Speaking Evil
It’s not enough just to hear, and it’s not enough just to do. Because of my faith, I go and I do. Our faith continually changes us as we grow in Christ. You may have known Christ for 20, 30, 40 years or more, but the change doesn’t stop. You should be continually growing, changing, and learning through the Word. If you get lost, what do you do? If you’re a guy, you run in circles until you run out of gas. What you should do is ask for directions. The directions are in here. This is the GPS.
If I’m not seeing evil, if I’m not taking evil into my ears (or ear, for me since I’m deaf in one ear!), then evil is not going to come out of my mouth. Most of the time we are so good at speaking evil because we are so good at watching evil, so good at listening to evil and consuming it in so many ways. So if we’re filling our heads with evil, what’s going to come out? Evil. Speak no evil.
James 4:11-12 is actually a summary of everything from chapter 3 and everything we’ve seen so far in chapter 4. This book is a letter, so he repeats points that are really important in order to hammer them home and make sure his readers don’t miss them. He’s summarizing all this in verses 11-12.
James 4:11-12 is actually a summary of everything from chapter 3 and everything we’ve seen so far in chapter 4. This book is a letter, so he repeats points that are really important in order to hammer them home and make sure his readers don’t miss them. He’s summarizing all this in verses 11-12.
James 4:11-12 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.
The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.
But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.
But who are you to judge your neighbor?
The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.
But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.
But who are you to judge your neighbor?
James is saying that we misuse our tongue and our mouth to speak evil. Why? Because we take evil in, we see and hear evil, and so evil comes out. Garbage in, garbage out. He summarizes the causes of speaking evil in James 3.
James 3:5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
Speaking evil is a result of:
1. Arrogant boasting
2. Jealousy
1. Arrogant boasting
2. Jealousy
- We all deal with jealousy, and some of us are really good at hiding it. Some of us don’t hide it, and can’t figure out why we have no friends.
- What do I want, versus what do I need? I need food, I need clothes. Heading south for the winter is a want.
- When we are so focused on us and what we can get in the world, our passions, our possessions, and our position in life, so focused on having the best job, the biggest paycheck, the nicest house, the coolest car, the nicest clothes – pride begins to build. When pride builds, we are really quick to criticize others because we think we have arrived, and have earned the level of affluence we have. We work our tails off to get the best stuff, and the buttons on our jackets start popping because we’re just so proud of what we have accomplished, what we have earned. “I worked hard! It’s mine! I love it!” Think about it.
- Part of this seeing and hearing evil thing is that you see it everywhere. Flip on the TV, if I say “Keeping up with the….” You know how that ends. What do they do? They’re all about society and obtaining stuff. There are still people who think the folks from Jersey Shore area amazing. They still make national news because they fell or went to a different coffee shop! Why do we care? Because that’s what we want for ourselves. That’s the pride.
- We actually had someone who dealt with the show Teen Mom, a nail technician, and Teen Mom was filming while she was doing the nails of the people on the show. They were just starting fights, chewing each other up and down – in other words, speaking evil.
- It’s not just celebrities, it’s athletes and politicians. Everyone starts their campaign with “Here’s what I’m for….” But pretty soon it’s just mud-slinging, nobody wants to hear what you’re for, because we want to hear all the dirt. We want to see the evil, hear the evil. That’s politics, and people make ridiculous amounts of money as professional politicians. They are so focused on themselves and the world that they have put themselves on the throne where God should be, and they are speaking evil.
So what we’re dealing with is discernment versus judgment. What does discernment look like versus judgment? If you claim the name of Jesus, this should be said about you: We should seek and obtain discernment.
But everyone gets their panties in a bunch because they don’t want to judge anybody. "They’re going to do what they’re going to do, and that’s up to them" – so we’re all afraid to judge. We’ve all seen tattoos and bumper stickers saying, “Only God can judge me.” We’re all scared to pass “judgment” on other people.
As Christians, people who claim to follow Christ, we need to have discernment, and there’s a difference. This doesn’t mean that we judge others, because we can’t judge their hearts or their motives, but we can see clearly where they may be going wrong.
But everyone gets their panties in a bunch because they don’t want to judge anybody. "They’re going to do what they’re going to do, and that’s up to them" – so we’re all afraid to judge. We’ve all seen tattoos and bumper stickers saying, “Only God can judge me.” We’re all scared to pass “judgment” on other people.
As Christians, people who claim to follow Christ, we need to have discernment, and there’s a difference. This doesn’t mean that we judge others, because we can’t judge their hearts or their motives, but we can see clearly where they may be going wrong.