February 18, 2025 • 48 mins
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This episode explores the profound impact of words, likening them to weapons that can uplift or destroy. The discussion draws on historical examples and biblical wisdom to remind listeners of the responsibility that accompanies speech.
• Introduction of the new time for Christian Warrior Talk
• Praise report regarding a calf born on the farm
• Discussion of the power of words and their historical implications
• Insights from the Book of James on the untamable tongue
• Practical steps for evaluating communication habits
• Encouragement to engage in constructive criticism over gossip
• Closing reflection on the responsibility of speech in fostering a positive community
Christian Warrior Talk is Sponsored by Trident Shield, your trusted ally in violence preparedness. Trident Shield helps safeguard your loved ones with expert training and consulting. Trident Shield, defending faith through empowered preparedness because together, we save lives."
Welcome to Christian Warrior Mission: the ministry where Christian warriors are forged, equipped, and united for the battles of life and faith. Our channel is dedicated to empowering you to stand firm, advance the line, and claim victory for Christ’s Kingdom. We offer two powerful streams of content:
Christian Warrior Talk: Join us for a dynamic fellowship show where every episode challenges you to fight three essential battles:
Heart Alignment: Begin with a prayer of gratitude and humility, aligning your heart with the Lord.
Relational Pursuit: Deepen your relationship with Jesus by studying His Word—one chapter at a time—and through prayer.
Fellowship & Accountability: Build strong, iron-sharpening relationships as we invest in one another’s growth.
Centered on the Five Pillars: Faith, Family, Fitness, Fundamentals, and Finances, our discussions span Scripture, discipleship, tactical preparedness, self-defense, homesteading, and more.
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Nehemiah 4:14
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome.
Happy Lord's Day to you.
Take two we are having amonsoon here.
We've had power outages, thingshave gone crazy, wires crossed.
It appears that our sound isworking now.
So welcome to Christian WarriorChurch, a home church,
community ministry and farm thatforges Christian Warriors for
today's challenges.
(00:20):
Announcements they're short andbrief, but we've got a big one.
Christian Warrior Talk is now onWednesdays at 9 pm.
I know everyone loved it onFridays and I'm sorry I am just
doing so much travel for workright now I can't do that.
Most people want to do thetrainings that I do on Thursday
(00:42):
or Friday before the weekend,and I don't see that changing.
So we're going to be like everyother church in America and do
a Wednesday night fellowshipkind of thing, which will be
Christian Warrior Talk onWednesday nights at nine, and
then we'll do our Sunday serviceas is.
So please bear with me.
I know I get lots of complaintsfrom everybody that I'm
(01:03):
changing things and doing that.
Give me grace, okay, I'm doingall the work solo, okay?
So if you want to come help,volunteer and then complain, by
all means once you startvolunteering you can complain.
Until then, all right, thankyou.
Praise report.
Mocha gave birth to a baby bullwho is gorgeous and he's out
(01:26):
there if you want to go see him,If you guys want to go see him.
He's huge.
But Lauren was, of course, God.
Like I said last week when Iwas talking about training up
shield maidens lauren is myshield maiden and I'll tell you
(01:46):
you couldn't write this anybetter to make it harder for her
.
So mocha went into labor as Iwas leave, walking out the door
to go to my plane, of which Ihad no fudge time, okay.
So lauren had to deliver thebaby and the baby got stuck.
So, luckily, I had bought somechains that you wrap around
(02:11):
their legs and it gives you ahandle to pull on, because
they're really slimy when theycome out.
And Lauren had chains and ourneighbor Dexter, who has come
through for us so many times,came down and they had to work
it to pull them out.
But if she wasn't there, thatcalf would be dead and god knows
with the mom.
So praise the lord thathappened during the day and that
(02:32):
lauren was there to witness it.
Praise the lord for makinglauren as strong as he did.
She was a hero to that cow thatday into this family, into this
farm and she's out there in therain doing that.
You know, it's like somethingout of yellowstone, except
instead of me being cool, laurengot to be cool.
So which is usually the case,right, lauren's way cooler than
(02:54):
I ever am.
So she was out there, one footon one butt cheek, one foot on
the other, pulling as hard asshe could, and out came that
that little stinker and he'svery vocal.
He came out very vocal, but hehas become a snuggle bug and you
go out there and he just wantsto snuggle on you and he's
(03:16):
awesome and we're not sure whatwe're doing.
I'm leaving that up to Laurento decide, because I would keep
everyone that ever comes here.
So, anyways, we have named himbecause of that, which is a big
faux pas in my world.
I always name everything and itdrives me nuts that he doesn't
(03:37):
have a name.
We don't know his future yet,but that is to be married to my
wife.
Her family is known as the greatindecisives.
Ordering food with them intheir parents' house takeout is
a nightmare.
It's a four-hour debate with alot of stress and the loss of
just ordered dinner.
So never mind buying adishwasher.
(03:57):
That could take six months ofresearch.
So be here with me and for all.
Lauren is one of the superheroesof this family, in my opinion,
and the glue that holds ustogether.
So that's one small flaw todeal with.
I can deal with that, all right.
So let's get an opening.
(04:18):
He's being sold, oh, he's beingsold, okay, okay.
So here's calf 1052.
And I mean that's why I can'tspend too much time out there
with him, because I dig him, Idig him, but we might keep.
So again, I hate to get intotoo much farm talk, but I know a
(04:41):
lot of you guys out there areinto this and getting ready to
walk this out and all that stuff.
Our black Angus calf, or blackAngus mama Karen is due within
this week.
I think she's going to have100% black Angus.
If that's a bull, we will keepit, because we want to take a
(05:02):
100% black Angus bull and usethat to sire all of our other
Jersey mixes, jersey Holsteinmixes, jersey Angus mixes and
because there's no shared bloodbetween almost all of our entire
herd if it comes from that.
(05:23):
So that's the smart move.
We'll see if we're givenanother bowl.
I miss a bowl Because if youguys don't know like, unless you
bottle feed cows.
They don't like.
Everyone's like oh you mustabuse your cows because they're
skittish.
God made them that way.
They're herd animals and unlessyou do the bottle, if you do a
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bottle feeding, you become mamaand it's different.
But if you let them go beraised by their parents, they
are completely different.
They don't.
You know, they might be handshy until it's apple season and
then when you get apples andyou're out there, they'll do
whatever.
But the bulls always come up.
They always come up.
They want a head rub, neck rub,chin rub, and it's very cool
(06:16):
and I miss my, my, my, my bullWally.
He was a good bull so, but he's,in a way, better place and a
bigger farm, way more Highlander, highland cows, and you know.
So I miss him.
He was a good guy, a littleloud, though.
A little loud Sounded like wehad like 40 donkeys out back,
because that's what highlandssound like.
They sound like hee-hawing orwhat out there, and it's just
for a cool animal to sound thatuncool.
I don't get it, you know,whereas our black angus sounded
(06:38):
like a red dragon roaring outthere, you know, just just just
pretty interesting.
So let's go to prayer.
We got a lot to unpack today ina very short section, and so
let's get to work.
Dear Heavenly Father, lord, wethank you.
We're so grateful for all ofour blessings, known and unknown
, and all of our protections,known and unknown.
(06:59):
Lord, just the fact that wewoke up this morning, and the
trillions upon trillions ofcells that had to function
perfectly for us to be here.
We thank you for them.
We thank you, despite the achesand pains that are growing day
by day as we age, that so manythings don't hurt and that it
(07:22):
can always be worse hurt andthat it can always be worse.
Well, we know, as we weretaught, you know earlier in
James, that suffering and trialsproduce endurance and strength
and faith.
It's easy to praise you wheneverything's great, but can we
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praise you when things hurt?
That is the true test of faith.
Lord, we thank you for yourcommon grace, the grace that you
show to every living thing,this universe, the sun, the moon
, the stars, nature, that yougave us, everything from the
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mountains to the seas andeverything in between, all the
animals, all the plants, all thecritters.
Lord, your design ismagnificent and we thank you for
it.
Lord, we thank you for all thepeople that you've made in your
image in our lives.
Help us to always treasure themoments and to make new moments,
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to have an impact on eachother's lives in a positive way
and to build each other up.
Lord, for those who are notwith us, help us to remember the
good days.
Help us to forgive the slightsand the wrongs.
So, lord, we thank you for thesunrises and the sunsets.
We thank you for the sound ofchildren's laughter, birds
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singing in the morning.
We thank you for the smell offresh morning, rain, the flowers
, good food, cooking.
We thank you for the taste ofgood food and drink.
Lord, may everything we dotoday and always glorify you and
only you, serve you and onlyyou, and may we proclaim you
(09:21):
with every breath of our lungsand serve you with every beat of
our heart.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
Now again, if you are startingon your journey as a Christian
and you don't know how to pray,there is a manual on how to pray
in Matthew 6, 19 through 13.
And it's where the disciplesask Jesus how he should pray,
(09:46):
and it goes like this Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed
be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth as itis in heaven.
Give us this day our dailybread, forgive us our debts as
we forgive our debtors, and leadus not into temptation but
deliver us from evil, for thineis the kingdom and the power and
the glory forever.
Amen.
(10:07):
Now Paul Washer, who has had amassive influence on me and
where I go when I need to get mycourse corrected, nobody
humbles me like Paul Washer.
You know, said that you know hedeals with a lot of very life
and death issues.
He does a lot of ministries anda lot of mission work behind
(10:32):
enemy lines, like in China, inAfghanistan and places where
Christians are found.
They're killed, south America,all that.
They were killed South America,all that.
And he said the only thing thatkeeps him going is this prayer
and he's like God, you know, youknow, you know, you know, and
(11:05):
because of this I can go tosleep now because it's all on
your hands.
That's a hard prayer to pray,to believe it, but I believe
with all my heart that he doesbecause he trusts the Lord with
everything he has and he's amighty man of God who has been
doing it for a long time and hehas walked that out and he has
settled that with God.
(11:26):
In fact he died, I think, twiceto a heart attack and they
brought him back.
You know, and this is a guy whois not your pulpit Christian he
is, but this guy is like theSEAL team, pastor of Christians.
Like he's been done missionarywork.
He's gotten malaria countlesstimes, he's been held hostage,
(11:49):
all kinds of crazy things anddoing high-risk missionary work
around the world.
And if you haven't seen him,he's way better than I am, check
him out.
He's in Radford, virginia.
It's like two hours for us, twohours, two and a half hours to
us to get there, but he's sohumble you don't know when he's
(12:10):
preaching.
He doesn't put himself on thechurch.
It's a small church in Radfordwhich is a college town, and
whether he's there or not youdon't know.
You show up and maybe he'sthere, but he is the most
behind-the-scenes guy you'llever see, because he's humble
and he knows that Jesus is thetrue star of the show and the
hero of this story.
Without further ado, I'm goingto get into our sermon now and I
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call this sermon A Weapon MorePowerful Than a Gun.
We can look to history and see,with Adolf Hitler's rhetoric
and the Holocaust, that warsoften begin with words long
before bullets ever fly.
Adolf Hitler didn't initiallypick up a gun.
He seized a microphone and usedthe power of propaganda,
(13:00):
sustained hateful, deceptivespeech.
Through the fiery speeches hedehumanized the Jewish people,
blamed them for Germany's woesand unleashed hatred on a
massive scale.
By 1945, some estimate over 6million people, jews and others,
deemed undesirable those wouldbe the handicapped or the less
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than perfect were murdered inthe Holocaust and evil rooted in
propaganda.
The Holocaust didn't start withbullets.
It started with words ofdeception and division.
The Bible reminds us in Proverbs18.21,.
The death and life are thepower of the tongue, and those
who love it will eat its fruit.
The great Charles Spurgeon, thepastor's pastor, said the
(13:47):
bonfire of gossip is oftenkindled by a single spark of
idle speech.
We must understand, as we applythis to our lives, that words
can justify sin or championtruth.
I wish to contrast this withfirearms.
A firearm can save or destroy.
(14:07):
The tongue is no different.
Before speaking, ask am Iloading my words with life or
death?
We can all reflect on a timewhen someone's words shaped our
view, positively or negatively,about another person.
How are we doing that?
(14:29):
How have your own words builtup or torn down someone else.
In James 3, scripture warns usthat the tongue is like a fire
uncontrolled, it can burn downrelationships, reputations and
even entire communities.
Let's go to James 3 now andhear God's word.
(14:50):
I'll be reading out of theLegacy Standard Bible.
This Bible was gifted to me bya non-profit.
It's beautiful.
I really thank you and I'mgoing to read it now.
Do not many of you becometeachers, my brothers, knowing
that we will receive a stricterjudgment, for we all stumble in
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many ways.
If anyone does not stumble inwhat he says, he is a perfect
man, able to bridle the entirebody as well.
Now, if we put the bits intohorses' mouths so that they will
obey us, we direct their entirebody as well.
Look at the ships also.
Though they are so great anddriven by strong winds, they are
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still directed by a very smallrudder wherever the inclination
of the pilot wills.
So also the tongue is a smallpart of the body, and yet it
boasts of great things.
Behold how great a forest isset aflame by such a small fire,
and the tongue is a fire thevery world of unrighteousness.
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The tongue is set among ourmembers as that which defiles
the entire body and sets a fireto the course of our existence
and is set on fire by hell, forevery kind of beast and birds,
of reptiles and creatures of thesea is tamed and has been tamed
(16:17):
by mankind.
But no one can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil and fullof deadly poison.
With it we bless our Lord andFather and with it we curse men
who have been made in thelikeness of God.
From the same mouth come theblessing and cursing, my
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brothers.
These things ought not to be so.
Does the fountain pour forthfrom the same opening fresh and
bitter water?
Can a fig tree, my brothers,produce olives?
Or vine produce figs?
Nor can salt water producefresh Wisdom from above.
(16:58):
Who among you is wise andunderstanding, let him show by
his good conduct his works ingentleness of wisdom.
But if you have bitterness,jealousy and selfish ambition in
your heart, do not be arrogantand so lie against the truth.
The wisdom is not coming downfrom above but from earthly,
natural.
(17:18):
Demonic, but is earthly naturaland demonic, for where jealousy
and selfish ambition exist,there is disorder in every evil
practice.
But the wisdom from above ispure, then peaceable,
considerate, submissive, full ofmercy and good fruits, without
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doubting, without hypocrisy, andthe fruit of righteousness is
sown in peace by those who makepeace.
It's the word of God.
So let's get into.
So, as we can see, jamesconnects speech with spiritual
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maturity.
Just as a small spark canengulf a forest, one word can
ignite wars or nurture peace.
And he concludes with a call towisdom from above which is
peaceable, gentle and full ofmercy, the antidote to the
reckless tongue.
The tongue is a firearm.
Let's think about it First.
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The warnings in James 3, 1through 2.
Let not many of you becometeachers, my brothers, knowing
that we will receive stricterjudgment.
Think about this.
A careless firearm instructorcan send novices into combat or
into life unprepared,endangering lives.
A careless Christian teachercan spread false doctrine and
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encourage destructive speech,harming souls.
In Proverbs 10.19, where thereis many words, transgression is
unavoidable, but he who holdsback his lips has insight.
To quote again the great churchforefather John Chrysostom.
I looked it up the teacher'splace is a dangerous one, for
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his words will either save orcondemn both himself and those
who hear him.
This is the burden that I haveto make sure that I do my
homework, for if I lead youastray, not only do I lead
myself to doom, but you also.
But you fathers, mothers, youguys are also leaders and
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teachers in your own house.
We can't escape theresponsibility of being leaders.
You just have a smaller impact,so you have to be right as well
.
Spiritual leadership is akin tohandling a loaded firearm it
must be wielded with reverenceand responsibility.
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False teachers are likeunscrupulous arms dealers or
trainers distributing faulty ordangerous weapons or bad tactics
to the unsuspecting.
How do we ensure our words andinfluence are used to disciple
rather than destroy?
That's what we have to thinkabout when we speak.
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I am a chief offender in this,as again, overcoming our family
curses, generational curses,where wounding started
generations and generations andgenerations ago, and negative
speak is washed over you yourentire life, as a kid until
(20:50):
you're adult and you go on yourown.
But still, even there, it's nottheir fault your parents,
grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-great-grandparents
.
It started somewhere, that sinstarted somewhere, somewhere who
wasn't reading the Bible andwho didn't understand the
warning that James gave 2,000years ago and that the Bible,
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thousands of years prior, inProverbs and the Old Testament,
warned about.
These wounds happen and theyalways get worse until someone
breaks the shackles ofgenerational sin and that person
is going to be in conflictevery day as they fight their
very nature, as they have beendiscipled by the world, until
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they reach spiritual maturity,and the negativity is not the
initial reaction.
Instead, we have to bedisciplined Like a firearm
finger off the trigger.
Only shoot.
Put your finger on the triggerwhen you're willing to destroy
what's in front of you and whatyou're aiming at.
(22:01):
We'll get into that more.
The power of the tongue James 3through 6.
The text is a small part of thebody, yet it boasts of great
things.
The tongue is a fire.
A single negligent dischargecan be fatal, just as a single
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word can ruin reputations,relationships, futures.
We see this now.
I think of and I am so mercifulnot to be growing up in the age
of social media.
And if we lose power, I'm sorrywe get a monsoon going on
outside with wind and everythingelse.
I can hear it whipping by andwe've already lost power once
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and I'm sorry we get a monsoongoing on outside with wind and
everything else.
I can hear it whipping by andwe've already lost power once
and I'm sorry, but I'm sothankful not to grow up in the
social media era, where you canput one thing online, make one
mistake, and that's whateveryone knows you by, forever.
I think, of all the millions ofthings I have said over my life
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that I would not stand on today, that I will be embarrassed of
today, the blackest things thatI've said, as I was an atheist
and an agent for the enemy, thedevil himself out there trying
to crush Christians with mylogic and science.
(23:29):
The world has become even moreunforgiving now with digital
trace, and anything you sayonline is now permanent.
How much more do we need to bedisciplined?
How much more do we need to bedisciplined?
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This is the equivalent ofhaving a belt fed machine gun
that is guaranteed to run away.
Do you know what that runawaymachine gun is?
Once a machine gun, belt fedweapon gets hot so hot it can
just start firing on its own.
So you're firing it so muchthat now it's not the firing pin
that causes it to detonate, butthe heat within the weapon.
And the only way to do that isto break the belt off to make
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sure that the bullets run outand there's no more bullets to
shoot.
Once a bullet leaves a barrel,there's no getting it back.
The same is true of spoken words.
The Bible reminds us inProverbs 13.3,.
He who guards his mouth keepshis soul, but he who opens wide
(24:39):
his lips comes to ruin.
We're almost some of us inparticular are built vocal.
We open our mouth too much andwe say things that need not be
said.
Sometimes it's a good thing andwe're building people up and
that's, you know, a great thing,but if we're just spitting
(25:00):
venom and poison, it's not agood thing.
Again.
The great AW Tozer said neverunderestimate the power of a
single careless word.
I want you to hear this.
It can drive a soul to hell orlift it towards heaven.
How many of us have buriedpeople and driven them to hell
(25:21):
with what we said, includingourselves?
We're going to look to history,not so recent anymore, but more
recent than some of the thingswe're going to talk about.
The Cuban Missile Crisis wasnearly sparked into a nuclear
war by heated, careless rhetoricfrom world leaders.
There's a term from World WarII loose-legged sink ships is
(25:44):
more than a World War II slogan.
It's a spiritual warning.
Think about what you're about tosay in ways that light or
darkness that you're about tosay.
If it's light, let it flow.
If it's darkness, do not.
How do we apply this to ourlives.
(26:07):
Understand that gossip isverbal friendly fire.
It is blue on blue, which inthe military, means you are
shooting your own troops.
Gossip against anotherChristian is friendly fire.
It weakens the body of Christfrom within.
(26:28):
Guard your tongue as diligentlyas a soldier guards his loaded
rifle.
When you're thinking about this, when you're talking about this
sermon, I want you to thinklater on.
As you're thinking about this,when you're talking about this
sermon, I want you to thinklater on, as you're discussing
amongst yourselves when have youwitnessed words used as weapons
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and how can we prevent friendlyfire?
We must discern the differencebetween gossip and constructive
criticism.
Constructive criticism is thelight of hoping to make
correction and it's done intruth and open rather than
undermining and deceptive.
And in the shadows you can sayhard words.
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I'm never going to tell you notto say hard words.
I'm never going to.
We are called to confront liesand we are called to speak truth
, and we are called to speaktruth.
When someone tells you that theyidentify as a unicorn dragonfly
, you can tell them that they'renot.
That is not what James istalking about here.
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You ought to tell them they aremade in God's image and they
are either a son or a daughterof the living God.
Whatever God chose them to be.
Coddling, that is in coddlingtheir dysphoria, their mental
condition is not kind.
It is one of the biggest formsof wickedness.
(27:57):
That's just one example.
Families, if you're going to goto someone Just one example,
families, if you're going to goto someone, make sure that you
discuss something no-transcriptand say, hey, I spoke to blank
(28:24):
about blank and I was wonderingabout this, or can we talk about
this?
But I didn't want you to thinkI was talking behind your back,
I wasn't gossiping, I wasseeking counsel.
(28:44):
The untamable tongue.
James warms us about theuntamable tongue in verses 7
through 12.
With it we bless our lord, thefather, and we curse men, my
brothers.
These things not be.
Trigger discipline is thenumber one safety rule of
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firearms.
Number two don't point it atsomething you don't want.
But trigger is keeping yourfinger off the trigger unless
you're ready to shoot.
Never point at what you're notwilling to destroy.
That's muzzle discipline.
Trigger discipline is don't putyour finger on the trigger
unless you're going to be readyto pull the trigger on what you
(29:27):
are getting ready to shoot.
An undisciplined shooter posesa threat to both friend and foe.
Likewise, an undisciplinedtongue harms all around.
The Bible reminds us in Proverbs17, 27 through 28,.
The Bible reminds us inProverbs 17, 27 through 28, he
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who holds back his words hasknowledge.
Even an ignorant fool, when hekeeps silent, is considered wise
.
St Augustine said if you do notcontrol your tongue, you are
not religious, but merely anactor playing a role.
You're phony.
You're fake.
You're pretending to be aChristian.
You're playing the Christian.
You're not a role.
(30:09):
You're phony.
You're fake.
You're pretending to be aChristian.
You're playing the Christian.
You're not a Christian.
We saw this in the Salem witchtrials.
We saw mass hysteria and death,fueled by accusations and
gossip.
Reckless words were like straybullets striking innocents
without cause.
A Christian warrior must beconsistent.
Blessing God on Sunday andcursing others on Monday is rank
hypocrisy.
It cannot be tolerated.
(30:30):
Sometimes, the best safety issilence.
Sometimes, the best safety isnot pulling the trigger.
I don't want people to think,though, that they have to be
silent.
Again, we are to confrontinjustice.
(30:51):
We are to speak out when thereis a lie.
If you're at a family dinnertable on a holiday and someone
says an untruth at the tablelike well, you pick one.
You can't let it gounchallenged.
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We'll just say you know, I'm soglad that you know, the Rainbow
Coalition of whatever agreesthat there's 128 genders.
And no one says anything at thetable.
You do not have to get up andscream no, but this is what I
recommend.
How you would have to deal withthat.
(31:35):
You'd have to say I just wantto say I don't agree with that.
If you want to talk about it onthe side, I just don't want
that to go unchallenged.
To unchallenge, that means youagree with it.
You are giving assent to thattruth.
So when you hear those things,you don't have to debate it at
the table.
You can just say listen, I justwant to say that I in no way
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agree with that.
We can talk about it privatelysome other time.
Let's have a great Thanksgiving, easter, whatever, and you can
pick your political topic.
If it is a lie, do not let it gounchallenged.
That is what we said last week.
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With every person you didn'tfeed every help, you're guilty
of that murder.
If they died, it's the samething with every lie.
You might as well set ityourself if you didn't challenge
it, because by being silent youagreed to it.
You signaled you agreed to it.
So how do we train ourselves toresist the urge to fire off
(32:38):
angry and hateful words?
We need wisdom that Jamestalked about True wisdom versus
earthly wisdom.
In 13 through 18 he said whoamong you is wise and
understanding, let him show byhis good conduct his works in
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the gentleness of wisdom.
Earthly wisdom is like a gunwith no training, it's like a
gun in the hands of a toddler.
Is there anything moreterrifying than a loaded gun in
the hands of a toddler?
They don't know.
It's not a toy, they point itat anything.
Or the hands of a firearm in anuntrained, emotional, wicked
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person led by pride and anger.
That's the road rage shootingsthat you hear about on the news,
whereas godly wisdom is akin toa sniper's precision.
It is calm, patient, undercommand, his command and hitting
the exact target of what Truth?
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What we say has to be true.
If it's not true, it's from thedevil and you're just talking
to gain status or talking toseem, for whatever reason.
If it's not true, the wordsyou're saying are wicked, even
if the intent was pure.
The Bible reminds us inProverbs 9.10, the fear of
(34:16):
Yahweh is the beginning ofwisdom and the knowledge of the
Holy One is understanding.
The great Martin Luther saidthe wisdom of the world teaches
man to love himself, while thewisdom of God teaches man to die
to himself.
We can look back at the FrenchRevolution, which was fueled by
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fiery, erratic jealousy andambition, leading to chaos and
bloodshed.
The countless, the guillotine,the beheadings ran day and night
.
Without true wisdom, passioncan become a loaded weapon in
the hands of a fool.
Are we reckless speakers actingon impulse or trained warriors
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speaking from godly discernment?
Actors acting on impulse ortrain warriors speaking from
godly discernment?
James 3.17-18 describes wisdomthat is pure, peaceable, gentle
and perfect Offset the perfectoffset to destructive speech.
(35:23):
What practical steps can wetake to seek and apply God's
wisdom?
Before we speak Again, pausingto think about what you're about
to say, and we'll get into that.
The worst tragedies, some ofthem from the wrong use of the
tongue.
The biggest of all the fall ofman, genesis 3.
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The first lie introduced sinand death into creation.
Did God truly say the betrayalof Christ?
Matthew 26-27.
False witnesses and the mob'schant to crucify him condemned
the sinless Lamb of God.
The Holocaust 1933-1945.
(36:09):
Propaganda turned a nationagainst its own neighbors,
leading to genocide.
The Cuban Missile Crisis in1962, rash words and threats
nearly ignited nuclear war.
The Rwanda Genocide in 1994,hate speech on radio broadcast
unleashed ethnic violence,killing over 800,000 people in
(36:29):
just 100 days.
Proverbs 21, 23,.
He who guards his mouth and histongue guards his soul from
troubles and the warrior'scharge.
Training verbal firearmdiscipline.
Step one evaluate your speechChallenge.
(36:55):
Take a 24-hour verbal triggerdiscipline.
Speak only when necessary andwhen you speak, weigh what
you're about to say.
Think about what you're goingto say.
Light or darkness.
(37:15):
Is what I'm about to say tohelp this person or is it going
to hurt this person?
Am I saying this, which isoften a selfish indulgence of
yourself?
To complain about them andattack them to make yourself
(37:38):
feel better about an imaginedslight, instead of taking it to
them and correcting it?
Instead, what do you do?
You attack them or you saythings that are not building up
and that are negative andburning down, indulging your own
pride, your own wounding andyour own sin.
(38:00):
Submit your tongue to theSpirit.
Pray.
Set a guard, o Yahweh, over mymouth.
Keep watch over the door of mylips.
Psalm 141.3.
Like a soldier checks in withhis commander, check in with God
before you speak.
God, do you want me to say thisseek wisdom from above.
(38:24):
Memorize James 3.17 andProverbs 3.13-18, anchoring
yourself in the qualities ofheavenly wisdom.
Each morning, ask God to trainyour tongue the way a warrior
trains his firearm steady,precise and under the king's
command.
So now we know that words areweapons Steady, precise and
(38:50):
under the king's command.
So now we know the words areweapons, will you use them to
spread life and truth or willyou let them unleash chaos?
Christian warriors, yourgreatest victory might be
holding your fire when angerrages or speaking truth when
temptation calls you to lie.
That might be your greatestbattle of all.
(39:10):
Stand as a sober reminder thatfaith, wisdom and discipline
must shape our speech if we areto stand firm as warriors for
Christ.
Memorize this verse.
But the wisdom from above isfirst pure, then peaceable,
gentle, reasonable, full ofmercy, good fruits, unwavering,
(39:34):
without hypocrisy.
Again another words of greatsaint augustine the measure of
your speech is the measure ofyour faith.
Guard it well.
What you say shows exactly howmuch faith you have.
(39:57):
So let's do a brief closingprayer.
Heavenly Father, we thank youfor the gift of words by which
we can praise your name andshare your truth.
Train our tongues like warriorstrains with his weapon.
Grant us discipline, wisdomfrom above and the courage to
speak life, not death.
In Jesus' holy name we pray,amen.
(40:24):
So we do the Lord's Supper hereevery Sunday.
Go ahead and pass it out.
I've got mine all set Again,this is for baptized believers.
We must do this right.
With this, we are playing witha satchel charge of C4 in our
(40:50):
own laps.
So before you cap into this,which is what you would do with
a blasting cap, remember this.
Whoever, therefore, eats thebread or drinks the cup of the
Lord in an unworthy manner willbe guilty concerning the body
and the blood of the Lord.
Let a person examine himself,then, and so eat of the bread
(41:11):
and drink of the cup, for anyonewho eats and drinks without
discerning the body, eats anddrinks judgment on himself.
So let's go ahead, bow ourheads, reflect on your past week
.
Since we've done this, let'sfirst remember Jesus in his
(41:34):
glory, humbled to be born as ababe, helpless babe, lived a
sinless life, served as awilling lamb, spotless lamb, to
sacrifice to pay for all of oursin.
No one took his life.
(41:56):
He laid it down willingly andthen rose from the grave three
days later and ascended to theright hand of the Father.
Now look at yourself.
Replay in your mind the wordsthat you have spoken.
Take time to hear yourself.
(42:18):
Imagine being the camera on awall or a microphone in your
house.
What would you hear yourselfsaying?
Never mind.
What would you hear yourselfthinking?
Repent of those wicked words.
(42:39):
Repent of the sin that you havesaid, for all the gossip, all
the tearing down, all theselfish indulgence to make
yourself feel better by tearingsomeone else apart.
But also remember the timeswhere you did speak the truth
(43:00):
and you did serve God and yousaid what was hard, even at
great cost to yourself.
God sees that as well.
Now, if you have any other sinthat you have to bring before
the Lord to lay down at his feet, do a no to lay down at his
(43:24):
feet.
Do and know.
Now, as they were eating, jesustook bread and, after blessing
it, broke it and gave it to thedisciples and said Take, eat,
this is my body.
Go ahead and eat.
And he took a cup and when hehad given thanks, he gave it to
them saying Drink of it, all ofyou, for this is my blood of the
covenant which is poured outfor many, for the given sentence
(43:45):
.
Go ahead and drink.
Heavenly Father, lord, we thankyou.
We thank you for yourprotections.
We thank you for your word, andjust as your word is so
powerful, so are ours.
Help us to treat and respectour mouth like a loaded firearm,
(44:07):
knowing that we can kill orprotect and save every word we
say.
Help us to submit our tongue toyou and only you.
Help us to pour love on oneanother, even if it is tough
love.
(44:29):
Lord, I pray that you wouldprotect, bless and protect this
congregation, this fellowshiphere and online, that you would
protect our troops overseas, ourfirst responders at home and
our veterans of yesteryear.
I pray that you would protectthis world overseas, our first
responders at home and ourveterans of yesteryear.
(44:50):
I pray that you would protectthis world from going into World
War III.
I pray that you would protectDonald Trump and his
administration and our leadersand help them to do your
righteous work and to thwart anyattacks of the enemy.
I pray for Elon Musk and allthe work that they are doing,
uncovering the true roots of thewickedness that has been
running our government forprobably 50 years.
(45:12):
Lord, help them to bring tolight the truth.
And lastly, lord, I pray for mybeloved America.
I pray that she would humbleherself, turn from her sin, hit
her knees, seek your face, andthat you would heal her so that
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we can once again be one nationunder God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all.
Now I call this fellowship toattention to put on the full
armor of God, strap on theshield of faith, to pick up the
sword of the Spirit and toboldly march forward in the
shield ball, locking shields tothe left and right, with your
fellow Christians as we marchforward to take ground for your
(45:58):
kingdom, for your glory forever.
In Jesus' name.
We pray.
Amen, go ahead and rise.
May the Lord bless you and keepyou.
No-transcript.
Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome.
Happy Lord's Day to you.
Take two we are having amonsoon here.
We've had power outages, thingshave gone crazy, wires crossed.
It appears that our sound isworking now.
So welcome to Christian WarriorChurch, a home church,
community ministry and farm thatforges Christian Warriors for
today's challenges.
(00:20):
Announcements they're short andbrief, but we've got a big one.
Christian Warrior Talk is now onWednesdays at 9 pm.
I know everyone loved it onFridays and I'm sorry I am just
doing so much travel for workright now I can't do that.
Most people want to do thetrainings that I do on Thursday
(00:42):
or Friday before the weekend,and I don't see that changing.
So we're going to be like everyother church in America and do
a Wednesday night fellowshipkind of thing, which will be
Christian Warrior Talk onWednesday nights at nine, and
then we'll do our Sunday serviceas is.
So please bear with me.
I know I get lots of complaintsfrom everybody that I'm
(01:03):
changing things and doing that.
Give me grace, okay, I'm doingall the work solo, okay?
So if you want to come help,volunteer and then complain, by
all means once you startvolunteering you can complain.
Until then, all right, thankyou.
Praise report.
Mocha gave birth to a baby bullwho is gorgeous and he's out
(01:26):
there if you want to go see him,If you guys want to go see him.
He's huge.
But Lauren was, of course, God.
Like I said last week when Iwas talking about training up
shield maidens lauren is myshield maiden and I'll tell you
(01:46):
you couldn't write this anybetter to make it harder for her
.
So mocha went into labor as Iwas leave, walking out the door
to go to my plane, of which Ihad no fudge time, okay.
So lauren had to deliver thebaby and the baby got stuck.
So, luckily, I had bought somechains that you wrap around
(02:11):
their legs and it gives you ahandle to pull on, because
they're really slimy when theycome out.
And Lauren had chains and ourneighbor Dexter, who has come
through for us so many times,came down and they had to work
it to pull them out.
But if she wasn't there, thatcalf would be dead and god knows
with the mom.
So praise the lord thathappened during the day and that
(02:32):
lauren was there to witness it.
Praise the lord for makinglauren as strong as he did.
She was a hero to that cow thatday into this family, into this
farm and she's out there in therain doing that.
You know, it's like somethingout of yellowstone, except
instead of me being cool, laurengot to be cool.
So which is usually the case,right, lauren's way cooler than
(02:54):
I ever am.
So she was out there, one footon one butt cheek, one foot on
the other, pulling as hard asshe could, and out came that
that little stinker and he'svery vocal.
He came out very vocal, but hehas become a snuggle bug and you
go out there and he just wantsto snuggle on you and he's
(03:16):
awesome and we're not sure whatwe're doing.
I'm leaving that up to Laurento decide, because I would keep
everyone that ever comes here.
So, anyways, we have named himbecause of that, which is a big
faux pas in my world.
I always name everything and itdrives me nuts that he doesn't
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have a name.
We don't know his future yet,but that is to be married to my
wife.
Her family is known as the greatindecisives.
Ordering food with them intheir parents' house takeout is
a nightmare.
It's a four-hour debate with alot of stress and the loss of
just ordered dinner.
So never mind buying adishwasher.
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That could take six months ofresearch.
So be here with me and for all.
Lauren is one of the superheroesof this family, in my opinion,
and the glue that holds ustogether.
So that's one small flaw todeal with.
I can deal with that, all right.
So let's get an opening.
(04:18):
He's being sold, oh, he's beingsold, okay, okay.
So here's calf 1052.
And I mean that's why I can'tspend too much time out there
with him, because I dig him, Idig him, but we might keep.
So again, I hate to get intotoo much farm talk, but I know a
(04:41):
lot of you guys out there areinto this and getting ready to
walk this out and all that stuff.
Our black Angus calf, or blackAngus mama Karen is due within
this week.
I think she's going to have100% black Angus.
If that's a bull, we will keepit, because we want to take a
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100% black Angus bull and usethat to sire all of our other
Jersey mixes, jersey Holsteinmixes, jersey Angus mixes and
because there's no shared bloodbetween almost all of our entire
herd if it comes from that.
(05:23):
So that's the smart move.
We'll see if we're givenanother bowl.
I miss a bowl Because if youguys don't know like, unless you
bottle feed cows.
They don't like.
Everyone's like oh you mustabuse your cows because they're
skittish.
God made them that way.
They're herd animals and unlessyou do the bottle, if you do a
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bottle feeding, you become mamaand it's different.
But if you let them go beraised by their parents, they
are completely different.
They don't.
You know, they might be handshy until it's apple season and
then when you get apples andyou're out there, they'll do
whatever.
But the bulls always come up.
They always come up.
They want a head rub, neck rub,chin rub, and it's very cool
(06:16):
and I miss my, my, my, my bullWally.
He was a good bull so, but he's,in a way, better place and a
bigger farm, way more Highlander, highland cows, and you know.
So I miss him.
He was a good guy, a littleloud, though.
A little loud Sounded like wehad like 40 donkeys out back,
because that's what highlandssound like.
They sound like hee-hawing orwhat out there, and it's just
for a cool animal to sound thatuncool.
I don't get it, you know,whereas our black angus sounded
(06:38):
like a red dragon roaring outthere, you know, just just just
pretty interesting.
So let's go to prayer.
We got a lot to unpack today ina very short section, and so
let's get to work.
Dear Heavenly Father, lord, wethank you.
We're so grateful for all ofour blessings, known and unknown
, and all of our protections,known and unknown.
(06:59):
Lord, just the fact that wewoke up this morning, and the
trillions upon trillions ofcells that had to function
perfectly for us to be here.
We thank you for them.
We thank you, despite the achesand pains that are growing day
by day as we age, that so manythings don't hurt and that it
(07:22):
can always be worse hurt andthat it can always be worse.
Well, we know, as we weretaught, you know earlier in
James, that suffering and trialsproduce endurance and strength
and faith.
It's easy to praise you wheneverything's great, but can we
(07:49):
praise you when things hurt?
That is the true test of faith.
Lord, we thank you for yourcommon grace, the grace that you
show to every living thing,this universe, the sun, the moon
, the stars, nature, that yougave us, everything from the
(08:11):
mountains to the seas andeverything in between, all the
animals, all the plants, all thecritters.
Lord, your design ismagnificent and we thank you for
it.
Lord, we thank you for all thepeople that you've made in your
image in our lives.
Help us to always treasure themoments and to make new moments,
(08:33):
to have an impact on eachother's lives in a positive way
and to build each other up.
Lord, for those who are notwith us, help us to remember the
good days.
Help us to forgive the slightsand the wrongs.
So, lord, we thank you for thesunrises and the sunsets.
We thank you for the sound ofchildren's laughter, birds
(08:58):
singing in the morning.
We thank you for the smell offresh morning, rain, the flowers
, good food, cooking.
We thank you for the taste ofgood food and drink.
Lord, may everything we dotoday and always glorify you and
only you, serve you and onlyyou, and may we proclaim you
(09:21):
with every breath of our lungsand serve you with every beat of
our heart.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
Now again, if you are startingon your journey as a Christian
and you don't know how to pray,there is a manual on how to pray
in Matthew 6, 19 through 13.
And it's where the disciplesask Jesus how he should pray,
(09:46):
and it goes like this Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed
be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth as itis in heaven.
Give us this day our dailybread, forgive us our debts as
we forgive our debtors, and leadus not into temptation but
deliver us from evil, for thineis the kingdom and the power and
the glory forever.
Amen.
(10:07):
Now Paul Washer, who has had amassive influence on me and
where I go when I need to get mycourse corrected, nobody
humbles me like Paul Washer.
You know, said that you know hedeals with a lot of very life
and death issues.
He does a lot of ministries anda lot of mission work behind
(10:32):
enemy lines, like in China, inAfghanistan and places where
Christians are found.
They're killed, south America,all that.
They were killed South America,all that.
And he said the only thing thatkeeps him going is this prayer
and he's like God, you know, youknow, you know, you know, and
(11:05):
because of this I can go tosleep now because it's all on
your hands.
That's a hard prayer to pray,to believe it, but I believe
with all my heart that he doesbecause he trusts the Lord with
everything he has and he's amighty man of God who has been
doing it for a long time and hehas walked that out and he has
settled that with God.
(11:26):
In fact he died, I think, twiceto a heart attack and they
brought him back.
You know, and this is a guy whois not your pulpit Christian he
is, but this guy is like theSEAL team, pastor of Christians.
Like he's been done missionarywork.
He's gotten malaria countlesstimes, he's been held hostage,
(11:49):
all kinds of crazy things anddoing high-risk missionary work
around the world.
And if you haven't seen him,he's way better than I am, check
him out.
He's in Radford, virginia.
It's like two hours for us, twohours, two and a half hours to
us to get there, but he's sohumble you don't know when he's
(12:10):
preaching.
He doesn't put himself on thechurch.
It's a small church in Radfordwhich is a college town, and
whether he's there or not youdon't know.
You show up and maybe he'sthere, but he is the most
behind-the-scenes guy you'llever see, because he's humble
and he knows that Jesus is thetrue star of the show and the
hero of this story.
Without further ado, I'm goingto get into our sermon now and I
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call this sermon A Weapon MorePowerful Than a Gun.
We can look to history and see,with Adolf Hitler's rhetoric
and the Holocaust, that warsoften begin with words long
before bullets ever fly.
Adolf Hitler didn't initiallypick up a gun.
He seized a microphone and usedthe power of propaganda,
(13:00):
sustained hateful, deceptivespeech.
Through the fiery speeches hedehumanized the Jewish people,
blamed them for Germany's woesand unleashed hatred on a
massive scale.
By 1945, some estimate over 6million people, jews and others,
deemed undesirable those wouldbe the handicapped or the less
(13:22):
than perfect were murdered inthe Holocaust and evil rooted in
propaganda.
The Holocaust didn't start withbullets.
It started with words ofdeception and division.
The Bible reminds us in Proverbs18.21,.
The death and life are thepower of the tongue, and those
who love it will eat its fruit.
The great Charles Spurgeon, thepastor's pastor, said the
(13:47):
bonfire of gossip is oftenkindled by a single spark of
idle speech.
We must understand, as we applythis to our lives, that words
can justify sin or championtruth.
I wish to contrast this withfirearms.
A firearm can save or destroy.
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The tongue is no different.
Before speaking, ask am Iloading my words with life or
death?
We can all reflect on a timewhen someone's words shaped our
view, positively or negatively,about another person.
How are we doing that?
(14:29):
How have your own words builtup or torn down someone else.
In James 3, scripture warns usthat the tongue is like a fire
uncontrolled, it can burn downrelationships, reputations and
even entire communities.
Let's go to James 3 now andhear God's word.
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I'll be reading out of theLegacy Standard Bible.
This Bible was gifted to me bya non-profit.
It's beautiful.
I really thank you and I'mgoing to read it now.
Do not many of you becometeachers, my brothers, knowing
that we will receive a stricterjudgment, for we all stumble in
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many ways.
If anyone does not stumble inwhat he says, he is a perfect
man, able to bridle the entirebody as well.
Now, if we put the bits intohorses' mouths so that they will
obey us, we direct their entirebody as well.
Look at the ships also.
Though they are so great anddriven by strong winds, they are
(15:35):
still directed by a very smallrudder wherever the inclination
of the pilot wills.
So also the tongue is a smallpart of the body, and yet it
boasts of great things.
Behold how great a forest isset aflame by such a small fire,
and the tongue is a fire thevery world of unrighteousness.
(15:57):
The tongue is set among ourmembers as that which defiles
the entire body and sets a fireto the course of our existence
and is set on fire by hell, forevery kind of beast and birds,
of reptiles and creatures of thesea is tamed and has been tamed
(16:17):
by mankind.
But no one can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil and fullof deadly poison.
With it we bless our Lord andFather and with it we curse men
who have been made in thelikeness of God.
From the same mouth come theblessing and cursing, my
(16:38):
brothers.
These things ought not to be so.
Does the fountain pour forthfrom the same opening fresh and
bitter water?
Can a fig tree, my brothers,produce olives?
Or vine produce figs?
Nor can salt water producefresh Wisdom from above.
(16:58):
Who among you is wise andunderstanding, let him show by
his good conduct his works ingentleness of wisdom.
But if you have bitterness,jealousy and selfish ambition in
your heart, do not be arrogantand so lie against the truth.
The wisdom is not coming downfrom above but from earthly,
natural.
(17:18):
Demonic, but is earthly naturaland demonic, for where jealousy
and selfish ambition exist,there is disorder in every evil
practice.
But the wisdom from above ispure, then peaceable,
considerate, submissive, full ofmercy and good fruits, without
(17:40):
doubting, without hypocrisy, andthe fruit of righteousness is
sown in peace by those who makepeace.
It's the word of God.
So let's get into.
So, as we can see, jamesconnects speech with spiritual
(18:02):
maturity.
Just as a small spark canengulf a forest, one word can
ignite wars or nurture peace.
And he concludes with a call towisdom from above which is
peaceable, gentle and full ofmercy, the antidote to the
reckless tongue.
The tongue is a firearm.
Let's think about it First.
(18:24):
The warnings in James 3, 1through 2.
Let not many of you becometeachers, my brothers, knowing
that we will receive stricterjudgment.
Think about this.
A careless firearm instructorcan send novices into combat or
into life unprepared,endangering lives.
A careless Christian teachercan spread false doctrine and
(18:48):
encourage destructive speech,harming souls.
In Proverbs 10.19, where thereis many words, transgression is
unavoidable, but he who holdsback his lips has insight.
To quote again the great churchforefather John Chrysostom.
I looked it up the teacher'splace is a dangerous one, for
(19:12):
his words will either save orcondemn both himself and those
who hear him.
This is the burden that I haveto make sure that I do my
homework, for if I lead youastray, not only do I lead
myself to doom, but you also.
But you fathers, mothers, youguys are also leaders and
(19:39):
teachers in your own house.
We can't escape theresponsibility of being leaders.
You just have a smaller impact,so you have to be right as well
.
Spiritual leadership is akin tohandling a loaded firearm it
must be wielded with reverenceand responsibility.
(20:00):
False teachers are likeunscrupulous arms dealers or
trainers distributing faulty ordangerous weapons or bad tactics
to the unsuspecting.
How do we ensure our words andinfluence are used to disciple
rather than destroy?
That's what we have to thinkabout when we speak.
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I am a chief offender in this,as again, overcoming our family
curses, generational curses,where wounding started
generations and generations andgenerations ago, and negative
speak is washed over you yourentire life, as a kid until
(20:50):
you're adult and you go on yourown.
But still, even there, it's nottheir fault your parents,
grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-great-grandparents
.
It started somewhere, that sinstarted somewhere, somewhere who
wasn't reading the Bible andwho didn't understand the
warning that James gave 2,000years ago and that the Bible,
(21:12):
thousands of years prior, inProverbs and the Old Testament,
warned about.
These wounds happen and theyalways get worse until someone
breaks the shackles ofgenerational sin and that person
is going to be in conflictevery day as they fight their
very nature, as they have beendiscipled by the world, until
(21:41):
they reach spiritual maturity,and the negativity is not the
initial reaction.
Instead, we have to bedisciplined Like a firearm
finger off the trigger.
Only shoot.
Put your finger on the triggerwhen you're willing to destroy
what's in front of you and whatyou're aiming at.
(22:01):
We'll get into that more.
The power of the tongue James 3through 6.
The text is a small part of thebody, yet it boasts of great
things.
The tongue is a fire.
A single negligent dischargecan be fatal, just as a single
(22:24):
word can ruin reputations,relationships, futures.
We see this now.
I think of and I am so mercifulnot to be growing up in the age
of social media.
And if we lose power, I'm sorrywe get a monsoon going on
outside with wind and everythingelse.
I can hear it whipping by andwe've already lost power once
(22:45):
and I'm sorry we get a monsoongoing on outside with wind and
everything else.
I can hear it whipping by andwe've already lost power once
and I'm sorry, but I'm sothankful not to grow up in the
social media era, where you canput one thing online, make one
mistake, and that's whateveryone knows you by, forever.
I think, of all the millions ofthings I have said over my life
(23:07):
that I would not stand on today, that I will be embarrassed of
today, the blackest things thatI've said, as I was an atheist
and an agent for the enemy, thedevil himself out there trying
to crush Christians with mylogic and science.
(23:29):
The world has become even moreunforgiving now with digital
trace, and anything you sayonline is now permanent.
How much more do we need to bedisciplined?
How much more do we need to bedisciplined?
(23:51):
This is the equivalent ofhaving a belt fed machine gun
that is guaranteed to run away.
Do you know what that runawaymachine gun is?
Once a machine gun, belt fedweapon gets hot so hot it can
just start firing on its own.
So you're firing it so muchthat now it's not the firing pin
that causes it to detonate, butthe heat within the weapon.
And the only way to do that isto break the belt off to make
(24:15):
sure that the bullets run outand there's no more bullets to
shoot.
Once a bullet leaves a barrel,there's no getting it back.
The same is true of spoken words.
The Bible reminds us inProverbs 13.3,.
He who guards his mouth keepshis soul, but he who opens wide
(24:39):
his lips comes to ruin.
We're almost some of us inparticular are built vocal.
We open our mouth too much andwe say things that need not be
said.
Sometimes it's a good thing andwe're building people up and
that's, you know, a great thing,but if we're just spitting
(25:00):
venom and poison, it's not agood thing.
Again.
The great AW Tozer said neverunderestimate the power of a
single careless word.
I want you to hear this.
It can drive a soul to hell orlift it towards heaven.
How many of us have buriedpeople and driven them to hell
(25:21):
with what we said, includingourselves?
We're going to look to history,not so recent anymore, but more
recent than some of the thingswe're going to talk about.
The Cuban Missile Crisis wasnearly sparked into a nuclear
war by heated, careless rhetoricfrom world leaders.
There's a term from World WarII loose-legged sink ships is
(25:44):
more than a World War II slogan.
It's a spiritual warning.
Think about what you're about tosay in ways that light or
darkness that you're about tosay.
If it's light, let it flow.
If it's darkness, do not.
How do we apply this to ourlives.
(26:07):
Understand that gossip isverbal friendly fire.
It is blue on blue, which inthe military, means you are
shooting your own troops.
Gossip against anotherChristian is friendly fire.
It weakens the body of Christfrom within.
(26:28):
Guard your tongue as diligentlyas a soldier guards his loaded
rifle.
When you're thinking about this, when you're talking about this
sermon, I want you to thinklater on.
As you're thinking about this,when you're talking about this
sermon, I want you to thinklater on, as you're discussing
amongst yourselves when have youwitnessed words used as weapons
(26:51):
and how can we prevent friendlyfire?
We must discern the differencebetween gossip and constructive
criticism.
Constructive criticism is thelight of hoping to make
correction and it's done intruth and open rather than
undermining and deceptive.
And in the shadows you can sayhard words.
(27:14):
I'm never going to tell you notto say hard words.
I'm never going to.
We are called to confront liesand we are called to speak truth
, and we are called to speaktruth.
When someone tells you that theyidentify as a unicorn dragonfly
, you can tell them that they'renot.
That is not what James istalking about here.
(27:35):
You ought to tell them they aremade in God's image and they
are either a son or a daughterof the living God.
Whatever God chose them to be.
Coddling, that is in coddlingtheir dysphoria, their mental
condition is not kind.
It is one of the biggest formsof wickedness.
(27:57):
That's just one example.
Families, if you're going to goto someone Just one example,
families, if you're going to goto someone, make sure that you
discuss something no-transcriptand say, hey, I spoke to blank
(28:24):
about blank and I was wonderingabout this, or can we talk about
this?
But I didn't want you to thinkI was talking behind your back,
I wasn't gossiping, I wasseeking counsel.
(28:44):
The untamable tongue.
James warms us about theuntamable tongue in verses 7
through 12.
With it we bless our lord, thefather, and we curse men, my
brothers.
These things not be.
Trigger discipline is thenumber one safety rule of
(29:04):
firearms.
Number two don't point it atsomething you don't want.
But trigger is keeping yourfinger off the trigger unless
you're ready to shoot.
Never point at what you're notwilling to destroy.
That's muzzle discipline.
Trigger discipline is don't putyour finger on the trigger
unless you're going to be readyto pull the trigger on what you
(29:27):
are getting ready to shoot.
An undisciplined shooter posesa threat to both friend and foe.
Likewise, an undisciplinedtongue harms all around.
The Bible reminds us in Proverbs17, 27 through 28,.
The Bible reminds us inProverbs 17, 27 through 28, he
(29:49):
who holds back his words hasknowledge.
Even an ignorant fool, when hekeeps silent, is considered wise
.
St Augustine said if you do notcontrol your tongue, you are
not religious, but merely anactor playing a role.
You're phony.
You're fake.
You're pretending to be aChristian.
You're playing the Christian.
You're not a role.
(30:09):
You're phony.
You're fake.
You're pretending to be aChristian.
You're playing the Christian.
You're not a Christian.
We saw this in the Salem witchtrials.
We saw mass hysteria and death,fueled by accusations and
gossip.
Reckless words were like straybullets striking innocents
without cause.
A Christian warrior must beconsistent.
Blessing God on Sunday andcursing others on Monday is rank
hypocrisy.
It cannot be tolerated.
(30:30):
Sometimes, the best safety issilence.
Sometimes, the best safety isnot pulling the trigger.
I don't want people to think,though, that they have to be
silent.
Again, we are to confrontinjustice.
(30:51):
We are to speak out when thereis a lie.
If you're at a family dinnertable on a holiday and someone
says an untruth at the tablelike well, you pick one.
You can't let it gounchallenged.
(31:14):
We'll just say you know, I'm soglad that you know, the Rainbow
Coalition of whatever agreesthat there's 128 genders.
And no one says anything at thetable.
You do not have to get up andscream no, but this is what I
recommend.
How you would have to deal withthat.
(31:35):
You'd have to say I just wantto say I don't agree with that.
If you want to talk about it onthe side, I just don't want
that to go unchallenged.
To unchallenge, that means youagree with it.
You are giving assent to thattruth.
So when you hear those things,you don't have to debate it at
the table.
You can just say listen, I justwant to say that I in no way
(31:56):
agree with that.
We can talk about it privatelysome other time.
Let's have a great Thanksgiving, easter, whatever, and you can
pick your political topic.
If it is a lie, do not let it gounchallenged.
That is what we said last week.
(32:17):
With every person you didn'tfeed every help, you're guilty
of that murder.
If they died, it's the samething with every lie.
You might as well set ityourself if you didn't challenge
it, because by being silent youagreed to it.
You signaled you agreed to it.
So how do we train ourselves toresist the urge to fire off
(32:38):
angry and hateful words?
We need wisdom that Jamestalked about True wisdom versus
earthly wisdom.
In 13 through 18 he said whoamong you is wise and
understanding, let him show byhis good conduct his works in
(32:59):
the gentleness of wisdom.
Earthly wisdom is like a gunwith no training, it's like a
gun in the hands of a toddler.
Is there anything moreterrifying than a loaded gun in
the hands of a toddler?
They don't know.
It's not a toy, they point itat anything.
Or the hands of a firearm in anuntrained, emotional, wicked
(33:28):
person led by pride and anger.
That's the road rage shootingsthat you hear about on the news,
whereas godly wisdom is akin toa sniper's precision.
It is calm, patient, undercommand, his command and hitting
the exact target of what Truth?
(33:51):
What we say has to be true.
If it's not true, it's from thedevil and you're just talking
to gain status or talking toseem, for whatever reason.
If it's not true, the wordsyou're saying are wicked, even
if the intent was pure.
The Bible reminds us inProverbs 9.10, the fear of
(34:16):
Yahweh is the beginning ofwisdom and the knowledge of the
Holy One is understanding.
The great Martin Luther saidthe wisdom of the world teaches
man to love himself, while thewisdom of God teaches man to die
to himself.
We can look back at the FrenchRevolution, which was fueled by
(34:38):
fiery, erratic jealousy andambition, leading to chaos and
bloodshed.
The countless, the guillotine,the beheadings ran day and night
.
Without true wisdom, passioncan become a loaded weapon in
the hands of a fool.
Are we reckless speakers actingon impulse or trained warriors
(35:02):
speaking from godly discernment?
Actors acting on impulse ortrain warriors speaking from
godly discernment?
James 3.17-18 describes wisdomthat is pure, peaceable, gentle
and perfect Offset the perfectoffset to destructive speech.
(35:23):
What practical steps can wetake to seek and apply God's
wisdom?
Before we speak Again, pausingto think about what you're about
to say, and we'll get into that.
The worst tragedies, some ofthem from the wrong use of the
tongue.
The biggest of all the fall ofman, genesis 3.
(35:46):
The first lie introduced sinand death into creation.
Did God truly say the betrayalof Christ?
Matthew 26-27.
False witnesses and the mob'schant to crucify him condemned
the sinless Lamb of God.
The Holocaust 1933-1945.
(36:09):
Propaganda turned a nationagainst its own neighbors,
leading to genocide.
The Cuban Missile Crisis in1962, rash words and threats
nearly ignited nuclear war.
The Rwanda Genocide in 1994,hate speech on radio broadcast
unleashed ethnic violence,killing over 800,000 people in
(36:29):
just 100 days.
Proverbs 21, 23,.
He who guards his mouth and histongue guards his soul from
troubles and the warrior'scharge.
Training verbal firearmdiscipline.
Step one evaluate your speechChallenge.
(36:55):
Take a 24-hour verbal triggerdiscipline.
Speak only when necessary andwhen you speak, weigh what
you're about to say.
Think about what you're goingto say.
Light or darkness.
(37:15):
Is what I'm about to say tohelp this person or is it going
to hurt this person?
Am I saying this, which isoften a selfish indulgence of
yourself?
To complain about them andattack them to make yourself
(37:38):
feel better about an imaginedslight, instead of taking it to
them and correcting it?
Instead, what do you do?
You attack them or you saythings that are not building up
and that are negative andburning down, indulging your own
pride, your own wounding andyour own sin.
(38:00):
Submit your tongue to theSpirit.
Pray.
Set a guard, o Yahweh, over mymouth.
Keep watch over the door of mylips.
Psalm 141.3.
Like a soldier checks in withhis commander, check in with God
before you speak.
God, do you want me to say thisseek wisdom from above.
(38:24):
Memorize James 3.17 andProverbs 3.13-18, anchoring
yourself in the qualities ofheavenly wisdom.
Each morning, ask God to trainyour tongue the way a warrior
trains his firearm steady,precise and under the king's
command.
So now we know that words areweapons Steady, precise and
(38:50):
under the king's command.
So now we know the words areweapons, will you use them to
spread life and truth or willyou let them unleash chaos?
Christian warriors, yourgreatest victory might be
holding your fire when angerrages or speaking truth when
temptation calls you to lie.
That might be your greatestbattle of all.
(39:10):
Stand as a sober reminder thatfaith, wisdom and discipline
must shape our speech if we areto stand firm as warriors for
Christ.
Memorize this verse.
But the wisdom from above isfirst pure, then peaceable,
gentle, reasonable, full ofmercy, good fruits, unwavering,
(39:34):
without hypocrisy.
Again another words of greatsaint augustine the measure of
your speech is the measure ofyour faith.
Guard it well.
What you say shows exactly howmuch faith you have.
(39:57):
So let's do a brief closingprayer.
Heavenly Father, we thank youfor the gift of words by which
we can praise your name andshare your truth.
Train our tongues like warriorstrains with his weapon.
Grant us discipline, wisdomfrom above and the courage to
speak life, not death.
In Jesus' holy name we pray,amen.
(40:24):
So we do the Lord's Supper hereevery Sunday.
Go ahead and pass it out.
I've got mine all set Again,this is for baptized believers.
We must do this right.
With this, we are playing witha satchel charge of C4 in our
(40:50):
own laps.
So before you cap into this,which is what you would do with
a blasting cap, remember this.
Whoever, therefore, eats thebread or drinks the cup of the
Lord in an unworthy manner willbe guilty concerning the body
and the blood of the Lord.
Let a person examine himself,then, and so eat of the bread
(41:11):
and drink of the cup, for anyonewho eats and drinks without
discerning the body, eats anddrinks judgment on himself.
So let's go ahead, bow ourheads, reflect on your past week
.
Since we've done this, let'sfirst remember Jesus in his
(41:34):
glory, humbled to be born as ababe, helpless babe, lived a
sinless life, served as awilling lamb, spotless lamb, to
sacrifice to pay for all of oursin.
No one took his life.
(41:56):
He laid it down willingly andthen rose from the grave three
days later and ascended to theright hand of the Father.
Now look at yourself.
Replay in your mind the wordsthat you have spoken.
Take time to hear yourself.
(42:18):
Imagine being the camera on awall or a microphone in your
house.
What would you hear yourselfsaying?
Never mind.
What would you hear yourselfthinking?
Repent of those wicked words.
(42:39):
Repent of the sin that you havesaid, for all the gossip, all
the tearing down, all theselfish indulgence to make
yourself feel better by tearingsomeone else apart.
But also remember the timeswhere you did speak the truth
(43:00):
and you did serve God and yousaid what was hard, even at
great cost to yourself.
God sees that as well.
Now, if you have any other sinthat you have to bring before
the Lord to lay down at his feet, do a no to lay down at his
(43:24):
feet.
Do and know.
Now, as they were eating, jesustook bread and, after blessing
it, broke it and gave it to thedisciples and said Take, eat,
this is my body.
Go ahead and eat.
And he took a cup and when hehad given thanks, he gave it to
them saying Drink of it, all ofyou, for this is my blood of the
covenant which is poured outfor many, for the given sentence
(43:45):
.
Go ahead and drink.
Heavenly Father, lord, we thankyou.
We thank you for yourprotections.
We thank you for your word, andjust as your word is so
powerful, so are ours.
Help us to treat and respectour mouth like a loaded firearm,
(44:07):
knowing that we can kill orprotect and save every word we
say.
Help us to submit our tongue toyou and only you.
Help us to pour love on oneanother, even if it is tough
love.
(44:29):
Lord, I pray that you wouldprotect, bless and protect this
congregation, this fellowshiphere and online, that you would
protect our troops overseas, ourfirst responders at home and
our veterans of yesteryear.
I pray that you would protectthis world overseas, our first
responders at home and ourveterans of yesteryear.
(44:50):
I pray that you would protectthis world from going into World
War III.
I pray that you would protectDonald Trump and his
administration and our leadersand help them to do your
righteous work and to thwart anyattacks of the enemy.
I pray for Elon Musk and allthe work that they are doing,
uncovering the true roots of thewickedness that has been
running our government forprobably 50 years.
(45:12):
Lord, help them to bring tolight the truth.
And lastly, lord, I pray for mybeloved America.
I pray that she would humbleherself, turn from her sin, hit
her knees, seek your face, andthat you would heal her so that
(45:34):
we can once again be one nationunder God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all.
Now I call this fellowship toattention to put on the full
armor of God, strap on theshield of faith, to pick up the
sword of the Spirit and toboldly march forward in the
shield ball, locking shields tothe left and right, with your
fellow Christians as we marchforward to take ground for your
(45:58):
kingdom, for your glory forever.
In Jesus' name.
We pray.
Amen, go ahead and rise.
May the Lord bless you and keepyou.
No-transcript.
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