9-15-24 Sermon "Control Our Tongues" - 16 Minutes

James 3:1-12

This morning I'll be reading James chapter 3 verses 1 through 12. And I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. James 3:1-12 James talked about the dangers of idle faith in the previous verses. Now he will talk about the dangers of an idle tongue. James 3:1–12 (HCSB) 1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment, 2 for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body. 3 Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. 7 Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it. 10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water. The word of God for the people of God,,, thanks be to God! God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning. Let us pray: Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone here today and all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen. ___________________________________ Last Sunday we looked at Proverbs 22:1–2, 8–9, 22–23,,, and we learned that taking care of those in need is very important. And,,, not only helping them,,, but watching over them so that they aren't mistreated by others. That is something that we must remember,,, and be sure that we are always doing these things,,, at all times,,, because God,,, is always watching everything that we do! Solomon understood that these things were important enough,,, that they needed to be written down for future generations to see and remember. I reminded you that God expects us to treat others,,, with love and respect! And if that doesn't happen,,, then there will be consequences that cannot be avoided. As Christians,,, these should be things that we are well aware of,,, and are watching out for,,, each and every day! The blessing that we receive will be more than we can ever imagine,,, in this lifetime,,, and even more so,,, when we enter heaven,,, on that glorious day! You were told to remember these words of wisdom from Solomon,,, use them in our daily walk with God,,, and each other,,, as we fulfill our obligation,,, to make this world,,, a better place,,, each and every,,, day,,, and bring more people to Christ,,, by the way that we live,,, our life! This morning we will look at these verses in James,,, and see how they will help us,,, in our walk with God this week. ___________________________________ Verses 1-2 said: 1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment, 2 for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body. James is apparently speaking to some in the church that were wanting to teach.

My commentary said that apparently,,, too many of the new Jewish Christians thought that it was uplifting to teach,,, and that it would help their image since they would carry some of the rank and admiration given to the teachers of that time.

It is doubtful that the reference here is to the official teachers or disciples.

These are the unofficial teachers,,, in the synagogue meetings of the church family where much latitude was given for even strangers to speak.

It said that Paul frequently used this courtesy given visitors.

James’ complaint was simply that too many believers were overly anxious to speak up and show off (cf. John 3:10; 9:40–41).

Teaching has to be done,,, but those who teach must understand their responsibility,,, as those who teach will be judged more strictly.

They must understand,,, they will receive heavier judgment if they fail to practice what they teach.

In verse 2,,, James did not point a finger at the offenders without including himself when he said: "We all stumble in many ways." but,,, if anyone can control his tongue,,, so that he does not commit the various sins of speech,,, then,,, that person is truly well-rounded and well-disciplined.

If one can exercise control in speech,,, he should not have difficulty in practicing self-control in other areas of life as well.

Of course,,, we all know,,, that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the only One who ever did this completely,,, but there is a sense in which each of us can become perfect,,, that is,,, mature,,, complete,,, thoroughly disciplined,,, when we listen and obey the Holy Spirit as He guides us,,, even,,, in all aspects of our life. ___________________________________ Verses 3-6 said: 3 Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. Three figures of speech,,, or pictures of the tongue,,, are given in these 4 verses.

First of all,,, it is compared to a bridle.

Bridles are the harnesses which go over the horses’ heads and hold the bits in the horses’ mouths.

Connected to the bit are the reins.

Though the bit itself is a very small piece of steel,,, yet if a person can control that bit,,, he can control the behavior of the horse.

So the tongue can direct the life,,,— either for good or for evil.

The second picture is that of a rudder.

Compared with the ship itself,,, a rudder is very small.

It seems incredible that a man can control so huge a vessel with such a relatively small device; yet this is exactly what happens.

Thus we should not misjudge the power of the tongue by its size.

Though it is a very small member of the body,,, and relatively hidden,,, yet it can boast of great accomplishments,,, both good and evil.

A third simile of the tongue is a fire.

A lighted match,,, carelessly thrown,,, may start a brush fire.

This in turn may ignite a forest and leave a charred mass of ruins.

What possibilities,,, then,,, a small match holds of destruction and devastation!

All of these show how dangerous the tongue can be,,, the hurt that we can cause,,, if we aren't careful! ___________________________________ Verses 7-10 said: 7 Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it. 10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. The fourth figure to which the tongue is likened is a wild,,, untamable creature,,, or so you would think.

All kinds of beasts, birds, serpents and marine life can be tamed,,, and many have been tamed.

To argue that not every kind of creature has actually been tamed is to miss the point of James’ argument,,,

there is no reason to believe there is any kind of creature that could not be tamed by man,,, if he is given sufficient time and persistence.

But man’s success with wild animals,,, does not extend to the area of his own tongue.

In the 5th picture,,, James shows the tongue as a,,, restless evil, full of deadly poison.

If we are honest,,, we will have to admit that this is true in our own lives.

Because of the fall,,, we have lost dominion over this small piece of flesh.

At times,,, we are praising God,,, then,,, with no warning,,, saying things that we shouldn't,,, almost in the same breath!

Human nature does not have the ability or strength to govern this little member.

Only God can bring it under control. ___________________________________ Verses 11-12 said: 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water. No spring gives fresh water and bitter water,,, at the same time.

The tongue should not do so either.

Its outflow should be uniformly good.

It is against a tree’s nature to produce two kinds of fruit.

In the same way,,, a Christian's mouth should not produce,,, both good and evil,,, speech. ___________________________________ We can see from these verses that our tongues are a problem,,, so how can we fix this?

Pray daily that God will guide us to say the right things,,, and that we will listen to the Holy Spirit to guide us in the right things to say.

If we have something bothering us about someone,,, we should go to that person and discuss it in love,,, then if possible,,, pray about it,,, together.

Let us try to see Christ in the people around us,,, instead of magnifying minor failures.

If we start to say something unkind or unprofitable,,, let us stop in the middle of the sentence,,, and explain that to continue wouldn’t be the right thing to say.

Some things are better left unsaid.

___________________________________ As we know,,, as Christians,,, so much of our walk with God would be accomplished easier,,, if we listened to the Holy Spirit the way that we should!

Controlling our tongues is no different!

In fact,,, it's the only way!

We can't do this on our own!

As I've told you over and over,,, do the things that strengthen your relationship with the Lord,,, prayer,,, God's word,,, quiet time,,, listening for God to speak,,, on going prayer throughout the day,,, all of the things that we as Christians know to do,,, to help us be in the right frame of mind to hear the Holy Spirit as He guides us,,, each and every day,,, as we work diligently,,, to,,, use His power,,, to "control our tongues"!

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