I'd like to welcome those of you that are joining us by the way of the internet, if you'd like to find your place in James chapter three. James chapter three, the title of the message is Having a Good Conversation or Don't Be a Contradiction. And it's very easy to, if we're not careful even, to drop our guard and realize that if we don't act like a Christian all the time, we can easily become a contradiction and not a Christian. And thank God we're saved, eternally secure in Christ Jesus, but sometimes our conversation, and that's our manner of life, the things that we do, how we respond to different things in our life, can become a contradiction. And instead of pointing others to Christ, we wound up pointing them away from Christ. They have no desire to turn to the Lord because they see a contradiction in us. James is a very practical book and we've been going through all the different chapters up until now. There's a series there on the internet that you can follow with the book of James. Basically, it's a practical book on Christian living and the importance to be living as a Christian. It's not about us. It's about others. It's about glorifying God in our bodies. and with our mind, our soul, and pointing others to Christ. And we're ambassadors for Christ, and we need to make sure that we represent Christ well. And when we fall, like the Bible says, a just man falleth, and when he falls seven times, he gets back up. We can repent and get things right, make things right, and point others to Christ and give others hope. There's only one perfect, that's Jesus, but we ought to strive, though. We ought to strive to be more like Him. In James chapter 3 and verse 13, we'll begin reading. It says, 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." And right here, this right here sets the standard of how we ought to operate. But then in verse 14 it starts out with a but. But if ye 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, sensual, and devilish. For where envy and strife is, there is confusion in every evil work." If you go back in chapter 3 and look at the different things that James talks about in the matter of the tongue, and how bitter and sweet cannot come out of the same place. And here again, we're seeing the same type of examples, if you would, that in order to do what's right and be more like Christ, we're going to have to act a certain way. And there's just some things that don't belong in the life of a Christian, and that's envy and strife. Why? Because it just brings confusion, and it brings every evil work. And in verse 17 it says, 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. I think that we can all agree that that word bitter that's found in these verses in verse 14, or the word bitterness, is bad. I think we can all say that we've met someone who had a bitter spirit. We may have even had a bitter spirit at time and it tells us here that having this bitter spirit is not wise. Why? Because bitterness does not come from above. So where does it come from? It's earthly, the Bible says. It's sensual and it's devilish. And right here is the scary part about bitterness is that it's like a sword. Not only can a sword cut you, but it can also cut others if it's unsheathed. Another scary part about bitterness is that anybody can develop it. It doesn't take much for a bitter spirit to spring up. It'll grow anywhere and everywhere. it is permitted to grow. One of the men in our church, he spent hours spraying for weeds around the church property and he's already done it more than once and it's just over and over again. And why is that? Because if it's left unchecked, those weeds will grow back after a while. and it'll wind up taking over areas and making things look really bad. And it's the same thing with bitterness. Allowing a bitter spirit to go unchecked, it will soon take over a person's mind, a person's zeal, and also their resolve to go on. Bitterness will halt you. I mean, it'll cause something to look good to look bad and bitterness is just like an ugly weed that all it'll do is consume a person if it's not dealt with. Now, there's many things that can cause bitterness. The hurts of life can cause bitterness in our life. Disappointments, health issues, sin in our own life. can cause us to develop a bitter spirit. The sins of others towards us can be a great source of bitterness. And here in our passage, that word bitter is associated with envying and strife, which goes against peace and goodness and mercy and the fruit of righteousness. Most of our bitterness is rooted in our own pride. You see, the best way to sheathe, if you would, bitterness is to put some humility there. Because when pride takes over, then our bitterness is unsheathed and that's when it'll become hurtful to ourselves and others. A good way to describe bitterness is like a hurricane that just stalls in our minds and heart and it just keeps on dumping rain and wind and damages our ability to carry on a good conversation. Well, I like to say I've never seen bitterness destroy a home, but my goodness, I could tell you story after story of homes that were destroyed because of the bitterness of one person. One person in that home got bitter. and literally that bitterness spread and wound up destroying lives and destroying families. And I mean, when there's bitterness, there's a loss of hope that it takes place because now you're consumed with something that's earthly and sensual and devilish and not what comes from above. I've seen many a church be dissolved and broken apart and even splits take place over bitterness. And James, he's writing to church people here. He's warning them of the bitter effects, if you would, of envy and strife and all these things that can just spring up at any time and cause us to lose our testimony. In Hebrews 12, 15 it says, looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled. You see, the thing with bitterness is like a root. It's there. It's not seen. It's kind of underneath the surface and you can't really tell it until it springs up. And you see, bitterness doesn't just affect you, it will infect every person in your area of influence. Anybody that will give you ear will be infected by bitterness. You see, a bitter spirit cannot be hid. It'll always come out. If a wife gets bitter, then it'll infect her husband sooner or later. If a husband gets bitter, then sooner or later, not only the wife, but the children and those in that house will become infected by that bitterness. And many times the child doesn't know how to deal with that, doesn't understand everything, but because they see this bitter spirit and this strife that's developing in their home, all of a sudden it makes them shut down. and they don't wanna go on. It'll cause people to quarantine themselves from the plan of God for their life. I can't tell you how many times I've knocked on doors and begin to talk to people about the Lord, and they say, oh yeah, preacher, I'm saved. I got saved when I was 10, 11 years old. I said, I went to church till I was about 16. I said, but now here they are, 40, 50, 60 years old, and they ain't set foot back in church. I said, why'd you get out? I said, what changed? What happened? And many a time they'll take me back to a time, something that took place there and they developed a bitter spirit. And if it wasn't them, it was a family member that developed a bitter spirit and strife ensued. And next thing you know, that entire family has been out of church, not serving the Lord, not living for the Lord, not fulfilling the plan of God for their life. In James 3 and verse 14, it says, But if ye have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. Boy, someone hurts us. someone says something that just doesn't sit well with us. Maybe you don't get the recognition that you think you deserve or maybe someone doesn't shake your hand or speak to you or someone else seems to have an easy life where it seems like as you're looking on their life and you're looking there and you're thinking, my goodness, I struggle all the time and it never looks like they ever have a struggle. Facebook and social media has been used of the devil to create bitter envying and strife among Christians. I mean, because Facebook is just a facade. Instagram is just a facade. People only put on there what they want to be put out. You only see a certain side of things. You don't see everything behind the scenes. And so many people get caught up and look at them. Look how it seems like they're always having a great time and they're always going here and doing this and doing that. Look what they have and look at what they're doing. Boy, if you're not careful, all that stuff will go into churches as well. That's why I don't believe that churches ought to have Facebook. We ought not to be comparing ourselves one with another. We're independent fundamental Baptists for a reason, amen? Because if you're not careful, I've seen churches look over across town and say, well, that church has got 100,000 people, or that church has got a whole big amount of people going, and here we are only 20 or 30. What's the difference? And they start, what happens? A bitter envy and a strife will ensue. And of course, those 100,000 is exaggerated. I'd love to have a church with 100,000 people, and that'd be wonderful. But you think about it. How many pastors have become discouraged looking at how God is moving in a certain place? But you know, Facebook only shows the, it don't show the struggles. It don't show the difficulties. It's always about the other side. And if you're not careful, how many church members will get discouraged and get bitter over something somebody else posts or says and it bothers them? Or maybe they look and say, well, that person got a hundred thumbs up or a hundred likes and I didn't get but one. Well, you better be careful. He's saying bitter envy. That word envy means feeling uneasiness at the superior condition and happiness of another. So-and-so seems like they're just always doing fine. You know, oftentimes that's a misconception. People hide the truth. People don't show the truth. And how many people have ever walked in a church and acted like they're just all happy, but yet they're just tore up on the inside? They hide behind things. It's a facade. In Job 14, it says, man that is born of a woman is a few days and just full of trouble. Look, trouble comes to everybody. James is warning these believers that they're not to judge a book by its cover. Often if a person is walking close to the Lord, you're not going to perceive their troubles. Why? Because they've put their hope in God. And God's grace is what's carrying them through the difficulties. And instead of giving God the glory for helping those people, many people will just develop a bitter spirit or a bitter envying and strife will ensue because of that. They'll say things like, well, I don't have a nice house, and I don't have a nice car, or I ain't got their help. I don't have those offers. And then before you know it, bitter envy and strife has set in. Change is reminding them where this strife comes from. It comes from an inward disposition of character that is sensual, and earthly, and devilish. For those of you on the internet, you cannot see this illustration I'm using, but I've got a sword with a sheath. And as long as that sword is sheathed, it does not present a threat. I could walk around the church having it on my side and no one would ever feel threatened, but yet the threat is there, the sword is there, but because it's sheathed, then there's no visible threat. But if that sword was to be taken out of that sheath, what would happen? All of a sudden, our perception of things would change. It would have an effect on others if that took place. You remember old Simon Peter and they were in the Garden of Gethsemane there and John 18 and verse 10, it says, Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and smoked the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. That servant's name, the servant's name was Malchus. Boy, you think about the consequences here of his actions. Was there any demonstration of peace, of gentleness, of mercy, of meekness, easiness? No, there was no meekness demonstrated by Peter. He just unsheathed that sword and what did he do? He cut that man's ear off. Old Malchus was just a servant of the high priest, it says. He may not even have been there of his own accord. Yet Peter cut his ear off. Thank God for mercy, Jesus restored the man's ear and told Peter to put his sword up. But you know, this man still had to deal with the mental effects of what happened. There is nothing that has happened to us or that we did that Jesus cannot forgive and give healing. Thank God for that. But when bitterness and envy and strife reveal themselves, they'll cut whoever is near. And many times, it's our closest circle who has to deal with the effects of bitterness and envy and strife. When we unload our bitterness, when we unsheathe, if you would, our bitterness, it will cut off the ear of whosoever hears it. I was going to ask you, I wonder, who have we been guilty of cutting their ear off to where they could no longer hear Jesus? through our actions or words that was said. Now all of a sudden that person has no desire to hear the things of God. And this is what James is warning them about, about having this bitter Indian and strife and making sure that what we do, we do it in a right spirit as unto the Lord to give God the glory because if we're not careful, we're gonna unsheathe a sword and cut someone's ear off. to where they will not listen to what God has to say. That servant, you think about it. That servant didn't say anything when he confronted Peter later on in verse 26. It says, one of the servants of the high priest being his kinsman, whose ear Peter cut off, said, did not I see thee in the garden with him? You see, there's some things you're going to never be able to live down. Peter's actions were recorded. They were still being remembered at this point. Yes, the servant didn't say anything about Peter cutting his ear off or what Peter did him, but John, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, he brought it up. He said, that same servant, Peter, I wanted you to cut his ear off. And then he goes on to say, your kinsman, That inner circle, that circle, those that are near, those that are close to, most of the times they're the ones that their ears are gonna be cut off by our bitterness and envy and in strife. James chapter three and verse 13, it says, 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. Words will hurt. and not only you, but others as well. And it just may cause someone's ears to get cut off to where they'll never listen to what Jesus has to say. A bitter spirit will cause others to fall away. It'll cause them to be defiled. And there's no way, now let's just be practical. There's no way that anyone can go through life and never be hurt by someone else. It's not possible to go through life and that we never offend someone else. But it's how we respond to the hurts of life. It's how we respond to the sins of others and even our own sins. It'll cause someone else to either turn to the Lord in hope and for help or turn away from the Lord. In Matthew 26, 73 it says, And after a while came unto him they that stood by and said to Peter, Surely thou art one of them, for thy speech bereath thee. Boy, what a great privilege to have been seen with Jesus. Thank God I saw you there. Man, I know because I recognize your speech here. Surely you're with one of them. That one servant said, I saw you with Jesus. Another says, your speech bereath thee, and Peter could not hide the fact that he'd been with Jesus. But remember in James 3 and verse 10, it says, out of the same mouth proceeding blessing and cursing, my brethren, these things ought not so to be. Peter all of a sudden no longer pulled out a physical sword, but he pulled out that old tongue, and what did he do? He flew off to Carson. When he was accused of being seen with Christ, when he was accused of sounding like Christ, all of a sudden he unsheathes Carson. Can I just say that nobody at that moment would have ever come to Christ based on Peter's conversation. His actions and his words betrayed the fact that he had been with Jesus. But what happened right there at that time, he lost his testimony. James is telling the scattered believers that the only Bible that some people may ever read, the only Bible that some people may ever see, that they may ever know is what they view out of us and what they hear and see in our response to the hurts and difficulties of life. In James 3.13 it says, who was a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. Do you know what'll turn someone off from hearing the gospel more than anything else? Is a bad conversation. Not seeing a Christian walking with God and acting like they need to be walking with God. You can't be jamming down to Taylor Swift and then try to talk to somebody about amazing grace. It's just not going to work. Do you know what will turn our children and grandchildren off from hearing and following after the Lord? a bad conversation. If all they hear at home is bitterness and envy and in strife. If all they see is Christians that can't get along and striving one with another and envying one another, backbiting, gossiping, talking bad about others, trying to get their way, trying to stir something up all the time, putting their nose where their nose don't need to be. having a bad attitude, and not being humble, not preferring others before their own selves, and not forgiving one another, and not being kind and gentle. I'm going to tell you what, it'll turn them off. It'll cut their ears off. Then we wonder, well, I just don't understand why. I don't know why my children, grandchildren, you know, they don't want to go. Well, my goodness. That's how lost people act. In verse 16 it says, for where avian strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Nobody's going to want to be around that kind of stuff. Why is that? Because that's not how a Christian ought to operate. You know, they let Peter go from that situation he was in because of his actions and words. Nobody there wanted to become a Christian. He didn't persuade anyone. to be a Christian or that he was a Christian. On September the 13th this year, a rock band had to cancel their show. They even canceled the next show that they had there because the lead singer threw a punch at the guitarist. Now the band issued an apology and even among those who do not know the Lord, think about it, that type of behavior is frowned upon. But as a Christian, we're ambassadors for Christ. We represent the Lord in our actions, in our words, and thank God that we can get things right. Thank God that we can get forgiveness and we can repent and go on for God. But there's another subject here in James chapter 3 that's mentioned, and that's the subject of inconsistency. Being one way Monday through Saturday and a different way on Sunday. You see, if there's bitter envy and strife in our heart, then there is no amount of singing the hymns or attending church that's going to fix that bitter spirit. What we need is found in verse 17 and 18 of James chapter 3. He says, 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. You understand, inconsistency has cut the ear off of as many people as bitterness has. This whole chapter here in chapter 3 deals with consistency, being who God wants us to be in all manner of conversation. An inconsistent tongue we saw in the first part of the chapter. Here we're talking about an inconsistent lifestyle, be it a contradiction will cut people's ear off to wanting to hear the gospel. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1 in verse 15, just a few pages over. but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Why is it so important that we as Christians be holy and not allow any root of bitterness to spring up in our lives? Well, Hebrews 12, 14 says, follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. You understand, our testimony carries a lot of weight. Bitterness and inconsistency in our walk with God will hinder others from hearing Jesus. It's like cutting their ears off. Not even giving them a chance to hear and to make up their own mind. In 2 Peter 3, turn there, 2 Peter 3 in verse 9, it says, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us that not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, into which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" We've got to understand we're just passing through here. This world is going to come to an end one day. Verse 12, "...looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness." Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you. as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable rest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware, lest ye also, being led away with the air of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen. What's Peter saying? He's not cutting anybody's ears off. Boy, he sure is reminding us that Jesus is coming back soon. The day of the Lord will come. People are dying without Christ and that's why we need to be found of Him in peace without spot and blameless. Oh, this is why we ought to have a good conversation. Oh, let's not let any bitterness or inconsistency go unchecked in our lives. Hey, let's not unsheathe that sword of bitterness. Let's not unsheathe that sword of inconsistency because it'll cut people's ears off. Others depend on us being right with God. We can't afford to be led away with the hair of the wicked and to fall from our own steadfastness. We can't afford that. Thank God there's hope. You say, preacher, I've struggled with that. I've got some things in my life that just shouldn't be there and it's probably had a hindering effect on some others in my life. Well, thank God for verse John 1, 9, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We can finish right. We can even go to those that have been infected by our own bitterness or maybe inconsistency in life and say, look, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been that way. Please forgive me. This is the way I should have been. We can finish writing. One of these days, Jesus is going to have a conversation with us on how we handled his word right here in James chapter 3. Boy, let's not let bitterness or inconsistency keep us from having a good conversation with Jesus at the judgment seat of Christ. Would you ask God to help you sheathe bitterness or bitter envy or strife in your life? Would you ask Jesus tonight to just help you sheathe any inconsistency in your life? Why? Because we'll cut someone else's ears off. Not only will it hinder us from being who we ought to be and giving God the glory through our life and through our testimony, but it will cut other people's ears off to hearing the truth.