The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Eighteen - L Apr 05, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/04052020.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Pr 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. We will conclude our study of the wholesome tongue and the tree of life today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday April 5th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 18L ‘I Know Your Works….’ 1). Pr 15: 1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. We had seen last time that the Book of James provides us with the necessary commentary on Proverbs 15:4, so that we can gain understanding of how to have a ‘wholesome tongue’ in order that we may access the tree of life in the age to come – Jas 3:8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. The tongue then, picturing that which we speak, is capable of blessing God on the one hand and cursing men on the other and James draws the conclusion, ‘My brethren, these things ought not to be so.’ a). Through this we would see the wholesome tongue connected to blessing and the absence of a wholesome tongue connected to cursing. b). And to ‘curse men’ is not restricted to a literal curse or the use of foul language but would also include speaking in a condemning or derogatory way about one another. In effect then pronouncing our own judgment on our brother or sister – Ro 14:10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. James also speaks of this same thing – Jas 4:11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? We are of course dealing exclusively with Christians in these verses and most specifically those within the household of faith. But whether we are contemplating Christians in general or the local body, whether the faithful or the unfaithful, it is not our place to sit in judgment upon any of them. Let’s also consider this from earlier verses in Romans Chapter 14 – Ro 14:4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. Simply put then, we are all individually servants of our Master. He deals with us individually and He alone has the right to judge us, for He is the One who bought us at a price and He alone is able to judge in righteousness, exercising perfect justice, and it will be as individuals that we will stand before Him in that Day. Consequently, it is not our business to judge our Lord’s other servants. c). Speaking of one of our Lord’s other servants in a derogatory, condemning way finds its origin within one of the 2 types of wisdom that James describes, which we had also seen last time – Jas 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. One aspect of self-seeking is exactly what we do when we condemn our brother or sister. This is probably not conscious reasoning on our part, but in our condemnation, we seek to elevate our self, demonstrating that the subject of our condemnation is woefully short, in our eyes, of the high standards we expect. And the Scripture plainly tells us that the wisdom we draw from in doing this comes entirely out of our sin nature within the realm of Satan’s kingdom, with which it is connected. d). And its demonic inspiration associates our self-seeking in this fashion with Satan’s sin. Again, not as a conscious thought, but we choose to elevate ourselves to the position of Judge, a position that can only be held by the Lord Jesus Christ – Jn 5:22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, And where self-seeking, self-exaltation, of this nature exists within the body then ‘confusion and every evil thing are there.’ Rather than tranquility there is contention, rather than harmony there is disruption. There is a tangibly bad atmosphere. e). However, as we have seen earthly wisdom is not the only wisdom available to us – Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. The wisdom that is ‘from above’ is the wisdom brought forth from above by the Holy Spirit through the Word. It is the treasure of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ, that we are to seek, the wisdom James tells us to ask for. The wisdom that will re-new our mind. f). This is the pure wisdom of God, completely untainted by any idea of self – 1 Pe 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby [with respect to salvation], 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. This is the wisdom we are to seek and the understanding we are to gain that we had seen in Proverbs Chapter 3, the wisdom that is more precious than anything we may desire, because through the embrace of this wisdom and the works that will come from it, salvation will be found and the tree of life will be won. g). And those who choose to walk in the wisdom from above will be counted as righteous and will produce the fruit of righteousness, the righteous acts of the saints, the good works prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. h). Those then who speak out of the wisdom from above, the good treasure of their heart, are seen to sow seeds of ‘peace’, seeds of harmony and tranquility, within the local body. They are peacemakers because their actions and their words make for a tranquil, settled, scripturally established environment within the body. i). With this in mind, let’s go back to where we started today for a moment - Pr 15: 1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger As we look at this verse in the light of what comes after it and what we have been studying today, the soft answer to be given here is not dealing with the response to be made to someone else’s anger toward us, but rather the soft answer born of the wisdom from above within the corporate setting of the Church by the peacemaker will prevent anger from taking root, it will turn it away. But the ‘harsh word’, the derogatory word, born of earthly wisdom within the same context will cause anger to be stirred up and may well put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. Because as we know, the wrath of man, the anger of man, does not produce the righteousness of God. j). And if we continue with the next verse in Proverbs 15 - 2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. The ‘wise’ will use the knowledge gained through the wisdom from above ‘rightly’, by giving the soft answer, by sowing the fruit of righteousness in peace as a peacemaker. And the wise are contrasted to the ‘fools’, those who would pour forth that which is foolishness with God, earthly wisdom, the harsh word of self-seeking that brings confusion and every evil thing. k). And as the contrast is drawn between the wise and the fools we then see - 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. Those described here as ‘evil’ would be the fools from v2, those who speak the harsh word from v1, whereas the ‘good’ are the wise from v2, those who give a soft answer from v1. And what do we see? The eyes of the Lord are in every place watching – there is nothing we say or do that will escape His attention – Heb 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. And all of this leads us into the verse that has been the subject of our study in relation to the overcomers’ promise in Revelation 2:7 – 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. The wholesome tongue then is the tongue that gives the soft answer that uses knowledge rightly, that sows the fruit of peace. And the word translated wholesome has to do with health, profit and a sound mind – Pr 16:23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. 2 Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. The exercise of the wholesome tongue then is not just for the benefit of the one who possesses it, but also the entire body as the words spoken and the works done by the one possessing the wholesome tongue are done in the meekness of wisdom and should bring us to that seen in – Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore. So important is this that Paul had pleaded with the Corinthian Church to set in place among them - 1 Cor 1:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. The possession of a wholesome tongue is something that we need with respect to ourselves and something we must endeavor to exercise with respect to one another that we may all be peacemakers, dwelling together in the unity of the faith. l). What we will realize from all of this then, is that the measure of our spirituality, our progress to spiritual maturity will be witnessed through the controlled use of our tongue, or the lack of it, as the control, the bridling of our tongue, can only be accomplished through the wisdom and knowledge that is brought forth from above as we receive with meekness the implanted word. What we say will always give us away – Ps 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. 2). The tree of life then is promised to the overcomer, the one who overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil amidst the trials and testing of this life. The tree of life is inextricably connected to life in the age to come and the regality to be exercised there. And this thought is continued through that said to the church in Smyrna – Re 2:10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. As we had seen in a previous study, having ‘tribulation ten days’ pictures for us the trials and testing that are ours throughout our pilgrim journey. And for those who remain ‘faithful until death’, who patiently endure, throughout the time of testing, they are promised ‘the crown of life’. And again, we are dealing with life in the age to come and the crown again denoting the regality that will be given to those who remain faithful. a). And those who receive this crown of life are the same ones who will also eat from the tree of life in the age to come. b). And within this overall concept of the testing of our faith we can place both the acquisition and the exercise of a wholesome tongue. That which will prove the genuineness of our faith. c). And receiving the crown of life through our faithfulness in acquiring and exercising a wholesome tongue, to continue the thought from where we were previously, brings us to a glorious promise – Re 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’ The promise is clear ‘he who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death’. This is an absolute guarantee. d). Now as have noted in a previous study, the promise seen here can only have validity if the reverse of it is also true – that is, those who do not overcome who are themselves overcome by the world, the flesh and the Devil, will be hurt by the second death. They must be if God’s righteous judgment is to be fulfilled. 3). The phrase ‘the second death’ is only found in the Book of the Revelation and it appears 4 times in this Book. 3 times in connection with the eternally saved and overcoming or being overcome and once in connection with the eternally lost, where the second death is explained – Re 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is shown to be the second death. And it is the lake of fire’s association with what is called eternal damnation, as seen in these verses, that has led to all kinds of confusion and foolishness. a). Perhaps we noted in v15 the reference to ‘the Book of Life’, which we had studied some weeks back. And we might remember that although the Book of Life is also mentioned in one of the overcomers’ promises it is seen in relation to 2 entirely different groups of people within 2 entirely separate timeframes. b). And the second death and its association with the lake of fire needs to be seen in exactly the same way. We are looking at 2 entirely different groups of people within 2 entirely separate timeframes. No eternally saved individual can have any part in the events described in Revelation 20:14-15. c). Any reference to the second death with respect to the eternally saved can only be placed within the context of reward, loss, regality and the Millennial Kingdom. Beyond this it cannot go. d). The first use of the phrase ‘the second death’ we have just seen in the overcomers’ promise given to the Church in Smyrna and this promise, along with the reverse side of it for those who are overcome, is one of the 7 promises that all overcomers will receive at the Judgment Seat. And both the promises and the reverse side of them, are all Millennial in their duration as we can see by looking at 2 of them – Re 2:26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels’—as I also have received from My Father; During the Millennium Christ and His co-heirs, the overcomers, will rule the nations with a rod of iron, but such a rule does not continue beyond the Millennium as these same nations will themselves have been brought into positions of rulership alongside Christ and His co-heirs on the new earth as rulership then extends out into the universe as we had seen last time in Revelation 22:1-5. e). Re 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. During the Millennium Christ will sit on His own throne along with His co-heirs, the overcomers, but beyond the Millennium, as we saw last time, He will sit on the throne of God and of the Lamb throughout the endless ages. f). So, just to be clear, Scripture deals only with Millennial rewards and/or loss, never with eternal rewards and/or loss. And Millennial rewards and/or loss are the sole province of the eternally saved. g). All that to say again, that any reference to the second death and Christians is Millennial in its scope and nothing more. Re 21:6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” We can clearly see in v7 that we are dealing with overcomers, and those who overcome ‘shall inherit all things’ and shall be God’s son. This is exactly what awaits faithful Christians. The unfaithful Christians however, the ones who have been overcome, who have no inheritance are then described in v8. And these Christians ‘shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’ h). We can find companion verses to these in – 1 Co 6:8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian Church deals with the manner of living of some of the Christians there, who ‘do wrong’. And he tells them plainly that those who live unrighteous lives will not inherit the Kingdom of God. And in this they are not to be deceived by thinking otherwise. He then lists the acts of unrighteousness that these Christians had become involved in and indeed any Christian could become involved in. i). In both Revelation 21:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 6:8-10 inheritance and unrighteousness are in view. Those engaged in unrighteous living in 1 Corinthians will not inherit and those engaged in similar unrighteous living in Revelation are seen in connection with the lake of fire and the second death, showing that the 2 are inextricably connected – Lk 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 1 Co 3:14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. The verses from Luke 12 and 1 Corinthians 3 deal with the same Judgment Seat issues seen in Revelation 21:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 6:8-10. And here we see the unrighteous being given his portion with the unbelievers in Luke and suffering loss in 1 Corinthians. j). Mt 25:30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ This is another Judgment Seat picture, and here the unprofitable, the unrighteous servant is cast into the outer darkness. And then in – Mt 13:49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Another Judgment Seat picture where the ‘wicked’, the unprofitable servant, the unrighteous Christian will be cast into the furnace of fire. k). So, how are we to make sense of all this? How can a Christian have a part in the lake of fire or the furnace of fire or the outer darkness? What exactly does it mean to experience the second death? Well, next time – if the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Eighteen - L Apr 05, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/04052020.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Pr 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. We will conclude our study of the wholesome tongue and the tree of life today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday April 5th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 18L ‘I Know Your Works….’ 1). Pr 15: 1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. We had seen last time that the Book of James provides us with the necessary commentary on Proverbs 15:4, so that we can gain understanding of how to have a ‘wholesome tongue’ in order that we may access the tree of life in the age to come – Jas 3:8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. The tongue then, picturing that which we speak, is capable of blessing God on the one hand and cursing men on the other and James draws the conclusion, ‘My brethren, these things ought not to be so.’ a). Through this we would see the wholesome tongue connected to blessing and the absence of a wholesome tongue connected to cursing. b). And to ‘curse men’ is not restricted to a literal curse or the use of foul language but would also include speaking in a condemning or derogatory way about one another. In effect then pronouncing our own judgment on our brother or sister – Ro 14:10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. James also speaks of this same thing – Jas 4:11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? We are of course dealing exclusively with Christians in these verses and most specifically those within the household of faith. But whether we are contemplating Christians in general or the local body, whether the faithful or the unfaithful, it is not our place to sit in judgment upon any of them. Let’s also consider this from earlier verses in Romans Chapter 14 – Ro 14:4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. Simply put then, we are all individually servants of our Master. He deals with us individually and He alone has the right to judge us, for He is the One who bought us at a price and He alone is able to judge in righteousness, exercising perfect justice, and it will be as individuals that we will stand before Him in that Day. Consequently, it is not our business to judge our Lord’s other servants. c). Speaking of one of our Lord’s other servants in a derogatory, condemning way finds its origin within one of the 2 types of wisdom that James describes, which we had also seen last time – Jas 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. One aspect of self-seeking is exactly what we do when we condemn our brother or sister. This is probably not conscious reasoning on our part, but in our condemnation, we seek to elevate our self, demonstrating that the subject of our condemnation is woefully short, in our eyes, of the high standards we expect. And the Scripture plainly tells us that the wisdom we draw from in doing this comes entirely out of our sin nature within the realm of Satan’s kingdom, with which it is connected. d). And its demonic inspiration associates our self-seeking in this fashion with Satan’s sin. Again, not as a conscious thought, but we choose to elevate ourselves to the position of Judge, a position that can only be held by the Lord Jesus Christ – Jn 5:22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, And where self-seeking, self-exaltation, of this nature exists within the body then ‘confusion and every evil thing are there.’ Rather than tranquility there is contention, rather than harmony there is disruption. There is a tangibly bad atmosphere. e). However, as we have seen earthly wisdom is not the only wisdom available to us – Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. The wisdom that is ‘from above’ is the wisdom brought forth from above by the Holy Spirit through the Word. It is the treasure of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ, that we are to seek, the wisdom James tells us to ask for. The wisdom that will re-new our mind. f). This is the pure wisdom of God, completely untainted by any idea of self – 1 Pe 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby [with respect to salvation], 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. This is the wisdom we are to seek and the understanding we are to gain that we had seen in Proverbs Chapter 3, the wisdom that is more precious than anything we may desire, because through the embrace of this wisdom and the works that will come from it, salvation will be found and the tree of life will be won. g). And those who choose to walk in the wisdom from above will be counted as righteous and will produce the fruit of righteousness, the righteous acts of the saints, the good works prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. h). Those then who speak out of the wisdom from above, the good treasure of their heart, are seen to sow seeds of ‘peace’, seeds of harmony and tranquility, within the local body. They are peacemakers because their actions and their words make for a tranquil, settled, scripturally established environment within the body. i). With this in mind, let’s go back to where we started today for a moment - Pr 15: 1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger As we look at this verse in the light of what comes after it and what we have been studying today, the soft answer to be given here is not dealing with the response to be made to someone else’s anger toward us, but rather the soft answer born of the wisdom from above within the corporate setting of the Church by the peacemaker will prevent anger from taking root, it will turn it away. But the ‘harsh word’, the derogatory word, born of earthly wisdom within the same context will cause anger to be stirred up and may well put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. Because as we know, the wrath of man, the anger of man, does not produce the righteousness of God. j). And if we continue with the next verse in Proverbs 15 - 2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. The ‘wise’ will use the knowledge gained through the wisdom from above ‘rightly’, by giving the soft answer, by sowing the fruit of righteousness in peace as a peacemaker. And the wise are contrasted to the ‘fools’, those who would pour forth that which is foolishness with God, earthly wisdom, the harsh word of self-seeking that brings confusion and every evil thing. k). And as the contrast is drawn between the wise and the fools we then see - 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. Those described here as ‘evil’ would be the fools from v2, those who speak the harsh word from v1, whereas the ‘good’ are the wise from v2, those who give a soft answer from v1. And what do we see? The eyes of the Lord are in every place watching – there is nothing we say or do that will escape His attention – Heb 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. And all of this leads us into the verse that has been the subject of our study in relation to the overcomers’ promise in Revelation 2:7 – 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. The wholesome tongue then is the tongue that gives the soft answer that uses knowledge rightly, that sows the fruit of peace. And the word translated wholesome has to do with health, profit and a sound mind – Pr 16:23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. 2 Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. The exercise of the wholesome tongue then is not just for the benefit of the one who possesses it, but also the entire body as the words spoken and the works done by the one possessing the wholesome tongue are done in the meekness of wisdom and should bring us to that seen in – Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore. So important is this that Paul had pleaded with the Corinthian Church to set in place among them - 1 Cor 1:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. The possession of a wholesome tongue is something that we need with respect to ourselves and something we must endeavor to exercise with respect to one another that we may all be peacemakers, dwelling together in the unity of the faith. l). What we will realize from all of this then, is that the measure of our spirituality, our progress to spiritual maturity will be witnessed through the controlled use of our tongue, or the lack of it, as the control, the bridling of our tongue, can only be accomplished through the wisdom and knowledge that is brought forth from above as we receive with meekness the implanted word. What we say will always give us away – Ps 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. 2). The tree of life then is promised to the overcomer, the one who overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil amidst the trials and testing of this life. The tree of life is inextricably connected to life in the age to come and the regality to be exercised there. And this thought is continued through that said to the church in Smyrna – Re 2:10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. As we had seen in a previous study, having ‘tribulation ten days’ pictures for us the trials and testing that are ours throughout our pilgrim journey. And for those who remain ‘faithful until death’, who patiently endure, throughout the time of testing, they are promised ‘the crown of life’. And again, we are dealing with life in the age to come and the crown again denoting the regality that will be given to those who remain faithful. a). And those who receive this crown of life are the same ones who will also eat from the tree of life in the age to come. b). And within this overall concept of the testing of our faith we can place both the acquisition and the exercise of a wholesome tongue. That which will prove the genuineness of our faith. c). And receiving the crown of life through our faithfulness in acquiring and exercising a wholesome tongue, to continue the thought from where we were previously, brings us to a glorious promise – Re 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’ The promise is clear ‘he who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death’. This is an absolute guarantee. d). Now as have noted in a previous study, the promise seen here can only have validity if the reverse of it is also true – that is, those who do not overcome who are themselves overcome by the world, the flesh and the Devil, will be hurt by the second death. They must be if God’s righteous judgment is to be fulfilled. 3). The phrase ‘the second death’ is only found in the Book of the Revelation and it appears 4 times in this Book. 3 times in connection with the eternally saved and overcoming or being overcome and once in connection with the eternally lost, where the second death is explained – Re 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is shown to be the second death. And it is the lake of fire’s association with what is called eternal damnation, as seen in these verses, that has led to all kinds of confusion and foolishness. a). Perhaps we noted in v15 the reference to ‘the Book of Life’, which we had studied some weeks back. And we might remember that although the Book of Life is also mentioned in one of the overcomers’ promises it is seen in relation to 2 entirely different groups of people within 2 entirely separate timeframes. b). And the second death and its association with the lake of fire needs to be seen in exactly the same way. We are looking at 2 entirely different groups of people within 2 entirely separate timeframes. No eternally saved individual can have any part in the events described in Revelation 20:14-15. c). Any reference to the second death with respect to the eternally saved can only be placed within the context of reward, loss, regality and the Millennial Kingdom. Beyond this it cannot go. d). The first use of the phrase ‘the second death’ we have just seen in the overcomers’ promise given to the Church in Smyrna and this promise, along with the reverse side of it for those who are overcome, is one of the 7 promises that all overcomers will receive at the Judgment Seat. And both the promises and the reverse side of them, are all Millennial in their duration as we can see by looking at 2 of them – Re 2:26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels’—as I also have received from My Father; During the Millennium Christ and His co-heirs, the overcomers, will rule the nations with a rod of iron, but such a rule does not continue beyond the Millennium as these same nations will themselves have been brought into positions of rulership alongside Christ and His co-heirs on the new earth as rulership then extends out into the universe as we had seen last time in Revelation 22:1-5. e). Re 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. During the Millennium Christ will sit on His own throne along with His co-heirs, the overcomers, but beyond the Millennium, as we saw last time, He will sit on the throne of God and of the Lamb throughout the endless ages. f). So, just to be clear, Scripture deals only with Millennial rewards and/or loss, never with eternal rewards and/or loss. And Millennial rewards and/or loss are the sole province of the eternally saved. g). All that to say again, that any reference to the second death and Christians is Millennial in its scope and nothing more. Re 21:6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” We can clearly see in v7 that we are dealing with overcomers, and those who overcome ‘shall inherit all things’ and shall be God’s son. This is exactly what awaits faithful Christians. The unfaithful Christians however, the ones who have been overcome, who have no inheritance are then described in v8. And these Christians ‘shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’ h). We can find companion verses to these in – 1 Co 6:8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian Church deals with the manner of living of some of the Christians there, who ‘do wrong’. And he tells them plainly that those who live unrighteous lives will not inherit the Kingdom of God. And in this they are not to be deceived by thinking otherwise. He then lists the acts of unrighteousness that these Christians had become involved in and indeed any Christian could become involved in. i). In both Revelation 21:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 6:8-10 inheritance and unrighteousness are in view. Those engaged in unrighteous living in 1 Corinthians will not inherit and those engaged in similar unrighteous living in Revelation are seen in connection with the lake of fire and the second death, showing that the 2 are inextricably connected – Lk 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 1 Co 3:14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. The verses from Luke 12 and 1 Corinthians 3 deal with the same Judgment Seat issues seen in Revelation 21:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 6:8-10. And here we see the unrighteous being given his portion with the unbelievers in Luke and suffering loss in 1 Corinthians. j). Mt 25:30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ This is another Judgment Seat picture, and here the unprofitable, the unrighteous servant is cast into the outer darkness. And then in – Mt 13:49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Another Judgment Seat picture where the ‘wicked’, the unprofitable servant, the unrighteous Christian will be cast into the furnace of fire. k). So, how are we to make sense of all this? How can a Christian have a part in the lake of fire or the furnace of fire or the outer darkness? What exactly does it mean to experience the second death? Well, next time – if the Lord is willing.