030222. James 3 "Fighting Words"
Part of 2022 Archive Notes
March 2, 2022

James 3 - Fighting Words
Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged

strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be and could also control ourselves in other way.

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

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But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole

of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is

right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a spring.

Teaching carries a great deal of responsibility. We’re not just telling facts, we’re living out the Gospel. Jesus doesn’t want us to be religious on the outside and broken on the inside. He said that the pharisees were like a cup of filth. Jesus does not have that for us. —RM

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2 Tim. 3
12 Yes, and

who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will . They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are , for you know you can trust those who taught you.

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1 Cor. 1.21
Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our

preaching to save those who believe.

It’s ‘crazy’ that God would use the rescued cast offs, with busted up lives, bruises and scars, weaknesses and frailty to proclaim His Absolutely Perfect Gospel.
We’re kind of the world’s worst infomercial. We’re not pretty or well accomplished. Most of us are soaking wet, gasping for air, recent “rescuees”. Yet we think in order to tell people about Jesus saving us from drowning, that we must come across as great swimmers. Kind of crazy, isn’t it? —RM

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The reality of the Good News is that it’s only good for people who know how really bad and busted up we are.

We’re carrying around the perfect word of life in duct taped together luggage.
All the more reason to make the focus the Word of God.

Titus 2.8
Teach the

so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.

Phil. 2
14 Do

without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. 16 Hold to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

Heb. 10.23-24
Let us

tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

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1 Thess. 5.19-22
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but

everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.

Titus 3.10
If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have

more to do with them. 11 For people like that have turned away from the , and their own sins them.

Eph. 4
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to

us with so clever they sound like the . 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Extras:

Voddie Baucham - The Necessity For Absolute Truth

John MacArthur - The Truth Will Set You Free

Search Me Lord - Russ Taff