With God All Things are Possible

“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14)

The Lord addressed the above question to Abraham when he expressed doubt that he and Sara would/could have a child when Abraham would be one-hundred years old and she would be ninety.

God deals in things impossible. He created the heavens and the earth as He spoke the universe into existence. Jesus was born of a virgin. When Mary questioned the angel about that possibility, he replied, “… with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)  After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead and the Christian movement was in its infancy, Agrippa was listening to Paul the apostle give his testimony. Paul asked Agrippa, “Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? (Acts 26:8)

The disciples asked Jesus, “Who can be saved?” Jesus said, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19: 25-26)  It is very possible for a person to be saved, have his/her sins forgiven and go to heaven if he/she trusts the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit and the cleansing of the blood of Jesus.

So, in answer to God’s question, “No, there is nothing too hard for God.” Just surrender your all to Him and trust Him.

What is Your Thorn in the Flesh?

“...there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord three times, that it might depart from me.” (II Corinthians 12: 7-8)

We are usually quick to tell people about our ailments, our visits to the doctor and the kinds of medicines we are taking. But Paul never told us what his ailment, his thorn in the flesh, was. He called it “this thing.” Some have speculated that it was his eyesight or malaria or some kind of lung problem. Since we do not know what it was we can all identify with it.

Notice that his thorn in the flesh was “the messenger of Satan.” It was not sent by the hand of God, although God did permit it. Notice also God’s answer to Paul’s prayer concerning this thorn: “My grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (12:9) Paul’s response to God’s answer was what ours should be. “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (II Corinthians 12:9) Finally notice in verse 10 Paul says, “...for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 

I have heard people say, “I did not know how to pray until God allowed me to be flat of my back in a hospital bed. The only way I could look was up. My weakest time was my strongest time.” 

In the Time of Old Age

“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” (Psalm 71:9)

The only thing one must do to get old is just hang around. The aging process affects everyone. From the day a child is born the process begins. True, a child grows larger and stronger in a short time. But, even then we have milestones called birthdays. We can barely wait until that sixteenth birthday when we can get our driver’s license. But because the aging process continues, in about fifty or sixty years from obtaining our license someone suggests that we should stop driving because we are too old. 

Dad Speer of the singing Speer Family had a song called, “Time Has Made a Change in Me.” When he was young he could climb the trees, run up and down the hills, work all day and never get tired. But, “time has made a change,” he said.

The Psalmist knows about that change. His strength was failing because he was getting old and so he requests that God not cast him off in the time of old age. And, “forsake me not when my strength fails.” God has made a promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We will definitely change with age, but our God is ageless and changeless. Trust Him as old age continues to weaken you.

Lord of the Harvest

“Therefore said He unto them, ‘the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest.’” (Luke 10:2)

In my lifetime I have witnessed wheat threshing crews with their teams of horses and mules in the fields harvesting grain. More recently I have seen huge combines going through the fields doing the work of dozens of men. I have also seen fields of grain ruin because no one was there in time to harvest it.

The Lord had just commissioned seventy workers and sent them out by teams of two into every city and place where He would visit. He then told of the great harvest of the souls of mankind, the scarcity of workers and the need for asking for help in the harvest. Jesus must have believed in the importance of His followers being involved in the harvest.

There are approximately seven-billion people in the world. Many of them are lost and unsaved. They are likened to a great harvest. Our Lord has already commissioned many laborers to work in the harvest, to “rescue the perishing.” We are to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He would send forth more laborers into the harvest lest a great portion of the harvest be lost forever. As the old song says, “Soon will the season of rescue be o’er…” Will you join the workers in the harvest of the souls of men, women and children?

What is Your Life?

“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)

As a young pastor about twenty-three years old, I sat under some big shade trees with an elderly gentleman of our church and helped him celebrate his ninetieth birthday. As he talked about things he had seen in his lifetime he spoke of days in the little log cabin with its dirt floor where he played as a child in the mid to late 1870s. A tear drifted down his weathered cheek as he looked off into the distance and said, “I don’t know where it’s all gone. It just seems like yesterday.”

Sometimes in the early mornings the fog is described as, “thick enough to cut with a knife.” But when the sun comes up the fog is soon gone. When we are young life seems as though it will last forever, but we soon learn that it does not.

When he was a child my older brother had a plaque that read, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Time is fleeting, the moments are passing. Someone said his grandfather’s clock does not say, “tick, tock, tick, tock.” Instead it says, “quick, quick, quick, quick.”

Your life is as vapor as it fades. Use it by giving it to Christ or lose it now and forever.

As Far as the East is from the West

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

We cannot hide our transgressions from God, but He can hide them from us. If you have been saved and your transgressions and sins have been forgiven, He has hidden them from you. He has removed them from you as far as the east is from the west.

Notice that the verse does not say, “as far as the north is from the south.” The distance from the North Pole to the South Pole has been measured and is recorded. Satan would be dragging us from the north to the south and south to north to show us our sins if the verse said our transgressions were removed from us as far as the north is from the south.

But our verse uses east and west as the reference points. There is no east pole nor is there a west pole. East and west are separated in infinity. The distance from east to west is immeasurable.

Confess your sins and transgressions to Jesus and let Him forgive you and separate these transgressions from you, never to be found and never to be used against you.

Change your spots

“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23)

God was not being a “racist” when He had Jeremiah the prophet to pen these words. As a matter of fact, the Bible declares, “God is no respecter of persons…” (Acts 10:34) and in addition the Bible says, “God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth…” (Acts 17:26) It is the God given nature of the Ethiopian to have dark skin just as it is for the leopard to have spots.

Jeremiah was addressing the nation of Judah who had a sin nature that was impossible for them to eradicate. That sin nature showed itself in their sinful actions. They could not of themselves change. Attempts to change that sinful nature would be as difficult as changing one’s skin pigmentation.

Man is a sinner by nature. (Ephesians 2:3) It is impossible for us to change that sinful nature. It requires a miracle from God to change a sinner’s sinful heart. That is why God sent His Son, Jesus to pay our sin debt and give us a new heart, a new nature. Otherwise we will continue to manifest our sinful nature by our sinful activities.

Do You Know God?

“Thus saith the LORD, ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.’” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Solomon was known as the wisest man on earth, Paul Anderson was known as the world’s strongest man, and Bill Gates is the world’s richest man according to Forbes Magazine. However, the person who knows God has more to glory in than any of these. He may be illiterate and uneducated or he may be a quadriplegic or he may be penniless, but if he knows the Lord he is wiser, stronger and richer than any of the others if they do not know God.

Little boys were comparing their dads. “My Dad knows the president of the university,” said one. “Well, my Dad knows the governor of our state,” said another. Still another one said, “My Dad knows the president of the largest bank in town.” Finally one little fellow said, “Well, my Dad knows God.” Do you know God? You can know Him. Turn to Him in prayer, faith and sincerity. He is a friend and Savior everyone needs.

Amen

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13)

The Lord Jesus closes the Model Prayer with a wonderful recognition. We started out with, “Our Father which art in heaven.” We close with our text recognizing the superiority of God over the entire universe. As the Psalmist said, “From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” (Psalm 90:2) When we pray we are to remember to whom it is we are talking.

The Model Prayer closes as we might expect, just a simple “Amen.” The word “amen” means, “that’s the way it is,” or, “so be it.”

So, there you have it, a short, concise simple model prayer of just sixty-six words. And since we are encouraged to pray to God in a secret place, such as our closet (Matthew 6:6), we are not trying to impress others with our ability to string together a list of high sounding words. The main thing is to pray humbly, honestly and in faith.

Deliver Us From the Evil One

“...But deliver us from evil…” (Matthew 6:13)

Satan is like a roaring lion, walking about seeking people whom he can destroy. You and I are not exempt from the eyes of the evil one. Job is an example of someone caught in the sights or “cross-hairs” of the devil’s aim.

We are told to put on the whole armor of God for we are in combat with the devil and his forces of evil, his demonic angels. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

In the Model Prayer the last request is that we be delivered from evil, or as most translations have it, “the evil one.” It is a worthy request. We cannot stand against Satan in our own strength.  Michael the archangel and the devil were in a dispute over the body of Moses.  Satan wanted the body of Moses because he knew that if he could present the body of Israel’s revered leader to them, they would turn from the living God to the dead corpse of Moses. His body would thus become an idol and God would destroy them for their sin of idolatry. The Bible says that Michael turned the fight over to God and said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke thee.” (Jude 1:9)

If Michael the Archangel of God knew that he was no match against the devil, who are we to think we can be successful against him?

Facing Temptation?

“And lead us not into temptation…” (Matthew 6:13)

The word, “tempt,” or “temptation,” is used in two ways in the Bible. It is used for solicitation to do evil. It is used also to test, as in proving us. Jesus was tempted by Satan to do evil in the beginning of His ministry. Satan also tempted Eve to do evil.

When you and I are tempted to commit sin it is not the Lord tempting us. James 1:13 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

The word, “tempt,” or “temptation,” is also used as in testing or proving us. The old song says, “Tempted and tried we’re oft made to wonder, why it should be thus all the day long…” The Pharisees came to Jesus on different occasions, tempting Him with trick questions, testing Him.

The child of God, being led by the Master’s hand, makes a request that the Father guard him from either of the two kinds of temptation. The Psalmist, David, said, “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3)  James says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (testing); knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” (James 1:2-3) God will not tempt us to do evil, and if He tests or tries us or allows us to be tested, it is for our good.

As We Forgive Our Debtors

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)

When the Lord saved us we had a debt we could not pay and he paid a debt He did not owe. He took my huge debt of sin and placed it on His account and took His righteousness and placed that on my account.

As we live life we encounter temptations and unfortunately, because we are human, yield to those temptations and they become sins. The Bible makes a promise that, “if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive out sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

Sometimes people sin against us. Christ, in this model prayer, makes it plain in verses 14 and 15 that if God has forgiven us we must forgive others. To forgive means, “to wipe the slate clean.” That’s what Jesus did for us. Jesus is teaching us that when we pray we are to seek His forgiveness and if someone has sinned against us, we must forgive them.

Our Daily Bread

“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

Apparently, our Lord is suggesting that this portion of the model prayer is to be prayed in the morning, seeing it is a request for the supply of our daily needs - this day’s needs. We would not wait for nightfall or bed time to ask God to supply daily needs of bread for hungry children.  Who says we cannot pray more than once a day? David prayed morning, noon and night.

(Psalm 55:17)

This verse reminds me of the manna which God supplied to the Israelites while they were in the wilderness. Every morning there was a supply of manna on the ground or on the grass and the people gathered enough for each day. If they tried to store some it would stink and breed worms. Every morning God supplied it except on the Sabbath. They could gather enough on the day before to take them through the Sabbath. On that day there was no stink nor were there worms. Amazing.

There is at least one more truth in this verse that must be pointed out. God does indeed want us to pray for our daily needs. I have heard older people say, “I don’t bother God with my needs.  He’s much to busy to fool with me and my needs.” They are missing tremendous blessings. He wants to hear from each of us.

Thy Kingdom Come

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth,  as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

 

In this prayer Jesus is teaching His disciples to pray. This is a model. No where are we told to repeat this prayer word for word as though it is some sort of magical phrase. It is a model.

 

Thy kingdom come. With the coming again of the Lord is the coming of His kingdom on earth. As it is now, His kingdom is within us believers and we are in His kingdom by virtue of the New Birth. The Bible tells us there is a reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ for all those Christians who long for and look for His coming. On the Isle of Patmos John prayed, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20) Are you looking for and praying for His coming and the coming of His kingdom?

 

The true believer desires God’s will to be done, not only for his own life, but that God’s will be done in the lives of the multitudes around the world. Someone said, “Prayer is not asking God for what we want, but rather asking God for what He wants.” God’s will is always done in heaven. May our prayers be that His will might be done on earth also.

 

 

When You Pray

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” (Matthew 6:9)

 

In this model pray, often called the Lord’s Prayer, our Lord is answering a request of one of His disciples to teach them to pray. (Luke 11:1)

 

He opens the prayer by telling us that God is to be addressed as, “Our Father which art in heaven.” He is to be recognized as being above all - above His creation, above earthly fathers, above all royalty – He is the “Heavenly Father.”

 

In the beginning of our prayer we are to hold His name in reverence.  His name is a hallowed name, a holy name. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, engraved in stone by the finger of God, it was written, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." (Exodus 20:7) We must come into His presence with reverence, humility, honor and praise.

 

Stand Still and Let God Work

“And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.’” (Exodus 14:13)

Fear, murmuring, complaining and blaming Moses for being caught between the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them, the Israelites were ready to surrender and go back to Egypt.

I see this same readiness to throw in the towel and give up because it’s tough being a Christian today. We are already defeated in the Christian life when we attempt to live it in the energy of the flesh.

Standing still is difficult when so many Christians and so many churches around us are worked up in a “dither” doing something.  It was when the Israelites stood still that God performed His miracle of parting the waters of the Red Sea, allowing them to walk across on dry land. What impossibility are you facing?

Salvation on the Authority of Jesus Christ

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, ‘He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.’” (John 5:24)

Do you ever doubt your salvation, not knowing whether or not you are saved? Perhaps you are one of the many who feel that they have not “begged” God fervently enough for Him to give you salvation.

The truth of this verse is given under the authority of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Notice, “I say unto you.” Have you heard His word and do you believe what you heard? Notice that when you believe on Him you have - present tense - not someday out yonder in the distant future - everlasting life. When you hear and believe the promise, not only do you have everlasting life (how long is everlasting?), but also, you will never come into condemnation. You have passed from death to life.

 

You can trust what Jesus Christ says.

 

 

 

 

No Tears in Heaven

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

As a pastor who has conducted many funerals, I have spent much time in cemeteries, not just ministering to the bereaved, but also observing headstones, their dates and the short notes chiseled in the stones.

Recently I was in a cemetery and saw the monument at the head of a little boy’s grave. I do not know what took the little fellow’s life, but I can imagine the joy that the parents had during his three short years he was with them. I can also imagine the tears of those parents and grand parents when he was taken from them.

Read our text again. In heaven there is no death, or sorrow or pain or tears. As the beloved song says, “What a day, glorious day that will be.”

 

Rest

“And He said unto them, ‘Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while…’” (Mark 6:31)

Scattered here and there on the staff lines and spaces and among the notes on a sheet of music, we sometimes find an odd shaped thing that is different from the notes. It is not a musical note. In fact, it is called a “rest.” It is not intended to be sung or played. It is a rest. Even though there is no music in a rest, the song being sung or played sounds better and more appealing if the “rest” is observed.

The Lord’s apostles were staying busy doing His work. Jesus called them to “come apart and rest.” The late, O.G. Lawless said in a message, “If we do not come apart and rest we will just come apart.”

When our Lord beckons us to rest we are to rest. There is no work in rest but the work of God goes better when we take time to rest. His invitation to us is, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Rest in Him.

 

Our Savior Receives Sinners

“Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, ’This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.'” (Luke 15:1-2)

Despised, friendless, Jewish men, seen as traitors to Israel because they collected taxes from their fellow Jews for the Roman government, wanted to hear Jesus. They found in Him a friend. And  then there were sinners guilty of every kind of sin imaginable. They drew near to Jesus to hear Him.

That which repulsed these Pharisees and scribes toward Jesus makes me rejoice and praise my Savior. If He had not received sinners He would not have received me.

One of the sweetest kinds of fellowship people can have is a meal together. The word “fellowship” comes from the Greek word, “koinonia,” and means “to share together.” When Jesus ate with sinners in our text He was sharing with them. They were having fellowship. Praise God for our Savior’s sharing His life, forgiveness, resources, kindness, friendship and wisdom with us. Yes, praise the Lord, He does receive sinners and fellowships with us. He is the sinner’s only Savior.

 

Stand Still

“But stand thou still a while, that I may show thee the word of God.” (I Samuel 9:27)

 

How much time do you spend in the study of God’s Word?  Our text was spoken by Samuel the prophet of God to Saul the son of Kish. In a little while Samuel would be anointing Saul to be king of Israel.  Saul would need help from God and God’s man to lead the great nation. He needed to stand still and give heed to the Word of God.

 

In order to live life you need help from God’s Word. You must take the time to read it, hear it, memorize it, study it, meditate upon it and put it into practice. To do these it takes time. Our text says to stand still and be shown the Word of God. You  will be a better person as you study the Bible and put it into practice. Take time to be shown the teachings of the Bible.

 

 

 

Heart Trouble

“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murder, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and blasphemies.” (Matthew 15:19)

The root cause of murder, mass killings and other sins is a heart that has not been changed. Jeremiah the prophet wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9)

The Bible says, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” (I John 3:15) I think of Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve and brother of Abel. He killed his younger brother, Abel, because, “he was of the wicked one, his own works were evil, and his brother’s works were righteous before God. (I John 3:12) What was Cain’s weapon, It must have been a rock or a club or perhaps a noose made of a vine or maybe Cain drowned Abel.

It is not accessibility to guns and weapons that is the problem; it is wickedness of the unchanged, unconverted heart. Jesus Christ alone is able to fix the problem of the heart.

 

God is Visible in His Creation

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handy work.” (Psalm 19:1)

Tonight before you go to bed step outside into the darkness and observe the hand of God’s works overhead. The darker the night the better to see His creative work. The jeweler displays his diamonds on a piece of black velvet, showing by contrast the beauty of his diamonds. When the night of your circumstances is darkest is when God’s glory shines the brightest.

As you observe the night lights of God’s creation above you will see the North Star with its faithfulness to guide navigators across uncharted oceans and skies. One cannot help but reflect on God’s faithfulness to us. You will see the Big Dipper showing us the inexhaustible supply of God’s grace and His providential care. God’s grace truly is sufficient and amazing.

The Bible teaches us that, “The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.     (Romans 1:20) Only the fool would say in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)

 

The Words of My Mouth

“Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear berries? Either a vine figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” (James 3:11-12))

My wife and I have three grape vines on the same arbor. We have never grown apples or bananas on our grape vines. We have two small pear trees that yield enough fruit for her to make pear preserves. She has never made grape jelly from those pear trees nor have we found strawberries growing on the pear trees.

James uses the same kind of simple logic to show how we are to speak. Out of the mouth of a Christian should come the language of a Christian. The Psalmist said, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, Oh LORD, my strength and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) We should speak as though Jesus were listening to our every word.

 

Blessing and Cursing

“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.” (James 3:9-10)

James is writing to Christians in this epistle, so if you who read his words are a Christian take it as being written to you.

James may be addressing that person who went to church on Sunday and sang the doxology, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” followed by, “Oh, how I love Jesus.” On the way home he was cut off in traffic by someone in a hurry. The man coming from church turns the air blue with his cursing and obscene name calling toward the careless driver.

I think of the American Indian who spoke of the dishonest settler, “White man speak with forked tongue.” Men of all races could be included in that accusation.

James concludes this verse by addressing his readers as, “My brethren.” He is speaking to fellow believers when he says, “These things ought not to be.” One’s tongue must be surrendered to God because in James 3:8 we read that no man can tame the tongue.

 

Untamed

“For every kind of beasts, 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.” (James 3:7-8)

All kinds of animals, reptiles, dolphins, parrots have been tamed and trained. Dogs seek out drugs in areas where drug enforcement agents suspect such activity. But, only God can tame the tongue. Even the warning in the Bible that says, “...and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire which burns with fire and brimstone…” (Revelation 21:8) doesn't tame the tongue. Only God can tame the tongue.

The tongue is an “unruly” evil. Being “unruly” it reminds me of a fire hose, with the water turned on full force with no one in control. It flips, and flops and goes around in circles, back and forth, up and down, spraying everything and everyone in its path. That’s a picture of the tongue out of control.

Several years ago I worked for a pest control company. We had a poison called “1080,” (pronounced ten-eighty) used primarily for control of rats. It was very dangerous and I was never allowed to use it by myself. My boss and I went late at night and set it out and picked it up very early the next morning. If a rat drank a little of it he would go about two feet and fall over dead. If a cat got a bite of the rat he would die almost immediately. And, if a dog ate the cat it would die. That is a perfect description of the tongue, full of deadly poison, waiting to pass on some juicy morsel of gossip and maim or kill those in its path.

 

The Fires of Hell

“...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 setteth on fire the course of nature: and it is set on fire of hell.” (James 3:5-6)

It is interesting to note that every one of the five chapters of the epistle of James mentions the tongue or speech. It is interesting also note that James, one of the four half brothers of Jesus, did not believe in Jesus at first, although they grew up in the same household. But after Calvary, after the resurrection, after the ascension, James and the others were present and took part in Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. James is later the pastor of the first church in Jerusalem.

Perhaps James had been guilty as an unbeliever of hurling unkind accusations at his older Brother. The cross, the resurrection and Pentecost made the difference in James. That which made a difference in James can make a difference in you.

Just a little spark from the end of a match can result in a devastating forest fire  with hundreds of houses destroyed as we have recently seen. That’s the way the tongue is. A little spark of a word spoken against someone can destroy a life, a family or a church.

James tells us that the origin of such activity is set on fire of hell. The word used here for hell is not “Hades,” or “sheol." It is “gehenna,” the word Jesus used as the lake of fire, never to be quenched, eternal, the place of everlasting punishment. It has been said that the fires of Pentecost cannot burn where the fires of hell are burning. No Christian should ever be guilty of participating in gossip.

 

The Tongue is Little

“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, whithersoever the governor listeth (or chooses). Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things…” (James 3:4-5)

The rudder on the small ships of Biblical times as well as the ships of today, in comparison to the rest of the ship is very tiny. The  helmsman or pilot of a ship can guide his craft over dangerous reefs and in narrow places with skilled dexterity while depending on the smallest part of the ship to help him navigate the waters.

The tongue is small compared to the rest of one’s body. With our tongues we may edify a church or another individual or we may destroy a church or a member of it. This small organ called the tongue is powerful much beyond its size.  The tongue can proclaim truth or it can spread lies.

It all depends on the heart to which the unseen end of the tongue is attached. Jesus said, “Out of the heart proceed ...false witness…” (Matthew 15:19) Let Jesus change your heart and control your tongue.

 

Is Your Tongue Under Control?

“If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.” (James 3:2-3)

The Biblical writer seems to be saying that a person’s tongue out of control is like a runaway horse.

When I was a young boy sometimes when my father would come from the field at noon, he would set me up on one of the mares (female horse) and I would ride her and lead another mare to the pond for water before going back to the field to work. It took very little effort on my part to get them to go in the right direction. I weighed probably less than sixty-five pounds and they each weighed around 1,200 pounds. They were being controlled by a little boy holding a leather strap attached to a bridle with a “bit” that was in the mare’s mouth.

It was not the little boy that controlled those huge animals. They had been “broken” and were trained to yield themselves to the slightest tug on the bridle and the bit.

James is giving us a lesson in getting our tongues “broken” and under control. To do that we must yield every fiber of our being to Christ for His control over us. Gossip is a terrible sin. We must deal with that sin the same as every other sin.

 

Vain Religion

“If any man among you seems to be religious and brideleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” (James 1:26)

An outward display of religious activity is absolutely in vain if such a person is busy running his tongue and doesn’t have it under control. No one is surprised to see a prohibition against adultery among the Ten Commandments along with theft, murder, dishonoring parents, covetousness, taking God’s name in vain and idolatry. But, with being such sticklers for keeping those, why is the one on bearing false witness so often ignored?

Did you know that the person who gossips about others to you behind their backs will gossip to others about you behind your back? Gossip is not always a lie. It can be the truth slanderously told with the intent of hurting someone. The gossip does not wait for the death of his/her victim to destroy the person. I cannot imagine the Lord Jesus ever gossiping about anyone. Gossip can destroy individuals and churches.

The Bible says, “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people…” (Leviticus 19:16) Someone said, “If you must talk to someone about another person, make sure you are talking to the Lord.”

Landmarks

“Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” (Proverbs 22:28)

In ancient times landmarks guided travelers along the way much as our highway signs guide us to our destinations. Often landmarks were used to mark property lines. Sometimes a dishonest person would remove or relocate a landmark, causing the unwary traveler to go astray

There are landmarks of the Christian faith. These are what I call “non-negotiable” truths of Christianity. I want to mention eight that we cannot and must not attempt to change. Change these and we have something other than the Christian faith.

1. The Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God. It is truth without any mixture of error
2. All miracles recorded in the Bible happened just as they are recorded in the Bible, including the parting of the waters of the Red Sea, the Virgin Birth of Christ, and His resurrection following His crucifixion and all the miracles from both the Old and New Testaments.
3. The deity of Jesus Christ.
4. The blood atonement of Jesus is both necessary and sufficient for the salvation of mankind, all of whom have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
5. The literal, visible return of Jesus Christ at a time unknown to mankind.
6. The bodily resurrection of the saved when Jesus comes again and of the unsaved at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment of God, mentioned in Revelation chapter 20.
7. A literal heaven for the saved where we will be throughout eternity and a literal hell, described as a lake of fire, where the unsaved will be separated from God forever.
8. Salvation by the grace of God for all those who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and being saved are eternally safe.

These are landmarks of the faith, sometimes called the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Unfortunately, there are some who want to remove these ancient landmarks, and in doing so would destroy the faith of many and cause them to go astray.