walk the talk taming the tongue…walk the talk | taming the tongue matt hessel | james 3:1-12 well...

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Transcript May 28/29, 2016

Walk the Talk | Taming the Tongue Matt Hessel | James 3:1-12

Wellgoodmorningtoeveryonewhodoesn’thaveatickettotherace.It’sgoodtoseeyouguys.Northcampus,Ihopeyou’redoingwell.Iwanttotellyousomethingthatwegottodothispastweekthatwasreallyencouragingandreallyexciting.OurwholestaffwentovertothenewNorthlocationonMondayaswestartedrenovationandjustgotachancetoprayoverthatbuilding,toprayovertheneighborhoods.WearejusthumbledandexcitedtoseewhatGodhasalreadydoneandwhatHe’sgoingtocontinuetodothroughourNorthcampus.Oncewegetthatbuildingattheendoftheyearwehaven’tarrived.We’rejustgettingstarted.AndyouguysatourNorthcampusarethetipofthespearforthemissiononthatsideoftown.Weloveyouasachurchandwe’reinyourcorner.Sokeepgoing.Iwanttosayaspecialhellotosomegueststhatwehaveinheretodaywithus.Atbothcampuseswehaveallofour1stthrough6thgradersinherewithus.SoIwanttotalktojustyouguysforjustasecond,bothattheNorthcampusandtheNorthwestcampus.Don’tworry;momanddadaren’tlisteningtothis.Here’sthedeal.Ifyoucanrememberanythingaboutthesermonlatertodayortomorroworlateronintheweek,yourmomanddadaregoingtobesoblownawaybythat,they’llbesoimpressedandsoexcited.Sowhenthathappens,here’swhatyoudo.Youaskforwhateveryouwant.Askforwhateveryouwantrightthenandthere.Itmightnotwork.I’mnotgoingtopromiseyouanythingbutIwanttosetyouguysup.Seriously,youguys—1stthrough6thgraders—youguysaresuchanimportantpartofourchurch.Thisisjustasmuchyourchurchasitisyourmom’sanddad’s.Sowearereally,reallyexcitedthatyouarewithustoday,alright?HeyifyouhaveaBiblegoaheadandopenituptoJames,chapter3.We’reinthemiddleofourseriesgoingthroughtheBookofJames.Andifyouhaven’tnoticedyet,Jamesdoesn’treallymessaround.Hegetsafterit.He’sallabouthowweliveoutourfaiththroughthetangibleeffectsofthegospel.Jamesisallaboutpracticalapplication.Andforthelongesttime,formeJamesjustseemsliketheNewTestamentversionofProverbs.It’sallaboutpracticalapplicationandtodayinchapter3he’sgoingtoshiftthatapplicationtoourtongues.Let’sbehonestforasecond.Thetonguecanbeasourceofembarrassmentforus,can’tit?Letmejustgiveyouapersonalexamplebecauseifyousaythatyou’veneverbeenembarrassedbyanythingthatyouhavesaid,you’relyingandthissermonreallyisforyou.Soletmegiveapersonalexample.Iwillgofirstbecausethisisasafeplace,Ihope.LastweekKellyandIhadadatenightandbeforewewentoutshewenttothesalon.Andwhenshegotbackhomebeforewewentoutshesaid,“Hey,doyounoticeanythingdifferent?”Myresponse,“Yeah,

WalktheTalk|TamingtheTongue May28/29,2016

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whyareyoureyebrowsyellow?Whatdidtheydotothem?”Thatwasthefirstthingthatcameoutofmymouth.Shesaid,“Nothing.Myeyebrowsaren’tyellowandtheydidn’tdoanythingtothem.”Andthenshewentupstairstofinishgettingready.Andthatreallysetthetonefordatenight.Itwasawesome.Here’sacoupleofotherthingsnottosay.Ifyou’retakingnotesIwouldrecommendthatyouwritethesedown.Guys:neversaythistoawoman.Here’sthefirstone.“Isthatreallywhatyou’regoingtowear?”Ifyoudothatyouhaveobliteratedherconfidenceandthenyou’regoingtohavetositaroundfor45minuteswhileshetriesonninedifferentoutfits.Don’tsaythat.Here’sanotherone.“Wow!Youcleanedyourplate,I’mimpressed.”IfIhavetoexplaintoyouwhyyoushouldn’tsaythat,you’realostcause.Here’sanotherone.“Whenareyoudue?”Thatseemslikeaverynicequestiontoaskbutunlessyouhaveactuallyseentheultra-soundpictureavoiditatallcosts.It’snotworththerisk.Whenyourwifeispregnantdon’tsaythis.“Idon’tunderstandwhythisismakingyousotired.”Moms,canwesaythat?No,no.Here’sanotherone.“Babe,it’s10:30atnight,Idon’twanttoruntoTacoBell.”Justdoitbro.Justgo.Whenshe’sinlaboratthehospitaldon’tsay,“Nothingisreallyhappening.IsitcoolifIgohomeandtakeaquicknap?Justtextmeifsomethinghappens.”Don’tsaythat.Ladies,don’tsaythistoaguy.“Huh…that’sfunny.Ithoughtyou’dbeabletoliftthat.”Youhavenoideahowpainfulthatis.Here’sanotherone.“Letmecallmydad.Henevergetslost.Hecantellushowtogetthere.”I’vebeenonthereceivingendofthatonepersonally.Wecansaysomedumbstuff,right?IknowI’vesaidmorethanmyfairshareofdumbthings.Youcanaskmywife.Wecanlaughatthedumbthingsthatwesay—weshouldlaughatthem.Butwordsreallydohavepower.Wordshavethepowertotransformandthey’vegotthepowertoshape.They’vegotthepowertobuildup.They’vegotthepowertoteardown,too.Wordshavethepowertostartmovements.Letmegiveyouacoupleofexamples.Listentothesewords.“Weholdthesetruthstobeself-evident,thatallmenarecreatedequal,thattheyareendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertainunalienableRights,thatamongtheseareLife,LibertyandthepursuitofHappiness.What’sthatfrom?Yeah,gobackto8thgradeU.S.History.That’stheDeclarationofIndependence.”ThomasJeffersonwrotethat.Here’sonemore.AndIcan’tdothisonejusticesoI’mnotgoingtotry.“Ihaveadreamthatmyfourlittlechildrenwillonedayliveinanationwheretheywillnotbejudgedbythecoloroftheirskinbutbythecontentoftheircharacter….whenweallowfreedomring,whenweletitringfromeveryvillageandeveryhamlet,fromeverystateandeverycity,wewillbeabletospeedupthatdaywhenallofGod'schildren,blackmenandwhitemen,JewsandGentiles,ProtestantsandCatholics,willbeabletojoin



handsandsinginthewordsoftheoldNegrospiritual:Freeatlast!Freeatlast!ThankGodAlmighty,wearefreeatlast!”Whosaidthat?MartinLutherKing,Jr.That’sright.That’sright.ThosearesomeofthegreatestwordseverspokeninAmericanHistory.Why?Whydowerememberwherethosearefromandwhosaidthem?It’sbecausewordshavepower.They’vegotthepowertotransform.They’vegotthepowertochange.They’vegotthepowertostartmovements.Wordscanchangethecourseofhistory.ThewordsthatThomasJeffersonwroteintheDeclarationofIndependence,thosewordsgavebirthtoourcountry.ThewordsthatMartinLutherKing,Jr.spokein1963standingonthestepsoftheLincolnMemorial—thosewordspaintedabeautifulpictureofavisionthatgaveunstoppablemomentumtotheCivilRightsMovement.Wordsarepowerful.Theycandogreatthingsbutattheexactsametimewordshavethepowertodestroy.Someofthemostevilleadersinhistory:Hitler,Stalin,Maounitedpeoplearoundtheirvisionbyusingtheirwords.Wordsarepowerful.Whyisthat?Haveyoueversatdownandthoughtaboutwhywordshavesomuchpower?Whytheycandosomuchgoodorsomuchdamage?Whyisthat?Here’smytake.WordsareabigdealtoGod.WordsareabigdealtoGod.Hedoesnottakethemlightly.ImeanoverandoveragainGodhasusedwordstodogreatthingsforHisgloryandforourgood.GodspeakstousthroughtheBible.TheBibleactuallyreferstoitselfasGod’sWord.Godspokecreationintoexistence.GodspeakstousthroughHisSpiritandthroughHisSon.John1:1says,“InthebeginningwastheWord.TheWordwaswithGodandtheWordwasGod.”That’sreferringtoJesus.JohniscallingJesustheWord.GoduseswordstodogreatthingsandbecauseofthatSatanwantstounderminethem.HewantsustoquestionGod’sword.Hewantstousethosewordsfordestruction.Hesaysthingslikethis,“DidGodreallysay?DidHereallysaythat?”ThatisthequestionthatstartedthefallinGenesis3.Ifwepulledbackallofthelayersofourpride,that’sthequestionunderneathitall,“DidGodreallysay?”SatantemptedJesusinthedesertbymanipulatingGod’sword,bymanipulatingScriptureandtakingitoutofcontext.WheneverGodspeaksanddoesgreatthingsitbringslife.SatanwilltrytounderminewhatGodsays.He’lltrytoquestionit.He’lltrytouseGod’swordsfordestruction.That’swhereitallstartedandthatbattlestillplaysouttoday.SowhatJamesisgettingatinchapter3,whatheistalkingaboutis,“Hey,wordshavegreatpower.Wecannotbecarelesswiththem.”That’swhathe’sgettingafter.Lookatverse2,that’swherewewillstart.“Forweallstumbleinmanyways.Andifanyonedoesnotstumbleinwhathesays,heisaperfectman,ablealsotobridlehiswholebody.Ifweputbitsinthemouthsofhorsessothattheyobeyus,weguidetheirwholebodiesaswell.Lookattheshipsalso:thoughtheyaresolargeandaredrivenbystrongwinds,theyareguidedbyaverysmallrudderwhereverthewillofthepilotdirects.Soalsothetongueisasmallmember,yetitboastsofgreatthings.“Howgreataforestissetablazebysuchasmallfire!Andthetongueisafire,aworldofunrighteousness.Thetongueissetamongourmembers,stainingthewholebody,settingonfiretheentirecourseoflife,andsetonfirebyhell.Foreverykindofbeastandbird,ofreptileandseacreature,canbetamedandhasbeentamedbymankind,butnohumanbeingcantamethetongue.”



ThepointJamesistryingtodrivehomeisthatourwordshaveincredibleinfluence.Ourtonguehasincredibleinfluence.Hesaidthebitisinthemouthsofhorses—IhavenoideaaboutanythingthathastodowithhorsesbuttheveryfewtimesthatI’veriddenahorse,IknowthatthebitisasmallpieceofmetalinitsmouthandwithitIcanmakethehorsegowhereverIwant.Orashiphasaverysmallrudderit’sapartoftheshipthatyoudon’tevengettoseeyetitguidestheshipwhereveritwantsittogo.InWorldWarIItheBismarckwasGermany’sbestbattleship.Itwastheprideoftheirnavy.Itwasbasicallyunsinkable.Itwouldbeinbattlesandshellswouldhititandreallynothingwouldhappen.TheBismarckactuallysanktheBritish’sbestshipinamatterofminutes.Imeanthisthingwasunstoppable.Butinoneparticularbattleawaywardtorpedothatgotdroppedbyanairplanehappentohititsrudder,onlyitsrudder.AnditdestroyedtherudderandbecauseofthattheBismarckjustwentincircles.Itcouldn’tdoanything.AndwhenthathappenedalloftheseshipsjoinedinandattackedtheBismarckandtheysankitbecausetherudderwasbad.Asmallsparkcanstartahugeforestfire.Thesesmallthingshaveincredibleinfluence.Andthesamethingistrueofourtongue.Thesamethingistrueofourwords.Jamessayswecan’ttamethem.LastweekItookmytwoyoungestkidstothezoo.Obviouslywewenttoseethedolphinshow,whichforadultsisamildformoftorture—I’mnotsureifyouknewthatornot.Firstofall,here’swhatyouhavetodo.Youhavetowalkupwhatseemslike600stepstothesecondrowfromthetopwhilecarryingyour20-month-oldunderonearmbecauseheinsistsonbeingputdownandhedoesn’tmindscreamingthatatyoujustincaseyoudidn’thearitthefirst13timeshesaidit.Inyourotherarmyou’vegottocarryyour4-year-oldaroundbecausesheinsistsonsittinginthemiddleofthestaircasecompletelyblockingtheflowoftrafficbecausethatisobviouslyamuchbetterspotoramuchbetterviewthananyseatthatyoucouldfindforher.Soyou’vegotbothkids,oneundereacharm,you’veclimbedtheMountKilimanjaroofstairsandthenyougetcrammedintoaroomthatis113degreeswith900otherkidswhoarenotusingtheirinsidevoices.It’sawesome,letmetellyou.Buttheshowitselfisprettyimpressive.Whatthetrainerscangetthedolphinstodoisprettyimpressive.Theyjustblowtheirwhistleorwavewiththeirhandsandthedolphinswilldowhatevertheywantthemto.They’llmakethemjumpwayoutofthewaterandtouchthatlittleredballthathangsfromtheceiling—alwaysmypersonalfavorite.Theycanmakethemdoflips.Theycanmakethemriseupontheirtailsandmoonwalkacrossthetank.Theycangetthemtospitwateronthescreamingkids—that’sanicebonusfeature.It’samazingwhattheycando.Byjustblowingtheirwhistleorwavingtheirhandstheyhavecontrolofthosedolphins.Mancandothat.Mancantamethatincredibleanimal.Butalotoftimesmancan’tcontrolwhatcomesoutofhismouth.Whyisthat?Let’skeepgoing.Lookatverse8,“…butnohumanbeingcantamethetongue.Itisarestlessevil,fullofdeadlypoison.WithitweblessourLordandFather,andwithitwecursepeoplewhoaremadeinthelikenessofGod.Fromthesamemouthcomeblessingandcursing.Mybrothers,thesethingsoughtnotbeso.Doesaspringpourforthfromthesameopeningbothfreshandsaltwater?Canafigtree,mybrothers,bearolives,oragrapevineproducefigs?Neithercanasaltpondyieldfreshwater.”



Here’swhatJamesistryingtoclearlyexplaintousandmakesurethatwesee.Onceourwordscomeoutofourmouthstheyareuncontrollableandtheyareuncontainable.Onceyouspeakyoucannotcontrolhowfaryourwordswillgoandyoucannotcontaintheeffectthattheyhave.It’slikefire.Youcan’tcontrolthedamageandyoucan’treverseiteither.Thisisnothingnew.I’mnotsayinganythingthatisgroundbreaking.Weallknowthatthisistrue.YoucanbefollowingJesusfordecadesnoworthiscouldbeyourveryfirsttimeinachurch.Weallstrugglewithourwords,everysingleoneofusdo.Whenweweredecidingwhowasgoingtobepreachingandwhatweekendinthisseries,weweregoingthroughthecalendarandIgotJames3,IwincedabitbecauseeverytimeIreadthispassageI’mconvicted.ThisweekIfeltlikeGodwasusingmeasapunchingbagwhileIwasstudyingthechapter.Weallstrugglewithourwordsandwe’veallbeenonbothsidesofthecoin.Everysingleoneofushassaidsomethingthatwewishwecouldtakeback.Wealldo.Youhadnoideahowyourwordswouldaffectsomeoneoragroupofpeople.Youhadnoideahowfartheywouldgoorhowlongtheywouldlingerandyouwoulddoanythingjusttotakethemback.Andallofushavebeenontheothersideofthatcoin.We’veallreceivedwords,somethingthathasbeensaidtousthatwasmorepainfulthanwecouldpossiblyimagineorthatwewouldletonto.Andthepainfulwordsthatwehavereceivedarejusthardtoshake.I’vehadstuffthathasbeensaidtome—it’sbeenyearsagobutitstillfeelslikeitwassaidyesterday.Thosewoundsarehardtoshake.ImeanIcanvividlyrememberwhatthepeoplewerewearingwhentheysaidthosewordstome.Ihadsomebodywalkuptomeandlookmeinthefaceandsay,“YouknowwhatMatt?You’reworthless,”andthenwalkedaway.Ihadanotherpersonlookmeintheeyeandsay,“Matt,you’renotworth$8,000andwalkoff.AndthosearejustthethingsthatIcansaytokids.Someofyouhavehadsomeawful,awfulthingssaidtoyou.Andthepainisrealbecausewordsarepowerful.Andbecausetheyaresopowerful—becausetheycandosomuchdamageweobviouslywanttoavoidthat,right?Butverse8saysthatwecan’ttamethetongue.Sowhathopedowehave?Basicallyit’ssayingthataspeopleourtonguescontrolus.Wehavethisforestfireinourmouthswaitingtobeletoutthatwilldamagemorethanwecanpossiblyimagineandthereisreallynothingwecandoaboutitsogoodluck.ThankyouJames.Ifeelsoencouraged.I’msogladIcametochurchtoday.Here’sthequestion.Thetonguecontrolstheman.Whatcontrolsthetongue?Verse4saysthateventhegreatshipsaredrivenbystrongwindsanddirectedbyaverysmallrudderwhereverthewillofthepilotdirects.That’sthekey—whereverthewillofthepilotdirects.That’stheheart.Thetonguecontrolstheman,theheartcontrolsthetongue.Don’tmakethemistakeofassumingthatthispassageisaboutbehaviormodification.It’snot.IcanwatchwhatIsay,whoIsayitto,andhowIsayittoanextent.Butnoneofus…Wecannottamethetonguebyjusttryingreallyhardandwhite-knucklingitintosubmission.HowdoIknowthatwecan’t?It'sbecausewe’vealltriedandwe’veallfailedatthat.Youmightbeabletocontainpartofaforestfirebutthereisstillafire.Youcannotcontrolthetongueifyou’velostcontrolofyourheart.Thispassagehasnothingtodowiththetongue.Ithaseverythingtodowiththeheart.Yourwordshavenothingtodowiththetongue.Theyhaveeverythingtodowiththeheart—everythingtodowiththeheart.



ListentowhatJesussaysaboutthis.ThisisMatthew,chapter12.JesusistalkingtothePhariseeswhowerethereligiousleadersatthetime.Theseguyswereexpertsatbehaviormodificationbuttheyhadsomeseriousheartissues.Here’swhatJesussaid,“Youcanmakethetreegoodanditsfruitgoodormakethetreebadanditsfruitbad.Forthetreeisknownbyitsfruit.Youbroodofvipers.Howcanyouspeakgoodwhenyouareevil?Foroutoftheabundanceoftheheartthemouthspeaks.Thegoodpersonoutofhisgoodtreasurebringsforthgood.Andtheevilpersonoutofhiseviltreasurebringsforthevil.Itellyouonthedayofjudgmentpeoplewillgiveanaccountforeverycarelesswordtheyspeakforbyyourwordsyouwillbejustifiedandbyyourwordsyouwillbecondemned.”That’sintense.Hesaysthatwe’llhavetogiveanaccountforeverycarelesswordthatwespeak.Ifyou’reanythinglikemeIstrugglewithcarlesswordsattimes.AndthenJesussaysthatwewillbejustifiedorcondemnedbythewordsthatwespeak.Andisn’tthatacontradiction?IthoughtweweresavedbygracethroughfaithaloneinthefinishedworkofJesusChrist.Ithoughtthat’swhatweweresavedby.Ididn’tthinkweweresavedorjustifiedbyworksorthewordsthatwesay.IsJesussayingsomethingdifferentherebecauseitkindofsoundslikeit?Itsoundslikeit’sacontradiction.It’sagreatquestion.It’sagreatquestion.Theansweris:no.It’snotacontradiction.InfactwhatJesusissayingherereinforcesbeingsavedbygracethroughfaithaloneallthemorebecausewheneveryouputyourfaithinJesusfully,wheneveryousurrenderyourlifetoHim,yousay,“Youknowwhat?JesusYouaretheSonofGod.GoddidraiseYoufromthedead.YouaremySavior.I’mtrustinginYoutosavemefromtheeffectsofmysin.AndalsoJesus,YouareLord.I’mnotlordofmylifeanymore.Neitherismyspouse,orkids,orcareer,orjob,ormoney,orhobby,orwhatever—YouareLordandI’mgoingtofollowYou.”Atthatmomentthatfaithiswhatjustifiesyou,that’swhatsavesyou.AndtheBiblesaysthatatthatmomentyoubecomeanewcreation.You’regivenanewlifeandyourheartstartstotransform,itbecomesalittlebitmore,andalittlebitmore,andlittlebitmorelikeJesus.SothereasonthatHesaysthatyouwillbejustifiedorcondemnedbythewordsthatyouspeakisbecausethewordsthatyouspeakwillbeanindicationofwhetheryourhearthasbeenjustifiedorcondemned.Outoftheabundanceoftheheartthemouthspeaks.Yourheartisthesourceofallofyourwords.That’swhatJamesistryingtogetustosee.FollowingJesusisneveraboutchangingyourbehavior.It’saboutlettingthegospelchangeyourheart.Wecouldspecificallysayitlikethis:tamingthetongueisneveraboutchangingyourbehavior.It’saboutlettingthegospelchangeyourheart.OneofthegreatestindicationsandmetricsofyourrelationshipwithJesuswillbeyourwords.Here’sagoodgut-checkquestiontoaskyourself.Ifyou’retakingnoteswritethisinthemarginofyourBible.Domyunfilteredwords—dotheysoundlikeJesusordotheysoundlikeme?Dothewordsthatautomaticallycomeoutofmymouthcompletelyunfiltered—dotheysoundlikeJesusordotheysoundlikeme?Ifyoutookeverybodyinyourlifethatyouknowandyoublindfoldedthem—ifyoublindfoldedyourspouse,yourkids,peopleintheofficenexttoyou,yourfriends,parentsatthebaseballgame,neighbors,yourteammatesinthelockerroom,anybodyyouknow—ifyoublindfoldedthemandallthey



coulddowaslisten,intheirmindswouldtheyseeyouorwouldtheyseeJesuswhentheyheardyouspeak?Whataboutthepeoplewhodon’tknowyou?Theoneswhodon’tknowyoufromAdam.Whowouldtheythinkthatyourvoicesoundedlike?Thepeoplethatyoumeetonetime.Youhaveaone-timeinteractionwithandthenyou’llneverseethemagain.Sonaturallyyou’realittlebitfreer.Youcankindofsaywhateveryouwantbecauseitdoesn’tseemlikethereareanyconsequencesforyourwords,right?Whataboutthewaiterwhomessesupyourorder?You’retheonepaying.He’stheonewhomesseditup.Whatdoyousaytohim?Howareyousayingit?Orthepersonwhomessesupyourcoffeeorder.Whatdoyousay?Howareyousayingit?Whatabouttheguywhocutyouoffon465?Yeah,everyservicehashadthatweird,awkwardlaugh.Whataresayingtothatguy?Hecan’thearyouinyourcar.You’renevergoingtoseehimagain.Whatareyousayingtohim?Sincewe’vegotkidsintheroom,letmegiveyouthePGversion.Doyoupassionatelyexplainatahighdecibellevelthegentleman’sneedfordriver’seducationwhileyoufurthercommunicateyourpointusingyourhandsordoyouchannelyourinnerCarrieUnderwoodandsoftlysingJesusTaketheWheel?Whichoneisit?Whatareyousayingtothepersonwhoyouarenevergoingtoseeagain?Wheneveryouthinkthatyou’vegotaone-timeinteractionitseemsliketherearenoconsequences,right?Sothere’snoneedtochangeyourbehavior.Youcansaywhateveryouwant.Butwecanmoreaccuratelysaythatyou’llfreelysaywhatisinyourheart.Whatareyousayingwhenyou’renevergoingtoseeapersonagain?Yourheartisreallygoingtocomeout.Or,inthoseopportunitieswhenyou’remorefree,whenyou’renotgoingtoseeapersonagain,doyoulookforwardtothoseopportunitiestospeaktothatpersonwithgrace,andlove,andjoy,andpeace,andencouragementsothatinthemiddleofthatinteractionthepersonhearsthevoiceofJesusandnotsomeoneelsethattheywouldexpect.Fromtheabundanceoftheheartthemouthspeaks.WhenyouspeakdopeoplehearyouordotheyhearJesus?Here’sthedeal.Yourreputationiswhopeopleperceiveyoutobe.Yourcharacterisreallywhoyouare.Youcanmanipulateyourreputation.Youcandothatallthatyouwantbuteventuallyyourcharacterisgoingtocomeout.Andhowyouspeakbehindcloseddoors,howyouspeakinone-timeinteractions,howyouspeakwhenitdoesn’tseemlikethereareanyconsequencestoyourwordswillbeaverygoodindicationofhowmuchyourcharacterreallylookslikeChrist.Properspeechisnotjustsayingtherightthingattherighttimeeither.It’salsonotsayingwhatyoushouldn’t.That’swhereIstruggle.Iknowtherightthingstosay.IknowhowtosaytherightthingsbuttherearemanytimeswhenIspeakandIshouldjustkeepmymouthclosed.Yourcharacterisreflectedbythewordsyousayandbytheonesthatyoudonot.Soifourwordsareareflectionofcharacter(theonesthatwesayandtheonesthatwedon’t)thencharacterisareflectionoftheheart.Buthowdowechangetheheart?Iloveitwhenyouguysaskquestionsthatareinmynotes.That’swhatthegospelisallabout.Thegospelisallaboutheartchange.Atfirstglancethispassagecanbealittlebitdiscouraging.Atsurfacelevelitlookslikethat.Jamessaidthatnobodycantamethetongue.Nohumanbeingcantamethetongue.Butthekeyis—nohuman



being.Jamesistryingtomakethatpoint.He’stryingtopointustotheOnewhocan.TheOnewhoisfullyGodandfullyman.TheOnewholivedfor33yearsandliterallyspokeperfectly.NeverwereHiswordsanoutofcontrolforestfire.No,insteadHiswordshavealwayscontainedthefiresofhell.NeverwereHiswordsoutofcontrol,Heneverlostthem.HeneverusedHiswordstogossip,ormanipulate,ortobrag,ortotearsomeonedown,ortofalseteach,ortocomplain,orexaggerate,orlie.Neverdidthathappen.InsteadHiswordswerealwaysused(andstillare)torevealtruth,toshowuswhatgracereallyis.Hiswordswereusedforlove,andforjoy,andforpeace,andforencouragement,torevealtheplanofredemption,andultimatelytorevealGodtheFather.NotonlywasJesusflawlesswithHiswords,Heneverevenstumbledwiththem.YouandI—wecan’tsaythat.OurwordsdailydemonstratebothoursinfulnessandourinabilitytoreformourselvesbutthegoodnewsisthatthegospeloffersusforgivenessanditoffersthatreformationthroughJesus.Becausewe’reflawedbyourwords,Jesussays,“Here,youcanhaveMyperfectwords.They’reyours.”NotonlythatbutJesusalsotookthewordsthatwedeserved.ThinkaboutthethingsthatweresaidtoHimleadinguptoandduringthecrucifixion.Thatwasjustasbadasthephysicalpain.Jesuswasmocked.HisidentityandHischaracterweremadefunofandlaughedat.Hispowerandabilitywereopenlyridiculed.HewastauntedwhileHehungnakedandexposedonthecrossforeveryonetosee.Andallofthosewordsweresupposedtobeforus.Theyhurtjustasmuchasthenailsandthebeatings.AndafterallofthosewordswerethrownatHimtobreakHim(thatweremeantforus),afterallofthatevilthatwasspokentoHimlikethrowingspearsatHim,thencamethethreegreatestwordseverspoken.Itisfinished.It’sfinished.WiththosethreewordsthatJesusspokeasHebreathedHislastbreath,Heusheredinallofthepromisesofthegospel.Withthosethreewordsallofitbecametrueforus.Thepromisesofthegospelaresalvation,andgrace,andredemption,andrestoration,andlove,andjoy,andpeace,newlife,eternallife,andright-standingwithGod.Itdoesn’tmatterwhoyouare.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatyou’vedone.Anditcertainlydoesn’tmatterwhatyou’vesaid.Romans10:9isveryclear,“IfyouconfesswithyourmouththatJesusisLordandbelieveinyourheartthatGodraisedHimfromthedeadthenyouwillbesaved.”Nostringsattached.That’sthegoodnewsofthegospel.Andbecauseofthegospel,becausewe’vebeengiventhisgrace,becauseGodspokecreationintoexistence,becauseweareallcreatedintheimageofGodthenourwordseitherreflectHimortheyreflectthefall—theyreflectourbrokenness.Theyeithergivelifeortheysmelllikedeath.Whatareyourwordslike?Whatareyourwordslike?Haveyousaidsomethingorhassomethingbeensaidtoyou—itcouldhavebeenyearsagobutitfeelslikeit’sminutesold?Wellthegoodnewsisthatgracedoesn’tstopshorthere.Itdoesn’tquithere.Gracedoesn’tpromisethatitwillerasethewound,butitdoespromisetohealit,itdoespromiseforgiveness,anditdoespromisetotakethewoundandturnitintoascarinsteadofleavingitwideopenanditfeelinglikesaltisgettingrubbedintoiteverytimeyouthinkaboutwhatwassaidtoyouorwhatyousaid.Weallhavescarsfromwords.Wealldo.Andunfortunatelywe’llallgivescarswithourwords—wealreadyhave.Butgracedoesn’tstopshortofwords.Itdoesn’tquithere.Andbecauseofthegospel,becausewe’vebeengivengracewheneverourwordsdon’tsoundlikeJesus,whenevertheyinflictthe



damagethatJamestalksaboutScriptureisveryclearandsoisJames.Thatshouldn’thappen.Thatdoesn’tjive.That’snothowit’ssupposedtobe.Yes,graceislimitlessandwe’regivenit.We’regivenmorethatwecanpossiblyimaginebutwearenevergivenafreepasstoberecklesswithourwords.Sowhatdowedo?WellsinceJamesisallaboutpracticalapplication.Letmegiveyouacoupleofhandlestograbaholdof.Andthisisnotbehaviormodification.Thisissimplyhowwecanapplytheaffectsofthegospel.Here’snumberone:Shutup—whenyou’reangry.First,kids,we’renotsayingshutuptosomebodyelse.Notatall.That’sextremelydisrespectfulandthat’shurtful.Andalso,ontopofthat,sayingthatyourememberthepastorsayingshutuptoyourparents—that’snotgoingtoimpressthem.You’vegottothinkofsomethingelse.Itwon’twork.Here’swhatImean,andadultsyouknowthatthisistrue.Someofthemostdamagingwordsarespokenoutofanger.Oftenthewordsthatcausethebiggestforestfiresarejustwordsthataredrippinginanger,maybeevenjustifiedanger.Butwhenyou’reangryit’smuchmoreprudenttoholdyourtonguethantojustletitgo.That’seasiersaidthandone.Itis.Butwhenyouallowthegospeltotransformyourheartitwillgofromangrytojoyfulandyouwillbefarlesslikelytowoundsomeonewithyourwords.You’llbefarlesslikelytohaveregretaboutsomethingthatyousaidorhowyousaidit.Oneofourpastors,PhilWright,hasthisgreatsayingthatIthinkistheperfectreminderforus.It’ssimplythis.IhavetorespondinawaythatispleasingtotheLord.IhavetorespondinawaythatispleasingtotheLord.Remindyourselfofthat.Trytodrillthatintoyourmindbecausethat’sapplicabletoaboutanysituationthatyoucanthinkof.Andoneofthebestwaystorespondwhenyou’reangry,inawaythatispleasingtotheLord,istonotspeakatall.It’sjusttoholdyourtongue.Justletyourangercooldownfirstbeforeyousayanything.You’llavoiddisasterwithyourwords.Here’snumbertwo:Cleanup—whatyou’vealreadyburneddown.Withyourwords…Ifyou’veburnedsomethingdownthatmightstillbeinashes,maybeit’safallingoutwithsomeone,oragroupofpeople.Youhadnoideatheaffectyourwordswouldhave.Youhadnoideahowfartheywouldgo.Youhadnoideahowlongtheywouldlingerandyouwoulddoanythingyoucouldtotryandtakethemback.Maybeyourwordsdidn’tstartaforestfirebuttheydidburnsomeoneliketouchingahotstove.Wordshavethepowertodestroyanddosomuchdamagebutatthesametimewordsareoftentheveryfirststepstorestoringlife.Sohere’sthefirstthingthatyousaytosomeone.YouaskGodtogiveyouthewords,“God,givemethewordstorestorelife.GivemethewordstomendthewoundthatI’vecaused.Anditwillalwaysstarthere—here’sthefirstthingthatyousay,“I’msorryforwhatIsaid.Willyouforgiveme?”Thosearehardwordstosay.Thenwhatwillhappennextisthatyou’llhavetolistentowhatthatpersonhastosayandusuallythatwillbeabouthowyouburnedthemwithyourwords—nobodywantstolistentothat.Thatisnotafunpart.Nobodywantstohearabouthowtheyhurtsomebodywiththeirwordsespeciallyfacetofacewiththatperson.Butdon’trunfromthat.Thatisagreatteachingopportunity.Youcanlearnhowyourwordshurtsomeoneevenifyouhadnoideathattheydid.Thatwayyoucanavoidmakingthesamemistakeinthefuture.



Andthenrightafterthatyoulookforawaytointentionallyencouragethatperson.Howcanyouspeaklifeintothatpersonrightthenandthere?Theremightbeaneedtohavealotmorethingsdonetocleansomethingupbutitwillalwaysstartwiththosethreethings.Here’snumberthree:Speakup—whileyoucan.Whatareyouholdingbackrightnowthatyouneedtosaytosomeoneelse?Maybeafamilymember,afriend,someoneinyourlifegroup.Whatareyouholdingbackrightnowthatyouneedtosaytosomeoneelse?Somethingthatwouldbeahugeencouragementtothem.Somethingthatwouldbringlifetothem.Maybeforgivethem.Somethingthatwouldbeagreatactoflovebecauseyousaidittothem.Whatareyouholdingbackrightnowthatyouneedtosay?Whatisit?Wordsaresopowerfultodestroybutatthesametimewordscandosomuchgoodtobringlifeandbuildup.Let’susethemforthat.Dad’sourwordstoourdaughtersmattermorethanwecanpossiblyimagine.Iwantmywordstomydaughtertobesoedifying,soencouraging,andsolifegiving.IwanttocorrectherinagraciouswaywithsomuchloveandinthetoneofJesussothatthedaywhensomepunkcomesaroundwantingtodateherassoonasheopenshismouth—evenifhiswordsaremeantforgood—heisgoingtosoundlikeafoolbecauseforherentirelifemydaughterheardhowamanwassupposedtotalktoawoman.SobetweenthatandmecleaningmyshotgunwhentheyoungmancomesoverIdon’thavetoworryaboutanything.ButinadditiontomehearinghowIspeaktoher,mydaughteralsohastohearthesamethingwhenItalktomywife.Andsodomysons.Therecannotbeacontradictionthere.Guys,itcanbe.Wearenotguaranteedtomorrow.Whatissomethingthatyoucouldsaytodaythatwouldhaveahugeimpactandbeablessing,beanencouragementtosomeoneelsebecauseyousaidittothem?Let’sspeakupwhilewecan.Ifourwordsalwaysstartwithblessinganindividual,whenweblessanindividual—thatcanthenspreadtothousandsofpeople.It’samazinghowwordsmultiply.Youdon’thavetostandupinfrontofthousandsofpeopleforyourwordstomakeanimpact.Youdon’thavetodothatatall.Youjusthavetostandinfrontofoneperson.That’swheremovementsstart.Here’ssomethingtoremindyourselfof.ThisissomethingI’mtryingtofocusonandI’mtryingtogetbetteratit.I’mreallytryingtomakethismydefault.It’ssimplythis.Here’sthereminder.Themostimportantpersonintheroomisthepersonstandingrightinfrontofyou.Themostimportantpersonintheroomisthepersonstandingrightinfrontofyou.Itdoesn’tmatterwhothatpersonis.You’vegottheopportunitytomakeanimpactwithyourwordsrightthenandthere,evenifyoudon’tknowthem.Maybeevenmoreifyoudon’tknowthem.Andyoudon’thavetosaysomethingdeepandprofound.Youdon’t.Allyou’vegottodoisengagethem.Youlookthemintheeye.Youtalktothemlikeyouactuallyreallydocare.Ifthatpersonfeelslike,inthatmoment,theywerethemostimportantpersonintheroomtoyoubecauseyouspoketothem,becauseofwayyouengagedwiththemthatwillbemoredeepandprofoundthanyoucanpossiblyimagine.Whatkindofimpactcouldthathaveifallofusapproachedotherpeoplelikethat?Whatkindofimpactcouldwehave?WhatwouldthatdoinourhomesandwithourfriendsandinourLifeGroups?Peoplewhocomehereforthefirsttimeshouldbeblownawaybytheconversationsthattheyhearinthelobbyortheconversationsthatthey’veengageinthatarefilledwithwordsofencouragementandjoy,and



love,andpeace,andlaughter.ThatshouldstarteveryweekendhereandthatshouldstartinourLifeGroups.Thenwetakethosewordsintoourhomes,intoourschools,intoourtowns,intoourcities—wetakethemwithuswhenwetravelandweletthosewordsspreadlikeawildfire.That’swheremovementsstart.Andwedon’thavetocomeupwiththecontent.Wedon’thavetocomeupwiththemessage.Jesushasalreadydonethatforus.Heevenmodeledhowwearesupposedtouseourwords.Allwe’vegottodoisspeakupwhilewecan.Sowhat’sthesoundofourvoice?What’sthevoiceofourchurchsoundlikerightnow?AsachurchdoesourvoicesoundlikeJesus?Isitlifegiving?Isitfullofgraceandtruth?Isitsilentanddisengaged?What’sthesoundofourvoice?Whatisitrightnow?We’renotperfectatall.We’vegotplentyofthingsthatwefallshortonasachurch.Butmepersonally,Ilovethesoundofourchurch’svoicerightnow.Iloveit.Thethingsthatyoutellmeaboutthataregoingon,abouthowyouareengagingwithdifferentpeople,theconversationsIhearoutinthelobby,theonesIheargoingoninLifeGroups—it’snotjustgreatthingsthataregoingonallofthetime.No,there’sauthenticity.There’svulnerability.Therealstuffcomesuptoo.Andthenpeoplepourintothatperson.Youspeakintootherpeoplewithencouragement.Ilovethesoundofourvoicerightnow.HumbleandHungryisnotjustatagline.It’snotjustacooltee-shirttoweareither.No,it’sthedispositionofourheartsthatwe’retryingtogetafter.Andthemorewehumbleourselves,themoreourvoicesaregoingtosoundlikeJesus.It’snotacoincidencethatthesweetestvoices,thesweetestwordsalwayscomefromthemosthumblepeople.Themorewehumbleourselvesthemorewe’regoingtosoundlikeJesus.That’swhywestayHumbleandHungry.Whatkindofimpactcouldthathave?We’vegottokeepapulseonourvoice.We’vegottomakesurethatourchurch’svoiceisgoingintherightdirection.ThatourwordsarefilledwiththingsthatglorifyGod.Thatourwordsaregospelsaturated.Thatthey’relifegiving.Andthewaythatwekeepapulseonthatisbykeepingapulseonourindividualvoices.DoesmyvoicesoundlikemeordoesitsoundlikeJesus?Peoplewhoknowme—whatwouldtheysay?“Yeah,hisvoicesoundslikeMatt,”or,“No,itsoundslikeJesus.”IfwehadcountlessvoicesthatallsoundlikeJesusthat’swhenwecanhaveanexponentialimpact.ThinkabouttheimpactthatwecouldhaveifwehadthousandsofpeoplespeakingwordsthatsoundlikeJesus,blesslikeJesus,givelifelikeJesus,encouragelikeJesus,teachlikeJesus,forgivelikeJesus—whatkindofimpactcouldwehave?Howwouldthataffectourfamilyandourfriends?Howwouldthataffectourhomes?HowwouldthataffectourLifeGroups?Howwouldthataffectpeoplewhocomehereforthefirsttimeonaweekend?Howwouldthataffectourcommunities?Howwouldthataffectourcity?Howwouldthataffectourcountryandhowwouldthataffectourworld?Asachurchwe’vegottheopportunityrightnow!Asachurchwehavetheopportunityrightnow.Don’tmissthis.We’vegotanopportunitywithourwordstosetacourseforgospelmultiplicationthatcanhaveanaffectwherepeoplewilllookonwellafterwe’redeadandgoneandtheywillbeabletosay,“Itallstarted,everythingchanged,themovementstartedwiththesoundofTradersPoint’svoice.AndTradersPoint’svoicesoundedjustlikeJesus.That’swhatwe’regoingforwithHumbleandHungry.



OneofthegreatesttoolsthatGodhasgivenustoblesstheworld,toimpactpeople,togivelifetoothers,andtomakethegospelfamousisourwords.It’sallaboutourhearts.WordsareabigdealtoGod.Let’susethem.GodhasusedthemforgreatthingsandHewillcontinuetouseHiswordsforgreatthingsandHe’sgivenusthatsametool.Let’susethem.Let’sspeakupwhilewecan.Letmeprayforus.Father,thankYousomuchforYourword.ThankYouforbeingarelationalGodwhosays,“Hey,IwantyoutoknowMeandIwanttoknowyou.AndYoudothatthroughYourword.Ipray,Father,thatourchurchhasanew,renewedzealandhungerforYourwordthatwewouldconsumeitandthatitwouldtransformus.ThatYouwouldwriteYourwordonourheartsandourmindsandthatitwouldspewoutofourmouthscompletelyunfiltered.Father,westrugglewithourwords.YouknowhowYouworkedmeoverthisweek.IpraythatYou’dforgiveuswhenwespeakanditdoesn’tgivelifetoothers,whenourwordscausefires,whentheydon’tsoundlikeYourSonbuttheysoundlikeourbrokenness.Healthewoundsthatwecause.Giveusgrace.WeknowthatYouwill.Father,willYouletourchurchhaveavoicethatsoundsjustlikeYourSon.Thatinfactpeopleevenforgetthatit’sevenachurch.Theyforgetthatit’sTradersPoint.Theyjustknow,“Hey,thosepeopleloveJesusandtheysoundlikeHim.”Andpeoplewhodon’tknowwhatthatsoundis,theydon’tknowwhatthatvoiceisthatYouwillrevealthatthatisYourSon.Ipraythatwordswillcomeoutofthisplacethatwillmakethegospelfamous,thatYouwouldtransformourcommunities,YouwouldtransformIndianapolisandthatagospelmovementofmultiplicationcouldstartwiththewordsthathappenhere,thathappenatourNorthcampus,andthathappenDowntown.Giveusthewordstosay.HelpustosaythemlikeYoudo,Jesus.WeloveYou.It’sinYourpreciousnamewepray.Amen.

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