Faith That Speaks

Introduction and Illustration

Alright, storytime! So, my kids are right about that age where they read about Johnny Appleseed in school, and so they want to plant every seed they find in their apples and think that it’s all going to work like that. So, we’re talking about how fruit trees work, and I realize that their teachers haven’t actually taught them anything; they’re really just filling them with questions that they bring home to Mom and Dad so we can teach and do their job. It’s quite ingenious, really. While it’s infuriating, in all honesty, I’m quite jealous! It’s like the birthday party when you give your niece or nephew that really annoying toy, or when someone asks you to babysit, and so you pacify them with sugar so they just leave you alone, fully knowing there’s a reckoning coming, but that’s their parent’s problem!

So, there I am, telling them Johnny Appleseed was a frontier pioneer who was paid by prospective homesteaders to cultivate their land for them. You see, you could only get a deed from the government if you made an “investment.” The fear was that people would just turn around and sell their newly claimed land, so the thinking was, fruit trees! They take like 10 years to yield fruit, so people will have to stick around if they want to see the payoff.

Transition

And, just like you all, right now, they were immediately disinterested. And there they were, staring blankly at me like I had three eyes. Because that’s the story of John “Appleseed” Chapman, but you hear the romanticized story in school that has nothing to do with westward expansion and land ownership!

Allusion

Never mind that. It has nothing to do with today’s lesson from Scripture. But apples do. You see, apples have a really fun adaptation. Every time a seed grows into a tree, it produces an apple completely different from the apple that it came from, and 99% of the time, the apple it produces is inedible; you’re not going to enjoy it. You’ll know this if you’ve ever gone through that Johnny Appleseed phase where you wanted to plant one for yourself from the apple you ate.

Either it’s sour, or it’s too bitter, or it’s not juicy, perhaps it’s too juicy; whatever it is, it will be wrong, and you will just hate it, but that’s how apples adapted to deal with parasites. With every generation, they produce something entirely different. Oh, the melondrama! No?

Perhaps this is the original design. Possibly also, it’s a manifestation of The Fall; Genesis 3:17 states that not just mankind, but also “cursed is the ground because of you.” But wouldn’t you believe it, there’s a solution to this! ‘Round about 2000 B.C. The ancient Chinese discovered that once you develop, by means of trial and error, and cross-pollinating, and lots of luck—a tolerable or even a sweet-tasting apple strain might be found. By grafting a part from that original apple tree onto a sapling, it will essentially turn into a clone-producing apple tree, and you can get a consistent variety of that particular apple strain. After all, God did say that, “Through painful toil you will eat food from it.”

Transition

If you think about that for a second, what that means is actually much more diabolical… Because there’s no way this makes sense, but that means that somebody actually said at some point, after eating a Red Delicious apple, “These are delicious!” which is uncanny because they’re voted, nearly unanimously, may I add, the worst brand of apple in America. Instead, that person, or being—we’re getting there, but I think it’s the work of the devil—purposely and intentionally breeding those repulsively disgusting things, grafting cultivated buds from a tree onto saplings, so many times over, in fact into an entire orchard that produces Red Delicious. I mean, no reason to stop now, right? If this gets out, I’m already getting sued for slander! I go to my kids’ school, and they serve them to the kids. No wonder they refuse to eat healthy; they think every apple tastes like a Red Delicious.

Part 1 – (the condition) Implications of being fallen

So, what am I going on about? In many of Jesus’ parables, we see a similar theme. In John 15, we read “The Vine and the Branches,” where Jesus says,

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4a Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine... 5b If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Allusion

On our own, we are in a helpless predicament. We’re unlike apples because we haven’t fallen far from the tree. Because of sin, we share that—not so fun, in our case—adaptation. Every person who is born is essentially deprived. This isn’t the ‘essential’ that means, “well, pretty much,” I mean it in the understanding that it is both essential to our faith and salvation narrative that we believe this, but also that, within the understanding of our fallen nature, no matter the state of depravity that you subscribe to, we believe that it is impossible to attain salvation alone as our essence was changed as a result of the fall. We are similar to apples in that 100% of the time, our children are different from the Apple, the created ‘Adam,’ our intended nature as we see in the Garden, from which we came.

Transition

There’s a theme that develops in the New Testament, but it’s directly addressed in Romans 2, particularly in the latter half of verse 29, “circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That person’s praise is not from people but from God.”

Early Christians were concerned with purity too, as is our heritage which is Judaism, but Jesus both fulfilled the law as well as adding clarity and addressing legalistic mindsets.

Recall Mark 7:15, where Jesus told the crowd, “Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” Hence, the superscript above this section of today’s Scripture. “Controlling the Tongue,” in my Bible. James says,

1 “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know 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 mature, able also to control the whole body.”

Application

So, it says controlling the tongue, but it’s really more all-inclusive, conduct in general, but it goes on specifically addressing the tongue, and for good reason. But I’ll come back to that. In this passage, James talks particularly about those who are called to teach God’s Word in an ordained capacity as leaders in the church. But there is also a sense in which all of us, as followers of Christ, are teachers of God’s Word. Think of the Great Commission, where we are commanded to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19); this is especially true in the sense of the next verse, as we “teach those we disciple to observe all that Jesus has commanded us.”

This isn’t to say that this strictly applies to Christians, either. Romans 3:13–14 speaks of the depravity of humanity as it relates to his speech. It says (of those who do not know God) they have tongues that are like open graves filled with smelly, rotting, dead bodies. They use their tongues to lie and to deceive people. They have snake venom spitting from under their lips. They curse people and speak words of bitterness.

What a pretty picture that paints.

Transition

Whereas the first part of our Scripture illustrated our condition—the implications of being fallen, the second part addresses the standard, the implications of being created “In the Image of God.”

Part 2 – (the standard) Implications of being created “In the Image of God”

Verses 3-6 read:

3 “Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. 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 a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

James is speaking to the great power of the tongue. So, where is this coming from?

Genesis 1:3 says, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light.’” That tiny phrase, “Then God said,” comes before each day of creation. God created all things by the power of words, by His Word! Therefore, we need to recognize the importance of His spoken words. That God uses words to create demonstrates their importance. God uses words not only to create but also to reveal Himself. Consider Genesis 1:27–28:

“So God created man in His own image;

He created him in the image of God;

He created them male and female.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”

Through self-revelatory speaking into creation, God gives Adam and Eve their purpose for existing, which is central to our likeness and identity in God. Our words have power! Not creation power but also, Jesus indicates that perhaps we can only do so much because we have so little faith. In Matthew 17:20, He says, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.”

Application We’re not God; we don’t create, but our words do have power. In Matthew 18:18, Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” He’s not giving Peter the keys to the gate. That’s not what’s happening; the Bible tells us Jesus will judge the living and the dead. What he’s saying is that this is how it works; we know this because he also said in chapter 12, verses 36–37: “…on the day of judgment, people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

In line with the apple analogy, in Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus says:

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

Transition

As kind of a sub-section, while still relating to the intended standard and the implications of being created “In the Image of God,” in verses 5-6, James issues a bit of a warning.

Because who also speaks? Satan! In Genesis 3:1, he asks Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”

We’ve got to recognize the cunning and deceptive words of the enemy! It’s not just Satan. Well, I mean, it is, but you won’t likely hear from him directly, but people with the spirit of this world for sure. Their words contradict, distort, and twist God’s Word. Look also at Genesis 3:4–5:

“No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

He also appeared to Jesus and Matthew 4:5-6 in fact, quoting Scripture:

There it says, 5 “Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” (Psalm 91:11,12)

Interestingly, Jesus not only responds with Scripture but also finishes their exchange by saying, “Away from me, Satan!” Now, he was literally talking to Satan, but he uses that phrase nearly identically in Matthew 16:23, with Peter in Gethsemane. What this means is that we’ve got to be on guard from internalizing and propagating ourselves, the cunning and deceptive words of the enemy! We were made in the image of the Father with a purpose, but our nature has been corrupted.

Transition

So, words are important. They can be used in many good ways, but also because they can be used in many evil ways. This brings us to part 3, which is how to know the difference.

Part 3 – (the challenge) A way to know the difference

Our Scripture, starting in verse seven, says,

7 “Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.”

Because of sin, we share the adaptation with apples in that 100% of the time, our children are different from the original, the created ‘Adam,’ and our intended nature from which we came.

Application

The only way to bear tolerable fruit that is pleasing and acceptable to God is if we prune our unproductive branches and accept His grafting onto—onto or into, whichever is grammatically correct here—our lives. Only by this are we obediently accepting and taking on the Great Commission, fulfilling that original purpose spiritually, being fruitful, and multiplying. Multiplying and building His Kingdom on Earth.

James tells us in this passage that we can only create disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything we’ve been commanded if we can first do it. Control ourselves. Or else you’re a hypocrite, and you’ll be judged. That’s the first sentence. Be grafted. The fruit you’re going to produce naturally is inedible.

In verses 11-12, he’s saying, recognize that our words are an indication of your heart.

11 “Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.”

Summary

I’m speaking to myself as much as any of you. I’m guilty of being angry. But know the difference between your natural-born fruit and the grafting of Jesus. We need to recognize that our words are an indication of our heart and serve as indicators of our true spiritual condition.

Galatians 5:22-23 says, 22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Words that are evil, immoral, deceitful, hateful, adulterous, wicked, sensual, slanderous, proud, and foolish come from within.

They come from the heart, and that is a deeper problem than the mouth. In Luke, Jesus says:

43 “A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

Conclusion

The question we each have to ask ourselves today is, are we bearing that sweet, Honeycrisp, grafted apple or the apples we got from the seeds of last fall? See what I did there?

There’s a common colloquialism that says, “Never meet your hero.” It implies that encountering someone you greatly admire or idolize in person often leads to disappointment.

Of course, this could be because we’ve built up unrealistic expectations about them, our perceptions of heroes often idealized, making it challenging for reality to match expectations or shattering the persona they played in the eye of the public.

But I think the real danger, especially for Christians, when we talk about celebrities as role models is exactly what James alludes to here in chapter 3, that meeting your hero reveals their flaws; your encounter exposes inconsistencies or contradictions between their public image and private behavior.

While the phrase cautions against putting people on pedestals and encourages realistic expectations, for a Christian, it challenges us to consider the source of the fruit they’re bearing. Is this a tree grafted to Jesus? Is the vinedresser pruning and caring for this tree, or is this from the seed of Adam?

The challenge, I think, is to be a real-life hero and reveal yourself to be cultivated, bearing fruit in keeping with your repentance.

And I have to check myself, I have loads of frustrations in this office, ask anyone on my detail! You are at your weakest and most susceptible to the temptation of the devil when you’re angry or entertaining ungodly thoughts and feelings. It starts in your heart. Your lips are a great indicator; that’s why Jesus said it’s the overflow of your heart. It starts with, “I deserve,” or “I earned…”—says who? Who said it would be easy or that you deserve anything but the penalty for sin, which is death?

Allusion/Close

Because, the alternative is trying to fix a tree that only produces rotten apples by going to the grocery store and buying a big bag of shiny red apples, and stapling them to the tree. The tree is alive and healthy, right? Wrong. James and Jesus, for that matter, are telling us that our tongue problem is actually a heart problem. We don’t need a spiritual tongue doctor but a spiritual cardiologist. The good news is that we have one!

This is exactly when you need to consider whether you’re sowing seeds, reproducing your own natural wildcard of uneatable bitterness, or accepting your grafting and producing fruit that nourishes others and is acceptable and pleasing to the Father.