(To draw the attention of the congregation at the start of this sermon, we conducted an old fashioned soda taste taste with two adults in attendance. They were provided four unmarked sodas, and asked to identify the correct one - Coke, Pepsi, Diet Coke, Meijer. Seemed to really get everyone’s attention.)
Sometimes our taste buds can deceive us. At other times, they tell us a truth we would rather not know. Take for instance this rather timely story with Father’s Day just a week away.
“As ham sandwiches go, it was perfection. A thick slab of ham, a fresh bun, crisp lettuce and plenty of expensive, light brown, gourmet mustard. The corners of my jaw were aching in anticipation. I carried it to the picnic table in our backyard, picked it up with both hands but was stopped by my wife suddenly at my side. ‘Hold Johnny, (our six-week-old son), while I get my sandwich,’ she said.
“I had him balanced between my left elbow and shoulder and was reaching again for the ham sandwich when I noticed a streak of mustard on my fingers. I love mustard. And I had no napkin. So I licked it off.
“It was NOT mustard. No man ever put a baby down faster. It was the first and only time I have sprinted with my tongue protruding. With a washcloth in each hand I did the sort of routine shoeshine guys do, only I did it on my tongue.
“Later my wife said, ‘Now you know why they call that mustard ’Poupon.’’”
Sometimes our taste buds can provide us a most accurate warning. Little lesson about taste buds today. Our taste buds are able to distinguish four qualities in a substance: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, and bitterness. The number and shape of taste buds that a person has vary greatly between people. And by about 50 years down the road, about half of your taste buds are no longer effective. In general, women have more taste buds than men. So yes, I’m afraid it appears to be true that women have better taste than men.
It would appear that the greater the number of taste buds, the greater the ability to distinguish the four qualities. You may not have known that not only are taste buds located on the surface and sides of the tongue, but also on the roof of your mouth, and the entrance to your pharynx. Did you know that your taste buds and their ability to distinguish the four qualities are located in different sections? For instance, bitterness is sensed by the buds near the back of the tongue, while sweetness is from the buds at the tip of your tongue. Saltiness and sourness come from the sides of the tongue.
However, taste is just one function of our tongue. It is the primary organ of taste, but it is also important for chewing and swallowing food, as well as in the formation of speech. For example, in chewing, the tongue holds the food against the teeth; in swallowing, it moves the food back into the pharynx, and then into the esophagus.
Interestingly enough, or possibly just gross to some of you, observations of cow tongues have recently revealed the presence of natural antibiotics on the tongue. Antibiotics that can prevent infection of cuts in the mouth by resident bacteria. Similar antibiotics are presumed to be produced by the human tongue as well.
Such a small part of our body in the big picture, and yet a very major part. Especially when it comes to the living out of our faith. The words that are expressed, the expressions that are formed, the things that role off the tip of our tongue often reveal what we really believe. Not just what we say we believe. But what we really believe, deep down inside.
We’re in the book of James, chapter 3. James 3:1 (read through 2a). As we get into the rest of this section for today, that verse will probably stand out as a bit out of place or unusual. The rest of this passage flows pretty logically, but that verse is just kind of there. In fact, there are those that believe it may have been added to the letter following the original transcribing of the letter because it seems so out of place. So we are not going to spend time looking at that, because I really want to get to the crux of this passage.
So picking up on the second half of Verse 2 (read 2b). You may remember from earlier in our study when James was looking at this idea of perfection. He uses that word for perfect again here. . .telios. And isn’t it interesting what he says. “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”
James would almost suggest here, that the major stumbling block, the major barrier to this life of holiness that we are to be striving for is not our eyes. Lord knows we can utilize our eyes in ways that our less than Godly. But James finds them easier to control than our tongue.
It is not our hands or feet. Not those parts of our body that can lead us to places where we should not go. No. James says, if you can control your tongue. If you can keep yourself from slipping up in the words that you communicate. If you can do that. . .you can control your entire body. You can live this life of holiness.
So then he dives into a number of descriptions or word pictures regarding the tongue and how to control it, or how it controls us. Let’s look at them together.
First, showing preference to God’s country which is Kentucky, he starts by comparing our ability to control the tongue to. . .
A. A BIT
Verse 3 (read). Now there is great danger in a city boy from California launching into any significant teaching on a horse’s bit. If I had any brains at all, I would have James Moore, or someone who has actually been around horses teach this part. Personally, I find horses incredibly beautiful, incredibly powerful, and incredibly perfect to keep at about a 50 foot distance.
But when you are riding a horse, you put a bridle on it. The bridle is a harness of sorts. It has what they call a headstall which makes up all the straps that connect around the head of the horse. It has a set of reins. We all know what those are right? Often leather straps that connect the headstall and bridle to the rider or individual steering the horse, and a bit.
Now, you may not realize this, but the bit. . .which to the casual observer would seem nothing more than a medal rod inside the horses mouth is really quite a complex and vital piece. For instance, there are snaffle bits. Snaffle bits, or what some would call western bits that give the rider a direct line from the hands on the reigns to the bit in the horse’s mouth.
So you put this bit in the horse’s mouth, and as you are able to pull back on those reigns the bit puts pressure on the corners of the horses mouth, on the jaw, on the tongue, and you have some control over the horse.
But there are a whole bunch of other kinds of bits that help riders as the horse gets used to having this in their mouth, and becomes less attentive. “D ring bits”, “French Link bits”, and countless others. In fact, seasoned horse people and riders will often tell you that finding the right bit for a horse can be a long and complicated process - and an expensive one. People who are truly into this kind of thing have collections of bits that turned out to be wrong for their horses.
In James day, things would not have been so complicated. In fact, it was probably quite simple. It was probably a piece that went in the mouth of the horse, connected to the reigns, and that was how the rider steered the horse. And what James wants you to see here is that just like with a horse. Just like with this strong, imposing beast that you can put this piece in their mouth, and it will hold their tongue down and enable you to steer it back and forth. If you can develop the ability to hold your tongue down. To put a bit in your mouth, and allow God’s Spirit to guide you, rather than your tongue, He will be able to guide your whole body. Your entire walk.
One more little interesting note about horses, and bits. They have come out with what they call a bit less bridle. It is lighter and gentler on the horse when the same amount of pressure is applied to the reins that would be used with any bit. So it basically was designed to increase the horse’s comfort by not having the bit in his mouth.
I think that is what many Christians are looking for. A bit less Gospel. One that increases their comfort, but doesn’t restrain their tongue. Doesn’t make them undergo the uneasiness of pressure being applied, and the Spirit pulling the reigns to restrain our tongues. One that gives us the freedom to say whatever we want, to whoever we want, whenever we want, and feel none the worse for it. James says our tongue needs a bit.
Verse 4 (read). The second word picture James gives us in regards to the tongue is that of. . .
B. A RUDDER
In ships, this is a flat-surfaced structure, hinged to the back of the boat, or what sailors would call the stern, and controlled by the individual guiding the ship. To see the dynamics of how this works, just think about the idea that when the ship is on a straight course, the rudder is in line with the vessel. If the rudder is turned to one side or the other it offers resistance to the water to deflect the stern, and change the direction of the ship. In earliest times, and still with small boats today, a paddle or oar would be hand-operated at the back of the boat to maneuver the rudder and turn the boat.
What is interesting about this picture is that you can have a significantly large boat. When you take the total weight, and mass of a boat or ship, it can be fairly large, and yet it is still being steered by something that is proportionally very small.
Easy analogy to make to the tongue, right? If you weighed your tongue, as compared to your entire weight, it would be fairly insignificant. But it steers your entire being. People have been fired by words that they said, and their entire life was steered in a different direction. Relationships have been broken by words that were said, and entire lives headed in different directions.
Max Lucado writes that he once knew an extremely courageous lady. She was courageous for several reasons. For one thing, she was waging an uphill battle against alcoholism. For another, she was doing all she could to restore her relationship with God. She chose a small church to attend, a church where she knew many members. She thought she’d be received there.
One Sunday she parked her car near the church building and got out. As she walked toward the front door, she overheard two ladies talking nearby. The stinging words were not meant for her ears, but she heard them anyway.
“How long is that alcoholic going to hang around here?”
She turned and went back to the car. She never entered another church building until she died. Those ladies may not have meant any direct harm, but the rudder. . .the tongues steered that woman’s life in a different direction.
James draws one more picture for us. This time, he talks about the tongue as. . .
C. A LITTLE FIRE
Verse 5 (read through verse 6). I grew up in a part of the country well known for wild fires. I had friends that would spend their summers with the California Department of Forestry, fighting wild fires. I remember one fire in particular that as we sat in our front yard, looking over across the fields by our house, into the foothills that would stretch on to the Sierra Nevadas, we could see the fire rolling its way over the hills, and coming closer day by day.
Finally, one day my friend Pete and I headed up into the fire. We drove up to Paradise, CA and were able to work our way past the fire line, and literally walk through the back of the fire. Something that you can do with grass fires, that you probably can’t pull off with a forest fire. But since the fire is so low to the ground in a grass fire, once the line moves forward, you can work your way back in behind the fire to take pictures, and observe the devastation.
Fire is an amazing, destructive force. And fires don’t take very long to start. One spark can cause a blazing inferno. Once it begins, a fire can spread at a rate of more than 14 miles per hour. And of course, humans are the top reason for fires. On average, 3.8 billion acres of land are burned each year. Most of that through human carelessness.
And the similarities between a fire and the tongue are hard to miss. Just a few words, just a spark, can do years and years of destruction and damage.
I don’t know about you, but when I think back to painful moments in my life. When I think back to those times when I was hurt the worst by people. I don’t remember physical actions. Being hit, kicked, or spit on. I don’t remember being snubbed or ignored. I don’t remember feeling left out. I remember words, things that were said, words that were spoken into my life that like a spark in a dry forest, igniting a fire that did great damage. I’ll bet the same is true for you.
And James says that the tongue is so a part of who we are. So in the midst of our being. That it is like the fire starting in the middle of the house. You may get the fire out before it spreads to the bedrooms, or the basement. But just the existence of the fire in that house causes smoke damage in every room. Defiles the entire house. That is how it is with the tongue.
And do not miss these two things today. James alludes to both of them. First, the tongue can start a fire that will change the entire course and direction of your life, and of this church. He says it “sets on fire the course of nature.” The whole course, direction and order of things. Both for your life as an individual, and potentially for our life as a body.
If you were to question a group of pastors from churches that were going through difficult times. That were experiencing different issues of challenge and pain within their ministry environment. They will across the board tell you that they are not near as worried about the people that leave, as they are those that stay and use their tongues for destruction and damage. It changes the course of everything.
A second thing James alludes to is that the fire of the tongue, that type of damage being done by the tongue begins in hell. He says, “It is set on fire by hell.” It is Satan’s working. He so desires to see people who are able to do everything else right, but can’t control their tongue. Then he can take those words, those sparks, and can start a fire of destruction and ruin that will change the course of history for individuals and congregations.
Unfortunately, James doesn’t paint a very bright picture from this point forward. Verse 7 (read). We have figured out how to tame them all. Just go to a circus and see what man is able to make wild animals, pulled from the jungles do. Go to Sea World, and watch the control over beautiful dolphins, or massive killer whales. We took Allie to Sea World when she was just a little, bitty girl. She would stand there during the Shamu show, and just kept saying, “Shamu smart.” James says we can control and tame them all.
Verse 8 (read through verse 12). Not a very hopeful picture. You kind of get the idea that James has been around people long enough, been around the church long enough, been around life long enough to sort of give up hope. But he knows that it shouldn’t be like that. He knows that isn’t God’s design. And like James I say, “Folks, these things ought not to be so.”
So let’s look at some practical steps we can take to try and bridle the tongue. To try and guide the rudder. To avoid the flare-up of a forest fire.
1. Never say anything about someone that you wouldn’t say to their face.
Now, I know this can open another whole can of worms. Because some people would say anything to anyone’s face. Just because you are willing to say something to someone’s face does not mean that God has freed you to say it. Some of our other steps will help with that.
But the truth be told, I’ve seen in my life, and in the lives of people around me, that people say a whole lot of stuff that they would never even think about saying were the person standing right there with them. Amen?
The number of times as a pastor’s kid, and teenager that I unexpectedly walked in on conversations taking place by parishioners about my father, I couldn’t even count them if I took my shoes off. It disgusted me, and played no small part in almost every one of my siblings, including myself, going through a period of time where we wanted nothing to do with church.
I know it is probably shocking, but I’ve experienced it here. I’ve walked into rooms, out into the lobby, or come across emails where my arrival and participation was not expected. But I was the topic. Those people never just came to me, and shared what their. . .well, we’ll be nice and refer to them as “concerns,” were. If you have something to say about someone, and you wouldn’t say it directly to them, don’t say it.
And this second practical step will help you with that. . .
2. Never say anything about someone unless they are there to respond.
You see, this is the problem with gossip. It doesn’t want to resolve anything. Just think about it. If something was really bugging you. If something was really concerning you. Why wouldn’t you want to lay it on the table, talk about it in front of the people who can respond and help clear up the situation? I’ll tell you why. James will tell you why. Because the fires of the tongue are set by Satan, and he doesn’t want resolution. He wants conflict.
So don’t do it. Don’t talk about someone else unless they are there to respond. But sometimes we also have to shift from the tongue to the ears. A third step. . .
3. Refuse to listen to someone else’s gossip.
I’ve heard this one before, “I wasn’t talking. I was just listening.” Why? Why do you want to listen to others being cursed? Why do you want to listen to others being spoken of with bitter words? Do you think you can stand in the middle of the forest fire, and not come out at least smelling like smoke? If not burned?
I read this quote this week, “God, teach me to control my tongue. And God teach me that my ears are not garbage cans for other’s worthless trash.” Don’t do it. Someone else starts gossiping around you, have nothing to do with it. Tell them to stop, or you’re out of there.
4. Initiate positive statements about people whom you’re discussing.
Look again at verse 10 (read). Both shouldn’t come out of the same mouth. Unfortunately, many people therefore eliminate the blessings. Try the other way. Eliminate the cursing. Eliminate the negative talk. Initiate blessings, and positive statements about people who you’re discussing.
I read this incredible story this week. There was a man years ago that unleashed a violent curse on John Wesley. Wesley was more than 70 years old, this young man was only about 30, and this is what the young man said about Wesley, “He is a lurking assassin, guilty of audacity and falsehood; a knave, guilty of mean, malicious impotence. He is an Ishmaelite, a bigot, a papist, a defamer, a reviler, a liar, without the honesty of a heathen, an impudent slanderer; with satanic guilt only exceeded by Satan himself, if even by him. He is an echo of Satan.”
Wow! That is pretty ugly. Talk about curse coming forth from a mouth. But guess what? That man that said that. . .his name is Augustus M. Toplady. The same man who penned the words to the age old hymn “Rock of Ages.” A moving, biblical tribute to Christ and His work of redemption. Yet the same mouth cursed John Wesley. Incredible, isn’t it?
We need to initiate positive statements about people whenever we can. It’s been said that the “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Could mere words kill anyone? Consider this. How many of you are familiar with the name Karen Carpenter. You may remember this popular singer from the seventies who died in 1983 of heart failure. And most people know that her heart attack was caused by anorexia. Basically, she starved herself to death.
But what started it all? Some tie it back to early in her life when a reviewer called her Richard’s "chubby sister". That little phrase was all it took to start her on a tragic journey of self-destruction. Now, obviously, the author of that article didn’t cause her underlying psychological problems, and he almost certainly had no intention of causing her harm. Nevertheless, those few words had a profound affect on her life.
Initiate positive statements, focus on the positive rather than the negative. Make you tongue one of blessing rather than cursing. Lastly. . .
5. Remember, “The tongue…is a fire”
The Japanese have two proverbs we would do well to remember. The first one says, “The tongue is but three inches long, yet it can kill a person six feet high.” The second one warns everyone: “The tongue is more to be feared than the sword.”
James says it is a fire. A fire set on fire by hell. So be cautious of it. Don’t discount the things that come out of your mouth as mere words. Don’t downplay the significance and power of your tongue.
Let me close with the story of Jim Smith and Ron Jones. Jim went to church one Sunday morning. He heard the pianist miss a note, and he made a face. He saw a teen talking when everyone else was praying. He felt sure that the usher was watching to see how much money he put in the offering plate, and it made him mad. Five times, he actually counted, he caught the preacher in slip-of-the-tongue mistakes. During the altar call, he slipped out the side door, all the while muttering to himself, "What a waste of time!"
Ron went to church, also. He heard the pianist play the accompaniment as the congregation sang "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," and he was stirred to worship by the majesty of it.
A special missions offering was received, and he was glad his church was doing what they could for people around the world. He especially appreciated the sermon that Sunday; it really spoke to a particular need in his life. He thought, as he shook the preacher’s hand and left, "How can anyone come here and not feel the presence of the Lord?"
Here’s the kicker. Both men were in the same church, at the same service, on the same day.
A faith that works is a faith that can take all that is happening around us, and can bridle the tongue. It’s a faith that can look at the massive ship that is your entire being, or our entire body, and recognize that it is all guided and controlled by what comes out of our mouths. It’s a faith that realizes at the end of a service, at the end of a work day, at the end of a night as a family the tongue can set a fire that will destroy everything that has been accomplished if not kept in check.
What comes out of your mouth? What testimony do those around you hear from your tongue?
Let’s pray.
