The Smallest, Biggest Troublemaker February 17, 2019 James 3:1-12 I. Introduction There s an old saying, which I haven t heard for a while it goes like this: Sticks and stones may break my bones, But words will never hurt me. I think and hope that this isn t heard much anymore because it is a big, fat lie. For those of you that have heard it or even quoted it before, have you ever thought about how untrue that statement is? Our bones may break, but they heal often stronger than before. Bruises go away and, in most cases, leave no lasting effect. BUT the hurts from words never completely heal. We may try our best to not let them affect us, but the words will always be there. The more hurtful the words; the deeper the wound and the harder it is to ignore them or to heal from them. I suspect that we can all still remember something hurtful that was said to us years ago no matter how hard we ve tried to forget them. In earlier chapters, James has already written about controlling the tongue the source for words in James 1:26 he wrote, Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Later, in James 2:12, he wrote, Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. The power of speech is one of the greatest gifts God has given mankind. We can use it for good or for bad. With the tongue, man can console a hurting friend, praise God, pray, or lead the lost to Christ. But with the same tongue he can tell lies that can ruin a person s reputation, break a person s heart or curse God. The rabbis spoke of the tongue as an arrow rather than a dagger or sword, because it can wound and kill from a great distance. It can cause great damage even when far from its victim. The tongue and its speech expose what is in the heart and disclose the real person. In Matt. 12:34 Jesus said, You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow 1
of the heart the mouth speaks. The tongue is the smallest, biggest troublemaker. James wants to remind and warn maturing Christians of the different powers of the tongue and reasons to control it. II. Powers of the tongue the smallest, biggest troublemaker A. Power to Teach The first power of the tongue is the power to teach. Because of their importance, James started out by addressing teachers. There are many teachers here at TBC: obviously, there are the Sunday school teachers: Betty DeRidder, Danielle Rageth, Linda, and myself. There are also those that teach in VBS, including the aides in the classrooms and even those in crafts. There s those who do the children s message on Sunday mornings and to some degree there s the leadership of the church, parents, and other adults that young people or young Christians look up to to some degree we all are teachers. James isn t trying to restrict or stop people from being teachers, but he is warning anyone who either aspires to be a teacher or is a teacher, that they must be very careful. Teachers have a tremendous responsibility and they must make sure that they have an accurate understanding of any truth they are going to teach. What a teacher says and does will have a spiritual influence on others. Because of the power they have as the Authority and the effect of their teaching, James wrote that teachers are going to face a more strict judgment. Turn to Matthew 12:36-37. Those that teach must judge their motives for teaching, they must study so that they know the truth, AND they must practice what they teach. The effect of a teacher is long lasting often for a lifetime. B. Power to Control James went on to write, We all stumble in many ways. No one is exempt from the dangers of the tongue mastery over the tongue is a continual struggle. The only person who even has a hope of controlling his tongue is the mature Christian who walks and talks in the power of the Holy Spirit. As one matures, i.e., grows in his Christian life as he allows the Holy Spirit to transform him, he will become more Christ-like. Turn to 1 Peter 2:21-23. This should be every Christian s goal: to follow in His steps to follow Christ s example. 2
James then wrote, If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Just as the small bit in a horse s mouth gives power to control the horse, and just as the rudder on a huge ship controls the direction a ship travels, the small-in-size tongue has the power to control the whole body. The tongue really is the master control for the whole body. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 18:21, The tongue has the power of life and death. Just as the bit in the horse s mouth must overcome the wild nature of a horse and the rudder must fight the winds and currents that try to drive a ship off course, the tongue must overcome the forces that try to drive a Christian off course. There is the old nature within each one of us that tries to get control of the tongue. There are circumstances and sin around us that would make us say things we shouldn t say. Sin on the inside and pressures on the outside are seeking to get control of the tongue. Without the help of the Holy Spirit we are powerless to control our tongue. David recognized this problem, that s why he wrote in Psalm 141:3, Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. One commentator wrote, The control of the tongue is more than an evidence of spiritual maturity; it is a means to it. Just as having the right person handling the reins of a horse or a trained pilot at the helm a ship makes the horse or the ship move in the right direction; allowing the Holy Spirit to be in control of your tongue not only leads to the right words coming from your mouth, but also the right direction of your body and mind. This is the second power of the tongue power to control a person s mind and body just as a small bit controls a horse or a rudder controls a ship. C. Power to Destroy Every summer we see huge fires in parts of the US. How many 1000 s of acres and 100 s of homes were burnt up last summer in California alone? Many of them were caused by a small spark maybe a cigarette, a spark from a car or a truck, or a spark from some electrical device. It may start out small a mere spark, but it can quickly grow to cover hundreds of acres destroying property, killing animals and even human life. 3
Just like a small fire can grow into a forest fire, a few words from the tongue can start small but eventually they can cause destruction in a group of people or even a church. The tongue is like a fire and like a fire, the tongue can heat things up. The tongue has the power to destroy. David wrote in Psalm 39:1, 3, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue. A hot head and a hot heart can lead to burning words that later we will regret but we can t call back. Proverbs 26:21 says, As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. This is why Solomon wrote in Proverbs 14:29, Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. Just like fires leave scars on the landscape and on people, words from the tongue leave long lasting scars and pains. But there s more: just as a fire also destroys its source, the tongue doesn t just hurt others whom we are to love, James wrote that It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. Turn to Mark 7:20-23. As the tongue and its words destroy others, it also destroys itself. The tongue displays what is really in ones heart; resulting in injury to the speaker and to his Christian witness. But not only is the tongue like a fire, James wrote that it is also like a dangerous animal capable of destruction. Do you remember the magicians Siegfried and Roy? They had worked with white tigers for years, but on October 3, 2003, a 9-year-old white tiger bit Roy (Horn) on the neck. Although it had been raised from a cub and had been in the show for 7 years, the tiger was still capable of turning on its trainer and hurting or killing him. But a semi-tamed tiger or any other dangerous animal is more civilized and controllable than the uncontrollable tongue. James reminds us that the tongue is restless and unstable it can hardly wait to attack. Unlike the powerful tiger, the deadly nature of the tongue is its poison. Poison works secretly, and slowly, and then it kills. The tongue venom is more deadly than any snake venom it can destroy 4
morally, socially, economically, and spiritually. To keep the tongue and its speech under control, we must daily yield our tongues to the control of the Holy Spirit. James says that No man can tame the tongue. But God can, as Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, with God all things are possible. D. Power to Praise and Curse Finally, the tongue has the power to praise and the power to curse. The tongue isn t just wild and raging like a wild animal; it is clever, plotting and deceptive. The tongue is the most hypocritical thing in the world. A person goes to church on Sunday and sings the praises of his Savior and his love for his fellow man, and then, on Monday, gets mad at one of his fellow workers or someone in his family and curses him out. My brothers, James commanded, this should not this must not be. There is no place for hypocritical speech in the life of a Christian. It totally destroys any Christian witness a person once had. When one becomes a Christian, he is transformed. God gives him the capacity for new, redeemed, holy speech, and He expects us, as His children, to speak only that which is holy and right. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:37, Let your Yes be Yes, and your No,' 'No. James used 3 illustrations to point out the absolute absurdity of such hypocrisy of the tongue. Just as it is impossible for a fountain to produce both salt and fresh water at the same time, just as it is impossible for a fig tree to bear olives and just as it is impossible for a grapevine to bear figs so it should be impossible for a believer to say anything that would harm the cause of the Savior. Those who claim to love the Lord should both seek and take advantage of opportunities to extol lift up the virtues of Jesus Christ and not hurt Him by hurting others. As maturing Christians, the tongue must be kept under control the control of the Holy Spirit. Turn to Ephesians 4:22-32. III. Conclusion Of course the problem really isn t the tongue, it is the heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Just as A good tree cannot produce bad fruit and just as A salt spring cannot produce fresh water, a hateful heart cannot produce loving words and an 5
unrighteous heart cannot produce righteous words or works. The tongue is you in a unique way. It is a tattletale that tells on the heart and discloses the real person. Not only that, but misuse of the tongue is perhaps the easiest way to sin. There are some sins that an individual may not be able to commit simply because he does not have the opportunity. But there are no limits to what one can say, no built-in restraints or boundaries. It is easy to have sin in one s heart and, as Matthew 15:18 says, The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean. We need to be careful about what we let into our hearts, into our minds if you let the world and its attitudes in, then the world s attitudes will be on your tongue attitudes like: It s all about me. You have to look out for number 1. You only go around once. Lamentations 3:40 says, Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. Galatians 6:4 says, Each one should test his own actions. Search your heart; get rid of the sin that is hidden there. Instead fill your heart with God s Word. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you to have control of your tongue your whole being. He will help you use the power of the tongue correctly. Then it will teach only God s truths and share God s love. Then it will guide the body in God s paths of righteousness. It will no longer destroy but will build up others. It will only speak praise to God and to one another. When Jesus hung on the cross, He prayed, Father, forgive them, for they don t know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). Earlier we read from 1 Peter 2:23, When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Jesus heart was right with God the Father. From the words that come from your mouth, what can be heard and seen about the condition of your heart? Are you satisfied with that? Are you proud of what comes from your mouth? Or is your heart so filled with worldly desires and attitudes that there is no room for God? Is what comes out of your mouth just like what comes out of anyone else walking down the street? Is your speech no different than anyone 6
else? If this is so, confess your sins and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to take control of your tongue. Become the man or woman God knows that you can be. What is in your heart? 7