Introduction: The classic movie, A Christmas Story, is a nostalgic look at growing up in Gary, Indiana, through the eyes of a boy named Ralphy. One scene depicts a school recess in the middle of winter. Two boys surrounded by their classmates argue whether a person’s tongue will stick to a metal pole in below-freezing weather.

Eventually one of the boys succumbs to the infamous “triple-dog dare.” Hesitantly he sticks his tongue out and touches it to the school flagpole.

Sure enough, it gets stuck. The recess bell rings. Everyone runs into the school building, everyone except the hapless victim. When the teacher finally looks out the window, she sees the boy writhing in pain, his tongue frozen to the flagpole.

While few of us have been in that predicament, we all know what it’s like to have our tongues get us in trouble. When we suffer the pain that eventually recoils upon everyone who speaks boastful words, lying words, bitter and cruel words, hypocritical or doubting words, we learn the truth of the proverb, Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. (Prov. 21:23).

 

This AM we are going to examine what is one of the main passages of scripture in the New Testament concerning the proper use of our tongue as Christians.  James zeros in on the uncontrolled tongue and all the damage it brings so that believers will wake up to how they are using their tongue.  It can be a force for good or a great force of evil.

 

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF A CONTROLLED TONGUE--3:1,2

 

A. For Teachers

 

1. James is making it clear that only those whom God has chosen should be in the position of teaching God’s Word, and those who are in that position must never lose sight of the great responsibility that lies with teaching others what God’s Word says.

 

2. There must have been a problem of many striving to be teachers in the churches James was writing to.  Obviously, there must be a desire to be a teacher and I believe God puts that desire in the heart.  But like Ananias and Saphirra in Acts 5 who wanted to be honored  and respected like Barnabas yet lied to the Holy Spirit of God and died, so there must have been many who wanted the honor of the office but were not giving any thought to the how or what they taught with their tongue. 

 

3. James says that teachers will be held to a higher standard at the Judgment Seat of Christ because they have been giving the responsibility and privilege of teaching and preaching God’s Word.  That day can be a time of great honor and praise because the teacher has rightly divided the Word of truth and lived it out in their own life, or it can be a day of great shame because many have been led astray because of not rightly dividing the Word of truth before those who were taught.

 

4. What is the ramification of what James has just said here in light of the fact that the Body of Christ needs teachers and preachers?  Only mature believers ought to be considered for positions of teaching in the local church.  Such mature believers have proven to others that they are walking with the Lord, love His Word, and respect His Word in their obedience to it.  Such a person must continually keep before them what they have been asked to do by God and the local body of believers - teach God’s Word.  I believe this warning should also be extended to all times when the Word of God is taught in a group setting.  Whenever the Word of God is opened up and studied and such studies have a leader, the Word of God must be rightly divided.  The teacher of such a study time must always keep before themselves the seriousness of what they are doing.  They should always be examining themselves and making sure that they have properly studied the scriptures and are interpreting them rightly.  People are walking away from those times in the Word with some ideas of what they should be doing and it had better be what God desires and not what we desire!

 

B. For all Believers

 

1. A controlled tongue is not just important for teachers, but as the rest of this passage emphasizes, it is necessary for all believers.

 

2. Is there any person who has perfect control over their tongue?  Most likely not.  Should we construe from that truth that it is impossible to control what comes out of our mouth?  If that were true then the rest of this passage and message would be pointless, wouldn’t it?

 

3. Believers who have allowed the Word of God to permeate their heart, soul, and life have learned to control their tongue over the years, but even they sometimes fail.    James says that when a believer has learned to control what comes out of their mouth, they will also be known as a person who has control over all parts of their life. 

 

4. Before we go to the next point in James’ argument here, let me ask each here a question: Do you really want to bridle your whole body, soul, and mind for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ?  If you earnestly answered that question with a resounding “yes” in your heart then follow closely what follows in the message today about what is true concerning a person with an uncontrolled tongue.  The believer with an out-of-control tongue will never be a mature Christian capable of really serving God.  Don’t forget that!

 

II. THE NEED FOR A CONTROLLED TONGUE--3:3-6

Have you ever noticed how small things can make a big difference in your life?  How many aching teeth does it take to really mess up your day?  Usually just one.  For a person allergic to bee stings, how many bee stings does it take to bring on a dangerous reaction? Just one small bee sting.  How many malfunctioning spark plugs does it take to have an engine not running smoothly? Just one.  James uses this same concept to teach about the need to have a controlled tongue and what damage can come when it is uncontrolled.

James uses a number of illustrations from real life to make his point.

 

A. The power for good of something small controlling something large--3:3-5a

 

1. The horse bit

 

a. This illustration follows naturally from what James wrote at the end of verse 2.

b. A bit is only a small part of the whole bridle, but that one small part in the mouth of a horse can be used to turn that horse wherever the rider wants it to go.  The bit is small in comparison to the whole horse, but it can control that large horse.

 

2. The ship helm and rudder

 

a. Ships have grown larger and larger over the centuries since James wrote these words, but one things has not changed - the helm and rudder are relatively small in comparison to the size of the ship.

b. If James was writing today he might speak of the steering wheel in our cars and trucks.  Compared to the whole vehicle the steering wheel is relatively small but it effectively allows us to turn the vehicle wherever we want it to take us.

 

3. The human tongue

 

a. This is where James was taking his readers with the previous two illustrations.  The horse’s bit and the ship’s helm and rudder are small but hold a powerful control over the whole horse or ship. 

b. The tongue in our mouth is a small muscle but like the bit and rudder, it can have a powerful control for good or evil in the life of every one of us here today.

c. Our tongue has the power of steering the ship of our life to the safety of the harbor or to crash that same life upon the rocks.  We will see more of this second result in the later part of verse 5 and in verse 6.

d. For now though we need to reflect upon the extreme good that can come from rightly controlling our tongue.  Consider how many people you can encourage and lift up with your words of encouragement each day.  Consider the words of wisdom that can issue from your heart and mouth when the heart and tongue are under the control of Jesus Christ.  Consider the generations to come in your family that could be influenced by what you say today to your children and your children’s children!  There is so much more room for improvement in everyone of our lives in this area if only we would stop and reflect upon how much power for good is found in our what we say.  Consider the good news of the gospel that you could share with your redeemed tongue to one who needs a Savior. 

 

B. The damage done by something small when not controlled--3:5b-6

 

Ÿ         James makes the transition from the good that can be done with the tongue to the evil that it usually does with the phrase in verse 5: “and boasteth great things.  Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!”   Boy, alot of things start going down hill when boasting comes into the picture!  How often do we find ourselves boasting about what we have done, rather than lifting up another? Probably more times than we really want to admit.

 

Ÿ         James chooses the metaphor of fire to make his point.  The illustration of fire is an apt one.  How large of a match can ignite a whole forest of dry timber?  Just one.  How many sparks flying off of a piece of metal dragging behind a vehicle can ignite a forest fire?  I don’t know the exact answer to that one, but one spark can potentially ignite a forest fire. 

 

Ÿ         Since the Holy Spirit of God laid the metaphor of fire on James’ heart and soul, he goes forward to explain the damage that this “little fire”, our tongue, causes when allowed to get out-of-control.

 

1. The character of the tongue - “a world of iniquity”

Ÿ         What an interesting way to describe what the tongue is capable of doing!

Ÿ         The word “world” speaks of the entire moral system, beliefs, and philosophies that are opposed and alein to God.

Ÿ         The tongue that has been set on fire will manifest the vast system of iniquity that is against God!

 

2. The influence of the tongue - “so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body...”

 

a. It can defile the whole body

Ÿ         Our words can defile the whole body. 

Ÿ         Our tongue, to personify it, desires to rule over all the other members of our body, if we allow it to.  Our tongue is so small yet what we think in our heart and what comes out of our mouth directly affects the rest of the body.  What happens physiologically when you get all worked up and begin running at the mouth toward another person?  Your heart rate goes up, your blood pressure goes up, you may begin to sweat, your stress level goes way up, etc.  How do other people perceive you as a person when you have become labeled as a person who cannot control their tongue?  They see you not your tongue.

 

Illustration: 2 Samuel 13 records for us the story of Jonadab, Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom.  Jonadab’s words to Amnon resulted in Amnon raping his sister Tamar, and eventually being murdered by another brother, Absalom.  His words to Amnon to get what he wanted from Tamar had long lasting results in David’s family for years to come.

 

b. It can defile a whole life

Ÿ         Some Bible scholars that I read from while preparing this message suggested that the phrase “setteth on fire the course of nature”  is speaking of ones whole life.  An uncontrolled tongue can set ablaze the whole forest of a person’s life and burn from one end of it to the other.

Ÿ         There is nothing sadder than to see people who have lived many years on this earth and yet they have never learned to control what comes out of their mouth.

Ÿ         Sadly, some people are label by others as gossipers, or fiery tongued, or untrustworthy because all their life they have been consumed with an uncontrolled tongue that they have never bothered to deal with.

 

3. The source of the tongue’s fire - “it is set on fire of hell”

Ÿ         “Gehenna” is the Greek word translated as “hell” in this phrase, and it means “the place of punishment for the unbelieving dead” Matthew 10:28 says, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 

Ÿ         Outside the gospel accounts, this is the only place that the word “Gehenna” is used in the New Testament.  The word is the Greek form of a place called the valley of Hinnom which was outside Jerusalem and was a dump.  The garbage there would be burned and would smolder constantly.

Ÿ         Jesus used the term to speak of the seat of Satan’s operations.  Thus, the uncontrolled tongue can be inflamed by Satan himself.

Ÿ         James has united three subversive tenets in these verses in regard to the uncontrolled tongue: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

 

Application: Let me ask you a question.  The last time you allowed your tongue to become out-of-control and you said things that you should not have said, and you hurt people just to hurt them - did you realize that such speech originates from the pits of hell itself?  We probably really didn’t give it any thought at all, but according to God’s Word here in James 3 that is exactly where such a fire comes from.  That desire to lash out with one’s tongue and speech does not originate with God!

 

III. THE DIFFICULTY IN CONTROLLING THE TONGUE--3:7,8

Ÿ         The backdrop of James’ teaching concerning the difficulty in controlling the tongue is the work of mankind in subduing wild creatures.  These include the four basic animal groups that the scriptures mention right from Creation: those that walk, those that fly, those that crawl, and those that swim.

 

Ÿ         God gave to man the right to have dominion over all the animals, but the sad reality is that the one who has been called to rule the animals is unable to tame his own tongue! Only with God’s power is there any hope for a controlled tongue.

 

James utilizes two more word pictures to illustrate the uncontrolled, untamed tongue that is so dangerous and damaging

 

1. “Unruly evil”

Ÿ         This word “unruly” can be translated as “restless” or “unrestrainable” or “unstable” (James 1:8).  It portrays an untamed animal restlessly pacing back and forth in it’s cage or in the wild and woe to anyone or anything that crosses its path.

Ÿ         The human uncontrolled tongue is just like that!  Some people act like caged animals and it shows up in their speech - the filth and depravity that issues from their mouth.  Since the word “unstable” is one way to translated “unruly” I believe we could say that this is another way of describing the double minded man who is thus unstable in all his ways - including his speech.

 

2. “Full of deadly poison”

Ÿ         The bite of the human tongue can be deadly.  Though this is also true on the physical level, it is also true on the emotional and spiritual level.

Ÿ         Notice what it says in Romans 3:13, 14 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:  Paul is quoting Psalm 140:3 which says, They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah. 

Ÿ         What is the physically effect of snake venom on the human being?  Of course it depends upon the type of venomous snake but here are the main things it can do - none of them good - bring about respiratory collapse, cause muscle degeneration, degeneration of the blood vessels resulting in hemorrhaging, and  can cause cardiac arrest. 

Ÿ         Because the human tongue is full of deadly poison, venom, it is hard for people to tame it.  That deadly poison builds up and up and then is released in one fatal bite upon another person who happen to get to close to us, or ruffled our feathers one to many times, or stepped on us.

Ÿ         Because of these two illustrations our tongue is very difficult to tame and subdue.  The reason it is hard to subdue and tame is because we are not willing to let God work a change in our heart and soul.  We are not willing to take the steps that are necessary to see some changes come in regard to our tongue.

 

IV. THE INCONSISTENCY OF AN UNCONTROLLED TONGUE--3:9-12

James makes two observations about the tongue’s inconsistency:

 

1. From humanity: Opposites ought not come from the same source--3:9,10

From the same tongue that blesses God on Sunday and in our worship times with Him, there also comes the cursing of people who are made the image of God.

The same mouth speaks blessings and then speaks curses!  James simply says, “My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”

This is talking with a forked tongue.

 

2. From nature: Opposites cannot come from the same source--3:11,12

a. Fresh and salty water cannot come from the same fountain or spring.  It is either one or the other.

b. You will never find opposites in the plant kingdom.  The tree is known by its fruit. (Luke 6:44,45; 7:16-18)

 

Conclusions To Live By:

 

1. The tongue reveals the true condition of the heart.  Proverbs 15:4 says, A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.  Did you catch the last part of that verse?  When the tongue is not being used in a way that honors God and honors others, then that tells us that there is something wrong on the inside, in the spirit of the person.  We don’t say angry, hurtful words when the joy of the Lord has flooded our heart; only when our heart is fill with rage and wrath.  How about the first phrase of that verse in Proverbs 15:4 “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life”  When our heart is right with God and we desire to obey God’s Word, then the words that come out of our mouth are wholesome, they build others up, rather than tear them down and apart.  The same thought is found in Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

 

2. Only the yielded to God tongue can bring honor and glory to God and others.

Romans 6:12, 13 says,  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

The apostle Paul has just taught that since we have been justified by the work and blood of Jesus Christ, then it stands to reason that as believers we should desire to put away sin in our life.  He tells the Roman believers that since we are now God’s people we need to yield our bodies to the Lord, every part, including our tongue, so that we can be instruments of righteousness unto God.  All to often our tongue is not yield to God and it still acts like it is part of our old life before we were saved.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, have you made the decision to yield your whole body and soul to Jesus Christ so that they can be weapons of righteousness for God?  We are confronted almost on a daily basis with reports from the Middle East and Iraq of people who have given their bodies as weapons to kill infidels.  They are called suicide bombers.  They have been mislead to believe that by blowing themselves up around the enemy they will be right with God.  Of course they are wrong based on the Word of God, but how about us.  God is not asking us to be suicide bombers, but he is asking us to give our whole body, including our tongue and the heart it is attached to, completely to Him so that we can be effective weapons in His kingdom. 

 

Has this passage of scripture grabbed the attention of everyone of us here today?  I hope it has.  I encourage all here to do some deep reflecting upon how you use your tongue and the issues of the heart that drive what comes out of our mouths.  With God’s help we can have victory over this besetting sin but only if we choose to apply the scriptures to our life.  God help us to do that!