James 3:1-12 “The TONGUE”
Intro: 16,000 Words; Insignificant/sig; Regret/glad; kind/harsh; patient/impatient; sad words/joyful words; clean/foul
-Our words have great power—power to wound/heal and change people and situations for the better and worse
-Something wrong in our talk: we don’t use our words that we ought to.
-But, in the gospel, we can be made new and change the way we speak, to a way that is good and pleasing to God.
MI-Our speech has great power but has become perverse; yet, in the gospel, we might be made new and begin to speak in way that is good and pleasing to God.
- Our Tongues are Instruments of Great Power (1-5a)
When you think about power, what comes to mind? Money? Fame? Nuclear weapons?
-God’s Word challenges us to consider the enormous power of the words we speak (our tongues)
-Warning about Becoming Teachers (1-2a)
-Greater Strictness for teachers (1)
-Because there is more responsibilities and opportunities to use speech
-Reminder of Universal Flawed Nature of Humanity (2a)2 For we all stumble in many ways.
-Since the Fall of Adam, this is the universal situation of humanity (Rom 3:23)
–NOTE the Biblical balance: 2:14-26 (faith without works is dead); 3:2 (we all stumble in many ways)
-Comforted me this week as I see own many stumbling: jealousy; self-control; impatience; pride
-POWER AND POTENTIAL OF THE TONGUE (2b-5a)
–POTENTIAL (2b): If we control our tongue, we are “perfect” (also translated “MATURE”) and control our body
-Vital link between what we say and what we do
-POWERFUL (3-5a): We can do great things with our speech.
-Examples of small things doing great and powerful things: horses and ships (3-4)
-The tongue is small, yet it boasts of great things (5a)
*GREAT THINGS: Wise teacher; Honest Lawyer; Reassuring Friend; Marriage proposal;
*GREAT GOSPEL THINGS: Preaching the gospel; faithful discipleship; prayers;
II. Our Tongues have Become Perverse (5b-8)
Imagine a world without gossip, complaining, lying, flattery, harsh words, self-righteous words, perverted jokes, blasphemy
-Sadly that is the way things are: we live in an ocean of sinful words around us and coming out of our own mouths.
-Our speech has become poisonous and perverse and crooked
-FIRES of the Tongues (5b-6)
-Small spark leads to great forest fire (5b)
-One word or comment can lead to tremendous and long-lasting damage
–Spurgeon (Oct 19, 1856)—‘fire!’ and 7 died and 28 seriously injured
-Tongue ITSELF is a fire, a world of unrighteousness (6a)
JEFF ROBINSON “Taming the Tongue” 9 Ways of Sinful Speech:
1. Gossip and Slander. Gossip: Sharing something about someone that you wouldn’t say in front of them; Slander: “open, intentional sharing of damaging information another person”
2. Critical Talk: ungodly criticism of others.
3. Sarcasm: Mockery and scorn of another (not to be confused with playful, loving sarcasm between friends)
4. Boasting and Flattery: Boasting: bragging about myself; Flattery: using compliments and kind words to deceive.
5. Lies and Deceit: Telling what is not true; false accusations.
6. Angry words and Grumbling: Sinful anger and complaining.
7. Judgmental Words: self-righteous judging of others.
8. Cursing and Taking God’s Name in Vain: swearing and using God’s name as a cuss word.
9. Careless Words: thoughtlessness in our speech. (Man criticized for his voice and didn’t sing for decades in church)
-Staining the whole body (6b)
-Our words bring moral filth and dirtiness to ourselves and others
-Setting on fire the entire course of life (6c)
-Our words can change someone’s entire life for the worse
-Sad stories on the news of words or pictures shared/bullying on social media and teenagers taking their own lives
-Set on fire by hell (6d)
-The Devil is a liar and the way we use our tongue reflects his character
-Tongue is Untamable (7-8)
-We can tame beasts, but not the tongue (7-8a)
-We can’t stop saying what we should not say
-ALSO, we can’t get our tongues to speak when they ought to speak!
-“King’s Speech” (2010 movie about King George IV speech impediment)
-NOTE: No “HUMAN” can do this… (hint of where we find our hopeàGod)
-The tongue is a restless evil and full of deadly poison (8b)
-“Restless”=keep wanting to do more and more evil;
-“Deadly poison”=our words bring death
SUMMARY: Our tongues are instruments of great power but have poisonous and destructive toward those around us and ourselves.
-We need a solution for our tongue problem, and we find this in the gospel.
GOSPEL: We Might be Made New and Start Speaking in Way that is Pure and Pleasing to God (9-12)
If we are going to have real change in the way we speak, it must start from the inside out
-We need to be ‘born again’ and experience the miracle of spiritual regeneration
-A new heart leads to new ways of speaking.
-WE NEED A NEW BIRTH! Matt 15:18-20 (new birth)
-Sadly, we’re not always consistent in this as Christians, and James points this out for us.
-James’ Assessment: THESE THINGS OUT NOT TO BE SO! (9-12)
-Two Contradictory uses of the same tongue (9-10a)
-James’ assessment: “My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (10b)
-Nature produces what it produces: Springs, fig trees, grapevines, ponds (11-12)
JESUS: Purifies our Speech and Produces a New Way of Speaking for the Glory of God!
-Consider Jesus’ pure speech
-Jesus never lied, gossiped, slandered, complained
-Jesus taught, healed, prayed, instructed
-Jesus gave us kind and true invitations to come to Him and experience His Life: John 7:37-38
-Jesus’ Received the Impact of Impure and Sinful Speech
-Pharisees told lies about him: cast our demons by the power of demon
-Religious leaders tried to trap him with questions
-As God, today people use his name as a swear word
(NOTE: people don’t do that with Budha, or Muhammad)
*We will be held accountable for our sins, including our sins of the tongue Matt 12:36
-Gospel Purifies and Brings about New Birth
-At the cross, in great LOVE, Jesus took on all the guilt and punishment for our sinful speech and actions
-Jesus dealt with our perverted and poisonous way of speaking, and all our sins at the cross.
-Through the gospel, we are washed cleaned of all our sins—includes the sins of the tongue
-We’re made pure, and our speech becomes pleasing to God:
GOSPEL APPEAL:
UNBELIEVER: The Bible is honest with us
-Things are not the way they should, including how we use our speech
-You will be held accountable before God for your sinful words and all of your other sins
-Come to Jesus, and experiencing the purifying and new life that only God can give. (John 7:37-38)
BELIEVER: Gospel Produces a new way of speaking and singing, for the glory of God.
-Repent of the sinful ways you are speaking (Phil 2:14-15)
-Remember, in the gospel you have been saved to your tongues differently.
-By God’s grace, in the power of the Holy Spirit, speak words that good, pure, and pleasing to God
-Use your words speak life to the lost
-Use your words to build up other Christians—teaching, encouraging, praying, comforting, correcting.
-Use your words to sing to and worship God.
C: Our speech has great power but has become perverse; yet, in the gospel, we might be made new and begin to speak in way that is good and pleasing to God.
