Christian Living - Watch Your Speech Series

James 1:19-21, 3:1-12 Speech

- Read James 1:19-21

Prayer

On a wind-swept hill in an English country church yard, stands a drab slate tombstone. The faint etching reads,

Beneath this stone, a lump of clay

Lies Arabella Young

Who, on the twenty-fourth of May

Began to hold her tongue

Let’s face it, controlling our tongue can be difficult some times, and yet, James lists it as one of the evidences of true Christianity.

If you remember, we said that James is a very practical book. James is addressing Christians scattered because of persecution, and there are beginning to be some tension and some conflicts in the churches across the empire. As Jesus warned in His parable about the wheat and the tares, there are beginning to be some weeds in the church, and these weeds, these fake believers are causing problems in the c church. So James is writing to address some of this.

In this chapter he warns twice about the possibility of someone being in the church, perhaps even believing he is a Christian, and yet not really being one.

- Read James 1:22

See his warning? He says, “If you’re listening to the message but not living it, you’re deceiving yourselves.”

- Read James 1:26

This is another time when he warns that people are only kidding themselves. So he spends a great deal of his time talking about what authentic Christianity looks like.

It is easy to deceive ourselves, to think that we’re something we’re not.

Gladys, Drew and I enjoyed watching America’s got talent for a number of years. We haven’t watched it much in the last year or 2, but for a number of years we did.

Do you remember the tryouts the first season or 2? Some of the people who would get on there and try out as singers. Oh my word. Some of those folks couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, and since no one told them otherwise, they thought they could sing.

Well, there are lot of people who believe they are Christians because they attend church some, or they read their Bibles some, or because they do some good things. In Matthew 25 Jesus warns that there are going to be a lot of people who believe they were saved but were not.

James, addressing that concern lays out 5 Evidences of true saving faith.

1. Those with true saving faith study God’s Word - James 1:22-25

2. Those with true saving faith obey God’s Word - James 1:22,25

3. Those with true saving faith serve others - 1:27

4. Those with true saving faith Practice holiness - 1:27

5. Those with true saving faith restrain their tongues - 1:26 (Gregory Brown, Evidences of True Saving Faith)

Oh my friend, please examine yourself and ask if you are truly a believer, if you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ.

- Read James 1:19

Oh, how I wish we were better at listening to one another. How I wish we spent more time listening to God and listening to one another. Do you think, perhaps, there may be a reason the Lord gave us 2 ears and only 1 mouth?

This morning I would like to address our speech. James has a great deal to say about our speech.

Please turn with me to James 3

- James 3:1-12

Did you notice the length of this passage? What comes out of our mouths is so vitally important that James devotes 12 verses, in the middle of his letter, to our speech.

As we look at this passage together, I’d like you to notice first the warning about the tongue.

I. WARNING ABOUT THE TONGUE

Verse 1. Not many should become teachers. James is in no way down playing the importance of Christian teachers. My word, we need people to help us discern the meaning of some of the Bible. How many people, not understanding the full counsel of the Word of God, take some verse, and build a theology upon that one verse.

No, teachers are needed and they are important, but he is reminding folks that teachers are held to a greater standard because they have a greater impact on a greater number of people. He isn’t suggesting that any of us are perfect, verse 1, because we all stumble in many ways.” But he does say, “Think about what you’re doing.”

Some people want to teach simply because they love to hear themselves talk. They want a platform and an audience. So James says, “Be careful about that. Make sure you’re teaching for the right reason, because you will be held accountable for what you teach.

So there is a warning about the tongue. But notice, James also talks about the power of the tongue.

II. THE POWER OF THE TONGUE