Real Control
Get Real! • Sermon • Submitted
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· 9 viewsA brief sermon on the importance of a tamed tongue
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Real Control!
James 3:1-12
Series on James “Get Real”
Welcome once again to Baptist Fellowship. If this is your first time here let me just thank you for choosing to worship with us this morning. We are continuing our study on the book of James this morning and we are looking at James chapter 3 vs. 1-12. Title of this morning message if you are taking notes, is Real Control. We are going to look at what James tells us is one of the most powerful things in the entire world; one of the most difficult things to control. Something that if we let it, will completely control us instead! We are going to look at the tongue.
Any one here ever play the quiet game? You know, when you are a long trip, and you are fighting and fussing with your sibling and your parents say ok its time for the quiet game. Let’s see who can go the longest without making a single sound! So, you sit in complete boredom until your little sister can’t take it anymore and lets out a stream of pinned up vocabulary that breaks the silence. And you shout YOU LOSE. And your parents are just thankful for those 30 seconds of peace they bought. The bummer about that game is that there are no prizes!
One of the things that we are going to see today in our study is that silence can bring good things into our lives.
Henri Nouwen, in his book The Way of the Heart writes, "Recently I was driving through Los Angeles, and suddenly had the strange sensation of driving through a huge dictionary. Wherever I looked there were words trying to take my eyes from the road. They said, ‘Use me, take me, buy me, drink me, smell me, touch me, kiss me, sleep with me.’ In such a world who can maintain respect for words?"
Words are powerful. We are quick to realize how powerful they are when they are spoken to us, but we often fail to see how powerful our words are when spoken to others. As children when someone was making fun of us, we would shout, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But this is not true. Words are destructive. Words kill, words can certainly break us. Words can stick to our backs like Velcro for many years.
John Eldredge in his book “Wild at Heart” tells the story of Dave. “Dave remembers the day the wound came. His parents were having an argument in the kitchen, and his father was verbally abusing his mother. Dave took his mom’s side, and his father exploded. “I don’t remember all that was said, but I do remember his last words: ‘You are such a mam’s boy,’ he yelled at me. Then he walked out… those words fell like a final blow, a death sentence.”
Words Matter
There have been many times I have surrendered to various ministries, only to have well-meaning Christians allow their tongues to become devices of discouragement by giving their opinions about what I should or should not do without their praying about what they were saying.
Words matter.
When my girls were little, I remember this spending quite a bit of time in front of the mirror. They would sit there and look at themselves. They would practice putting on makeup. They would borrow their mothers supplies… And more than once I would be asked the question, daddy, how do I look? They were asking, “am I beautiful?” And they were and they are. But they needed to hear it! We all need to hear positive words, encouraging words.
Words Matter.
Wives want to hear that they are appreciated and loved.
Words Matter.
Husbands want to hear that they are respected and successful.
Words Matter.
Let’s look at our text. Open your Bibles to James chapter 3. Remember that James is a book written to Christians who were not living like Christians. We have seen how to live out a living faith, how to make it through trials and temptations, how to deal with our anger, and how to accept everyone equally. Now James is going to discuss how we use our words.
1 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.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 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.
James begins by speaking to the leaders and teachers of the church and community.
This is an uncomfortable couple of verses for anyone who is a teacher of God’s word. James is saying that it is great to teach if you have the gift, but teaching is not about showing off to people how smart you are. He is telling us and the people in Jerusalem that the way some of us use words is really an issue of pride.
This can also be taken as a warning for anyone who teaches or communicates at any level. Communicators are much more susceptible to judgment because they engage in the single activity that is the hardest to keep away from sin. Our speech.
I believe that the reason James starts with the leaders or the teachers of the church is because the attitudes and culture of a church come from the top down. It is really a simple leadership principle. If there are problems in a church, look to the leadership, the pastors, the deacons, the Sunday school teachers. The problems will usually stem from there. If you are in leadership, this should cause you to think. Not everyone is called to lead, but those who do, God expects more from them.
Most people in churches today believe that leaders and teachers have a singular job to do. To feed their church, to make sure that they get their weekly spiritual fill. This is because of what Jesus told Peter in John chapter 21. He told him to feed his sheep. So, for hundreds of years people have taken that to mean that a pastor’s job was to feed people, and that people or church members had very little responsibility to feed themselves. Now this makes sense on the surface, but let’s look a little closer and ask ourselves, “have you ever seen a shepherd feeding a sheep?” Well, have you? Of course not. A shepherd’s job is to find good food for a sheep and to lead them to it.
Here is how I see my role as main communicator of this church body. On Sundays, I want to create a hunger in you and to show you where spiritual food is. It is your job to eat it, but I am responsible for helping you find it. I will hand you a napkin, a fork, a knife, even a plate, and a big ole juicy steak and say dig in. But I cannot nor should I feed it to you, that is your job.
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. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 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. So also, the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
James then moves onto some colorful use of different images that were common in his day. Bits in horses’ mouths, rudders on sailing ships and sparks! Think about moving a horse. How a small piece of metal in its mouth will allow you to steer and direct an animal that outweighs you by hundreds of pounds. Kind of like a steering wheel today. That little wheel in your truck allows you to steer that half ton vehicle. James is trying to show us that the tongue has the same kind of influence. Even though it is a small thing its power greatly outweighs its size.
One of the things I believe that James is teaching us is that our words have a great impact on our spiritual lives.
Words Reveal a Person’s Spiritual Condition
Words show us what is inside a person. James is showing us that what we ultimately do what we say. Our thoughts and words will direct our actions. This idea is mentioned for the first time in James. King Solomon wrote this same idea in the book of proverbs.
19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.
A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
The point is that our heart moves out tongue, our thoughts decide our speech, and eventually what we think and say results in actions.
Fire is also an interesting image. There are few disasters in James’s day that were feared more than fire. They didn’t have high pressure hoses to fight against them. No fire trucks. Fire could destroy an entire town. There was no defense. And all fire is started simply by a single spark. When I was in California, I saw firsthand what a little spark could do. One errant spark set nearly a thousand acres on fire and caused 100,000 people to evacuate from their homes.
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James continues this discussion about fire and the tongue by comparing type of fire the tongue can cause to the very fire of Hell! This word Hell is the Greek word Gehenna which means the Valley of Hinnom. This valley was outside of Jerusalem and was used for all sorts of activities including idol worship, child sacrifice, and a constantly burning land fill. In Jewish history this valley symbolized Hell itself.
James is saying that
The Tongue Can Set Fire to Our Entire Life
Worst case scenario, a person can allow their tongue to destroy their life and that the fire of Hell will consume them.
Unless the tongue is tamed, a turbulent and fiery life will be the norm. But James says that no man can tame the tongue, so is there no hope?
St. Augustine said, “James does not say ‘no one can tame the tongue,’ but ‘no man,’ so that, when it is tamed, we admit that it was done by the mercy of God, the assistance of God, the grace of God.”
There is hope, but that Hope is only in Jesus Christ. Only a relationship with Christ will give you the power to temper the flames of the tongue.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?
12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
James seems to finish up these thoughts on the tongue by saying, “You sing the right songs on Sunday, you say the right things on Sunday, but on Monday you say horrible things.
Brennan Manning said, “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with the lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by the lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
A true relationship with Christ is impossible to fake. James closes this conversation about the tongue by talking about agriculture. He says that whatever a tree is, that is what grows on it. If you have an apple tree, it is going to grow apples. When we lived in Santa Barbara, we had all kinds of fruit trees in our yard. We had a lemon tree, several avocado trees, a tangerine tree, an apricot tree, a persimmon tree, and even a grapefruit tree. In Saipan we had Papaya trees and even a Banana Tree. They all produced the kind of fruit they were supposed to! The banana tree did not produce avocados. Neither did the lemon tree produce Papayas. In the same matter what we are is what we produce too. If you squeeze an orange, you expect to get orange juice.
When life puts the squeeze on you, and you are under the pressure, what do you produce?
The sweet nectar of a Christian who is devoted to Christ.... or flaming hot sauce?
I think that is why James follows his discussion about works and faith with this discourse about the tongue and the power of words. Words are also works. Words are actions. Words show how we feel and serve to confirm our feelings.
Even on a long-term outlook, our words affect our eternity. Jesus said in
37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
“for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
One of the things God will judge our eternities on is our words, whether we professed Jesus Christ as Lord with our tongues.
So how do we use words? Think about the relationships you have with a spouse, or friend, or parent. You know what to say to hurt them, you know what to do. Maybe you don’t have to say anything. You know how to use silence to inflict the pain.
Think about your life. Are there any strained relationships that are not associated with your tongue? Think about the pain and hurt in your life, are any of them not due to words?
Maybe you said something this past week that is now coming to mind that you think; man, I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe you have a relationship with someone that you don’t build them up enough or even at all.
Many people give and receive love through words. For some people, words are their life. They need to hear words of affirmation to know that they are appreciated. Some of us are strangling those who are closest to us with our words or the lack of them.
So, what do we do about our tongues? We can’t simply remove them or stop using them. James tells us that it is impossible to control them. So what? It is simple. Just like any other area in our lives, we need to ask God to take control. Will you do that this morning? Will you surrender control of your tongue over to the Lord? Will you ask Him to conquer and control your communications?
Imagine if we as a church: if we as a Christian community would do that. We could start to truly exist as a community of hope! If we would commit to letting God have control, then we could start using our tongues for things other than for putting people down, talking behind peoples back, gossiping around the town. Imagine the power of that! I want to be a part of a community like that. Imagine what we could do if we used our tongues instead to build others up, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others, to vocally share the Love of Christ with the world.
