The Tongue - Controlling Our Speech

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Restraint - Not talking too much

Psalms 39:1

  • What did he mean to restrain his mouth with a muzzle?

Proverbs 10:19

  • What is not lacking when words are plentiful?
  • How careful do we need to be about having a multitude of words?

Proverbs 17:27-28

  • What can cause us to be counted wise?

Proverbs 23:9

  • Do we need to consider the person we are speaking to?

Proverbs 18:2

  • Is it a temptation to focus on and express our own opinions and feelings?

Ecclesiastes 5:6-7

  • Is it tempting to make excuses for wrong things we say and claim it was a mistake?

Proverbs 26:17

  • Does it take wisdom to know when to help (be a peacemaker) and when we shouldn’t meddle?

Haste - Talking without Thought

Psalms 17:3

  • How do we purpose, does this imply planning?

Proverbs 21:23

  • What does it mean to guard our mouth?

Proverbs 29:20

  • Why is there more hope for a fool?

Proverbs 15:28

  • On what should we study before we answer?

James 1:26

  • How serious is not bridling our tongue?

Deceit

Revelations 21:8

  • How serious is lying, what fate awaits?
  • Which type of lie causes this fate, black lies, white lies, lies to prevent hurting someone’s feelings, lies told in a good cause?

1 Peter 3:10

  • Can we deceive without telling an actual lie?

1 Peter 2:1-3

  • Can we grow without laying aside all deceit?

Proverbs 25:18

  • Can lies have consequences?

John 8:44

  • Whose language are we speaking when we speak lies, even well-intentioned ones?

Proverbs 6:16-19

  • Are lies mentioned more than once in the 6 things the Lord hates, why?

1 Thessalonians 2:3

  • Can there be a temptation to use deceit for a good purpose (exhortation)?

2 Corinthians 4:2

  • Can we be tempted to misuse God’s word deceitfully to prove something that we know is true from other verses?

Joking

Proverbs 26:18-19

  • Is using deceit in a prank ok?

Ephesians 5:3-5

  • What is coarse jesting?

Anger and Rude Communication

Proverbs 15:1-2

  • Can we use knowledge wrongly, even foolishly?

Matthew 5:22

  • What is meant by “you fool”

Romans 12:21

  • Do we often face a temptation to get even, to right a wrong in wrong ways?

Corrupt Language

Exodus 20:7

  • What does it mean to take God’s name in vain, what would be included in this?

Ephesians 4:29

  • How much corrupt language is allowed?

Colossians 3:8

  • What is filthy language?

Gossip

James 4:11

  • Can we speak evil, even when we say something true?

Proverbs 26:20

  • What is the obvious result from gossip, is it something we want to be associated with?

Leviticus 19:16

  • What is a talebearer?

Swearing Oaths

James 5:12, Matthew 5:33-36

  • Can we swear at all?

Exodus 22:10-11

  • In the Old Testament, did God require oaths in some situations?

2 Corinthians 1:23, Galatians 1:20

  • Were these two examples oaths?

What Affects our Speech

Matthew 12:34-37

  • Where does wrong speech come from?
  • How important are idle words, even spoken without a thought?

Philippians 4:8

  • How can we influence what is in our hearts?

1 Corinthians 15:33

  • What is evil company?
  • Can what we watch on TV, social media, and Youtube be evil company?

Things We Should Be Saying

Psalms 35:28, Psalms 119:171-172

  • What should fill our hearts and become our words?

Ezekiel 33:6

  • Can keeping silent be wrong?

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

  • What important purpose mentioned here do our words fulfill?

Isaiah 5:20-21

  • Does the world today use this temptation trying to force us into its mold?

Consequences of our Speech

Psalms 139:4

  • Do we realize that God knows everything we say?

Matthew 12:36-37

  • Will we be judged by what we say?

Psalm 19:14, Matthew 15:11, Proverbs 12:13

  • Can our speech be acceptable to God?

Downloadable Editions

The student page is a pdf file suitable for printing. The teacher edition adds additional comments and information for discussion. It also contains quotations of the scriptures used.

, Mark May