T.H.I.N.K. before you Send It | Sunday AM 11-9-2025

Other than that, I think we're we're going to be today.

We're going to be in a fun one. I think everybody, I was telling

Mark that no worries. I don't know if anybody else is

getting anything out of this, but it beat me up pretty good.

So we'll be in, we'll be in James 3 again or back in James

in chapter 3. And Lord, I just lift up this

time. I lift up everybody here.

Lord, I thank you that I thank you that you do, that you do

show up, Lord that you do give us your words, Lord, that you

can be. We can hear from you because

you're a living God came and came and died, but you rose

again for us, Lord, to work through us, to talk through US.

Lord that we just submit our lives to you.

And Lord that you would use us, use us in this community, use us

in this, in our workplaces, just to minister one another and

minister to the world as a whole.

Pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

OK so starting in verse one, not many of you should become

teachers my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be

judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways

and if anyone does not stumble in what he says he is perfect.

He is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

If we put bits in the into the mouth of horses so that they

obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.

Look at the ships also. Though they are so large and are

driven by strong winds, they are guided by the very by a very

small rudder, wherever the will of the pilot directs.

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts great

things. How great a forest fire is set

ablaze by such a small fire, and the tongue is a fire, a world of

unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our

members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire

course of life, and setting on fire by hell.

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea

creature can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no

human being can tame. The tongue is restless evil,

full of deadly poison. With with it we bless our Lord

Father, and with it and with it we curse people who are made in

the likeness of God. From the same mouth comes

blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought

not to be so doing. Our sorry does a spring pour

forth from the same opening, both fresh water and salt water?

Can a big tree, my brothers, bear olives or grape produce

figs? Neither can a salt pond yield

fresh water so lot there. So the name of the the the

title. As I said up this morning, I was

trying to figure out the corniest title I come up with,

but it's think before we send it and sending it is the idea.

If you guys have ever like done extreme sports, you know

somebody will ride a mountain bike and you're just sending it

right? You're just going to go well, a

lot of times when we're communicating, we we act like

that, right? We'll be somebody will send me

an e-mail or something or Facebook post or whatever and I

want to respond and well, that's when you just are going to send

it. You know, whatever is going to

happen, me and Matt can, I'm picking on Matt because he's, he

loves to, he loves to debate and argue, right?

And me and him can have fun. But there are, there are

conversations I have with Matt that we're friends and we know

each other and we can kind of jab at one another and, and have

fun with that, right? But some of those conversations

you want, you don't want to have those with, with, with others,

right, with, with people you're trying to reach.

You want to you want to be soft with your words, but so that's

the the idea of sending it is that when this is going to be a

whole study on on our communication, James calls it

tongues. But you have to remember that in

James's times, there weren't texts, Facebook posts, emails,

Snapchat, Instagram, none of that existed.

So when when he talked about speaking, he was actually

talking about speaking Right now, we have all kinds of other

ways to speak into people and we want to be careful about that.

But where this starts is not many of you should become

teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be

judged with greater strictness. And in in construction, I have a

line that I tell I tell up and comers all the time, if you want

the truck, you aren't ready for the truck.

And what that means is when you get on a construction site, the

boss has a has the company truck and he gets to drive it home or

whatever that is. And guys will get the idea that

they want the truck, they want the cell phone they want, they

want to do what he's doing. And if they want it for the

purpose of having the truck or having the cell phone, they're

not ready for it, right. If the reason you want to get up

in front of people and teaches because you want you think

you're you, you have something to say and you want to be up

there, you're not ready, right? This is and I I say that with

complete humbleness. This is my favorite position in

anybody is being the second guy be be the guy behind right?

This is the that will be judged with greater strictness, right?

I am accountable to everything I say up here.

You know, I'm accountable. I'm accountable when I'm, when

I'm down talking with you guys because of the position I'm in

and I'm accountable for each and everything by God, right?

He put he not because I'm any different or or better than

anybody, but because of of the calling he's put on my life to

be here and to be this and being a pastor is not to be the boss.

It's not about power and prestige.

It's it's about being a shepherd right.

It's about guiding and directing.

But some other warnings that Jesus had about that trying to

be out there was Matthew 616 says Jesus said to them, watch

and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees and

the disciples were confused by that because they're disciples

and they listen about as well as we do most of the time.

But you move on to chapter 23, he says about the Pharisees and

the Sadducees. They love the place of honor at

feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greeting in the

micro marketplace and being called rabbi by others.

But you are not to be called rabbi for you have one teacher

and you are all brothers and call no man your Father on

earth, for you have one Father who is in heaven.

Neither be called instructors for you have one instructor.

The Christ, the greatest among you shall be your servant.

And as teachers we are to point to Jesus not think that I, I

have any anything to point out for myself right?

Not I don't offer anything except what's in this book.

My my goal every every time, every Sunday morning, every

conversation I had is that you're left you're left thinking

about what Jesus said, not what Nick said.

And when you when you do that, you don't end up where in

Malachi 2 two. This is another point of priests

and teachers and those that think they have something

missing the mark. And it's if you will not listen,

if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says

the Lord of hosts, then I will send a curse upon you and I will

curse your blessing. Indeed, I have already cursed

them because you do not lay it to heart, right.

So anytime that a teacher gets up and thinks that I have, I

have something new to offer. I, you, you need to listen to

me. I'm the important one in the

room. They're they're in danger,

right? The Pharisees and the priests,

their number one problem is they had, they thought they had

something to offer and, and that they could add to God's word.

And that is, you know, when you look at when you look at the

like the way the Pharisees and the Sadducees talked about the

Sabbath and Jesus explained the Sabbath was made for men, not

men for the Sabbath, which was this.

The point of the Sabbath was not to add a bunch of rules to your

life. The point of the Sabbath was for

you to rest. You know, you were going to have

a day of rest, not a day of work resting and the the Sadducees

and the Pharisees, they, they spent time making rules and

putting putting burdens on people that we're adding to

God's word and we don't want to do that as as a pastor, as a

teacher, my number one job is to serve the Lord and and being a

shepherd. That's that is the the mission

that he's given me in that. But the number one thing is that

I'm submissive to the word when I'm teaching that all scripture,

and this is second Timothy 316. All scripture is breathed out by

God and it's profitable for teaching, for reproof, for

correction and for training and righteousness.

And and that is when you come to the word of God, when you come

to the word of God, do you look at it and think you have some

something to offer right? That you it's like, well, that

isn't you know, I don't I don't agree with that.

Well, if you don't agree with it, you need to figure out why

you're wrong, right? Because the Bible's right.

And, and it might be when we don't agree with something, it

might be that we don't understand what it's saying and

we need to study more to understand it.

But I guarantee you everything in this book is true.

And so you never want to be as a teacher at any level.

You don't want to be teaching and changing what it says you

want. That is my my biggest

responsibility and a burden on my heart when I'm teaching right

is that I don't get out in front of it and start telling you guys

what I think you need to hear right is I want I want to be in

complete submission to what the what the text we're in says.

My first role is to follow Jesus and by following him, I am able

to lead others to him. This is done by shepherding, not

bossing, right? So is shit, if you think about

has anybody ever, and my, my uncle has sheep, but has anybody

ever tried to push sheep? They, they are not a pushable

animal, right? They will follow you all kinds

of places. But if you decide you're going

to push them, they're going to split in all kinds of

directions. And and that is why as a as a

pastor, as a teacher, the idea is that we lead to where we're

going. And we do that by being in the

word, right, not by letting you follow me.

I watch it. There's, you know, YouTube's got

YouTube and Facebook has some really good.

There are some guys on Facebook that are our pastors and there's

some really good things to say, right?

But I've been watching them and they're not, I mean, they're,

they're just saying really good things, but they're not in that

you. What they aren't doing is

pointing you to Jesus there. And I'm not, I don't want to,

I'm not calling any of them out. I think they have good

ministries. But when you watch them, they're

not they're just they're applying principles, but they're

not putting you back to the word.

And guys, I guarantee there's nothing I'm going to teach you

on a Sunday morning that if you can't find the verse that I,

that I'm talking about, if you can't apply it, it's, it is,

it's, it's hay and stubble, right?

If it, if it isn't something you can like foundation, lock it

down and say this is what the Bible says about that.

John 1226 says if anyone serves me, he must follow me.

And where I am, there will be there will my servant be also.

If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

And that's our job. Everybody here, right?

And that's parents. When you're teaching your kids

right, The goal is, is that we're in Christ and following

him. And by following him we are able

to lead others. And the honor that a follower of

Christ is looking for is, is just simply to reflect Jesus

into this world. That is that is the honor,

right? It's not.

I want to be honored as A and worldly honor.

I want to have the honor to to serve my King, to serve Jesus

and do what he wants us to do. John the Baptist in John 3

really, really sums this up. John, John 3 starting in verse

26 and they came to John and this is John's disciples.

They came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you

across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, look, he is

baptizing and all are going to him.

And John answered, A person cannot receive even one thing

unless it is given to him from heaven.

And then if we skip down to verse 30, it says He must

increase and I must decrease. He who comes from above is above

all, and he who is on the earth belongs to the earth and speaks

in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is

above all. So at no point is a teacher

supposed to guide you and direct you on the ways of the world,

right? I, I, as a, as a teacher, you

need to be in your word. And that's like I said, that's,

that's when you're sharing, when you're sharing with people.

It's not not being anti culture or cultural.

Or there's a pastor in Bangor, Bangor, ME, Pastor Ken, what's

last name Graves, Ken Graves. And he's got a he's got a great

line and he is 10. It's like 75 year old, just a

big mountain of a man. And he has a voice that comes

from his toes. And he says that the church

needs to get rid of the four letter F word.

And F was like, what that's that's feels.

I feel right. I don't feel anything.

Are you led by the spirit or not right?

Our feelings feelings are not what guide us.

Our heart is dreadfully wicked, right?

So we need to be we need to be led by what the word of God says

and bring our our feelings into submission.

His his whole story on that. If you guys want to look him up,

Ken Graves on feelings and it is a funny little.

He is an entertaining guy, but not one of the pastors I was

talking about earlier because he really that's the the funnest

thing about guys that just lean into the word.

And so that's what it says. You know, there's a, there's a

guy that teaches about same sex attraction and he's actually on

the West side, but he's, he's one of the, he's a brother of a

guy that goes to our church in Tri-cities and, and he, he comes

in and, and shares and he says, and, and he's sharing the word

of God And he goes, and I understand that when I'm sharing

that that sucks. That's hard in the world we live

in. When you start sharing what the

Bible says about that, that's hard.

But that's what it says, right? That's, you know, joking before

service is I'm going to say offensive things up here, but

I'm going to say them because that's what they were.

God says I don't have to be offensive.

I don't have to come up with reasons to be offensive.

It's got plenty of minute. And that as if if someone is

offended at any point, and this should be your goal as well.

If if you're offending somebody, they need to be offended by the

God you serve, not by the words that are coming out of your

mouth because you want to win the argument.

And that is our goal. And and as a pastor, that is

truly guys, I don't and this is just this the idea of standing

up here and what is my job as a teacher and being held to a

higher standard. And why, you know, as I was

going through it, it's being it is a it is a humbling thing to

think that that anybody would look at Nick Adams and think I

had anything to offer because I know that the only good thing

about me is Jesus. And I I say that in people, you

know, I got saved 20 years ago, 25 years ago now.

And and people think that. Well, yeah.

But you know, you're you're a Christian, you know, you're this

nice guy. I'm not none of those things

outside of Christ. I am the, I'm the same worthless

guy that was 3030 years old when I got saved.

If I walk away from Jesus, I'm actually worse than that because

I know more. I know I know truth now.

So if I walk away from it, I'm even worse.

And so the only thing I have to offer anybody is the reflection

of Christ in my life. John first, John 17 says, but if

we walk in the light and as he is in the light, we have

fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son

cleanses us from all sin. And that's, that's where we all

want to be right in his light. And as a pastor, my job is to

point you to to him, to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit and the

Holy Spirit's voice in your life, not my voice in your life.

You know that, you know when it's when you look in Acts,

there's a couple, a couple of different moments.

So Acts 13 four, it says, so being sent out by the Holy

Spirit, they went down to Cesola and from there they sailed the

Cypress. So they were sent by the Holy

Spirit. And then one of my one of my

favorite ones is Acts 16 six. And it says, and they went

through the region of Fygra and Galatia and having been

forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

So they not only were sent by the Holy Spirit at one point,

but at a later point they were forbidden from going somewhere,

right? So the Spirit is speaking to

their hearts. And that's, that is what my

desire for, for us is that we're hearing from the Lord, Not that,

not that on Sunday morning, you guys come in and get a message

from the Lord and you go out and then you wait till next Sunday.

But that each and every one of us in this room are we have that

relationship with the Lord and we're hearing from him.

We're, we're hearing whether we need to take this job or that

job, whether we need to, whether we need to buy this car, that

car, you know, all of those things.

Do I need to go talk to the Do I need to go talk to the homeless

guy in the corner? Do I do I need to does this

cashier have do I have a word for them right.

That's the Holy Spirit working in your heart.

That's what that's what our, our goal is, right, is to walk in

that light and be guided by the Spirit into a, into a deeper

walk with Christ, right, But not just self focused.

As we get into a deeper walk with Christ, we, there's a,

there's a reflection because what does Christ want to want to

do? He isn't willing that any should

perish. So he wants to be out in our

community sharing with people, and he's going to do that

through each and every one of us.

Now, as a, as a pastor, my job is also to protect the body,

right with the elders and, and other other men and women in

leadership to watch over the safety of the body right to

guide and direct. And that includes, that includes

watching for doctrinal issues and that stuff and false

teachers as they as they try to come in.

But it also has to do and what we're going to get into the rest

of it later. But that also has to do watching

for gossip and backbiting and any other threats of the body,

right? Because we're supposed to be

moving in unity, guys. This is when you look at when

you look at how how important it is to be walking in Christ in a

body. If you go back to Acts, Ananias

and Sapphira, when Peter when they walked in and and lied and

Peter said, why are you lying to the Holy Spirit and they fell

down dead. If we lived in that church

today, right, How many of us would have in, you know, in the

last, in the last, we'll just say last 25 years of my life,

would I have lived through it, right?

If I ever have I ever been in church and had a bad motive,

right? And the goal there isn't isn't

that we all walk around perfect. It's that we need to remember

that this isn't a game we play. The Holy Spirit is living in

inside each and every one of us. If we're a believer in here

today and he has a goal for us to reach the community, but he

has a goal to change us from the inside out.

And as a, as a teacher, that's my goal is always to just point

to him and say we need to, we need to listen to what he has to

say. It's why it's why last week I, I

completely can be at peace letting someone else stand up

here and teach because they're just sharing what the word of

God says, right? It's not this is not a we're not

looking for anything except that Jesus gets glorified.

We go back to Malachi 2 and this is this is a guy that did it

right. You know, all through Malachi 2,

the Lord is talking about corrupt priests.

But then he talks about this guy and verse six and seven, it says

true instruction was in his mouth and no wrong was found in

his lips. He walked with me in peace and

uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.

For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge, and

people should seek instruction from his mouth.

For he is a messenger of the Lord of hosts.

And that's for for me, that's that's a verse God gave me when

we came here. But it also is a verse that we

should all strive for that we should be looking to be that

messenger for the Lord by reflecting his light into our

community. And when I, when I came, you

know, I, I was praying about what to do and I watching over

the the community of Sandpoint. Am I supposed to do this?

And and the Lord gave me a vision for grace or for sorry

for bridges. Sandpoint.

Jesus has called us to reflect his light into a Dark World,

causing us to become bridges of light connecting the lost of his

of this world to him. And that's just as, as Jesus

shines light into our lives, our light reflects out onto other

people, right? And that's that connection.

And that's what we're supposed to be doing.

That's when we talk about me standing up here and being a

teacher. You, you guys, you guys teach

the world you're in, whether that I mean, I, I today is just,

I'm going to pick on Matt Day. He's a UPS driver.

How many, how many customers does he see on a regular basis?

And, and I've had both kinds of UPS drivers, right?

I've had the happy guy, which I'm just picturing Matt is the

energetic happy guy dropping off packages or the the grumpy UPS

driver. But the I it makes you ask

questions when you got when you got a guy that it's raining or

whatever. The thing has a bunch of boxes

and he's just he's upbeat and he's happy.

He's like, what's what's going on with that guy?

And that want that, that's teaching people stuff, right?

This world can be a dark and miserable place and we have a

joy because of what the Lord has done in our lives.

And when we share that with the world, we're, we're teaching

them that there's something better.

And so be be about his business. And, and then just to remember

that you may be the the only Christian somebody in your

sphere influence knows. And because of that, you are

teaching what it's like to be a Christian.

So you will be judged with greater strictness as you're, as

you're explaining what that's like, right?

So you don't want to explain what I what you think.

You want to explain what the Lord says, right?

You want to, you want to share with them the words of God.

And to do that, you need to be in those words, right, That you

don't, you don't sleep then you don't have the Bible under your

pillow and learn by osmosis, right?

You need to be in your word. You need to be reading it.

Verse 2 says for we all stumble in many ways and if anyone does

not stumble in what he says he is a perfect man able also to

bridle the whole body and the word perfect there as much as I

wish it could be that if I just keep quiet I can be perfect.

It just means mature or being complete.

Not perfect as in sinless, but mature like ready for solid food

or walking and not crawling right.

If you can, if you can bridle your tongue, if you can, if you

can speak from a position of pointing to Jesus, then you're

ready to for solid food. First Corinthians 32 Paul is is

scolding the Corinthians is that I fed you with milk, not solid

food for you were not ready for it and even now you are not

ready for it and that's you know how long how long have you been

saved? How long have you been walking

with the Lord? And you should be able to master

your tongue, but not because you have the strength, but because

you've given it to the Lord. And that's that's that

communication. Jane, like I said to begin with

is James didn't have text and Facebook and e-mail and

Instagram and Snapchat. He just had talking and maybe

maybe writing a scroll. But we have lots of ways to

communicate and we are held accountable for him.

Guys, do you scroll Facebook or YouTube or Instagram and see

memes you like and and laugh about and do you share them?

So when I say that is so, especially in this role, and I,

I think I've done good with this over the years because my, my

Facebook page has always been connected to a ministry of some

kind. But is I'm accountable when I

hit send. Did you know, especially in this

role when I hit when I, when I decide to post something, a

pastor posted that, which means Jesus stamped that approved.

I know that's not true, right? I know that that Jesus doesn't

approve of everything Nick does, but everybody that looks at my

Facebook doesn't know that, right?

Well, Pastor Nick said that's OK, which that's a weird that

Pastor Nick thing still doesn't roll off my tongue.

But are you that kind of careful with your words, right?

Are you are you thinking that way?

And when I say how, how do you get to be that kind of careful?

And that's Galatians 522 through 23.

But the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and

self-control. Against such there is no law.

So how do I control my tongue to the Spirit, Right.

I have to be, I have to be submitted to him.

I have to, I have to rely on his, his words coming out of my

life. Verse 3, three and four says if

we put bits in the mouth of horses so that they obey us, we

guide their bodies, their whole bodies as well.

Look at the ships also, Though they are so large and are driven

by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever

the will of the pilot directs. So in the title, send it, right

when I decide to just send it and let them have it, it's like

yank in the rein of a horse just puts him in the ditch, right?

And it's that is we don't ever have that We we don't have that

right. I'm just going to I'm just going

to tell that guy what I think of him.

I'm going to tell that girl what I think of him.

They don't have the right to act like, you know, when I do that

I'm in my own flesh. All right, now there is

definitely time that the Lord wants to talk to somebody and

needs to say some abrupt things to them.

But if you're going to be that instrument, you need to be sure

that's coming from Him and not from you.

And because if it's just coming from you, it is, it is wasteful

for you. It is wasteful for them, right?

It's it's not going to do you any good because you're going to

try and do it and you're not going to feel any better because

you know the reason I just got to get this off my chest and

you're not going to feel any better and they're not going to

get any any growth out of it. They're not going to be directed

to the Lord. And that is our goal, right.

Verses 5 through 8 says so. Also, the tongue is, is a small

member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire.

And the tongue is a fire of of a world of unrighteousness.

The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole

body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire

by hell. For every kind of beast and

bird, of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has

been tamed by mankind. But no human being can tame the

tongue. It is restless, evil and full of

deadly poison. So the only way that you're any

of what I'm about to say you can be successful in not doing is if

you submit to the Lord and you submit to the Holy Spirit in

your life and you say, Lord, I can't.

You need to quiet, quiet my quiet my outside voice until I

have something from you to say. So the Bible has a lot to say

about different, different communications, different

tongues. The lying tongue is Proverbs

12/22. Lying lips are an abomination to

the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

A flattering tongue. A lying tongue hates its

victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

And that's just a manipulator, right?

Manipulating people with what you say.

A proud tongue. Psalms 12/4 Those who say with

our tongues we will prevail. Our lips are with us.

Who is the master over us, right?

Do I have something to say that is not from the Lord?

That but I get the right to say it, you know.

Am I the master of my own words and my own thoughts?

Ecclesiastes 5/2 is an overused tongue.

I'm probably the most guilty at this.

I I talk too much. Be not rash with your mouth, not

let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in

heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

A swift tone, saying things quickly without without having

that pause to let the Lord work through you in it.

And James 119 says, know this my beloved brothers, let every

person be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to get angry.

And then you got the tail bearing tongue, which is a

gossip, right Levi Leviticus, sorry, Leviticus 1916.

You shall not go around as slanders among your people and

you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor.

I am the Lord. So we want gossip is something

that is cancerous, right? When we when when we have a when

we have a problem with a church member.

But if we even even if we have a child problem at work, right?

You should be known at some known as somebody that doesn't

talk about people that you talk to people, right?

If you have a problem with somebody at work, you need to go

to them and talk to them. And that that goes that goes

across the board. That's that's family members,

that's church members, that's work people, right?

If you have a problem, you start that with that person, right?

You have those conversations. And if somebody comes to you

with a problem about somebody, the I think I told you guys

already, Pastor Steve is the tri-cities.

He's he's a big guy and he's a lot of fun in a lot of ways.

And thank goodness I got saved there.

So I, I got trained to this at a young age and didn't have to

experience it the hard way, but is if you came to Steve and said

so and so did this and did this and, and, and this is going on

and you need to take care of this.

And Steve would just look at you and go, well, did you talk to

them? Well, no, I, well, let's go and

talk to him. And so now he's, he's actually

now we're going to get now we're going to go talk to that person,

right. So if they came up and attempted

to like make somebody look bad and maybe they were being

honest, maybe they weren't, but it's the point of that.

We're not going to do that right.

We're we're going to we're going to work this out together,

right. And so having that thought, you

know, my don't know if I told I told this recently.

I don't know if it was here is the other gossip moment was

Pastor Mitch, but you guys heard about a lot.

He's married to Marcy and they were at home and Steve and they

all came from California together to the tri-cities.

And so they're all friends and and stuff.

And and Marcy was mad at Steve about something And Mitch got

home and Marcy's venting about Steve and and Mitch goes, you

need to stop or we're going to need to call Steve.

And a few minutes went by and she didn't stop and he dialed

the phone. He said Steve's here.

So it's that level, right? We don't need to talk about

other people. We need to talk to them because

the whole point is we need, we need a good relationship with

each other, right? And when we talk, when we, when

we, when we're slandering other people, even even in the

relationship of our marriage, we need to hold each other

accountable to not, not allow that to happen, right?

We need to be focused on what the Lord would do in that

matter. Because if, if somebody's doing

something and they're in sin, right?

I need to, I need to address that, not talk about it.

And so and then Psalm one O 916 and 17 the cursing tongue.

For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor

and needy and the broken hearted to put them to death.

He loved to curse and let curses come upon him.

He did not the light and blessing.

May it be far from him so to remember that that God's desire

is that none should perish, right?

So I don't want to be, I don't want to be saying that person is

beyond saving. Now they might be beyond saving,

but I don't want to say that right?

I want, I want to do all I can to save them.

I want to do all I can to shine light into their lives, not not

tell them that they are they are cursed and and be a stumbling

block that they get to look at later on and go, well, I'm not

saved because of that guy, right?

I don't believe in Jesus because of that guy.

I don't want to be that person. So in all of that, it sounds

like it'd be better if I was just a mute.

But at the end, the spirit can redeem even our thoughts, right?

And that is Second Timothy for two says, preach the word, be

ready in season and out of season to reprove, rebuke,

exhort with complete patience and teaching.

So we do have something to offer this world, but what we have to

offer is what the Spirit pours into us, right?

We pour that out into the world, then suddenly, then suddenly the

world has changed. And it's changed because of what

the Spirit's doing through US, right?

So we are to be in the word sharing what Jesus has to say

and sharing it with the heart Jesus has for those you're

speaking to. And that goes back to

Christianity is not a self help book, right?

I'm not at any point telling you to, you know, act like this or

act like that. I'm telling you to get in your

word and follow what he says, be in prayer and listen to the

Lord, right? Because outside of that, you

have no hope. I have no hope out.

If I, if I decide that I'm going to try really, really hard to be

really, really good, I'm really, really going to fail.

But if I decide that Lord, I can't and you need to guide me

and direct me, I have a chance. And Romans 616 says, do you not

know that? If you present yourselves to

anyone as an obedient slave, you are slaves of the one whom you

obey, either to sin, which leads to death, or obedience, which

leads to righteousness. So unless we obey Jesus, I will

obey my selfishness, I will obey the the sin that is inherent in

me, in my flesh. Romans 719.

Paul goes on to say, For I do not do the good I want to, but

the evil I do not want to do is what I keep on doing, and that

is unless Jesus is doing it, I am lost.

Simply put, unless I am in a constant place of peace, relying

on the Spirit to work through me, and being willing to obey

Him at all times, I'll fail. And Romans 6, 17 and 18, it

says, But thanks be to God, that you were once slaves of sin,

having become become obedient from the heart to a standard of

teaching which you will, you were committed.

And having been set free from sin, you have become slaves of

righteousness. And that's the promise, right

when we say, Lord, not my will, but your will.

And Lord, I am not smart, I need you to show me.

He will and he does. Verse 9 of James it says, with

it we will bless our Lord and Father, and with it we will

curse people made in his likeness from the same mouth.

Some bless and some curse. My brothers, these things ought

not be so. Does a spring pour forth from

the same opening fresh in salt water?

Can a fig tree? My brothers bear olives and

grapevines and produce figs. Neither can a salt pond yield

fresh water. Has anybody seen the help the

movie Mississippi Maids? And there's a scene at the end

of the movie that one of the maids that got let go brought

back a peace offering to her her ex boss.

And the peace offering was her chocolate pie.

And the moral of the story is in that chocolate pie with some of

her poop, they never say how much.

They they never say, well, it wasn't a lot.

No, they it just says poop doesn't say how much.

Nobody asked because is there any amount of poop in a pie that

you're going to eat? I mean, and that's, that's it.

It doesn't matter how much chocolate.

It doesn't matter how much goodness is in there.

They're not. I'm good, right, And and that's,

you know, I have a little bit of the spirit.

I gave him a little bit of what the Lord wanted me to tell him,

but I had to tell him something. You know, that's that's wasted,

right? We I add nothing up here and

that that is in in India. I have AI have a friend that is

I've met him in Uganda. He's a Indian guy and he goes to

a church in India and they don't have, they don't have anybody

teaching. They're, they're, they just read

the Bible, right? That is literally the whoever's,

whoever's the guy that day just gets up and reads the Bible.

And that's how they, they learn, right?

Because you can't corrupt that you're just going to read the

word. And, and really at the end of

the day, guys, I want you guys to be in James.

I want you to be looking at it and and listen to what he has to

say, not what I have to say, right.

I'm just trying to point at him at what he said at the Holy

Spirit. Philippians 4 is 8 says finally,

brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,

honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is

lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence in

it, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these

things. So before we send it, well, we

should filter it through. Is it true?

Is it honorable? Is it just, is it pure?

Is it lovely? Is it commendable?

Is it excellent? Is it worthy of praise?

Talk about these things. And the the think acronym that

is you know, is, is it true? Is it helpful?

Is it inspired? Is it necessary?

Is it kind? The lady that actually I didn't

know this lady named Beth Day wrote these three gates, which

is if you are tempted to reveal a tale that someone told you

about another, make it pass before you speak through gates

of gold 3 narrow gates first is it true?

Then ask yourself is it needful? Give honest answers in your

mind. The last and narrowest is is it

kind and if if to reach your lips at last it passes through

these three gateways, then you may tell the tale and not fear

what the outcome of speech may be.

And I would just encourage us all to be to be in prayer about

our our communications with others.

You know that and that's that's at the grocery store at the bank

line UPS driver as he's as he's talking to people.

But we, we all interact with this world and we may be the

only Christian that people know. And you are the light in this

world and you were, you were put here the day you gave your life

to the Lord. The reason we don't vanish is

because you were put here to go and shine that light into the

world. And, and Lord, I just thank you

for everybody here. And I thank you for this time

and thank you that you do speak Lord, that you are living and

you want to work through US Lord, and that you would just

shine light in this community through the body of believers

here Lord, and that we would go out and just reflect you into

the world. And I pray this all in Jesus

name, Amen.