to James chapter 4 verses 11 and 12. Two verses, but very powerful verses, poignant, picking up themes. one predominant theme that he has touched on throughout this epistle and that is the theme of our speech, our communication, our verbal communication. Let me read the verses and then we'll look to the Lord in prayer and then look to the word again for the Spirit's help. James chapter 4 verses 11 and 12. Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law. but a judge. There's one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? May God bless the reading of his word and may he give us grace to understand it. And then the power, the fortitude to apply its truth to our lives. Join me in prayer. Father, again, we approach the sacred word. It is holy. We call the book which we have, we call it the Holy Bible. And every letter, and every prophecy, Every poem, every narrative in the Bible has been inspired by the Spirit of God to men of old, to write down, not only to set forth the history of redemption, but to set before us what God has prescribed for his people, how they should live. the standard by which they are to assess their conduct. And also that standard by which ultimately one day we will be judged by the lawgiver mentioned by James in this epistle. So gracious Father, help us to realize that Christianity Unlike any endeavor, any operation, any plans that men may have is serious. It's not just something that we toy with once a week on Sunday. It is to be our life. Christ is our life. Paul said for me to live as Christ. His worldview, his whole existence revolved around the Messiah. Oh, how grateful he was on that day when on the road to Damascus, his life was changed radically. from the chief of sinners to, in many respects, not only an apostle but the chief of saints. For he led many of the saints, not only in establishing churches but also in how to conduct themselves under this new covenant that we exist. We're going to celebrate the new covenant momentarily at the Lord's table. In this ordinance, which we keep, we're reminded again of the new covenant and its importance. So bless us to that end. Glorify yourself in this service and in your people's lives. I pray. Amen. So this is not a new theme. Already in chapter one, it introduced the subject of speech. In chapter one, verse 19, therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. It's not that we're not to speak, but before we engage, we're to engage with thought and forethought. Now just speak our minds. Then in chapter 1 verse 26, if anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless, it's vain. So again the element of speech. Chapter 3, devotes significant attention to the vehicle of the tongue. And he reminded his readers in verse 6, the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body. and sets on fire the course of nature and is set on fire by hell. For every beast of the field and bird of reptile and creature of the sea is tamed. and has been tamed by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless God, our God and Father, and with it we curse man who has been made in the similitude of God or the likeness of God. And here again, we're confronted again with the instrument of speech, with the use of the ability to communicate. And we are unique among all of God's creation created in his image that we are created with intelligence. Animals do have a degree of intelligence and they do have ways by which they communicate with each other. Whether they're a whale, you know, a blue whale or a gray whale, they have their own forms of communication. But man uniquely has been able to communicate. But since the fall The faculty of mind, the faculty of heart has been greatly impaired. We are totally depraved. Every part of our being has been infected with sin. And the mouth is no exception. It's a powerful, powerful means. Many of us who have lived back during the 40s and 50s probably remember a period of time called the McCarthy era. It was also known as the second red square. Red referring to red China and red communism. It was a period in American history in the late 40s and through the 50s spearheaded by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. He played a central role in this time. There was a senator along with him in the Senate at that time known as Claude Pepper. He was from Florida. He was one of the Senate's most outspoken liberals. And so, as a result, he was on what was called the conservatives hit list, along with many other senators. A man by the name of George Smathers lashed out with some typical right-wing invective. And he called this opponent of theirs, he called him the Red Pepper, obviously a reference to communism. And then he launched a campaign to expose Pepper's secret vices. Smathers disclosed, first of all and primarily to his constituents in Florida, that Pepper was known as an extrovert. He was known as an extrovert. His sister, Smathers says was a thespian. And his brother, a practicing homo sapiens. He was a practicing homo sapiens. Also, when Pepper went to college, he actually matriculated. Worst of all, he practiced celibacy before marriage. And with this, these characterizations, naturally rural voters in Florida were horrified and Pepper lost the election. But there was nothing that he said there that was untrue. It's just the way people filtered it through their ignorant minds. But it doesn't take much to injure a person's life, even though what you say may be true about that individual. There's an English poet by the name of Francis Corliss. He made this observation. He says, close your ears against him who opens his mouth against another. If you receive not his words, they fly back and wound him. If you receive them, they fly forward and wound you. William Penn, one of the nation's founding fathers, after whom the state of Pennsylvania was named. He was a Quaker, but a very religious, devout man. He says, never report what may hurt another unless it be a greater hurt to conceal it. Don't use the instrument of speech which God has given you to hurt people needlessly and unnecessarily. If you can't say it, or if you shouldn't say it, don't say it. And there's a Hebrew proverb that reads this way, slander slays three persons, the speaker, the spoken to, and then the spoken of. The speaker, the spoken to, and the spoken of. Slander always hurts somebody. And our text is prescriptive. Well, actually, let me take that back. It's proscriptive. It's telling them not to do something. It's not to do something. Do not speak evil of one another. The Greek word there is kata laleo. Laleo means to speak. Kata means against. It's a preposition. It's a prefix. Laleo, I speak against. but it comes across with a negative nuance to it to criminate or traduce. And that is to slander. The importance of that is seen in the law of God, and that's what he's dealing with in this context. The law of God, as it speaks to our ability to use speech. We need to be very careful as we speak one to another and speak about one another. Because Jesus assured us that every idle word will be judged for. Some translated every useless word that we communicate will give an account for. Now you say, well, my sins are accounted for in the person of Jesus Christ. And they are. But we're going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account to him for our service in this life. And you won't have anybody standing with you. I won't have anybody standing with me. I have an advocate and that's Jesus, but Jesus is going to be the judge. It's his seat, the judgment seat of Christ at which we'll give an account. But he's telling his readers, he's telling us, if we've not embarked upon slander or speaking evil against one, don't do it. Don't do it. Don't even enter that realm or that sphere of activity is what he's saying. It's dangerous. It's like a minefield that once you step into it, you can injure yourself and injure others. as a result. But also if you have entered into that area, you've become involved in slander or speaking evil against someone. You're to stop it. So it prohibits going into that area and it also is to stop. you from continuing on in that area of slandering someone else. And although Jesus uses a different word, it's instructive in my opinion. Turn to Matthew 15, Matthew 15. The occasion is Jesus being confronted by the scribes and Pharisees, verse 1. They are making a visit to Jesus from Jerusalem, and they say to him, why do your disciples, that is those who are following you, they transgress the tradition of the elders, for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. They didn't perform this ritual cleansing which was prescribed in the Talmud. Nothing wrong with it per se. But he doesn't answer their question. He turns the tables on them. But he answered and said to them, why do you also trespass the commandment of God? Now this takes us obviously into the realm of the Torah, the law. And that's important to our text this morning. We being set up as a judge, if we enter into that area, that arena of slander, we have set ourselves up as a judge of the law. What is legal and what is illegal. Why do you transgress the commandment of God? Because of your tradition. And here's an area that they were blind to, or that they had neglected, or that they had overlooked in their traditions. And so he recites the Torah. For God commanded, saying, honor your father and your mother. Positive command. First command, I was just reading this the other day, the first command given in the Torah that deals with interpersonal relationships, and it has to do with mom and dad as a child. And that as a child, we are to give the respect, the gravitas that is due to our parents. treat them with respect, honor them. And specifically here in context, honor them with how we respond to them. And I have to confess that growing up that I always spoke back, not always, but frequently spoke back to my parents. Disrespected them, sadly. Thank God for his forgiving grace. One thing I determined to do after conversion was to show respect to my parents. Honor your father and mother, and then also. So he quotes here pivotally from two different sections of the law. One found in Exodus 20. The other found in Leviticus 19. And this is Leviticus. He who curses father or mother. And it's found other places. Let him be put to death. Very strong. Very strong. Capital punishment. And the story is told in the law of a family who had a disobedient son. And it provides for that. If you have a disobedient son, you're bringing to the elders of the city and explain to him that he just dishonors us, he's disobedient. And then the elders are to make a decision. as to whether he is worthy of continuing to live. Of course, none of that would be considered appropriate in today's world today. But that's the value that The Lord places upon that human relationship that the children, now granted, and as I've explained before from Ephesians chapter 6, it is the responsibility of the parents to teach their children to honor them. They won't learn it naturally. You are to demand respect. You're not to be abusive to them in any way, but you're to demand respect from your children. You are not to accept back talk. You are not to... Now, you can sit down and reason with them, insofar as that they're reasonable, first of all, and that they can be reasoned with. You don't reason with a one-year-old. If you know better, it's better that they obey you. Nonetheless, looking at our text. He who curses. The word curse there is a word that means to speak evil of. Kaka logos is the word. Logos meaning speech or word. Kakos meaning be evil. To speak evil. Your parents that is to curse them It's the same word this is quoted Matthew uses the Septuagint text here same word But you say whoever says to his father or mother What prophet you might have received from me has been dedicated to the temple. And the scenario here is that their parents are in need and they're coming to the children for help. And the response is that, you know, we'd like to help, but the money we'd like that's available to help you has been committed to the temple. Didn't have to be given. But it's committed, it's dedicated. And because it was dedicated, the law exempted them from meeting the need of their parents, necessarily. Verse 6, it is released from honoring his father or mother. Thus you have made the commandment of God, honor your father and mother. of no effect by your tradition. You've dishonored your parents and by that you have effectively dishonored God. But it falls in the realm of communication or speech. To curse father or mother is to speak evil of them. Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you saying, These people draw near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips. Communication, supposedly divine, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. It's a dangerous thing. substitute and invent little traditions that we have that exempt us from obedience. to God. They were not called upon to love father and mother, they are called upon to honor them. And I remember the Jewish conservative commentator Dennis Prager says, I didn't particularly love my parents in terms of my upbringing. And he didn't go into detail why that was true, but he knew from the Torah that he had a responsibility to honor them. And wherever he was during his adult life upon this planet, he would always call his parents out of respect and honor to them. And so he's calling here in the first part of his admonition here to a cessation of slander. Don't start it. Stop it if you're involved in it. Leviticus 19, 16 reads, 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 I am the Lord. Now, this word, speak evil, the Bishop's Bible, one of the early English translations of the scripture, the Bishop's Bible translate this to backbite. Backbite not against another brother. He that backbiteth his brother, and he that judges his brother, backbiteth ye the law. You've spoken against the law. Slander, obviously, is against the law. The International Standard Version translates, do not criticize each other, brothers. Whoever makes it his habit to criticize his brother or to judge his brother is judging the law. That falls under the nuanced expressions of this word. To speak down, to speak against. a fellow brother, be careful. Be careful in this area of speech. Don't even embark in it. And so he gives what I call the essence of slander here. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law. He transgresses the law. The law is clear on the matter of speaking evil of fellow Israelites. You don't embark upon it. You don't do that with your people. Now obviously they did that throughout their history. They did that, the nation of Israel did that with Moses. Here you brought us out here to kill us in the wilderness. When they were commissioned to go into the promised land, they came back with an evil report. And they were ready to take Moses and Aaron and, you know, be rid of them. So the essence of slander is that you speak against the law. You speak of what is prescribed in scripture. John Gill commenting on this area. He that is a tailbearer and backbites his brother, his fellow member, and detracts from his good name and character and takes upon him to judge his heart and his state, as well as to condemn his actions, he speaks evil of the law and judges and condemns that. He's saying that law is irrelevant. It's not appropriate, and I will violate it. I will violate God's law. It's dangerous to move into that arena of slander. Second point here, moving on, the arrogance of the slander is transgression. He judges the law, but if you judge the law, then you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. You have determined from your own perspective what is and is not appropriate. You've judged the law and said it's irrelevant, it doesn't make any difference. But it shows, obviously, the evil intentions of the heart to speak evil. of fellow Christians. You're not a doer of the law, but a judge. In other words, you have elevated yourself above the law itself. And that's what men have done today with a whole host of subjects that the law is clear on, especially in the area of all of this aberrant and abhorrent sexual things. They've elevated themselves above God's law and say, oh no, this isn't what it means. That's old stuff and it's not relevant to a contemporary society. They've set themselves up as a judge of the law and that's not right. It's very dangerous and they speak against it as a result. And so he reminds his readers that there's one divine lawgiver and that person is not you and it's not me. I remember Kevin Zuber was here. There is one God and I am not him. I'm not God. A lot of the ancient monarchs were elevated to positions of deity and they thought they were gods. Nebuchadnezzar learned a hard lesson in his own life when God humbled him. There's one divine lawgiver and this is God himself who gives the law to the people of Israel. They are given the judicial law, they're given the ceremonial law, and they're also given the moral law. And it came from His hand. He calls it a fiery law, because it was given as the Mount, Mount Sinai was on fire, with the presence of the glory of God on that mount. One lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. It's reminiscent of the words that Jesus spoke from Matthew chapter 10. Matthew chapter 10. Verse 27, whatever I tell you in dark speak in the light and what you hear in the ear preach on the housetops and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. It is the prerogative of God to deliver and to destroy Our life is in his hands. Our breath is given by him to us. We breathe his air. We drink his water. And he can take it from us in a moment. Or he can deliver us in a moment. And you and I don't have that ability per se, although my two granddaughters are what they call life savers. or lifeguards at the pool, and they do provide aid. But ultimately, the prerogative of life and death is in God's hands. And so he closes with this final question. If all that I've written and set up to this point is true, and if, in fact, this is the case, who are you? Who are you? to judge another. You're not God. And slander is judging. Evil speaking, backbiting, is evil. And it's a New Testament truth also. Paul writes in Ephesians 4 verse 29, he says, let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, no corrupt communication, but only what is helpful for edification, and that is to build others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. In other words, the goal in our communication is to build others up and not tear them down. To the Colossians he wrote, now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Peter wrote, therefore, rid yourself of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Paul writing to Titus, giving pastoral advice to slander no one, Titus 3.2, to be peaceable and considerate and always to be gentle toward everyone. Writer Proverbs says that a gossip betrays confidence, so avoid anyone who talks too much. Psalm 15, a beautiful psalm, one that I adore. He says, who may dwell in your sacred tent or in your tabernacle? That is, who can have fellowship with the Lord is the essence of what he's saying. Who may live in your holy mount, the one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from the heart, whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others. That's God's word. On and on we could go. One writer, actually it's a German proverb that says, he who blackens others, I think this is important, he who blackens others does not whiten himself. I'll let that absorb. in your mind. You don't improve your condition by slandering others. English writer and essayist Samuel Johnson said these words, he who is guilty of slander never can repair it. Now think about it. A false report spreads where a recantation never reaches. Once you put out what is false, an accusation flies faster than a defense. Back in the day of Harry Ironside, who was a 20th century pastor of Moody Bible Church and also an evangelist of renown, Harry Ironside was called upon by the president, Robert Cook, of King's College to help him in a certain situation. He had been receiving pointed criticism. In fact, it had come to a point that it was very concerning to him, having an effect on him, and so he sought the counsel of Ironside to come and think through the process. He wanted to know how to handle all of this criticism he was receiving. It's not that we're exempt from criticism. Don't misunderstand. But Ironside gave him this advice, and I think it's wise counsel. He said, Bob, if the criticism about you is true, mend your ways. If it isn't, forget about it. Forget about it. Appropriate advice. The great historian Will Drant, in his story of civilization, has a story. It's about Buddha, but it makes a point, not endorsing Buddhism. There was a simpleton who came to Buddha and was abusing him, and Buddha listened in silence. But when the man finished, Buddha asked him, son, if a man declined to accept a present made to him, to whom would it belong? And the man answered to him who offered it. My son, he says, I decline to accept your abuse and request you to keep it for yourself. Good advice. Good advice. And so this whole subject of speech predominates really the Bible and the New Testament. It's not overlooked. And here James deals with it. And he's telling us, stop it if you're involved in it. Don't start it. Don't even pursue that. Avenue. Hurts you, hurts them, hurts anybody else involved. It's never edifying. It's never meant to build up. It's meant primarily to destroy. To destroy. I could go on and on on this and I'm not going to belabor it, but I think you get James's point. I get it. I think clear as day. But I need the grace of God. He who is able, he said in chapter 3, to control the tongue, the same is a perfect man. And there's only one way to control it, and that is through the aid of the Spirit. Through the aid of the Holy Spirit, oh God, put a guard around my mouth. May I not say unkind words. May I not communicate what is untrue or half-truths about somebody. We started out dealing with the McCarthy era and all you had to do is say stuff that's true. People didn't understand. They thought it was malicious. That's all that has to happen. So we need to guard against that. Congregations have divided over those types of things. People's lives have been destroyed by those things. Let us guard that vehicle of communication. One writer said, the tongue does not have a bone. It's all muscle. But it's destroyed many people. That's how strong it is. God help me. God help you. God help us all to be careful. Let's pray. Precious Father, Help us to be judicious, help us to be wise, for that is the area under which this consideration falls in the area of wisdom. Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Oh, our Father, when we engage speech, help us to be careful. Help us to speak always the truth in love, knowing that you have spoken to us through many mentors the truth in love. And I have had many mentors in my life. My pastor when I was converted, Bible school professors, seminary professors who spoke the truth in love. That was why it's so critical that we read that text on love. Because if we don't have love, we've become a sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. If we don't have love, it doesn't profit. And if we don't have love, we're nothing. Thank you that love never fails. Help us to always be motivated and then exercised with love in our Christian speech, our Christian conduct. For it's in Jesus' name I pray, Amen.