Well, good morning, church. Turn with me, if you have a Bible, to the book of James.
We're continuing in our series this summer, which we've entitled Steadfast in this very practical, down-to-earth book of the New Testament.
This morning we're reading James chapter 3, verses 1 to 12. So let me read these verses for us.
James chapter 3, beginning at verse 1.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.
Look at the ships also. Though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder.
Wherever the will of the pilot directs, 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!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.
The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
Does a spring pour forth from the same opening, both fresh and salt water?
Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs?
Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of human beings, compared to other animals, is our constant use of words.
According to a study of college students conducted in 2007, the average person studied spoke approximately 16,000 words per day.
Male or female, there was not a significant difference based on gender.
The range was 800 words for the least talkative person to 47,000 words for the most talkative person.
But you know, that's only the number of words that come out of our mouths.
I think today, many of us probably type at least as much as we talk.
And we read at least as much as we hear.
Words are everywhere.
Many of things that we know they'll like to hear.
Or when somebody offends us, we might tell them off or vent to another friend or post our frustrations on Facebook.
Or when we're uncomfortable or anxious, we complain and whine.
When we have a strong opinion or a strong reaction to something, we want to make it known.
And most of the time, I think we just say what we want to say and go on with our lives.
I mean, if I really did speak 16,000 words yesterday, or even half or a quarter of that amount, how many of those do I remember today?
We're often careless in how we speak.
You know, I think we also know that words spoken to us can stay with us for a long time.
When I was in elementary school, I remember hearing that old rhyme,
sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
Now, perhaps that statement was meant to express courage and resilience in the face of threats or insults.
And courage and resilience are good qualities to cultivate, but it's simply not true to say that words will never hurt.
Doug Moo, commenting on this very passage,
I think in James, I think rightly said,
far easier to heal are the wounds caused by sticks and stones than the damage caused by words.
I think in most cases that is true.
The passage we're looking at this morning tells us that our words matter.
They matter a lot.
And so we'll look at this passage under three headings.
First, the power of our words in verses 1 through verse 5, the first half of verse 5.
And second, the danger of our words from second half of verse 5 to verse 8.
And third, the inconsistency of our words in verses 9 to 12.
So the power of our words, the danger of our words, and the inconsistency of our words.
First, the power of our words.
Now, James begins this section in verse 1 with a warning that would have immediately caught his hearer's attention.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers.
Now, imagine a doctor speaking to a class of prospective medical school students
and opening his talk by saying, not many of you should become physicians.
Or, you know, I thought if I was speaking to a group of seminary students,
and if I said, not many of you should become pastors.
Right?
You might be surprised to hear things like that.
Right?
Verse 1 is not quite what you'd expect to hear from someone who is himself a teacher.
James says we, right?
He identifies himself as a teacher.
He's talking about teachers in the church particularly.
You might expect James to give more of a recruiting pitch.
We need more teachers.
You should consider this.
But James actually felt the need to give a warning
to those who are aspiring to teach and lead in the Christian church.
You see, many of the people James was writing to were poor.
They were being persecuted.
They were being mistreated by their wealthy landlords and bosses.
And so the church was one of the few places
where they could potentially get some respect.
where they might rise to a position of honor and even authority.
Right?
In their society, maybe 10% of people could read and write.
And so teachers who could read and write and speak in public,
especially in the Jewish context, were highly regarded.
But James wanted to remind them,
being a teacher in the church is not primarily a high honor to enjoy.
It's primarily a high responsibility to steward.
You see, what is the highest honor in the church of Jesus Christ?
The highest honor in the church of Jesus Christ
is not standing up at the pulpit,
being a pastor, being a recognized leader.
The highest honor in the church belongs to every single believer in Jesus Christ.
It's through your connection to Christ,
you are a child of God and an heir of his heavenly kingdom.
That is the highest honor you can aspire to or experience anywhere.
To be a child of the king of the universe.
To belong to him now and forever.
There's no higher privilege and honor available to human beings anywhere.
And so James is reminding us,
if you're dissatisfied with the honor of being a child of God,
don't become a church leader.
Because you won't help yourself or anybody else.
James says, no, teaching in the church is a high responsibility.
We who teach will be held to a higher standard.
Because we talk a lot.
And lots of people are listening.
We all fall short in many ways,
but when lots of people are listening
and when you're speaking to a lot of people,
you have to be doubly careful.
James says in this chapter that we who teach must be extra careful
both about what we say and about how we live.
If you notice, the first half of this chapter
that we're looking at today focuses on what we say.
The second half of this chapter,
what we'll look at next week,
starting at verse 13,
focuses on how we live.
Right?
Who is wise and understanding among you by his good conduct,
let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
Now, you could take everything that James says
in verses 1 to 12
and apply it specifically to teachers and leaders in the church.
That would be a fruitful exercise
for those of us who are teachers and leaders in the church
but I think James is making a more general point.
Right?
He starts with a specific warning
and then he moves to a more general point
that has a broad application to all of us.
Right?
And he begins by saying,
our words have power.
Look at the two images he uses in verses 3 and 4.
First, verse 3.
A small bit in the horse's mouth
is the means by which a rider guides the whole body of the horse.
And then verse 4.
A small rudder is the means by which the pilot
or the captain guides a large ship.
So in other words,
James is saying the tongue
sets the pace for the rest of the body.
If we learn to bridle our tongue,
control our tongue,
then we can also learn to exercise self-control
and discipline over the other parts of our body.
If we don't bridle our tongue,
then the rest of our body will tend to go rogue as well.
James wants us to marvel how a very small instrument,
right?
A bit in the horse's mouth,
right?
In the mouth of a large horse,
a rudder,
right?
Tiny thing compared to a large ship
has effects that are vastly disproportionate to its size.
Tiny but mighty, we might say.
Right?
And James says,
if this is true of horses and boats,
how much more is it true of human beings?
So also the tongue is a small member,
yet it boasts of great things.
Now, when James talks about boasting in verse 5,
he's not only referring to bad kinds of speech.
Later in chapter 4,
James will refer to boasting in arrogance,
which he says is evil.
But already in chapter 1,
chapter 1 verse 9,
he's talked about boasting in humility.
So he says,
let the lowly brother or sister
boast in their exaltation in Christ.
In other words,
as Christians,
we can boast about what God has done for us.
How he's forgiven our sins
and renewed our minds
and lifted us out of the pit of despair
and given us real and lasting hope.
We can rejoice
even when we're beaten down by trials
because by God's grace,
we're still walking with Jesus
and he is walking with us
on the road to glory.
Right?
There are things we can boast about.
In other words,
that we can rejoice in,
that we can celebrate,
that we can tell others about
with energy and excitement and joy.
So the tongue isn't only a huge liability.
Right?
James doesn't begin by speaking
about the negative potential of the tongue.
He reminds us of the positive potential of the tongue.
It has great potential for positive good.
Right?
That's why James talks about guiding
or bridling our tongue,
not just silencing our tongue.
Right?
Already in chapter 1,
James said we should be quick to listen
and slow to speak
and slow to anger,
but that does mean
that there is a time to speak
and that there is a time to be angry.
Now, for example,
let's say if you're having conflict or tension
in marriage or some other close relationship.
And by the way,
let me just say,
these last few months
have brought out all kinds of conflict and tension
in all kinds of relationships.
So if you're feeling that somewhere or other,
you're not alone.
But the solution to conflict and tension
is not to just stop talking to each other.
Right?
Especially within a family relationship
or someone you're living with.
Right?
The solution is not to just stop talking to each other
or avoid all difficult conversations.
You actually have to learn to communicate with words.
And sometimes that includes expressing anger
or disappointment
or other difficult emotions
in a way that is honest and sincere
without also being destructive and toxic.
When my wife and I were dating,
a wise older woman said to us,
no two people are compatible.
She said,
it's not whether you have conflict,
but it's how you deal with it
that will either strengthen
or strain your marriage.
You see, conflict or tension
can be an opportunity
to learn to communicate with our words
and to grow together as a result.
And the book of Proverbs talks about
how wise words can bring healing
and restoration
where there's been hurt
and division and confusion.
So here's a few Proverbs
from the book of Proverbs.
The tongue of the wise brings healing.
An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul
and healing to the bones.
Like an ornament of fine gold
is the rebuke of a wise judge
to a listening ear.
With patience, a ruler may be persuaded
and a soft tongue will break a bone.
A soft answer turns away wrath.
So there's all kinds of positive potential
for good effects of honest and kind
and gentle and careful
and intentional speech.
Words can be a powerful force of good.
That's what we see in this first section.
But then the second section,
verses five to eight,
emphasizes the danger of our words.
James continues with the contrast
of small things
that have big effects.
But then he introduces
a different image
in the second half of verse five.
How great a forest
is set ablaze
by such a small fire.
And the tongue
is a fire.
I mean, think about it.
Forest fires,
brush fires,
houses burn,
it all starts
with a small spark.
Often
completely unintentional.
James is also drawing upon
the wisdom of Proverbs here.
Here's some other Proverbs
about the destructive potential
of speech.
A worthless man
plots evil
and his speech
is like a scorching fire.
A dishonest person
spreads strife
and a gossip
separates close friends.
Evildoers are trapped
by their sinful talk.
The words of the reckless
pierce like swords.
Starting a quarrel
is like breaching a dam.
The mouths of fools
are their undoing
and their lips
are a snare
to their very lives.
The point is,
words can be a powerful force
for good,
but they can also result
in ruin
and destruction
that spirals
out of control.
You see,
once a fire
starts spreading,
you can't just say,
oops,
sorry I dropped
the match
in the bushes.
I wish I hadn't
done that.
Okay,
problem solved,
let's go on with life
as if it never happened.
No.
Right?
It's much easier
to start a fire
than to put out a fire
that starts raging
out of control.
And similarly,
it takes far more
time and energy
to clean up the mess
caused by unrighteous words
than it did to say
those words
in the first place.
It's not that hard
to lie,
gossip,
brag,
manipulate,
blame,
ridicule,
quarrel,
complain.
Unrighteous words
can come out
of our mouths
without much effort,
even without us
really thinking about it.
But unrighteous words
carry destructive power.
And when serious damage
has been done,
often it's not enough
to just say,
I'm sorry I said that,
can we go on
as if it never happened?
In some cases,
it may take
a significant investment
of time and energy
to rebuild
healthy patterns
of relating
to one another.
Because even after
the fire has died out,
you're still dealing
with all the charred
wreckage
that has been
consumed by it.
James wants us
to take seriously
the danger
of our words.
and along
with the image
of a brush fire,
James uses
the image
of pollution
or contamination
in verse 6.
The tongue is a world
of unrighteousness
staining the whole body.
Again,
I think it's the same point.
It's much easier
to stain a piece
of clothing
than to remove
a stain
that is set in.
And we might ask,
where does this
destructive power,
this polluting
stain,
ultimately come from?
James says
it's kindled
by hell itself.
I mean,
think about the story
of how sin
entered the world
in Genesis 3.
It began
with the serpent
speaking
deceptive
and manipulative
words to Eve,
planting seeds
of distrust
and resentment
toward God.
did God
really say that?
Why wouldn't
he want you
to eat from that tree?
You certainly
won't die
if you do.
You're pretty smart.
You should be able
to make a judgment
on your own.
Maybe God's trying
to hold something
back from you.
And then after Eve
and then Adam
take and eat
of the forbidden fruit,
what happens?
God comes to Adam,
says,
dude,
what's up?
What happened?
And Adam says,
she made me do it.
The woman
who you gave
to be with me,
she gave me
fruit of the tree
and I ate.
Deflect responsibility,
blame somebody else.
So ever since then,
the course of human history
have been polluted
by unrighteous words.
Deception
and manipulation,
blaming
and deflecting,
half-truths
and outright lies,
gossip and ridicule,
cursing and complaining,
bragging
and flattering.
Our words
have caused
all kinds
of ruin
and destruction.
You see,
we figured out
how to tame,
how to restrain,
how to hold
in check
just about
everything else
on earth.
But we haven't
figured out
how to tame
one of the smallest
members
of our own
bodies.
Our tongues
are restless,
unstable,
disorderly,
unpredictable,
like poisonous snakes,
ready to strike
at any moment.
That's the image
James is giving us
in verses 7 and 8.
Our words
are powerful
but they're
also dangerous.
And then
in verses 9 to 12,
James highlights
the greatest
danger of all,
the inconsistency
of our words.
With our tongue
we bless
the Lord,
our Lord
and Father
and with it
we curse people
who are made
in the likeness
of God.
Right?
James here
points us
to some of
the best
ways
we can use
words.
Right?
The positive
potential of words
praising and
blessing God
and some of the
worst,
cursing other
people.
Think about it.
Is there any
more noble
use of human
words
than to declare
the praises
of the author
of life himself?
Is there any
more fitting
way to use
our tongues
than to look
up to our
heavenly Father
and bless
his holy name
for he is good
and his love
endures forever?
You know,
this is something
that no other
earthly creature
can do.
Yes,
the Psalms
and the prophets
speak poetically
about the heavens
declaring the glory
of God
and the skies
proclaiming his
handiwork
and the mountains
and the hills
breaking into song
but of all
earthly creatures
it's only human
beings who have
put such thoughts
into written
words.
It's only human
beings who have
written down
intricately reasoned
arguments and
composed beautiful
poetry and song
when God made us
in his image,
in his likeness.
He installed us
as priests
in his heavenly
temple.
Right?
Our job was
and is to offer
up the praises
of all creation
to the Lord
of all.
that's a glorious
and sacred
thing.
With our
words
to lead
all creation
that gives
wordless
praise
to God
almighty.
That's an
amazing and
powerful thing
that we can do
with our
words.
But then
James points
to one of the
worst things
we can do
with our
words
to curse
other human
beings.
Now notice
what James
doesn't say.
He doesn't
say
with our
tongue
we bless
God
and then
with our
tongue
we curse
God.
Why doesn't
he say
that?
Right?
Of course
cursing God
is perhaps
the worst
thing we
could do
with our
tongues.
But James
is speaking
to religious
people.
He's speaking
to people
who identify
as Christians
who say
they believe
in the God
of the Bible.
Right?
Many of
James'
hearers
right?
Perhaps
many of
us would
say
I've
never
cursed
God.
I'm not
like those
irreverent
atheists
and pagans.
But James
says
have you
not
dishonored
your
fellow
human
beings
who are
made
in the
image
of
God?
He
says
think
about it
have you
not
dishonored
devalued
despised
other
human
beings?
And
don't
you
realize
that
when
you
dishonor
another
human
being
you
are
dishonoring
the
one
in
whose
image
and
likeness
they
were
made?
You
see
when
James
talks
about
cursing
he's
not
just
talking
about
foul
language.
You
can
dishonor
and
devalue
and despise
another
human
being
while
remaining
very
polite
and
socially
acceptable.
James
says
consider
the
words
that
have
come
out
of
our
mouths
this
morning
even
as
we've
sung
or
spoken
hymns
and
songs
of
praise.
And
then he
challenges
us
consider
all
the
words
that
have
come
out
of
our
mouths
during
the
past
week.
toward
our
spouses
toward
our
kids
toward
our
housemates
toward
our
bosses
toward
our
coworkers
toward
our
next
door
neighbors
toward
distracted
drivers
and
jaywalking
pedestrians
toward
people
of
other
nationalities
or other
racial
groups
toward
people
who
hold
opposing
political
views
toward
people
who
have
misunderstood
you
and
mistreated
you
personally.
Think
about
all
those
image
bearers
of
God
that
we've
interacted
with
in the
last
week.
What
have
our
words
to
them
communicated?
Does
James
challenge
hit
home?
It
did
for me.
From
the same
mouth
come
blessing
and
cursing.
My
brothers
and
sisters
this
ought
not
to
be
so.
verses
11
and
12
James
points
out
that
kind
of
inconsistency
doesn't
happen
anywhere
else
in the
created
order.
A
spring
doesn't
pour
forth
fresh
and
salt
water
simultaneously.
A
tree
only bears
fruit
of its
own
kind
not
of
another
kind.
And
a
salt
pond
can't
yield
fresh
water.
But
with
our
tongues
we can
be
praising
God
in one
moment
and
dishonoring
one
of his
image
bearers
in the
next.
James
says
this is
a
monstrous
inconsistency
it's
a
horrific
perversion
of God's
created
order
and
it's
one
that
James
exposes
and
challenges.
Do we
recognize
the ways
that
our
words
have been
inconsistent
with one
another?
God
is
to
God
is
all
about
steadfastness.
James'
primary
concern
is that
we
become
people
who
are
steadfast
in
our
love
undivided
in
our
loyalty
to
God
and
to
his
son
Jesus
Christ
because
God
is
steadfast
in
his
love
and
undivided
in
his
loyalty
to
us.
He
is
the
father
of
lights
with
whom
there
is
no
variation
or
shadow
due
to
change.
He
is
good
and
his
steadfast
love
endures
forever.
God
is
calling
us
to
be
the
kind
of
people
that
develop
that
steadfastness.
Remember
at the
beginning
he said
some
of that
steadfastness
is
produced
through
trials,
through
hard
experiences.
It's
not
something
we
naturally
begin
with
but
it's
something
that
we
can
grow
into
and
develop
over
time.
But
here
James
is
pointing
out
a
specific
area
where
if
we're
honest
with
ourselves
many
of
us
perhaps
even
all
of
us
have
failed
to
express
that
kind
of
steadfastness
and
instead
we've
expressed
inconsistency.
And
you
see
the
inconsistency
of our
words
exposes
the
inconsistency
of our
hearts.
It's
very likely
that James
was thinking
back to
Jesus'
own
teaching.
Matthew
15
18
Jesus
said
what
comes
out
of the
mouth
proceeds
from
the
heart.
And
that
is what
defiles
a person.
That's
what
pollutes
us.
That's
what
stains
us.
That's
what
contaminates
us
is what's
in our
heart.
And
what
comes
out of
our
mouth
simply
shows
us
something
that's
in our
heart.
You
see,
how do
we
remedy
the
inconsistency
of our
words?
How do
we tame
our
tongues
that so
easily
get us
into
trouble?
James
says we
need
change
at a
heart
level.
And we
need change
that doesn't
originate
from
ourselves.
He
already
said in
verse 8,
no human
being can
tame the
tongue.
Literally
verse 8
reads,
but the
tongue
no one
is able
to tame
of
mankind.
And yet
in that
statement,
I think
there is a
glimmer of
hope.
Many
years ago,
the early
church father
Augustine
commented on
that verse.
And he
noticed,
he said,
James does
not say
simply that
no one
can tame
the tongue,
but no
one among
humans.
So that
when it
is tamed,
we confess
that this
is brought
about by
the mercy,
the help,
the grace
of God.
You see,
there is
hope for
us.
Because the
God who
is steadfast,
the father
of life,
with whom
there is
no variation
or shadow
due to
change,
the God
who is
always
true to
his word,
he has
intervened
on our
behalf.
He has
sent his
one and
only son
into the
world to
save us
from the
fires of
hell
and from
the fires
of evil
and rebellion
that burn
within our
own hearts
and come
out
through our
unrighteous
words.
God's
love.
He has
come to
save us
from that
restless
evil,
that deadly
poison.
In Jesus
Christ,
God has
done for
us what
we could
not do
for
ourselves.
He put
it to
death on
the cross
and he
rose triumphantly
from the
grave.
You see,
our hope
does not
come from
our good
words.
James is not
saying,
just try
harder and
say better
things.
No,
he's pointing
us to our
true hope
from the
living and
abiding
word of
God,
from the
truth about
what Jesus
has done
on our
behalf.
As James
said earlier
in chapter
one,
the implanted
word of
God is
able to
save your
souls.
That is
the word
that brings
healing and
forgiveness,
new life and
lasting change
that is sweet
to our soul
and healing
to our
bones.
So,
brothers and
sisters,
cling to the
truth about
what God
has done
for us
in Jesus
Christ.
Listen to
that word.
Let that
truth sink
deeply into
your heart
above all
else.
Draw upon
that new
creation life
that God
has bestowed
upon us
through the
resurrection
of Jesus
himself and
out of the
abundance of
a heart that
is being
renewed day
by day by
the grace
of God.
Let us
speak.
Let us
pray.
Father God,
we pray that
you would
forgive us
for our
unrighteous
words,
for our
words that
have started
all kinds
of fires,
that have
caused
harm
and ruin
and destruction
and mistrust.
we thank
you that
by your
grace you
have come
to repair
and heal
us.
We thank
you for
the reliability
and the
power of
your word,
that you
have been
faithful to
your word,
that you
sent your
only son,
the word
of God
himself,
Jesus
Christ our
Lord,
to save
us and
fill us
with your
spirit and
give us
everlasting
hope.
Father,
we pray that
you would
fill our
hearts,
fill our
hearts with
your truth,
with your
love,
with your
steadfastness,
that our
words may
more and
more come
to reflect
your
steadfast
love,
your
undivided
loyalty and
faithfulness to
us.
May our
words come
to reflect
that
steadfastness
and
consistency
and stability
that comes
from being
anchored in
you.
We pray
all these
things in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.