Watch Your Mouth

“Many of us have experienced both sides of words…words matter!” – Pastor Billy Johnson

 

YOUR WORDS CARRY RESPONSIBILITY
James 3:1–2 (NKJV)

¹My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.²For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

“We have so many people today who want to be influencers.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

Spiritual maturity is demonstrated by disciplined speech.

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YOUR WORDS HAVE POWER
James 3:3–6

³Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.
⁴Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.
⁵Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
⁶And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Bit — Directs
Rudder — Steers (directs)
Fire — Destroys

“The tongue can destroy, can divide a family.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

Small words can produce enormous consequences.

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YOUR WORDS MUST BE CONTROLLED
James 3:7–8

⁷For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.
⁸But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

“Your mouth is going to speak based on the deposit you’ve made in your heart.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

A controlled tongue requires a surrendered heart.

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YOUR WORDS SHOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR FAITH
James 3:9–12

⁹With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
¹⁰Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
¹¹Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
¹²Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

“For what God’s trying to do in your life, what are your words saying about it.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

 The mouth that blesses God should not destroy people made in God’s image.

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CONCLUSION

RESPONSIBILITY → POWER → CONTROL → CONSISTENCY

Because my words carry RESPONSIBILITY,
Because my words possess POWER,
I must bring them under CONTROL,
so that my speech is CONSISTENT with my faith.