Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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*/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
2
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.
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