So, have you ever been to a Christmas parade? How about, have you ever been in a Christmas parade? Few years ago, my mom found an old VHS tape at their house, um, from our hometown Christmas parade from 1989. And in case you need this information, there is still a combo TV VCR here at our church. So if you need a VVHS, we got you covered. So I, I brought it down here and, and, uh watched a few minutes of it and, uh, it was fascinating, my friend Stacey, she, she was behind the camera. She was filming, she was over in the crowd kind of filming. I was in the parade on, on a float which wasn't really a float. It was a, it was a pickup truck and, and I was in the back of the pickup truck with all of my fellow alumni from Palmetto Boys State and Palmetto Girls State. And, and we're just, we're rolling along and, and I'm standing next to my, my, uh my best bud Candace and, and we're, you know, laughing and waving at Stacy and, and as soon as I kind of see this image on the screen. I'm like, yeah, so something's not right because I'm wearing a big fluffy puffy white jacket and I was like, I, I don't own a big white puffy fluffy white jacket. Something, something's not right. And I looked at it and I thought, I don't even remember wearing jackets when I was in high school. Where, where in the world this jacket come from. So I took a screenshot of it and I looked at it and I thought that didn't even look like a guy's jacket. So I texted the picture to Candice and I said, I'm pretty sure I'm wearing your jacket at the parade. And the only thing I can figure is is that I didn't bring a jacket, it was freezing cold. We rode together and I just got one from her house. But, but there I am, you can see if you're here with us. A big white fluffy puffy white jacket. No clue how I got that jacket or why I'm wearing it. But I rocked it in the parade and everything was fine. We, we had a good time, you know, sometimes in life and even in a parade, something's not right. So something doesn't match up. We look and we go mm some, something's not right with this picture and sometimes that happens with our words, the things that we say the same thing can happen. We're finishing up our series Fresh Air where we've been looking at at the words that are in the air around us, not just the words that we hear, but most specifically the words that we are saying. What kind of words are we using? What are the words we're filling up the air around us? What are people hearing from us? And we're going to be looking today in the Bible in the book of James and what James is going to do is he's going to help us see that. There's something about our words that has something to do with a parade and, and what is that? And what does that mean? And why does it matter? Well, let's see if we can find out together looking at James chapter three. Our sermon today is called same words. And we're going to begin in verse 10 of James three. This is what he writes from the same mouth, come blessing and cursing. So words that honor God and words that don't honor God coming out of the same mouth. Words that are helpful to people and words that are not helpful to people coming out of the same mouth. Someone once said that every time you speak your mind is on parade, that the words coming out of your mouth. It's a, it's a parade of what's going through your mind that your words reflect what you're thinking that Jesus took it a little deeper one day he was teaching in Matthew 15, 18. He said this, the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart. So in the deepest sense, the the deepest sense that we know when we speak, it's actually a parade from our heart. It, it's actually words that reflect who we are from the inside, like who we really, really are. The words that we use and the words that we don't use. King Solomon once said and once wrote that there's a time to speak and there's a time to be silent. But in that, there's an understanding that sometimes when we speak, it might be sinful. And sometimes when we're silent, it might be sinful. For instance, if we're pushy or are prideful or condescending when we are speaking about our Christian faith, that can be sinful if we're pushy or prideful or condescending toward our spouse or our parents or our kids or, or anyone else in our family, that can be sinful. If we're pushy or, or prideful or condescending in the words that we speak to people that we work with or go to school with or, or stand in line with it at the grocery store that can be sinful. And likewise, on the flip side, if we refuse to speak words to our spouse, to our parents, to our kids, to other people in our family, when words are needed, that can be sinful. If we refuse to speak words about our faith in Christ, then that can be sinful. If we refuse to speak words to people that we work with and go to school with and, and shop with and, and different places, words that could be helpful and needed then that too can be sinful. Our words and our silence have the ability to honor God and help others or our words and our silence have the ability to not honor God and to not help others. None of us are perfect. But would most people when they think of who we are, the people that know us best that are around us the most? Would they say that our words are more full of blessing or full of cursing? Now we hear that word cursing and we immediately think 04 letter words and bad language or maybe we think of cursing as voodoo doctor on an episode of Gilligan's Island. I don't know. We, we have ideas when we hear cursing, but the word here for cursing does, does not mean you know bad language or a voodoo doctor with the skipper and Gilligan. No, no. The word here is basically the opposite of, of blessing in a sense. And the word for blessing means to speak well of someone. So if you're, you're cursing, you're not speaking well of someone. You're, you're not speaking well of something or some situation, you're actually speaking in a way that's, that's not helpful, that's not good. And actually there is a desire to not bless someone. There's a desire to, to hurt someone to take a jab at someone to, to criticize someone whatever it may be. So again, just generally speaking, looking at your life, thinking of your words, thinking of your language, thinking of your attitude. Do you see more blessing or more complaining? Do you see more blessing or more criticizing? Do you see more blessing or do you see more crude jokes? Do you see more blessing or do you see more griping or more gossiping or more anger or more sarcasm? What is it that you see and hear from your own heart and in your own words? And what do other hears? Is it blessing or is it cursing? James says, blessing and cursing coming out of the same mouth. Now, what kind of math is that? Well, he tells us verse 10, my brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. Well, well, why, why should it not be that way? I mean, if we're all sinful, if none of us are perfect, if there's no way that any of us are ever going to say the right thing all the time. What's the big deal? Why does it matter that blessing and cursing shouldn't come from the same mouth? Well, James is going to help us kind of think through this with some word pictures. Let begin in verse 11. Does a spring send out from the same opening, both fresh and bitter water? Have you ever been down to God's Acre healing springs? It's down in black it's about an hour from here off, off highway three. when, uh, my boys were playing sports in high school, sometimes we had to go that way for away games. And, and so I stopped by a couple of times. It's, it's right there off the road and, and when you get there, there's a, you know, a place for you to pull up and there's a huge, you know, pipe coming up out of the ground and there's four little spigots coming out and it's, it's pouring water and I've, I've filled up a couple of water bottles. It is good water. It's really good. Now, can you imagine going to a natural spring like that and filling up your water bottle and taking a huge swig and it tastes like water from the Gulf of Mexico. Well, well, no, you, you wouldn't imagine that why? Because a spring doesn't pour forth salt water. It's, it's not how it works. Likewise, what James is doing. He's going to say this. If, if we profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, then blessing and cursing should not pour forth from our mouths. That's, that's not how it should mark what we say and what we do and what's coming from our words. He's going to go a little more. Verse 12. Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters bear olives or a vine, bear figs. You can't walk up to a fig tree and, and pick off an olive because fig trees don't bear olives and you can't walk up to a grapevine and pick a fig because grapevines don't bear figs. It's, it's not how it works. One day, Jesus was teaching and he said this, Luke 6 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. We've lived here in the Midlands for about nine years now before we moved here. Uh Our house sat right in the middle of a bunch of peach orchards. You know, it's a really funny thing about those peach trees every day, multiple times a day. I would drive by those peach orchards and you know, I never ever, ever saw an apple hanging off of that peach tree. You know why? Because peach trees are called peach trees because there's peaches on them and apple trees are called apple trees because there's apples on them. And so what Jesus and James are, are basically saying is super easy math. A child can understand this. And basically the math is this at the end of the day, you don't always have to tell everybody that you're a Christian tree. Why? Because if you're a Christian tree, they'll see the fruit hanging off, they'll, they'll see the Christian fruit hanging off the tree. So you can't duct tape Christian fruit on a tree. That's just not how it works. It's either real or it's phony. No, it doesn't have to be perfect. Ok. It doesn't have to be perfect every single peach that comes off of every single peach tree is not sent to the peach market. They have what's called calls and a call is a peach that's, that's kind of beaten up. It's bruised, it don't look nice and it won't go off the market, but it's still a peach. It's, it's still the right fruit. And so what Jesus and, and James are doing here is they're hitting some categories, our words, our actions, our conduct, our conversations, our, our attitudes, our opinions, they're hitting the same topics when it comes to those things. What are we most known for? Words, actions, conduct conversation, attitudes, opinions. What, what are we known for? Are we known more for blessing or are we known more for bullying? Are we known more for cursing or we known more for, for caring? Are we known more for positive or negative? Are we known to be honest and upfront about things? Are we known to be sneaky and behind the scenes about things? Are we known to be encouraging or, or critical? Are we known to be trusting of people? Are always accusing everybody of everything? Are we known as being humble or know it alls which is seen? What, what's, what's most seen in our words? When people see you coming? Do they smile and wave or do they hide behind the banana display in the produce section and hopefully that you won't see them? You know, what is it about? Who you are? What is on your tree? What's, what's hanging off of your tree? Do you have Sunday morning? Only Christian Fruit. Do you have homecoming Easter Mother's Day? Christmas only fruit. Just, just fruit for a few Sundays out of the year work and the people that you live with and the people that you work with and the people you go to church with and the people that you stand in line with at the grocery store, can they see not perfect people, but can they at least see a few calls hanging off of your spiritual life? Someone once said, you may have to look a a long time to find a couple of little grapes. But at the end of the day, if someone is truly a follower of Jesus Christ, there will be fruit, it'll be there, there'll be some measure of consistent evidence that Jesus is the Lord of that person's life. So is there evidence in your life? Is there evidence that you are believing in and relying on and trusting in and clinging to Jesus as the ultimate hope, the ultimate salvation and the ultimate authority in your life? Is there evidence that Jesus is the Lord of your life? Or if your heart was really, really, really honest? Are you the Lord of your life or are you the Lord or lady if you want of, of your own life? Is it your way or, or no way you know it's not hard to figure out. I mean, we, we kind of know this. It doesn't take, but a few seconds to look in the mirror and go. Hm. I don't know, is Jesus Lord or am I Lord? Is it my way or his way? And not just looking in the mirror most of the time, it doesn't take other people a lot to figure out where we are and what's going on. For instance, I, I was listening to a podcast this week and, and the title of the podcast was, what kind of leader are you? And it was interesting because during the podcast, they basically give six different types of, of leaders in the life of the church. So I'm just going to give these to you really quick. A founder builder, decliner, reformer, maintainer or failure. Just those six kind of general categories of leadership. You could probably come up with 60 but we, we'll go with these six. And if we look at those from a biblical standpoint, we could say a founder would be maybe somebody like Paul who, who founded churches, he, he started them and then a builder might be someone like Timothy who came along after it was started and, and they built up and hung in there and did all the hard work of the day to day ministry in the life of the church. If we looked at somebody who was a decliner, we could say it would be somebody like Isaiah, someone who was faithful, who honored God, but they just showed up in a season of life when the church or the ministry or the world was in decline, they didn't do anything wrong. They didn't create the decline that they just had to serve in the middle of the decline. That that'd be Isaiah. Then a reformer would be somebody like John the Baptist, somebody that was transforming the way people were thinking about what it meant to follow after God, a maintainer would be someone like Elisha who just continued the ministry of Elijah, just kind of kept things going as they were. And then a failure would be someone like King Saul, someone whose immorality whose arrogance and pride destroyed their personal life and there therefore destroyed what they were leading founder builder, decliner, reformer maintainer or failure. Now, here's the question. Some of you, the first time you've ever seen me, don't worry about it. You don't need an answer for it. But if you've been around me a few times, which one do you think I am? Because here's the thing on the podcast. They said most of your people know what kind of leader you are. You, you don't have to do a lot of multiple choice. You don't have to ask everybody for a lot. Most everybody kind of knows it. It doesn't take a long time for them to kind of figure it out. So I will say this I'm not a founder because I didn't found anything. Um, I, maybe I have a little bit of builder in me. Um, I don't think I have any decliner in me. Although I have been places where, wherever I was, it was already in decline and, and I would say this too just as a word of note before COVID. And I'm just speaking from a Southern Baptist standpoint because that's all I've ever been in my life before COVID from 1985 until 2019. The Southern Baptist world was in significant decline. Uh The, the church as, as a denominate, decline across the board and then COVID hit and it just really was a whole another sucker punch. So there's a lot of incredibly faithful pastors, faithful elders, faithful deacons, faithful church members that are existing in declining churches and, and it's nothing that they did. And then there's other declining churches that it's everything that they did. They just said, no, we're going to protect our country club and we don't care what God may want. So decliner, I don't know, reformer, maintainer uh failure. Thankfully, I don't, I don't have any of that. Um you know, uh immorality and, and personal failure. Um So, so when you look through that list, it's like, ah, yeah, there's maybe one or two that fit but, but it's not like a really hard essay question. Right? Well, the same is true when it comes to being a Christian that you have to work really hard. You know, over the last 30 years I've, I've preached a lot of funerals. I've never preached anybody into heaven, but I never preached them into hell either. You know what you do that on your own. It's, it's not anything that anyone has to say about you. And so when it comes to, to what it means in this language that Jesus is using the language that James is using, it's not really hard to say. Yep, I see the fruit or I don't see the fruit. It's not a difficult thing to say. Well, if I was trying to figure out if this person is, is following Jesus Christ, I, I kind of, I see the fruit in their life and that fruit, the seed of that fruit is not in the pew, it's not in the auditorium, it's not in the classroom. The seed of the fruit of Christianity is in the heart. Again, Jesus said this for each tree is known by its own fruit. Jesus says that what we say and what we do and what we text and what we email and what we post. All of these things are a message that before it gets out, it was typed in our hearts. That that's how Jesus always spoke, but specifically in Luke and Matthew and Mark and, and John, there is this language that he uses that says that whatever words come out whatever words you text whatever words you type and email and post. Those are words that actually started in your heart. And we said this a few weeks ago that means that bitter words come from a bitter heart. They don't come from your spouse being impossible. Bitter words come from a bitter heart, angry words come from an angry heart. Impatient words come from an impatient heart, arrogant words come from an arrogant heart, complaining, critical words come from a complaining critical heart. But the flip side is also true. Kind words come from a kind heart. Encouraging words come from an encouraging heart, joyful words come from a joyful heart. Thankful words come from a thankful heart. The goal is to have words that match the heart, same words, same heart that there would be a match between them, which is why James says in this last part of verse 12, this nor can salt water produce fresh you. You can't get a olive from a fig tree. It doesn't work that way. You can't get an apple from a peach tree. You can't get a peach from an apple tree that that's not how it works nor can salt water produce fresh. In other words, our words matter, my words matter, your words matter. Whether we speak them, text them, write them, post them whatever it may be our words matter why? Because our words meaning not just random words, but the words, the attitudes, the opinions that we are sharing on a weekly, daily, regular basis. Those things are a direct reflection of our hearts. And so our words, the things we say can actually determine and reflect and display whether things are right between us and God. We're not perfect. We're all going to have our moments, but we're talking about the general theme of life because again, anyone can say they're saved. But the question is, is Jesus Christ truly living in your heart? Is he really the Lord of your life? If so, your words will reflect it. I came across an encouraging acronym to kind of help our hearts move in the direction of what it means to reflect Christ in a a very practical way in the real moments of life going. Ok. You know, we can always say what would Jesus do or, or we can think a little beyond that and, and the acronym goes like this, it's think, is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind a red said this? If what we are about to say does not pass these tests, we should keep our mouth shut. There's some truth to that. Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? And, and I just challenge you a little bit as we enter into this season of politics that still applies, it still applies. Is your favorite candidate, someone who thinks do they exist for something that's true and helpful and inspired and necessary and kind or, or do their words sound completely different? And that's true for us as well in our moments of life. Are we thinking or are we just just talking our words matter again? None of us are perfect. We're, we're just not, but looking at the normal patterns of our life. Is there blessing or is there cursing? What is it that's coming out of our heart? That's on parade for the world to see a pipe from the ocean is not going to produce fresh spring water. It's not how it works. Likewise, people who consider themselves the Lord of their lives, someone who says that that their way and their opinion and their attitude is the only thing that exists, that type of person, that type of attitude does not produce love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self control. The math is, is not hard. None of us are perfect but the math is not hard. Jesus said for each tree is known by its own fruit. So where's your heart today? Where, where is your heart today? What's what's the the fruit in your life? What's, what's your heart listening to? We want you to know that until Jesus returns. And again, there's every reason to believe he will. More than 300 very specific prophecies about Jesus Christ were foretold before he was born. He fulfilled every single one of them that the math on it is is astounding. So we have every reason, not just because the Bible says it, not just because Jesus proclaimed it because there's a weight of practical historical evidence in his corner. So until Jesus returns, which could be any moment, the one thing we want you to know is there is never a millisecond where Jesus is not saying to me and saying to you come follow me, come, come follow me. And if you do, if you do turn and follow Jesus as an old song says, you, you may not hear a heavenly choir. You, you may not see angels and, and dazzling clothes. You may not have some super human omnipresent experience. But you will be able to say Jesus, I I know you now, I I'm not sure before but I know you now beyond any shadow of a doubt, I know you. Now, I've had moments in life where I've struggled with my faith, had moments of, of doubt even and, and it's the words of that song that will sometimes just click back in my mind. I I this is going on, this is happening, this person said this, this happened to this person. This situation is out of control. But I know you Jesus and and you know me, I'm not perfect. I'm not doing everything right. But I am following after Jesus. He said, come, follow me and I'm following. So you may not have some tremendous radical emotional experience, but you will know that you have turned and followed Jesus. And when you do by His grace, Jesus will tame your tongue. You won't be perfect with all the words that you'll say. But part of what it means to come to Christ is that you become a man or woman or boy or girl that is known more for blessing than for cursing. So how does God do that? How how does he, how does he tame the tongue? Well, this is what Jesus said. John 15 verse five, the one who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit. The one who remains in me. In other words, Jesus is saying the one who hangs with me, the one who spends time with me, the ones who, who's in relationship with me, the one who is the Bible word says abides with me, that person, that person will bear much fruit, much fruit. So how do you remain in Jesus? How are you abiding in Jesus? What does that look like in real life? Melissa Krueger is a wife and, and mom and one morning a few years ago, she was sitting at the breakfast table uh and her son was sitting there at the table and her son was just shivering, his arms crossed. He's like I am so cold and Melissa's husband, Michael was looking and, and noticed that his son's sweatshirt was, was sitting in front of him. He was using as like a little temporary pillow. So he said, hey, Bud, uh if you're that cold, how come you hadn't put your sweatshirt on? And the boy kind of sheepishly looked up, unfolded his sweatshirt, put it on and in just a few moments, he was warm enough warming up. This is what Melissa said. The very thing my son needed most was right before him. She goes on many days. I find myself weary and worn, observing the overflow of discontentment, apathy, unkindness or anger in my heart. And I wonder why am I so cold spiritually? How can the fruit of the spirit be more evident in my life? Ever had a moment like that? Or, or maybe it's not spiritual with you? Maybe you're not thinking, hey, where's the fruit of the spirit? Maybe you're just thinking man. Why does my life so crummy? Why is everything so bad? Why, why do I have such a hard time getting up in the morning? Why do I have such a hard time going to work or, or going to school? Why am I so undone with things in the world? Why am I so frustrated with people in my family? Why am I losing my mind having to deal with all that stuff at work? What is it? What is it? What is going on with me? Melissa goes on when we spend our days thinking that we can do life on our own, running from activity to activity, working harder and harder to impress others. The natural result of our independence will be a dry and withered branch. In other words, if you are the Lord of your own life, you'll die eternally. And practically it doesn't work no matter what multimillion dollar entrepreneur may tell you on your latest tiktok videos. It doesn't work. We wither, we dry out. Melissa said this impatience, unfaithfulness, unkindness and a lack of peace are signs of our self reliance. Not, not perfect because we all struggle but impatience, unfaithfulness, unkindness, lack of peace. Any of us struggling with those things. It could be too much self reliance, too much. I'm the Lord of my life. She goes on all that we need for a fruitful life is right before us. We are simply called to put on Christ, trusting that he will warm our hearts as we abide in him. And some of them would say, ah, that's hokey. That's all I gotta do is just put on Jesus. Well, i it's a thing, you know, it is kind of a thing, you know, I actually don't need a big white fluffy puffy religious jacket to make it in life. When it comes to the parade of my words, the parade coming from my heart and my mind what I need the most is the sweatshirt of face, something that's kind of always around. Something that's easy to put on something that will change me in just a few moments you see, to abide with Jesus, to remain with Jesus. To, to be in a relationship with Jesus. You know, I, I it's not this, you know, crazy mystical thing. It's, it's kind of a real thing and it's simply put, is live by like reading your bible and praying. Being a part of a local church, having Christian friends cheer you on, encourage you, hold you accountable, all of those things. It's, it's not a hard thing that the sweat shirt isn't hard, but it's good. The sweatshirt is, is very good. You see everything that we need is right in front of us. Everything that we need to fill the air with the words that people need the most. It's, it's right in front of us. It's not hard to figure out. It's, it's right there and it's all found in Jesus. So there could be a million different ways that, that we talk about this. But, but I just wanna keep it super crazy simple because we, we're in this together. So for the glory of God, for the good, the benefit of people around us, not just here in this room but but anywhere we are the the general benefit of the people around us at work and school and home and other places, but also for the potential eternal benefit of others. Let's let's do this. Let's let's take the simplicity of this and let's make it our goal together to abide in Jesus, to remain in Jesus. Because if we do his promise is that we will bear much fruit with our words, with our thoughts, with our actions, with our influence. In other words, what we want to do in this season of earth and history where we think that it's the most evil and the most vile and the most immoral that's ever been, which is not. But we feel that way because we live now. But because of this moment, because of those realities, the greatest thing we can do as we can freshen up the air with the glory of God. So simply put, let's have the same words because we have the same hearts, hearts that are set and focused on Jesus.