Well, hey there, the church at Argyle exists to lead people into a growing relationship
with Jesus Christ. That's our mission, that's our passion. Our calling is to be a church
for people who don't like church. That means our heart is for people who've been hurt in
church or had maybe some bad stereotypes about church in their mind and so we're willing
to set aside some of the religious and church stuff that we do so that those that don't
understand that background feel welcome and feel accepted. That's real important to us.
Our vision is to equip a thousand people on Sunday to be the church where they are during
the week. That's our dream. And then we're trying to do that by providing next steps
that help us, encourage us to grow in our intimacy with God. This time here together
is very important but it's not enough for your spiritual growth. You need a time every
day, a quiet time that you spend time in prayer and time reading God's Word and that you grow
in your community with each other and we do that also here but the best place for that
is in a life group, in a home during the week, just meeting together, studying the Bible
together, praying together, doing life together. And then that we have a servant's heart
for our world that we try to help our community and be a blessing to those around us with
no strings attached, just in the name of Jesus doing good things. And that's what we're
all about here at Argonne. I just love our church and I'm so thankful for each of you.
Thank you for being here today. The main theme through all of the book of James has been
for us to grow up. In other words, just not enough for us just to come to church on Sunday,
every Sunday and go home and just stay the same. God needs to be changing us from the
inside out for us to grow up spiritually. That if you're a Christian, you should be
in a growing relationship with Jesus. To become more and more like Jesus should be our goal.
Now that's setting the bar pretty high. I understand that. In Philippians, book of the
New Testament, chapter two, verse five, it says, on Sunday for an hour, you must think
and act like Christ Jesus. Is that what it says? On a couple of hours at life group during
the week, you must think and act like Christ Jesus. No. In your lives. In your lives means
at work and at school. Maybe one of the hardest places is do it at home and yes, even at church.
You must think and act like Christ Jesus. So we need to find out what Jesus is like and
let some of those attitudes be in our heart and in our life. That means we're growing
to treat other people like Jesus would treat other people. That means that we're growing
to forgive just like Jesus forgives. That means that we're growing to accept others just like
Jesus accepts others. We saw in James chapter one that the mature Christian, the grown up
Christian will have patience. If you want to know how you're doing with your relationship
with God, how's your patience? That's a good measuring stick. It's an area probably we
all need to grow in and having patience even, even right in the middle of trials and difficult
times. We saw in James chapter two that the mature Christian, the grown up Christian won't
have religious faith, won't have wrong faith, but will have real faith because they place
their faith and trust in God and in God alone. Today we're going to see in chapter three
that the mature Christian, the grown up Christian allows God to control their tongue, allows
God to control their words, allows God yes to even control what they post. Our text today
is found in James chapter three. If you want to open your Bibles or turn on your Bibles,
James chapter three verse one, my brothers and sisters, not many of you should become
teachers because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all make
many mistakes. If people never said anything wrong, they would be perfect and able to control
their entire cells too. When we put bits in the mouths of horses to make them obey us,
we can control their whole bodies. Also a ship is very big and it is pushed by strong
winds, but a very small rudder controls that big ship making it go wherever the pilot wants.
It is the same with the tongue. It is a small part of the body, but it brags about great
things. A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame and the tongue is like
a fire. It is a whole world of evil among the parts of our bodies. The tongue spreads
its evil through the whole body. The tongue is set on fire by hell and it starts a fire
that influences all of life. People contain every kind of wild animal bird, reptile and
fish and they have tamed them, but no one can tame the tongue. It is wild and evil
and full of deadly poison. We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we
curse people whom God made like himself. Praises and curses come from the same mouth.
My brothers and sisters, this should not happen. There is a story about a lady who was a church
member, but she was a notorious gossip. She gossiped all the time. One Sunday she got
convicted that her gossiping was wrong. She came up to the pastor after the worship and
told the pastor, God has convicted me that my gossiping is a sin. I would like to lay
my whole tongue on the altar. The pastor looked down front at the altar in a church
and he said, well, it is about 20 feet long. Get as much of it as you can on there. That
was my joke. Apparently the Christians that James was writing to 2000 years ago have some
of the same problems that Christians have today. We still have a problem saying things
that we shouldn't say, maybe not saying what we should say. We have a problem controlling
our tongue. James had already addressed this issue in the first chapter of James and so
either they just weren't listening or they just didn't get it. I know what that feels
like. James chapter 1 and verse 19, James said, my dear brothers and sisters, always
be willing to listen and slow to speak. Always be willing to listen and slow to speak, the
exact opposite of what all of us do. Do not become angry easily. Can you imagine the effect
that this would have on our churches if we actually practiced this verse every day? Can
you imagine the effect that this would have on all of our marriages if we actually practiced
this verse every day? Can you imagine the effect this would have on every relationship
in life if we just practiced this one verse? My dear brothers and sisters, always be willing
to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily. So in chapter 3, James is going
to help us understand the weight of our words and he gives us five word pictures of the
tongue to try to help us understand. A horse's bit, a ship's rudder, a fire, a wild animal,
and a deadly poison. James chapter 3 and verse 1, my brothers and sisters, not many
of you should become teachers because you know that we who teach will be judged more
strictly. James was addressing a problem that was going on in the early church. Apparently
there were too many of the believers that wanted to be teachers and preachers. They
were seeing the position of a teacher or preacher as a place of honor or prestige and power
and that's the wrong reason to teach and preach or how the enemy deceives us to convince ourselves
that we're doing something for him when all along it's all about our pride and our ego.
James warns those who desire to teach or to preach that they will be judged by God more
strictly than anyone else, that you will have a higher accountability, that you will have
a higher responsibility and instead of being full of yourself, maybe it would be a good
idea to be scared to death and have respect for teaching and for preaching. Many of us
have seen the damage done by church leaders that allow this stuff to go to their head.
It's a serious thing and it affects a lot of people. So my brothers and sisters, not
many of you should become teachers because you know that we who teach will be judged
more strictly. But the leaders aren't the only ones who need help here. We all need
to learn the weight of our words in verse two. We all make many mistakes. Can anybody
relate to that? If people never said anything wrong, they would be perfect and able to control
their entire selves too. Many times we underestimate the power of words, the power of things that
are spoken out loud and the power of things that are posted online. Words are a powerful
force for good and for bad. Many times the words we say lead us to do the things we do
and the words we say don't only affect us, they affect everything and they affect other
people too. Jesus taught that the words that we say show what is in our heart and that's
why James says that if we could ever learn to control our words, then we would be perfect.
Then James begins going through the word pictures for the tongue. The first one is the horse's
bit. In verse three, when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,
we can control their whole bodies. Now my wife Donna grew up with horses. I know nothing
about horses. I think they're cool, but I don't know anything about them. She grew up
on a lot of land out in the country. They had a big old barn, five or six horses. Somebody
thought that it would be a good idea on one of our first states to go to her place and
go horseback riding. Now I can't be admitting to her that I don't know how to ride a horse,
so I jump up there like the lone ranger and we take off. At first my horse just followed
Donna's horse and everything was fine, but after a while my horse decided that he wanted
to go home. He turned around and ran full speed all the way back to the barn with me
hanging on for dear life. I couldn't do a thing about it. I found out later that on
purpose Donna's dad had put me on the wild horse. Now he grew to love me later on. I
don't think he liked me then, and I didn't understand that, but I do now. I have two
daughters. Verse three, when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,
we can control their whole bodies. James has given us a word picture of something that
is very small, but very powerful. Our tongues are very small, but very powerful. The bit
in a horse's mouth is very small, but very powerful. The bit allows the rider who knows
what they're doing to control a very large, powerful animal. I can remember how impressed
I was seeing my little girlfriend sitting on top of this big old beast. Not like me,
she was in complete control. She was completely confident because she knew what she was doing.
It's funny that the horse has a way of knowing that. Her horse knew that she was in control.
My horse knew that I wasn't. The bit must overcome the wild nature of the horse, just
like our words have to overcome temptation and circumstances and pressures that make
us want to lash out and say hurtful things to people. James tells us that none of us
will be able to control our words. Verse eight, but no one, I think that's you. I think that
gets me. Contain the tongue. So we need to hand the reins over to someone who can. What
we need is an expert horseman to take control, and that's God. When Jesus takes the reins,
when Jesus takes the wheel, we will say the right thing the right way at the right time.
Then James gives us another word picture in verse four. Also, a ship is very big and it
is pushed by strong winds, but a very small rudder controls that big ship, making it go
wherever the pilot wants. The rudder of the ship has to fight the wind and the elements
that are trying to take it off course. It's the rudder that keeps it going in the right
direction. And the same is true with our tongue and the words we say. And once again, we need
a skilled captain. We need a skilled pilot to be in control. Some of you have seen the
bumper sticker. God is our co-pilot. He's not. God is our pilot. Verse five. It is the
same with the tongue. It is a small part of the body, but it brags about great things.
Our tongue is like a horse's bit. It's like a ship's rudder. And the bit and the rudder
determine the direction that people go. And that's the same thing our words do. They affect
other people. What we say, our words affect the people around us. What we post can affect
people around the world. Proverbs 15, 1. A gentle answer will calm a person's anger,
but an unkind answer will cause more anger. May we all learn to choose our words carefully
because we never know when we're going to have to eat them. Verse five. A big forest
fire can be started with only a little flame. I wonder how many millions of acres have been
destroyed by one cigarette, one match, one careless campfire. A fire starts small and
then it spreads. The effects of our words start small and then they spread quickly.
Fire creates heat and destroys everything in its path. And our words have the same power.
Verse six. And the tongue is like a fire. It is a whole world of evil among the parts
of our bodies. The tongue spreads its evil through the whole body. The tongue is set
on fire by hell and it starts a fire that influences all of life. But a fire needs fuel
to keep going. And many times our wrong words can be the fuel to fan those flames. Listen
to what Solomon says about arguing. Proverbs 26, 20. Without wood, a fire will go out.
Without gossip, quarreling will stop. Just as charcoal and wood keep a fire going, a
quarrelsome person keeps an argument going. You know, most of that comes from our incredible
appetite to be right. Our incredible appetite to be right. You know, in school, 12 years,
13 years, 20 years, if you're right, you pass. If you put down all the right answers, you
get all A's. Nothing wrong with that in school. It's not that way in life. And of course,
you know, we're just trying to stand up for what's right, right? And of course, I'm right
and you're wrong. Did you know that? Many of us are willing to sacrifice the most cherished
things in our life, the most cherished relationships in our life just so we can be right. You can
be right or you can have healthy relationships. You choose. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 21.
The Bible says submit to one another because they're right. No, it has nothing to do with
it. Submit to one another because I'm weak. It has nothing to do with it. Submit to one
another out of reverence for Christ. That means that you're willing to lose the argument.
That means that you're willing to give up being right because you honor and love Jesus
so much. Not only is our tongue like a fire, it's like a wild animal. Verse 7. People contain
every kind of wild animal bird, reptile and fish, and they have tamed them, but no one
can tame the tongue. Our daughter, Michelle, works at the Atlantis. And what a beautiful
place. And she took us to swim with the dolphins. And it was amazing to see these big, beautiful
creatures up close who would obey every command that their handlers gave them. We can tame
the fish. We can tame the wild beast. We can even tame or control the fire. And when these
things are controlled and tamed, they can be used for good purposes. They can serve.
They can work for good things. But no one can tame the tongue. And that's why we all
have to trust in God to help us do that. Verse 8. But no one can tame the tongue. It is wild
and evil and full of deadly poison. Poison can be very deceptive. Poison can work slowly
behind the scenes. Our words can be that way, too. Sometimes we'll give a little jab here
and a little poke there and a little sarcastic remark, hoping it'll get to the person that
we're trying to hurt. Our words can be like poison. Verse 9. We use our tongues to praise
our Lord and Father, but then we curse people whom God made like himself. Praises and curses
come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen. How easy
it is to sing the worship and praise songs here on Sunday and then to argue all the way
home in the car. James says this should not happen. And then James is finished talking
about words in our tongue. So now what are we supposed to do? We can't tame it. We know
that. Fortunately, the Scriptures don't leave us hanging. The Word of God always stands
ready to help us grow up. Our tongue, our words, the words that we post online, everything
in the Christian life, they're all matters of the heart. The Scriptures teach that when
we improve the heart, we improve what comes out of it. Proverbs 4, 23. Above all else,
guard your heart for it is a wellspring of life. Another way to say it, above all else,
guard your heart for everything you do flows from your heart. Jesus said in Matthew 15,
but the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart. A clean heart and
a clean mouth begins with a relationship with Jesus. And to begin that relationship, we
acknowledge that we have all sin. Yep, the preacher too. And that we are far from God.
And we believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. And we can accept that
free gift of grace and mercy and forgiveness. And when we do, God gives us a new heart,
not a perfect heart, a new heart. God gives us the Holy Spirit to help us guard that new
heart. So today, if you're serious about controlling your words and your tongue, if you're tired
of hurting people, it begins with a new heart. And one area today that we must guard, that
we must have guardrails set up to protect us, is in our use of social media. Just a couple
of suggestions. Pray before you post. Once you post, it's hard to take back. Remember,
you can be easily misunderstood on social media. The readers don't know your humor,
your sarcasm. Don't post on social media when you're angry. Give it 24 hours. Post things
that bring peace. Don't post and start fights. But you know, Pastor, I just got to get on
there and straighten those people out. Yeah, that's what you're doing. No wonder nobody
wants to come to church. One of the best ways that you can use your words, not that negative
stuff, be an encourager. First Thessalonians 511. Therefore, encourage one another and
build each other up. You say, I don't know how to be an encourager. Well, it's more about
availability than it is about ability. Always remember that you have more to offer than you
could ever realize. If you ever knew the people that are watching you, you'd be amazed. Don't
sell yourself short. You can be an encourager. And then always remember that you are always
surrounded by people who are hurting and they need your encouragement. Proverbs 18 21. What
you say, the words you say can mean life or death. Those who speak with care will be rewarded.
My dear brothers and sisters, always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Don't become
angry easily. You know, if we could see inside of people's hearts, if we really knew what
the people around us are going through.
What you say, the words you say, the words you say, the words you say.
