Sermon Tone Analysis

!!! James 3:1-12

 

! Translation

 

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because it is known that we will receive greater judgment.

2 For in many ways we all stumble.

If someone does not stumble in word (what he says), this one is a mature man, able to hold also his whole body in check.

3 For if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that we can control them, then we are able to guide the whole horse.

4 Behold also the boats that are very large and are driven about by strong winds, it is guided by a small rudder wherever the inclination of the navigator determines, 5 thus also the tongue is the smallest member but boasts great things.

Look how small a fire sets ablaze a great forest; 6 and the tongue is a fire; the tongue is a world of unrighteousness, put in charge over our members, defiling the whole body and setting on fire the whole course of being and being set on fire by Gehenna.

7 For all nature of wild beasts and also birds and reptiles and also sea creatures are being tamed and subdued by the natural man, 8 but the tongue no man is able to tame, it is restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless the Lord and Father and with it we curse men who are made according to the likeness of God, 10 out of the same mouth goes blessing and cursing.

Thus these things ought not be, my brothers.

11 Can a spring pour forth out of the same opening sweet and bitter water?

12 Is the fig tree able, my brothers, to make olives?

Or can a vine make figs?

Neither can salty water make fresh water.

!

Outline of Text

 

#.

V1-2 Warning to those who would be teachers

* V1, a stricter judgment on those who teach

* This does not mean a stricter expectation – all believers are expected to live the same goal: the life of Christ.

But teachers will be judged harsher for failing in that goal.

* V2a, we all struggle in many ways

* V2b, the one who can control the tongue does not struggle

* He is a perfect man

* He is able to control his while body

#.

V3-5a The uncontrollable nature of the tongue

* V3, a tiny bit in the small mouth of a great horse gives control over the whole horse

* V4, a small rudder controlled by a small wheel on a great ship turns the whole ship

* V5a, the small tongue is able to set the course of the whole body

#.

V5b-8 The destructive nature of the tongue

* V5b, a great forest set ablaze by a small fire

* V6, The tongue is a fire

* A world of unrighteousness

* Set in our bodies, staining the whole

* Setting on fire the entire course of life

* Being set on fire by Hell

* V7, All creatures in nature can be tamed by man

* V8, The tongue is the thing which cannot be tamed

* It is a restless evil

* It is full of deadly poison

#.

V9-12 The tongue: Either good or bad

* V9-10, With it we bless and curse

* Bless God

* Curse others

* This should not be!

* V11, Salt and fresh

* Can a spring produce both salt and fresh water from the same opening?

* By implication, neither can the tongue

* V12, Fruit and water

* Can plants produce fruit not of their order?

* Nor can a salt pond give forth fresh water

!

Sermon Manuscript

 

James has instructed us that we need to be practitioners of the word of God and not just listeners to the word.

To do something more than sit in the pew Sunday after Sunday, something more than read your Bible throughout the week: to actually act upon those things which God in his Word has called on you to do.

Next James talked about speech versus action.

Very similar to what took place before, James wants believers to live out the things God has called us to do.

Enough of your talking about faithfulness!

Get out there and be faithful!

Show me your faith, do not just talk to me.

With this morning’s passage, [[James 3:1-12|Bible:James 3:1-12]], James moves on to talk about the power of speech itself, the power of the tongue.

Last week we saw how the tongue can be misused by replacing real, active faith with empty, hollow words.

Now James continues to talk about our words, our speech, our tongues, and how deadly they can be.

So let’s read together [[James 3:1-12|Bible:James 3:1-12]].

{{@Cue Pray}}

 

James begins by warning people against being teachers.

The teacher held a position of some prestige in James’ day.

The teachers were treated with special status and honor.

Because of the special status granted teachers, many people desired the position.

This would be in some ways like doctors today, an occupation viewed as having great wealth and great standing in the community.

Pastoral ministry used to be viewed in a similar way, with people at times desiring to be pastors in order to benefit from the special place it gave in society.

But James warns such people that they should not be so quick to desire the teaching role.

Teachers will be judged with greater strictness.

That is to say, those who have set themselves up as some sort of moral or intellectual authority will be judged stricter because they have made themselves examples for others to follow.

Do not confuse what James is saying here.

There are not multiple standards of life within the church – one standard for pastors and teachers to follow and another standard for the people in the pew to follow.

We are all held by the same standard of behavior – the life of Jesus Christ.

We are all called to live like Christ and to follow his example.

Church leaders are not expected to be more holy than church members.

We are all called to be holy before the Lord.

But leaders, by virtue of taking a position where they will show people how to be holy, will be judged more strictly for when what they do leads people astray.

Those who feel God leading them to be teachers and preachers should not shy away from such a calling – we must always be ready to do that which God calls us to do.

But one should seek the will of God before serving God, and then serve God in order to glorify God rather than to build status for the self.

With all of that said, let’s move on to the main point of the passage.

In verse two James gives one reason why it would be so hard for teachers to set a good example: the troublesome tongue.

Teachers are not alone with this problem, and James’ instructions here are given for all believers.

It is to you that James writes, “/if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to control his whole body./”

James believes that the tongue is the hardest thing for people to control.

The person who controls the tongue, is able to have discipline over his whole body.

James says that we all sin in many ways, that all of us struggle in a number of areas.

And yet if we can control the tongue, we will be able to control our actions in all of those areas.

How often have words escaped your lips before you could draw your teeth together?

How many apologies have you had to issue because of what you said?

(whether or not you actually apologized is a separate issue) I know how often I have said things to my wife that have made me cringe.

I’ve developed a sort of permanent twitch, it happens so much.

We are not good at controlling what we say.

We let things spring out of our mouths, but if we had stopped to think, we would never have said them.

James goes on to give examples of small objects that can control big objects.

Horses are large, powerful creatures.

We admire them for their strength and speed, for their spirit and grace.

And yet the magnificent horse can be controlled by a small piece of metal placed in the mouth.

In a similar way the great ocean vessels can be controlled by a small rudder fixed at the bottom back of the ship.