The Power of Words: Life and Death in the Tongue

Music.

The tongue.

For the past few weeks, we've been walking through the book of James.

And if you've been here with us, you'll know that the purpose of the book of

James is to correct the false belief,

that a person can have faith without a change of behavior and to give a practical

instructions regarding the Christian life.

Because so many people, everywhere you go, claim to be a Christian,

right? Oh, I got my own beliefs. I believe in God.

But they never change their behaviors.

And so what they say and what they do and how they act, they don't line up.

No wonder our culture, no wonder our world struggles to believe that Jesus can

actually change your life because they see a lot of us that don't ever make

those changes through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Each week I've been giving a big idea for the text that we're walking through.

And last week, our big idea was that faith without works or faith without actions, it's a dead faith.

We saw that faith without works is not really faith at all, but a simple lack of obedience to God.

James says that faith without works is dead.

I've continually said throughout this series that James is probably the most

practical book in the New Testament.

There's so much that we can read and glean.

So much tells you what to do and what not to do and how to speak and how not

to speak. week, and this morning, I think it's going to be probably the most practical of all weeks.

And with our kids in here, we want them to be able to understand what the Bible is saying.

And I do believe that God's Word is for every generation.

His Word never changes. And so here's today's big idea.

Words are incredibly powerful, and they carry in them both life and death.

Life and death. If you have your handout this morning, our notes,

they carry both life and death.

How many of you know that words matter, right?

What we say to one another matters. The way we treat each other matters,

but specifically our words are incredibly powerful.

Powerful. American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne once said this.

He said, words so innocent and powerless as they are, as they're standing there

in the dictionary, they're just words, right?

But how potent and evil they become in the hands of someone who knows how to combine them.

A simple statement, but so powerful. There's no doubt that some of the deepest

wounds, some of the deepest hurts in our life, the deepest pains that have occurred

in our lives, as well as in my own life.

They haven't come from fists or by physical injuries.

They've come by the hands or the mouths of those we love and are usually closest

to in the form of hurtful, painful words.

Words can be evil. Words can be destructive.

And there are words that were said to you as a kid that you probably still can remember.

I know there's names that I was called and things that were said to me as just

a young kid in school, and they stick with me.

And as I'm studying this, I'm remembering being called those those names.

Words stick with us, but also words can be spoken in encouragement,

and they can be life-giving.

Maybe a compliment or feelings of gratitude that someone spoke to you.

Maybe they simply told you, hey, son, I believe in you.

You can do whatever God calls you to do. You can do what God calls you to do.

I know some words that were spoken to me in my deepest, darkest hours changed

my purpose, changed my entire destiny.

Because one pastor who was 82, I think, David Moore, spoke into me and said,

God's not finished with you yet.

God's going to take what you're going through and he's going to use it to reach people.

And the words that he spoke brought healing, as we're going to find in just

a minute, they bring healing and they also changed the entire course of my life.

The first thing we need to understand today on your notes is that words are powerful.

Words are extremely powerful. In fact, when you look at the book of Genesis,

is God literally spoke the world into existence.

Psalm 33, 9 says, for he spoke and it came into being.

He commanded with his voice, he commanded and it came into existence.

Words are powerful. Words have meaning.

And an ill-timed or perfectly timed word spoken to someone else can impact them for their entire lives.

Think about the power that you have with your words.

When you speak something over your child or over your wife or over someone near to you,

you have the power to literally change the trajectory of another person's life

by the way you speak to them.

It's probably why James devoted so much time to this subject matter in his letter.

And because it's the largest section of James. We're just going to break it

down into one passage in James 3.

And if you have your Bible with you, I want you to turn to chapter 3.

We've been walking each week through a chapter. And so this week we're on chapter 3.

And let me ask you to read with me and follow along James 3, 1 through 5.

It says, not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that

we will receive a stricter judgment. Ouch.

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. Now, if we put bits into the mouths of

horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies.

Verse four, 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.

So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things.

So here James begins this section, first of all, by making a point about the

judgment of teachers or preachers that they're going to incur because of their position,

which makes a lot of sense if it weren't connected to the rest of the chapter

about the power of words.

And obviously words are the primary medium through which teachers and pastors

and preachers minister. mister.

James is trying to acknowledge just how serious the situation is by revealing

the weight of responsibility that it carries.

Either way, he immediately moves on in verse two by saying this, we stumble in many ways.

If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body.

He says, listen, if you're able to control your mouth, If you're able to control

the things that are coming out of your mouth,

then you have the power to control everything because that is the hardest thing

in our lives to control, isn't it?

And all of us have said things that we wish we could take back or change because

even though the tongue is a small part of our bodies, it can do immeasurable damage. Right?

The terrible thing about our words is that we can never take back what we said.

Sure, we can apologize right away. And if I say something, I've said things

through the years to my kids that are just awful, putting them down.

Now, of course, I apologize in the moment and I ask for forgiveness,

but could I ever take that back?

No, it was out there. I want to prove this for you kids. I'm going to need two volunteers.

Have to be kids. Right back there. You're not a kid. You're definitely not a kid. Easton, come on up.

Oh yeah, there's two Eastons. Who raised their hand? All right,

come on up. Come on up, Gabriel. Give him a round of applause. That's right.

All right, you're going to come on this side, my friend. How you doing?

It's my buddy, Gabriel. It's my buddy. What was your name?

What's your name? Easton. This is my son, Easton. Okay.

Before us, we have AIM toothpaste. Yummy toothpaste.

Okay. We're not opening this and you're not eating it.

All right. No eating the toothpaste, but we're going to have a timer for 20

seconds and here's what you have to do.

No, you're not going to eat it. In 20 seconds, I want you to squeeze all of

the toothpaste out on the the plate key on the plate on the plate not on me

not on you not on each other on the plate all right we got our countdown back

there ready all right ready here we go go.

Wow you are really fast gabriel all of it got to get it all out,

Come on. Come on. Four, three, two, get it all.

All right. Why did you just drop your tube in the middle of the toothpaste?

Okay. Well, that's just going to be a little bit.

Hey, stop it. All right.

Now i need two more

volunteers it doesn't have to be a kid but i you know it'd

be great if it were a kid are there napkins did you brush your teeth this morning

put in your mouth i'm just kidding you're just gonna have to wait till we're

down here easton come on up the two eastons you want your brothers your brother

here come on up get up here all right hustle okay here here's is what you got.

Oh, you guys are really, this is, it's not bad.

Not bad. Very minty. Okay. That's for later.

Now our words, our words came out all over the place, didn't they?

They're out there. They're out there. So now, and I know you guys never,

ever, ever say bad things to each other as brothers, right?

As friends. Thanks, man. As friends. Wow. You really are dirty as friends.

Friends, we don't say anything bad, right?

Yes, you are clean. So let's, let's show what it's like. Our words are on the plate.

Here you go. Yummy. No, you're not eating again. Not eating Easton.

My Easton, you're going to hold this right here and he's got to fill it up.

You got to put all that toothpaste back in.

You got to hold this. Oh, hold it. You're going to hold it.

And your Your brother's gonna put all of it in. Here you go.

How do you even do it? I don't know.

Vacuum cleaner, that's okay. All right, ready? 20 seconds on the clock, Bob.

All right, go! You gotta put it all back in.

Not around. No, no fingers. Oh, man. Whose kid are you? Yours.

Teamwork, teamwork. Gabriel.

Gabriel.

All right. That's all the time we have for you guys. You got some all over.

All right. So this is just an example.

Example are we ever able to get our words

back in are we ever able to get our words back after we say them no we can apologize

to each other but you can never take back it is honey that's for something else

you can never take back your words give them a round of applause guys go ahead,

thank you guys you're a little bit stickier but you smell better thank you vanna.

The point here, you cannot take back the words that you say.

We can ask for forgiveness, but the damage has already been done.

Let's go back to James 3, verses 3 through 6.

James 3:3–6

It says, Now, if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us,

we direct their whole bodies.

And consider ships very large, driven by fierce winds. They're guided by a small

rudder, wherever the will of the pilot directs.

So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things.

Consider how a fire, a small fire, sets ablaze a large forest.

Then he says, the tongue is a fire.

The tongue is a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members.

It stains the whole body and it sets the course of life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell.

That's a lot of stuff that our tongue, the Bible says about our tongue right here in James 3.

And so he gives us three examples. He says a horse's bit, the rudder of a ship,

and then even a small fire are all used to make a really big point.

All of these things ultimately are under the control and will of someone else.

And it's a good reminder that we have a role to play in all all this.

We have a responsibility over our words and our tongues and the choice we have to use them,

whether we're going to build people up and encourage them, or we're going to

use our words to tear down and hurt.

Verse six says, the tongue is described as these things.

And this is in your notes there, these blanks. The tongue, number one, it's a fire.

Something so small, like a match or just a spark can result in so much devastation and destruction.

One of the great catastrophes of history was the Chicago fire in 1871.

Tradition has it that it started when Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern in her barn.

Whether or not that's true or not, we don't know.

But the fire was for real. And the fire burned for three days over three and

a half square miles of the city.

And it killed 250 people and made a hundred thousand, a hundred thousand,

a hundred thousand people homeless and destroyed property valued at $175 million.

Now that's in 1871. I cannot imagine the value of what it would be today.

The tongue is like one spark. It's one overturned lantern.

It can destroy your house, can

destroy your marriage. It can destroy your relationships. unrighteousness.

Secondly, James says the tongue is a world of unrighteousness.

It's a world of unrighteousness. Like a wildfire, it spreads and it quickly

just does damage and burns up,

overtaking towns, damaging life after life after life after person after person.

Next, James says, the tongue is set among our members, the members of our body.

James is emphasizing that it corrupts the entire body.

You may think you have everything together, but if you have a tongue that you

can't control, it affects your entire life.

Do you get it? It affects your entire life. That's probably why James says it stains the whole body.

Body one one piece of

your body one member of your body has the ability to stain

and pollute every part of your body and james is continually emphasis emphasizing

that a person's mouth can corrupt their whole personality whether it's through

slander or gossip or lie or putting down people, abuse,

swearing, blasphemy, taking the Lord's name in vain.

You might go to church, you might read your Bible faithfully,

you might pray every day, but your entire testimony and reputation could be

stained by something so small as your tongue.

And I'm going to step on some toes real quick, but it's only because I love you.

Christians, we have gotten too casual with our mouths, where we get so comfortable

that we think it's okay if I'm a trucker, if I'm a sailor, if I'm this,

if the people I'm around,

are they supposed to influence us, or are we supposed to influence them.

We are God's called holy people.

There is never a moment when it's okay for you to curse.

And I get it. I was at the pool yesterday with the kids for like an hour and a half.

I heard the F-bomb more yesterday by eight-year-olds and 10-year-olds than I've heard by adults.

And the parents sit there and they don't care because they talk just like them.

If you're the people of God, speak like you're a child of God.

Let your mouth be full of blessing.

Then James says the tongue can set on fire the entire course of life.

The entire course of life. It will affect every aspect of your life.

Next, he says it's set on fire by hell itself. Your tongue has the unique potential

to unleash hell on others.

Can do so much damage. It's a pretty intimidating list, isn't it?

And the point James is trying to make is getting clearer and clearer.

Let's continue in verse 7. Every kind of animal, bird, reptile,

and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind.

But no one, say no one, no one can tame the tongue.

It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father.

And with it, we curse people who are made in God's likeness and image.

Verse 10, blessing and cursing coming out of the same mouth.

And then he draws them back in. He reminds them, hey, I know I'm speaking harsh

to you, but you're my brothers and your sisters.

He says, brothers and sisters, I love you, but this, the way we're talking should not be this way.

And number two, I know we got to get moving here.

Your words reveal your heart. Your words reveal what's in your heart.

James 3, 11 says, does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening?

Can a fig tree produce olives? Again, my brothers and sisters,

he's just kind of huddling in and saying, guys, I love you so much,

but you cannot talk like this.

Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs?

Neither can saltwater spring yield fresh water.

You've been with us, we've been talking about the purpose, the overall purpose

of James. And James is again, drawing us back.

Why is he talking about the tongue? Why is it so important?

Because if you have faith, if you're a Christian, you cannot call yourself a

Christian without changed behavior.

You have to have a life that matches up.

Don't tell me how much you love Jesus. Jesus, show me and show me with your words.

James is holding a mirror up to us. He says, hey, this is what a Christian looks

like if you've truly been saved.

This is how a Christian talks if you've truly been saved.

And he's asking us today, does your life, do your words, do your actions reflect.

Your claims as being a Christian, as being a child of God?

Words matter. Words matter. Lisa's going to come and play and worship team's

going to sing a closing song in just a minute.

But words, guys, words either speak life into people or they speak destruction into people.

I got angry yesterday at one of my kids and I spoke destruction into him.

And I had to apologize and ask for forgiveness and the words I said and so frustrated.

When you do that, you are going to do it because we've never,

it says we haven't tamed our tongue.

It's the last thing that gets tamed, but don't ever stop trying.

Don't ever stop working.

Don't ever stop pursuing to speak life and blessing and healing over people.

Want to give you just a few verses to take with you. Proverbs 18, 21 says this.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Are you speaking death over your kids, over those you know, or are you speaking life into them?

One of our kids was calling another kid a name yesterday.

It's easy just to be like, oh, stupid kids. No, it's not.

We said, no, you're not going to speak that over your brother.

Or you're not going to speak that over their life.

That is not who they are. They're made in the image of God Almighty. mighty.

Speak life into people.

Proverbs 12, 18 says, there is one who speaks rashly like a piercing sword,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Let your words to your family today, to your classmates, to your co-workers,

to your spouses, to those you come in contact.

May your words bring Bring about healing in their lives.

Don't pierce them like a sword. Don't hurt them. Bring healing.

Proverbs 16, 24 says this, pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the taste

and health to the body. I just need one more volunteer.

Someone that's not volunteered. Come on up, Austin.

This smells so good. It's honey.

Oh, I need some toast. But it's got to be brownberry like my grandma and grandpa's.

What if our words weren't bitter, weren't hurtful, but they were sweet? Like honeycomb.

That's honeycomb right there. It's so sweet. It's so good.

Honeycomb's big, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I grew up, honeycomb was my favorite.

This is real. Take that. Eat it.

It's sweet. That's good. It's good.

I want your words to be sweet like honeycomb.

You want more? No. You're supposed to say yes.

Because when we taste something, we want more.

You want to have friends? Speak well to them. You want to be honored by those people?

Speak well. Honor them with your words.

It will do you a world of good. I'm not going to use the same fork.

Oh, that's too big. Maybe I should just not even eat it. But I can't help myself.

That was really good.

Thanks, Austin. You can take that if you want it. No.

You may be sitting next to a spouse or a child that is craving,

absolutely craving to hear the words, I love you.

I'm proud of you. Well done. Good job.

You can do it. You're beautiful.

It's like gum.

Don't eat that.

You don't know what the people around you need.

But they need you to speak life into them.

To speak life.

And I want to end with this Ephesians 4.29 says this let no foul language,

come from your mouth but only say only only,

what is good for building up someone in need so that it gives grace to those

who hear let your words be sweet like honeycomb let your words bring healing

to those close to you who are in contact.

And I promise you, the relationship will bring healing.

Some of you need to speak words of healing to one another.

Some of you need to receive ultimate healing from Christ.

Thanks for watching. You've been listening to the Generations Church podcast.

Music.

Be sure to check back next week as Pastor Jeff continues our study on the book of James.

If you'd like more information about Generations Church, feel free to get in

touch with us at info at generationschurch.us or head over to our website,

generationschurch.us.

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