Hung by the Tongue
#12 in the Book of James Series
By Pastor Jim May
1) On a windswept hill in an English country churchyard stands a drab, gray slate tombstone. The quaint stone bears an epitaph not easily seen unless you stoop over and look closely. The faint etchings, worn by the ravages of time and weather, read:
Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, lies Arabella Young, Who on the twenty-fourth of May, began to hold her tongue.
Now it seems to me that this lady would have done well to learn and heed the words of James that we are going to study tonight. Whether anyone had the nerve to tell her while she was alive that she talked too much or not, she will ever be marked as someone who said her piece, even when her piece didn’t add up to much.
There was an old joke that some of you might not find funny that went like this: If you want to get some news to spread there are three very dependable means to do so. First you may use the telephone, then you may broadcast on the television, but the best method by far is to simply tell-a-woman! Now ladies, don’t get too upset because I know some men who can spread it faster than you can!
2) Sometimes the old television programs can bring back fond memories, creating a sense of nostalgia for the good old day. Most of them seemed harmless enough, even when they dealt with serious matters.
In the 1950s the “Honeymooners” often made comedy out of conflict in the home.
Who can forget Jackie Gleason when he would get mad at his wife about something and this is what he would say, “One of these days, Alice; one of these days – POW right in the kisser!”
It seemed harmless then, but today Jerry Springer makes entertainment out of conflict in the home -- and people should cry. Conflict in the home is a reality that isn’t really funny or entertaining. It is serious. It can be very painful, hurtful and divisive. And many times the conflict arises simply from what we say to each other and how we say it. To avoid that we must learn how to successfully control what we say to each other.
3) The manner in which we speak, and the words we say, can often make a difference in settling conflicts. Adolph Hitler and Winston Churchill were separated by the English Channel. But the difference between them was much greater than that. Both were powerful and influential speakers. But they did not use their abilities as speakers in the same way. Hitler used the power of his tongue to destroy. Churchill used the power of his tongue to bless.
So it is with each of us in the context of the human family. It is our choice as to whether we will use our words to encourage and build others in our families or not. We can make the choice.
3) They had just gotten the call to go to Afghanistan. The soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division were quickly boarding planes that would transport them to the dangerous battlefields of Afghanistan. The news report on their assignment was describing their long flight and the moment during their flight when the atmosphere suddenly got more intense. As they neared their landing zone, the men were issued their live ammunition and commanded to lock and load in preparation for exiting the aircraft. One man described the sobering reality of holding his ammunition in his hand. The thought came to him and he said, "Once you pull the trigger, there’s no way to get that round back."
I want to have A Word With You today about "Bullets You Can’t Get Back."
A bullet is so easy to fire. A bullet can do so much damage. A bullet can’t be taken back ... even if it’s a verbal bullet. Wounds from steel metal jacket cartridges may heal, but wounds that result from harsh words spoken in anger can cause wounds that may never heal.
James 3:5, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!"
Last week in the message we saw that James compared the tongue to a bit in a horse’s mouth or a helm, or rudder of a ship. Like these small objects that carry such a powerful impact upon the direction that they travel and what they accomplish in their work, the tongue can either make you or break you in life.
Have you ever been around been people that like to brag? Bragging is like trying to flatter yourself at the expense of others, and even when what you have accomplished is really a great thing, no one wants to hear you brag. I often hear of preachers who have some really great churches who love to brag on what “they’ve” accomplished in “their” ministry.
The church may be doing great things. The Holy Spirit may be moving in the church and souls may be getting saved all the time, but that doesn’t give us the right to brag. It’s good to be proud of your church. It’s good to be proud that you are a Christian. But pride must be controlled and we must never think that we can take credit for anything.
Victory Temple is doing great. We are growing slowly and people are being blessed. Everyone who walks in the door tells me that they can really sense the presence of the Holy Ghost in our services. I’m proud of that fact, but I must give all the glory to God. It’s not me, or you, but it’s God who is building the church. Let’s not forget that!
Just a few weeks ago, it seems that there were a few young children playing with matches in Southern California. Their little fire got out of control because of the strong winds and dry conditions and before long that little match had spawned a fire that destroyed hundreds of home and thousands of acres.
James says, “Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth…”
Words spoken out of turn, or in the wrong manner to the wrong person, can destroy nations, and certainly destroy churches and homes. Such a small thing can bring such great destruction, the cost of which may never be determined fully, for sometimes the fires in the spirit go from generation to generation, still smoldering in the hearts of men.
Who can forget that old story of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s of
In the mountains of Kentucky and West Virginia around the time of the end of the Civil War, their fued broke out. It all began because of misunderstanding and harsh words. The first recorded instance of violence in the feud occurred after an 1873 dispute about the ownership of a hog: Floyd Hatfield had it and Randolph McCoy said it was his. The pig was only in the fight because one family believed that since the pig was on their land, that meant it was theirs; the other side objected.
By the time the fued ended, 12 members of the families were dead, all because of the misuse of the tongue.
What kind of fire can you kindle in the family or in the church? Gossip on the job is one of the greatest methods of destroying the productivity and often causes someone to lose their income. Gossip in the church brings division that often results in a split church or a failed church. Gossip in the family always leads to hurt feelings and sometimes siblings and family members won’t speak to one another for many years. What a shame that our tongues can cause so much. What a fire they can start!
James 3:6, "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."
A fire can warm and comfort, but it can burn and kill too. One thing that strikes me is that people won’t always remember your face. They may not remember your name. but if you say something wrong, they will never forget that!
There is an old fable that is found in the literature of the Jews pertaining to the Fall of Adam in the Garden that goes like this: "when Adam sinned, God laid hold on him, and slit his tongue into two parts, and said unto him, the wickedness which is, or shall be in the world, thou hast begun with an evil tongue; wherefore I will make all that come into the world know that thy tongue is the cause of all this.’’
By defiling the whole body we are talking about a nation, just as much as a person. Lies, half-truths, and words of anger, or words of hatred fill a whole nation with strife and contention.
Just this week I received an email saying that the Federal Government had make a rule that no Cross could stand upon Federal Property, but in that same email was a photo of a national cemetery that was filled with crosses of fallen soldiers. What are they going to do now, remove the crosses and replace the headstones? Our nation is in turmoil and great confusion reigns because men won’t speak the truth, and carry out their own agenda at all costs.
Words are powerful things. If that isn’t true then why write them down in a constitution, or a Bill of rights, or a Declaration of Independence, or a sermon to be preached in the House of the Lord?
The words that we speak either bless or defile. We can heal the nation or we can divide it further. We can preach the truth, and bless the church, or we can cause people to be lost by preaching a lie. They can bless the body or kill the body – so watch what we say and how we say it.
The tongue is a hard thing to control for it is controlled by the heart and the mind and if these aren’t in tune with God’s will, then everything that comes through them will be influenced by the devil. Satan loves to use the tongue to destroy.
Jesus knew that the words of the Pharisees were straight from the heart of Satan and that’s why he said to them in Matthew 12:34, "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
James 3:7, "For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:"
We can tame the wild nature of many of the animals that live in the wild. We can take a wild stallion and break him to be a gentle horse to ride. We can take a wild bird, and teach him to talk and obey commands. We can take a monkey off of a tree in Africa and teach him to paint a picture or maybe write a word. We can even capture giant whales and porpoises from the waters of the ocean and teach them to do tricks in a cirus, but we have a hard time taming a wild tongue.
James 3:8, "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."
The wild nature of the tongue is impossible to change without the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ applied to it. Even then, many still have a lot of problems controlling what they say.
The tongue of man is fenced in with a double row of teeth and guarded by two lips, but that’s not enough to restrain it. It breaks every barrier, overcomes every determined mind, and still slips in a jab or two at every opportunity.
The tongue is full of deadly poison, which, privately, secretly, and gradually, destroys the characters, credit, and reputation of men; and kills the relationships in families, neighborhoods, churches, and states. And there is no other cure for the deadly sting of the tongue other than forgiveness and mercy on the part of the one smitten.
James 3:9, "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God."
The tongue is the instrument that is used in blessing God daily with every meal that is eaten; and in joining with the saints, when we pray, sing and worship. We sit in church, lifting our voices to God, then we walk out of church and begin to complain, gripe and have preacher or teacher for lunch. I hope this isn’t happening in Victory Temple, but I’m sure that there are times when it does.
James 3:10, "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be."
James 3:11, "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?"
Can you walk up to a fountain anywhere and drink of it safely when you know that half of the water that comes into it is poison? Would you take a drink on the other side, taking a chance that it won’t harm you? Of course not, the whole thing is poisoned by the half that is poisoned and none of it is fit for consumption. Can it be any different when we speak out of two sides of our mouths? One moment we tell someone we love them, and the next moment we are stabbing them in the back!
James 3:12, "Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."
Every tree bears fruit, according to its kind; a fig tree produces figs, and an olive tree olive berries; a fig tree does not produce olive berries, or an olive tree figs; and neither of them bear both olives and figs.
Are you truthful or not? Are you wise or not? You are known by the words you speak!
James 3:13, "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom."
In closing let me just say that your conversation shows everyone your real heart.
I’ve heard it said that it’s better to keep your mouth shut and let everyone wonder if you are crazy than to open your mouth and prove them right! That sound like good advice to me.
Let us be very careful of the words we say. They can bring life, or they can bring death. No wonder James says so much about the power of the tongue.
