Sticks and Stones

Intro

There was a time when if a person would turn on the news they could expect to learn about, you guessed it, the news.

It was this thing where you would watch and listen to reporters share information with the public, information that people found to be important, or at least interesting.

And while that still exists, more than simply sharing information, I think we can all agree that for a large portion of the news, especially cable news, it has become less about sharing information and more about sharing opinions.

Rather than learning about what someone did, you might hear an interpretation of why they did it, and why it was either a good or a bad thing.

In fact, what we really see today are people who let’s be honest, are just tearing other people down. They are brutal with the words they use to describe someone they might not like. I think you all know what I am talking about here.

And so because we are so exposed to this on a such a regular basis it has become easy for us ourselves to get caught up in criticizing and bashing people we don’t like or happen to disagree with.

Now, I don’t mean we shouldn’t be critical of bad or even immoral decisions that are being made. But we don’t just leave it there do we. No, we attack their intelligence, their looks, even their family. Why? Why do we find it so easy to tear people apart?

And more importantly, as followers of Jesus, is this type of behavior appropriate? Or are we called to something different? Do our words matter as much as our actions?

Well, James has some things to say about this. So today we begin part 4 of our series on the book of James. And as we are going to see, he has some heavy things to say about this subject. So let’s dive in.

Power in the Text

We are going to be reading out of James 3 this morning, and what I find so interesting is that up to this point in his letter he has placed a lot of emphasis on action.

Don’t just say it, do it. Don’t just call yourself a Christian, live like it. Don’t just claim to have genuine faith, live it out in the good works you do.

But now, he decides to address the other side of it, not only our actions, but the words we choose to speak. And he really hones in on one group of people in particular.

James 3:1 NLT Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.

Now we read this and we think, I’m not a teacher therefore what comes next does’t apply. That isn’t what James or I am saying. What is being said is that if you are a teacher, the judgement for not applying what comes next is more severe.

And while you may be listening to this and thinking you aren’t a teacher, and maybe you aren’t in the formal sense. But we all like when others listen to us. Whether we are teaching, mentoring, giving advice, or simply being the one to give instructions to someone else.

James is saying, are you sure you want to be that person? Yeah the authority that comes with that or the influence that comes with that may be enticing, but let me warn you of something first.

James 3:2 NLT 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

Here James is say listen, some of you who want the honor and authority of a teacher need to think twice about it because the power you will have as a teacher is such that your words can cause damage in ways that actions can’t.

He admits that none of us are perfect, that all of us make mistakes, and he says if we could learn to control our tongue or learn to control the things we say then we could learn to control all of our other impulses.

In other words, of all the sinful impulses we have as humans, and as strong as those impulses may be, none are as strong as the tongue. None are as difficult to control as the tongue.

Again, I love how James is really addressing the things that as Christians we tend to ignore. He isn’t talking about the big sins we all know to be wrong like adultery, murder, drunkenness. No he is bringing us back down.

You think you are a good Christian because you aren’t doing those things, not so fast. What about the words you say and how you say them. Because as we are going to see here in a moment, our words are more destructive than those other things are.

James 3:3-6 NLT 3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

Big Idea/Why it Matters

This is the heart of it right here. He is saying to his readers that be careful wishing to be someone of influence because the power that you will possess is greater than you realize.

He compares the tongue to a horse bridal or a ship’s rudder showing how our words can guide and direct people to do all sorts of things, good or bad.

That a single word spoken by us has the power to start a fire that destroys an entire forest.

Something as small as a few words have the power to damage a person.

ruin a relationship

turn someone into a depression

destroy a life.

You know this to be true. Think back in your own life of the damage someone in your life caused you by the words they spoke to you.

Your weren’t good enough

You weren’t going to amount to anything

You were a mistake or why would anyone love you

Some of you have been carrying baggage around with you your entire adult life because of the words someone spoke to you.

And for some this has caused you to believe the lies spoken about you. For others it has caused you to do everything you can to prove those lies wrong, even to your own detriment.

Some of us, as followers of Jesus have lost sight of this truth. We have forgotten the destructive nature of our own tongue in the lives of those we have influence over.

James 3:7-10 NLT 7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

He is trying to get these Christian teachers, and by extension us today to recognize that this is something that we can’t ignore. That our tongue is not just going to change on its own.

He says as humans we can learn to tame all of these wild beasts like lions, tigers, alligators, and the like. That it is easier to control these unruly creatures than it is to control our words and how we use them.

And he says there is this strange dichotomy where in one breath we can praise God, and then in another, curse a person made in the image of God.

Cursing refers to personal verbal abuse, perhaps arising from loss of temper in an argument or debate. It also involves the expression of angry wishes on enemies. It includes speech which is insulting as well as profane.

Verse 10 spotlights the inconsistency of this action. We are sinfully inconsistent when we bless God and then curse those made in God’s likeness.

When we curse those whom God has made, we are effectively cursing God. He is the object of both expressions. Such a double standard is outrageous and has no place among God’s people.

Application/Closing

And really I think the most unsettling question that James asks is in verses 11 and 12...

James 3:11-12 NLT 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

He says, can a fig tree produce olives? No, because its nature is a fig tree. The tree cannot change its nature, it will produce what it is. If a fig tree is producing olives, then guess what, it actually an olive tree.

Likewise he is saying, you might think you are a follower of Jesus. You might call yourself a Christian, but the fruit you produce and here very specifically in this passage that fruit is our tongue, Your words will show what your nature really is.

Because if your nature is that of a follower of Jesus, then what you say, and how you say it wI’ll prove that to be true.

But, if your words are destructively critical, slanderous, gossiping, harsh, cruel, and mean-spirited then your words prove that your nature is not that of a follower of Jesus, but instead they are that of a fraud. An imposter. Someone who claims to be one thing, but is another thing entirely.

Have your words proven you to be a fraud at times. Not just in the way you talk to or about people you don’t like, but how about the hurtful things we say to our spouses, kids, or parents?

What poison have you and I poured into their hearts. Do you acknowledge it, or make excuses?

These words of James are hard to swallow and digest. Because I think we as humans want to believe we are better than we really are. But when we are confronted with this teaching the question we have to ask is, what are we going to do about it?

Many will dismiss it. Many will say this is being nit-picky. That I know I shouldn’t do it, but it isn’t as bad as what that person is doing. You’re right, it isn’t as bad, according to James, it is worse.

V 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. V 8 It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.

We can’t dismiss it, but we also don’t have the power to do anything about it. What we must do is

Acknowledge the sin

Repent and seek God for the power to overcome it.

When we find ourselves doing it, stop even if in mid-sentence and turn the conversation in another direction.

The world is watching, let’s show them something different than what they are so accustomed to to seeing and hearing.