Sermon Tone Analysis
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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.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 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.
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.
Three mass shootings - Wickedness -hatred - chaos - death - pain - hopelessness
The report from the SBC - Wickedness - corruption - abuse - silence - judgment
Intro
God’s Words create & give life
Satan's words deceive and destroy life
Man’s words can do both but make no mistake:
The central application - use your words to bless and not curse
The central message - all things flow from the heart to the mouth & into our deeds (True with the shootings, the SBC or me this morning)
But make no mistake:
God will have the last word!
- Rev 22:12 - NLT
12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Faith recognizes the power, responsibility, and danger of our tongue and seeks to use it constructively not destructively.
The power - The Danger - The double-mindedness and 4 ways we can use our word to bring life.
The Power of Our Words (vv.1-6)
Words come with responsibility - v.1
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
There is a limit
Teachers (didaskaloi) played a prominent part in the life of the early church.
Paul singles them out as exercising one of the three most prominent ministries in the church, along with apostles and prophets ( Eph. 4:11).
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Teaching takes special giftedness and with that giftedness comes a responsibility.
‘I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20:26–27).
There is judgment
It raises the dignity of the position by pointing out the dangers and responsibilities of the office for those who might otherwise neglect these requirements.
When they stand before Christ, even as His children, they will be judged for every word they have said.
Jesus made this clear in Matthew 12:36–37
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Words can be used for great things - vv. 2-5a
The struggle with our mouth is everyone’s struggle - v.2
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.
“We” displays James' honesty and humility for he himself struggles here and so do all of us.
Truly a sign of maturity is someone who can control their mouths
The struggle with our mouths is a good struggle and a lifelong struggle
The tongue can be a great force for good if controlled - V.3-5a
The horse and the bit - v.3
3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.
This struggle begin with a thought
James wanted us to use divine power in bringing our thoughts into captivity to Christ (2 Cor.
10:5).
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
The man who is able to bridle his tongue perfectly would also be able to “control his whole body” (3:2), i.e., refrain from all other sins.
Notice the connection between turning a mighty animals whole body with the controlled mouth able to control our whole body.
With the proper instrument, the trainer or the rider can accomplish wonderful ends.
Ex: Picture a small man in a chariot with two powerful horses.
They’re only powerful and useful if they are controlled.
The usefulness depends on its submission to its master.
James is pointing us to our desperate need for something divine in this battle of our tongue
The ship and the rudder - v.4
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.
Out on the sea, without a mechanism for steering, the pilot would have no way of keeping the ship on any course.
The effectiveness of the instrument is what counts.
Although the tongue is small in size, its abilities are large.
Some instrument must be used to rein it and guide it.
The power of our words -v.5
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
The point is that our words drive our deeds (behavior)
Control one you control the other.
Ignore your words and don’t be surprised when you find yourself in a place you never thought you’d be.
Ex: The mass shooter: Why do they always go to their social media first?
Because no one wakes up one morning and destroys their life or someone else.
First comes thoughts, words, and then deeds.
Phillips paraphrases, ‘the human tongue is physically small, but what tremendous effects it can boast of!’
James’s point: something as small as the tongue can have a huge impact on our entire lives, and the lives of others either for good or for evil.
The Danger of Our Words (vv.5b-8)
Words can destroy everything - vv. 5b-6
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 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.
The tongue is the starting point for great evil
V.5 - The illustration is easy for us to imagine for we have seen how one careless spark can set a forest fire that is unstoppable and destructive.
A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
(Prov 16:27)
V.6
A world of unrighteousness = kosmos = this fallen world system or worldview
forest in rsv (hylē) could refer to the brush which covered so many Palestinian hills, and which, in that dry Mediterranean climate, could so easily and disastrously burst into flame.
it sets the whole course of his life on fire.
Course may also mean “wheel.”
Life may refer to “birth,” “origin,” or “existence.”
A misused tongue may affect the cycle of life from birth onward!
You can speak a word into your child so much that they believe it and don't think it won't have destructive consequences
But speak life into your children and see the difference
The tongue destroys life
V.6b - 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.
V.6 - The mouth can stain - Words can mark others like a stain on your favorite shirt.
Remember pure religion?
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