Weekly Sermons

Speak No Evil             James 4:11-12

The prayers I make will then be sweet indeed, if Thou the Spirit give by which I pray;

My unassisted heart is barren clay, That of its native self can nothing feed:

Of good and pious works Thou art the seed, that quickens only where Thou say’st it may;

Unless Thou show to us Thine own true way no man can find it; Father! Thou must lead.

Do Thou, then, breathe those thoughts into my mind, by which such virtue may in me be bred.

That in Thy holy footsteps I may tread; The fetters of my tongue do Thou unbind,

That I may have the power to sing of Thee, And sound Thy praises everlastingly.

-Michelangelo (1475-1564)

 

One of the main reasons to go verse by verse, section by section through a Bible book is to make sure we give the same weight to an area of discipleship that the Holy Spirit does through the human author. As we do, God uses His _____________________ on us!

The command: Don’t speak ___________________ of one another                      V. 11a

What are some of the words the scripture uses that would be included under the category ‘evil speech’ toward others?                                               Ephesians 4:29-32

To speak evil of your brother is to speak evil of the law                                         V. 11b

When you lie, gossip, or slander you are making a greater point about ___________________ than you are about the person you are speaking evil of. You are saying you are the kind of person who believes God’s commands aren’t worth obeying.

God is seeking doers of the law, not judges of ______________________!          V. 11c

James is calling believers not to use God’s Word as a club, but as a mirror for ourselves, the standard we all strive for, appreciating the Savior we cannot do without because we don’t meet the standard!                                                                     Micah 6:8

Jesus taught Matt. 7:1 in the Sermon on the Mount, in which He gave about 70 crisp statements of what He expected His disciples to believe and act on! The point of Matt. 7:1-3 is for each believer to humbly deal with their own sin ___________, and then they can gently help others.

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself less you also be tempted.        -Galatians 6:1

Leave the judging to the God who told us what He ___________________          V. 12

He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.            -John 12:48

He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the Day of Christ.             -Philippians 1:6

Romans 14:4, 10-13