A Man Named James | Part Three

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There wasn't a favoritism in God, and there shouldn't be a favoritism in us, and that we should extend first mercy before we extend judgment.

How many of you are glad that God extended mercy first to you?

Amen?

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Mercy always triumphs over judgment.

Because of the fact that Christ extended mercy over my life, I too can now extend mercy over the lives of others.

And it should be my first and my go-to.

Extend mercy first.

Mercy first.

That should be my message.

That should be my lifestyle.

So as James is telling the church this, he's saying, grow, grow, grow.

Go deep, go deep.

Find richer soil.

Mature in your faith.

He's saying, embrace these hard things.

Because some of these things are going to be difficult.

The first thing I want to extend actually in my life is judgment.

I took the scale, you may have heard this before.

I took my spiritual gift assessment test, and I just kind of like, I wonder what this test says.

And I scored on mercy, I came out with zero.

And yet I oversee our houses of mercy.

Amen?

So God has a sense of humor.

He'll put you in a place where he knows, oh, that's a weak spot, Brody.

Because I don't like extending judgment as much as I love justice.

When I see it wrong, I want to see it right.

But mercy needs to exist in that place of justice.

Amen?

So when it comes to maturity, we're growing.

Chapter 3.

James is talking, and he's saying, I'm going to address here something that we all need to guard over, and that's our heart.

But out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth will speak.

And he's speaking to us in James chapter 3.

James 3 · chapter mention

He takes virtually a whole chapter to say this: watch your words.

There's creative power that's in the that is associated with the words that we have, the words that we speak.

And that is why praise is just such a big part of who we are as believers, because it's literally declaring to God who he is and what you love about him, and how our relationship is engaged and connected.

Praise is all about the words, our words and our hearts being displayed and being expressed.

But I remember growing up in, I don't know if we had it, my parents had this item, but my grandparents definitely had this on both sides, Mike, the Calamans and the Schneiders.

When we go over for breakfast at their house in the morning, they had on their table this little bread box.

You guys, does anyone remember these bread?

They looked like a loaf of bread.

I'm not trying to chuckle, but when you think of it, it looked like a loaf.

And inside this loaf of bread were like about probably 200 little cards.

And it was like the old school version of like an app that would just push to you like a scripture.

This was like you get up in the morning, my grandpa would make a Sanka coffee.

Do you remember Sanka?

He'd always ask me, Do you want something?

I'd be like, No.

I never drank coffee until I was like 25 years old because I was like, How do adults do this?

Like they drink coffee all the time until I married someone who works at Starbucks.

And that's some association there.

I like her, I like Starbucks.

It worked.

And uh but there's this moment every morning we get up, my grandma would make, I'm gonna make you hungry here.

She'd make like bacon and sausages and eggs and pancakes.

You know, the kind of pancakes that would like float in the air, they were so fluffy.

And she'd make them, and we would, and then she'd pull out of that little bread box a little card, and we always treat it kind of like a like uh um a fortune cookie.

You know, you just kind of pull it out.

What's God gonna say for me today?

And what's God gonna say to you today?

And we would declare these words over each other in the morning.

And it was a really great habit, and this, and literally my whole life, that that box, that little bread box, sat on their table and it was used every day.

Building, speaking over themselves the word of God over their lives.

And they would stop and they just, and this is something I think that we are challenged with today, is that the opportunity, now I have an app that pushes to me like a Bible verse of the day.

How many of you have that on your phone?

Like a Bible app, and I have to be honest with you, sometimes I just swipe through it.

I glance, I look at it, oh, that's a good verse, and I move on.

And I don't take the opportunity to actually stop, read it, meditate on it, listen to what God is speaking to me, and embrace it and declare it over my life.

And this is a change because in Genesis, the scripture talks about in the beginning, God saw an empty place.

And in that empty place, he actually said, He spoke into that void, he spoke into that darkness, he spoke into that empty place, and he actually spoke into it a creative force that created something in that emptiness.

So he said this: he says, Let there be light.

And at 183,000 miles per hour, light poof, filled the world.

And then God spoke again, let stars fill the sky and let the light, the night be separated from the day.

And he he declared with his words, and there was a creative element attached to the words that he spoke.

He established a pattern for us to live by, to watch our words.

Watch our words.

And as we're created in his image, we have that same power too, to actually live out our lives with this container of words inside of us that can be used to bless and encourage and support and bring and speak life into people.

And some people consider um, you know, the prophetic ministry.

This big word prophetic is this highly like challenging ministry that people uh operate in that lives in this world of kind of the uh unknown and and the cloudy, and they're always in the clouds.

And but the word prophetic really means to speak life, speak words of encouragement to the church, to each other, to build up and support and and uh create strong foundations in people that when you see people struggling, you can come in and use your words to build people up.

That's why it doesn't matter what age you are, you can still be a support to the church just by your words that you speak, just by the words that you express.

So even though praise, even those thoughts are just words in your head, they have power.

And we need to use them as an opportunity to speak life into the voids that are in our life.

Oftentimes we just see the emptiness and we just try to ignore it instead of seeing the emptiness and actually speaking to the emptiness and speaking life into that dead spot, using our words to bring life.

And let me tell you uh, a few years ago, I got to connect with uh this pastor from uh the States, and uh we were at a conference just across the border, and he began to share his own personal declaration that he shares each day.

This is personally, daily declaration.

And I just wanted to share this with you.

I don't have it written on the screen, but I want you just to hear it and embrace it today yourself.

He says, This Jesus is first in my life.

I exist to serve and to glorify him.

I love my wife and will lay down my life to serve her.

My children will love God and serve him with their whole hearts.

I will nurture, equip, train, empower them to do more for his kingdom than they can imagine.

I love people and believe the best about others.

I'm disciplined, Christ is in me, is stronger than the wrong desires that are in me.

I'm growing closer to Jesus every day because of Christ.

My family is closer, my body is stronger, my faith is deeper, my leadership is sharper.

I'm anointed, I'm empowered, equipped, and called to reach people far from God.

I'm creative, innovative, driven, focused, and blessed beyond measure because the Holy Spirit dwells within me.

I develop leaders.

That's not something I do, it's who I am.

My words, my thoughts, my imagination is under the power of Christ.

I take all thoughts captive, make them obedient to Christ.

I wake up with purpose, direction, and meaning every day of my life.

Pain is my friend.

I rejoice in suffering because Christ suffered for me.

I bring my best and then some.

It's what I bring after I do my best that makes the difference.

The world will be different and better because I serve Jesus today.

There's a power in the words that you say to declare over your own personal life the truth of who God is and the truth of God's plan for you.

So the the challenge is though, when our words contradict our actions.

And our words are in contradiction with our Christian lifestyle.

And so James is speaking, and he starts off very simply.

He says this in James chapter 3, verse 1.

James 3:1

He says this, not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with a greater strictness.

Now, the truth is that teachers aren't the only ones who uh who teach.

Right?

We can't say, well, that's one job I don't want to have, because you're judged with a double strictness.

Like you're you have this double judgment associated with it.

In fact, we are all teaching.

I could find in each person uh a realm in your life where you're actually teaching and instructing someone else.

So the the message of the scripture here is more related to the not related to the position of a teacher, the warning to the position of a teacher, but warning to the people in general that watch the words that are coming out of your mouth because whatever you're saying, and to whoever you're saying it to, and whatever your action is, and however you're expressing yourself, you're actually teaching, and you'll be held responsible for the words that you say.

You'll be held responsible for the way you teach and instruct.

Fathers, to your family, to your neighbors, to the coworkers, to your to your community, to your church.

How are you?

How are you using your words?

How are you instructing?

How are you encouraging and blessing?

You'll all be held responsible.

We have this responsibility.

In fact, Paul tells Timothy, who's even young in the faith, he says this don't let anyone look down on you because you're young.

Now he's saying that he's not because you're like 12 years old or 11 years old.

He's he's talking about this newness in the faith.

Don't let someone look down on you because you're new in the faith.

But be an example, set an example for the believers in your speech.

Everyone?

In my speech?

What's my speech like?

Mature?

Are you gauging that speech?

In the words that you're sharing, in your conduct, the way I act?

Do I conduct myself in a way that's honoring of God and honoring of the testimony of Christ?

The life of Christ?

In my love?

How do I love?

Do you love well or are or do you not love well?

Are you quick to forgive or are you quick just to judge?

Do you give mercy?

Do you give grace?

Do you lead that way?

Or are you in a position where your love is secondary?

Our faith express and give an example in the way you believe in your faith.

Do you get up in the morning?

Do you go to bed at night?

Do you remember Christ throughout your day?

Are you walking in a lifestyle that's being directed by the Holy Spirit?

Now that you may say, well, Brody, that's really tough.

Yeah, it is tough.

That's why we need God along the way.

And that's why we need brothers and sisters and people around us encouraging us and helping us and supporting us and watching over us so that we stay on the path.

Because this isn't easy.

If you find being a Christian and having your faith match up with your testimony, your story, your words and your lifestyle matching up perfectly.

James says, listen, it's a perfect person.

You're a perfect person if that's the case.

But the fact is that all of us aren't.

It says, no man can tame the tongue.

It's a wild thing.

It needs to be checked every day.

Watch your words.

Get up in the morning.

I will guard my tongue.

I will guard my heart.

I will watch the words that are coming out of my mouth today.

I'm gonna make the Lord the Lord of my lips.

What will I say?

How will I say it?

How will it be seasoned?

Will it have grace?

Will it have purity?

Will it be of a good report?

Will it be of faith?

Will it be trustworthy?

Will I be someone who's setting that example moving forward?

Live your life with that purity in it.

Paul's talking to Timothy here.

He's saying, This is your example.

And James is speaking to his audience of believers.

He's saying, older, younger, parent, single, it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, everyone has to watch their tongue.

Because what we allow to come out, once it's spoken, it can't be retrieved.

How many of you have been in that position where you've said something you've wished you just didn't say it?

Just be quiet.

You're just thinking, I should have just, I should have been quiet.

I should have just not said anything.

But there are times when you you have to guard your tongue.

Guard it, watch it.

Brothers, sisters, family, those who've been with us a long time, those who've been with us a short time, watch your tongue.

If we're gonna do this, if we're gonna reach our community, if we're gonna reach families, if we're gonna reach our famil our extended family, our own home, we have to watch our tongue.

Because your tongue is gonna lead.

And the message that you share with other people is good is going to be how they see Christ and how they see Christ in you.

I remember the time when I was uh gonna be ordained.

Ordained into ministry, become a minister of religion.

That's always nice.

What do you do?

What's your, you know, sit on a plane.

What are who what do you do?

I'm a minister of religion.

They don't know what that means.

Like uh, is that something special?

Is it not?

Is it, but it just means like you're a reverend.

And and I remember that day succinctly because I gotten away with not having to be ordained for a long time.

Because I knew that this double judgment was gonna be there.

Now the Bible says it should be accompanied by a double honor, and I'm like, yes, okay, Lord, like we'll see that in eternity particularly, but what is the double judgment?

This whole double judgment part, I want to make sure I make it to eternity, right?

And I knew that just because you have a greater pulpit and I have a captive audience, and I'm so gracious, grateful for you today, each word I say, I'm gonna be held accountable for.

And I really had to get challenged with that.

I'm like, Lord, is this really for me?

And it wasn't until the point that I realized, hold on, I'm not the only one who's gonna be captive for the things they say.

You will be too.

Each and every one of us is gonna be held responsible for the words we say.

So here is what we're supposed to be.

We're supposed to look at each of our words, weigh our words in reality, though, realize that the weight that they carry is real.

And so, uh, unfortunately, like I believe we live in a time and a season where people are just quick to put out whatever they feel right away.

We live in a culture that has learned to become uncensored on over a screen, that when it comes to real life, they they think that they don't see the difference between the screen and a person.

And they become so liberal of talking their mind and speaking their mind online that when they actually see a person, they just blurt out an uncensored junk.

It just comes out because you're not held accountable to some unknown person online.

Why should you be held accountable to someone who's in your face?

And the danger is there that today everyone has an opinion and everyone has a view, and everyone is saying something.

You have to really be careful what you're saying.

And James is saying here, are you sure you want to be so quick to talk?

Don't be too quick.

Your words will have power.

You'll be responsible for them, and they can cause great damage.

He goes on to say this.

He said, the tongue is like three pieces, or three examples.

He says, number one, the tongue is like a bit in a horse's mouth.

If you've spent time around uh horses, you'll know that they the way they they uh steer the horse, they they compel the horse to move one way or another, is they have a what's called a bit that travels on the inside of the horse's mouth attached to the reins, and as you pull that rein one way, it pulls the head in that direction, and the horse begins to move in that direction.

He says the tongue is like that.

A horse's bit can control the horse, the tongue controls the person.

So wherever you go with your words is where your body will follow, where you will go, uh where your family will go, where your promotion or your journey in that company will take you.

Are you quick to bless your boss?

Are you quick to slander?

Are you quick to be to gossip?

Are you quick to hold true?

Horse's bit can control the horse.

Secondly, a whole ship can be controlled by simple rudder.

So James is saying this.

He's saying that little rudder on that ship, that little rudder on that boat, whoever controls that rudder controls the direction of that ship.

And so be careful where you're pointing that rudder.

Be careful about where your tongue is at.

And lastly, he talks about the destructive nature of it.

Now the good news is if you use your lips and you use your mouth to bless God, your tongue to bless God, you'll move in the direction of blessing.

If you use your tongue to hurt and to curse and to break people down and to divide, it'll lead you to a divisive life.

If you use your tongue for truth to stand up for righteousness, then God will see it, recognize it, and bless it.

If you use your tongue to break down, the Lord will see that as well.

We have to be careful about this.

He says very succinctly, because remember, he's talking to Jewish people at this time.

People who were very opinionated, very tradition-driven.

And he's saying, listen, don't be so quick to call something out, to judge quick.

Remember the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, and people were so quick to judge her, throw stones at her.

And Jesus stops them in that place.

He says, He who's without sin, you can throw the first stone.

Listen, mercy has to follow first before judgment.

So I'm gonna let's extend mercy at this moment, but people were so quick to judge at that moment that they lost the opportunity to actually redeem this woman.

Jesus talks about it.

He says, a blaze, James talks about this way.

He says, a blaze can be started with a small spark.

Everything can be burnt up with a loose, tiny spark.

Many of you have probably been watching the news regarding the California camp fire.

And uh they they're trying to track down.

I read this morning that 63 people have died already due to the fire.

It's claimed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage, and they they're trying to track down where it started, and they're tracking it back to a time where they think that it might have happened when a farmer was working on a fence post with a hammer and sparked off a nail, and the spark flicked off into the dry brush.

And from that point, that little spark in that one moment from one point of contact has ended up creating massive destruction in California.

One careless sentence can destroy a relationship.

One careless word can ruin someone's life, can send them in a downward spiral.

He says, watch this.

James 3.6 says this the tongue is like a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.

It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire.

He's being extra, extra clear about this.

Watch your words.

A mature person will watch the words coming out of their mouth.

Don't be so quick.

He says, because it sets the whole course of one's life on fire and itself is set on fire by hell.

That's how quick he's saying.

He's saying, just be careful what you're saying.

One time he actually had to uh talk to Peter, and he said, Jesus talked to Peter, and he actually told Peter, Peter, get behind me.

Get behind me, Satan, your stumbling block for me.

Do you not have in mind, you don't have mind the concerns of God, but merely your human concerns.

In other words, your concerns, the words that you're sharing right now, are just coming out of a ver out of your own heart, and it's not censored at all.

You're not gauging your words before you actually share them.

You're not censoring them or filtering them before you actually share them.

Jesus spoke to Peter about that.

He says, you're only thinking of your own motives.

And this is the challenge that we run in today.

James continues.

He says, listen, a whole lot of things can be tamed.

He says, the whole world we've learned to tame wild animals, lions, bears, like all the dangerous animals.

We've learned how to tame them, but the human tongue cannot be tamed.

In other words, this don't ever turn your back on your tongue.

How many of you have ever watched those nature shows and you see these wolves and they're like petting these wolves?

And then there's a grizzly bear and they're petting the grizzly bear.

You wouldn't find me in a cage with a grizzly bear.

If they said, Oh, it's tame, forget it.

It's still a wild animal.

You know, you're hanging out with these big apes, and you realize they could like pull you apart in a second.

What are you doing in that cage?

Don't be, don't think that you people think they those items, those animals are tame.

He says, watch out because the tongue, don't ever turn your back on your tongue, don't ever hold back, watching your tongue.

Who controls the tongue?

It's like we do.

We control, but we have to guard it every single day.

So here's where it gets interesting.

He's saying, this is a challenge for us.

And it sounds like, you know, after hearing this kind of a message from James, you're like, man, maybe I shouldn't say anything.

I'd be better off just being quiet, period.

You know, it's like, how's your day?

Mm-hmm.

My mom has this thing.

How are uh when she has a thought, mm-hmm?

And you get the hum, and you're like, are you agreeing with me or not agreeing with me?

I'm not quite sure.

Where you're mm-hmm.

I was thinking about doing that.

Uh-huh.

She doesn't say anything.

I think she found a loophole in scripture there.

The hum.

You know, it's not really a word.

Are you really held accountable to it?

Like it's the hum.

But here's where it gets interesting.

With your tongue, you can bless God.

You can bless God.

And I love, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me.

Bless his holy name.

I forget not his benefits, but I'll remind him of his benefits.

He crowns us with compassion.

He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west.

He pulls us out of the miry clay, puts our feet upon a rock, he heals all our diseases.

He's that life giver to us.

This is the blessing part.

We guard our tongue, we look at it, and we think, consider ways to bless, ways to benefit, ways to be more like him.

When we look at each other, we realize that yes, Malachi was formed in the likeness of God.

Not Malachi particularly, but yes, Malachi.

Malachi is in the likeness of God.

He's a person that was created in God's image.

We were all created in God's image, so we use our words to bless each other because we are all representatives of God's creation.

So we bless, we bless, we bless, and we make sure that the words that are coming out of our mouth are coming from a spring that brings life.

So when is the last time you've used your words to be a blessing, to encourage?

When is the last time you've you've spoken scripture, the scripture over your spouse, over your children, and you've told them who they are in God.

You've told them how much you've loved them, how much you care for them, how much uh how much um your your heart is to is for them and desires good for them.

This is the the heart of God towards us.

Um there's a seriousness about this passage because it's not about, oops, uh, like I used the wrong words, it's about really the nature of who we are.

Are you a blesser?

Are you someone who blesses?

When you have opportunity, do you get up in the morning and you say, I'm gonna bless today?

Some people say, Well, no, I'm just gonna be real today.

Don't be real.

I just gonna be authentic today.

Don't.

Sometimes your authentic nature is terrible.

It's like you wake up and you're just gonna be authentic.

No one wants to be around your authentic self.

You want to be around the person who's like Christ.

And you have to stop and you say, I am going to put away authentic Brody and put on Christ.

And that's what Paul said.

Clothe yourself in new clothes.

James is saying, dress yourself up in a new dress code.

Put on blessing, put on encouragement, put on love, put on faith, put on uh put on healing.

That when you approach a situation, you're coming at it with the truth and the the words of God.

That's what we put on.

It's not about your mouth, it's about your nature.

Who are you?

Who are you today?

Are you one who blesses?

And and uh the best way to challenge that is just ask your spouse or ask your kids, am I a blessing in the home?

The words you hear out of my mouth, are they good?

Can you help me?

Don't be careful asking that.

No judgment, just mercy.

Can you help me be a blessing today?

Philippians 4.8, and this is like close, says this.

Finally, can you all say finally?

Finally, brothers, turn to your neighbor, say brother or sister, like family, finally.

Everyone's like, finally, he's done, finally.

Whatsoever things are pure, are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, then think on these things.

We think upon things that bring virtue, things that bring praise, things that bring purity, things that are honorable, things that are of a good report, things that are lovely, things that are just.

How many of you would love to be in that environment every day?

Amen.

Well, that's what we're contending with, and that's what we're challenged with with James.

He's saying, guard your mouth, guard your lips, guard your tongue.

Faith without works is dead.

Faith without uh an without having this fruit in your in your life, it it's you've got to check back and say, am I planted?

Am I connected?

Is God the source of my nature?

Is who I am?

Because if he is, then I'll start and I'll begin to bear these fruit because sons turn into their father.

Amen.

Amen.

Would you just stand with me for a moment as we close in in prayer today?

If you're looking at your heart, because this really is a hard issue.

I'm not trying to just tell you, come into obedience, change your words.

That's it's it's too that's too instructural in terms of your behavior.

God doesn't want to just change your behavior, He wants to change the source of your behavior.

He wants to go back and change your heart.

So would you just close your eyes with me for a moment and just reflect on the heart of God today?

Reflect on his heart towards you.

Thank you, Father, today that you love us.

Thank you, Lord, today that you care for us.

Thank you today that we are we are chosen because of you.

And I just wrote a few things down today that uh to be a blessing to you.

And this is because of Jesus.

Because of Jesus, you are a child of God.

Because of Jesus, you are a spiritual contributor, not just a spiritual consumer.

Because of Jesus, he's anointed you to contribute.

Because of Jesus, you're alive and you're faith-filled.

You're you're Christ's ambassador.

Because of Jesus, you're a masterpiece.

Because of Jesus, you can stand content in Christ alone.

Because of Jesus, you're chosen.

Because of Jesus, you're strengthened by God who will uphold you, protect you, and defend you.

Because of Jesus, you have joy, you're gentle.

Because of Jesus, you're not easily offended.

Because of Jesus, you're patient, you're faithful, you're self-controlled, you're kind, you're steady, you're not alone, you're loved, and you're free and healed.

Because of Jesus, you are without shame and can live as one who's unashamed.

Because of Jesus, your debt has been canceled.

Because of Jesus, you can live fearless and secure.

Because of Jesus, you are a new creation and that you're more than a conqueror.

Because of Jesus, you're labeled by God and you're not labeled by man.

Because of Jesus today, you're the light of the world.

Because of Jesus today, you're mighty in his power.

And because of Jesus today, you are the church and you exist to be a blessing and a light and flavor to the world because of Jesus.

And Father, today we thank you for your Son Jesus.

We thank you for the new beginning he's given each and every one of us.

We thank you for a new start.

We thank you for your blessing on our lives.

We thank you that today you are open and for anyone to be able to come into your place of relationship, into a place of relationship with you.

So, Father, today I just ask that you would reach into the hearts of our people, reach into my heart, Lord, and and create in me, Lord, a passion for you and your heart, Lord, so that my words would be your words, my thoughts would be your thoughts, and my future would be determined by your destination in my life.

Ask this, Lord, in Jesus' name.

We believe in you today.

We confess that you are Lord in Jesus' name.

And everyone said, Amen.

Amen.