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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Kind of an interesting subject to want to talk to you about tonight. This one is in Fallon in the Book of James. So turn in your Bible to the book of James. The book of James, what a wonderful, wonderful book. You know the Bible says in the book of Matthew in chapter 12 that every idle word that a man shall speak will be brought into judgment. Ooh, that hurts. And so we do have to be very careful of the things that we say and probably even the way that we say them.

But James tackles this issue, the issue of the tongue. Isn’t that a good subject to speak on? Because so much is done because of just talking. We talk a lot. If we can’t walk, we talk. It’s something that you probably be talking in your sleep. But in the book of James, it talks about being a double-minded man. Now, if a man is a double-minded man, he’s going to be speaking with a fork and tongue. It means he’s going to speak one way and then another way, a double-minded man is what he does.

He says this, and then he says this. Then he says this. He might say some truth, and then he says some lies. He’s not honed in on what he should do and how he should be. So he’s wishy washy. So the Bible mentions this either in verse 8 of James chapter 1 a Double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. How do you know a man’s unstable? How do you know a man is double-minded? Because he has a double tongue The Bible is going to address that issue and your Bible talks about that there look there in verse 8 in chapter 4, look in chapter 4, look in verse 8.

So that you know what’s in these verses, in between these two verses, is talking about this issue. In verse 8, draw night to God and He will draw night to you. Clend your hands, you centers, and purify your hearts. You double-minded. Double-minded. Double-minded in chapter 1. So everything we’re talking about is going to be revealing how a man is double-minded. And he’s double-minded if he has a double tongue. And I’ll show you what he’s talking about. So look back there in chapter 1.

Chapter 1 talks about in verse 5, be ye doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves. Now, to keep a man from being a double-minded man, and then he needs to be focused upon one thing. That’s the wisdom that comes from God. And so as you study the Word of God, you’re supposed to gain in wisdom, and wisdom is revealed by the things you say. The tongue speaks to mind. But God is God, but you can’t see God.

So the Word, which was God, you can hear the Word. Christ was the Word that revealed like a thought. And I can’t see God, but He came into this world as the Word to reveal God Himself. Now hearing the book of James that’s talking about, do not air my brethren and don’t think that whenever you fall into different temptations and so forth, God did this to me. God does not tempt any man. And cannot be tempted with sin. So all the problems and trials of life reveal the character of the man.

So if things happen to you that’s not really good, what do you say? What you say reveals your wisdom. Every trial, problem, testing, it all comes out. So wherever your heart is, it’s going to be revealed through the tongue. That’s what God’s talking about. So he makes his statement here in verse 23. And if any be a here of the word and not a door, he is like unto a man beholden his natural face in the glass and beholdeth himself and goeth his way and straight wait, forgeteth what manner of man he was.

But who so looketh into the perfect law of liberty and Continue if therein he being not a forgetful here, but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deeds Then he kind of gives us an idea about the tongue and It uses the word bridal several times You know a horse has got a lot of power But you can control the horse simply by putting a bridle in its mouth and you can steer like, great big old horse.

I saw something the other day it was on TV. Little of a big dog would run up here and get ahold of the horses’ reins. And the guy says, go over there and get that horse. That dog over there and get ahold of the reins. They would land down on the and he’d take and that horse would follow the little dog. Here’s this gigantic horse and the little dog was able to take that horse and just make him go wherever he wanted to go.

Now, how much we do it? Because he got the bitterness mouth and he’s got a bridle on him. He can be steered. But look what he says here in verse 26. If any man among you seems to be religious, that’s the external showing of good works. He says, and bridle it, not his tongue. Now the Bible says, no man contain the tongue, but you have to bridle the tongue. You’ve got to put something on the tongue that controls the tongue.

You don’t tame it. You’ve got to control it. You’ve got to put something on it to restrain it from saying something that shouldn’t say. Okay, how do you do that? That’s interesting. Also look there in other scripts. You’re looking verse two of chapter three, where it says, For in many things we offend all. If any man offends not in word, the same as a mature man, and he will also to bridle the whole body. In other words, God says, if you can control this, you can control the whole body.

I guess you see all the lusts of the flesh, the sins of the body that are in our physical body, our sinful desires, our all sinful nature. If you can control this by bridling it, then you’re able to control all the other passions in your body. I used to think that would be true if it was food. If I could control food, I can control every other passion of the body. That sounds easy, but don’t put a chocolatey clear in front of me.

Just attempt me. But if you can control the tongue, which is only that which is telling you what’s on the mind. So when you speak, your mind is on parade. So he says, you’ve got to bright them. And also look there in this scripture where it says in verse 8, but the tongue can no man tame it is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. Now that’s a pretty good description of the tongue. Now I covered a couple of thoughts about this here sometime back, but I want to try to hit it at just a little different angle.

You see, there’s two things that we need to understand. There is the wisdom of the world. You can learn all the wisdom of the world. And when you think a certain way, you’re going to talk a certain way. And whatever you love, that’s what you talk about. You know, it’s where you are. But then there’s the wisdom of God. And if you love the wisdom of God and the wisdom of God is not learned by the wisdom of the world, it’s totally different.

There is the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. So God has wisdom that He has sent down. That’s the Bible. The wisdom in this book is far superior than any wisdom of any man. In regards to how smart the man may be, this is where true wisdom comes from. So you see here in verse 15, this wisdom, coming from down here on the earth, is one thing. But this wisdom descended not from above but is earthly, sensual and devilish.

That’s the wisdom of the world. That’s where you and I live. That’s how we think. What we want, what I want to be, what I want to do, what I want to accomplish, what I want to have, all involves how am I going to get it? And so when you fall in love, say with money, and you want money, and you don’t care how you got to get it as long as you get it. Well then that’s going to determine what you do, what you say.

But there’s another kind of wisdom that’s mentioned here. But notice what he says in verse 16, for where inveen and strife is, there is confusion in every evil work. And that’s where you say certain things that causes so much in me and bitterness and jealousy and so on. Now look in verse 17, but the wisdom that is from above is first, it’s pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated or desired, full of mercy and good fruit without partiality, without hypocrisy, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

So there is the wisdom of the world and there’s the wisdom of God. A double-minded man is a person as used here, he’s talking about really, this is referring to believers. Well, it used to call him fence stragglers. A fence stragglers, somebody doesn’t know which side of the fence to get on so you just straddle the fence. And so you don’t know if he’s going to come down on this side or is he going to come down on this side?

Are there people that you know that you have to be very careful of what you say around them because you know they’re going to be like a short fused nakes flew? You don’t know where they’re going to come in so you tip toe around certain people because well if I say that, oh you can’t say that. And after a while you just can’t say some things around anybody because you don’t matter what you say is not going to be peaceful.

It’s going to create a war. So that’s because you’ve got the wisdom of the world, you’ve got the wisdom of God. Now we’ve explained this before but look very quickly. This is our first birth, flesh birth. It feeds only upon the wisdom of the world. Then when you trust Christ as your Savior, He gives you a new birth. This one’s born of God. This one feeds upon the wisdom that comes from God, from the Word of God. So if I want to be a strong Christian, I believe it, then I have to feed upon the things that come from God’s Word and I become strong.

And whenever I study in the Word of God, then whenever I talk, I want to watch what I say. But if I’m just totally of the flesh and do whatever I want to do, it doesn’t matter, then I don’t care what I say and I don’t have any guard. I don’t have a bridle on my tongue. And so you say and do things that you should not do. So you have a problem. So look there in verse 1 of chapter 3, verse 1.

Now you just finished talking about in chapter 2 about your words and your faith. Talking about you as a child of God living in such a way that people will believe that you really love the Lord and that what you say it really has profit and that it profits other people. That’s not to get to heaven, it’s because you’re going there. So he says in verse 1, my brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation, because whenever you want to be the boss, you want to be the teacher, you have a greater responsibility because you’re teaching people.

And what if you teach people wrong? Did you know you have to give account to the Lord for that? So whenever you do, it scares you to death. So be more careful because, as he says, you’re going to have the greater judgment to whom much is given, much is required. So in verse 2, for in many things we offend. If any men offend not in word, the same as a perfect or mature man and able also to bridle the whole body.

Now can you control all the flesh desires? If you can, wonderful. But if you can’t, you get a problem. That’s why it is so important. Everybody has a tongue. The tongue speaks, reveals what you’re thinking about. Have you ever seen somebody say something because they didn’t bridle it and they say things they should not have said? Or they use some cuss words and they, huh, what do you say that? Or they wish to have said certain things to their wife or to the husband.

Or to the kids, we wish we could have total control to bridle the tongue like the bridle on a horse. That you can’t control or contain the tongue but you have to put a bridle on it. And of course the thing that controls the tongue is the mind. Because what you think about is what you talk about. And therefore you need to learn how to think differently. So what lies between chapter one and this chapter here is talking about the Word of God.

So that’s why you read and study the Word of God that’s mentioned there in chapter one, verses 20 through down to verse 25, and you study to see what God’s Word has to say. And the Word of God is given to us to help us to think differently. You see, this one is when you trusted Christ of Savior, your new birth. This one is when you were born into the world, your flesh birth. So you have two natures. And so this one has a certain amount of wisdom, and this one has a certain amount of wisdom.

This one came from the earth, what people teach and so forth. This one comes from God, and it has a certain amount of knowledge. There’s knowledge that God wants us to have. That’s why he says in the book of James. That’s why it’s so important. Just look at it very quickly at this in James chapter 1. In James chapter 1, look what he says in verse 4. But let patient have her perfect work that you may be perfect or complete and entire wanting or lacking nothing.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that give it to all men liberally and up, breaketh not and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith nothing wavering Or he that waiver is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and taut at the double-minded man. He’s not sure what he wants. He’s not sure what he wants to be. He’s this way and then he’s this way. He’s a, like I said, he’s a fence straggler.

Doesn’t know which side to get on. Do I, as a child of God, do I want to walk in the flesh? Well, sometimes. And I want to walk in the spirit well, yeah, yeah. But I can’t make up my mind, and so I’m a double-minded man.” God says in verse seven, “…let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” Why? Because he’s a double-minded man. He’s using the wisdom of the world he wants, what the world has to offer, and he wants what God has to offer.

But he can’t make up his mind which one he wants the best. They come the time in your life and mine years ago, about 50 years ago. Well, I had to make up my mind. What do I want for my life? And I knew I wanted God’s will for my life. Whatever it is, that’s what I want. And I wasn’t wishing you washy about it. I made up my mind. I committed myself. I’m going to learn this book because you cannot know the will of God unless you know the word of God.

the will of God to know the word of God so you can know the will of God. And the Bible teaches that if a man will do the will of God, he shall know the doctrine thereof. So you read and you study it so that you can make up your mind and the man who wants God’s will for his life. That man can expect to get answers and that man can expect to get the wisdom. Otherwise a man is going to be double-minded and is not going to get anything because he never makes up his mind, never totally commit himself.

Now remember this, when it comes to salvation, you don’t have to commit anything to the Lord. Is this all you have to believe that when he died on that cross, he paid for your sins and you trust him as your Savior. So when I trusted Christ as my Savior, God saved me, saved me from what? Saved me from hell. That’s why I can’t go to hell. He saved me from him. I don’t have any sins to pay for because he paid for all of my sins.

I don’t deserve that. That’s because he loved me me that much. So I have eternal life. I’m going to heaven when I die, but I’m not there yet. And so as a child of God, God wants me to hone in on what do you want. Otherwise you’re just a double-minded man and you’ll never get anything. But you commit yourself to the Lord, you study the Word of God and find out what you’re supposed to do. And then in James chapter 2, learn to live according to the faith that you have in the Word of God as a child of God.

He says in the book of Colossians, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk He in Him. How did you receive the Lord? By faith. Well, how you pose a walk? By faith. So I took God as His word and trusted Christ as my Savior and got eternal life. Now God says, if Itnc I live for Him, He’ll bless my life. Well, after 50 years I can say He’s done a pretty good job. And I thank the Lord for it.

He’s done what he said he would do. Now look there again in James chapter three, and notice what he says there in verse three. In verse three, behold we put bits in the horse’s mouth that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body, their whole body. Well he says, if a mature man, a child of God, will learn to discipline himself and to learn the word of God and discipline his mind, But then you don’t have to be a double minded man.

That’s why he says in the book of Matthew in chapter 6, that layup treasure in heaven. Where thieves cannot break through nor steal. And then he says, but lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth because you can lose it. But lay up treasure in heaven because you can’t lose that. And then he makes his statement, for where a man’s treasure is, there will earth heart be also. But I’d also like to say that where a man’s heart is, there will be his treasure also.

So if a man has his heart set upon the things of God and he wants to please the Lord, That’s a wise thing to do But he says a man cannot serve two masters. It means God in heaven or money on earth God in heaven or man on earth. You can’t please both You’re either gonna seek to try to please God or you’re gonna try to seek to please man It’s a be a lot easier to please God and a lot more profitable because what you lay up in heaven you’ll have forever and you don’t have to worry about the stop market you don’t have to worry about whether you know you got a job you lose you help you lose everything down here but you can’t lose what you’ve laid up in heaven and this is what God’s talking about why it’s so important and then he makes a statement here in verse 4 behold also the ships in

verse 4 which though they be so great are driven by fierce winds yet are they turned about with a very small hymn, whether it’s whoever the governor listed. In other words, it can be guided by something so small. You ever get in a boat and they got a motor back there and that little propellers, some of them don’t bigger than your hand. You can sit back there and just put a little on that big old boat and all that weight in there and you’re going fishing, it’s totally under control.

This baby go boats just by that little one. Now, always remember, when it comes to serve my Lord. He said, if a man wants to win the prize, he must play by the rules. And there’s things that God says not to do. So sometimes we listen and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we want to stretch things. But God is watching and recording everything in the believer’s life. I want those rewards when I get to heaven and I realize I can’t cheat to get them.

I got to do right. And God says that if I love him as my main motive and I do what I do because I love the Lord because of what He’s done for me, then it’ll help me in every area of my life. So I’ve got to learn how to think because that will help me to of bridal night-town so that I don’t say something that I shouldn’t say. And that’s the most difficult thing. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to always be in control of your mind.

Have you ever seen somebody lose their mind, lose their control? Well, I’ve had people tell me, I’ll give you a piece of my mind. Don’t give people a piece of your mind, not when you’re in desperate need of it. needed. But look what he says here. In verse 5, even so, the tongue is a little member. Bose its great thing. Behold, how great a matter a little fire can live. In other words, this little fire, you can strike a match and burn down a forest.

But anytime you want to start a fire, a control fire, it takes the whole pack a match is to get it going. One little match can lighten a forest fire. And the Bible is telling you that this little tongue of iris can do the same thing. You can kill somebody’s love for you that quick with a sharp tongue. And you’d be surprised that as you look back over the years and you go all the way back when you were a kid.

And especially if you had brothers and sisters. You say things and you do things and then you think, can you ever forgive them? Will they ever forgive you? Because you say you can say and hurt one another and it can last for years. But the Bible talks about a thing called forgiveness. We forgive one another and we forgive somebody. Why? why? Because God has forgiven us. Think of how bad we are and how much we have sinned against God and yet He forgave us of all of our sins.

So if He can do that for us, why should we have so much problem forgiven one another? Because here’s the key. People say things and they hurt and digs deep. And if you don’t get rid of that hurt, it turns into bitterness, and the bitterness can destroy you. And it eats inside of you like cancer. And you know how people hate cancer today? We want to get it out, get it out, get it out, cut, cut, cut, get it out.

Radiation treatments, you name it, they want to get rid of the cancer cause they know if they don’t, they’ll kill them. And a lot of people have died the same way from the bitterness that they have in their heart. So always remember. And looking for six, and the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members that defileth the whole body and set on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell.

This little tongue, remember this, if a man has these two birds. I got this one 72 years ago. I was born into this world. Came with an old sinful nature. Then I trusted Christ as my Savior about 53 years ago and I got me a new birth. This one is born of God. This one is born of flesh, my mommy and daddy. So God didn’t do away with this one just because he gave me this one. But if I walk in the flesh after the desires of the flesh and live like a lost man, well then I’m going to have a problem.

I’m going to wind up saying the things that the flesh wants me to say, this whole sinful nature. And then I am capable of every sin in the book. So I can wind up being bitter and filled with hate and envy and jealousy. You name the sin and every Christian is capable of thinking the most nastiest things grossest thing and Even though you may never commit adultery you might in your mind You’d be surprised the passions of the flesh.

It can totally control you That’s the flesh. But when you trust Christ, as you say, He gave you a new birth. In the new birth, God wants to develop a new mind. So He says in the book of Romans in chapter 12, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove or discover what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So God wants me to develop a new way of thinking.

And so that means I’ve got to study the Word of God and get the wisdom of God so that I can think differently. If I think differently, then I can talk differently. I can act differently. So I’ve got these two words. And God says, no, you’ve only got one tongue, but I’ve got two natures. This one can’t do anything good. This one can’t do anything bad. Two extremes living on the inside of me. Is there a battle all the time?

Battle back and forth. Fighting for the use of this little instrument that I’ve got called a body. What another great message from Dr. Arnold. Friends, we hope more than anything else that you know you’re saved by believing Jesus died for your sin, and that Bibleline is helping you grow stronger and stronger in the Lord. Would you know how to witness to an atheist? What do you start with if a person doesn’t even believe there is a God? For this month, all who send in a financial donation in any amount, we will mail to you Dr.

Arnold’s DVD teaching lesson on how to witness to an atheist. You’ll gain some great insight on reaching people who may just need someone to explain the truth to them. This DVD series is yours is yours for this month only with your financial donation in any amount. Again, we’re so grateful to those of you who support this ministry. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. God bless you, and thank you again for supporting Bibleline.

Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.