April 26, 2026
God Cares About My Words
- Matt Nickoson
Sermon Notes
Have you ever been taught a painful lesson?
1 Samuel 18:7 NIV
As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
1 Samuel 18:8 NIV
Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”
1 Samuel 18:10-11 NIV
The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.”
What do you do when someone throws a spear at you?
“And in performing this small feat of returning thrown spears, you will prove many things: You are courageous. You stand for the right. You boldly stand against the wrong. You are tough and can’t be pushed around. You will not stand for injustice or unfair treatment. You are the defender of the faith, keeper of the flame, detector of all heresy. You will not be wronged. All of these attributes then combine to prove that you are also a candidate for kingship. Yes, perhaps you are the Lord’s anointed. After the order of King Saul. There is also a possibility that some twenty years after your coronation, you will be the most incredibly skilled spear thrower in all the realm. And also by then . . . Quite mad.” - Gene Edwards, Tale of 3 Kings
James 3:5 NIV
Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
James 3:6 NIV
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
James 3:7-8 NIV
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:9 NIV
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
James 3:10 NIV
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
1 Samuel 24:1 NIV
After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.”
1 Samuel 24:2 NIV
So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
1 Samuel 24:3 NIV
He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.
1 Samuel 24:4 NIV
The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
1 Samuel 24:5 NIV
Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.
1 Samuel 24:6 NIV
He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.”
1 Samuel 24:7 NIV
With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
1 Samuel 24:8 NIV
Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My Lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
1 Samuel 24:15 NIV
“May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.”
1 Samuel 24:16-17 NIV
When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud. “You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.”
Big Idea: The things I say may hurt or heal.
Psalms 19:14 NCV
I hope my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock, the one who saves me.
Our lives are radically shaped by the things we experience and the words we hear. If you must speak… be careful.
Romans 12:10 NIV
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.