In the New Testament, James is a condensed, New Testament version of Proverbs. Written by James, the brother of Jesus, that book also makes the mouth, or tongue, a matter of critical concern. Like the bit that steers the horse or the rudder that steers a ship, a tongue is a little part with a big potential. For the worse, James considers the tongue to be like a spark that sets a forest on fire. He calls it a restless evil full of deadly poison. Yes, with our tongues we bless others and praise God. But with our tongues we curse people who have been made in God's image. How can this be?

Proverbs acknowledges the same irony and that same power. The power of life and death are in the tongue (18:21). The mouth can be a fountain of life, or it can be something much worse than that.

Today, we'll look first at the things about the tongue, the mouth - our words - that are not so good. Then we'll look at the things about the tongue, the mouth - our words that can be so, so, good.

Then we'll have a little chat about the whole topic.

First, not so good.

Setting the stage for almost all the others under the not so good heading is the chattering fool. The chattering fool comes to ruin. The chattering fool blurts out folly. The chattering fool answers before listening. 10:19 says, "When words are many sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." 17:28 acknowledges that "even a fool appears wise if he keeps silent." And 13:3 gives great advice for our mouths. "He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks with rashly domes to ruin." The simple reality - if we're serious about wisdom, we'll learn from James 1:19, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." Hard to do, but wise. Of course, we can also follow the advice of Proverbs 30:32. "Clap your hand over your mouth" so you don't do something evil or foolish. The chattering fool is not so good.

Then there is the gossip. The gossip betrays confidences, separates close friends and pays attention to other malicious tongues. In Proverbs, a person is a gossip if that person either relays or receives information that simply doesn't need to be passed on. Sometimes gossip is true, but still inappropriate. Sometimes gossip is false, and still inappropriate. 20:19 says to avoid someone who talks too much and 26:20 says that without wood a fire goes out. [But filter]. So gossip isn't merely about guarding our tongues, but even about guarding our ears. Like choice morsels (26:22) these delectable rumors make life so tasty. And they harm people …and us. We harm people and ourselves. Gossip…not so good.

A lying tongue is not so good. 6:17 calls a lying tongue detestable to God. Over and over, Proverbs warns against false witnesses and those who give untruthful reports. We are all prone to exaggeration, at best, and outright lying, at worst. Most often to protect ourselves and sometimes to advance ourselves. 14:8 says that the folly of fools is deception. 15:4 says that a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. [Theirs? Ours?] Other verses say that lying causes us to fall into trouble: it traps us; it never goes unpunished; it's like a club or an arrow or a sword. We harm ourselves and others with lies. Not so good.

Close kin to the lying tongue is the slanderous tongue. This means that we tell untruths about someone to others. Sometimes people tell outright lies about others. Sometimes people jump to conclusions and then spread untruth as if it were truth. Sometimes we can make an observation, form a character judgment and turn it into character assassination, and then pass it on whether it's true or not. 10:18 says a slanderer is a fool. 11:19 suggests that we destroy our neighbors this way. Not so good.

Not far from the slanderer is the mocker. The mocker is found throughout the Proverbs. Unteachable and cruisin' for a bruisin', the mocker is at the center of strife. Drive him out, says 22:10, and quarrels and insults are ended. Mockers gum up the works. Mockers…not so good. It's a bad habit. It hurts our hearts to mock and to be mocked.

A violent mouth is not so good. Violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked (10:6, 11). Harsh words stir up anger (15:1). Oh, if we could only remember this, get the help we need to resolve our anger and spare the world around us the vitriolic residue of our bitterness and rage. Please, let's get help with our anger. Whatever it takes, whenever it shows its ugly hear, let's get help for our anger. A violent mouth is not so good, to say the least.

Here's a harder one to define. The perverse mouth is not so good. I say that it's harder to define because our language and customers are always changing. Once, I couldn't have used the word pregnancy in some social settings, or the word fanny. Now I can get away with all that and more. In part, it's sad - our standards keep lowering it seems. In part, it's just the way of the world. [I'm not going to draw lines for you]. But wherever we draw the line, in terms of what is decent or proper vs. what is indecent or perverse, we do well to lean toward the conservative side. Why? It fits our identity as Christ ones and it guards the likelihood that we will not needlessly offend others. [Even if we feel freedom…]. Legalism never helps, but hearts and mouths surrendered to God have a certain bearing, and bear a more certain fruit. Perversity is not so good.

All in all, the mouth of the wicked gushes evil and brings strife; it lies in wait for blood and destroys cities; it gets us in trouble and invites punishment. A wicked mouth is a snare to the soul. It is our undoing (18:6-7). Not so good.

So what is good?

First, discerning lips. Heavenly to hold our tongues. Knowing the fitting thing to say (10:32). Keeping a trust. Measuring our knowledge and metering it out carefully. Thinking before we speak. Using restraint in even-tempered ways. All of this means discernment. 21:23 says, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity." Again, 17:28 "even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent". 10:19 "He who holds his tongue is wise." Discernment is so, so good.

Second, truthful witness. Telling the truth about things and about people; learning not to pepper our speech with exaggerations not to mention with slander. Learning not to defend or address ourselves with subtle deceits. The truth is so, so good.

Third, a gentle answer turns away wrath (15:1). Oh, if we could learn from the master, who commanded crowds with authority, but was gentle at heart. He answered accusations with firm, gentle questions that undressed his accusers. Most likely, gentle in speech, Jesus reserved his harshest words for those moments when righteous anger was well-served by them. But as a whole, we see a picture of gentleness in the gospel series.

Fourth, a healing tongue is so, so good. It's like a tree of life (15:4). Realize what trees meant to people in that arid climate - water, oasis, fertile ground, fruit, and life. A healing tongue is like that. It refreshes. Gives hope. Brings life to arid relationships. A healing tongue is so, so good.

Fifth, pleasant words. They're like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (16:24). Pleasant words promote instruction (16:21, not 15:21). Even hard truths are heard and received better when they are framed with pleasant words and ways.

Lips of knowledge are also so, so good. Gold, there is, rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel (20:15). Wisdom promotes instruction. Lips of knowledge advance the human cause. So, so good.

Altogether, the mouth of the righteous is like choice silver or like a fountain of life. The mouth of the righteous nourishes and blesses and rescues. It fills stomachs, spreads knowledge, promotes instruction and helps us to escape some tricky situations.

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver, 25:11

Almost every personal pain felt or caused - by words…

So why is this so hard?

• Insecurity - quiet is tough
• Culture - gab, gab, gab
• Narcissism - self-absorption
• Never coached - no one has told us the truth about ourselves
• We love to wield power - the tongue is power; information is power.
• Is that a word aptly spoken?