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Transcript

Good afternoon, brethren. It’s great to see you all again on the Sabbath day.

I’d like to begin by going back a few years, or many years, to an experience I had working in my family nursery and the family business before I got the opportunity to come to Ohio to work in God’s work. And there was a thing or an item at the time that I started to struggle with. We were in business. We were there producing plants to sell to consumers throughout southern Ontario and ultimately throughout northeast United States as well. But at the time, something that kind of gnawed at me, caused me frustration, is basically we were faced with having to find the lowest inputs possible for the product we were producing.

It wasn’t just us. It’s something that’s actually prevalent in all of you’d say, manufacturing and all the producing products, and almost any business in the world today. You look for the lowest costs on your inputs. You drive your vendors’ costs down as low as you possibly can. Pretty much, this is an exaggeration, you try to get the cheapest you possibly can. And then you go over, in a sense, you go over to your marketing department, and you say, “Marketing department, take this product we’ve created, this product we’ve put together, and sell it. Add some value back to it. Make a nice jingle, make a nice line, make a nice advertisement or commercial to add value back to it, so we can charge the highest price possible.”

Basically, and this is a generality, we got into the business of generally selling a lie. Getting the cheapest inputs possible, dressing it up, putting it in some nice marketing or packaging that caught the consumer’s eye to trick them into buying the product at a higher price, so you could earn some profit. Yes, there’s a lot of generalities in my statement, but that was a frustration of mine. Here we are trying to run a business, but also at the same time struggling with the reality that, ultimately, it’s kind of a lie. It’s kind of a story. It’s kind of you’re trying to, I exaggerate again, cheat the public out of what you’re selling them.

Well, you say, you’re... it’s a family nursery, you’re only selling plants. Yes, it’s kind of an innocuous trade or an innocuous part of the... of our industry, market, and business. You think, “In nurseries? You’re not doing that.” Yes, we were to a sense, and that was frustrating. It wasn’t striving for the best. It wasn’t marketing to make it look better so you could charge more. And it is prevalent throughout society, prevalent throughout business, prevalent throughout almost every product you can buy in the store or online, is following the same general principles.

Lowest inputs possible, a little bit mar... a little bit of marketing to make sure you can move the price higher to sell a lie, ultimately. That’s man’s way of doing things. That’s the god of this world’s way of doing things. Let’s go to Revelation fourteen and verse five. And you may think I’m just taking an extreme hard right here or hard left. “You’re just talking about business.” Now we’re going to Revelation fourteen, five, and we’ve been here a few times in the last couple parts of the series, so it’s, we’re familiar with this chapter. We’ve read it recently.

While it’s going to relate eventually with my introduction, but let’s read it here. This is... We’re going to read verses one through five, and verse five will be our focus. This is a nice set of verses to read, an encouraging set of verses to read, an uplifting set of verses to read for all of us. We know who we are. We know how it’s been explained. And I look at these verses as it’s a little bit as our graduation, as our ceremony, as we become part of the God family. And these verses are very, very instructive. Let’s read them, beginning in verse one of chapter fourteen in Revelation.

“And I looked, and lo, a lamb stood on the mount... on Mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.” So, we have God’s Holy Spirit, God’s name written in our foreheads. Think it... Think of, as you and I, each and every one of us, we’re there, we’re one of those. “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.” Beautiful music being played, and a tremendous moment in time, a tremendous moment in history.

“And they sang, as it were, a new song before the throne...” that’s us, “...before the four beasts and the elders. And no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty-four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.” Those that were redeemed from the earth, you and I. Imagine being in that moment. How important that is, how exciting that will be. What a changing moment, a pivotal moment in God’s plan. “And these are they which are not defiled...” verse four, “...with women, for they are virgins. They do not go after false religion. They are... These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes.”

We follow Christ wherever he goes, the leader of the church, the head of the church. “These are redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits...” Encouraging words to us, “...the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” Very instructive, very encouraging. A moment in history that we all long for, all long to see, all long to be a part of. And verse five, “And in their guile... And in their mouth was found no guile. And in their mouth was found no guile. For they are without fault before the throne of God.” And this is, we’ve come to the verse that I want to focus on, the few words of instruction.

And you wonder, I reading it and thinking about it some, is this is a pivotal moment in God’s plan for all of mankind, for every person who has ever lived. A pivotal moment in the establishment of the kingdom of earth... the kingdom of God on earth. And here, God notes, “And in their mouth was found no guile.” Why would God... At this point, you know, humanly, you think there’s other things that God could have said. There are other things that God could have inspired to be written, to be said about you and I. We were faithful, we were righteous.

We followed all the commandments. We were without sin. No, but God inspired John to write here, ultimately, that the saints were found without guile. At such a pivotal time in God’s plan, that must mean something. There must be a reason for it. There should all of us... We should be thinking and asking, “Why would God put these words here? What does it mean for you and I? What can we learn from it? And what can we do about it?” The English word guile, it’s an older English word. Maybe not one that we use too often, but there is a great level of importance that God put it here in this part of Revelation at a time when the hundred and forty-four thousand are glorified.

So that’s us. That’s a day we hope to see and hope to be a part of. So, we should want to learn what is God’s instruction when He says, “And in their mouth was found no guile.” Well, we just read that we follow the Lamb. We follow Christ. So, let’s go over to First Peter two and verse twenty-two. Let’s read and learn a little bit about Christ, our elder brother, what he went through. I’ll read verse twenty-two to start, and then we’ll read some of the context. But in verse twenty-two, it says, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” So, this is Christ, who did not sin, and God, again, in His scripture, brings the guile to the... almost to the level of importance of not sinning.

In Christ, neither guile was found in his mouth. Let’s read the context. Let’s read the setting that this is stated in. Let’s go back to verse twenty. “For what glory is it if when you are buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently?” So, we know, we all know we have our faults. We have the things that we’re not quite good at, or things we’re still learning. And if we’re corrected for it, or if we’re encouraged to change, we’re admonished about it, and if you take it patiently, what glory is that? We know we have our faults. That’s, you know, that’s what we should do. We should take that patiently.

“But if when we do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.” So, if we do well, if we do what is right, and then are persecuted for it, or then are corrected for it, even when we’re doing well, and we take it patiently, that is acceptable to God. But why? “For even unto were you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps.” So, Christ, who did not sin, verse twenty-two, “Who did not sin, neither was guile found in his mouth...” ever, not once, not through all that he went through, all the persecution, not before when he was on trial, before he was crucified, not once was guile found in his mouth.

“And he was suffered when he did well.” That’s an understatement, just saying he suffered when he did well. He suffered more than any man. And he did not sin, and he did not find or use guile ever from his words. How important that is. We are to follow our elder brother. We are to follow Christ. We should take note. Yes, we strive to move sin out of our lives. We’re learning. We should also strive to have guile not used in our mouth, out of our lives. Let’s go to Isaiah fifty-three and verse nine. Just to get a little more context of the verse here, because this is ultimately what Peter was quoting or paraphrasing, the reason why I want to bring it up as well, and this is not the topic for this message.

But every time we can shed light on, even in our Bible study or in a message, of something that proves the authority of the Bible or proves that God exists, it’s important to take light of it. So, let’s read Isaiah fifty-three and verse nine, and it does add to what we just read about what Christ went to... through. Verse nine of Isaiah fifty-three. “And he made his grave with the wicked...” Who was Christ crucified with? The two on either side of him. “...and with the rich his death, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.”

And the word, deceit, we’ll learn more about it and how that ties to guile. If you read the context here, in verse seven, “He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was bought... brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a... and a sheep before his shearers is dumb. So, he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgressions of my people.” For the transgressions of you and I, was he stricken.

Talking about Christ. “And he made his grave with the wicked...” again, “...and with the rich, and the... in his death...” Verse nine. “...and because he had done no violence, neither was there any deceit in his mouth.” So, he took on our sins. He was crucified for us, and he never had deceit or guile in his mouth. The reason why we focus on, why we read Isaiah fifty-three is that’s a prophecy of what Christ did hundreds of years later. And then an eyewitness, Peter, writes about it, confirming it, proving the authority of the Bible, but also expanding the topic that we’re looking at here, guile and deceit, what Christ did.

It’s important to see that every time we can. It’s inspiring to see an example of prophecy being fulfilled. Let’s talk about a disciple. Just studying about guile. Let’s go to First John, or let’s go to John one, not First John, but John, the first chapter, chapter one. Here we’ll read a little different than what we just... It was heavy, in a sense, to read about Christ and what he did, what he went through for all of us, and what he made sure never came from his mouth. But here, a little fun, with John... in John one, Christ is gathering his disciples, who ultimately became the twelve apostles.

Let’s read... Let’s start reading in verse forty-five to get the context. And, “Philip...” another one of the disciples, “...finds Nathanael and said unto him, We have found him of whom Moses, the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there be... Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Nazareth being the back country, the backwater, the uneducated area of the world, or of that area. “Philip said unto him, Come and see.” Oh, Philip didn’t answer the question. He says, “Come and see. You got to see, you have to see for yourself.”

And verse forty-seven, “And Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.” So here, Christ is gathering the disciples, gathering those who will become the apostles. And he says, “In whom is no guile.” And Natha... Let’s just read, continue reading. “Nathanael said unto him, Whence... When know you me? And Jesus said unto him, Before that Philip called thee... called you, when I saw you under the tree...under the fig tree, I saw you. And Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.” Because Christ saw him before and knew who he was.

Before Philip even knew, or before Nathanael even knew, Nathanael goes, “You are the Son of God. You’re the King of Israel. And then Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto you, I saw you under the fig tree, you believe? You’re going to see greater things than these.” It’s simple that Nathanael believed because Christ said he saw him ahead of time. Back to verse forty-seven. Just again, let’s reread it. “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said unto him, Behold an Israelite indeed...” Remember from where we started in Revelation fourteen and verse fi... in fourteen.

We talked about spiritual Israel, the hundred and forty-four thousand becoming God beings. And here, Christ, his first words to Nathanael is, “Behold an Israelite indeed...” What a compliment that would be. And Nathanael at the time probably didn’t even know what was being said. We’ve all heard that. I’m sure we’ve all heard that at times from family members with your last name, you know, “What a so-and-so indeed.” You know, “Wha... Oh, he’s a true Smith,” or “He’s a true Ruttencutter,” random last names. You tru...Think of your last name.

He’s like, “You’re part of the family.” What a compliment that would be to hear Christ say to Nathanael, “Behold an Israelite indeed. Behold a spiritual Israelite indeed.” And... But what does Christ follow up with it? “In whom is no guile.” How important is this word? What should we consider of it? What can we learn from it? What a compliment Nathanael received, thinking back to Revelation fourteen. Let’s look at the English definition of the word guile. Get a little more context, explain it a little more, because we’ve shed some light on it.

Because we don’t often use it ourselves in the modern age, maybe not be some word... a word that we’re familiar with. Guile, deceitful, cunning, or sly intelligence used to achieve a goal through trickery or deception. That sounds pretty serious. When you read that, you know, when I read it, like, that’s not me. There’s no way that’s me. There’s no way that’s any one of us. We don’t... We’ve never done that in our lives. Remember what we read about Christ. Christ said there’s no sin. We know we trip, we fall, we have our trespasses. We know we have our faults, and we try earnestly to pick up and move on and change.

Every time we do, we know that’s part of us, part of our human condition. But here guile, defined as deceitful, cunning, or sly intelligent used to achieve a goal through trickery or deception. It’s pretty serious. Becraft, trickery, duplicity to attain one’s ends, one’s owns ends. That’s serious. That should make us all kind of swallow hard, think about it. What can we do? Because we want to be there in Revelation fourteen. We want to see the hundred and forty-four thousand and sing that song together. So, what... how important is this word?

Let’s look a little bit at why the translators in the time used the word.

What did it mean then, or what was the importance in the time when the New King James Version was created? Guile was looked at as a sin of deceit. It’s to be shunned, to be removed. Society at that time had placed high value on plain dealing and sincerity. That’s what they had focused on. They were struggling with and had focused on that that was how man should, you know, of course, inspired by God, He used the word, that’s what we all should do. We should all place high value on plain dealing and sincerity. A little different than the outline I gave of creating products in this world and trying to sell them.

Guile was used to warn against hypocrisy and lying at the time, through the scri... through other writings, other writings in... that were done in that time in England. Guile was condemned throughout society and considered a character flaw. Obviously, from what we’ve read so far, we see close... how close God is to that as well. Let’s compare it to today. Interesting, this word. We may not use it often or be familiar with it. I wasn’t, until taking a close look at it. Compared to today, it’s actually, it’s rare to see a word that has held essential its meaning.

For four hundred years, usually a word wanders its definition and its usage, but generally, it’s held its meaning. Generally, the definition that I just read to you fits. That’s the way we look at it today. However, and this seems interesting, how society always tries to change things a little bit, however, its cultural tone and context has changed, while often still the same, in the sense that it can be admired as a strategic... in strategic situations. It can be used as a compliment in certain circumstances in society today, whether a coach or a leader or a politician has used it for their own ends, for their own means.

It is interesting to see how a word that at the time it was used in translation had a heavy weight to it, and then over time, man makes it lighter. But that’s man’s definition of it, and man’s usage of it. What does God’s word say? How does the Bible define it? Let’s go over to Revelation fourteen and verse five, and let’s just reread the verse. We probably have it memorized before the end of the message today. Revelation fourteen, five. “And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne.” So, guile there, the Greek word, dolos, it’s from an obsolete term, meaning a decoy.

You know what decoys do. Decoys are there to hide things or get you to look elsewhere. But the definition continues, a trick, as a bait, a craft, deceit, guile, subtlety. It’s often, this word’s often translated guile, but also it can be translated as subtlety, deceit, and craft. It shows a little bit more about the word, about how the word is used as a trick, craft, and subtlety. Let’s go to Psalm. Let’s go to the Old Testament. Psalm thirty-two and verse two. The word is throughout the Bible in various places, but let’s go to Psalm thirty-two and verse two.

We’ll look at three more scriptures to get the definition, to get God’s mind on the matter. How has God used this word? How has God defined this word? Thirty-two and verse two. Just about there. I’ll just read verse two. “Blessed is the man unto whom God imputes not iniquity...” so imputes no sin, “...and whose spirit there is no guile.” Revelation, we looked at whose mouth there was no guile. Here, I’ll add for a moment, God adds to it, in whose spirit is no guile. It’s not just in the words used. It’s in the mind, in the heart, and how we think, and how we operate, should also be no guile.

Or how... What is this Gree... What is this Hebrew word, and how is it defined? And here, I’ll try to pronounce the Greek word, or the Hebrew word, rmiyah, and begin... the definition begins, remissness. It’s interesting how the Hebrew word and the first word in the English word in the definition kind of sounds similar. Rmiyah or remissness. There’s a certain ring to it. So forgetting something, trickery, deceit, false, guile, idle, slack, slothful. Here’s slack. We should have a little fun with one of the definitions of the word. We’ve all used it.

I’m sure we have. “Oh, he’s slacking off,” or “I’m slacking off today,” or “He’s a slacker.” Interesting here. You could have said, “That person has guile. He’s a slacker. He’s trying to get away with something for, you know, his own end. Trying to not work as hard, but still keep his job.” It’s interesting, in the middle of a Hebrew definition. What a word that we would use more commonly, someone that isn’t necessarily pulling their weight, “He’s a slacker. Someone that has guile. He’s trying to get something for his own end through deceit and trickery.”

It’s interesting how sometimes certain words show up. This word in itself is oftentimes disa... translated deceitful in various forms of deceit. It’s also slothful, false, and idle. Of course, the word slack we’ve picked up in the co... more modern vernacular. Let’s go to Exodus twenty-one and verse fourteen. Let’s really paint a clear picture of the words that God used to define this. This word, and what he does not want in our spirits, or in our... on our lips, or our mouth. Exodus twenty-one and verse fourteen. Just about there again. Exodus twenty-one and verse fourteen.

“But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor to slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from your altar, that he may die.” That’s pretty serious consequences there. He gets the death penalty. Someone here who premeditated, we know, even in man’s law today, premeditated murder typically gets the full extent of the law. And here, God is explaining. “But if a man presumptuously upon... comes presumptuously upon his neighbor to slay him with guile...” ambushes him, treats him well, and then has premeditated other things to do to what, you know, acts like he’s friendly but comes to a bad end.

What does God say? It’s the death penalty for that individual. More here, we’re looking at the word. Guile here is ormah in the Hebrew. Trickery here, tricking someone one way and doing something else. Can you imagine? You may think of this as getting stabbed in the back in the common vernacular. Trickery, guile, prudence, subtlety, wily, wisdom. Wisdom applies to this, but I guess in a certain horrible sense. But it’s often translated, not used too often, but guile, wily, subtlety. Again, just an interesting word. It expands the definition of how God used this word.

Let’s go to Psalm thirty-four for the last Hebrew word that was used, translated as guile. Psalm thirty-four and verse thirteen. That’s an interesting verse here. Interesting chapter. I’ll actually... I’ll read a part of it for context, and we’ll come back to it. Very encouraging word, actually. Or like word, I mean verse. Verses here. Let’s sort of start in verse twelve. “What is man that he desires life and loves many days that he may see good?” Why don’t you just keep that in the back of your mind? But I want to focus on verse thirteen. I’m just dropping a seed there for later.

“Keep thy tongue from evil...” control the words you use, “...and thy lips from speaking guile.” Again, we’re going to look at a Hebrew definition. “Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it.” Very important scriptures, all three of them, really. Things that we should have in memory and in mind, in the way we think and do every day. But focusing on verse thirteen, the definition of the word guile, here in mirmah in the Hebrew, and sense of deceiving, fraud, craft, deceitful, false, feigned, guile again, subtlety, and treachery. Again, this is often used as deceitful, translated deceitful, so false and guile, amongst feigned, craft, and subtlety.

But all four words, the Hebrew word for guile, and the Greek word for guile, and the three Hebrew words for guile, all carry a heavy weight. All are defined by words that are things we need to look into. Things we need to... we can see the importance of this word, the power of this word, and how we have to, and must remove it. We’ll see that in a moment. But as a word that carries much weight, more than maybe before we went through all those definitions, we all fully realized, we all fully realized the importance of it. Not in the English definition, but in God’s mind.

The four words that he used in His Bible to define it. But I’m sure before we get into how we must remove it, some of you, and I was thinking, but remember, there’s a scripture from Paul, there’s a verse from Paul, and he said he used guile. How is that possible? And we just read four verses. Let’s go over to Second Corinthians thirteen and verse sixteen. How is that possible? We just saw that Christ is without guile, that Nathanael is without guile. We shouldn’t even have it in our mind, in our spirit. But we all remember that somewhere there’s that verse that Paul said he used guile.

But in what way? Let’s read. Second Corinthians twelve and verse sixteen. “So be it, I did not burden you, nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.” Now, how did, in the context here, how did Paul do that? What was Co... What was Paul’s purpose? We know that Paul definitely, he wasn’t deceitful in the sense of lying. He wasn’t false or fraudulent, and he wasn’t out to seek his own gain. Here we know from the context that Co... Paul was working with the Corinthians. Paul was striving with the Corinthians to get them to change their ways for their good.

He didn’t want them to support him financially, as he was a tent maker and able to support himself. So, he would take nothing from them. And in that sense, he caught them with guile that they have, that they can learn, and they can provide more support, more service, maybe be a little more generous than they were thinking they could be. He didn’t catch them with guile for his own gain. He caught them for guile... with guile for their gain, for their correction even, for their change. And here’s where Paul doesn’t contradict himself. Let’s go over to First Thessalonians two.

Of course, talking to a different congregation at the time. Let’s go over to First Thessalonians two, verse one to three. “For you yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you that was not in vain. But even after that we have suffered before...” let’s get in the context here, “...we suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know, at Philippi...” they weren’t treated well, “...we were bold unto God to speak unto you the gospel of God, which wa... with much contention.” So we were bold to teach, we were bold to preach. “For our exhortation was not in deceit...” they were not to deceive, “...nor uncleanness, nor in guile.”

So Paul, through his correction here through the Thessalonians, to speaking about a time in Philippi, no, his correction was for a purpose. His way and his wo... his mode was for a purpose, for their benefit, not for his own benefit. You can think back to... for Peter, where we read, where we may be corrected for something we didn’t do, so we can learn from it. It’s for our own benefit if guile is used in that manner. No, Paul did not use guile as those definitions were that we just read. Well, we’ve learned Christ didn’t, Nathanael didn’t, and the hundred and forty-four don’t have guile on their mouth.

So what do we need to do? Let’s go to First Peter two and verse one. What are the instructions to us? What are direct instructions? “Wherefore...” First Peter two and verse one, “Wherefore, laying aside all malice...” so laying aside, putting aside, putting it out of our lives, out of our mode of living, “...all guile, and hypocrisy, envyings... envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” So all of us, yes, we are to move on from milk as we grow in our conversion, but so where to start?

A way, at times, to return to when necessary, but we are to remove from us malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and evil speakings. Remove it from our actions. Let’s continue reading, because what happens when we, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby? “If so be ta... so be you have tasted that word, that Lord is gracious, to whom coming as unto a living stone, disavowed in deed of men, but chosen of God and precious.” That’s Christ. Be you, be us, you and I also, so if we do the words that we read above, we do the instructions of the words above, “Be you also living stones built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

So, ultimately, if we do verse one, and all points of verse one, we’re focusing on one element of it today, we will be part of the hundred and forty-four thousand. We will be there, living stones, a spiritual house. Let’s go to some few other verses. Let’s go to Mark seven, just as a reminder that it is in us. This is what comes from us before we’re called, and as we struggle through our conversion, it is part of us. And as we grow, we’re told to remove it, to set it aside. Let’s go to Mark seven and verse twenty-one, “For with... For from within and out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murderings, thefts, covenants, wickedness, guile...” it’s the same word, “...deceit...” it’s translated here, “...lascivious, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these things come from within and defile the man.”

They come from within us. They are a part of us, and they must be removed from us. We must work hard, and we’ve seen the seriousness of the word and the words that God used for it, for to define it. We must remove it. Let’s go to Romans thirteen, or three and verse thirteen. Romans three and verse thirteen. We’ve seen what it is, we’ve sort of... we’ve heard out of their mouths, out of our mouths should be no guile, but looking at our human nature, our carnal nature, here, these verses often read as we’re preparing for baptism, often read as we’re looking and evaluating in ourselves, maybe in preparation for Passover, or struggling through certain sins or challenges.

Verse thirteen of Romans three, “And their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues, they have used deceit, they have used guile. Their poison of asp is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursings and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood.” That’s man in this world. That’s us before we’re called, and we are to remove it. We are to change it. Let’s go to James three and verse eight, a verse we may know that relates. James three and verse eight. “But the tongue can no man tame.” It’s interesting, back in Revelation, if you remember, in their mouth was found no guile.

Well, what runs our mouth? What gets the words to come out of our mouth is our tongue. And here, of course, through God’s Holy Spirit, through repentance, we can. “But the tongue can no man tame. It is unruly evil, full of the deadly poison. Wherewith bless we God, even the Father...” So we’ll bless God, we’ll bless the Father, we’ll pour out blessings on one another, “...and therewith we will also curse men, which were made in the similitude of God.” It’s what man will do. That’s what we strive not to do, but that’s our tongue at times.

When it is unbridled, it says things we wish we didn’t say at times. Things that we work on. Things that we work hard to pull back, work hard to change. But we’ve read it is imp... how important it is to remove guile from our lives, and how much it is a part of us, and how serious God looks at that word, and at that attitude, and at that thought. And we see, from what we’ve just read, yes, it’s helpful to all of us to make sure we remove it from our lives, and we started in First Peter two, but we look at this world. The world is full of human nature.

The world is full of all that we listed off in Mark seven. It’s full to the brim of it. It’s pervasive, and it’s around us. All those points. And we have to work hard to keep it out of our lives. We have to work hard not to be that frog in boiling water, and have it become a part of us. And how much so, you say it’s in the world? What did Satan do in the Garden of Eden? How did he get Eve to eat of the fruit? He used deceit. He probably used a little bit of guile. He tricked her for his purpose. He got something out of it for him. He got the first man and woman that God created to sin and fall.

How do we... And we know, Jeremiah seventeen, verse nine, “The heart is wicked and deceitful above all things. Who can know it?” That’s us. That’s where man started, if you go back to Satan. It’s within our politics. It’s in every side. It’s in either side. Don’t pick one, or don’t pick the other. They’re full of guile. Either side is. We can even see it in sports at times, in our entertainment. It can be encouraged. It can be lauded as a good trait and character to have. It’s done in business. Remember the... what I said, ultimately, through a little bit of, yes, marketing, and when wise stewardship of accounting and wrestling with vendors, you lower the price in marketing, you raise the price to get something through craftiness for your own profit.

The world is full of it. On our jobs, we may see colleagues. On our jobs, we may be tempted to use it to get ahead. But remember, we are to be found without guile. We are to be found without it on our mouth, and in Psalms, without it in our spirit. So, brethren, we need to guard our eyes. Make sure what we see is true. Make sure what we see is right. Make sure what we read is correct. Make sure we have the filter through the... through God’s Holy Spirit to help us to see it, to see what is right, to help through God’s Holy Spirit to guard our tongues, to make sure we use words without deceit, without craft, without cunning for our own gains.

And those things can be in the smallest matters once we start to look at it. We heard recently the importance of the small things. Are the little words that we use, that we may have a little bit of guile in them? Are the little things that we say with our tongues, that we just read in James, is hard to control, that has a little bit of guile in it? What about our mind and our own thoughts? We know that it’s desperately wicked. Who can know it? What about our mind? Do we control it? Do we guard it? Do we guard it against deceit? What about deceiving ourselves?

Forget about anyone else. Do we so easily deceive ourselves, and then it’s okay to do a little bit of this? Do we have a little guile with our own trespasses? Do we kind of have a little cunning and craftiness to deceive ourselves that it’s okay to, you know, do a little bit of this or a little bit of that? Do we have it? Do we guard our actions so we’re without blame, we’re without guile in all that we do? Yes, that list is long, that we’ve described. That list is serious. It’s hard work for all of us, but we know God will help us, and God does help us. Let’s go to Zephaniah three and verse thirteen.

Looking at a time in the future, Zephaniah, if we can all find it, it’s a small book between Habakkuk and Haggai. Zephaniah three and verse thirteen sounds very similar to Revelation fourteen and verse five, where we are found without guile in our mouths. Here, it looks at a different time, the remnant of Israel. The remnant of Israel, physical Israel, but what does it say about them? The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, neither speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth...” So that’s here. We can relate that to us as the hundred and forty-four thousand.

We can relate that to Israel, those, the innumerable multitude, the remnant of Israel who comes through the first kingdom. “For they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.” So those that make it, those that are saved, in both instances, neither shall deceit... shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth. How important that is. Now let’s go to First Peter three and verse ten. I referenced this verse when we were over in Psalm thirty-four. First Peter three and verse ten. Let’s end on a positive note. Let’s end encouraged. And let’s end in a place where we all hope to be.

First Peter three and verse ten. One more page over for me. Let me read the first bit. “For he that will love life and see good days...” Who loves life? Every hand up in the room. Who loves life? We all love life. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re called. That’s why we’re on this path. We wa... We love life now, and we love life in the future. We want to live forever. Who wants to see good days? I want to see good days. Each and every one of us want to see good days. Well, what do we need to do? And what will we do? Because you see, we will be there. Let’s read the whole verse. “For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.” May that be each and every one of us.