Power of Your WordSermon preached by Ronny Cham at the SIB Metro Church English evening service on 18th July 2010 at 6 p.m. The Power of your spoken word Scripture: Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And
those who love it will eat its fruit. (NKJV) My sons, John, Samuel and Timothy left home in their tender ages. John left home when he was sixteen for Florida, USA for his swimming training and studies. Samuel left home about fifteen to Perth for his Golf training at the Western Australia Golf Academy. Timothy left home about 14 for Perth to take up studies at the School Music Academy. Diana and I have held on to this verse in the Bible to speak positive, supporting, loving and caring words to each one of them through phone, sms, msn and email. There had been many anxious moments when emotional exchanges of opinions between them and I seemed to tear us apart but I would not rest until and unless I made up with them. How did I make up with them? Speaking assuring words of love and care and support in humility and sincerity to them, assuring each of them with the words “I love you son”. Through it all, we keep together a truly loving and mutually supporting father and sons relationships. They have too responded by kind and loving words, “love you dad”. They have too spoken encouragement, comfort and love into my life at various time. Sweet fruits we are eating as we speak life into our lives. Somehow our Asian community are stingy, very stingy with kind, loving and assuring words. We don’t often tell our loved ones we love them verbally. We consider it appropriate to demonstrate our love by provision, material, deed or act or even mere “thought”, but we refuse to verbally speak assuring, loving and supporting words to our loved ones. It is the same in the Church, we are so stingy with words of appreciation and thanksgiving towards those who serve and minister for our good, as if they owe us a duty to serve or to minister. If we are unwilling to speak words of love, hope, care, support and encouragement and comfort in our home to our loved ones or in the Church to our brothers and sisters in Christ, why do we think we can be trusted by the Lord to speak word of life into the lives of the unbelievers? Many of us desire to do the work of Christ, as His disciples. We pray and we ask for anointing of the Holy Spirit to evangelize and to reach out to the lost because that’s our mission and that’s what Christ came to this earth for. Let us consider Christ way of speaking kind, assuring, comforting and loving words to those He was reaching out to, including His disciples and each one of us. In Matthew 9:22, Jesus said to the woman who had thought to herself that if she touched Jesus’ garment, she would be made well in this manner: 22 But Jesus turned around, and
when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made
you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. (NKJV) Jesus spoke support and encouragement into her life in response to her faithful deed. When we see our loved ones, our brothers and sisters and friends take a step of faith in doing something, we need to verbally speak support and encouragement to spur them on. In Mark 5:36, after Jesus was stopped by the woman who touched His garment and was healed, He was obviously delayed in going to the Ruler’s aid. The Ruler’s servant therefore commented that there was no need to trouble Jesus because the Ruler’s daughter had died already. But Jesus sensing that the Ruler had come to Him believing that if He would lay His hand on her, she would be healed, Jesus spoke positively to the Ruler in this manner: 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said
to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe." (NKJV) When there was discouragement, despair, hopelessness and fear, Jesus spoke assuring, comforting and encouraging words to the Ruler, not to be afraid, but only to continue to believe, to have hope. We see our loved ones, our brothers and sisters in Church and our friends in situation of lost of hope, despair, discouragement and fear, let us speak as Jesus did, into their lives, hope, courage, strength and unwavering faith to wait upon the Lord. In Luke 7:13, Jesus said to the woman whose son was dead and was being carried in an open coffin: 13 When the Lord
saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." (NKJV) Just as in the former case of the Ruler’s daughter dying, Jesus verbally told them not to be afraid, but to believe, not to weep, don’t cry. It is so important for us to comfort people in such circumstances because there is nothing no one can humanly do anything to change the circumstance, except a miracle by Christ Jesus. Yet in Romans 8:28, the Bible assures us: 28 And we know that all things work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJV) As we know that God works all things, everything for our good, all we need to do is to encourage such one not to be afraid, not to cry, but to stay firm, to believe, to love God, to hold fast to the fact that God has called us for His purpose. Thus, to His disciples, in John 14:1, Jesus knew that the disciples would have to come face to face with the reality of His death on the Cross and He assured them, comforted them and encouraged them by saying: "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also
in Me. (NKJV) He further assured them in John 14:18 when He said: I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (NKJV) And in John 16:22, 22 Therefore you
now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your
joy no one will take from you. (NKJV) And finally in John 16:33, he assured them of the joy coming their way, 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have
tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (NKJV) Jesus spoke peace to His disciples, He spoke positive courage into the life of His disciples and to us. We have to begin now at home, in the local church to speak life into the lives of our loved ones. Tell those you love, “I love you”. Tell those who serve, “thank you, I appreciate you”. Tell those who are in less fortunate circumstances to be strong, to take courage, to trust and to believe the Lord as we share our faith in Christ with them. In 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, we are assured: 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and
Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by
grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word
and work. (NKJV) Speak life and you shall eat of the fruit of life. Jesus spoke life into death. Jesus spoke hope into total despair, He spoke joy into despondency and sorrow, He spoke love into fainting hearts. Go and do likewise. Amen Ronny Cham |
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