Taming the tongue
James 3:1-12
Good morning everyone-
We have been in a series “Faith without works is dead” we are in the fourth week of the study.
We have looked at
Total surrender
Being good stewards with what God has given
Faith in action
And this morning… “taming the tongue.”
Don’t tune me out- society today calls it telling it like it is, my mom would have said it was disrespectful and I would have been in trouble. That little muscle in your mouth that most of the time operates without thinking first can embarrass us, frustrate us, torment us, and cause us to have to apologize more than any other part of our body.
Jesus had a lot to say about the tongue yet most of us at numerous times in our life after surrendering to Christ have let our tongue get us in a great amount of trouble.
As a kid, I was punished most for not being quiet or needing to have the last word!
If only I could have kept quiet and took the punishment, it would have gone a lot easier for me…but no! I always have to say the last thing and it never was the last thing because the last thing was my punishment for saying the last thing.
In school, at home, and in life…I could not tame my tongue.
My mom always said I would be a lawyer or a preacher. She did not mean it as a compliment because she had her hands full with me.
My mother who raised two boys by herself was not afraid to tackle any mouth problem.
James chapter 3:1-2 read from Bible
Let’s break this down a bit- how do you eat an elephant…one bite at a time.
James says we should not presume to be teachers, because we who teach will be judged.
You have to know the background- James is talking to cultured believers that thought only the elite, the selected and the educated could talk about God and His Word.
They most definitely would not have included James in that group- so he says don’t presume just because you are educated that you are a teacher, and don’t presume that only the educated can speak on the things of God.
(2) “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.”
Perfect is such a hard word to live up too. The word perfect in English here is the Greek word that means “mature.”
If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a mature man, able to keep his whole body in check.
Read from Bible (V3-6)
The tongue is small but powerful thing
Most tongues are around 4 inches long. Unless you are Gene Simmons from the rock band KISS who had a medical procedure to allow an average tongue to be able to stick out farther.
The tongue has five functions-
It is involved in licking, tasting, breathing, swallowing, and speaking. The papillae (pa-pill-e) present on the tongue gives it a rough texture. It is covered by a number of taste buds. There are several nerves in the tongue that help in transmitting taste signals to the brain, and thus helps in taste sensation.
Nothing better than enjoying an ice cream cone.
Having taste buds to enjoy your food (anyone from Covid-19 that lost taste knows and understands that)
Breathing, swallowing…functions of life. (I can choke on nothing)
It is speaking that gets us in the most trouble- James is saying that unless we are mature believers that we will run into trouble with our mouth.
Illustration
A 1500-2000 pound horse can be lead by a small bit put into his mouth. An 8 year girl can lead a trained horse with the right pull and movement with a bit in the mouth.
A horse left with his own uncontrolled strength cannot be stopped by a human who is 1/10 his size. He will run right over us without any trouble.
What does the Bible say about the tongue?
There are well over 100 verses that directly talk about the tongue and not letting our words damage us or someone else.
Do you think it important to get control of that part of our body?
Especially if we are professing Christ as Lord of our lives.
“But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.”
We have the power in our speech to bring encouragement or we can literally destroy someone with our words. We get to choose!
What does the Bible say about controlling your tongue?
Psalm 34:12-13 –
“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.”
Proverbs 10:11 – “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life…”
Proverbs 10:19 – “Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.”
The destructive sins of the tongue are Slander, lies, gossip, put downs, criticism,
Our tongue in its untamed nature is a wild and deadly beast.
Matthew records-
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Listen more and talk less (repeat) wash rinse repeat
James 1:19
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”
Two ears and only one mouth we should listening twice as much as talking.
“He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”
Our tongue is a weapon
Illustration
I told you as a kid that I talked a lot-imagine that.
I had two teachers who are now long gone and they approached my talking in different ways. One teacher would get so upset that she would become red in the face and yell, short fused, impatient, and eventually throw me out of class which was what I wanted and why I pushed her buttons- the other one would come to me and grab my face, look me in the eyes and tell me that I had potential if I listened more and talked less. She would lightly slap my face to get my attention. They would not be able to do that today but which one of those teachers do you think become my favorite teachers?
We have the power of blessing and cursing- one teacher had little patience and one refused to play the same game with me.
Don’t get me wrong- I used my tongue as a Weapon and deserved to be thrown out and it caused her to use her tongue as a weapon and when everyone is throwing weapons everyone gets hurt!
One preacher described gossip as “talking about somebody about somebody and neither of you are part of the solution.”
Harsh words spoken in anger tear down and cause us to lose communication and when communication is lost, so is the ability to reconcile.
This is why it is so important to not tear down each other’s character when disagreeing.
I learned early in my marriage that “the look” was more than just a look of being mad.
It was her heart being shown in disappointment. I never wanted to see her disappointed in me.
I was a talker, emotional energized- never let it go, put my foot in my mouth, try to get it out person-
Becky was more rational, quiet, carefully articulated, and when you have crossed the line… communication was severed, at least at that time.
Harsh and angry words can never be explained away- they can only be forgiven by the innocent party. (Repeat)
James calls it a fire that ignites and destroys. Spreads like wildfire and becomes out of control.
What started small has now spread to more areas of our life.
Our tongue is humanly untamable
James 7-12 Read from the Bible
We may not be able to control the tongue, but we know Someone who can! This should be our daily prayer:
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips! Psalm 141:3
Illustration-
A man working in the produce department was asked by a lady if she could buy half a head of lettuce. He replied, "Half a head? Are you serious? God grows these in whole heads and that's how we sell them!"
"You mean," she persisted, "that after all the years I've shopped here, you won't sell me half-a-head of lettuce?"
"Look," he said, "If you like I'll ask the manager."
She indicated that would be appreciated, so the young man marched to the front of the store. "You won't believe this, but there's a lame-braided idiot of a lady back there who wants to know if she can buy half-a-head of lettuce."
He noticed the manager gesturing, and turned around to see the lady standing behind him, obviously having followed him to the front of the store. "And this nice lady was wondering if she could buy the other half" he concluded.
Psalm 19:14
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my redeemer.”
What is the spiritual meaning of the tongue?
The tongue is the index of the condition of the heart.
Your control over your tongue is evidence of spiritual maturity.
“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue” (Prov. 17:28)
Ephesians 4:29
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
As Christians, we must understand the power of the tongue and meditate on these Bible verses about taming the tongue so that we always use our words to build others up and speak life into them
Colossians 4:6
Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
So how do we do that? With God’s help! Not in our own strength.
As we close-
Acknowledge it- Lord help me control my tongue and keep my mouth closed if I don’t have anything good to say.
With you…all things are possible
Diagnose it- if it is a heart issue what is going on and let the Lord show you what it is.
Roman 3:23- “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
Your tongue doesn’t have an anger problem, your heart does. Get help from the Lord and from others if you are able.
Quote-
Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, "That which lies in the well of your thought will come up in the bucket of your speech."
This statement is just another way of saying something our Lord said one time to the Pharisees, "Out of the abundance of the heard the mouth speaks."
We have all heard the phrase “sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you” that is a lie…it does hurt…it can destroy you.
Positive words create positive results-
I hope you are challenged to watch your words carefully.
To speak words of encouragement and watch someone’s attitude change before your very eyes!
Think
Is it true
Is it helpful
Is it inspiring
Is it nice
Is it kind………………….think…………Amen
