1. It Condemns (verses 1-2).
2. It Controls (verses 3-5a).
3. It Corrupts (verses 5b-8).
4. It Contradicts (verses 9-12)
5. So ... Seek Wisdom (verses 13-18).
The book of James is all about our faith in action. The concern of James is that you would live out your faith appropriately. James 1:22 says, "Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves." Chapter 1 instructs to walk wisely in your trials and temptations and to deal rightly with the word of God. Chapter 2 says to take care with your riches and show forth your faith. And here in chapter 3, James begins to direct his attention upon our tongue. The point of chapter 3 is that our words are powerful.
Let us consider the tongue. What do we know about the tongue? With some study, we can know that the tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floor of our mouth. It is about 4 inches long. The primary purpose of the tongue is to manipulate food for chewing. It is covered with papillae. It is the origin of taste. The tongue is kept moist by saliva. It is richly supplied with nerves and blood vessels. It is a natural teeth-cleaner. The tongue has eight muscles -- 4 intrinsic (these change the shape of the tongue) and 4 extrinsic (these change the position of the tongue). People can do tricks with their tongues. Some can roll their tongue; some can make it look like a clover; some can turn it upside-down; some people can touch their nose with their tongue. I have also heard that really smart people can't look straight up and stick out their tongues. Just kidding.
Now, most vertebrates have tongues. But, only humans can speak. Because we have this ability, we know that our speech and our words are powerful. Consider the power of the tongue. "There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Prov. 12:18). In other words, your tongue can act like a sword that pierces and injures and harms another man. Yet, the tongue is able to bring a balm of healing to the soul with wise words, spoken in a timely way. Consider the following Proverb: "A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit" (Proverbs 15:4). In other words, your tongue can act like a life giving tree to those who taste of its morsels. Yet, the tongue is capable of crushing the spirit of another human being.
Perhaps there is no better Proverb to explain the power of the tongue than Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." In other words, your tongue can kill people. You have heard the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me"? It’s not true. Better is this saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, But words might even kill me." Death is in the power of the tongue.
But, on the flip side, life is in the power of the tongue as well. The words you speak can give life to others. They can give hope. They can give joy. They can give encouragement. "How delightful is a timely word!" (Prov. 15:23). Your tongue is powerful. Perhaps that’s the reason why God put your tongue in a cage behind your teeth and walled it in with your jaws. You are carrying around a concealed weapon. [1] The tongue is truly amazing. Let’s consider the power of the tongue with our text this morning.
James 3
Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.
See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
First off in this chapter, we see the warning not to be teachers. Right there in verse 1: "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." This flows from the discussion in chapter 2, where James tells us of the importance of our works. In other words, the things that we do demonstrate the things that we believe. We don’t believe what we say we believe. We believe what we actually do. And a teacher is held to his standard of what he says.
Being a teacher of God’s word is a dangerous profession, because we can speak far beyond what we are able to live. I know this, because I’m a preacher. It is very easy for me to call our congregation how they ought to live. It is very easy for me to tell them of the great things that they ought to do as a faithful follower of Christ.
I can say things like:
- You need to read your Bible and pray every day.
- You need to share the gospel with a non Christian every day.
- You should spend a portion of every day memorizing Scripture.
- You should give a high portion of your income to the Lord’s work.
- You should spend your time in the work of the Lord at church and in the community --
serving at the Rockford Rescue mission, protesting at the abortion clinic, serving at
the Pregnancy Care Center, serving in the soup kitchen, being a foster family to
outreach to the community.
- You should attend three Bible studies every week.
- You should go on a yearly missions trip.
- You shouldn’t waste your time watching secular television shows or listening to
secular music or watching sporting events or killing time on Facebook.
- Your life should be given in full devotion to Jesus in every area of your life.
It is so easy to say those sorts of things. But, in saying such things, such is the standard with which God will judge me. And yet, when I raise the standard of Christian zeal above my own, the fingers will start pointing at me, wondering how I’m living up to my words. And if my standards are beyond where I live, I will be exposed as a hypocrite. And ultimately, my condemnation will come easier. Jesus said, "In the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you" (Matt. 7:2).
Here is the power of the tongue:
1. It Condemns (verses 1-2).
When coming before the Lord, teachers of God’s word will be held to a higher standard, because, they are publically speaking so many public things for all to hear. Let me say here that this is why the cross of Christ is so precious to me. It is so precious to me because I know of the many ways that I have stumbled with my tongue; because I know that the only way that I will ever stand before the Lord blameless is through trusting in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for my sins. Furthermore, I know that the only way that I’ll ever be able to carry out what God calls me to do is through the power of Christ. It’s your only hope as well, because the tongue isn’t capable of condemning only teachers. Its power reaches to all of us. Look at verse 2, ...
James 3:2
For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
James says that we all "stumble." That’s another way of saying, "We all sin." Do you realize that you are a sinner?
At our church, we host a kids club. It’s with children around the neighborhood of our church building. These are not Christian children. I was teaching the kids about the Ten Commandments, delving into the meaning of each commandment. The children were easily able to understand them, giving example after example of how they have seen their brother or their sister or their friend had broken the various commandments. They told of how their friend stole something from a store. They told of how their brother lied to their parents. They told of how they have heard others use God’s name in vain. They told of the marital failures of their parents. On and on they went with examples of how they had witnessed others breaking the Ten Commandments. Clearly they understood each of the commandments.
When we were finished going through all of the commandments, I asked the kids if any of them had ever broken one of the Ten Commandments. In unison, all of them said that they hadn’t broken any of the commandments. Then, I pushed them a little bit, "You haven't broken any of these commandments?" They all insisted that they hadn't.
Jesus said, "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:3). Jesus is pointing out our incredible ability to detect even the slightest sin in other people, while totally missing the sin in our own life. These children coming to our kids club could see the speck in others, but missed the log in their own eye. We will work on this over in the weeks and months to come.
But, I ask all of you here this morning, are you a sinner? And here, I ask you, "Do you stumble in your words? Have you ever sinned with your words?" Raise your hands. Really, all hands should be raised. While you are raising your hand, think of an instance of sinful words. The mere fact that you have your hand raised is an indication to you that you are a sinner. And you need Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins. Do you feel the depth of your sin?
The tongue Condemns (verses 1-2). Jesus said, "by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:37). Now, one of the reasons why Jesus says that you will be condemned by your words is that your words are an indication of your heart.
Physicians say that our tongues are about four inches long from the tip of our tongue to the back of our throat. And yet, Jesus said that our tongues are much longer than that. He said that they reach clear back beyond the throat, down into the windpipe, and into our hearts. Jesus said, "For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart" (Matt. 12:34). Because, whatever is in our hearts comes out of our lips.
That’s why the Proverbs warn, "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable" (Prov. 10:19). Because, the more you say, the more you are bringing up from your heart. And all of us have wicked hearts. Eventually, we will bring up something evil. So, if you are a "talker," be warned. You know what I’m speaking about, right? There are some people who can talk and talk and talk and talk. They just go on. They rarely stop. If this is you, be warned because your transgression will be unavoidable. There is enough muck in your heart that it will inevitably come out.
The tongue Condemns (verses 1-2). And,
...
2. It Controls (verses 3-5).
James 3:3-5a
Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.
James pulls out three illustrations for us of the power of the tongue. The first is the picture of a horse. You all know how big horses are. Certainly, they vary in size, but a typical horse stands a bit over 5 feet tall (15 hands, about 4" each) from the ground to its shoulder blade. The top of their heads are near 7 feet above ground. A typical horse weighs somewhere near 1,000 pounds.
And yet, a horse can be controlled by a bit, placed in its mouth. A small bar, a few inches across, placed in the back of its mouth, a tender place in the horse’s body. A tiny jockey, weighing 120 pounds can control the 1000 pound beast with ease.
The second picture is that of a ship (verse 4). Cruise ships, cargo ships, are all controlled by a very small rudder near the back of the ship. To work best, rudders are usually between 1.5% and 2.5% (so, about 2%) the size of the ship. There is new technology today, but for many years, the rudder was used to steer the ship. To give you perspective, the Titanic, that sank in the Atlantic Ocean, was almost 900 feet long. That is 3 football fields. It was almost 100 feet wide. And, it weighed 48,000 tons! Yet, her rudder was somewhere in the area of 16 feet long and 28 feet high. [2] That is about as tall as our sanctuary, and about half as wide. That may seem big, but compare that with the size of the ship, and it’s teeny.
Now, in the days of the Bible, they didn’t have ships that big. However, they had big enough ships to know about rudders. When the apostle Paul was being taken prisoner to Rome, he was on a ship with 276 passengers (Acts 27:37). By contrast, there were only 102 passengers on the Mayflower, which brought many of the Pilgrims to America. The Mayflower was 90 feet long. So, the ship that Paul was on may well have been close to 200 feet long! They had big ships back then. They understood rudders. Small rudders can control the entire ship.
The point here is that the tongue controls. It comes in verse 5, "So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things." Where the tongue boasts, the body will seek to carry it into action. Our tongue is like the coach of a football team. Our tongue is like the leader of a gang. I picture deep in the city some place, a gang of young men. They are sitting in a dark room with one light above the table. And in the center of all of them is the leader. He’s not the biggest guy in the gang. In fact, I picture him as the smallest. But, he’s got a fight within him. And what he says, goes. If he says that we are going to meet tomorrow at the bell, we’ll meet tomorrow at the bell. If he says that we are going to have a rumble next Tuesday, we’ll have a rumble next Tuesday. If he says that we need to hang low for a few weeks, we’ll hang low for a few weeks.
So also the tongue. It’s not the strongest muscle in our body. But, it is the most influential portion of our body. What it says, goes. "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips" (Ps 141:3).
Such is the power of the tongue. Thirdly,
...
3. It Corrupts (verses 5b-12).
We see this in the last half of verse 5.
James 3:5b
See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!
Now, we don’t see forest fires too often here in Illinois; it’s too wet. I almost laugh at the Smokey the Bear signs here in Illinois. It always says, "Fire Risk: Low." Not so in California. There, the Smokey the Bear signs read, "Fire Risk: High." Forest fires are a yearly event in California and Arizona and Texas. Often times, they destroy tens of thousands of acres of forest and force the evacuation of hundreds of homes.
Take the fire that happened this past summer in Arizona in May, 2011. The fire began when two cousins (Caleb and David Malboeuf) were camping in the Bear Wallow Wilderness in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona. They left a campfire unattended, and the fire grew and grew and grew. Soon it was a raging fire that was out of control. It burned for 10 days before it was under control. The only thing that stopped the fire was a providential rain. Before the rains fell and put out the fire, 538,000 acres of forest was consumed. 10,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes. 32 homes and 4 rental cabins were destroyed in the fire. The total loss: $79 million. [3]
How did it all start? By a single campfire, which was started by a single match, which was started by a single spark. So also the tongue can set a fire. Indeed, the tongue is a fire.
James 3:6
And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
The sign for our tongues should read: "Fire Danger: Very High Today." Our tongues are here describes as "the very world of iniquity." Consider how the Scriptures describe the tongue. The tongue flatters (Ps. 5:9). Under the tongue is mischief and wickedness (Ps. 10:7). The tongue frames deceit. (Ps. 50:19). The tongue devises destruction (Ps. 52:2). The tongue is deceitful (Ps. 52:4; 120:3). The tongue is a sharp sword (Ps. 57:4; 64:3). The tongue lies (Ps. 78:36; 109:2). The tongue is perverted (Prov. 10:31). The tongue is destructive (Ps. 17:4). Such is the wickedness of our tongues.
When Paul seeks to describe the wickedness of men, he speaks of our tongues, ...
Romans 3:13-14
Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving,
the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;
You have no idea how far your words go. Or, how destructive your words can be.
The story is told of the man who was sorry for the words that he had spoken. So, he went to a wise man and wanted to know how to take them all back. The wise man told him, "Take a pillow to the tallest building in the city in the dead of night. When the wind kicks up, tear open the pillow and let all of the feathers fly across the city. Then, after three days, go into the city and the streets and find all of the feathers and place them back in your pillow. When all of the feathers are back in the pillow, ... all of your words will be taken back." But, the man said, "But this is impossible." To which the wise man replied, "Such is the possibility of taking back your words." [4]
I have counseled people who have regretted some things that they have said. Decades pass, and the sting of the words that they have said or heard still haunt them. I have counseled people who have been devastated by what their parents have said to them in the past. You have no idea the sort of fire that you can set ablaze with your tongue.
In the 1930’s millions of Americans often tuned into a popular radio program that featured plays directed by Orson Welles. But, on October 30, 1938, "The performance that evening was an adaptation of the science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, about a Martian invasion of the earth. But in adapting the book for a radio play, Welles made an important change: under his direction the play was written and performed so it would sound like a news broadcast about an invasion from Mars, a technique that, presumably, was intended to heighten the dramatic effect.
"As the play unfolded, dance music was interrupted a number of times by fake news bulletins reporting that a "huge flaming object" had dropped on a farm near Grovers Mill, New Jersey. As members of the audience sat on the edge of their collective seat, actors playing news announcers, officials and other roles one would expect to hear in a news report, described the landing of an invasion force from Mars and the destruction of the United States.
'At one point in the broadcast, an actor in a studio, playing a newscaster in the field, described the emergence of one of the aliens from its spacecraft. 'Good heavens, something’s wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake," he said, in an appropriately dramatic tone of voice.
"Now it’s another one, and another.
They look like tentacles to me.
There, I can see the thing’s body.
It’s large as a bear and it glistens like wet leather.
But that face.
It...it’s indescribable.
I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it.
The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent.
The mouth is V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate....
The thing is raising up.
The crowd falls back.
They’ve seen enough.
This is the most extraordinary experience.
I can’t find words.
I’m pulling this microphone with me as I talk.
I’ll have to stop the description until I’ve taken a new position.
Hold on, will you please, I’ll be back in a minute."As [people] listened to this simulation of a news broadcast, created with voice acting and sound effects, a portion of the audience concluded that it was hearing an actual news account of an invasion from Mars. People packed the roads, hid in cellars, loaded guns, even wrapped their heads in wet towels as protection from Martian poison gas, in an attempt to defend themselves against aliens, oblivious to the fact that they were acting out the role of the panic-stricken public that actually belonged in a radio play. [5]
Such is the power of words -- to kick off a nation-wide panic! So, don’t under-estimate what your words can produce. Your tongue is a "fire" (verse 6). Your tongue is "the very world of iniquity" (verse 6). Your tongue "sets on fire the course of our life" (verse 6). Your tongue "is set on fire by hell" (verse 6). Don’t minimize how serious your tongue is.
The tongue brought the human race into sin, as Satan tempted Eve with his tongue. The tongue committed the first sin after the fall. Adam blamed God for his sin. "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." (Gen. 3:12). And yet, the sad reality is that we can’t tame this beast within us.
James 3:7-8
For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
The great call of James is to bridle your tongue. For, in so doing, you can guard your soul. He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles. (Prov. 21:23). The story is told of the time when Thomas Edison was introduced at a meeting. He was introduced as "The man who invented the first machine that can talk." Edison denied it and said, "God invented a machine that can talk. I invented a machine that you can shut off." [6]
Unfortunately, we can’t do it. We can't "shut it off". "No one can tame the tongue." But, the good news is this. Jesus tamed His tongue! He tamed His tongue for us. Christ died for our sins (1 Pet 3:18). He bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet 2:24).
The tongue Condemns (verses 1-2), it Controls (verses 3-5a), it Corrupts (verses 5b-8), and, ...
4. It Contradicts (verses 9-12).
James 3:9-12
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.
At this point, I encourage you to watch a video that demonstrates this point very well. It is a video from the 2008 Desiring God National Conference. It is a picture of the power of the tongue to contradict. [7] And, to this video, I simply say again verse 10: "My brethren, these things ought not to be this way." If you find these things to be true in your house before attending church, I encourage you to spend a few extra moments in the car, confessing your sins to your family members and telling them of your trust in Christ. Tell them of the hope you have in HIm that He has forgiven all of your transgressions, even those just committed. Then, exit your car and enter the church building with a clean conscience.
I am reminded of the words of Amos, ...
Amos 5:21-24
“I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.
Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
God doesn't like charades. He does not want to hear our singing if our singing is contradicting our hearts. He would rather that we be silent. The solution for us is to prepare our hearts by repenting of the sins of our mouth. Then, and only then, should we praise Him with our whole hearts.
James gives three illustrations here. He brings up a fountain, which puts forth either good water or bad water. He brings up a fig tree, which can only produce figs (not olives). To these pictures, he adds the ocean, which produces salt water, not fresh. They all teach the same lesson. The mouth of one made in the image of God ought to produce what is good, and not waht is bad.
My final point is more of an addendum, fitting these last five verses in.
5. So...Seek Wisdom (verses 13-18).
James 3:13-18
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Essentially, this is saying to seek the wisdom that is from above. The bottom line is that you can either live by the wisdom of the earth and the world or you can live by the wisdom of heaven. The way to live by the wisdom of heaven is just to seek the Lord. Let us seek the wisdom; let us seek the wise One.
This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on
November 20, 2011 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rvbc.cc.
[1] This quote came from a message by John Politan entitled, "Control the Tongue - Control the Person, (James 3:1-12)," at Scottsdale Bible Church, June 1, 2003. I am deeply indebted to John Politan for many ideas in this message.
[2] See http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-rudder.html and http://charlesroring.blogspot.com/2009/08/ship-rudder.html.
[3] http://www.krqe.com/dpp/weather/wildfires/feds-cousins-started-giant-forest-fire.
[5] http://www.transparencynow.com/welles.htm.
[7] You can watch this six minute long video here.