Introduction
Thus far in his epistle James exhorts the Christian
to be Patient in times of Trouble, and to Practise the
Truth at all times. In chapter three, he is urging the
control of the tongue. He is saying to every believer
"Don’t get Hung by your tongue".
It was Thomas Brooks
who said—"We know metals by their tinkling
and men by their talking".
James would have agreed
with this statement, for no less than six times in this
epistle, he deals with the tongue. What comes out of
our mouths is so vitally important. One of the greatest
dangers that we, as Christians face, is the wrongful
use of our tongue.
When a doctor examines
a patient, he will often ask him to stick out his tongue.
This is helpful in diagnosing the illness. Spiritually,
the tongue test is also valid, for what we say is very
revealing of where we’re at in our walk with the
Lord.
Have you ever
been hung by your tongue? Sometimes our tongues
can get us into a lot of trouble.
Illustration
It was a young man’s first day working in
the fruit and vegetable department of a super market.
A lady came up to him and said, " I want to buy
half of a head of lettuce". He tried to put her
off by explaining that they only sold whole lettuce.
But she persisted. Finally
he said, "I’ll have to go and talk to the
manager." He went to the rear of the store, not
noticing that the woman was walking right behind him.
When he got into the back of the store, he said to the
manager, "There’s a silly old woman out there
who wants to buy half a head of lettuce.
What should I tell her?"
Seeing the horrified look on the face of the manager,
he turned about and, seeing the woman, he then added,
"And this nice lady wants to buy the other half
of the head of lettuce. Will that be all right?"
Relieved, the manager said, "yes that will be fine".
How
often it is our tongue that can get us into all kinds
of trouble.
Having just dealt with
the relationship of Faith and Works, James now moves
on to deal with the relationship of Faith and words.
Our words reveal what is in our heart. James is writing
to those who are having serious problems with their
tongues.
In chapter 1-- he warns
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak,
slow to wrath:
James
1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious,
and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart,
this man's religion is vain.
In chapter 2, James
has warned the believer to speak and act as though they
were already facing Christ in judgement.
James
2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged
by the law of liberty.
Words are very powerful.
How many children have heard their parents say, "
you are useless and you will never amount to anything"?
The children believe
these words and allow these words to shape their lives.
Words have a tremendous power for good or bad.
Washington
Irving said, "A sharp tongue is the only edge
tool that grows keener with constant use."
1.
A Pointed Exhortation verse 1
James
3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we
shall receive the greater condemnation.
The word masters means
"teachers" Not many of you should presume
to be teachers, those who have the responsibility of
instructing others.
Teacher is a special
office in the Church of Christ. Teachers are a special
gift to the Church, for the perfecting and edification
of the people of God.
A particular danger,
confronting teachers in their ministry, is one of speech.
Controlling what we say is the most difficult thing
we have to do. This problem faces all believers, but
is especially crucial for teachers.
In the Church because
of the prominence and importance of the teacher, some
have the desire to be recognized as teachers, without
considering carefully the seriousness of the responsibility
involved.
The reason for being
careful about becoming a teacher is "we shall incur
a stricter judgment." James includes himself here
as a teacher.
The judgment referred
to here is the Judgment Seat (bema) of Christ. All believers
will give an account before Christ of their service
for Him in this life Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Cor, 3:10-15;
2 Cor. 5:10.
Though all believers
must appear before this Judgment Seat to be evaluated
by Christ, teachers will be judged more severely. Increased
responsibility and influence mean greater accountability
on their part.
The word "stricter")
indicates there will be degrees of judgment at this
Judgment Seat. (Amp) Teachers will be judged by a
higher standard and with greater severity than other
people.
Being a teacher is the
most important responsibility in the church. Three things
must be true of a believer who desire to be a teacher:
1.Know
the Truth - If a person does not have a thorough
knowledge of the Word of God, he obviously will not
be able to teach others.
2. Live the Truth - This has been the
thrust of James. Godliness is to characterize all believers,
but this must be especially true of the leaders.
3. Teach the Truth - This would seem to
be obvious but it is sadly lacking today.
Unbelieving teachers
present their traditions. And even among believers there
is a dearth of sound Bible teaching. Many prefer to
be entertained rather than edified.
Unbelievers need to hear
the glorious message of the gospel so that they can
believe and be saved. Believers need to be nourished
on a healthy diet of pure teaching so that they can
grow in their new life in Christ.
Even as believers we
are guilty of ignoring the clear teaching of God's Word.
Teachers are guilty of trying to please the people in
their teaching.
There are People who
have neither the gift nor calling from God, but have
a carnal ambition of seeking to be teachers. This happened
in the Jewish synagogues. Jesus condemned those who
were doing their works to be seen of men, and loved
the best places at the feasts, and took pride, when
called by men, Rabbi.
They loved to be seen
and heard! This carnal ambition had been carried into
the infant Church. Paul warned Timothy of such men.
1
Tim 1:7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding
neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
There are who love the
limelight of the pulpit on a Sunday, but are not ready
for the long hours of study and self-denial from Monday
to Saturday. Thus, we have superficial teaching from
the pulpit and dearth and death in the pew.
Jesus said.
For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much
required: and to whom men have committed much, of him
they will ask the more.
James gives a strong,
clear reminder that teachers must be very careful. They
have greater responsibility and will have a greater
judgment before Christ.
Teachers must have a
Balanced Ministry. This calls for Biblical Correction—and
not just continual Barren Criticism. There must be Leadership
but not Lordship over the flock of God. Teachers are
not to be "Hung by their Tongue.
1.
A Pointed Exhortation verse 1
2. A Personal
Confession verse 2
James
3:2 For 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.
The idea here is not that we offend everyone
to whom we minister; he is saying that all offend, including
him, for none of God’s children are perfect. (
Amp) For we all often stumble and fall and offend
in many things.
How true this is, for stumbling takes
place in many areas. Prov 20:9 Who can say, I have made
my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Eccl 7:20 For there
is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and
sinneth not.
If I stumble over something
that is lying on the road, it is because I am careless
and have not been looking where I was going. If I stumble
with the tongue, it is because I am careless and have
lost control of this little member.
Job confessed
just how easy it was for him to sin with the tongue
when he said to the Lord
Behold,
I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine
hand upon my mouth.
Isaiah was
a godly servant of Jehovah yet he had to confess, " I am undone for I am a man with unclean lips".
Moses was one of God’s
greatest servants and yet it is recorded of him in the
book of Psalms "That he
spake unadvisedly with his lips".
Peter boasted, Lord all
men may offend Thee but I will never do that. Later
he denied his Lord with cursing.
Someone once
said, "We should remember that the tongue is
in a wet place, and we can slip easily.
Proverbs
21:23"Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue,
keepeth his soul from trouble."
Friends, we all need
to confess that we have sinned by the use of the tongue.
The Bible refers to a wicked tongue, a deceitful tongue,
a lying tongue, a perverse tongue, a filthy tongue,
a corrupt tongue, a bitter tongue, an angry tongue,
a crafty tongue, a slanderous tongue, a gossiping tongue,
a backbiting tongue, a blaspheming tongue, a foolish
tongue, a boasting tongue, a murmuring tongue, a complaining
tongue, a cursing tongue, a tale bearing tongue.
We are all guilty of
sinning with the tongue. Only our Lord is faultless
"For He did no sin neither was guile found in His
mouth". Note what James is saying v 2
"If
any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man,
and also able to bridle the whole body."
If a man is spiritually
mature, he can control his tongue. If he cannot control
his tongue, he is not spiritually mature. Maturity is
not that a person can pray wonderful prayers, or that
they are a leader in the church. Or a loving, generous
person. The real test of maturity is whether they can
control the tongue.
Of course, James also
writes, "The tongue can no man tame." That
doesn’t mean that the tongue is untameable. It
means it is untameable by man.
Only the Holy Spirit
can tame a man’s tongue. That is why James makes
the control of the tongue the acid test of maturity.
If the Holy Spirit does not have control of a man’s
tongue; He probably doesn’t have control of much
else.
J.N.
Darby writes, the tongue
[is] the most ready index to the heart, the proof whether
the new man is in action, whether nature and self-will
are under restraint."
Beloved, we are being
conformed to the image of Christ, but no believer is
a finished product. The way we use our tongue is a good
indicator of how far we have progressed on the path
to maturity.
We need to make a personal
confession because we stumble in so many ways. The words
of Paul--
Phil
3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were
already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend
that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
But
this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before,
14
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus.
1.
A Pointed Exhortation verse 1
2.
A Personal Confession verse 2
3. A Practical
Illustration. Verse 3- 6
James again seeks the
use of illustrations to drive his point home. He illustrates
this point by comparing the controlled tongue to a horse
with a bit in its mouth.
James is telling us that
something small can steer something large. Compared
to the size of a horse, a bit is relatively small. When
a rider wants the horse to stop or to turn to the left
or to the right, he pulls on the reins and the bit presses
against the horse’s tongue, enabling the rider
to control the whole body of the horse.
A horse controlled by
a bit can be of good use, and an uncontrolled horse
can do great damage. Interestingly enough, no horse
has ever bridled himself. No horse has ever put a bit
into his own mouth.
So, too, we normally don’t bridle
ourselves. But, our master trainer seeks to control
our speech with the bit of God’s Word. How we ought
also to allow the bit of God’s Word to control,
and bridle what we say, and how we say it.
Psalm 39:1—".
I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with
my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle."
V 4 Gives us another example of a large
object being controlled by a small one.
James
3:4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so
great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are
they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever
the governor listeth.
Ships are large in size
and driven by strong winds (sailing ships), but a small
rudder can direct them. The one who controls the rudder
determines the direction of the whole ship.
He can direct the ship
wherever he wants it to go. Both of these illustrations
show the importance of control at the right place.
Winds are necessary.
A sailboat cannot get anywhere without them. A boat
without a rudder is at the mercy of the winds, it has
no direction and it will never make its destination.
The implication in these illustrations from James is
A
Controlled Tongue has Direction
An
Uncontrolled Tongue Destroys
The Strong winds are
capable of causing the sailing craft to crash on the
rocks. Friends none of us is immune from the storms
of life. We need a rudder and the Master Pilot in control.
The winds blow to benefit
us when Jesus is in control. But, if there is an unruly
tongue the Lord is not at the wheel, and we are steering
our own course.
The one who controls
the rudder determines the direction of the whole ship.
He can direct the ship wherever he wants it to go.
Our tongues direct our
lives. They control the direction in which we are travelling.
And so, in a very real way, they control our lives.
That’s power! Our words have a tremendous
impact both on ourselves and on others.
James
3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth
great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire
kindleth! The Tongue is so small, and yet it has so
much potential. No wonder Solomon said.
Prov
18:21 "The Tongue has the power of life and death"
James 3:6 And the
tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is
the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole
body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and
it is set on fire of hell.
An Uncontrolled Tongue
Destroys A fire can begin with a little spark and it
soon can destroy a great forest or a whole city. Fire
can spread faster than we could ever imagine destroying
millions of pounds of property
The words that we speak
can start fires. How many people have had their reputations
ruined by a careless word spoken? How many have spoiled
their own testimony by the words that proceeded from
their mouths. How many have destroyed a work for God
by the things they have said?.
In some Churches there
have been members, and those who were in office who
could not control their tongue and the work was destroyed
or retarded for years. It would have been better to
have moved them out of the fellowship, so that the spirit
of love and harmony could flourish and God’s blessing
would be restored.
Like a fire the tongue
can heat things up. A hot head and a hot heart can lead
to a fiery tongue. There is danger when a man throws
his tongue into high gear before he gets his brain a-going.
Benjamin Franklin A slip
of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the
tongue you may never get over. Learn to hold your tongue.
Five words cost Zacharias forty weeks' silence. Solomon
who wrote
Prov
17:27 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and
a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
David Prayed- I will
guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue. I will restrain
my mouth with a muzzle
An uncontrolled tongue
can –Plot destruction, Practise deceit destroy
reputations and wreck churches.
Let
us never forget
1.
The Potential Of The Tongue. (v. 5-6a) Being
such a little member, James informs us to not let its
size fool you, for it can do great things.
2. The Penetration
of the Tongue v 6"..Setteth on fire
the course. of nature."
John
Calvin: "The vice of the tongue spreads and prevails
over every part of life. It is as active and potent
for evil in old age as it ever was in the days of youth.
The tongue can destroy a person’s entire life".
3.The Power of the Tongue … and
is set on fire in hell."
An uncontrolled tongue
becomes a tool of the devil. It becomes an instrument
which he uses for accomplishing his purposes James is
saying that the fire that is started with the tongue
has hell as its power source.
4. The Passion
of the Tongue. (v. 7-8a)
James illustrates the
tongue as having fierce passion. He informs us that
man has been able to tame all sorts of animals; yet,
the one thing that he hasn’t been able to tame
is the tongue. James likens an uncontrolled, or untamed
tongue to a demon possessed man. It is untamed, uncontrollable,
and unruly.
5. The Poison
of the Tongue (v. 8b) full of deadly poison
James compares the untamed
tongue to a serpent’s bite. Just as the bite of
a snake can inject poison into our system, and pose
a great danger to us, so a loosed tongue can inject
poison of deceit, lies, and rumours?
How controlled is our
tongue?
Someone has said that
if your mind should go blank, don’t forget to turn
off the sound. We do that when we close our mouths
Ask God to help you guard what you say.
David Psalm 141:3, "Set
a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door
of my lips."
Eph
4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your
mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying,
that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph
4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby
ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph
4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour,
and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph
4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you.
1. The Potential Of The
Tongue. 2. The Penetration of the Tongue
3.The Power of the Tongue
4. The Passion of the Tongue 5. The Poison of the Tongue
6.The Persuasion
of the Tongue.
The tongue has great influence others
are listening to what we Christians say.
Illustration
The story is told of the minister who was making a wooden
trellis to support a climbing vine. As he was hammering
away, he noticed that a little boy was watching him.
The boy didn’t say a word, so the preacher kept
on working, thinking the lad would leave. But he didn’t.
Pleased at the thought of his work was being admired,
the pastor finally said,
"Well, son, trying
to pick up some pointers on gardening?"
"No," he
replied. "I’m just waiting to hear what a
preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer."
Prov 10:20 The
tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of
the wicked is little worth.
When our hearts are right
before God, our tongues will consistently speak more
of those things that encourage, build up, and heal.
And when we do this,
we will feel better about ourselves and we will make
a real difference in the lives of others.
May
we say with the Psalmist?
"I
will take heed to my ways that I might not sin with
my Tongue
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