One of the most powerfully useful
things on earth is the tongue. One of the most powerfully destructive
things on earth is the tongue. You have nothing at your disposal
that can be so comforting to other people than your tongue. You have nothing in your possession
that can be more painful to other people than your tongue. Open
your Bibles, if you will, to James chapter 3, and I want to
talk to you about preachers, tongues, and wisdom. As it is today, so it has been
from the beginning. In the early church, as today,
there was much harm done by the misuse of the tongue. James deals
with the problem sharply, and it needs to be dealt with sharply. James chapter 1, verse 19, he
says, Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to rap. For the most part, every man
is swift to speak, slow to hear, and swift to wrath." So James
says, learn to bridle your tongue and open your ear and be patient
with other folks. Be swift to hear God's Word. Slow, very slow, to offer an
opinion about God's Word. and slow to take offense from
God's Word. Look at verse 26. If any man
among you seem to be religious, embritleth not his tongue, but
deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. If any man among you seem to
be, appears to be, pretends to be, makes a profession to be,
puts on a show to be religious, but he's a gossiping, slandering,
evil-speaking man, his religion is vain. Doesn't bridle his tongue,
his religion is vain. And then the whole of chapter
3 is taken up with this subject, the tongue. James specifically
here deals with three things, and this is the title of my message,
Preachers, Tongues, and Wisdom. Let's read chapter three together. My brethren. Now that tells you
who he's talking to. My brethren. He's not talking
to his brethren after the flesh, but his brethren in Christ. My
brethren. My brethren. Be not many masters. knowing that we shall receive
the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend
all. If any man offend not in word,
the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole
body. Behold, we put bits in horses' mouths, that they may
obey us, and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships,
which though they be so great, are driven of fierce winds, yet
are they turned about with a very small hail, whithersoever the
governor listeth. Even so, the tongue is a little
member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a
little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world
of iniquity, So is the tongue among our members, that it defileth
the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and
it is 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. full of
deadly poison. Easier to tame a rattlesnake
than to tame your tongue. Easier to tame a lion than tame
your tongue. It's an unruly evil, full of
deadly poison. The poison of Asp is under their
lips. Therewith bless we God, even
the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made out of
the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth
blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not so to be. Doth the fountain send forth
at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree,
my brethren, bear olive berries, either of vine figs? So can no
fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Verse 13. Who is a wise man and endued
with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation,
that is, out of a good manner of life, his works with meekness
of wisdom. But if ye 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, devilish. For where envying and strife
is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that
is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy
to be entreated, full of mercy, and of good fruits, without partiality,
without hypocrisy, and is the fruit of righteousness,
is sown in peace of them that make peace. If we would honor
God, help one another, and serve the interest of God's kingdom
and God's church in this world, We must seek from God grace to
bridle our tongues. If we would honor God, serve
the interest of his church and kingdom in this world, and benefit
one another, we must seek from God grace to bridle our tongues. Now let's see how James shows
us this, and I'm going to spend the bulk of my time with the
first verse and my first point, because I want to talk to Don. First, James gives us a word
of instruction about preachers. He's beginning this rather lengthy
discourse about bridling the tongue, the usefulness of the
tongue, and the pain and destructiveness of the tongue. And he begins
by addressing preachers. The word masters in verse one
refers to preachers, teachers, men who are called preachers,
called teachers in the church of God. My brethren, be not many
masters, many preachers, knowing that we, we who speak in God's
name to eternity bound sinners, we who speak in God's name professing to expound God's word. We who speak in God's name, dealing
with matters of eternity, matters of heaven and eternity and God
and righteousness, we shall receive the greater condemnation. I want to be very careful here.
The scriptures are crystal clear. We ought ever to pray that God
our Lord would raise up from our midst men to preach the gospel
and send them forth declaring the word of his truth. It is
right that we should desire that and pray that and we rejoice
when he does. And it is right that those men
who are saved by God's grace desire the office of a bishop.
There is no greater work on this earth than the work of preaching
the gospel. I know that sounds terribly partial
because I'm a preacher, but I can demonstrate it to you from the
word of God. The most important work any man has ever done on
this earth, other than the God man, is the preaching of the
gospel. The most demanding any man has
ever done, if he is faithful in the work, is the preaching
of the gospel. The most delightful and the most
painful work any man has ever done on this earth, if he's faithful
in the work, is the preaching of the gospel. Our Lord Jesus
commanded us to pray the Lord of the harvest that he would
send forth laborers into his vineyard. Turn over to 1 Timothy
chapter 3. Let me look at two or three texts
with you here. 1 Timothy chapter 3. And hear
how God describes this work. The pastoral epistles, 1 and
2 Timothy and Titus, were written specifically to give us instruction
about church order and preaching, principally about preaching.
Verse 1, 1 Timothy 3. This is a true saying. If a man desire the office of
a bishop, he desireth a good work. Now, I'll be as honest
as I can be. From the time God saved me by
His grace, I have wanted to do what I'm doing right now. But
desiring the office of a bishop and having the gifts to do the
work are two different things. I can't imagine a saved sinner
not desiring to tell other sinners about God's free grace. I just,
I can't imagine that. I've desired this since I was
a 16-year-old boy, and I'm thankful God's given me this work to do,
but desiring the office And being called and gifted of God to the
work are different things. Look at verse 2. A bishop, a
pastor, must be blameless. Blameless. That doesn't mean
folks don't find fault with him, and that doesn't mean he behaves
right all the time. That means he behaves in such
a way that he has no cause to blush before men, and men have
no just reason to accuse him of evil. The husband of one wife,
that doesn't mean if he'd been married and his wife died and
he's married again, he can't be a pastor. That doesn't mean
even if he's divorced and married again, he can't be a pastor.
Now what it means, Paul is addressing, we were just talking in the back
about the situation in Africa. You were down there, I'm just
guessing, I've not been there. What I've read, folks still down
there practice polygamy commonly. It's considered a status symbol
to have a lot of wives, is that right? that was common in the
Gentile world. Now, I do know this is so. Some religious fools who call
themselves missionaries will tell a fella that if he's been
converted and he's got two or three or four wives, he's got
to make a choice to get rid of all the rest of them. Is that
right? It's exactly what they do. What kind of barbarity is
that? No. No, no, no, no, no. No, no.
But that man who has a multitude of wives, who has more than one
wife, He cannot be a pastor. He cannot be bishop. And that's
just what Paul's saying here. He must be the husband of one
wife. Vigilant. Vigilant. You can count on him. Vigilant. Like a watchman guarding
his post. Vigilant. You can bank on it. Doesn't matter what comes or
what doesn't come. Doesn't matter how things go. Smooth or evil. Rough or plain. It doesn't matter. He's vigilant.
Vigilant. Always about his work. Sober. Sober. It's not talking about
sober as opposed to drunk. It's talking about sober as opposed
to frivolous. Sober-minded. Of good behavior. He's careful how he behaves. Careful how he behaves. I've
said this to many of you on numerous occasions. I go to your house
and you have dinner. We have a glass of wine. If I'm
driving, I don't sip it. I don't even taste it. I don't
even taste it. And there's nothing wrong with
you having a glass of wine. And if you're driving me home,
I may have a glass with you. And I don't mind if this goes
all over the world. It's high time folks quit acting
foolish with regard to religious things and start reading the
Word of God. But I don't dare take a sip of an alcoholic beverage
when I'm driving because I know there are lots of folks out there
who would just jump up and down with joy to see Don Fortner's
name on an arrest record with the possibility of drunkenness.
And that could happen. Be of good behavior. Behave in
such a way as not to give folks reason to speak ill of you. Good
behavior. Given to hospitality. Open door,
open hand, open heart, generous. Apt to teach. That means able
to teach. Able to teach. I have a very,
very dear friend, went to school with him, and I won't call his
name, but if you were sitting back here in the office talking
to him, if you were discussing theological literature, if you
were talking to him on the phone, one-on-one, he's brilliant, he's
sharp, he's academic, he understands doctrine, he understands theology,
he understands the gospel, God's grace, and he's brilliant. But
when he gets up in front of two or three folks and starts to
preach, he can't put two and two together and come out with
four to save his life. He has absolutely no ability
to preach. And he's tried many times. He
just has no ability to preach. Well, what do you do with such
a man? You don't ordain him. You don't encourage him. You
don't put him out in the work. Apt to teach. Not given to wine. That is, not a drunk. No striker. He's not a violent fighting man. Not greedy a filthy looker. He's
not seeking wealth, but patient. Not a brawler. Not covetous. One that ruleth well his own
house, having his children in subjection with all gravity.
For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall
he take care of the church of God? Not a novice. Not a boy with no experience.
not a novice. Lest being lifted up with pride,
he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must
have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into
reproach and snare of the devil." Brother Todd reminded me the
other day of a kind of common statement Brother Mahan used
to make when he had to preach at school. And they'd have a young fellow
preach. And it's good to encourage the fellow. Good to encourage
him. I'm thankful folks weren't too plain with me when I was
a young man. Thankful for a little encouragement. But sometimes
a young fella, man, oh, that was, everybody seemed to really
like that. It was such a good message. And
he's just real convinced it was real good. And Brother May had
come up to him and said, that was a really good message for
you. In other words, I didn't expect much better from you.
That was a really good message for you, for you. Not in office,
not in office. Don't send men out to do a man's
work who's just boys. Don't send someone out to a man's
work who's just a boy and doesn't know what he's doing. Look at
1 Thessalonians 5, chapter 5, verse 12. We beseech you, brethren, to
know them which labor among you and are over you in the Lord,
and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly. Esteem them
very highly. Oh, I can't say this with sufficient
emphasis. Esteem God's servants highly,
very highly, very highly. People are too quick, far too
quick to speak rashly and condemning of men God has sent to preach
the gospel. Far too quick to be censurous
of men, God has gifted and called for this work. Rather, esteem
them very highly in love for their work's sake. They labor
in the word and in the doctrine of God for your souls and for
the souls of God's elect. Read on. And be at peace among
yourselves. Be at peace among yourselves. The surest way to wreak havoc
in the church of God is for folks to get to yakking about the pastor.
And the surest way for a congregation to have peace is for them to
rally around the labor of their pastor in the preaching of the
gospel. Oh, I wouldn't give that man that. I wouldn't do that
for that man. Well, you will if you love Christ. and love
the gospel of God's grace because that man God places over you
to give you his word is the man by whom God directs his church
and feeds his church and leads his church and comforts his church
and reproves his church and uses his church in the place where
they are in the generation where God's put them. Now I say this
for the benefit of everybody in the world who hears this message.
If God's given you a faithful pastor, esteem that man very
highly and make sure you don't speak evil of him or hear others
speak evil of him in love for his work's sake. And you as a
congregation will be at peace among yourselves. Now, turn to
that passage Lindsay read earlier. How important is this? First
Peter chapter what? First Peter chapter 1. You see gospel preaching is the
means by which God is pleased to save chosen redeemed sinners. First Peter chapter 1 verse 18.
For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily
was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest
in these last times for you. We're redeemed from our empty,
meaningless lives by the precious blood of Christ revealed to us
by the mighty, powerful grace of God. Look at verse 21. Who
by him do believe in God? We believe in God by this mediator. this one who raised up Jesus
our Lord from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and
hope might be in God seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying
the truth through the spirit unto unfamed love of the brethren
see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently being
born again being born again not of corruptible seed not born
again because of your relationship with your daddy, not born again
because of something some mortal does for you, but of incorruptible,
born again by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. And the word he speaks of there
is this word right here, this written word. born again by the
Word of God, which lives and abides forever. How does that
happen? For all flesh is grass, or as
grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of grass. The grass
withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the Word of
the Lord endures forever. Now watch this. And this is the
Word. This book. which by the gospel
is preached unto you. A man, sin of God, comes with
a message from God and expounds to you the glorious accomplishments
of God's dear Son and God's grace, Jesus Christ our Lord being our
Savior and God the Holy Spirit takes the Word and plants it
in your heart. This is the Word which by the
gospel is preached unto you. God saves sinners through the
preaching of the gospel. I repeat, there's no greater
work to be done on this earth than the work of the gospel ministry.
But in the opening verse of James 3, God the Holy Ghost warns us
that there's a great danger of men thrusting themselves into
this work. And an equally great danger of
us thrusting men into the work whom God has not called, gifted,
and sent forth to preach the word. As he begins to tell us
that one of the greatest possible abuses of the tongue is the preaching
of a man who is not called and sent of God to be a preacher. How quick men are to rashly put
forth their ideas and their opinions about this book. I often have people quickly ask
me a question about a verse of Scripture or a statement in Scripture
that I've got my mind on something else. I'm not immediately familiar
with what they're saying. It's been a while since I looked
at it. And I just don't offer an opinion. I don't. Well, I think this is what that
means. Eric, this is too important for me to give you what I think
it means. It's too important. This is what it means to me.
What it means to me doesn't matter. If I can't tell you what it means,
I don't intend to offer an opinion about what it means. You understand
that? They teach you through John,
you come up with something, man, what's that mean? Until you know,
just skip over it, come back to it another day. Don't have
to pretend it means something that it doesn't mean. Don't speak
rashly with regard to the things of God. But folks are so quick
to offer an opinion because we all like to be applauded. What
a dangerous thing it is for men to put themselves in this work.
Uncalled, unsent, unqualified, ungifted men who put themselves
forward as God's messengers are the primary cause of confusion,
corrupt practices, and corrupt doctrine in the Church of God.
Rather, we ought always to wait for God to make manifest He is
called, who He is separated from among us. And those men being
approved of God are approved by His Church. Men who are called
and gifted of God, read Acts chapter 13, are separated from
the Church of God, from among their brethren, anointed of the
Spirit of God, and gifted of God for the work. And the first
folks who know it, The first folks who know it are the
church, not the man who thinks he's called to preach, but the
church of God who's heard him preach. Lay hands suddenly on
no man, Paul said, neither be partaker of other men's sins. Preaching the gospel requires
more than a fluent tongue, requires more than knowledge and understanding,
requires more than a sincere heart. It requires the gift and
call and anointing of God. And then James says, here's the
seriousness of this, we shall receive the greater condemnation.
Preachers and teachers are judged by a higher standard and with
greater severity than others and with good reason. When a
man assumes the responsibility of speaking to eternity bound
immortal souls in the name of God, and assumes the responsibility
of expanding to others the word of God, he assumes the responsibility
of doing so faithfully. God said, let him that hath my
word speak my word faithfully. All right, secondly, James gives
us very clear instruction and very needful instruction about
our tongues and the use of our tongues. He opens verse 2 with
a statement that needs to be emblazoned upon our hearts and
minds by God the Holy Spirit. For in many things we offend
all. Don't miss the connecting word. We shall have the greater condemnation
for, in many things, we. We who are spokesmen for God. We who are pastors, preachers,
teachers in the kingdom of God. In many things, we offend all. We offend all God's people. All we touch. All we come in
contact with. All we influence. at one time
or another in many things. What a sad fact. What an undeniable
fact. Let no preacher forget this. Don Fortner, don't forget this. In many things, you offend everybody
you touch. We have many infirmities. We
sin much. And sooner or later, in one way
or another, in many things, we offend all. Let no child of God
forget this. In many things, we offend all. You and me. That ought to keep
us from being too quick to judge each other, shouldn't it? That
ought to keep us from being too harsh with one another. That
ought to keep us from speaking ill of one another. That ought
to teach us to bridle our tongues. It won't, but it ought to. It
ought to. It ought to control our lives.
In many things we offend all. That fact alone ought to teach
us to be on guard all the time. But James points out here that
our tongues are the primary instruments of offense. Let us then pray
for grace to guard our tongues. David said, set a watch, O Lord,
before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips. That person, that man, that woman,
who bridles his tongue is able to bridle his whole body. What a statement. What a statement. The person who can control his
tongue can control his appetite and his conduct, his behavior
in every realm of life. That alone ought to tell us that
James is telling us something here that most folks miss. The
man who's able to bridle his tongue is able to control his
whole body. Learn then that no man is able
to bridle his tongue. No man is able to control his
life. And we need to be aware of this
constantly. The tongue is a fire setting on fire the whole being
as with fire from hell. The tongue world of iniquity,
defiling the whole of our being. The tongue is full of deadly
poison, the poison of ass. The tongue is an unruly evil. If we could control our tongues,
we could control our whole nature. Now let's look at verses 3 through
8, just briefly. Behold, we put bits in horses'
mouths, that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole
body. Behold, also we put the ships, which, though they be
so great, are driven of fierce winds. Yet are they turned about
with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so
the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold,
how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a
fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members,
that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course
of nature, and is 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, full of
deadly poison. or a small member, but capable
of both astoundingly great things and astoundingly disastrous things.
The tongue, when used of God, can be an instrument of grace
and life and salvation to dead sinners. That's astounding. That's astounding. It can be
an instrument of curse and condemnation to sinners. 2 Corinthians chapter
2 says so. The tongue is like fire, an instrument
of wrath that stirs up heat and wrath and bitterness. And like
fire, an evil tongue is destructive. Nothing in its path is safe. The tongue destroys a man's name. and the destroyer thinks nothing
of it. The tongue destroys a man's house, and the destroyer thinks
nothing of it. The tongue destroys a local church,
and the destroyer thinks nothing of it. Like fire, the wicked
tongue is hard to stop. Gossip and slander and yak, just
yak, yak, yak, yak, yak, yak, yak. But the tongue well-ordered,
sanctified, can preach the gospel, comfort, bring happiness, build
friendships, and unite people. The same tongue can do great
evil, destroy friendships that have stood for years, destroy
homes and churches, and be perfectly content. It can destroy character
and reputation. plant suspicion and doubt, and
turn men from truth to error. But the tongue no man can tame. Look at verse 9. Therewith bless we God, even
the Father, and therewith curse we men which are made at the
similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth
blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not to be. I suggest that you underscore
that last sentence of verse 10. These things ought not to be. God does not here tell us these
things are not. He's telling us exactly the opposite.
Though they are, they ought not be. And he gives us examples.
Doth the fountain send forth at the same place sweet water
and bitter? Nope, can't be done. Can the
fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries, either of vine figs? So can no fountain, both yield
salt water and fresh. But out of the same mouth proceedeth
blessing and cursing. Why is that? because we live
in this body of sinful flesh and in this body using this tongue
is the man Christ Jesus and Satan himself in this body
using this tongue is that new man that blesses God and that
old man that curses his neighbor that just speaks ill of his neighbor But what do we need then? We
need for God constantly to bridle our tongues, giving us wisdom. Wisdom that only God can give.
And that's the third thing. Jane gives us instruction about
this wisdom in verses 13 through 18, reminding us of the difference
between carnal, sensual, devilish wisdom and heavenly, gracious,
spiritual wisdom. that wisdom given by God the
Holy Spirit to those who are born of God and taught of God.
Here is God-given heavenly wisdom. Who is a wise man and endued
with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation,
out of a good way of life, his works with meekness of wisdom. This wisdom is God-given knowledge
of God's ways and God's work and God's word. It causes a person
to live unto God and living unto God to live for the benefit of
others. Oh God give me this wisdom. Turn back to Colossians 3. Let's
look at it for just a second. Verse 12. Put on therefore as the elect
of God Holy and beloved bowels of mercies. What strong language. Put on mercies filling your soul, filling your
stomach, filling your bowels. Mercies that just so full they
cannot be held down. Oh God give me such mercies.
Kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering. What's
he talking about? Forbearing one another, forgiving
one another. If any man have a quarrel against
any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Above all things
put on charity, the bond of perfectness. Charity, that's the thing that
holds mature folks together. And let the peace of God rule
in your hearts, to the which also you're called in one body
and be you thankful. Look at verses 14, 15, and 16.
Here's carnal, sensual, devilish wisdom. It's always self-centered. It's always self-promoting. It's
always envious. It's always malicious. It's always
contentious. It's always finding fault, slandering,
exposing evil, and dividing friends. But if you have bitterness, bitter
envying, and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against
the truth. Don't feel good about this. This wisdom descendeth not from
above, but is earthly, sensual, like adultery and fornication
and murder and theft, sensual, devilish. This kind of wisdom
that sneaks around and talks about folks. This kind of wisdom
that yaks about people. This kind of wisdom that attacks
a person's character. This kind of wisdom that attacks
a man's name. It's devilish. And it's all that arises from
envy. For where envying and strife
is, there is confusion and every evil word. everybody who has evil to speak
of his neighbor. Now this is true of me and it's
true of you. Every man and woman who just,
well, I just feel like I have to tell you this, Brother Bob,
has evil to speak of his neighbor, does so because of envy. Merle, there's never another
reason. Read the Proverbs on the pride in envy. He thinks
by speaking evil of another, he lifts himself up. Envy. Devilish. Sensual. Listen to
the politicians Thursday night and hear what I'm saying. Just
listen to them. The way they build themselves
up is to speak evil of another. Here is heavenly, God-given spiritual
wisdom. Wisdom found in and given by
Christ. all who are made partakers of
the divine nature in the new birth. Verse 17, But the wisdom
that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy
to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality,
without hypocrisy, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
of them that make peace. I'll come back to this, Lord
willing, another day, but I want you to hear this. This is the
wisdom God gives and only God can give. This is the wisdom
for which we ought to pray from Christ, who is our wisdom. It's
pure. Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God. It's peaceable. That is, it makes
peace. Rather than keeping the pot stirred
all the time, it figures a way to smooth things over. Makes
peace. Oh, blessed are the peacemakers.
The man who gives the soft answer is gentle, mild, courteous, kind,
patient. Gentleness is the fruit of the
Spirit. It's the character of our Savior, and it's the character
of God's servant. It is easily entreated. Easily entreated. Willing to
listen. Quick to forgive. Ready to be
gracious. Easily entreated. Easily entreated. You have a wife you love with
all your heart. And she loves you with all her
heart. And you get along marvelously. Your house is a place where God's
worshipped. And then you get upset over mud
on the floor or burnt chicken. And you got to say something. You just got to say something.
And folks get upset. And you're just like you're going
to kill each other. Kill each other. And then God
conquers your flesh. You're easily entreated because
you're anxious to get along, anxious to be at peace, anxious
to push this thing aside, leave this thing alone. This wisdom
is without partiality. It reaches out to, embraces,
highly esteems and loves all God's people because their Christ
is each esteeming other better than himself. It's without hypocrisy. It's not a pretense. It's straightforward,
sincere, and honest in its kindness. This wisdom, this wisdom is the
fruit of righteousness. This is the kind of wisdom men
have when they are made the righteousness of God in Christ. This is the
kind of wisdom women have when God gives them a righteous nature.
This is the kind of wisdom that's the fruit of righteousness. And
it's sown in peace by those who make peace. Wisdom. Man, Larry and Don, we
get along. We get along. It's not worth
that. We get along. No, he didn't mean
that. That doesn't matter. That's insignificant. It's sown in peace of those who
make peace. As James and Paul were in complete
agreement about faith in Christ and justification by God's grace
through faith in Christ, James and Paul are in complete agreement
about this wisdom. Paul said, I want to show you
a more excellent way. And it talks to us about this
wisdom, charity, brotherly kindness, quick forgiveness, easy peaceableness, gentleness,
forbearing one another, forgiving one another, forbearing one another
in love for Christ's sake. God give me such wisdom. and bright on my talk, that I
may both bless God and bless you. Honor God and serve you. Bless God and benefit you, for
Christ's sake, amen.