Speak With Care

Introduction to James 3:1-12

James is talking about Spiritual Maturity

Joy in Trials

Living out the Message of the Gospel

Prejudice and Fairness

Faith and Works Together

Now James is about to show another form of Spiritual Maturity: Controlling the Tongue

This connects the previous thought of faith without deeds is dead to a tongue with no control leads to death

We are going to spend our time in these 12 verses but I want to point out verses 13-18

James attaches the importance of controlling the tongue with the controlling of thought

The Tongue is Powerful (v1-5)

1) The use of “my brothers” let’s us know James is about to shift topics.

There’s a stricter judgement that comes with preaching

James is not discouraging you to pursue leadership, however, he’s discouraging you pursuing leadership for the wrong reasons.

Synagogues would allow anyone who wanted to preach to have an opportunity to do so; do you see the danger?

Don’t miss what is said here; God expects you to walk the walk if you’re going to talk the talk.

2) The irony is that nobody is perfect so nobody is in full control of what they say

BUT THAT SHOULD NOT STOP US FROM TRYING!

James includes himself in “we”

3-5) The small things have large impacts; three analogies that point towards that: a horse, a ship, and a fire.

This idea of fire helps James transition to his next point...

The Tongue is Perverse (v6-8)

6) The tongue is powerful but it can also be satanic and infectious

The fire from our tongue is the absence of God. That’s what hell is.

Our tongue has the ability to speak praises of God but can also stain our entire bodies

Have you ever been into a fireworks stand?

The tongue is right in the center of that stand; it can speak life and protect the stand or speak hate and be a small spark.

7) This tongue of ours is an untamed beast

God gave dominion over all animals to mankind in Genesis and yet we can’t tame our own tongue.

8) Our tongue is loaded with the poison of hate and gossip, ready to spit this poison at anything it deems to be a threat

It’s this form of poison that leads to our last point...

The Tongue is Polluted (v9-12)

9) Wild thought; if you’re spitting out hate, you can’t speak TRUE love.

Has anyone seen a snake tongue?

Like a snake tongue, we try to spit praise on one side and curses on the other

James reminds us that we are all created in the image of God

10) James is setting up the thought behind his analogies to come; to think that you can speak praises and hate out of the same mouth is outrageous.

11) Has anyone ever seen a fresh water spring? What does it spit up? What about a salt (“bitter”) water spring? What does it spit up?

THEN WHY DO WE THINK WE CAN BE CHILDREN OF GOD BUT SPIT UP WORKS OF SATAN?

12) The point is clear; we should not have a tongue of inconsistency

Conclusion

SO WHAT? WHAT DO I DO?

First, you can’t speak life if you don’t have the life of Christ in you.

Second, the tongue is small but influential; it must be controlled.

Third, the tongue is satanic and infectious; it must be contained

Fourth, the tongue is inconsistent; it must be cleaned