If you would turn with me to James chapter 3 and Proverbs chapter 18 this morning,

if you didn't bring a Bible with you, hold up your hand real high.

The ushers have extra Bibles.

Be glad to let you use one of ours.

And let's go to James 3, Proverbs 18.

In James 3, Proverbs 18. In James 3, verse 2, he says, in many things we offend all,

if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body. We've all made mistakes.

But he says if a person doesn't miss it in what they say, they're a perfect man.

Now, in our modern English language, when we hear the word perfect, we generally think

flawless.

And that is not what you should get from this word.

If you look it up, it basically means fully developed. It means complete or completed.

And it's talking about growing up and maturing. Who is a fully developed individual?

A person who doesn't miss it in what they say.

So you can tell how spiritually mature or immature you and I are

by how frequently we miss it in what we say.

If we're just saying dumb stuff in the morning,

afternoon, and when the sun goes down, we're babies, baby, babies. I don't care if you're 60

years old and been born again 40. You're a baby. But if you're growing up, you'll go for weeks

at a time and not miss it in what you say.

You grow up even more, you'll go for months at a time.

You'll go a year at a time

...