There’s No Such Thing As a Tame Tongue

You think about it. Our words, the way in which we communicate with one another, our speech.

In a sense, our words are an inescapable part of our lives, whether internally in our thoughts or externally in our words.

We can be social tweeters. We can be lounge chair lawyers. We can be opinionated critics.

But at the same time, we can be motivational speakers. We can be encouraging colleagues.

We can be uplifting, supporting friends. So is it just then a matter of balance?

Can our speech be good or bad, depending on how we use it, how we control it?

Does it really matter if we control it? Can we even control it?

We're going to be looking this morning, as Ralph just read, at James chapter 3, verses 1 to 12.

James 3:1–12

But as we begin, let me just give you a quick background to the main points of what James has been writing up to this point.

James is a fantastic book in the Bible. So much good, solid, biblical advice for believers that we simply don't have time to cover it all.

But let me offer a quick synopsis of what he's been saying.

So he's primarily writing to believers everywhere.

We see that in verse 1 in his words, to the 12 tribes scattered amongst the nations.

And he has really strong, sound, heartfelt words to speak to them.

He consistently refers to his hearers as, my brothers, or the translations might render it, my brothers and sisters.

That all-inclusivity.

The message is to us as believers this morning.

As relevant then to those that he wrote to, just as relevant now to us this morning.

Perhaps one of the central themes of James is this.

That true believers in Christ will live in a certain way.

So how does James lay this out for us?

Well, we see that true believers can be joyful in the face of trial.

Because testing develops perseverance, which grows the mature Christian.

What else?

We see that believers are not just listeners of the word.

They do what it says.

Because they don't show favoritism.

They demonstrate their faith in their action.

And those are just a few.

And I really encourage you to get stuck into James in your own quiet time.

But for now in chapter 3, James comes to us with quite a stark and hard-hitting indictment on our speech.

Let me say this as it's something I really feel we need to take on board as we begin this morning.

What James has to say will not necessarily sit well with us.

But nonetheless, it is vital for our growth as believers that we hear what the Lord would speak to us through James' words.

Let me pray that the Lord would open our ears to hear and our hearts to respond to his word.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word.

We thank you for its instruction, for its direction, the challenge it brings to us to live holy lives in response to your call.

Help us to see clearly the truths of what you would speak to us this morning.

Please soften our hearts that we might put off our pride and every notion of independence from you.

Help us to cling to your words.

We want to focus on you.

Pray that you will forgive us our sinfulness for the evil words we've spoken, the evil thoughts we've harbored in our hearts.

Teach us and challenge us to live the holy lives that please you.

It's in Christ's name we pray.

Amen.

If you've closed your Bible, I might encourage you to open it again to James chapter 3.

James 3 · chapter mention

And in these few verses we're coming to look at now, the central theme...

Ah, down. Is it right? There we go.

The central theme that we're going to be looking at as we come to James chapter 3 is this.

James 3 · chapter mention

The great potential of words for evil and inconsistency in the life of the believer.

Let me repeat that.

The potential of words for evil and inconsistency in the life of the believer.

And James, as we'll see, is going to do this in three stages of the next 12 verses.

First of all, we're going to see an introductory warning.

Secondly, we have an incendiary explanation.

And finally, an immense call.

Let's get stuck in.

First of all, we have an introductory warning.

James writes in verse 1 of chapter 3,

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers,

because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

We all stumble in many ways.

If anyone is never at fault in what he says,

he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

Now you might be sitting there thinking,

Well, I'm not a teacher.

How does this apply to me?

Or to others like me?

But James isn't limiting his warning to merely teachers, as we'll see.

Some say perhaps he's writing concerned about those who are seeking the status of teacher

for the authority or the standing in the church.

Now we're not explicitly told that, and that may well have been the case.

But I think when we consider the text as a whole,

we begin to see that James is more leading us into his discourse about speech,

rather than it being just a lone rogue verse,

just kind of sitting there for no reason.

He's leading us in with his talk about the tongue.

The implications are far more reaching in the congregation.

So let us all, teachers or not, listen to what he has to say.

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, he writes.

We'll see throughout the course of this morning that we must tame the tongue,

yet we cannot do so.

Certainly then for anyone who would stand up in front of a crowd to teach from God's word,

they need be very cautious.

They need to guard their speech carefully.

So often when we speak, our words can become so careless.

You may well have heard it said that we have one mouth and two ears,

so we should do twice as much listening as we do speaking.

But yet I know how often I fall short personally,

and I know if you're honest with yourself, you'll probably admit the same.

We rarely come away from an argument with a friend or a loved one,

a brother and sister in Christ,

and when we realise where we went wrong,

we wish we could go back and say more.

More often than not, I think we wish we'd said less.

We might think too of how influential the words of a person in authority can be.

A persuasive person can convince others of anything,

even if it's a lie.

A quick wish and a humour can raise the spirit and elicit a laugh,

but used incorrectly,

and it can cause hurt and upset,

even unintentionally so.

I know this for myself, and perhaps it's an Irish trait in general,

but how often do we kind of excuse a slip of the tongue or a hurtful word as,

oh, it's just all in the name of good banter, you know?

And the problem of the public misuse of words then can be all the worse

in a church context like this,

where those who teach are expected to be models of good and upright Christian living.

And so James says,

they will be judged more severely.

And he includes himself in this bracket,

even as he writes.

He recognises, and indeed so should we,

that we who teach will be subject to judgment for what we say.

Let me pause there just for a moment and clarify

what I feel James is talking about when he means by judged.

Is it by others or is it by God?

Is it now in the present,

or is it kind of now then at the future judgment?

Well, ultimately I think we can say that this judgment

comes from the Lord.

God will hold each of us to account for what we say.

Yet in a sense there's a greater responsibility

placed on teachers for their words

because of the effect that it can have.

They will be held to account for what they've taught,

whether it's in accordance with God's word or not.

And as we've seen, even briefly at this point,

the great potential that words can have,

we recognise how seriously God takes such a matter.

Let's move on in the text.

He goes on to tell us then why we should not presume to teach in verse 2.

Why?

Because we all stumble in our sin.

And where better do we see this happen than with our tongue,

with our speech?

Maybe that's in the words we speak,

or even in the inward words that we speak in our minds,

our thoughts.

Our speech or our tongue serves as a permanent reminder

each and every day of our own sinfulness,

of our inability to change ourselves.

We can't pretend that we're sinless,

where, in many cases,

the evidence against us is clear

from the moment that we open our mouths.

James goes on to tell us that

if anyone's never at fault in what they say,

then they're perfect,

able to keep their whole body in check.

If they can control their tongue,

well then surely they can control every part of their bodies.

For each one of us, though,

we know how difficult it is to control the tongue.

Even the most well-spoken Christian you know

will probably admit to that.

We're all imperfect in this area.

James calls us to tame our tongue,

yet for so many of us,

our speech is so often our undoing.

So we see here James' introductory warning.

Don't presume to teach

and so incur judgment on yourself,

because we know we all stumble.

We're all imperfect.

We fail to control our tongue.

James already highlighted at the end of chapter 1,

verse 26,

what true religion looks like

if we're living for Christ.

He writes,

if anyone considers himself religious

and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue,

he deceives himself,

and his religion is worthless.

So if we think ourselves religious,

if we think ourselves really following and living for God,

and we don't keep a tight rein on our tongue,

well then James says we deceive ourselves,

we fool ourselves,

our religion is worth nothing.

James' warning touches all of our lives.

It's not merely helpful advice to those who would teach,

nor is he directing his warning at them alone.

No, James directs his warning at each of us.

Each of us fails to control our speech.

Let's unpack a little bit more now

about what James would say about the tongue.

Why is it such a big problem?

So we come to the next stage,

an incendiary explanation.

So having introduced the idea of speech or the tongue,

he gets deeper into its very nature.

He brings to us,

and quite vividly,

a fiery description of the tongue

and its potential for great evil.

Let's have a look.

We're going to see three illustrations

that James uses.

He compares the tongue to a horse's bit,

a ship's rudder,

and then the spark that starts a raging inferno.

Verse 3 reads,

When we put bits into the mouths of horses

to make them obey us,

we can turn the whole animal.

Small things produce big results.

Something small as a bit in the mouth of a horse

can be used to turn the animal itself.

Such a powerful animal,

bent to the will of its rider

by something so small.

And like the tongue,

it rests in the mouth

and controls the larger body.

James has us then consider

the rudder of a ship in verse 4.

Or take ships as an example.

Although they are so small

and are driven by strong winds,

they are steered by a very small rudder

wherever the pilot wants to go.

Again, James shows us

the big results produced

by something small.

Whether you've ever been on a boat before or not,

you can probably appreciate the metaphor.

Even though the ship is driven by the wind,

the pilot controls the rudder

and directs it wherever he wants to go.

The small part of the ship

turns and directs the whole vessel.

Much in the same way

as the tongue

has similar influence

over the whole person.

You might think today

maybe of the steering wheel in a car.

Small member of the car's anatomy

but yet controls the whole vehicle

and is directed by the will of the driver.

So as the bit,

the rudder,

the wheel

directs the larger body,

the tongue

directs human life.

Now, perhaps this question

has been brewing in your mind

as you're listening.

Each of these metaphors

have a third party.

Someone controlling the bait

or steering at the helm.

But who's controlling the tongue?

Well,

we know from Scripture

that our tongue

is controlled by our will,

by our hearts.

Scripture teaches us

that from our hearts

comes forth our speech.

Let me offer a quick illustration

that might help us

to think of this.

Say we are annoyed

at a friend,

a spouse,

or maybe a child

because they broke a promise

or they forgot something

we asked them to remember.

In that moment,

we snap.

We snap at them.

We say something unkind.

Without thinking.

Maybe we go further than that

and we act on it.

Maybe we go and gossip.

We share the failings of others

with our confidants

just kind of for the pleasure

of a bit of juicy gossip.

How quickly do we step over the line

from seeking support

to entertaining gossip?

We run the person down.

Maybe we actively punish them

with distrust or disdain.

Do we see the influence of the tongue,

something so small,

but yet with the uncontrolled potential

for great evil?

And if we haven't got a glimpse yet,

we will in the next few verses

from God's Word.

Let's push on to the next

of James' metaphor,

the next stage

in his incendiary explanation.

Verse 5 reads,

Likewise,

the tongue is a small part

of the body,

but it makes great boasts.

Consider what a great forest

is set on fire

by a small spark.

Now James goes on

to really hone in

on the danger of the tongue.

The tongue,

though a small part of the body,

a small insignificant part

in terms of its size,

it makes great boasts.

It builds itself up,

makes itself bigger,

more impressive.

It boasts and brags,

gorging itself on more

and more pride.

See the picture James

is painting for us here.

Certainly not one of sweet

and delicate innocence.

In fact,

more the extreme opposite.

But there's still more.

He calls us in the second half

of verse 5

to consider something,

something that really

focus our minds

on the right track.

Because,

well a bit is not dangerous

in the horse's mouth,

nor is a rudder really,

but a fire.

This is a danger

I think we can all relate to.

The tongue,

he explains,

is like a small spark

that results

in a huge forest fire.

Again,

for the third time,

something small

producing grace,

and in this case,

tragic results.

If anything,

at this point,

we see the influence

of the tongue

in our lives.

As the bit directs

the horse,

as the rudder

steers the ship,

so too our lives

are directed

by our tongues.

But what is it

about our tongues

that has this potential

for evil influence

over our whole lives?

Well,

I'll let James explain

in verse 6.

The tongue also

is a fire,

a world of evil

among the parts

of the body.

It corrupts

the whole person,

sets the whole course

of his life on fire,

and is itself

set on fire

by hell.

What a damning

statement about

our tongue,

our speech,

the way we communicate.

It's a really hopeless

situation that James

puts forth.

If we thought

we could control

this fire by ourselves,

or maybe put it out

or dampen it

by our own good efforts,

well,

then I think

we're sorely mistaken.

It's like trying

to control

a raging inferno,

James would say.

There are three things

that we should notice

briefly

about the tongue

from this verse

and help us

to get a feel

for the real heat

of what James

has to say.

First of all,

the character.

A world of evil

amongst the parts

of the body,

James says.

A world of evil.

Not just a small,

insignificant part.

Not half good

and half bad.

No,

a world of evil.

This is the stark,

intense reality

of our tongue's character.

Secondly,

the influence

of the tongue.

If it weren't enough

to reveal the depth

of our incapacity

to change ourselves

and control our tongues,

James goes even deeper.

He refers to

the tongue's influence.

It corrupts

the whole person,

sets the whole course

of his life on fire.

The cycle of evil

rolls through

the life of the person.

The fire grows

and grows.

For ourselves,

maybe we say

someone is untrustworthy

because we think it.

But when we think it,

sorry,

when we say it,

we think it all the more.

So we think,

oh,

that person's untrustworthy.

But when we voice that,

we think it more.

And so you see

how the cycle continues.

And it does that

all the way through life,

creating new evils

as it goes.

And thirdly,

the allegiance

of the tongue.

We've seen that

this evil flows

from the sinful heart

within each of us.

But James adds

a little bit more here

at the end of verse 6.

He finishes with,

it is itself

set on fire

by hell.

Now,

some of the commentators

would differ slightly

on the interpretation of this,

but let me offer

a brief comment.

I don't think he means

in this instance

that it's damned

for destruction,

but rather,

I think he nails

the tongue's colors

to the mast

and reveals

its allegiance.

If we were to wonder

why the tongue

has such great potential

for evil,

why it causes

so much trouble

for us

and the world around us,

well,

I think then

James explains,

the fiery potential

it has,

the evil it can harbor,

spits forth

from hell itself.

So do we see

the danger we have

resting between our teeth?

The great potential

for evil

in our Christian life?

Remember that James

is writing to believers here

to inform them,

to warn them

of the great danger.

So be aware.

We must wake up

and realize this morning.

Are we aware

of our tongue's ability

to stain us,

to pollute us,

to corrupt us?

James continues

in verses 7 and 8.

He writes,

all kinds of animals,

birds, reptiles

and creatures of the sea

are being tamed

and have been tamed

by man,

but no man

can tame the tongue.

It's a restless evil

full of deadly poison.

Sadly ironic,

is it not,

that all kinds

of wild animals

have been tamed

by mankind,

but no man

or woman

can tame the tongue.

Perhaps you've been

to the circus

or an aquarium

and you've seen

animals tamed

and controlled

to respond to command.

Wild animals

like bears,

lions,

orcas,

dolphins,

most of them

able to kill

and destroy us

with ease,

but yet

these have been tamed.

But James says

that no one

can tame the tongue.

And why?

He writes,

because it's

a restless evil

full of deadly poison.

It's volatile,

unstable,

at best,

maybe half-tamed,

but yet liable

to break out

at any moment

and unleash

that evil.

None of us

can force it

back to line.

No one amongst humans

with our sinful

human nature

can control it.

Yet it must be tamed.

Who then

can tame it?

Well,

here's where we

hit the wall,

I think.

The tongue

has great potential

for evil

in the life

of the believer.

So it must be

controlled.

It must be

tamed.

James says

we must do

something

that we cannot

do.

And so we come

to our third

and final point

this morning.

An immense

call.

Lastly,

and more briefly,

James highlights

the absurdity

of our thinking

if we believe

we can master

the tongue

by ourselves

as he turns

towards our

attitude

to God.

From verse 9,

reads,

with our tongue

we praise

our Lord and Father

and with it

we curse men

who have been

made in God's

likeness.

Out of the same

mouth come praise

and cursing.

My brothers,

this should not

be.

Can both fresh

water and salt

water flow

from the same

spring?

My brothers,

can a fig tree

bear olives

or a grapevine

bear figs?

Neither can a

salt spring

produce fresh

water.

Do we see

the absolute

hypocrisy

that our

tongues

produce?

The core

of this

passage

in verse 10

sums up

James'

message to

us this

morning.

Out of the

same mouth

come praise

and cursing.

My brothers,

this should

not be.

One minute,

even here in

church,

we're worshipping

the Lord

with our words,

with our thoughts,

and the next

moment,

we're cursing

those made

in his image.

Maybe this is

not so outwardly

obvious.

Let us think

on it for a

moment.

Let's say

perhaps you're

singing praises

to God as we

finish up in a

few moments,

and two minutes

later you're

entertaining the

thought of maybe

bringing up that

embarrassing instance

with someone just

to maybe slide them

off or harm their

feelings, even all in

the name of good

banter to get a

laugh out of people.

Or maybe perhaps

slandering someone to

their face because they

really annoyed you.

Or going and

gossiping to someone

else about it behind

their back.

one minute out of

the same mouth

come praise and

cursing to our

Lord and Father,

and the next

cursing those made

in his image.

My brothers and

sisters,

this should not

be.

Can both salt

water and fresh

water come from

the same spring?

Or can a fruit

tree bear fruit

different from its

nature?

Well, no, that's

ridiculous.

It's inconsistent.

But that is the way

of the tongue.

That's how we can be

in our worship.

And so James drives

his point home.

In a sense, we can

almost feel him

chiding us with this

impossible, with this

immense call.

This should not be.

This cannot be.

He highlights our

inconsistency, even

when he and indeed

we know that no one

can tame the tongue.

But yet the need

remains.

We need to watch

our words.

We've seen the

great potential of

something small to

have huge and

disastrous results.

So we must be

wary of what we

say, what we

think.

We must do this,

but we cannot.

No human can.

So are we excused

on this basis?

Well, no.

If we're honest

with ourselves

before God's word,

then we're in a

hopeless state this

morning.

Engulfed in the

fiery flames of our

own sinful words

and our thoughts.

Day by day, those

thoughts and words

reflecting perfectly

to the world around

us the sinfulness

of our hearts.

We cannot control

that which we

must.

Now, James does

not leave us with

the kind of ending

that we'd like to

hear at the end of

these verses.

It doesn't resolve

the riddle for us

in this passage.

If you thought at

the end of this

sermon I'd kind of

dish out a top ten

tips to a tamed

tongue, well then

I'm sorry because

I don't have them.

And James doesn't

give them at this

point.

On the basis of

our own human

efforts, if we

focus on that,

well he leaves us

in this tension.

We've seen this

morning that we're

hopelessly incapable

of taming the

tongue by our own

efforts.

But brothers and

sisters, what else

does scripture teach

us?

Where is the good

news for us in the

face of such an

indictment?

Well it's this.

At the very heart

of the gospel is

the fact that we

are in an

impossible situation

until God shows

up.

We cannot tame

the tongue, we

cannot save

ourselves.

Yet as sinful

human beings we

find our only hope

in the one who

is without sin, in

Jesus Christ.

For each of us

here this morning

we need to admit

that need of a

savior.

On the one hand

we could deny our

sin, we could claim

that we're better or

maybe no worse than

others.

We can claim that

our good words and

thoughts outweigh the

bad ones.

We can claim our

own righteousness.

But again, this

should not be.

This cannot be.

There's a better way

we can respond.

Our righteousness

has been revealed

to us.

We need to believe

in God's only son,

in Jesus Christ,

and daily cling to

him as our

savior.

Come to the

Lord.

Ask his forgiveness

for the failures

of our speech.

And once we

submit to the

fact that he

alone can do

what we cannot,

then we are

ready to face

the failures of

our speech which

reflect the

failures of our

hearts.

Let me just

offer a few

words of

application as we

close.

When we come to

a book like

James, it's very

important that we

use gospel lenses

as we think on

what the Lord

speaks to us.

Where the likes of

Paul or John

might include

little nuances

to Christ or

little kind of

gospel truth

nuggets as they

write.

James does

things a little

differently.

He kind of

assumes that we

know and

understand the

gospel.

So we're

seeking to

live for Christ.

That's a given

for him as he

writes.

So if we

forget that or

if we don't

take that into

account when we

read the book

of James, we

can just end up

with trying to

live morally by

our own efforts.

Which when it

comes to the

tongue, we realize

that we can't

even do that.

But thank the

Lord as always.

His word does

not leave us

without a

lifeline.

Just a few

verses later in

chapter 4,

James writes,

God opposes the

proud but gives

grace to the

humble.

Submit yourselves

then to God.

Resist the devil

and he will flee

from you.

Come near to

God and he

will come near to

you.

Wash your

hands, you

sinners.

Purify your

hearts, you

double-minded.

Grieve, mourn,

and wail.

Change your

laughter to

mourning and

your joy to

gloom.

Humble yourselves

before the

Lord and he

will lift you

up.

We need to

humble ourselves

in this area

before the

Lord, that he

would bring the

change that we

so desperately

need.

We need to

submit this area

of our lives

to him.

Then we can

resist the

temptation to

use our

tongue for evil

before we

speak.

Let us

pause and

think.

And let us

resolve in

his strength

alone, and I

cannot emphasize

that enough, in

his strength

alone, brothers

and sisters, to

use our tongue

for good and

not for evil, to

bless and not

to curse, to

lift one another

up, not put one

another down, to

speak words of

kindness and not

to gossip.

gossip.

And when we

slip up, which

we will, we'll

let us come and

ask his forgiveness

time and time

again, and let

us get up again

and pursue by

his strength the

holy lives that

he's called us to

live.

Let us pray.

Amen.

Heavenly Father, from

our own mouths come

praise to you and

cursing of our

brothers and

sisters.

This should not

be.

We recognize our

total and our

complete inability to

reform ourselves and

to change our sinful

ways by our own

efforts.

We stand guilty and

without excuse.

Please forgive us.

we've seen this

morning the great

potential of our

tongues for evil

and inconsistency in

our lives as

believers.

We cannot control

our tongue and we

are inconsistent in

our worship of you.

This should not be.

Please help us.

We are lost and

without no hope.

But into our

hopelessness you have

spoken these words.

This shall not be.

We thank you, most

loving Father, for

sending Jesus

Christ.

We thank you that

when we trust in

him as our

saviour, we receive

your loving mercy.

We thank you then

that you love us as

your children, flaws

and all.

In his name,

Amen.

I believe we're

going to sing as we

close, but I'm just

going to get that

ready.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Japanese

principles planilton can steal

lic centered Jesus

grained ground

in honor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.