The Power of Words #2

It takes a little spark to start a fire

It doesn’t take much to start a fire has most of us know

In a relationship, a small spark can be anything. It can be saying the wrong word, doing the wrong thing, ect

But once that spark ignites, it can grow and has it grows the conversation between 2 people can get intense

There is a origin that causes fires. There is a starting point

So we need to look at the starting point

The Bible gives us this picture of the power of words

Maybe a word was released carelessly, maybe even unintentionally but that word created this spark that turns into this firestorm and it creates a lot of devastation

James uses a couple illustrations to show us how the power of words are

Our tongue is very powerful and can cause life or death

James 3:3–6 (NLT): We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

James is making this point has strong as he can

Our words have weight to them

Our tongue has the power of life and the power of death

The tongue is a powerful weapon

We have about 30 conversations a day if you take texting into account

James tells us that it’s just one word or this one spark that can turn into this massive fire

If you trace this type of account you will notice that a lot of destruction and wars all started with words

The destruction of a relationship starts with words

The power of words to breath life into something or brings death to something

Someone made a speech and used harsh words, or used hateful words, or malicious words, threatening words, slanderous words

And things escalated and turned into a war

But it began with words

Can you start to see how words can breath life into something or bring death to something??

Words are what typically ends a relationship/marriage

The relationship/marriage was burnt to the ground

If you trace the fire pattern back to its origin, it normally began with words

Words that were controlling, words that were cruel or words that broke down self esteem

Some words spoken earlier on created this spark

This spark took and it eventually wiped it out !!!

Wiped out the whole home

It always goes back to the origin of things. Where it all started

Words can make a relationship/ marriage toxic

Words can make a work place toxic

Words can turn neighbors into enemies

Words can divide churches

Proverbs 16:28 (NLT): 28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;

gossip separates the best of friends.

Gossip. Starts with words

A lot of people like to gossip. They love drama

Got to have drama to make them feel important

People get careless with their words and then start complaining

And with their words they divide the body of Christ

James writes about this because it must have been a issue

He keeps repeating it

James 1:26 (NLT): 26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.

James makes a good point. How can you say you’re a Christian and by the same tongue curse those around you?

Our tongue is a two-edged sword

James 3:9–12 (NLT): Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

It has to stop. You can’t tear down and then turn around and praise God

People can’t come to church and sing I am Blessed and after church year down your friends or family

You can’t pray with your kids and then turn around and yell at your wife

You can’t do that. It has to stop!!

You and I both know. This is what we do !!!

This was a issue with James as well

I’m

Sure James has blown it too. He struggled with his tongue. He wasn’t perfect but he knew it was a dangerous tool

James talks about the power of the tongue

In Luke 6, Jesus is going to tell us where those words come from

It’s not random as you think or it’s not has intentional as you seem

Those words and that tone is coming from somewhere

In Luke 6 Jesus gives us some stern commands

You speak words, you pray words

Sincere from the heart

Luke 6:27-42

Harsh commands

Luke 6:43–45 (NLT): 43 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

You’re shocked when the seeds you plant are coming out because that is the fruit you bear

You put these things in your heart and mind and your surprised it comes out in your life

Jesus says it matters. You might not think so but it does

What you put in your heart comes out in your life

This is something that needs to be addressed because we fill our hearts, mind, eyes, ears with lots of things we see in the entertainment world

Sometimes it’s what other people have put in your heart will come out has well

The mouth will bear the fruit that is planted in the heart

Matthew 12:34 (NLT): 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.

Matthew 15:17 (NLT): 17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.

So you see what in the heart comes from the mouth

You might say, “I don’t know where that came from?”

Jesus will say, “ I do, that actually came from your heart,!!”

James tells us that our tongue bring life or death by our words

Jesus says, yeah but your words come from your heart

So the question now becomes

What am I putting into my heart?

What am I allowing into my heart?

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT): Guard your heart above all else,

for it determines the course of your life.

We have to guard the heart because the heart is the center of everything and it has lots of connections to it

So that’s why it’s important to guard it

The source that feeds

So whatever is in you is what’s going to come out of you

With our words we have the power of life and death

Words if death most of us can identify with:

Angry

Complaining

Harsh

Resentful words

Negative words

Judgmental words

Gossip

Critical words

Would you describe these words has the way you talk?

On the other side

Words of life most of us can identify with:

Gracious

Uplifting

Tender

Kind

Positive

Compassionate

Blessings

Encouraging words

Which of these 2 sides of words would describe the way you talk to people??

It’s easy to say what we are and want to be

If you took both list of words and asked your family members or friends to circle which words describe the way I talk, what would they say??

It’s not that I’m this way, it’s because you make me this way

If they would change, then I would change

We want to grow in these but most people will struggle in these

What kind of heart produces these kinds of fruit??

A heart with bitterness will speak angry words

Sometimes it might be guilt instead of angry

Sometimes there is a underlying issue

A heart filled with forgiveness speaks gracious words

A heart filled with entitlement speaks complaining words

A heart filled with gratitude speaks uplifting words

A heart filled with guilt speaks harsh words

A heart filled with peace speaks tender words

A heart filled with rejection speaks resentful words

A heart filled with acceptance speaks kind words

A heart filled with grumbling speaks negative words

A heart filled with thanksgiving speaks positive words

A heart filled with condemnation speaks judgmental words

A heart filled with love speaks compassionate words

A heart filled with jealousy speak words of gossip

A heart filled with contentment speaks words of blessings

A heart filled with self righteousness speaks critical words

A heart filled with hope speaks encouraging words

Most of our the attention on behavior modification but it’s heart renovation

Listen. Jesus says it’s about your heart !!!

You need to start inventorying your heart to fix the issues that you have

It all starts with the heart .!!!