2010Apr11.Sermon.Builders/Destroyers.The Tongue, Wisdom Comes From Above
By William Akehurst, BA
HSWC
Spring cleaning. Time to get our house in order. So as a child of God, let's start with the dirtiest place.
The tongue.
I hear dogs have clean tongues. I don't believe it.
I saw a woman at the ice cream shop a few years ago, let her dog a lick at the cone then she proceeded to finish it off. Blah!
Money. Don't put that in your mouth, you don't know where that's been.
That brings to mind the time my brother swallowed a nickel and we found it a few days later.
I lied to get out of trouble, only to find myself in deeper… Once…ok twice…alright, every time.
I have a lying, forked, slanderous, vile, deceitful, mischievous, teasing, provoking, backstabbing, hurtful, cursing, destroying, and hateful, torturous, misleading, foolish tongue.
And I can give you an example of every one of them.
I've told a lie to myself and to others.
And so have you.
We are to bridle our tongues. Clean it up.
If faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Do you see where faith ultimately comes from? God’s Word, the word that proceeded out of his mouth, which will never return void, it will do what it was planned to do.
Once the word is out of our mouths, we can not take it back.
And with words, come thoughts.
Know that the spoken word is parent to our thoughts,
that thoughts are governors of our actions
and actions are the producers of results,
We must be ever vigilant over words we speak.
Understand, the development of harmonious relationships is best served when we respect and carefully stand guard over the words we speak,
knowing assuredly of their unlimited creative power, for they can either
Build Up or Tear Down, Strengthen or Weaken, Free or Enslave…
THE CHOICE IS OURS!
Ephesians 4:31-32 PUT ASIDE THE FILTHY TALK AND BE KIND
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, (along) with all malice: (hatred)
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
2 Corinthians 10:5 TAKE THOUGHTS CAPTIVE, BEFORE YOU SPEAK
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Take every thought captive…and weigh it out…before we let it out.
Gods Word is forever. Once ours is out we can't take it back. It falls on the ears of our family, friends, neighbors, and those who are listening and watching you.
Amazing what James says. Like a tiny rudder on a ship. Like a spark to set a blaze. It steers our life and sets fire to those around us.
But it can also be of good use. And we must sweep away the dirt and put on the shine.
Let your light so shine. Out of your mouth!
Matthew 5:16 LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE, OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
I need a blessing tongue. A truthful, comforting, encouraging, exhorting, exalting, praising, joyful, guiding, leading, God honoring, Christ signed sealed stamped and approved tongue.
1 Corinthians 1:10 SPEAK WITH OUR MINDS ON CHRIST
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Put on the mind of Christ. As believers, its already in you, its the Holy Spirit. Listen to his voice.
Use your mouth for praise!
Romans 15:5-7 BE OF ONE MIND, CHRISTS. AND WITH OUR MOUTH GLORIFY HIM
5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
Psalm 139:1-4, 23-24 SEARCH ME AND SHOW ME HOW TO GET RIGHT
1 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Put off the bad, take on the good. Lead me in the way of righteousness for His names sake.
James 3. Taming the Tongue; the Wisdom from above
Vs 1. We are not rashly or arrogantly to reprove others;
Vs 5. but rather to bridle the tongue, a little member,
Vs 9. but a powerful instrument of much good, and great harm.
Vs 13. The truly wise are mild and peaceable, without envy and strife.
James 3
CONTROLLING THE TONGUE
1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
THOSE WHO TEACH WILL BE JUDGED MORE STRICTLY
2 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.
WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES, IF WE COULD CONTROL OUR TONGUES, WE CONTROL EVERYTHING
3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 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.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
A LARGE HORSE LEAD BY ITS MOUTH, A HUGE SHIP, LED BY ITS SMALL RUDDER
THE SMALL TONGUE CAN MAKE GREAT SPEECHES, OR CAUSE GREAT TURMOIL
6 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.
AS A TINY SPARK KINDLES A FOREST FIRE, SET ON FIRE BY HELL ITSELF, OUR TONGUES CAN GET US INTO A LOT OF TROUBLE.
7 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:
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
WE CAN TAME WILD ANIMALS, BUT WE HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO TAME THE TONGUE, IT IS A SERPENT WITH DEADLY POISON
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
A SERPENTS FORKED, SPLIT TONGUE.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
CAN GOOD AND BAD MIX? THEN LET IT NOT BE UPON OUR TONGUE
LET OUR WORDS BE PURE AND OUR SPEECH EDIFYING.
WISDOM COMES FROM ABOVE
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
IF YOU ARE WISE AND UNDERSTAND GODS WAYS, PROVE IT BY LIVING AN HONORABLE LIFE, DOING GOOD WORKS IN HUMILTY THAT COMES FROM WISDOM
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
BUT IF THERE IS BITTERNESS OR SELFISH AMBITION IN YOUR HEARTS, DO NOT COVER UP THE TRUTH WITH BOASTING AND LYING.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
JEALOUSY AND SELFISH AMBITION ARE NOT GODS WISDOM, THESE THINGS ARE EARTHLY, UNSPIRITUAL AND DEMONIC
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
WHEREEVER THERE IS JEALOUSY AND SELFISH AMBITION, THERE YOU WILL FIND DISORDER AND EVIL OF EVERY KIND
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
HEAVENLY WISDOM IS PURE, AS WELL AS PEACEFUL, GENTLE AND WILLING TO YIELD TO OTHERS, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD DEEDS, WITH NO FAVORITISM BUT ALL SINCERITY
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
PEACEMAKERS WILL PLANT SEEDS OF PEACE AND REAP RIGHTEOUSNESS
Philippians 2:
2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
17Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
