10/2/21 Taming Tongue Tantrums

Summary: This message focuses on controlling the big fish in the mouth called the tongue.

Tonight I want to bring your attention to another matter that is plaguing the church of the Living God. The inability for us to tame our tongue. You may be asking yourself, “

Someone coined the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Whoever said that could have never been more wrong. Broken bones heal much quicker than the wounds left by an out of control tongue.

You see, our tongue can either burn the Kingdom of God, or it can build it.

.The book of James’ theme has been labeled by many scholars and theologians as “practical Christian living.” James speaks more about the tongue than any other book in the Bible

Read James 3: 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.

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.

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!

The eyes, ears and nostrils help make us aware of our surroundings. They are what we utilize to observe our world, and our tongue is what we use to comment on those surroundings. Could it be that God wants us, by design, to observe twice as much as we speak?

Anyway, God has given us the power of the spoken word. And I believe that is why many people today are in bondage. The sense of conflict that they experience can be traced back to their tongues.

the Bible clearly teaches a principle of sowing and reaping. If you sow corn, you will reap corn. If you sow black-eyed peas, you will reap black-eyed peas. If you sow words of destruction, you will reap destruction. If you sow words of life, you will reap life.

There is power in the spoken word. It will be your tongue that will shape your character.

Try this experiment. For the next 48 hours, determine within yourself that you will speak only positive and hopeful things about your job, your children, your spouse, your health, your future, anything and everything that effects your life. It may be difficult at first, but see what type of results you get.

James again addresses this issue for those who consider themselves “religious”. I

n James 1:26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless

It is interesting that the word for “religious” in the Greek actually translates as “fearing and worshipping God”. Those in the world may be saying to themselves, “if I am going to get treated the same way in the church that I do outside of it, I’ll just stay out.” Friends, “these things should not be so.”

A lot of people would not be where they are now, if they had not engaged in a particular conversation. A lot of people would still be friends today if they could have glued their lips together. A lot of homes would still be together if couples were a little more careful with their words.

Even the Bible says that we in ourselves cannot control our tongues. That is why Paul says that we need to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. We must die to ourselves daily, a choice we make everyday, and allow the Lord to rule in our lives.

Proverbs 13:3 says, “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.”

A Tamed tongue

1. EXERCISES PROFITABLE SILENCE

The Bible says there is a time and season for everything under the sun, there is a time to keep silent found in

Ecclesiastes 3:7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

However, this has been turned upside down. People talk when they should be silent, and keep quiet when they should speak. The Bible further teaches that we should be “quick to hear and slow to speak.”

As Samuel Clemens, more notably known as Mark Twain once said, “A closed mouth gathers no foot.” Sometimes it is just best to be quiet.

2. IS ADDICTED TO WITNESSING

A tongue that is productive continually wants to build and expand the Kingdom of God. In order to do that, the Gospel must be shared with others. But more so than that, the Gospel must be lived through words and actions that reflect Christ in the appropriate light.

3. SPEAKS THE TRUTH IN LOVE

A careful study of Christ’s ministry will reveal that Christ not only spoke what was true, but He did so with love. By doing so, the person He spoke to came to the conclusion that what they were involved in wasn’t right on their own.

Paul further instructs us that if we speak with tongues of men and angels and have not love, we are just making a lot of senseless noise.

4. DOES NOT COMPLAIN, BUT PRAISES

In the wilderness, the children of Israel experienced some of the greatest manifestations of God. Yet, they grumbled and complained. In fact, Paul says in

1 Corinthians 10;10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

A tongue that is productive and constructive gives God praise for all that He is done. In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. – Psalms 34:1

The Word of God teaches us that the Lord inhabits the praises of His people.

5. MAKES SOLUTION FOCUSED CONFESSIONS

If we talk doubt, doubt will conquer you. If we talk failure, it will conquer you. If we talk sickness, we will reap sickness. If we talk weakness, w will become weak. If we talk fear, it will grip us.

We shouldn’t use our tongues to glorify a bad situation. Instead, we should think and speak positive, SOLUTION FOCUSED things. Remember the whole sowing and reaping principle.

Ask yourself the following question – “What have I been saying with my mouth?” Be assured that the words you speak will shape your life. The life you are experiencing and leading now has been shaped by what you said in the past.

CLOSE

Again, the Bible compares and untamed tongue to hell’s fire. But there is another fire, the mightY burning fire of the Holy Spirit. That is the kind of fire this congregation is hungry for and desperately needs. I have always heard that the best way to fight fire is with fire. So we are going to worship the Lord, and ask the Holy Spirit to burn out all the junk and restore relationships, friendships, marriages, cities,, countries and yes each and every one of us.