Bible Chapel of Shawnee  
June 23rd, 2019

**Rhetorical theme**: When to keep silent
 
**Full theme**: There are times when it is better to keep silent with what we know.
 
1. Introduction
    
    1. In Scripture and probably in our experience, the tongue is dangerous tool
        
        1. James 3:2-12
        2. Matthew 12:33-37
        3. Should we ever say anything again??
        4. We need to be careful with what we say
          
        
    2. Especially difficult when we know something
        
        1. A new article we read
        2. A juicy tidbit about someone
        3. Question: what age do we live in?
            
            1. Answer: Information/Digital Age
            2. So many tools to gain knowledge
            3. How long is a beluga whale? 14ft
        4. Not only tools to gain, but also spread knowledge
            
            1. To hundreds, thousands or even millions
            2. With no barriers (a tool for it is in most of our pockets right now)
                
                1. No faces in front of us to gives us pause
                2. No fear of immediate repercussions
        5. General, cultural consensus: this is very good
            
            1. People are saying things like:
            
            Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan
            
            > From <[https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robin_morgan_271953](https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robin_morgan_271953)>  
            4. When we know something we should share it
              
            
    3. Is this what God says about sharing knowledge? Living in the digital age, I feel an urgency to know what Scripture says about sharing the things I think I know so freely.￼_[Read Proverbs 25:11-13]__￼__[Read Proverbs 12:23]__￼__[Read Proverbs 11:13]_
      
    5. Verses like these give us the impression that sharing knowledge isn't an essential good. It isn't always good to share what we know. So, how do we know when to keep silent?
        
        1. There are some ways that are obvious
            
            1. If it's not true
            2. If it's motivated by sin (hate, jealousy, pride, anger)
        2. But, there are less obvious times where we might feel within our rights to speak.
        3. There is wisdom in the Proverbs to guide us when not to
            
            1. When it would separate intimate friends
            2. When it is part of a broader, unknown picture
            3. When it cannot be made acceptable
      
    
2. When it would separate friends (Prov. 17:9)
    
    1. Seems like an obvious one: of course bringing up a friend's sin over and over would be bad
      
    3. After all, we have a biblical duty to confront each other's sin￼
    
    James 5:19–20  
    19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,  
    20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
    
      
    
    Galatians 6:1  
    1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
    
      
    8. I have found it hard to know, motivated to keep our friends from sin
        
        1. Friend who I thought was marrying an unbeliever
        2. Friends whose daughter was marrying someone they thought she should not
        3. Where do you draw the line between going to far and working hard to turn a sinner from his error?
      
    10. Key word is "repeat"
        
        1. We do have that duty to confront each other in sin, to perhaps win them back
          
        3. But, we can go too far: with my friend￼_[Illustration: Kept emailing him to convince him, even with warning to the result of a broken friendship]_
            
            1. My friend did not repent (I might have been wrong)
            2. But this would especially be so when a friend has repented
              
            
        4. A good balance: friends with their daughter
            
            1. She was moving forward regardless
            2. They, seeking a continued loving relationship, after making their objections known, chose to keep the relationship to continue to be part of their daughter's life and help her when the inevitable difficulties came
              
            
        5. Application
            
            1. At some point, it is best to remain silent for the purpose of keeping a loving relationship
            2. Run the risk of saying nothing at all, when we need to remember the biblical mandate to confront each other in love 4. When it is part of an unknown broader picture (Prov. 10:14)
    
    1. Interesting imagery of storing up knowledge￼_[Illustration: collecting tools to do a job, wisdom to know all that you need, not just one or two tools, but the whole set]_
      
    3. Idea of knowing there is always more to know
    
    Proverbs 1:5  
    5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
    
      
    
    Proverbs 9:9  
    9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.
    
      
    8. Could paralyze us to never speak, not what we want
      
    10. But, knowing the vastness of things we do not know should keep us from the temptation to speak of things we really know nothing about
      
    12. Story of Job and God's response to him
        
        1. God humbles Job! Job 38:1-11
        2. Job realizes he spoke of things he did not know: Job 42:1-6 6. When it cannot be made acceptable (Prov. 15:2)
    
    1. A wisdom of its own: wisdom to make wisdom acceptable
      
    3. About the speaker (us) and hearer
        
        1. What mood am I in?
        2. What mood are they in?
        3. What circumstances are they currently in?
        4. Are you in private or public setting?
        5. What kind of relationship do you have? Friend? Close friend? Stranger? Family?
          
        
    4. Risk of never speaking as we never know how someone will receive it, not what we want
      
    6. Paul's Mars Hill sermon a great example: Acts 17:22-34
        
        1. Presented the gospel in a way they could hear it
        2. Clearly spoke of the resurrection, even though he probably knew they _wouldn't_ receive it
        3. He presented in a way that _could be acceptable_ (even though did not accept the resurrection)
        4. Walked the balance perfectly: not afraid to speak truth, but presented it in such a way as to be acceptable
        5. Some believed and followed
          
        
    7. Application: rather be silent when we don’t have the wisdom to make knowledge acceptable, but be mindful of simply being fearful of rejection 8. Conclusion
    
    1. Christian duty today to evaluate what is good or not in our culture
    2. One to be careful about: knowledge is always meant to be shared
    3. Scripture gives us the wisdom to know when this is not true, three today
        
        1. When it separates intimate friends
        2. When it's part of a broader, unknown picture
        3. When it can't be made acceptable
 > From <[https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robin_morgan_271953](https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robin_morgan_271953)>