You think about it. Our words, the way in which we communicate with one another, our speech.
In a sense, our words are an inescapable part of our lives, whether internally in our thoughts or externally in our words.
We can be social tweeters. We can be lounge chair lawyers. We can be opinionated critics.
But at the same time, we can be motivational speakers. We can be encouraging colleagues.
We can be uplifting, supporting friends. So is it just then a matter of balance?
Can our speech be good or bad, depending on how we use it, how we control it?
Does it really matter if we control it? Can we even control it?
We're going to be looking this morning, as Ralph just read, at James chapter 3, verses 1 to 12.
But as we begin, let me just give you a quick background to the main points of what James has been writing up to this point.
James is a fantastic book in the Bible. So much good, solid, biblical advice for believers that we simply don't have time to cover it all.
But let me offer a quick synopsis of what he's been saying.
So he's primarily writing to believers everywhere.
We see that in verse 1 in his words, to the 12 tribes scattered amongst the nations.
And he has really strong, sound, heartfelt words to speak to them.
He consistently refers to his hearers as, my brothers, or the translations might render it, my brothers and sisters.
That all-inclusivity.
The message is to us as believers this morning.
As relevant then to those that he wrote to, just as relevant now to us this morning.
Perhaps one of the central themes of James is this.
That true believers in Christ will live in a certain way.
So how does James lay this out for us?
Well, we see that true believers can be joyful in the face of trial.
Because testing develops perseverance, which grows the mature Christian.
What else?
We see that believers are not just listeners of the word.
They do what it says.
Because they don't show favoritism.
They demonstrate their faith in their action.
And those are just a few.
And I really encourage you to get stuck into James in your own quiet time.
But for now in chapter 3, James comes to us with quite a stark and hard-hitting indictment on our speech.
Let me say this as it's something I really feel we need to take on board as we begin this morning.
What James has to say will not necessarily sit well with us.
But nonetheless, it is vital for our growth as believers that we hear what the Lord would speak to us through James' words.
Let me pray that the Lord would open our ears to hear and our hearts to respond to his word.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word.
We thank you for its instruction, for its direction, the challenge it brings to us to live holy lives in response to your call.
Help us to see clearly the truths of what you would speak to us this morning.
Please soften our hearts that we might put off our pride and every notion of independence from you.
Help us to cling to your words.
We want to focus on you.
Pray that you will forgive us our sinfulness for the evil words we've spoken, the evil thoughts we've harbored in our hearts.
Teach us and challenge us to live the holy lives that please you.
It's in Christ's name we pray.
Amen.
If you've closed your Bible, I might encourage you to open it again to James chapter 3.
And in these few verses we're coming to look at now, the central theme...
Ah, down. Is it right? There we go.
The central theme that we're going to be looking at as we come to James chapter 3 is this.
The great potential of words for evil and inconsistency in the life of the believer.
Let me repeat that.
The potential of words for evil and inconsistency in the life of the believer.
And James, as we'll see, is going to do this in three stages of the next 12 verses.
First of all, we're going to see an introductory warning.
Secondly, we have an incendiary explanation.
And finally, an immense call.
Let's get stuck in.
First of all, we have an introductory warning.
James writes in verse 1 of chapter 3,
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers,
because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
We all stumble in many ways.
If anyone is never at fault in what he says,
he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
Now you might be sitting there thinking,
Well, I'm not a teacher.
How does this apply to me?
Or to others like me?
But James isn't limiting his warning to merely teachers, as we'll see.
Some say perhaps he's writing concerned about those who are seeking the status of teacher
for the authority or the standing in the church.
Now we're not explicitly told that, and that may well have been the case.
But I think when we consider the text as a whole,
we begin to see that James is more leading us into his discourse about speech,
rather than it being just a lone rogue verse,
just kind of sitting there for no reason.
He's leading us in with his talk about the tongue.
The implications are far more reaching in the congregation.
So let us all, teachers or not, listen to what he has to say.
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, he writes.
We'll see throughout the course of this morning that we must tame the tongue,
yet we cannot do so.
Certainly then for anyone who would stand up in front of a crowd to teach from God's word,
they need be very cautious.
They need to guard their speech carefully.
So often when we speak, our words can become so careless.
You may well have heard it said that we have one mouth and two ears,
so we should do twice as much listening as we do speaking.
But yet I know how often I fall short personally,
and I know if you're honest with yourself, you'll probably admit the same.
We rarely come away from an argument with a friend or a loved one,
a brother and sister in Christ,
and when we realise where we went wrong,
we wish we could go back and say more.
More often than not, I think we wish we'd said less.
We might think too of how influential the words of a person in authority can be.
A persuasive person can convince others of anything,
even if it's a lie.
A quick wish and a humour can raise the spirit and elicit a laugh,
but used incorrectly,
and it can cause hurt and upset,
even unintentionally so.
I know this for myself, and perhaps it's an Irish trait in general,
but how often do we kind of excuse a slip of the tongue or a hurtful word as,
oh, it's just all in the name of good banter, you know?
And the problem of the public misuse of words then can be all the worse
in a church context like this,
where those who teach are expected to be models of good and upright Christian living.
And so James says,
they will be judged more severely.
And he includes himself in this bracket,
even as he writes.
He recognises, and indeed so should we,
that we who teach will be subject to judgment for what we say.
Let me pause there just for a moment and clarify
what I feel James is talking about when he means by judged.
Is it by others or is it by God?
Is it now in the present,
or is it kind of now then at the future judgment?
Well, ultimately I think we can say that this judgment
comes from the Lord.
God will hold each of us to account for what we say.
Yet in a sense there's a greater responsibility
placed on teachers for their words
because of the effect that it can have.
They will be held to account for what they've taught,
whether it's in accordance with God's word or not.
And as we've seen, even briefly at this point,
the great potential that words can have,
we recognise how seriously God takes such a matter.
Let's move on in the text.
He goes on to tell us then why we should not presume to teach in verse 2.
Why?
Because we all stumble in our sin.
And where better do we see this happen than with our tongue,
with our speech?
Maybe that's in the words we speak,
or even in the inward words that we speak in our minds,
our thoughts.
Our speech or our tongue serves as a permanent reminder
each and every day of our own sinfulness,
of our inability to change ourselves.
We can't pretend that we're sinless,
where, in many cases,
the evidence against us is clear
from the moment that we open our mouths.
James goes on to tell us that
if anyone's never at fault in what they say,
then they're perfect,
able to keep their whole body in check.
If they can control their tongue,
well then surely they can control every part of their bodies.
For each one of us, though,
we know how difficult it is to control the tongue.
Even the most well-spoken Christian you know
will probably admit to that.
We're all imperfect in this area.
James calls us to tame our tongue,
yet for so many of us,
our speech is so often our undoing.
So we see here James' introductory warning.
Don't presume to teach
and so incur judgment on yourself,
because we know we all stumble.
We're all imperfect.
We fail to control our tongue.
James already highlighted at the end of chapter 1,
verse 26,
what true religion looks like
if we're living for Christ.
He writes,
if anyone considers himself religious
and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue,
he deceives himself,
and his religion is worthless.
So if we think ourselves religious,
if we think ourselves really following and living for God,
and we don't keep a tight rein on our tongue,
well then James says we deceive ourselves,
we fool ourselves,
our religion is worth nothing.
James' warning touches all of our lives.
It's not merely helpful advice to those who would teach,
nor is he directing his warning at them alone.
No, James directs his warning at each of us.
Each of us fails to control our speech.
Let's unpack a little bit more now
about what James would say about the tongue.
Why is it such a big problem?
So we come to the next stage,
an incendiary explanation.
So having introduced the idea of speech or the tongue,
he gets deeper into its very nature.
He brings to us,
and quite vividly,
a fiery description of the tongue
and its potential for great evil.
Let's have a look.
We're going to see three illustrations
that James uses.
He compares the tongue to a horse's bit,
a ship's rudder,
and then the spark that starts a raging inferno.
Verse 3 reads,
When we put bits into the mouths of horses
to make them obey us,
we can turn the whole animal.
Small things produce big results.
Something small as a bit in the mouth of a horse
can be used to turn the animal itself.
Such a powerful animal,
bent to the will of its rider
by something so small.
And like the tongue,
it rests in the mouth
and controls the larger body.
James has us then consider
the rudder of a ship in verse 4.
Or take ships as an example.
Although they are so small
and are driven by strong winds,
they are steered by a very small rudder
wherever the pilot wants to go.
Again, James shows us
the big results produced
by something small.
Whether you've ever been on a boat before or not,
you can probably appreciate the metaphor.
Even though the ship is driven by the wind,
the pilot controls the rudder
and directs it wherever he wants to go.
The small part of the ship
turns and directs the whole vessel.
Much in the same way
as the tongue
has similar influence
over the whole person.
You might think today
maybe of the steering wheel in a car.
Small member of the car's anatomy
but yet controls the whole vehicle
and is directed by the will of the driver.
So as the bit,
the rudder,
the wheel
directs the larger body,
the tongue
directs human life.
Now, perhaps this question
has been brewing in your mind
as you're listening.
Each of these metaphors
have a third party.
Someone controlling the bait
or steering at the helm.
But who's controlling the tongue?
Well,
we know from Scripture
that our tongue
is controlled by our will,
by our hearts.
Scripture teaches us
that from our hearts
comes forth our speech.
Let me offer a quick illustration
that might help us
to think of this.
Say we are annoyed
at a friend,
a spouse,
or maybe a child
because they broke a promise
or they forgot something
we asked them to remember.
In that moment,
we snap.
We snap at them.
We say something unkind.
Without thinking.
Maybe we go further than that
and we act on it.
Maybe we go and gossip.
We share the failings of others
with our confidants
just kind of for the pleasure
of a bit of juicy gossip.
How quickly do we step over the line
from seeking support
to entertaining gossip?
We run the person down.
Maybe we actively punish them
with distrust or disdain.
Do we see the influence of the tongue,
something so small,
but yet with the uncontrolled potential
for great evil?
And if we haven't got a glimpse yet,
we will in the next few verses
from God's Word.
Let's push on to the next
of James' metaphor,
the next stage
in his incendiary explanation.
Verse 5 reads,
Likewise,
the tongue is a small part
of the body,
but it makes great boasts.
Consider what a great forest
is set on fire
by a small spark.
Now James goes on
to really hone in
on the danger of the tongue.
The tongue,
though a small part of the body,
a small insignificant part
in terms of its size,
it makes great boasts.
It builds itself up,
makes itself bigger,
more impressive.
It boasts and brags,
gorging itself on more
and more pride.
See the picture James
is painting for us here.
Certainly not one of sweet
and delicate innocence.
In fact,
more the extreme opposite.
But there's still more.
He calls us in the second half
of verse 5
to consider something,
something that really
focus our minds
on the right track.
Because,
well a bit is not dangerous
in the horse's mouth,
nor is a rudder really,
but a fire.
This is a danger
I think we can all relate to.
The tongue,
he explains,
is like a small spark
that results
in a huge forest fire.
Again,
for the third time,
something small
producing grace,
and in this case,
tragic results.
If anything,
at this point,
we see the influence
of the tongue
in our lives.
As the bit directs
the horse,
as the rudder
steers the ship,
so too our lives
are directed
by our tongues.
But what is it
about our tongues
that has this potential
for evil influence
over our whole lives?
Well,
I'll let James explain
in verse 6.
The tongue also
is a fire,
a world of evil
among the parts
of the body.
It corrupts
the whole person,
sets the whole course
of his life on fire,
and is itself
set on fire
by hell.
What a damning
statement about
our tongue,
our speech,
the way we communicate.
It's a really hopeless
situation that James
puts forth.
If we thought
we could control
this fire by ourselves,
or maybe put it out
or dampen it
by our own good efforts,
well,
then I think
we're sorely mistaken.
It's like trying
to control
a raging inferno,
James would say.
There are three things
that we should notice
briefly
about the tongue
from this verse
and help us
to get a feel
for the real heat
of what James
has to say.
First of all,
the character.
A world of evil
amongst the parts
of the body,
James says.
A world of evil.
Not just a small,
insignificant part.
Not half good
and half bad.
No,
a world of evil.
This is the stark,
intense reality
of our tongue's character.
Secondly,
the influence
of the tongue.
If it weren't enough
to reveal the depth
of our incapacity
to change ourselves
and control our tongues,
James goes even deeper.
He refers to
the tongue's influence.
It corrupts
the whole person,
sets the whole course
of his life on fire.
The cycle of evil
rolls through
the life of the person.
The fire grows
and grows.
For ourselves,
maybe we say
someone is untrustworthy
because we think it.
But when we think it,
sorry,
when we say it,
we think it all the more.
So we think,
oh,
that person's untrustworthy.
But when we voice that,
we think it more.
And so you see
how the cycle continues.
And it does that
all the way through life,
creating new evils
as it goes.
And thirdly,
the allegiance
of the tongue.
We've seen that
this evil flows
from the sinful heart
within each of us.
But James adds
a little bit more here
at the end of verse 6.
He finishes with,
it is itself
set on fire
by hell.
Now,
some of the commentators
would differ slightly
on the interpretation of this,
but let me offer
a brief comment.
I don't think he means
in this instance
that it's damned
for destruction,
but rather,
I think he nails
the tongue's colors
to the mast
and reveals
its allegiance.
If we were to wonder
why the tongue
has such great potential
for evil,
why it causes
so much trouble
for us
and the world around us,
well,
I think then
James explains,
the fiery potential
it has,
the evil it can harbor,
spits forth
from hell itself.
So do we see
the danger we have
resting between our teeth?
The great potential
for evil
in our Christian life?
Remember that James
is writing to believers here
to inform them,
to warn them
of the great danger.
So be aware.
We must wake up
and realize this morning.
Are we aware
of our tongue's ability
to stain us,
to pollute us,
to corrupt us?
James continues
in verses 7 and 8.
He writes,
all kinds of animals,
birds, reptiles
and creatures of the sea
are being tamed
and have been tamed
by man,
but no man
can tame the tongue.
It's a restless evil
full of deadly poison.
Sadly ironic,
is it not,
that all kinds
of wild animals
have been tamed
by mankind,
but no man
or woman
can tame the tongue.
Perhaps you've been
to the circus
or an aquarium
and you've seen
animals tamed
and controlled
to respond to command.
Wild animals
like bears,
lions,
orcas,
dolphins,
most of them
able to kill
and destroy us
with ease,
but yet
these have been tamed.
But James says
that no one
can tame the tongue.
And why?
He writes,
because it's
a restless evil
full of deadly poison.
It's volatile,
unstable,
at best,
maybe half-tamed,
but yet liable
to break out
at any moment
and unleash
that evil.
None of us
can force it
back to line.
No one amongst humans
with our sinful
human nature
can control it.
Yet it must be tamed.
Who then
can tame it?
Well,
here's where we
hit the wall,
I think.
The tongue
has great potential
for evil
in the life
of the believer.
So it must be
controlled.
It must be
tamed.
James says
we must do
something
that we cannot
do.
And so we come
to our third
and final point
this morning.
An immense
call.
Lastly,
and more briefly,
James highlights
the absurdity
of our thinking
if we believe
we can master
the tongue
by ourselves
as he turns
towards our
attitude
to God.
From verse 9,
reads,
with our tongue
we praise
our Lord and Father
and with it
we curse men
who have been
made in God's
likeness.
Out of the same
mouth come praise
and cursing.
My brothers,
this should not
be.
Can both fresh
water and salt
water flow
from the same
spring?
My brothers,
can a fig tree
bear olives
or a grapevine
bear figs?
Neither can a
salt spring
produce fresh
water.
Do we see
the absolute
hypocrisy
that our
tongues
produce?
The core
of this
passage
in verse 10
sums up
James'
message to
us this
morning.
Out of the
same mouth
come praise
and cursing.
My brothers,
this should
not be.
One minute,
even here in
church,
we're worshipping
the Lord
with our words,
with our thoughts,
and the next
moment,
we're cursing
those made
in his image.
Maybe this is
not so outwardly
obvious.
Let us think
on it for a
moment.
Let's say
perhaps you're
singing praises
to God as we
finish up in a
few moments,
and two minutes
later you're
entertaining the
thought of maybe
bringing up that
embarrassing instance
with someone just
to maybe slide them
off or harm their
feelings, even all in
the name of good
banter to get a
laugh out of people.
Or maybe perhaps
slandering someone to
their face because they
really annoyed you.
Or going and
gossiping to someone
else about it behind
their back.
one minute out of
the same mouth
come praise and
cursing to our
Lord and Father,
and the next
cursing those made
in his image.
My brothers and
sisters,
this should not
be.
Can both salt
water and fresh
water come from
the same spring?
Or can a fruit
tree bear fruit
different from its
nature?
Well, no, that's
ridiculous.
It's inconsistent.
But that is the way
of the tongue.
That's how we can be
in our worship.
And so James drives
his point home.
In a sense, we can
almost feel him
chiding us with this
impossible, with this
immense call.
This should not be.
This cannot be.
He highlights our
inconsistency, even
when he and indeed
we know that no one
can tame the tongue.
But yet the need
remains.
We need to watch
our words.
We've seen the
great potential of
something small to
have huge and
disastrous results.
So we must be
wary of what we
say, what we
think.
We must do this,
but we cannot.
No human can.
So are we excused
on this basis?
Well, no.
If we're honest
with ourselves
before God's word,
then we're in a
hopeless state this
morning.
Engulfed in the
fiery flames of our
own sinful words
and our thoughts.
Day by day, those
thoughts and words
reflecting perfectly
to the world around
us the sinfulness
of our hearts.
We cannot control
that which we
must.
Now, James does
not leave us with
the kind of ending
that we'd like to
hear at the end of
these verses.
It doesn't resolve
the riddle for us
in this passage.
If you thought at
the end of this
sermon I'd kind of
dish out a top ten
tips to a tamed
tongue, well then
I'm sorry because
I don't have them.
And James doesn't
give them at this
point.
On the basis of
our own human
efforts, if we
focus on that,
well he leaves us
in this tension.
We've seen this
morning that we're
hopelessly incapable
of taming the
tongue by our own
efforts.
But brothers and
sisters, what else
does scripture teach
us?
Where is the good
news for us in the
face of such an
indictment?
Well it's this.
At the very heart
of the gospel is
the fact that we
are in an
impossible situation
until God shows
up.
We cannot tame
the tongue, we
cannot save
ourselves.
Yet as sinful
human beings we
find our only hope
in the one who
is without sin, in
Jesus Christ.
For each of us
here this morning
we need to admit
that need of a
savior.
On the one hand
we could deny our
sin, we could claim
that we're better or
maybe no worse than
others.
We can claim that
our good words and
thoughts outweigh the
bad ones.
We can claim our
own righteousness.
But again, this
should not be.
This cannot be.
There's a better way
we can respond.
Our righteousness
has been revealed
to us.
We need to believe
in God's only son,
in Jesus Christ,
and daily cling to
him as our
savior.
Come to the
Lord.
Ask his forgiveness
for the failures
of our speech.
And once we
submit to the
fact that he
alone can do
what we cannot,
then we are
ready to face
the failures of
our speech which
reflect the
failures of our
hearts.
Let me just
offer a few
words of
application as we
close.
When we come to
a book like
James, it's very
important that we
use gospel lenses
as we think on
what the Lord
speaks to us.
Where the likes of
Paul or John
might include
little nuances
to Christ or
little kind of
gospel truth
nuggets as they
write.
James does
things a little
differently.
He kind of
assumes that we
know and
understand the
gospel.
So we're
seeking to
live for Christ.
That's a given
for him as he
writes.
So if we
forget that or
if we don't
take that into
account when we
read the book
of James, we
can just end up
with trying to
live morally by
our own efforts.
Which when it
comes to the
tongue, we realize
that we can't
even do that.
But thank the
Lord as always.
His word does
not leave us
without a
lifeline.
Just a few
verses later in
chapter 4,
James writes,
God opposes the
proud but gives
grace to the
humble.
Submit yourselves
then to God.
Resist the devil
and he will flee
from you.
Come near to
God and he
will come near to
you.
Wash your
hands, you
sinners.
Purify your
hearts, you
double-minded.
Grieve, mourn,
and wail.
Change your
laughter to
mourning and
your joy to
gloom.
Humble yourselves
before the
Lord and he
will lift you
up.
We need to
humble ourselves
in this area
before the
Lord, that he
would bring the
change that we
so desperately
need.
We need to
submit this area
of our lives
to him.
Then we can
resist the
temptation to
use our
tongue for evil
before we
speak.
Let us
pause and
think.
And let us
resolve in
his strength
alone, and I
cannot emphasize
that enough, in
his strength
alone, brothers
and sisters, to
use our tongue
for good and
not for evil, to
bless and not
to curse, to
lift one another
up, not put one
another down, to
speak words of
kindness and not
to gossip.
gossip.
And when we
slip up, which
we will, we'll
let us come and
ask his forgiveness
time and time
again, and let
us get up again
and pursue by
his strength the
holy lives that
he's called us to
live.
Let us pray.
Amen.
Heavenly Father, from
our own mouths come
praise to you and
cursing of our
brothers and
sisters.
This should not
be.
We recognize our
total and our
complete inability to
reform ourselves and
to change our sinful
ways by our own
efforts.
We stand guilty and
without excuse.
Please forgive us.
we've seen this
morning the great
potential of our
tongues for evil
and inconsistency in
our lives as
believers.
We cannot control
our tongue and we
are inconsistent in
our worship of you.
This should not be.
Please help us.
We are lost and
without no hope.
But into our
hopelessness you have
spoken these words.
This shall not be.
We thank you, most
loving Father, for
sending Jesus
Christ.
We thank you that
when we trust in
him as our
saviour, we receive
your loving mercy.
We thank you then
that you love us as
your children, flaws
and all.
In his name,
Amen.
I believe we're
going to sing as we
close, but I'm just
going to get that
ready.
Amen.
Japanese
principles planilton can steal
lic centered Jesus
grained ground
in honor.
Thank you.