The Power of the Tongue

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 3:1–12

James chapter 3, beginning at verse 1.

James 3 · chapter mention

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

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.