[Barry Korthuis] Well, good afternoon, everyone. Happy Sabbath to you and not only to all of us here but to those that are joining the webcast. How many people caught themselves tapping their foot during the special music? Okay. We're a precious group, aren't we? Well, we never can praise our God enough, can we?

You know, this week, I was walking down the hallway, the upstairs offices here, and noticed again this dry eraser board, this white board at the end of the hall, which artfully is titled "Proverbs Wall." Proverbs wall. And on the board, there are two written instructions, "Erase a proverb, leave a proverb." So it provides a way for someone to share a proverb that's on their mind, a proverb that's on their heart, and the mechanism too to make room to add it. That's what they'd like to do. One of the Proverbs on there was written, at least the first part of this verse.

Proverbs 18:21 And it says, "Death and life is in the power of the tongue."

Death and life is in the power of the tongue. And, you know, it just brought to remembrance some things for me. Not too long ago, after services, a group of brethren engaged in an open discussion that particular Sabbath, and it focused primarily on the following question, what do you think is the hardest part of being a Christian for you? What do you think is the hardest part of being a Christian? Various answers, suggestions, and considerations were shared. One of the participants mentioned that praying for their enemies is one of the hardest things for them to do, to faithfully pray for them. Another said that forgiving those who deeply hurt you, particularly repeat offenders, has been one of the toughest challenges they face as a Christian. See, this particular person was in tears when they shared that.

Others shared concern about discipline, self-control in life, and the myriad ways it's tested. And among these particular comments, another interesting one was made. The hardest part of being a Christian for actually two individuals in the group was this, controlling what they said. Controlling what they said and not only the words they speak, but also the way in which they said them, is the hardest thing in their life as a Christian. By way of further introduction, I'd like to ask some additional questions. And some of these will have answers that will be pretty obvious. But has there ever been a time in your life when you said something you regretted saying? Or perhaps a more relevant question would be, how often do you or I say something that we shouldn't have said or shouldn't have expressed it in the way that we did?

Maybe you recall, too, the sense of guilt that comes with that. That happens. You probably know what I'm talking about here, when you replay what you said in your head. If I had the chance to do it again, you know, I would not have said it that way. I would not have said it that way. Or I might not have said it at all. Or the person I was talking about, you know, they would not have appreciated what I said if they were to hear what I said about them. Have you ever had a time when you said something you knew was wrong as you said it? As you said it. Or perhaps the other side of this. You had an opportunity to say something good, to say something encouraging, something appropriate, display love in a special way with the words that you should have said and you just didn't take the opportunity to do it, again, to say what should have been said at that time.

Proverbs 25:11 “A word, a word fitly spoken. It's like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

You know, the right words, the right time. Words fitly spoken, they're just beautiful, and they're invaluable. And wouldn't it be a great thing if we all said a lot of them? A lot of them. Well, the title of the sermon is simply "What We Say Matters." What we say matters. And as part of that, we're going to review some examples in the Bible of what the tongue is capable of. And we're going to talk about the good, and we're going to talk about the bad on that, and some things we can do, though, in order to convey the right words, the right things, the right time, and take advantage of the opportunities to do so. But more importantly, our purpose today is kind of to ask a more fundamental question, do I submit to God and follow His lead in such a way that He directs what it is that I say? That He directs that.

And as we explore these things, we're going to find out, or be reminded of, that this has a lot to do with where the heart is. Where the heart is. Let's go and begin in James chapter 3. We're going to explore this in terms of what is written here regarding the tongue, so it's referred to here, including the concept of bridling it. James chapter 3 contains the single most sustained discussion in the New Testament, if I might put it that way, on the use of the tongue. And as we look at it, let's also consider the audience and the environment that James is writing this in. It is a time of political tension. That along with at least some measure of economic and social injustice on a large scale. Or put another way, he was writing during a time that has at least some similarities to what we see today, what we experience today. You know, they too had no lack of topics or concerns to talk about, no lack of lawless examples for them to point to. No lack of opportunity to complain, criticize, or it was a common temptation to retaliate for those injustices, whether in words or action, again, at these wrongdoings that were seen and experienced by the people.

But James implores the people to focus on something else. He calls for wisdom, faith, and patient endurance, while at the same time he calls out the improper use of the tongue very clearly, and the weaknesses that we have, we all have regarding it. And we'll quickly pick up that James, well, he really doesn't have anything positive to say about it. Not the tongue in this context, but what he does do, he provides a very clear picture of what the tongue is capable of doing. Let's go ahead and pick up in verse 1.

James 3:1 And he begins by saying, "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."

Judgment is particularly strict on teachers, teachers of God's way, including those who hold themselves out to be teachers. Given the responsibility associated with it, you don't want to misrepresent God or His teachings. Very serious matter, and He holds them in strict account. But as we read on, though, we see that this admonition that he's talking about, generally speaking, is to everyone. Let's go ahead and move into verse 2 now.

James 3:2-5 Because he says, “For we all.” We all stumble in many things. “If anyone does not stumble in Word, he is a perfect man able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships, although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.”

James declares, we all, we all stumble in many things. If however we come to a place that we had perfect speech here as it's expressed, and our obedience followed that to the letter, the exact letter in spirit of the law where we didn't stumble in Word, in any respect, we would in that sense be perfect. But James is clear. We all stumble in many things. The analogy of a bit in a horse's mouth helps us understand the purpose, to control the horse, just like a rudder steers the direction of a ship. And that's all fine and good except we have a little problem. And that problem is the tongue. And this little problem he's talking about here, which James indicates is entirely disproportionate to its size, can create big problems because the tongue also has a tendency, as he lists here.

The word boast in the Greek is aucheō and it means to make wild claims, means to exaggerate. So James, at least in part, is saying that the tongue, it's pretty inaccurate on its own, pretty impure, has that tendency, has that weakness, has the weakness and tendency to say more than it should, and has a tendency to be rather self-serving. Or put another way, it tends to have a high opinion of itself. So he says there's need for restraint, a need to bridle it as he expresses it here. So it can, if it's directed properly, work to the good and not the bad. Now, with that in mind, the Bible has many examples of how we should or should not engage this thing called the tongue. Before we actually come back to James chapter 3.

I'd like us to spend some time with an example we find in 1 Samuel chapter 25. 1 Samuel 25. There's an account there, probably familiar to a lot of us, but it's about Nabal, Abigail, and David. It's a very vivid story. And it's a very vivid story about what works and what doesn't work when it comes to what is said and done, as the case may be. And the interaction of these three characters sets the stage for the story. You have Nabal. He's described as a rich man, but he's also described as harsh, described as evil. And the meaning of his name matches his demeanor. Nabal means fool. We read in places like Psalm 14:1.

Psalm 14:1 That “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.”

So we should not be surprised by his words in this account, which we'll get to shortly. And we have Abigail, wife of Nabal. She's described as wise. She's described as beautiful. The name Abigail, by the way, means my father is joy. That is, my divine father is joy. Very much the opposite of Nabal because she has a heart for God, and we're going to see that details here shortly as well. David is our third character. Anointed King of Israel, but still pursued in the wilderness by King Saul who still held the throne at the time. The name David can figuratively mean beloved, one who is greatly loved. And he's described as a man after God's own heart. We read about that in 1 Samuel 13:14, if you want to jot that down.

Some additional background though to the story here. This is a time in history, this is soon after Samuel had died. David and his men, again, they're being pursued by King Saul. They at this time are in the vicinity of Maon, again, at this particular time, which is situated about 35 miles or so south of Jerusalem. They are in an area where Nabal, again, he's this rich man, has huge herds of sheep and goats. He's got about 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. And they were also in the area during a time that they were shearing the sheep, which apparently occurred in a nearby town of Carmel.

And as we see, Nabal and Abigail are two very, very different people and have very different approaches to what they say and what they do. And we'll go ahead and pick up the story. When David had heard that Nabal and his servants were shearing sheep and that a feast was also to be held, he sends some young men to greet Nabal to convey a greeting of peace. We also find out that David and his men had looked out for and protected Nabal's shepherds and sheep and so on, acting as basically a protective militia against any marauding bands of thieves or other threats. And it was a reasonable expectation that those who were being protected would contribute to the support of those who made that possible, those who made them prosper. And it was simply David's hope he might find favor in Nabal's eyes and he just wanted to share a meal with Nabal in a similar way Nabal might otherwise give to his servants. David's words are peaceful. They give honor to Nabal. They're respectful of and they're kind to Nabal. Then what happens? Let's go ahead and pick it up in verse 9, 1 Samuel 25.

1 Samuel 25:9-12 “So when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words, in the name of David, and waited. Then Nabal answered David's servants and said, ‘Who's David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each from his master. Shall I then take my bread, my water, my meat, that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who I do not know where they are from?’ So David's young men turned on their heels, went back, and they came and told him all these words.”

So we have Nabal's response here. It's a very telling account of where his heart's at. It says in verse 9 that David's men waited. So apparently, Nabal had time to think it through before he responded. But Nabal conveys a bunch of things here. He didn't care who David was, who David's father was, what David thought, what David or his men might have done for him. And he further insults David by voicing the opinion that David may have, like others, been disloyal to his master, which is an implied accusation of betrayal. Nabal's words were not to say the least peaceful. They weren't kind. They were not bridled. Nabal's words were all about Nabal, and also very self-serving. And what's happening here is that Nabal was indifferent to David and his men. And think about one of the greatest nonviolent hurts and insults to someone, is to be assumptive about them and completely indifferent towards them. False accusations are high on the list as well, and it's simply inappropriate to be dismissive and disrespectful in this way to care nothing for someone, to care nothing about them, not even trying to understand them.

And not only did Nabal marginalize David and his men, at the same time, he's marginalizing God. Not to mention marginalizing his wife, Abigail, and all the people in his household, and put them in danger even for this. And so things start heating up, and not just a little bit. Let's continue in verse 13.

1 Samuel 25:13-16 “Then David said to his men, ‘Every man gird on his sword.’ So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about 400 men went with David and 200 men stayed with the supplies. Now, one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, ‘Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he reviled them. But the men were very good to us. We were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them when they were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and day. All the time we were there, we were with them keeping the sheep.’”

So Nabal's servants confirmed that David and his men protected the shepherds and the sheep, and Nabal clearly benefited from this. And whether or not he was aware of that or not, he didn't care. Continuing in verse 17.

1 Samuel 25:17 "Now therefore, no one consider what you will do for harm is determined against our master and against all his household for he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him."

So the situation continues to escalate. David heard his message. He tells every man to point on his sword. Takes 400 men to respond, so to speak, to Nabal. Verse 17 shows that Nabal could not be reasoned with. Now, thankfully, what does God do? God intercedes, and He intercedes with Abigail. Now we have wisdom coming into play in this situation. She sends servants before her with a bunch of food and drink for David and his men, food and drink that frankly, Nabal should have been willing to offer in the first place. And then she followed after her servants and meets David and his men. You know, David has been insulted. Really got to get a sense of the feel of the tension of the situation. You know, add to that that David is a man of war. He was enraged over this, over Nabal's words. Let's go ahead and pick it up in verse 21 and just imagine the tone of his voice as he's expressing this.

1 Samuel 25:21 "Now David said, 'Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him and he has repaid me evil for good.'" And just feel the frustration in these words. "May God do so and more also to the enemies of David if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light."

Does what we say matter? Does how we say things matter? What Nabal said clearly mattered to David. And this reached a point where David was out for blood. But David's words and reactions, were they appropriate though? Were they appropriate as well? Again, the situation is really escalating here. And that's what unbridled words can do. They can do. They can set these kinds of things into motion. And unbridled reactions to words can do the same thing. But what does God do? God works with Abigail, and her involvement changes the dynamics of where this was going. She comes before David, what does she do? She falls on her face before him and his men, and she entreats him to hear her out, not attack. She recognizes before David the gravity of Nabal's insults and his disrespect of him being a scoundrel. She calls it what it is. But she also asked David to withhold judgment in favor of something better while she also shared her awareness of the good that David and his men provided to the shepherds and the sheep, and acknowledging that they should have been shown something different.

She then does what? She takes it upon herself the trespass that was Nabal's, while at the same time displaying such wisdom and humility that there's no way that she could be blamed for it. Rather amazing thing. On top of that, she acknowledges how God was working with David and her understanding of that. God was working with David in a special way and purpose, as well as her hopes that He would decide not to avenge himself against Nabal and the household. You know, when I read this story, maybe this leaps to mind for you too, but I can't help but remember what we read in Proverbs 31:26 about the virtuous wife. I'll just refer to it here, but it says she opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness.

Proverbs 31:26 “She opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness.”

And why wasn't that applied here? Can you imagine such a situation as this? She humbles herself before David and 400 armed and experienced fighting men. It shows humility, respect, wisdom, understanding. She knew who David was. And she, with God's help though, promoted peace. And she was used as counsel for a better path for him, a better way to go. So we see again Abigail used by God to seek peace, to dismantle the conflict. And as we will see, take judgment out of David's hands and into the hands of God where it belonged. Let's go ahead and continue in verse 32 of 1 Samuel chapter 25 here.

1 Samuel 25:32-35 “Then David said to Abigail, ‘Blessed is the Lord God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed is your advice, and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed, and from avenging myself with my own hand. For indeed as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light, no males would have been left to Nabal.’ So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, ‘Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.’"

Abigail's words using God's wisdom, they're the right words and conveyed it in the right way. And no doubt, she had the right tone in her voice, adding to the visible humility of how she approached the situation, were used by God to take the sword out of David's hand, so to speak. Of course, how does this end for Nabal? Let's go ahead and read verses 37 and 38.

1 Samuel 25:37-38 “So it was in the morning when the wine had gone from Nabal and his wife had told him these things that his heart died within him and he became like a stone. Then it happened after about 10 days that the Lord struck Nabal and he died.”

We know God's desire is that all people could come to repentance or can come or would come to repentance and certainly would be our desires as well. But God does use an interesting way to pass judgment here on Nabal, initially in terms of some kind of heart failure. It was mentioned earlier Nabal all means fool. And the fool has said in his heart there is no God. Ultimately, death and life is in the power of the tongue. And we have a choice to make with that, ultimately. At the very core though of the differences between Nabal and Abigail and David's part as well can also be attributed to what we read in the latter part of Matthew 12:34. I'll just refer to it here.

Matthew 12:34 “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

And no doubt, if we're to speak the right things, we need our hearts filled with the right stuff and ask God to help us overcome our weaknesses and susceptibilities. And a part of what we read in this story of Nabal, of Abigail and David, is that it's written in such a way that we learn from all three of them. As we read earlier in James 3:2, we all stumble in many things and in our words, our tongues, and they're a big part of that. And we have to watch out for the Nabal in us, so to speak, things we need to overcome. And the story shows us what that looks like if we don't. We can see it for what it is, clearly see it, but can also ask God to help us overcome it.

Abigail's example, of course, is just awesome. Faithful, completely trusting in God to do what's needed to be done and when it needed to be done, to say what needed to be said, and to say in a way that is effective and a reflection of God's Spirit that would be living in us is our goal. David's example too is a powerful one of looking for and then being attentive to God's correction and faithfully acting on it. You know, even when we may think we have inappropriate or we're acting appropriately on some measure of righteous indignation, whatever that might be, David's example here teaches us that we need to constantly seek and be on the lookout for God's correction in whatever form that might take. David was clearly open to correction, and he appreciated correction. David was teachable and so should we.

Let's go ahead and turn now to Proverbs chapter 4. Proverbs chapter 4, the heart can be challenged, the heart can be tested. Well, at the same time, it can be filled with the right things, that help us with the right framework to address with wisdom the various challenges and events in life, to say the right things when we do. Let's go ahead and read verses 20 through 23 of Proverbs 4.

Proverbs 4:20-23 “This is my son. Give attention to my words. Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

What a situation for Abigail. Not an easy thing if one's spouse precipitates a conflict that would potentially lead to the equivalent of war against your household. Yet as we just read in Proverbs 4, with the right heart, God can help us navigate any situation we may find ourselves in and help us say the right things, to share words fitly spoken, we mentioned earlier, of apples of gold in settings of silver.

And before we move on, though, from this story, again, of Nabal, Abigail, and David, let's return to James chapter 3. Let's return to James chapter 3. There are some other aspects of Nabal's example that ring true in what James continues to convey again in chapter 3. And as we continue reviewing this need to bridle the tongue, that what we say really does matter, that it needs to be directed, and we need to employ it properly from the heart, that is a heart that follows God, or as the case may be, to restrain it. Right? What we say, to keep it in check, to hold back in some circumstances if that's what best serves the situation. Let's think about that as James further illustrates quite vividly what can happen. What can happen if the wrong words get out? What can happen? Let's pick it up again in James 3 in the latter part of verse 5.

James 3:5 He says, "See how great a forest a little fire kindles."

So we're being told here that the tongue can set something in motion. It's capable of that. And it can set something in motion that can get entirely out of control.

James 3:6 "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature and is set on fire by hell."

I don't see how James could be any more frank here than he is. He says the tongue has this capacity, the capacity to set the course, to set something in motion, and whether that particular course is intended or not, whether it's contemplated or not. Words have power. They have real power, and they have the power to start something that can get entirely out of control like a forest fire. Earlier in the story regarding Nabal, his words set something in motion, a course of events. And David, as we were reminded, and 400 of his men, they girded their swords in response to that. You know, if a sword is drawn out, you draw a sword out, you can put it back into its sheath before it's used. And David ended up doing that as he recognized God working through Abigail to have him rethink what he was going to do and changed from what he intended to do.

But there's a dimension with the use of the tongue that James is expressing here that speaks to the concept of crossing a threshold of no return. And just for example, I'm just going to reference this from Jeremiah 9:8. Words are referred to as arrows, or likened to arrows. Let's read part of this verse of Jeremiah 9:8.

Jeremiah 9:8 "Their tongue is an arrow shot out. It speaks deceit."

And with that, I'd just like us to just visualize that just a little bit here because if you release an arrow, can that be retrieved in flight? Don't think so. In the introduction, I asked whether any of us have said things that we regretted later. I'm sure the answer to that is yes. I also asked, though, have you ever said something that you regret as you said it? Your conscience is saying, "No, don't say it." Warning bells are going off, "Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it," but the words fly out like an arrow anyway. And then we get to watch the result of that indiscretion. Because once it's out, it's out. Can't get it back. You know, where's the duct tape when you need it?

You know, there are other examples in scripture of these kinds of arrows as well. The Bible talks about gossip being like that. Spreading rumors is like that. Simply sharing something that should be kept in confidence is like that. I'm just going to refer to a couple proverbs to get a little more color to that here. A couple proverbs, a couple scriptures here for us to think about.

Proverbs 11:13 “A talebearer. A talebearer reveals secrets but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.”

Proverbs 16:28 “A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends. The best of friends.”

Recall an example of the implications of gossip. Perhaps you've heard of this or something similar to it. But gossip is like taking a feather pillow and opening it up outside in a windstorm, and thereafter being asked to gather every last feather that flew out into the wind. It can't be done. Can't be done. But that's an illustration of how gossip works. Once it's out, it's out. Let's go ahead and continue now as James talks more about some of these things in verse 7.

James 3:7-8 "For every kind of beast and bird, reptile, creature of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue. It's an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

Again, James cannot get more candid than he is here, I don't think. There is a simple truth that no man, no person can of their own power, truly tame this thing. We need help. We need God's help, and we need the power of His Holy Spirit. Because if this is going to go right, we need our hearts to be in the right place. Our hearts to be in the right place. Otherwise, the use of the tongue, what we say, has the capacity of acting like a poison or a venom that's being described here.  Poison and venom, we've all heard of these things, but they can act in different ways. When we consider poison or venom in an analogy here in James 3:8, we also understand that words can hurt sometimes instantly like a snake bite or a strong poison, something immediately hurtful and painful. Yet in other circumstances, the damage can be slow, can even be accretive. They add up like a little bit of arsenic poisoning here and there over time. There may be situations in which negative things are said, and perhaps each of which are not entirely significant on its own, but when they add up, here comes a deep hurt. When they add up, they get accretive.

Words also have the capacity to hurt over time. Have you ever experienced something being said to you that hurts so much after it was said than when it was first said? Oh, it hurt when you first heard it, but when you thought about it, how much deeper that was. Poison and venom are described in this way, that they can spread, so to speak, where it hurts so much more as time progresses. And given the nature and power of words, God inspires James to remind us all words have power, and what we have, what we speak, and the intent behind them has implications, and it's an amazing power. It's an amazing power to build up, to love, to exhort, to help, and it's a power that can tear down. Has the power to do that. Words and intent, even inflection in our voices can matter. James continuing here in James 3 regarding the tongue, pick it up in verse 9 now.

James 3:9-10 “With it,” again, speaking of the tongue, “we bless our God and Father. And with it, we curse men who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

Let's go ahead and refer to something here. I'm going to insert it here. Some additional advice we find in Titus 3:1-2. Go ahead and jot that down if you'd like. And certainly look it up if you'd like to too.

Titus 3:1-2 It says, "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work." And verse 2 says, "To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men."

We can't do this on our own power. And we need a very strong faith in God. And we need God's Holy Spirit in a very big way, in such a way that it dominates our life, in such a way that it dominates our character, in such a way that it dominates the heart. And if we are to faithfully engage this in the way God is asking us to do, we have to have that level of His presence in our life and that level of faith. While holding our place in James 3, let's turn to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12. The words of our Savior, Jesus Christ, speak not only to the result of what we say, but also to judgment for the words that are spoken or for that matter words that are written. Let's begin in verse 32 of Matthew chapter 12.

Matthew 12:32 "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

And if we look at the backdrop of these scriptures here, this involved at least some of the Pharisees. And what they did is they witnessed a miracle that clearly demonstrated the power of God. Jesus had cast out a demon from a man. They dismissed it as Jesus having done this miracle by the power of Satan. That's their accusation. But Jesus clearly explained that only by the power of a greater spirit, that of God, could a demon be cast out. But they remained, at least at this time, unmoved, and hardened in their hearts. For them to see something like this, a demonstration of God's power through His spirit yet still reject, it's a very dangerous place to be and shows a willful resistance to God and the Holy Spirit. This is part of why Jesus is rebuking them with this warning.

You know, this Holy Spirit that we have access to, this is the essence of God, we know this. It's the power of God and the means by which God acts on and within our hearts and minds to change us into the kind of people He wants us to be. We also know that the Holy Spirit is how He and the Son take home, residence in us. It's an amazing thing. Let's go ahead and continue in verse 33.

Matthew 12:33-37 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that every idle word men speak, or men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

So why is it so hard to always say the right things? It's because whatever's in the heart's going to come out in what we say. And we are going to struggle in some form or fashion as long as we're physical human beings with the imperfections that come with that. And though the heart and the mind are linked, the mind being more on the understanding side of the equation, the heart is where things become actually part of us, part of who we are, and we will always need God's help with those things. It reminds me of Jeremiah 24:7 where God says and shows His intentions too.

Jeremiah 24:7 “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they shall return to me with their whole heart.”

God will always do His part. Always do His part. But again, as long as there's a mix of things in our hearts, this is going to be a struggle at some level because again, out of the heart, the mouth speaks. And we recall Nabal's words reflected his name and his heart. Abigail's words reflected her heart and her love for God. David, a man after God's own heart, needed correction which he willingly took. Again, through Abigail, is how God brought that about.

Let's go ahead now and just return one more time to James chapter 3. God inspired James to write further about this and echo some of the concerns that Jesus shared in Matthew chapter 12, which we just read. We're going to go ahead and read verse 10 again here and we'll continue from there.

James 3:10-18 “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can't a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus, no spring yields both saltwater and fresh. Who is wise in understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there, but the wisdom that is from above is first pure and peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

You know, perhaps one of the hardest parts of being a Christian, perhaps one of the biggest challenges we have is bridling the tongue, or maybe it's among them because ultimately, what we say is a matter of the heart. But knowing that, let our hearts be in alignment with the wisdom that is from above, first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, again, good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. And, of course, let's continue to pray, stay close to God, asking for and being filled with His Spirit. And maybe we need to ask also something that David asks. It's part of a psalm, it's part of his prayers to God.

Psalm 141:3 Where he says, "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips."

Because words matter, what we say matters. And let them not have words or us have any of our words or have our hearts be filled with this emptiness of envy, self-seeking, confusion, things that come from a different spirit. But ask God to move that entirely out and displace it with the other fruits that we talked about so that we can say the right things at the right time to help people, to encourage, to grow bonds, to do all the good things that God wants us to do, and be a light to the world in that way. Because in the end, what we say matters.