James 3:1-12

James 2023  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  38:40
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James 3:1-12

Good morning Church! We are going to be in James Chapter 3 this morning. Haven’t you found James to be just a wonderfully encouraging book? Not to call him out, but maybe a little soft and fluffy, and beat around the bushish. James is really none of those things. He’s more of a head knocker, but I really think he’s the perfect picture of sharing the truth in love. It was Jesus who said, ““If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed, And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
So James desires that we wouldn’t be deceived, that we wouldn’t fool ourselves concerning neither our relationship with God, nor our standing with God. He is a plain speaker and sometimes, that kind of a truth check, can be a wake up call. I personally, find that kind of communication refreshing. Maybe you can relate in a different area of your life.
Where someone that cares about you has had to share some hard truths with you that maybe you didn’t want to hear, or had even been in denial about. We sometimes call it tough love. Perhaps you’ve had a doctor tell you that you need to change your diet, or go on a diet. Or stop a vice that was killing you. Hard truths that can be life changing. This week in our growth group, someone shared something that the book of James had opened their eyes to in their own life, something tough to admit, but then realized how awesome it was that God would speak to these things, that He loves us enough to not allow us to deceive ourselves, this is what Jesus meant when He said the truth would set us free.
I find chapter 3 to be an interesting transition in the context of what we have been studying. Last week our message was titled Faith without works is dead. Right, he said it at least three times in the section that we read. Now, if you are anything like me what you want next from plain speaking James is some kind of a list. Lay it out for me brother, give me the do’s and the don’ts. Or maybe you tried to get a jump start this past week even, you starting doing stuff. Works for Jesus, so you could pile them up and have something to look at. Some living proof that you have a living faith, not a dead faith.
But James doesn’t do that for us, at least not in the way that we might expect. Let’s read through this and look at what he says...
James 3:1 NKJV
1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
James 3:2–5 NKJV
2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
James 3:6–9 NKJV
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
James 3:10–12 NKJV
10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
Let’s pray...
Now maybe you noticed as I read through that, that James basically nails us all in this section in one way or another. So lets start with me, verse 1
James 3:1 NKJV
1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
Now there’s an incentive plan for you! James isn’t trying to limit the competition here, he’s giving a warning in love. He wants all those that think that have something to say, or want to be heard on a matter, or guys striving to something the Lord hasn’t called them to, to be careful, because being a teacher comes with a stricter judgement.
How many of you like being the victim of a double standard. Maybe you’ve seen it at school, or at work. When there is one set of rules for the guys and another for the girls. Or what’s OK for one group of people is not OK for another group of people. Most of us hate that and cry out that its unfair and we fight against those kinds of practices.
Yet we expect a different standard from our law enforcement officers than we do politicians and lawyers. We read throughout the scriptures what a changed life is supposed to look like, when we become a new creation in Christ, but then we come across a different standard, or some might say a higher standard when we look at qualifications for someone desiring to serve as a deacon in the church or an elder in the church.
Well James tells us here that when it comes to those that teach the Word of God, not only are there standards, but we teachers shall receive a stricter judgment. Why would that be? Because if you’re teaching it, you ought to know what you’re talking about and if you know what your talking about, then you’re accountable for it before God.
So men that fill in for me, those that teach in our men’s ministry or our women’s ministry, youth leaders, Children’s ministry teachers, even our Growth Group leaders, take heed to what you hear, for we shall receive a stricter judgement. William Barclay said that teachers of the Word… must always strive to avoid two things. “They must take every care that they are teaching the truth, and not their own opinions or even their own prejudices. It is fatally easy for teachers to distort the truth and to teach not God’s version but their own. They must take great care that they do not contradict their teaching by their lives, continually, as it were, having to say not ‘Do as I do’ but ‘Do as I say.
William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 93.
William
The Apostle Paul wrote this Rom 15:18
Romans 15:18 NKJV
18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient—
Teachers can sometimes give the impression that they have it all together. Their preaching becomes condemnation, rather than conviction, because they present themselves as the example, when their walk doesn’t match their talk. Paul says, I don’t dare do that. I won’t speak of anything that Christ hasn’t done in me. Another way that can be done is making yourself the hero of every story or stretching the truth.
Teachers can sometimes give the impression that they have it all together. Their preaching becomes condemnation, rather than conviction, because they present themselves as thee example, when their walk doesn’t match their talk. Paul says, I don’t dare do that. I won’t speak of anything that Christ hasn’t done in me. Another way that can be done is making yourself the hero of every story or stretching the truth when we teach, or exaggeration. The truth, the truth, the truth, and nothing but the truth.
You can’t just say, well don’t look at me, or don’t judge me, I’m just a Christian like you are. Yeah, in one sense that is true, but not as a justification for not being diligent and accountable for everything that you say. How would you guys like everything you say or teach to be recorded? It’s fine, because I have to answer to God for every single word.
OK, let’s see what James has for you! Verse 2
James 3:2 NKJV
2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
The bible has much to say about the tongue. Proverbs 18:21
Proverbs 18:21 NKJV
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 12:18 NKJV
18 There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
Such a little member, but it has the greatest of power. James tells us…None of us a perfect,
James 3:2 NKJV
2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
But, if you want a true barometer on whether or not you have a true and living faith, James says a good place to look is your tongue. He says we all stumble, but if you don’t when it comes to the tongue, well, you must be perfect. Now, that’s not an excuse for failure or even a justification for it. Really, if you know the heart of pastor James, it’s a warning to not under estimate the danger of that little thing. Let’s see what he says...
James 3:3 NKJV
3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.
Horses are such powerful animals! Still to this day, when we measure the power in a motor vehicle, we want to know how many what? Horse power. You would think that if you were to watch the Kentucky Derby, or one of those other races the guys riding them would be jacked. Power lifters so they could muscle those horses into doing what they want them to do. But that’s not the case. If you watch the next big horse race the riders are all featherweights! The lighter the man or woman on the horse the better. Because all they need is that bit in the mouth against the tongue, and they an make that horse do whatever they want them to do.
James 3:4 NKJV
4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.
These are all comparisons to the tongue demonstrating the power and something so small can have. He goes on...
James 3:5 NKJV
5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
Man we’ve had some great examples of this in the past few years. Back in 2020 The El Dorado Fire burned 22,744 acres (9,204 ha; 35.538 sq mi; 92.04 km2) in San Bernardino and Riverside counties of California, it was accidentally started by a smoke canister at a gender reveal party.
2023 was a devastating year for the Canadian wild fires. All of us and much of our country experienced air quality issues, darkened sky's, and other problems from fires that were burning in another country. In fact, I was reading last night that there are areas in Ohio that as of early November had not been able to harvest their corn crops, because the haze from the fires delayed the pollination. The tongue in the same way can do, far more exceeding damage and far reaching damage, beyond our wildest imaginations. James tells us that the tongue is a fire...
James 3:6–9 NKJV
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
Some of us did this today probably. We fought with our wife or husband, maybe the kids getting ready, or maybe even on the way to church, and then we walk in the door and it’s Happy Lord’s day Brother! Hallelujah, let’s sing praises to Jesus! The bible has a word for that, its called hypocrisy. James says it’s not right. Next verse...
James 3:10–12 NKJV
10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
James bottom lines it for us with the end of this verse when he writes no spring yields both salt water and fresh. If two different things are coming out of your mouth, then one of them can’t be true. We want to excuse it, or say I just slipped up, or I was only kidding. Jesus says, no, that’s not true at all.
In fact, if you were here last week, you might remember Jesus’ words about a good tree bearing good fruit and a bad tree bearing bad fruit. We read that out of Matthew, but lets look at it from the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 6:43–44 NKJV
43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
Now check out this next verse because it ties together everything that James is talking about here. Verse 45
Luke 6:45 NKJV
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Jesus says that the things that we say, along with the fruit in our lives reveal who we are. Those thing reveal our standing with God and our relationship with God. We shouldn’t take confidence in a childhood profession of faith, if the words and the deed reveal an evil heart. James says that no man can tame the tongue, but Jesus can.
How is the tongue tamed? A heart transplant. Only Jesus can do that. I mentioned last week that Paul tends to be a theologian, where James nails us with the practical application. What a timely word for the holiday season, as we gather with family, maybe some family that we only see this time of year.
Remember proverbs says that life and death are in the power of the tongue and Proverbs 12:18
Proverbs 12:18 NKJV
18 There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
Just like fire can be destructive, it can also warm our homes, and it can be the fuel that cooks our food. The tongue can pierce like a sword. Some of you have experienced divorce as the result of the tongue. Over half of marriages end in divorce, if your friends are divorced that increases your chances of getting divorced, listen by 75%, how much of that do you think has to do with the tongue?
2022 was a record setting year according to the CDC, an all time high for suicides in the U.S. An estimated 49,449 people died by suicide in 2022, the CDC said. They expect that number to go up as the investigations are completed on the deaths where the cause of death is still pending. How many of those had to do with the tongue, whether the words were said verbally, or on social media, or spread in some other toxic way.. Something to consider, concerning the value of our lives and the power of the tongue.
Consider all the things that have stressed you out during the past six months. Your job, your finances, home repairs, car problems, maybe something someone said…I’m not minimizing any of those things, I know they have been among the most important things for you, especially if they’ve caused you stress. Now how many of you without looking it up know your grandfather’s father’s name, or your great grandfather’s brother, or his father. That is only a couple of generations away and all the things that consumed them, that they thought were the most important things in the world, we know nothing about.
The fields that they tended are probably no longer being farmed, the homes that they struggled to build, or repair are probably no longer standing. My point it this. When it comes to the tongue, we all stumble, but if it is continuous, we have a heart issue. James says a real faith, can be measured by the change in the tongue. Lets let our words be a healing balm to everyone around us.
Dumb story, this was only a couple of months ago. It was dark outside and I ran out to grab something out of my truck, and as I went around the back my shin told me exactly where my trailer hitch on the back of my truck was. I know you think that was the dumb part of the story, but to me it was what came out of my mouth. It was ah ha! That was wonderful! See I was out there all alone, no one could hear. Oh, I don’t know if I said this, but it hurt, and it left a mark.
But as I stood there holding on to my tailgate until I could walk on it. I came to realize that what didn’t come out of my mouth was a real mark that Jesus has changed my heart, that He’s continuing to work in Me completing the good work that He began in Me. Smashing my shin, caused me to rejoice in that.
James is telling us, yes our works matter, they are evidence of our faith, a saving faith, and a good yardstick to measure that by, isn’t a chore list, but it is a changed heart and that will be evidenced in your tongue. So as you gather with family, and friends over the next few weeks. Let our words warm, let our words heal, Let the tongue of the wise promote health. Those are the things that will create a legacy that will be remembered. So, in closing I want you to think this week. Think about the words that you say. Ideally, think about them before they come out of your mouth and ask the Lord to help you.
There is an old acronym THINK concerning our Speech. Something to ask ourselves…it might help you on your homework as well.
THINK stands for True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind: Let’s pray...
Think
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