Series: The Beautiful Tongue. Sermon One: "The Importance of a Beautiful Tongue!"

 Introduction:

A.   Have you ever stuck your tongue out and looked in the mirror at it?

 

1.   If you haven't, go home and look at it!

 

2.   You will probably find that it isn't very pretty.  It will probably have lumps, bumps, cracks, and etc.

 

B.   Yet, we don't see ways to beautify our tongues advertized!

 

1.   I've never seen a tongue beautician.

 

2.   Avon doesn't sell cosmetics for it to my knowledge.

 

3.   I've never seen a diet to get your tongue into  shape!

 

C.   Yet, there are ways to Beautify our tongues, and it is very important that we do!

 

Trans:

For the next few weeks, I will preach a series on The Beautiful Tongue, and today specifically I want to talk about "The Importance of a Beautiful Tongue!"

 

                            Prayer

 

                          James 3:1-5

 

I.   James realized the power of the tongue.

 

A.   v.2  "Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is

 perfect, able to keep the whole body in check

 with a bridle."

 

B.   He compares the tongue to little objects doing great things:

1.   Small bit controls a horse.

 

2.   Small rudder controls the direction of a ship.

 

3.   Small fire sets ablaze a great forest.

 

II.  Our Tongue too is small, but it can do a lot of things!

 

A.   The tongue can make a plain person into a beautiful person by the proper use of it.

 

B.   The tongue can soothe an agitated temper.

 

C.   The tongue can point the way to God.

 

D.   The tongue can make or break our marriages.

 

Communications -    perhaps one of the greatest tools

to making a marriage work; yet, the lack of it has destroyed many

marriages!

 

E.   The tongue can make our home a paradise or a battlefield.

 

F.   It can draw our children to us in Love and affection,  or it can drive them away in hate and disgust.

 

G.   It can help us make friends and keep friends, or it can drive people away.

 

H.   It can protect another person’s reputation, or it can destroy it.

 

I.   On the job, it can get us hired, and it can get us fired!

 

J.   It can heal a church, or it can kill a church.

 

K.   It can attract people to Christ, or it can drive them away!

 

L.   Words are hard to take back once they fly!

 

 III. I think any discussion today about the tongue would not be

complete without a word about online communication!  When

we are online, we can easily write or post before we think! 

It is like the unbridled tongue!

 

A.   James didn’t know about that in his day, but today,

much of what he says about the tongue can also be

applied to what we write online!

 

B.   Are we careful that what we write is true or do we

just pass on any juicy gossip that we see? This

includes political gossip!

 

     C.   Is what we write meant to help or destroy?  Do we word

it that way?

    

     D.   Do we write to inflame tempers or to sooth tempers?

 

     E.   Do we encourage or do we just rant and rave?

 

     F.   Do we teach or do we create false truth?

 

     G.   Everything I say about the tongue can also apply to

our online presence today!

 

H.   Just like our tongue, things said online are

     easily taken back!

 

IV.  What people think of us will be controlled greatly by the

     use we make of our tongues!

 

A.   Will they consider us a gossip?

 

B.   Will they consider us a peacemaker?

 

C.   Will they consider us a positive person or negative?

 

D.   Will they consider us a complainer?

 

E.   It affects our witness!  Will we draw people to God or

     push them away?

 

V.   So it is very important that we beautify our tongues!  But how?

 

A.   The Bible tells us we can't do it!  The tongue no one

can tame (James 3:7&8).

 

B.   Then why did James go through this long discourse

about how we needed to tame it?

 

C.   The only way we can is through a stronger power even

than our tongue!  The Holy Spirit!

 

1.   Jesus promised, "You shall receive power when the  Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8).

 

2.   When the Spirit came to the church at Pentecost,  what was the first thing it made use of and controlled?  The tongue!  The disciples spoke in  other languages that could be understood by people from different countries. That us what our Acts scripture shows us!

 

3.   So God can help us control ours today!  We just

need to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit!

 

Conclusion:

 

A.   What kind of things do we do with our tongues?

 

B.   Has it got a habit of getting us in trouble?

 

C.   As we encounter Christ at the table, let's commit

to letting the Holy Spirit mold our tongues into what

God would have them to be (a beautiful tongue) in the

weeks ahead!

 

                      Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion