this morning about the tongue. So James chapter three, and I'll read verses one through 12. He begins, let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment, for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man. able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horse's mouth so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also. Though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire. And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity. The tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell itself. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by the human race, but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives? Or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we come to you now. And Lord, we just ask, I ask, Lord, that you would be with each one of us in part. Lord, I ask that you would bless the words of my mouth, Lord, that they may be pleasing in your sight. And Lord, that the hearers may hear, Lord, and be blessed. by your word, Lord. We want to be more like Christ, Lord, in our speech and use of our words and our actions, Lord. Help us, we pray. Help us this morning. Help me, Lord, we pray in Christ's name. Amen. Well, after reading what we just read, it is quite a daunting thing to stand before you and to teach on the very thing that we all stumble in. Not to mention the warning issued to all teachers. But the Lord, he is my help and he is your help as well. This morning we look to him. He's the one that we need. It's his words that give life and it's his words that we want to hear this morning. And I want to let you know from the onset that even though this is going to be a, I don't know if harder is the right word, but a harder study in the sense that it will be maybe more convicting and in one way may seem defeating, I don't want you to lose hope. I want you to be encouraged, not discouraged. And I want you to know that there is hope. And I pray at the end that you will call out like David did in Psalm 141 verse 3 and say, Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips. May that be our cry this morning and as we go through this chapter. As you remember, we finished chapter 2, and as we begin chapter 3 here, it may appear that James is introducing a new topic. It may seem like he's just shifting gears here, and he just is dealing with the tongue. But as a matter of fact, you'll find out he will mention the tongue. Not only did he already mention the tongue, but that he actually mentions the tongue in one way or another throughout the book. Every single chapter has something to say about the tongue, about words, about our speech. And so he's doing that in one way or another. But if you remember from chapter one, he wrote about the importance of being quick to hear and slow to be angry. Slow to anger. And he also said that if anyone thinks that they are religious and yet does not bridle, does not have a control over their tongue, that they have deceived their own hearts and that their religion is actually worthless. Those are some strong words, and we cover that in the past, and I mentioned that those are just little hints, little statements that James is saying, and he'll go full out. He'll explain it all here in chapter three. So this topic is not something new as it pertains to James, nor is it gonna be something new as he goes on in the book of James. Nor is it something new for any one of us that have been walking with the Lord for some time. James chapter 3 is one of those chapters that we go to, oftentimes to be reminded ourselves, or when we're parenting, we'll take our children, we're opened up to James chapter 3, won't we? And we'll explain the power of the tongue, the damage of the tongue, and what does it mean to have control of your tongue? And so we go to this chapter, we're familiar with this chapter. Well the Scriptures are filled, I mean just filled with examples on the tongue, on words, on speech. And we would be here a long time going through all the Scriptures as it relates to the tongue. I don't want to overwhelm you this morning with many other passages. I want to hear what James has to say. I want us to hear what James has to say, and we'll sprinkle in with other texts as well on the tongue. But this morning, I really do want you to hear James afresh. We're familiar with this chapter, and at times when we become familiar with a chapter, and when we hear the things on the tongue, we begin to gloss over things. So I want to just slow down. There may be things you've already heard that I'll be repeating this morning, but it's so important for our walk with Christ that our speech, our words, that our tongue be pleasing in his sight. So remember, throughout this letter, What James is doing is, he's challenging our faith. He's challenging our faith. Our faith is being tested. And this is what James is doing, even here in this chapter. He's testing our faith. Throughout the study today, I wanna interact with this question. Interact indirectly, I will say, with this question. So in the back of your mind, as I'm going through this chapter, and I'll revisit it at the very end, How does our faith touch our tongue? How does our faith touch our tongue? Does our faith touch our tongue? And so I wanna be working through that. And we see there in the very first verse that James begins by addressing a specific group of people, teachers. By teachers, it most certainly includes, and maybe even exclusively, as he mentions here, if we will take the rest of Scripture to bring this to the front, it's those who are appointed as teachers in the church. Those of whom Paul mentions and strings together God's gifts to the church of apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, teachers. And so we have this group that James is addressing. And what he's doing here in the first verse is not giving us a job description. He's not telling us the roles and responsibilities of the teacher. Rather, he's exposing, he's bringing forth the danger and the warning of being a teacher. And at the same time, he's not trying to discourage. He's not trying to dissuade or to push people back and saying nobody should really aspire to the office of teacher. He's not saying that. Rather, he's emphasizing the importance. He's emphasizing the seriousness of that ministry, saying that those who teach will incur, will receive a greater or a stricter judgment by God. It's a divine judgment that you're coming under if you're going to be a teacher. And notice that he doesn't exclude himself either. He says we, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. He's putting himself in the same category. He knows what's happening here. He knows what he's entering into, the calling of a teacher, of a preacher. And so every word spoken, every verse expounded, every counsel given, every rebuke that has been extended, every intention or motive of the heart, and the list can go on and on. More words, more errors. Every time a teacher opens their mouth to teach, not only are their words being evaluated, but their lives are being evaluated as well. And it should be so. It should be so. Does the life of the teacher align with the teaching? If someone is going to come up here, if I'm going to come up here, if any one of us are going to come up here, does my life align with the Word of God, with the Word that I'm preaching? And this is why it's so important that we realize the importance of the teaching of teachers and teaching. Paul understood this. Paul in Acts chapter 20, 26 to 27, he says, Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. That's a strong statement there. And then he continues, for I did not, this is why he can say that, why he's innocent, because I did not shrink back. I didn't shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. What is he saying? He's saying, I was faithful to the word, and I expounded it, and I taught it, and I lived it, and I am innocent of the blood of all men. Jesus taught this didn't he in Mark chapter 12 38 through 40. He says Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and like respectful greetings in the marketplaces and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets who devour widows houses and for Appearances sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation There's a greater judgment They assumed the office of teaching. Now, we don't know if James is writing this because there's been a surge or an increase in job applications there to whom he's writing in the teaching office. It could very well be. I mean, it reads that way. He's addressing something. He's saying, let not many of you become teachers, Assuming that there were many who were trying to rise up and become teachers. But regardless, he has a word for them. He has a word for every single one of us, doesn't he? Slow down. Don't be in such a rush to become a teacher. Let not many of you become teachers without first considering, he says, he's relaying to us the high calling and the stricter judgment that comes with the office. Saints, we don't need more teachers that can speak eloquently. We don't need that. We don't need more teachers that will make much of themselves. We don't need more teachers that are looking for a position, for respect, for recognition, for power, for any other self-serving agenda they may have going on. What we need are teachers that are filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with power from on high, that will teach the Word of God as it's written, We need teachers that will teach and live according to Scripture. And I think the moment I finish saying that, and the moment that the amens, the groans, the nods finish, and they begin to fade, James reminds me, and he reminds all of us, for that matter, that we all stumble in many ways. We all stumble in many ways. This is the universal reality, saints. We are sinners. There wouldn't be anyone here that would argue the contrary. Every single one of us would stand up and say, yes, I'm a sinner. I've sinned. And we all, including James, stumble in many ways. He includes himself in that again, in a variety of ways, in many ways, in a variety of ways we sin. But there's one way in which we all sin, and that is the tongue. It's with the tongue. And here is where James in verse 2, and I'm just flowing through the text saying, I'm sorry, I don't have certain points. Not this time. I'm just going to flow through the text. We're talking about the tongue. James here in verse 2, he takes the plunge in the next 11 verses, and he will explain. He will go through like a good doctor. We're walking into the office, and he comes by, and he has that stick and light in his hands, and he says, open up your mouth and say, ah. And like a good doctor, this is what James is doing. He's going to examine our tongues. He's going to talk about our tongues. And if we know anything about our tongue, we know this, it daily betrays our heart. Our tongue daily betrays our own heart. It exposes it. And even Christ said, out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. Scripture, especially in the Proverbs, is full of examples on the tongue. or our mouths and the words that come out, how our tongue can be used for good, how our words can be used for evil, to build up, to tear down. Here are some. Proverbs 18, verse 6 and 7. I like this one because I always imagine a pair of lips. It says, a fool's lips walk into a fight. Isn't that great? A fool's lips walk into a fight. He's extending, and he's like, come and beat me, is what the fool is saying. And his mouth invites a beating. A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. Proverbs 17, 28, even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise. When he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. What about the good use of the tongue? And I'm just bringing several here. Proverbs 31.26, a Proverbs 31 woman, she opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 12.18, there's one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. There's healing in words. Proverbs 18.21, death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit. So we know that this tiny member of our body can be used to extend good things, good words to others, but it can also be something that can be used to bring others down. And there in the latter half of verse two, James is making a positive statement. He's making a positive statement, or a premise that he will work off of for the remainder of the message, and that is this. He says, if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, a perfect person. He means by that a mature Christian, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now what James is doing here is he's making an argument. Those who have control over their tongue will be able to also have control over their bodies, the other members of their bodies. As one commentator rightly said, since the tongue is the most difficult to keep under control, I think we can all raise our hands and say yes, very much so. Victory at this point, he continues, assures that one is able to check and to control the activities of the whole body. They are able to control all their members and capacities that sin seeks to use to express itself. In other words, if you're gonna control your tongue, you're gonna be able to control the other unruly members of your body. And James uses the word to bridle or to control, and at once, with that thought, images, illustrations come to his mind. Illustrations that demonstrate this proportion in size and yet the magnificent ability of this smaller thing to be able to control, to have mastery over this larger, greater thing. And he does that. They are easy to grasp, easy to understand. They are both about control. The first being the horse and the second being a ship. I mean, have you ever seen a horse that has not been broken, a wild horse? Have you ever seen a ship on the waters in a storm? Have you been in one? Have you tried to get on a horse that was wild? The sheer power and violence of both is a force to be reckoned with, a wild horse, a ship in the midst of a storm, what seems to be unruly, what seems to be untamable, what seems to have no control, no mastery, all of a sudden, by a simple and tiny bit in a horse's mouth or a rudder on the ship, we see something beautiful. We see something majestic. We see the horse that can be ridden. We see the horse that can be turned and obeys and every single move. You can sit on it. You see a ship that just cuts through the water as if the storm has no effect on it. You see these things. And so James brings these things of a horse yielding to its trainer and a ship yielding to its pilot. We see these things and those images come real. They're real in our own minds. But notice that there is a third agent involved in each one of these. Because we have the bit and we have the horse. We have the rudder and we have the ship. But there must be the trainer and there must be the pilot. The horse moves because the trainer controls the bit. The rudder moves because the pilot controls the rudder. And so we speak because the heart controls the tongue. We'll get to that point. I'm going to pause right there on that very comment. And you all know where James is going with this. You all know that everything comes from the heart. We're talking about the tongue. It's something that we can identify as the culprit, but it really issues out of the heart. We speak because the heart controls the tongue. James brings the concluding remark to his illustrations. He says, The tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. It boasts of great things. The bit and the rudder boast of great things. They're not useless. They actually play a very important role. They serve a great purpose. They're small, but they're effectual. They're effectual. And James says the same goes for the tongue. It is small, but what tremendous effects the tongue has and can bring. What tremendous effects it can boast of. So the tongue can be used for great things when it is under control, when it is mastered, when the source is pure, when the heart is right, when the Lord is controlling the reins, when He has the tiny rudder of our hearts, in his mighty hands. But consider this, saints, that if the tongue has the capacity to boast of great things, of good things, if the tongue has that ability, then it also has the potential to make a wreck of things. It has tremendous power that can cause great damage. For, think about this, if the bit fails, when needed most. If the rudder breaks amid the storm, if the steering wheel linkage severs in the middle of a turn, control has been lost. It's been lost. And now you're in great danger. It's life-threatening. This is the power of the tongue. And James will say, it is like fire. It's like fire. He points to a great forest, doesn't he? And that is set aflame by a small fire, a small fire. And the flames just, and the wind carries that fire across, it sweeps across the forest, across cities. We don't need a real life example. We have one in California, don't we? It's just sweeping. It's taking out cities. He continues and says that the tongue is a fire there in verse six. And he follows that by four hard sayings, four hard sayings about this little member we carry in our mouths. You know, I heard it said, I think it was MacArthur, but I heard it said that we carry an unconcealed weapon in our mouths wherever we go. Well, let's briefly go through these sayings. Remember, James has the destructive power of fire in his mind. And the Proverbs speaks there in chapter 30 about the fire. if you remember, that never says enough. Fire is one of the four that never says enough. Always wants more, always will take more. It's never satisfying. And so James has this in mind. Fire, it consumes everything in its path. In an instant, it seems. Well, the first truth about the tongue has to do with its character. The tongue, he says, is a very world of iniquity. A very world of iniquity, the very world of unrighteousness, a world of evil rests in my mouth, in your mouth. A world of evil. Just imagine the capacity or the ability of the tongue as it relates to the number of sins it can commit. If you think about it, the tongue, our speech, our words are involved in almost every evil deed. The words, our words. Before a fight breaks out, words are exchanged. Before friends and lovers part ways, words are spoken. Before a crime was committed, words were used to plan it. The tongue can give full vent to every evil thought that is within the heart. The tongue has that kind of power. And every evil thought, every evil motive, and it can put every evil action into words. We could go on listing out all of the sins which the mouth plays a part in, and they are numerous. And this is why James will say that we stumble in many ways. We stumble in many ways, in various ways. But our words, our words should be different. As followers of Christ, our words should be, oh Lord, cleanse me, oh Lord, and cause not a world of unrighteousness, Lord, but a world of righteousness to dwell in my mouth and on my lips. Let my words speak only that which is right and pure and holy. Let it be pleasing in your sight. For us to have words that are fitly spoken, to have a tongue that builds up, to have a tongue like the tree of life, to have a tongue, words that speak out like our Master, the Word of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ. And give life, give the gospel, give the good news. Well, the second truth about the tongue has to do with its influence. James says that it is said among our members as that which defiles the entire body. Now, we'll say we're sinners. But when he puts it this way, we kind of take a step back and we're like, whoa. Hold on a minute there, James. Defiles the entire body? Our tongue? The tongue, it stains, it corrupts, it spoils the whole body, it spoils the whole person. There's not a part of the person that is not affected and infected by the tongue. Like gossip, like a disease, like cancer, it spreads. And if the tongue is linked, with the very world of iniquity, then the tongue has the ability to influence the entire body, meaning the entire personality, our personhood, who we are, making the whole body to stink and to cause the whole person who we are to be offensive to God. A filthy tongue is a filthy person. Our bodies, says Paul, are to be presented as living and holy sacrifices, pleasing to our God. That's what he says. And saints, you will never present a body that is acceptable to God if your tongue is not controlled. And if your heart is not constrained by, and with, driven by, in love with the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, James continues and says that the tongue sets on fire the course of our life. If you notice these truths that he's bringing forth, they have like this progressing truth. I mean, it just seems like it's getting harder and darker for the tongue. I mean, he's just, progressing from one to another, from the corruption that resides in our mouths, to the influence it has over our entire body, and now to the ability that it has to make a wreck of our entire life, our entire course of life. As fire spreads, so is the tongue. It touches everything our life touches. It will not only defile the entire body, but it'll bring to ruin, it'll bring to destruction an entire family. a marriage, relationships, a church, an entire community. All that is around us and a part of us, whether near or dear, our tongue has the ability to be able to destroy, to set on fire the course of our lives and others as well. Saints, isn't the Word of God Isn't he just so kind in that he gives us the end from the beginning? That he lays these things out in James chapter three for us so that we may read these things and we may know what the end is. For those who follow in this way, for those who live a life that is uncontrolled in their tongue. And James would argue if you're uncontrolled in your tongue, in your speech, then you're uncontrolled in your life with your whole body. The Lord is so kind to warn us in this way, to help us not to ruin our entire life on this earth, to make shipwreck of it because we couldn't control the rudder. He doesn't do that to us. He lays it out before us, this kind and gracious Lord. So take heed, saints. Listen to the word of the Lord. Well, James ends there in verse six by saying that the tongue, and this is a hard one, that the tongue is set on fire by hell. These are strong words used by James. And he's making the connection here of an uncontrolled tongue and the very evils of hell. That's what he's doing. In other words, our tongue can be set on fire. It can become the tool of the enemy to advance or spread wickedness in this world. An uncontrolled tongue is the enemy of our soul and an enemy of God. It has the ability to destroy us. And because it is set on fire by hell itself, hell will eventually consume us if our tongue is uncontrolled until we become one with hell. The tongue is not something to be toyed with. Our words really matter. They really matter in this life and for eternity. Jesus said that our words will either accuse or excuse us. He says, on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. The natural question becomes, well then, who can tame the tongue? And James brings a paradox of sorts. He says that many animals have been tamed by the human race, but there's not one human being that can tame the tongue. No one can tame the tongue. And really there in the Greek, it's, but no one has the power to tame the tongue. No one has the power to tame the tongue. And he follows that up with the reason why. He says it's a restless evil. It's a deadly poison. He elaborates more in the remaining verses in our text on the inconsistency of the tongue. How with it we bless or speak well of our Lord and Father and almost in the same breath we will curse or speak wrongly of others or to others. And if we were to take James, his logic to the end, we would see that to treat others poorly, to speak about them, to speak to them, with the restless evil and the deadly poison in our mouths, well, that only exposes duplicity, hypocrisy, inconsistency. It exposes the sin in our own hearts. It exposes that you have a low view of God, a low love for God, and a low view and love for your neighbor, for others. And this is unthinkable to James. It's unthinkable to him, and it should be to us as well. It's inappropriate and unbecoming among believers. And what he just said there about the four different truths about the tongue in verse six, it should cause our hearts to stir. It should really cause us to pause. It should cause us to have, as someone mentioned, a biblical sense of shock. That's what it should do for us, asking the question, how can this be? And James reply, very pastoral, very gentle, very loving. He says, oh brethren, this ought not to be with you. That's what he says. He says, it's very kind. And just like he's putting his arm around you, he says, oh brother, oh sister, These things ought not to be this way. You can't continue in that. That's not the way that the Christian walks. Saints, think about what consistent inconsistency we have going on in our mouths. Because we are inconsistent people. Our tongue is a restless evil. At any moment, it can lash out or break out and destroy, and it does. We do. It is like deadly poison that is administered, and quickly, we cut off any trace of life that existed. Oh, the power of the tongue. We all stumble in what we say. We can direct or control so many things in this world, but not the tongue. We can do so many things and achievements and accolades and all these great things that people can accomplish, but not the tongue. No one can tame the tongue. We cannot tame this fire. It's a world of iniquity. It corrupts the whole body. It spreads like wildfire. It touches everything we touch. It is a tool the enemy loves to use. Hell comes and gives it a light, a spark, a blow to flame the tongue into the great fire and the monster it can become. Does this make you cry out in desperation? Does this make you call out for some help? Oh, if you're not feeling the tension in your own heart, then maybe therein lies the problem. And yet there's hope, for therein lies the answer. James, in the remaining two verses, brings these truths out of nature for us to grasp. He asks two questions, back to back, where he expects the answer to be no for both. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? No. You will never find a stream so inconsistent. What about a fig tree? What about, will it produce olives? No. What about a vine? Will it produce figs? No. What about an apple? Does it produce pineapples? No. The illustrations can be countless, right? But the answer remains the same. It's a resounding no, no, no. And although James here in this text, in these 12 verses, I was looking for it, and he doesn't provide a concluding application, does he? He doesn't provide a remark on a tongue. He just, in a roundabout, he's just taking us back to the garden. by bringing these illustrations. And He's bringing us back to Christ. In the garden, God said of every vegetation, every plant, every fruit tree to bear fruit according to its kind. That's what He said. And He gave that order to creation to do so. And God saw that it was good. And yet we hear Christ. And surely Christ has this in the back of his mind. Who knows Scripture? Who is Scripture? Who is the Word? And we hear Christ. He's saying something similar, but applying it to our own hearts and to our words. For our hearts and our words are intimately connected, saints. And this is what he says in Matthew chapter 12. Here, I want to read it. Matthew chapter 12, verse 33. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad. For the tree is known by its fruit. He's calling out the Pharisees. He says, you brood of vipers. How can you being evil speak what is good? Now listen to this. For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good, and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Saints, what is coming out of your mouth is what is in your heart. You cannot hide what is in there, for your mouth will only testify in a matter of time. It's really God's way of revealing to ourselves and to others around us who we really are. So brethren, what is in your heart? I want you to consider that the only remedy for the tongue, the only one who can tame it, to purge the evil out of it, to stop the fires of hell, the antidote to the deadly poison, the rest to the restless evil, is God himself. That's it. It's God. He must do it. He's the only one that can do it. So if your heart has been made new, then the reality is that Jesus, through the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit, controls, constrains, has ownership, resides in your heart. That's the truth. because of the mercy shown, saints, and the grace given with the love that makes a heart burst and long for more. You have the ability through the power of the Holy Spirit who is in you to control or to bridle your tongue. You can do it. The Lord is with you. And I want you to think about this. as it relates to the Holy Spirit, and even the book of Acts as Lee is going through it. The first sin was committed by use of the tongue. And from there on, the very thing that James described for us has taken place. A world of iniquity is born and dwells in every tongue. But God, in his infinite wisdom, There on that day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes down as what? Tongues of fire. Tongues of fire resting on each of them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues. What tongues? What kind of tongues? Verse 12 of Acts chapter 2 says, tongues that were speaking of the mighty deeds of God. These are transformed tongues. These are tongues that belong to the one who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth. They are tongues, we have tongues, saints that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who spoke and still speaks today that which is true, that which is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable. This is our Christ. And He has made us new. He has given us a new heart in which we can declare and speak right words, pure words, upright words, righteous words. So the question remains, does your faith touch your tongue? Well, maybe for some of you here or those listening, this has been a study that has exposed the reality of your own heart that you need Christ. And if that is so, and you see that your words do not align with your heart, and that your heart has not been redeemed, that you find yourself to be an overcritical person, an unhappy, a discontented, a bitter, an unkind, not gentle, not compassionate, tearing people down, talking about others, lying, cheating, and the list can go on, saints. There's only one answer for those of you that find yourself. Go to Christ and let him touch your mouth as he did to the mute. Let him put his fingers on your tongue and let your heart be cleansed. That's what you need to do. But for those of you that are in Christ and now are thinking, I just, I really messed up. I stumbled in many ways. James will sit there across the chair from you and he would say, yes, I agree. I too have stumbled in many ways. Saints, when you do sin with your tongue, let this passage, James chapter 3, remind you of how grievous and great of a sin you have committed, of how you have yielded to this tiny yet powerful member, how you have sinned against the Lord, but only spend enough time there to get you back to the cross as quickly as possible. And dwell there, see Him there, the one who died for you. Rest in the power of the cross, the power of the blood, the power of Christ, the forgiveness of God, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. And ask daily for sustaining help and grace, because He will do it. He is your Father. Jesus Christ, His Son, and He has given us the wonderful consular, the Holy Spirit. What a gift. What a gift He is. And He is here to help you. He dwells in you. So, saints, the tongue. The tongue. Does your faith touch your tongue? Amen. Let's pray. Father, we do thank You for Your Word. The Lord asking You that You would solidify it in our hearts, O Lord. Father, we want to be more like Christ, to speak like Christ, to act like Christ. So help us to do that very thing. Help us, Lord, to encourage one another to do that very thing. And Lord, together, hand in hand, to cross the Jordan one day and see our Savior face to face. In his name we pray, amen.