Text: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9).
Every part of our body is very important and every part serves a special function. When God created us, he knew what he was doing. He created us with very intricate parts, some that we cannot see because they are within us.
We have not seen our heart, liver, pancreas, intestine or lungs, but we know they are present. If our heart, liver, intestine or lungs are completely removed, we would cease to live. The pancreas can be removed, but then medications must be put into place.
We can see our arms, legs, ears, eyes, nose, etc. There is one other little part of our anatomy we can see, but only when we open our mouth. That little part is called the tongue and is very important bundle of skeletal muscles.
The tongue enables us to taste solid foods and liquids because the surface is covered with taste buds. The tongue also enables us to form sounds so that we can form words people can understand. It also helps us mix the foods we eat, swallow foods, and fight germs.
You and I know people who never let their tongues rest because they are constantly talking. Talking is a good thing if it is positive. It is when people talk negatively that problems arise.
In the very first verse the 3rd chapter, James talks about teachers. Usually when we think of teachers, we think about those who educate our children. All of us have gone to school and therefore, we have been under the influence of a teacher. When we went to our Sunday School classes, the person in control of the class was the teacher.
Back when James wrote this letter, teachers in the Jewish religion were highly respected. The Jews who turned to follow Jesus and became followers were so excited about their new way of life that they wanted to tell others about it. Thus, they were teachers. Since teachers were highly respected and trusted, James informed them that they would be judged more strictly.
James was insinuating that the words, actions, thoughts and daily living must be in accordance with God’s Word. He said this because these teachers would have a great affect upon the spiritual lives of the people they taught. Anyone in a teaching or leadership profession or position must teach the truth, speak the truth, and live the truth. If they fail in this respect, they will be more harshly judged than the person who did not teach or who was not a leader.
In verse 2, James says, “We all stumble in many ways.” All of us have undoubtedly said the right thing at the right time and conversely the wrong thing at the wrong time. The problem with many of us is that we do not think before we speak. The normal process is to think before you speak. If we would think before we speak, hurtful words would not come from out mouth.
The words that come from our mouths can have a positive or negative affect upon the person to whom they are directed. Words can bring life or words can pronounce death. Listen to these words by an unknown author:
“A careless word may kindle strife,
A cruel word may wreck a life;
A bitter word may hate instill,
A brutal word may smite and kill;
A gracious word may smooth the way
A joyous word may light the day;
A timely word may lessen stress,
A loving word may heal and bless.”
What kind of words come from your mouth?
Do you think before you speak?
I am guilty of speaking without thinking. When I speak without thinking, I usually end up saying something unkind, hurtful, or irritating. I am not perfect and neither are you. James says, “If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check” (v. 2).
None of us are perfect and we are responsible for what comes out of our mouths. All of us are imperfect and all of us are sinners. Do you remember the story about the woman caught in adultery? The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought her to Jesus and insisted that according to the Law of Moses, the woman must be stoned to death.
Jesus said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). Jesus said this because he knew that all these people accusing the woman had spread gossip, bragged, manipulated, exaggerated, complained, said unkind words, hurt other’s feelings or lied. All of these things involve the tongue.
When we stop and consider our own life, we fall into the category of sinner. We have done all the things I just mentioned. If we would just stop and let our brain act first, we would not have to worry about our tongue forming and spewing forth unkind words.
James compares the tongue with a bit, a rudder, and a tiny flame. The bit is part of the bridle that fits into the mouth of the horse. The rein straps are connected to this bit. If you want the horse to move forward, you use loose reins and spur the horse or swat the horse with the end of the reins. To make the horse go to the right, the right rein is pulled. To make the horse to the left, the left rein is pulled. To make the horse stop, both reins are pulled back toward the rider.
The whole point I am trying to make is that the rider has complete control of the horse by manipulating the bit in the horse’s mouth. A horse is a very large and strong animal. Horses don’t talk to you and they don’t understand you when you talk, so the bit is the means of control and communication. James tells us that when we put the bit in the horse’s mouth, “we can turn the whole animal” (v. 3).
Next, James talks about the rudder on a ship. In comparison to the size of a ship, the rudder that steers that ship is very small. If the boat is small, the rudder will be very small. The steering mechanism of the ship is the rudder. The point here is the size of the rudder compared to the size of the ship or boat.
When we talk about the tongue, it is very obvious that the tongue is much smaller than the human body. The tongue is not as big as the hand, or arm, or foot, but nevertheless, the tongue is a very essential part of the body. God did not create us with extra parts. We were created in the image of God. When Jesus walked upon the earth, he had a body like ours. God has no physical body. He created us so that we could reflect his image. We are to reflect the characteristics of the God of love, the God of hope, the God of kindness, the God of mercy, the God of joy, the God of patience, the God of gentleness and self control, and the God of faithfulness.
There are times when our tongue does not let permit us to reflect the positive characteristics of God the Father. When someone takes advantage of us we use harsh words to let them know how we feel. When things don’t go our way, we feel sorry for ourselves and get upset with people near and dear to us. We spew out words that are negative and upsetting to people around us. When a loved one departs from this life, we become upset with God because he has taken them from us.
It is so easy to become negative over the things that happen to us or the things that we expect should come about. We then take out our frustration on the person near us. Again, words of harshness, impatience, unkindness, hatred, and sadness come from our mouth.
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9).
Listen to this little poem taken from The Evangelist and Bible Teacher.
Poem: “Words Like Arrows”
How like an arrow is a word
At random often speeding
To find a target never meant
And set some heart a-bleeding.
Oh, pray that Heaven may seal the lips
Ere unkind words are spoken;
For Heaven itself cannot recall,
When once that seal is broken.”
Once we put an arrow to the string of a bow, pull back on the string and let it go, we have lost control of the arrow. The flying arrow is going to hit something; be it the target we are shooting at, a tree, a building, the ground, etc., but it is going to hit something that will stop it. Words from our mouth are like the arrows from a bow. Once the words are formed by our tongue and leave our mouth, we have lost control of them. These words, like the arrow, will hit someone’s eardrum and be stopped.
If the words are pleasant, sweet, complimentary, loving, joyful, etc., the target will receive them positively and a smile will appear on the face of the target. However if the words are harsh, sarcastic, irritating, unkind, etc., the target will receive them negatively and a frown will appear on the face of the target. We must remember to think before we spew forth words, because unkind spoken words cause irreversible damage.
James says, “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue” (vv. 7-8).
James compares the tongue to fire. James says, “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” (v. 5). The flame of a match is very small compared to the size of the tongue and the tongue is very small compared to the human body. The tiny flame from the match can set a forest ablaze in a very short time and the uncontrolled wagging tongue can destroy a friendship.
Hear the words of an unknown author:
“A Harsh Word”
One day a harsh word, harshly said,
Upon an evil journey sped,
And like a sharp and cruel dart
It pierced a fond and loving heart.
It turned a friend into a foe
And everywhere brought pain and woe.
A kind word followed it one day,
Sped swiftly on its blessed way.
It healed the wound and soothed the pain,
And friends of old were friends again.
It made the hate and anger cease,
And everywhere brought joy and peace.
And yet the harsh word left a trace
The kind word could not efface,
And though the heart its love regained
It left a scar that long remained.
Friends can forgive but not forget,
Nor lose the sense of keen regret.
Oh, if we would but learn to know
How swift and sure our words can go.
How we would weigh with utmost care
Each thought before it reached the air—
And only speak the words that move
Like white-winged messengers of love.
Once words formed by our tongue leave our mouth we lose control of them. The tongue is like the small flame in the forest. We don’t like to think about Satan, but he is real. He likes to use our tongue to break relationships between us and our family and friends. Satan likes to keep us in a negative mindset. The more negative we are, the more hateful we are. The more hateful we are the more satisfied Satan is.
We cannot control our tongue on our own. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to control what we say. We have to remind ourselves that “He who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (I John 4:4). The Holy Spirit lives within our heart and will remind us of God’s love so that we will not speak words that will wound other people and terminate relationships that have taken years to build.
James reminds us that we praise our Lord and Father with words from our mouths, but then we curse men who have been made in the image of God. This does not make sense. How can two opposites come from the same source? Can we get fresh water and salt water from the same well? Can an orange tree bear apples? Can a walnut tree bear hickory nuts? The answer to these questions is a great big “No”.
The tongue paints a picture of the true nature of mankind. Sometimes our words are pleasing to God, but at other times they are not pleasing to God because they are violent and very destructive. We were made in the image of God, but we have fallen into sin. God can and will change us from the inside out if we will only let him. The Holy Spirit, living within our heart, can help us control our thoughts and words so that they will be a blessing to God.
The tongue is a small essential part of our body and can be constructive or destructive. J. Whitcomb Brougher tells this story:
A Greek philosopher asked his servant to provide the best dish possible. The servant prepared a dish of tongue, saying: “It is the best of all dishes, because with it we may bless and communicate happiness, dispel sorrow, remove despair, cheer the fainthearted, inspire the discouraged, and say a hundred other things to uplift mankind.”
Later the philosopher asked his servant to provide the worst dish of which he could think. A dish of tongue appeared on the table. The servant said, “It is the worst, because with it we may curse and break human hearts; destroy reputations; promote discord and strife; set families, communities and nations at war with each other.” He was a wise servant. Solomon said, “Whoso keepeth his tongue, keepeth his soul from trouble.”
Conclusion:
All of us have a tongue that we cannot control ourselves. Man has tamed all kinds of animals, but he has not been able to tame the tongue. Our tongue speaks words of encouragement and words of destruction. With our tongue we praise God and with our tongue we curse God’s children. The bit enables the rider to control the horse and the rudder enables the pilot to navigate the large ship. The flame of one small match can destroy thousands of acres of forest. The words from one uncontrolled tongue can destroy relationships that have taken years to build.
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9).
Listen to these words from Spiritual Life:
Forgive me, Lord, for careless words
When hungry souls are near:
Words that are not of faith and love,
Heavy With care and fear;
Forgive me for the words withheld,
For words that might have won
A soul from darkened paths and sin
To follow Thy dear son:
Words are such mighty things, dear Lord,
May I so yielded be
That Christ, who spoke as never man,
May ever speak through me.
Amen.
