Taming the Tongue in Times of Trials: Part-2

Last week we looked at the first 2 verses of James chapter 3. We saw what happens when the tongue is used in an evil way. The effect that an untamed tongue causes is very dangerous.

In Psalm 32 we learnt that sin not only affects the person who commits it; but affects those who are close to that person. The similar thing is true with regards to our tongue. If we are not careful with our tongue we will cause much harm to ourselves as well as to those who are close to us. So, there is an urgent need to look at ourselves and ask a question: How do we use our tongue? Because our tongue has a direct connection to our heart. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36, “I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment.”

Therefore, we need to understand the seriousness of the words that we use in our daily conversations.

With that in mind may I invite you to open your Bibles to James chapter 3, and we shall all read from vs. 1-12.

This morning we shall consider the second point that we left last week. And the name of that point was: “The Illustrations of an Tongue.” But before that let me begin with a short story.

A story is told of John Wesley; the founder of the Methodist Church. In his Church there was a lady who was very critical of him. And most of the times her criticisms were about his clothing. One Sunday morning after the Church service was over the pastor stood outside the Church to greet everybody. This lady arrived there and started criticizing the Pastor saying that his tie was too long; and it needed to be cut. John Wesley immediately ordered for a scissor to be brought. After the scissor arrived the pastor let the lady cut the tie to its appropriate length. After that John Wesley said to her; “Madam, can you please take your tongue out from your mouth? The lady enquired, “Why?” “John Wesley said, I think your tongue is too long I need to make it short.”

Now, James doesn’t give any such instruction to go around and cut down those long tongues. But he is certainly warning his readers about the negative effects that a tongue can cause on people.

So, here is the title for our message this morning:

“Taming the Tongue in Times of Trials.” Part-2

1.      The Illustrations of Tongue: vs. 3-5

: The Positive Illustrations:

a.      Horse

b. Ship

: The Negative Illustrations

a.      Fire

b.     A World of Unrighteousness

c.      A Restless Evil

d.     Deadly Poison

1.      The Positive Illustrations:

Last week we saw the instruction that James gave to his readers. It was an instruction to his readers not to become teachers. We also learnt about the reasons why James warned his readers not to become teachers.

When we come down to vs. 3, 4 James is giving the Positive as well as negative Illustrations of what Tongue can do.

So, notice vs. 3 & 4, “If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us; we guide their whole bodies as well. 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.”

I must say that what James is saying here is exactly what God said to David in the Psalm 32. In Psalm 32 we saw that God rebuked David for being foolish. And there also God uses the illustration of a Horse or a Mule. Because they need bits and bridles in order to control them, quickly look at Psalms 32:9, “Don't be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding, who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you.”

It’s amazing to see that James is using the same illustration to instruct his readers what tongue can do. And first of all James gives the illustration of a Horse.

He says, “If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us; we guide their whole bodies as well.”

We all have seen horses in our lives. Horse is an extremely heavy animal. Though it’s a heavy animal it is a muscular animal. The horse is not heavy like that of a Sumo wrestler. It weighs around half a ton; it has got an amazing power within. Even if you put a heavy weight lifting man on the Horse’s back it breaths easily and carry that heavy man on its back with ease. We are told that a horse can run a quarter mile within less than 25 seconds. In His book, “The Disciplines of Godly Men,” R. Kent Hughes describes a Horse as, “half a ton of raw power.” But if you put bit in its mouth that same horse which has an amazing power, can be effectively controlled. It’s an amazing illustration of how a gigantic thing could be controlled by a small thing.

The second positive illustration that James gives is of a ship.

Once again he uses something gigantic which is steered by a very small thing.

If we all know that all types of ships; smaller or bigger in size they all are driven by the rudder.

The bigger ships are approximately 500 meters long and they weigh around 1.5-2 Lakhs of tons.

Looking at the size of the ship we may think it’s unmanageable. They are driven by fierce winds but they are steered by a small thing. Whoever has the control of the rudder has the control of the ship. Because they take the direction where the pilot wants to take it. And what I think is: when James gives this illustration he has in his mind the motivating ability the tongue has. The tongue has an amazing power to motivate people. It has a great power to guide people in the way they should go. James has an idea of the positive things tongue can produce if it is used properly. That’s why he uses the illustration of something bigger which is driven by a minute thing. Notice the imagery James uses about a strong wind that drives the ship but is guided by a small rudder.

When we come to vs. 5, James says, “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?”

After giving appropriate illustrations of horse and ship; James now goes on to explain the similar kind of power the tongue has. That’s why he says, “So also…”

The tongue is the small part in the body. As compare to the body our tongue is a small part. What James is saying here is that: whatever the bits and bridles do to the horses; or rudder does to the ships. That’s exactly what tongue does to a person. The idea is the tongue is in a complete control of a man. It is he who decides how to use it.

Application:

Last week we learnt that our hearts and our tongues are very closely linked with one another. We cannot separate one from another. What we think in the depths of our hearts is, exactly what comes out of our hearts. The sum total of our words is our heart. That’s why Jesus told His disciples, in Matthew 12:36, “I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment.”

I heard of a story of a Pastor. One lady in the Church spread some lies about that Pastor about his character. The gossip spread like a wild fire. Eventually that Pastor had to lose his ministry because of that gossip. One fine day that lady returned to the Pastor in utter disgust of what she had done to him. She realized the kind of moral assault she had caused on that Pastor. When she came into the Pastor’s house she started apologizing to him and started to ask him what she should do so that the guilt doesn’t remain on her part.

The pastor asked that lady to take the pillow that was on his desk. Then he asked her to spoil the pillow and take all the feathers and throw them around. She did it, and then the Pastor told her to gather those scattered feathers. The lady said, but pastor that’s not possible! The Pastor gently said, that’s the point, you cannot do anything to repair the damage that has been caused.

This story tells us to use our words carefully brothers and sisters.

2.      The Negative Illustrations of Tongue: vs. 5b-12

(Read the verses)

In the previous point we saw the positive illustrations of tongue. From vs. 5b up until vs. 12 James gives the negative illustrations of tongue. Notice how he names the tongue. a. Small fire, b. world of unrighteousness, c. restless evil, d. full of deadly poison.

So, altogether James uses 4 negative illustrations of tongue in order to prove his point. And James does this in order to show his readers man’s inclination to use his tongue in a negative way.

First of all James uses Fire as the negative illustration for the tongue. If you observe fire it has both negative and positive aspects. If used positively fire can be a great source of energy. If used negatively fire also has the power to burn and tear down everything. And in this context James is having the negative illustration of fire.

Just like sin has the ability to corrupt the whole person; fire also has the ability to corrupt a person.

What we understand through this is that: the kind of influence fire has; is the same kind of influence tongue has. Fire burns as long as it gets its fuel. And so James has the destructive illustration of fire in his mind.

Story:

In the October 1871 in United States of America; a lady was milking her cow in the evening. It seems there in her manger there was a lantern was burning. The cow kicked the pillar on which this lantern was hanging. Many people say that because there was a lot of hay in the manger the fire quickly spread throughout the city. This fire destroyed around 17,500 buildings, 300 people died and 1, 25,000 people became homeless because of that fire. Many people say that the fire spread around 81 kms. The reason was the fire that started because of a little bit of carelessness.

That’s why in vs. 6 James says, “And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.” It means that tongue starts a fire.

The word Gehenna means hell. Gehenna was a place outside of Jerusalem. Jesus said that this was a place where the worm doesn’t die and the fire doesn’t quench (Mark 9:47-48). It was a place which was reserved for garbage of all the city of Jerusalem where it was constantly burning and because it’s a waste there was all kinds of filthiness that was present there where stink and worms was a common thing.

E.g. If you want to have a look of what Gehenna must be looking like. All you need to do is just go on the road to Kasba Bawda. You will get the exact picture of Gehenna.

In other words tongue starts conflict because of an evil report that is spread through means of gossip. Then James uses this word for tongue that; it’s a world of evil. What it means is that: all the evil that is present in the world has its origin in the tongue.

And finally he uses the word ‘deadly poison’ vs. 8. The effect of fire and the effect of poison are similar. Because just as the way fire spreads; poison also spreads in the body until it has taken the life of the victim.

And this is the case because in vs. 7,8, James says, “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue...”

Application:

Two boys on the school playground were discussing a classmate. One of them remarked, "He's no good at sports."  The other quickly responded, "Yes, but he always plays fair."  The critical one added, "He isn't very smart in school either."  His friend answered, "That may be true, but he studies hard."  The boy with the mean tongue was becoming exasperated with the attitude of the other.  "Well," he sneered, "did you ever notice how ragged his clothes are?"  The other boy kindly replied, "Yes, but did you ever notice, they're always clean!"  Every negative observation was countered by a positive one.

   What an excellent example for us to follow!  Let's refrain from "evil speaking" and be "kind to one another" (Eph. 4:31,32). Rather than contributing to the spirit of criticism, let's be known as those who cancel it.

Taming the Tongue in Times of Trials-Part: 1

Let me tell you at the outset; that when I was studying this chapter the Lord revealed my own personal sins. Those sins that are not visible to all of you but they are visible to me, to my wife and above all they are visible to the Lord. I have asked for forgiveness from Him and I am sure He has granted me that forgiveness. And it is my prayer that at the end of this message you too will come to know your own sin of hypocrisy and you too will ask forgiveness from the Lord and so you will also have the joy of being forgiven. Because tongue is such an organ with which we all are culpable of misusing it. We all are guilty of hypocrisy; in other words many times our actions have not matched up with our actions.

From the reading of our text; it is clear that James is speaking about the evils of tongue. James dealt with the same topic in chapter 1:26-27. But he dealt with it in a passing way. For the fact that James dedicated only 1 verse to describe the bad use of tongue. But in our text this morning James is dedicating the entire chapter to signify the need to tame the tongue. And through this we can understand the significance of taming the tongue. That a person can destroy another person with the help of tongue; or a person can build up another person with the help of tongue.

Now when we think of wild fires most of us we know how that fire starts. Especially, in the forest of Bamboos; when the wind blows the Bamboos shake and because the Bamboos grow in small groups or clusters there is friction and because of the friction there is a spark of fire, and because of that spark the wild fire starts and it destroys the entire forests if it’s not controlled in time.

Many of us remember that many years ago a wild fire that consumed the forests of Australia. The News told us that it took many days to control the fire, but the truth is most of the forest was turned into ashes by that time.

This is exactly what James is saying concerning tongue, in the text this morning.

So, here is the title for the message this morning:

“Taming the Tongue in Times of Trials.”

1.      The Instruction to Tame the Tongue: vs. 1-2

Reasons to Tame the Tongue

a.      Judgment with Greater Strictness

b.      Vulnerability of Stumbling

2.      The Illustrations of Untamed Tongue: vs. 3-5

a.      Horse

b.      Ship

c.       Fire

d.      Deadly Poison

e.      World of Evil

1.      The Instruction to Tame the Tongue: vs. 1-2

I want to remind you that so far we have finished the 2^nd chapter of James. And it’s important to notice that James begins a new topic in this chapter, and that topic is very closely linked with the previous chapter. Because, there is a direct connection between your confession and your actions. We do our confession with the help of our tongue; and if our confession does not match up with our actions then that confession is not an authentic confession. To explain that type of a person in one word it’s, ‘hypocrite.’

So, notice vs. 1, 2, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 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.”

What we need to observe here is that: James is not even using the word ‘tongue’ until vs. 5.

But at the same he is very much speaking about tongue without using that word. Because we do our teaching with the help of tongue. However, it’s a true saying that ‘actions speak louder than words.’ Just to modify that saying a little bit it would be like this, “Actions teach lounder than Tongue.”

But I want us all to focus upon the instruction that James gives: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers…”

According to what James writes here it’s clear that: there were many people who had a desire to become public teachers. The problem was not that they wanted to become religious public teachers; the problem was, they were not properly qualified for the job; and that’s why he warns his readers not to become teachers.

This is exactly what Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:1-6, “This is a faithful saying: if a man seeks the office of an overseer he desires a good work. The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching; not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence; (but if a man doesn't know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?) not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.”

 These words of Paul explain to us that if a person desires to be a Pastor it’s a good thing. But what must be looked at is; does he qualify for that desire? That is the issue.

And I think James had the similar concern in his mind that his readers wanted to become teachers when they were not qualified for that office.

Another reason why James is telling his readers not to be teachers is because he had seen the Pharisees of Jesus’ days. They were good moral teachers very staunch for their traditions. But what Jesus tells the people and His disciples about them is very embarrassing for the Pharisees.

Matthew 23:3, “All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don't do their works; for they say, and don't do.”

Now from Jesus’ words it’s clear that the Pharisees were not practicing what they were preaching. They might have been great expositors of God’s Law; they might have a great understanding of God’s Law (because those days only the 5 books of the Old Testament were available). But they were not practicing the Word of God in their lives, they expected others to practice their teachings but they felt no responsibility/ no weight upon their own lives to do the Word of God.

Another verse that explains the Pharisees identity is in Mark 12:40. Jesus our Lord uses very harsh language for them. He doesn’t show them any mercy.

Look at Mark 12:40, “those who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

Again, Matthew 23:14, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don't enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.

Now what these Pharisees were doing was; they were teaching the false doctrines and in a way they were shutting the door of heaven for their followers; in other words Jesus is saying that those who are willing to go to heaven you don’t allow them to go in but you make them twice responsible for going into hell.  Because eternal life, Salvation, Repentance, heaven and hell were not a part of their teaching. But they were busy in exploiting the people. Therefore Jesus severely condemned them.

And the reason why James is warning his readers not to become teachers is because he had observed the Pharisees of his day. The point is: they did not qualify to be the teachers of the Law.

What Paul says in Romans 2:21-22 exactly illustrates the Pharisees, Romans 2:21-22, " You therefore who teach another, don't you teach yourself? You who preach that a man shouldn't steal, do you steal? You who say a man shouldn't commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

They had been guilty of not teaching themselves what they were teaching others. They were guilty of stealing when they had taught others not to steal. They had been guilty of robbing the temple of God.

Another reason why James could have warned his readers not to become teachers of the law; is because they must have lacked a proper understanding of the Law. That’s what 1 Timothy 1:7 tells us: “desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.”

E.g.: A couple of years ago I happened to meet a particular believer. I know that person from my childhood. He was my Dad’s friend. We were debating about children’s separation after their marriage. It’s always God’s plan that man should leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. But he said to me; that the Bible does not give us any specific example of anybody having separated from their parents. Jacob lived along with his children. But I told him even though he might have lived along with his children and their wives but that was not God’s original plan. And because they did not obey God they had to face many problems. Again the question comes back to the same thing, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked…” You sow sin and you reap sorrow.

In the next part of the verse James gives the first reason why they should not become teachers. And the reason is: because those who desire to become teachers will incur strict judgment.

What that means is that: there is a great responsibility on the person who seeks to teach others. Those who teach are more liable for their words. They are constantly under pressure to do the Word. The person who teaches the Bible must make sure that his eyes are on the Word of God. He has to keep his lifestyle under constant check of the Word of God.

2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

The second reason that James gives is in vs. 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.”

It might appear that James was scaring his readers. But whatever he is saying is absolutely true. But we have to understand that; the idea in this verse is not sinless perfection. But the idea is that: the teacher must understand that he is vulnerable to fall, he is vulnerable to commit sin as much as the people whom he teaches.

What James is saying here is: the one who keeps his words in check is also able to control his whole body. In other words: there is not only a connection between your tongue and your actions; but there is also a connection between your tongue and your body. In other words the kind of words we use is the direction our body is going to take.

E.g. Have you heard of people who when they are angry say bad words? And after realizing what they have said they regret, and say; Oh I didn’t mean that. Or that was not I. but the question comes who was it?

And Jesus said it true: Matthew 12:34, “You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

Application:

Recently I heard a story of a young Hindu girl who married a nominal Christian boy. It seems that boy along with his other friends went to sea shore to enjoy. While that boy was swimming somehow he drowned and died in the sea. The boy’s parents were shocked because of their boy’s sudden death.

Many days went by; and one fine day the boy’s parents started to quarrel with the widowed girl saying that because you did some kind of a witchcraft our son died. And with this in their mind they asked the girl to leave their house. The girl had no choice but to leave to her mother’s home.

To make the long story short: today we come to know about that girl, that she doesn’t want to do anything with the Christian people. She has a high regard for Jesus but she gives bad words to Christians.

Do you think that girl will ever open up for Christ and His gospel? Yes, it’s true that she is responsible to her own damnation but those people who asked her to leave the house are doubly responsible for her damnation.

Therefore, take a closer look at the kind of Christian life that we are living. What does our neighbors say about us? What does our friends say about us? Do they say, “Oh he says he is a Christian but his behavior is opposite to his confession.” Or do people say, “Oh he is a true Christian man, his words match up with his actions.”

Genuine Repentance: Part- 2

The reason why we are going through this Psalm is because we want to examine if our repentance is real/genuine. In doing that what we are doing is: going back to the example of David and seeing what kind of repentance David had. And asking to ourselves a question: If what was true of David is it also true of me? In other words in our attempt to look into this Psalm we are asking some serious questions to the repentance we have done.

(Scripture Reading & Prayer)

The story is told of a famous rabbi who was walking with some of his disciples when one of them asked, "Rabbi, when should a man repent?"  The rabbi calmly replied, "You should be sure you repent on the last day of your life."  "But," protested several of his disciples, "we can never be sure which day will be the last day of our life."  The famous rabbi smiled and said, "The answer to that problem is very simple.  Repent now."

I think this illustration really fits in this scenario. Because, sometimes even believers postpone repentance. And this is exactly what David did and the problems started in his life, in his family and eventually in his kingdom.

This is my prayer that as we are going through these messages the Lord would grant you a proper understanding of genuine repentance. My prayer is especially for those who do not have a proper understanding of genuine repentance; that they would repent and turn from their sin of rejecting Christ and rejecting the gospel. Because if you don’t turn from your sin; right now you are living under God’s judgment.

So, here is the title for the message for this morning.

Genuine Repentance- Part-II

1.      Genuine Repentance Understands the Seriousness of Confession: vs. 5

2.      Genuine Repentance Understands the Seriousness of Salvation: vs.6-7

1.      Genuine Repentance Understands the Seriousness of Confession: vs. 5

As I thought about the last week’s message; I think it would have been appropriate to name the second point as: “Genuine Repentance understands the seriousness of godly sorrow rather than Confession.”

The reason why I say that is because; vs. 3, 4 talk about godly sorrow. Notice those 2 verses. “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”

In those two verses David is a representation of a godly man. Because the first sign of a believer in God is that; he feels the guilt of his own sin. We learnt in our Adult Sunday School that in the New Birth the person understands the gravity of his sin, then he understands the weight of Christ’s sacrifice. And the wonderful part of it is: that just doesn’t stop at Salvation, but it goes on even after Salvation. In David’s case: his repentance was after his salvation. He understood the gravity of his own sin; his soul was hard pressed by God. And according to vs. 4 he felt the heat of God’s anger, that’s why he says, “…my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” 

The picture here is of a plant which is dried because of the lack of water. That’s exactly David felt when he lived in sin.

That’s why in Psalm 38:2-4, he says, “For your arrows have sunk into me and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.”

And it’s true of all God’s people. They feel the heaviness of God’s hand upon their heart. Their conscience pricks them of their sin day in and day out. That’s what happened with David; he felt the heaviness of God’s hand, he felt the heat of God’s anger.

But the ungodly people are not like that; they go along in their lives as if that’s the way life works for them. They do understand that they do have problems but though they do notice the root of their problem; they don’t do anything about it. Perhaps they turn to some other methods of psychotherapy. But the inner disease they have is not dealt with.

But that was not the case with David. He was a godly man. And godly sorrow always understands the seriousness of confession. This lead David to confess his sin. That’s what David did in vs. 5, he confessed his sin in this verse.

So, notice vs. 5, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

I like the NIV translation which says, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you…,” the word ‘then’ refers back to the entire episode of David’s sin.

The word ‘Acknowledge’ is very important. Because this word not only refers to the knowledge of sin. David did know his sin but t he did not understand his sin because of his stubbornness. But now when Nathan the Prophet confronted David he fully understood the nature of his sin. That it was ugly, that it was shameful.

Then David says, “….and I did not cover my iniquity…” but previously the opposite was true. Because in vs. 3 he says, “For when I kept silent my bones wasted away…” It simply means that David covered his sin for a long time; he did not open his sin before God as a result he had to face terrible consequences of his sin in every sphere of his life.

Thirdly, David says, “I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Isn’t it amazing to see that; the moment David confessed his sin he received forgiveness from God.

Application:

Isn’t it strange to see that the very thing that blocks God’s rich blessings is man’s stubborn heart? Isn’t it strange to see that the very thing that hinders us from experiencing God’s grace is our pride?

Most of the times we all don’t confess our sins are because we have a defense mechanism activated in our minds. What I want to say is this: we try to find excuses for our sins.

Well, David did not find any excuses for his sin. In 2 Samuel 12 we have the account of Nathan confronting David for his sin. The amazing thing to notice is: David did not make any excuses for his sin. He acknowledged his own sin; he did not blame Bathsheba. Let’s understand that David was a powerful King. He could have easily got Nathan the Prophet killed but he chose not to; do you know why? David feared God. He knew even though he is powerful King there is even more powerful king who is the King of the universe.

David did not confess his sin before God because he had no other way. He confessed his sin before God because he loved God so dearly. Perhaps during the course of time his love for God had diminished but in order to regain his joy back David had to repent and confess his sin before God.

And the result of that confession was immediate. David immediately received the forgiveness of God. Not tomorrow, not day after; but quickly right then.

Do you know that not trusting in Jesus is a sin? That is the only sin which has no forgiveness. If you reject Jesus you reject God’s offer of Salvation. But God is so rich in mercy that He is willing to forgive each person who comes to him in repentance and confession.

Finally, let me ask you this question: Have you repented of your sins? Have you confessed your sins to Jesus? Because Jesus had to pay the price of our sins. The Bible says, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” What it means is: every sin that you and I commit on a day today basis; every evil thought that we think, God treated Jesus as if He did those things. We are not righteous and He is not sinful.

2.      Genuine Repentance Understands the Seriousness of Salvation: vs.6-7

Now we might not find the word ‘Salvation’ in these verses. But the thought is very much there. Please notice these 2 verses.

“Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.”

The word ‘therefore’ refers back to the previous verse. And the previous verse speaks of God’s forgiveness. So this is what David is saying: Because God is forgiving let everyone who is seeking for forgiveness offer a prayer of confession to God. What we have in this verse is the urgency. David is urging his readers to repent and confess their sins while God has given the grace. At the same time David is saying it is better to be in God’s presence than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin. And I think David had learnt his lesson painfully. So, David is speaking out of his own experience to leave the sinful pleasures of sin urgently and come to God for forgiveness.

And then if that person comes to God for forgiveness the results are great, that’s what David says further, “…surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.”

The picture in this verse is that of flood waters. The water that is rushing at a mighty speed.

E.g. recently all of us we witnessed the flood waters in Uttrakhand. We saw the mighty force of the water in which many buildings fell; they were literally carried away by that mighty rush of the waters. It was amazing to see on the TV the kind of force that water had.

What David is saying is: the person who humbles himself is like a strong man that will stand even in the rush of great waters. Those waters will not shake him because he is forgiven of God.

In Matthew 7:24-29 we have a story of a wise man and a foolish man. The wise man built his house on the rock and the foolish man built his house of the sand. Both had the foundations; but the one which has the foundation on the rock endured the mighty winds and the rushing waters. That house didn’t fall; but the one that fell was the one which was build on sand.

Let’s not fool ourselves in thinking that just a little bit more. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that I am the master of my life and I will live my life according to my rules. No you won’t be able to live life according to your rules. If Jesus is not on your side.

Our Lord said in Matthew 18:4, “Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Matthew 23:12, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

1 Peter 5:5-6, “Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;

In vs. 7 David says, “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.”

Let’s observe that the same man who said to God that His hand was heavy upon me is now saying to God, you are my hiding place. At one time David was oppressed by God but at this time David is finding his refuge in God’s presence. Now this verse tells us what a honest confession and forgiveness can do to a person. Before repentance and confession David was running from God now he is running towards God.

Now when David says, “…you preserve me from trouble…” he has eternal torment in his mind. Because, his life was not fine until this time and then his life was not fine after his confession. There were terrible troubles in his life after his fall. His Son Absalom wanted to kill him and take his throne. His daughter was raped by her half brother. Things were not good while he was living in sin and after. David had a full assurance that God had forgiven him and has preserved him from the eternal danger.

He knew that he might have to face the immediate consequences of his sin; but he had the joy of knowing that the eternal consequence of his sin has been removed as far as the east from is the west.

And finally David says something great. “…you surround me with shouts of deliverance…”

It really amazes me even though David was going through a lot of trouble he was able to hear the shouts of deliverance. That means to say that God’s grace was victorious in his life.

Application:

Brothers and sisters that’s what happens when a person turns to Christ in repentance and faith. Have you experienced that forgiveness that Christ gives? He is able to give us that forgiveness even today. Are you willing to humble yourself to receive that forgiveness?

We all know the story of Prodigal Son. A rich man had 2 sons. The younger son wanted the share of his property and wanted to go from the presence of his father. The father gave him the money and the share of his property. He went to a far country squandered away all his money on the things of this world. And finally got his pockets empty. He didn’t know what to do. And there was a drought in the country where he lived and he began to be in want; that is he lacked money to feed himself. So he went to a rich man and he gave him the job of feeding the pigs. Imagine a rich man’s son doing the job of feeding the pigs? Later on he came to his senses, and realized the kind of situation he is in. he remembered that even the servants of his Father’s household are in a better condition than he is. So he decided to get back to his father. And the Bible says; that boy started to get back to his father’s house. The Father saw his son coming from a distance; and the Father ran to his son to receive him. As soon as he came near him the Father hugged his filthy son who was rugged in the filth of pigs. The son said to his father, “Father I am not worthy to be called as your son, please keep me as your hired servant.” The Father called his servants and ordered them to bring the costliest robe to put on him. He ordered them to arrange for a party. Because his son was lost and was back he was dead and is now alive.

My brothers and sisters, this is exactly what God does to every repentant person who repents of his sins and turns to Christ for forgiveness. Are you willing to come to receive his forgiveness?

Do you want his forgiveness? Are you burdened like that of the prodigal son? come to Jesus; come to His Cross, that’s where we all had our burdens lifted up. 

Genuine Repentace: Part- 1

While I was on my way to Nasik; I was listening to a message preached by Ps. Conrad Mbewe. He is pastoring Kabwata Baptist Church, Zambia, Africa. He was preaching from Psalm 32 and the title of his message was: “The True Nature of Repentance.” He was speaking from vs. 8-11. While I was listening to this message my heart started to get burdened about this Psalm. At the end of this message I could realize that this Psalm is a very relevant subject which is helpful to examine my own repentance and our repentance; in a sense to question if our repentance has the true biblical nature in it. Another thing that we want to follow during this Psalm is that: we will take the Lord’s Table for the next 3 weeks until we finish meditating on this Psalm.

So, I just want to inform you that for the next 3 weeks we will go through this Psalm. And as we go through it; we will examine our own repentance and ask a question to ourselves if our repentance matches with that of David’s repentance. This becomes extremely important because; if our repentance is not the “kind” of repentance that David had. Then you must really question your “kind” of repentance; if you don’t you may be in a danger of going to hell.

So, let’s begin by understanding what repentance is:

A Sunday School teacher once asked a class what was meant by the word "repentance."  A little boy put up his hand and said, "It is being sorry for your sins."  A little girl also raised her hand and said, "It is being sorry enough to quit."

It so true that repentance is not to merely feel sorry about our sin but to turn from it. And this is exactly what David do. He lived in sin for a long time but when he was confronted by Nathan the prophet he repented and turned from his sin.

So, here is the title for the sermon this morning:

“Genuine Repentance”

1.      Genuine Repentance Understands the Seriousness of Sin and the Joy of Forgiveness: vs. 1-2

2.      Genuine Repentance Understands the Seriousness of Confession: vs. 3-4

1.      Genuine Repentance Understands the Seriousness of Sin and the Joy of Forgiveness: vs. 1-2

Before we begin to explain this Psalm let me give you some information about it. Many scholars say that this Psalm was written by David after he wrote Psalm 51. Because in Psalm 51 we find David pleading with God for the forgiveness of his sin. In this Psalm we find him explaining the kind of joy he experienced after God forgave him his sin.

Another reason why we think David wrote this Psalm after Psalm 51 is because of vs. 5, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. This verse has a direct parallel to Psalm 51:3, “For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.”

So, let’s notice

vs. 1-2, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

We must notice in these 2 verses that David is not speaking about any 3^rd person here; though he is writing about the 3^rd person but he is mentioning himself in this Psalm. Perhaps he was so transformed after he experienced the forgiveness of God that he became humble.

Secondly, we can also find that this Psalm is similar to Psalm 1 vs. 1, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.”  On the other hand this Psalm is also similar to the Sermon on the mount which we find in Matthew chapter 5. In the sermon on the mount our Lord uses the word ‘blessed’ for 9 times.

And the word ‘blessed’ means ‘happy’.

So basically the idea is in order to be truly happy we must be repentant. That’s what David is saying in vs. 1 that the person whose sins are forgiven and the person whose sins are covered is ‘happy.’ Basically, the word ‘forgiven’ and ‘covered’ carry the same meaning. But we need to ask, why the person whose sins are forgiven is happy. Or why the person whose sins are covered is happy. It’s because of the guilty conscience a person has when he or she sins. That guilty conscience does not allow a person to enjoy happiness. They lose their happiness because of the sin they have committed. And this is particularly true of people who know God. They know they have sinned; they know they have disobeyed God. And their conscience does not allow them to enjoy almost anything. They lose peace, they lose sleep and their conscience always condemns them for what they had done.

This was true in case of David, when he committed adultery with Bathsheba his conscience was pricking him. It was condemning him for the adultery he committed with Bathsheba and then murdering her husband. It seems David lived in that sin for almost one and a half years. It was not because of his ignorance of what he had done but because of stubbornness. Perhaps he hiding away his sin or sweeping away his sin under the carpet he had become stubborn. And that’s what happens when we don’t deal with our guilty conscience at the right time. We become stubborn.

But when David genuinely repented of his sin and when he actually experienced God’s forgiveness it was like a heavy burden that was lifted off him. That’s what he says in vs. 4, “For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”

Secondly, when we go to Romans 4:6-8, “Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

If you look at the context of the passage; you will notice that Paul was laboring the point that; man cannot achieve God’s righteousness by works of the law but by faith. And there Paul gives the example of David’s Psalm.

The point is: even David understood that the only way to be happy and blessed is not by offering many Lambs and Bulls. But by having broken spirit in the presence of the Lord; and by having a contrite heart. That’s what he said in Psalm 51:16-17, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart O God, you will not despise.”

Application:

Brothers and sisters almost all the times the Devil uses this lie to trap you. If you leave your sinful life you will not be happy. If you leave that sinful life you will not draw pleasures which you are drawing now. Or if you do not leave ungodly habits then you will not be happy or joyful.

While you are hanging on your sin; let me ask you this question. Are you really happy? Are you really enjoying your life? Knowing that if you have to die today it’s the hell that awaits you. Does that concern you my brethren?

Let me ask you this question. Have you repented like David? David repented and he found the forgiveness of God and he was happy. You cannot imagine of happiness without repentance of your sins. Have you repented of your sins? Have you believed in the righteousness of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins? Have you really turned away and turned to Jesus?

2.      Genuine Repentance Understands the Seriousness of Confession: vs. 3-4

Notice vs. 3-4, “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”

In these 2 verses David is referring to the unconfessed sin. ‘When I kept silent…’ means that David knew he had sinned against God but he chose not to confess it to God. And because he was stubbornly silent the immediate consequence was that: “…my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

I don’t know what connection sin has with bones. But when you know that you have sinned against God your entire body groans. Your entire body kind of shrinks; not in a literal sense. What I want to say is that: when you sin you lose a sense of liberty. It’s because of the guilty conscience that brings your sin before you again and again.  

e.g. if a man goes into the honeycomb. Takes all the honey in his hands. Do you think those honey bees are going to let that man enjoy that honey? They will make sure he doesn’t enjoy it by stinging, and stinging until he finds his entire body in pain.

That’s exactly true of the person who sins against God and does not confess.

Proverbs 28:13, “He who conceals his sins doesn't prosper, But whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

David knew that he was outside of God’s mercy when he lived in sin. But those days for him were not good days because he loved being in sin rather than in God.

Vs. 4 says, “For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”

This verse explains the heavy sorrow David had to go through because of his unconfessed sin. Since David fell in this sin his entire family had to go through suffering. That’s what sin does; sin promises pleasure but delivers pain. Never has a man who has lived in sin has lived in happiness. That’s why the key verse of this Psalm is vs. 10, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked…” and David had experienced it painfully.

Application:

I remember my own family at this point. Many of you know the background of my family. Many people say that if my mother had escaped from my father’s house she would have lived and so on. But the issue is because of my father’s selfishness the entire family had to suffer. Because of my father’s sin; all of us had to suffer. Because of his sin we all were scattered in different places. Because of my father’s sin our family never ever came to normalcy. And all of that was because of sin.

My brethren, sin always promises pleasure but delivers utter pain. My question to you this morning is this: are you living in sin? Think how much your sin is causing so much of suffering to your family, your friends, your siblings.

Does your heart get burdened with it? If so I have good news for you. Your burden can be lifted up at the cross of Calvary. That’s where we all went with our burdens. Jesus Christ lifted up our burdens and gave us a new life he gave us a new heart. It’s only through Jesus our burdens can be lifted up because He paid the price of our sins on the Cross; He died and rose again from the dead and that’s why we must believe in Him only.

A Call to Abide in Perfect Love

This is the message I preached in Kolhapur Bible Church on 07/10/2012. May God bless you as you go through it. 

The book of 1 John is filled with many tests and many calls. And when we think of the call to love one another; it is a never ending topic. We cannot stop talking about love; because it’s limitless, has no limit to it. I remember in our Book Club we were going through the book named: Leading with Love. In this book the author gave an illustration of a pastor. This pastor arranged for a revival meeting in his Church. The revival meeting lasted for one week. The author tells us that during those 7+ days; the preacher preached about nothing except love of God. The messages were well received by the belivers in the Church. And the pastor himself was so thrilled by those messages preached by the preacher; that that pastor actually started preaching about love for the next 5 years in his Church every Sunday. By this illustration you can understand how important is the topic of love is. And it is so because John says, not that we loved God but that He loved us and gave His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. No wonder that John uses this word ‘love’ for 43 times in his epistle. Because that is what sums up a Christian life.

So, once again I want to call you attention to the title of our sermon is:

“A Call to Abide in Perfect Love”

1. The Basis (paayaa) of Perfect Love: vs. 14-16

·        The Testimony (saaXa) of Perfect Love: vs. 14a

·        The Confession (kxbaUlaI) of Perfect Love: vs. 15

·        The Belief (ivaEvaasa) in Perfect Love: vs. 16

2. The Purpose ({d\d\oSa) of Perfect Love: vs. 17 

·         The Function (kxaya-) of Perfect Love: vs. 18

3. The Initiation (pauZakxar) of Perfect Love: vs. 19
4. The Obligation (kxta-vya) of Perfect Love: vs. 20-21

1. The Basis of Perfect Love: vs. 14-16

Last week we saw that the meaning of vs. 12 & 13 is; the evidence of a believer’s life in God is the existence of the Holy Spirit in that person. And we also saw the evidence of having the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Another important thing we need to notice is: from vs. 12 to vs. 16 John uses the word ‘abide’ for 6 times. Last week we saw that the word ‘abide’ means to stay in all conditions. To be present for a long time no matter whatever kinds of situations arise. Therefore we must understand what John was communicating to his readers.

That you have to love one another, and then you have to exibit your love for one another in giving yourself for one another as Christ gave Himself for us.

Then from vs. 14 onwards John is writing to his readers that you cannot love in that way if you do not abide (means to live) in such a kind of love. And therefore he gives them 3 Basis of such love to his readers. The first basis is found in vs. 14.

The Testimony of Perfect Love

Notice vs. 14, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.”

In these words John draws his reader’s attention to the basis of Perfect Love. Because he says God sending His Son was the highest act of His Love. Because the Father gave His Son to be the Savior of the world. We need to understand that the word Savior has in itself the idea of being rescued. Savior and Redeemer are two similar words. It has the concept of buying back the prisoners of war by paying a ransome. To be precise Jesus paid that ransome to redeem us from the eternal judgment to come.

But we need to notice that John’s idea of love is not based on his emotions. Because whatever he was says was based upon what he had seen with his own physical eyes. And here he is testifying, that truth and calling his readers to abide or to live in that perfect love. That is what he said in the 1^st chapter vs. 1-2, “That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life.”

The second basis that John gives is

The Confession of Perfect Love

And that is found; in vs. 15 Notice this vs. “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

Now, when I first looked at that verse I thought John was offering this verse as a password to heaven for his readers. What does he mean by saying those words? “Whoever confesses...” anybody can confess that Jesus is the Son of God.

Even Paul in Romans 10:9, “That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Well if you examine those verses we find that anybody can confess that Jesus is the Son of God when they find themselves in trouble and reject him when they are not in trouble.

E.g. when we were children we were told some stories about ghosts. So many times we were asked, “What you would do if the ghost comes before you and tries to take your life. Then we would say that I will make a sign of a Cross with my fingers and the ghost will run for his life.  So our answers were based on what we were taught.

The question is, are John & Paul trying to promote a superstitious kind of faith in their readers? The answer is of course NO!!! Because John says in chapter 5:4-5, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith.Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” The key phrase in this verse is overcomes the world. So what John and Paul mean to say that whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, and overcomes the world, or is being sanctified, God abides in him.”

Because James says, “Even demons belive that Jesus is the Son of God.” (James 2:19). But God does not abide in them.

You know this is important to understand. Because many pastor and preachers are promoting a superstitious faith. They ask questions like, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ?”And who doesn’t want to believe in Jesus Christ when he is going to give you health, wealth and prosperity? The point is they depend upon a mere verbal confession, not that they should not but that verbal confession should be backed up with a life transforming process called SANCTIFICATION. John is not promoting a faith based upon some superstition; or he is not promoting a faith based upon a lucky charm.

The next thing John does is, he draws his reader’s attention about is the

·         Belief in Perfect Love

Notice vs. 16, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

Now what does it mean to have come to know and believe the love that God has for us? To answer this question, we need to go to the Gospel according to John 6:67-69 because in this verse we find the similar claim of Peter about coming to know and belive in Jesus as the Son of God. “So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Somon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy one of God.”

In this verse John is making an affirmation that both he and his readers have come to know and believe the love that God has for them. And then he adds those three wonderful words, ‘God is Love...’what it means is: when God revealed Jesus Christ to the world He revealed His Love towards the world (i.e. the people in the world). So Jesus Himself is God’s manifestation of Love.

That’s whay John says in the next sentence, whoever abides in love (i.e. whoever abides in Christ) abides in God and God abides in him.

Application:

As we bring this point to application. We need to consider 3 areas of our lives. Our testimony, our confession and our belief.

We need to ask ourselves: what is my testimony among the unbelievers? Do they know me as a Christian? And if they know me that I am a Christian do they really see Christ in me? Because we may be confessing Christian and our lives may be completely contradictory to our confession. And if that’s the case we need to examine our lives.

E.g. If you say that your doctor is very good surgeon. And if you are on a death bed dying and if your doctor fails to do his job. Who is to be blamed? The doctor.

Similarly, when we fail to reflect a Christlikeness we are claiming that our Christ does not save souls.  

"A Christian baroness, living in the highlands of Nairobi, Kenya, told of a young national who was employed as her houseboy. After three months he asked the baroness to give him a letter of reference to a friendly sheik some miles away.  The baroness, not wishing the houseboy to leave just when he had learned the routine of the household, offered to increase his pay.  The lad replied that he was not leaving for higher pay. Rather, he had decided he would become either a Christian or a Mohammedan.  This was why he had come to work for the baroness for three months.  He had wished to see how Christians acted.  Now he wanted to work for three months for the sheik to observe the ways of the Mohammedans.  Then he would decide which way of life he would follow.  The baroness was stunned as she recalled her many blemishes in her dealings with the houseboy.  She could only exclaim, 'Why didn't you tell me at the beginning!'"

 The question that comes out of that story; has our belief transformed our behaviour?

However, the other side of the story is: Many people blame the Church for being filled with hypocrites. I must say that if you are looking out for a perfect Church there isn’t any. Many people abstain from coming to the Church because they think that the Church is a place of hypocrites. Well if that’s the case you also should abstain from going to the work. Because you find those hypocrites there as well.

Let me ask you brethren. Are you resisting Christ because there are no perfect followers out in the world? You won’t find any perfect follower of Christ. Let me ask you a question: Are you born again? Have you repented of your sins? Have you asked God to forgive you of your sins? Have you asked Him to take control of your life?