BUT IT'S ONLY WORDS: Often we think of actions as being serious but words as being insignificant.
TAKING OUR WORDS SERIOUSLY:
1. Your words reveal who you are.
- Matthew 12:34-35.
- We deny this: “I said it but that’s not who I am.” Like when we lie or burst out in anger.
2. Your words are a solid basis for God to judge you.
- Matthew 12:36-37.
3. Your words are both a basic and advanced test of the genuineness of your faith.
- James 1:26; James 3:2.
- James 1:26 presents it as a basic test.
- James 3:2 presents it as a sign of advanced spirituality.
- We minimize what we say as unimportant. It’s not worth paying attention to spiritually at all. Actually, though, it’s an advanced final. Our words are among the hardest thing for us to control. You’re not really mature if you can’t control your tongue.
4. Your words can do a lot of damage.
- James 3:3-6a.
- Hammer, nail, and a piece of wood. The nail is gone but the hole remains.
5. Your words can further corrupt your own heart.
- James 3:6b.
- Our words express who we really are (see point 1). But there is a further consequence. As we speak those corrupted words, it further cements to us and others who we really are. And thereby our words further corrupt our own heart.
