James 3:3-8 Taming the Tongue

Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. 4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Title: Taming the Tongue

Two Illustrations of Control

1. Horses

Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

Come in different sizes

Shetland Pony

Massive Clydesdale - 1,600 pounds

Horse are controlled by small bits

2. Ships

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

“though they be so great”

Have you ever seen a large ship?

Aircraft Carrier

L.A. - Queen Mary

Picture of Queen Marry and Elizabeth carrying troops home from WWII

Ships are controlled by helm and rudder

3. Conclusion

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

Words Have Power:

I don’t believe in mystical power -

I do believe in mental power

PMA - Positive Mental Attitude

Words have Power for Evil

Teen Suicide: Bullying, Making Fun,

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Illustration of Fire

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Believer’s Bible Commentary VI. The Tongue: Its Use and Abuse (3:1–12)

One of the great catastrophes of history was the Chicago fire of 1871. Tradition has it that it started when Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over her lantern. Whether or not that was true, the fire burned for three days over three and one half square miles of the city. It killed 250 people, made 100,000 homeless, and destroyed property valued at $175,000,000.

Fire is a good thing, uncontrolled fire is a deadly, dangerous thing!

We have seen the destruction of fire first hand here in Naschitti

Also in the Chuska Mountains

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members...

Conclusion

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

During the Desert Storm war against Iraq, America and its allies suffered remarkably few casualties. But one thing that made the fatalities that did occur so tragic was that many of them were the result of what was called “friendly fire”—an expression that is an oxymoron if there ever was one. During the confusion of battle, one of the greatest dangers that a soldier faces is the risk of accidentally being fired upon by his own troops. Before we pull the trigger, we must be sure that it is not a colleague in our sights. It would be a shame if, after surviving the attacks of our adversaries, we conservatives inflicted damage upon ourselves in ways that our foes could not.

Gun Control

Gun By Back

I believe in Tongue Control - Since you cannot tame the tong, yield it over to God.

Give it back to God

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.