A New Beginning presents a new book from Pastor Greg Laurie. We are offering a brand new resource called The House of David Devotional and it's based on the great Psalms of David as well as the life of David. So I'm going to put this brand new devotional in your hand so you can learn from this man of God. Or your gift of any size at harvest.org.
It's the official companion resource for the new Amazon TV series also called The House of David. A true mark of spiritual growth is controlling what you say. We've all been wounded by something someone said to us. And if we're candid, we probably all admit we've said some things that may have hurt someone else. Once those careless words leave our mouths, there's just no getting them back.
How can we control our tongues? How can we keep that tiger in the cage? Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie takes us to some specific counsel in the book of James. Today's message is a featured part of our brand new series, Walk This Way. So a number of years ago I was in Virginia and a friend of mine, Mel Graham actually, he's a nephew of Billy Graham, has a cabin there. And he invited Kathy and I to stay in his cabin, which seemed like a lot of fun.
It was very cold and there was some snow out there. And he said, now here's the problem with this cabin. There's no central heating. We use a fireplace and a potbelly stove to heat it. So you have to keep the fire going all day and night long.
Well, listen, I'm from California, okay? So I have a gas flame in my fireplace and my experience is turn on the gas or get a Duraflame log at the market, right? So I said, honestly, I hate to admit this, I don't know how to build a fire. He says, well, you start with kindling. I said, okay, where do you buy that? He says, you don't buy it. You go pick it up off the ground.
I said, okay, what does that look like? So he took this California boy out and we're tromping through the forest, picking up little sticks and different things, kindling. And he showed me how to build a fire.
And we built a very nice fire. And then he said, okay, so now when it fills with ash, you scoop it out and you put it in the metal bucket. You keep it on this concrete surface. And when the bucket is filled, you need to give it some time to cool down. You don't want to throw burning embers out. Then you throw it out, okay?
So I said, okay, got it. So the next night it was getting really cold and the buckets are full of ash. And I thought, okay, I'll just throw out the old ash and I put some more logs on the fire. Went outside and I flung this bucket and it's like everything went into slow motion because much to my shock, it was filled with burning embers. And they were going into dried leaves. And they went here, there, and literally immediately little fires are, oh no. And so I jumped over this side. I'm literally picking up burning embers with my hands and throwing them up on the gravel driveway trying to stop a forest fire.
I'm yelling out, Kathy, Kathy, help me. And so we couldn't find a hose. And I found a bucket, like the smallest bucket I've ever seen.
I'd fill it with water, run over, run over. Oh my gosh. I almost had a heart attack. I literally thought I was going to burn the whole forest down. So all night I kept waking up and looking out the window hoping to not see a fire.
Thankfully, one did not start. But I learned the truth of what James says in James chapter three verse five. The tongue is a small thing and makes grand speeches, but a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. So let's see what the Bible says about our words in James chapter three, starting in verse one. And I'm reading from the New Living Translation. Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make mistakes, for if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could control also ourselves in every other way.
We can make large horses go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth, and a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, verse five, the tongue is a small thing and it makes grand speeches, but a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It's a world of wickedness corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it's set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It's restless and evil and full of deadly poison.
Okay, we'll stop there. So what do we learn about the tongue? What do we learn about the words from James?
If you're taking notes, here's point number one. What you say reveals who you are. What you say reveals who you are. Verse two, if you could control your tongues, you would be perfect, and you would control yourself in every other way. The tongue is really a barometer of Christian maturity.
Socrates once said to a young student, quote, speak friend that I might see you, end quote. You know, we evaluate a person by what they say, and if your life is really transformed by Jesus Christ, your words will be transformed as well. Your faith will impact you in what you say and what you don't say. Jesus said in Luke chapter six, a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.
What you say flows from what is in your heart. So what we say is so important because ultimately the Bible teaches that we will be judged by our words. Jesus said in Matthew 15, 19, every careless word that people speak, they will give an account of in the day of judgment, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. In fact, the first sin committed after the fall was a sin of the words when Adam effectively slandered God, and he said, Lord, this isn't my fault.
It's the woman you gave me. You're responsible for what has happened. So it was a sin of the words. And notice in verse one, James addresses his words to Christians. Dear brothers and sisters, this message of the misuse of our words is directed specifically toward followers of Jesus Christ.
Now we may pride ourselves as Christians in the fact that we don't do certain sinful things anymore, and that's a good thing. But at the same time, we can also be responsible for doing other things with our words. We would never think of having someone we don't like assassinated, but we would assassinate their character over Sunday brunch. We would never think of pulling out a knife and stabbing someone, but we would think nothing of taking the blade of slander and stabbing someone in the back. So we need to control what we say. The Bible says that every man be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
But we're usually the opposite, right? We're quick to speak. I don't want to listen. I don't even want to hear the rest of what you're saying. I just want to say what I say, what I want to say, and maybe what I'm saying isn't even based on truth, but I'm going to say it anyway. And so we're told to control this. Number two, we need to control what we say.
We need to control what we say. The tongue is like a bit in a horse's mouth. I mean, it's an amazing thing. How many of you ride horses, Richard?
Well, it's amazing. You get on the back of this incredible animal and with your reins and with the bit in the mouth of the horse, he will go where you want him to go. You can actually control a whole team of horses in the same way. We managed to tame all kinds of animals. Verse seven, people have managed to tame animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. No one can tame the tongue. Years ago, I went to the Rose Parade, the only time in fact, and I remember seeing a guy riding a buffalo down the street. I mean, that's a big animal, the buffalo. So man, this guy with a bit in the mouth of the buffalo was able to control it. And you think of the fact that we can tame killer whales, we can tame crocodiles, we can tame tigers.
All these animals can be controlled, but we can't control our tongue, or can we? It's set on fire by hell, verse six says. A single match from a cigarette or a campfire that hasn't been put out can start a forest fire. You remember the words of the great theologian Smokey the Bear, who reminded us all, only you can prevent forest fires.
Mountain climbers have told us that the vibration of one whisper can bring down an avalanche. Bringing me to point number three, our words used right can do so much good. Our words used right can do so much good. Just one statement can set the course of your life. A single word of a judge can condemn or pardon you. Saying I do to a partner for life means marriage. Also saying I won't to the temptation of an extramarital affair can save that marriage from destruction. And most importantly, saying I will to Jesus Christ can change your eternal destiny.
Number four, our words used wrongly can do so much damage. Think about one single man from history, Adolf Hitler, with his demonic rhetoric that he gave to the nation of Germany and effectively started World War II. And not only was his nation destroyed in so many ways by his rhetoric, but also over six million Jewish people lost their lives in the Holocaust. And many Christians were put to death at this time as well. One man dedicating his tongue to the devil.
But now we take another man. In contrast, Billy Graham, our farm boy in Charlotte, North Carolina, who aspired to be a baseball player one day, but the call of God came to him. And he dedicated his words to God and the result is millions and millions of people have put their faith in Jesus Christ. So it just reminds us death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Who have you dedicated your tongue to? Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Don't miss House of David, a brand new original television series on Amazon Prime. Can one stone change the course of history? I will tell you the story of David, who became one of the most famous kings who ever lived. It's not about the greatness of the giant. It is about the greatness of God.
Can one stone change the course of history? Well, you've seen this beautiful series on Amazon Prime, the House of David. Now watch the special documentary that we have created, a companion piece that we're calling Beyond the House of David. It was my privilege to go with my wife, Kathy, to Greece, where the House of David was filmed and walk through the sets where the scenes that you're seeing now in this series were shot, to walk out in the beautiful scenery of the house of David. We're going to to walk out in the beautiful scenery of Greece, which is so similar to Israel, and read the Psalms of David and talk about the life of David and apply the principles of his life to our life. So this is something that we want you all to see.
So download the Harvest Plus app and start watching this cinematic companion piece to the House of David that we're simply calling Beyond the House of David. Well we're talking about the destructive potential of our words today as Pastor Greg continues our message in the book of James called Talk This Way. There's many ways that we can use our words to hurt others.
One is through gossip and backbiting, gossip and backbiting. Proverbs 20 verse 19 says that gossip betrays that confidence, so avoid a man who talks too much. We're also told in Proverbs 26 22 modern translation, listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy. Do you want junk like that in your belly?
That's a great translation. And I don't eat a lot of candy. But when I go to a movie I like to eat milk duds with my popcorn. And I don't know what's going on. And if anyone who owns theaters is listening out there, bring the milk duds back.
What's going on? They're not anywhere now. They're not in any theaters. And I went to a movie recently and there were no milk duds. And you know I don't feel good after I eat milk duds but I must have milk duds with a popcorn. I was in the drugstore the other day and they actually had milk duds and I bought like four boxes of them. And I brought them home.
Kathy says what are you doing? I said well I can't find milk duds anywhere. I was so excited so I wanted to stock up.
These were big extra large boxes okay. She says you shouldn't have bought them. But that night she made some popcorn. She was eating the milk duds. Why are you eating them if they're so bad?
But you know the problem is you can't just eat one. We'll have one more. We'll have two more.
I'll have five more. That's gossip. There's something very tantalizing when someone comes up and says hey have you heard the latest? I don't even know if this is true but stop. If your sentence begins like that do not say what you're about to say.
I don't know if this is true but no don't continue on. Or I wouldn't tell you this but I know it won't go any further. And we rationalize the sin of gossip and we'll say well I'm telling you this so you'll pray. Hey shut up. You know why you're telling them that.
You know why you're listening to that. And yes gossip is a sin. Here's another way we can use our words to hurt others. Innuendo. The cousin of gossip is innuendo.
That's where you don't say it but you imply it. Then there's a more subtle misuse of our words through flattery. Flattery. In Proverbs 6 23 the Bible tells us that if we keep his word he'll keep us from the immoral person and the flattering tongue of the seductress.
Listen to this. Gossip is staying behind a person's back what you would never say to their face. Flattery is saying to a person's face what you would never say behind their back.
Let me say that again. Gossip is saying behind a person's back what you would never say to their face. Flattery is saying to a person's face what you would never say behind their back. These are us misusing our words.
Point number five. If you control your tongues it's a sign of spiritual maturity. Again if we would control our tongues we would be perfect.
And the word perfect means full grown. A true mark of spiritual growth is controlling what you say. Heard about a little boy that went over to a pastor's house while the pastor was doing some carpentry and the little guy's just standing there watching the pastor work away. And finally the pastor looks over him and says well son are you here to pick up some carpentry tips? And the little guy says no I just want to know what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer. You know I think a lot of people are watching us. What are you going to say?
What are you going to do? You're the follower of Jesus and and they're not rooting for us necessarily. So we want to be careful but let's be honest even some of the greatest men of God failed specifically in the area of what they said. Job is a good example. God called Job blameless and upright but Job had trouble controlling his tongue as revealed in the final chapter of his book when he says in Job 40 verse 4, I'm unworthy.
How can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. Isaiah was a great prophet of the Lord. Then Isaiah 6 he had a vision of glory. He says, I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne. He was high and lifted up and his glory filled the temple. And the angels cried holy holy holy is the Lord.
So what was the reaction of Isaiah to all of this? He said and I said woe to me. I'm undone.
I'm a man of unclean lips. As he saw God in his glory he saw himself in his own sinfulness and the thing he specifically became aware of was his words. One man who seemed to have more trouble with what he said was than any other was Simon Peter. I mean Peter was the kind of guy and you know a guy like this or a girl like this and you might be a person like this.
You always speak your mind. By the way did you know there are inside thoughts and outside thoughts? Some things are better left unsaid but we just blurt out whatever comes out of my we just blurt it out and that was Peter. One of the best illustrations of this is on the Mount of Transfiguration. A Peter, James, and John went with Jesus.
They fell asleep and they woke up to see this site. There on the mountain stands Jesus Jesus surrounded by Moses and Elijah. What a sacred holy moment. And Peter decides to say a few words and he stands up and says it's good we are here. I wonder if Moses turned to Jesus and said who's that?
Yeah he's with me. And then Peter's not done. He says let's build three tents. One for Jesus. One for Moses.
And one for Elijah. And I love the commentary in the gospel that says Peter said this because he did not know what to say. You ever had a moment like that? You want to say something you don't know what to say and you end up saying the lamest thing of all time? There's an old proverb.
It's not in the Bible but it's a pretty good one. It says better to be silent and be thoughtful than to open your mouth and dispel all doubt. You know you might be impressed with a certain person. Well I like this person. And then they talk and I don't like that person.
They should have kept their mouth shut. There was another instance with Peter and Jesus at a place called Caesarea Philippi. And Jesus was with the disciples and he says who do people say that I am? And one responded well some say that you're Elijah resurrected. Some say you're a prophet of the Lord.
And he says well who do you say that I am? Peter says you are the Christ the Son of the living God. Jesus said Peter flesh and blood did not reveal that to you.
You didn't think that up on your own buddy. And you're Peter and upon this rock I'll build my church. Now by the way Jesus was not saying he was going to build his church on Peter. He was saying he was going to build his church on this statement of Peter that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. And then Jesus goes on and says the Son of Man speaking of himself is going to be betrayed.
It will be crucified and will rise again on the third day. And Peter who probably thought he was on some kind of role because of what he just said began to rebuke Jesus repeatedly and the Lord had to turn to him and say get behind me Satan for you're offending me. So in one moment he speaks a statement given to him from heaven and a few moments later he literally gives a statement from hell. That's how the words that we use work.
If we would just pause before we speak. Good practical counsel today from Pastor Greg Laurie based in the first chapter of James. Glad you're along here on A New Beginning for our new series called Walk This Way. And Pastor Greg will have a final comment from today's message in just a moment. You know Pastor Greg our mission here at Harvest Ministries and A New Beginning is knowing him and making him known. We're all about showing people how to come to know God. How to come into a relationship with God. That's right.
Someone can enter into that kind of relationship today can't they? They can and it's so simple and I think because it's so simple people think oh it can't be that easy. Well look Jesus did all the heavy lifting. He carried the cross for you. He died on that cross that he carried.
This isn't about what you do it's about what he's done. But here's what the Bible says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So let's just say that you're caught in a riptide out in the ocean and you need help and there's a lifeguard at the stand and they see you. You've got to call out to them and let them know you need saving and the same is true when it comes to eternal life. Jesus is ready to save you. Will you call out to him?
You say well okay how do I do that? You do it through prayer and prayer is just talking to God. So listen I'd like to lead you in a simple prayer and if you pray this prayer after me I believe God will hear it and answer it and Christ will come to live inside of you. Thousands of people have prayed a prayer like this over the years that we've been doing this radio broadcast and have seen their life change.
There's no power or magic in a prayer. It's all about your commitment to Christ but this is a way to call on the name of the Lord in this prayer. So if you want Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, if you want to fill that big hole in your heart, just pray this prayer after me. You could pray it out loud if you like. Pray it in the quietness of your heart but pray these words if you would. Lord Jesus I know that I'm a sinner but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin. I am sorry for my sin and I turn from it now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Be my Savior and my Lord.
Be my God and my friend. Thanks for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen. Listen if you just prayed that prayer I want you to know that God has heard you and has answered it. The Bible says these things we write to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. That you may know it's yours now.
God has given it to you because it's the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Congratulations and welcome to the family of God. Yeah yeah that's right and listen we want to help you get started in this new relationship with the Lord.
Would you let us send you something? It's free of charge. It's Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. Scores of people have read this edition of God's Word. New believers love the study helps written just for them and they appreciate that it's in an easy to understand translation. We'll send it to you today. Just ask for the New Believers Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can call anytime 1-800-821-3300 or write a new beginning box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or go online to harvest.org. And then thank you for partnering with us to help these daily studies continue.
Your investments have eternal benefits. Why not make this a part of your personal ministry to partner in an effort that's making a real difference with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and for prayerfully considering how God might lead you to help tangibly. Online you'll find us at harvest.org and there you'll see the way we'd like to thank you for your donation right now.
That's harvest.org or write us at a new beginning box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock to take your call again at 1-800-821-3300. Well next time more insight on how we can keep our faith on fire and keep our tongues under control. But before we go Pastor Greg has this final comment for us. Now I've told this to you before but I want you to think about it.
Think an acronym T-H-I-N-K. Before you speak, before you post, before you tweet, before you communicate, run it through this grid right now. T is it true? What you're about to say is it true and are you sure it's true? Number two will it help? Sometimes something's true but you don't need to say it.
Wow you look overweight. Is that true? Yes. Is that helpful to the person? I don't think so.
Think about how it will affect the person you're saying it to. Is it true? Will it help? Is it inspiring?
Is it going to bring someone down or is it going to lift them up? N is it necessary? Do you need to say this?
Could it be better left unsaid? And lastly K is it kind? Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? You say Greg if I were to apply that principle to what I say I would basically say nothing. Hallelujah. Let it be.
