06/14/15 Watch Your Mouth!
Life is
a Test Series – James 1:26-27
Intro: How often have you heard that? Watch your
mouth! There was a time in history when a child that didn’t do what he was
supposed to do, or say something he was taught not to say could end up eating
soap to clean his or her mouth up! Well times have changed and I don’t think
soap is as popular as it used to be. But rest assured the Bible hasn’t changed;
the Word of God is still telling the child of God to watch your mouth! In my
last week’s message I spoke of an action that the Christian must follow or they
deceive themselves; we must be more than just a hearer of God’s Word, we must
be a doer: “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a
brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But
if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.” James 4:11
Text:
James 1:26-27 (NKJV)
“If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle
his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. 27 Pure
and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and
widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Application:
Keep yourself unspotted from the world!
YOU CAN HAVE A BETTER CONTROL OF LIFES
TEMPTATIONS IF YOU BRIDLE THE TONGUE:
1. BRIDLE TONGUE: vs. 26
“If anyone among
you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own
heart, this one's religion is useless.
The tongue is a big issue in the book of
James it is referred to several times throughout the book. It is important to
be prepared to bridle the tongue. If a person thinks that he is religious, that
is, acceptable to God, and he does not bridle his tongue, he deceives himself. No
matter what he thinks or professes, his religion is empty. What exactly does
this mean? This can be an active church member, maybe a Sunday school teacher
or in the choir; but they are loose with their tongue. Interrupting and
dominating the conversation, being easily provoked and lashing out at others. Gossiping
and telling tales, criticizing and murmuring, judging and condemning others, using
slang and cursing and even engaging in suggestive and off-colored talk. Talking
about and running down others. For a person to withstand and to conquer
temptation, they must bridle their tongue. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage,
anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” Ephesians
4:31 (NLT)
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set
among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course
of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:6
“Do not speak evil of one
another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother,
speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are
not a doer of the law but a judge.” James 4:11
A corrupt and unholy heart
eventually will be exposed by corrupt and unholy speech. The tongue is not the
only indicator of true spirituality but is one of the most reliable. It has
been estimated that the average person will speak some 18,000 words in a day,
enough for a fifty-four-page book. In a year that amounts to sixty-six 800-page
volumes! Many people, of course, speak much more than that. Up to one-fifth of
the average person’s life is spent talking.
If the tongue is not controlled by
God, it is a sure indicator that the heart is not, either. Jesus told the
self-righteous Pharisees; “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good
things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 37 For by your
words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew
12:34-37
Religion that does not transform the heart, and thereby the tongue, is
totally worthless in God’s sight. “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all
deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking.” 1 Peter 2:1
James wants the
reader of this letter to understand the importance of controlling the tongue
truly this is one of life’s test!
YOU CAN HAVE A BETTER CONTROL OF LIFES
TEMPTATIONS IF YOU KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED:
2. VISIT & KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED: vs.
27
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans
and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
The
proper reaction to the Word of God is the willingness to apply it to one’s life
without selfishness, with genuine concern for the welfare of others, especially
those in great need. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and
Father is to serve them with love and compassion. “By this all will know that
you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35
To
visit; means much more than to drop by for a chat. It carries the ideas of
caring for others, exercising oversight on their behalf, and of helping them in
whatever way is needed. “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty
and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and
you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to
Me.' Matthew 25:35-36
To visit in a way that is pleasing to our God and Father
is to meet as best we can all the needs of orphans and widows and any others in
their distress. True Christianity is manifested from a pure and loving heart by
the way believers talk and by the way they act. It is manifested by how they
love and care for those who are in need, not by how they love and care for
those they prefer, those who are close to them, or those with whom they share
common traits and interests. Love is to be the central and most visible
manifestation of salvation. And, as John makes clear, love for God cannot be
separated from love for others, especially for fellow believers and most
especially for those who are in … distress. The professed Christian who does
not show such compassion has reason to doubt that he is born again. A truly
redeemed heart reaches out to others: “We then who are strong ought to bear
with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1
It
takes a constant action to keep oneself unspotted from the world; to be
unstained, this takes an obligation. Those who belong to God are to be
characterized by moral and spiritual purity, by unstained and unblemished
holiness. The genuine Christian cannot be happy or content when he fails to
show compassion for others. It is not our perfection that proves our salvation
but rather our hating our imperfections and seeking, with God’s help and power,
to correct them. In his inmost heart, the genuine Christian longs to speak and
do only those things that are holy, pure, loving, honest, truthful, and
upright, things that are uncorrupted and unstained by the world.
Godly
religion, that is, biblical Christianity, is a matter of holy obedience to
God’s Word—reflected, among other ways, by our honesty in regard to ourselves,
by our selflessness in regard to the needs of others, and by our uncompromising
moral and spiritual stand in regard to the world. “Do not love the world or the
things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not
in him. 16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.” 1
John 2:15-16
Watching your mouth, visiting and staying pure isn’t easy, this is
part of the test of life. But it can be done and glorifying God you will!
In : Sermon
Tags: "life is a test series" "book of james"
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