THE UNTAMED TATTLETALE (JAMESBS5.SER)
James 3:1-18

1. Tombstones in old England were inclined to tell some truth about a person’s life. Charles Swindoll reported one which said, “Beneath This Stone, a lump of Clay, Lies Arabella Young, Who on the Twenty-fourth of May, Began to Hold Her Tongue.
2. Many times epitaphs match actions. Boot Hill markers sometimes said things like this: “Beneath This Dig, Lies Johnathan Stow, Talked Too Big, Drew Too Slow”.
3. Sometimes people ask us to not pay any attention to what they’ve said, particularly when they’ve consumed too much alcohol. We are inclined to do it, but we know the tongue is the untamed tattletale of every human being!
4. I’ve spent a lot of time meditating about my own besetting sins, and I pray about them consistently, if not constantly. But I’ve discovered that I frequently don’t notice what my tongue does!
5. This is the problem James is dealing with in our text: THE UNTAMED TATTLETALE!
6. We would be a lot worse than we are if our tongue didn’t reveal our secrets!

I. “THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!”

1. You may have read that advice on a wall plaque somewhere. I used to have a little note pinned to the bookcase in my office that said, “Keep your words soft and sweet! You never know which ones you’ll have to eat!” And another one that said, “I only take my foot out of my mouth so I can insert the other one!”
2. Do you think that is really good Christian advice?
(1) There are certainly things best unsaid in polite company, but should we have to constantly watch our tongues?
(2) I think it is more important to watch our thoughts, don’t you? Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. God looks at our hearts!
3. Because we aren’t perfect, and because we don’t want to contribute to someone else’s downfall, we still must think before we speak!
That becomes less of a problem as we become more like Christ!

II. OUR TONGUES REVEAL OUR AMBITIONS.

1. Wanting to be important is not bad if our motives are right, but there must have already been a problem here. (v.1).
2. I think many of the tongue-speakers in Corinth were simply trying to be important.
3. V. 1 indicates James found people all over the place who were claiming to have some special revelation from God for His people. He doesn’t say they really did, or did not. He wasn’t judging them, but giving them a warning. He even included himself in it.
4. We believe God may choose to speak through anyone.
(1) Early Christians believed that, too, so they always listened!
(2) That means the responsibility for what is said rests on the speaker! (v.1b).
(3) V.2 says all of us stumble in many ways. If you can keep from stumbling in speech, you are a complete man in control of yourself!
(4) Be sure when you desire to lead God’s people, you have God’s command and inspiration behind you!
5. Ambition is good when the motives for it are good!

III. OUR TONGUES REVEAL OUR TRUE CHARACTERS.

1. James is not losing sight of what Jesus said, or of what he said a little earlier. We know people by their works! But we can also know, and be known, by our language!
2. Our language reveals our character because we can’t control it!
3. James illustrates how a bit controls a horse, a rudder controls a ship, and a single match can cause a great forest to burn! If we let them, our tongues will spin us out of control the same way!
4. If we couldn’t control our tongues, he wouldn’t have said these things.
5. When we wonder what made us say something wrong, we can be sure it was a fault in our character showing up!

IV. OUR TONGUES DECEIVE US AND OTHERS!

1. What we are willing to say in public is different to what we may say in private, isn’t that true?
2. James 3:12 shows the absurdity of being a hypocrite! God’s creation never allows salt and fresh water to flow from the same spring, or fig trees to produce olives, or vines to produce figs!
3. Our tongues should speak the same thing all the time, but they don’t, do they?
(1) Perhaps we are trying to keep from hurting someone’s feelings!
(2) That’s deception!
a. And it may cost that friend more than your friendship!
b. But sometimes telling the truth, when we are not asked, is cruelty!
c. We need to ask God for the wisdom to know when to speak and to be silent!
4. Why do we not always tell it like it is? We want to deceive somebody!
(1) Sometimes we think deception is kind!
(2) Sometimes we know it is just dishonest!
5. Be sure, there is always someone who hears our dissimilation!

V. I’M JUST GOING TO GIVE YOU ONE THING WE CAN DO ABOUT OUR LANGUAGE THIS MORNING.

1. James gives us the clue in v. 12. You get fresh, sweet water from a fresh, sweet fountain.
2. The ocean is full of water, but it is too salty to drink. We know how to separate the salt from the water now. But you can’t go to the ocean and drink, ever!
3. Tongues take a while to tame, but you will have a redeemed tongue the moment you are redeemed by Jesus! In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said, “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
4. If you want to know more about cleaning up the tongue, come next Sunday. That’s the title of the message.

CONCLUSION:

1. Now let’s wrap this up.
(1) Our tongues reveal what we really want.
(2) The fruit of our mouths reveals who and what we really are.
(3) When those two things are false, we are trying to deceive someone for some reason!
2. You have to receive Jesus if you want to speak a truly clean language.
3. If Christians didn’t have a problem with their tongues, James would never have written this!
(1) Do you have Jesus, and still have a problem?
(2) Remember we’re not perfect yet: We’re working on it!
(3) If you’re working on it and you are still having a problem, make a new start right now.
4. This invitation is for you.


ECC 2/20/2005

Let's Make Our Faith Visible (Jamesbs4) by John

LET’S MAKE OUR FAITH VISIBLE! (Jamesbs4.ser)
James 2:14-26
1. (Have an apple for a prop. Hold it up.)
2. What do I have in my hand?
3. Could I make you believe it is an orange?
4. Make an imaginary journey to Washington state with me. To Bill Roger’s Filbert Farm. (Dialogue here) “Look at my orange tree! I’m really proud of it!” “Looks like an apple tree to me. Besides, oranges don’t grow this far north. Too cold!” Point: Self-deceit. Wrong place. Wrong tree. Wrong bloom. Wrong fruit. Wrong texture. Wrong flavor. Wrong seed. (Same is true with people. You can tell a Christian by where he is, the kind of life he lives, the kind of fruit in his life, and the kind of seed he sows!)
5. Do you see what James is saying here?
6. All faith is invisible.

I. Real Faith Dynamically Changes our lives.

1. Jesus said simply, “You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16,20)
(1) Jesus said that to His apostles, so He was talking about the difference between being saved and lost, and the truth. Christians can see the difference!
(2) Real faith can’t be seen! But we can see what real faith does! It is like what Jesus did!
(3) Remember Peter’s experience when Jesus came walking to them on the water? Peter’s faith was stronger than mine, but still weak! But it was also very real! Nobody knew how much faith Peter had, except Jesus, until he stepped out of the boat! Then everyone had an accurate picture of his faith! Or did they? I can hear the apostles now, “Wow! Look at Peter! Man! He really has faith! I wish I had faith like that!” Then he began to sink, and all of the apostles knew how weak Peter’s faith was.
2. Real faith becomes visible when good works grow out of it. ill with Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). The Priest and the Levite were probably on the way to church for worship. They had responsibility! (Remember what James said in 1:27? “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” The Priest and the Levite would have worshipped better if they had helped the helpless! And made their faith visible!
3. Vv 15-17. A faith that attempts nothing is invisible, too, but its works are not.
(1) Such a faith can’t know the mind of God.
(2) How can it attempt anything really godly?
(3) An empty faith has self as its only god!
(4) Lord Halifax said, “A man is to go about his business as if he had not a friend in the world to help him in it.” That’s the world’s far right attitude. The far left says “The world owes me!” Neither is right.
(5) James spoke in v. 16 as if he had witnessed someone saying these things. They may have been said with real feeling, but people can’t wear feelings, and they can’t eat them!
(6) It doesn’t take a special gift of discernment for us to know when a person’s actions don’t measure up to their words! When they don’t, their false faith becomes plainly visible!
4. We can’t divide our works from either kind of faith! That’s what James is telling us in v. 18. (read)
(1) This sounds like an argument James has already heard!
(2) V. 26. A faith without works is a dead faith!
(3) The opposite is also true I think. Works without faith are dead works, valueless! Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
(4) Works, good or bad, grow out of our faith, real or false!

II. V.19 REAL FAITH IS MORE THAN AN ORTHODOX STATEMENT.

1. The Jews liked to show their religion by saying, “There is one God” or “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut 6:4)
2. Jewish tradition taught, “Whosoever prolongs the utterance of the word One shall have his days and years prolonged to him.” “Rabbi Akiba faced a martyr’s death. At the end of his final prayer, he recited the Shema. His last words were: “’Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one.’” According to Jewish legend, a voice from heaven was heard: “Blessed art thou, for thy soul and the word ‘One’ left thy body together.’”
3. James points out demons believe God is one, and demons aren’t saved! Anybody can mouth words, but only a Christian can live like Christ!
4. I run into people all the time who say they are saved, but their lives say they are lost! Jesus says for us to believe their lives! ill. (Walter Ettiger?) I talked to a man who told me he attended church for years and never realized Jesus died for him personally. After he started attending another church, he accepted Jesus as his own Savior! All those years he played Russian Roulette with eternity! And he is so glad now that he knows Jesus!
5. The Biblical proofs James gives are the stories of Abraham and Rahab. Abraham started walking on water when he offered his only son Isaac as a sacrifice, and Rahab stepped out on faith when she helped the spies of Israel. Their works just naturally grew out of their faiths!

CONCLUSION:

1. Faith is invisible, but if you observe, the outgrowth of that faith it will tell you whether it is real or false!
2. If you say you believe in Jesus and you are saved, what does your life say? Jesus said we are to look at and believe lives, not words! James says the same thing!
3. What a wonderful time this is to begin putting your faith to work! Be like Peter! Step out of the boat! Make Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life! Begin witnessing for Him by coming forward and making your faith in Him public.
4. Then help the helpless with the same grace Jesus showed all of us, and all of us will know you belong to Jesus!


Emmanuel 2/13/2005

Potential Power 2 Corinthians 5:20 by John

POTENTIAL POWER

I have never lived up to my potential, I thought while watching water for tea coming to a boil. I felt helpless in a world full of overpowering people and events.

The water boiled, and I observed that power is released when water boils. Contained and directed, it moves long trains with great loads over high mountain passes. People are a lot like water. Alone we are powerless, but Christians are never alone! Jesus is with us, and we are His ambassadors! We may feel powerless, but feelings deceive. His power is waiting whether we feel it or not. He is our strength!

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” II Corinthians 5: 20 (NAS)

Like water, we need to be spiritually heated to boiling. Our lives need to be contained and directed by his love into useful service. God’s Holy Spirit is just waiting for us to let Him do it all! Then as Christ’s ambassadors, we can deliver His message with powerful authority, “Be reconciled to God!”

I prayed, “I love you, Lord. I commit my life to you. Control me, and direct me by your love as I represent You to the people of this world!”

The Power that created the universe dwells and works in every Christian! Join Jesus in His work, and let Him fill your life with meaning.

Keeping the Royal Law by John

KEEPING THE ROYAL LAW (Jamesbs3.ser)
James 2:1-13

1. As we mentioned last week, the word law does not always refer to the ten commandments.
(1) It may refer to all of the revealed truth of God.
(2) In v. 8, it has a modifier, “basilikos.” Basilikos is ts here, “royal,” and that’s good. Specifically it means “belonging to a king.”
2. The ten commandments were given to Moses for the people of God.
(1) It is the highest of ethical and theological rules.
(2) But “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 5:43) is the highest of all ethical thoughts expressed anywhere. It's first mentioned in Leviticus 19:18, and James has it here in v. 8.
3. But let’s start where our text starts: With the “My brethren.”
(1) This is a good way for James to soften the harshness of what he is about to say.
(2) It also reminds us again that he was writing specifically to the Christian Jews.
(3) It marks the beginning of a new section each time you find it in this Book, and you’ll find those section-breaks occur about 15 times.
4. Did you note as we read this portion, that it sounds like a dialogue with one person’s words left out.
(1) This is speech device is called “diatribe.”
(2) It’s like listening to one end of a telephone conversation. (Generally, a diatribe concerns things already happening!)

I. DO YOU JUDGE ON “FACE VALUE?”

1. Here come two people into the worship service, one is obviously rich, the other is obviously poor.
2. Do you believe “clothes make the man?”
(1) If you do, you show favoritism to well-dressed individuals. (A gold ring symbolized wealth. In Mississippi when I was a boy, gold teeth symbolized riches to most poor people. Even when James was written, gold rings could be rented in some places. Not really a good indication of riches.)
(2) You give the rich man a choice seat.
3. If you have developed the eyesight of God, you see the rich and poor alike. In fact, God seems to pick out the poor for special blessing all through the Bible.
(1) But if you allow “face value” to influence you, you put up the SRO sign (standing room only) or you ask the poor man to take a seat under the footstool of the speaker!
(2) That’s the position of humility. (The Father said to Jesus, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” (Ps 110:1)
4. Partiality toward either the rich or poor is wrong!
5. Treat people like you would want to be treated if you were in their place.

II. DO YOU EMBRACE THE ROYAL LAW?

1. God loves you regardless of your position, your sin, or your ability! If you are going to be like God, you’ve got to love the same way! Ill. (W.A. Criswell) A man slipped into the worship service and sat on a back pew. When the sermon started, he got happy and yelled “Amen!” An usher eased over and told him politely to be quiet. In a moment, he cried out “Praise the Lord!” And the usher marched over and told him if he didn’t get quiet, he would have to leave! The man appologized. “I’m sorry! I’ve just got the Spirit, and I couldn’t keep quiet!” “Well, I don’t know where you got it, but you didn’t get it here! So keep quiet!” Do we love people whose emotional response to the Scripture and God is different to ours? God loves us all the same!
2. Who is your neighbor? Jesus discussed that with a Jewish religious leader. After He told the parable of the Good Samaritan, he asked the man which man in the story was a neighbor to the injured man. The leader apparently could not bring himself to say "Samaritan." He said, "the one who had mercy on him." (Luke 10:37)
(1) Well, those who live in your neighborhood are your neighbors, aren’t they?
(2) But what about the people in the poor section of town?
(3) What about the people who speak a different language and have a different lifestyle?
3. Jesus made it plain in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Whoever needs you is your neighbor.
(1) I heard a young minister tell his church, “I haven’t ever, and I will never, ask you to help anyone I know is living in open sin!” He got a strong “Amen!” from a lady right in front of me.
(2) Do you see what’s wrong with that?
a. Your neighbor may be living in open sin, and the Bible says love him! That means to treat your neighbor with love!
b. Do you think Jesus separated the men living in open sin from the ones who weren’t when He fed the 5,000? Of course not! Who do you suppose was there? Murderers? Homosexuals? Wife beaters? Wine bibbers? Idolators? Those hated Romans? Yes! And of course, regular citizens!
c. “God demonstrated His love for us in this: While we were still (practicing) sinners, Christ died for us.” (Parentheses mine). Romans 5:8.
4. If you embrace the royal law, you love everybody regardless of their circumstances, and you love them alike! (That’s really hard for me! Isn’t it for you?)

III. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT BEING A SINNER MEANS?

1. V. 9 says you are committing a sin if you judge people by “face value.”
2. V. 10 says if you keep all the other points of law and stumble over one thing, you are guilty of all points!
3. V. 11 says the reason for this is simple. The one who said, “Do not commit adultery” said, “Do not commit murder.” Either one is disobedience to God, and that makes you a law-breaker! A spiritual criminal! A sinner!
4. The penalty for adultery is the same as the penalty for murder, coveting, lying, etc. It’s DEATH!
5. If you came to Jesus, you came as a sinner, right?
(1) That means God showed you mercy and love and forgiveness in saving you.
(2) It is no more than fair for God to expect you to do the same toward others! If He helped you in spite of your sin and treated you like somebody! He expects you to do the same!
6. That’s why we are to act and speak (v12) as those who will be “judged by the law of liberty.”
7. If we don’t (v13), God will judge us with the same judgment we give others.

CONCLUSION:

1. Do you look at the outward appearance of people to decide how to treat them? Or do you treat them with the same love and consideration in spite of what you see and what you feel?
2. The Law Jesus gave, the Law of the King, is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” When you meet anyone, ask yourself how you would want to be treated if your positions were reversed! Then do it that way!
3. You see, we are sinners, and whatever sin we see someone else doing, we are guilty of, too! God has shown mercy, love, forgiveness and acceptance toward us. We must show others the spirit and character of God within us, or we can expect God to judge us and treat us as we have treated them!
4. Do you have something you need to get straight with God? This is the time to do it!

Emmanuel Community Church 2/6/2005