Taming the Tongue // James 3

James 3 // Taming the Tongue

 

Christianity is a teaching movement. 

Jesus stated to his disciples go into all the world and tell the world, teach them everything I have taught you…In the early church, Teachers or in other ways might be called Elders, Deacons, Bishops, Pastors or Apostles were highly respected and vital to the initial growth of the early church and they are still to this day…

• • • For the transmission of the Gospel and the foundational teachings of Jesus to be spread, there must be teaching…
    • For the doctrine of the Church…teachers lay groundwork and fences that keep heresies and false distortions of the truth from getting in.
    • For the equipping of the saints…teachers are here to serve and equip the church, building them up in the faith and helping them to discover their spiritual gifts.

 

Teachers no longer need a wooden pulpit but are now given platforms that are digital and non-digital across varied audiences. 

 

I would define Teachers are those who deliver any content meant to spread awareness, inspiration, instruction, insight, or engagement with God’s word that might help others build faith and grow closer to God….

 

This is a worthy calling, to be a communicator of the greatest message of hope in all of human history, but James is warning us that we should be ready to accept  the responsibility of God’s People and be aware of the  accountability to God’s Judgment in our teaching.

 

Consider the INFLUENCE OF THE TONGUE:

 

Words spoken primarily for Knowledge without love is dangerous…there are so many different perspectives, thought patterns, experiences… we might have complete understanding of the content that we teach, but YOU CAN’T SAY TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT..  many times we have no idea how that content will be received because of the magnitude of the depravity and sinful nature of those who might be hearing that message. 

 

James and Paul are saying none of us are perfect and our words have great potential to make others stumble…

 

WORDS CAN TRIP US UP AND SLOW US DOWN OR IGNITE AND INSPIRE TO SHAPE OUR FUTURE!!

• • • Our tongues have the influence to determine  character. = who we BECOME
    • Our tongues have the influence to determine our destiny. = where we GO

 

 

Consider the INIQUITY OF THE TONGUE:

 

90% of all wildfires are started by humans. …whether its a cigarette that you fell asleep with in your hand, or a kid playing with fire…all it takes is a spark, and devastation and destruction is upon us…

 

It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. — Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005), Jas 3:5–6.

 

James has three different phrases to describe the iniquity of the tongue:

• A “World of Iniquity” — this term is the direct opposite to truthfulness and rightness…our tongues have the power to rewrite the narrative, to spin the truth, so that our world is turned upside down…
• “Our very existence” — I call it the triple C, the critic, cynic and complainer all have the ability to define our very existence…our tongues can determine our perspective of relationships, circumstance and decisions.
• “Set on fire by hell itself” — hell is termed “Gehenna” where the trash is…James is saying that our words can ignite all the trash in our world…the trash of hatred, racism, prejudice, lust, pride, envy, …

 

Consider the INCONSISTENCY OF THE TONGUE:

 

• • • Our words are meant to Bring REFRESHMENT. - Proverbs 11:25 says he who refreshes others, shall be refreshed himself…Matthew 25, Jesus said I was thirsty and you gave something to drink…
    • Our words are meant to Bear FRUIT. — what do your words speak? Proverbs 18:21 says the power of life and death are in the tongue…Jesus said that a good man brings good that is stored up in his heart, but an evil man bring out evil, for out of the mouth the heart speaks…

 

So, James in this passage paints a very sobering and hopeless picture of humanity and our inability to control our tongue…we stumble, we are imperfect, we can’t tame it, we set forest fires, we breed poison, we curse…

 

Romans 14:12: "So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." This verse reminds believers that ultimately, we will have to answer to God for our actions and decisions.

 

Hebrews 4:13: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." This verse emphasizes that God sees everything and that there is no hiding from His knowledge and judgment.

 

2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

 

Jesus was not silent about the judgment of our words…

 

Luke 12:1-3 (the message) By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other’s toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day’s coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.

 

Your tongue has the power to influence, so pray that the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart may be pleasing unto God and bring refreshment to others bearing the fruit of self-control, gentleness and kindness.