James: Watch Your Mouth
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Let me ask you a question, How many of you have ever experienced the phenomena of being submersed into a different culture for a period of time and noticed how quickly your speech conforms to that culture?
Kipper
my kids watched kipper the dog and they started speaking in a British accent.
Zach moved to NC and started saying Ya’ll
Zach moved to NC and started saying Ya’ll
I remember him coming to MA and and this boy from Maryland starting picking up the
my kids watched kipper the dog and they started speaking in a British accent.
Kyle Waters lived in Alabama and when he moved to Wichita he learned how to speak the right way.
Winter Hat, beanie, he called it a toboggan
Its amazing how impressionable we are when it comes to speech. Without even thinking about it our speech conforms to the culture.
We speak the dialect of that which we give ourselves too.
Now, this is a very serious issue because the bible cares deeply about the way in which we speak.
And the reason for this is because God is a God who speaks. (2X)
With the spoken word God creates worlds and empires
He builds up and he tears down
He blesses and he curses
by the word of his power he calls people out of the grave of sin and seats us with him in the heavenlies.
God is a God who speaks and he has created us in his image and has given us the power of speech.
And when we give ourselves to the living Word of God we are formed by it and our speech begins to sound like the speech of the scriptures.
Likewise,
we can build up and we can tear down
We can bless and we can curse
And with our words we speaks the words of God and call people out of the grave of sin into the realms of glory.
We have been given an incredible gift and responsibility
James wants to address the power and seriousness of speech.
The Seriousness of Speech
The Seriousness of Speech
Yet he does not go into the glories of speech, rather he heads in the other direction warning of the destruction and evil that rests on the tip of our tongues.
James knows the power of speech and wants to warn these young Christians to likewise understand the importance of speech.
He begins by telling them about the
Seriousness of Speech
Power of Speech
Danger of Speech
Duplicity of Speech
So lets begin by looking at the seriousness of speech.
Look with me at James 1:1-2
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
James - Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament Explanation of Text
teachers “expose themselves to greater danger of judgment. Their constant use of the tongue means they can sin very easily, leading others astray at the same time
Why is James telling the believers that not many of them should become teachers?
Is he worried about having multiple teachers in one place? As if it better to only have a couple teachers in a local church?
After all, the more cooks you have in the kitchen the more likely things are to become confused.
there is wisdom to this idea, however, this is not what James is referring too.
Some Church Fathers suggested that the reason for the warning was to guard against false doctrine.
if you have a lot different teachers it becomes more difficult to discern true
Again, this is very important to guard against false doctrine, and every church must vet any teacher to make sure they are teaching sound doctrine.
However, I don’t think James has false doctrine in mind, I think he has false testimony in mind.
You see, James warns them that they should not all be teachers because those who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
If you are a teacher of the word of God, not only your speech but your life must be conforming to the word of God .
For what comes out of your mouth must work its way into your own life.
And if it doesn’t, if your life contradicts what you teach, you will be judged with greater strictness.
The reason teachers are held to a higher standard is because their speech impacts more people.
Everyone. Both God and man.
And teachers within the church are also leaders in the church.
God holds those who teach the word to a higher standard.
Their constant use of speech means they can sin very easily, leading other astray at the same time.
Application** (Facebook)
You know, if James was writing this today I think he would apply this same principle to more than just speech, but to the written form as well.
Its not the number of teachers James is trying to keep down, but rather, the seriousness of being a teacher is what James wanted to emphasize.
Have you ever thought that when you write something on Facebook, or Twitter, or a blog or whatever other public platform you use, you are in that moment speaking to many people?
I could see James reading some of the things that are spewed on facebook and saying, “not many of you should be posting to facebook”
For it is so easy for us to say things that will potentially be read by 100’s or 1000’s of people.
So James wants to warn those who desire to be teachers, for teachers are judged with more strictness because of the seriousness of speech.
James is not saying that teachers are expected to be perfect. For James says, “we all stumble in many ways.”
James says we all stumble in many ways.
James, as a great teacher, is the first one to admit that we all, teachers included, stumble in many ways.
How could anyone who stands before the cross, and calls others to stand before the cross of Christ ever dare call himself perfect?
James is not calling us to sinless perfection, he is calling us to faithfully pursue Christward maturity.
Look again at verse 2
2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
James says the perfect man is able to not stumble in what he says, Yet, he just said we all stumble.
There has only been one who has ever been able to not stumble in what he says, and he is the only perfect man, Jesus Christ.
When James says that the man who does not stumble in what he says is a perfect man, he is not saying that he has somehow reached a place of perfection. But rather he is a mature man.
The greek word for “perfect” is telos - which is a word that speaks not of moral perfection, but rather speaks to the end of which we were called which is Christlike maturity.
God created us all as image bearers. Due to sin in our lives we fail to image him well.
Yet, the telos, the end, of our lives is to image Christ.
New Testament XI: James, 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John, Jude A Warning against False Teaching
James is not trying to limit the number of teachers but rather to warn them against the dangers of false doctrines
James is not trying to limit the number of teachers but rather to warn them against the dangers of false doctrines
We all stumble, in many ways, yet the Spirit of God works in us to conform us more into the image of Christ.
New Testament XI: James, 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John, Jude A Warning against False Teaching
James is not trying to limit the number of teachers but rather to warn them against the dangers of false doctrines
And one of the main ways we are conformed into the image of Christ is being formed and transformed by the word of Christ.
Everything Jesus ever said was measured and intentional.
And when we are formed by the word of God the words of our mouths begin to sound like the words of Christ.
And when our words are formed by the power of Christ not only is our speech transformed but our entires lives.
This shows the power of the tongue.
The Power of Speech
The Power of Speech
The power of the spoken word is astounding.
By it civilizations can rise or fall
With words you can build or tear down
You can love or you can hate
you can Bless or you can curse
You can teach or you can deceive
The power of the spoken word is not able to be measured.
It can lead to societal bliss and it can lead to a holocaust.
With words you can inspire millions and you can destroy the hopes and dreams of child.
And this should not surprise us. For we serve a God who values speech.
It was through the spoken word that God created the heavens and the earth.
It was through the spoken word that God promised to send the savior of the world
And it is through the spoken word that God has called us to proclaim the good news of the gospel fo Christ.
For Christ himself is the very word of God.
Its amazing how something so common, so small, so normal can be so powerful.
We often don’t think about the power of words when we speak.
Yet, we all have stories of how we have felt the power of other peoples words, for good or for bad.
Some of the most life forming events comes from the spoken word
relationships can be destroyed and repaired by the spoken word.
Children are formed in deep ways by the words of their parents.
Words Matter!
Our speech reflects the hearts
James wants us to understand the life forming power of words and gives three analogies concerning the power of the tongue and how it effects the whole life.
Look with me at
3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.
Jesus says, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”
Or another way to put it, is your speech translates and communicates your heart.
If your words are honoring and respectful
than your life is pleasing to God
Kent Hughes notes:
If you are passive-aggressive in your speech
The horse is an awesomely powerful animal.
Take 550 pounds (as much as a puffing Olympic heavyweight lifter can hoist overhead), set it on a horse’s back, and it will barely snort as it stands breathing easily under the burden.
The same horse, unburdened, can sprint a quarter-mile in about twenty-five seconds.
A horse is half a ton of raw power! Yet, place a bridle and bit in its mouth and a 90-pound woman on its back who knows what she is doing and the animal can literally be made to dance.
James see’s the same Phenomenon in ancient ships
j
than your heart is full of cowardice pride.
If your lips lie,
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.
If you are prone to gossip
Massive ships controlled by very small rudders.
and in verse 5 he says...
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!
Than the bible says your a fool, and a slanderer and are not to be trusted
And the final example is how such a small fire can set a massive forest on fire.
Yet, if your words bring wisdom
than you are a man or women who is a delight to God.
In a very profound way, you are what you say.
If you gossip, than you are a slanderer
If you embellish the truth, you are a lier.
There is not such thing as a liar who does not speak lies.
If you speak wisdom, you are wise.
if you uplift others, you are an encourager.
It was through the spoken word that God created the heavens and the earth.
It was through the spoken word that God promised to send the savior of the world
And it is through the spoken word that God has called us to proclaim the good news of the gospel fo Christ.
For Christ himself is the very word of God.
3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 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. 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!
One small untamed fire can set set hundreds of thousands of acres on fire and cause millions of dollars in damage.
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 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. 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!
James 3.1-
This is the power of the tongue. something so small has incredible control and power.
And when you have this sort of power, there is also a great danger
Its something when you ride a well trained horse and how just the slightest tug on the reigns will
Most people have a testimony of when they heard something,
The tongue is like a small fire
Our speech reflects the hearts
Jesus says, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”
Or another way to put it, is your speech translates and communicates your heart.
If your words are honoring and respectful
than your life is pleasing to God
If you are passive-aggressive in your speech
than your heart is full of cowardice pride.
If you are prone to gossip
Than the bible says your a fool, and a slanderer and are not to be trusted
Yet, if your words bring wisdom
than you are a man or women who is a delight to God.
In a very profound way, you are what you say.
If you gossip, than you are a slanderer
If you embellish the truth, you are a lier.
If you speak wisdom, you are wise.
If you speak wisdom, you are wise.
if you uplift others, you are an encourager.
The Danger of Speech
The Danger of Speech
And James wants his readers to understand that this power, is not something to mess around with.
It is not something you can ever ignore, nor think you have figured it out.
It boasts of great things and its wickedness is beyond our ability to understand.
Words can, and often do, so quickly destroy ones whole life.
Look with me at verse six as James begins to tell us about the danger of the tongue.
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. 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.
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.
What James is saying here is that where our speech goes, so goes our entire lives.
Where our speech goes, so goes our whole lives.
Our speech reflects the hearts, of who we are at our core.
Jesus says, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”
And Jeremiah says that our hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; and no one can understand it.”
So if speech reflects our hearts, and our hearts are wicked beyond our understanding. Then we need to be very careful with our words. We need to be wise and not foolish.
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. 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. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
In a very profound way, you are what you say.
If your speech is self-promoting
than your life is one formed to the image of Christ
Than your heart is one that worships self.
If you are passive-aggressive in your speech
than your heart is full of cowardice pride.
If you are prone to gossip
Than the bible says you’re a fool, and a slanderer and are not to be trusted
If you gossip, than you are a slanderer
If you embellish the truth, you are a lier.
Again, the tongue is so powerful that by it our entires lives are submitted to our speech.
than you are one who is being formed into the image of Christ.
If you gossip, than you are a slanderer
The problem is the tongue is something we can never fully tame.
If you embellish the truth, you are a lier.
If you speak wisdom, you are wise.
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! 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. 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. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
You know, there are many things in life that we can conquer or tame.
With lots of hard work, discipline and time, you can conquer bad habits by creating new ones. New rhythms and liturgies that will drastically change your life.
You can get control of your finances, your kids, your schedule.
James even says in verse 7 that even wild animals can be tamed.
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,
Illustration*
We have a dog named Samson.
Samson is a good dog, yet his breed will cause some people to be uneasy around him.
Samson is a pit bull/mastiff mix. He’s very strong, very fast, and has a keen sense of danger.
We got him when he was 12 weeks old and have trained him to be a good dog. He guards the house and the kids well.
In the middle of the night he makes his rounds throughout the house to make sure everything is ok and then goes back and sleeps on Pipers bed.
He’s really good with the kids, I don’t need to kennel him at night, I am not afraid that he will bite one of the kids. He is a tamed Dog, and we trust him.
Well a few months ago Owen had a run in with an untamed dog
Mandee and I were in the house talking while the kids were out front riding their bikes.
When I heard three things that cause me to jump out of seat and run toward the kids.
I heard my son start to scream
I heard the sound of a dog barking
And I heard a grown man yelling.
So as Im running to the front door I yell for Samson who was inside with us.
Before i got to the door i saw owen on the side of the road crying, a big dog jumping around Owen, and a man trying to get his dog away from my son.
So I open the door and Samson runs full speed toward the chaos.
you should have seen the look on the mans face.
And in no time Samson has the dog away from Owen and the man is now afraid of what Samson was going to do to his dog.
Samson was doing his job, We got him to be a guard dog, and thats exactly what he did.
If he was an untamed dog, i would not be able to trust him to guard the kids. In fact I would have to guard the kids from him.
I would have to kennel him at night, if there was ever a problem, like the one with Owen, I would not be able to rely on him to do the right thing.
But we were able to train him, to tame him, so that he would be trustworthy to the point that i don’t have to worry about him.
We live in a neighborhood with a lot of dogs,
And though this is possible with dogs, and really every sort of animal, this is not possible with the tongue.
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
No one can get to the point where you can trust your tongue,
The verb for “tame” is an aorist verb meaning that it is a past completed action.
You see, we can never fully and completely tame the tongue, rather we must always be taming the tongue.
And why is this? because the tongue reflects the heart and you cannot understand the wickedness of your hearts.
For all of your life you will have to be taming the tongue, you will never get to a place where it is tame.
You will never get to a place with your tongue that you can go to sleep and leave un-kenneled because it is a restless evil.
The tongue must always be bridled, it must always be kept on a leash never let go to roam free.
for when its let lose it will not protect like Samson did Owen, but it will bite you and the ones you love and its bite is full of deadly poison.
And this is what we do as Christians. We discipline our bodies, we always keep watch over our speech. And in doing so we bring glory to God.
By taming the tongue keeping it on a leash we then learn to speak the way God speaks. Our speech then starts to sound more like the bible.
In verses 9-12 James shows us how dangerous the tongue can be by highlighting the duplicate nature of the tongue.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
The Duplicity of the Tongue
The Duplicity of the Tongue
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Blessing and Cursing
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
9-10
Blessing God the Father and cursing people reflect the best and worst of human speech.
remember in chapter one James rebukes the double-minded man.
Here is rebukes the doubted-tongued man.
Out of the same mouth there should not come both blessing and cursing.
There should not be both Godly praise and evil schemes
There should not be inconsistency named among the people of God.
Husbands...
do you love your wives well with your words when you are at home?
Do you love your wives well with your words when you are at work? or out with the guys?
Wives...
Do you honor your husband at home and when you are with your friends?
Kids...
Do you respect your parents to their face? what about behind their backs?
People who speak out both sides of their mouths are not to be trusted because they stand opposed to the truth of God.
We must be a people who are consistent with our words because we serve a God who is consistent with his words.
And by his word he is forming us into the likeness of his son, he is molding as a community to love one another, serve one another, and grow in maturity with one another.
Through the living and active Word of God he calls us as a community, men, women, and children, singles and families, young and old, to come and feast with him, to celebrate together all that he has done by the word of his power.
so may the words of our mouths be in keeping with the God who gives us breath.
May the words of our mouths speak truth as we have received the word of truth from God.
May the words of our mouths encourage, uplift, rebuke, correct, and love one another for this is to speak the way God speaks.
We do this by the power of the spirit, through the word of God. We never get to the place where our tongues are tamed. But by the power of God we are constantly taming the tongue.
We are going to continue to sing songs of praise to our God this morning, may our words after church bless one another as our words during church bless God.
Conclusion:
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Lets pray.
