The Tongue: Good Or Evil Series

The No Spin Zone

James 3:1-18

September 29, 2024

Tell me which of these was not a tabloid headline - - - -

A headless body was found in a topless bar.

A werewolf was captured in London.

A bat child was found in a cave.

An alien Bible was found and they worship Oprah!

Computer virus spreads to humans.

Which one is false? Actually, I was messing with you, they were all headlines in various tabloids.

We’ve seen headlines like this at the store when you’re waiting in line. Stories about Elvis sightings, aliens, or talking whales. One of them used to be the Cubs win the world series.

In 2002, The World News Weekly had a headline that said “Lincoln was a woman.” And there was a picture . . . .

There it is! Then it asks, “Was John Wilkes Booth her jilted lover?” Seriously?

We live in a culture that’s inundated with lots of dirty laundry. Words are flying all over the place. People talking about other people. Hearsay, rumors, gossiping and slander. It’s hard to know what’s true and what’s not.

Have you ever wondered in the midst of a conversation, “Am I gossiping right now?” It can be a real challenge. It’s hard to nail gossip down and determine when you’re doing it.

Pastor Rick Warren gave a great definition of gossip. He said - - - -

“When we are talking about a situation with somebody who is neither part of the problem or part of the solution, then we are probably gossiping.”

That’s a pretty narrow definition. And it takes away all of the fun.

I think we can go overboard on some of this as well. If there’s a work situation and you need to talk to a supervisor about a situation, is that gossip? I don’t think so, unless you add additional details that aren’t germane to the conversation. Because the goal of the discussion should be to find a resolution.

The question is - - - - what’s our motivation in the things that we share?

We can get in a lot of trouble with our words.

We’re in a series called The No Spin Zone. As we look at the book of James, James instructs us on how to live in a way which glorifies God. It’s straight talk from James. No editing, no spin.

And, James has more to say about the tongue than any other writer in the New Testament. In James 3, he wrote - - - -

3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.

4 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.

5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

That last verse is really striking, isn’t it? The tongue is small, yet, it acts as if it’s larger than life. We’ve all said things, that no sooner than they came out, we wish we could have taken them back. But we can’t. The same is true with a quick, nasty email or text message.

It’s interesting that when you go to the doctor, they ask you to stick out your tongue. Your tongue reveals something about what’s going on inside of you. Our words demonstrate our thoughts and reveals our character.

First of all, James tells us you have this huge 2-3000 pound beautiful, muscular horse. You put this small bit in their mouth, and you have the ability to control the horse.

James says that’s what the tongue is like. You have this little bitty muscle that has a huge impact on our lives. It can make or break you. It can open doors or close doors. It can help or hurt people.

James then compares the tongue to a ship. These massive ships which weigh thousands and thousands of pounds are guided by a much smaller rudder.

James says the same is true for our tongue. It will direct your life.

James goes on and is so direct with his words - - - -

5 How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

6 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.

7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,

8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Talk about NO SPIN? That’s James giving it to us straight, no holds barred truth about the tongue.