Loving My Neighbor With My Tongue
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
4/17/2016 AM
|
Text:
|
James 3;
Lord's Day 43
|
Psalters: |
304, 339, 26, 386 |
- The concept.
- This commandment reveals God as the perfect Communicator and as Truth.
- God communicates perfectly within Himself and to His creatures, especially to His children.
- God is Truth, i.e., all that He does and says is truth (perfectly trustworthy and reliable).
- God created man in His image: able to know and speak the truth and able to communicate thoughts, reasoning, feelings.
- The power of speech is very great (James 3:4,5). It can comfort or confuse; build up or destroy.
- God calls man to use the gift of speech/communication to glorify his Creator and love his neighbor.
- Sin ruined communication making all men liars.
- We are liars, not because we lie consciously and deliberately, but because we are incapable of knowing and loving the truth.
- First, we naturally believe the lie that there is no God, no truth, no standard, no necessity of answering to God one day.
- Second, we hold the truth under in unrighteousness, so it is distorted and perverted (Rom. 1:18; 3:13,14).
- Also the regenerated easily lie, so we must always be fighting to speak the truth in love.
- All violations of this commandment are most serious: (Prov. 6:16-19; 19:5,9; 21:28; Psalm 15:-3; Rev. 21:8).
- Grace restores the ability to know and speak the truth in love so we are able to bridle our tongues (James 1:26).
- The speaking God declares to us the true message of salvation, redeeming us from the lie and the love of it.
- This command sets before the redeemed the duty to express their gratitude by speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15,16).
- As God's servants, we want to use the gift of speech to glorify His Creator and Master.