James 3 sermon by Dr. Bob Utley

well it's good to see you today I hope you've had a good week I'm a little nervous because this section of James talks about that those who speak less or wise it's got a made me nervous I mentioned Martin Luther last week Martin Luther had a I thought a cute thing to say about the tongue he said be careful of the tongue it's in a wet place and liable to slip I'm going to be talking about human speech today I think it's a really important theological category and James being New Testament wisdom literature reflects much of the emphasis of proverbs which also has a lot to say about the power of human speech so to introduce this let me first mention to you that creation came by the spoken word God is the communicative being there is conversation between the Trinity we are made in the image and likeness of God one of the things that characterizes human beings from the animal world is our ability to speak I think speech is part of the image and likeness of God there are animals that have hundreds of sounds that communicate but nothing like human beings that are able to express how they feel what they think express their fears their thoughts their hopes their dreams their feelings but what the Bible is going to say is that as in Chapter two works reveal the heart speech reveals the heart now chapter two is one of those lessons that there's no way to get out of this room without being wounded today I mean James is going to James is going to confront us and James is going to say some of the things that Jesus said in a little different way and a whole lot of the things that proverbs said in similar ways and I hope as you listen to this sermon today that you will think that well put this way well wouldn't you leave today please don't tell me boy you really spoke to the young people there aren't in here but second please don't say boy you really spoke to my wife I'm after you fool laughter your wife this is one for every one of us we all we all are going to give an account to God for every deed and every word done in the body now for those of us who are Christians we're not going to have to deal with sin for years and years I thought of these Texas Baptist University and I just met just some wonderful young men and women who loved Jesus and wanted to serve Him and I saw them damaged wounded by churches in East Texas power structures I just grieve of those young people that aren't in ministry today and I believe there's some churches gonna have to give an account yeah wait wait there's some really stupid young preachers - I know that yeah it's not all churches fault but I hope with all that you do and I know some of the staff is here with all that you do for the world would you would you think about developing a program where young preachers in the community could come and share with some of your family don't you know it bills into them I I was terrified to speak publicly until small churches in East Texas let me come on Wednesday night I still remember those ladies they would say Bob you did so good have another tuna fish sandwich you know I'd speak 5 minutes or 50 minutes they didn't care that it was encouragement you there's a responsibility for for us to encourage the ones that come behind us what you say can be a healing balm or a hatchet hiya several year ago I made up my mind that I wasn't going to anymore ordination services for these young men because I got so grieved over older people in power trying to trick them ask them questions that nobody in 2,000 years of church history could answer didn't ask about their testimony or called the ministry just ask about things no one can answer and scared these young men to death and acted like they knew the answer to them friends I want you to know you're the words you speak reveal your heart and we'll give an account to God for a heart amen I kind of wondered about how to present this today and I would like to to remind you about a special topic that's online I do try to deal with some of these theological categories where I try to lay out the the lexical items involve the words and all the places these words are used and how they're used so there is a special topic online in Bible dictionary under speech it's human speech and it's out of Proverbs and it tries to show the power of the spoken word and it lists the kinds of people who give negative words and it lists the people who give encouraging words and the list is too much for me to go through but I hope if you're interested in this topic that you'll take a minute to to look at that human speech because every one of us may not have a chance to go to seminary or be a vocational minister or be able to teach a Sunday School class or be a deacon that every one of us has the ability by choice every day to be a blessing by how we act and what we say to those we come in contact with amen and sometimes you're the only eternal hope for people you come in contact with because the only permanent thing in all this world is human beings and we treat them like throwaway things and every time we criticize each other criticize the staff or criticize whatever we criticize the God that made them James chapter three is very nerve-racking for teachers I hope you recognize that let's start the first one where it says and many of you let not many of you become teachers now first of all I want to say to you this is the early church setting I I guess the best place that I know to describe an early church setting would be a first Corinthians 14 somewhere I toward the end of the chapter where there's a bunch of groups that every time they had church all of these groups wanted to sing or give a prophecy or speak in tongues or given interpretation it was just a clamor for who can speak and speak next and don't wait for that person to get through everybody wanted to be a part of the dynamic early worship services and somewhere in that context this this kind of admonition to teachers and I think there are two possibilities for this the Jewish background is you know when they when people call Jesus robó name that's Hebrew word for teacher a rabbis were honored in their society maybe it's a attempt to have an honored position but very quickly in this like so many times in these ethical passages what is said about one group really becomes what is said about the whole church and so these words are not just the teachers but I would assume them because of what said and I'll develop it some that there are some false teachers in some of these young churches I wish I knew how to define false teacher I do not want to define false teacher as somebody who disagrees with me who in the world am I you know let him who has no fault in his theology stand up a my soul I mean you just I don't know how to do that but I guess when I say false teacher it's not just different denominations or systems of theology it's the intent and purpose of the heart that influences what is spoken is the tenth manipulative is the intent to gain a following for oneself is the attempt a way to push one's agenda at any cost I think that happens and all of God's services you know the word heresy the word heretic it's only from within the fellowship that heretics arise and the word heretic is a word that means it's someone who takes one truth and rises it to the exclusion of all other truths so it's usually a half-truth person if I was dealing in the area of cult groups I would say that I think there are three things that characterize false teachers God only speaks to me give me your money and give me sexual freedom my friends when you hear money sexual freedom and God only speaks to me Ron now these teachers and they're certainly called teachers how do you think that that reflects to all Christians just just look at me for a minute and I'm gonna develop this briefly I think that all believers participate at some level in all the spiritual gifts I think of what I just said I think that's that all Christians participate at some level in all the spiritual gifts what if someone said to you you know Bob I don't have the gift of Prayer so I never pray what if one said to you I don't have the gift of liberal giving so so I never give I don't have the gift of evangelism so I never share my faith you said no now wait a minute those are things that all Christians should do yes and I agree with that and I think teaching is something like that because people are going to ask you what you believe in why maybe your neighbor it may be your cousin it may be your grandchild but we need to be prepared to give an account of the hope that's in us that preparation that logical presentation of truth I think it's what teachers talk about when we list the gifts in Ephesians 4:11 and he calls some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors teachers which is one one group there I think every one of them present the gospel in a little different way it's the same content but a little different purpose a little different way of presentation so here we have teachers and it says that they are going to have stricter judgment now I don't think it's just teachers that are gonna have stricter judgment I remember years ago I was with the school up at the Trinity Evangelical in Chicago and one of the famous teachers that was there when I was there is Walter Kaiser he's a later became president of garden Conwell Seminary in Boston he's an Old Testament guy and he said when you get to heaven if there are two lines and you see a lot of preachers and teachers in one line he said get in the other line because every sermon and lesson is reviewable Sunday School teachers you're in my lyin fool yes siree you claim to speak for God you're responsible for what you say now the stricter judgment first of all I know that I'm forgiven for sin so this is not a heaven hell sin kind of thing but am I responsible for what I say well Jesus said I am now what about more severe judgment it are their degrees of heaven and hell I think there are now I cannot develop that in the time that I have allotted in this sermon because I'm on the tongue but I want to give you another special topic that I hope you'll look about if you'd like to look up the passages that talk about degrees of heaven and degrees of Hell in the name of the special topic is degrees of rewards and punishments and it's on that on that dictionary on the website I think there are remember which says to him who knows his master's will and does not do it will be beaten with many stripes but he who does not know will be beaten with few you catch the difference there it's the Luke 12:48 to whom much is given much is required if we know as teachers the revelation the gospel the teachings of Jesus we're responsible to live out that knowledge and I think that's what it's talking about and verse 2 it says we all stumble in many ways now what James is basically saying is none of us have complete control there's a sin nature involved in all of us even after salvation many of us stumble in many ways and then it says if anyone does not stumble now this is a this is a first class which mean incensed because we're talking about godly teachers speakers witnesses then we he says we are a perfect man this doesn't mean without sin this means fully equipped for the assigned task mature available to God to be used and really aren't we all sinners in the hand of a holy God if we're available he can use this the issue is availability not not talent or knowledge or whatever so here we need to be this we need to strive for this then we talk about we're able with little things be it a rudder of a ship or a bridle of a horse little things can control large things and and humans have tamed all the animals for the most part and we build huge machines and they're guided by rather small mechanisms but the one thing we can't tame is the human tongue we've tamed everything but that that we can't tame that if you look at verse six the very world of iniquity I think this is the fact that the speech reveals the fallenness of the human heart even the redeemed human heart just think of Proverbs don't have a fast word of anger how often we how often we speak wish the goodness we never had wish we could take it back but that tongue is like a two-edged sword in the lives and hearts of others it's wielded like a sword sometime it just cuts across people without thinking of what's being said sex on fire the course of man's nature which I sends rather a strange thing literally it's the wheel of one's birth I assume that means that all of life from person to death is what this is talking about in verse 6 and then the strange little phrase set on fire by hail do you this may surprise you did you know the person who talks about hail more than any other in the Bible of Jesus do you know the only the only place that the Greek word for hail is used outside the words of Jesus the only place is right here James says our tongue is set on fire by hell now this is the Greek word Gehenna and it follows the Hebrew word ghee Valley of the sons of Hunnam now this is the garbage dump outside Jerusalem originally it was a place where the sacrifice of Israel's children to the fertility fire god Molech occurred some during Manasses time and the Jews were so appalled if they kill their children to this fire God they turned the place into the garbage dump that's where all the metaphors of Hell come from in Jesus the worm never dies the fire never goes out the smoke rises all of that is from the garbage dump outside of Jerusalem the hema and it's James felt so strongly about the power of the human tongue that he used this ultimate place of judgment only used by Jesus to describe our words set on fire by hell oh my goodness verse 7 this seems to reflect the Genesis account the order of the creation of animals that mankind has tamed everything and then look at verse 8 a restless and full of deadly poison this is the word for a snakes tongue the flicking in and out of a snake's tongue which is really more of a all of Factory sense for them than anything else but it's that well I've been in some places where I felt like people were people's tongues were doing that to me verse 9 it says we bless the Lord and father that's the only place in the whole Bible this phrase is used it could refer to Jesus the Lord and the Father but it's one article in 2 nouns somewhat similar to John 1:1 but here I think we're talking about only Yahweh God the Father and we we bless God I worry sometime we come to church and we sing these songs wonderful songs and I wonder if we hear what we're saying because it seems like we can see such wonderful things to God about God about ourselves worshiping him and then it doesn't seem to bother us that we can walk out this building and loose our tongue on somebody somebody in our family somebody from the church somebody from work James is gonna say look a stream either flows freshwater saltwater a tree either has good fruit a bad fruit you can't bless God with this little argan and turn around and destroy human beings made in His image for whom Jesus died and they're not being problem made in the likeness of God I want to take just a second to talk about the dignity of the human person it has been amazing to me that several times in Genesis human beings were said to be made in the image and likeness of God I believe that genesis 3:15 is not a promise to Israel but a promise to humanity that through the sin of Adam and Eve God was going to bring one through through the seed of woman that will destroy the serpent though in the process be killed by it I believe the human beings are a higher spiritual order than angels there is no angel ever said to be made in the image and likeness of God Jesus never died for angels Jesus told the Apostles you will judge the Angels although we live in a spiritual fog right now I want you to know every human being is loved by God that Jesus came to die for them that they are precious to God and that one day you will be closer to God than any angelic creature because you have free will at this point they least they do not think of who you are you you represent the Creator God he gave you dominion over this place he wants us to love one another he's saying to us through this particular New Testament author that our deeds really reveal our heart and our faith and now he's turned around and said our words really revealed our heart and our faith you can't claim to love God and then destroy with your tongue others created in His image it reminds me some of the wonderful passage for me of Romans 14 1 through 15 13 where Paul talks about the weaker and stronger Christians that are in every church and my little joke is if you does anybody in this church make you nervous but then you don't go here I mean we all deal with people who make us nervous people we disagree with personality types theology types whatever but how we treat each other says something of our relationship to God because if you really love God you're gonna love those created in His image for whom Jesus died and that that first little verse in Romans 14 says except weaker brothers without disputing doubtful points don't try to change them into what you believe the way to handle this agreement is not to convince them you're right the way the handle disagreement is to love them and then it says we'll use strong Christians for your so-called freedom will you destroy the person for whom Christ died well this could be that's Paul James would say how can you talk like that and I know they say sticks and stones can break a bone but a word can never hurt me that's a lie that person never been in real world I really have a stick any day then what some people say because the stick gets healed in the words come back again and again I've tried to remember this I tried to remember I need to tell my kids I'm proud of you now there's some days I hit him with a stick but I'm still proud of them and tell my grandkids wow that's special you're special God loves you this tongue it can release tremendous joy it can wear it can release health it can release power for the future it can free people from fear and doubt and uncertainty and anxiety just I could just do it it just can come any day anywhere any moment I have the choice what I'm not gonna say to this person but the other side is James is going to say some time this is demonic and I've got to know that I have the same opportunity for little ones or new ones are hurt ones are different ones I can just crush them but God loves them I don't want to crush them I want to affirm them and bless them and encourage them for the future and tell them what they could be in him oh I have this choice every day the beginning of verse 13 through 18 I think we're still in the context of teachers and I mentioned in my notes and I hope you'll look at my notes on James some time that this talks about teachers and there's some warnings here for those of us who are teacher types stricter judgment chapter 3 verse 1 there's a danger in human speech chapter 3 verse 2 what we say and how we live must go together you can't say one thing and live another and be God's teacher proper attitude verse 14 there is a demonic demonic counterfeit verse 15 I'm not always sure I'm not always sure what is a person that I just disagree with and what is a demonic counterfeit in Jesus name and so I have to take those who I'm not sure about and I have to say do they present the gospel do their lives reflect what they say do they have a track record of godliness now I have to do everybody this way and when you start asking these questions all things shocking reverse information comes who is wise and understanding this is talking about in the Old Testament this idea is the what the Levite did that trained people here's the law how do I apply it to my life in rabbinical Judaism it's the rabbi in our day it's people we trust people of our family who help us know how to take the scripture and bring it down to our life believers have been encouraged to ask for wisdom in chapter 1 verse 5 if you lack wisdom ask of God he gives liberally to all and now we're talking about who is wise well if you ask God he's going to help you and it says by their good behavior now if you have a King James it says by their conversation this is why we need an upgraded language if you're committed to the textual family the Textus Receptus or the majority text which is behind the King James please give your grandkids new King James and not King James as a gift they need to be able to understand it and the 1611 words have changed meaning the word conversation in 1611 King James really meant lifestyle and that's what it should be here in the new American Standard behavior it's not what just what we say conversation is how we live it's going back to chapter 2 and then beginning through here we have a description of this in gentleness we were to treat one another in gentleness I'm afraid that the American polarization today in politics and in theology has given us what we think is the right to be ugly to some you don't have the right you have the right to love you nobody put you on the on the standards committee God is the standards committee verses 14 through 16 describes the false teachers bitter jealousy selfish ambition mission here have been to a preachers meeting I had a friend of mine woods that told me he had the gift of discernment I never he made me nervous when he told me he had that I got the gift of discernment I said really he said yes I never go to pastors conferences I have seen this in Baptists life bitter jealousy and selfish ambition do not be arrogant so as to lie against the truth big churches like yours have the tendency for arrogance we have a tendency to think we're so good because we're so big pastors of large churches tend to act different part pastors of small churches but I tell you where the real battle is it is in the small church God verse 15 is the demonic side it needs to be natural or sensual it needs to be a godly wisdom is characterized as wisdom from above but a evil wisdom is characterized by earthly wisdom it's even characterized as demonic wisdom when I when I do a sermon I use me if I can remember it say to God God I prepared this this is coming out of 40 years of study what's of what's of me please protect these people from and what's of you please accentuate in their hearts and minds and I don't know the difference anymore I just don't want to be be manipulated by evil amen so many times and I'm doing the book of Job right now the three friends of Job job says you're speaking for the evil one these were sincere religionist but they were speaking for the evil one I remember Peter Lord this'll never happen to you and Jesus says get thee behind me Satan to an apostle god I don't want to speak the evil ones words well how do I know I don't the godly teacher is described in verses 17 through 18 pure peaceable gentle which means sweet reasonableness reasonable willingness to hear and respond appropriately full of mercy and good fruits service unwavering free from prejudice and divided loyalties without hypocrisy the theatrical word for holding a mask for a person on stage the Smyly mask or the frowny mask depending on the heroine or the evil one I don't want to speak behind a mask I've told you how sick chameleon Christianity makes me where we hold up a separate mask in different groups and we say bless God in this group and go to hell in the next group and is the same tongue and it's just a fake mask I don't want to wear a mask verse 18 I'm gonna read my notes please bow your heads as I read this notice it is not the fruit of wisdom wisdom without righteousness is not wisdom God's righteousness results in his children's righteousness the whole life the head doctrine the heart volition and the hand lifestyle is affected and redirected we we so emphasis on giving not on gathering we are also encountered are you sowing if your words fall into the heart and mind of people what are you sowing Oh Lord I'm afraid I'm gonna have to repent of some of the things I've said to people I'm afraid I have been jealous vindictive talked behind people's back brought up past sins with joy ignored my own sins but too often I forget to say a word of blessing too quick to criticize too slow to bless oh god help me no I have a choice every day with every person every time may the words of Jesus flow through this mouth and protect me from the words of the evil one amen now friends you don't think of seminary for this one you know it to be full-time and please don't come up to me and tell me something sweet after this sermon just don't do it but when you leave this building and you see somebody you're mad at walking out this hallway and you see somebody at the grocery store that you have not blessed and you see somebody you've torn up and private talk you see my face you hear this book

Channel: Free Bible Commentary

Views: 13,220

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Keywords: bible, bible study, bible commentary, hermeneutics, historical-grammatical, new testament, bob utley, james, first-west

Id: EoQhEzmhv5Y

Length: 35min 38sec (2138 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 17 2014