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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 air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Well, I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew, Matthew, and chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12, a very interesting portion of Scripture that kind of deals with the things that we say. Now we’ve been studying in the book of James and it tells us some things that we have as far as conflicts in which God is going to reward us when we get to heaven if we had victory over the lust of the flesh.

That’s internal pressures. You know the desires that you control. And then he He says, I’ll reward you when you get to heaven if you have victory over external pressures. You know, you’re going to have trials and tribulation and people problems and financial problems and all those social problems. But if he says, if you have victory over those things, he says, I’m going to reward you when you get to heaven. And then he tells us some things about we need to do as our good works that we do.

Now, it has nothing to do with what people do to us, but what we do for them in James chapter two. a very important book on the Christian life. And God said, I’m going to reward you when you get to heaven if you have good works in your life. Now remember, good works doesn’t get you to heaven. You go to heaven because of what Christ did, not what you do. But now that you’re God’s child, you have eternal life, well, you’re not there yet.

So God left us here. Now it’s not just a matter of getting victory and doing good works. Is it possible for you to do good deeds for people while you’re blessing them out with the tongue. Do wonderful things but then you use that little tongue of yours and you cut somebody real sharp and become bitter and it brings out all that poison inside of you and you infect other people. Is that possible? Yes it is. So God tells us something that we need to keep in mind.

I read this in Sunday school but let me just mention it to you real quickly again. Sometimes we say things we wish we hadn’t said. We do things we wish we hadn’t done. But sometimes we might encourage somebody to do something we wish we hadn’t have encouraged them to do. Well, sometimes you do things that you wish you hadn’t done. And then sometimes you let people talk you into doing something that you wish you hadn’t done. This little tongue right here that we have can be a world of good or a world of iniquity.

And this is what the Lord says in verse 33. So look there in Matthew chapter 12 verse 33, Jesus speaking, he says, either make the tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and the fruit corrupt, for the tree is known by its fruit. A generation old generation of vipers, how can ye be an evil speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh, a good man out of the good traces of the hearts, bring it forth good things.

And the evil man out of the evil treasures bring it forth evil thing. But I send you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account they’re up in the day of judgment. This isn’t talking about what you said on purpose this is just idle word, just idle chatter. Ever get to bed again with something just idle chatter just talk about anything. And a lot of times have you ever noticed that you I know you won’t ever accuse yourself that idle chatter can be idle gossip.

You just you know you’re not gossip and you know real bad it’s just that it’s for prayer. I mean you wouldn’t say anything against anybody unless it was good and boy is this good. And you have things that you want to share you know you know dirt you got on somebody always remember when you throw dirt you lose ground. Have you ever found out that when you want to give somebody a piece of your mind, you’re in most desperate need of it?

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. So in the book of James we’re not talking about going to heaven, being justified to go to heaven. We’re talking about being justified, cleared by God, that what you said was right, or what you did that was right. God is the one who is the just one. And he’s the justified one. of those who need to be justified. So when we were ungodly and unloveable, he saved us by making a payment for our sins, and we are justified.

Just as if I’ve never sinned, I have been declared righteous by God. I’m his child, I’m going to heaven when I die. But he didn’t take me to heaven yet. He left me here. Since he left me here, he wants me to do certain things for him. So there’s things that I’m to do, things I’m to say, the way I’m supposed to live. So God says, for the rewards in heaven and to be blessed here and for position of service in the kingdom, he says, it depends upon what you do for me.

Now God ain’t going to make you do anything for him. You can trust Christ to save your heavy turn of life, go to heaven when you die, and not do a thing for the Lord. But if you want more than the natural man, if you want more than just the things of this world, well then you’re going to have to serve the Lord. Now nobody can make you do it. But if you decide to do it, God says, I’m going to reward you.

And I’ll make it worth your while. So you have a battle within you. It’s called the Two Natures. And I want you to take your Bible, turn that to the book of James in chapter 3 now. The book of James, chapter 3, right after the book of Hebrews. And I want you to look there in James chapter 3. And you’ll notice there’s a teaching here. I’ll show you this in just a second. But first of all, I want you to look up here after you find James chapter 3.

I want you to look at me. Over here, now this is when we are born into the world. This is our flesh birth. Our flesh birth has a sinful nature. We sin naturally. This flesh birth is not the child of God. It’s not the child of God. It doesn’t do anything right. This is an evil tree. This evil tree has bad fruit. And so this tree can only bring forth bad fruit. So therefore you can tell the tree by its fruit.

So since every individual in the world does something wrong, then we all know that it’s a bad tree because it has a sinful nature and the fruit is the proof that it’s a bad tree. So God says, these trees here, God said, I don’t want these trees in heaven because they got bad fruit. Why? Because in heaven is a perfect place. If God lets us go to heaven the way we are, then we’ll have bad fruit in heaven. That means we’ll lie, steal, cheat, murder, and rob and rape and all that.

We’ll do all that in heaven. why? Because that’s what we do down here. Bad trees here will be a bad tree there. So God says this bad tree, this bad tree with this bad fruit can’t go to heaven. That’s why you needed a Savior. God says that He’s going to give you a new birth. Oh, when you trust Christ as your Savior, you became a tender plant, a little bitty newborn Christian. This little b, here’s a new birth. This one here has a divine nature.

This one can’t sin because it’s born of God. And if it can’t sin, it can’t die. So if it can’t sin, it can’t die. This little newborn child here, this belongs to God. God is its father. That’s why now God becomes your father. You become God’s child. This one has a divine nature. Can’t do anything wrong. Well, then you got this over here. This is a bad tree and the bad tree got bad fruit. This is a good tree born of God.

And it can only bring forth good fruit. It can’t bring forth the bad fruit. Why? Because it has no sinful nature. So your new birth born of God can only do good. This old sinful nature can only do bad. And guess where both of them live inside of this one body. Inside of my body, I have both of these living inside of me. And they’re fighting for the controls of my body. So the Bible says, out of the evil treasures, the mouth speaks out of good treasure the mouth speaks.

What God says now, you only got one mouth. Some people I think have two or three. You got one mouth out of this one mouth. You’re supposed to speak one or the other. Now, since you’re a child of God, which one do you think God wants you to control. He wants you to let the new birth with the divine nature bring forth out of its treasures wisdom. Over here this is the old man, the old nature, and so this one wants to reveal its wisdom.

So from the same mouth reveals one of two things. The wisdom of man or the wisdom of God. So this one is born of God has a divine nature. Only that which is right. Over here we have a sinful nature. This is the child of the flesh, not born of God. And this wisdom is fighting to express itself. So now you have a battle of the wheels that are to reveal the wisdom. Wake come from so look what he says here in verse 13 Verse 13 who is a wise man among you?

Who is a wise man and in dude with knowledge among you let him show out of a good behavior conversation his works with meekness of wisdom But if you have bitterness a bitter envee and strife in your hearts glory not don’t brag about that lie not against the truth This wisdom descended not from above but is earthly sensual devilish, for where inveen and strife is there’s confusion in every evil word. Now look over here. There is the wisdom of the world.

This man of the world can only learn the wisdom of the world. Now this one over here is born of God. This one is to learn the wisdom of God. So that’s why in order for this one to gain wisdom, it has to come from the Word of God. So when you read the Bible and you study it, you’re taking God’s wisdom, putting it into this mind, a new mind, so that this child can make the right decisions and it’ll be revealed in the tongue and in your life.

This one, if it controls your life, is going to reveal the wisdom of the world. So as you live day by day, you’ll have problems of all kind. Some will be financial problems, health problems, people problems, you name it, you’re gonna have them. You got those whenever you were born in this world. You got troubles. Everybody’s got troubles. But now your wisdom is revealed and how do you handle your problems? How do you handle troubles? So you’re going to have the will of man versus the wisdom of God.

So the wisdom of man has a way in which he solves problems and the wisdom of God has a way in which God wants you to solve problems. And these two are not the same. If it’s different, it’s not the same. This is different. They’re not the same. They battle back and forth all the time. So God says, my brethren, He says there is a wisdom of the world that’s earthly, it’s sensual, it’s devilish, it’s deceptive. In other words you might think you’re being wise when you’re just being nothing but a smart aleck, not very wise.

You see you’re not wise because you know what to do, you’re wise if you will do it. You’re not wise because you know you should serve the Lord, your wise if you serve the Lord. Not because you know. I’ve had to be like, well I know the Bible, I’ve been through the Bible a hundred times, I know the Bible. They think it makes them smart. They’re wise. No. If you don’t obey God, you’re a fool. You’re a fool. Anybody is a fool who does not serve God.

You’re a fool. Why if you’re so smart would you waste your life. Now look what else he says in verse 17. But the wisdom that is from above is first peace, a pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated full of mercy, good fruit without partiality, without hypocrisy, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” Now look at there. There’s the wisdom which is of the earth. That’s what this one feeds upon. The wisdom of man.

How smart he is and what he learns from people in the world. Then there’s the wisdom of God, where a man learns God’s wisdom, and this will make the man smarter. Now, remember this, the dumbest child of God is wiser than the smartest man. Now, you have to figure that out for a while, but understand that. So now God said, I want you to bring forth the wisdom of God and it’s going to be revealed by the tongue. The tongue is going to reveal how smart you really are, how wise you are.

Now, look what he says here in verse 9, verse 9. Therewith bless we God, even the Father and therewith curse we men with what? The tongue. With this same tongue, look up here. I bless God. Praise the Lord. And I do right. And I say, right things, good thing. And then with the same tongue, I curse man. He says, my brethren, this ought not so to be. In other words, he says, how can the same tongue bring forth sweet and bitter at the same time?

He says it’s not supposed to be. Because you see, whenever you have this new birth, God will be. God put this one in charge of the body. You’re not supposed to let this guy run your life revealing wisdom of the world. You’re supposed to reveal the wisdom of God because you take in the wisdom from God and then you use that body of yours with the tongue that you got and everything else you have to reveal that to individuals.

So now look what he says. He says in verse 11, a doth a fountain send forth at the same place, sweet water and bitter.” What’s the answer? No. And we’re not supposed to come out of the same sp- pick it. So he’s turning on to get both of the same time. No. And you don’t even with the tongue. It’s one or the other. One nature is always under control at any given time. Just like somebody said, I don’t know how to figure that out.

You can’t think two thoughts at the same time. My wife could think ten thoughts at the same time. why she’s reading my mind on top of that. Look what he says in verse 10, out of the same mouth, proceeded blessing and cursing my brethren. These things ought not so to be. So we talk until Christian, my brethren is to those who believe. So their believers who are using the same tongue, which which they praise God and bring blessings to God.

And at same time, that cursing man that God made. And he says, now this ought not be. In other words, it is not the will of God for you to walk in the spirit and the flesh. Which one do you think God wants you to walk in? The spirit, not the flesh. You’re not supposed to let the flesh control your life, but is it possible? Yes. This ought not to be, but it is because you’re having in your life the envening and the jealousy, the strife, the bickering, all of those he says, that comes from the wisdom of the world.

That comes from this man. You see, the wisdom of God produces peace within you, peace within you. And that’s what he says in the last part of verse 17 and also in verse 18. Look there in verse 12, can the fig tree, my brethren, bear all of berries? No. Either a vine figs, no. And so can no fountain, both yield saltwater and fresh. Same time. Because it’s two different sources But here you are with one body two sources Now one has to control What’s going to come out of your mouth?

Is it going to be the wisdom of God or the wisdom of man? and There’s a battle Isn’t it true that you know some things to do that’s right? And you know what’s wrong and and you’ll still do wrong instead of doing right, even though you know to do right. And if you do that, is that wrong? Well, slap my mouth. That’s what the Bible said. Look there in James chapter four, look in verse 14, verse 14. Whereas you know not what shall be on tomorrow.

Do you know what’s gonna happen tomorrow? Not really. You do not know what another day is gonna bring forth. I mean, if John had known he was gonna be eating up with a hornet’s, he wouldn’t have probably what those hornets were. If he knew he was going to step on that nail, he probably wouldn’t have stepped on that nail. I mean, that’s just, you know, if you know that. You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. You don’t know what that car is going to break down.

If you know it’s going to break down, you wouldn’t have got in and started down the road. If you’re new, for sure, positively, you’re going to shove it out. You wouldn’t have done it. He says, for even your life, it is even a vapor that appeared for a little while and then vanish at the wave. In other words, you’re here, you’re gone. Believe it or not, see some of these kids right here, they will never grow up. They don’t even know the world is going on.

They say your dreams are more likely to be fulfilled if you don’t oversleep. But he makes the statement here in verse 14, it appeared for a little time and then vanish it the way for that you ought to say, if the Lord will we shall live, and if the Lord will we shall do this or that. In other words, do you realize how much is in the will of God? And God can determine certain things. Look what He says in verse 16.

But now you rejoice in your boasting to all sorts of rejoices and the Zevils. Have you ever seen somebody? I mean, especially here’s three guys on the P-box. Three guys on the T-box. And one guy says, you guys better brought your A game today. You guys better bring your A game today. And what that means is that that guy is brought his A game and you’re going to have to be on top nor to beat him, right? Does a guy really know how he’s going to play the game before he plays the game?

No. No, you never… You don’t know what’s going to happen. There were people who had already said he doesn’t got this thing won, but he didn’t. He didn’t. You see, that’s why you still… Why don’t we have to play any of these ball games? Let’s just say who won and let it go at that. Well, we know they got this thing won. How many times I’ve seen them do that and an underdog come up there and just stop them.

They do it all the time because you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. You don’t really know. And so he says here in verse 17, therefore to him that knoweth to do good and do it that not to him it is what? The him and his sin. Do you know to do right? Yes, you do. Do you know what you’re supposed to do concerning tongue? Yeah. Yeah. You do. And you’ll still curse somebody and be bitter and envious and jealous.

But you know it’s wrong, right? Yeah. But you do it anyway. Right. Don’t you get mad at people and you want to choke them? Even a few people you’d like to kill? Christian love? Cause you’d love to do it. But you have within you an old sinful nature that still, you know it’s wrong and yet you won’t always keep it on control. But then how are you supposed to get this victory stuff? Well, that’s what’s interesting. That’s why you need church and that’s why you need each other.

That’s why you need to pray. That’s why you have to do all the things that are right. So he says here that you got a battle. Now I want you to look in verse 1 of chapter 3. Verse 1 of chapter 3. He says, my brethren, talking to believers, not lost people, be not many masters. That means teachers because what does a teacher do? Speaks with the what? With the tongue. And if you say something that’s wrong, you got a lot of people that might do wrong because they heard you say it.

So the tongue can also teach a lot of people a lot of truth. But if there’s people who are listening to what you say and may make decisions based upon what you say, do you think you need to be careful what you say? Is it possible for you to kill the love of someone? No, you may not take a gun and go blown away, but you’ll say mean hateful, cutting things that will kill somebody’s love for you or for somebody else.

You’ll take somebody else and pull them down into the mud and walk all over them and make somebody else think bad about the people. That thing like that. That is a very hard thing to control. Ain’t it? You can drive a car down a road and you can fly an airplane and big… How many things are going to do? Big old ships? But that little thing right there, you can’t control it. You cannot tame the tongue. The The Bible says you can’t tame the tongue.

The tongue will speak the things that’s in your heart. In other words, if you who live inside of this body have these two natures and the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world, there you are. Now, what are you gonna speak? Where your heart’s desire is. If your heart’s desire is in the things of the flesh and this is where your treasure is in the things of the world, your tongue is gonna reveal that. But if you’ll live in the things of God and the wisdom of God out of the treasures of your heart, the mouth what?

Speaks When you speak your mind is on parade people can see inside of your mind By discerning the words by which you speak And therefore some people never never talk about the Lord Wouldn’t it be a shame for you to go to work tomorrow and you can live all day talk to everybody in the sun and you never talk about the Lord. Never talk about what He did for you or how they can have eternal life. You never talk about any of the wisdom of God and what God can do for somebody.

But you could talk to them about football, you can talk to them about God, you can talk to them about the weather, you can talk to them about everything, but you can’t talk to them about the Lord because you see, your treasure isn’t the spiritual things. Your treasure is in the material things. You’re more concerned about what people think of you than what you think of them. See, when you learn to think about people and what their needs are, then you know that they need spiritual truths.

Not the wisdom of the world. So it determines where you are. And out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And God said, every man is going to be judged by the words. It means that you’re going to either be blessed here, rewarded there, based upon what you say, because what you say reveals where your heart is. For where a man’s treasure is, there is his heart also. And so therefore God says you’re going to be justified for the rewards, based upon if you’re justified by your words, so that every man will reap what he sows.

You reap what you sow. And some people are using the wisdom of the world and you’re sowing envy and you’re sowing bitterness. You’re sowing jealousy. You’re sowing hatred. You’re so that because it permeates your life. And when it permeates your life, you’re gonna defile many others. And then because of that, you’re not So in peace you’ll have no peace. You sow wrath, you’ll reap wrath. That’s why so many of God’s people never learn how to have victory in the Christian life because they don’t understand what’s going on.

He says you’re in verse two, for in many things we all offend. In other words, it’d be great if everybody was perfect. We didn’t do anything wrong. And we had total victory over the soul fell over here and he never got it, never got any, no. As you live your life, you’ll always find out okay, how victorious you wanna live. He’s always there and he’s always fighting. And he’s always slipping things out through your mouth. That’s slipped, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.

You didn’t mean to do it. That shows you how really is. And next thing you know, you’re saying, and then there’s some things you know I shouldn’t have said that. And then you say they ain’t on purpose. And then sometimes you might slip and say something you wish you hadn’t said. It means you didn’t have total control. You’re in all which control all the lust of the flesh. Wouldn’t it be great if you did? But he says, but in many things we offend off, but if any man offend not in word, the same as a mature man and able also to bridal the whole body here.

Look up here. Now the whole book of James has to deal with one main thing. What you controlling, you can throw on the body. Have you ever seen a little chihuahua and a great big old German police dog and the little chihuahua that dog doesn’t understand the situation. Oh, mouth totally is all about. I totally when the I says man, did you realize that that little chihuahua can kill that rotweiler or a German police dog. She said, really? I said, yes ma’am, if it ever gets caught in his throat, you’ll find out that, you know, some people are nothing but that’s all they’re all mouth.

They have no wisdom whatsoever, but they talk all the time and they have no wisdom. Talk but never say anything about you. You want to realize this tongue that you have, though it’s so small, it can ruin the whole body. Have you ever seen somebody who has a wonderful testimony in all areas except for their mouth? If they could just control that tongue, they’d be fine. But they ruin so much and they’re always, they don’t know when to shut up.

It’s okay to talk, but they don’t know when to And you say, yeah, do you know what time it is, preacher? But they don’t know when to shut up. You’re gonna have to hear, and it talks about how that you can take and put a bit in a horse’s mouth, and you can lead that whole horse. That great big horse around. God is talking about how to control the body. You have a body. This is why the Apostle Paul says, I keep my body and I bring my body into subjection.

You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvary of tampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live, and now we’re closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friends, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. 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 and just keep looking up.