It seems that one day a kindergarten teacher was helping one of her students put on his cowboy boots? (I think this is from Alberta)
He asked for help and she could see why. Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn’t want to go on. Finally, when the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost cried when the little boy said, "Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet." She looked down and sure enough, they were.
It wasn’t any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. But she managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on - this time on the right feet. And it was only then that he announced, "These aren’t my boots."
She bit her tongue rather than scream, "Why didn’t you say so?" like she wanted to. And, once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet. No sooner had they got the boots off then he said, "They’re my brother’s boots. My Mom made me wear ’em today."
Stifling a scream, she mustered up the grace and courage she to wrestle the ill-fitting boots on his feet again. Helping him into his coat, she asked, "Now, where are your mittens?"
To which he replied, "I stuffed ’em in the toes of my boots." The article ends by saying - Her trial starts next month.
Well this is probably just a story, but you all know it can be true. There are those moments where you just have to hold your tongue. Right? Well just a few weeks ago, earlier in our series from the book of James, we looked at the tongue. So I was left with the dilemma: do I preach on the tongue again or jump over.
Well lucky us, I think we can look at the tongue again and see it maybe in a new light. Today I want to look at the tongue and make a bold statement: Holiness and the tongue go hand in hand. Well let’s read our passage this morning from the Message. James 3:1-12:
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
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 body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being 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 human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
I. Warning to those who teach (vs. 1-2)
Well, let’s just jump right in, I think for many people that preach or teach the Word of God, the first verse can be kind of sobering. Why would anyone want to sign up if they are going to be judged more harshly?
In the time of the apostles and Paul’s missionary journeys the teachers had a very important role.
The apostles, like Paul and Barnabas traveled on missionary journeys from place to place and town to town. They would come to a place and preach, encourage and then move on to the next place.
The teachers were considered in equal esteem, but unlike the apostles they were with the people. They did not move on. Basically, once the apostles arrived and people got saved, then the new converts were turned over to the teachers to disciple them. The spiritual growth was the responsibility of the teacher.
There were teachers that totally went astray. Paul and James warn us about false teachers. Paul said in Acts 15:24: We heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you troubling your minds by what they said.
There were those that were out for their own gain and that preached one thing and did another. There were some that tried to change Christianity to look like Jewish practices and bring back the circumcision in keeping with the law.
Some taught out of ignorance. 1 Timothy 1:6-7 states: For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, 7 wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.
And then there were some who were just people pleasers. 2 Timothy 4:3: 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires
Barclay says that the Christian teacher took on the equivalent role to the Jewish Rabbi. The Rabbis were often looked at with such esteem and the word Rabbi in Hebrew means “great one”. It was this position of esteem that could go to their heads and it was setting them up for pride and ruined character.
Jesus came as a shepherd to the flock coming to the world in a manger to the way he lived…he lived and lead with humility.
We know that there were a lot of teachers that were doing it for the right reasons. They wanted to see people grow in their walk with Christ and this is evident in the growth of the Christian church throughout the ages. We also know and have seen teachers and preachers that may not be in it for the right reasons. All about the flash!
Verse 2 says: For we all stumble in many ways (ESV) Yes those that teach and preach will be judged more harshly because they are responsible for leading and that is why they must make sure their calling is from God.
James was realizing that there were many doing it for the wrong reasons…fame, prestige, maybe money and it can happen today. We all need to beware of our motives for leading or teaching and really beyond that; what are our motives for doing things? Are we doing it to be like Christ and to serve Him or are we doing it for our own glory? The results will be different in the long run if we are doing it for Him.
II. Understanding the Tongue (vs. 3-8)
Well, just like James, he jumps from one topic to another, but I guess teaching and the tongue go hand in hand. James is talking about the power of the tongue. And what great illustrations he uses.
Any of you from the farm or that have ridden a horse knows that a 5 inch little metal bit makes all the difference in the world when it comes to steering a horse. I use to ride a horse without a bit, only a halter and a rope when I went to my aunt’s house. All was fine until the horse had had enough. Then there was no steering or controlling him. In one Wild West instance the horse was running towards a low branch and tried to peel me off.
The little bit would have helped. It goes right up in the horse’ mouth and when you give it the slightest pull is causes the horse discomfort and makes it more cooperative. A tiny bit controls a big horse.
Then James goes on to talk about a ship: there are two warships today that have the largest full-load displacement in the world: The USS Nimitz and Dwight D. Eisenhower each weigh about 91,000 tons. They are over 1,000 feet long and can travel over 30 knots per hour, powered by engines that can generate 280,000 horsepower.
Each of those carriers is manned by a crew of 6,100. But as big as these ships are, they are both turned by one man steering a rudder 1/1000th the size of the ship. A tiny rudder can change the direction of those great ships.
In both the cases of the bit and the rudder those things can control the big thing they are a part of. James is saying it is the same with the tongue. Such a small part of our body and yet it can cause a lot of trouble, but it can also do a lot of good.
Kind of like the cruise ship “the Costa Concordia” the little rudder was used to sail that ship all around the Mediterranean, but when the captain decided to hot dog and try to get the ship as close to the little town and blow the horn, the little rudder caused a lot a trouble. Or in reality the one controlling the rudder caused a lot of trouble.
Sound familiar? We control our tongue whether for good or bad and it can get us in trouble or we can choose to use it for good. The tongue reveals our heart! The tongue reveals our heart.
If you do not like what your tongue is revealing about your heart then you need to examine and repair your heart.
We have another powerful illustration in our passage that compares the tongue to a small spark and how that small spark can start a huge fire. Has this happened to you: You are getting frustrated, maybe even furious, you know it is probably better to keep quiet, but you feel justified in saying what you are going to say. Maybe you feel it will do some good, but when you start one thing after another comes out of your mouth and before you know it you have gone too far and you know that God is not pleased. A fire has started.
Or we have all seen the result of gossip and how it starts as a little spark and then wham the fire is a blazing.
I have been there. I had my share of go around with shippers and receivers when I was trucking and I felt so convicted that I had to go back and make things right. I remember I had 6 people yelling at me at a warehouse and I was holding my ground, but realized afterward that I had failed to control my tongue. They actually got fined a few thousand in the end for not fulfilling the contract and I thought that would make me feel justified…but it did not.
Even before I let God get a hold of my life…He had a hold of it. God convicted me and I realized my tongue was out of control. I went back to talk to the shipper 2 weeks later when I was in Philadelphia.
Controlling our tongue, whether it is in regard to anger, gossip, bitterness, frustration or whatever is a big step in living a holy life. I would be as bold to say holiness starts with the tongue. No let me correct that: Holiness starts with the heart that controls the tongue.
III. Hope for the tongue (vs. 9-12)
James is not saying there is no hope for the tongue, on the contrary. He realizes that the tongue can praise, encourage and do good, however, all of this becomes void if we use it to hurt, curse others and degrade.
James 3:9-10 in the NIV states: With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
We need to change and we can only do this with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and counsellor, but are we open to receiving counsel from the Holy Spirit? Have you yielded your will to God and given Him full reign in your life?
Speaking of the Holy Spirit and tongues I think of the Act’s 2 passage; The new Christian church was gathered in the upper room and Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:3-4 states: They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
We just talked about the tongue being a spark that could start a fire and here we see flaming tongues in a different light. Fire speaks of purity, holiness and refinement. We sing the song: Refiner’s Fire. So these tongues of purity come down on the new Christian church and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t God amazing? What a lesson in the imagery! The very part of our body that we have warning after warning about is used to depicted the coming of the Holy Spirit. And then it went even further…not only did these tongues descend on the people and the Holy spirit filled them…but they started speaking in other tongues …And then people came hearing them speaking in different tongues and they were amazed because they were speaking their language.
This excites me! Jesus had been taken up to heaven, the New Christians are left to form the church and God sends down fiery tongues I think as a sign of things to come. He was preparing them for the task of going out into the entire world bringing the Gospel.
The reason I am excited is: here is a little part of our body that has and continues to cause grief and strife in this world, in our relationships, in our families, but God can and he will redeem the tongue through His Holy Spirit if only you seek that in your life. We need to call on the Holy Spirit rain tongues of fire on us today!
Conclusion
So if you continually want things your way and not God’s way then that redeeming will not happen. God does not want to be the Co-pilot; He wants to be the Pilot. Like I have said before: Jesus does not merely want to be the Lord in your life…HE WANTS TO BE THE LORD OF YOUR LIFE!
James has warned us that the tongue can cause a lot of troubles and I think if you take a look at your life you know this to be true. We all need to give our anger over to God, realize words hurt, and realize that gossip is sin and that our tongue can cause grief to our whole body.
But we also need to remember that the same God that sent down tongues of fire 2000 years ago can send them down on you today. It takes a desire and will and a calling on God. Pray that His Holy Spirit will rest on you today and that holiness will permeate every area of your body beginning with your words.
