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(TEXT SLIDE #1) Today we are going to continue with our verse by verse Bible study series through the book of James.
And this short letter that James wrote to the church is FULL of PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS on how to live the Abundant Christian life.
But today, we are going to study the MOST CONVICTING PART of this amazing epistle… DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS?
Slide
Let me show you a couple of PHOTOS up on our Video screens that are going to help you guess what convicting topic the Bible is going to teach us about today!
(RUN THROUGH INTRO SLIDES #1-4)
Look at that picture!
(INTRO SLIDE #2)
From that photo can you guess what our topic is today?
(INTRO SLIDE #3)
What stands out in THAT PICTURE ??? (INTRO SLIDE #4)
IS THAT A CLEAR ENOUGH HINT FOR YOU??? (INTRO SLIDE #5)
NOW READ
YES, today the Bible is going to be teaching us about our tongues!
But even more than the tongue, the focus of these scriptures is ON
SLIDE
THE WORDS THAT WE SPEAK!
We are going to learn about the importance of using our words FOR GOOD and NOT FOR EVIL!
And that reminds me of the story of the husband that was trying to learn to say POSITIVE THINGS to his wife.
One morning his wife woke up, looked at herself in the mirror, and she DID NOT like what she saw.
So the wife told her husband, “hunny… look at me, my hair is all wiry and frazzled and my skin is all wrinkly”
“ my eyes are bloodshot,, my body is sagging everywhere, and I’m a mess!”
So she finally turned to her husband in tears and told him…“Hunny… please look at me and tell me something encouraging!”
Her husband looked at her for a minute and then he finally said…
“Well… there’s definitely nothing wrong with your eyesight!”
This morning as we begin James chapter 3, the Bible is going to teach us in our
Message title today is:
(TITLE SLIDE #1)
CORRECT USE of our tongues and our words.
And you can see our Bible text and the title of our sermon up on our video screens.
And all of us need to hear this word today, because at different times in our lives, the words that we have spoken have gotten us into trouble and even hurt the people around us!
So let’s get started and please open up your Bibles with us to the book of James Chapter 3.
And we will begin by reading verses 1 and 2.
Slide
My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
2 For we all stumble in many things.
If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a [a]perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
So the author, Jesus’ brother James, begins this section on the tongue by giving us a warning about the words that we speak.
Listen again to this warning in verse 1… Verse 1 let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment
This is a warning to those that teach the Bible.
And what the Bible is saying here is that TEACHERS OF THE BIBLE are going to be judged more strictly because of the important content that they talk about, so they need to be especially careful with their words.
I sure hope that God isn’t going to judge me on all my joking that I do each day, if he does I am in trouble for sure!
What James IS SAYING is that people that share God’s word need to take that responsibility and what they talk about seriously.
Let’s listen to a couple of other warnings where the Bible teaches us about this and similar topics.
Slide
We read this in…
(SLIDE)
Proverbs 10:19 - In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.
Jesus gave this warning over in…
(SLIDE)
Matthew 12:36 - “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”
-Jesus-
Next up, here in verse 2, James brings up our words as he says…
Slide
2 For we all stumble in many things.
If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
This word perfect that James uses here can be better translated means mature Believer
And what that means is that the words that we speak are a good measure to show us our TRUE LEVEL OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY!
If you can control your tongue, you are on your way to becoming a MATURE BELIEVER!
But here is the problem, our little tongues are hard to control aren’t they!
One Pastor put it this way, “it takes two years to learn how to talk, but then it takes sixty years to learn how to be quiet.”
So how can we as Christians control our tongues?
James is going to get to that in a minute, but first, James has a few more important warnings for us about our tongues and the words that we speak.
And we will see that as we continue on by reading verses 3 and 4 together.
(SLIDE)
3-4- Slide
3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.
4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.
In these verses, James gives us two analogies or examples to show us how our tongues have the power to control our lives and behaviors.
First, in verse 3 James brings up the example of A HORSE.
A large horse can be controlled by a little metal bit placed in it’s mouth… as long as the rider knows what they are doing.
In verse 4, James reminds us that a giant ship can be controlled and steered by a very small rudder that can control the movement of the large ship.
Our tongues work the exact same way because even though our tongues are small, they hold A LOT OF POWER.
Decisions and character and even destinies are often forged and constructed through our tongues, through our words.
Now what do a horse, a ship and our tongues have in common?
Here is what they have in common, all of them function correctly ONLY WHEN they are controlled correctly.
A horse needs a rider to lead it, a ship needs a pilot to control it, and in the same way, our tongues need a master to control it.
One more lesson here that I don’t want you to miss.
And that lesson is that our tongue, or more importantly, the words that we speak WILL STEER the direction of our life.
Whether we like it or not, the words that we speak are going to be the main influencing factor of what the people around us think about us!
So let me ask you a question… when evil comes out of your mouth… WHOSE FAULT IS IT?
I have found that when people speak sinfully, they almost always have an excuse about why they did it!
Usually, they try and blame someone else THAT MADE THEM SO MAD!
Maybe it was their spouse, or their children, or their neighbors, or their co-workers… or even THEIR PASTOR that forced them to speak evil!
But let me let you in on a little secret, NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE can control your tongue, ONLY YOU CAN.
That also means that when our speech is marked by sin, the only one to blame is us!
Now before we move on there is one thing that I need to clarify… and that is that our tongues actually aren’t the problem… Tongues are good!
I like my tongue because it is helpful to me, especially when I am eating my favorite food… ICE CREAM
But if our tongue isn’t the problem, and other people aren’t the problem… then WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Our sinful words actually reveal that we have A HEART PROBLEM!
Jesus made this very clear, and listen to what Jesus had to say about this truth over in… Luke 6:45 (SLIDE)-
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.
For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
So if we want to start controlling our tongues, we need to be working on
our heart condition!
Let’s continue on by reading verses 5 to 8 together.
(SLIDE)
SLIDE5-8-
James 3:5-8 “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
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