Watch Your Mouth
Notes
Transcript
Sermon text: is 3-12, starting in verse 1 for context. READ 1-12.
We went to Sea World on vacation last week… and part of Seaworld’s appeal is the shows that they have with these animals. The sea lion show, the dolphin encounter and killer whale encounter. And some of those shows have changed in form over the years due to incidents in many cases they have to some degree or another tamed these wild creatures. Before some of these incidents people would daringly or maybe foolishly ride on Orcas.
Now that things have changed they don’t ride on them, or swim with them anymore but the Orcas still respond to cues
The orca encounter now involves a video demonstrating how dangerous these animals are and how these creatures that can grow up to 20 ft in length and weigh between 8,000 to 12,000 lbs - and how they are natural predators. Sea World now presents these animals as dangerous yet endangered creatures, rather than oversized pets to be rode on like surf boards.
And yet during these videos they show the Orcas spinning, spyhopping, jumping and splashing and all of these actions are done on command with a cue of the trainer. They wave their hands one way and the Orcas splash one side of the audience… I who did not sit in the soak zone got more wet than my wife and son who did sit in the soak zone by the way… the trainers then wave their hands in a different manner and they leap into the air.
To at least a certain extent they have tamed these whales… yet if you know the history of these animals you will know that it’s not always perfect and there have been incidents. There is a video that was all over the news and the internet last year of a grandmother Orca ramming a great white with incredible speed, and killing it to feed her family. And if you’re familiar with any of the “incidents” related to Orcas in captivity - you can certainly understand how they are by no means an easy animal to tame. These are fearsome beasts.
And yet trainers have these majestic and terrifying creatures doing tricks on command. Looking at these massive and scary animals you cannot help but marvel that these human trainers have them eating fish our of their hands and obey their commands.
Yet James states that to tame the tongue is even harder.
Now I do want to note that we will be looking at this text again next week. Jim and I joke that whenever I come to a particularly hard text that it is when it is his turn to preach. However, last week I gave him the easiest part of chapter 3… clearly I should have given him the rest of it. Now it’s not that it’s particularly tough - though verse 6 is a doozy… but there is a lot loaded into this text.
Outline
And as we look at this text today I want to give you an outline.
Who? Why? What? and Huh?
Who should tame their tongue?
Why should we tame our tongue?
What does it mean to tame the tongue?
Huh? is this possible?
(I just needed it to fit the format. And James throws us a curveball in verse 8.)
Who Should Tame Their Tongue?
Who Should Tame Their Tongue?
James gives two types of people who ought to tame the tongues.
1. Teachers.
Given the context of verses 1-2, James is speaking to teachers. So it might seem reasonable to state that this section as a whole is referring to teachers. So while I always advocate for reading Scripture in context, this would not be the correct reading of this text. We should also allow scripture to interpret Scripture. James mentions taming of the tongue and being mindful of one’s speech in this book three times.
As we looked at in chapter 1, James defines a failure to tame the tongue as worthless religion.
And then in chapter 4:11-12, James will advise Christians not to speak evil of their brother.
2. Christians. So while this text here expands upon the caution that not many should be teachers - James shows that it is not merely teachers with whom he is concerned taming their tongue by the repeated mention of this in this letter. So while it is most important for Christian teachers to work toward taming their tongue it should still be the aim of all Christians.
If it is true for all Christians to tame their tongues, then it is even more true for teachers to tame their tongue. And as Jim pointed out last Sunday, there certainly is an aspect to which every Christian in some form or another is responsible for teaching as the great commission has called us. This does not undermine the God given role of pastor/shepherd - but all people are teachers in some form of another.
But because taming your tongue is difficult (impossible) he gives the caution that not many should become teachers, but we should not think that only teachers should tame their tongues.
But why?
Why Should We Tame Our Tongues?
Why Should We Tame Our Tongues?
On the one hand, because the Bible says so… but James gives the illustrations that the tongue is dangerous and powerful.
This is because James believes that words have power.
Now I need to be careful in saying that because I googled that phrase and the first thing to pop up was a Joyce Meyer video - and she’s a false teacher… So here’s what I mean:
Our words do not have the power to shape reality, or to manifest things into existence… but our words do have power to build people up and tear people down.
However, for us words matter. They mean things and we put value in what people say. If you repeatedly tell someone something whether true or not they begin to believe it.
One silly example of this is a conversation I had with a coworker in college. She asked me “Are you grumpy?” To which i responded no. A few minutes later she asked me again “Brian, you seem grumpy - are you?” And then a few minutes after that again “Brian, are you sure you aren’t grumpy? You seem grumpy.” To which i responded with “Well I wasn’t grumpy, but now that you have asked me three times if I was grumpy I am grumpy.” That’s not really an example of not taming the tongue, but more so a demonstration of how our words can through suggestion change how someone feels.
This is why many children were taught the phrase:
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”
Yet it is the biggest lie that is repeated on the playground. It is almost more of a brainwashing statement than it is truth. If we can convince ourselves, and our children that words will not hurt them then they will stand up against one of the greatest dangers that they will face in life.
James clearly does not believe that “words will never hurt me.’’
Even the book of Proverbs shows that the mouth can bring about much ruin and trouble.
3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Jesus has strong things to say about language.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
Paul also cautions Christians concerning how they speak, one example from Ephesians.
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Rather than teaching the hearer that words cannot hurt them - the Bible instead speaks against the one who would use their words to harm others.
The Bible has a lot to say about how we use our words.
What does James say:
James uses three metaphors in this text to illustrate how devastating the tongue can be.
3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.
James first compares the tongue to a bit and bridle placed in the mouth of a horse in verse 3. The bit, though small is able to guide the large beast.
James is revisiting a metaphor that he used previously in James 1:26
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
Compared to a horse, a bit is small yet controls the whole animal.
James then uses the same logic with a ship for his second metaphor.
4 Look 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.
Compared to a large ship the rudder is small, yet steers the whole vessel. Compared to a human the tongue is small, yet controls the whole person. Your tongue may be small but it is a small member who can create much chaos. So even though trainers at sea world have tamed these massive Orcas - we are unable to tame the smallest member of our body.
5 So 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!
And In in James’ third metaphor, vv 5-6, he compares the tongue to a spark. And he uses a metaphor that is familiar to us in dry arid climates. I certainly do not need to remind each of you of the telegraph fire of 2021. Even the Palisades Fire that hit Hollywood last month is believed to have been started by a firework. These fires though seemingly started off small spread into a raging wildfire that resulted in much damage.
And consider how appropriate that illustration is. When a fire catches there is no true prediction of what the fire will do. The wind may change, the fire might shift another direction, and just like that the destruction may multiply. This very thing can happen with unrestricted speech. One slip of the tongue to share something with someone that you shouldn’t and now the whole church or town knows someones business you shouldn’t have shared. Now they are the pariah of the church - and they are the wrong side of the favorites.
I even consider this in my own marriage. A few weeks ago, Vanessa and I were having a discussion and I said something wrong. And by wrong, I mean - in all seriousness - that jumbled up my words and what I intended to say and what I did say were not the same. But the words came out and the harm was done.
The spark had landed on the brush.
All it takes is a spark… now James climate did not have very many forests, though they had desert areas with brush that could catch fire.
The picture is pretty clear, and yet James states that the tongue is a fire in verse 6.
6 And 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.
This is a very peculiar verse. We’ll revisit some of the peculiarity next week. However, James language is further driving the point of how the destructive the tongue is. The tongue is a fire. And he further gives the caution with the language of body and members there to show how the failure to tame the tongue has the ability to decimate the church body.
This text is about the destructive nature of our speech. James is not referring to merely not using potty language.
What does it mean to tame your tongue?
What does it mean to tame your tongue?
Out of curiosity, I searched Google, the trustworthy Bible Encyclopedia, for a definition of taming the tongue. The response that came back from the AI overview was a lot better than I expected:
The definition that was given for taming the tongue:
Taming the tongue" is an expression that means to control what you say, especially to avoid speaking in harmful or hurtful ways.
Not a bad start, I thought. Now I promise I do not regularly rely on google for sermon prep… however, I continued to read this description and it gave some tips for taming the tongue. Some good, some bizarre.
Avoid swearing, lying, backbiting, and other sinful speech (good.)
Think positively (uh… I don’t know about that one.)
Be patient (good, that falls in line with being slow to speak.)
Use alternative words (Well maybe.)
Make your point politely (Maybe… there are plenty of people who have learned to politely insult people… bless their hearts.)
Stop complaining (Well yes)
Recognize that words can hurt others (While I agree with this one… I think it misses the value that other people have… - in line with what James writes in verse 10 recognize that you are speaking to those who are created in God’s image.)
Be slow to speak your mind (slow to speak, great.)
But the interesting thing about this is that taming the tongue is more than just how you engage with someone face to face. These tips are all about having conversations. While taming your tongue certainly applies to the language you use while speaking to your spouse, your children, your friends. It is not merely limited to that. Taming the tongue also applies to gossip and slander. Learning to tame your tongue means not to speak when you shouldn’t speak.
Taming your tongue does not merely mean not using profanity - and yet many are satisfied to use this sort of definition. Have you ever met someone who never has spoken a profane word in their life and yet they still manage to speak some of the most hurtful words to others? You do not have to use profane language to fail to tame your tongue.
Sarcasm is one great example of how language can still be hurtful even without profanity.
James partly gives us a partial definition earlier in his letter. Being quick to listen, slow to speak, being slow to anger. But here in this portion he expands. We ought to tame our tongues because of the catastrophic damage that they can cause.
Taming your tongue also doesn’t mean only saying nice things. Some might say it wasn’t “nice” for me to call Joyce Meyer a false teacher earlier, but it’s accurate. And the Bible gives us instruction to label false teachers.
For me taming my tongue in many cases is having the ability to hurt or embarrass someone with language but choosing to respond with “Have a nice day” instead of verbally trading blows until the forest catches fire.
In our modern day and age, taming your tongue in some instances also means taming your fingertips. Now while I know many of you are not on social media, and James never would have fathomed a culture where we engage with people through text more than in person. Text messages, emails, instant messaging, even letters. For James to write a letter of this nature would have been costly. We complain about the cost of stamps going up but the New Testament letters would have been much more costly with the cost of papyrus, ink, scribes and messengers.
So our written forms of communication were much less common in James’ day but his instruction is no less relevant. You do not escape the instruction to tame your tongue by using your hands rather than your tongue.
And one practical way that I have done this in my own life is not clicking send, post, or submit immediately. Sit on it for a minute. When it comes to emails and social media posts I will often save something as a draft for a few hours, or even days before sending if I am worried about the tone. (If someone needs an immediate answer - they can call.)
Huh? Is this possible?
Huh? Is this possible?
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James strongly articulates that the taming of the tongue is not just difficult but impossible. And in verse 2, James even leads us up to this by reminding us that none of us are perfect. We have tamed tamed all sorts of beasts. birds, reptiles, and fish… killer whales - an yet James tells us that we cannot tame our tongue. No one has been able to
And then he gives yet another description of the tongue a restless evil, a deadly poison.
James isn’t pulling any punches concerning the damage that the tongue can do.
Do you view your words and the manner you use your tongue is as serious of a manner?
We live in a world that is far too cavalier with our language. We don’t consider the damage our words can do. Because sticks and stones…
When gossip spreads through community it does great harm - and as poison spreads through a body and begins to kill - so gossip spreads through a community and begins to kill. The Bible often describes the Church as a body - and the untamed tongue damages the body of faith as deadly poison
Now I want to follow up with no one plays with a little deadly poison… but botox comes from botulism. One of the deadliest poisons in the world, is used … but when it comes to gossip, slander, lying, corrupting talk, malice, hateful speech, (and I mean truly hateful speech, not just truth that people don’t like to hear, because it conflicts with their preferences), when it comes to languages designed to play favorites, language that tears people down… these kinds of things - we don’t carefully inject them into conversations like botox. There’s no healthy amounts of gossip, or slander.
And though I do not have time to unpack it today, but we will look at it next week - when we use our tongue to harm others we forget that they are created in the image of God. We cannot bless God in one moment at church, and then curse our brother who bears his image the second we get into the car.
And that would be what I would state is the main thing to remember to help tame your tongue - is to remember who you are speaking to… that person, whoever they are, bears the image of God.
Jesus… James states that none of us are perfect in verse 2, and in verse 8 he teaches us that taming the tongue is impossible.
Jesus always used his speech perfectly. Though it may not always be how we think. Jesus wasn’t always nice. He called the pharisees a brood of vipers, he cursed a fig tree for not bearing fruit, he describes a generation as adulterous and wicked… But his speech was always perfect. He never sinned in what he said.
And though many of us will sin many ways in how we speak… there is still forgiveness to be found in Christ Jesus.
