesus knew what each and every one of those people needed to hear -- not deserved to hear -- thus even His words were robed in grace.

The song writer wrote:

Sing them over again to me,

wonderful words of life:

Let me more of their beauty see,

Wonderful words of life.

Words of life and beauty, teach me faith and duty,

Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.

Christ, the blessed one gives to all,

Wonderful words of life.

Sinner, list to the loving call,

Wonderful words of life.

All so freely given,

Wooing us up to Heaven:

Beautiful words, wonderful words,

Wonderful words of life.

That was Jesus. He was into beautiful and wonderful words; grace-filled helpful words.

PAUL THEN CONTINUES ON IN OUR TEXT, “THAT IT MAY BENEFIT THOSE WHO LISTEN.”

· The Living Bible renders this, “Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing.”

· Williams translation adds here, “So that your words will result in spiritual blessing to the hearers.”

The word bless is used repeatedly in Scripture. In the original language it is made up of two words which together mean, "well words." To bless means to praise or speak well of someone else.

· We bless God.

· We bless each other.

In fact, Romans 12:14 even commands, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” The point is, our speech should bless or benefit those who hear us – even our enemies. They should hear only "well words."

Let me give you some examples of how this can be done:

1. Pray a blessing on those you come in contact with.

Dr. Stephen Goold wrote a paper on "Intense Prayer - Mighty Power" some time back. In the piece he noted:

· As we pray for someone, our prayers activate the Holy Spirit's power in and around the person for whom we are praying.

· AS WE PRAY for people, we have Christ's authority to alter the spiritual environment they are living in.

· AS WE PRAY for individuals, the potential of their being able to respond positively to the Gospel greatly increases.

· AS WE PRAY for our cities, the spiritual climate is altered as evil is overcome by the power and authority of the Master, Jesus Christ. A community that has been prayed for has a much higher response to a Gospel presentation than a community that has not received prayer.

· AS WE PRAY hated is replaced by love, anger is replaced by peace, greed is replaced by generosity and lawlessness is replaced by honesty. A little prayer in faith goes a long way, and a lot of prayer does even more because prayer activates Christ's resurrection power to overcome evil.

I challenge you to regularly activate Christ's resurrection power by praying a blessing on people:

· Pray a blessing on your waitress, when you say grace over your meal at a restaurant.

· Pray a blessing on your children as you send them off to school.

· Pray a blessing on your spouse as he or she leaves for work.

· Pray a blessing on your parents as you end the day.

· Pray a blessing on your community.

· Pray a blessing on your place of employment or school.

I had a man tell me this past week that he tries to pray for me every day. What a blessing that is to me! Pray, and let people know that you are praying for them. Prayer works! Prayer releases a tremendous power for good.

2. Give a parental blessing to your children.

In a recent Wednesday night Bible study we looked at Genesis 48:8-9. In that passage Joseph introduces his two sons with these words: These “are the sons God has given me.”

Wouldn’t it be something if that were the answer we gave anyone who inquired about our children?

· “Who is this, you ask? Why, she is my daughter Cindy – the child God gave to me.”

· “I would like you to meet Timmy, my youngest son. He is truly a gift from God.”

Joseph could have simply said, “These are my sons Ephraim and Manasseh" That would have worked. It certainly would have been true. However, he added a little blessing – some good words – with the introduction.

Such a blessing can be given to a child in a number of ways. I recommend to you Gary Smalley’s book entitled The Blessing. He does an excellent job addressing this issue.

Ann Weems wrote a beautiful story in her book Multiply The Gift. I must share it with you. I will read it in Ms Weems style: "It was a family treasure, that vase that golden vase. The vase that had belonged to my great-grandmother, to my grandmother, and now to my mother. The vase sat on the mantle out of reach of little fingers. However, I managed to reach it; I climbed to reach it. I broke it; the family treasure. Golden pieces of once a family treasure valueless that moments before was priceless.

And I began to cry then louder in sobs that brought my mother running. I could hardly get it out: I broke the vase… the treasure. And then my mother gave to me a gift: A look of relief came over her face as she said, "Oh, I thought you had been hurt!" And then she hugged to herself the one who had just moments before broken the family treasure. She gave to me a gift: she made it very clear that I was the family treasure. I was what was priceless and of great value."

As parents we function as MIRRORS by which the child views himself or herself. If the parental mirror is distorted, the child sees himself as a distorted person. If, on the other hand, the parental mirror is accepting and approving, the child then gains a positive, true picture of what he or she can do and be.

How many of you have seen a child who hates Jesus? They can sometimes be found; however, they are rare--why? This little song helps explain the reason:

Jesus loves me, this I know,

For the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong,

They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me,

The Bible tells me so.

No criticism; no putdowns; no condemnation; JUST "JESUS LOVES ME", pure and simple!

Another little song goes:

Jesus loves the little children,

All the children of the world.

Red and yellow, black and white,

They are precious in His sight,

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Again, just Jesus' love; no prejudice; no slights; no negatives.

· Psalm 127:3, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.”

· Psalm 127:5 adds, “How blessed is the man whose quiver is FULL of them…”

· And, of course, Jesus added: “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Jesus is loved by children--because Jesus LOVES CHILDREN! He accepts them, cares for them, and voices their worth. His strength isn't even threatening; it's a protective agent. IS IT ANY WONDER THAT IT IS EASIER TO WIN A CHILD TO THE LORD THAN ANY OTHER AGE GROUP?

3. Share compliments

· Compliment someone’s act of graciousness.

· Compliment your fellow employees for a job well done.

· Compliment a friend on a particular character trait that you especially enjoy.

· Compliment the cashier at the check out station.

· Compliment your children’s Sunday school teacher.

Compliments are almost always:

· in season,

· in order,

· and in good taste.

Again, what did the Apostle Paul tell us to do? Build one another up! Simply, inhale and exhale love! I therefore want to encourage you to seek to establish a ministry of affirmation.

God has given us a tongue which is to be used, not as “an instrument of unrighteousness unto sin,” but as “an instrument of righteousness unto God” according to Romans 6:13.

True story. A young wife was post-operative; her mouth twisted, clownish. The doctor noted that in order to remove a tumor from her cheek, he had to cut a small nerve that controlled the corner of her mouth. She looked at herself in the mirror and immediately saw the disfiguration. She began to cry. The doctor then went on to tell her that the damage was permanent.

The lady’s young husband was standing on the opposite side of the bed from the doctor. He heard it all. The wife turned to her husband and sought for confirmation. “Will my mouth always be like this?”

“Yes”, he said.

She nodded and then drew silent.

The young man, with wisdom well beyond his years, smiled and then said, “I like it. It is kind of cute.” He then bent over to kiss her crooked mouth and as he did so he twisted his own lips to accommodate hers. He wanted her to know that their kiss still worked.

Again, my text tells us to only speak words that are “helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” The husband here had learned that secret and had turned it into an art form!

Who do you know right now that needs a compliment? A blessing? Think with me here. Who NEEDS it? Why not make a note of their name and make sure they get a compliment, a well-word, from you before the day is over?

Perhaps it is you who stands in such a place of need this morning. Try this, will you? Sow a compliment; sow a blessing into someone else’s life. I dare say, you will reap what you sow.

But pastor, he or she doesn’t deserve a blessing or a compliment. Lets be honest with one another. None of us act in such a way that we always deserve a blessing or a compliment. However, when we deserve it the least may be the moment we need it the most. Again, Paul said that we are to speak to the need of the moment.

While here I also want to point out:

· One can disagree with another person, and still be kind.

· One can oppose wrong and still be gentle and gracious.

· One can correct and rebuke while speaking the truth in love.

· One can hate the sin while loving the sinner!

Someone has noted that:

A careless word may kindle strife.

A cruel word may wreck a life.

A bitter word may hate instill;

A brutal word may smite and kill.

But a gracious word may smooth the way;

A joyous word may light the day.

A timely word may lessen stress;

A loving word may heal and bless.

Understand this about God. God loves people because of who God is, not because of who we are. God gave up His own Son rather than give up on humanity. If God loves us, then how can we not love and minister grace and blessing to one another? How can we not be blessed blessers?