Words | Bro. Zach McGee

God is good. I just want to give honor to God

tonight. He's brought me a long way.

A lot of patience with me, from the difficulty of me as a child

to the difficulty of me as a man.

I'm very grateful for the love and grace of God.

I give honor to our ministry team and all that they do behind

the pulpit. That's just a small fraction.

There's so much that they do outside of this and I want to

thank them for all of that. And I just want to say Pastor

and Brother Mason did amazing jobs on Sunday, the start of

ministry madness, of March, ministry madness.

It was great and really enjoyed the word.

I'm looking forward to hearing Doctor Mason and Bishop this

coming Sunday. So please be sure not to miss

that. You're going to absolutely love

it. I'm going to turn to the Book of

Psalms, Chapter 19, just one single verse, verse 14.

Psalms 19 · chapter mention

If you're there, say Amen. All right, Psalms, Psalms 19 and

14. Let the words of my mouth and

the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord,

my strength and my Redeemer. Now before we pray, before we

see that, just to preface everything here, God's working

on me. Because in just the messiness of

life, there's sometimes you do things without being aware of

it. Because we're all influenced by

the world around us all the time, and we can't escape that.

But God can work on us so that we start to become aware and we

can start praying for God's help, even as David did in this

Psalms. And so the Lord started working

on my heart a while back. And when pastor asked me if I

could minister this Wednesday night, I knew exactly what to

speak on. My sermon title is just going to

be one word, words, words. If you would help me pray.

God, I thank you for everything you've already done.

God, thank you for your presence in this place.

God, thank you for how you've been working on my heart.

And God, I pray you to anoint my mind and my lips.

Lord, open our hearts, open our ears to hear what you would have

us here, God, to hear your word this evening.

God, we give you all the glory and the praise because you are

worthy forever. God, blessed be the name of the

Lord Most High in Jesus name, Amen.

You may be seated now if you would just put on your

imagination caps. Hopefully.

Hopefully you can imagine things in your head.

If not, do the best you can. So imagine this with me.

It'll be silly. A Penguin dressed in a sharp

business suit, confidently shaking hands with a Flamingo as

he sells him a brand new car. You see it?

Now shift the scene. Now imagine you're outside.

It's a full moon. It's a beautiful night.

You can see all the stars, every constellation just bright and

shining. There's just a piece in the

atmosphere is that everything is just still and quiet.

And you see a shooting star over the horizon.

Pink Elephant. The Empire State Building

sailboat going along the ocean. The feeling of finally paying

that last bill and being debt free.

Winning a marathon Mount Everest.

With just words, you can lead a person to picture something

really silly, something ridiculous, something

frustrating, really anything you want just by choosing certain

words to say are words, whether we speak them, we sign them, or

we write them down, we type them out.

They carry the power to shape our thoughts and change how we

view the world around us. The pen is mightier than the

sword because we're The sword has the power to end life.

The pen has the power to change lives and circumstances.

The sword may win a battle, but the pen is what signs the treaty

to end the war. Consider music if you will.

It's strength comes from the fusion of harmony and lyrics

that awaken and stir our emotions.

Music is able to calm us, energize us for some physical

challenge, guide us towards an altar of repentance, persuade us

that the party lifestyle is the ultimate way to live, or move us

in countless other directions depending on the message carried

in the words. That's why we'll we'll teach to

be very careful with the music you listen to motivational

speeches. They are so effective because

they blend A carefully chosen words and a powerful delivery

with the ability to ignite a fire within us, stirring A

belief that we are capable of achieving something meaningful

enough to justify whatever the sacrifice may be.

Actually, it's I've seen people and heard people talk about a

speech by Optimus Prime from a Transformers movie of all

things. But it inspired them.

They were ready to take up arms and fight for his cause.

And it's a movie. It's a Transformers movies of

all things, and as silly as it sounds, it makes perfect sense

because words carry weight and power.

With words alone, God brought everything into being.

We look at Genesis 1/3 and God said let there be light and

there was light and the rest of the verses continue that

pattern. God spoke into the void and to

nothingness and each day creation sprang forth at the

sound of His command. He didn't use any tools, He

didn't have an assistant to do it for him, and there was no

pre-existing materials to use. By His word alone, all of

creation came into existence except for us when she

handcrafted personally. But His words shaped everything.

Can you imagine the power of that?

For just a moment, I tried to hurt it.

To think of nothing is really, really hard.

We cannot really fathom that. The best analogy I can imagine

is when you try to imagine what a blind person sees.

Who really, who was like, born without eyes?

You don't actually see anything. It's like, well, don't you see

black? It's like, no, you're still

thinking of seeing something. What do you see out of your

elbow? You don't.

You don't see black, You don't see nothing.

You just don't. It's like before creation, it's

not that there was just nothing like a blackness, it just

wasn't. But when God spoke, there wasn't

even airwaves to carry the vibrations of a voice.

But using the Word alone, everything came into existence.

The power of words lie in their ability to alter the condition

of what they address. For God, that change was

physical and immediately visible as creation itself responded to

His voice. And because we are made in His

image, our words carry a profound influence as well.

Not that we can speak to something and reshape it

physically, but we can reshape minds and hearts with just the

words that we say. A single word or sentence can

shift someone's entire day or even the direction of their life

without lifting a hand. Our speech alone can draw a soul

nearer to God or push them further away.

We can choose to speak in a way that helps someone rediscover

strength and courage when they feel overwhelmed, reminding them

that their life has value and tomorrow is worth reaching for.

Or we can speak carelessly and wound deeply, dimming hope where

it was already fragile. A handful of words has the power

to save or end a life. A single word from a nation's

leader can alter the course of thousands of lives in an

instant, which we're seeing first hand currently.

A teacher's simple expression of belief in a student can inspire

them become the greatest artist of their generation with just

one word. Yes, my girlfriend became my

fiance and now my wife and the mother of our almost three

children. Now the word No2 little letters

is a complete sentence because it contains all the meaning it

needs to by itself. It's small, yet it can carry the

weight of an entire world. If Melinda had said no when I

proposed to her, my life would be unrecognizably different

today and three entire souls, our children, would have never

come into existence. One single word had the power to

change the course of several lives, because words are more

than just mere vibrations traveling through the air.

They are power, conveying meaning and intent with the

ability to reshape lives, relationships, your thought

processes, your beliefs. The words we choose are a

reflection of what is in our hearts and whether we realize it

or not, whether we acknowledge it or not, they carry weight and

impact. Proverbs 1821.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that

love it shall eat the fruit thereof regardless of what

people or current science would have you believe.

We are not a simulation, we are not evolved apes, and we are not

random chance. We are so much more.

We are handcrafted by God Himself and made in His image,

entrusted with the authority and power to be able to speak both

life and death into the lives of our own self and those around

us. How we choose to speak becomes

the fruit we eat and the life we live.

It's not usually the grand or the obvious moments that bring

life or death. A proposal was a pretty big

moment. It's pretty obvious it's not

always those though, where you really see life and death all

the time. Not just physically, even

spiritually or emotional. Most of our days are filled with

the ordinary and the mundane. It's just the everyday ebbs and

flows of life. We talk, we laugh, we joke, we

cry, argue, fight, cheer, etcetera.

It's in these everyday conversations that the true

fruit of our words become clear, shaping the world around us in

subtle yet powerful ways. It's not going to take long to

see what kind of fruit a person bears by listening to how they

speak. Regardless of how they first

come off, over time their nature will be heard because negative

people are going to just speak with negativity.

Gossipers, they're going to gossip.

Joyful people are going to share gladness.

Motivated people are going to speak with hope and

determination. Those who love the Lord are

going to be found Speaking of Him.

You get the picture. The nature of our thoughts will

become the words that we speak and by extension, the life that

we live. Our words become our witness.

The book of Job tells the story of the man Job who lost

everything. And then so in the midst of his

suffering, not only was he fighting the grief and pain of

all his losses, the physical assault from the from the devil

himself, but also the words of his friends who kept insisting

that everything that was happening was his fault.

I respect that they showed up to be there, but the words they

brought were like poison. And then the words of his wife

was urging him to curse God and die.

I'm sure he already felt like doing that.

He was doing all he could to hang on.

But through it all, Job chose to lift his voice in praise and

trust in God. He may not have been absolutely

perfect and everything he said, I know God rebuked him a little

bit towards the end, but he never once cursed God.

He never once put the wrong blame on God.

He made sure that his words, his voice was used to magnify God.

Regardless of what was going on. He had every reason to surrender

to the despair, the frustration and the pressure of those

speaking wrong into his life. But instead the fruit of his

faith was revealed and what he said and how he refused to curse

God or admit to something wrong even in anguish.

His words reflected trust in God rather than bitterness.

Just like the tube of toothpaste when pressure is applied, what

is in comes out the pressure the test was applied heavily, but

what came out was a praise to God was continuous trust and

God, you know that didn't those habits and those types of words

and the those choices didn't start when the trouble happened.

He always lived faithfully. He always gave honor to God.

He always spoke well. So when the pressure came, what

was in just continue to come out like it always did.

The Bible tells us that out of the abundance of our hearts, our

mouths speak if we are born again and we carry the Spirit of

God within us. And yet our speech is filled

with cursing or lies or gossip or provocative words or any

other negative thing you can think of.

What does that actually say about the state of our hearts

and what we're entertaining in here?

Our words reflect the condition of our inner self and reveal if

we are really full of Christ in entertaining His presence or if

we're just full of our self and what our flesh wants us to do.

When we are born again, we are called to crucify the flesh with

its desires and passions, to let the old ways and habits pass

away, and to become new. The thoughts and speech patterns

we had before salvation are not meant to carry over into our new

life in Christ. We are to strive for the mark of

the high calling and God, which requires a conscious effort to

guard our minds, to choose our thoughts wisely, and to speak

words that align with the transformation that has begun in

US, And I'm purposely saying, requires A conscious effort

because habits don't go away easily.

And again, the influence of the world around us is always there.

Now I don't go around cussing. It's just not my thing and I

never have. But I hear it all the time.

I work in a factory. We all live in the world.

We hear it constantly. And I have noticed that over

time some of those thoughts just naturally pop into a sentence in

my head and I'm like wow, wait. And I have to consciously watch

it to make sure nothing slips. It's not even a habit of mine,

but it's a constant weight of something pushing down on me to

constantly be mindful of it and not make sure I slip or fall or

say something that dishonors God.

What you say is it's, I'm not. It's not easy to control

everything we say, because even in the book of James chapter 3,

James 3:7–12

verses 7 through 12, for every kind of beast and of birds and

of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed and hath been tamed

to mankind, but the tongue can no maintain.

It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison.

We have to really, really watch ourselves, be aware of what we

are thinking, what we are speaking.

There with blessed we God, even the Father, and there with curse

we men, which are made after the similitude of God, which means

no matter what type of person they are, He loves them as much

as He loves you. He died for them as much as He

died for you. He will save them as much as He

saved you. We have no right to be cursing

somebody else, no matter what they do or say to us.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing, my

brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Doth a fountain send forth at the same place Sweetwater and

bitter. Can the fig tree, my brethren,

bear olive berries either a vine figs, So can no fountain, both

the old saltwater and fresh. You can't claim to be one thing

and then be another. You can claim to be an olive

tree all you want to. But if you're bearing figs, it's

going to be really obvious you're not who you say you are.

The tongue is a powerful and untamable force.

Left to our own might, we don't stand a chance of controlling

it. But through the power of the

Holy Ghost, we find the strength and guidance to speak with grace

and righteousness. God's Spirit works within us,

convicting us when our words go astray.

And as we grow in Christ, our speech becomes increasingly

seasoned with grace. And so over time, in this walk

with God, we should notice our conversations transform, no

longer filled with gossip or cursing, lies, tearing others

down, or perverted jokes or constant negativity.

Instead, we should see see it filled with what we see.

I like Philippians four and eight.

I think it's a good filter for almost everything.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever

things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever

things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever

things are of good report, If there be any virtue and if there

be any praise, think on these things.

Because again, what you constantly entertain becomes the

words you speak. Everything we speak, including

how we talk to our own self, because it's not just about the

people around you, it's about you.

Because you do matter. Everything we say say should

reflect truth, honesty, justice, purity, loveliness, and a good

reputation. Our speech should carry virtue

and be trustworthy to those around us.

Foul language, gossip, lies, negative talking, perverted

jokes, all of it should feel out of place coming from our lips.

And it should sound out of place coming from our lips to draw a

clear and obvious line in the sand.

Because I know some people, and I'm not saying anybody here, I

just know people in general. We want to see how close we can

get to something. Or like he didn't say it was

black and white. So I'm going to go ahead and do

whatever. Cussing, even in slang, is

wrong. I remember thinking as a kid,

it's just words. What does it matter?

It's just, it's just words, you know, you could say anything.

It's not just words. It is words.

It is heavy. The weight of the word is in its

meaning and the cultural relevance and the words that

carry the purpose of cussing or cursing do not belong on the

lips or in the mind of a Christian.

It is foul. It is dirty.

It is meant for one purpose, to speak while foully and dirty.

And if we're called to be a spring of freshwater work, we're

called to bear holy fruit. That kind of language should not

be coming out of our mouths. Gossip is also wrong.

As I said, I like the tea, spill the tea says I love it.

It's great. But it's wrong because it does

nothing but harm both lives and reputations.

And it's the opposite of what God has directed us to do,

because we are to provoke one another to love and to good

works and to pray for one another with effectual, fervent

prayer. It is very very very very

difficult to gossip about someone that you've been praying

affectionately and fervently for.

When someone irks us, we take it to God in prayer.

Not to my Co worker, not to my wife, not to my friends,

directly to God. Sexual jokes are wrong and

inappropriate for a follower of Christ.

Sex is something that is holy and wonderful.

It's not something to turn into a joke.

Human culture has always tried to make sex casual.

However far you want to go back into history, you're going to

find it. It's always the same types of

jokes, the same drawings on the wall, always the same that

doesn't belong in our mind, on our lips, or in our habits.

Because it's something that has been blessed by God for a

specific time and place, not something to be taken so

lightly. Speaking negatively contradicts

the way God calls us to use our words.

We have the joy of the Lord inside of us.

So why do we want to be a Debbie Downer or a Negative Nancy and

mar the image of the joy of salvation that we claim to have?

How can we win souls or encourage one another or make a

positive impact if they never hear anything positive from us?

Lying with the intent to deceive or hide the truth at any level.

White lie, big lies, sin, wrong, white lies or small lies, have

you want to call them, may have less impact than a big lie, but

it doesn't take away from the fact that it's wrong.

God is truth and He cannot lie. If we have His spirit inside of

us, why would we want to entertain that thing?

He is not now if you have recently been saved and God is

still working on you continue to grow.

You don't have to be perfect right now.

Even after all these years, I still like I said at the very

start, sometimes God catches me and I'm like whoa, I've been

speaking a way that needs corrected.

So if you're new at this, continue to grow, continue to to

do better and be encouraged in the Lord and let your words and

your thoughts continue and increasingly glorify him.

And if you have been saved for some time and you had developed

a habit of profane speech, Saints, it's time to self

reflect and to pray for God's help in transforming our words

and our heart. We live in a culture of vulgar

words and casual speaking, Not just America, it's the culture.

It's the culture of a lost and dying world without a Savior.

It's impossible to go through life unaffected by it.

Yet it is still our responsibility to be aware of

what we are saying and the thoughts we are entertaining and

to repent when we start to go astray.

It's easy to get comfortable and to not realize our words have

slipped from holy to profane. But now that we are being made

aware, we can start to do better.

Our musicians can go ahead and come as I draw to a close.

Every single word we speak carries power and influence both

directly and indirectly. What we say is I heard only by

those we are directly having a conversation with.

Words have a way of traveling the ears that were never close

and were never meant to hear them.

So my question that I've been asking myself will my words be a

weight that drags others down or further from Christ, or will

they be a reflection of Christ shining as a light to those who

hear me speak? When in doubt, we need to ask

ourselves and take it seriously, not as a cliche.

What would Jesus say we can hear?

What would Jesus do? All the time?

And we kind of think it's silly, but if we take that seriously,

what would he do? What would he say?

What would he say? Would he say these words I'm

saying right now? Would he make this joke?

No. I need correction.

What? What are people going to think

if I suddenly stop? What are they going to think?

If you suddenly start cussing, you're not so concerned when you

start. Don't let the fear hold you back

from correcting yourself. You know, I've been a I've done

a couple workouts with sister Ray.

She's very strong, by the way, very impressive.

And yeah, we were, we were finishing up a workout with the

AB wheel. I'm not good at it.

OK. Like, it's the strength is

there, the endurance is not. And it's weird to go from, I'm

very confident most exercise. I'm lifting hundreds of pounds.

I'm dead lifting 550 lbs more than once.

I'm a very strong dude. I'm very confident at the gym

and I get to that. I will.

I'm like, I'm not familiar with it.

I'm not comfortable with it. And I'm going to look ridiculous

in front of everybody because I can't do a full motion with it.

I'm just going to have to do like little half reps and look

pathetic and maybe even sound pathetic if I'm grunting from

it, you know? But I'm not going to get better

by avoiding it. And Even so, we're not going to

improve our speech or our words or anything else.

If we're so worried about other people going to think when we

start to change for the better. It's OK if people wonder why we

changed. It's an opportunity because they

might see that change, whether it's changing for the first time

because you just got saved or you're starting a course

correction. That's a witness because people

heard you go from one way and now to like, I don't hear you

joke like he used to joke, whatever.

Like what happened? Like, well, you know, God's been

doing a work in me and I just want to honor him.

And even through that, through what was our mistakes, souls can

be saved. Don't be afraid to start over

and try to do better. I just want God to be glorified

in my speech and in my thoughts. Life isn't about me.

What I want, what habits I picked up.

It's about Him and glorifying Him.

He saved my soul and changed my life.

It's my reasonable service to let my words honor Him, even

when I had to fight old habits. As always, this altar is open,

open to any who would wish to come.

If you don't wish to want to come, if you want to stay in

your seat, that's fine, but I encourage you to pray for God to

help. When I think of who He is and

all He has done for me, I just want to speak and think in a way

that gives Him all the glory in the big moments and the mundane.

So my prayer is our first verse. Psalms 1914.

God, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in thy sight. O Lord, my strength when I'm too

weak to do it myself, and my Redeemer who saved my life.