A Life Giving Fountain

In one paragraph

This was a Monday evening service the day after Easter, and Pastor Carl built the whole message around a single idea: the resurrection is not just something we celebrated yesterday, it is the power we need right now, including to do something as ordinary and difficult as controlling what we say. He worked through James chapter three on the tongue, and he kept returning to the resurrection as the...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 3:15 verse to live by, be prepared to give a reason for the hope you have, with gentleness and respect
2. Acts 2 (partial) God raised Jesus from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him
3. James 3:1-12 main text on controlling the tongue, its power for both good and evil
4. Proverbs 10:11 the words of the godly are a life giving fountain
5. Luke 6 (partial) a good person produces good things from a good heart, what you say flows from what is in your heart
6. Philippians 4 (partial) fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable, preceding the I can do all things verse
7. Proverbs 4 (partial) guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life
8. Psalm 51 (partial) God will not reject a broken spirit and a repentant heart
9. Romans 8:11 the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and will give life to your mortal bodies
10. Matthew 26:73 those standing by said to Peter that even his accent gave him away as one of Jesus's followers
11. James 1 (partial) be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry, James's method for controlling the tongue
12. James 1 (partial) double minded person is unstable in all their ways

Talk about it

1. Pastor Carl opened with 1 Peter 3:15, which calls us to be ready to give a reason for our hope with gentleness and respect. When have you found it hard to hold those two things together, being honest about your faith and being gentle at the same time?
2. James says that if anyone could fully control their tongue they would be perfect and able to control themselves in every other way. What does that tell you about how seriously God takes the words we speak?
3. Pastor Carl pointed out that gossip can seem harmless but can brand someone for life and ruin a reputation, even when it is not true. Have you ever seen that play out, and what did it take to repair the damage?
4. The sermon moved from taming the tongue to the condition of the heart, drawing on Luke 6 where Jesus says what you say flows from what is in your heart. What are you currently feeding your heart and mind, and how is that showing up in the way you talk to and about people?
5. Several people in the room shared that anger was the moment when they lost control of what they said and later regretted it. What habits or practices help you slow down before you speak when you are angry?