Dr. David Gibbs: Three Keys to Success

if you have your Bibles if you turn to the book of James the book of James chapter 1 whenever you go to the book of James always remember this James was written by the half brother to the Savior Jesus Christ Jane Keeler would have grown up in the home with Jesus would have seen him as a teenager as a young man what a thought that is some point I think Mary must have said to James why can't you be like your brother Jesus he's perfect and he would have been but now James a follower of Christ writes to God's people and listen to what he says in chapter 1 verse 1 he says James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad greeting if you have a marker underscore that word scattered he wasn't writing to a sheltered people he was writing to a scattered people and the reason they were scattered we because of dire persecution the faith was being challenged the faith was being tested their faith literally could cost them their lives or the lives of their families and he was writing to people who stayed true they followed the faith nothing deterred them and to these Christians these scattered people these scattered tribes God gives instruction in the book of James and I love what one man said he said it's a practical survival instruction he said when trials come read the book of James because it gives us all of this practical instruction now we're gonna stay in Chapter 1 but I want you to look at just a few things verse 19 chapter 1 wherefore my beloved brethren let every man be swift to hear slow to speak slow to wrath Wow every one of us is in love with the sound of his own voice we all like to voice our opinion everybody on the media right now wants to be heard they hold up signs they shout they scream somebody goes on one of the channels so they want their voice and literally their voices will get conflicting and over the top of each other and you know what God says I want you to be careful be slow to speak he says be slow to speak Swift to hear and slow to wrath that's the parameter of God's people now this is not just a suggestion from God this is a command from God is David Gibbs quick to hear slow to speak and slow to wrath that's something every one of us when we pillow our heads at night are we able to inventory our lives and say God did I honor that but then drop down to what he says in verse 22 but be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves we're not just to be a people who know what's right we're called of God to be a people who do what is right we're not just to be hearers were to be doers at the end of the day as David gives done what I know my God commands if you're anything like me I have to confess this to you it's easy for me to see in others what they're not doing that I think they ought to do things that I think the Bible commands and I'll say well how come they're not doing that they should be doing that but I'm very slow to come to myself and the test is not others that test is me be ye doers and not hearers only God says number one I want you to be slow to speak quick to hear slow to wrath and number two be a doer not just a hearer now drop down to the key verses we're going to look at verse 26 and 27 God gives these Christians three absolute keys to success in their Christian life verse 26 if any man among you seemed to be religious and Bridal if not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this man's religion is vain now this wasn't to the world this wasn't written to the lost this was written to God's people and to these precious Christians who were scattered because of persecution for the faith to the believers who were standing true he says be careful if you don't have a bridle tongue you deceive yourself and your religion is vain the greatest acts the greatest plays are not on some Broadway stage they're not on some Hollywood sound set the greatest fakes are found in churches where we go to church and pretend like we've got it all together we walk into church and we haven't much read our Bible that week we haven't prayed much I haven't witnessed to anybody but now it's time to put on the act and if we're not careful we walk into church and we say oh boy amen that's right that's right and we Amen everything the preacher says God says I want you to be careful that you're not deceiving yourself and he said here's the key let me read the verse again If any man among you seemed to be religious and Bridal if not his own tongue but deceiveth his own heart this man's religion is vain have you got a bridled tongue it's a command of God somebody's got a hold of your tongue either you or God and God says what I want you to do is let the power of my spirit control your speech I want you to let God control your tongue dr. chapel I was listening to some news the other day and a number of the people profess to be Christians but what they were talking I turned to my wife and I said boy honey there's a lot of unbridled tongues God wasn't getting any glory God wasn't getting any praise but they were talking loud and pushing their opinions I'm not responsible for their tongue but I'm totally responsible for my tongue now remember this is a command he says you seem to be religious but if you don't have a bridal tongue your faith is in vain that word vain is a scary word it means worthless not a value it means it's not real a wonderful preacher friend of mine gave me some wonderful advice many many years ago he said the minute I wake up the first thing I do before my feet hit the floor as I give God that day I give God my life for that day and I bridle my tongue father take ahold of my tongue well brother Gibbs I'm trying to control my tongue well I want you to look chapter 3 in the book of James the simple fact is you me the best person you know can not control their own tongue listen to what it says in chapter 3 verse 8 but the tongue can no man tame it's an unruly evil full of deadly poison that wasn't written to people who weren't saved the people he wrote this to were heaven-bound you say but I'm trying go I'm trying to fix my tongue and many of you like me say well I'm pretty good some of the time no no is your tongue bridled now look at what he says back up in chapter 3 verse 2 for in many things we offend all If any man offend not in word the same as a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body do you understand control of things in your life the God who wired you who created you who made you says the control of your life starts with your tongue if you can have a bridal tongue you can bridle the whole body I've had hundreds and hundreds of people come to me and say all brother Gibbs would you pray for me I need a little insight on this I'm struggling with this that or the other thing in my life how do I fix it how do I fix it and I always start by asking him have you got a bridal tongue is your tongue under the power of the Holy Spirit and they'll say no no my tongues not the problem brother Gibbs this is the problem now say no no the Bible says if you can bridle the tongue you can bridle the whole body have you got your tongue bridled countless times I've gone to church and been had my heart move during the altar call and many times my wife will say let's go forward we need God to bridle our tongues when's the last time you went forward and said God forgive me I've been acting like this belongs to me and it doesn't I've been purchased by the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Bible says I'm not my own therefore I'm to glorify both my body and my spirit because I belong to you and God you've said my faith is in vain if I don't have a bridled tongue Wow I was in court once with a wonderful evangelist his name was Lester roll-off and the other lawyer and I got into words with each other he's a mean lawyer he was saying all kinds of profanity at us he was slandering us and he would come up and just shout in my face inches away and finally one day I had it and I just let him have it back when I turned around I thought boy pastor roll-off will be proud of what I just did and he put his head down and he said you lost the bridle son you lost it remember this the wrath of man does not do the righteousness of God and God says I want you to let my Holy Spirit bridle your tongue mom would the kids say boy mom's got a bridle tongue dad's got a bridle tongue grandma and grandpa got bridal tongues no man can control it no man but by the power of the Holy Spirit we can have a tongue that's of honor to God now it will never happen by accident please watch this you won't one morning just wake up and say hmm must have happened in the night somehow my tongue is Bridal no no no this is a command and every command needs a decision bridle that tongue I grew up on cattle farms and we didn't have many horses on our farms but my grandparents had a pretty farm a nice farm with a lot of horses and we all learned how to ride horses from the time we were babies I don't ever remember learning how to ride a horse we just always did it and boy would we go to bridle those horses I can remember from a child on those horses did not want that bridle in their mouth you'd walk in the barn with that bridle and when they'd see it they turn their heads the other way they wanted control they didn't want you to get control and they realized when that bridle went in you had control and they didn't want it boy they'd clamped their jaws down sometimes we put honey or sugar or some salt on the bit to try to get them to lick at it so we could slip it in real quick and the minute it went in they wanted it out so if you weren't careful they'd go up against a fence post or the corner of a building and they'd rub their faces trying to get that that bit gone they didn't want a bridle in there is that me who do you want to control it remember whatever God commands God will enable we have the ability as children of God to have bridled tongues a tongue that is under the control of the Holy Spirit of God it's the first key to success oftentimes young people will come up to me and I watched him grow up some of them I remember when they were born and I say how's your life doing and they'll say well I'm doing okay but I don't go to church as much as I used to Oh what are you talking about you're breaking my heart why not and most of the time they say brother Gibbs we went to church and was one way but then we got in the car to go home and all the tongue started unbridled tongues Oh be careful one day we're gonna give an account the Bible says for every thought every word and every deed be sure your tongue is bridled it's a command of God look at the second key number one bridle your tongue number two verse 27 pure and undefiled before God and the father as this pure religion and undefiled before God and the father is this to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction the fatherless and the widows were the people who had no rights and the day this was written the fatherless and the widows couldn't own things they were impoverished and God says what I want you to do is go do things for the people who can't do anything back for you go do things for the fatherless and the widows visit them in their affliction oh yeah but brother Gibbs you go help people and they don't even appreciate it God never said they would he's just commanded you to do it when's the last time you said God give me somebody who can't do anything for me but I want to do something for them to honor you or do you just look to swap favors well I know people that are like that I'm afraid maybe I've done that on occasion I'll do something for you but now you owe me after all I did something for you now you ought to do something back for me that's not serving God that's favor swapping the world understands that that's why you want to get to know the right people and hobnob with the right people so you can get them to do things for you that's not what this says he says pure religion and undefiled before God and the father is this to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction my wife glorianne has helped me on this many times she'll say we need to find some people to help with no expectation of anything just to honor the Lord let's take care of people growing up my family was in the cattle slaughtering business and the cattle raising business and every year my dad would put in moe in a slow year maybe three to four thousand most years five six seven thousand acres of corn and if you've ever planted a major crop you know it is mind-bending what you have to do you're battling the weather the mechanical equipment and boy when planting season would come we literally worked around the clock 24/7 six days a week we never worked on Sunday we we had a rule all the equipment had to be off and stopped even if it was in the field at 10 o'clock at night on Saturday and it didn't start until 3 a.m. Monday morning but around the clock the number of nights that I spent riding a tractor all night fact I have to confess I fell asleep on a couple of them ran right through a couple of fences God says listen you got to go when the Sun's up you got to make it so that you get the crop and boy we would put this crop in well one year my dad came to me and he said our neighbors down the road the Tate's he's dying and he's bedridden and he's not going to get his crop out and mrs. paid does not know what to do so we're gonna go down there and we're gonna offer to help put their crop in for them I said dad wait a minute whoa whoa whoa that be another six seven hundred acres where we're racing against the clock against impossible odds to get our crop in now you think we want a co and help somebody else get their crop in - Dada Dada Dada that's not gonna work he said no we're gonna do it for the Lord we're gonna help that lady she's in distress I said dad they're they're not nice people I said mrs. tape cusses at us man when she gets a chance she shoots at our dogs I mean that they're not popular people dad and he said David we're not doing it because we want to be their friend we're doing it because we want to show Jesus we're serving him I said why don't you tell them if if we have time left at the end once we got all our crop in then we'll go and do their crop he said no we're gonna do theirs first we're gonna make sure there's gets in even if ours doesn't I said dad this makes no sense to me half-a-dozen people who work for my dad came to me and said David you got to talk to your dad that this we were up against that our backs are against the wall to get our own crops in I said I know but my dad says we got a visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction we went to mrs. Tate and we said we'll we'll put all your crop in and mrs. Tate said Wow why would you do that my dad said because we're doing it for Jesus he said mrs. Tate I stood on her porch he said mrs. Tate you're gonna be the beneficiary of this but we're doing this for Jesus Christ we're doing this to serve Him she said well our equipments all broken down we didn't have any money to repair it this winter my dad said that's okay we'll use our equipment she said I only have a little bit of seed left and no money for more my dad said I'll get the seed I'll get the fertilizer we walked away and I said dad do you realize the commitment you're making he said David I want you to learn a lesson if you're not careful you're always gonna want to do for people who can do for you he said that's not God's Way God wants you to visit the fatherless and the widows people who can't do for you in their affliction we worked around the clock we got it all in before the storms hit what a month it was but we got all of the Tates crop in all of our crop in and then we said well now we gotta cultivate at all keep the weeds out we got to put all the fertilizers down all the weed killers down and my dad said we're gonna treat her crops like they're ours we're gonna do unto others exactly the way we'd want them to do unto us if this was your grandma and she was saying this you'd want somebody to step up and do this David we're gonna step up and do it and we did never did they have such a good crop finally we harvested it all God ours got all of theirs and we went down and said mistake we're done your crops in the silo we're praying for you that lady sobbed she got on her knees and hugged my dad's legs and my dad said Miss Tate you're thinking the wrong person you're thanking me you need to thank Jesus Christ I belong to him and I did this for him and you just get the benefit Wow when's the last time somebody could say thank you for doing something where nobody can do anything back but you visited the fatherless and the widows in their affliction that changed my life when it was all done I said boy dad we were lucky lucky we got it all he said David if we hadn't gotten at all here's what I know we treated what they needed as if it were ours and we did it for Jesus he said every morning every night we prayed over those fields and said this is for you Jesus help us I changed that family's life mr. Tate amazingly got some relief from his ailment after years of being bound in bed he was able to get up around in a wheelchair and the first thing they did was call my dad and said would it be possible to find out where you guys go to church we'd like to go with you we'd like to see this Jesus you talk about does the world have the God you have do they want to see him brighto the tongue visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction it'll change everything and then look at number three pure religion and undefiled before God and the father is this to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world boy the world wants to spot you spot me they want to get the world on us they want unrighteousness on us remember what he said in Romans be not conformed to this world but be transformed and God said don't you dare let this world get their idea of right spotting you every news channel I don't care which one you listen to wants you to agree with their position and God says I got one position for you right here I want you to keep yourself unspotted from this world I'm an ink pen guy I like pens I like ink pens especially and here's what I know about ink pens every ink pen I have the ink wants to get out and on my shirt because they leak and I've got a lot of really nice shirts that have been spotted and if I wore one of those shirts that's got a big ink spot on it you'd come up and say brother Gibbs that shirt is spoiled you can't wear that shirt the Spotted and you'd be right well you can't see this spot but the world can see it and God can see it if the world's got you spotted somehow the world got its standard into you and God says here's my command keep yourself unspotted now this is written in the continuum this isn't something you do once we know how to get unspotted first John 1:9 written to Christians if we confess our sins what a standard God's people if we confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if I've got spotting in my life it's because I didn't do first John 1:9 God doesn't want me to be spotted he wants me to be clean in fact he's promised I'll cleanse you from all unrighteousness I've made a terrible mistake often I'd go to the altar and I didn't go to get clean I just want to get cleaner I just went to take care of some things but when's the last time you went to the altar and said God clean me clean me I don't want to be cleaner I want to be clean he's promised to do it the great American evangelist DL Moody whose messages swept America and Europe we're told he used to close almost every one of his services by saying do not walk out these doors if you're not clean because if you're not clean you're breaking God's heart and you're going nowhere with God when's the last time you when's the last time I said God clean me but I got to confess my sins that confess means I'm gonna see sin the way God sees it not how I think I ought to make it how God makes it I promise you you can find a church somewhere that'll tell you what you're doing is okay what somebody else says is the standard is not it it's what the Bible says is the standard that's why I so love what Lancaster Baptist does the scriptures are the standard keeping yourself unspotted from the world three simple keys bridle my tongue everyday number two visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and number three keeping myself unspotted from this world my wife and I yesterday celebrated 55 years of marriage oh I love that lady next to salvation she's the greatest blessing in my life I love her dearly but when we first got married our first year 1965 she was a Howard Johnson's waitress and a schoolteacher I was a semi-truck driver a radio announcer and a law school student and we were working our way through schools every morning she'd get up be at school at about 7 o'clock 3:30 4 o'clock in the afternoon she'd be done at five o'clock she'd go to a Howard Johnson's restaurant to be a waitress and in those days credit cards didn't exist they had aprons and they put all the change the tips in the front of their aprons when she'd come home at night about 11 o'clock we'd go through those monies and count them all out and when she wasn't looking that first year I took just a little bit of it I don't remember the exact amount I think it was about eight or nine dollars now it's two weeks ahead of Christmas our first Christmas together and I said honey when you weren't looking I took a little your tip money and I got it set aside it's our first Christmas you've worked so hard I want to get you something for Christmas you'd really like what would you like she said I am so glad you asked me she said I know it's Zack what I would like I said great what she said I want to find some people that have way less than us and in Jesus name let them be our Christmas I said no no no no this is for you not somebody else what she said changed our lives she said anything you give me here when we die and go to heaven stays here this present will be mine for all eternity because we're doing it for Jesus she said let's just find somebody if the Lord tarries this will be our 55th Christmas and for 55 years that's been our present to each other somebody else who has nothing you against Christmas presents no no no no I love Christmas off of Christmas presents but be sure you're visiting the fatherless and the widows in their affliction that you've got a heart to help others doing unto them which you'd want them to do unto you if the roles were reversed bridle your tongue what a key it's never an accident put that bright a lot number to visit the fatherless and the widows and then keep yourself unspotted cleaned confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Channel: Lancaster Baptist Church

Views: 9,441

Rating: 4.878788 out of 5

Keywords: preaching, sermon, Christian, God, Jesus, Lancaster Baptist Church, Lancaster Baptist, Pastor Paul Chappell, Paul Chappell, Dr. David Gibbs, James 1, tongue

Id: VDcTzQDX_68

Length: 30min 28sec (1828 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 15 2020