Latest / Challenges of Faith Radio Program / The Third Watch with Gary & Sara: # 10: Words Matter

Transcript

The Third Watch with Gary & Sara: # 10: Words Matter · Challenges of Faith Radio Program

0:10
Speaker 1: Greetings listeners of Challenges of Faith Radio. This is co
0:14
Speaker 1: host Sarah Jewel with our host Gary McCants for the
0:18
Speaker 1: third Watch series. Once again, Gary and I are here
0:22
Speaker 1: as watches on the tower, looking out on the horizon,
0:26
Speaker 1: not only to keep ourselves alert to what's going on
0:29
Speaker 1: around us, but to alert you as well, so that
0:32
Speaker 1: we'll all take heed for signs that Jesus is coming.
0:37
Speaker 1: We don't know when, but we want to be ready
0:40
Speaker 1: and alert no matter the timeline. And what does that mean.
0:45
Speaker 1: It means it's time for all of us to get
0:48
Speaker 1: right with God, our Father, and that means to be
0:51
Speaker 1: aware of sinful behavior, our sinful behavior that separates us
0:57
Speaker 1: from God. It means taking an honest look at our words,
1:03
Speaker 1: particularly what we say or even don't say. And so
1:08
Speaker 1: we pray to God, our Father, that the Holy Spirit
1:11
Speaker 1: enlighten us in these times of conflicting information and disruption
1:15
Speaker 1: that so easily influences us. We ask that you would
1:19
Speaker 1: help us to keep our eyes on You and not
1:22
Speaker 1: on disruptors. Father. We admit we are easily distracted by
1:26
Speaker 1: the social and economic trials swirling around us. But in
1:30
Speaker 1: these current days, we see you at work and believe
1:34
Speaker 1: that you are giving us another opportunity to come to
1:37
Speaker 1: you and to better understand the direction you want us
1:42
Speaker 1: to go into. We ask that you give us the
1:44
Speaker 1: strength to keep the course toward the narrow gate. Yes,
1:48
Speaker 1: we must enter the narrow gate. So please keep us strong, Father,
1:52
Speaker 1: keep us focused, help us tame our tongues, help us
1:56
Speaker 1: recognize those behaviors that are not of you. And we
2:00
Speaker 1: pray this all in Jesus' name. Listeners, we all know
2:05
Speaker 1: about taking the easy way out. In Matthew chapter twenty four,
2:09
Speaker 1: Jesus warned us of people who will lead us astray,
2:13
Speaker 1: and they will do so on many topics. And what
2:16
Speaker 1: is difficult for us is that some of these people
2:18
Speaker 1: are family, friends, colleagues, and teachers. They believe in their
2:25
Speaker 1: hearts that their particular take on a subject or a
2:27
Speaker 1: situation is correct, while we view it as being against
2:32
Speaker 1: God's directives. Yet at the same time, we might be
2:36
Speaker 1: swayed by their point of view or at least not
2:40
Speaker 1: wanting conflict, we might go along with something we just
2:44
Speaker 1: don't believe in, or we might respond with anger and sarcasm.
2:50
Speaker 1: And here's where we must stop and think, how do
2:53
Speaker 1: we react? What do we say, what's the choice? Is
2:59
Speaker 1: it pleasing people, angering people, or pleasing God. Think of
3:07
Speaker 1: the apostle Paul when he writes in Galatians, chapter one,
3:10
Speaker 1: verse ten, for am I now seeking the approval of
3:15
Speaker 1: Man or of God? Or I am trying to please Man?
3:20
Speaker 1: If I were still trying to please Man, I would
3:23
Speaker 1: not be a servant of Christ. Admittedly, it's sometimes difficult
3:28
Speaker 1: when you're trying to maintain good relations with others, especially
3:32
Speaker 1: family and friends, and if we're not clear on what
3:35
Speaker 1: God wants or expects, it makes it more difficult. But
3:39
Speaker 1: often we know what God would expect of us, and
3:43
Speaker 1: we don't do it. We take the easy way out,
3:47
Speaker 1: less conflict and an easier gait to go through. Here's
3:51
Speaker 1: an example. Many years ago, I was at a gathering
3:55
Speaker 1: with some friends and a couple I didn't know. The
3:58
Speaker 1: host was bringing out different pipes of alcohol for the occasion,
4:02
Speaker 1: and some people took a beer or a wine, but
4:04
Speaker 1: soft drinks were offered to the man I didn't know
4:08
Speaker 1: told the host he'd been sober for about fifteen years.
4:12
Speaker 1: I congratulated him, and I told him I hadn't been
4:15
Speaker 1: drinking myself for several years, and I grabbed a coke
4:19
Speaker 1: because the man was eyeing the wine. The host, who
4:22
Speaker 1: happened to be pouring wine for the man's wife, asked
4:25
Speaker 1: him if he wanted a glass. The man looked at
4:29
Speaker 1: it longingly and started convincing himself. Ah, why not one,
4:35
Speaker 1: he said, I've been thinking about having the occasional glass.
4:38
Speaker 1: Why not? Now the host had the glass ready, holding
4:41
Speaker 1: it up. I was distressed because all it takes is
4:47
Speaker 1: for one drink, and those fifteen years could go down
4:51
Speaker 1: the drain. But I didn't say anything. I didn't want
4:55
Speaker 1: to embarrass him or put the host on the spot,
5:00
Speaker 1: so I just walked away. We left shortly after, so
5:05
Speaker 1: I don't know if he ultimately caved in and had
5:08
Speaker 1: a glass of wine. But you see, listeners, I'm the
5:13
Speaker 1: perfect example of not helping someone who was in need.
5:20
Speaker 1: I didn't speak up. The man was an alcoholic. I
5:24
Speaker 1: should have had the courage to warn him that even
5:28
Speaker 1: one glass wasn't a good idea, but I didn't. I
5:33
Speaker 1: didn't say anything. Now would it have made a difference
5:37
Speaker 1: if I said something. I don't know, but God knows,
5:43
Speaker 1: and at least it would have been an attempt on
5:46
Speaker 1: my part to dissuade the man from drinking and possibly
5:51
Speaker 1: losing nearly fifteen years of sobriety. When I came across
5:57
Speaker 1: Proverbs chapter three, verse twenty seven, it hit me directly,
6:04
Speaker 1: and this is what the scripture reads. Do not withhold
6:07
Speaker 1: good from those to whom it is due when it
6:12
Speaker 1: is in your power to act. I simply didn't act
6:18
Speaker 1: for fear of making for an uncomfortable moment. I was
6:21
Speaker 1: more afraid of saying truth that could be viewed as
6:25
Speaker 1: none of my business or sanctimonious which would have displeased
6:31
Speaker 1: my host, or my words could have been viewed as
6:34
Speaker 1: being critical of a potential new friend, and certainly of
6:38
Speaker 1: a guest. So frankly, I was thinking of myself and
6:44
Speaker 1: not thinking about anyone's overall well being. But more importantly,
6:50
Speaker 1: I wasn't thinking about what God would have me do.
6:56
Speaker 1: In Micah chapter six, verse eight, the prophet rights, he
7:01
Speaker 1: has told you, old man, what is good and what
7:04
Speaker 1: does the Lord require you? But to do justice and
7:07
Speaker 1: to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
7:13
Speaker 1: Looking back, I realize silence is not always the answer.
7:18
Speaker 1: In that situation, I should have viewed going to the
7:22
Speaker 1: man's side the kindness by offering words of wisdom. Now
7:27
Speaker 1: when we speak, it's about caution and about being mindful
7:32
Speaker 1: of what comes out of our mouths. Is it of God?
7:37
Speaker 1: If so, we can more easily follow God's intent for
7:41
Speaker 1: how we interact with people, family, friends, or strangers. The
7:47
Speaker 1: key I believe is being mindful by referring always to
7:52
Speaker 1: God's teachings and his commandments, His word will be the
7:57
Speaker 1: light on our path as we move through uncharted territory.
8:04
Speaker 1: Now you've heard this many times. It's PSA one nineteen,
8:09
Speaker 1: verse one oh five, and it reads, your word is
8:13
Speaker 1: a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
8:19
Speaker 1: So they see it's about not only being alert to
8:21
Speaker 1: God's guidance, but following it, not tripping up by saying
8:26
Speaker 1: something we regret. Words and actions have consequences. How many
8:32
Speaker 1: times have you heard that phrase? And we've all had
8:35
Speaker 1: words that have come out of our mouths that we regret,
8:39
Speaker 1: even though we might apologize for them and the recipient
8:43
Speaker 1: might forgive, Who really forgets? I think few do. And yes,
8:51
Speaker 1: it's also tempting in our disagreement with others to get sarcastic,
8:55
Speaker 1: mean spirited, and righteous whip on boded with that type
9:00
Speaker 1: of talk. Throughout our day, it seems almost normal. All
9:05
Speaker 1: we have to do is scroll through our news feeds
9:07
Speaker 1: of social media. It's loaded with gossip, criticisms, judgments, and
9:14
Speaker 1: even slander and lies, commentators, influencers, and yes, even us
9:21
Speaker 1: regular people. We can get heated and pop off at
9:24
Speaker 1: someone who presents some idea, trend, or political view that
9:30
Speaker 1: we disagree with. It's truly important that we should reach
9:34
Speaker 1: out and pay attention to what's going on. It's important
9:39
Speaker 1: that we should all be watchers on the tower, keeping
9:42
Speaker 1: a lookout for confrontational situations and reach out to those
9:46
Speaker 1: people in a more kind and understanding way, because in
9:51
Speaker 1: identifying potential quarrelsome conditions, it prepares us in how to
9:56
Speaker 1: react to as being one of God's children, not a
10:00
Speaker 1: child of the world, where a sharp retort is often
10:03
Speaker 1: praised for quickness and the sting. Again scroll through social media,
10:10
Speaker 1: people applaud sharp remarks, but make no mistake, God zeeroes
10:16
Speaker 1: in on mean spirited talk. In Matthew chapter fifteen, verse eighteen.
10:24
Speaker 1: Jesus is very clear when he says, but the things
10:28
Speaker 1: that come out of a person's mouth come from the
10:32
Speaker 1: heart and these defile them. Words do emanate from our hearts,
10:39
Speaker 1: often from our untamed emotions. What we say is so critical,
10:45
Speaker 1: and it's true. We must speak truthfully, but at the
10:49
Speaker 1: same time kindly and with care. In the Book of James,
10:55
Speaker 1: Chapter three, verse six, the apostle writes, the tongue also
11:01
Speaker 1: is a fire, a world of evil among the parts
11:06
Speaker 1: of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the
11:10
Speaker 1: whole course of one's life on fire, and it is
11:15
Speaker 1: itself set on fire by hell. And in verse nine,
11:20
Speaker 1: James continues, with the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father,
11:26
Speaker 1: and with it we curse human beings who have been
11:30
Speaker 1: made in God's likeness. And all of us have been
11:34
Speaker 1: on both sides of painful words. I always pray Psal fourteen,
11:40
Speaker 1: verse one, set a guard o Lord over my mouth,
11:45
Speaker 1: keep watch over the door of my lips. Because I
11:48
Speaker 1: am human and fleshly responses rise up. I personally need
11:54
Speaker 1: the strength of the Holy Spirit to shut me down
11:57
Speaker 1: when I get aggravated. And fortunately for us, all of us,
12:02
Speaker 1: there's a lot of scripture warning us about how we speak.
12:08
Speaker 1: We know our words can bring comfort, peace, respect, love.
12:16
Speaker 1: We can make a long list of what our words
12:18
Speaker 1: can bring to people's hearts. But our words can also
12:21
Speaker 1: cause intense grief, even war, ridicule, and hatred. Words have
12:29
Speaker 1: incredible power, power to heal, and power to destroy. In
12:36
Speaker 1: my research for this podcast, I came across too interesting
12:39
Speaker 1: and of course well known people where words change the
12:43
Speaker 1: course of people's lives. The first is Martin Luther King's
12:48
Speaker 1: I Have a Dream speech. One notable line is I
12:52
Speaker 1: have a dream that one day this nation will rise
12:56
Speaker 1: up and live out the true meaning of its creed.
13:00
Speaker 1: We hold these truths to be self evident, that all
13:03
Speaker 1: men are created equal. And here's another speech. You'll all
13:08
Speaker 1: remember the great king nebe Canezza where he boasted, Is
13:12
Speaker 1: this not great Babylon which I have built by my
13:15
Speaker 1: mighty power as a royal residence for the glory of
13:19
Speaker 1: my majesty. You can find that in the Book of Daniel,
13:23
Speaker 1: chapter four, verse thirty. Let's look at the results of
13:27
Speaker 1: these two speeches. In Martin Luther King's speech, he hopes
13:31
Speaker 1: in a nation that all men are equal. Are positive, hopeful,
13:36
Speaker 1: and uplifting speech that includes all people. Now, in this
13:42
Speaker 1: day and age, we are not a perfect nation. But
13:45
Speaker 1: if we have come so far in equality and in fairness.
13:50
Speaker 1: And I'll tell you what God has blessed our nation
13:52
Speaker 1: with hope as we move forward in this new administration
13:58
Speaker 1: of the year twenty twenty five. But in King Nebuconza's
14:02
Speaker 1: speech he brags only about himself, not his people, in
14:07
Speaker 1: certainly not giving God any acknowledgment of his success and blessings. Well,
14:13
Speaker 1: needless to say, God was not pleased. Let me read
14:17
Speaker 1: you from the Book of Daniel, chapter four, verses thirty
14:21
Speaker 1: one through thirty two. This is in response to the
14:27
Speaker 1: king speech. They fell a voice from heaven, o King
14:33
Speaker 1: nebu Canezza to you. It is spoken, the kingdom has
14:37
Speaker 1: departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men,
14:41
Speaker 1: and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field,
14:44
Speaker 1: and yet shall be made to eat grass like an ox.
14:48
Speaker 1: In seven periods of time shall pass over you, until
14:51
Speaker 1: you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of
14:55
Speaker 1: men and gives it to whom he will. So you see, friends,
15:02
Speaker 1: God takes words to his heart, and we are responsible
15:08
Speaker 1: for our own words as much as Martin Luther, King
15:11
Speaker 1: or King Nebukanezza. And here's another observation, how do our
15:18
Speaker 1: words align with our actions. In the Book of First John,
15:25
Speaker 1: Chapter three, verse eighteen, the apostle writes, did children, let
15:31
Speaker 1: us not love with words or tongue, but with actions
15:36
Speaker 1: and in truth. What James is saying here is that
15:41
Speaker 1: people won't believe what someone says unless they live it,
15:45
Speaker 1: unless that person who is speaking those words actually live
15:50
Speaker 1: those words. Now, two things to think about are we
15:56
Speaker 1: living our words? Are we hateful in speech and then
16:00
Speaker 1: act out in hate and arrogance? Or are we loving
16:05
Speaker 1: in speech and consequently behaving in kindness and in humility?
16:12
Speaker 1: Or are we hypocrites? Are we telling people one thing
16:18
Speaker 1: but acting in an entirely different way. Are we taking
16:22
Speaker 1: the path of least resistance like I did, keeping quiet,
16:28
Speaker 1: not standing for anything only with the thought of pleasing people,
16:32
Speaker 1: whether it is against God's will or not. You know,
16:38
Speaker 1: we're living in an environment where we know so much
16:41
Speaker 1: of the world. We are connected and exposed to so
16:45
Speaker 1: many different political, religious, social and economic beliefs, in attitudes,
16:54
Speaker 1: in different levels of power. It's easy to get caught
16:59
Speaker 1: up in The list is a bit of information, Where
17:03
Speaker 1: and when do we take a stand on the side
17:06
Speaker 1: of God? And we don't have to question what the
17:10
Speaker 1: side of God might be. It's all in his word,
17:15
Speaker 1: and our leanings are in our words, our speech. Speech
17:21
Speaker 1: that won't selfishly vindicate ourselves or ridicule or hurt someone,
17:26
Speaker 1: Speech that won't cause us to lie or even lie
17:30
Speaker 1: by omission. Listen, as time is getting short for all
17:36
Speaker 1: of us to concentrate on truths, humility and the word
17:43
Speaker 1: of God will keep us in line with our Lord's teaching.
17:48
Speaker 1: We want to be spiritually prepared for when our time comes,
17:53
Speaker 1: and we don't know when that will be. We might
17:56
Speaker 1: be taken before Jesus comes back. Well, Gary and I
18:01
Speaker 1: are on the tower. We invite you to join us
18:06
Speaker 1: to see up close and on the horizon that words matter.
18:13
Speaker 1: I'll leave you with two scriptures. This is from the
18:17
Speaker 1: Book of James, chapter four, verse eleven. James writes, don't
18:24
Speaker 1: speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If
18:27
Speaker 1: you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing
18:32
Speaker 1: and judging God. And from the Book of Matthew, chapter twelve,
18:38
Speaker 1: verses thirty six to thirty seven, Matthew writes, this is
18:44
Speaker 1: Jesus speaking. I tell you, on the day of judgment,
18:49
Speaker 1: people will give account for every careless word they speak.
18:54
Speaker 1: For by your words, you will be justified. My friends,
19:01
Speaker 1: I encourage you to read the Bible. I encourage you
19:06
Speaker 1: to lean on God's word because that's where we find direction,
19:11
Speaker 1: hope and solutions. So I thank you, my friends, and
19:17
Speaker 1: of course a huge thanks to Gary McCants, who's producer
19:21
Speaker 1: and creator of Challenges of Faith Radio and also as
19:24
Speaker 1: many broadcasts and who is also the host of the
19:28
Speaker 1: Third Watch series. And if you would like to reach out,
19:32
Speaker 1: you can email me at Team of God at earthlink
19:36
Speaker 1: dot net. And so, my friends and listeners, I thank
19:39
Speaker 1: you all, and I thank you Gary, and many many blessings.
19:46
Speaker 2: Thanks as usual, Sarah, great, great, great message, especially about
19:51
Speaker 2: taking a stand and words mattering. And thank you for
19:54
Speaker 2: returning to Challenges of Faith Radio program and lending your
19:58
Speaker 2: powerful voice as my hosts, especially as we prepare for
20:03
Speaker 2: twenty twenty five. Welcome back to Challenges of Faith Radio
20:08
Speaker 2: program the Third Watch. We are discussing how words matter
20:14
Speaker 2: one acknowledge God and you are listeners. There's a little
20:19
Speaker 2: door that everyone can close, and that's the little door
20:22
Speaker 2: just under your nose. Over in James Chapter one, verse
20:29
Speaker 2: twenty six, the word not Geary. If any man among you,
20:34
Speaker 2: woman as well, seem to be religious and write of
20:38
Speaker 2: not his tongue, but to see this his own heart,
20:43
Speaker 2: this man's a woman's religion is vain. If you haven't
20:49
Speaker 2: had a chance to look in the Book of James,
20:51
Speaker 2: you'll find that it causes both believers and non believers
20:58
Speaker 2: to be afraid, and that Sarah was hawking. I made
21:02
Speaker 2: the inventory of my own sojourn of not saying something.
21:07
Speaker 2: You know, we believers dismissed the Epistle of James as
21:11
Speaker 2: being unimportant. Think about it. John is the Gospel of love,
21:16
Speaker 2: and it appeals to our hearts and minds, and Romans
21:19
Speaker 2: and Galatians in electual wives. That presents the great doctrines
21:23
Speaker 2: of the faith, and that appeals to our heads. And
21:26
Speaker 2: then you got Ephesians and Collitions that go to the
21:29
Speaker 2: heights with spiritual truth. And we like that, you know
21:31
Speaker 2: you do. And then in the Epistle to the Hebrews,
21:35
Speaker 2: it goes deeper than any other than the New Testament
21:38
Speaker 2: or the Old Testament. But James, when you look at James,
21:42
Speaker 2: do you notice how unappealing it is And the reason
21:45
Speaker 2: why it is because it contains Christine can stays pious proverbs,
21:52
Speaker 2: but that you also know is written by the half
21:55
Speaker 2: brother of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ over in
21:59
Speaker 2: Mark chapter three, verse seventeen, that says, do you know
22:03
Speaker 2: what he said? You sure? Do you notice that James
22:08
Speaker 2: was written by one of the sons of Thunders, or
22:11
Speaker 2: by James, the brother of John. But it wasn't. It
22:16
Speaker 2: was written by James, who was the half brother of
22:18
Speaker 2: our Lord. And you remember Mary had other children as well.
22:23
Speaker 2: In Matthew, the question was asked of our Lord, is
22:26
Speaker 2: not this the carpet's son. Is not his mother called Mary?
22:33
Speaker 2: And his brothren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas
22:36
Speaker 2: and his sisters? Are they not all with us? Matthew
22:41
Speaker 2: thirteen fifty five and verse fifty six. Did you know
22:46
Speaker 2: that Mary had four of the sons, and the one
22:48
Speaker 2: who was probably next to our Lord in age was James.
22:54
Speaker 2: It's that James who wrote this epistle, the Epistle of James.
22:58
Speaker 2: And do you notice when you get in to it
23:00
Speaker 2: as a lesson in humility? Think about it. If Our
23:04
Speaker 2: Savior had been your half brother, your half brother, your
23:07
Speaker 2: half brother, could you have written four or five chapters
23:11
Speaker 2: and not have mentioned it. If I had been the
23:13
Speaker 2: Lord's half brother, I would have let everybody on this
23:16
Speaker 2: planet know in some casual or you ready humble way.
23:23
Speaker 2: James didn't do that. In said he called himself a
23:26
Speaker 2: servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Over
23:29
Speaker 2: in James Chapter one, verse one, James would have said
23:33
Speaker 2: with Paul, I know him no longer after the flesh.
23:37
Speaker 2: He's my Lord and my Savior, as you can see
23:40
Speaker 2: in second Currence in chapter five, verse sixteen. But James
23:44
Speaker 2: was also the head of the church in Jerusalem. Over
23:46
Speaker 2: in Acts, chapter fifteen, it records the great counselor that
23:50
Speaker 2: was held at Jerusalem. I know you wrote it down,
23:54
Speaker 2: and after Paul and Barnabas, and as the converted Pharisees
23:59
Speaker 2: and Peter had spoke, okay, then James drew it all
24:03
Speaker 2: to a conclusion and formulated the opinion of the group,
24:06
Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit's opinion. Do you notice how James was
24:11
Speaker 2: also a great man of prayer. In fact, he was
24:14
Speaker 2: called Old Cambeltnes, And the reason was because he spent
24:18
Speaker 2: so much time on his knees praying that they became
24:20
Speaker 2: stiff and callous. That's to James, who wrote this epistle.
24:27
Speaker 2: James was the one who wrote the first book in
24:29
Speaker 2: the New Testament. James had the same stubgic in his
24:33
Speaker 2: epistle that Paul did. Justification by faith. And when James wrote,
24:39
Speaker 2: he was saying, men are justified by works, not the
24:42
Speaker 2: works of the law, but the works of faith. And
24:46
Speaker 2: you notice how he wrote from man's viewpoint. And when
24:50
Speaker 2: God sees us, he sees our hearts, and he knows
24:53
Speaker 2: whether we have saving faith. But what men and women
24:56
Speaker 2: see is they don't see our hearts, they see the
24:59
Speaker 2: works of faith. And James said, if the work of
25:02
Speaker 2: faith is not there, brother, you're not saved. And Paul
25:06
Speaker 2: would agree with him. But Paul said practically the same thing.
25:09
Speaker 2: Therefore they have the same subject. And since our faith
25:15
Speaker 2: is so important, you know it is, don't you think
25:17
Speaker 2: we should test it to see whether or not it's genuine.
25:22
Speaker 2: So laying the groundwork as Sarah has done, let's take
25:28
Speaker 2: a look at the tongue and see whether our faith
25:30
Speaker 2: is genuine or not. Because he's talking here about going
25:34
Speaker 2: through a religious service, is that you if he seems
25:39
Speaker 2: to be religious and bright of not his tongue, but
25:43
Speaker 2: deceive of his own heart. It's really then he may
25:47
Speaker 2: be sincere, but he's deceiving his own heart. This man's
25:51
Speaker 2: religion is vain, meaning it's empty. Think about our formality
25:57
Speaker 2: of going through a ritual. It doesn't worth anything if
25:59
Speaker 2: our tongue it's not under control. And you got to
26:04
Speaker 2: remember the tongue that is what this man and woman,
26:06
Speaker 2: woman and man above the animal world, because man is
26:09
Speaker 2: not an inarticulate animal, and he's not a mocking bird.
26:13
Speaker 2: Think about the men and women. Women and man can
26:15
Speaker 2: put thoughts into words that press themselves and be understood.
26:20
Speaker 2: It's by the tongue that you and I communicate on
26:22
Speaker 2: the highest level. You remember, it's said that the average
26:25
Speaker 2: articular person ear there's thirty thousand words every day. Did
26:29
Speaker 2: you know that why you were communicating all those words?
26:34
Speaker 2: And why you're communicating? Do you notice our tongues give
26:38
Speaker 2: us away? Do you notice how the tongue identify you
26:42
Speaker 2: and I? Oh, and by the way it betrays us
26:44
Speaker 2: as well. Remember that this is the thing the little
26:48
Speaker 2: Maid said to Simon Peter Over in Matthew chapter twenty sixth,
26:51
Speaker 2: first seventy three. I know you wrote it down, but
26:55
Speaker 2: she said, thy speech betray thee think about it. Our
27:02
Speaker 2: tongue tells where we came from. It tells whether or
27:05
Speaker 2: not we are ignorant, educated, culture or crewe, clean or unclean,
27:09
Speaker 2: guilty or not guilty. It tells whether or not we
27:11
Speaker 2: are a believer or blastpheam. And it tells whether or
27:14
Speaker 2: not we are a believer of the household of paper
27:16
Speaker 2: or non believer. Our tongue gives us away. Do you
27:23
Speaker 2: know how James dealt with the unbridled and unrestrained tongue.
27:28
Speaker 2: Remember when James Chapter three, verse three, Behold, we put
27:34
Speaker 2: bits in the horse's mouth that they may be, that
27:36
Speaker 2: they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body.
27:42
Speaker 2: And the Psalm has said in Psalm thirty two, verse nine,
27:45
Speaker 2: bee not like the horse or like the mule, that
27:49
Speaker 2: have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with
27:52
Speaker 2: bit and bridle, unless they come near unto the David
27:57
Speaker 2: also wrote in the Psalms, I said I would take
28:00
Speaker 2: heed to my ways, that I said, not with my tongue.
28:05
Speaker 2: I would keep my mouth with a bridle while the
28:09
Speaker 2: wicked is before me Psalm thirty nine one. In other words, David,
28:18
Speaker 2: because he wanted to give the right kind of testimony
28:22
Speaker 2: he would put a bridle, a bridle on his mouth.
28:25
Speaker 2: David was so afraid that he would say something that
28:28
Speaker 2: would hurt his God, that he prayed, set a watch,
28:31
Speaker 2: oh Lord, before my mouth, keep the door on my lips.
28:34
Speaker 2: And you can see that in Psalm one forty one,
28:37
Speaker 2: verse three. Have you heard the story that somebody has
28:41
Speaker 2: said that it takes a baby, that little baby, two
28:45
Speaker 2: years to learn to talk, and fifty years to learn
28:49
Speaker 2: to be quiet. And then there's another story told of
28:52
Speaker 2: a man could have been a woman, but I haven't
28:54
Speaker 2: been a man who was fishing and the lady came
28:57
Speaker 2: up to him began scolding him. She said, aren't you
28:59
Speaker 2: aimed of yourself? But catching a poor little fish. The
29:04
Speaker 2: man didn't even look up. He said, lady, maybe you're right,
29:07
Speaker 2: but if this fish had kept his mouth shut, it
29:10
Speaker 2: would not have been caught. Our tongue is like a
29:14
Speaker 2: runaway horse. And James said that the bits of a
29:17
Speaker 2: bridle that'll put into the mouth of a horse are
29:20
Speaker 2: very small, but they'll hold a horse in check and
29:23
Speaker 2: keep them from running away. Somebody has said, you know
29:27
Speaker 2: they have that the mind, and that little powerful mind
29:31
Speaker 2: of our starts to tongue the wagon, and then sometimes
29:34
Speaker 2: goes off and leaves it. Our tongue is like a
29:39
Speaker 2: runaway horse, and only the spirit of God can't control it.
29:43
Speaker 2: Like Sarah had mentioned, our Lord said, out of the
29:46
Speaker 2: abundance of the heart, the mouth speaker every idle word
29:50
Speaker 2: that men and women shall speak. They shall give an
29:54
Speaker 2: account of it in the day of judgment. Matthew chapter twelve,
29:57
Speaker 2: verse thirty four and thirty six. As I take a
29:59
Speaker 2: sip of my water, as we read, keep thy heart
30:06
Speaker 2: with all diligence, for out of it are the issues
30:09
Speaker 2: of life. Proverbs, chapter four, verse twenty three. I've been
30:14
Speaker 2: the household of faith, and those of you who don't
30:16
Speaker 2: know him. If you God has listening to you, and
30:19
Speaker 2: he's listen to me. He heard that whispered conspiracy, He
30:25
Speaker 2: heard that word of slanders. Out of the abundance of
30:28
Speaker 2: the heart the mouth speaks. It tells you are even
30:32
Speaker 2: James n changes his figure of speech from a horse
30:35
Speaker 2: to a ship. Behold all the ships, which, though they
30:39
Speaker 2: are so great and are driven by fierce winds, yet
30:42
Speaker 2: are they turned about with a very small hem rudder
30:45
Speaker 2: wherever the pilot will us. And that's in James, Chapter three,
30:49
Speaker 2: verse four. Think about it. A bad storm's going to
30:53
Speaker 2: drive a ship, but that little old rudder can control it.
30:57
Speaker 2: Our tongue is a little rudder. It can change the
31:01
Speaker 2: course of our lives. Think about the people have had
31:04
Speaker 2: their reputation's room because somebody says something they should not
31:08
Speaker 2: have said. Our little tongue is worse than a storm
31:13
Speaker 2: at sea because it can do a lot of damage.
31:16
Speaker 2: Think about that tongue is more dangerous than a runaway
31:19
Speaker 2: horse or a hurricane. The Holy Spirit of God is
31:23
Speaker 2: the bridle for the tongue. And as we shall see,
31:26
Speaker 2: the Holy spirit of lung can control the tongue of
31:28
Speaker 2: you and meet too. And while the Word of God
31:32
Speaker 2: condemned us, and that for every verse that you'll show
31:35
Speaker 2: me in the Word of God, I'll show you one
31:37
Speaker 2: hundred verses where the misuse of the tongue it's condemned.
31:41
Speaker 2: I believe that the tongue is doing more damage in
31:43
Speaker 2: this world and hurting humans more than anything else. It's
31:47
Speaker 2: far more dangerous than those dangerous bombs out there. And
31:51
Speaker 2: as a writer of Ecclesiastic says, suffer not thy mouth
31:56
Speaker 2: to cause thy flesh to stind Ecclesiastics, chapter five, verse six,
32:00
Speaker 2: And then Paul speaks of the fact that one of
32:03
Speaker 2: the marked of senters of that with their tongues they
32:06
Speaker 2: have used deceit, the poison of ass is under their lips.
32:12
Speaker 2: Romans chapter three, verse thirteen. And the question you got
32:14
Speaker 2: to ask and answers, Have you ever looked at snakes? Yes,
32:18
Speaker 2: snakes who are caring enough poison to kill an army?
32:23
Speaker 1: Have you?
32:24
Speaker 2: But we too can look into a mirror and take
32:27
Speaker 2: out our little tongue, and guess what we're gonna see.
32:30
Speaker 2: We're gonna see something more dangerous than any fang fag
32:34
Speaker 2: than any serpent ever have. Think about it, for a
32:38
Speaker 2: serpent can kill only the body, But you and I
32:40
Speaker 2: have a tongue. They can destroy personality and destroy lives.
32:45
Speaker 2: Look inside your place of worship, Look inside the political world,
32:49
Speaker 2: iry respective where you live, it around the globe. You know,
32:52
Speaker 2: God says he hates it. These six things as the
32:56
Speaker 2: Lord hate yeay seven are an abomination under him, A
33:00
Speaker 2: proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.
33:08
Speaker 2: Over in Proverbs chapter sixth verse sixteen through seventeen, you
33:12
Speaker 2: notice he puts his hatred for a lying tongue. To
33:21
Speaker 2: do you put other topics of head of what God
33:25
Speaker 2: has put The tongue can be absolutely unbrided, and when
33:28
Speaker 2: it is, the heart is not Christian or controlled by
33:33
Speaker 2: a Christian. An unbridled tongue is evidence of a person
33:36
Speaker 2: who may not know the Lord. But do you notice
33:39
Speaker 2: how James addresses the uncontrolled tongue. He says, in the
33:44
Speaker 2: tongue is a fire a world of iniquity. So is
33:48
Speaker 2: the tongue among our members. That it is to foul up
33:50
Speaker 2: the whole body and set up on fire the course
33:53
Speaker 2: of nature, and it's set on fire of hell James,
33:56
Speaker 2: Chapter three, verse six. Think about it. When you think
34:01
Speaker 2: about fire, do you notice that when it's under control,
34:04
Speaker 2: it warms our body, it cuts our food, it heats
34:06
Speaker 2: our homes. But when the house is on fire, it
34:10
Speaker 2: is sad. Because when fire is under control, it generates
34:13
Speaker 2: power to put in most in the wills of an
34:15
Speaker 2: industry that brings work. Tom on to two. James said
34:20
Speaker 2: that the tongue, you know, your tongue, my tongue, every
34:26
Speaker 2: tongue on this planet, every spectave of skin tone and
34:29
Speaker 2: zip cold. I know you thought you had it gone
34:32
Speaker 2: on but James said, it can be a cure or curse.
34:36
Speaker 2: When it's under control, it's a blessing. When it's out
34:39
Speaker 2: of control, it's a blight. There's heat that speaks of
34:43
Speaker 2: like there's piercing of a sword. But the tongue of
34:46
Speaker 2: the wisest health, and you can see that in Fireburs
34:49
Speaker 2: chapter twelve, verse eighteen. But you knows what He also
34:52
Speaker 2: add on the heart of him or her that have understanding,
34:57
Speaker 2: seeker knowledge, with the mouth for foods, feeding for foolishness Proverbs,
35:04
Speaker 2: chapter fifteen, verse fourteen. Think about it. It can be
35:09
Speaker 2: a blessing or black you know. Have you ever heard
35:13
Speaker 2: that old Arabian proverb that says, thou art master of
35:18
Speaker 2: the unspoken words? The spoken word is master of them?
35:24
Speaker 2: And really ponder only if you want to. Up to
35:27
Speaker 2: the time the tongue has said it, you have controlled.
35:31
Speaker 2: But he knows the money that you have said it.
35:34
Speaker 2: It goes like a fire. You know that I can control.
35:36
Speaker 2: It's like a forest fire that burns over hills and mountains.
35:40
Speaker 2: The tongue, that little old tongue can be set on
35:43
Speaker 2: fireby but heaven or hell. Think about it. On the
35:47
Speaker 2: day of Pentecost, there were tongues as a fire over
35:49
Speaker 2: in Act chapter two, verse three, And they stood up
35:53
Speaker 2: a man whose tongue was then under perfect control. He
35:58
Speaker 2: was somebody who had blundered with his tongue, who had
36:00
Speaker 2: always said the wrong thing. Then with his tongue under
36:04
Speaker 2: the control of the Holy Spirit of God. Simon Peter.
36:07
Speaker 2: You remember Simon Peter. He gave the first sermon on
36:11
Speaker 2: the Dead Pentecost, and thousands came to Christ a tongue
36:17
Speaker 2: under control. And as Sarah's made clear, this little tongue
36:21
Speaker 2: of ours, it gives us away. It tells whether we're
36:26
Speaker 2: genuine or not. And it is dangerous. A little tongue
36:31
Speaker 2: is the most dangerous thing that there is. Think about it.
36:35
Speaker 2: For every kind of beef, and of birds, and of serpents,
36:38
Speaker 2: and of things in the sea is tamed and have
36:42
Speaker 2: been tamed by mankind. James, chapter three, verse seven. And
36:47
Speaker 2: since you know I love stories, the story is told
36:49
Speaker 2: of an animal trainer. That animal trainer went into the
36:54
Speaker 2: tent where little lion cubs was playing, and he went
36:58
Speaker 2: to the cage, and he put it in and rested
37:01
Speaker 2: with them, roughly rolling them over into their backs. And
37:04
Speaker 2: he was asked why you did that, and he answered,
37:08
Speaker 2: These lion cups will go into the cage with me
37:11
Speaker 2: before too long, and I'll never pass them without playing
37:15
Speaker 2: with them, because when I go into the cage, I
37:18
Speaker 2: want them under perfect control. Men and women. Women and
37:22
Speaker 2: men can train lions. Oh, those old large elephants too.
37:26
Speaker 2: But you've never yet have seen a tongue on display
37:31
Speaker 2: in a zoo. No one, no one on this planet
37:37
Speaker 2: has been able to capture one yet. Think about the
37:41
Speaker 2: circus has never been able to make one of them perform.
37:44
Speaker 2: For you can never ever depend upon that little tongue
37:48
Speaker 2: that's in our mouths. But the tongue can no man
37:52
Speaker 2: or woman tame. It is an unruly evil, full of
37:57
Speaker 2: deadly poison. Therewith bless we've got even the father, and
38:02
Speaker 2: therewith curse we men. And you can see that in
38:05
Speaker 2: James chapter three, verse eight and nine. Think about it.
38:09
Speaker 2: No man or woman containment only, But guess what God
38:13
Speaker 2: can God contains a tongue. Think about a regenerate tongue
38:18
Speaker 2: and a redeemed body is the way God does it.
38:21
Speaker 2: It's with a tongue that no one think about what
38:26
Speaker 2: I'm dren saying, No one. You can't tame it. Only
38:30
Speaker 2: God can. It's our tongue that can be tamed. But
38:35
Speaker 2: guess why it has to happen. Go ahead, answer, somebody's
38:43
Speaker 2: got to use theirs so that someone else become a
38:48
Speaker 2: child of the Living God. That if thou shall confess
38:54
Speaker 2: with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in
38:58
Speaker 2: thy heart that God has raised for the dead, thou
39:01
Speaker 2: shalt be saved. But with the heart, man believe of
39:05
Speaker 2: under righteousness, and with the mouth confession, it's made under salvation.
39:10
Speaker 2: Romans chapter ten, verse nine and ten. What Paul is
39:15
Speaker 2: saying is that the mouth and the heart, they gotta
39:18
Speaker 2: be brought into harmony. They have to say the same thing,
39:21
Speaker 2: because our mouth is going to tell who we are
39:23
Speaker 2: in our hearts. When our Lord came to the dumb man,
39:27
Speaker 2: the writer of the Gospel is very careful to say
39:29
Speaker 2: over and Mark chapter seventh, verse thirty three, he touched
39:33
Speaker 2: his mouth. Think about if he's touched you, he's touched
39:40
Speaker 2: your mouth as well. And do you notice how Mark
39:43
Speaker 2: also let us know that when they went out, our
39:45
Speaker 2: Lord gave the commission saying they shall speak with new tongues.
39:51
Speaker 2: Mark chapter sixteen, verse seventeen. And that doesn't mean you're
39:54
Speaker 2: ready for what unknown tongues. It means that you would
39:58
Speaker 2: talk with a regenerate tongue. While your tongue you will
40:01
Speaker 2: say who you are, and thank God, he will utimately
40:04
Speaker 2: bring the tongue into captivity. But there's coming a day
40:09
Speaker 2: when the tongue will be brought into obedience to God.
40:12
Speaker 2: You know, the scripture says that every knee show bound,
40:16
Speaker 2: and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ as
40:19
Speaker 2: Lord Coellftians chapter two, verse ten and eleven. Think about it.
40:24
Speaker 2: The tongue, your tongue to will someday be brought under control.
40:30
Speaker 2: Now the question is you ready? Can I believe her?
40:34
Speaker 2: Can you tell a Christian by the tongue? James said
40:37
Speaker 2: that you can. Therewith blessed we God, even the Father,
40:41
Speaker 2: and therewith curse wey men who are made after the
40:44
Speaker 2: similar to likeness of God out of the same malproceive
40:48
Speaker 2: blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things are not so
40:51
Speaker 2: to be. If a mountain send forth it the same place,
40:54
Speaker 2: does the fountain send forth it the same place? Sweet
40:57
Speaker 2: water and bitter James, Chapter three, verse ninth or even
41:03
Speaker 2: do you believe that a fountains and fourth fit a
41:05
Speaker 2: water and sweet water. If it does, there's something wrong
41:07
Speaker 2: with the fountain. That's just the bottom line. But James
41:10
Speaker 2: says that man woman's religion, religion, even in their profession,
41:17
Speaker 2: is empty. You give yourself away by your tongue. It
41:21
Speaker 2: tells whether you're his or not. And when he regenerates you,
41:24
Speaker 2: he doesn't regenerate everything except the tongue. The tongue is
41:28
Speaker 2: the most important thing. It tells whether or not you
41:31
Speaker 2: and I are real, are real if you have a
41:40
Speaker 2: chance now I know you will, especially as we enter
41:44
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty five. Lord, well, well we're not out
41:50
Speaker 2: of twenty twenty four yet. Tune in. We're now on Spreaker,
41:56
Speaker 2: S B R E A K E R, Cissensation, VTR
42:00
Speaker 2: and iHeart Radio to an end of Spotify, Good Pot,
42:07
Speaker 2: Amazon Music, pot being YouTube and when you go to YouTube.
42:12
Speaker 2: Many people have gone to YouTube. But if you forget
42:15
Speaker 2: to us, subscribe to Life and we're on many more.
42:19
Speaker 2: In the meantime, again, as we entered a new year,
42:24
Speaker 2: I encourage you of lift up your prayers for Saya
42:30
Speaker 2: and her total family, mine and you are listening to
42:33
Speaker 2: challenges of Faith Radio program that God continues to be glorified.
42:38
Speaker 2: Maybe be prepared to give the reason for why we
42:41
Speaker 2: love the Lord at any time to anyone, because our
42:44
Speaker 2: words so the power of God's grace and endwell and
42:48
Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit in our lives. And may God enable
42:51
Speaker 2: us to use our words as an instrument of His
42:53
Speaker 2: love and saving grace.