Tame the Tongue

Context

Series: Faith that Works. Faith takes action.

Sermon 3/5

The general epistle of James. James the brother of the Lord Jesus. Leader in the early church. To all Christians.

Text: James 3:1-12

James 3:1–12 NRSV

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

Introduction

Great concern about how we use language. Especially negative. Hate speech. Trigger Words. Vocabulary can be violence. Words and texting can be bullying.

No more: sticks and stones; I’m rubber your glue…

Not a new issue for us Christians. We have a rich tradition of taking seriously how we talk.

FROM: The untamed tongue

James 3:1 “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

James numbering himself among teachers. He taught in Jerusalem.

Addressing teachers in other settings.

Held in high regard in the ancient world.

Warns of the gravity of the position. The tongue is small, but it is powerful.

Analogies:

BIT and HORSE. Bit into the mouth of a horse. Large strong animal. The smaller human rider, with a bit, can direct the horse where he will. The horse obeys.

RUDDER OF SHIP. Ship tossed by great winds and waves, but it is guided by the will of the pilot with the rudder.

TEACHER AND CONGREGATION. With speech, a teacher can..

lead a great body of people, to green pastures.

guide a congregation through great storms of life.

But there is a corresponding danger.

The power of speech can be used to harm.

A pilot can steer a ship into a storm.

A teacher’s tongue can be used to steer a congregation off course.

James must be concerned that some teachers

were cursing the harsh world around them? Ah, these idol-worshipping sinners! Doomed to wrath and destruction…

So how do Christians then treat outsiders?

cursing their own congregations? You are all so faithless, such sinners!

So how do Christians react, hopeless and discouraged!

Example contemporary:

2020. Family came to my (then) church: Coming in grief over death of a parent from COVID: Preacher said: COVID is God’s judgment on sinners. PAINFUL!

Yet it is not just teachers who make mistakes.

We ALL make many mistakes (teachers or not). We all have tongues. We ALL stumble in what we say. INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE.

Hurtful words that cause problems in families, workplaces, social groups.

Example: This project is stupid. My boss is a jerk. Young people today are lazy and entitled. Old people are stuck in their ways. The church is full of hypocrites.

All kinds of comments that tear down…or better, BURN DOWN!

IMAGE: A huge forest fire…it gets started with a small spark!

CA brown fields. Miles and miles of hills covered in hay. July 3rd. This place is ready to go up in smoke. After 4th of July. Of course big fires. Illegal, but still did it.

Our tongues are sparks of flame. With tinder all around. Slander, criticism, complaining, disparaging, gossiping, set whole life on fire.

Whole cycle of nature on fire: JRH Translation: “Drama” is life on fire.

The tongue stains the whole whole church. The tongue dramatizes the whole church.

The tongue is a small member, but it can do a lot of harm.

This is a spiritual issue.

THROUGH: It should not be that way

We will be judged. Especially teachers. But we shall all be judged for how we use our tongues.

By whom? Implied answer: God.

Drawing from Jesus. Matthew 12:36 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,”

Speech is judged by God because it is a uniquely human capacity.

Man made in God’s image, ability to speak.

God spoke and created. Let there be light.

man is to use speech to create, to order, to build up.

BUT. Ate of the tree. Took poison in.

The tongue drips that poison. (James 3:8 “…It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

Jesus, Matthew 15:11 “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person…for what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart…and out of the heart come evil thoughts…these are what defile a person.”But man misuses the tongue. It is untamed.

Tongue remains untamed and dangerous.

Genesis, humans created to rule all other creatures. And has done that.

James 3:7–8 “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. …

Dominion over all of creation, BUT NO DOMINION over ourselves, and that is shown by our out of control tongue.

Words reveal a contradiction in spirit.

James 3:9 “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.”

We curse other people and we are at the same time cursing God. For they are the image of God.

Example: I knew someone who did not go to church. Rationale: I Love God, but I hate people. Not an equation that works. There nearest thing we have to God in this world, is other people!

Images

When we go to the ocean: salt or fresh water? Every day? Not salt on one day and fresh on another?

Figs from a fig tree. Olives from an olive tree. Grapes from a grapevine.

Jesus said: Luke 6:43–44 ““For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit..…”

How we use words show what the real condition of the heart is.

profanities, blasphemies, insults, gossip…come from what kind of heart

a sinful, hateful one.

blessings, encouragements, affirmations, …come from kind of heart

a godly, loving heart.

TOWARD: The way it should be

What does the way we use words tell us about our spirituality?

last week: by showing favoritism…do you even believe in our glorious Lord Jesus?

Judging from our speech — critical, insinuating, insulting — do we believe in our glorious Lord Jesus?

or do we have some taming to do?

We all make mistakes. No one is perfect. Tongue impossible to completely tame, but…

BUT there is progress to be made.

Train the Tongue

Set the goal

Daily Prayer.

Morning prayer. Ps. 51: O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare thy praise!

Evening prayer: Psalm 141. Set a guard, O Lord over my moth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

In other words: At the hinges of the day: God the subject and governor of the tongue. The inner commitment helps us to then work the behavior.

interrupt bad behavior

Substitution: Friend: humm out loud! Or, one brother, actually WORE a RETAINER for a week, had to take it out to talk. These steps worth it to stop problem speech.

apologize for lost temper

sorry that unchristian display!

reward good behavior

write in a journal.

see the incremental improvement

Offer compliments, encouragements, affirmations. (https://www.happify.com/hd/learn to give genuine compliments)

Jesus our role model. Jesus always speaks well of us.

Model of Jesus

He does not curse us. He prays for us

that we may be one

That we be forgiven for they know not what they do

That they might join him in glory.

When we are sharing in Jesus’ speech — a new fire begins to burn.

Not set on fire of hell. A raging forest fire of drama.

Rather the fire of Pentecost. Tongues of heavenly fire! The deeds of God. encouragement. inviting people into life giving light of Christ.

in short, with the power of speech we build and bless community in the right way.

Conclusion

Larger culture is vigilant about words. Points to an awareness that words can be damaging.

Christians have long known this. We should lead the way on using words well. A social issue, AND MORE a spiritual one. Love of God, love of neighbor. Speak from that core love, we will have a healthy church and an impact on our larger world.

Intercessory Prayer

Let us pray for the church, the nations, and all people seeking God’s mercy and care, saying, Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the church in every place, that wherever people gather in your name, you make us able to listen to each other with open hearts. Give your people unity, O God, and replace divisiveness with reconciliation. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for all who serve the church as musicians, ushers, greeters, pastors, council members, teachers, and student leaders, as architects and cooks, as repairers and cleaners, and in all other ministries. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for Muslims and Jews, Hindus and Buddhists, people of indigenous religions everywhere, that their paths may lead—with ours—to greater understanding of the goodness of faith in its many languages and forms. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We thank you for this amazing earth, for clean water, rich soils, abundant sunshine, and all the foods that you have made for our health and enjoyment. Give all people the gratitude to share, especially with those who do not have such riches and who today are hungry. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the leaders of our nation . . . for our president and members of Congress, for the leaders asserting power in other nations, for nations in trouble at this time [name those where there is violence or disaster] , and for peacemakers and diplomats as they work to shape a reformed people. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for all who suffer from the horrors of war and famine, for children who do not know the reason for their pain and have no power to change their lot, and for the animals and plants damaged by human conflicts. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for those suffering from all forms of injustice, brokenness, or illness, especially all who have asked for the prayers of this congregation and for those whose well-being we hold in our hearts, named now aloud or silently. [silence] Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of eternity, certain days remind us of tragedy and death, but we know that all days are redeemed and held in your grace. We remember those who have died on this day, those who will die today, and all whose lives have enriched ours [name here those whose memory is dear to the church catholic or the local congregation]. Keep alive in us the hope of the resurrection. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Into your hands we commend those for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

spiritual discipline and development

#1: spiritual

Daily Prayer.

Morning prayer. Ps. 51: O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare thy praise!

Evening prayer: Psalm 141. Set a guard, O Lord over my moth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

In other words: At the hinges of the day: God the subject and governor of the tongue. The inner commitment helps us to then work the behavior.

#2: Discipline

Interrupt the bad behavior. Behavior. Right then.

Substitution: Friend: humm out loud! Or, one brother, actually WORE a RETAINER for a week, had to take it out to talk. These steps worth it to stop problem speech.

Would you give your social media account to an enemy to use? So why let the our lower nature take control?

#3: Develop

Offer compliments, encouragements, affirmations. (https://www.happify.com/hd/learn to give genuine compliments)

When was the last time you got compliment. Real one. (can you remember? we can be so stingy with good words!!) How did make you feel? Pretty good? Appreciated self, appreciated the person who gave it, grateful to God?

Telling someone that they have made a positive impact on our life, or that we admired the way they handled a situation, is a powerful gift.

We reinforce their value in the world,

We enhance own self-confidence. Giving a genuine compliment requires us to look for the good in others. In doing so, we also start to see the good in ourselves. We realize that we are all on the same journey together and that each of us has value to share with the world..

By appreciating and respecting others, we become a magnet for their reciprocated love.

The act of giving compliments creates a virtuous circle (instead of a vicious cycle)