Story: “The Tongue”
A biblical writer said, “The tongue can no man tame.” A Greek philosopher asked his servant to provide the best dish possible. The servant prepared a dish of tongue, saying: “It is the best of all dishes, because with it we may bless and communicate happiness, dispel sorrow, remove despair, cheer the fainthearted, inspire the discouraged, and say a hundred other things to uplift mankind.”
Later the philosopher asked his servant to provide the worst dish of which he could think. A dish of tongue appeared on the table. The servant said, “It is the worst, because with it we may curse and break human hearts; destroy reputations; promote discord and strife; set families, communities, and nations at war with each other.” He was a wise servant.
Solomon said, “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23).
--J. Whitcomb Brougher
The tongue is not large in size compared to the liver, heart, lungs, or hand, but it is capable of causing a great deal of trouble for us. The words formed by the tongue can cause us to give people the wrong information and thereby place thoughts and ideas in their minds that are incorrect.
Whether we realize it or not, we are all teachers. I say this because we profess to be disciples or followers of Jesus. When Jesus walked the earth, he taught all those who came to him.
He taught them about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Jesus never discouraged people when he taught, but he tried to uplift them in their daily walk. We are to do the same. We are not to be negative about what we say, but instead we are to be positive and encouraging.
Most of you have probably used the McCormick or some other line of seasoning products. You used these products because you wanted to bring out the flavor in the food you were preparing or just to give it a little flavor.
We should think of our tongue as the receptacle for dispensing the seasoning that will enhance another person’s life; thereby, uplifting their life to another level. Through our words expressing love and compassion and understanding, we will be following in the footsteps of Jesus. We will be bringing out the best in this person just as the McCormick’s bring out the best in food.
Jesus also taught his followers that they were the light of the world. If we are to be the light of the world, our actions should show it, but so should our words. If we take a candle and light it, the candle will give light to a dark room. We, as Christians, should be like that lit candle. We should shine forth so that other lives will shine forth.
Cold negative words spoken by us to another person is like a candle flame put out by a drop of water. Darkness falls upon the other person and they feel as thought no one cares and they are alone in the world. A tongue that has been used to tear down instead of build up is a tongue that has not been tamed.
Jesus told his disciples, and we are his disciples, to go into the world and tell or teach the people that he paid the penalty for sin and those who believe in him will be forgiven and their destiny is his kingdom. We can only do this by shaking out the positive truthful words from the tongue which is the seasoning receptacle.
Someone said that there is death or life in our words. Listen to these words:
“A careless word may kindle strife,
A cruel word may wreck a life;
A bitter word may hate instill,
A brutal word may smite and kill;
A gracious word may smooth the way
A joyous word may light the day;
A timely word may lessen stress,
A loving word may heal and bless.”
--Selected
We are all teachers because we spread the Word of God through our witness to others and we will be held responsible for our words. Our words and our actions can have a profound effect upon the lives of those who hear and see us. James indicates that at some point in our journey we will be judged more strictly for what we teach.
You may say you are not a teacher, leader, manager because you do not have one of those titles, but let’s us be assured that being a child of the Most High, we are responsible for our words and actions. If our tongue sprinkles out bitter and disgusting seasoning, friendships and relationships are lost. If our actions are contrary to Jesus’ actions of love and compassion, then our actions will project a negative image toward Jesus. People will be driven away from the Savior instead of being drawn to him.
We are not perfect people. James tells us that we stumble and make mistakes. Just because we are Christians does not mean we do not sin. In fact, we sin on a daily basis, but we have within our heart the Holy Spirit that reminds us of our sinful nature and helps us when we stumble by saying the wrong word or showing the wrong action.
James says, “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body” (v. 2). Each of us can spoil a relationship between God’s children by such things as gossiping, spreading rumors or lying.
There is a Jewish Proverb that says:
What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t witness with your mouth.
If each one of us took this to heart, we would not have gossiping and we would not have so many broken relationships.
There is no one present here this morning who does not gossip. I know that because we are all children of God and followers of Jesus. Since Jesus never gossiped and we walk in his footsteps, we never gossip. Wrong!
Most of us have probable taken pictures and then we have taken the film to the drug store to have the pictures developed. When we pick up the pictures, we not only get the beautiful finished prints, but we also get the negatives. Those beautiful pictures came from those ugly negatives, one negative for each picture.
If you think for a moment gossip is like that negative. Gossip originates from something that is negative. I am sure most of you ladies have been in the beauty shop getting your hair done when in comes your friend who sits down beside you and begins to tell you Jim’s car was parked in Sally’s driveway all night and it is still there this morning. This is real juicy since Jim and Sally are not married. So you go and tell someone else and the in turn that person tells one of their friends. Soon there is a real complex story being circulated that is not true.
A negative picture has been painted of Jim and Sally. What you really don’t realize is that Jim left his car their so Sally would have a way to take her mother to the doctor the following day.
There is a Spanish Proverb that says: “Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.”
People like to talk and they like to talk about one another. If we are going to talk about people let’s talk about their good points and build them up instead of tearing them down. Let’s tell other people about how positive, caring, understanding, and loving someone is. This is the way to maintain a good Christian relationship with that person and to show that person that you are a child of the King.
Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). In other words, examine yourself before you say anything about someone else. Make sure you are not doing what you are about to gossip.
Remember the story about the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well. As Jesus talked to the woman, the woman realized that Jesus knew much about her personal life. Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here” (John 4:16). Do you remember the woman’s response? That’s right she said, “I have no husband.” Then what did Jesus say?
Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband: in that you spoke truly” (John 4:17-18).
Just imagine what the Globe, Star, or any one of the other scandal papers could have done with this story. They would have had a real heyday and their papers would have sold like wildfire. There was not another mention of this event after it was over. Jesus did not go about telling everyone else or whispering to his disciples about this woman and her private life.
Women are not the only ones who gossip. Men are just as guilty. I am just as guilty as any other man. Men get together and talk about their boss or their employer. They talk about what their friend told their friend. They talk about how their friend acquired the new car or boat. Men talk about who was talking to whom in the parking garage.
Look at the magazines and newspapers at the grocery store the next time you are waiting to check out. There are always juicy stories about well-known people caught doing something really news-worthy. You can read about who got who pregnant, the singer who is running around with someone else’s partner, the personal issues the President and his wife are having, and the list goes on and on.
Publications like to pick up gossip and spread rumors because it brings in money.
Edward Wallis Hoch said:
There is so much good in the worst of us,
And so much bad in the best of us,
That it hardly becomes any of us
To talk about the rest of us.
Gossip will destroy a relationship. Gossip is a sin and we are all guilty of gossiping. Gossip is what people say and hear. It is very difficult for man to control his tongue. As James tells us, we can control a large animal like the horse by putting a bit in the horse’s mouth and we can control a large boat or ship by the use of a relatively small rudder, but we cannot control the tongue of man.
We need to think before we speak. We need to ask ourselves if what we are about to express in words is worthy and would Jesus say it. In other words, “What would Jesus say?”
Are the words we are about to speak words of encouragement and are they uplifting? Are these words positive and meaningful? Will these words be helpful to the person we are going to speak to? Are these words necessary?
Poem: “Words Like Arrows”
How like an arrow is a word
At random often speeding
To find a target never meant
And set some heart a-bleeding.
Oh, pray that Heaven may seal the lips
Ere unkind words are spoken;
For heaven itself cannot recall,
When once that seal is broken.
----The Evangelist and Bible Teacher
We would never shoot an arrow at another person and we should never send forth words that would cause injury to someone. The uncontrolled tongue is an instrument that Satan likes to use.
James compares the tongue to a small flame. “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!” (v.5). A forest fire is started by a small flame. Someone throws down a lighted cigarette and a fire begins. Our favorite restaurant, Cracker Barrel, has mulch, which are wood chips, in the flower beds along the side of the restaurant. On two different occasions, we have discovered fire because someone had thrown down their cigarette before coming into the restaurant. Each time management brought out water to extinguish the fire.
The tongue is like this small flame that, if not confined, could set the building on fire. The tongue damages another person’s character; it brings down their self-image; it makes them feel bad; it destroys their confidence in themselves and in other people, and it makes them feel unworthy, unloved and valueless. Satan likes this because it divides people and they become enemies instead of friends. It gives them a negative image of why God even created them and that he does not care for them or love them.
James tells us “The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and set on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell” (v. 6).
The tongue is capable of bringing about so much sin that it could be called “a world of iniquity”. It draws the whole body into sin. The tongue is capable of causing the downfall of individuals and entire organizations.
The tongue has brought down large religious organizations and has brought disgrace upon their pastors and leaders. It has ruined relationships between countries of the world. The tongue has brought about disputes between government leaders and the departments under their jurisdiction. It has torn apart local organizations such as the police department, fire department, and rescue organizations who are trying to protect the citizens.
Words that are spoken can never be retracted or called back. Cruel words spread like wildfire and leave scares as does a forest fire. Apologies do not remove the scare caused by cruel unkind words. We cannot reverse the damage caused by a forest fire and we cannot reverse the damage caused by ruthless, wicked, heartless words that come from the tongue.
James says, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (v. 8).
What are we to do if no human being can control the tongue? We may never be able to completely control the tongue, but with the help of the Holy Spirit we can monitor the use of it. In other words, the Holy Spirit living in our hearts will remind us of how much God loves us and by doing so; we will refrain from reacting in a hateful manner and saying words that will hurt other people. When someone hurts us, the Holy Spirit will heal our hurt and we won’t be tempted to lose control and lash out at another brother or sister.
James tells us that “With it (the tongue) we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God” (v. 9). I don’t think people think like this, because if they did, the tongue would be under control more times than not. It doesn’t even make sense to pray and praise God and then turn around and curse or slander someone. This indicates a forked tongue.
James goes on to say, “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so” (v. 10). James also says that the mouth is like a spring that brings forth fresh water and bitter water from the same opening. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this does not happen.
An apple tree doesn’t bear peaches, a palm tree doesn’t bear plums and as James said, “You don’t get olives from a fig tree.”
Our tongue gives a picture of whom and what we really are. Scripture tells us we were made in God’s image. It also says we fell into sin. Since God made us in his image, he knows us inside and out. He knows how we feel, what we are thinking and how we will react even before we do anything. God living within us, in the person of the Holy Spirit, is able to give us the control we need so we will be able to say the things that will bring glory to Him.
I want to close with this selection that I found:
“The Tongue”
“The boneless tongue, so small and weak,
Can crush and kill,” declares the Greek.
“The tongue destroys a greater horde,”
The Turk asserts, “Than does the sword.”
The Persian proverb wisely saith,
“A lengthy tongue – an early death!
Or, sometimes takes this form instead,
“Don’t let your tongue cut off your head.”
The tongue can speak a word whose speed,
Say the Chinese, “outstrips the steeds.”
The Arab sages said in part,
“The tongue’s great storehouse is the heart.”
From Hebrew was the maxim sprung,
“Thy feet should slip, ne’er let the tongue.”
The sacred writer crowns the whole,
“Who keeps his tongue doth keep his soul.”
Amen.
