The Smallest of Guides

Sermon Idea: The tongue controls our bodies so we must strive to control our tongues.

Introduction

As Jesus was teaching a great multitude by the sea He taught the people about life. How to live it, why things were the way they were, and how to please God. Jesus also taught the people how to understand themselves, their neighbors, and why we all do what we do.

English Standard Version Chapter 6

43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 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.

Do you ever struggle to control your tongue? Has the opposing team ever felt your wrath after a foul? Have you ever wondered why you said something later on? Do you ever just want to understand yourself and the people around you? James tells us why we do the things we do and how to think about ourselves and those around us.

How should we understand the speech and actions of ourselves and our neighbors?

The tongue controls our bodies so we must strive to control our tongues.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

3 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.

1. Our speech determines what we can and can’t do (3:1-2a).

Explanation

James warns that all men are prone to sin but teachers are held to a higher standard. James narrows the focus of the sin being discussed in the second half of verse two to sins of speech. So what James is trying to get across is that our speech is a determining factor in whether or not a man can teach.

The context of the world James lived in adds another layer to the understanding of how important speech was to teaching. In the Mediterranean world of the first century almost all teaching was done orally. While James would be more than willing to acknowledge all people struggled with sins of speech, the teacher would be tempted to an even greater extent because of the frequency with which he spoke. Now add to this the status that teachers were given in the ancient world and the temptation is even higher. The motivations of teachers would be revealed in their speech but they had the potential of taking their audience down with them.

Illustration

If a coach speaks, then the players listen. Just like this when a pastor speaks, the church listens. If the coach gives a brilliant play and the players execute it, the team succeeds. If the pastor gives biblical teaching and the church obeys it, the church is built up. If the coach gives a foolish play and the players execute it, the team will lose and falter. If the pastor gives his own opinion, puffed-up with pride, and the church accepts it, the church moves away from Christ.

This is why God holds teachers to a higher standard. Their speech has deep consequences on how people relate to God. But, don’t for one minute believe that does not apply to you! Every person’s words effect the hearts of those who hear either in a positive way or a negative. Your words matter and reveal where your heart is focused. Your heart and your speech have consequences.

Application

As athletes you have many of the same temptations as these teachers did. You are given status and influence in the lives of your peers. At school you are made the center of attention. You are put into situations where your speech will reveal your hearts.

The question is will you use the position God has given you to glorify yourself or to glorify Him? In the heat of the competition when you get fouled will you reveal a desire to put yourself on top or serve the One Who is on top? What has your speech already revealed about your heart while you have been here at this camp? Do you need to turn to God in humble repentance? Next time you are playing a game watch what you say and see what it says about your heart.

But, how can our tongue control us you may ask. That’s a good question because it doesn’t. Instead...

2. Our speech reveals what controls us (3:2b-5a).

Explanation

James now moves into illustrating the relationship between the tongue and the heart. He provides two examples; a bit in a horse’s mouth and the rudder of a ship. Note that the bit and the rudder are the tools used to control the horse and ship but there is another actor that is steering. These are tools in the hands of the humans who are controlling the horse and the ship respectively. However, this points us to a much more important truth which is brought out through the “so also” at the beginning of verse five. James connects these two illustrations to the tongue. The tongue is the guide that moves our bodies as it speaks. However, just as in the illustrations given by James, the tongue is being controlled by something. The heart is controlling the tongue here.

This is where Jesus’ words become very important. The heart is our control center where all our desires and goals are created and stored. We speak and act out of our hearts. This is why we need to guard our hearts. Everything that we allow to enter our hearts will inevitably flow out in some way. James began his letter by speaking on trials which is fitting as trials and difficulties are what draw out the condition of our hearts through our speech.

Illustration

Now many of you are in school and have to deal with frustration and assignments. You have to accept different ways of doing things than you perhaps would like. So do I. I am a Bible college student and there are times where I disagree with the way things are done and get frustrated with the assignments I am given. I even say things that I quickly come to regret. But, I am able to see a clear picture of my heart through the words that I speak. In the same way during a game you can tell whether or not your heart is right by how you speak to the other players and if you yell at the ref.

The heart is the control center of the person. The thoughts and desires within it are what produce speech and direct our actions. Just as the bit is pulled on by the rider of the horse to direct the animal, the tongue is pulled on by the heart to direct the man. Just as the captain of the ship steers the wheel and turns the rudder to direct the ship, the tongue is steered by the heart to direct the man.

Application

The tongue is not inherently evil. The tongue is as capable of sharing the gospel or saving a life as it is of cursing God or taking one. What James is pushing us towards is the fact that we need to control our tongues by the grace of God. The fact that James says that “if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body,” points us to Jesus, the only perfect man. We must look to Him for the ability to control our tongue because without Him it is a hopeless prospect.

You cannot control your tongue if you are not saved. Have you accepted Christ as your savior today? If you haven’t, you need to turn to Him in repentance and dependence. If you are listening and you feel convicted that you have not honored God in your speech, listen to that feeling and turn to God. Without Him you will never honor Him on your own. Jesus alone was the perfect man and it is for that reason that He could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. You only need to trust in Him and thereafter lovingly seek and obey Him.

Conclusion

Remember the words of Jesus and James. The heart is the center of our person where all of our thoughts and desires are fostered. Our tongue speaks out of the contents of our heart. We must guard our heart so that we can be usable to God in the most situations and glorify Him. We need to be aware of what is coming out of our mouths to be aware of what is going on in our hearts. We need to be constantly evaluating if we are honoring God. We need to remember that our words have consequences and that we can impact people in ways that builds them up or tears them down. Ultimately, we need to look to Jesus the only perfect man who is our one and only hope for salvation and righteous living. Remember the only race that matters in life is the one that ends before the throne of God.