Are You Taming the Beast?
James 3:1-12
it seems that in the past several months or even
the past year of so that, the news media has
really had a hey day with the catholic churches
and the Episcopalian Churches.
The news has had them in the spotlight,
It’s their Job to spread the daily gossip, AMEN
But I’m sure that’s a very un-comfortable position!
The Episcopalian Church has been in much
controversy about the homosexual bishop
and it seems that every time you turn on the news’
there’s another priest from the Catholic church
that has been splattered on the news, in the sex crimes!
My heart really breaks in two, not because I
condone what’s going on
but because the eyes of the world are on the church
and you can just imagine what the people are
saying, like, I told you that church is nothing
but a bunch of hypocrites.They’re all goin to hell!!
Or Who would want to be a Christian with
what’s going on?
or maybe
If these people are gonna go to heaven
then I’ll be right there with them!!!
But you want me to tell you what’s more scarey
than that???
People we don’t need to look at the Catholic’s
or the Episcopalian’s to find Hypocrites!!!
We can look right in our local churches
right under our noses, in our local towns!!
And our local communities.
There’s a force that’s breaking down the walls that
we’ve built with God!
and that force is called SATAN!
But you know he’s just doing his job!
Because He knows that time here on earth is short
and he’s gotta make everyone fall that he can!!
And another problem that, not just your local
church that you attend is having
or the one that I attend is having
but it’s a problem that all churches have,
and this little thing is called the tongue!!
Are You Taming The Beast???
Don’t you ever doubt for even a minute that
our tongue’s - your’s and mine
pose a threat to the kingdom of God, cause they do!!
just as powerful as any other problem
you hear of, on the news today!!!
We Christians are just as bad as sinners when it
comes to controlling our tongue’s!
It seems like across the country and around the world
church members are no doubt some of the best
at gossiping!!!!
No doubt church members are some of the
cruelest and meanest people around in our towns!!!
Let me ask you a question,
If you saw people talk like some do in the church
would you want to be a part of us Christians??
Or
if you were a sinner and saw how people that’s
so-called Christians acted toward one another
and talked about their pastors and fellow church
members, would you want to be one of us???
People the time has come for us to stop running
our mouths about our brothers and sisters
The bible says
speak evil of no-one!!!
Listen to me tonight Church
we have made a hobby out of talking about
our brothers and sisters in Christ!!
If we are gonna stay in the will of God
its about time that we learn how to bridle up
and learn how to control our tongues!! AMEN
The trouble that can be done of us running our
tongue is absolutely astronomical!!
With our tongues we can BUILD UP
OR WE CAN TEAR DOWN!!
with my tongue I can lead people to the Lord
or with my tongue I can run people away
from the Lord!!!
We’re supposed to tame this beast!
And if we can’t tame this beast we’re gonna
find ourselves in the depths of hell
with that terrible one called the devil!
Here in the book of James we see that there’s
three truthful things that our tongue can cause
the first is our tongue is the smallest organ of our body but it’s the most powerful!!
The author of James begins chapter 3 telling us of
the power of our tongue’s!
He tells us that if you could find someone
whose speech is perfect and true, or in other words
if you could find someone who could control their tongue’s at all times or who never said anything wrong
then you’d have a perfect person
in perfect control of their life!!! AMEN
I don’t know about ya’ll but some of the biggest
mistakes I make in this life is I let my mouth
override my brain!
Sometimes I say words that I shouldn’t say or
there are some that I should say but I don’t!!
Moreso shouldn’t rather than should!!
Probably 99% of the trouble I find myself in
in the church, in life, in my family, or my job
is this little body organ right here!!!
It’s so powerful!!!
Just like the bit in a horses mouth that guides its
entire body,
or the small rudder on a large ship that turns the whole vessel about even in a storm,
Our tongue even though it’s the smallest part of our body
its no doubt the most powerful!!!
The second truth we find in our reading is in VS 5 through VS 8 it says, How great a matter a little fire kindleth.
The tongue is compared to a fire
the tongue is placed among our members as
a world of iniquity!!
It defileth the whole body!!
Ain’t this some powerful stuff???
It says
it is set on fire of HELL!!!!!
It says that every kind of beast, and birds, and serpents
and things in the sea is tamed
and hath been tamed of mankind
but the tongue can no man tame
it is an unruly evil full of deadly poison!!!
When we were kids we always responded to
other kids when they hurt our feelings
we’d say
sticks and stones may break my bones but
names will never hurt me!!!
Man I’m here to tell you that couldn’t be no
more wrong!!
Broken bones will heal in a little over a month but
the wounds that are left by a tongue that’s out
of control could take a whole lifetime to heal!!
We’ve all been there!
We’ve all been hurt by words!
I’d rather somebody slap me up side the head
than to be behind my back talking about me,
and spreading lies!!!
That tongue inflicted pain is much harder to heal
than physical injury!!!
The Third thing in the 3rd chapter of the book of James
is it’s a small thing but very revealing!!!
Vs 9-12 tells us:
Therewith bless we God even the Father;
and therewith curse we men, which are made
after the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries?
Either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield
salt water and fresh!!
Here we’re being told that fresh water can’t come from salt water!!! AMEN
and guess what, olives don’t come from fig trees!
And surely blessings can’t come from
the same mouth that curses come from!!
So it can’t be true, and do you know why???
Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 12:33
The tree is known by its fruit!!!
People this fruit is you and me AMEN
the people around us know what’s inside by
the things that come out of us!!!
If you claim to be a Christian but the things
you do, and the way you act, and talk, don’t match
the claim, then guess what folks?
YOU AIN’T FOOLIN NOBODY!!!
AND YOU SURE AIN’T FOOLIN GOD!!!
People I can tell you right now
others can read us just by listening to us talk!!!
And a whole lot of the time by our actions!!!
If you’re gossiping and tearing others down all
the time then that’s the Que for everybody!!!
Jesus said its obvious, A good heart can’t produce
bad fruit!!!
And our tongues has its way of revealing
to other people just who, and what, we really are!!!
And you might try to hide it,
and you might think that you’re doin a good job of it!!!
But guess what???
You ain’t hidin nothin!!!!!
I don’t think that any of us would even deny
that we have a problem bridling our tongues’!!
And if we don’t admit it,
we ain’t just lying to others but
we’re lying to ourselves as well!!!
Now don’t get me wrong
we have the freedom of speech here in America
but I think a whole lot of us
take advantage of our freedom of speech!!!
We insist on our freedom!
We’ll say you can’t tell me what I can or can’t say!
I have my rights!!! I have the right to speak my mind!!
SOUND FAMILIAR??
We’ll say its our constitutional right!!
It’s our God given right!!
OR IS IT A GOD GIVEN RIGHT???
Do we have the right to speak without thinking
and speak at the expense of someone’s feelings??
Do we have the right to speak out and possibly
hurt other people with our words?
Words that could be damaging???
This world says we do, but,
as a follower of Jesus Christ I DON”T THINK SO!!!
And even when Jesus had the chance to claim his rights
Our scripture tells us that even when he was
persecuted and when he was brought to stand trial
instead of standing up for his rights and saying
he had done nothing wrong,
instead of calling twelve legions of angels to his side
to set him free,
He surrendered his freedom of speech
He gave it all up and died, for our sins,
so that we may live!!!
The Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:2:
Be not conformed to this world;
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind
that ye may prove what is that good
and acceptable, and perfect,
will of GOD!!!
Our world says we have the right to speak our minds
but Paul says we are to be transformed
by the renewing of our minds
So before any of us should speak
we should ask ourselves this question,
have our minds been transformed???
If our minds are changed to spread God’s love
Then what comes out of our mouth’s will be different!!
Many years ago back in the early 70’s
I sang and played guitar on a local radio station
and there was a sign in the DJ booth.
And this sign has rung out in my mind
throughout the years! IT SAID
MAKE SURE YOUR BRAIN IS ENGAGED BEFORE
PUTTING YOUR MOUTH IN GEAR!!!
I guess what we’re saying here tonight is
we need to bite our tongue’s more often!!
Think about what you’re fixin to say!!!
It would be nice if we had a delay button
and we could bleep out the bad things
before they came out
like they do on television!!!
In closing tonight, the damage that our tongues
do is simply because we can’t tame them!!
We have to learn how to surrender our tongue’s!
I don’t have the ability or the know how
of controlling my tongue or much less your’s.
but I try to use a common simple rule!!!
If you’re talking about another person,
if you can’t say something good about them
then its best to not say nothing at all!!!
A lot of times we just have to say hey
I know I’ve got a problem
then we need to pray after admitting to the problem
and say:
Lord I’m sorry for hurting my brother or my sister,
I want to use my tongue to give God praise,
and to build others up ,
and not put down and tear down!!
When you start to speak, learn to control your tongue,
ask yourself this:
Is this for sure the TRUTH?
and if it ain’t then STOP!
Is this up-lifting?
If not then STOP!
Jesus told us in His word that we will be judged
for every careless word!!
Bite your tongue more often!
We say way to many things that are un-necessary!
We don’t need to spread gossip!
not to our friends that we know for sure
won’t tell any-one else!
And especially not to people who we know
will run straight and spread it everywhere!
I THINK THIS COVERS EVERYBODY DON’T IT??
When you say something ask yourself
Is this gonna hurt someone?
And if you begin to hear something from someone
and you know its gonna be gossip!
Stop that person right there and tell them
that you don’t want to hear it!!!
Don’t be dragged down to this level
remember you’ll be judged for it as well!
and begin to think like Jesus,
REMEMBER
CHRISTIAN MEANS,
CHRIST LIKE!!
Are you Christ like tonight?
Do you have Jesus living in your heart!!!
Please come forward tonight and allow us
to introduce you to this man who died
on that ole rugged cross for your sins and mine!!!
