Faith Blesses
James: A Faith that Works • Sermon • Submitted
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· 17 viewsTo check your heart, watch your mouth.
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Introduction
Introduction
I always failed at “The Quiet Game”
Our many words:
16,000 / day
365 * 80 *7000 = 204, 400, 000 / lifetime
365 * 80 *16000 = 476, 200, 000 / lifetime
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Some of those words are just pointless. Some words are life-giving. Some words crush us.
James has already spoken about the importance of words:
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
To think that we can simply work on our words but not our heart is a deception.
Why are words so important? Why is it that words can wound us for years? How is it that there can be something someone says to us that can radically alter our life - bring healing?
**To check your heart watch your mouth**
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. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 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. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
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. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 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? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
James 3:1-
Words are powerful.
Words are powerful.
God’s Words are powerful
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 God said . . . 10 God called. . . 11 God said. . . 14 God said . . . 20,
With his words, God both creates and gives identity to his creation.
God spoke to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great.”
Just before this was Tower of Babel where common language had people believe they could accomplish anything - even without God.
God spoke to Moses and gave him the words to speak to Pharoah to free the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt.
Later, God gave Moses his words on tablets of stone - the Law - which showed the Israelites how they were to interact with God and how they would display him to the nations.
He gave his word to the prophets to correct his people, to warn, to encourage his people.
Ultimately, he sent Jesus as THE WORD -
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
john1
The God in whose image we are made, chose to use communication (words) as the fundamental way to create life and relationship.
**Words are not simply sound anymore than wind is simply air**
There is power behind words.
God has chosen words as the method by which he creates, he displays his power, he gives identity and purpose, and ultimately through Jesus, he saves.
We are a communicating people made to communicate.
Our words are powerful
With our words we have the power to bless or to curse.
‘Words’ does not only mean our speech. In today’s world we are able to communicate more in more ways to more people than ever before.
Text
Email
Facebook, Twitter, etc.
This means we have more ways to either build others up or tear them down.
“With its immediacy, anonymity, and potential for bullying, social media has a unique potential for causing real harm, he said.”
There has been a significant rise in teen suicide over the past several years, and many are researching the degree to which social media and cyberbullying have played in those statistics.
“With its immediacy, anonymity, and potential for bullying, social media has a unique potential for causing real harm, he said.”
Our words have power and. . .
Our words have the power to lead. (1-4)
Our words have the power to lead. (1-4)
Statement: (1-2)
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
2 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.
Understand the weightiness of teaching and leading others.
Remember how hard it is to control our tongue.
Teachers / leaders need to be more careful. This is NOT saying that God’s standard for salvation is somehow different for those teach others; rather James is saying that God will hold teachers with greater accountability because of their greater responsibility.
Karl Marx supposedly said, “Give me twenty-six lead soldiers and I will conquer the world”—meaning the twenty-six letters of the alphabet on a printing press.1486
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. (ESV)
Examples: (3-4)
3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 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.
It is amazing what can be controlled by words.
Words can direct people and groups of people the same way that a bit for a horse or a rudder of a ship directs the whole ship.
Almost every major move of history - every move of world powers was moved and motivated by the dynamic words of a few.
Many have seen a control of words as a control of the world.
Karl Marx supposedly said, “Give me twenty-six lead soldiers and I will conquer the world”—meaning the twenty-six letters of the alphabet on a printing press.
ILLUST - Propaganda exhibit at the Holocaust Museum - redefinition of words steered an entire nation.
God’s Word is forever.
God’s Word is accompanied with power.
Karl Marx supposedly said, “Give me twenty-six lead soldiers and I will conquer the world”—meaning the twenty-six letters of the alphabet on a printing press.
Who are the teachers to whom you are listening? What are the voices that you allow to direct you? Fine-sounding speech , popular rhetoric, or a slow redefinition of terms can take your life on a course and direction you never thought possible.
Words matter and have the power to lead -
It’s how you can take an unborn living child, call it a ‘fetus,’ ‘clump of cells,’ ‘a choice’ and kill it or ‘terminate’
It’s how you can systematically exterminate millions of Jews in the most deplorable ways
It’s how you can relegate an entire group of the population with a different shade of skin to the back of the bus or a lower class citizen
Terrorist, Illegal alien - we can never allow it to dehumanize
Here then, is the difference with Christianity.
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Men have used rhetoric to manufacture and wield a false power over the lives of others. Christianity comes without lofty speech but infused with supernatural power that offers freedom and gives life.
On the flip side,
There are people who may not want to be an official leader or teacher, but they sure want their voice heard.
When you speak to others in church or about church, does it lead those who hear and those about whom you speak toward a biblical understanding of the church? - Is the church more unified when you speak? more forgiving? more loving? more peaceful? more God-honoring?
How about your family? When you speak to your spouse or your children does it move your family toward a biblical model of the family? Does your voice in your family steer your family toward Christ?
** Be careful to whom you are listening.
**Ask yourself where your words lead.
Our words have the power to wound. (5-8)
Our words have the power to wound. (5-8)
Statement: (5)
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
ILLUST - ‘Sticks and stones. . .’
How many of us here have been wounded by words?
How many of us have wounded someone else with words?
I can still remember both the wounds I’ve been given as well as the wounds I’ve given with my words.
The things I’ve said that haunt me today
I’m quick and use humor to deflect
I remember the wounds I received that I can feel to this day.
The determination of your words as ‘blessings’ or ‘curses’ has less to do with the words you use and more to do with their effect on the person receiving them.
ILLUST - my words wounded her even though I did not intend to - my words were a curse even though I did not intend them to be.
Examples: (6-8)
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.
6 How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.
ILLUST - Cali wildfire - The County Fire - started with a faulty electric fence.
A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
Notice how James does not compare the tongue to a fire - he says it IS a fire.
How many churches have been set ablaze because of a few words of gossip. How many times has the entire church suffered because a few have passed along groundless suspicions rather than going to the person(s) actually involved.
It’s never ‘gossip’ - it’s a concern, a prayer request, information
A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret,
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
prov 18.
Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret,
prov
For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
prov 2
Prov 16
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.
Satan cannot create with words as God can - he can only twist God’s word in order to destroy.
Using words as weapons is demonic.
Satan cannot create with words as God can - he can only twist God’s word in order to destroy.
God cannot bless a church of unbridled tongues.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
‘Truth in love. . .’ = speaking about or to a person in a way that ultimately wants their success and in a way that preserves the relationship.
If we, as a church, could work on this one thing - in our families, our homes, our church, we would see the spiritual temperature rise in this church.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
The determination of your words as ‘blessings’ or ‘curses’ has less to do with the words you use and more to do with their effect on the person receiving them.
ILLUST - my words wounded her even though I did not intend to - my words were a curse even though I did not intend them to be.
**What are the wounds you have given others? What do you need to do to begin the healing process?
**What are some deep wounds in your life that need to be healed?
Our words have the power to reveal. (9-12)
Our words have the power to reveal. (9-12)
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
Statement: (9-10)
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
Examples: (11-12)
11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. (ESV)
One of them is not natural to it’s source - it’s pretending.
You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
In other words, ‘If you want to know what is in your heart, see what comes out of your mouth, or what is sent in an email, or typed in a text, or is posted to social media, etc.’ Whether you like it or not, your heart will leak out of your mouth.
for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
**Your words are the echo of your heart.
It will show you if your heart is fuss of pride, anger, fear, insecurity, etc.
What’s in your heart? You know. Your words are telling you. Don’t push it away. Don’t justify.
Is it anger? You crush people - you’re not passive-aggressive you’re just aggressive. You know you wound people. You may apologize, but it happens again.
Is it control? So you criticize. You point out the flaws of those in control to weaken their position and move yourself ahead.
Is it pride? You can’t stand to have someone be a better _______ than you. You compare yourself to them. Then you find yourself downplaying their achievements and you passive-aggressively point out their faults.
There may be a season when you can mask your heart with your speech, but eventually, the overflow of your heart will be seen in what you say.
Take a look at what happens when you are stressed. You’re least able to control your tongue when you are most stressed.
ILLUST - stress test - a stress test will reveal the condition of your heart.
I’m reminded of the importance of the gospel and gospel identity.
The gospel promises to change the well from salt water to fresh. Jesus changes our heart. He changes our identity.
I am first a child of God loved by God through Jesus - That’s it. I’m a child of God, Husband, Father, Pastor, Friend. Rest in that.
God is the only One to truly tell me who I am.
If I switch the order and find my identity primarily in anything other than a Child of God then I need to fight to maintain - I will manipulate, become aggressive, tear down, etc.
When your identity is rooted in yourself, you need to point out the weaknesses of everyone else in order to maintain your identity.
When your identity is rooted in someone else, you will push and crush that person if they disappoint (and they will).
When your identity is rooted in Christ - you didn’t earn it, you didn’t maintain it, you can’t lose it. You can rejoice - you can celebrate when someone does well.
Ex.
This is why our words are so important.
If God has exposed you today - laid out your words to you.
They reveal - the condition and wounds of our heart.
Confess and repent.
They appeal - to more than a person’s ears.
Take steps toward healing.
What if we actually did that?
They can wound so deeply or heal so greatly because fundamentally, it is soul communication.
**To check your heart watch your mouth**
The good news is,
Whatever your words are revealing about your heart, there is a way to fix it.
****As we prepare to share in Communion. . .
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus had every right to curse you.
Instead, he offered himself as the Word that brings blessing.