Let's begin our worship then singing in Psalm 106. That's in the Scottish Psalter, page 378,
to the tune Warwick. We're singing verses 1 to 5.
Give praise and thanks unto the Lord, for bountiful is he. His tender mercy doth endure
unto eternity. God's mighty works who can express or show forth all his praise?
Blessed are they that judgment keep and justly do always. Psalm 106, verses 1 to 5.
If you're able to stand, please stand to sing.
His tender mercy doth endure come to eternity.
God's mighty works who can express or show forth all his praise?
Blessed are they that judgment keep and justly do always.
We thank God thee, Lord, with the love which thou to thine dost bear.
With thy salvation, O my God, to this safety from here.
God's mighty works who can express or show forth all his praise?
For thy thy chosen goodness see, and in their joy rejoice, and may with thine inheritance
cry a prayer with cheerful voice.
Let's call on the Lord now in prayer. Let's all join together and give our minds to prayer.
Almighty and ever-gracious God, we do owe thanks to you once again for this privilege
of being gathered in your holy presence.
We pray that you would make us conscious that it is into your presence that we come
whenever we gather together like we do now, or even individually when we come,
to have our prayers addressed to you and our praise given to you.
We thank you, Lord, for every privilege attached to this time of worship.
And we give thanks for every promise that is attached to it also,
that you will not allow your word to return to you empty,
but you will bless it and you will use it for the good of your people
and for the glory of your great name.
We thank you, Lord, today that we come as a people who are not unfamiliar with the gospel.
And we thank you, Lord, for the way that that familiarity with the gospel
brings us more and more into a knowledge of those holy things
that pertain to you and to your salvation.
And we give thanks, O Lord, for every occasion we have,
that when we're able to gather up our thoughts and our voices and sing your praise
and come to join together in minds that are united in prayer.
We thank you, Lord, tonight that you promise to meet with your people as they gather in your name.
And we pray that as we are conscious, Lord, that the teaching of your word
reminds us of how you dwell in your people.
They dwell in their hearts.
And in that sense, Lord, we know that they carry you even as they come together in this way,
that each of your people carries your presence with them.
But we pray that we may know that presence in our experience,
and that we may know it more than a mere theological truth,
though it is so precious to us,
that we may know, Lord, your blessing through your Holy Spirit being with us
and blessing your word to us once again.
Lord, we thank you for every gift that you have given us
and for all the variety of gifts represented here before us in this congregation.
And for all the congregations of your people in the world today,
we give thanks, Lord, for the variety and the sheer number of gifts
that you have endowed them with.
And we pray that you would remind us that all the gifts you give us,
whatever nature they be of,
that they are for the furtherance of your cause,
for your glory,
that we are not to keep them selfishly to ourselves
or simply enjoy them for ourselves personally alone.
Help us, Lord, to see that we need to use
all the gifts that you have given us
so that we may reach out into our community
and show people around us the wonder of Christ,
the worth of him in his grace,
and the beauty of his holiness,
the perfection of his being,
the wonder of his salvation.
We pray, Lord, tonight that your salvation
will be further imparted to us
in the work of your Spirit.
Grant us, Lord, that we may know a further understanding
of these things,
that we may give ourselves and our minds once more
to seek to understand and to read through
and to come to dwell our minds upon
those things that are of such importance.
We give thanks tonight for all the ways
in which you have blessed us already as a congregation.
Even today we have known your blessing
in the gatherings of your people.
We pray, O Lord, that your blessing will continue with us
in all that we have set before us
by way of our concerns and plans for this week.
Lord, while we know not what a day might bring forth,
yet we give thanks for the ability you give us
to look ahead and to seek to make provision
for ourselves and for your cause.
We pray for all the meetings that are already listed for us
on this week.
We pray for the worship services.
We pray that you would bless all, Lord,
who come to attend on the midweek services.
We pray that your blessing will accompany them
as well as the Saturday meeting
and all other meetings associated with your cause
here in the congregation.
Bless the work amongst our young people.
We thank you for them.
We thank you for every household and every family
that has a concern to have their children
educated in the gospel
and brought to know you and brought to follow you
and brought to be for themselves
a living witness to your grace and to your salvation.
Lord, we ask, too, that you'd bless the meetings
of Precept Scotland that are anticipated
in the weeks to come.
We thank you for Jonathan's organizing of it.
We pray that you'd bless these meetings
to young and to adults alike.
And we ask that your own blessing will follow them.
We pray that you'd bless the camps
as they prepare, Lord,
in the near future to come once again
to gather as camps throughout the country.
We thank you for the work of the church,
the work of the church and those who give up their time
so willingly, Lord,
to give leadership at those camps.
And we pray that once again,
as these camps come to day by day,
be prayed for and set before you,
that they might once again be blessed, O Lord,
and blessed to the young people especially
who will come.
We ask that many will come and fill up the spaces
and that the teaching received
will remain with the young people
and will be a means by your blessing
of truly buttressing their life with your truth
and coming to give to them
that biblical wisdom
which you are pleased to impart
to all who come to trust in you.
Remember them and their families.
Remember them, Lord,
as we pray for each and every family
with children in our midst.
And we ask that you would bless them
as they go about their family lives.
We pray for them
and pray for your protective care of them.
We ask that you'd bless our community at this time.
Bless us, Lord,
in days when we know
so much is done against the gospel,
so many attempts are made
to thwart the advance of the gospel.
Once again, Lord,
we pray over these proposals
against so-called conversion therapy.
We pray that you'd bless your people
so that we will come not only with prayer
but also with the practice of responding
to these proposals
as we have opportunity.
We give thanks for that opportunity.
And whatever doubts we may have
in our minds about it,
help us to use it.
Help us to appeal, Lord,
to those who are in authority over us
that they may take note of
what your people have to say
in regard to the moral standing
that your word sets out for us.
And help us especially to prize our freedom,
not only the freedom that we have
to promote the gospel,
to preach the gospel,
to witness to the gospel,
to speak about the Lord,
but the many other freedoms
that have over many years, Lord,
been obtained for us,
sometimes at great cost.
freedom to speak,
freedom of religion,
freedom of conscience,
all the things that ought to mark us,
Lord, as a free society.
But we thank you especially
for the freedom
with which Christ makes us free.
And we pray that that will more and more
be the experience of our people
and of our nation,
and that you would deliver us, Lord,
from all alternatives
that will suggest to people
that this is a better way
than that of the gospel
and that which the Lord
has provided for us.
Remember now,
Lord,
those of our number
who are confined tonight
to their homes,
those especially who are ill,
remember them,
we pray.
Remember all who are
participating in the service
online,
not only locally,
but in places
throughout the world.
We thank you
that that facility
is being used
and blessed.
We thank you
for the messages
we receive
from time to time
from different parts
that give us, Lord,
to rejoice
that the gospel
as it goes forth
in that way
is of benefit
to others
in different parts
of the world.
And so we pray
that as we commend
these to you,
we ask that you'd bless
those, Lord,
tonight who have heavy hearts.
Remember again
those who mourn
over the passing
of loved ones.
Remember those
who are anxious
over loved ones,
seriously ill
or terminally ill,
we pray that you'd bless them.
We pray for those
receiving treatment,
those anticipating such,
those who have gone
through surgery,
those who are anticipating
such as well.
We pray that you'd bless us,
Lord,
by providing us
further with resources
that are required
for our well-being
mentally and physically.
And we give thanks,
Lord,
for all who have
given of their lives
to dedicate themselves
to looking after the sick,
looking after those
who are in need
of special care.
And we pray tonight
for those who do need
that special care,
who through whatever
incapacity
have a life different
from many others.
And we pray for them
and we pray for parents
and loved ones
who look after them.
And we pray that you'd
bless the facilities
that are available to us
in order that these things,
Lord,
may come to give us
further encouragement
and strengthening.
Bless us then now,
we pray and lead us
into your word
and help us
in the singing
of your praise.
We ask it all,
seeking the pardon
and cleansing
of all our sins away
for Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Now we're going to sing
further to God's praise.
Our next psalm
is Psalm 119.
This time it's
in Sing Psalms
on page 159.
We'll sing the verses
33 to 40.
The tune this time
is rocking him.
Teach me to follow
your decrees
and I will keep them
to the end.
Give insight
and I'll keep your law
with all my heart
to it attend.
Lead me in your commandments
path
for there, O Lord,
delight I find.
Incline my heart
towards your laws
from selfish gain.
Preserve my mind.
Verses 33 to 40
on page 159.
Teach me to follow
your decrees.
Teach me to follow
your decrees
that I will give
back to the end.
give insight and
I'll be cured all
with all my heart
to it attend.
take me to find
as you know.
Lead me in them
near your Theme
dogs
for
give
rồi
be
light
and
hine
and
guide
my
heart
To war still lost
From selfish days
Preserve thy might
O turn my eyes
On worthless things
With life according
To your word
To be your servant
In your flesh
So that you may
Be feared, O Lord
Bring worth from me
The ship I bear
Your cross except
In the uprightness
O God, my Lord
For your deeds
Preserve me in your righteousness
Let's now turn to read
God's word
And our reading tonight
Is from the letter of James
The letter of James
In chapter 3
And we can read through
The whole chapter
From the beginning
That's on page 1216
Or thereabouts
If you're using the Pew
Bibles
So James chapter 3
Not many of you should become
Teachers, my brothers
For you know that we who teach
Will be judged with greater strictness
For we all stumble in many ways
And if anyone does not stumble
In what he says
He is a perfect man
Able also to bridle his whole body
If we put bits into the mouths of horses
So that they obey us
We guide their whole bodies as well
Look at the ships also
Though they are so large
And are driven by strong winds
They are guided by a very small rudder
Wherever the will of the pilot directs
So also the tongue is a small member
Yet it boasts of great things
How great a forest is set ablaze
By such a small fire
And the tongue is a fire
A world of unrighteousness
The tongue is set among our members
Staining the whole body
Setting on fire the entire course of life
And set on fire by hell
For every kind of beast and bird
Of reptile and sea creature
Can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind
But no human being can tame the tongue
It is a restless evil
Full of deadly poison
With it we bless our Lord and Father
And with it we curse people
Who are made in the likeness of God
From the same mouth
Come blessing and cursing
My brothers these things ought not to be so
Does a spring pour forth
From the same opening
Both fresh and salt water
Can a fig tree my brothers bear olives
Or a grapevine produce figs
Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water
Who is wise and understanding among you
By his good conduct let him show his works
In the meekness of wisdom
But if you have bitter jealousy
And selfish ambition in your hearts
Do not boast and be false to the truth
This is not the wisdom that comes down from above
But is earthly
Unspiritual
Demonic
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist
There will be disorder
And every vile practice
But the wisdom from above
Is first pure
Then peaceable
Gentle
Open to reason
Full of mercy and good fruits
Impartial and sincere
And a harvest of righteousness
Is sown in peace
By those who make peace
Amen
May again
God be pleased to bless
That portion of his word to us
Once again we'll sing to God's praise
And then turn back to this passage in James
Singing this time in Psalm 71
Psalm 71 again in the Scottish Psalter
Page 312
We'll sing to the tune Colesville
From verse 20
To 24
Thou Lord who great adversities
And sore to me didst show
Shalt quicken and bring me again
From depths of earth below
My greatness and my power
Thou wilt increase and far extend
On every side against all grief
Thou wilt me comfort send
A passage that wonderfully sets out
God's ability
To overcome those things
In his providence
Which cause us pain
And anxiety and distress
And even though these great adversities
At times come to us
The psalmist is here teaching us
To place our trust in God
But also to continue to praise him
As the psalm finishes
My tongue with just thy justice
Shall proclaim continuing all day long
For they confounded are and shamed
That seek to do me wrong
These verses then
Thou Lord who great adversities
O Lord who great adversities
And sore to me didst show
Shout with me wrong
And bring me again
From depths of earth below
My greatness and my power
Thou wilt increase and far extend
On every side against all grief
Thou wilt be come for send
In my truth I also praise
In my God with sottery
Thou holy one
All this triumph
With hearts I sing to thee
My soul which thou redeemest
In my heart
My soul which thou redeemest
Unt witnesses
In my heart
Enjожет
Sob
Let us pray.
I'll turn with me now, please, to James chapter 3.
James chapter 3, and looking at the last verse of the chapter,
a harvest of righteousness, is sown in peace by those who make peace.
And I want to look at this verse in the context of the chapter as a whole, so we will be taking
material from the whole chapter as it relates to this particular verse. Let me begin by reading to
you a comment in one of the commentators on this book of James, Robert Johnston. This is what he
says. James would have us take home this thought, that in proportion as a Christian advances towards
complete government of the tongue, so he grows in spiritual maturity. We all know that nothing is
generally esteemed to be a better evidence of the state of a man's heart than the habitual tone
of his conversation. Very important words reminding us that our conversation betrays us
as to what's in our heart. And tonight, as we're looking at this verse in the context of this
chapter, we'll be conscious, I hope, by the end of the chapter that this is actually something
that's very commonly referred to throughout the whole of Scripture. It's not simply an item dealt
with by the likes of James, as we've seen before, a very practical letter, a very telling and cutting
letter at times, in the way that it gives us to address issues that need to be attended to in our
lives practically. But this actually is something that all the way through the Scripture you find
given a different emphasis, but always set before us as an important topic. Our use of the tongue,
by which it means our conversation, our use of words, the language we use, the words that we use.
What is in our heart is exposed by the words we use and how we use them, the kind of conversation we
have and how we actually engage in that conversation. You remember Jesus himself saying in the Gospels,
Acts of Mark chapter 7, where in his teaching there he spoke very clearly about how the things that
defile the person are not the things that go into the person or into the body. They are actually the
things that come out of the person that show what he's like inwardly or internally. Mark chapter 7,
very well-known words, I'm sure, where you find at verse 20, the Lord saying, this is actually what
actually defiles a man. Well, we can read from verse 18, now you still without understanding, do you not
see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him since it enters his heart, not his
heart, but his stomach and is expelled? And he said, what comes out of a person is what defiles him.
For from within and out of the heart of man come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. What a list! And that's not a complete list.
But the Lord who knew and knows our heart gave us this passage so that we would know that these are
the evil things, he says, that come from within, and they are what defiles a person. And in a similar
way, James is setting out for it in this passage, particularly to do with the use of language or words,
these things that are indicative of what's in our hearts. Of course, as I said, going back over the
Scripture takes you back right to the very beginning of things in Genesis, indeed in the Garden of Eden.
Because when the Lord came to question Adam as to what he had done in eating the fruit that God had
forbidden him, his immediate reaction was when he said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of
the fruit that I have told you not to eat of it? And he immediately said, my wife gave me, the woman
you gave me. Now, effectively, he was really blaming God. He didn't just say, my wife or this woman gave me,
the woman you gave me. Look at how quickly the language of human beings was corrupted by the entrance of
sin and our fallenness. And of course, the woman then, she placed the blame on the serpent, on Satan.
You see, the blame game comes with the wrong use of words, with the misuse of language,
with conversation that's not honoring to God, with lies, with cover-up, with a blame game that's just
part of this whole package of where we actually fall short in our conversation as sinners. And isn't it
interesting that in Isaiah chapter 6, when Isaiah had that wonderful, amazing, stunning vision
and experience of God high and lifted up in the temple as he saw it in his vision there,
his reaction was this,
I am a man of unclean lips. Woe is me, for I have seen the Lord of hosts. I dwell among a people
of unclean lips. Isn't it interesting that that was what he focused upon? That's what he came to confess,
his language, his lips, the uncleanness of his mouth, and the uncleanness of the mouths of all
who lived with him in that society. That's what the Lord actually brought to him by seeing this
great vision. That was his first reaction, Lord, I'm unclean, and I'm unclean especially in the words of
my mouth, in my language. And that's a telling statement, isn't it? And then when you go to,
again, the New Testament, as I said, we're ranging all the way from the beginning of the Bible right
through into the New Testament. You remember Romans chapter 3, where Paul is demonstrating there that
there isn't a single person as a sinner who is righteous and can therefore claim the favor of God.
And he says, none is righteous. No, not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God.
All have turned aside together. And so he goes on, and then he says, their throat is an open grave.
They use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses
and bitterness. Who's he talking about? He's talking about you and me. He's talking about the whole world.
He's talking about human beings, human society, human individuals, human together, humans together.
You see, the quality of our conversation, isn't it, again, is something right throughout Scripture
in line with the emphasis it gives to the wrong use of words. But the quality of your conversation
distinguishes you as a Christian from the world. If there's one thing that really distinguishes you
from that world that is so full of hatred and antipathy to God and the wrong use of conversation
and language and bad language and denigrating insults and so on, it's that your language is in keeping
with your heart as a Christian. It's one of the great distinguishing marks of a Christian
that they can tell you're a Christian by the quality of your conversation, the quality
of your words and how you use them. And that was really a mark of what set Jesus apart, wasn't it?
Remember in John chapter 7 that some officers were sent out by the Pharisees to try and bring him
into captivity, to take him in for questioning, and they came back without him. And the Pharisees asked
these offers, why have you not brought him? You remember their answer, no one spoke, no one ever
spoke like this man. They were more or less saying, such is the quality and power and authority of his
conversation, of his language, of his words. It just prohibited us from taking him into captivity.
We couldn't take him. He was so different in his use of language.
It's quite a thought, isn't it, that Jesus never thought a bad thought, never used a bad word,
never in all his life on earth sinned in the use of words or in anything else, of course.
But when you think how easy it is for you and for me to let the sin that's in our hearts out by the
language we use, by the thoughts we have that then are put into words, it's such an amazing but wonderful
thing to realize that Jesus was always perfect in his speech and in his whole way of life.
So we see verse 18 here. Let me turn to the context here. That was by way of introduction. Let me just
turn to the verse at the end of the chapter.
And I'm taking the verse as something that really is a climax led into by the chapter as it unfolds.
The chapter is to do largely with the use of the tongue or the misuse of the tongue, really,
the misuse of our words and of language, and the damage that's done by the wrong use of language,
by injurious use of words. And it leads into this final verse. If we're going to sow a harvest of
righteousness, then we have to take care that we're dealing with our conversation, that we're
holding our tongues when we need to hold them, that we have purity of language as far as possible.
A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace, by those whose words are committed
to peacemaking, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. So first of all, as we go through the
chapter, you can see first of all the tongue, our use of language, is always influential. Verses 3 to 5.
Our language, our tongue, is always influential. Not always influential in a good way, although it is,
of course, possible, thankfully, to be influential in a good way with the use of your tongue,
the use of your words that you use, your quality of conversation. But James is really focusing on
the other side of things, because there must have been a problem amongst those that he was writing to,
or at least he was setting out a standard for them that they needed to keep to. What he knew about this,
we don't know. He doesn't say for sure, but he is saying, this is really how it should be with you.
And the tongue is always influential, and he uses three metaphors here that are really powerful
illustrations. You find there in verse 2, a man also able to bridle his whole body, and that
leads him into the illustrations. We put bits in the mouths of horses. Look at the ships, though they
are large, yet they're guided by a very small rudder. And he moves thirdly to a little fire that begins
and leads to the whole forest being set ablaze. Look at what he's saying there. Small and yet
potential for really evil influence. Small and yet proportionally, it can do so much damage.
The wrong use of words, the wrong use of the tongue. Look at what he's saying there. He's saying if we put
bits in the mouths of horses. Well, you know what a bit is, what's put in the mouth of a horse,
that the rider then, through the reins, can actually pull and control the horse and get the
horse to stop. Hopefully. I've never tried it, but that's how they control the horses, as you know,
and change their direction. And if you look at the bit, the size of the bit, in proportion to the whole
size of the horse, the bit is much, much smaller than the horse. And the horse itself, in many ways,
you could say, is a far more powerful creature than that bit on its own. But when that bit in its mouth
uses the influence that it has by the rider's use of it, it controls that whole horse, that whole
powerful animal. And he's saying the same about the ships. The ships, although they're so large and
driven by strong winds, yet they're guided by a very small rudder, wherever the will of the pilot
directs. You see a massive big tanker, or some container ship, massive in size, and yet you think
of small rudder in comparison actually steering that ship. And whoever is actually controlling
the rudder, wherever it's controlled from these days, probably electronically, but it moves about
in such a way that the whole ship can be steered according to the will of the person that's in charge
of the direction of the ship. Small in size compared to the whole, but just look at the influence,
look at the effect, look at what it does to that whole ship, even when it's driven by strong winds.
Yes, the same with a small campfire. We know how easy it is for a small campfire. You look at it,
and it's nice. You have a nice evening out, perhaps, with a campfire. But if you're not very careful,
that campfire can set the whole forest ablaze. That's why people need to be very careful when
they're out actually lighting fires or having barbecues out in public places where there are
trees or shrubs or bushes nearby. You need to make sure that it's kept from spreading and that it's out
before you leave it. Because he's saying here, so also a great forest is set ablaze by such a small
fire. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. And it goes on to speak
about the tongue is small among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of
life, and set on fire by hell. Come to that in a minute, but just look at the point that we're making
just now the smallness of it, the apparent innocuousness of it, the apparent innocuousness
of our words. They don't seem to be really in any great danger of causing very much damage, but you
know very well that it doesn't take many words to cause a great deal of damage. And you can't get them
back. And when you put a forest on fire, it takes a lot of effort and a lot of resources to put it out.
And that's the same James is saying about our use of the tongue, our use of conversation, how we use
our words, what words we choose, and how we present them, and how we go about setting out our thoughts
and words. It has a capacity to be immensely destructive. And sadly, we all know that to our
cost to some extent. I doubt if there's anyone here, myself included, that haven't at some point or
other regretted saying things or saying things in a certain way. And you realize then, I really
shouldn't have said that. Or I shouldn't have said it in that spirit. I shouldn't have said it in that
way. And you can't take that back. The damage is done. You can repair it to some extent, but then it's
sometimes too late. Well, he says, this is what it's like. This with the tongue as well.
Now, you know that the sixth commandment is a commandment not to take human life. You shall
not kill. You shall not murder, as it's put in some translations. You shall not kill. You shall
not commit murder. We mustn't confine that, though it is certainly primarily about committing murder,
taking a person's life. Nevertheless, as you go through the whole of Scripture, you can see the
capacity of words to wound and even to kill reputations. All of that is part of what's
envisaged by that commandment, you shall not kill. Slander, innuendo, using a rumor to actually just
carry out further damage against somebody or against a family or against people in our society.
That's the same thing in that commandment as it is with these words of James.
This little member, this little in proportion, these words, this conversation, this tongue we
use to speak literally, it's very small compared to the damage that it can do, the capacity it has
for creating havoc and real damage. And that happens, of course, in the church as well.
And you notice in verse 9 here that James is actually saying, with this tongue,
we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so,
and so on. And he's saying, here is what we find ourselves as sinners confronted with,
our own capacity to cause great damage by our misuse of the tongue.
You know what he's saying? He's saying, with it we bless our Lord and Father, with it we curse people.
It's quite possible to go from a worship service, where we sing praise to God,
where we preach the gospel, to go from that context to another context all too soon,
where we're engaged in something destructive of a person's reputation, or personality, or relationships.
We're really, it's telling how James is putting here, we curse people with the same tongue as we sing with,
people who are made in the likeness of God.
That's not just Christians.
Everybody's made in the likeness of God, created in the likeness of God.
And you know, the telling thing about it is, it's not just something that's aimed at people themselves.
Why does he say, made in the likeness of God?
Well, because our misuse of words is actually indirectly an assault on God himself.
You remember Jesus saying to Paul, to Saul of Tarsus, on the way to create further havoc,
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
Who was Paul persecuting?
He was persecuting the church.
He was destructive of the church of God, of the gospel, as far as he could.
But Jesus said, why are you persecuting me?
You see, indirectly, his words and his actions were an assault upon Jesus himself.
And that's the telling thing here.
We actually assault the image of God.
We assault God himself indirectly when we actually misuse our words and our language to wrong people.
And character assassination and all of that stuff that you have so readily nowadays.
He puts it here, the whole course of life in verse 6.
The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness, set among our members, staining the whole body,
setting on fire the whole course of life.
What does he mean by that, the whole course of life?
Well, it means certainly from our infancy through to the time that we leave this world,
our tongue has to be controlled.
Our tongue has the capacity to cause huge damage.
Our words have to be carefully chosen and carefully used and carefully presented.
He's saying here really from the beginning to the end of life, the whole course of life.
But I think it's more than that.
It's the words that are indicative of something more than just a personal matter.
It's not just the whole extent of a person's life individually.
The whole course of life means really pretty much all of human society is susceptible to being damaged
by the wrong use of tongues, by the wrong use of language, by misuse of language.
I mean, all you've got to look at and think about, just to take a primary example nowadays,
is the use of social media.
And if you're at all involved with social media, with the likes of X or Twitter, as it used to be called,
it's a toxic environment.
It doesn't mean that Christians shouldn't be involved with it at all,
because you can make points through it, briefly at least,
in answering some of the stuff that comes up there.
But it is so, so toxic, especially when you actually write something or put something up
that's supportive of the gospel, supportive of gospel principles, gospel practices, the truth of God.
And when you counter the evil of the world, whether it's the evil of abortion,
the evil of other things related to the ways of the world,
you will soon find that you're in a toxic environment where words are used simply to try and destroy you
and destroy your reputation, to annihilate you, to wound you, to deliberately just take it out on you.
That's the world we live in.
That's the world as it's always been.
But all of these present-day means and media are actually usable by those who want to use them in the wrong way to that end.
And sadly, as you well know, people, many young people sadly, have ended up really drastically taking their lives,
committing suicide,
because of the unending attack on social media by others who are bombarding them,
not just with criticism, but with the nastiest of stuff.
That's killing with words.
That's annihilating people's reputation.
That's attacking people for the sake sometimes of just attacking them.
And the Lord is saying to us here,
The tongue with which we bless our Lord should never be used to curse people with,
to bring destructive forces down on people's heads.
It has the capacity to cause great damage.
It is always influential, even the whole force of life.
And you see, not only that, but does it say that the whole course of life,
it also says the tongue is a fire in itself, a world of unrighteousness,
sustaining the whole body, setting on fire the whole course of life,
and set on fire by hell.
It's the word Gehenna he used, which is hell,
the literal sense of the word hell in the teaching of the New Testament.
Because, you see, Satan has access to our tongues.
Satan has access to our use of the tongue.
Satan has access to our use of words, our choice of words,
our thoughts, and how we're going to present things in the words that we choose.
And that's always been the case since the fall,
since Satan had access to our first parents, Adam and Eve.
And, of course, his first question was, with regard to the words of God,
Has God indeed said?
Isn't that telling us well,
that the first assault on our human lives in Adam and Eve,
came to Eve, first of all,
that the first assault from evil, from the evil one,
was to do with words,
and to do with the words of God?
Can you trust God?
Has he been truthful?
Has he told you things as they really are?
That was his thrust.
And he fell for it, sadly.
And we fall for it ourselves all the time.
Because he's still active,
even in the case of Christians as well.
Let's not imagine tonight that,
just because we're Christians,
we're converted people,
we're people who follow the Lord,
and confess the Lord,
that Satan doesn't have access to our minds
and to our use of words.
Of course he does.
You have to watch against that.
You have to pray against that.
You remember how it was with Peter?
In Matthew 16, verses 22 and 23,
the Lord had just divulged to them
that he needed to go to Jerusalem
and suffer many things
and be put to death.
What did Peter do when he heard these words by Jesus?
It says that he took Peter aside.
He took the Lord aside.
Peter actually took him,
you can imagine,
just him putting his arm on him
and taking him away from the rest,
as it were,
at that time,
just a wee distance.
And what did he say to him?
This shall not happen to you.
This is not going to be the case with you at all.
Put that out of your mind,
he's saying to Jesus.
That's really what his words amounted to.
Don't think those thoughts.
Don't go down that route.
That's not for you.
How did Jesus answer him?
Get behind me,
Satan.
An apostle of the Lord.
And Satan has access to his mind
and to his words.
And got him to use words
by which he tried to deflect the Lord
from the course that he was on
towards the cross.
Get behind me,
Satan.
So what we said at the beginning is important.
That the whole of Scripture
brings us teaching
that we need to take stock of
every single day we live
in regard to our use of the tongue,
our use of language.
It is always influential
for good or for evil.
And as we said,
James is dealing with that evil side of it.
And you notice he's saying
it's an untamable evil
from verse 7 there.
He says,
every kind of beast and bird
and reptile and sea creature
can be tamed
and has been tamed by mankind,
but no human being
can tame the tongue.
And that's a telling
and a really solemn point
that he's making there.
There is no human being
that's a mere human being
that can actually tame the tongue.
To some extent,
you can control it
and to some extent,
you can keep watch
over how you use it.
Of course, it's necessary.
But he's saying,
literally,
no human being
can tame the tongue.
It's a restless evil
full of deadly poison.
All of these animals
that I mention
is possible for a human being
to tame a lion.
I understand the only creature
that's totally untamable
is what's called
the Tasmanian devil,
made famous by the
Looney Tunes cartoons.
But that animal
seems to be untamable.
Whereas even other animals
like lions, tigers,
to a great extent,
they can be tamed.
They can become your pets.
You can have them
as in friendship with them,
human and animal terms.
But he says,
the tongue,
nobody can tame.
No human being
can tame the tongue.
It has never been tamed
by mankind himself.
What do we need
when we can't tame it ourselves?
We need every day to say,
Lord, help me today
by your grace
to tame my tongue.
Help me today, Lord,
to think about the words
that I should say
before I say them.
Help me, Lord,
today to use words wisely,
to use words cleanly,
to use words in such a way
that will not be destructive.
Help me to think even,
especially when I'm feeling angry
or annoyed,
or concerned about something.
Help me to choose words
and to say them
in such a way
that honors you,
that keeps to a purity of speech,
and that doesn't set out
in any way
to destroy reputations.
It's all too easy, isn't it,
to throw back at someone
when they've come at you
with something
that accuses you wrongly,
that denigrates your name,
that just calls into question
or speaks about you
in such a way
as to really cause
your hackles to rise
and easy to return
in kind, isn't it,
just to do the same back.
And here is James saying,
don't do that.
Ask the Lord for His help.
Ask the Lord for the help
of His Spirit.
Remember whose cause
you belong to.
Remember who your Lord is.
Remember who your fellow
Christians are.
Remember who your fellow
human beings are.
Remember the reputation
of the Lord especially
is at stake.
And that's why he's saying
a greater power is needed
than actually we have ourselves.
And you go back to
the likes of the book of Proverbs.
The book of Proverbs
is one of the great books
of the Bible
in terms of wisdom.
And we'll see in a minute
James is going on
to speak here about wisdom
or different kinds of wisdom.
The book of Proverbs
chapter 10, for example,
just picking out a couple
of example verses.
There's many in the book
of Proverbs.
It's a book to do
with wisdom
and how we have wisdom
from the Lord
that we need to carry through.
Proverbs chapter 10
and verse 19.
When words are many,
transgression is not lacking.
But whoever restrains
his lips is prudent.
The tongue of the righteous
is choice silver.
The heart of the wicked
is of little worth.
Whoever restrains his lips
is prudent.
I think we should give thanks to God
if we're people of few words.
Because if we're people
of many words,
if we're people who speak incessantly
so that others can hardly
get a word in edgeways,
we're in much more danger
than somebody
who's not given to that sort
of volume of speech.
Because many words
will undoubtedly
at some point
lead to hurtful words
and harmful words
and words that we regret.
Proverbs 13 and verse 3
also has something similar to that.
Whoever guards his mouth
preserves his life.
He who opens wide his lips
comes to ruin.
In other words,
think before you speak.
Weigh up your words,
weigh up your thoughts,
ahead of speaking.
And James is really saying that.
That's what he's teaching here,
teaching us against.
And remember again,
Peter, to go back to Peter,
not that we're picking on Peter,
but he's there
as an example in the Bible for us.
Chapter 14 of Mark,
where he comes to be questioned
about his relationship with Jesus.
And of course,
he came to deny Jesus
in that context three times.
The third time,
Mark tells us,
that he invoked curses upon himself
and vehemently denied
that he was ever one of his disciples.
There's a disciple
telling lies,
contradicting himself.
His use of words
is the opposite of what it should be.
And there is,
again,
an example
in the Bible
of where words
are so important
in the wrong use of them.
But our tongue
finally should be
an instrument of wisdom.
Verses 13 to 18,
that we said,
that we're using the chapter
as it leads up
to the final verse.
Evidence of true wisdom,
the wisdom the Bible speaks of,
the wisdom you gain
from coming to know your Bible,
but especially coming
to know the Lord
and to follow him
and be taught by his Spirit.
The evidence of that wisdom,
that true wisdom,
is that it is meek.
It is teachable.
The person that's wise
is a teachable person.
That's why he begins the chapter,
not many of you
should become teachers.
Because in what seems
to be an incessant drive
towards teaching others,
not only in our day
but previously,
there's always a great danger
in that.
A great danger in the fact
that we take to ourselves
to be teachers
when we have far more need
to be taught at times.
And verses 14 to 16,
you find this description,
if we have bitter jealousy,
selfish ambition,
do not boast or be false
to the truth.
This is not the wisdom
that comes from above,
but is earthly
and spiritual,
demonic.
For where jealousy
and selfish ambition exist,
there will be disorder
in every vile practice.
Now, just in passing,
you can see from that,
again, that it's what's
in your heart
that comes through
in your words.
You won't have words
that are destructive
if you don't have
selfish ambition,
if you don't have
something that's
marked by jealousy
and so on.
It's when you're
marked by these,
when these exist
in your heart,
when they lurk
in your soul,
that's when your words
accordingly show
that that's what's
in your soul
and you'll use words
that you regret sometimes.
But he says,
the wisdom from above
is first pure,
then peaceable,
gentle,
open to reason,
full of mercy
and good fruits,
impartial and sincere.
And a harvest
of righteousness
is sown in peace
by those who make peace.
One of the great verses
of the Bible
is in Matthew chapter 5
and verse 9,
part of the Sermon,
the Mount,
one of the Beatitudes
as we call them,
blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called
the children
or the sons of God.
See what it's saying?
Blessed are the peacemakers.
It's all too easy
to be a peacemaker,
but it's not so easy
to be a peacemaker.
It means self-denial
and many other things
like that.
But he says,
a harvest of righteousness
is sown in peace
by those who make peace.
If our heart is set
on making peace
and being peaceful people,
then we're sowing
a harvest of righteousness,
not just for ourselves,
but for others as well.
And that's why
in Colossians chapter 4,
we can finish with that.
Paul also picks up
that same theme
in Colossians chapter 4,
verses 5 to 6.
Salt applied to speech
in the sense in which
salts apply to food
to make it savory,
to make it more palatable,
to give it a particular taste
without which it
wouldn't be the same.
Well, speech,
she's saying,
is the same.
Let your speech,
let your speech be
with that sort of quality
in it,
as you find it there
in the fourth chapter.
Let your speech
always be gracious
or with grace,
seasoned with salt.
Now, these things
are hugely challenging
for us.
I haven't been led to this,
I believe,
part of the Scripture tonight
because I know
that there's something
wrong in the congregation
in this respect.
I'm not choosing,
I haven't chosen this passage
because I'm targeting
some people here
that I know
are maybe not living up
to what they ought to be
as Christians.
Nothing like that.
I'm simply saying,
here's something
for me to live by.
Here's something
the Bible tells us
from beginning to end
is an important feature
of a believing life.
Here's something
we can't afford
to dismiss
any day we live
because our words
can be hugely destructive
and cause massive harm
in the church
or in society,
wherever we are.
Instead,
we need to come
to God daily
and come to God daily
with that concern,
with that prayer.
Lord,
keep me,
I pray,
from unwise,
damaging speech.
May God bless
these words to us.
We're going to conclude
with words
that are very much
in keeping
with our thoughts
this evening
in Psalm 141.
Psalm 141
and sing Psalms
to the tune Selma.
That's on page 185.
And it's interesting
how the Lord here,
how the psalmist here
is calling on the Lord
in a very difficult circumstance.
He's obviously
surrounded by enemies
and in many ways
he says,
verse 9 there,
protect me from the traps
the wicked set for me.
And he's also
obviously being
attacked
and buffeted
by traps
and by the
doings of the ungodly.
And it's interesting
in that context
that he says
in verses 3 and 4,
keep watch,
Lord,
on my mouth.
And guard my lips,
I pray.
Let not my heart
to evil thoughts
be drawn
and led astray.
We'll sing these three verses
from the beginning.
O Lord,
I call to you.
O Lord,
I call to you.
Come with me,
I hear thee.
And when I cry to you forever,
do my love,
you give me.
thee will murail,
before earth
his eyes.
The mercy of our hands
be Panic.
Let not hide the act, let delight, be me in sacrifice.
It was short on my heart, andissioned by my Welcome Sea,
and down thy lips I play.
Let not thy heart to evil's laws
be torn and let us stay.
If you allow me to get to the main door, please,
tonight I'll greet you at the door.
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God the Father,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you now and always.
Amen.