Operation Week 3 - The Mouth
Read
James 3:1-12
3 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body. 3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
Luke 6:43-45 Christian Standard Bible
43 “A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit.[a] 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
Psalm 19:14 Christian Standard Bible
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Summary
Welcome back to Community Group, we are continuing our Operation series and this week we are looking at the mouth.
For those of you who remember Pastor Trevor, one day we were talking about how words get us in trouble and he said “I usually take one foot out of my mouth just to make room for the other one”. The Bible has a lot to say about our mouth, from it comes both blessings and curses.
When you meet someone for the first time, it’s your mouth that makes the first impression. It’s like playing a tuba, what comes out of your mouth will be heard by all. For all of those who are married or in a relationship, it’s our mouth that causes arguments. It’s like a comedian once said, “the first thing you think, is not the first thing you say”. The words that come out of our mouth should build others up not tear them down. The size of our mouth does not equal it’s strength, and its purposes contain power. Our words can set our families on a Godly trail or cause it to be derailed.
3 Powers of The Mouth
Direction (v1-4)
Much like a bit in a horse’s mouth and the rudder of a ship, our mouths can direct our lives and spiritual growth. The direction our mouth leads us on includes, a trail behind us and a path before us. Our words can be an indicator of where we are heading by revealing our current direction. They can also reveal if we are walking with God or not. It’s so easy to speak words that drive us into hard times.
Destruction (v5-8)
The mouth possesses the power to destroy. Like a fire, the mouth is dangerous when it gets out of control. Just like the heat of the fire is more dangerous than the flames, the lasting effects of our words cause more damage than the words themselves. Verbal abuse is just as damaging as physical abuse. The affects of both last a lifetime.
Decision (v9-12)
You need to ask yourself; do I want to curse or bless those around me? The key is consistency, if we make it a point to bless those around us it will become second nature to us. We must reject words that cause destruction, and when we mess up we must confess and ask for forgiveness, not just from God, but from those we have wronged as well.
Next Steps
Speak slow, sometimes it’s best to let the night bring counsel.
Speak life, find positive things to say about a person. Be intentional with you speech.
Speak truth, there are times we need to point things out, but we should do that in a loving way.
Discussion
Has your mouth ever gotten you in trouble? Although you probably have many, give one example?
How do you keep your mouth from hurting those you are in a relationship with? Share
What steps do you take to make sure you are speaking out of love not out of emothin? Share
How do you go about fixing a relationship that was damaged because of your mouth? Explain
Will it help if you speak SLOW, speak LIFE and speak TRUTH? Explain
Announcements
Let’s begin to get ready for the fall. Help us get the word out concerning the events at BT Church.
We are scheduling a CG leadership gathering in Alice for some time in August. More information to come.
Let’s continue to pray for each other and send prayer requests through our WhatsApp thread. If you are a CG Leader and are not on our WhatsApp thread please contact Meichelle at meichelle.vasquez@bt.church
Pastor Isuaro Medina
Isauro.medina@bt.church
Cell: (956) 984-9380
