Before we dive into the main content of the message today, I want to point out something rather obvious - there are no notes in your bulletins. There is a sense in which this sermon is set up fairly similarly to others - a couple of main points with smaller points, but there is also a sense in which this is a bit different. Feel free to use the space provided as you see fit.
Open your Bibles to James chapter 3. As we read/listen/reflect on this passage may God give us understanding into His word as we seek to live according to His will.
James 3:1–12 ESV
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Let’s pray.
We’ve seen over the last several weeks in our study of James that he is urging us to have an integrated faith or a true religion. This is a faith that permeates every part of life - including our language. As we dive into these verses today, I want to reflect briefly with some general thoughts on the passage and then spend more time on what this means for us - because I think there are several implications and points of application.
General Thoughts
As with many of the sections in this letter, these verses have a very clear message - our tongues, our mouths, our words are dangerous for several reasons.
Our tongues convict or condemn us (1-2)
People who are teachers or leaders have a public audience. Their words have an impact on multiple lives at one time. As a result, they have to be careful to live according to the words that they teach and to teach those words accurately. As James says in verse 1, they will be judged with greater strictness. It’s unclear if James is referring to an eschatological or end of time judgment or a judgment that happens in the near future - as people weigh the words that are said and consider the integrity of life that is saying it. So, those who are leaders or teachers have an added weight to their words.
Secondly,
Our tongues have a great deal of sway over our lives (3-5)
Just as a bit is a small piece in the mouth of a horse and a rudder is a small instrument at the stern of a ship provide direction, so too for us, how we speak, what we say can affect the outcome of our lives. Our tongues may be small members - but they make a big impact. In fact James uses an interesting play on words in verse 5.
David Nystrom writes:
“The tongue is a small (mikron) member (melos) but boasts of great things (megala).”
When tied in with some of the other things that James and the rest of scripture speak about what comes out of our mouths - our tongues can not only boast of great things but can cause great harm.
Which brings us to our third general though…
Our tongues have an ability to wreak havoc (5b-6)
…in us and in the lives of others. Like a small spark on a dry forest, words can ignite controversy. The evil that spews from out mouths can destroy life. I can’t count the number times that I have replayed conversations in my mind as I have said words that I deeply regret. Sometimes those words created a chasm in a relationship - never to be repaired. It’s also not hard to remember how divisive political rhetoric can be.
Fourth,
Without the help of God, taming our tongues is impossible (7-8)
James notes that humans have been able to tame all sorts of animals, but that “no human being can tame the tongue” (8) - which may be a subtle reminder that we needs God’s help and God’s word to tame our speech. You see, on our own, our sinful hearts are full of evil - in fact that evil is unstable or restless. As we read earlier from Jesus, Matthew 15:18-19
Matthew 15:18–19 (ESV)
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
Elsewhere, Jesus says:
Luke 6:45 ESV
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
In order for our tongues to be tamed, we need a new heart, we need a transformation, we need salvation.
Finally, while they should not do so,
Our mouths have an ability to be double-tongued (9-12)
Just as James challenged us to not be double-minded in chapter 1 - doubting God when we ask, causing instability in our lives, here he uses the very same word to describe people who seem to be double tongued. You see, out of the same mouth we can both bless God and curse God’s creation. He concludes this section with some metaphors and rhetorical questions designed to help us see that our mouths should not produce two different kinds of words.
The apostle Paul provides a similar warning -
Ephesians 4:29 ESV
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
and
Ephesians 5:4 ESV
Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
Our tongues have an ability to get us into a ton of trouble and to mess other people’s lives up as well.
So, with that being said, let’s reflect on some implications. We’ll begin individually and conclude corporately.
Implications for Individuals
There is a sense in this passage that it’s easy to see that there are some direct, individual implications. A horse has one bit, a ship in James’ day would have had one rudder, so too, our individual bodies have just one tongue and that tongue provides some direction to our lives. That tongue reveals what’s in our hearts. That tongue is used for worship and is used for, well, fill in the blank.
What do we say to others with our tongues? In your conversations and in mine, are we building up or tearing down? Are we speaking truth or are we gossiping? There is so much that we can do when we speak to and about other people. While Winston Churchill has had a profound impact on the planet, I did not realize until this week that it actually came from a bad place. Apparently, he was not a great student. In fact he scored 53 percent in an English composition entrance exam. His parents were constantly belittling him and tearing him down. According to some people, his father “detested him” and his mom did not pay any attention to him. At one point his father wrote a letter to him stating
“Do not think that I am going to take the trouble of writing to you long letters after every failure you commit and undergo…. I no longer attach the slightest weight to anything you say about your acquirements & exploits… If you cannot prevent yourself from leading the idle useless unprofitable life you have had during your school days & later months, you will become a mere social wastrel of the hundreds of the public school failures and you will degenerate into a shabby unhappy and futile existence. If that is so you have to bear all the blame for such misfortunes yourself…. Your mother sends her love.” (Nystrom, 200)
Now, some might say that Churchill became the man he was because of the tough love of his parents - if that’s what you can call that. While that may be true, it doesn’t mean that his parents were right in treating him the way they did.
Another implication is…
How we speak - I know we talked briefly about using bad language a couple of weeks ago, but I think it bears repeating. Even as James says, blessing God with the same mouth that utters vile vocabulary is unbecoming of believers. Now, you and I may not say that in public, but what about in private? Where do we need to wash our souls so that our words are not so vile? Where do we need to change what we say online so that we are not slandering other people - whether public figures or private?
On the topic of online
Text/Social Media - While James did not have a context for some of our means of communication - what would he say about our text threads or social media rants? Now, I know it’s easy to let sarcasm enter in to some of those threads, all in the name of good fun, but how far is too far? Where is the line between humor and humiliation? I am not a good judge of that. I don’t take too many things seriously when it comes to sarcasm in text threads, but I am hyper-sensitive in what I type. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or be misunderstood - so I work hard to stay away from it. If we get into texting exchanges - I shy away from sarcastic humor. I’m not saying you should - I just think we need to know our audiences. When it comes to social media, the audience is so broad - we need to be extra careful.
I think individually, we can also reflect on…
What we say about ourselves - this is not a lesson in positive self-affirmation - but words have power. It is easy to get down on ourselves about things. Negative self-talk has a way of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. We are essentially corrupting ourselves because not only are we thinking things, but we’re saying things, and then we’re hearing those very same things.
As James said - no human being can tame the tongue. We need help. We need Christ to transform us.
Gospel - repentance, Holy Spirit, Word instructs, transformation happens.
Beloved, let’s fill our minds with the Word of God.
Colossians 3:16 ESV
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
In addition to having implications for individuals, I think this passage has clear implications for leaders or teachers.
Implications for Leaders or Teachers
James opens this passage by urging that not many should become teachers. Frankly, not many will. But when we are called to do so, I think we need to respond. So, if God lays on your heart to teach truths or to go into ministry, then pursue that, but be mindful - there is extra scrutiny for those who teach and those who lead.
Now, I know that many of us don’t feel like we are leaders or teachers. I don’t want you to tune out.
Parents - I think this applies to us. We are leaders of our families. We are teachers of our children and grand-children. Our families are watching us, listening to us, comparing our words and our actions. They may not feel like they have any ground to judge, but frankly, they are judging. What do our words communicate to our children and grandchildren? How do our actions compare with our words?
Work - For those of you who are working - how does your speech at work reflect on your relationship with Christ? When your co-workers are bad-mouthing your boss or another co-worker - do you join in and gang up? Do you change the subject? Do you offer a counter narrative? Do you walk away? It is so easy to lose our testimony over some poorly perceived words. We need to be mindful about how we speak about our co-workers, bosses, and subordinates. We need to be mindful about how we speak about our families among our coworkers and friends. Sometimes I’ll share this in weddings, but several years ago one of TV Talk shows had several First Ladies on the set. The purpose was to try to get passed the titles and the oval office and into real life. As the evening went on, the women devolved into airing dirty laundry. While all in the name of good fun, it was dishonoring to their husbands and former presidents. I hope that we don’t do the same with our spouses.
School - we could easily consider similar applications at school. Students, some of you will have greater influence than others. How will you use that? For God’s glory or for your own gain?
I think the point to remember is that all of us are influencers at some point. We may not have enough followers to make us famous, but we are ambassadors for THE FAMOUS ONE - how are we representing Him in our speech?
There is one area of implications that I think we need to consider, and that is for the Church and it’s leaders.
Implications for the Church and its Leaders
One of the commentators I looked at suggested that James has sort of a double-meaning in some of his language in this passage. He calls out teachers/leaders at the beginning and then dives into what seems like an individualistic approach to our speech. This same commentator speculated that it’s possible that James was addressing false teaching in the church. There may have been some people who were very charismatic leaders who could draw a crowd and enlist a following of people. It can be easy for slick talking people to influence the entire congregation. If we see the tongue as a leader or pastor - an immature pastor or poorly taught theology has the potential to “stain the whole body” (v. 6).
I’m so grateful for the fact that we have a plurality of Elders. I may be the one who speaks the most, but my hope is that I don’t speak alone. I am not correct all of the time and I am certainly far from perfect - I need to “bridle [my] whole body” just as much as anyone. I’m grateful for the elders that we all have called to lead us together - where I am wrong - they will call me out. I hope you will too. If I am not quick to repent or correct my mistake, then I urge you to take appropriate action. The local body of Christ is too important for us to risk staining the whole body to keep the status quo.
I also think that down the road, when we call others to be elders, or when we invite others to lead us - we need to carefully and biblically vet all those who would lead us. This is, in part, why membership is important. As members, we covenant together to each other and to a certain view of scripture. We may not all agree on everything, but we agree that this is what we hold to as a body. We get to call other leaders to lead us in the same. This is why community group leaders are members. This is why those who teach in Kids Connection and when we have special seminars or classes, those to teach there will either be members or those who adhere to the same biblical values/truths that we have adopted.
Closing Thoughts
In many ways, James has laid out a very simple message - we have troublesome tongues that need taming. God is the One who can truly help us in that regard - through His Word, through the convicting work of the Spirit, through the discipling work of the body - the church. This impacts our lives individually - we need to watch our words. This impacts us when we lead - we need to watch our words. This impacts us corporately - we need to watch the words of those who lead us. May God help us use our tongues in a way that truly honors him.
Let’s pray.
