Controlling Your Speech
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Introduction
Every year there is a massive forest fire that comes up in California and BC. Forestfire starts in one of two ways: natural cause or human cause. Natural cause in a sense that lightning strikes on a very dry wood. Human cause in a sense of being irresponsible, such as throwing a cigar on a dry plants. But, wildfire usually starts off in a tiny area and then fire could spread from ten to hundred thousand acres, or it could spread to 6km - 20km radius.
but it usually starts small.
Research conducted by fire scientist Anthony Westerling shows that between 1973 and 1982, fires burned for an average of six days. Between 2003 and 2012, this number skyrocketed to nearly seven and half weeks (52 days).
As destructive and dangerous as wildfire is, James will instruct us of something that is probably just as dangerous and destructive as wildfire, and that is the issue of not knowing how to control your speech with your tongue.
Please turn to . READ.
Big Idea: To Control Your Speech, Your Must Be Prepared To Know The Battle That You Face.
Big Idea: To Control Your Speech, Your Must Be Prepared To Know The Battle That You Face.
Wildfire is something that we can visibly see and (if you want) touch tangibly. But, spoken words is something that we cannot see and touch. We can hear and process the information of the words, and we can feel the impact of what words can do to us.
Words can move people into joyful tears in a wedding. Words can inspire people for action and change in the “I Have A Dream” speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. Words can shock people into fear upon hearing the doctor’s report on cancer. Words can transform a wicked sinner and atheist into a follower of Jesus Christ. But for today’s lesson, words can destroy people’s life.
James is dealing with the negative aspect of speech. He first mentioned tongue back in 1:26 where the true mark of a person’s religion is that he knows and learns to control his tongue. Failing to control the tongue makes the person’s religion and devotion worthless.
But for today’s lesson, words can destroy people’s life.
contains the single most weighted discussion in the New Testament on the use of the tongue. So, as we study this passage, my hope is that you would feel the weight of the responsibility to control your speech.
VERSES 1-5
Exposition
Two weeks ago, we talked about faith without works, James will go from works to words. In reality, works and words are not isolated topics, but they are interconnected with each other. Faith that demonstrates good works also includes both actions and speech.
James sets up the topic of tongues by telling the Christians that not many of them should become teachers.
Being a teacher is one of the highest ranks of the list of gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to the church, but it is also the most dangerous responsibility. It is dangerous because James himself and others recognize that teachers will be judged with greater strictness.
Too many people want to seek the status of a teacher without a pure motive. James’ readers think being a teacher would advance their reputation and personal status.
If you are thinking of being a teacher of the Bible, then you need to consider seriously the intention of being a teacher and also the battle that you have to face with your tongue. Whether if you’re in GO2 or youth leader or a church leader, God expects teachers to be faithful in that responsibility to teach the Bible and being able to control your speech.
For teachers, their ministry often involves speech. As James will teach us, the tongue is the hardest of all parts of the body to control. The constant use of the tongue could mean that they can sin easily and leading other astray at the same time.
In verse 2, James is conscious of his own sin and folly. He acknowledges that we, as in the teachers and James himself, all stumble or sin in many ways. And one of the many ways to sin is in what you say. If you do not sin in your speech, then you are a perfect/mature man who can control your whole body.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Because of the use of tongue, James tells them not to be hasty in becoming a teacher. This is not simply just about the qualification of being a teacher, but it is also an instruction for all Christians, whether if they are teachers or not. Our speech has an enormous influence for good or bad.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
What can learn about about the tongue?
1. The Tongue Is Powerful (3:1-5a)
1. The Tongue Is Powerful (3:1-5a)
Being a teacher comes with a great responsibility to teach the Bible.
Being a teacher comes with a great responsibility to teach the Bible. God expects teachers to be faithful in that responsibility.
Some strived to become a teacher in the church because it had a rough equivalent to being a Jewish Teacher (or Rabbi). Because of that, there would be benefits and prestige. Some people from the lower class may seek this opportunity to advance their personal status and reputation.
James the readers a further reason for why
Why do you want to be a teacher? What’s your motivation? Let me offer you 4 wrong motivations for being a teacher.
You want to be a teacher because you are looking for popularity.
You want to be a teacher because you want to be like your youth leader.
You want to be a teacher because it’s cool.
You want to be a teacher because it fulfills your volunteer hours.
To the boys,
In verses 3-5, James will
This is not just talking about those who want to be teachers, but I think that also includes those who desire to
The Tongue Is Powerful (3:1-5)
The Tongue Is Powerful (3:1-5)
Our Tongue Is Powerful (3:1-5)
The Tongue Is Powerful (3:1-5)
The tongue is the world’s smallest but biggest troublemaker.
In verses 3-4, James gives an illustration of a horse and ship to describe the power of the tongue. If we can control the horses’ mouths with bits, then we control their whole bodies as well. If the pilot can control the whole ship with a very small rudder, then he can control the whole ship to the direction to which it is sailing.
If we can control the horses’ mouths with bits, then we control their whole bodies as well. In verse 4,
And the point is simple: don’t underestimate the power of something very small.
The tongue is powerful because......
a. It can determine the destiny of a person.
a. It can determine the destiny of a person.
Talking about someone’s body image could influence that individual to do something about it or feel embarrassed.
The tongue is powerful because......
b. It causes the whole body to lack control and discipline.
b. It causes the whole body to lack control and discipline.
Think about this one…do you always feel the need to always express your opinion? Is it difficult to restrain yourself from speaking?
In verse 5, James shows us that the tongue is a small member, but it is capable of boasting and putting our pride/ego on display.
The tongue is powerful because it controls the human desire.
The tongue is powerful because......
c. It reveals our human heart.
c. It reveals our human heart.
Pride is probably the major cause of our misuse of tongue. There are many words to describe boasting in the Greek NT, but this word, “boast,” in the Greek is only mentioned here. This type of boasting is to express an unusually high degree of confidence in someone or something being exceptionally noteworthy.
We think we are smart and know better than other people in our lives. Some people may have been using their tongue to express their own human wisdom as opposed to God’s wisdom (3:13-18), to have a heated argument and to slander other Christians (4:11).
The greatest problem with our communication, speech and words is not in our behaviour, but it is the matter of our heart. Jesus says:
Luke 6:
45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
When you say something bad to your family members or friends in a heat of the moment and you lose all control, you cannot excuse yourself by saying, “Oh, I didn’t really mean what I said.” When you speak in whatever situation, it reveals what you are truly thinking on the inside, the tongue has the power to reveal what you treasure, and it may reveal what you truly feel about the other person.
When you say something bad to your family members or friends in a heat of the moment, you cannot excuse yourself by saying, “Oh, I didn’t really mean what I said.”
When you insult someone intentionally or unintentionally, you cannot
2. The Tongue Is Perverse (3:5b-8)
2. The Tongue Is Perverse (3:5b-8)
The Tongue Is Perverse (3:5b-8)
The next section, James teaches us that the tongue is perverse. Perverse means to do what is wrong and evil and corrupt. What is worse is that it is infectious and satanic.
Verse 6, we are given so many descriptions of what the tongue is.
The tongue is perverse because......
a. It is a destructive force.
a. It is a destructive force.
Just as a small fire is capable of creating a forest fire, the tongue is a metaphor for a small fire that is capable of dealing large damage to yourself and to others. James makes a sharp point, “Yes, the tongue really is a fire.”
Verse 6 may be complicated to
James uses a metaphor to describe the tongue as fire.
27 A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
The tongue is a world of unrighteousness. As I already mentioned, the tongue reveals the intension of our heart. It exposes the sins that we so desire.
11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
The tongue is a world of unrighteousness.
No other member of the body, perhaps, does so much damage on ourselves and on others than the tongue.
The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body. What this means is that the tongue is put in charge. The tongue is so perverse and powerful and influential that it can stain the whole body, that is, it can affect the behaviour and mind of a person. Although you may remove physical stains from your clothings with enough chemical products, it is difficult to remove the sinful stains poured out by the words of your mouth.
1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
This past year, what words did you hear or what words do you tell yourself that affect your thinking and behaviour? Perhaps it is related to school and grades. Perhaps it is related to a friend in your school who may have said something unkind to you. And those words haunt you everyday.
For instance, there is family member whom I’m told
Furthermore, the tongue is setting on fire the entire course of life. Or, it can be translated as setting on fire the wheel of life. Not only does the tongue stain and corrupt the whole person, influencing his/her behaviour and thinking, it causes great damage throughout one’s life.
“Sticks and bones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” That statement is absolutely not biblical or at least the Bible does not support that idea. The book of Proverbs is filled with teachings on communication, words, and speech. It teaches us how we are to be wise with our speech and how foolish it is not to control our speech.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Because of words, people had to deal with much struggle with life, with bullying, contemplating suicide, and harming themselves with drugs and alcohol. Either our words give life to people or it gives death to people.
About 6 years ago, there’s a girl who posted a video on YouTube about her story. She talked about her struggles with life, dealing with bullying, contemplating suicide, and harming herself.
We learned that the tongue is perverse and powerful to destroy. But, where does this destruction ultimately come from?
James says that the tongue is “set on fire by hell.” That’s where it comes from. Hell is the place of torment and reserved for people filled with evil unimaginable. The evil one is what gives the tongue its great destructive potential. And because of that, wicked speech is worthy of God’s judgment.
“How our tongues are occupied! They run more quickly than our feet, and carry less, though much mischief sometimes comes from their babble. They are sharper than razors, some of them, and cut deeper than swords, and kindle fire enough to set the world in a blaze.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Next...
The tongue is perverse because......
b. It is like an uncontrollable beast.
b. It is like an uncontrollable beast.
In verses 7-8, James tells us that the tongue is like an uncontrollable beast. Animals can be tamed/controlled by people. But, the tongue is extremely difficult to bring under control. Here’s the bad news that James gives us: no human being can tame the tongue. Isn’t that sad and discouraging? Why?
James describes the tongue as “restless evil.” Tongue is unruly, unsteady, and unstable. The word “restless” is the same word used back in .
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
The person who is unstable and restless in the tongue is a person who has no self-control. Worse yet, the tongue is full of deadly poison. This is describing a poisonous snake.
The tongue is perverse because......
c. It is full of venom.
c. It is full of venom.
3 They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah
Do you want to know how your tongue can be full of venom? Our tongue can be heavy loaded with deadly hateful comments, gossips, slanders, insults, lies, spreading rumours, plotting a schemes. Think about that. You can surely stain and poison people’s mind and behaviour with your words. Therefore, you must be careful with how you use your tongue and learn to control it to the best of your ability.
ff
Just because we cannot tame the tongue completely and perfectly, the Bible also instructs Christians to be self-controlled, including the tongue. Scripture also instructs Christians that our speech is to be full of grace ().
We may never reach the point where the tongue is perfectly controlled; but we can surely advance a long way in using our speech to glorify God.
3. The Tongue Is Polluted (3:9-12)
3. The Tongue Is Polluted (3:9-12)
The tongue is mixed both good and bad. In a sense, although we can use the tongue for good, it is contaminated and stained by evil. The main point is found in verse 10. READ. In other words, the tongue ought not to be bipolar, doing two things that are extremely opposite of each other. James’ concern for the Christians one of CONSISTENCY. James has been dealing with the issue of consistency from the beginning of this letter.
The tongue is polluted because......
a. It is not always consistent.
a. It is not always consistent.
Such pollution and contamination with sin in our lives demonstrate inconsistency to our Christian faith. You cannot combine faith in Christ with slandering other people and playing favouritism. You cannot have faith in God while failing to demonstrate your obedience and holiness that true living faith always produces. Practical Christianity does not allow us to be one and then jump to the other or mixed both of them together.
How are you guys doing? Do you live out a consistent Christian faith that is aligned with the teachings of the Bible?
Do you live out a consistent Christian faith that is aligned with the teachings of the Bible?
He’s dealing with consistency with our tongue.
With the same tongue, we can spew out praise to God in one moment, and spew out curse on people in another moment. James adds the idea that people are made in the likeness of God to communicate the reality that God values people with dignity and worth. Every person you see in your life is made in the likeness of God, which alludes back to Genesis when Adam and Eve were made in God’s image. What this warns us is this: will you curse and slander and gossip and insult someone who is made in the image of God, who are made with value, dignity and worth? If you curse people, then you are shattering the image and likeness of God.
James offers three illustrations to show the foolishness, absurdity and unreasonableness of using the same tongue to spew out praise and curse, and being inconsistent.
Springs did not pour forth fresh water one day and salt water the next. Such a thing just did not happen. And so, James implies, it is also inconceivable to think of a mouth pouring forth praise to God one moment and curses against fellow human beings the next. By comparing the tongue to a spring that produces bitter water, James reinforces his warning that the tongue is, indeed, “full of deadly poison.”
As the fig tree cannot produce olives or the grapevine figs, so the pure heart cannot produce false, bitter, harmful speech. In case you’re not familiar with this illustration, think about apple trees: can apple trees produce orange?
Springs did not pour forth fresh water one day and salt water the next. Such a thing just did not happen. And so, James implies, it is also inconceivable to think of a mouth pouring forth praise to God one moment and curses against fellow human beings the next. By comparing the tongue to a spring that produces bitter water, James reinforces his warning that the tongue is, indeed, “full of deadly poison.”
As the fig tree cannot produce olives or the grapevine figs, so the pure heart cannot produce false, bitter, harmful speech. In case you’re not familiar with this illustration, think about apple trees: can apple trees produce orange?
The 2nd and third illustration deal with agriculture.
Salt pond does not produce fresh water. The point is simple: Bad Things Don’t Produce Good Things. And so a person who is not right with God and walking daily in His presence cannot consistently speak pure and helpful words. A person who is double and inconsistent in his relationship with God will be double and inconsistent in his speech.
The tongue is small, but it is powerful, perverse, and polluted. It has great influence over our lives and others. Since it is small and powerful, we must learn to control our tongue. Since it is perverse and filled with deadly poison, we must learn to confine and suppress its infestation. Since it is polluted and inconsistent, we must ask the Lord to cleanse our tongue.
Conclusion
Big Idea: To Control Your Speech, Your Must Be Prepared To Know The Battle That You Face.
There is something that James doesn’t teach us in this passage. “James, if the tongue can do this type of damage, then how come you’re not giving us advice on how to control our tongue?”
Why doesn’t James give us a list of helpful tips on how to control our tongue? Maybe it’s because most of us, like the alcoholic, are in denial about the magnitude of the problem. The first step to dealing with the problem is to acknowledge, “I have a serious problem! I have a tool of Satan in my own mouth!”
The tongue is small, but it is powerful, perverse, and polluted. It has great influence over our lives and others. Since it is small and powerful, we must learn to control our tongue. Since it is perverse and filled with deadly poison, we must learn to confine and suppress its infestation. Since it is polluted and inconsistent, we must ask the Lord to cleanse our tongue.
Big Idea: To Control Your Speech, Your Must Be Prepared To Know The Battle That You Face.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
The problem with our speech lies not in our behaviour, but the problem is found in our hearts. It is a heart issue. Therefore, we don’t need behaviour modification per se, but we need a heart transformation and heart renewal.
It is only God through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ that can renew and transform our hearts and empower us to have a consistent speech. That is our hope.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
The imagery conveys an important warning: only a renewed heart can produce pure speech; and consistently (though not perfectly) pure speech is to be the product of the renewed heart.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
The imagery conveys an important warning: only a renewed heart can produce pure speech; and consistently (though not perfectly) pure speech is to be the product of the renewed heart.
Although no one has tamed the tongue, there is only one person who tamed it, that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s the perfect man who is able to bridle His whole body. He’s the one who lived and spoke as the Father instructed Him. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty of your sins, including every sinful and disgusting word that you used.
There is hope. Although no one has tamed the tongue, there is only one person who tamed it, that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s the perfect man who is able to bridle His whole body. He’s the one who lived and spoke as the Father instructed Him. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty of your sins, including every sinful and disgusting word that you used.
You are not able to control the tongue without God’s help in this battle. You need to put away falsehood and lies in your life and you need to speak the truth. You need to speak gentleness and kindness to others. You need to learn when to say something and when you don’t need to say something.
Let me offer you a helpful acronym that you could assist you in controlling your tongue:
T - Is it True?
T - Is it True?
H - Is It Helpful?
H - Is It Helpful?
I - Is It Inspiring?
I - Is It Inspiring?
N - Is It Necessary?
N - Is It Necessary?
K - Is It Kind?
K - Is It Kind?
THINK before you speak.
"Beware of letting your tongue outrun your brains." (Charles Spurgeon)
Only a renewed heart can produce pure speech; and consistently (though not perfectly) pure speech is to be the product of the renewed heart. Do you have a pure heart this morning? Do you need God to purify you so that you may learn to use your speech to glorify God and to bring others to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour?
You may have caused a lot of wildfire with your tongue before, but you can start today by putting it out by learning to control your tongue and use your tongue wisely. Will you do that this morning?
Why do you want to be a teacher? What’s your motivation? Let me offer you 4 wrong motivations for being a teacher.
You want to be a teacher because you are looking for popularity.
You want to be a teacher because you want to be like your youth leader.
You want to be a teacher because it’s cool.
The tongue is small, but it is powerful, perverse, and polluted. It has great influence over our lives and others. Since it is small and powerful, we must learn to control our tongue. Since it is perverse and filled with deadly poison, we must learn to confine and suppress its infestation. Since it is polluted and inconsistent, we must ask the Lord to cleanse our tongue.
You want to be a teacher because it fulfills your volunteer hours.