The Smallest but Strongest

James 3:1-12

Good morning church! We will be jumping back into the letter of James, reading for our text today James 3:1-12, if you would like to go ahead and be turning in your Bibles. As we continue in the letter of James to the churches we want a quick recap of what has been covered so far, and we will be expounding on some of what James covered in chapter 1 here in chapter 3 today. We have discussed that the purpose of the letter of James is to speak on how the Christian is supposed to live their life. It is not a letter written to the unbeliever, but it is instruction to the churches that have been scattered from the main church in Jerusalem, on how to conduct themselves as believers in Christ, and by doing this, become more mature spiritually.

The church at this time had many different issues that we still see happening in churches today, whether it be trials and temptations that are occuring within the body of Christ, or living our lives with a faith that is alive and trusting and knowing the mercy of God. In today's section James continues with expounding upon the discussion of speech and how we talk. We are instructed that the words that are spoken out of our mouths have power and that if we want to grow in spiritual maturity, there is a power, or a control, that must be exercised over the things we say.

We are told in Proverbs 18:21 “21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” and many times we hear this verse quoted but it makes more sense if we look at the verses that precede it.

Proverbs 18:19–21 ESV

19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle. 20 From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

If we offend our brothers with our words and we fight amongst each other then we are bringing death to the body of believers we are a part of. If we are speaking life and are controlling our speech and our words then there is life and satisfaction to be found.

There are many ways in which our words can bring death or life, depending on how they are used. James had previously warned in the letter

James 1:19 (ESV)

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

and also

James 1:26 (ESV)

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

A saying that I have heard many times is, would you watch that if Jesus was next to you? Would you say those words or carry on that conversation if Jesus was next to you? Would you go to this place or do that thing if Jesus was with you? The craziness of this thought process is that for the believer, Jesus is always with us! Too often we forget that Christ is right there with us when we give in to our flesh and the things it desires. James told us

James 2:12 (ESV)

12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.

We are going to be judged under the law of liberty but just because we have liberty does not mean that we give in to what our flesh desires, the law of liberty is that we are no longer bound to what our flesh desires and we are at “liberty” to have new desires and new hearts and minds that are renewed and shaped in the love of Christ! The law of liberty is that we are no longer slaves to sin, and we no longer have to be miserable stuck in sinful ways, with no way out, but we have been set free to follow the way of Christ, and in doing this our actions and our words should reflect this!

This means that our actions and our words don’t reflect our old way, they don’t reflect the sinful heart that we had previously, our actions and our words should reflect a heart and a life that is constantly seeking after the will of the Father above. This doesn’t mean we won’t fall and we won’t fail but it does mean that we are a new man and we will see this reflected in our words. The third characteristic James speaks about here of a mature believer is that they “have power over their tongue.”

The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chapter Seven: The World’s Smallest but Largest Troublemaker (James 3:1–12))

A pastor friend told me about a member of his church who was a notorious gossip. She would “hang on the phone” most of the day, sharing tidbits with any and all who would listen.

She came to the pastor one day and said, “Pastor, the Lord has convicted me of my sin of gossip. My tongue is getting me and others into trouble.”

My friend knew she was not sincere because she had gone through that routine before. Guardedly he asked, “Well, what do you plan to do?”

“I want to put my tongue on the altar,” she replied with pious fervor.

Calmly my friend replied, “There isn’t an altar big enough,” and he left her to think it over.

The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chapter Seven: The World’s Smallest but Largest Troublemaker (James 3:1–12))

The power of speech is one of the greatest powers God has given us. With the tongue, man can praise God, pray, preach the Word, and lead the lost to Christ. What a privilege! But with that same tongue he can tell lies that could ruin a man’s reputation or break a person’s heart. The ability to speak words is the ability to influence others and accomplish tremendous tasks; and yet we take this ability for granted.

As we walk through trails and temptations, as we experience the difficulties that we face in this life, it is easy to be less careful about sin and maybe think that we deserve a break and that we can take a few liberties. Maybe we can let loose just a little, but James is instructing the church that just because they are experiencing persecution does not give them the right to talk as if they were not Christians. Instead this persecution is the perfect opportunity to show the difference in the life of a believer and the life of someone who does not know Christ. If we are talking carelessly, or loosely, or gossiping then this is a wasted opportunity and shows spiritual immaturity. The controlling of our tongue through trials helps brings further spiritual maturity and testify to the world around us of the power of God at work in our lives.

James 3:1–12 (ESV)

This is the Word of the Lord to His people;

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

2For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

3If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.

4Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.

5So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

6And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

7For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,

8but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

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

10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?

12Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

This is the Word of the Lord, Amen!

James gives us six pictures of the tongue here in this section and these six pictures can be broken down into three classifications. The three points today or the three classifications of power which our tongue has are:

The Power To Direct: The Bit and Rudder (James 3:1-4)

The Power to Destroy: the Fire and Animal (James 3:5-8)

The Power to Delight: The Fountain and Tree (James 3:9-12)

The Power To Direct: The Bit and Rudder (James 3:1-4)

James begins this part of the letter with very important instructions. He instructs that not many should be teachers. There are many that may feel like they are called to teach in some capacity, or maybe they are seeking after the position to be seen by others, or maybe they are just sold out on fire for God and want to teach His Word, yet we are told we should be cautious about stepping in to this type of role and not many should do so.

There is great responsibility and also great judgment for those that take the role of teaching. We refer to what we talked about in chapter 1, that we should be quick to listen and slow to speak. We should be quick to run and listen to theologically sound teaching and exposition of Gods Word but we should be slow to teach it ourselves and make sure we approach it with the respect that is deserved. James tells us here that many should not be teachers because, teachers will be judged with greater strictness.

You have heard the saying if you’re going to talk the talk you better walk the walk? This is extremely important for teachers. As teachers we must make sure we are desiring to do so for the right reasons, to glorify God and to minister His love and mercy to others; and also that we are prepared and ready to live out the life we are preaching about. The position of teaching the very Word of the Sovereign God should always be approached with fear and trembling, because the power the tongue has when the Word is declared, and the power that the tongue has when it is done wrongly, or for the wrong reasons.

At a conference, I was speaking with a couple of people and one of my friends, who was about to get up and speak was there, and someone asked him how he felt. His response was he felt sick. It wasn’t because he was nervous to speak in front of other people, it was because he knew the immense responsibility that he was about to step into in sharing the Word of God. I tell people constantly that if you ever feel fully comfortable stepping into the pulpit, or I will add even teaching for that matter, that you need to check your reason for teaching and check your heart because there is a knowledge of the responsibility given when declaring the word of God to His people, and the responsibility to do it correctly, that should cause us to always be nervous about doing so.

I know that there is no amount of preparation that I can do, no amount of study or writing that will prepare me to deliver God’s Word completely, but it is on me to do the study and the preparation and then God will honor and allow His Holy Spirit to use us when we have been diligent, to teach and share His Word.

James says here that we all stumble in many things, none of us are perfect and we do not give up on doing what God has called us to do because we are not perfect, but we approach it in the correct way relying fully on God and giving all glory to God alone.

2 Corinthians 3:5 (ESV)

5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,

When James speaks about the perfect man here he is not speaking of someone who does not stumble or fail at times. The word perfect here is used to refer to maturity. James tells us that those who control their speech are becoming more spiritually mature. It is the process of sanctification at work in the life of the believer to make us more like Christ. That as we control our tongues we are made more spiritually mature, and the words that come out of our mouths will reflect this.

James uses the illustrations of the bit in the mouth of the horse or the rudder on a ship to demonstrate the power the tongue wields. Even though it is a very small part of our body, it has tremendous power to control the rest of the body. These first illustrations point out the power of the tongue to direct. The bit in the mouth of a horse is a very small piece of metal, but by using it with the reins the rider is able to direct the horse to turn left or right as they desire. The rudder on the ship is also a very small part of the overall ship. The ship the Queen Elizabeth weighed 83,673 gross tons. The rudder for the ship weighed only 140 tons. This was less than 2/10 of 1 percent of the total weight yet, this small item controls the direction of the entire ship.

James wants us to know that this is the power of the tongue. Though it is a very small part of our body, our tongue has the power to direct the way our lives will go. We must hold fast to this small part and ensure that it directs us correctly. The beauty of our salvation is that it does not rely entirely on us, the control of our tongue is something we must give and rely on Christ for! We are told in Matthew 12:34 “34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Our words that come out of our mouths are a reflection of our hearts and the condition they are in. This is why the Psalmist prayed Psalm 141:3–4 “3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! 4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!”

Our words not only direct our own lives but they have affect on others as well. We see Jesus speaking to the woman at the well in John 4 and we are told that not only her life but the lives of her neighbours were changed. In Acts 2 Peter preached on the day of Pentecost and we are told that 3000 souls came to know and follow Christ. The words that we speak and the heart behind how we speak them matters greatly. We never know what God is going to do when we are obedient in following Him.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Seven: The World’s Smallest but Largest Troublemaker (James 3:1–12)

On April 21, 1855, Edward Kimball went into a Boston shoe store and led young Dwight L. Moody to Christ. The result: one of history’s greatest evangelists, a man whose ministry still continues. The tongue has the power to direct others to the right choices.

2. The Power to Destroy: the Fire and Animal (James 3:5-8)

The next point that James makes is that the tongue has the power to destroy. He uses the images of fire and animals to demonstrate this. James talks about how a large fire can be started by a single tiny spark. We can see this in our times with the fires in Gatlinburg or currently the fires in California. All it takes is a single small spark, the single ember from a lit cigarette, and in the right conditions it can cause millions upon millions of dollars of damage and the loss of human life.

A single word has the power to do the same. This single spark of the tongue that James refers to is found as its source in hell itself. Without Christ our tongues were corrupted by the fall, they lead us to sin, they lead us to pride and destruction of ourselves, and they lead us to destroy others. An example of the power of words can be found in Hitler, a man who is considered one of the most evil men in history, but who through his words was part of starting the 2nd World War and was responsible for the deaths of more people than we can imagine. It is estimated that for every word of Hitlers Mein Kampf, 125 people died during World War II. There is great power in the words our tongues speak.

Proverbs 26:20–21 ESV

20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. 21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

Just as the tongue can spark the fire, a lack of kindling for the fire can make it go out. Too often a spark starts a fire with just a little bit of gossip, just a moment of did you hear this about this person, and then it spreads and someone else passes it on and before you know it the gossip has become the fastest growing pyramid scheme ever.

This makes me think of the game telephone you would play when you where a kid. One person would tell the first person something. Then they would whisper it to the next and then the next until you would reach the end of the line of kids and a phrase like “Paul is wearing a blue shirt” would have become Paul bought a red corvette and is driving through town playing guitar with the convertible top down.” When we lend our tongues to gossip and slander it spreads like a fire.

Proverbs 6:16–19 ESV

16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

These are not just sins but they are things that God hates. To lie about our brothers and sisters and to seek to create fighting amongst each other is something that God hates! Instead we should be seeking to build each other up and to help each other grow. This doesn’t mean that if I see you doing something wrong I am supposed to ignore it but scripture makes it very clear how we are to deal with this among our family in God.

Matthew 18:15–20 ESV

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

We build each other up and just a small spark has the power to either destroy or to build up. James continues that the tongue is not just like a fire but its like a dangerous animal. It is unruly and cannot be ruled. We think of a wild tiger or a wild bear and the destruction they can wreak on its prey. The tongue is the same. The hope we see here is that James reminds us that even though no human can tame the tongue, submitting ourselves to the will and direction of God means that God can tame our tongue. In verse 6 here James tells us our tongue doesn’t have to be set on fire from hell but we know that it can be set on fire from the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

If our tongues are tamed by the Holy Spirit, and set on fire from God, then think of the mighty things that can happen when the fire of God spreads through your speech to those around you. What God will and can do with the person who submits to Him cannot even begin to be fathomed by us. It is infinitely more than we can ever do or think! We must remember that what is in our heart is what will come out of our mouth.

3. The Power to Delight: The Fountain and Tree (James 3:9-12)

James ends this section of His letter with the imagery of a fountain and a tree. He asks if both fresh and bitter water can come from the same spring. Bitter water here would be known as salt water. While fresh water refreshes and brings life, salt water is bitter and not pleasant. This compares to someone that says they love God and praises Him and then with the same mouth curses their brother in Christ.

You cannot love God and hate the church. It is impossible to love God and hate the church. It is the same as someone saying they love me but they hate my wife. We are one and the same. We are one flesh, and just as I am married to my wife, and she is a reflection of me and I am a reflection of her, the church is the bride of Christ and the church is to be a reflection of Jesus to those around them.

As the church we should have words of life that are given out of our mouths. We should not praise God with one sentence and then the next wish evil on the very people that have been made in the image of God. James also points out that a fig tree cannot produce anything other than figs. A grape vine can only produce grapes. This is because the roots, the very cell structure of the tree or the vine is designed by God to produce the fruit it was specifically made to produce. In that way a Christian who has the roots of their heart rooted in the Gospel of Christ, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit, does not have room to produce fruit of someone who does not follow God, they should be producing the fruit of the Spirit of God.

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

If we are speaking the words that are given to us by God they are words of life and not death.

John 6:63 ESV

63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

As we share the Word of God with others we are feeding them with spiritual nourishment and we are encouraging them every step they take. If our tongues are inconsistent, if we are continually failing and there is no repentance and no change, then there is serious inspection of our hearts that needs to be done. Something is wrong with out hearts if we consistently claim the name of Christ and then with the same tongue speak evils and curses against others. If our mouths are filled with gossip and with slander, there is an internal heart issue that must be addressed.

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 1.5: Saint Augustin: Anti-Pelagian Writings Chapter 16

. And he said this, not with a view to our permitting, through our neglect, the continuance of so great an evil to ourselves, but in order that we might be induced to request the help of divine grace for the taming of the tongue. For he does not say: “None can tame the tongue;” but “No man;” in order that, when it is tamed, we may acknowledge it to be effected by the mercy of God, the help of God, the grace of God. The soul, therefore, should endeavour to tame the tongue, and while endeavouring should pray for assistance; the tongue, too, should beg for the taming of the tongue,—He being the tamer who said to His disciples: “It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.”3 Thus, we are warned by the precept to do this,—namely, to make the attempt, and, failing in our own strength, to pray for the help of God.

CLOSING

If left to ourselves our tongues are unruly, destructive, and divisive. By ourselves and our own efforts there is nothing we can ever hope to do to tame and bring our tongues, bring our speech, bring our words to others, into obedience to Christ. We have been given the very Word of God, written to us, and the very Spirit of God to dwell in us. How do we through the power of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit bring our tongues into control?

We must first repent. James tells us that we all stumble in many things, Paul writes in Romans that we all fall short of the glory of God. We must repent of our selfish thoughts and desires, and when we repent, God’s forgiveness is poured out on us and we are told that:

Psalm 103:12 ESV

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

We must also Count the Cost. We must remember the great work that God has done in our hearts and our minds. We must remember how great a debt we owed that could never be repaid, and God paid our debt. We must remember that Christ died in our place, in the worst form of death, crucifixion. In Christ, the perfect, sinless, Son of God taking our place our debt of sin was removed and the wrath of God was withheld from us. We can know with assurance and confidence that because of the work of Christ we will never be kept apart from Him. We are kept by Christ and His finished work.

John 6:37–39 ESV

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

We must Speak Good. We must fill our mouths with good things and this means filling our hearts with the things of God. If our mouths are filled with positive and uplifting things, if we are kind and encouraging each other, there will not be room for the fire from hell to use our tongues to destroy.

Philippians 4:8 ESV

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Hebrews 3:13 ESV

13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Finally, we must Look to the Lord. Jesus has set an example in all aspects for us to follow. We know it is hard and even impossible for us to control our tongues on our own but because of Christ’s obedience to the Father, Jesus never spoke a wrong word. Because of Christ’s sacrifice we are clothed in the same righteousness that clothes Christ! How amazing is it that when God sees us, and we are made new in Christ, He doesn’t see our failures, He doesn’t see our sins, He doesn’t see the filthiness of our own righteousness, but the Father looks at us and sees the righteousness of His one and only Son.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Seven: The World’s Smallest but Largest Troublemaker (James 3:1–12)

As I close this chapter, let me suggest that you start using the “Twelve Words That Can Transform Your Life.” If you use these words and sincerely mean what you say from your heart, you will find that God will use you to be a blessing and encouragement to others. There are only twelve of them, but they work.

“Please” and “Thank you.” When you use these three words, you are treating others like people and not things. You are showing appreciation.

“I’m sorry.” These two words have a way of breaking down walls and building bridges.

“I love you.” Too many people read “romance” into these words, but they go much deeper than that. As Christians, we should love the brethren and even love our enemies. “I love you” is a statement that can carry tremendous power.

“I’m praying for you.” And be sure that you are. When you talk to God about people, then you can talk to people about God. Our private praying for people helps us in our public meeting with people. Of course, we never say “I’m praying for you” in a boastful way, as though we are more spiritual than others. We say it in an encouraging way, to let others know that we care enough for them to meet them at the throne of grace.

Yes, the smallest but largest troublemaker in all the world is the tongue. But it does not have to be a troublemaker! God can use our tongues to direct others into the way of life, and to delight them in the trials of life. The tongue is a little member, but it has great power.

Give God your tongue and your heart each day and ask Him to use you to be a blessing to others.

Opening Up James Look to the Lord

May the mind of Christ my Saviour

Live in me from day to day,

By His love and pow’r controlling

All I do and say.

(Kate B. Wilkinson

PRAYER

Father I pray that You work in our hearts and our minds to allow our speech to be used for Your Will and Your Glory alone. I pray that we set aside the old man and that we walk freely and fully in the new life that You have given us. I pray that we dwell and fill our hearts with things that are pure and holy and we seek to glorify You and walk in Your path and Your plan. I pray that as we encounter our friends, our families, our co-workers, and even our enemies God, that we will let the words of life that You have given come out of our mouths and our speech and our actions will be a testament to the difference that You have made in our lives. I praise You God that in our weakness, in our inability to tame and bring our tongues into submission to You, that Your strength is shown, and You have promised you walk with us and you will guide us. Keep us always in Your path and Your way God and never let us wander or be led astray. In Jesus Name!

BENEDICTION:

Romans 15:5–6 ESV

5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.