Who Is Igniting Your Words? Series

Who Is Igniting Your Words?

PPT1 Series Title slide

Today we are beginning a new series on words, we will be discussing their impact, influence, propriety, effects and power. In today's message we will be asking the question of who is igniting your words? And challenge us to, like the Toby Mac song, "speak life."

We begin with a very familiar scripture from the book of James:

PPT 2, text and pic

James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

That text lays out for all of us the danger that lurks in our mouths. Here in contrast is an example of how our tongues can be used for blessing:

PPT 3 text

Acts 2:3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

So I ask again, "who is igniting your words?" Our words can be energized of heaven and they can be energized of hell, unfortunately even for the best among men we fall prey to the dark side, and let our baser instincts guide our tongues to places it should never go.

Words energized by God will always produce great blessing.

PPT 4 Pic (Of tongues of fire on believers on the day of Pentecost)

That is a picture of the fire we want behind our words. God let my words be energized by you! Let me speak by the impulse and prompting of the Holy Spirit. Let my words bring life!

Unfortunately that is not always the case. Today's message is a simple one, "watch your tongue." Because the truth is that all of us sometimes speak with a forked tongue. James has something to say about that also.

PPT 5 text

James 3:7 For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by the human race.

James 3:8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.

James 3:9 With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;

James 3:10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.

There exists in the Christian fold at this present hour, people whom I would call the, "word police." According to them you are never to confess or speak forth anything that doesn't line up with their idea of faith. I sympathize with that view, but don't take it anywhere to the extreme they do. (For example according to them you can't ever say, "I have a cold" or "I have cancer." Or any other statement that "confesses," you have a sickness. Because then you are owning the sickness. To me that kind of view is close to the heresy that is Christian science. In the book of James we are told that if we are sick we are to call for the elders of the church and have them pray. How can you do that if you are not allowed to admit you are sick? That is just one example of the folly of the word police. I say all that to point out the so called, "negative confession", of James in the passage we just cited: James 3:8 "No one can tame the tongue..." The word police would not be allowed to agree with James because it is in their opinion a negative confession. I think there is a place for being careful about the things you say, but that should never take you to a place where you contradict the word of God.

I will be quite honest, I don't like that James says no man can tame the tongue, it leaves us in a quandary and if you will forgive a little tongue in cheek, it leaves us with a bad taste in our mouth. Yet the situation is not hopeless as it may seem on the surface. I remember reading a sermon by Spurgeon where he was commenting on this verse:

PPT 6 text

Jeremiah 13:23 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin Or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good Who are accustomed to doing evil.

Like James it seems to leave us in a bad place, here is what Spurgeon brilliantly said in response. "Can the leopard change his spots? No, but can the leopard's spots be changed? That is quite a different question, and by the grace and power of God they can be changed.