Keep sharing good news without ads.
No description available
Jesus said in John 8 47 whoever is of God hears the words of God The reason why we don't hear the
Word of God is because we are not of God It is by his spirit within us that helps us to understand his words when we understand the tax
You're listening to when we understand the text committed to sound teaching of the Word of God For questions and comments email when we understand the text at gmail .com
and don't forget our website WWW .com here's our host pastor
Gabe. Thank you Becky and greetings everybody We're in James chapter 3 again today verses 1 through 12 open up your
Bible and join with me there James chapter 3 Verses 1 through 12 yesterday.
We only got as far as verse 1, but we'll we'll get a little bit further than that again today Let's begin reading there.
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 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 and 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 are 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 So we come back to verse 1 which was primarily where we spent our time yesterday and looked at some other
Scriptures in correlation with it James chapter 3 beginning in verse 1 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 to bridle his whole body. In other words. Nobody can speak perfectly. We can't do it
Nobody can perfectly speak the Word of God either Which is why praise
God he's given us his word that we have that we can follow and it is that that we are to Preach not our own thoughts and ideas and ascribe them to God but rather taking
God's thoughts and ascribing them on to our minds and then what we speak comes from his word and not ours and so if we are
Guided by the Word of God It's like having a bit in our mouth like you would put a bit into the mouth of a horse
If we put bids into the mouths of horses so that they obey us We guide their whole bodies as well
And so if the Word of God is guiding us our whole bodies are guided by it the
Apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 12 verse 1 to To present ourselves as holy and pleasing sacrifices unto the
Lord This is our spiritual act of worship in view of God's mercy present your bodies as a living sacrifice
That's what he says there in Romans 12 1 and so our bodies are able to be offered to the
Lord as living Sacrifices if our mind our thoughts our words are being guided by his word
So it's like a bit in our mouths that guides us when we fill ourselves up with the
Word of God This is what David meant when he said your word Oh Lord is a light unto my feet and a lamp and to my path think
I got that backwards thy word is a Lamp and to my feet and a light unto my path there we go and so it is our very step every single step being guided by God his word directing our steps
Look at the ships also James says another illustration that he uses here 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 So once again, our tongues are either being guided by the pilot
Which is God or it's just kind of flapping with the with the with the winds that are tossing the boat to and fro
We have that that metaphor of every shifting wind of doctrine that Paul talks about in Ephesians chapter 4 and so we are being tossed to and fro by the winds and that rudder not being guided by anything, but it's just Helping to shift the boat in every which direction if it's not the pilot that is at the helm and is directing us
As we go as we are being guided on the seas So the tongue also is a small member is that rudder being guided by the pilot who is
God Or is it just flapping uncontrollably? All right, and that that would be the case with us if we are not being guided by the
Word of God It's just it's like a flapping rudder and the boats really not going anywhere at all being tossed to and fro in the wind
Now there was a passage of scripture that I didn't read yesterday when it came to this warning about false teachers when it came to Those who misuse the
Word of God and led people astray There's one that I wanted to throw in there and just forgot to use it 2nd
Peter chapter 3 verse 14 Peter says Therefore beloved since you are waiting for these
Be diligent to be found in him without spot or blemish and at peace in other words while we are waiting for the return of Christ let us continue to live in holiness so that when he comes we will be faithful servants
He'll find us as faithful servants serving until the day he arrives verse 15 and count the patience of our
Lord as salvation just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him as He does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters
There are some things in them that are hard to understand which the ignorant and unstable
Twist to their own destruction as they do the other scriptures You therefore beloved knowing this beforehand take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability
So it is God that keeps us Stable and steady on the course that we are on and our tongues are guided by his
Word instead of worldly thoughts So let us fill our minds up with the
Word of God having our very hearts changed by God's Word James goes on once again in James chapter 3 how great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire
It takes takes one little match you know a flame on the end of that match that's smaller than a flame you would have on a candle and That one little flame can set an entire forest ablaze and the tongue is like that The words that we speak when we speak destructive words instead of words that are meant to encourage one another and build one another up Ephesians 429 that we are supposed to build one another up with our words instead of tear each other down and If instead we speak things that are dishonoring to God and dishonoring to the people that we talk to It's it's the equivalent of a small flame that sets an entire forest on fire
The tongue is that kind of 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
Our entire bodies are corrupt everything about ourselves When when we consider the words that we speak as Jesus said it is by our words that we will be
Justified and it is by our words that we will be condemned In other words We will be able to verify by the words that we say
People will be able to know by the way that we speak whether we are from God or whether we are from the devil
There's only one of two masters that you can serve. It's either God or Satan Those are your options those who are of God will speak the words of God those who are of the devil will speak lies
They speak satanic words as it says in John chapter 8 Jesus said if God were your father you would love me for I came from God and I am here
I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what
I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father's desires
He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth Because there is no truth in him when he lies he speaks out of his own character
For he is a liar and the father of lies But because I tell the truth you do not believe me
Which one of you convicts me of sin if I tell the truth? Why do you not believe me whoever is of God?
Here's the words of God the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God Plain and simple
You know when it comes to trying to figure out why there are people who don't believe there's there's all of these debates that are
Going on right now about how do we reach young Millennials? Well, the answer to that is very simple same way that we've been reaching people for the last 2 ,000 years with the gospel of Jesus Christ That is how a person is brought from death to life period there is no other way
Romans 10 17 faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ and even
James has said to us here in James chapter 1 That every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the father of lights
With whom there is no variation or shadow due to change of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth
That is how a person comes to faith by the word of God And so there's still again like I said these arguments and these debates on how do we reach the post
Christian? How do we reach the nuns those that that have no religious religious affiliation?
How do we reach the laws the agnostics atheists same way you reach anybody with the gospel of Christ yet?
We go on debating about these Methods and all of this other kind of stuff the reason why a person doesn't believe is because you're not following this method
No folks We have it from the very words of Christ right here The reason why a person doesn't believe in the
Word of God is because they are not from God They're of the devil not of God Whoever is of God.
Here's the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God when
Jesus says to repent and believe These are commands. They're not suggestions
You know, I recommend that you repent of your sins and you believe in me in order to be saved.
That's my recommendation No, Jesus is commanding that we turn from our sin and we believe on his name
Repent and believe our commands those who are his sheep will hear them and follow them
Those who are not his sheep won't Now we don't know who the elect are only
God knows who the elect are But we have been charged by God to take his word to the world
So that his sheep would hear his voice and would turn from their worldliness and follow him that is our job to do that and so we take the word to the world telling them to turn from sin and follow
Christ and Those who are of the elect of God will hear the word. They will repent of their sin and they will follow
Christ and Then the authenticness the authenticity.
I think I did that yesterday Saying making up words authenticness the authenticity of the faith that they have in Christ will be shown in that they live in it
They grow in it that there is sanctification Happening in their lives.
They're maturing in matters of faith and holiness and righteousness Verifying that the justification that they claim that they have in Christ is true.
It's legit, man and So we need to take the gospel to the world because it is only that gospel that will turn a person from worldliness
Into the kingdom of God. They will they will go from being a citizen of the world a fallen citizen of this world
Into being a born -again Citizen of the kingdom of God and it is only by the
Word of God that that happens there is no other way a person turns from their sin and comes to the truth and the righteousness of Jesus Christ and so we need to take this message and Those of us who are in Christ as we talked about early this week on Monday We need to show even by our speech that we are members of that kingdom that we are not of the devil
But we are of God if we're of the devil will speak lies like the devil did if we are of God then we will speak
The truth because God is truth and the truth is in him And so we must declare the truth with our words
Showing even by our words that we have been changed and transformed in Christ for the tongue
Especially the worldly tongue one that is being guided by the devil having been ensnared by him is a fire set on fire by hell as it says in James 3 6
For every kind of beast and bird and 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 our words are poisonous if our mind our hearts thoughts our
Tongues have not been transformed by Christ With such a tongue 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 When we curse a person we are cursing somebody that was made in the image of God We blaspheme the very image of God when we curse another or speak ill about them
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 that the law says do not murder but if you even have hate in your heart for a brother then you have committed murder against him in your heart if you have even called him names you are guilty of the hell of fire and The reason for that is because we have cursed someone that was made in the image of God and therefore have cursed
God himself and This is the way things ought not to be this is this is hypocrisy
It's the very hypocrisy that people live by that they would that they would even Speak the praise of God in any way shape or form, but then would curse somebody else that's made in the image of God They are a hypocrite
Because they blaspheme the very image 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 at fresh water and this is just like what Jesus said a good tree will bear good fruit a bad tree bears bad fruit a
Bad tree cannot bear good fruit. It is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire So if we are in Christ, we will show with our words that we have been transformed in Christ We are bearing fruit giving honor to God with our words.
We are not only giving him praise, but we are also Encouraging and growing up the members of the body of Christ the the brothers and sisters that we have in Christ Jesus by the words that we say not praising
God and cursing our brothers and sisters But encouraging them and building them up praising them also
As we desire to be matured in Christ Jesus growing together into the head who is
Christ Let's conclude with prayer our great God as we've read these things here I pray that we continue to be convicted in the ways that we submit our tongues before you
That even by the words that we say we are Giving glory to you
That we are showing that we are citizens of the kingdom of God in the words that we say
That we are of God and not of the devil the reason why we love the
Word of God and Speak the Word of God is because we are of God Our our father is
God not the devil because whoever's father is the devil Speaks lies
Speaks out of his own character for the devil is a liar and the father of lies
May we also alert people who are who are citizens of the kingdom of God who claim to be in Christ Jesus May we alert them to the liars that they would not be led astray by them
But we seek the truth of God's Word We hear it and we understand it because we've been transformed by Christ and we have his spirit that helps us understand spiritual things
We praise you God for this ability to read your word and understand it
In the name of Christ. Amen You've been listening to when we understand the text with Pastor Gabe Hughes We hope you are a part of a church family committed to gospel teaching and we thank you for including us in your
Bible learning If you would consider a gift to this ministry, please visit www .tt
.com and click on the give tab in the top right corner of the page You have online or send a check in the mail