 This morning got to tell you this is one of those hard-hitting messages that James gave to the church that I'm going to try and Deliver faithfully to us here, and it's found here in James chapter 3 verses 1 through 5 We're actually going to be seeing 1 through 12, but I'm going to introduce through Verses 1 through 5 and it's a warning. It's a warning to those who would teach and You'll see it as we open it up, and I'm going to develop this with you And hopefully it will make some sense to us as we go through these verses But again, this is a warning that James is giving to those who would teach so beginning at verse 1 reading to verse 5 James writes my brethren Let not many of you become teachers Knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment For we all stumble in many things if anyone does not stumble in word He's a perfect man able also to bridle the whole body Indeed we put bits in horses mouths that they may obey us and we turn their whole body Look also at ships Although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds They are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires So even so the tongue is a little member and boast great things See how great a forest a little fire kindles Speech is tremendously powerful It can be used for good and it can be used for evil On the one hand, we know that words can bring tremendous joy can even produce healing in people We can bring words of comfort We can bring words of hope and encouragement to those who are in pain and and they actually because of what we've shared with them Can take heart can once again have hope and can move on in life The Bible tells us in Proverbs 12 25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad in Proverbs 16 24 kind words are like honey sweet to the soul and healthy for the body And so words can be used to produce comfort and hope, but they can also be used to hurt They can emotionally cripple other people We all have used our words to hurt people and we've all been injured by things that have been said to us or said about us Somebody could say I don't need you or you're stupid or I hate you You're ugly. You're old. I wish you weren't born My wife was saying that just last night and it really hurt You know, I heard of a dying man whose final words to his son were you will never be anything Now think about that your father's on his deathbed the last thing he ever tells you you're never going to a mountain thing You'll never be anything You know, there are those who who seem to enjoy saying or or hearing something bad about someone else It's like what Proverbs 16 27 says an ungodly man digs up evil and it's on his lips like a burning fire There are people who like to hear something and then repeat it and Proverbs points them out Some people are experts at tearing people down using words In Proverbs 12 18 the writer said there is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword But the tongue of the wise promotes health Psalm 64 3 speaks of those who sharpen their tongue like a sword and and bend their bows to shoot their arrows Bitter words. So there are people who are expert as using words to pierce to destroy and to hurt That's using speech incorrectly The worst form of speech occurs when things are said about God that are untrue Those who do not know him or know the Bible often speak of what they don't know and Their unbelief often undermines the faith of the young and that occurs quite often today in college campuses in college classes So bad speech it can undermine faith But the worst kind of speech is the speech that comes out of the mouth of false teachers Because the false teachers are promoting a false gospel When you read your Bible, you're gonna see especially in the New Testament You can point it out in the old as well as the new but just referencing the the New Testament You're gonna see that many times in scripture There are warnings concerning teachers false teachers and and there are warnings to the people not to listen to what the false teachers are saying acts chapter 20 verses 29 and 30 says Paul speaking I know this that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock Also, he said from among yourselves men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves He said they're gonna be speaking on the outside. They'll infiltrate into the inside on the outside They'll be speaking bad and then on the inside There'll be people who have been seduced by their teachings who will repeat their errors He said and I'm warning you elders about that false teachers will creep in and will attempt to destroy When Paul is writing to Timothy in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 beginning at verse 3. He said For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine But according to their own desires because they have itching ears They will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn away their ears from the truth and be turned aside to fables The time will come when people will begin to collect teachers that will appeal to their fleshly nature say things that they want to hear They're gonna turn aside Voluntarily from the things that are true and they will yield themselves to false doctrine. That's the sign of the last days We're living in those days and that's happening in the church even now in 2nd Peter verses 1 and 2 of chapter 2 Peter said there were also false prophets in Israel just as there will be false teachers among you They will cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God and even turn against their master who bought them There's will be a swift and terrible end Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality and because of them Christ and his true way will be Slandered and so a lot of teachers will speak things in the air There are those who speak air there are those who speak in the name of God Error and there are teachers who are presenting themselves as as teachers of the gospel of the word of God, and they're the most dangerous of all You see Bible teachers have tremendous Responsibility as they teach the church Bible teachers are responsible to teach the Bible accurately and thoroughly Bible teachers teach accurately like it says in 2nd Timothy 2 15 be diligent to present yourself Approved to God a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed Rightly dividing the word of truth So a Bible teacher is to teach accurately, but a Bible teacher is also to teach thoroughly Jesus in Matthew 28 20 when he was giving the great commission Said that that those who were going out and making disciples were to teach them to observe all things That I've commanded you there to teach thoroughly from the age of the Z and acts 20 verse 27 Paul said it like this He said I haven't shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God from Genesis to revelation I teach you everything that God has Intended for you to know the modern teacher could say So James has already been warning Christians about speech He's already told the Christian to guard their speech in various points in chapter 1 and chapter 2 he made that clear and What he's pointing out is that if a person claims to know the Lord his speech will reveal whether that's true or not Luke 645 says a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good and an evil man out Of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks And so we guard our speech and we have to be aware of what is proceeding from within as we communicate to other people We're to guard our speech now again Guarding your speech is a basic and general discipline of a Christian believer And that's because Christians of all people understand the power of the spoken word It's through the power of the spoken word through preaching and teaching that people are saved and built up in their faith and In Romans 10 14 Paul said it like this He said how then shall they call on him him in whom they have not believed and and how shall they believe in him of whom? They have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher So if all people we as believers should know the power of the spoken word And we should also understand that the power the spoken word has a way of bringing through the anointing of the Holy Spirit Bringing people to an awareness of their lost condition and then encouraging them to turn to Christ and turn away from the fall of that is their life The general body of Christ is instructed to be careful with our speech We're all instructed to be careful about the way we speak to one another in Ephesians 429 Paul said 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 We have to have a careful way of approaching and speaking and when you do speak you speak in love I was sharing with a pastor just the other day and we were talking about this very subject And and and we were speaking of how that Paul said that we were to speak the truth in love And that's what God has called us to do to speak the truth But do it in a loving way and to be accurate in the things that we're saying now as a teacher That's important in general. That's important because with our words we can build up and with our words We can destroy and we know that a word that is unguarded a way of speaking that is unkind has a way of driving a wedge between you and Somebody else and sometimes that wedge may never be removed because sometimes that wedge has been driven that deeply We have to learn to be clear communicators, but we also have to learn to do so in love So in speech there is a responsibility a general responsibility But there's a special responsibility place on the teacher of the word of God And that's what we're looking at here in the book of James in chapter 3 And we begin at verse 1 with his warning where he says in James chapter 3 verse 1 my brethren Let not many of you become teachers Knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment Men were taken it upon themselves to teach they were taken upon themselves What has been called the sacred function of teaching the word of God These were self-appointed teachers, but these people were not anointed And they were unqualified to teach and the result was many were attempting to teach what they did not clearly comprehend We need to know that ministry the ministry of teaching is something that God appoints you to The ministry of teaching is a position that God calls you to it's not a natural ability Alone there are people who are very good at speech. They speak well I appreciate a well-spoken person. I Appreciate an articulate person an eloquent person I Appreciate a good speech somebody who knows how to mix facts with humor and and knows how to drive home a point And and there are a lot of people who've been trained to do that You can go to college to learn how to how to present a you know oral presentations And I was in in school. I I took a class on verbal communication and so we had to give presentations to the class and and the teacher Recorded us a visually recorded us and then critiqued to the way that that we spoke in all of that And and I appreciate it when somebody actually learns how to speak and present things properly all of us do but the ability to speak the what we used to call the gift of gab the ability to talk is not the same as Being anointed and called by God to teach and there are people who will take upon themselves the mantle of teacher You see it every day. You see it all the time. You see it in different ways not just in pulp It's like this but all you need to do is follow social media and Before you know it you've got people all the time who are writing all kinds of things about what God says and sometimes My heart trembles as I read these things and I'm saying you're you're wrong. How could you say that? This is not what the Bible teaches and yet people just go on on on Facebook or whatever You name it. I don't know all of the social media now. There's so many, but you go on it and you'll see it They'll misquote scripture. They'll put out a position and on occasion I will I will respond on occasion to a person and and I'll bring a word of Correction on occasion because I I think somebody needs to and nobody is and so I will just just last week Somebody was talking about the power of testimony and and how testimonies are so important when you tell your personal Testimony and and I said, you know testimony is good. It's it's a good thing people people It's fine to share what God has done in your life. I said but over the years I've I've taught over 8,000 Bible studies over 8,000 Bible studies and in the 8,000 Bible studies I've given I've seen many people save but never seen a single person saved by my testimony Paul didn't say to Timothy give your testimony He said preach the word and that's what God is called ministers to do is to give the word of God But there's so many people who take it upon themselves to be pundits or to speak concerning What we ought to do and what the church should be doing and how to teach this passage and what it means That's what James is talking about. He says again look at verse one Let not many of you become teachers your self-appointed speakers for the kingdom of God Don't do that. It's what he's saying You see God has placed teachers in the body of Christ for the purpose of instructing the church in Ephesians 4 verse 11 Paul said he himself gave some to be apostles some prophets some evangelists and some pastors and teachers he himself gifted the church he himself gave some The church has been gifted with teachers so that they could give the word of God In first Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 1 he said to the Thessalonians finally then brethren We urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more Just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God You received from us you heard the word you're putting it into practice These words are not how you should invest in the stock market or how you should No, this is how you should walk how you should please God That's what teachers are to communicate how to walk and please God You see bible teachers have the responsibility of teaching God's word to people and teachers are necessary But incompetent unqualified and unworthy ones do much harm to the body of christ You see it's God's word And because it's God's word We are especially those of us who teach we are especially subject to a stricter judgment In luke 1248 Jesus said to whomever much is given of him's shall be much required Paul when he was writing to the Corinthians in first Corinthians chapter 3 Verses 10 through 15 said it like this He said according to the grace of God which was given to me as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation and another builds on it But let each one take heed how he builds on it For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid which is jesus christ Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold silver precious stones Wood hay straw each one's work will become clear For the day will declare it because it will be revealed by fire And the fire will test each one's work of what sort it is If anyone's work which he has built on it endures He will receive a reward if anyone's work is burned He will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved yet. So as through fire He's speaking of the teacher's reward He's not saying to the teacher who's a genuine christian that the error of his teaching because all of us will error on occasion He's not saying that that error is going to send him to hell He's saying that error results in a loss of reward Which is a warning to to teachers to be accurate in the things that they proclaim in the name of God Now many of you were not here Maybe almost almost none of you were here back in 2002 When we dedicated this this building and prior to doing that we We actually had people come and we gave them Sharpies magic marker kinds of things And we asked them to write their favorite bible verses here And this entire platform From the very back door all the way up has bible verses that people put they all wrote scriptures We have thousands of scriptures here even on the floor scriptures that were here and Because I said to them I'd like you to to write as as From your heart as a dedication to the Lord the scripture that God has used in your life And the scripture I put I just read to you where it says no other foundation Can anyone lay than that which is laid which is Jesus christ and that that scripture I wrote it It's right underneath where I teach I wrote it so that every time I stand up here. I'm standing on God's word and I'm remembering His sure foundation. That's why we call our radio ministry a sure foundation Because it represents that we believe that no man no woman's life is solid without the foundation of God's word And that's what James is reminding us and teaching us about So let not many of you become teachers knowing you're going to receive stricter judgment Don't just take it upon yourself to be the one who speaks about God speaking of things you really don't know Or saying things that are incorrect because ultimately that doesn't bring honor to God and it can be dangerous You see the message of the gospel is to be communicated faithfully And the old testament book of deuteronomy chapter 12 verse 32 It reads whatever I command you Be careful to observe it You shall not add to it Nor take away from it You see the word of God isn't to be changed. It is not to be altered. It's to be given as it is It's like what paul said in galatians 1 8 and 9 When he said to the church of galatia Even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you then what we have preached to you Let them be accursed as we have said before so now I say again If anyone preaches any other gospel to you then what you have received Let him be accursed that word accursed means doomed to destruction Nothing is to be changed is to be given properly and that's what james is writing about James is saying you need to give the word of God So don't take it upon yourself to become teachers You shall receive a stricter judgment And then he goes on in verse 2 to say we all stumble in many things If anyone doesn't stumble in word, he's a perfect man also able also to bridle the whole body And so we stumble in many things teachers have more opportunity to speak about God in his kingdom And we have more opportunity to stumble in word. We can misrepresent God to his people Proverbs 10 19 says in the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise So because this is true the teacher must be certain he's teaching God's word accurately He's not to teach the latest wind of doctrine. He's not to teach the latest popular idea He's to teach God's truth And those who fail to teach the bible accurately are spiritually dangerous When necessary, they are to be identified and believers are to avoid them when our church was young Into Several years of its history I was the guy who would come up and I'd say watch out for this guy and I would name them Watch out for this guy Watch out for this woman and I would name them and when the church was small and young and the people were coming I knew them. They were like family and many of them were family and friends You know, that's what I felt the responsibility to do So I was very quick to to name names. Why wouldn't I I mean if one of my daughters was going out with a guy that That I knew wasn't a good guy. What kind of father would I be to not tell her? I don't think you should be with this guy because I know what he's all about He's going to hurt you. What kind of father would I be tonight? You know, give his name to not say don't go out with this guy A good father's going to be honest and say this is the you know, this guy, you know, honey You really shouldn't be going out with him You know, well because I'm going to kill him. No, you really you shouldn't really So I would do that with the church I did it not every week not every time I opened my mouth, but often So I would stand up and and I would say watch out for this teacher And then we started getting visitors And then after a while the visitors started writing letters And you shouldn't have mentioned that guy's name. It's not right. It's not christian I started getting these kinds of things So I stopped mentioning Joel Osteen by name I stopped naming Kenneth Copeland I don't want to get people mad No, I I actually got a phone call when we were on k-wave and I had been teaching a passage out of the gospel of matthew how that that the the The hypocrites of his day of jesus's day Were wanting to be called father and rabbi And and how jesus said call no man on earth father. Don't call him rabbi. They they like the greetings You know that passage matthew 23 and and I shared that and and so I said, you know I said it's just wrong. I said to take to take a title And to try and use the title in order to garner respect Is an improper way to stand and to teach Because the respect needs to go to the spirit of god jesus christ to the father to god's word But a man who is calling himself by a name In order for people to respect him Is is jesus is saying well, it's not right to do that. I said it's like getting a doctorate Honorary doctorate now. I know in this church. I don't know if any are here right now But in this church, we have those who have earned masters and doctorate Degrees doctoral degrees and all and a person who studies for a doctoral degree guys Those of you who respect education and all you know that takes years for them to do To be able to work and to do all the work and and and to write the their dissertation and and to go under Review and and to stand and defend your position that takes a lot of work You really need to know what you're talking about in order to end up with a phd or a thd You have to really work at that so when someone hands you a diploma that you didn't work for And it says so-and-so phd and and you run around calling yourself doctor so-and-so. That's just not right That's and I was that's basically what I said. I think most of you agree with that. That's just not right So I was sharing that and he said Matthew 23 Jesus is saying don't be running around carrying honors that you didn't earn and deserve And you really shouldn't want those things and that's pretty much the point I was making and I said for example And I said, you know, there are those who one person in particular at this time years ago I said he calls himself by the name of doctor I said but I was reading an article about him and he's he's not a doctor. He didn't earn that degree It's an honorary that but yet he calls himself doctor because Because he says this is his quote because he said it's more therapeutic and people like to call him doctor because it's a therapeutic title And that's all I was saying and and so I said so dr. Shuler. So I mentioned his name I said he didn't know he didn't he didn't earn the degree and I think it's improper for him to use that That's true. Is there there's something mean about that? So we get a phone call You can't be using dr. Shuler's name because they're going to sue you because Apparently some people representing his ministry called k wave and a warning was given for me not to use names So I started thinking well I I guess I can't mention names anymore if I'm going to be litigated So I'm old. I don't care anymore. So so watch out So watch out Watch out You know, I You know, I I I I I still well, you know, I still do but I just don't want you ripped off and and I don't say it because Um, because I'm jealous because I wish I had a tv ministry I wish you know because people will say that oh, you know, you're just a nothing anyway You're just a nothing You know, you're you're not a joe lowstein. Look at joe is all these services 40 000 people who come to hear him lie to them and and and for me I have a problem with that. I really do You know, Jesus isn't going to say to david osales one day. He's not going to say well done my good and successful servant He's going to say well done my good and faithful servant and that's what I want to hear I don't want to hear the success. I want to be faithful And that's what james is teaching james could have gotten in trouble Hey guys, don't be out there seeking a position because you know, you're going to receive stricter condemnation Oh, how unloving you are james to point out the fact that their people taking upon themselves the mantle of teacher When they ought not to be doing that. Oh, how unloving isn't every person a teacher the word of god no Every person lives out the word of god and by example presents what god does in a life But there are anointed called people that are teachers who have to be careful Not to take the glory upon themselves and to always teach the truth in love And that's why james is saying there are people arising in the church being presented as teachers He said they're taking it upon themselves These are people who want to be regarded in a certain way that they haven't been called to And so that's what he's saying and then he says if anyone again if anyone doesn't stumble in word It is a perfect man. In other words be careful and be accurate because that reveals spiritual maturity Disciplining your speech reveals self control Because your speech reveals your heart And if you're disciplining your speech Your whole manner of life will also be disciplined This actually comes under the command of being doers of the word not hearers only Because you live out what you say And in doing so you're demonstrating the truth of the words by the character that you have And then he begins to speak concerning that He says indeed verse three We put bits in horses mouths that they may obey us and we turn their whole body look also at ships Although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds They are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires And so he brings a comparison He speaks of of a of a horse and a horse is a living being But he compares that notice with a ship and a ship is not a living being But the horse and the ship are examples of things that need to be controlled They're both controlled he's saying by a master And so verse five even so the tongue is a little member and both great things See how great a forest a little fire kindles we in california understand that We understand that it only takes a match to get A blaze like we're having right now up north Just just a spark and it kindles and that's the point What a what an example when we went to rosarito yesterday. I had the opportunity of teaching at uh southern um, mexican pastors conference or there were Probably 250 300 or more who were in attendance at the conference and and I have a great joy in doing that So got up early and drove there and gave a teaching and all and and it was wonderful But when we got there, we were told, you know, there are fires in the area right now And and there are fires up north right now and and and what's it take it just takes one spark one Match it takes somebody driving a car in a chain You're hitting the asphalt and a spark hitting the side the weed and the weed starts and before you know it A small patch Into thousands and thousands of acres and that's what he's saying. It only takes a small small spark To cause a tremendous tremendous problem A small flame can kindle dry brush And our words can destroy people Now many teachers are great. They're stirring speakers And they also stir the emotion But the problem is if people who are being stirred are also untaught or taught incorrectly. It actually is harmful Human make nature doesn't require too much prompting to erupt in a negative response I mean you have to be careful the things that you say you cannot go into a into a crowded theater and yell fire You have to be careful the things that you say is the point that he's making And teachers ought to be aware of this more than anything We know that human emotion can erupt That's why we have to be careful to teach accurately I have heard excellent communicators as they have stirred their audiences, but As I've listened to the things they're saying they're communicating error I have seen some who are very theatrical I remember when in particular that was teaching and there were two things I was having difficulty with One was his exposition of the book of Exodus that he was teaching from And second was the theatrics because one his exposition was incorrect The things he was saying were not biblically solid He's well known thousands of people go and listen to him, but I'm listening I'm saying that's not what that passage says. It doesn't say that But people love him But then he's there laying on the carpet with his microphone in his hand dragging himself across The carpet as he's And I'm watching him and I'm thinking interesting show And the people are all standing and cheering because the more emotion he shows the more emotion they have You know, this is true The more emotion he shows the more emotion they have Before you know it, they're all jumping up and down shouting as he's crawling But I'm listening to the words and if you took what he said and put it in print form and just read it without the theatrics You'd look at it saying This doesn't make sense This isn't right But that's what you have to watch out for Be a person who listens carefully to what's being said Don't get caught up with the emotion. Be careful Don't get caught up. Listen everybody in this church knows that I have deep emotion and it shows when I teach I'm sorry for that, but it happens. That's me. Forgive me But I never would want you To be stirred by an emotion I want you to be led by the spirit And that's what teachers are to do and that's what james is teaching. He's saying fires You know a small spark can kindle a forest fire and verse six 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 And so he's making it very clear That we have to be careful what we say a true teacher Needs to teach the truth of the word of god and an unguarded tongue Will inflame and destroy instead of bringing healing notice how he said in verse six that The tongue is a fire a world of iniquity the word iniquity speaks of unrighteousness of heart and life So an unguarded tongue destroys The speech the tongue can be used to reveal as well as ignite evil passions And without the power of the holy spirit our hearts Are going to be revealed for what they are He says in verse seven every kind of beast and bird of Of reptile and creature of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by mankind But no man can tame the tongue. It's an unruly evil Full of deadly poison The fierceness of wild beasts the swiftness of birds the poison of serpents the enormous strength of whales can all be controlled But the tongue is ungovernable There's no power in man to keep it under control We can tame animals that are savage, but we cannot tame our own speech Instead of bringing peace and community we can use our speech to destroy and the tongue reveals what's in our hearts And we can be quick to speak and quick to get angry when we're provoked And that's why we need a new nature and the power of the holy spirit to control our words Because it takes the power of the spirit to give us self control and patience with other people In galatians five twenty two and twenty three It says the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long suffering kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self control against such there is no law To learn to speak a word that is fitting for the season Marie and I my wife Marie and I were newly married coming from different backgrounds my background My mom was outspoken in my home You just kind of said what's on your mind. I did and I didn't get in trouble And very open-hearted my father used to tell me Dave you need to learn to keep your mouth shut You just you just say too much. That was my dad My mom was very blunt Very direct So that's my background. I come back. I come from a place where you want to know. I'll tell you I'm that guy Now Marie Marie is different Marie's real quiet and her home's very quiet So can you imagine oil and water? She's real quiet and I'm outspoken So I'm figured I'm a new you know, I'm not a I wasn't a I was in a Christian three years when I met her I was young in the Lord and so I'm still learning. I'm still learning to be A nice person let alone a good man And so I'm teaching the bible, but I'm learning as I'm teaching That's me. I'm kid. I'm a kid in the early 20s And so we get married And I figure you know truth should be told So Marie and I were talking we were newly married and So something's up I would tell her I don't like this. I don't like that. I don't like this And she would just look at me You understand me I'd say you understand. Is that clear? Because her family's quiet She goes and sharpens her knife Her family's quiet Mind's outspoken oil and water I go outside I come back in 40 minutes later I got something to tell you she'd say to me and I'd look at her because I thought everything's been settled You didn't say anything 40 minutes ago. What are you saying in now? You're going to reignite this this fight that I already want What's up with you? I had to learn I had to learn to listen And understand because communication isn't just talking it's listening and understanding right And I wasn't doing that. I thought that my bold speech and clear presentation Everybody understands. I'm right. Why don't you? And then she'd say listen, mr. I got some things to tell you and I go what? and so I didn't learn Everybody in this church who knows pastor davos all this knows I love my wife. Everybody knows that That's right. Everybody knows that That was Marie Everybody knows that But not everybody knows how I got to this place I got to this place because I had to learn how to love and how to speak And I was angry at Marie over something again many many years ago. I can say it now Many years ago and she started to cry and When she did She said that hurt me She said like that that hurt me And I looked at her and I said good I wanted it to That's exactly what I did good. I wanted it to She went cried And the spirit of the Lord spoke to my heart and he said don't you speak to her like that again And again I get emotional because it was real That's my little girl Don't talk to her like that. I've never forgotten that Never forgotten that he's right I was speaking to his child The way I would never want a guy to speak to my daughter I was speaking like that to my My wife, but it was his baby I learned You guys see me now And you think I ask a judge just old sentimental. No There's no center like an old center if you don't repent when you're young You become worse You just learn how to refine your evil people think you're nice, but you really mean behind closed doors But me I said god, I want to be your man I want to I want to learn to love And to communicate the truth in love by your spirit Help me to do that and I've been praying that for 40 plus years God help me to do that To learn and and and that we have to learn to use our tongues properly And and not to use them in a way that harms and hurts it may be clear and it may be true But is it loving and kind and we need to understand those things We have to learn ways to communicate to people so that they hear your heart and not just your words And we have to learn the language that they're speaking because sometimes my wife speaks french and i'm speaking german We don't have a clue what's going on But if I understand her tone and I understand the way she's speaking and the things she's saying I may not agree with the words that's coming out, but I know the heart that's behind them and see that's all christianity So as a christian, I have to learn to use my tongue properly and and not to be using it to harm people As a husband I have to learn to hear my wife and speak to her as a father to my children as a pastor to my she That's what god calls us to do And that's how it works and it works. Well, and we need to remember that the tongue is Ungoverned there's no power within us to control it, but the fruit of the spirit is love And that's why we need power of god's holy spirit. He says in verse nine With it we we bless our god and father and with it we curse men who've been made in the Similitude of god out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing my brother and these things ought not to be so Does the spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree my brother and bear olives a grapevine bear figs thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh We bless god with our language But we curse men who've been made in his image the word similitude means his likeness Through our speech our real faith is revealed That's why we're careful about how we speak and what we say He says in verse 10 out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing and this this isn't right The same person can use the tongue for flowery speech And praise to god, but they can also destroy people with the same ease They can be in here Singing songs of worship. Oh god. I love you god. You're wonderful god and there's praising the lord Everything's wonderful then they get in the car and they start leaving the parking lot and someone cuts them off and before you know it You idiot. What's wrong with you? Who taught you to drive? You can do that the same mouth the same tongue You can praise god and curse man And then he asks in verse 11 does this does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can can a fig tree my brother and bear olives a grape vine bear figs Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh So where to use our words to promote life? wholeness Like jesus and john six 63 said the words that i speak to you our spirit their life Like proverbs 16 24 says pleasant words are like a honeycomb Sweetness to the soul and and health to the bones When he asks in verse 12 can a fig tree my brother and bear olives or a grape vine bear figs. He's pointing out false teachers False teachers can never give truth the truth of god's word the pure words of life Their words you're saying are filled with error. They only produce bad fruit And so what we need to do Is we need to embrace what god has said to us through his word So that we can be healed in a hole and give those same kinds of words to other people Because a genuine teacher of the word rightly divides god's word and encourages believers to receive and live it When you read the word of god, we see what god has done. We've confessed our sins. We've received forgiveness We're born again. We're now new creatures in christ We're redeemed from the kingdom of darkness. We're citizens of the kingdom of god We become temples of the holy spirit We're overcomers to the blood and the word of our testimony We're more than conquerors through christ who loved us We're heirs of god joint heirs with christ We're blessed with all spiritual blessings in jesus christ And we see this in the word of god And a true teacher will help us to see that and how it works within us So like he said that not many of you become teachers Knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment Which is a simple warning to make sure the things that you say about god are true And don't misrepresent him with your words or your life