1. Tough Words
Tonight’s lesson is about “tough words.” Exactly what do you think of when I say, “I am going to be preaching on tough words“?
1. You may think that I am going to preach on harsh or severe rebukes of the Bible:
(Mal. 2:1-3)
1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.
3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.
Paul told the Galatians:
12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you. (Gal. 5:12)
Listen to the tough words Jesus speaks…
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Matt. 23:15)
However, this lesson is not going to be dealing with rebukes in the Bible (although that would be a wonderful lesson).

2. Tough Words? Big English words? Big Bible Words?
“Floccinaucinihilipilification”
Meaning: do or make nothing, very little, insignificant
Big Bible Words?
“Jonathelemrechokim” (Ps. 56:1, title, KJV)
“Mahershalalhashbaz” (Is. 8:1, KJV)
2. You might think that I am going to preach on tough words to spell and pronounce…
[CLICK X2] Floccinaucinihilipilification is a nice 12 syllable, 29 letter word. It is the longest, non technical word in the English language.
[CLICK] Evidently it was created as a joke by a student of Eton College who found four Latin words which mean “nothing” and then added “ification” (to do or make). Its amazing at what lengths we can go to actually say nothing!
There are also some tough Biblical words.
[CLICK] Jonath-elem-recho-kim which means “the silent dove of far-off places”
[CLICK] Maher–Shalal–Hash–Baz which means “swift is booty, speedy is prey”
But this is not a lesson on tough English words or even hard to pronounce Bible words.
The tough words that I am going to preach on are easy to spell. Even our young children can spell these words.

3. No & IF

4. “NO” – one of the toughest words of all
“NO” is hard to say
When everyone wants you to say “yes”
When it looks good/pleasing to the eyes
When it appears threatening to utter
The first tough word is NO.
1. The editor of a magazine asked a small number of distinguished writers to answer a number of questions, including the following two:
a. In your judgment what word is the most misused?
b. What word in the English language seems the most useful to you?
2. Nearly all agreed that the most misused word is yes, and the most useful word is no.
While “no” is easy to pronounce, it is hard to say at times. [Click Thru]
1. When everyone wants you to say “yes”
2. When it looks good or pleasing to the eyes
3. When it appears threatening to utter

5. Examples of Failure to Say “NO”
Adam & Eve (Gen. 3:6)
Contrast Daniel (Dan. 1:8)
Young Prophet (1 Kings 13:15-19)
Contrast 1 Kings 13:8
David (2 Sam. 11)
Contrast Joseph Gen. 39:7-10
Throughout the Bible we see that many Bible characters had a problem with saying NO, while others, took a stand.
Click through
1. Adam & Eve in Gen. 3:6….tempted of Satan….couldn’t resist…. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
BUT
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Dan. 1:8)
2. The Young Prophet in 1 Kings 13:15-19…..was commanded to not eat or drink, but went home with the old prophet and ate….
IF ONLY he would have kept the attitude he had in 1 Kings 13:8:
8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
David….the man after God’s own heart…had trouble saying NO when he saw Bathsheba bathing….he didn’t look away….committed adultery with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11.
Joseph….stood up for God…in Gen. 39:7-10…when daily propositioned by Potiphar’s wife….said….how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
Other examples could be provided of people who knew when to say “no” despite dreadful consequences: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego; etc.

6. “NO” Is a test of your character
Requires a big person to say such a small word properly
Is required at times if we are going to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29)
Is a barricade to keep the righteous from traveling down the path of evil and doom (Prov. 1:10-19)
Saying NO
Is a test of your character
2. Requires a big person to say such a small word properly
3. Is required at times if we are to OBEY GOD rather than men….Acts 5:29
When the world wants you to drink and do drugs… ‘we ought to obey God rather than men.’ When your peers want to cheat, lie, etc to get ahead… ‘we ought to obey God rather than men.’ When a woman or male friend wants to seduce you to sin…, when the world wants you to dress like a harlot…, when your friends encourage you to defy your parents…, when people come into the church and want to replace true worship of the church with additions not found in the Scriptures…, when our leaders want us to stop preaching on immorality, etc.
[CLICK] Read Prov. 1:10-19.
We need to have the attitude of the psalmist…..who said, “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, That I might keep thy word” (Ps. 119:101
JUST SAY “NO!”
“When the tempter comes to say, ‘Come and spend with me today.’ Show your strength, go not his way. Just say ‘no.’”
“When your life would be its best, His good name you have confessed, you the world will surely test. Just say ‘no.’”
When you seem to weary grow, Satan’s darts you think to throw, you must not to his way go. Just say ‘no.’”
Don’t consent! Don’t consent! Look the other way; turn to God always; Say what He would say: Just say ‘no.”
(Howard L. Whittlesey)

7. “IF”
“If” – “CORE MEANING: a conjunction used to indicated the circumstances that would have to exist in order for an event to happen” (Encarta Dictionary)
The other tough word is “IF.”
Now that’s a big word!

8. “IF” –one of the BIGGEST words
Is there a word that has bigger impact?
Is there a word more significant?

9. Impact of “IF” in Scripture
Are you strong?
Pr 24:10, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”
Are you lazy and hungry?
2 Thess. 3:10, “. . . If anyone would not work, neither should he eat”
When looking through the Scriptures we see the impact of the word “IF”

10. Impact of “IF” in Scripture
Do you love father and mother more than Christ?
Luke 14:26, “If any man comes to me and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple”
Do you love Christ?
John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
[CLICK X2] Good mothers and fathers will teach their children to love Christ more than mom and dad and they will seek to live a life before them and leave an imprint upon them that such a command will seem not difficult but reasonable.
How blessed we are to have mothers!!! However, we live in a society where mothers are prodded to be self-centered and independent. Some mothers desire to live away from their children; some neglect their children.
We live in a society where mothers are defended when they kill their children (the unborn and even sometimes those who are born). Mothers are awarded with grace by many for keeping their “choice” and destroying the life within.
Some sons and daughters can look back on their childhood and not have much good to remember of their own mother:
Mom was never around. She never spent time with us. She was always cranky and complaining. She never spent time teaching God to us. She never spent time reading to them. She never spent time playing with them.
Loving Christ more than mom may be easy for some because they never knew mom. Here at O’Neal…I believe we have good mothers who are trying to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord….It isn’t easy, but we applaud you for your efforts….THANK YOU!
Some of these attributes do not end with the mother but are also to be enjoyed by the GRANDMOTHER. It is interesting that “grandmother” is translated only one time in the entire KJV and that is in 2 Timothy 1:5, “when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”
A couple of points should emerge.
A) There is no question in my mind, that the faith which dwelt first in Timothy’s grandmother and mother was the motivating factor that taught Timothy about God. He did not get such instruction from his uncircumcised father (Acts 16) and neither did he learn it from osmosis.
B) Lois and Eunice knew that for Timothy to become the man in which he was capable, he needed to know God and in doing so, he needed to learn the scriptures (2 Tim. 3:15).
Now I doubt seriously that they thought then that (1) Timothy would in the course of time become a companion with such a great man, a champion in faith as the apostle Paul who would go on to write most of the New Testament;
(2) I doubt that they knew that their own names along with Timothy would be forever etched into God’s New Testament scripture when they were teaching him the Old Testament Scripture.
(3) I doubt that they knew then that two books in the New Testament would be letters written specifically to Timothy for all subsequent generations to read as he labored as an adult and as an evangelist in the church of Christ.
The same is true for mothers today: You cannot comprehend the great glory that awaits them and their children by teaching them about God, the Christ, the cross, the church, heaven, etc.
C) There is no question in my mind, that when Timothy looked back on the example of his grandmother and mother and of his childhood experience with them learning about God, that he thought of good things.
He learned to love Jesus more than them, because of their example of loving Jesus more than everyone. He learned the blessings that come into the home-front from parents and grandparents who love Jesus more than life. He learned about God because those who taught him loved God more than him. Such compels men and women to teach God when they love God more than anyone.
I have heard of mothers with small children who do not want to bring their children to services because their children might bother others and be disruptive and difficult to deal with. I have also heard of mothers allow their children to determine where they are going to worship. These mothers need to know that they need to keep bringing their children and keep working with them. The picture is bigger than a child occasionally disrupting a sermon or prayer with a cry .
Regardless, all mothers must do what is going to profit the child and not worry about what others think.
[CLICK X2]
Do you love Christ?
If you love me, keep my commandments. Jesus said IF….IF you don’t keep His commandments, then you don’t love Him.

11. Impact of “IF” in Scripture
Do you want God’s goodness?
Romans 11:22, “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.”

12. Impact of “IF” in Scripture
Do you want forgiveness?
Matt. 6:14, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Non-Christians must first repent and be baptized into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3,4)
Christian must repent and confess sin (1 Jn. 1:9)
Romans 6:3-4
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

13. Impact of “IF” in Scripture
Do you want to be a new creature?
2 Cor. 5:17, “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Baptism is “into Christ” (Gal. 3:27)
Galatians 3:27
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

14. Impact of “IF” in Scripture
Is your faith worthless?
1 Cor. 15:17, “And if Christ be not risen, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”
Do you want to avoid being destroyed by God?
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:17)

15. Impact of “IF” in Scripture
Do you want to grow as a Christian and secure heaven?
2 Peter 1:5-7
Impact of “IF” in Scripture
Faith
Virtue
Know-ledge
Temper-ance
Patience
Godliness
Brotherly kindness
Charity
Love
2 Peter 1:5-8
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

16. Impact of “IF” in Scripture
“For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 8)
2 Peter 1:8-11
Impact of “IF” in Scripture
Fruitful
Never Stumble
Entrance Into Everlasting Kingdom
Faith
Virtue
Know-ledge
Self-control
Perse-verance
Godliness
Brotherly kindness
Love
Brotherly
Kindness
Knowledge
Faith
Patience
2 Peter 1:5-8
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
IF these things do not exist, that person is barren; one is not fruitful; one is short-sighted; one is blind; one has forgotten that his sins have been forgiven; one does stumble; and most tragic of all, one will not enter into the everlasting kingdom. People wonder why Christians fall away. People wonder why some churches dry up and fold. Folks it is no mystery. Where these things are not in place only fruitless efforts to save the world exists. There is nothing more troubling to a farmer than to have fields of fruitlessness. There is nothing more devastating to a church than to have members who don’t possess these traits.
If you show me a Christian who is stale and is not growing, I will show you a person who doesn’t have these graces. You show me a Christian who finds it burdensome to attend or one who has fallen away altogether, I will show you a person who has forgotten that his sins were forgiven and is living life extremely short-sighted.
Temperance
Love
Virtue
Godliness

17. NO & IF Do you have an excuse for God?
Realize, if you understand this sermon, you have no excuse. There is no excuse for not being a Christian when you have been told how to become one. There is no excuse to not grow when you see what is needed to grow.
Do you believe in that Jesus is the Son of God? IF yes, why do you wait?
Have you confessed His sweet name? IF you haven’t, why not do it now?
If you lost in your sins and have fallen away, why not come back to God?
If you are subject in any way, please come now while we stand and sing.