Taming the Tongue
Faith + Works: James • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro
Intro
How many words does the average person speak in a day?
It is a highly debated number, that range from 7000 to 30,000.
It is also widely believed that women speak a lot more than men.
It would obviously vary depending on personality, occupation, and social interaction.
But it is likely the average person speaks somewhere around 7000 words a day.
That would mean from the age of 18-75 most people will speak 145,635,000 words.
Some even more than that.
This doesn’t included, text message, email, and even nonverbal communication, which we all know is sometime even more influential than words.
No wonder James feels the need to speak so directly and deliberately to how we use our tongues.
1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body. 3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water. 13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.
Our tongues are POWERFUL and INFLUENTIAL. (1-9)
Our tongues are POWERFUL and INFLUENTIAL. (1-9)
On November 8th, 2018 somewhere around 6:30 am a high voltage line managed by Pacific Gas and Electric sparked a fire in the hills to the east of Paradise, CA.
The dry vegetation and strong, dry winds led to the fire spreading very rapidly.
It reached the town of Paradise by 8am and by the end of the day pretty much the entire town, of 26,000 people, was destroyed.
In 14-17 days more than 153,000 acres was burned, 85 people died, 18,000 structures were destroyed, and $16.65 Billion of damage had be done.
One, relatively small spark caused massive destruction.
5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Some 2000 years ago, James was aware of how destructive a small fire can become, and as he is searching for an analogy to express just how powerful and influential our words are, he chooses wild fires.
If that were not powerful enough, James points to the power of the bit in the mouth of a horse to direct it.
And the small rudder that is used to steer large ships through the water.
Our words have tremendous power to bless or curse, to heal or destroy, to speak life or injure, or even kill.
James starts the section off with a word to teachers.
Verse 1 is a verse that resonates in my ears every week as I prepare to teach from this pulpit every week.
“You will receive stricter judgement” is a sobering warning to those of us who are called to teach the Word of God.
We are the voices God uses to speak to His people. How we prepare, how we speak, and how we engage God’s people with our words should be taken seriously.
You have seen the destruction that can come from the failure of leaders in the church.
We have the ability to convince people they are saved when they do not know Jesus.
Our counsel can lead people down paths of destruction, confusion, and hurt.
I am obviously not perfect, and fail at living up to the call God has for me often, but the seriousness of the call and position I have been given ought to lead to regular repentance, vigorous preparation, and dependent prayer.
But before we lump this whole section into just talking to teachers and preachers, we must consider the ways this warning hits on each and everyone of us.
Parents and Grandparents, are you not teachers to your children and grandchildren?
Supervisors, are you not teachers to those who work for you?
Husbands and wives, are you not teachers to your spouses?
What about our coworkers, friends, neighbors, and others we interact with regularly.
Our words are powerful
Do you consider how the things you say, or don’t say, the way you say things, and even when and why you say the things you say influences others?
9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness.
If we don’t acknowledge the power and influence of our words then we are likely starting fires that are causing destruction we may never realize and may take years to recover from.
In order to be aware of the influence of our words, we really must understand the source of our words.
Our words REVEAL our HEARTS. (9-12)
Our words REVEAL our HEARTS. (9-12)
Remember the words of James from chapter 1
7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, 8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.
Double-mindedness is at the heart of what James is confronting throughout the letter.
Good, church-going people who sing worship songs and speak about Jesus on Sunday mornings, and then use the same mouth to slander, gossip, and tear down the rest of the week.
The Double-minded are the ones he is confront in the previous section.
Those that say they have faith in Jesus, but show little to know obedience or care to follow Him in their everyday lives.
He is now zooming in on one of the areas that most clearly reveals their “mindedness”, how they use their tongues.
Double-minded is really not about the mind as much as it is the heart.
As Jesus says:
Matthew 12:34 (CSB)
For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
Deep within our hearts there are roots that yield the type of fruit that springs up in our words.
12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
Our words (not excluding the ones that are typed on a phone or computer) reveals the contents of our hearts.
What is required is a new heart altogether.
To CHANGE our tongues God must CHANGE our HEARTS. (13-18)
To CHANGE our tongues God must CHANGE our HEARTS. (13-18)
There is a comparison of two types or sources of wisdom, earthly wisdom and Godly wisdom.
The idea of wisdom is the ability to understand and then act.
This is a way of life, not just a situational thing, I like am wise in fixing cars or giving advise in sticky situations.
It is the sum total of the decisions we make every day; the values that guide those decisions; the things you invest your time and money into; the way you speak to people, raise your kids, speak to and serve you spouse, deal with struggles and conflict...
And James speaks of 2 ways of life that are in conflict:
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth.
A corrupt, self-centered, sinful heart will produce a tongue that is full of “envy selfish ambition, disorder and every evil practice.”
Regardless of how many times you say you believe in Jesus and attend church services, if use your doesn’t resemble James’s description in verses 17-18 then maybe your are living a lie.
Wisdom from God flows from a forgiven and cleansed heart who understands the grace of God in salvation.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
It strives for peace, as much is possible in itself.
18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
It is gentle, not harsh and biting.
1 A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.
It is self-controlled, not argumentative
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
It is merciful and kind.
36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
It is impartial, not bigoted or biased
21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.
And it is genuine, not fake.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Verse 18 is a bridge verse to next weeks passage.
A heart transformed by the Spirit, living under the wisdom from above, will reap a harvest of righteousness.
A community of people or legitly seek to love and follow Jesus will not be defined by course or hurtful communication, prejudice, hatred, envy, slander, vulgarity, selfishness, or any other such evil.
Double-mindedness is seen in the words we use and the seriousness we place on taming our tongues.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 12: Hebrews through Revelation VII. Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13–18)
A crop of righteousness cannot be produced in the climate of bitterness and self-seeking. Righteousness will grow only in a climate of peace. And it must be sown and cultivated by the “peacemakers.” Such persons not only love peace and live in peace but also strive to create conditions of peace.
May we be a people that sow peace in our community.
That doesn’t mean we will be void of conflict, but we will speak and act in ways that love others and honor our Lord.
Take your words serious brothers and sister.
Regardless of the medium you are using, the audience you are speaking to, or the nature of the discussion.
Pay attention to your words, and let the wisdom from above guide your heart to speak.