The Meanest and Kindest Member of HABC

James 1:19 KJV 1900

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

James 1:26 KJV 1900

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

The meanest and kindest member of HABC Is the tongue .

Is the tongue

The Sermon will focus on three uses for the tongue.

I Would anyone care to look around and say who you think it is ? But there is always someone that would go ahead and say who they think it was and the rest of the sermon would be difficult for them.

James has explained to us two characteristics of the mature Christian: he is patient in trouble () and he practices the truth (). In this section, he shares the third characteristic of the mature believer: he has power over his tongue.

The Christians that James wrote to were apparently having serious problems with their tongues. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

We must speak and act as though we were already facing Christ in judgment

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

They must have had some interesting meetings!

The power of speech is one of the greatest powers God has given us. With the tongue, man can praise God, pray, preach the Word, and lead the lost to Christ. What a privilege!

But with that same tongue he can tell lies that could ruin a man’s reputation or break a person’s heart. The ability to speak words is the ability to influence others and accomplish tremendous tasks; and yet we take this ability for granted.

In order to impress on us the importance of controlled speech, and the great consequences of our words, James gave us six pictures of the tongue: the bit, the rudder, fire, a poisonous animal, a fountain, and a fig tree. You can put these six pictures into three meaningful classifications that reveal the three powers of the tongue.

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

There seemed to be a lot of people among them that wanted to be leaders and desired positions of leadership

So He said be not many masters

In other words do not desire the prestige that comes along with it

You are not to be in that position for prestige and position but for service

I think Jesus said it this way

Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

Put next to that accountability

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Than he goes on to say

For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

HE is saying this tongue you have can be a gauge of weather you are ready for leadership

He does not shut them down and say leadership is not for you but he says this is an area you need to mature in first

Paul said it this way

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

You want to be a ruler you want to be a teacher good

Get this right

I tell someone the best way to prepare for marriage is to become the kind of person that The Lord would be proud to give one of his daughters to.

THe best way to prepare for leadership James is saying is learn the right use of the tongue

The tongue is powerful

The person who is able to discipline his tongue gives evidence that he can control his whole body. He proves that he is a mature (perfect) man.

It has power to direct

If we are going to ever mature as christians we have to understand this power and use it appropriately.

The Bit

Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

When I was a kid we would break horses and before we ever got on their back we had to get them to get a bit and bridle on.

Because without that bit in there you could not direct the horse. It takes submission to accept the bit.

It was not something you could see it was out of site but it communicated to the horse what you expected from him. THe bit communicates the masters desire

It said we put that bit in there because with that in there the will obey us.

Even though it is a little old bit we can turn around a big horse

Go , stop, speed up, slow down,

Remember old race horse named thunder used to be on kentucky derby and amish people had him hitched him to buggy if you let them reigns slack he would go very fast he was not a ploder like the old plow horses. That fast powerful horse whose neck was clothed in thunder I can still feel the muscles of the horse and the eagerness of him to go through that bit. One of the greatest experiences I ever had was driving that horse.

But the only way you control all that power was through the bit

And it hurts at times it is sharp it is not always kind.

Those powerful Percherons hooked four of them up to some plows used them to pull logs out of the hills and hollers seen them used to move house down the road. All that power controlled by a bit.

That is how your tongue is in leadership.

We all leading someone

A preacher can direct a congregation with his voice

There is a lot of power in a congregation that has a pastor that uses his tongue in the right way.

He can direct fathers that direct familieys

You can guide the new christian direct him or her into fruitful service

There is a lot of power in your touge of friendship and influence

You can plow deep in the world of sin and plant the seeds of the gospel

You can direct a family dad

There is a lot of power in that family of yours

You can direct a son dad

There is a lot of power in that son of yours

You can direct a daughter dad

Oh the power of a woman right with God and you can direct her.

BE not many masters are you using your tongue to direct ?

Something you can't see out of site

The Rudder

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

Is James making a mistake by connecting sins of the tongue with sins committed by “the whole body”? No, because words usually lead to deeds. During World War II we were accustomed to seeing posters that read LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS! But loose lips also wreck lives

That little rudder can control that huge ship and guide it were ever he wants

A ship is not great if it cannot be guided

A ship is not valuable if it is not guided

A ship is not safe if it is not guided

Been on a boat before uses the moater as the rudder when motor goes dead there is no control.

The only way that rudder saves the ship in the storm is it guides it into the oncoming waves it guides it into the wind and does not let the forces of nature take over it guides the ship to do what is contrary to every thing that would be natural to do.

A ship without a rudder is left to the mercy of the sea

You can save a life or you can wreck a life

You wreck it when you do not use it to help the ship overcome the forces of nature.

Listen like that ship there are people in your life that can be great if they are not left to the mercy of the sea

All they need is a rudder to guide them and that is what your tongue is to be used for.

The waves are coming and blowing water into the ship and it is scary and they do not know what to do

They need someone with a steady hand that knows the sea and knows what the waves are going to do that has been through a few storms to take the rudder and say it will be ok this will not last forever.

I see such potential in you guys james is saying but first you must use your voice as a rudder your tongue let it guide those around you.

Never underestimate the guidance you give by the words you speak or do not speak. Jesus spoke to a woman at a well, and her life and the lives of her neighbors experienced a miraculous change (). Peter preached at Pentecost and 3,000 souls came to salvation through faith in Christ ().

Pro_25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

On April 21, 1855, Edward Kimball went into a Boston shoe store and led young Dwight L. Moody to Christ. The result: one of history’s greatest evangelists, a man whose ministry still continues. The tongue has the power to direct others to the right choices.

And, what is James saying? James is saying a word—just a small word, just a bit of a word—can control sometimes the destiny of a man.

One time a preacher was preaching in a congregation. After the congregation, a young man came up to him and said, “Sir, I want to thank you for leading me to Jesus Christ.” The minister looked at the man and did not recognize him and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember when. Would you tell me about it?” He said, “I wouldn’t expect you to remember but,” he said, “years ago you were standing on a street corner talking to a friend of yours, who happened to be a friend of mine also, and I came up and the three of us were engaged in conversation, and you turned to me, and you didn’t know me, but you asked me, ‘Young man, are you a Christian?’ And, I said, ‘No, I’m not.’ ” “And,” he said, “you looked at me and said, ‘That’s such a shame. You’re such a fine looking young man to be lost and to be going to Hell.’ And, that’s all you said to me. “But,” he said, “Sir, that was many years ago, and I have never been able to get that statement out of my heart, and out of my mind, and it was etched upon my soul; it thundered in my heart until I received the Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.”

Power to Destroy: ()

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

James said not only does the tongue have power to direct but oh my brethren it has power to destroy

Pro18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

You have been using your tongue for destructive purposes

Ou have not been conscience of the damage you can do with your tongue

Think of the apostle Paul and the silver tongue that God has given this man. Think of the lives that have been blessed and brought to Jesus. Think of multitudes that have been swayed, Pauls tongue was so powerful.

And, then think of Adolf Hitler. Think of Adolf Hitler and his rantings and his ravings, and demonical, and maniacal speeches, as he would whip the people of Germany into a frenzy. Think of the power of the tongue, the tongue

As it spreads, fire destroys; and the words we speak have the power to destroy. For every word in Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, 125 lives were lost in World War II. Our own words may not have caused wars or wrecked cities, but they can break hearts and ruin reputations. They can also destroy souls by sending them into eternity without Christ

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 360). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Roe v wade you can hear the original voices on youtube them speaking their tongues destroyed 46 million americans

The Fire

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Little child used to go burn trash in the back yard went out there put in barrel went back inside pretty soon go outside shed is on fire fire is in the treas spreading tried to put it out more I tried worse it got called fire department forestry went got a bulldozer hundred people from community showed up to stop the blaze killed giant oak trees hundred years old just a little match.

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

You ever talk about something and feel dirty

Talk about someone feel bad

Say something and even as the words go out you say uh oh not good

Pronography fella and zeke telling him

It defies everything only other thing does that is your eyes.

Because of what comes out it shows what is in your heart

Eyes do to but in a different way.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Fire huisache years ago back in the sixties still smell the smoke when we tore that part down in 2015

The fire touched every tree if you go back there now I can show you on some of those trees the evidences of fire they were forever defiled by the fire

(Ill. I remember reading of a woman who was guilty of gossiping about her pastor. She was convicted and went to him to apologize to him and to try and make restitution for her wrongdoing. The pastor graciously accepted her apology and then told her that if she wanted to make it all right again, that she should take a chicken, kill it, pluck it, carry its feathers to the top of the highest building in town and cast its feathers to the four winds. When this was done she was to return to the Pastor. She carried out his directive and returned to him. He looked at her and said, “Now go and collect every one of those feathers.” She replied, in horror, “That is impossible!” He said, “So, it is impossible or you to take back all those things you have said about me.”)

The Animal

The tongue is a fire. Morgan Blake, who was a sportswriter for the Atlanta Journal said this: “I am more deadly than the screaming shell from the Howitzer. I win without killing. I tear down homes, break hearts and wreck lives. I travel on the wings of the wind. No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity is strong enough to daunt me. I have no regard for truth, no respect for justice, no mercy for the defenseless. My victims are as numerous as the sands of the sea, and often as innocent. I never forget and seldom forgive. My name is gossip.”

The Animal

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Went to houston zoo saw them holding a snake if you like snakes there is something wrong with you

We saw chimpanzees

Here is a pic of me and one

I saw a killer whale be tamed before

But the tongue it takes more than you to tame it

I saw a killer whale be tamed before

But the tongue it takes more than you to tame it

Guy dog licked him and he had to get legs and arms amputated

Slowly spread secretly

Guy dog licked him and he had to get legs and arms amputated

Slowly spread secretly

Some animals are poisonous, and some tongues spread poison. The deceptive thing about poison is that it works secretly and slowly, and then kills. How many times has some malicious person injected a bit of poison into the conversation, hoping it would spread and finally get to the person he or she wanted to hurt? As a pastor, I have seen poisonous tongues do great damage to individuals, families, classes, and entire churches. Would you turn hungry lions or angry snakes loose in your Sunday morning service? Of course not! But unruly tongues accomplish the same results.

Destruction

Some animals are poisonous, and some tongues spread poison. The deceptive thing about poison is that it works secretly and slowly, and then kills. How many times has some malicious person injected a bit of poison into the conversation, hoping it would spread and finally get to the person he or she wanted to hurt? As a pastor, I have seen poisonous tongues do great damage to individuals, families, classes, and entire churches. Would you turn hungry lions or angry snakes loose in your Sunday morning service? Of course not! But unruly tongues accomplish the same results.

Destruction

Jack wood got a knofe stcuk church wall cut open pew preacher what you doing doing more damage with your tounge

Some you talk about the preacher I know this talk about preachers wife she said this

Talk about people say things on the sly sneak it in

If some one is going to think bad about some one else let it be that person that does it to themself

The Lord hates those that sow discord among the preathren

down, Galatians chapter 5, verse 15. Paul said this, “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another” (). Isn’t that a strange thing to write to Christians? “If you bite and devour one another.” Christian cannibalism—consuming one another like animals, ferocious animals that are biting and destroying. Some people have had terror struck in their hearts by a movie called Jaws. I suggest something more dangerous is a church member that I call “Monster Mouth.” Like a wild beast, the meanest member in the church.

If someone is going to think bad about someone else let it be that person that does it to themself

It defiles

James reminds us that animals can be tamed; and, for that matter, fire can be tamed. When you tame an animal, you get a worker instead of a destroyer. When you control fire, you generate power. The tongue cannot be tamed by man, but it can be tamed by God. Your tongue need not be “set on fire of hell” (). Like the Apostles at Pentecost, it can be set on fire from heaven! If God lights the fire and controls it, then the tongue can be a mighty tool for the winning of the lost and the building up of the church. The important thing, of course, is the heart; for it is “out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaketh” (). If the heart is filled with hatred, Satan will light the fire. But if the heart is filled with love, God will light the fire.

The Lord hates those that sow discord among the brethren

It defiles

James reminds us that animals can be tamed; and, for that matter, fire can be tamed. When you tame an animal, you get a worker instead of a destroyer. When you control fire, you generate power. The tongue cannot be tamed by man, but it can be tamed by God. Your tongue need not be “set on fire of hell” (). Like the Apostles at Pentecost, it can be set on fire from heaven! If God lights the fire and controls it, then the tongue can be a mighty tool for the winning of the lost and the building up of the church. The important thing, of course, is the heart; for it is “out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaketh” (). If the heart is filled with hatred, Satan will light the fire. But if the heart is filled with love, God will light the fire.

Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Fountain

Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

Tree

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Notice the inconsistency of the tongue

It was true in the early church and it is true today

he’s saying this inconsistency is impossible in the natural world, impossible in the physical world.

a spring doesn’t have salt water, and fresh water at the same time. That’s impossible in the physical world.

A tree, if it’s an olive tree is not going to bear figs.

If the water is bitter, the well is bitter.

Should be the same in the psiritual world as well

Come sing hymns and go gopssip about brother

A little girl had crawled up into her father’s lap, and she put her arms around her father’s neck, and she was hugging her father. But, then she looked over and saw her little brother sitting across the room, and remembered the grudge that she had with her little brother, and so at the same time while she was hugging her father she stuck out her tongue at her little brother behind her father’s back. And, she’s hugging her father at the same time. The mother saw it, and it infuriated the mother. And, she walked into the room and she said, “You take your arms from around your daddy’s neck, you cannot love your daddy’s neck and stick out your tongue at your daddy’s son at the same time.”

Well, what should we do about it?

3:2 -3:8 Is that a contradiction in speech?

No, what James is saying the tongue can no man tame.

You can’t tame your tongue. You cannot control your speech any more than I can control mine.

You might as well try to control gunpowder in Hell as try to control your tongue, apart from the aid of the Holy Spirit of God.

What is the answer

Luke 6:45 KJV 1900

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

That’s what James is talking about. What’s in the root of the tree is going to show in the fruit of the tree.

What’s in the well will show in the water.

What is in the well will come out in the pump.

And, James is saying that if we would really control our tongues, we must control our hearts, because, you see, while it is the bit that controls the horse, there’s someone who holds the reins. And, while it is the water that controls the ship, there’s someone who has his hand on the tiller. Is it self or is it the Holy Spirit?

The only way that you can have peace in your home is control your tongue, and the only way you can control your tongue is for you to be born again, for you to be saved. And, not only saved, but filled with the Holy Spirit.

No man can tame the wicked tongue, no man his soul can save—only God—only God can cleanse the heart, and make the tongue behave. That’s true. You can’t make your tongue behave any more than you could save yourself. But, when you give your heart to Jesus, that ol’ tongue of yours, that no man can tame, can be tamed by the blessed, wonderful, Spirit of God. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.

Believe on Christ & Living Water Will Come Out Put Your Root in Christ & Your Fruits will be Sweet The One who has the Heart Controls the Tongue

Put Your Root in Christ & Your Fruits will be Sweet

The One who has the Heart Controls the Tongue

The Meanest and Kindest Member of HABC

Power to Direct: ()

Power to Direct: ()

Power to Destroy: ()

Power to Delight: ()

The Meanest and Kindest Member of HABC

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Power to Direct: ()

Power to Direct: ()

Power to Destroy: ()

Power to Delight: ()