Sermon Tone Analysis

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“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.”[1]
At 9:00 p.m., Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, the great Chicago Fire began on DeKoven street in a barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary.
The fire would burn for the next two days; before it was finished it would blacken three and one half square miles of the city and destroy over 17,000 buildings before it was checked by gunpowder explosions on the south line of the fire.
The fire left over 100,000 people homeless and cost over 300 lives.
But, ironically, that was not the greatest inferno in the US Midwest that year.
Historians tell us that on the /same/ day that dry autumn a spark ignited a raging fire in the North Woods of Wisconsin which burned for an entire month, taking more lives than the Chicago Fire.
A veritable firestorm destroyed billions of cubic yards of precious timber—all from one spark!
The tongue has that scope of inflammatory capability.
James is saying that those who misuse the tongue are guilty of spiritual arson.
A mere spark of an ill-spoken word can produce a firestorm that annihilates everything it touches.
It is terrible enough when relationships, ministries or lives are be destroyed by a thoughtless word.
More terrible yet is the destruction that results from deliberate injury resulting from such spiritual arson.
James, confronting the early Christians, compels them to think of the impact of their words.
Consequently, what he wrote to those ancient believers continues to challenge us to this day—if we listen to what he says.
I invite you to join me in exploring the words written by the brother of our Lord as we think through the implications of our tongues being set on fire by hell.
Let’s think together of what happens when the devil comes to church because of our words.
*One Spark Can Cause a Great Catastrophe* — “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”  Paradise, California is burning today.
For three weeks, the people of Paradise and Big Sur have been forced from their homes as wildfires rage, burning thousands of hectares of brush and consuming numerous houses.
Lives have been disrupted, and in many instances forever changed—hope is reduced to ashes, memories are destroyed, and joy has been charred.
While lightning appears to be the cause of the Big Sur fire, human carelessness appears to be the cause of the Paradise fire.
We can be almost certain that relative to the damage inflicted on thousands of people, the cause was small.
James marvelled at the insignificance of the cause.
James was undoubtedly familiar with wildfires that periodically raged across the Judean hills.
Perhaps a lightning strike, or more probably the careless use of fire, would ignite the dry brush and grasses that covered the hills.
The resulting fires would cause great sorrow for many people in that day, just as they do in this day.
Thus, as we read James’ words, we can almost hear the astonishment in his voice.
Little things can create great havoc.
A little mosquito can create widespread fear when it carries West Nile Virus.
A small tick can create untold misery for a family if that tick carries the Borrelia spirochete.
A tiny Brown Recluse spider causes great pain for anyone it bites.
It has now been almost eighteen years since I was injured in a truck crash.
That crash was caused by a tiny spider.
The driver of the truck in which I was riding had seen the spider and asked me if it was a tick.
I replied that it was a spider and he paid no further attention to the tiny arachnid as it crawled across the roof of the cab.
He was startled, however, when the creature unexpectedly dropped into his face.
Distracted, he drove off the road, hitting two trees and rolling down a steep embankment.
The resultant injuries have plagued me ever since.
James is not focused on the injury that may physically afflict individuals, however; he is addressing the injury that results to the cause of Christ when Christians fail to bridle the tongue.
He had undoubtedly witnessed, even in that early day, the harm that an inadvertent word can cause, the spiritual misery that results from angry words spoken by professed believers, or how all progress of the Faith can be halted because one person uses the tongue as a weapon.
Though the tongue is such a small member of the body, it has an almost limited capacity for evil.
A wife will remember for the whole of her life a word that made her feel slighted.
A child can recall with amazing clarity a parent’s condemnation.
A father can remember for a lifetime the cutting words of a child who seeks to injure with the tongue.
A friendship can be irreparably torn asunder as result of a thoughtless comment.
Undoubtedly, relationships can be strained or even destroyed through what is said.
This is the power of our words.
However, for the remainder of our time together this day, I want to focus on the fact that the tongue is set on fire by hell, seeking to warn us of the danger that ever lurks within the congregation of the Lord.
*One Word Can Destroy a Church *— “The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.”
So far, James has used simile to describe the tongue—the tongue is */like/* the bit in a horse’s mouth, it is */like/* the rudder on a ship, it is */like/* the spark that ignites a fire.
Now, however, he abandons the indirect in favour of using straightforward metaphor: “the tongue is a fire.”
In light of James’ words, we realise that the tongue is more destructive than the hydrogen bomb.
The blast of a hydrogen bomb’s is physical, and ultimately, the effects, though terrible, are temporary.
However, the tongue’s power is spiritual and eternal.
Our words can start fires, and the church is frequently comparable to dry tinder.
Outsiders often accuse Christians of being hypocrites.
The charge too often gains traction through our actions.
And even were our actions not liable to the indictment, anyone hanging around us for long would be quickly convinced of our hypocrisy because of our speech.
Though such statements should not need to be made, they are nevertheless tragically accurate.
Because the church is family, tensions are always present.
Newcomers to the congregation question why things are done as they are; they seek change.
Old-times resist change because change makes them uncomfortable.
Almost always there are some within the assembly who imagine themselves to be so spiritual that they need not tolerate anyone questioning their wisdom.
Many, if not most, of the congregants willingly compromise for the sake of momentary peace.
All these dynamics create opportunity for misunderstanding and tension.
As misunderstanding multiplies, distrust grows.
Rising tension creates a fertile field for the growth of grumbling.
Grumbling leads to charges and counter-charges.
Before long, a word—a little spark, will ignite the dry undergrowth and wildfire will consume the work of God.
When the fire has started, so long as there is fuel, the fire grows.
Heat intensifies and the smoke stains the structure and integrity of the assembly is destroyed.
Just as fire burns and hurts, so our words can hurt and destroy.
And just as smoke stains and mars all it engulfs, so harsh words that are spoken in anger stain the lives of those who hear them.
So long as there is fuel, the fire will spread.
Long years ago, Solomon wrote:
 
“For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarrelling ceases.
As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.”
[*Proverbs 26:20-22*]
 
You will not have been married long until you learn how tension can create a situation that only awaits one final word to cause an explosion within the marriage.
Tension at work creates a volatile condition that only awaits a perceived slight or a misinterpreted tone that results in sharp words that precipitate war.
Failure to rule our tongue leads us to say things that we know should never be spoken.
However, once spoken, our words become weapons to injure and harm as we verbally slash those we should never hurt.
Something similar happens within the Body of Christ.
There are too many churches members who cannot restrain their tongues, and the result is destructive.
Church officers who are incautious in their speech will destroy the work of God.
Likewise, there are often church members who seek to destroy with the tongue as they castigate others or through gossip.
Slander seems to be accepted within far too many faith communities.
Even denominational leaders are guilty of slanderous speech because they forget they are servants, not bosses.
The friendship of a few takes precedence over the health of the congregation, and slander, innuendo and gossip become weapons to injure and destroy.
We saw in previous messages that James is concerned that his readers accept responsibility for what they say, especially within the Body of Christ.
He has cautioned against presuming to be teachers, for the words of the teacher expose him to greater scrutiny and ultimately he is held to a higher standard because he is a teacher.
It is a noble thing to aspire to be an elder, but know that as an elder you accept greater responsibility to be a man of integrity.
Religious leaders, when confronted by Jeremiah, plotted against God’s servant, saying, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet.
Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words” [*Jeremiah 18:18*].
Remember, these were God’s people.
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