James 3:9-12 The Fruit of The Tongue

The title for today’s message is “The Fruit of The Tongue” and today sermon, is really part 2 as we focus in on the use of our tongue which is a small but mighty members of our bodies. I am not here to preach before you today, but to preach to you beloved church, that we would be sanctifying our tongues and by that, bridling our whole body. —Let’s read this wonderful text on our tongue starting in verse 1 but focusing on 9-12.

(Read) James 3:1-12. (9-12 is the selected text)

(Pray) God look over us, for our tongues to honor Christ, to speak with accuracy and truth, may we honor our profession today

Dismiss children

Introduction

(Context/Recap)- Let’s cover some really quick context: James is authored by the half brother of Jesus—who calls himself a servant/slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The book is dealing with sanctification, the matter of testing our faith and growing in our walk with the Lord. Last week we examined why teachers receive greater judgement, which was because they teach on something that is at the utmost importance and they teach to people who are the utmost important to be taught. The text then transitioned into how we, who profess to know Christ, are to be conformed and sanctified into this τέλειος, complete, lacking nothing man; Which James argues is seen and stirred by the small member of our bodies, which is our tongue. Our tongue, though it is small, can move our bodies to either grow more and more in holiness or it can cause us to be ship wrecked and burn ourselves and others in the process.

(Disclaimer/transition) But it is important to remind ourselves, that if we look at this text and twist it meaning to be that of simply a moral lesson on how we achieve salvation, then you are no better than all the false works based religions of the world. We can not think to ourselves, that we are made clean by going and washing our own mouth out with soap. This lesson on taming our tongue, stems directly from a changed heart that has abundantly recieved mercy and grace while being undeserving. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

It is correct to say with our mouths “Jesus is Lord” and that we have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, however, unfortunately many within our “reformed “ camp have turned such a saying in to the empty and void professions of easy believe-sim. The claim of knowing Christ with no transformation of the heart is breaking of the law of taking the name of the LORD in vain. The person who has been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, will be sanctified by the God who has saved them. Many who claim the salvation with theological correctness, but then see no change in their life, including their speech, i fear for you. As I said last week; “If you do not see a war raging within your bodies today, then the battle simply has not begun. Be born again, be saved, and fight sin”— James is arguing that the Christian ought not to be speaking out of both sides of his mouth. —as James says “This ought not to be so”

(Proposition)-And this just so happens to be today’s proposition: If you profess Christ as Lord of your salvation, then profess Him in all of your speech! James tells us that if your bless God, we ought not to be cursing others.

(Goal)—I hope that today message will bleed over to our every day life. That when you are in the grocery store, at your work, at the gym, or anywhere else, that you would not sound like the word, but that you would sound like the one who professes Christ.

Verse 9

(Read) verse 9 —”with it” our tongue

This verse is teaching about the hypocrisy of man when we bless God and then curse those who have been created in his image. Now I think we need to understand this verse a little more deeply. As Christians we know that we are to bless God, because He is holy, good, and righteous, and because He is all these things we ought to bless Him for who He is. This is a good thing which we will come back to shortly. But imagine if we bless God but then through slander, gossip, lies, or beguiling curse our neighbors, those who have been created by God. This is hypocrisy, because if we fear God, if we respect God, and if we bless god, to then turn around and scoff at what He as created, we find ourselves speaking out of both sides of our mouth.

Why is it wrong to sin in this manner of using our tongues to curse people. Which curse I believe can mean to speak evil to, to speak evil of, to revile, to gossip, to slander, to lie, to mistreat, to hate, and to sin in a multitude of ways against another man. It is wrong, because of man is created in the image of God. Because man is God’s crowning jewel of creation, you and I ought to love this life. that God has granted. Meaning that all life is worthy of respect, and not cursing, because all of mankind bears this image. Though this image after the fall was greatly marred and has become a broken image in contrast to what it was in the garden, nonetheless, man still bear this image.

(Objection) Now I think this is very important to our text today, because there is a theological teaching running around in the Christian world that says; Since the fall of Adam, mankind is no longer made, no longer has, and no longer bears the image of God in any sense. If this was the case, what would separate us in any meaningful way from the beasts of the fields. It is because we bear the image of God, though it is twisted because of the sin that abides in our flesh through the fall of Adam, that we ought to wage war with our own flesh to show kindness to others because they still are created in the “Imago dei”—the image of God.

It is because man is the creation of God in a unique sense, that we, the Christian, who are being renewed and conformed to the image of Christ, are to bless God and then treat other in a manner that demonstrates that blessing of God, which includes how we talk to others and about others. One can not think that we are pleasing God when we bless him on Sunday, to then curse those who are created in His image Monday through Saturday. Woe to the hypocrite, woe to the man who speaks out both sides of his mouth, and woe to those who are not consisted in their profession.

blessing God

V.9 “With it we bless our Lord and Father”—Last week, when focusing on the sin that stems from our tongue, we discussed some major examples from the bible on how man has failed to tame their tongue. But because James here speaks of man blessing God with our tongues, I thought it would be helpful to demonstrate some examples of man doing good with their tongue. Again with no specific order; Job who lost everything it is recorded that Job worship God in a pleasing manner when he confessed “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away, blessed be the name of the LORD,” David who used his mouth to murder Uriah after he had commited a heinous sin with Bathsheba, would go on to write many of psalms that declare with his mouth the goodness of the Lord such as by saying; “Bless the LORD O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!,” Peter, who denied Christ three times, would go on to confess with his tongue to Jesus that he loved three times. Peter would then boldly proclaim with his mouth the gospel to thousands of men and women, who would then receive the Gospel unto salvation. I think the best of all the examples of holy speech, is chiefly seen in Jesus, who will suffering our place, would lift up His voice to said “It is Finished.”

(Question) In these examples we see men of God blessing God and then blessing other men in the process. but here is the question; Are you today using your tongue to bless the LORD? We must then ask this obvious question; how do we bless the Lord in our speech? Well, I believe it starts with this, turn with me to Romans 10:8-12 (Read—and exhort to be saved by calling on the name of the Lord. Believe in your heart, and its abundance with spring forth the confession that Jesus is Lord)

(Isaiah)—What after we are saved, what about after, we have confessed with our mouths and continue to believe in our hearts, what next? I believe that there are several ways that our tongue can produce God honoring fruit today, but instead of giving to specific examples of differing fruit, I beg you to listen to this next scripture, and search out your heart that your tongue would be godly fruit. Turn with me to Isaiah 6.

Isaiah 6

(read) Isaiah 6:1-9. (expound and convict)

V.1-4 —Glorious scene, a scene of Jesus John 12:41 “[Isaiah] saw His glory and spoke of Him [Jesus Christ]”— (Transition to next verses) As Isaiah was looking and saw Christ, pre-incarnate, sitting upon His throne, as we mentioned last week, he goes on to say (V. 5)

V.5— woe unto is Church, for we are a people of unclean lips—But to God be the glory for He has saved us from even these inquiries of our tongue.

V.6-7—Just as Isaiah, if we have turned to Jesus, our sins have been atoned for—But after this visionary salvation about Isaiah takes place, God then gives a commission that has to do with speech, proclaiming, and using his tongue.

V.8-10 —”Go and say”

V.8— In our pride we would like to think that if we were there with Isaiah, we would be jumping at the opportunity to be sent. i need to remind you Church, that you have been sent in the world to make disciples. But Church, how many times have we (who have been forgiven by the blood of Christ) have loosened out tongues to sound like the world around us? how many times have we chosen to curse those made in the likeness of God? How many times have chosen to speak vile and perturade things? But then in contrasted to our loosed tongue, how many times have choosen to ite our tongues when it comes to proclaiming the One whom sits upon the throne because of the fear of man? —THIS OUGHT NOT TO BE SO! Turn back with me to James

Fruit of The Tongue

(Read) James 3:10-12.

I wish to remind us, those who are brothers, those who are sisters, those who have been born again— this is not to be so. And we might think to ourselves, that it was easy for Isaiah to go to the nation of Israel proclaiming the message of God to them because he had seen Jesus sitting upon the throne—If this comes to you mind today, may you be reminded of the story of doubting Thomas. Heed the words John “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believe.” John also says “these things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name”—We, Oh Church have a prophetic word more fully confirmed. If the word of Truth has been implanted in your hearts, then you see Christ before you on every page of scripture, how can you then today bless the Lord and then curse your neighbor? If you are not moved to tame your tongue after professing Christ as LORD, then we must ask this simple questions; Can a fig tree bear olives? Can a grape vine produce figs? Can a salt pond produce fresh water?

If you sound like a a Christian on Sunday, yet are not compelled and nor convicted to sound like a Christian Monday through Saturday—Then you are speaking out of both sides of your mouth.

Conclude

Brothers, Sisters if you profess Jesus, do not go on to defame the name who saves. I know that we all struggle with this, but continue to struggle for this! Praise be to God who forgives! If He did not, we would have no hope in this regard. But if your lips have been made clean, I beg you; do not go on to slander, gossip, curse, start fires, or spit venom. If you profess Jesus, then profess Him tomorrow in your word and deed. Conform your speech to the Word of God.

I can promise you, because I have heard it in the world around me all the time; “I can’t believe that person thinks he is a Christian, have you heard his mouth.” Or “Ha, he is such a hypocrite, have you heard how he speaks.” Oh how the world listens to us. Oh how speech can trample upon our confession and make ruin of our testimonies. Please, Church, this is not to be so. Remember Christ, remember your confession of Him, remember you have been commissioned, and remember you are to sound like a sheep and not a goat today.

(Pray)—God, cleanse our mouths,