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Proverbs 16:23

Proverbs 16:23

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Pastor Martin expounds Proverbs 16:23, "The heart of the wise instructs his mouth and adds learning to his lips," emphasizing the critical importance of self-control in speech, particularly for children. He argues that training in disciplined speech must begin at the earliest stages of a child's verbal development, likening it to teaching them where their feet may or may not go. The sermon stresses that an undisciplined tongue provides a fertile ground for sin and the devil's work, urging parents to instill this vital principle from the moment their children begin to speak.

Primary Texts

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Proverbs 16:23 This verse is the sole focus of the sermon, quoted and expounded as the foundational principle for teaching children self-control in speech.

Outline 4 sections · 2 min

  1. The Wise Heart Instructs the Mouth 0:00
  2. Parental Experience and the Joy of First Words 0:49
  3. The Tongue as a Field for the Devil's Work 1:09
  4. Early Training in Speech Discipline 1:34

Key Quotes

“Here's a vital principle to our children. We tell them, until your heart has taught your lips, don't let your lips speak. It's another way of saying, be swift to hear, slow to speak.”
“We must teach our children, if they run off at the mouth, they're going to be sinning all the time. And that they must learn self-control in the use of their lips.”
“But oh, once they start, what a field for the devil to do his work.”
“They must learn immediately they don't have a right to let it frame anything they want it to frame at any time, in any circumstance, in any place, in any way. And that training must begin with the very threshold of speech.”

Applications

All listeners

  • Teach children that their heart must instruct their lips before they speak, echoing the principle of being swift to hear and slow to speak.
  • Teach children self-control in the use of their lips to prevent them from sinning constantly by running off at the mouth.
  • Begin to teach children, even at a young age, that they do not have an unqualified right to interrupt or demand attention with their speech.
  • Start training children in speech discipline the minute they begin using words, not waiting until they are older.
  • Teach children immediately that their tongue does not have a right to frame anything they want, at any time, in any circumstance, in any place, or in any way.

A full transcript is available on the tab. 10 paragraphs, roughly 2 minutes.

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