James 3
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Intro and Tension
Intro and Tension
Series: Beautifully crafted punch in the gut - For those that want to follow Jesus.
James - week 1 - who is james | W2= Triumphant in a trial. W3: Faith and Works
Today - James 3 - Starting to peice together this story - Can Proof Text, but Hopefully learning = Letter about bigger picture.
We are trying as Christ Followers (hopefully) to go from Here > God’s Will.
Avoid going from Here > World’s Will.
Today - the tongue | James 3 through to 4 - but before we do that - I want to start with end in mind.
Going to find today - Taming Tongue is not really answer | deepr than that - if you want to get from here - to here.
Let’s start with a decision:
Does your heart desire God’s Will?
Do you want to go with others?
Are you willing to let the HS convict you today?
Start with that -pretty good Goal.
To get to these goals - Have to go through a few layers.
with that - pray
So as we unpack - Let’s keep the above in mind.
*pray*
Title: How to heal your heart
**BC** - Poker - Beat this guy - He said “Do you think you’re pretty good huh?” - “We’ll it’s clear that i’m better than you” -
8 Words - 8 Words can terminate relationship | Your job etc - James is saying that our words shape future.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
Starts with Adressing Teachers | Not just teachers
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
Anyone that mis-represents God | Moses = Got angry - God is like - You Mis-represented me - It’s serious - If going to use Tongue as mouthpiece for God - it’s serious.
And then James uses 3 illustrations to show us how powerful tongue is - One is a rudder of a boat.
Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
1st thing learning = Tongue = Tiny, Effect = Titanic- Power to give direction to you’re entire life. (God’s Will, World’s Will).
3rd illustration starts to include body.
James 3:5 (ESV)
... How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Revisit Outcomes Today
Do you want to go over there | With Others? Tongue has the power for both.
So our first layer - The Tongue produces an outcome which can effect everything.
but it’s deeper than “stop talking”
If we said “Change the icing” - The cake would taste same in middle.
2nd thing that flows out of text - next layer
What comes out of the mouth, is an overflow of the heart.
Let’s See;
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?
James saying = Salt water can’t come from Fresh Water Spring | So words have power to direct and destroy - and those words come from heart.
So our Cake;
Outcome = Tongue
Source = Heart
3rd thing James does is let us know the issues of the heart - this gonna be powerful - Next layer
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
Outcome = Tongue
Source = Heart
Heart Issue = Bitter Jealousy | Selfish Ambition = Pride.
So all good news so far - Some more good news;
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
Well that’s great Mat - I’m done.
Summarise: Tongue can shape future | Heart issue | Jealousy and ambition | Can’t tame it
That’s right - Starting Point - Submission to Jesus.
Confessing that you can’t change you while admitting that God Can change you, is ALWAYS the starting point for transformation.
If going to see change today = Can’t be in own strength = Submission to HS.
Ok - We have outcomes (God’s Will) | Cake (Layers - we’ve got to the heart) | Let’s unpack a bit.
Let’s look at heart issue and how it manifests practically.
Tearing people down | Sprinkler information | Nay Sayers | Toppers = All heart issue
and James is saying, this sort of issues stem from, bitter jealousy, selfish ambition.
Today = opportunity for healing of the heart.
This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
Wow.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
It works itself out | Greek here: It’s spreading, cancerous - Sitting there for too long - Works it’s way into everything.
Enemy works through this - their bitter jealousy and selfish ambition - Look - Disorder and every vile Practice
Disorder, read out definitions (Greek); Disburbance, Unstable, Can not stand, Disorder, Confusion, out of control, Up for grabs = Generates more instability - this is how the enemy works.
James is getting up our grill today.
What happenes with this unchecked bitter jealousy and selfish ambition - Look at James 4:1
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
Your passions | desires - Your selfish ambition - Bitter jealousy. If we are going to get from Here - God’s will - We have to understand what is pulling us to world’s will - It’s our selfish ambitions.
House gotta be bigger | Go to Uni and make that money = we train our kids, “gotta get a good job, make sure your setup” - Selfish | Perfect Family | Kids gotta be perfect | We do it in our Christian walk - Struggles, nah - power of Jesus baby - We have an ambition
Bought car - Screen - Replaced Fuse - Didn’t work - Had to dig deeper - got the manual out - opened everything - found rat’s nest | It had got into everything.
Question: Where’s your rat’s nest?
Message today is not “Shut your mouth” Message today is “Jesus wants to heal something in your heart”
What comes out of mouth = has a source - Heart - When we say not pleasent things that takes us off course = bitter jealousy and selfish ambition = It’s our rat’s nest.
Good news = God is giving us a solution today.
The solution is not to zip our lips - it’s to bend our knees.
What saved you? Jesus’ complete submission on the Cross. What heals you today? Complete Submission to Jesus.
We gotta get back to humility | James gives us right hook to get us there.
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
why adulturous?
He’s asking: Is God good enough for you? Looks like - You meant to be bride of Christ - but still married to world.
Playing by Worlds Rules | Still banking on that Super
Before we say “I gotta learn to shut my mouth” we gotta say “Is God good enough for me?”
If he is - It will lead you to have an attitude, of submission, humility.
Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that He Might Exalt you - then you’ll know - I’m good down here - don’t need to be jealous.
God’s gonna get me up, when he wants me to get up - I know King of Kings, so I feel ok about me and God takes us by the hand and says;
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
There’s grace for you - Hard to get down here - There’s grace for you.
What do we do? Because process.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Drunk changes us - HS changes us.
Pray to be filled with HS and have courage to submit.
2. Build others up
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Nothing puts a knife in bitter envy like building others up - Especially in public.
3. Seek to say less and not more
Too many scriptural references
When I was in recruitment
“Maturity is realising how many things don’t require your comment”
Earthly wisdom “Can not happen if I don’t comment on it”
Last thing.
4. Get over yourself and Get under God
One issue is if we aren’t tearing someone else down - We tear ourselves down - And i’m not telling you to build yourslef up - Im telling you to build God up - It’s not about you.
“I don’t know how I’m gonna come through this - but I know you are God of the breakthrough”
“This is a mighty storm, but my God is mightier”
“My God is huge”
“Today, I’m taking back the Purpose God placed me here for”
And you don’t have to do it alone Church - We in this together.
Stop replacing the fuse - Let’s get to the rat’s nest, let’s pull it out - Let’s together, step into God’s Will and encourage each other in the Lord and let’s together - Bend our knees, in submission, to the King and take back your destiny.
