Our words have power, use them wisely.
We love to talk. There are talk shows everywhere. Everybody seems to have something to say. Statistics on the average American: you have at least 30 conversations a day and you’ll spend 1/5 of your life talking. In one year your conversations will fill 66 books of 800 pages a book. If you’re a man you speak an average of 5 to 15,000 words a day. If you’re a woman you speak 10-20,000 words a day. Like the guy who was asked, “Do you resent that your wife has the last word?” He replied, “No, I’m just glad when she finally gets to it!” Or the wife who broke her jaw. When they took an X ray it turned out to be a motion picture.
Our mouths can get us into a lot of trouble. James talks more about the tongue than anybody else in the New Testament. Every chapter in the book of James says something about managing your mouth, but chapter 3 the most.
The first warning James gives is fairly surprising. James says that “not many should become teachers.” This seems counterintuitive. Why would James say that Christians should rethink the idea of becoming teachers? James cannot be saying that no one should be a teacher because then there would be no one to preach the gospel. In fact, Paul said that “God gave shepherds, evangelists, and teachers for the equipping of the saints.” God wants teachers. I think we can infer that there were Christians who were saying, “Why don’t I get my turn to be a teacher? I should be a teacher.” I think there were people then, as there can be today, who see teachers as having a glorious position, with the opportunity to stand in front of the group, as if there is personal glory in that. But James begins with a warning that easily overlooked. Do you also want to be judged more strictly? Are you prepared to be judged with a greater strictness? It is certainly true that teachers are judged by other Christians more strictly. But that is not what James is talking about. James is referring to God’s judgment.
Why will teachers be judged with a greater strictness? James explains in verse 2, and the sentence begins with the word, “for,” showing us that James is explaining this teaching. The reason teachers will be judged with a stricter judgment is because “we all stumble in many ways.” One of the ways we stumble is in our words. How true! We have many areas of weaknesses and points of falling short of God’s desire and will. But one area in which we stumble is in what we say. The implication is fairly clear. Teachers must talk more. Therefore, teachers will be under a stricter judgment not only because they speak the truths of God and that matters but also because they likely have said more words than those who are not teachers.
- Our Words have Power
James says, if you can control your mouth, you’re perfect. He’s not talking about sinless. The word “perfection” in Greek literally means “mature, healthy“.
When you go to the doctor and say, I’m not feeling good. The first thing he says is “Stick out your tongue.” Your tongue reveals what’s going on inside of you, not just physically but spiritually.
“The proof that God’s Spirit is in your life is not that you speak in an unknown tongue but you control the tongue you do know.” Sidlow Baxter:
James now explains why the tongue must be controlled. The tongue is a very important part of the body. James uses three illustrations to express what the tongue is like and why it must be controlled.
(1) A bit in the horse’s mouth. The first comparison is that of a bit in the horse’s mouth. Horses obey their riders because the bit is put in the horses’ mouths and the riders pull the reigns so that the bit moves the horse. That bit is what riders use to control the whole body. This is an important observation that James is making. The bit controls the whole body of the horse.
(2) The rudder of a ship. Large ships are driven by strong waves and wind. However, though the ship is large and is tossed by the winds, it has a very small rudder that guides the boat by the will of the pilot. The first observation is similar to the first illustration. The bit controls the whole body. The rudder controls the whole ship. The second observation was implied in the first illustration but is expressly stated in this illustration. James implied that the rider of the horse has control over the animal. James now expressly states that the pilot of the ship has control over the large ship with the rudder. In both illustrations someone has control over the whole body.
(3) A fire. The final illustration is how a small spark can set ablaze a great forest. We see this in California all the time. A careless camper or a cigarette butt and millions of acres have burned because of it. However, the fire illustration adds one more dimension to James’s teaching. A fire is a devastating and destructive thing.
I wonder how many people because of a careless word have destroyed their marriage, or their career, or their reputation, or the reputation of another, or their church, or a friendship. The tongue not only has the power to direct where you go but also to destroy what you have if you don’t learn to control it. It’s like a fire.
The conclusion is at the beginning of verse 5. So also the tongue is a small member but it boasts of great things. The tongue is this small member but it gets us in a lot of trouble. A modern comparison would be that the tongue is like a steering wheel. It is small, but it controls where we go. The first important point that James wants us to take away from these illustrations is that if we can master our words, we can also master our lives.
Winning the battle of the tongue goes a long way to winning all of our other battles. By controlling the tongue we will exercise greater mastery over the other members of our body.
“Set on fire by hell“ itself. A couple comes in for marriage counseling. “I said this and then she said that, then I said this…” Then what happened? “All hell broke loose”. Our words can cause “all hell to break loose.” James says you’ve got to learn to manage your mouth, not only because it can direct where you go but it can destroy what you have. You can loose your family, your kids, your career simply by what you say. It’s like a fire and its a source of evil.
James uses another illustration. He talks about a zoo. “All kinds of animals have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It’s humanly impossible. Only God can do it.
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (vs.7-8) Of all the animals we’ve tamed, no man can tame the tongue, humanly speaking. He says it’s restless. That means it’s always liable to break out at any moment. Restless, always liable to break out. You never know what your mouth is going to say.
It’s like poison. The word in Greek is literally “snake venom”. Just a few drops can kill. You can assassinate somebody with your words. Assassinate their character. The tongue is a deadly weapon.
2. Our Words cause Problems.
James observes how inconsistent we are with our tongues. With our tongues we bless the Lord, but then we curse people who were made in the very image and likeness of God. From the same mouth flows blessings and curses. How is this possible? Why do we do this? But this is most certainly what happens. One moment we can be saying beautiful, upbuilding words and at the next moment tear a person down with our words.
Let us feel force of James’s words. “My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” This is just plain wrong. This has a connection back to the double-minded person in James 1:8. We are not fully dependent and loyal to Jesus. We have not surrendered our tongue to Jesus. We have not decided to bridle our tongues. We just speak our minds. We cannot be God-focused and have a critical, filthy, or impure tongue. Our words of worship should condemn our consciences for all the things we have used our mouths for this week. How is it that our mouths are praising God when we said the kinds of things we said to other people yesterday? How can our mouths claim Jesus to be the Lord when last week we said all kinds of improper things?
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 ESV
Verses 11-12 drives a stake into our hearts. A spring cannot pour out fresh water and salt water. Also, a fig tree cannot bear olives. A grapevine cannot produce figs. A salt pond cannot yield fresh water. What is the point with all of these examples? A disciple cannot have a mouth that speaks curses, hurtful words, inconsiderate words, impure words, or words that do not build up. James’s implication is very clear. Springs do not produce fresh and salt water. Christians should not speak blessings and curses. Fig trees don’t bear olives and Christians do not allow their tongues to go unchecked or uncontrolled.
My problem is not really my tongue. My problem is my heart. What’s inside is what comes out. My mouth eventually betrays what is really on the inside of me. I can fool you and pretend but eventually my tongue is going to catch me. It’s going to let you know what’s really inside.
Have you heard this excuse? Someone says something really mean or hurtful and they say, “I don’t know what got into me. It’s not like me to say that. I don’t know why I said that. It’s totally out of character. I didn’t really mean it.” James would say, Yes, it is. It’s just like you. You meant it. Quit kidding yourself. What’s inside is going to come out. You don’t have a spring that one minute gives salt water and the next gives fresh water. That’s inconsistent. It’s a natural law: what comes out of the well is what is inside of it.
If I have a problem with my mouth, I have a problem with my HEART
Jesus said in Matthew 12:34 “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Jesus explained the Freudian slip years before Freud even existed. He said what’s inside of you is what’s going to come out. My tongue just displays what I am. It directs where I go. It can destroy what I have. But most of all, it simply displays what I am. It reveals my character.
If you’ve got a problem with your tongue, it’s much more serious that you think. You have a heart problem. A person with a harsh tongue has an angry heart. A person with a negative tongue has a fearful heart. A person with an overactive tongue has an unsettled heart. A person with a boasting tongue has an insecure heart. A person with a filthy tongue has an impure heart. A person who is critical all the time has a bitter heart.
On the other hand, a person who is always encouraging has a happy heart. A person who speaks gently has a loving heart. A person who speaks truthfully has an honest heart.
What do we need? Ezekiel 18:31 “Rid yourself of all the offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit!” Painting the outside of the pump doesn’t make any difference if there is poison in the well. I can change the outside externals, I can turn over a new leaf, but what I really need is a new life. What I need is a fresh start. I need to let go of all the past and be born again and start over. I need to get a new heart.
How do I get a new heart? 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new person. The old has passed away. Behold all things have become new.” New life, new heart, new spirit. When you come to Jesus Christ, He wipes out everything you’ve done in the past. He says You’re starting over. It’s like being born again. You need a new heart.
We need to pray like David prayed in Psalm 51 “Create in me a clean heart, O God” because what’s in my heart is going to come out in my mouth.
A bit and a rudder must be under the hand of a strong arm. James is saying that the only way to get control of your tongue is let Jesus Christ have control of your heart. What’s in your heart is going to come out in your mouth. You let Christ’s hand be on your bit, your rudder and let Him direct your life.
Darrell
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