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in their heart to sow regularly into our ministry to help us take the

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teaching of the Bible to the ends of the earth. And my friends, our partners are powerful and we invite you to become a part of our partner family. But I want you now to reach for your Bible.

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Now.

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Every day this week we're going to be referring to James 1:19 because it is the foundation for this series.

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So we're going to go back there again today, and then we're going to see what Jesus had to say about

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getting a grip on your mouth.

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So reach for your Bible, get a pen or a pencil. Get ready to take some notes.

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But first I want to read these verses from the Book of Proverbs, which I started with yesterday, but they're worth hearing again.

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Proverbs 18:7 says, A fool's mouth is his ruin boy, that is the truth, and his lips are a snare to his soul. People get in trouble because they speak too quickly and say things they shouldn't have said. That's what Proverbs 18:7 says. Or Proverbs 18:21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Which means you're going to eat what you say. So you need to slow down and make sure you're saying the right thing. And remember that life and death are in the power of the tongue. Be careful what you say. Or Proverbs 21:23 says, Whoso keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from trouble. And here we find out that sometimes the wisest thing for you to do is just to be quiet. Sometimes that is the best route to take. Or how about Proverbs 29, verse 20, which says, do you see a man that's hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. And here we see there is great virtue in just slowing down and thinking before you speak and getting a grip. But let's go back to James 1:19 and cover it one more time very quickly. And in James 1:19. James, who by the way, was the half brother of Jesus, said this about

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getting a grip on your mouth.

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Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. And as we saw yesterday, those words, every man literally meant everyone, all human beings, or in this case, he's speaking

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to every single Christian.

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Which means this verse is talking to you. It's talking to you when it says, let every man just put your name there because it's talking to you. It says, let every man be swift to hear. And in fact, when you look at this verse, we discover there's only one thing you're supposed to do swiftly. You're to be swift. And as we saw in yesterday's episode, the word swift is the Greek word takous, which is a word that especially pictures our runner, who runs as fast as he can so he can reach the finish line before his competitors. It means that when it comes to hearing, you need to move your feet. You need to be as serious as a runner who's trying to get to the finish line before anybody else. You need to be a first class listener. Because this runner wants to win the race, he puts everything else out of his mind. He focuses on the finish line and presses forward to obtain the first place prize. So in this context, it means that when somebody else is speaking, you need to put everything out of your mind, focus on what is being said, and really press forward to comprehend what they're saying to you. It means to move one's feet as fast as possible, or to do something

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urgently, or to do something swiftly as possible. And this verse is a command for all believers. All believers means me and it means you. This is talking to you to urgently, swiftly hear what is being communicated. And as we saw yesterday, the word hear is the Greek word akousae, a form of the Greek word akouo. The word akoua is where we get the word for acoustics. It means I hear. But it's not just hearing and not processing. This word akou here, akusai, means to hear, but importantly carries the notion of one possessing a full comprehension of what is being communicated. So if somebody's talking to you and you don't understand them, tell them the truth. Say, I'm not getting it. I need you to slow down. Tell it to me one more time. Could you please state it maybe a little differently? I really want to understand what you're saying. That will show them that you are really eager to understand and they will appreciate your honesty and it will assure that you don't miscommunicate what is being said to you. But wait, it goes on to say that we're to be slow to speak. And as we saw yesterday, the word slow is the Greek word bradus. And this word, bratus, refers to something that is slow, sluggish, or mentally dull. It refers to one who has a handicap so serious that he cannot act quickly. Now, I don't want to be socially offensive, but this word bradus, is the same word which would describe somebody who has a mental handicap and therefore they can't quickly respond. Or maybe they have a speech impediment. That's what this word really means. And it means that when it comes to speaking, rather than be so swift to respond, you need to have a little impediment in your response.

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You need to slow down.

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You need to think before you speak. You need to open your ears, be swift to really hear what's being said to you. And rather than spout off and pipe off too fast, you need to really slow down, be sluggish. You need to have an impediment in your speech before spouting off and saying something that later you're going to regret. Be slow to speak. Now, I know that we all want to speak. We all want to say what we're thinking. But, my friend, sometimes what you're thinking doesn't need to be said. It's better just to put on the brakes. And the word speak here is the Greek word. It's a form of the word which means to chatter, to converse, or to carry on in a conversation. You know, I've learned over the years in counseling people that when I speak to them, sometimes they're not really listening to me. They're thinking about how they're going to respond to me. And if they're thinking about how they're gonna respond to me, it means they're not really hearing what I'm saying. And finally, when I get quiet, they spout off. They say a bunch of things. They didn't hear what I was communicating. And my friends, what you have to say really may not contribute to much good. It's better just to slow down and to think before you speak. We're told in Ecclesiastes 3, There's a time to speak and there's a time to be quiet. We're also told in the Book of Proverbs that we need to study to answer. You need to really think about what you're going to say before you say it. But, hey, that's not all it goes

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on to say that we're to be slow.

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And the word slow is again, the Greek word bradus. This word is repeated twice in this verse. This word bradus refers to something, again,

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that is slow, sluggish, or mentally dull,

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which means you shouldn't just vent what

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you feel very quickly. You need to be slow when it comes to wrath.

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And the word wrath is the Greek

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word orge, a word that describes something

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that's all twisted and bent out of shape. When you're twisted and bent out of shape, that is not a great time for you to speak. That's a time for you to put on the brakes, because probably you're going to spew a bunch of words that you're later going to regret and words that are hurtful to the other person. Just put on the brakes. And in fact, this word wrath depicts silent resentment that suddenly gives way to an outburst of emotion. An outburst of emotion is never helpful. It is a deeply felt anger suddenly released. You dispute on somebody else. That doesn't help them and it doesn't help you. It is a swelling, growing, wrathful emotion that explodes in rage. Rage never has a benefit. So we're to be swift, to listen, we're to be slow to speak, and we're to be slow to wrath. And the riv of James 1:19 says it like but understand, my dearly beloved brethren, that every one of you he's talking about you. Every one of you needs to swiftly run to hear, attend to, and comprehend what is being communicated. You need to zip your lips, put a lid on your mouth, and learn how to slow down in expressing your opinions. You also need to intentionally put on the brakes to stop blowing your cool so easily. Now, my friends, that is a wonderful interpretation of James 1:19. And you need to take it to heart. You need to zip your lips, put a lid on your mouth, and learn to slow down in expressing your opinions. And you also need to intentionally put on the brakes to stop blowing your cool so easily. And again, this is a series about getting a grip on your mouth. And I want to repeat to you again Psalm 141:3, which is so very important in my life. I quote this verse to myself. It says, set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips, Lord. Help me to say what I should say. Help me to keep my mouth shut when I shouldn't speak, Lord.

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Set a watch before my mouth.

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Keep the door of my lips. But now I want to see what Jesus had to say about getting a grip on your Mouth. But first, let's hear a verse from Leviticus 5, 4, 5. Listen to this, because Jesus builds on this. And in Leviticus 5, 4, 5, it says, or if anyone utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or even to do good, some people say, I swear I'm going to get that person. I swear I'm going to do this. Well, this verse is talking to you if you're making those kinds of statements, or if anyone utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or to do good, or any sort of rash oath that people swear, and it's hidden from him, and he comes to know it, and he realizes his guilt in any of these. In other words, you swear you're going to do something, but you didn't do it.

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Verse 5 says, and it shall be

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that when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing. If you make a promise to do something, but you didn't really put a lot of thought behind that promise, and now it comes time for you to perform it, and you really don't want to do it, you're sorry that you made that promise, you may need to apologize. That's going to be a moment of embarrassment that you could have avoided if you had never rashly made a promise.

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Slow down. Think before you speak.

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Think about what your words mean and

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what those words are going to require you to do.

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My friends, if you say something rashly, you may end up later having to apologize for what you said. You don't have to apologize if you just zip your lips and think before you speak.

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But now let's go to Jesus.

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And in Matthew 5. 33, Jesus said, Again, you've heard that it hath been said of them of

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old, thou shalt not forswear that shall

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perform unto the Lord thine oaths. Well, let's begin with the word not. Thou shalt not.

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The word not in Greek is the word uk. It is the strongest form of no or not.

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In the Greek language, that means Jesus

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is speaking categorically, emphatically. He's literally saying you categorically. You emphatically shall not forswear thyself. You say, well, what in the world

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does the word forswear mean? The word forswear is the Greek word EPI orcheo. It's a compound of two words, the word EPI and the word orcas. The word EPI here is used as

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an intensifier, and the word orcas means an oath. But it was also the word. Listen to this for offense or a limitation to make an oath that fences you in, that limits you or locks

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you into a position. It's really talking about you rationally making some kind of promise without putting a lot of thought into it before you made it.

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And once you make it, now you're bound. Now you've got to do what you said because you swore you would do it, and you've gotten yourself into trouble. And. And that's why Jesus says, don't do it. And he uses the word euc categorically, emphatically. Do not do this, my friends. You need to get a grip on your mouth and think about what you say before you say it, or think about what you promise before you promise it. And Jesus goes on to say, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. And the word perform is the Greek

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word apodymy, at least it's a form of it.

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It's a compound of two words. The word apo, which means back, and the word didumi means I give. But when you compound the words together

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here, it is translated as the word perform.

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And it means to pay back, to keep, or to perform, which means if you've made a promise, you have to pay it, you've got to do it. And that's why Jesus said, don't do it at all. Don't forswear. Don't make a promise rashly. Don't make an oath rashly, because if you do, then you're going to be obligated to keep your word. Jesus had better not to do it. And he said, because thou shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. Oaths. And the word oaths is different from the word forswear. The word oaths is the word called orokos. And this word orokos, describes that which is bound by a boundary, that which is fenced in and thus restricted by boundaries set around it. And it tells us when an oath is sworn, such oaths are so serious that they place boundaries and limitations upon one's life. And for this reason, Jesus says, it is better not to rashly make an oath.

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Avoid it completely.

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Get a grip on your mouth. Think before you speak. And in fact, in Matthew 5:34, Jesus continues, and he says, but I say unto you, swear not at all. Neither by heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth. That's verse 35, for it is his footstool. But let's look at verse 34. But I say unto you, swear not at all. The Word swear. The Greek word omneo, which again means to make a promise or. Or an oath, to take an oath or to swear by an oath. But it really pictures someone who makes

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a rash or threatening oath, one who is swearing that he will take matters into his own hands to do something. Now, this prohibition does not stop us from making every kind of oath. But anything done that is hastily and recklessly, Jesus says in Matthew 5:37, comes from the evil one. It comes from the evil one. Jesus says simply, do not do it. Do not swear at all.

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Not at all.

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In Greek is the word holos. It means altogether at all, entirely holy. It means, avoid this completely. Then he adds, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne. The word neither in Greek is a conjunction that in this case means either neither nor, or not even. It means never ever, and indicates keeping something beyond the realm of possibility. It is the equivalent of saying, don't ever do this. Avoid it completely. Don't ever do it. And notice Jesus says, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne. Have you ever heard somebody say, I swear to God, I swear by heaven. I swear to heaven. They even said that in the first century, in fact, it was very popular among the Jews to use heaven when they made an oath or when they swore. I swear by heaven, my friends. Jesus says, do not do this. This word heaven denotes heaven. It is the eternal abode of God, angels, and saints. And again, Jews often employed heaven in their oaths and their swearing because it sounded so religious and so serious, and it was intended to add a sense of authority and credence to what they were saying. But Jesus says, do not do it. Swear not at all, my friends. If you zip your lips and think before you make an oath or a promise or before you make some threatening statement, you're going to keep yourself out of trouble. We're learning about how to get a grip on your mouth. I'll be back in just a moment and I'm going to pray for you. Someone asked the question, who is the elect lady? In second John, verse one. Well, let's go to two John, verse one, to see what it says. John is writing. He says, the Elder, referring to himself, unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not I only, but also all they which have known the truth. Who is the elect lady that he is addressing? Some have suggested that he was writing to the Virgin Mary, but she was already dead by this time. So who is the elect lady? And the answer is obtained by doing a study of history. Principal cities in Roman provinces were called Elect Ladies, and the the principal city of Asia at that time where John lived was the city of Pergamum, and Pergamum was referred to as the Elect Lady. So it is likely that when John addresses the Elect lady in this verse, he's referring to the Church in Pergamum. And therefore here we have the secret epistle to the Church in Pergamum.

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Have you ever said something that you later regretted? We all need to learn how to control the things that come out of our mouths, and Jesus has a lot to say on the subject. In Rick Renner's series what Jesus Said about getting a grip on your mouth, you will learn how to be slow and thoughtful with your words, really thinking before you speak. You will develop a greater understanding of biblical practices such as not having blessings and curses come from the same mouth, submitting to the Holy Spirit when your tongue is untamable, and much more. This practical series is available in digital or physical formats starting at just $11. In addition, we are offering you Joyce Meyer's book Power what yout say Can Change youe Life. This powerful book draws from personal experience and scripture to illustrate how prayer and positive words can be used to overcome every challenge that stands in the way of your fulfillment. Power Words can be yours for just $12. Don't miss this special offer, the series what Jesus said about getting a grip on your mouth and the book Power Words by Joyce Meyer. Visit renner.org to order, call the number on your screen or scan the QR code now. Call or go online now.

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Hey friends, this is Rick Renner and today I want to say thank you to you partner for everything you do to help us fulfill Heaven's mandate on our ministry. In Proverbs 10:21 it says the lips of the righteous feed many. And that is our assignment. In the past year we have traveled all Russia and when we travel to minister we don't charge for plane tickets or for churches to pay for the cost of our team. You pay that price. You do that with your gifts. You enable us to go to people who could never pay for all of us to come. But we've gone as a team and lives have been transformed. We've had meetings where we have met thousands and thousands of people who listen to us on TV and then come come together to hear us in person as we impart the life transforming truth of the Bible to them. And you're a part of that because you are a partner. You're putting the fuel in the tank that enables us to go. And for this I say thank you. And all those people say thank you. And if you're not a partner yet, we need you. And today I'm inviting you to become a part of our partner family. We're waiting for you to help us take the trusted teaching of the Bible to the ends of the earth. Well, today we've been talking about how to get a grip on your mouth. And we've been looking at what Jesus had to say about rashly making promises or oaths or swearing something. Ay, ay, ay. Jesus said swear not at all. And the truth is people get themselves into trouble when they speak before they think. Slow down, zip your lips, put a lid on your mouth and think before you speak. This series is so helpful and I wish when I was a younger man, someone had taught me the things which we're covering in this series. But the series is called what Jesus Said About Getting a Grip on youn Mouth, comes with a wonderful study guide. And I want to tell you again about Joyce Meyer's wonderful book called Power Words, how your words can change your life. And my friends, your words can get you into trouble, or your words can really positively change your life. And in this book, Joyce tells you what you should say and what you ought not to say. And I really believe you need to read that book and hear this series so you can get these resources by going online or by giving us a call. And please, when you reach out to us, let us know how to pray for you. And I'm going to pray for you right now. Put your hand on your heart. Father, thank you in the name of Jesus that we have such clear instruction that we need to be careful about speaking hastily and recklessly. Lord Jesus, help us to think before we speak and to avoid getting ourself into trouble. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen. Well, tomorrow we're going to start right here. We're going to continue more about what Jesus said about getting a grip on your mouth. But until then, remember that Ecclesiastes 8:4 declares that where the word of a king is, there is power. If you've never received Jesus as your Savior and Lord, now is the time for you to experience a new life. Jesus has to give you. Pray this prayer with me right now. Lord, I repent of my sin and receive you as my Savior. And Lord, wash away my sin and make me completely new. I thank you that my sin is removed and Satan no longer has any right to lay claim on me. I faithfully promise that I will serve you as my Lord for the rest of my life. Amen.

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If you just prayed the prayer of salvation with us, would you please let us know by going to renner.org salvation we would love to connect with you. Thank you for joining Rick Renner today. For more information about Renner Ministries and product resources, visit renner.org sam.