Good morning. I want us to continue our study
in James this morning, James chapter 3. Hope you were benefited by the
allegory I used concerning faith and the good works that accompany
it and why. I was so taken up with the lesson
last week that I forgot to set up my phone for it to be streamed,
so I apologize for that to whatever listeners we may have out there.
This morning, I want us to read and consider his subject here
in Chapter 3. Now, I told you at the beginning
of our study that the theme of the official of James is to distinguish
real saving facts. I don't want to go through a
lifetime and die and come up before the Lord only to find
out I had false faith. A faith that was not His gift. It was of man's making. And that's what the book of James
is dedicated to do. It's to distinguish true saving
faith from whatever counterfeit professions that men can imagine
and profess. Chapter 3, he focuses on believers
who aspire to be preachers and teachers of God's saints, watchmen
appointed to warn men and women to flee from the wrath to come.
So let's read this chapter together and I'll make some comments.
that I think will be beneficial to you. James chapter 3 verse
1. My brethren, be not many masters. That word is teacher. Be not
many teachers. Be not many rabbis. You go to
seminaries and we meet men that come out Friends of mine call
them preacher factories. That's what they are. They just turn out one person
right after the other and give them a document, and now they've
got this little thing that confirms them to be preachers, and they
go on out into the world. He said, Be not many masters,
knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. That's
why you don't want to be one. For in many things we offend
all. If any man offend not in word,
the same is a perfect man, and able to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in horses'
mouths that they may obey us." They do what we want them to
do. They go where we want them to
go. And he said, we turn about their whole body. And behold
also ships, which though they be great, and are driven of fierce
winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm. Here's
a man standing in front of a wheel. Looks like a wagon wheel without
the outside on it. He sits there and turns that
little wheel. That great big ship goes where he wants it to
go. Even so, the tongue is a little
member. You don't think much about it.
You don't even see it unless you open your mouth. But behold, how great a matter
a little fire kindled. And the tongue is a fire. It's
a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members
that it defileth the whole body. It setteth on fire the course
of nature. And it's set on fire of hell. For every kind of beast and of
birds and of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed and
hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. It's an unruly evil. It's full of deadly poison. With
the tongue we bless God, even the fathers, and therewith we
curse men. which are made after the similitude
of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth
blessings and cursings. My brethren, these things ought
not to be. Doth a fountain send forth at
the same place sweet water and bitter? Can a fig tree, my brethren,
bear olive berries, either vines, figs? So can no fountain, both yield
salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man, and endued
with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation
his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying
and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the
truth. This wisdom descendeth not from
above, but is earthly, sensual, For where ingring and strife
is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that
is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy
to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, which without
partiality and without hypocrisy And the fruit of righteousness
is sown in peace of them that make peace. Now he's talking
all through here about teachers. About teachers. And of course
these things apply to every individual, but especially to preachers. Preachers are just individuals,
but they're called of God. And he begins in our text with
the words, my brethren. If you're going to understand
these things correct, you have to pay attention to these little
words, my brethren. There's no closer relationship
in this world, more pure, more beautiful, more lasting and more
genuine than that of brethren. True brethren. Think about it. Think about what
I'm saying. One with Christ. We're saved by an eternal covenant
union with the Lord Jesus Christ, chosen of God in Him, predestinated
to be conformed to the image of Christ or the character of
Christ, His Son, and listen to this, that He might be the firstborn
among many, what? Brethren. Brethren. Be one with Christ and one with
one another. The brethren are all those chosen
of God in Christ, called, justified, and glorified in the resurrected
Christ. These and these alone will one
day pass from this world into the everlasting bliss, everlasting
joy in heaven with God our Savior. And for these and these alone
provision has been made. and the means ordained, and God's
providence ordered. And to be among these by faith
is the greatest privilege you could ever hope for. That's our
hope. God's going to save a people.
I don't know who they are. Don't know who they are. But
I know how he saves them, and I know why. And to such as these,
God sends men like James to teach, to warn, and to reprove his saints. They watch for your souls, he
says, as they that must give account. Not somewhere down the
road either. Right now. Right now. And it's of this station that
James begins the lesson, be not many masters. And as I said before,
the word has to do with spiritual leaders, pastors, evangelists,
bishops, elders, whatever you want to call it. In the Jewish
religion, they were called masters or rabbis. Our Lord said to them, there's
one you'll master, even Christ. I'm your master. You call me
master, you do well. You do well, for so I am. But
even an under-shepherd is included in this. And it has to do with
any man who would stand behind a pulpit anywhere and say, thus
saith the Lord. He's a teacher. A teacher is
one who declares. He's not working on opinions.
He's working on what's up. And he's going to stand behind
a pulpit, and he's going to say, thus saith the Lord. And James
was saying, don't rush into this office. He's not saying it ain't
a good office. He's not saying not to desire
it, but he's telling us don't rush into it. Don't rush into
it. Why? Several reasons. First of
all, he points out the fact that we shall receive greater condemnation. Almost every commentator I read
said that this is talking about the condemnation of God. Now,
I want you to stay with me here. If he were speaking to false
prophets, I would have to be in agreement. I'd have to say
yes. Yes, he's talking about the condemnation of God. Isn't
that what he told the Pharisees and scribes? Our Lord said, it'll
be easier on you than it was for them in Sodom and Gomorrah.
If they'd heard what you heard, seen what you've seen, they would
have repented in sackcloth and ashes, but you've seen me. You've
heard me, and yet you remain in your sins. So if he were talking
about false prophets, but he's not, he's saying, my brethren.
He's talking to his people now. James is addressing believers
here, and concerning believers, Paul's already stated that there
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the but after the Spirit. He tells us again
in Romans 8, who is he that condemneth? God justified us. He's not going
to condemn us. He justified us. He glorified
us in his Son. What James is talking about here
is the condemnation of men. Look at what he says right after,
we shall receive the greater condemnation. Because in many things we offend
all. Huh? He's not talking about the
condemnation of God. He's just telling you, if you
stand behind this bullpup, you're drawing a big bullseye on you,
and every crackpot in the world is going to take a shot at you.
That's exactly what he's telling you. Don't rush up here thinking
it's all candy land. Huh? It ain't. It's just that you don't see
those things. You know, here's 3,000 souls born of God. Any one of them would have suffered
for Christ. But here comes the scribes and
Pharisees, and they don't punish the 3,000. They take the three
men over here that was preaching to us, and they lock them up. They beat them with the whip.
Why didn't they beat the 3,000? Because they're 3,000. No, they're going to take this
one. This one. He seems to be the leader. He
seems to be the one standing up doing the talking. We're going
to make an example out of him. And that's exactly what James
is telling you. You rush into this office and you stand up
here and preach, you better know this, that you're marking yourself
out for condemnation. Huh? They're not going to hold
the whole church accountable. They're going to buttonhole you
back by the door. You see it. That's what he's talking about.
Condemnation of men concerning what you have to say on God's
behalf and much of what is directed toward the church is received
by the pastors, evangelists, whatever. So don't rush into this thing
of preaching knowing that you're drawing a bullseye on yourself.
And then secondly, understand this, the means of the ministry
is your tongue. Huh? It's your tongue. Used to be
a little rhyme when I was just a kid. Sticks and stones may
break my bones, but words will never harm me. Oh, I beg to differ
with you on that. I beg to differ. James tells
us in verse 2, in many things we offend all. If you don't believe
me, go to your family reunion and sit down with them and tell
them all about salvation by grace. Tell them all about sovereign
grace. Particular redemption. election,
predestination, effectual calling, imputed righteousness, eternal
provision, union with Christ. In many things, we offend all. And I'm going to tell you by
experience, I quit going to my family reunions because there
was no common ground. There's nothing there. And they
know you're a preacher, and they're going to start fishing. They're
going to start hunting for some common ground, and it's going
to end in rebellion. I quit y'all. If any man offend
not in word, the same is a perfect man able also to bridle the whole
body. And there's nothing in this world
more difficult, more taxing, or more stressful than trying
to communicate God's gospel to men. Without offense. Without offense. Fact is, it's impossible, and
it's the very reason why men will condemn you. And he said,
we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us. Great
ships driven by fierce winds, they're turned by a little hem,
a great big horse. And here's something she mentioned
to me, because I used this one before. She got this big old
white horse. He's a big old, big old boy. But she'll bring
that bridle, and when she sticks that bid over there, he'll open
his mouth to take it. He loves her, and she loves him.
That's the difference. That's the difference. That great big horse is turned
by that little bid in his mouth. That huge ship turned by that
little hem. And even so, the tongue is a
little member, but it boasts a great thing. Let me tell you
something. He said it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching. You can't do that without a tongue. Huh? Please God through the foolishness
of preaching to save them but believe. That's a great thing,
isn't it? It's done with this tongue. But
oh, that tongue. That tongue. It better have a
bit in it. The Holy Spirit puts His bid
in there and you receive it. You love Christ, you love God,
He loves you, and you open your mouth and you willingly take
that, you're submissive to Him, you take that bid, and if He
turns you, you take it. If He said don't go there, don't
go there. If He said don't say that, don't say that. And He
guides you. But boy, when He don't, when
He don't, that tongue Behold what a great matter a little
fire kindling. Huh? Split churches over a few
words. Can't sit down and discuss it.
No, no. No, we're going to divide the
whole. They tried to destroy Don Fortner's whole ministry
over three words that he said. Christ made sin. But he didn't
say it, the Lord said it. He just said what the Lord told
him to say. Tried to destroy his own ministry. By way of that tongue, sons and
daughters are born of God. By way of that tongue, a false
refuge is torn down and a new king enthroned. By that same
tongue, an eternal soul is judged and even sent away at times,
never to hear again. And Paul said of the sinner,
with their tongues, They have you to see. The poison of ass
is under their lips. You see what James is saying?
This ain't something you rush into. Brother Mahan told us years
ago, if you can do anything else, go do it. Go do it. Behold, he said, how great a
matter A little fire kindleth. The fiery tongue is set on fire
by hell itself, and that tiny little member that nobody can
see unless you open your mouth setteth on fire, he said, the
course of nature. Rise it up. Rise up that old
man in there. That which distinguishes true
faith is what comes out of the mouth and how it comes out. Over in Matthew 12, our Lord
said to the Pharisees, old generation of vipers, that's the ones with
the poison under the tongue. Old generation of vipers, how
can you be an evil, speak good things? Can't do it, for out
of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. A good man
out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things,
and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil
things. Matthew 12, 36. But I say unto you, that every
idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof
in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be
justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Our faith is justified by our
words, and these words have an eternal impact on those who hear
them. Be careful what you say. And that's why he said in chapter
1, verse 19, let every man be swift to hear and slow to speak.
Boy, we got it reversed, don't we? We're quick to speak and
slow to hear. And then James, he uses another
illustration here. Listen to this. He uses a spring
to illustrate what he's talking about. Salt water and fresh water. Sweet water doesn't come from
the same source as salt water. We drilled a well. I couldn't
hardly wait for that man to hit water, let it run a few minutes,
and then give me a taste. I wanted to know what was coming
out of that well. Because I'm going to tell you
something. It ain't going to get any better. If it's salt water,
it's going to be salt water. If it smells like iron, it's
going to be iron. You're going to get what comes
out of that well. You're not going to get two things,
you're just going to get one. It'll produce one or the other.
And our mouth is like a nun to a spring here. And if God's done
a work within, the spring is pure. The water is wisdom from
above. It's pure. That's what he said.
Then peaceable and gentle and easy to be understood and full
of mercy and good fruits and it's without partiality. I'll
tell her the same thing I'll tell you. No partiality. No hypocrisy. What applies to you applies to
me. That man who'd been begotten
of God been taught of God, been called into a willing submission. He has a wellspring within him
of love and mercy and grace, a fountain of kindness and gentleness
and charity. And his motive for reconciliation
is peace. Be ye reconciled to God and eternal
life. Verse 18, And the fruit of righteousness
is sown in peace of them that make peace. I'm not at war with
men. We're emissaries of the Lord,
beseeching men and women to be reconciled to God. I'm not at
war with men. The war is over. The king is
seated. He's on the throne. And what is the basis of this?
What is the basis of my plea to men? God hath made him to
be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5. May God put in every soul here
today a well of water, bringing up into everlasting life.