Sermon - Tame the Tongue: "Kingdom Wisdom " Series

Sermon Outline
Focus: What comes out of our mouths reveals who rules our hearts.

I. The Tongue Possesses Enormous Power
        Small words can have massive impact.
        Words can heal or wound, build up or tear down.
        Before speaking, posting, or commenting, ask: Is it True? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?
        “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts great things.” (James 3:5)

II. The Tongue Reveals the Condition of the Heart
        Speech is not merely a mouth problem – it is a heart problem.
        What fills the heart eventually comes out through the mouth.
        Anger, bitterness, pride, and resentment often reveal themselves through our words.
        “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)

III. Kingdom Speech Reflects Kingdom Citizenship
        The world rewards outrage; Jesus calls us to grace.
        The world says, “Win the argument.” Jesus says, “Love your neighbor.”
        Kingdom citizens should sound different because they belong to a different King.

IV. Application:
        What do my words reveal about my heart?
        Do my conversations and social media posts reflect Jesus?
        Is there a relationship that needs healing, forgiveness, or an apology?
        How can my speech better reflect the Kingdom of God this week?

V. When Jesus reigns in the heart, His Kingdom begins to come out of the mouth.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

The world says win the argument. Jesus says, no, no, win the person. Because every person bears the image of God. Friends, kingdom citizens are supposed to sound different from the world around us. Not because we're weak. No, no, we're not weak. But because we belong to a different king. And we reside in a different kingdom.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Welcome to the Church of the Lakes Weekly Sermon Podcast. We're so glad you've joined us, and we're honored to be part of your spiritual journey. Today, Pastor Garrett Precepts continues with our sermon series, Kingdom Wisdom, using the book of James, written by the half-brother of Jesus. Today's message is titled, Take the Tongue. You know, the words that slip off of our tongue can be like a fire and set a forest ablaze. What comes out of our mouths reveals who rules our heart. And now, here's Pastor Jared. Be blessed.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

It is a joy to be with you. I have not been in this service for several weeks now. Um, just to kind of give you a little update of my life. June 4th, I had surgery to repair a hernia. Uh, that was no fun uh for those of you who dealt with that. Three days later, I went on vacation with my family down to Tennessee with Meredith and the kids. And then last week I was over on the other side. But it is a joy to be with you. I feel like it's been too long. I have missed you. I've prayed for you. I've been watching you online when I was out of town or recovering from surgery. But again, it is a joy to be with you in the Lord's house, um, just to connect corporately together to the God who creates, the God who redeems, and the God who daily sustains us uh through the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we are continuing on a series of messages we kicked off, oh, I think four weeks ago, five weeks ago now, uh, out of uh James's letter to the early church. We're calling this series Kingdom Wisdom. Uh you know, uh Kingdom Wisdom, it really fits underneath the umbrella of our really theme, overarching theme for the collective year at Church of the Lakes. We're talking a lot this year about the kingdom of God and how we can cultivate better kingdom of God mindsets so we can be more effective kingdom of God builders within our own circles of influence. All of us have our own circles of influence that we touch that other ones of us don't touch. And the kingdom of God is expanded within our world as we take seriously our call to again be effective kingdom builders within our places of influence. Um, with that said, wisdom has a part to play, does it not, in being effective kingdom builders. And the reason I say that is because we live in a world, uh, tell me if I'm wrong, but we live in a world that is overflowing with information but truly starving for wisdom. Um certainly with the onset of AI, we have access, more access to information, opinions, arguments, podcasts than any generation before us in human history. And yet, we're still a people who find themselves anxious, divided, argumentative, confused, spiritually exhausted. Why? Well, because knowledge doesn't necessarily equate a change life. Information doesn't necessarily mean transformation is going to happen in you. That's why the book of James matters so much. Uh James, I know uh Pastor Brian mentioned this last week. James is known as the Proverbs of the New Testament. And the reason it is, is because James is so doggone practical in his writing. Uh, he does not merely concern himself with just what Christians believe in their head, but how that belief is being unfolded in the way they live their life, in the relationships they engage, in the uh conversations they have, in their thought process, in their priorities, in their everyday decision making, even in the way we endure our sufferings. Because real faith, friends, doesn't stay in the head, does it? No, we know that. It seeps into the heart and it also extends into our hands, into our relationships, uh, into all of our circles of influence. So today, uh, James is going to add another layer to um kind of cultivating kingdom wisdom, and it has everything to do with our speech, our tongue, the way we talk to one another. And that is in James chapter 3. Listen to the author write under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit uh this word of encouragement but also conviction to the people of God. James says this not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. Now, as a people of God, we are we need to be teachers and influencers within our world. So again, this is written to us. He goes on in verse 2 for all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes is speaking it uh in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle, gives an example. If you put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their their whole bodies. Or look at ships, though they are so large and it takes strong winds to drive them forward, yet they are guided by a very small rudder, wherever the will the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. Oh how great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire, and the tongue is indeed a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity. It stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and bird, of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue, a restless evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the image and likeness of God, our Father. From the mouth same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from a the same opening both fresh and polluted water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grape tree figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. Friends, this is indeed the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Will you pray with me? Lord God, I thank you so much just for the blessing you bestow upon me to offer uh reflection on your life-giving word, Lord. I just pray in the midst of these next few moments that this message just be soaked in the blood of Jesus, that it be empowered by your Holy Spirit to edify, encourage, and maybe even convict us, Lord. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever had a slip of the tongue? It's not a rhetorical question, right? Or is it? Of course we have. We all have had a slip of the tongue, uh the tongue in moments where maybe we've been frustrated or tired or angry, or if you're like my oldest son, hangry, you might have a slip of the tongue. But if we're honest, slips of the tongue aren't really slips, are they? They're leaks. But like the pressure of a moment simply reveals what's already inside of us. Jesus says that much in Matthew chapter 12, verse 34, when he says, and I quote, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. In other words, words don't create what's in our heart, words simply reveal what's already there. And I think the half-brother of Jesus, James, the author of this letter, the early church, is getting getting to that point. He understands that reality. That's why, friends, he spends 12 verses talking about the significance of the tongue, the significance of our mouths. Because listen, if you really want to know what's happening in your heart, just listen to how you talk to other people. Listen to the words that come out of your mouth. Listen, for instance, to how you talk to your spouse or your best friend. Listen to how you speak to people who disagree with you. You want to know what's in your heart. Listen to what comes out when you're angry or angry. Listen to how you respond when somebody wounds you very deeply. Friends, the tongue, here this tells the truth about the soul. And you know something, church? We live in a world, and really in a culture where the kingdoms of this world are constantly trying to disciple our speech. Are they not? Turn on the news, what look at social media, listen to talk radio. I mean, our culture runs on outrage. Sarcasm, celebrated. Public humiliation now is a form of entertainment. Culture says win, destroy your opponent, get even, clap back, make sure everyone knows you're right and they're wrong. And the louder and harsher you speak, guess what? The more applause you receive. The kingdoms of this world, friends, want us to believe that being right is more important than being righteous. That winning is more important than loving. That humiliating somebody is better than actually understanding them. And listen, if we're not careful, we in the church who should know better can start looking and sounding more like the world than the Jesus that we profess is our Lord and Savior. You know, church, one of the greatest tragedies, I think, in the context of church in America today is that many of us Christians, we claim an allegiance to Jesus Christ while speaking the language of a different kingdom. Is that fair to say? Friends, James says this ought not to be so. Because speech reflects the heart of the kingdom in which we plant our feet. And if Jesus is really the king of our hearts, guess what? Then he also must be the king of our words, of our mouth, of our speech. Here's the first thing James wants, or yeah, James wants us to hear this morning when it comes to the tongue, is that the tongue possesses enormous power. Look at those first four verses again. James kicks off his conversation on the use of our speech by comparing the tongue to a bit in a horse's mouth or to the rudder of a ship. Small things, massive influence. Friends, hear me, believe it or not, your words are powerful. You doubt me? Well, some of you can still remember the encouraging words someone said to you 20 years ago, right? Even more than that, how many of us remember the discouraging or hurtful words someone spoke over us 20, 30, 40 years ago? Why? Well, because words leave marks. Sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you. That's not really true, is it? No, no. Today that the power of the word has only been amplified more by technology. What was once spoken to maybe two or three, four people can now be broadcasted to two, three, four thousand people. What once disappeared as soon as you said it from your lips, now can remain online forever. Young people, be careful what you post. You know, if we're honest, social media I think exposes exactly what uh the half brother of Jesus James is talking about right now. Let me give an example. How many times have you gone on a social media platform that you engage in and you've seen other believers absolutely tear somebody else apart online? I mean, I'm not talking about a passionate argument or just a disagreement. I'm talking about tearing them apart, destroying them with ridicule or shame or humiliation. Friends, in those moments, the goal is not humiliation, the goal is victory. Right? We want the likes. We want validation, we want people cheering us on, our tribe cheering us on in our echo chambers. We want to be right more than be like Jesus. Let me stop for a second and give some practical advice to those of you who frequent social media. Uh before speaking, before posting, before commenting on somebody else's post, perhaps you should run what you're about to say through what I would call the triple filter of questions. Okay? Look at what you're gonna post, and before you post it, ask yourself three questions. Is it true? Is it necessary? And is it kind? Not will it get me likes? Will my side approve? Or will I win? Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? If the answer isn't yes to each of those questions, do me a favor. Do yourself a favor. Do do the our representative collective witness a favor. Don't post it. Don't post it. I mean, think about Jesus, for instance. Nobody in human history was more right than Jesus. Is that a fair statement? The perfect Son of God condescended from heaven, came and fleshed himself with our humanity, walked a perfect existence here on earth. Nobody more right than Jesus Christ, yet nobody handled truth with more grace than Jesus Christ. And we have stories in the gospel. He confronted people but without degrading them. He spoke truth but did it without cruelty attached. I mean, even hanging on the cross, right? What does the Son of Man say that is one of his last seven words? Father, forgive them. For though we know not what they do. Friends, that's kingdom speech at its best, is it not? James again is saying the tongue possesses enormous power. Do not take for granted the power that your tongue actually has. But then James is gonna go deeper. He's gonna go to the root issue of our mouths. He's gonna say, Your issue is not merely what comes out of your mouth, your issue is actually what starts in your heart. James is gonna say in verses six, seven, and eight that actually the tongue reveals the condition of our heart. He uses the example of uh of a tongue uh being like fire, and how a tiny spark can burn down an entire forest. We know this. One angry sentence, one one cutting comment, one uncontrolled outburst, and suddenly years of trust have just been undermined and damaged. Again, how many of us still carry deep wounds from what somebody said to us twenty or thirty years ago? The bully who preyed on your insecurities, the parent who lashed out in a moment of irritation, the boss who made you feel worthless with his words. Those scars run deep, don't they? Why? Because speech isn't merely a mouth problem, it is a heart problem. I was trying to look for a biblical character that could kind of enhance what I'm saying here. I thought of King Saul. King Saul was the first king of Israel, wasn't the best king, uh, but he was the first. Uh King David, who was known as the best king of Israel, the greatest king of Israel, followed King Saul, and and they knew each other. And there was a season where Saul loved David, welcomed David, celebrated David, but as Saul decreased and David increased, guess what? So did Saul's jealousy. Started in his heart, and eventually it came out in his speech, came out through his actions. Jealousy became accusations, accusations became threats, threats became actual violence. That's how sin works, church. It starts underground. It starts in our soul and our heart, and if we don't take care of it then, it boils to the surface and eventually comes out for everybody not only to see, but also maybe have to deal with. Same thing happens today, happens through the course of time. Anger rarely stays hidden. We know this. Bitterness rarely stays private. Resentment eventually leaks out of us. It comes out in criticism, in sarcasm, in coldness, in contempt, in explosive reactions. Am I preaching this morning? We're not feeling encouraged, are we? We're feeling convicted if you're like me. Where this unfolds in the most devastating manner, I think, is in the closest relationships we have this side of heaven. I mean, take a marriage for an example. Do you know most marriages don't explode in a moment? They erode over time. One sarcastic comment, one cutting remark, one dismissive response, one roll of the eye, one harsh word after another until eventually what took years to build begins to crumble. Listen, James is not saying control your tongue. What James is saying is bring your heart to Jesus. Because a transformed heart produces a transformed tongue. Here's the third thing, friends. Kingdom speech reflects kingdom citizenship. Look at verses 9 to 12. James presents a contradiction in our lives. He says, with our mouth we both bless our Lord and Father, and then with it we also curse people who are made in the image and likeness of our God the Father. Like, I think as James is writing this, he has got to be just stunned by the contradiction. Like, how can the same mouth worship God on a Sunday morning and then curse or tear down people on Monday morning? Friends, do you realize every single person in existence is made in the image of God? Now, don't mishear me, not every person is a child of God yet. Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2 that we by nature as humanity are objects of wrath. We are born with sin nature. We are born dead in our sin and trespasses. We are not yet the children of God. That comes when we profess faith in Jesus Christ, when we claim him as our Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit and dwells within us, guess what? We become transformed from objects of wrath to the adopted children of God. Praise be to God for that. But even with that said, every person you run into is still made in the image and likeness of God. That co-worker or colleague who drives you crazy, guess what? Bears the image of God. The politician you cannot stand bears the image of God. The family member who tests your patience day in and day out, guess what? Bears the image of God. That person who wounded you deeply bears the image of God. Every one of them carries in their soul the fingerprints of the living God. Listen, the world says crush your enemies, Jesus and then it'll love your enemies. Why? Because your enemies bear the image of God. The world says get even, but Jesus and then it'll forgive. Why? Because the people you are called to forgive bear the image of God. The world said humiliate those who disagree with you, but Jesus says, no, no, no, bless those who curse you because why? Because they are bare the image of God. The world says win the argument. Jesus says, no, no, win the person. Because every person bears the image of God. Friends, kingdom citizens are supposed to sound different than the world around us. Not because we're weak. No, we're not weak. But because we belong to a different king and we reside in a different kingdom. Our words, what comes out of our mouth, should be words of grace and mercy and truth and hope. Because our speech is supposed to reflect our citizenship. You know, if somebody you run into someone who's speaking just visceral stuff at you, just horrible stuff at you, and you want to lash back and respond, take a lesson from Jesus. When he was arrested and tried in a court of law, there were insults that were thrown at him. Do you remember what the scripture said? He remained silent. Sometimes the best witness in those moments is just simply to remain silent. You can't come up with something that's necessary, kind or true. Let me give you an illustration. Billy Graham, the great evangelist from the twentieth century, tells a story about a pastor who was uh trying to uh teach his church members the power. Of word. And so the pastor told his church to imagine somebody handing you a feather pillow, having you take that pillow to the bridge in your local town, cutting it open, and just scattering those pit feathers all over the town, letting the wind carry them to wherever the wind wanted to take those feathers in the pillow. And then he said, What I want you to do after you do that is go gather up all those feathers. They went flying everywhere. Church looks at the pastor and says, That would be impossible. The wind takes those feathers out from the area to anywhere the wind wants to take it. And the pastor says, So it is with your words. Church, our words, once spoken, they travel farther than we could ever realize. Once released, they cannot be fully retrieved. Church, James says the tongue is like a fire. Like again, a rumor, a harsh word, a sarcastic comment, a text sent in anger. And suddenly, guess what? The feathers are everywhere. Once released, they travel farther than we could ever have intended. And the damage extends well beyond what we could have ever imagined. You know something? Before we think about the words that other people say, maybe the message for us today is to think about the words that again that we say. Like what feathers have you released or I released? What words have I scattered? What wounds have I created? And have I brought those things before the the the cross of Jesus Christ? Because friends, James is not merely giving communication advice here in James chapter 3. What he's calling us to, honestly, is simply surrender. But listen, the truth is that only Jesus can transform a heart that is continually producing destructive speech. You can't modify your behavior enough to do it. Only Jesus can do it. Can I lovingly say something hard this morning? I fear that many Christians in America today, and if we're honest, even many of us within this space today spend more time being shaped by social media than by scripture. We spend more time listening to political podcasts than we do Jesus. We spend more time scrolling on our phones than we do in prayer. And listen, friends, eventually what enters the eye, it fills the heart, and what fills the heart, guess what? Comes out of the mouth. If somebody watched every reel you posted, every video you consumed online, just say over the past month, here's my question. Would they see a representation of the kingdom of God? Would they see humility, patience, kindness, truth spoken in love? Or would they simply see another angry voice shouting in the crowd? I'm preaching to myself today, too, church. You know, I think by now most of us realize that flooding our social media platforms with angry words is not the answer. I get that. But here's my question to push today. What are you consuming? Do you again realize what you watch and what you read is shaping you as well? It goes into your eyes, down into your heart, out of your mouth. Listen, the world has enough outrage. There's enough of it. What our world desperately needs are people who sound like Jesus. Friends, listen, the good news is that Jesus came not only to forgive sinful words, he came to transform sinful hearts. And when he changes the heart, guess what? He begins to change your speech. So perhaps the Holy Spirit is putting his finger on something in you right now. Maybe you're realizing I am consuming the wrong things and I am saying the wrong things in my company. Or I've had outbursts. If that's you, listen, maybe the Holy Spirit is saying there is an apology you need to make this week to somebody in your circles. Or maybe he's simply saying, surrender the bitterness, confess the gossip, release the anger. Have a heart that is transformed. So often we like to explain away or minimize sin in our lives. Or we want to blame somebody else for it. It's always somebody else's fault. Stop. Just bring your faults and failures and sin to Jesus. Friends, Jesus died on a cross and shed his blood so you can I could not only be forgiven but made new. He hung on a cross and rose from the grave. Why? To release a power in us that can transform our hearts and change our speech. So as we sing this morning, I want to offer invitation to you to respond to the proclamation of God's word. For several months now, every service I've been preaching at, I've lived under this conviction to open up the altar rails and invite you to come and kneel before the living God. You know, if you walk through the biblical narrative, the canon of Scripture, what you see is that when somebody has felt a word of the Holy Spirit in them, they can't help but respond in a physical manner. And so they come and they kneel and they worship and they weep and they surrender. And I had this conviction back in probably January that if the preacher's not going to invite people to come to Jesus, who is? So every time I preach, every time I proclaim the word of God, I want to offer you invitation to come and have time and prayer with your Lord and Savior at this altar rail. Don't come because it makes you more spiritual. Don't come because in coming it saves your life, your soul. But but but coming is maybe a way that the Lord has stirred something inside of you to respond, and it's the most appropriate way you can respond. Because sometimes, friends, a physical response is more eloquent than a spoken word. And so if your heart needs to be surrendered and your speech needs to be changed, come. Come to this altar rail. If there's somebody you hurt and you need to ask God for forgiveness first before you go to that person this week, come to this altar rail. If you want to give Jesus your life for the very first time and claim him as your Lord and Savior, just come and say, Lord, I surrender to you now. I don't know what that means entirely, but I want to surrender to you now. You want to need healing, mind, body, or soul, come. This altar rail is available to you. Friends, we have a God who's a God of invitation. He's always calling us to come and be present with him. Draw near, the scriptures say. We're gonna talk about that next week. Draw near to him, and he most definitely will draw near to you. So I'm gonna pray. We're gonna stand and sing. I think the closing song is come to the altar, isn't that? We're gonna stand and sing and pray, but let me pray real quick. Lord Jesus, I want to thank you for speaking to us this day through your word. God, I want to thank you for the conviction. God, I know for me personally it was a word of conviction. Not every word is encouraging. Sometimes it needs to be conviction. And so, God, I want to ask for forgiveness, not only for myself, but for all of us as a collective whole, for the times where we have our speech has reflected our pride more than your grace. It has reflected anger more than your love. It has reflected our heart more than it has reflected yours. So, Holy Spirit, in this moment will you, by your presence and power, transform each and every one of us from the inside out. God, fill our hearts with your mercy and your truth and your compassion so that our words will build other people up, bring healing, and most importantly, point them to your Son, Jesus. God, may our conversations, our homes, and even our online presence reflect the heart of your kingdom, not ours. Lord, help us this week to speak words that are true and necessary and kind, bringing glory to you in all that we say and do. We pray this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, who is indeed the Savior of the world, even our Savior and all God's people's son.

SPEAKER_00 30:25

Thank you for listening to the Church of the Lakes podcast with Pastor Jared Preeset. If today's message encouraged you and helped you grow as a devoted follower of Christ, we invite you to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can also help others discover this podcast by leaving a five-star radio review and sharing it with your friends, family, co-workers, and others in your purpose of us. We're also very grateful for your generosity, which helps make messages like this available to more people. If you feel like a guest, please check the link in the description. And if you're in the Kent, Ohio area, we'd love to invite you to join us in person on Sunday and worship together. To learn more about Church of the Lakes, visit churchoftheikes.org or click the website link in the description. Until next time, stay encouraged and keep walking in faith.