These are the notes taken live during services as captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing. This is not a word for word transcript. For the exact wording, please consult the audio recording.

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Greetings, brethren. It is good to be with you again. I have a message that I hope you will find helpful. I’ve given it a few times before, but we all need this lesson. There is a saying that talk is cheap. It isn’t cheap. The tongue is an instrument we use to communicate. How we use it can affect our lives positively and negatively. The misuse of our tongue can cost us our neighbors, our spouse, our friends, our job, and even cut us off from God. But on the other side, our words can endear us to each other and even to God. Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me. How many believe that? The reality is that they can hurt. We have all been hurt by words. We have all hurt others by our words. The book of Job goes way back in time, but some things never change. Job 1:1-14, 20-22 Vs. 12 – God allowed Satan to take away everything Job had, but not to touch him personally. He could go only as far as God allowed. Vs. 22 – His attitude was humble and submissive before God. Job 2:3-10 I want you to notice. Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. Again, he was humble and submissive. I don’t think I could go through all of that. I wish I could.

Job 2:11-13 Job’s friends didn’t know what to say. They sat and silently kept him company. In chapter 3, Job wishes he had never been born. He was miserable. In chapters 4 – 18, Job’s friends think he needs to repent. Job became more and more frustrated and upset. Job 19:2-3 Did the word from Job’s friends hurt? They hurt deeply. Remember the saying sticks and stones may break my bones… The truth is that words can cause pain. As Christians, God expects us to be different in how we speak. Let’s look at how we should use our tongues. Colossians 4:4-6 Here Paul says we should use wisdom in how we speak to those who are not called. You and I are to be lights in a darkened world. We are to positive examples of what God wants all men to become. There is no greater challenge than how we will use our tongues. Whether we will build up or tear down relationships. This world has lost its way. With the help of the entertainment industry, we have lost our way. Many today talk dirty. If I used that language as a boy, my mom would have washed my mouth out with soap. My dad was a minister. I appreciate how mom taught us. You probably know that we would come to James. James 3:2 This is encouraging. If we can control our tongues, we are on the way to controlling our whole body. Whether it is exercising or dieting or overcoming sin.

James 3:3-5 James uses these three analogies to show that small things are not small in their potential to cause great problems or great benefits. The first two are beneficial uses of small things. A small fire can be beneficial, too. I grew up on a farm. We didn’t want to plow the soil. Turn the soil over and disc it to chop it up. We came to the conclusion that it wasn’t good for the land. I use no-till planting. We have the coop spray for weeds. We use a drill that puts the seed in the ground. I don’t know if you knew that, but there is a lot of it being done now because it works. The key word is control. There is farmland right around to where people have improvements. If the fire is not under control, fire can cause havoc in those areas. James says the tongue is a little member that can be as destructive as a little fire. James 3:6 That is a scripture. The tongue, if not controlled, is like dynamite in our dentures. Neat analogy. We really need to be careful about our tongues and how we use them. James 3:7 We have trained lions and tigers and seals and dolphins and snakes. We’ve trained them. James 3:8 This is not talking about someone else. We are talking about ourselves. We need to look at ourselves and listen to ourselves. Our tongue can be filled with deadly poison. There is a snake in South America called the two-step snake. Anyone know why? If it bites you, it is so venomous, that when a person is struck, he will only take two steps before he keels over dead. I’ve never seen one, but there is an animal that deadly. It can kill a person with one bite. At times our tongues have stopped others in their tracts. James 3:9-10 James is saying this doesn’t make sense. Then, he asks a rhetorical question. James 3:11-12 We know those things to be true. What is James trying to get across? What is he saying and not saying? He is not saying we shouldn’t talk. What he is saying is that we should learn to control our tongues. To speak in a godly manner. Jesus tells us what the tongue is connected to. He had healed a man who was demon possessed. There were times when Christ lashed out at those that opposed God.

Matthew 12:34-35 The tongue doesn’t operate on its own. It doesn’t operate without a connection to the mind. We are thinking those things. The mind is the source of the words that come out of our mouths. When we want to check the engine in our car, we open the hood and pull out the dipstick. How many have done this? Good for you. You don’t pay so much to service your car. We have tractors and combines. We had to watch our equipment. If we let the engine oil get low, we could destroy the engine. It is very costly to rebuild it. If the oil is dropping, the engine needs an overhaul. It should not use oil. What about the quality of the oil? It can turn color a bit, but if it is gray, there is something wrong. The tongue is like a dipstick to your heart and mind. Matthew 12:34 That is what came out of our mouth. It came from the heart – our mind – so we have to take responsibility for what we said. Notice what Jesus said: Matthew 12:36-37 Why? Because words that are spoken by our tongues are connected to our hearts. God holds us responsible not only for our actions but also for our words. There is a negative side and a positive side to the use of our tongues. Matthew 12:36-37 We are going to be looking at what idle words are. Our words can have a positive influence on others and on God Himself. Our words can endear us to God. Can you imagine Him speaking to Christ: “From His words, I know he can be part of our family”?

Malachi 3:16-18 Brethren, God takes note not only of our actions and words but also our thoughts – He can read our thoughts. He doesn’t have to depend on what we say; He can read our thoughts. We need to pray for help to think things we should and say things we should. Don’t forget Matthew 12:36. This is serious stuff. What are idle words? Why are they so bad? Lying is an example. Something that isn’t true or isn’t true in the way we said. Proverbs 6:16-19 God hates a lying tongue. That is a strong statement. “God” and “hate” sound like they shouldn’t go together. Why? Because lying creates barriers. When a husband lies to a wife or an employee to a boss, trust is broken. Oliver Wendell Holmes said sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all. We need to pray for God to show us our sins and to help us overcome them. Psalm 33:4 What God says He will do He will do. He says there is a crown reserved for each of us if endure to the end. We can count on that. John 14:6 If we are truly Christians, we can’t lie. Spreading rumors are idle words. Have any of us ever spread a rumor? I have. I sinned. I’m sorry. I repented. I’ve had rumors spread about me. I’m 54 years old. How old am I dear? (Laughter.)

Matthew 12:36 Harmless rumors? No way. Nobody says, "Would you like to hear a rumor?" Instead, they say, guess what I heard. We disguise it by calling it shop talk. But it is a rumor. We will be judged by every word. When we engage in this form of idle words, it is idle words. We are breaking and entering without permission and serving that person up like meatloaf. Recognize that rumors trespass on another person’s character and integrity. They may have started to repent. There are three things that don’t come back. One is a spoken word. A young man in the middle ages came to a monk and said he had sinned by making a slanderous statement about someone. What shall I do? The monk said put a feather on every doorstep in town. He did that. Now what? Pick up every feather. That is impossible! The monk said, just like taking back your idle words. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you would never want someone to do that to you. So, don’t do it to anyone else. Angry words are idle words. Sometimes when we are embarrassed or frustrated, we bring others down by sarcasm. Sarcastic words are unfruitful. It might be our children or a schoolmate or someone at work. How can we get rid of idle words?

Four ways: 1. Recognize that you have a problem and it is serious. 2. Ask God for help. If we are sincere, He will help. Psalm 141:1-4 David knew his words needed to be pure. He knew that sinful words were from the heart. Vs. 4 – We need to ask God for help. Every word should represent God. 3. Think before you speak. Think about what you are going to say. James 1:19-20 Think about that for a moment. It is very important to think before you speak. The Rotary Club has a four-way test. 1. Is it true? 2. Is it fair to all concerned? 3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships? 4. Is it beneficial to all concerned? Proverbs 15:28 4. We should always be examining ourselves and looking for sin that is hiding. Philippians 4:8 Our tongues can be instruments for good or evil. Let’s use them for good.