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New York Times

• “Checks on Migrant Children by Homeland Security Agents Stir Fear.”

• “A Missouri Town Was Solidly Pro-Trump, Until Carol Was Detained.”

Fox News

• “Trump Admin Takes ‘Decisive Action’ Against Cartels After Marine’s Murder in Mexico.”

BBC

• “The Terrifying New Weapon Changing the War in Ukraine.”

• “Glacier Collapse Buries Most of Swiss Village.”

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James 3:1

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

• “Teacher,” Gk. διδάσκαλος (didaskalos) — teacher [of Scripture]

See also: James 1:26

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James 3:2

“For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.”

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Three Illustrations

1. A bit in the mouth of a horse

James 3:3 – “If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.”

2. A rudder on the back of a ship

James 3:4 – “Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.”

3. A tiny flame that ignites a forest

James 3:5 – “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”

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I. The Underlying Power of the Tongue

James 3:6 – “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.
The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.”

Matthew 15:11, 18–19

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II. The Untamable Nature of the Tongue

James 3:7 – “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind.”

Genesis 1:28

James 3:8 – “But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

Augustine:
“James does not say that no one can tame the tongue, but no one of men;
so that, when it is tamed, we confess that this was brought about by the pity, the help, and the grace of God Himself.”

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III. The Unnatural Pattern of the Tongue

James 3:9–10 – “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”

Proverbs 12:18, 15:1, 18:21

James 3:11–12 – “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?
Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs?
Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”

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TAKEAWAYS

1. How often do I use my words to build others up?

   Proverbs 18:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:25

2. How often do I use my words to tear other people down?

Q: Does the content of my words reflect the conviction of my faith?

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COMMUNION

1. This is a practice for believers

   1 Corinthians 11:18, 33

2. This is a practice that demands self-examination

   1 Corinthians 11:27–29; Matthew 5:23–24

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a. The Bread

1 Corinthians 11:23–24
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you,
that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said,
‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”

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b. The Cup

1 Corinthians 11:25–26
“In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying,
‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’”