Communicating with words is one of the distinguishing marks of human existence. It makes possible the clearest level of understanding, the con¬serving and transmission of knowledge from the past, and the sharing of information from one intelligent being to another. Like so many aspects of human life, however, communication is a gift from God that can be abused. Whether our tongue is used for cursing others or cussin’ others, we must guard against such abuse.
In this passage, James tells us about the use and abuse of the tongue.
De¬pending on how it is used, the tongue ...
1. Can give special direction - vs. 1-4
There was a tendency, it seems, for those in the church of James’ day, to want to be in positions of authority, without fully considering the impli¬cations involved. James points out, however, that with the privilege of teaching comes responsibility and accountability.
A. One must be sure his teaching is correct, lest he be guilty of heresy - v. 1
B. One must make sure his teaching is consistent, lest he be guilty of hypocrisy - v. 2
But if his words are correct and consistent, they have the power to provide others with special direction.
Even as a bit can change the direction a horse runs and a rudder can change tfep direction a ship sails, our words can change the direction of one’s life. But if our tongue is to give that special direction to others, our words must Ife correctly reflect the Word of God and our lives must con¬sistently reflect a commitment to the glory of God.
"Forge your tongue on the anvil of truth and what flies up, though it be but a spark, will have light."
The fact is that though you may not occupy a formal teaching position, every Christian must understand that they occupy informal teaching posi¬tions. Each of us is in a position to influence someone, whether it be our spouse, our kids, our friends, our co-workers, or even strangers.
Josiah Wedgwood, English maker of the famous Wedgwood pottery, was showing a nobleman through his factory one day. One of Wedgwood’s employees, a young boy, was ac¬companying them. The nobleman was profane and vulgar. At first, the boy was shocked by his irreverence; then he became fascinated by the man’s coarse jokes and laughed at them.
Wedgwood was deeply distressed. At the conclusion of the tour, he showed the nobleman a vase of unique design. The man was charmed by its exquisite shape and rare beauty. As he reached for it, Mr. Wedgwood purposely let it fall to the floor. The nobleman uttered an angry oath and said, "I wanted that vase for my collection, and you have ruined it by your carelessness!" Wedgwood answered, "Sir, there are other ruined things more precious than a vase which can never be restored. You can never give back to that young man, who just left us, the reverence for sacred things which his parents have tried to teach him for years. You have un¬done their labor in less than half an hour!"
Yes, depending on how it is used, our tongue can give special direction or it ...
2. Can bring serious destruction - vs. 5-8
If one ’s words are not correctly aligned with the Word of God or consis¬tent with a life committed to the glory of God, then rather than providing special direction to the lives of others, they will bring serious destruction.
A. James likens inappropriate use of the tongue to a wild fire.
David explains how our emotions often boil over into words:
"My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue." - Psalm 39:3 (NIV)
Now, it is important for us to understand that though God made us emo¬tional creatures, our emotions are not to rule our lives. As believers, the Holy Spirit is to rule our lives. When He does, our emotions are kept in check and will serve us well. However, when our emotions are allowed to rule our lives, then we find that they often will spill over and be ex¬pressed to others in words that are not appropriate.
Instead, we should do as David did in this Psalm, we should express those emotions To God in prayer. In doing so, He will then enable us to get over the hurt, anger, frustration, etc. and show us how to express those emotions in a way that will honor Him and benefit others. When we fail to go to God with our feelings, however, we will find they will overflow in words to others that are destructive. This is what James de¬scribes here.
1) The destruction it brings can start small - v. 5
To uncover the processes that destroy unions, marital re¬searchers studied couples over the course of years, and even decades, and retraced the steps of those who have split up back to their wedding day. What they found is unsettling. None of the factors one would guess might predict a couple’s durability actually does: how in love newlyweds say they are; how much affection they exchange; how much they fight or what they fight about. In fact, couples who endure and those who don’t look similar in the early days. Yet when psy¬chologists Cliff Notarius of Catholic University and Howard Markman of the University of Denver studied newlyweds over the first decade of marriage, they found a very subtle but telling difference at the beginning of the relationships.
Among couples who would ultimately stay together, 5 out of every 100 comments made about each other were put-downs. Among couples who would later split, 10 of every 100 comments were insults. That gap magnified over the fol¬lowing decade, until couples heading downhill were flinging five times as many cruel and invalidating comments at each other as happy couples. "Hostile put-downs act as cancerous cells that, if unchecked, erode the relationship over time," says Notarius, who with Markman co-authored the new book We Can Work It Out. "In the end, relentless unremitting negativity takes control and the couple can’t get through a week without major blowups."
The difference between 10 putdowns and 5 is small, yet it can make all the difference in whether a marriage fails, survives, or thrives.
2) The destruction it brings can spread swiftly - v. 6
The classic movie, A Christmas Story, is a nostalgic look at growing up in Gary, Indiana, through the eyes of a boy named Ralphy. One scene depicts a school recess in the mid¬dle of winter. Two boys surrounded by their classmates ar¬gue whether a person’s tongue will stick to a metal pole in below-freezing weather.
Eventually one of the boys succumbs to the infamous "triple-dog dare." Hesitantly he sticks his tongue out and touches it to the school flagpole.
Sure enough, it gets stuck. The recess bell rings. Everyone runs into the school building, everyone except the hapless victim. When the teacher finally looks out the window, she sees the boy writhing in pain, his tongue frozen to the flag¬pole.
While few of us have been in that predicament, we all know what it’s like to have our tongues get us in trouble.
When we suffer the pain that eventually recoils upon everyone who speaks boastful words, lying words, bitter and cruel words, hypocritical or doubting words, we learn the truth of the proverb:
“Watch your words and hold your tongue; you’ll save yourself a lot of grief."- Proverbs 21:23 (The Message)
James tells us that if we are not careful, our tongue can get us in trouble and bring grief to others.
B. James likens inappropriate use of the tongue to a wild animal.
1) Inappropriate words have a life of their own - vs. 7-8a
Even as wild animals have a life of their own, words unfitly spoken have a life of their own. Once spoken, our words have their effect upon others. It is better to have never spoken than to speak and not be able to undo the damage that our words may cause.
"Reckless words pierce like a sword." - Proverbs 12:18a (NIV)
2) Inappropriate words have a mind of their own - v. 8b
Wild animals have a mind to pounce on their victim and inappropriate words also produce victims. Do your words produce victims or victors?
In his book, Three Steps Forward Two Steps Back. Chuck Swindoll writes about a woman who committed suicide. She left an unfinished note that simply read, "They said ..." She never completed her final thought, but whatever "they said" was painful enough that she chose to take her own life.
Notice that I said she chose to take her own life. Obviously, no ones words took her life from her, she chose to end it and it was entirely her choice. But whatever was said about her contributed to her conclusion that ending her life was an| acceptable choice. You see, our words can influence the thinking and choices of others. How are your words influ¬encing those around you?
"Stop all your dirty talk. Say the right thing at the right time and help others by what you say. Don’t make God’s Spirit sad. The Spirit makes you sure that someday you will be free from your sins. Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ. Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children. Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God." - Ephesians 4:29-5:2 (CEV)
Notice how Paul tells us to make sure our talk blesses others instead of curses them. We must allow the Spirit to change us by following the ex¬ample set for us by the Son, and give ourselves completely to the Father.
As we do that, He can "put out the fire" and "harness the animal" of our emotions, allowing our speech to be under His control, honor Him and bless others.
For each others’ sake, we must give ourselves to God, so that our emo¬tions might be kept in check, our hearts might be changed and our words might build up, rather than tear down. For how our tongue is used ...
3. Can provide spiritual diagnosis - vs. 9-12
James tells us that the condition of one’s heart is revealed by the use of one’s tongue.
Just as it is unreasonable to insist that a salt spring can produce fresh wa¬ter or that a fig tree can produce olives; it is unreasonable to insist that a tongue that brings a curse to its fellow man can also bring praise to God.
Conclusion: "Therefore," James says, "Consider your words. Do they reveal a heart that is right with God or one that is not?"
Either my tongue is causing serious destruction to others or is giving spe¬cial instruction to others.
What makes the difference? The difference is determined by whether or not my words are correctly aligned with the Word of God & consistent with a life lived for the glory of God; and that will be determined by whether or not my heart is given to the control of God.
"Maturity is knowing when to speak your mind and when to mind your speech."
