Loose Lips

Loose Lips

James 3:1-12

When I was a boy, I remember my mother and father talking about the days

during World War II. They often referred to a phrase that was used which was "Loose

lips sink ships." It was a reminder that during the time of war, there were spies about

who could pick up on conversations when people loosely talked about troop or ship

movements. It was a call to vigilance and restraint of the tongue.

The most obvious thing we see in the life of a person characterized by

foolishness is not what he does or what he thinks but what he says. The words of a fool

are usually among the first things to point such a person out.

Foolish people have loose lips. Please hear me and hear me well. I am not

saying that there is anything wrong or ungodly about being talkative. Some of us are

wired to be more outgoing and engaging to others. James 1:19 does want us to be

"quick to hear" and "slow to speak," but this is not a condemnation of a talkative

personality.

Nor does it mean that fun and games are contrary to Christianity. I think we

sometimes forget this. It is not unspiritual to joke around. Having a good sense of

humor isn't something we have to use behind God's back. I believe that Jesus Christ

loved to laugh and Proverbs 17:22 calls joyfulness "good medicine."

Loose lips does not describe people who are witty or those who make us laugh.

There is absolutely nothing sinful about that. May God free us from serious, sober,

unattractive cheerlessness. Of all people of the earth, Christians should have every

reason to laugh and smile.

The Lord's wisdom does teach us to be good stewards of our words. We are not

to use them as weapons to cause pain or injury. We are not to say things that never

should have been said. Proverbs 17:28 says, "Even a fool is thought wise if he

keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue."

Proverbs 14:3 says, "A fool's talk brings a rod to his back,

but the lips of the wise protect them."

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,

accomplish tremendous tasks, and yet we take this ability for granted.

In order to impress upon us importance of controlled speech, and the great

consequences of our words, James gave us six pictures of the tongue: the bit, the

rudder, fire, a poisonous animal, a fountain, and a fig tree. You can put these six

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pictures into three meaningful classifications that reveal the three powers of the tongue.

Let us read James 3:1-12.

SEE THE POWER OF OUR SPEECH TO DIRECT OUR LIVES (vv. 1-4).

Apparently, everybody in the assembly wanted to teach and be a spiritual leader, for

James had to warn them, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my

brothers,” (v. 1). Perhaps they were impressed with the authority and prestige of the

office, and forgot about the tremendous responsibility and accountability. Those who

teach the Word face the stricter judgment. Teachers must use their tongue to share

God’s truth, and it is easy to commit sins of the tongue. Furthermore, teachers must

practice what they teach. Otherwise, their teaching is hypocrisy. Think of the damage

that can be done by a teacher who is unprepared, or whose spiritual life is not

consistent.

But teachers are not the only ones who are tempted to sin. Every Christian must

admit that “We all stumble in many ways” (v. 2a). And sins of the tongue seem to head

the list. The person who is able to discipline his tongue gives evidence that he can

control his whole body. He proves that he is a mature (perfect) man. James is not even

hinting that such a paragon of virtue exists [a perfect man], but his point is clear. A man

able to control his tongue is surely able to control the rest of his body, because the

tongue is the most uncontrollable part of the human anatomy–so that if (the question is

hypothetical), says James, a man could have complete mastery over the use of his

tongue, he would surely be “a perfect man,” because everything else would be

controlled too.

In selecting the bit and the rudder, James presented two items that are small of

themselves, yet exercise great power, just like the tongue. A small bit enables the rider

to control the great horse, and a small rudder enables the pilot to steer the huge ship.

The tongue is a small member in the body, and yet it has the power to accomplish great

things.

Both the bit and the rudder must overcome contrary forces. The bit must

overcome the wild nature of the horse, and the rudder must fight the winds and currents

that would drive the ship off its course. The human tongue also must overcome contrary

forces. We have an old nature that wants to control us and make us sin. There are

circumstances around us that would make us say things we ought not to say. Sin on the

inside and pressures on the outside are seeking to get control of the tongue.

This means that both the bit and the rudder must be under the control of a strong

hand. The expert horseman keeps the mighty power of his steed under control, and the

experienced pilot courageously steers the ship through the storm. The horse does not

bridle itself. When Jesus Christ controls the tongue, then we need not fear saying the

wrong things–or even saying the right things in a wrong way! “ No wonder David

prayed, “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil” (Psalm 141:3-4a). David knew that the

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heart is the key to right speech. When Jesus Christ is the Lord of the heart, then He is

Lord of the lips too.

The bit and rudder have the power to direct, which means they affect the lives of

others. A runaway horse or a shipwreck could mean injury or death to pedestrians or

passengers. The words we speak affect the lives of others. A judge says “Guilty!” or

“Not Guilty!” and those words affect the destiny of the prisoner, his family, and his

friends. The President of the United States speaks a few words and the nation is at war.

Even a simple “Yes” or “No” from the lips of a parent can greatly affect the direction of a

child’s life like a bit or a rudder. It has the power to direct. How important it is that our

tongues direct people in the right way!

RECOGNIZE THE POWER OF SPEECH IN DESTROYING RELATIONS (vv. 5-

8). Here James uses the analogy of fire and of wild animals. Look to v. 8. No statement

in the Bible puts man’s power into such precise perspective. He can tame the tiger but

not the tongue! He can destroy all the creatures James mentions, and even domesticate

some of them, but his tongue, by comparison so small and accessible, remains beyond

his control.

The tongue can be so destructive. David wrote, “I will watch my ways and keep

my tongue from sin....My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue” (Psalm 139:1a, 3). Have you ever had that experience? Of

course you have! A hot head and a hot heart can lead to burning words that later we will

regret.

Fire spreads, and the more fuel you give it, the faster and farther it will spread.

The tongue “sets the whole course of his life on fire” (v. 6). James suggests that all of

life is connected like a wheel, and therefore we cannot keep things from spreading. A

person’s entire life can be injured or destroyed by the tongue.

James reminds us that animals can be tamed and, for that matter, fire can be

tamed. When you tame an animal, you get a worker instead of a destroyer. When you

control fire, you generate power. The tongue can be tamed by God. Your tongue need

not be “set on fire by hell” (v. 6). If God lights the fire and controls it, then the tongue can

be a mighty tool for the winning of the lost and the building up of the church. The

important thing, of course, is the heart, for it is “for out of the overflow of the heart

the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). If the heart is filled with hatred, Satan will light the

fire. But if the heart is filled with love, God will light the fire.

RECOGNIZE THE POWER OF THE TONGUE TO DELIGHT (vv. 9-12). Here

James uses the analogy of the fountain and the tree.

The fountain (v. 11). Water is life-giving, and our words can give life. However, if

water is not controlled, it brings death and destruction.

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The tree (v. 12). The tongue is also delightful because it is like a tree. In Bible

lands, trees are vitally important to the economy. They help to hold down the soil. They

provide beauty and shade. They bear fruit. Our words can help to shelter and

encourage a weary struggler and can help to feed a hungry soul. As we share His

word with others, we feed them and encourage them along the way.

But James issued a warning: a fountain cannot give forth two kinds of water, and

a tree cannot bear two different kinds of fruit. We expect the fountain to flow with sweet

water at all times, and we expect the fig tree to bear figs and the olive tree to bear

olives. Nature reproduces after its kind.

If the tongue is inconsistent, there is something radically wrong with the

heart. The tongue that blesses the Father, and then turns around and curses persons

made in God’s image, is in desperate need of spiritual medicine! How easy it is to sing

the hymns during the worship service then after the service, get into the family car and

argue and fight all the way home!

The problem, of course, is not only the tongue, it is the heart. “But the things that

come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’” (Matthew

15:18). As we fill our hearts with God’s Word, and yield to the Holy Spirit, He causes to

bring delight to others, and we will be refreshing fountains and trees.

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.

Give God your words and your heart each day and ask Him to use you to be a

blessing to others.

The sin of gossip is one that will keep revival from coming to this church. As long

as there are unrestrained gossips in this church, God cannot bless. Proverbs 10:19

says, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is

wise."

Years ago, I heard the story of a person who came to a priest to seek

forgiveness for the sin of gossip. They had said some terrible things and wanted

forgiveness and absolution for this error. The priest said that what they needed to do

was go to the top of tallest hill in the county, tear open a feather pillow, and let the wind

take the feathers out. Then the person was instructed to go and pick up every single

feather that had blown away. When the person exclaimed the impossibility of that task

to the priest, the priest wisely said, "I want you to see that it is impossible for you to

undo the damage you have done through gossip."

I beg of you today to listen carefully to this message. The book of Proverbs and

all of Scripture warns us about unrestrained speech. It has done great damage that can

never be retrieved.

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"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in

your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer," Psalm 19:14. Can you repeat this

passage with me?