The Book of James – The Tongue Part II James 3:8-18

Introduction

Chapter 3 has only one theme, guard what you say.  We will be picking up in verse 8 and finish out the chapter.

I Just Can’t Help It

James goes right to the heart of the matter calling the tongue an unruly evil and deadly poison.

As we get to verse 8 we need to ponder what James is saying; he says that we cannot tame the tongue.  Let’s stop and let that soak in.  Does that mean we can say whatever we want and have an excuse?  Let’s step into our next segment and see.

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Merry Christmas Grandpa

Introduction

On Christmas Eve 2001, and continuing into Christmas day, I spent Christmas alone with my Grandpa.  That’s right, just the two of us.  My wife and children had gone to my in-laws home; my side of the family was gathering at my Uncle’s house.  This Christmas it was just going to be me and grandpa.

Less than two months before my Grandma had passed away.  She died in early November, one month short of their 74^th wedding anniversary.  It wasn’t a misprint, almost 74 years of marriage.  As you might have guessed they started their marriage at a young age.  After a long drawn out courtship, two months, they were married and began their life together.

The Setting

In the 1980s my Grandpa had major health issues that changed him.  The damage sustained during these days quickly took away his ability to function independently and do the thing he loved the most, preaching the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

 

The Book of James – Temptation James 1:12-18

Overcoming Temptation – v.12-15

James now introduces us to the concept of temptation and unmasks the one who is responsible.  Let’s start by understanding where temptation comes from: in the text it says that God does not tempt anyone; that narrows our list of suspects down to one, Satan.  The design of a temptation is to get us to fail, to take our eyes off of Jesus and to destroy our credibility with those who know us.  Temptation, according to verse 13, is an invitation to do evil.  Satan enters our minds in the hopes of making evil look good.  Satan even stands before God accusing us of evil.  Rev 12:9-10  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

 

How Close is “Nigh”? – James 4:8

Introduction

How close are you right now to your Heavenly Father?  On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest, what number would you assign to yourself?

Before we move forward I need to make it clear that the target audience of this post is for Christians; in no way can we earn our salvation, it is a gift from God. 

A quick read of the Epistle of James will tell you that James was very plain spoken, he did not mince words.  James gets right to the point and tells it like it is.  Our scripture text is a perfect example of this style of writing.

In James 4:8a it says “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” In this promise from God we have the classic action / reaction.  The bible clearly states our spiritual health is directly connected to our own efforts to separate from the world and live a life pleasing to God.