Now we're going to continue in our consideration of a very important subject matter of how you can be a peacemaker. And this is not just for some. This is not just for the ordained. Leadership of the church the pastors and the elders even the deacons. This is not just for counselors who? Who do this for a living as it were? This is for all of God's people and I hope to be able to establish that It's time and I'd like to begin by reading this time all of James chapter 3 so James chapter 3 is where we're again And so hear God's word. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horse's mouth, that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which, though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm. With us, however, the governor listeth, even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire can lift. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members. That it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea is tame, and hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries, either a vine figs, so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly and sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion in every evil world. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to be treated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. There you get your peacemaker. Let's pray again. Lord, give us understanding and not just a general, abstract, vague, philosophical knowledge and understanding of life, but Lord, having a knowledge that is couched in your word and in the work of your Holy Spirit that leads us to godly living and godly serving. In Jesus' name, amen. You can be a peacemaker. Notice verse two again. For in many things we offend all. And isn't that the case? I don't think there's a single one of you that can say you've never offended anyone. And if you haven't, then I'd like to be the first to shake your hand. Because even Christ, the Holy Son of God, offended others, but not, of course, in the same manner that we're speaking about here. If any man offend not in word, meaning sinfully, The saint is a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body. The tongue has the potential to offend or make people stumble. If you can control your mouth or your tongue perfectly, you would be like Jesus. And isn't that the goal? Or shouldn't that be the goal? But who cannot sin with his tongue 100%, sin not with his tongue 100%? But if you endeavor with all your heart and desire as a child of God to do this, guess what? God counts you to be spiritually mature. You're a work in progress, but nevertheless, you're making progress. In verses 3-5, which I won't re-read, it speaks about illustrations or analogies of how small or little the member of our body called the tongue is. And yet the power and influence of it is felt throughout your life. your sphere of influence. And it's like the wildfires of late that have, by the grace of God, been put down for now. How quickly they spread with the little help of the wind. Imagine the devastation and death that the Tang can inflict on others. That's how deadly this is. equates the tongue with hell. It says in verse 6, and the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. It's like the description of the world, how wherefore as by one man's sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. It's like that. And so is the tongue among our members. Imagine, it's right in every one of us, unless you're, without a tongue, but even so, you can still communicate, you can still sin. And it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature instead of the fire of hell. The course of nature is like your circle of life, your sphere of influence. If you are what James talks about at the beginning, a master, you're a called, ordained pastor, or elder, deacon. We have all those who have preached the word, like the first evangelists were the deacons, two of the deacons of the church. And so, what if you are a master? What if you're in this position in Christ's church? All the more, all the more you need to watch. In verse one, my brethren, be not many masters. In other words, it's not something that you should take up on your own. In fact, I remember Spurgeon saying something. In fact, if you can help not, don't enter the ministry unless you can't help it. There's wisdom in that. for the reason that knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation the greater judgment and so false pastors and false teachers and false preachers and the like and false leaders take care the head of the church will return And if you defile, like it speaks about how we defile the whole body, the body of Christ, what is it? What have we accomplished? Except our eternal judgment, the stern judgment of Christ one day. If the fire doesn't kill you, the smoke will. Did you know that? People have escaped fires of burning buildings and have died from smoke inhalation, haven't they? Several of my relatives reported that they were spared with their homes, all of them, except for actually one whose son-in-law, his extended family, lost their whole home, but they had to leave because of the smoke inhalation problem. And so the tongue is unruly like a wildfire and full of deadly poison that will kill you. And this fire is set on fire of hell itself. It's as if Satan himself lit it. And ultimately he is the one responsible because he came to kill and to destroy. He is a liar from the beginning and abode not in the truth. This word hell is pictured by Gehenna. Gehenna is a word for hell that alludes to the valley of Hinnom. that we hit him is like a city dump outside of Jerusalem's walls that was used for burning trash. They burned trash back then. You don't do that today. You bury it. I used to be able to burn, my dad used to be able to burn trash in his backyard, I remember. But then sometime when I got into college, I came back home and he no longer could do it because there was a new law. But back then, this valley of Hinnom was known for its having constant fire burning at all times. And you too, if you are not of God, will be in eternal hell, where there will be eternal burnings, as it says. It's called the Lake of Fire, too. And that's how evil, sinful, angry words are to hurt the soul of your fellow human being. Imagine that. And it could be a total stranger that you do this to, or flip off, you know, because of your anger of this red sports car, like, you know, cutting you off in the freeway, right? Be honest, right? and especially to hurt the people that we love the dearest in this life. And I will attest to that. And God help me. God help each one of us. We can speak the truth with love one moment, and then the next moment, lies and hatred come forth from the same lips. Imagine that. Like, again, James continues, Therewith bless we God, even the Father, here in the worship of the church and the praises that we sing to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus. And therewith curse we men which are made after the similitude of God. So the very ones that are made by God in His very image like you and I, we can curse to their face out of sometimes the same breath. And I've sadly seen this in meetings. Oh, I just read it. It's like I wanted to leave when I would see this in a meeting. And I'm not lying to you. It's overwhelming, especially when you expect more, like the Lord says, greater condemnation to them who are masters, teachers. Such hypocrisy. And the sad, regretful thing is this. It spews out of these very lips. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries, either the vine figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. I used to live in South Carolina and some of the best fishing was in the estuaries, which are where there's a convergence of the rivers, the freshwater rivers with the sea. It's all at sea level in South Carolina. And I tell you, it is like a nursery bed for everything from fish to shrimp to crabs to Fish you can imagine, catfish all the way to cobia. We used to catch these huge fish from a bridge. We'd tie our boat to the bridge and climb up it and go fishing. I mean, it was pretty dangerous stuff. That was my dad and me. But you know what? Saltwater and freshwater are not consumable. And to even purify saltwater. salt water, fresh water, and salt water is a task and a half. Now that shows again the evil power of our mouths, yours and mine, yours and my tongue, and yours and my lips. You see, that's the point. And hopefully you haven't already burned your house down. But let me say this. At least you and I, who are here at this present time, are not already standing in the Judgment Day, at least not yet. But we will, and the Word makes it very plain that we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that which he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Because we have both, all of us. Not just the unsaved that will be interred into hell, but even God's people. And that's why that verse came to my mind, how judgment will begin with the house of God. I don't know how that will all work out. Only the eternal judge of the universe will be able to sort that out. But it's gonna happen. And we need to, do our best to help our testimony that we will be setting forth in that courtroom of the living God, right? Now next, in the balance of James 3, from verses eight and on, eight through the end, verse 18, we see a transition from focusing upon the leadership of the church to the church as a whole. Who is a wise man and dude with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation or lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom. Wisdom and knowledge, as are mentioned here, are the abstract kind, the speculative knowledge of the sophists, the Greeks of James Day. The word knowledge or understanding speaks of a specialist who applies what he knows, only it is to the art of living everyday life. Is that an important subject? Is that an important skill? Is that an important expertise? You better believe it. And we are the ones that can excel in this because we have the Lord. And that is the only reason why. And that's how God's covenant people regard knowledge as from heaven above. But if you have bitter and being and strife in your hearts, don't glory. There's nothing to glory in that. And you're lying against the truth at the same time. If you say you have no sin, the Bible says you're a liar, you make God a liar. And you deceive your own self. Bitter envy, reach the point when you resent someone and are ready to duke it out. Have you ever reached that point? Like even with someone in your home? Imagine that. Especially this speaks of those who enter politics with the goal of getting what they want and not what is good for the whole, good for the people. Even it means walking over people to get it. I saw an excellent interview by a professor of Columbia, and I won't say it anymore except this, and that it was excellent because he was not, even though he was Jewish, he was not thinking just of Israel. In fact, he was very critical of both sides. But see, that's what it takes. And one thing he says, if you are a decent person who Who doesn't have an axe to grind and you are willing to speak the truth in love and I'm using biblical words Putting them in his mouth. It says he says we can dialogue we can talk and That's where it begins. And when there's no discussion and when there's no conversation and when there's no Taking an interest in what is going on in another person's life and it's all one way, oh, I tell you, you've already cut them off at the pass. You've already circumvented the straight and narrow path and it will not bode well for you and for those people who are affected by you. And so, he summarizes and says, this wisdom descendeth not from above, This is not that. But rather it is earthly, devilish, and sensual. Or sensual and devilish. That's the order He puts. So it's not of God. However you cut the mustard, especially when you see the chaotic and destructive outcome of your words. You think words don't have power? All you have to do is say something. You can say nice words and say it in the wrong way, with the wrong intonation. and slice someone's heart. Have you ever seen that or heard that? Have you ever done that? It's not hard to do. It's not hard to do. Remember, we're still talking about the tongue here and how we have weaponized the tongue. That word is used. So there's certain words like weaponized that are used over and over and over again, right? And yet it's true. It's become a weapon instead of a friend, instead of a tool for the kingdom of God, instead of a tool for the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Oh, if we would just occupy ourselves with giving the gospel and focus upon prayer for those dear and eternal souls that stand to benefit from our words, we'd be far better off than with our focus upon this world and earthly things alone. And that is why a church that is not evangelizing and is not mission-minded is a church that is gonna get in trouble. We say in the Philippines, they're standbys. They're just standing around waiting for something to happen. And I'll tell you what, it won't be any good. Unless you're there with the Gospel, waiting for somebody to come by to give them the Gospel. For where envy and strife is, there is confusion in every evil world. Wow, I tell you, he's like a lawyer, James is. And actually, he was the leader of the apostles at Jerusalem. And so I can understand how he has matured in his ability to not only speak the word of God, but also in his analysis of truth. How about clearing the smoke, right? Let's clear the smoke. Let's get out of the basin, meaning L.A. basin. Let's go to the high desert, Lancaster, which is a church there, a good Reformed church, by the way, for a breath of fresh air. This is what people will be doing, by the way. Even some that we have Bible studies with that are part of what are called the Vintage Sixties. I have a shirt that I wore that says Vintage Sixties, but I'm really Vintage Fifty. But I'm the teacher, so I get to wear the shirt. Anyway, amongst this group, there are those who have been caught up with what's been happening. One had even their home burned down a year ago, and they have just rebuilt, and we're fearful for the fires way further up there in Santa Maria. Can you imagine that? The wisdom that is from above, because that's really what we also need to look at. This is like, we've seen the law, now we need to consider the gospel. This is like considering that, the wisdom unto salvation that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, Gentle, easy to be entreated. The way I'm preaching, it doesn't sound like I'm being peaceable and gentle. Full of mercy and good fruits without partiality. Oh, that's one that really comes out in James a lot. partiality, where you are partial to one side versus the other instead of being impartial. And you know, when you're the judge, you can't be partial. When you're the jury, you can't be partial. You have to hear all the evidence. That means your mind, it's not a tabula rasa, which is like a blank slate. That's a term for, like, our minds are, you will always be either for or against. But even so, you're willing to consider all the evidence, and especially the witnesses. before you render a decision. That's how we are all to be. First pure, speaking of moral and spiritual integrity, peaceable, I mean, peace-loving, like back in the days of the flower children, when I was, I won't say I was a flower child, but I was growing up amongst them, you know, I had people in my class in college at Monterey Peninsula College who were flower children, you know, long hair and beads and flowers everywhere, make love and not war. But you know what? There's something to that. There is something to that, and I don't down them at all for what they know and for how far they went. That's how we're to be. Peace-loving, gentle, meaning a character of sweet reasonableness. I like that. That's what one author says. And you know what's interesting is that it comes up in our Constitution. And one of the articles, even though the article, you wouldn't think that this would talk about that, about sweet reasonableness, but it's there. It says in Article 162, Irregularities in the proceedings, this is speaking about a court trial calling an appeal after a second court trial. Irregularities in the proceedings, no, no. Refusal to entertain an appeal, no, no. Refusal, this is the one I want to focus on, refusal of reasonable indulgence to a party on trial, particularly they choose. In other words, you're showing reasonable, meaning it's not just rational. It's really making an effort to go the second mile and to understand where that person is at before you render judgment. So refusal to do that of reasonable indulgence to a party on trial, no, no. What does indulgent mean? Reasonable indulgence. Well, I take that to mean, like, for example, when you indulge in a piece of Hershey's chocolate bar. And you've been waiting all day because you know you've been really good with your diet and you've worked out. And now you're going to watch your favorite show. And in my case, it's Highway to Heaven, OK? And have that chocolate bar, and you're just indulging in it. Does that convey the sense of what James is saying and what the writers of our Constitution are implying? Of course. Of course it is. Of course it is. And maybe I should just finish that article just for your benefit. Receiving improper or declining to receive important testimony. Undue haste. That's another one. manifest a prejudice in the conduct of a case, mistake or injustice in the decision or in any of the rulings of the judicatory in the matters pertaining to the case, under severity of sentence, are good and reasonable reasons for an appeal." So there's hope, isn't there? As long as there are those who are willing to stand for the truth, because This is the truth, and you can't lie against it. You can be a peacemaker. And verse 18, our last verse, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. Sowing, what is that like? Casting the seed right upon the ground, a good seed upon different grounds. Making peace. In other words, ensuing it, going after it, not just content with justice. You know, I had an uncle, my wife's uncle that married us. In his retirement age, he asked to meet with us and had practice with us. I remember he made a very salient point. He wanted to communicate that to me as a minister of the gospel. When I first met him, I wasn't in the ministry, but he wanted to assure me that throughout his legal experience that he always sought to help the people, even those that were accused and sentenced He would endeavor in all of his power to make it less and to show mercy and to balance justice with mercy, just like that blind Lady Justice. Sewing and making peace imply responsibility. taking responsibility. It is intentional. It is purposeful. It is the agenda of every child of God in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And to do otherwise is to go against the head of the church. Because his church is a monarch, and finally, and he is the king. And this is why I try to be a man of the book, the blood, and the blessed hope, because there's nothing more hopeful than when we become peacemakers. And it isn't because of myself. It isn't because of you if you're a peacemaker. It's because of our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. Let me read you something in closing that is from a book that I gave on my anniversary some years ago, in 2007. This is a wonderful book. I'm going to see if it's still available. And it's testimonies of those way back in the distant past, back in this case 1945, married in March 5, 1945 in Phoenix, Arizona, John and Clarice Gillespie. Since John was in the army when he and Clarice met, Clarice had to work. When John got out, she continued working to put him through school. Our long marriage is just good economics, quips Clarice. I had to stick a rod in to get my money's worth. And then this is written by the author. God wants to ensure a couple is not alone in their marriage. He wants to be an integral part of their union. He is always present, always available, always ready to help and care through any difficulty if they will follow his commands. Inevitably, trouble comes. Often a disagreement will break out, tempers will flare, and soon an impenetrable wall has risen between you. Communication is broken down, leading to isolation, frustration, and despair. At times like these, it is a blessing to know that you have access to a God who is all-wise, all-powerful, and always willing to listen. When you can't talk to your spouse, talk to the Lord. Ask Him to help resolve the situation. God has unlimited perspective. He can see over the wall. He perceives with utter clarity and can lay bare the root of the problem. Sometimes it is a simple misunderstanding, and this is so common. Sometimes God will provide one of you with insight into the other's deeply felt but unexpressed needs. In any case, God will reveal to each of you your share of the blame and prompt you to humbly seek forgiveness, leading to reconciliation and unity. Then you can rejoice, saying, He tore down the wall, Ephesians 2.14. Make God a partner in your marriage today, and He will make your marriage strong for all your tomorrows. And this was actually written by this couple. Everyone has problems, just stay together and work them out. And so how about you? How about us? Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we are thankful that you are the peacemaker par excellence in our lives, in bringing together what sin and Satan and the world has shattered. Lord, we had a broken relationship with you. We have broken relationships with our fellow men, with our neighbors. We don't love our neighbors ourselves at all. We fall short, far short. We don't love those that you have given to us as our family, as we ought. we have fallen short, especially there. Oh Lord, we are thankful that you have challenged us to be peacemakers after your example and by your power and with your wisdom, your meekness that is from above that descends upon Israel as the dew of Hermon that descends upon the mountains of Zion. Oh Lord, thank you. Thank You, O Lord, for the work of Your Spirit, and continue that good work which You have begun in us, and help us to get over those areas where we have, through sin, marred our relationships. And Lord, may we find victory and peace through the cross and the empty tomb of our Savior. In His name we pray, Amen.