Worse than “Sticks and Stones”

James 3

Our lives are plagued by the small part of the body which caused the fall of man - the tongue.  Do you want to show your spirituality? James calls you to prove it by your ability to bridle your tongue.

1. I. The Power of Words 

• ♣ To Create  Genesis 1; Hebrews 11:3
• ♣ To Control  Genesis 2:19
• ♣ To Condemn  Genesis 3:3-4
• ♣ To Confess  Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:21

1. II. The Function of Words 

• • Carriers of Meaning
• • Tools of Communication
• • Containers of Emotion 

• ♣ Words can bring healing. Proverbs 12:18
• ♣ Words can bring death or life. Proverbs 18:21
• ♣ Words can bring satisfaction. Proverbs 18:20

"Great minds discuss ideas.
Mediocre minds discuss events.
Small minds discuss other people." Charles Allen - God's Psychiatry

1. III. The Danger of the Tongue - James 3
1. A. Its size is deceptive.  (3:3-5)

The tongue is the connecting link between the inner man and the outer world. Matthew 12:34

1. B. Its Destruction is All-consuming (3:5-6)

If you do not discipline and purify your speech, the chances are good that you will not discipline or purify the rest of your life.

1. C. Its Source is Unstable (3:7-8)  

• ♣ It is a restless evil tied to an unstable heart of devotion in man.  
• ♣ It is full of deadly poison fed by the unstable emotions in man.  (Jeremiah 17:9)

1. D. It is Inconsistent  (3:9-10a) 
2. E. It is Unnatural  (3:10b-12)

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalms 141:3