Welcome to Day 2125 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

James – Wisdom Is Faith in Action 7 – Controlling Your Tongue – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church Message – 10/17/2021

James: Wisdom Is Faith in Action – Controlling Your Tongue

We are continuing our series today on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the book of James. Last we focused on Faith and Works, and how they must go together like hand in glove. As part of the Faith and Works life, we must learn to control our tongues or “zip your lips” in today’s vernacular. James 3:1-12 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.  Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. In last week’s message, James 2:14-26, the half-brother of our Lord, zoomed in on his central message—real faith produces genuine works. Throughout the letter from James, a probing question holds his whole theme together: “If you say you believe as you should, why do you behave like you shouldn’t?” In 3:1-12, James develops this general theme in a very specific direction: controlling the tongue. No other section of the Bible speaks with greater clarity and impact on the potential destructive power of our words. We might summarize this powerful passage as a question: “If you say you believe as you should, why do you say things you shouldn’t?” 3:1-2 James begins his indictment against the tongue with a surprising introduction. At first glance, it looks as though he’s attacking and condemning the ministry of teaching in the church. But on closer examination, we realize he’s trying to protect the ministry of teaching. James begins with a direct imperative to his readers: not many of you should become teachers in the church. It’s a warning, not a condemnation. The reason? Because teachers—those responsible for speaking God’s truth fully and accurately—will fall under stricter judgment.  They are held to higher accountability. Why does a teacher receive stricter judgment than the learner? Several reasons come to mind. First, a teacher is responsible for speaking the truth, not personal opinions. You and I have seen teachers that have strayed from the truth into the realm of their speculations. Second, what a teacher says affects many lives. Sometimes it’s an overwhelming feeling I experience before a message on Sunday morning. The responsibility to handle God’s Word accurately can’t be taken lightly. Too many people’s lives are at stake to just wing it. Third, teachers must live the truth, not just teach it. The real test of teachers isn’t just what they say in a message, what their lives and families say. The extent of a person’s ministry isn’t the size of their churches; it’s the depth of their personal and family life. Teachers must never forget that. James 3:2 especially applies to the teacher. Nobody is infallible. Everybody stumbles in many ways. But teachers can cause a whole crowd of people to stumble with them when they stumble. The tongue is the teacher’s indispensable tool. But an ignorant, deceptive, or wicked tongue can be a disastrous weapon. James says we’ll become the object of God’s judgment if we are responsible for teaching but have a loose tongue. Every teacher should consider that James states with uncompromising clarity: Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way (2). Because there was only one perfect Man, the logical conclusion is that we will stumble in what we say. So we teachers must take the warning with utmost seriousness. A couple of clarifying remarks are necessary before we dig into the remaining meat of the passage. First, James is not condemning teaching. On the contrary, the church needs willing, gifted, trained, and qualified teachers. James is warning against hurrying into it without realizing what a profound responsibility it is. Second, James is not condoning silence or promoting silence. He’s urging self-control. And this self-control begins not with the tongue but with the heart. Jesus’ words in Matthew 15 set the proper theological background for James’s practical teaching about the tongue. Jesus tells us that the fundamental problem is not the tongue, but the heart. The tongue is just the messenger that carries the words from the heart. The tongue is the bucket that dips into the well and pours freshwater or poison. Let me show you an example.  I have two identical containers of clean water with a red lid representing our tongues. If we allow our hearts to be polluted by the world, then our hearts will be filled with pollution, so what is in your heart pours from our mouths. Christ addressed the serious responsibility of teachers, calling the Pharisees “blind guides of the blind,” who were leading their followers into a pit (Matthew 15:14). Listen to Jesus’ words in Matthew 15:10-11. Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Now that we understand this root problem of the heart, let’s observe how James develops his thoughts regarding the tongue. 3:3-5 The tongue is tiny but extremely powerful. James wants to impress this fact on our minds so we won’t underestimate the effects it can have, both positively and negatively. To do so, he gives us three analogies for the power of the tongue. First, the tongue is like a bit in a horse’s mouth (3). A small piece of rope, a few leather straps, or a uniquely shaped metal strap controls the movement of an entire horse. Similarly, the tongue can steer the direction of a person’s life. Second, the tongue is like the rudder of a ship (4). Paula and I have been blessed to be on several cruises. Just think of a giant cruise ship—a towering, floating hotel with 5,000 guests and 2,000 staff members. But that massive steel hulk can be steered by a comparatively small metal flap, determining the ship's course. The first two illustrations, steering a horse and piloting a ship, are neutral. They could have either positive or negative results. But James’s third analogy reminds us of the potential danger of the tongue: In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. Suppose you take a spark, a glowing ember, or smoldering ash and drop it in the wrong place; hundreds of thousands of acres of forest can be destroyed, as we see in California every year. By analogy, the tongue is a tiny spark but can set hundreds of lives ablaze. Likewise, an unchecked tongue can assassinate a person’s character, destroy a reputation, and even ruin a church. Our words can build unity or demolish it. The tongue can encourage fellowship or destroy it. Our mouths can form a community or fracture it. The tongue is a small but powerful member. Yes, it can do tremendous good, like heating our homes. But it also has the potential to do incalculable harm. 6-8 James further develops the image of the tongue as fire, moving to an even more candid picture to demonstrate that the tongue is necessary, but dangerous. Observe some things about James’s vivid terms to describe this tiny muscle tucked behind our teeth. First, look at those intriguing phrases:

• It is a whole world of wickedness
• It corrupts your entire body.
• It can set your whole life on fire.
• It is set on fire by hell itself.

What harsh words! James says the full range of iniquity finds an outlet through the tongue. Think about that. It’s virtually impossible to seethe with anger without expressing our rage in words. Bitterness sours our speech. Pride prattles on and on. Hate explodes from the lips. The tongue can suddenly turn an otherwise gentle person into a monster. It’s a “world of iniquity.” The tongue is also connected to hell. Isn’t that interesting? Look at the relationship. The tongue is set on fire by hell—and then it sets the entire course of our lives. In Greek, the word translated as “hell” is Gehenna. The word only appears in Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels and James. The word finds its origin and most common usage among Jews familiar with Jerusalem, so James’s Jewish Christian audience would have caught his meaning instantly. “Gehenna” refers to the Hinnom Valley, which runs along the south side of Jerusalem. (Bulletin Insert) In the days of Jesus and James, residents of Jerusalem stacked all the garbage and filth in Gehenna, where it was often burned. It’s as though James were saying, “You know that stinky, smoldering trash dump south of town? Our tongues are just like that.” When we start our uncontrolled blathering, the garbage in our hearts is set ablaze. And like the putrid smoke that reminds us that garbage is burning in Hinnom Valley, our tongues let everybody hear the wickedness in our hearts. James also refers to the tongue as an untamed beast (7). It seems we can train any animal—from snakes to elephants, tigers to dolphins, and lions to whales—but the wild tongue resists taming. We can’t seem to break that beast. Here is a truth to be remembered. James 3:8 says literally, but no one can tame the tongue. James is talking about subduing our sinful speech with our own power. He says human beings, on their own, can’t keep their tongues in check. But if you know Christ personally, God’s power through the Holy Spirit’s presence can transform your heart and take complete control of the tongue. James also pictures the tongue as restless and evil, full of deadly poison (8). We have a cyanide capsule behind our teeth, ready to break open and spread words of death wherever we go. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to read the many references in Proverbs that encourage us to limit our speech, but two of my favorites are Proverbs 10:19 Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. Proverbs 17:28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.  9-12 James backs up his argument with two illustrations after likening the tongue to a fire, a wild beast, and a deadly poison. The first comes from human experience (9-10). The second comes from nature (11-12). Together these examples demonstrate that the tongue is necessary, but inconsistent. I think all of us can relate to James’s first illustration from human experience. You’re driving along, singing a joyous song of praise to the Lord: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it...” Suddenly some bozo cuts you off, forcing you to slam on your brakes, leaving skid marks on the highway. But worse than that, the tongue you used to praise God suddenly switched gears, and you find yourself cursing or yelling at the guy on the cell phone who couldn’t find a free hand to signal! James says, “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth” (10). Situations like this can happen just as quickly in a family setting. See if you can relate to this example. After a long Sunday morning service, a family sits down to a lovely Sunday lunch. The father bows his head and leads the children in the blessing. He thanks the Lord for the food, for the day, and their home. Shortly after saying “Amen,” the Dad complains about the preacher, the church, his job, and endless other problems in his life. Nothing but complaints poured from his lips. Following all that, his little daughter taps him on the shoulder and says, “Daddy, did God hear you when you said the blessing?” Dad switched to theological authority and answered, “Yes, darling, He did.” “Well,” asks his daughter, “did God hear you when you complained right after you prayed?” “Well... uh, yes, honey, I suppose He did.” “Then, Daddy,” she says, “Which one do you think God believed?” James concludes by illustrating his point from nature. Growing up in the apple orchard, this huge oak tree was near some apple trees at the edge of the woods.  At the bottom of the tree trickled out from an underground spring, some of the sweetest water around. You see, a spring doesn’t produce both fresh and contaminated water, a fig tree doesn’t produce olives, and a grapevine doesn’t produce figs. If our hearts are filled with grace, shouldn’t our lips overflow with goodness? In 11-12, James says the product is consistent with the source. A man who speaks out of both sides of his mouth is a double-minded man we learned about in James 1:8 and will look again at in James 4:8. Just as Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:18, “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.” This sobering thought forces us to ask ourselves, Where is this inconsistent speech coming from? Another example is if we are consistently negative, deceitful, or bitter, we must consider what our tongue reveals about our hearts. We need to think about our speech. We shouldn’t just shrug this off and move on. We must let it sink in. Application: James 3:1-12 Let us take a course on Tongue-Control 101. We’ve all experienced it, haven’t we—the irreversible harm done by an uncontrolled tongue? I’ve seen the countenance of children’s faces wilt under the rage of a father’s tongue. I’ve seen the spirit of a new Christian crushed because of the demeaning and debilitating words of an impatient, older Christian. I’ve seen characters assassinated, reputations ruined, and marriages ripped apart because of an uncontrolled, wicked tongue. The tongue can be a devastating force of enormous destruction! Because of the severity of the problem of the uncontrolled tongue, let’s consider a few simple statements that sum up James’s practical concern. Then, we’ll couple these with some opportunities to apply these principles to our lives. First of all, the tongue defiles. Jesus said that in Matthew 15, and James says it in the first several verses of chapter 3. With just a thoughtless word, it can stain your clean-cut image. The tongue is that powerful. Think about this. Would your server at your favorite restaurant know that you’re a gracious child of God? Or have you defiled your testimony with rude comments, complaints, and criticisms?  Has your testimony been so tarnished by your tongue that anyone at work or groups you belong to be amazed to know that you have a relationship with the Savior? Second, the tongue defies. It resists our attempts at self-control, resolutions, or self-improvement gimmicks. In our own strength, those techniques will not work, at least not permanently. We sometimes casually speak of Christ as Lord of our lives but somehow fail to make Him Lord of our tongues! Have you surrendered control of your speech to the Lord Jesus? Have you yielded to the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work with regard to your speech? No human can tame the tongue. That’s the work of God alone. Third, the tongue displays what you really are. That inner person, hiding behind the nice image we project to others, always finds opportunities to reveal itself through the tongue. The fruit of our lips finds its source in the root of our soul. The answer? Stop all attempts at self-control and surrender to God’s control. He can quench the raging fire. He can tame the snarling beast. He can provide the antidote to the poison of hellish, hateful speech.  James doesn’t rail against the tongue to condemn us for what we’ve done in our past, but to prevent us from allowing this behavior into our future. So now would be an appropriate time to pause and pray. Ask God to change your heart and your tongue today. To change what comes out of our mouths, we must change what we store in our hearts. Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. The filth of the world that is poured into us each day must be filtered through God’s Word so that our hearts remain pure.  The next time you think about filtered water, think about God’s Word. Next our topic brings us back to wisdom as we explore a person who is Wise, Unwise, and Otherwise from James 3:13-18. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next...