James 3:1-4:12

Intro: A Camping Story

CLS night in the woods

Words have power; can spread fear or peace

We see the same in our world today, e.g., news, Ukraine, etc.

Not Just Teachers

Why the address to teachers?

James moves back to address the audience generally

Even so, teachers get singled out because words are their wheelhouse

Preaching to myself as much as others

Even so, this is applicable to all, and even especially to leaders in other areas of life

Thermometer or Thermostat?

Why is the tongue so important?

The tongue is firstly a thermometer

v. 3:10b-12,

The tongue is a good gauge as to what is in our hearts

Also a thermostat

v. 3:2b-5

What we speak becomes real

Control of the tongue means our mastery of ourselves extends even to the smallest member of the body.

Which word?

Two kinds of Wisdom (v. 3:13-18)

From above (v. 17)

From below (v. 14 & 16)

Two kinds of friends (v. 1-4)

Friend of God

Friend of the World

Tongue as a conduit of two words

Implanted word

Word of the Devil

“Forked tongue”- “restless evil, full of poison” v. 3:8

Taming the Wild

So, taming the tongue is an important endeavor

In theory, this should be easy

God set us on earth to have dominion over all its creatures. We’ve tamed everything from fish to elephants

Yet, no man can tame the tongue. Why?

It is set on fire by hell

Sinfulness of man; our helplessness to overcome

Humility and Exaltation

If we cannot tame the tongue, what do we do?

Just as each animal needs another to tame them, so do we. Animals need man to tame them, man needs God.

Humility leads to exaltation (v. 4:7-10)

John the Baptist (“He must increase and I must decrease”)

Isaiah (“man of unclean lips”)

The New Revised Standard Version A Vision of God in the Temple

And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”

Stubbornness and arrogance, however, leads to destruction (v. 4:11-12)

Speaking judgement against another is stealing the rightful place of God.

Humility puts us in our proper place before God, and thus our proper place before others