Taming The Tongue | James 3:1-12

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

The tongue can produce one of two things:

Life or death

What kind of speech do you think produces life or something positive?

Kind words

Compliments

Saying hi

What kind of speech do you think produces death or something negative?

Gossip

Complaining

Making fun of someone

Bullying

Bragging

We all have a choice - We can either use our tongue for death words or life words.

If we don’t watch it, our tongue will always produce death words. That’s natural.

Illustration: Not watching an untrained dog, will always get into trouble.

Our tongue is the same way. If we don’t tame it or control it, it will produce death words.

Why The Tongue Needs Taming

I. You Will Answer For Every Word You Say

A. The people reading the book of James really wanted to be teachers. Vs. 1

1. They wanted to be in charge and tell people what to do.

2. But James reminds them that the more you say the more you’ll have to answer for.

3. Everyone wants to be an influencer these days:

a. Mr. Beast

b.

c. That’s our culture now. Everyone wants to influence. Everyone wants notoriety and followers.

B. But understand, the more you say, the more you answer for

1. There’s greater condemnation for those that speak the most.

2. On average, most of us speak about 16,000 words a day. Some of you, double that. Others, half it.

3. That’s a lot to answer for. Be careful. Jesus said in Matthew 12, “That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” We are responsible for every idle word.

C. You might say, “I don’t use that many words.”

1. Maybe not, but James makes it clear that this is a problem for every one of us.

2. Vs. 2 – We all stumble. This applies to everyone.

3. Vs. 2b – This could have one of two meanings: James is either speaking hypothetically (if you can control you’re tongue, you are perfect and sinless).

4. Or he’s saying, only a legitimately mature person will not offend with their speech. And if a person doesn’t offend in word, they will have control over every other area. This is the hardest one to tame.

5. But a mature person will control the tongue.

Why The Tongue Needs Taming:

You will answer for every word you say

II. Your Tongue May Be Small, But It Is Powerful

A. James gives three analogies to show the power of the tongue:

1. Vs. 3 – The tongue is like a bit.

a. This illustration is spot on, because the bit actually sits on top of a horse’s tongue, and when it’s attached to the reins and bridle, something so small can control the movements of a powerful horse.

a. Even the most trained and gentle horses need a bit. If you expect them to be trusted and useable, they need to be controlled.

b. It’s the same with us – The less control over our tongues, the less useable we are to serve the Lord.

2. Vs. 4 – The tongue is like a rudder.

a. A ship’s rudder is small compared to the size of the ship, yet it controls the direction of the vessel.

b. Illustration: Going on a cruise. Most relaxing vacation ever. All your food is taken care of. You can sleep all day. You can order room service 24 hours a day. You stop every other day in a new country. But one thing I never got over is the size of the ship. Our ship was 14 decks tall. About 1000 feet long. Held over 3,000 people. And yet it was controlled by a rudder. A piece of metal much smaller than the ship itself. Yet in control.

c. The tongue is the rudder of the body. If we have control over our tongue, it is in indication that we have control over our self. Whoever controls their tongue can bridle their body.

d. If you don’t have control over your tongue, that speaks to the control you have over your body.

e. The question is, “Who or what directs the rudder? Who holds the reins? Who’s in control of your tongue?”

f. Some people have no hands on the reins or the rudder. They say whatever comes to their mind. Or maybe their emotions hold the reins of their tongue.

f. There’s only one safe option when it comes to tongue control – to give the Holy Spirit the reins of your tongue.

g. It may be small, but is powerful. If you don’t practice control over your tongue, it can’t help but get you in a world of trouble.

3. Vs. 5-6 – The tongue is not only like a bit or a rudder, it’s a fire.

a. Fire has many good uses. I love a fire in the winter time. We have a pellet stove and when it’s working right our family is like moths to a flame. When that fire is going that’s where we want to be.

b. But a couple of years ago we had an issue with the stove and the pellets backed up and the fire got up into the hopper. We caught it early and it wasn’t a huge problem, but we had to take it to the shop to get it worked on.

c. If we hadn’t caught it we would have been in trouble.

d. A fire in a fireplace is great and helpful, but if it gets out of its place you’ve got problems.

e. One small spark in a dry season could prove catastrophic to an entire forest.

6. Illustration: Flying to Idaho this summer, huge fire in Arizona. They don’t know the cause of that one, but very often it starts with one unintentional flame.

7. That’s a picture of the damage our tongues can do.

B. The tongue is a world of iniquity (6b)

1. James means that the whole world of evil can find its expression through the tongue.

2. It’s boastful. It’s angry. It’s cutting and bitter. The tongue conveys the worst about us.

3. It’s a world of iniquity. And by the way, remember that the tongue is a window to the heart. So the words we type in a text or on social media are just as much a glimpse into our hearts as the ones we say.

4. (6c) It is set on fire of hell. That word for hell is “Gehenna,” which is a valley outside Jerusalem that was used as a garbage dump. All the filth of the city accumulated there. It was a nasty, gross, place.

5. It seems like the tongue can be that way. If there’s evil and sin in our heart, it tends to show up on the tongue.

6. The tongue destroys. It can cause destruction to a church body like a game of telephone. It can ruin your relationship with your wife, men. It can separate you and your children. It can destroy your testimony.

7. John McArthur, “The rabbis spoke of the tongue as an arrow rather than a dagger or sword, because it can wound and kill from a great distance. It can wreak great damage even when far from its victim.”

8. The tongue may be small, but its destruction is huge.

E. James gives another picture in Vs. 7-8.

1. Wild animals can be controlled, but not the tongue.

a. God gave man the ability to control wild beasts in Genesis 1:28. We’re to have dominion.

b. It’s amazing to see someone in control of a lion or tiger. Or one of those Sea World shows where the killer whale or dolphin does tricks and splashes everyone in the splash zone.

c. You can train dogs. Keith Waack was telling me this morning that he had fish that watched TV. But no one has ever mastered the tongue.

d. A 10 foot long tiger that can rip you apart? Trainable. Something that weights 2 ounces? Forget about it.

2. 8b – Fully of deadly poison

a. I read one of Hitler’s quotes earlier this week, “Nothing will prevent me from tearing up Christianity, root and branch…We are not out against a hundred and one different kinds of Christianity, but against Christianity itself. All people who profess creeds...are traitors to the people. Even those Christians who really want to serve the people...we have to suppress. I myself am a heathen to the core.”

b. That’s not too far off some of the things being said about Christianity by socialist leaders in our own country today. That’s where socialism leads. It’s a godless ideology that wants to destroy Biblical Christianity.

c. Hitler’s words literally became deadly poison. The Nazis developed Zyklon B, a poisonous gas used to kill millions in concentration camps in the 40’s.

d. Our words are poison. They destroy relationships. They destroy friendships. They destroy youth groups and churches and workplaces and schools. They tear families apart.

F. You must tame your tongue, or it will destroy everything it touches.

III. Your Tongue Reveals Who You Really Are

A. As soon as you start thinking you’ve gained traction, it will betray you.

1. Vs. 10 – Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing

a. We’re all prone to double talk. One minute you’re encouraging somebody. The next minute you’re talking bad about them.

b. One day you’re forgiving others. The next you’re calling them names.

c. One Sunday you’re praising the preacher. The next you’re tearing him down.

d. That’s the inconsistency of the tongue. And we like to think the positive words reflect our hearts and the negative words are the exception, but it’s probably the other way around.

e. The tongue reveals the heart. You know why your words are inconsistent? Because the heart it inconsistent.

f. Young person, your words are rebellious because the heart is rebellions. Moms, your words are sharp and cutting because the heart is evil. Dads, your words are critical because of the condition of the heart. Church member, your words tear others down because the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.

g. But be careful of excusing it. Just because the heart is wicked doesn’t mean it’s okay to let it remain that way.

2. But look at what James says in Vs. 10

a. “My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”

b. The first step to change in our words is to admit we’re the problem. It’s a heart problem. It’s not the church’s problem. It’s not our parents’ fault. It’s not the school. It’s not our friends or family.

c. We say what we say because our hearts are what they are. But that can be both good and bad.

d. So James uses the example of nature as something that is more consistent than us.

e. Vs. 11-12 – Fountains either have good water or bitter water. Fig trees don’t bear olives. Grape vines don’t produce figs.

f. Here’s his assessment – True Christians shouldn’t speak destructive words.

g. Remember, this is a test. And what James concludes is if you are who you claim to be in Christ, then your words will back it up.

h. Streams produce one kind of water. Trees produce one kind of fruit.

i. A true Christian should produce speech consistent with his or her new life in Christ.

3. If you don’t, stop trying to change your speech.

a. You don’t need a change of words. You need a change of heart.

b. If our speech fails the Christian test. We use cuss words. We tear others down. We criticize. We use words to hurt those closest to us. If our speech fails the test, changing our words doesn’t fix the problem. You must desperately seek God for a change of heart.

B. What does your speech say about your heart?

1. Do you use one list of words at church, and another outside of it?

2. Do you lose your temper and get angry easily?

3. Do you criticize and complain when things don’t go your way?

4. Do you blame others for your problems?

5. Let me remind you of what Jesus said in Luke 6:45, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

C. It is impossible for the mouth to speak independently.

1. The tongue speaks what the mind thinks and what the heart feels.

2. That’s what Jesus is saying. The mouth is simply the mouthpiece for the heart.

3. If your tongue is inconsistent, it’s because your heart is inconsistent.

4. So stop trying to change your speech. Seek the Lord for a change of heart.

5. Read verse 2 again. This is not exaggeration. It’s literal.

6. Illustration: Suppose we set up a contest to find one person in the whole world who never sins with their speech. We offer $100 million dollars to find somebody. We search high and low and near and far. Every man, woman, boy, girl, from all nations and continents. And some are close, some are impressive, but none are perfect. Except Jesus.

7. Peter said in 1 Peter 2:22, “He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.”

8. You know that means? You don’t need new speech habits. You need more Jesus Christ. Only He has the power to change us from the inside out. If you are going to tame the untamable 2 ounce beast, then you need proximity to the One who created it. He’s the only one with the power to help you.

D. The Most Dangerous Church Member weighs 2 ounces. But it has destroyed churches, relationships, families, Sunday School classes, youth groups, communities, nations.

E. Three reasons to tame your tongue:

1. You’ll answer for every word

2. It’s small but destructive

3. It reveals who you really are – What does your tongue say about your heart?