Are You A Wise Guy Series

“34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (12:37).

It’s by what the leaders say and how they treat those under them is how God’s going to judge them. He is also setting up what he going to be talking about in the next paragraph.

Illustration: With great responsibility

Application: Are you desiring to be in leadership? We have been in a situation with someone in charge and they miss used their authority and suffered the results of being powerless and visa versa.

Transition: Because James says, 3:13. . .

“13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

Be Wise With Your Mouth (3:3-12)

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 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. 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. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Exegesis: That is that our good faith is made complete by what we do. The same grace that enables believers to put their faith in actions is the same grace that will enable them to hold their tongue and that is the deeds of wisdom. Bit & Rudder is a parable and is what we speak: This mean that by what we say is what we will probably live out. What we say is were our lives would most of the time; because out of the abundance of the month the heart speaks. So when "bit" is in the horses mouth whenever the mouth is turned the body will follow. The same is true with the "bit" in our own mouths., what we speak about most of the time is where our heart is and where our life style is as well. The next parable mean basically the same thing. The rudder is our mouth and our pilot is our hearts. Where our hearts is, is what going to come out of our lips and life. In this context it is where the horse and ship is going to go. The tongue is a small part of the body and it speaks about what is in the heart. The fire in the forest is a good example of what sinful talk can do in our lives. The more we indulge in sinful talk and chatter the more sin becomes apart of our lives and corrupts our whole body. When evil and sinful talk comes out of our mouths that sin spreads through our whole body like fire, and sets our life on a one way trip to hell, all by what we say (c.f. Matt. 5:22 & Prov. 18:21). All kinds of animal; lots of animal in this world today have been tamed but the fact is that it is very difficult to tame the tongue. It’s the tongue that is so much out of control most of the time, and when we speak evil among one another it is like poison in our spirits and can give birth to emotional pain in others which is murder according to the Scriptures (Mat. 5:21-26). In the context of Matthew 5:21-26 it is talking about physical murder but also connotes the meaning of murdering someone's spirit by demeaning, insulting, emotional abusing, or verbally abusing others. Since we are made in God likeness to curse man is to curse God (c.f. I Cor. 11:7 & Gen. 9:6). To speak about life and curse at the same time has or should have no place in the Christian life. As James puts it "My brothers, this should not be."