THE TONGUE PART 2
ACL-39
900722PM Tongue-2
THE TONGUE PART 2
JAMES 3
Our Bible says a lot about all the wrong ways we can use our tongues. This list sums up the major ways God says – “Don’t use your tongues for”: wickedness, deceit, lying, perverseness, filthiness, corruption, bitterness, anger, craftiness, flattery, slander, backbiting, gossip, blaspheming, foolishness, boasting, murmuring, complaining, cursing, contention, sensuality, vileness, tale-bearing, whispering and exaggerating. These are the 25 types of tongues named in the scriptures. Is there any hope for taming this thing so dangerous? Yes, in the garden of lives cultivated by God through His Word and in the power of His Spirit we find some wonderful lives with transformed tongues. From the soil of failure and the rocks of defeat under God’s care come beautiful and fragrant mouths of wholesome and healing words. There are many but we need to just concentrate on seven lives who bear the marks of a tamed tongue.
1. ISAIAH THE DIRTY TONGUE: Isaiah 6:1-5 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” 4. And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”
NKJV
Cleansing: v. 6-7
Yielding: v. 8
Commissioning: v. 9-13
Wow, having trouble with an unclean mouth, dirty talk? Let God cleanse, let Him lead. Be God’s man or woman, boy or girl. His touch transforms. His cleansing restores. His attention gives eternal worth.
2. MOSES THE COMPLAINING TONGUE: Exodus 4:1, 10, 13 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” 10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” NKJV
That was a bad use of his mouth. But look at Exodus 5: 1-3,
Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” 2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” 3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” NKJV
How did it all turn out? Look at Exodus 33:11, 13, 15.
So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. 13 “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. NKJV
Do you struggle with fear and having second thoughts about following the Lord? Do you keep thinking and saying you are unable to do it? Are you complaining about how God made you and what He is doing in your life? The answer is found in getting to know God! He can lift you above the mundane. The view from the top of the high places of the earth God takes us to is incredible! Isaiah 58:14
Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” NKJV
3. PETER THE CURSING TONGUE:
Jesus warned him: Matthew 26:33-35 : Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made tostumble.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter said toHim, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples. NKJV
Peter fell: Matthew 26:69-75 : Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” 71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” 73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” 74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the ord of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly. NKJV
Christ restored: John 21:15-17 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to Him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me? Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. NKJV
Peter transformed and used: Acts 2 Have you blown it? Have you fallen, crashed and burned? Christ can restore and use you!
4. PAUL THE BLASPHEMING TONGUE: 1 Timothy 1:13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. NKJV
5. THE THIEF WITH THE RAILING TONGUE: Matthew 27:44 Even therobbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. NKJV
6. JAMES AND JOHN THE VENGEFUL TONGUES: Luke 9:53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from the heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 “For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village. NKJV
What happened after Jesus got a hold of them? James laid down his life as a martyr John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. NKJV John the Gospel of Love, I John the Epistle of Love.7. THE MAN WITH THE DEMONS TONGUE: Mark 5:1-20 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” 8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many. “15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demonpossessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. NKJV
THAT’S A TONGUE IN GOD’S SERVICE!
No matter what depths of sin we have gone to, Christ can save, Jesus can keep, His blood can cleanse and Jesus will use you for His service! So what can we do with these tongues?
1. SPEAK GOD’S WORD: Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. NKJV
2. CONFESS OUR SINS: Psalm 32:3-5 When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah NKJV
3. SHARE WHAT GOD IS DOING IN YOUR LIFE: Psalm 77:12 I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds. NKJV
4. PRAISE GOD: Luke 1:64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. NKJV
5. CONFESS JESUS: Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. NKJV
6. SAY HEALTHY WORDS: Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. NKJV
7. BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS: 1 Peter 3:9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. NKJV
Check Out All The Sermons In The Series
You can find all the sermons and short clips from this series, Authentic Christian Living – James here
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