And if you want to find Ephesians four and James chapter three. The Ephesians passages I'm going to put up here on the screen as well but James, you're going to have to read from the pages this morning. Y'all recognize this verse? Yes. Alright.

Good. Thou art worthy, oh Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Why did he create us for his what? For his pleasure. First Peter one fourteen through 16, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance but as he which hath called you as holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation because it is written, be you holy for I am holy.

Now, God loves you. How do you know? But God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet what? Sinners, Christ died for us and if and for whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be what? Saved and when you trusted Jesus Christ, as your Lord and savior you became part of his what?

Part of his family and we experienced that love of God. We know it to be real and sure in our lives. And God said, he will never leave me nor what? Me. Forsake me.

I don't have to do this or do that or accomplish this or accomplish that to be loved by my savior because my savior loves me anyway because my savior loves me even when I was a what? A sinner and he died for me but you know something? I want to please him and he deserves to be pleased. He deserves to be honored. He deserves to be glorified and so over the past several weeks, we looked at several different things that are pleasing or not pleasing to our Lord.

We've addressed our attitudes, our attitudes. We've addressed our thoughts last week. Today, I want to address what happens often to our thoughts. They come out of our what? They come out of our mouth.

So, today, we're going to spend just a few minutes looking together into God's word and finding out what speech is pleasing to our savior and what speech is not. I sing a little song with the children. It's one I learned when I was a kid. It goes like this, oh be careful little eyes, what you see, Oh, be careful little eyes, watch you see. For the father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little eyes, watch you see.

One verse goes like this, oh, be careful little mouth, watch you say. Oh be careful little mouth what you say for the father up above is looking down in love so be careful little mouth what you say. Now, is that good advice only for five year olds or is that good advice for 50 year olds? It's good advice for 50 year olds too because the fact of the matter is, we still struggle with this sometimes too. And we need to be reminded and sometimes we need to be rebuked and sometimes we need to be encouraged and challenged to use what God has given us in his service.

To be reminded that what we say, what comes out of our mouth is one of the aspects of our life that needs to be holy and pleasing unto our savior. In Proverbs four twenty four, it says, put away from thee a forward and pervert mouth and perverse lips put far from thee. That wicked mouth, those perverse lips, those evil words, they need to be put what? Far from thee. Far from.

Don't need to be here on the tip of our tongue. We need to put them out of our mind. We need to cast them out. We need to put those things far from us. Now, we live in a world today that doesn't see it that way.

There is so much that comes out of the lips and mouths and off the tongues of the people that we rub shoulders with every day. The people we communicate with every day, the people we work with, our neighbors, and often times, I think we sort of get used to it. And that is a dangerous thing to get used to it. Because God does not get used to it. God is still holy and he wants us to be like him and while they may use certain patterns of speech and certain words, use certain language, say certain things, and have no conscience about it.

We must be different. We must be different. We are to be the salt and the what? And the light in the world. We can't do that like we ought.

If we are no different in our speech. Luke six forty five, we reminded this last week Jesus said, a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good. An evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth what? For his mouth speaketh.

The problem begins with the what? Begins with the heart and then it comes out the what? It comes out the mouth. Let's go to the Lord in prayer for just once more. Lord, thank you for your word today and thank you Lord.

For this reminder from your word. The importance giving our heart and our mouth to you. A living sacrifice under your control to be used by you. Lord, open my mouth this morning and give me the words to say. Lord, words that come from you, from your word today.

To remind us and to change us, to conform us into the image of your son. To the glory and praise of the one who has saved our soul and changed our life. In Jesus name, amen. Look if you would in James chapter three In James chapter three, on the subject of our mouth and our lips, the words that we say, James has some things to say here. We're gonna begin in James chapter three and verse three.

Let's see the encouraging words that James has for us today. Concerning our mouth and our tongue. James three three, behold, we put bits in the horse's mouths that they may obey us and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, they are driven of fierce winds. Yet are they turned about with a very small helm or rudder, whithersoever the governor listeth.

Even so the tongue is a little member and boasted great things. Behold how great a matter, a little fire kindleth and the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So was the tongue among our members that it defileth the whole body and set it on fire the course of nature and is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beast and of birds and of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed and hath been tamed of mankind but the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Therewith, blessed we God, even the father and there we curse, there with curse we men which are made after the similar to or the image of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. What does James have to tell us this morning this? The tongue has a potential for great good or great what?

Evil. Harm and destruction. It is no small matter. Though it may be a small thing, it wields great power and often great power to do great harm. There are many things that we have tamed in this world but we have not tamed the tongues of men.

In some cases, we haven't even tamed our own And God says, James says here, these things ought not so to be. Now, we would expect as I said earlier to hear those things come out of the mouth of those who know not the Lord, who do not have a conscience energized by the spirit to remind them that those things are wrong but for the Christian, it should be different. These things ought not so to be. Put away from thee a froward mouth and perverse lips put far from thee. The same sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me is not true, is it?

I don't know why parents tell their kids that because they know they're lying when they say it because nothing hurts more. In this life. Than the words that other people say. I can break my bone and it will heal but sometimes the words that people say take years to heal and in some cases, never do. In Proverbs eighteen twenty one, we're reminded death and life are in the power of the tongue.

The tongue is often used to hurt and jab and tear at others. You may not be physically violent. You may not physically hit. Other people but you can hit them with your what? With your words and with your tongue.

You can jab and poke at them with your words and your tongue. You can tear at them with your words and your tongue. And do unspeakable damage. Sometimes, it's used to mislead others. Sometimes, it's used to encourage them to do what is wrong.

We can hurt people by the words we say or we can mislead people by the words we say and there are some who make a profession out of misleading people by the words they say. In order to fill up their coffers. And by their mansions. And they call themselves preachers. And they call themselves professors.

And they call themselves counselors. And sad to say many of them are leading people down a path that leads to destruction for their own personal gain. Sometimes, the tongue is used to turn others against one another. My use of gossip out of envy. This is one of the things that we also struggle with In Christendom, sometimes in the church, we just can't control our what?

Our tongue and we talk about other people and we say things about them that we shouldn't and we say things to others to make ourselves look good and to make them look what? Bad. We say things that are are little misleading and twisting to make other people look worse in the sight of others. We call strife. And these things ought not so to be.

Sometimes, the mouth just spews forth vile things. Simply revealing the refuge which is in what? Revealing the refuge which is in the heart which pours forth in anger or jest or surprise. When that person gets angry, then, you find out what's in their heart. Then, it comes out of their what?

Mouth and their heart is revealed. When they're joking, often times, you find out. Well, oh, I was just what? I was just kidding. I was just joking.

Also, that makes it okay for you to say things that you ought not say because you're just kidding. Sometimes, when we get hurt or we're surprised, you know, that hammer to the thumbnail. What comes out of your mouth? What comes out of your mouth must by necessity come from your mind and your heart. It doesn't come out if it's not there.

If it's not there. Sometimes, we just can't seem to keep our mouth wide. Closed. It just keeps going and going and going and gets us in what? Trouble.

I was a youth pastor for twelve years. I had plenty of teens that just could not shut their mouth, you know. You know, I'm trying to teach and they're trying to teach too. You know, the person beside them something about, you know, hot rods and I'm trying to teach about God's word and they just and they're always always had two or three. They just couldn't keep their mouth shut.

They were talking to me. They were talking to their neighbor. They just had to babble all the time. One of the easiest things for us to fail in, as noted here by James, is our tongue. The words that we say, our speech.

One of the most powerful tools for good or ill we possess from God is our tongue, our speech. One of the hardest things to get a short hold of is our tongue and our speech but nonetheless, something that God says ought not so to be. God expects us by his grace and power to get control of this tongue. So, that it is pleasing to who? It is pleasing to God.

Ephesians four twenty nine, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers. What kind of speech does not please God? One word from this verse. What kind of speech does not please God? Corrupt.

Corrupt speech. Well, what is that word corrupt mean? Well, I should have brought a peach or a pear or an apple or something up here today that I had let rot until you could barely hold it together and show you what corrupt looks like, okay? The word corrupt means rotten, okay? It means full of decay.

It is rank, it is putrid, it is disgusting, it is filthy. That is what the word corrupt mean. It's a general word, especially when used here with speech or communication. There should be no communication, God says, that comes out of our mouth that is corrupt, that is filthy, that is disgusting, that is rotten. And what is it that makes things rotten and filthy and disgusting?

How does that happen? Why does that happen? Three letters. Three letter word. S I n, sin.

And so sin entered into the world and death by sin. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, man's heart became what? Rotten. Rotten with sin. Vile before God.

Disgusting, filthy. We were created in the image of God and when sin came in, it marred that image and it corrupted it. Now, that image is still there and can be restored through whom? Through Jesus Christ our Lord but sin has corrupted that image and so, it comes out often in the words that men say. Because our mouth is affected by sin.

And it has been corrupted. But as Christians who are being changed back into being conformed or changed back into the image of Jesus Christ, God's son as Christians, as children of God, God can, will, wants to change our what? Change our life, change our speech, change our mouth, and our words. So, let's look at two lists here real quick. This morning before we conclude and dig just a little bit deeper.

What is corrupt speech? How would we define it? We'll look at five different things here. Number one, taking God's name in vain. Is corrupt speech.

Exodus 20 verse seven, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Well, what does it mean to take God's name in vain? What means to use it in a vain, empty, or deceitful way. If you swear by God you're going to do something and you don't and do not intend to do it, you have taken God's name in what? In vain.

You tried to impress somebody that you really took this seriously and you took God's name in vain in order to prove it. God says, I won't hold you guiltless who uses my name in that fashion. We shouldn't use God's name to swear. We shouldn't use God's name as a curse word. It just nothing makes me more stick at the stomach when watching something is for people to start using the name of Jesus Christ as a cuss word and you know something?

I never heard that growing up. Now, you turn on a TV show and you are very likely to hear. Very specifically, the name of Jesus, our Lord and savior. Used as a curse word. More and more and more.

The world is going further from God and as it does, it only continues to decay and corrupt more but that shouldn't be the case with God's children. We must not take God's name in vain. It is corrupt communication. It is not pleasing to him. Not only taking God's name in vain but also that which is filthy and vulgar.

Ephesians five, three, and four but fornication, uncleanness, and or covetousness, let it not be once named among you as become a saints neither filling filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks. What does God say should be coming out this mouth? Thank you. Thank you for what you did for me. Thank you Lord for answering my prayers.

Not stuff that is filthy and vile and again, we hear so much of it that we begin to become accustomed to it but God is not accustomed to it and he still says, it is what kind of communication? Corrupt communication. Dirty jokes do not belong on the tongues of God's children. They are not pleasing in his sight. Number three, we already mentioned this but we'll mention it again.

Number three, gossip. Talking behind other people's backs. Leviticus nineteen sixteen, thou shalt not go up and down as a tail bearer among thy people, neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor, I am the Lord. Exodus twenty sixteen, thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. What does it mean to bear false witness against your neighbor?

It means to go somebody else and tell them something about your neighbor that is not what? True. Now, it maybe you're just talking to your neighbor next door and you want them to think better of you than the guy over here and so you go, hey, did you hear what he was doing? Or it maybe that you're standing in court taking the oath and bearing false witness to a judge. Either way, they're both what?

They're both corrupt communication and they're both not pleasing in the eyes of God. You would say, oh pastor, I would never put my hand up and take an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and lie in court against my neighbor. I hope that's true but you know something? It's not any better for you to go to your neighbor or to your friend or to your relative and start running your mouth about somebody else and gossiping and slandering them. Both are wrong in the eyes of who?

In the eyes of God. And he will hold us accountable What else comes under the heading of of corrupt speech? Unkind, mean, hurtful words. Ephesians four thirty one, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and what? Evil speaking be put away from you with all what?

Malice. What's malice? Well malice is hatred. That's what malice is. Malice is hatred that's in your heart.

And that hatred in your heart towards someone often comes out in evil speaking. Malice is the root of the evil speaking. And it comes out in ways that bring hurt to the person that you hate or the person that you are upset with or angry with or whatever the case may be and when we open our mouth and we allow the words to pour out in order to hurt someone else that we are upset with, angry with, hateful towards. We are not being like who? We are not being like Jesus.

And that is corrupt communication. Is there an excuse and a justification for it? The answer is no. If your intent with your words is to hurt other people that you have some issue with, to get revenge on them, to pick at a open sore in their life or heart, to make them feel unworthy, to make them feel badly. If that is behind the words you're saying, then it is corrupt communication.

And it is not pleasing in the sight of God. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Bite your tongue give thought before you open your mouth and if the thoughts that are going through your mind are thoughts of anger and hatred and malice, then, just keep your mouth shut and let God change your what? Change your heart. Now, you may have reason to be angry with somebody.

You, there may be something they've done to you that is terribly wrong. But that does not give us the right to do wrong unto them. Jesus says, Paul says in Romans 13, be not of overcome of evil but overcome evil with good. We are to be different and pleasing in the sight of God. One more category under corrupt is this, lying and dishonest words.

These six things that the Lord hate, yea seven, are an abomination to him, a proud look, a lying tongue, a skip a few, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. Tell the truth. Tell the truth It is corrupt communication to lie in order to get off, get out of responsibility, in order to escape consequences. It is corrupt communication to sell somebody that which is blatantly untrue and false in order to make them to like who? To like you.

Tell them the truth. Tell them what they need to hear. Don't tell them what you think they want to hear or what is going to make them like you. Be honest. Tell them the truth.

That's important. People come to you for advice. You know what they need to hear but you know they're going to react how? Badly or at least that's what you think if you tell them the what? If you tell them the truth.

So instead, you tell them a lie. And then everybody feels good. And you solved nothing. And you chose not to please the Lord. These things are corrupt speech.

These things are things that are not pleasing to God. So, what kind of speech is pleasing to God? What kind of speech is pleasing to God? Reverent words of worship are pleasing to God. Are they not?

Can you ever go wrong with reverent words of worship to the Lord? Do we have to wonder if our speech is honoring and pleasing to him if we're praising and honoring the Lord? No. Hebrews thirteen five, by him therefore, us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto his name. You know, one thing you can use your mouth for?

You can use it to praise God and you'll never go wrong. And you'll be pleasing in his what? In his sight. He gave you a mouth and he gave you lips and one of the reasons he gave you that was so that you could glorify and exalt the name of Jesus. So, use your mouth for that.

Kind, forgiving, and loving things. Ephesians four twenty three thirty two and be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. What can you do with your mouth that's pleasing to God? Here's what you can do. You can look for opportunities to say what?

Kind and loving things. Sometimes, we're we're faced with a decision. Do I say something kind and loving or do I say something haughty and mean? Gotta choose. Gonna be pleasing to God with what you say?

Are you going to take the other route? And let corrupt communication just come out of your mouth. How can we be pleasing to God? Be kind. Just be kind.

You know, yeah, there's there's There's so much that can be said. Choose to say the kind things. Choose to to forgive Choose to love and express those things by the words you say. Be like Jesus Christ. What did he do?

We came to this world and he spent his life being kind and loving to other people. He used the great tool that he was given to make a difference in many ways but one of the ways was in his kindness In a world that was unkind. We live in an unkind world. Let us be different. What else brings is pleasing to God, edifying, uplifting words.

Ephesians four twenty nine again, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of what? Edifying. Now, what is edifying? Edify means to build up, to build up. So the words we say are pleasing to God when we're using those words to build up who?

To build up others. To to teach them that's right, to encourage them in the right, to to to put our arm around them so to speak and and and bring them in the right direction, to help them to grow. To give them a boost uplifting words. Now, it's akin to kind words as well. Two kind of go hand in hand, I guess but but as Christians, we should be using our mouth to build others up, not tear others what?

Not tear others down. Because they need to be encouraged. They need to be encouraged in the right. They need to be encouraged that God loves them. They need to be encouraged that there is a way of salvation.

They need to be encouraged that there is hope. And encourage that other people love them. So, use your words to show kindness. Use your words to encourage and edify and build up. What kind of words are pleasing in God's sight?

Honest words. Honest words but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him and all things which is the head even Christ. Honest words. When somebody says, hey, what do you think? Be honest.

Sometimes, the honesty might what? Sometimes, the honesty might hurt a little bit but the kisses of the enemy are far worse than the rebuke of a friend. So, God says, speak the truth in love but speak the truth. Speak the truth. Again, it doesn't help them to tell them what they want to hear.

Tell them what God needs them. To hear. Don't allow your words to be corrupted by quote unquote good intentions. Let your mouth be controlled by God's intentions. Let your concern and love for others lead you to tell them sometimes what they need to hear even if it isn't what they want to hear.

Galatians six one, brother, if any man be overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself also, thyself, lest thou also be tempted. And then finally, evangelistic words. Evangelistic words. Mark sixteen fifteen and he said unto them, go you into all the world and what? Preach the gospel.

Go you into all the world and preach the gospel. What should we be using this mouth and these words for? To point others to who? To point others to Jesus. To give them the gospel story.

I love to tell the story. While there's time because time is limited. We must tell the world of Jesus while there's time. How do you do that? You used a precious gift that God gave you.

Your mouth. The words that you say, to tell others of the love of Jesus Christ, Christ. To tell them the story of how we lost in sin. We're deserving of death and hell and yet God who we betrayed sent his son to die in our stead that through faith in him, we might be saved and born again into his family. Tell them the good news.

Say, here am I, Lord. Send me. Here am I. Send me. Use your mouth to tell others the most important message they can ever hear.

Jesus died for them. Jesus rose again. Jesus will save their soul. From eternal punishment in hell. And give them everlasting life.

But you need to open your mouth and tell them. We struggle, I'm afraid, with some of the things on that list of corrupt and we struggle sometimes to say the things on the list of things that are pleasing to God. So, how do we fix that? Well, it's pretty simple actually. What does the Bible say?

If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Admit this morning to God. You don't have to admit to me but admit to God where you are failing. Ask him to forgive you and help you and cleanse you.

And he will. You can change how you talk. He can change how you use your mouth. But you must be willing to admit that it needs to what? That it needs to change.

Practice using right words. Look for opportunities. Ask God to help. Stay close to his word. Stay close to him and he will help you.

Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will what? Flee from you. Our devil seems to live sometimes right in here. How do you get him to flee? Submit to who?

Submit to God and the devil will flee. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day and for this opportunity to preach and teach your word on this important subject that we sometimes just don't see as being as vital as we ought. Lord, we dismiss the words we say. We justify and excuse the mean things the filthy things, and we don't take the opportunity to use our tongue for the good things.

Lord, forgive us. Whatever area we have failed today, Lord, grant us grace and strength, wisdom, and victory. Victory over the sin of corrupt speech, that we might be pleasing to our God and Savior, and make a difference in this world for Jesus Christ, Through the words that we say, through this wonderful tool that you have given. In Jesus