I asked him number 113, what's that? Tell him he live with me, 113. Self-responsible and free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free. I'm sorry free. He made a name by His own hand. He's everything to me, He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul. The lily of the valley, in Him alone I see, Oh, I need to cleanse and make me fully whole. In sorrow He's my comfort, in trouble He's my stay. He tells me every care I'm to owe. He's the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star. He's the fairest of day. All my griefs has taken and all my sorrows borne, In temptation He's my strong and mighty town. I have all for Him forsaken and all my idols torn, From my heart and now He keeps me by His pow'r. Though all the world forsake me and Satan tempt me sore, Jesus I shall safely reach the goal. He's the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star. He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul. He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here. While I live by faith and do His blessing, With all the fire about me, I've nothing now to fear With His manna, He my hungry soul shall fill With sleeping up to glory, to see His blessed face Where rivers of delight shall ever roll He's the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star. He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul. Standing on the promises of Christ my King, through eternal ages let his praises ring. Glory in the highest I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises, standing on the promises, standing on the promises of God my Savior, Standing on the promises, standing on the promises, I'm standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, by the living Word of God I shall prevail. Standing on the promises of God, Standing on the promises, standing on the promises, standing on the promises of God my Savior. Standing on the promises, standing on the promises, I am standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, Bound to Him eternally by love's strong cord, Overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword, Standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises, Standing on the promises, Standing on the promises of God my Savior, ♪ Standing on the promises, standing on the promises ♪ ♪ I'm standing on the promises of God ♪ ♪ Standing on the promises I cannot fall ♪ ♪ Listening every moment to the Spirit's call ♪ ♪ Resting in my Savior as my all in all ♪ ♪ Standing on the promises of God ♪ ♪ Standing on the promises, standing on the promises ♪ Standing on the promises of God my Savior Standing on the promises, standing on the promises I'm standing on the promises of God Good evening, everybody. It's been a little while. One Wednesday night when I was asked to speak, we looked at the first chapter of the book of James. So we'll be in James tonight, but we will, you know, up until five minutes ago I knew exactly what I was going to teach, you know. And then, I don't know, for some reason everything changed. It was going to be chapter two, I think we're going to study chapter three. And I do enjoy the book of James because, I mean, for a short book with only five chapters, it's got a lot of impact in there. And so forgive me if I stutter and stew. Like I said, this was not the one that I had prepared. But James chapter 3, and we're going to read the 18 verses and begin on verse 1. It says, 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 as a perfect man, enable 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 hem, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and sitteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beast, and birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame, for 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. Do the fountains send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either of the vine, figs, so can no fountain, both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and a dude with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envian and straffy is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, 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. Let's have a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you once again for another beautiful day that you've given us and for allowing us to be here in your house tonight to worship you, Father. Father, we thank you, Father, for this long service. Lord, we pray, Father, that you'll go with us as we go through our service tonight. Lord, we pray, Father, that you will just be with us and guide us and give us wisdom, Father, and understanding, Father, of the words which we've read. And Lord, we pray, Father, that you be with the many that's on the prayer list. Lord, we lift each and every one of them up to you. Lord, be with us, lead, guide, and direct us. And it's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Now if I get a coffin too hard and I pass out, just roll me over in the corner and somebody else can take over, okay? But anyway, verse one, it says, my brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. Masters here means teachers, okay? James is saying that a teacher has a greater responsibility And the reason for that is the grave danger of teaching the wrong thing. And it's amazing that there's a lot of Christians out there who will fall for all kinds of teachings, particularly that which has to do with prophecy. All a teacher needs today is a smooth tongue, You know, people are accepting of all kinds of methods and cults, but yet many of these teachers, as far as the Word of God is concerned, are absolutely ignorant. The tongue is very dangerous. James is saying here, my brethren, be not many teachers, okay? You know, and don't think for a minute. when you become a child of God, that you can start a Bible class and teach the book of Revelation, okay? I went into work one morning, and there was a young guy sitting there, and I think he had got saved the weekend before. And he said, can you help me? I said, well, maybe. I said, what are you doing? He said, I'm reading. He said, everybody else says I'm crazy. I said, well, what are you reading? He showed me it was Revelation. I said, well, for one thing, you don't need to be starting in the book of Revelation. I said, you probably need to be starting in the Gospels, especially John. I don't think I ever talked him out of that, though. And honestly, I believe that he's no longer in church. That's sad. Everybody wants to start at the back of the book and work backwards. But anyway, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation, and it's scary to realize that God will judge us for the way that we teach his word. And he will, and we will be under his condemnation if our teaching is wrong. You know, the more opportunity that you have to give out the word of God, the greater is your responsibility to God himself. In verse 2, it says, 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. For in many things that we all offend means that in many ways we all fail. You know, all of us do, and there's no exception to that. And if any man offend not in word, the same as perfect man, the word perfect means they're a full grown Christian. If you've been at it for a while, you should, and you grow, and you read, and you spend time in prayer, you will grow. Just as a baby grows up, and becomes a little child and matures into full adulthood. The same goes for a Christian. James says that the perfect man is able also to bridle the whole body. In other words, if he can control his speech, he can control his entire body. And in fact, he can control his whole life. The tongue is what separates us from the animal world. Mankind is not some inarticulate animal or a mockingbird. Mankind can put thought into words. He can express himself. He can be understood. He can communicate on the highest level. And the tongue is a badge which you and I wear. It identifies us. It is the greatest index to life. It is the table of contents in our lives. Our tongues give us a way, and it will tell who we are. In Matthew 26, Matthew 26, 73. Matthew 26, 73, and says, And after a while came unto him they that stood by and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee. You know, this was the maid who said to Simon Peter that thy speech betrayeth thee. You know, he couldn't deny the fact that he was from Galilee. from the accent or the dialect, but your speech tells you who you are and your tongue gives you away. It tells where you came from. It tells whether you are ignorant or educated or cultured or crude or whether you're clean or unclean or whether you're vulgar or refined. Whether you are a believer, whether you are a blasphemer, whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian, whether you are guilty or not guilty, if you had a recording of everything that you have said for a month, you probably wouldn't want the rest of the world to know in a lot of cases. In verse three, it says, behold, we put bits in the horse's mouth that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body. This illustration James uses here is the horse. It was David who said, I said, I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue. I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me. And it's in Psalm 39.1. In other words, David said, that because he wanted to give the right kind of testimony, he would put a bridle in his mouth. You know, there are a lot of Christians today who probably should have a bridle in their mouth. You know, the bridle bits aren't impressive in size, but they can hold a horse in check and keep him from running away. And we should go through life like that. You know, there needs to be a bridle for our tongues. Not that my tongue has ever got me in trouble, right? All right. Verse four. Sometimes it's not what you say, it's just how you say it, you know? Verse four says, 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 hand, whithersoever the governor listeth. Large ships can be controlled by a small rudder that few people even see. A strong storm can drive a ship, but a little rudder can control it. The tongue can also change the course of our lives. People have been ruined by what comes off a tongue. A lot of reputations of men and women have been destroyed by a gossiping tongue. James says that the tongue is more dangerous than a runaway horse or a storm at sea. And the tongue is more condemned in scripture than alcohol is condemned. Alcoholism can do a lot of damage. And there's proof positive out there. There's no doubt about that. But the tongue can be more dangerous than that. Proverbs chapter 6, verses 16 and 17 says, these six things doeth the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination in doing. A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. A lying tongue is one of the seven things that God hates. The tongue can really get us in a lot of trouble, and there's no question about that. Following World War II, British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery addressed his Eighth Army in Italy saying, command must be personal and it must be verbal, otherwise it will have no success because it is wrapped up in the human factor. He went on to say this, I often have at the back of my mind a passage from the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 14.9. except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken?" You know, that should be the tongue that we should have when we teach the Word of God. The tongue that both a little child and an older person can understand. I believe that God blesses His Word and that it must be taught simply. God said in And it doesn't get any much simpler than this. God said in John 21, 15, feed my sheep. In verses five and six, it says, even so, the tongue is a little member and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindling. 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. The word hell in verse six is translated in the Greek as Gehenna. It refers to the Valley of Hinnom where the fire never went out. This word is used in this context 12 times in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus used it 11 times and James used it once. The tongue is set on fire of hell. It's impressive that James compares the tongue to a fire because fires are devastating and many times uncontrollable. They have to, you know, a lot of instances they have to burn themselves out. Fire has been, of course, one of the greatest friends of mankind in nature. When it's under control, it warms your bodies, it cooks food, and it generates power to turn the wheels of industry. But it is dangerous, though, when it is out of control. Even in our present civilization, we are not able to control fires. And the tongue is like this. The tongue is like a fire. When it is under control, it is a blessing. When it is out of control, it can cause devastation. It can be a curse or a cure. In Proverbs 12, 18, it says, there is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise is health. You know, the tongue can be like a sword that kills, but it also can be health itself. You know, this is a picture of the tongue. And again, in Proverbs, 1514, it says, the heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge, but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness. Brush and forest fires scorch and blacken the earth. You know, they're like a plague, like a fire. The tongue can burn through a church. It can burn through a community. It can burn through a town, and it can even burn through a nation. In verses 7 and 8, it says, For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed and hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Somebody has said that the most untameable thing in the world has its den just behind the teeth. Only a regenerate tongue in a redeemed body, a tongue that God has tamed, can be used for Him and for His purpose. Paul says in Romans 10, 9, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. In other words, the tongue and the heart are to be in tune. The Lord Jesus said, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. In Matthew 12, 34. What is in the heart will come out. If it is in your heart, you are going to say it sooner or later. It's interesting that when our Lord came to the man who couldn't talk, the writer is very careful to say, he touched his mouth. If he has touched you, he has touched your mouth also. In verses 9 and 10 it says, 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." The tongues which we have are capable of praising God and it's also capable of blaspheming God. As we have said before, the tongue is that which lifts man above the animal world. People can communicate with each other and they can communicate with God. And when a person can sing like an angel on Sunday and then talk like a demon during the rest of the week, you can call them what you want to, but the Bible calls them hypocrites. A person can bless God with his mouth and he can blaspheme God. And you can do both with the mouth that you have. But the Lord Jesus said that what is in the heart will come up through the mouth, and you can be sure that your tongue is going to say it. In verses 11 and 12, it says, doeth 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. In other words, a person can be two-faced, double-minded. They could have a forked tongue. They could be a forked tongue individual and they can say both good and bad. But no fountain down here on earth is going to give forth sweet and bitter water at the same time. Nor will a tree bear figs and olives. Now the tongue reveals genuine faith, because it is with the mouth a confession is made of that which is in the heart. In verse 13 it says, Who is a wise man and a dude with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. The tongue can reveal genuine faith, and it can give a testimony for God, and it can speak wisdom. Verse 14, we go on, it says, but if we have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth. Strife and bitterness are certainly not the fruits of faith, but the tongue can stir up that kind of thing. James is making a contrast between the tongue of the foolish believer and the tongue of the wise believer. In fact, an uncontrolled tongue raises the question in the minds of others whether a person is a child of God or not. I can't hardly believe that a genuine believer could curse six days a week and then sing in a choir on a Sunday morning. They can't tell dirty jokes and then teach Sunday school class by telling them about the love of Jesus. The tongue that you have can do either one, but if it does both, it is that which stirs up strife. We're told here, lie not against the truth. A lying tongue is one that denies the Lord during the week by its conversation. In verse 15, it says, this wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish. James makes it clear that strife, that that envy and strife do not originate from God. They don't come from Him at all, because as He describes it, it's earthly, essential, and established. In verse 16 it says, for where envy and strife is, there is confusion in every evil work. An uncontrolled tongue produces envy, it produces strife, which lead to confusion in every evil work. Scripture makes it very clear that God isn't the author of confusion. The confusion we find in the world today is a confusion brought about by the work of Satan using one of his instruments, the tongue, that causes so much trouble. In verse 17 it says, but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, impeacable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. That means that it's not mingled or mixed. It's undiluted. It's the original. It's that wisdom that comes down from God, and James clearly identifies it. It is then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Anything that causes divisions and strife, it doesn't matter which church it's in, it's not of the Lord. Okay? You may, and you can be sure of that. And in verse 18, it says, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. These are the fruits of the faith. There must be righteousness before there can be peace. There is a day coming, the psalmist says, when peace and righteousness will have kissed each other. And in Psalm 85, 10. Today, they don't even know one another. They wouldn't even recognize one another. There is a difference in faith. You can believe the wrong thing, or you can just nod your head and call that faith, but saving faith is that which produces good works. And in these three chapters, James has shown various ways in which God tests our faith to prove if that faith is genuine. And I know it's short, but I think I've come to the end. I think I'm sucking wind, so I think it's time to stop. So anyway, I turn it back over to you, Brother Jim. Where did that line of tongue come from? Back in our day. What time all that sleep was used in, the tools, coordination, kingdom, Colonel Meade awards. A lot of blood that's been suffered because of that line of tongue. They don't even, obviously they don't know where evil comes from. We used to live that way from the beginning. Jay did let him talk about it whenever he wrote about it. You know, he was there for the time that it does. Judas at Buckingham, North Carolina. He knew that James saw all this, all the things that Christ persecuted against him. It was all because of the lying tongue that he was cross. So that tongue is an evil thing. It can destroy. It's just unbelievable what an evil tongue can do. Now let's go to number 65, and let's just look. Yeah, that's what we need to hear. Take me into the light, I'm ready to walk into sin, so to save you, lay me in the hands of God. I'm ready to walk into sin, so to save you, bow my head to the Lord, for the Lord is mine. When I reach the sea, I believe it is really, I believe, I believe what He said. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave