"Hung by the Tongue" is not only a book title but has become a "life-phrase" for me. I often see situations which I will discuss with my family that someone has been hung by their own tongue. I have even hung myself with my own tongue (haven't you?). There is another saying, "Give Them Enough Rope and they Hang Themselves." My father used to say this to me as advice when I was faced with any kind of conflict. The implication is that you should never fight your own battles, but give it to the Lord... And when you do that, the other person usually keeps accusing, fighting, decieving, so on so forth. You might look bad or be stressed out for a season, but what invariably ends up happening is they have made themselves out to be foolish and you have been vindicated. People who talk too much will always end up under a landslide of their own scheming words.
For the full text from today's sermon and to further your own study, read James 1:19-27, James 3:1-12 and Proverbs 18:20-21. If you would like to order the DVD or Audio CD of the sermon, please contact me at my e-mail address and I will have our resource office make the arrangements. Allow me to share just a few of my favorite points which I believe will encourage you today.
After instructing us that we should be 1) Quick to Listen 2) Slow to Speak and 3) Slow to Anger, we are additionally instructed to "humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." (James 1:20 NIV) Note that James is referring to the word which is already in you. He isn't saying to initially learn the word but to "ACCEPT" the word. It is already inside of you... available to you... it can save you. But have you accepted it? Truly? Accepted it in the context of the situation that you are facing now? Is it the highest wisdom, the highest authority and the final word for you? You cannot be saved by the word unless you accept it to the point that you reject every other possible option. (Jesus called this Binding and Loosing) Wow!!! What a wake-up call!
Another favorite point is found in James 1:22 (NIV) "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." I often pray and instruct ICCJ and our Television audience to not only be "hearers of the word" but also to be "doers of the word." Good advice, but not only good... urgent. After thourough study of this text, I have changed my view on the structure of this teaching in verse 22. Rather then seeing this instruction as applying to 3 tiers of people in this order:
(worst) No Word > Hearer of the Word > Doer of the Word (best)
I know see it as applying to 3 tiers of people in this order:
(worst) Hearer of the Word > No Word > Doer of the Word (best)
The logic for this is that a person who merely hears the word and does not do what it says is deceived. This person is worse off then a person who never even heard the Word. In my opinion, to be a constant "hearer" and never a "doer" is to be moving down the road leading to a hardened heart... possibly as far down that road as to reach a back-slidden state. There is really only one status that you want to achieve if you want to be a genuine Christ-follower... a Doer of the Word, completely hot for Him (as opposed to luke-warm).
James 3:2 (NIV) states, "We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." I thank God that everyone ever born of a woman other than Jesus was and is imperfect, stumbling in various ways. Misery loves good company... But if there was anyone who was perfect, the Bible says that the way they achieved this perfection was because of one God-given tool... not his conscience, not his heart, not his attitude or intentions, not because he prays allot or excels in many spiritual gifts... it is because of his controlled tongue. James then tells us that our tongue is like a bit in an animals mouth, like the rudder of a ship, like a spark that ignites a devastating forest fire, that it is itself a fire set on-fire by hell and that it is the only beast in the world that cannot be tamed. In other words, your worst problem, if tamed supernaturally (because it cannot be tamed naturally) is also your greatest weapon and solution. Do you believe that? Do you believe that every wrong decision, every sin, every temptation could have been avoided/overcome if you had simply said the right thing? Believe it or not, that is what the Bible is saying here and the Bible is completely true. If you don't believe it you won't achieve it. Your miracle my friend... is in your mouth.
But check this out: James is speaking to believers. Your tongue IS set on fire by hell. Whether you have been saved 5 minutes, 5 days or 50 years... the natural state of your tongue is that it is an instrument of destruction... if un-checked, a tool for hell. It always has been and always will be. Forget about joining Alcoholics Anonymous, we need to set up a new association called Evil Tongues Anonymous. It is a bigger problem. We are hopelessly and helplessly at the mercy of this beast in our mouths and we need God's continuous help as we continue to renew our minds to be more like Jesus.
We must live disciplined lives, aware that we will be held accountable for every careless word. We must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger... only speaking intentionally with our words in alignment with God's word, will and vision for our lives. It will be our greatest struggle all of the days of our lives.
In James 3:9-12, we are further exposed. James brings to light that with the same mouth, we praise God and curse men. He says that it shouldn't be that way, but you and I both know that he was right and that it is that way. We are told that fresh water cannot flow from a salt spring. Isn't James contradicting himself here? We praise God (pure) and curse men (salty --- like putting salt in someones wound or giving them a drink of water that cannot satisfy). But he says it isn't possible.
I'm injecting a word here... "Encouragement." You can praise God all day and all night long but you don't need to minister to God. You don't need to encourage Him. God is not depressed and His disposition is not affected one bit by your encouragement. But your Brothers and Sisters in the Body of Christ need encouragement. Is your tongue capable of ministry? I know you can praise God, but can you encourage His people? I know you can feed the poor, house the homeless, donate millions of dollars (collectively or individually)... I know you can teach, lead worship, build houses for earthquake victims... But are your words fresh water? Anybody can praise God but not just anybody can minister... really minister personally through their words. Only those who with God's help are in control of their tongue.
Can you handle one more? Trust me... get the DVD and you will see that we have only touched on this teaching in this posting. Proverbs 18:20-21 (NIV) "From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
This is a popular scripture which easily brings an enthusiastic "amen." But let's look at it closely. So God is saying that YOU fill your own stomach with your own words? Hello? I thought that Jesus satisfies us and that God's Spirit fills us! Well, yes, but remember that your miracle is in your mouth. God wants to fill you and He wants to satisfy you... He wants to bless you and heal you and set you free... but He needs something.
He needs your tongue! He needs you to overpower the fire from hell that naturally inflames your mouth causing damaging words to blurt out, and instead, begin to allow the fire of God to overcome that strange fire... Begin to fill yourself with good things right now and allow God's Spirit to utilize your tongue. Your future depends on it. Begin to speak with a spirit of faith and with expectation as you fill yourself with a loud and confident voice. There is nothing neutral about your words. You are either saying things under the inspiration of a tongue set on fire by hell or you are supernaturally speaking words of life inspired by the Word... Jesus Christ... who is sending His word to heal you right now. You know you can do it!!! But can you keep it up? If you make this a priority and become a Doer and not just a Hearer then your life will never be the same and other peoples lives will be changed too! Are you gonna go 55 minutes or 55 years?
Commit to being that person who with your dying breath, many many people will gather to pay their respects because of a tongue that imparted life and not death.
