How Jesus Changes the Way You Speak

If you're just joining us today, we're in a series, we do it every single year. We call it The Word, where we pick one particular book of the Bible, we study through it, and read through it together, because in this church, we absolutely love the Word. We love the Bible, and in this particular series, we're studying through the book of James, everybody, James. And it has been awesome, it has been challenging, it has been in our face, and it has caused us to change some things about our lives. I think for all of us, I hope you're not just coming on Sundays to hear the sermon, but I hope you're also reading along with us at home. This week, we're in James chapter three, and you can read a few verses every single day from James chapter three, or you could go for the gold star, and you could read chapter three every day this week. It's only 18 verses, it wouldn't take you very long at all each morning to read through it. And here's what I believe you'll discover as we jump into James three. I think you'll discover that James chapter three is the most practical chapter of the entire book of James. In fact, I'll take it up a step. I think what you're gonna find is that James chapter three is the most practical chapter of any chapter in your New Testament. Oh, I'm gonna take it up one more step. I actually believe, and I'll submit to you today

that James chapter three is actually the most practical chapter of your whole Bible. And that's saying a lot, y'all, but I believe it. In fact, I think you're gonna discover it when you jump in to read James chapter three yourself, because James chapter three deals with a topic that we all, we all struggle with. In fact, let me set it up like this. I'll tell you the topic. This was an experience that happened many years ago. I was thinking about this. It was many years ago, and I say that just to tell you that over the last several years, I have matured greatly. Okay, I just want you to know it. I'm growing, I'm maturing, but I remember this from several years ago when I maybe wasn't so mature. Tabitha and I were having one of those sanctified discussions, you know what I mean? When I say that, one of those, we were arguing. All right, everybody, and like most of the time, she was winning and I was losing. And I knew, dudes, you can relate to this. I knew she was right and I was wrong, but I just wasn't ready to give up yet. You know what I'm saying? And so we were kind of having this back and forth and each of us kind of saying our bit and saying our piece and kind of going back and forth. And I clearly knew I was in the wrong. And I clearly knew I wanted to win this fight.

But she kind of made her last final argument. You know, she kind of gave her closing statement. You know, she came in hot and she said what she needed to say and the whole time I'm thinking, what am I gonna say? What am I gonna say? What am I gonna say? And unfortunately, I didn't really have a good comeback. I didn't really have anything to fire back at her. And so I said this under my breath. I didn't say it real loud. I mean, she heard it, but I didn't say it real loud. I said it under my breath. I just said, when she said her last argument, I said, your mom. I know, what am I, like 13 years old again? I don't know. Your mom, that's what I'm gonna say. I'm gonna try to win the argument. I'm gonna try to seal the deal. I'm gonna try to get on top with your mom. How many of you know those two little one syllable words put together at the wrong time, spoken in the wrong tone, with the wrong voice, could lead to a lot of trouble. How many of you know that's a true statement? You're like, yeah, that didn't win anything. Your mom, are you kidding me? That didn't win anything. Because two little words,

two little words can actually have a huge impact. Two little words can actually make a big difference. Two little words can get a guy in a whole lot of trouble. I'm just telling you, those two little words. And that's really, honestly, the topic of James chapter three. James chapter three is all about our words. James chapter three, it's probably the most practical chapter of the whole Bible because James chapter three tackles this idea of the words you use. Now, if you've been with us, you know that this is really building upon a premise that the whole book of James is built on. James has this underlying theme. It runs for the whole book. All the chapters relate to this one theme, that right identity equals right behavior. That if you know who you are, you'll behave in a certain way. And of course, for James, he's saying that if you know you're a follower of Jesus Christ, if you're a son or daughter of God, then it should relate to the way you live your life. that your identity should change your life. And that's true for Christians, that the way you behave should reflect who you say you are. And I wanna just get something clear. What James does not say is that your behavior changes your identity. He doesn't say that. We don't act a certain way for a changed identity.

In fact, the only way you become a follower of Jesus or a Christian, the only way you get saved is not through behavior. So we don't change our behavior so that we can become a Christian. That's not what happens. We're saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. That's how we're saved. But when you're saved, it changes your behavior. So you don't change your behavior to get saved, but when you're saved, it changes your behavior. And that's what all of the book of James is really built on is that one big idea to which he would say, hey, that when you're saved, it changes the words you use, that your words should reflect your identity. And so James writes chapter three to some followers of Jesus, to some Christians that apparently are struggling in this area of life. These are Christians who are now scattered all throughout the region because of persecution. And apparently some of them say things in the heat of the moment to their spouse like your mom. So they struggle with their language. They struggle with their words. They're using their tongues in ways that are not aligned with their identity. And this is a big deal to James because two little words make a really big difference.

Two little words have a huge impact in your marriage. Two little words can make a big difference in your family. Two little words can make a big difference with your kids, at your job, with your friends. Two little words matter. And so James chapter three is dedicated to every person who has a big fat mouth. All right, that's who James chapter three is for, for all of us with loose lips. That's who James chapter three is for, to which you might say, well, who would that be? You. Let's just have a moment, a little personal reflection and self-evaluation. And I think confession's good for the soul. And so I wonder if you would just think about, and let's just pick, I don't know, the last four days. The last four days, I want you to think about the words you've used in the last four days. These would be words you spoke to people. These would be words you posted on Instagram and Facebook. Don't make me pull up your feed and put it right here on the screen for everybody. These would be words that you even spoke to yourself. I want you to think about the words you've spoken over the last four days and just by show of hands, play along online, let us know by a show of hands, how many of you have said something over the last four days that thinking about it today, you regret? Would you raise your hand?

Just hold them high and just for a moment, just hold it high. Okay, if you've got your hand raised, I'm looking around. If you've got your hand raised, James chapter three is written to you for you. All right, you're gonna love this chapter. It is the most practical chapter you'll ever read. James three, you can put your hands down. By the way, if you didn't raise your hand, there are some other scriptures in the Bible that are written to you for you. And they deal with the topic of lying. All right, just so you know. They're for you. Because we all do. Come on, let's be honest. We all have a problem with our tongue. We all have a problem with our words and James chapter three is there to help us. I wanna show you, James three starts, actually starts with a warning. A warning that is honestly to me, to me, not to everybody else in the room necessarily, but to me and I wanna show you what James chapter three, this is how he starts. Not many of you, he says, not many of you should become teachers. To which all the school teachers who stood up earlier are like, amen to that.

There's a word from God for my life. I quit, right? No, no, no, no. James is talking about teachers in the church. Teachers, preachers in the body of Christ. He says, not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers. Here's why. Because we know that we who teach will be, this is a strong word James uses, will be judged more strictly. To which I wanna say, thank you very much, brother James. Like, anybody wanna trade a job today? You know, this is like, like James has given a warning. He's given a clear warning to those who would aspire to teach or preach in the church. And he's reminding us that there is a weightiness, there's an accountability, there's even a stricter judgment for those who teach or preach God's word. And I didn't skip this verse today. I thought about just getting on to the rest of it, but I didn't wanna skip this verse today because I just thought it would be important. for you to know that I feel it. You need to know that, that I feel it. Like these gray hairs on my head and these wrinkles on my face didn't just show up on my 51st birthday, y'all. I need you to know it.

I've been preaching and teaching God's word for 34 years. I feel it. I feel the weightiness of it. And I'm honored to do it. And I'm honored to be called by God for it. But I understand there's an accountability and I do not take it lightly. Now, this has come to no surprise to any of you here. That doesn't mean I always get it right. Thank you for not applauding in that moment. I appreciate it. I don't always get it right. In fact, James actually acknowledges that in the very next verse, which gives me a lot of hope. He says this, we all stumble in many ways. We all do. Nobody's perfect. Nobody's got it all right. Nobody's gonna get it all right all the time. I don't always get it right with my words. James is saying you're never gonna find a perfect pastor or preacher. You're never gonna find one, especially if you stay in this church. But you're never gonna find one. You should know that. James would say that. I don't always get it right with my words, but I always feel it. I always feel it.

I always feel the weight. I always feel the pressure, the accountability. And you need to know that if you allow me to be your pastor and speak God's word over you, I will always, always strive to honor the authority of the word of God in my life and over our church and for your life as well. You need to know that. Serious about that. Because there's a stricter judgment, a stricter judgment for teachers. And James uses that to grab our attention. He's using this transitional phrase in warning, knowing it won't apply to everybody who reads it, but he wants to use it to grab everybody who reads it. He wants to use it to grab your attention because he wants you to understand the weightiness of words. James is writing to say this. Your words have weight. No matter who you are, no matter if you stand on a platform or sit in a chair, your words have weight. Our words are weighty. Now, oftentimes we don't treat our words as weighty. We treat them as lightweight, right? We just kind of toss them around and we're kind of careless, but our words have weight. I actually brought out these dumbbells today just to remind us, and I should have asked for lighter ones, honestly,

or I should lift them more often. I'm not sure. But these dumbbells require, because they're weighty, they require care. They require intentionality. They require me to be careful when I'm lifting them. I can't just toss them around carelessly or somebody's going to get hurt. Like if I just toss these around somebody, probably you, Kayla, on the front row, you're going to get hurt. And if I toss these carelessly around on the front row, not only is she going to get hurt, I'm going to get hurt, because tomorrow in the news, the headline's going to say, preacher busts congregant's face with weights. And now I'm going to be hurt because weight requires care and concern and intentionality and discernment. And I got to be careful because these are 25 pound dumbbells. And because they're so weighty, I should treat them as such. I think a lot of us just toss our words around like they're one pounds. Just pick them up, throw them around, no big deal. If I throw it out there, it won't hurt you bad. We're careless with our words. We don't give them the weight that they deserve. James actually uses three word pictures

in James chapter three to remind us that our words have weight. He points us to a bit in a horse's mouth. And then he points us to a rudder on a ship. And then he points to a spark in a forest. And James says all three of these things, the bit in the mouth of a horse and the rudder on a ship and a spark in a forest, all of these are very small things and yet they are very powerful things. They're very weighty things. In fact, I'll show you verse five of James chapter three. James says, likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body. Did you know that your tongue makes up less than 0.1% of your entire body weight? That's just a small part of you, your tongue. But, James says, it makes, look at this, great boasts. In other words, your tongue is small but mighty. It's tiny but. It's powerful and your tongue can get you in a lot of trouble because your words have weight. Now, remember how I told you on the first week of the series that one of the nicknames that people give to the book of James is that it is the Proverbs of the New Testament. Proverbs is known for being incredibly practical. And so James is kind of like the Proverbs of the New Testament. Well, let me show you the real Proverbs, the Proverbs of the Old Testament

and what Proverbs says about our tongue. This is Proverbs 18, 21, which would honestly be a great memory verse for all of us who raised our hand earlier and said we regret something we've said in recent days. Proverbs 18, 21 says the tongue has the power of, and I'd love you to say these words with me, the power of life and death. Think about that. This is the power of the tongue. The tongue brings life or the tongue brings death. The tongue creates or the tongue destroys. It's powerful, small, but powerful because your words are weighty. And there are a lot of us, probably way too many of us today who are treating our words as lightweight. Your mom, just tossing words out, not thinking anything about them. We say things without giving our words the weight that they require. We compare, we one up, we are negative, we gossip, we slander, we tear down, we're condescending, we're not kind. We say words that are not wholesome. We just act like our words, they're no big deal. They're lightweight. And James says, hold up, because this is not in line with who you say you are. You say you're a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what James started with.

Your identity, James chapter one, your identity is you're a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then you need to know there's a weightiness to your words. The apostle Paul actually echoes this in the book of Ephesians. I wanna show you what Paul says. This is Ephesians chapter four, verse 29. Paul says, do not let any, and look at this word he uses, unwholesome. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. So Paul joins with James. And Paul says, hey, there is something here about your words that need to align with your beliefs, that if you're a follower of Jesus, your words should not sound like the world's words. Instead, your words should sound different. And Paul says specifically, unwholesome talk stays in. You don't speak those words. That word unwholesome is an interesting one. In Paul's day and age, in the Greek language, when that word was used, it was the word used to describe the smell of spoiled, rotten fish, unwholesome. I wish we had smell-o-vision right now. We could just like send out a whiff of it. Everybody could just get a smell. Just get a smell.

Don't worry, don't worry. We're actually gonna help you remember the sermon because we gave our team in the parking lot buckets of dead fish. And we just said, pick random cars and just, on this 90 degree day, can you imagine if you went out to your car and there was a dead fish waiting for you inside your car right now? The smell, it would be unwholesome. That's the smell. And what Paul is saying is, hey, don't let your words be like that. Don't let your words be rotten. Don't let your words be smelly. Hey, if the words you speak cause the person who hears them to respond like they just smelled rank, stanky, rotten fish, then don't say those words. Keep those words in. If unwholesome stays in, to which some of you are like, oh my gosh. Well, if unwholesome stays in, I wouldn't have much to say. Maybe that's the point Paul's making. Because words have weight. We're supposed to give our words weight, so don't let them out. Anything that's distasteful, anything that's foul, anything that's rotten, keep it in.

So what do I let out? Well, Paul told us. He says, but only let out what is, look at this, helpful for doing what? For building others up according to whose needs? Not mine. according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. So my words that I speak all the time must be helpful for you and building you up or else I shouldn't speak them. This is the filter that Paul says we're to use. Are my words helpful? Did I help you with these words? Do they build you up? Do they meet your needs? This is the filter. Are my words helpful? Is the timing of these words helpful? Hello? Is the tone of my words helpful? And am I building you up with the words? Because if not, I shouldn't say it, I shouldn't post it, I shouldn't comment it, I shouldn't share it, I shouldn't email it. This is the filter for a follower of Jesus. This is how you make sure your words align with your nature, with who you say you are. Is it helpful? Is it helpful?

Notice the filter is not, is it funny? This is a filter I sometimes use, is it funny? Will it make you laugh? Then I'll say it, that's a dangerous filter. Not, is it my opinion? That's the filter a lot of us use. Well, it's my opinion. Well, I'm just gonna tell you how I feel. I just need you to know, this is what I feel. Now, that's not the right filter to use for your words, not your opinion. Is it helpful? How about this one? This is the filter a lot of us use. Well, it's what other people are saying. So we actually will be influenced by the words other people say, and because they're saying those words, now I start to say those words. And so for a lot of, so many of us, we're surrounded by cursing all the time. And so what happens? Now we find ourselves cursing, and a lot of times we don't even realize we're saying it. Can you believe this? There have been many occasions where right out here in the lobby, right after a service, right after a service, I've had people come up to me at church

after a service in the lobby, and they'll say, pastor, that was a beep and good sermon today. And they fill in the beep, by the way, they don't leave the beep blank. Yeah. I mean, I appreciate the fact that you're building me up, but you probably shouldn't say that to the pastor in church. These are bad filters. So sometimes I'll use this filter. Does it make me feel better? Because that's why I'm gonna say it. You ever use this one? Well, I just had to say it. I just had to tell them. No, you didn't. You didn't have to say it, but you chose to say it. That's a bad filter. Is it helpful? Is it helpful? This is just how I was raised. My dad yelled, so now I yell. That's a bad filter. The Bible gives us a new filter to use. Is it helpful to build others up according to their needs? That's the right filter. Why does it matter? It matters because your words have weight. And that's James's whole point. Your words are more weighty than you realize.

And I realized somebody here is probably ready to argue with me and say, it's really not that big of a deal. Settle down. It's just not that big of a deal. Hey, they know I'm opinionated. They know it. Or this is just the way we talk in our family. We just talk to each other like this in our family. It's fine. Well, they know I love them. It's no big deal. Or that's the way the guys all talk. This is just guy talk. This is just guy talk. This is the way we just talk to each other. It's no big deal. James would say, actually, actually, if you're a follower of Jesus, it is a big deal. That's what James would say. He'd say it is a big deal. But maybe not for the reason you think. James would tell you it's a really big deal. Your words have so much weight. Here's why. Because your words reveal your heart. That's why it's a big deal. Your words reveal your heart. See, when you go home, you start reading through James chapter three.

Here's what you're gonna feel. Maybe you feel it right now. You're gonna feel like James is coming into you with a bar of soap, and he's about to wash your mouth out. By the way, I use that tactic once or twice as a parent. I don't know if it's helpful or not. You have to ask my kids. I'm not saying it's good parenting advice. I'm just saying it is a tool. James, though, is not using that tool on us. Though most of us probably deserve it. Like most of us, we probably need a little soap in our mouth, to be honest. We could probably use it. It'd be okay. It'd be a good lesson learned. But James actually isn't doing that. Listen, James. isn't even saying to us, fix your words. That's not what James is saying. So this is not James's attempt to modify our behavior. That's not at all what James is doing. What James in fact is doing is this, he's saying, wake up Christian, wake up follower of Jesus, cause your words are revealing something about your life. And before you say you have faith, and before you say you're all good with God, and before you say you're a follower of Jesus,

why don't you take a moment to audit your words, listen to your voice, check your tongue, cause they're actually revealing something that's deeper. It's actually revealing something about the condition of your heart. Let me show you this. This is James chapter three, verse nine. James says this, he says, with the tongue, we praise our Lord and father, and with it, that same tongue, we curse human beings who've been made in God's likeness. Then he says this, out of the same mouth, come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, James says, this should not be. This should not be out of the same mouth. You should not come to church, sing these incredible songs of praise and worship about how good God is, how awesome God is, how great God is, get in your car and yell at your kids. You shouldn't do that. This should not be. You should not come in here and sing these incredible songs and then get in the car and speak harshly to your spouse. You should not do that, James says. You shouldn't come in here, sing these songs, make these incredible declarations, get in the car, get angry at the person in the parking lot in front of you, curse them out before you even leave the church. You shouldn't do that. And we got cameras, it happens.

James says, you shouldn't do that, you shouldn't do that. This is a problem. It's a problem when you use the voice God's given you to praise him and then curse people. And it's not always the people outside of your life. Sometimes it's your own life. Sometimes you say things to yourself that you regret. I do this, almost every Sunday I do this and I know it's a problem. I'll sing God's praises and preach God's word and tell you all the great things about God. And then I'll walk on the stage and the first thing out of my mouth would be, you idiot, what'd you say that for? Why'd you say it that way? Why'd you stutter through that? And I'm actually back there tearing down my own sermon I just preached. What's that about? It's revealing something. It's revealing something in my heart. That's what James is trying to get to. He's not just talking about the way you behave. He's talking about a problem in your heart. Then James, he really gets to the heart of it. And this is what he asks. He says, can both, look at this. Can both freshwater and saltwater flow from the same spring? And the answer is no. No, that can't happen.

And can a fig tree, he says, my brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs? And you don't even have to study horticulture to know the answer to that question. No, no, that can't happen. A fig tree doesn't give you olives. A grapevine gives you grapes, not figs. Then James says this. Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. What's he talking about? James is talking about this. He's talking about the source. That's what he's talking about. The source. That everything is created from a source, that everything flows from a source. That the water flows from a source. So freshwater flows from a freshwater source, not a saltwater source. And fruit flows from a source. Fruit matches the nature of the tree. And words. Words flow from a source. The source is your heart. So if your words are messed up, it's a sign that your heart's messed up. Hey, I mean, listen, if we feel convicted today about our words, and I hope you do, and if you read James chapter three this week, you really are.

The source of your words is your heart. Let me show you, Jesus actually said that. Luke 6 45. Jesus is a good person. produces good things from the treasury of a good heart. And an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And then Jesus says this mind-blowing, life-altering phrase. He says, what you say flows from what's in your heart. Your words come from your heart. What? Yeah, that's what he says. And this is really what the flow of James is all about. Because James isn't just talking about changing a behavior. James is talking about changing your identity because a right identity will result in right behavior. So a right heart will result in right words. So if you leave from here today and you're like, I got to check my words because my words are off. No, no, no, no. It leads you to check your heart because your heart is off. Your words have weight and your words reveal your heart, y'all. This is James three. This is James three. Now, I wanna show you a third thing that I think James would want you to get from chapter three. And it really is a question that honestly becomes the application

of all of this message today. It's a question that I think all of us should ask when we realize there's a problem with our words. And the question is this, is your heart submitted to Jesus? So that's really the question. It starts with our words. And sure, we can audit our words and check our words and realize our words have some problems, but a heart that's submitted to Jesus will result in a mouth that speaks words that are submitted to Jesus. So the application today is not, please get this. The application today is not zip your lips. Although that would be good advice for some of us. But there are times I need to hear that advice too. Zip your lips. That's good advice, but not the application from James chapter three. The application from James chapter three isn't zip your lips. The application is bend your knee. Submit your life to Jesus. Let His Holy Spirit lead God direct and correct you. And He'll work on your words. Back to James. He says this, verse seven. He says, all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind. Now you know this is true.

You've seen it too. You've seen the lion obey the master. You've seen it. It's crazy. All kinds of animals. You've seen the bird talk. All kinds of animals. When my kids were little, I took one of them to swim with dolphins. And the whole experience ended with the dolphin kissing her on the cheek at the command of the trainer. What? A sea creature has been tamed. That's crazy. That's crazy. Years ago, many, many years ago, I went to the circus and I saw an elephant paint a picture. Do you guys see this? The elephant had a paintbrush. He painted a picture. It was awesome. The elephant was tamed. You've seen it. All these wild animals can be tamed by mankind is what James says. Don't call me out for it, Peter. I just, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't buy the picture. Verse eight, but no human being can tame the tongue. Oh, the animals can be tamed, but you can't tame a tongue. Why?

It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. That's your tongue. Hmm. So if you feel convicted today, cause you got a potty mouth and you're gonna leave from here and you're like, get in the car. Hey, I'm gonna take care of that. I'm never gonna say those words again. James would say, good luck. Good luck. Let the next person cut you off in traffic. Good luck. Cause James would say, you can't tame your tongue. It's too powerful. It's a restless evil full of deadly poison. You can't tame your tongue. But when you submit your heart and life to Jesus Christ, guess who can? He can, everybody. He can tame the tongue. He can change the way you talk. God help us. Cause this is a really big issue, weightier than you realize. God help us. Bend your knee and ask God for help. Some of you right now, you're speaking words that are destroying things. You're destroying your marriage with your words.

You're destroying some of the things we talk about. You're destroying your confidence yourself with your words. You're destroying future opportunities with your words. You're destroying friendships with your words. Fathers, listen to me, a father's words have more weight. That's just the reality of it. A father's words carry more weight. And some of you are killing your kids with your words. And this is a big deal. And I'm not telling you to go home and change your words. Because James says, you're not gonna be very successful at that. And now, can you try to, should you start the little curse jar? And every time you say a curse word, put a dollar in it and get all those dollars up. I don't know, I don't know. Should you give that money to the church in the end? Yes, you should. I think that's a great plan. But I don't know if that helps you. Should you ask an accountability partner? Hey, I wanna be held accountable to my words. And I want you to ask me what words I spoke. Should you keep a little, you know, diary of your words and repent of your words? Okay, I don't know. I don't know if any of those things are gonna help you. Maybe they'll do some good. I'm not sure.

But I know this. James says, this mouth of mine, it is untamable by me. No human can tame it. But if I'll bend my knee and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in my life and let his Holy Spirit work through me, the words I use will be different. And the same is true for you. The same is true for you. In fact, in fact, I'll give you a little, a little taste of the end of the chapter, because it really is all about what's in your heart. And this is where James ends, James chapter three. I think he points us to three possible culprits that live in our hearts that lead to our words. And I wanna just show you these as we wrap up our time together. Three culprits that might affect your heart that leads to your words. This is verse 14. James says this. There are three of these. If you harbor, he says, bitter envy. There's number one, bitter envy. If you have bitter envy in your heart, meaning you're jealous, meaning you want what other people have. You want the attention other people get.

You want the spotlight when other people have it. You wanna one-up their story with your story. You want what other people have. You've got bitter envy in your heart. Or he says, number two, or if you got selfish ambition in your heart. In other words, you wanna be the headline. You wanna be the center of the story. You wanna be the front page of the newspaper. You want all the attention. You wanna be about yourself and your ways and your advancement. And you promote yourself with your words. You might have some selfish ambition in your heart. And then he says this, verse 15, such wisdom. And he's using this wisdom. You see it here in quotes. He's using it kind of as a facetious term. Like you think you're so wise. You think because you've got selfish ambition or you've got bitter envy in your heart that you're wise. Well, such wisdom does not come from heaven, and this is number three, earthly, unspiritual and demonic. And I think that's the third problem in our hearts. Some of us have selfish ambition. Some of us have bitter envy, but some of us are just being way too influenced by things that are earthly, by things that are worldly, by things that are unspiritual, by things that are demonic.

And if that's all you're hearing, if that's all that's coming in, that's what's influencing your heart. And now your heart's been influenced by that. And so it's what's gonna come out. And James would say, check your heart. Yeah, your words will be the warning sign. The words will be the signal, but check your heart, because you have jealousy and you have selfish ambition and you have too much worldly influence. And so here's what you do. You submit to the Holy Spirit and ask for help. You bend your knee and you say, Holy Spirit, tame my tongue. And when you do, God does something amazing. I'm gonna give you a preview of next week, okay? Because I'm gonna take you now into James chapter four, because James actually tells us what to do in James chapter four. Come back next week for more of this sermon. But this is James chapter four, verse seven. James says, here's what you do. You submit yourselves then to God. You resist the devil and he'll flee from you. And I love this verse. You come near to God. And I love this verse. You come near to God and he'll come near to you. So the next time,

the next time those words start to come out of my mouth, the next time I regret that thing I said, the next time things that are not positive, not wholesome, things that are rotten, things that are not kind come out of my mouth that are not aligned with who I say I am. It's a sign. It's a signal. I gotta get on my knees and I gotta submit myself and come near to God again. Here's the amazing thing. When I come near to him, he's running toward me already. That's what the scripture said. You come near to God, he's gonna come near to you. You come near to God, He's gonna come near to you. So I got a problem with my tongue, but the problem is really in my heart. You too, you too. I wanna give you a moment. Would you bow your heads and would you close your eyes? I wanna give you a moment. Holy Spirit, speak to us. Boy, our words have such weight. So right now we ask your help because we can't do it on our own. And we know you have a plan for us. And we know you have a plan for our words. So we submit our words to you because our hearts are submitted to you.

Do for us and in us what only you can do now, work in our lives and tame our tongues. Now with heads bowed and eyes closed, there are some of you today and you came here and you do not have a relationship with God. And we've sung some songs and you've heard the scripture and you know, you know, you are far from God. And that is not God's plan for your life. God actually wants to be near to you. He sent his son Jesus to make a way for you to be in relationship with him. And today, if you do not know God, but you want a relationship with him through his son, Jesus Christ, I'm gonna lead you now in a simple prayer. I'm gonna invite you to pray this prayer with me silently right where you are. And this is your opportunity to give your heart and life to Jesus Christ. This is how you bend your knee. You can just say, Jesus, I wanna know you. I want my sin forgiven by you. I wanna be made right with God in heaven through you. And now I wanna live my life for you. And father, I pray right now for every person praying that prayer, giving their life to you, but for all of us today, bending our knee to submit to you. Would you work powerfully in our hearts and our lives? We thank you for your word. We thank you that it is living and active

and that it moves us and changes us. And we bend our knee so that you might tame our tongue. We love you, Jesus. It's in your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Come on, everybody. Can you thank God for his word today? Amen.