James 6: Friends, as we prepare to enter into our time with the word, I want to invite our scripture reader to come forward. And as we do so, let us prepare our hearts to receive what God has for us this morning. I invite you to pray with me. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are thankful for this day. We are grateful that we were able to gather here. We are blessed to be in the house of God, and there is great joy among us. Whether we have come in for the first time into this place or we've been here for 10 plus years, we want to meet you all over again, Jesus. Get fresh life breathed into our hearts. And we want to lean in for what your word has for us today and just learn to apply it to our lives so that. we may know what it means to live freely and lightly in your kingdom. It's your name we pray, and all God's people said. Amen. Friends, would you remain standing as we read through scripture this morning. A reading from the book of James, chapter three, verses one through twelve. Taming the tongue. Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and it itself set on fire. Fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. This is the word of God. Praise be to God. Friends, you may have a Mm-hmm. I am very excited to be back with you all this morning. Last week I was out sick, and thankfully we'd already scheduled that Sunday off for Chase to preach, but I ended up being sick anyway. So I was like, well, okay, I guess there's some divine intervention in that one as well. So the story was that not last Sunday, but the Sunday before, we're coming back from our softball game, and our son Austin, who never lacks for energy or words to speak, because he has so much air in his lungs. Just starts coughing in the back seat, and then he just can't catch his breath. And the poor kid starts getting worked up and he's like hyperventilating, and then he really can't breathe. So, you know, of course we keep him home. One of us has to stay home. And so like I ended up staying home with him. So Hannah gets it, I get it, we all get it. So where do we go? We go to the doctor on Wednesday. Okay, and we're we're at the doctor, got this cough, chills, headache, you know, boogers everywhere, and it's just disgusting. And they're like right down. And they're like, okay, and they're like, yeah, and like the stomach, it like headache, everything. And they're like, okay, okay, here's the test to see what's going on, ready? Let's see what's going on with the aches and the chills. Here's the test, you all know it, ready? Open your mouth and say, You know what the crazy thing about being a pastor, no one prepped me for? Even when you're sick and the doctor has a piece of wood pushing down on your tongue, you're like, this will make my good phone illustration. Because the doctor wants you to stick out your tongue to figure out what's going on with the rest of your body. James is doing the exact same thing with our hearts. Stick out your tongue. Let's examine your words, and they're gonna tell us what's going on with your heart. Because there are times. In life, if not every day in life, where we're like, why do I feel anxious? Why am I feeling depressed? Why am I irrationally angry at this person or that person? You can't go get the equivalent of an x-ray for the spiritual health of your heart and say, see, what you got right there is some unforgiveness from mom and dad. What you've got right there is rejection from a coach in high school. And this is all kind of you know swirling together. You don't have that machinery. The closest we can get is what James is doing is saying, okay, let's examine your words. How you use your words will reveal your heart. So to get a spiritual assessment of our health, stick out your tongue and say, That's where we're going this morning. How our words reveal what is going on in our heart. That is the message of James's teaching. So this fall, we've been going through the book of James. The book of James is considered the Proverbs of the New Testament. What that means is it is a book of wisdom literature. Here's the thing about wisdom: wisdom can be applied by anyone, anywhere, anytime. It's a universal truth. That's why it's wisdom. So anyone And whether you're a Christian, you're an atheist, you're figuring it out, you've been following Jesus for fifty years, something in between, if you took this truth, your life will improve. It doesn't matter where you're from, what you've done, or who you are. If you take these truths from the book of James, you don't need much context. These are truths that will improve your life. And the focus of this teaching this morning is saying, How can we understand our hearts? The way we can understand our hearts is by examining our words. And here's the pattern: your words, your thoughts, Dictate your actions, and your actions will decide the quality of your life. Trace back, why is my life like this? Look at your choices and your actions. How do I get here? Look at your words and your thoughts. That's where it stems from. This is what James is trying to teach us: the power of Words. And where he starts at is a very interesting place. Like he starts his argument right here. Verse one. Not many of you should become teachers. Any teachers in the room? Any teachers in the room know this is true. Not all of your co-workers should be in the classroom. I want you to do a little exercise for me, okay? Think about the best teacher you ever had. First grade, eighth grade, maybe it was senior year and they're the one who walked out with you like, you know, at the last sporting event. Think about that best teacher you ever had. What it made you feel like. You couldn't wait to get to that class. You just they shaped your life. Maybe an easier question though is think about the worst teacher you ever had. Some of us had teachers, we're still living with what they did, what they said. How when we trusted them, they were either boring or harmful. You'll never amount to anything. Failure, no good, dropout. These are words that teachers can speak to us, and they carry such weight and power. So, what James is saying is: if you all of us know the difference between a good teacher and a bad teacher. When it comes to everyday subjects, English, math, history, science, you name it, everyone says, you want them. Why? They're a good teacher. Or you want to get out of that class because they're a bad teacher, right? Websites dedicated to this. Moms group text dedicated to this. Get them out of that classroom. Especially at that young age, right? Because you're opening your mind to be filled with those thoughts and words. Dictate your action, decide your life. How many of us are now doing a profession because of your teacher? You had a teacher that said, I want to, I think I want to go into finance because the way they teach it. I think I want to become a teacher because that teacher had such an impact on me. My teachers in seminary are the way I preach and the way I live my life. So I'm like, I want to do it like you. Many of us are formed by our teachers, which is why James is saying if it's true of these everyday subjects, how much more true of it when it comes to the Word of God that we must handle this not flippantly, but carefully, carefully, because the consequences of mishandling this book aren't just pass or fail, it can be life or death. They are eternal consequences. So trust me, I was in verse one of preparing for this sermon, being like, Lord, help me. Because now the reality of my situation is setting in. Okay, if I'm going to be speaking these words, it cannot be from my strength and my wisdom. It must come from above. Verse 2, James gets into it. He says, the person who controls. Their tongue controls their words, keeps their whole body in checked. When you hear the word perfect, you often will have many different variations on that word. You might think, like, they're just perfect. They do everything right, their house is always perfect, they have the perfect family, nothing seems to go wrong. That's not quite how they're using the word here. Perfect. In this context, is the same way that Jesus uses the word perfect when talking about learning from the example of our Heavenly Father. Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. Being perfect according to the scriptures doesn't mean you're not gonna make a mistake. You're not gonna put your foot in your mouth every now and again. It means a heart alignment. Align yourself with what your heavenly father desires. Become holy as I'm holy. Become godly as I am godly. Desire what is good as I desire what is good. You're still going to make mistakes, but seek to be perfect as in become like God. And how you do that is getting control of your words. What was James' advice from week two? I think we have it on the screen here. Quick to listen. Slow to speak, slow to become angry. And the big takeaway from that week was we live in a culture that's the exact opposite. No one's listening to each other, especially people we disagree with. Everyone has an opinion about everything all the time, whether it's informed or not. Have you all not been on social media? I'm hearing like one chuckle. Like, I mean, like. Have you watched the news? Everyone's got an opinion about everything all the time and I will defend it violently to the point where I'm not coming to Thanksgiving because you don't agree with my opinion. so quick to become angry. We live in an angry culture right now because everyone is speaking and no one is listening. Slow to speak, slow to become angry. How are these two things related? Let me give you an example. Why does he throw anger in there? Why does he put that as like a byproduct of if you are quick to listen, slow to speak, then you're gonna be slow to anger? Let me just try this scenario on. If the shoe fits, wear it. But let's see if you've ever done something like this. I've never done this, but maybe someone else has done this in the room, and this is for you. Okay. Something kind of happens to you, maybe like in the break room. Someone like a coworker, you just don't get along with them that great. And they kind of come up, it's a little awkward, they say something a little wonky, or you get an email, it just rubs you the wrong way, or it's a neighbor, it's a family member, it's friend, and you just don't see eye to eye with them, and it's awkward. And so what do you do? You go tell someone you really love who's also most likely gonna be on your side in the situation. You gotta be smart on this and say, you know. I just don't know what that was, and I'm trying to process it. And you really are trying to process it. You're trying to let the pressure out. And you're telling that trusted person, you're like, am I wrong? Am I crazy for seeing this? You know. And then you go over it, and then see if you know this transition. And here's another thing. Here's the other thing they've done too. They always do this. They never do that. I just always feel like. And then. On and I've never done this experience, so this is all third hand information, but maybe some of you have done this. And then the more you talk about that person, all of a sudden your blood pressure goes up a little bit, you're getting a little angry, and you're getting like kind of worked up, and it's just spilling out of you. And then you almost wake up from the spell being like, I'm sorry, I don't quite know what that was. Well, that was in there all along, friend. You just gave it enough time to come out through your words. Anger is so quickly associated with how we use our words. Again, because it reveals what's in our hearts, most likely against people we know and love. So, how do we get control of the tongue? It's something that is so small, is James's argument. It shouldn't be that big a deal. And yet it is so difficult to control it. So he uses the example, he uses he he says, you know, it's such a small thing. So I had to Google this. What is the percentage of body weight that a tongue is compared to the rest of the body? And apparently it's 0.13%. It's not even a quarter of a percent. And that seemed really low to me. So I decided to go to the Montgomery County Morgue and said, I need to do a quick experiment. And all of a sudden now I'm not allowed within five hundred yards of the premise. So apparently that's my problem. But the tongue isn't even 1% of your total body weight. But think about this, friends, it will determine, determine over 90% of what people think about you. How people view you and your reputation will primarily be made up, if not overwhelmingly, entirely made up of how you use your tongue, how you use your words. Will determine what everyone thinks about you. Once they actually have a conversation with you and get to know you, that's what will determine what people think about you. How you use your words, people will think you are either intelligent or not so. How you use your words. They will think you are funny or trying to be funny, your pastor included. They will think you are kind or cruel. They will think you are wise or a fool. They'll think you're a hard worker or lazy. We use phrases like, are you trustworthy? Are you a person of your word? We even use phrases like, my word is bond. But if you don't do it, you're just talk. They're all talk. It will determine your reputation, how you use your words, because it reveals who you really are. It is so, so powerful, so small, but will determine the course, the direction, and dare I say the quality of your life. The quality of your life will be determined by how you use your words. James gives us three metaphors to understand this. The first is he says, think of it like this: this giant animal, a horse, is controlled by the bit in its mouth. You can get control of the bit, you control the whole animal. Think about it like a ship. Have a rudder on it, it could steer it where it needs to go. Or a small spark that can ignite a forest fire. It's a lot of metaphors. I love me a good metaphor, but we don't have time for three. So I had to narrow it down. So the first one to go was the horse. I've ridden four horses in my life, and in true story, one in high school laid down, like on the trail. So I'm really bad at the bit. So not doing that. I've never got a shipping or like a boat's license. I am not very good at it. I get seasick. I'm kind of bad on boats. So I was like, we're not gonna do that. But I have seen a cruise ship. And to steer those giant cities in the ocean with just a little rudder, that resonates with me. But I love fire. Bit of a pyromaniac myself. And we are in fire season. So I was like, that's the one. That's what we're gonna be pursuing. So I want you to think about this when it comes to the power of words. 2020 was a busy news year. Amen? This one kind of got buried because it was a busy news year. It still made national global news, but it was a little buried by comparison. September 5th, 2020, there was a wildfire out in California. Do you all remember this? I think we have a photo to show what started the fire. What started it was a gender reveal party. I'm gonna say that again. Up until this point in human history, every other human who's ever been born was just love, no matter what the party said or what the color was. But all of a sudden you get Instagram and you gotta have this. Well, these people wanted to have not only a gender reveal, but they needed fireworks. So they used pyrotechnics, and it was during dry season. A few sparks. True story. Few sparks started the fire in the backyard, spread quickly, couldn't get a hold of it, called the fire department. Because now it's in our neighbors and it's going quick. I think we have a photo. Yep. Here are the stats on this fire. Just gender reveal party. I cannot emphasize that enough. Here's how much this gender reveal party costs. It burned for 73 days. Not hours, days. That's two and a half months. If you're that baby, this is not your fun fact at school. This is not. You you're like the kid who fell in her Rambe's cage. You are telling nobody that was you, because that is not how that you're like, mm-mm, I'm dying with this secret. It burned for 73 days. It burned 23,000 acres, and it cost the state forty-two million dollars. Forty-two million dollars. Here's the stat that honestly surprised me the most. Thankfully, only one person died, but it was a firefighter. And twelve more were severely injured. I'm shocked it wasn't more, honestly. Because the amount of people that had to evacuate their home, the amount of people who were like destitute, homes that had stood for hundred years gone in an instant. Everything in that home gone. Why? A few sparks. Can't say enough. At a gender reveal party. If you are thinking about having a gender reveal party. Our our lot is open and you we would love to rent it to you at any time, and then we will quickly say you're an idiot, and we're not doing that. So a gender reveal party, a few sparks, burn down a large part of the state of California. And James is saying our words are just as powerful. How many of us are still living with the words that were spoken to us and they still carry so much damage? So much damage. Now, here is how he phrases it. Verse 5. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body. It's 0.13% if you want that. But it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. Here's the text. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire. And itself is set on fire by what? What was it? Destructive. It's not casual. It's dangerous. James is trying to get our attention with this. This is the power. The next verse he compares it to a deadly poison. Words can be like a deadly poison. When when thinking through this sermon, I was like, it's hard not to think about the power of. Of words that have shaped the world we live in today. Just Google Hitler's speeches. He never fired a weapon. The power of words to unleash such evil on the world. But the other day, I was watching a documentary on Netflix of a man named Fred Rogers just simply putting on his sneakers to teach children how to be the best version of themselves. What kindness was like, a legacy of love. Only words. Was it. That's all they did. Words. This is the power of it. Now, as the teacher for today, let me use my words to create a picture for you all. Genesis chapter 1. When God decides to create the universe, what does he need? Words. Let there be light, and there was light. Let there be sea, and there was sea. Let there be land, and there was land. Let there be creatures to walk upon the land and fish to swim in the sea and birds to fly in the air. All he had to do was say it, and it was true. That was it. The only time he used something other than his words was to form human beings. But everything else that you've ever seen was created only with the words of God. Fast forward two chapters, Genesis 3. How does the enemy, the devil, the serpent, tempt Adam and Eve? To fall into destruction, to introduce death into the world, the world that we live in now that is diseased and broken and destroying itself. Does he attack them with a shield or a spear or a sword? His words. And how does he attack God with his words? He attacks the words of God by saying, Did he really say? Did he really say what he said? Words are so, so powerful. It's all God needed, and it's all the devil needed. One more example. To fix that wrong, when Jesus Christ comes into the world, baptized in the Jordan River, enters into the wilderness for 40 days of fasting, does the devil attack him and tempt him with a sword or a spear or a shield? He comes at him with words. Turn these stones into bread. A temptation. Throw yourself off. Bow down and worship me. Just words. And then when Jesus passes the test, the test that Adam failed, he goes out into the world to restore creation. And what does Jesus need to heal people? Words. Sometimes he lays hands, but he doesn't have to. He doesn't even have to be in the same city as them. He's like, they have been healed this hour. Be gone. To the demons. When they are in a horrible storm, when they think they're going to die, the disciples who are expert fishermen, all he says is, be still. And creation itself listens to his words. This is the power of our words, which is why the main people that Jesus uses his words to try and wake up are the religious. Leaders, because their words are exposing their heart and their hypocrisy. And so, how does he come at them? With his words to wake them up, Matthew chapter 12, verse 34. Jesus is he's trying to get them to see who they are. He says, You brood of vipers, you snakes, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks. What the heart is full of. Your words reveal your heart. And Jesus used his words to reveal to his audience what was in their heart. Over his words are so powerful. We are talking about them today, every Sunday in Dayton, Ohio, in 2026. How could a first century carpenter have that kind of impact? If not for his words. And here we sit. Your words reveal your heart. Your words reveal maybe even more than you realize. Maybe other people see it before you do. James says that you can tell a tree by its fruit. An apple tree cannot grow oranges. It can only grow apples. An orange tree can only grow oranges. And a healthy heart A changed heart, a a healed and holy heart can only produce healed, holy, good words. And when it produces anything else, that's where our hearts are sick. Trees don't get sick just like that. Some parts are sicker than others. We're seeing it right now as all these leaves change. That area is not doing so good. This part is the same as true of our hearts. So, what's the answer? How do we get control of our words? Well, here's what we normally do: try harder and beat yourself up more. You failed? Punish yourself more, talk down to yourself more and beat yourself up more. and here for good measure, maybe compare yourself to someone not doing as good so you feel better, or compare yourself to someone who's even better and be like, I'll never be like that. And then you go home. So I could end the sermon right there and say, Grace, peace, see you next week. Go try harder. But that's not the gospel. That's not good news. But James does give us the answer in a roundabout way. Verse 8, let's put it on the screen. No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. That was the answer. Did you see it? Did you see it? No human being can tame the tongue. Let's read it again. No human. Can do this. You cannot do this. You can you trying harder is an option, but it'll leave you really tired and really frustrated, and probably worse than you were before. You cannot do it on your own. James says every other animal has been controlled by humans, but we cannot control this part. Why? Because it reveals our hearts. And if we could change our hearts, we would change our hearts. So the gospel is. The only way to get control of your words is to get control of your heart. And the only way to get control of your heart is through a supernatural power, something outside of yourself. Someone needs to come in and renovate your heart. Give you a new heart. Give you a new strength outside of yourself. This is the gospel message that Jesus has come to give us a new heart. And a new heart changes our worlds. A sick tree needs a botanist to make it healthy. If we feel like our hearts are sick, Jesus Christ, the great physician, says, stick out your tongue, and I'll tell you where you're sick. I'll tell you what's going on with your heart. Now, how how do we do this? How do we do this? What does that look like hypothetically? How do we trace it back from our words to How does it tell us what's going on in our heart? Let's just try these on for size, just a few examples. And I'm not trying to talk to anyone specific because this was a difficult one to write. Because I was like, boy, this is me all over it. Hypothetically, do you find yourself talking badly about other people? Is it maybe because you don't think very highly of yourself? And you don't think very highly of yourself because you don't know who you are in Christ. You don't truly know. What you mean to Jesus. Your identity is not so rooted in the love of God that you're living for an audience of one. Instead, you're looking for identity and you're looking for validation from everyone else, and when you're not getting it, your heart is growing sour and it's growing cold, and you're well, forget you, anyways. But if you know the love of God, it changes your heart and says, as long as I have your approval, Lord. I don't need it from anyone else. And therefore, I don't need to speak that way about anyone else. Because I don't really need their approval. It'd be nice, but I know who I am. And it's so rooted in the unshakable love of Jesus that I live out of that place. And out of trying to add it into my life. Do you find yourself gossiping? Could it be that you don't love people the way God loves people? If you find yourself gossiping over and over, could it be that you just don't even see people the way God sees them? We're just so quick to jump to conclusions about people that we don't even stop to think. How does God see this situation? And what would Jesus do if he was confronted by someone like this? Well, we know what he would do because we have it. How do we have the eyes of Jesus to see people that way? And then that changes your heart, changes your words. Do you find yourself growing angry? about the same person over and over and over again. That person just will not let up. You are just angry with them all the time. And then you hear a sermon on forgiveness, you're like, well that doesn't really apply to me. Could it be that's the area where you need to be on your knees saying, Jesus, you've forgiven me. I need to forgive them. Doesn't mean it's okay what they did, but I need to extend the forgiveness that you've given me. Holding on to that forgiveness is like drinking poison hoping they die. Quit poisoning your heart with the anger at someone else. What do your words reveal? For some of us, it was just a little spark, but now it's like a wildfire in our hearts. And we are just so angry, we're so torn up about life all the time. And where is the peace of God in that? That's the power of our words. Now, the opposite is also true of fire. Fire is not only destructive. Many of us will have fires that are scheduled during this time. Let's come over for a bonfire. It'll be great. Let's put one on in the fireplace. It'll be great. Why? Because fire isn't just destructive. It provides heat. It provides light. It gives new life. It's a symbolism for hope. It's like something that we use as a metaphor to say, do you have some fire in your heart? Do you have some fire in your belly to go out and do something? It's like a motivation. Fire is a very good thing. It just simply does what it does. We must control it. And friends, isn't it interesting? Isn't it interesting? That when Jesus shows up on the scene, shows us how to live, lives the perfect life, dies the death we should have died, is resurrected, it says, You too shall live if you believe in me. Go out and build my church. But first, wait for the Holy Spirit to show up. And when they're in the upper room praying, what comes down on them as they're praying and waiting for Jesus? Fire. But how is it described in the scriptures? Tongues of fire. Tongues of fire. Just a little fire from heaven to burn up all that is evil in the world. So when these tongues of fire fall on the apostles, what's the first thing they did? Change a bunch of government policies. Start new ministry programs. No. Praised God. Proclaim the truth. This is how you can be saved. This is how you can know Jesus. This is how you can have peace in your heart beyond all understanding. And then out of that, everything flows. Here's how you can have a new heart. Here's how you can have courage, and here's how you can be light in a dark world. This is the fire, my friends, that started the church. The greatest forest fire the world has ever seen is the church of Jesus Christ. It is the same fire that has burned down empires that have tried to oppose the kingdom of God. It is the same fire that has burned up all immorality, all the ways that we try and say, Well, you're not as good and you're out and you're No, it burns all that up. It's the same fire that if the believer just dwells in it long enough and continues to feed it with the word of God, will burn up all shame, all fear, all guilt within your heart. This is the fire of God. Which fire do you choose? Which way will we use our words? It begins with what's in your heart. Where is it? How does Jesus need to change it? How do you need to give it to him? How do you need to surrender it to him? Because you cannot do it on your own. But he tells us in his word. The enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come that you may have life and life to the full. Following Jesus, doing it his way, giving him every part of your heart, even the part that you're like, I didn't they didn't tell me about this in Sunday school. Everything, everything, everything is how you live the good life. It's what heals relationships, it's what heals homes. It's what heals marriages. It's what heals your wounds. It's what heals your past. What is in your heart? What needs to be burned up? And what needs to be brought back ablaze? So as we close, I want to ask this question as we reflect. Can we put that up? What have your words been revealing about your heart lately? Not your spouse. Not your kid. Not someone you got in fight with. Your words, because we're talking about your heart. What have your words been revealing about your heart lately? And the prayer is to ask God to show you where your heart needs to change, so your words can bring life instead of hurt. I want to bring the band to come forward. We're going to take a moment as they're just going to play a little music in the background. I want us to just seriously just pray, reflect, so that we may be free to live the good life of Jesus. Let us pray. Jesus, we we thank you for your word, for this truth. That in a world that feels so confusing, so topsy-turvy, don't know what to do, don't know where to go, we have a word of truth that can guide us and lead to the good life. And some of us may feel like our life is on fire right now and things are burning down. There's just stress, there's anxiety, there's depression, there's just there's just junk. Jesus, would your spirit come and burn all that up? But light a fire in our hearts to tell others about you, to go and proclaim the goodness of who you are and what you've done in us. Would you set a fire down in our hearts? Would you just change us from the inside out? We want to become more and more and more like you, Jesus. Get a hold of our hearts. They are yours. True name we pray. Amen.