September 15 2013 The Art Of Cursing
/The Art Of Cursing
“The Tongue has the power of life and death.” – Proverbs 18:21
UNDERSTANDING ‘THE CURSE’ BEHIND CURSE WORDS
Hebrew: herem - Greek: anathema
- The serpent was cursed (Genesis 3:14 – 15)
- Cain is cursed (Genesis 4:11)
- Curses are completely under God’s control (1 Kings 8:31 – 32)
- A curse cannot be placed on an innocent person (1 Samuel 14:24; Proverbs 26:2)
- Unfaithfulness is the source of all curses
- Faithfulness to God removes the curse (Deuteronomy 33:8-10)
- The greatest curse is the curse of sin (Romans 9:3; Galatians 3:10,13; Galatians 21:23)
- The cure for the curse of sin is the cross of Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:10,13)
HOW TO TURN CURSING INTO BLESSING
1. BE AWARE OF THE TRUTH ABOUT CURSING
James 3:8-10 “[The tongue] is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth...this is not right!”
2. LEARN TO THINK BEFORE I SPEAK
Proverbs 15:23 ““What a joy it is to find just the right word for the right occasion!”
Memory Verse: Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
3. ENCOURAGE OTHERS WITH MY WORDS
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “So speak encouraging words to one another”
Proverbs 18:8 “The words of a gossiper are as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down to the inner parts of the heart.”
4. SURRENDER MY LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST
Galatians 3:10 - 13 “But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse...Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever be right with God by trying to keepthe law. ...But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
