Proverbs 18:21
“Life and death are in the power of
the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Our tongues, or the words we speak can
be one of the most powerful forces know to man. Words have been known
to set the course of individuals and nations.
A lot of movies tend to portray this,
you find a leader giving his team a speech that inspires them to
triumph. The President in the movie 'Independence Day' where he
inspires the small group of pilots to attack the alien spaceship. Or
in Braveheart, Mel Gibson as William Wallace gives an inspiring
speech that motivates his men to fight the English.
History has also shown that words can
be used to corrupt people and destroy nations. Hitler used words to
drive his hate machine to conquer countries and kill many innocent
people.
The tongue can inspire a young person
to overcome the challenges in front of them or can make them feel
like they are completely worthless. Words, the tongue, arguably the
most powerful thing in the world.
James the man who is not afraid to tell
it like it is, has something to say about your tongue.
James 3:1-2
“3 Not many should
become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter
judgment, 2 for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not
stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to
control his whole body.”
Why does James start
talking about teachers? It is a warning. The tongue is the primary
tool for teachers and James is warning us that it will not be an easy
road and we will be held to a higher standard. This is not to scare
away people from being teachers in any form, it is a reminder that
our tongue will condemn us.
When most of us think
about a teacher, we tend to picture someone in our life that taught
us normally in a more formal setting. It may have been a teacher from
grade school or college, or it could be a teacher you had once during
Sunday School. Me I tend to think of Mr. O'Brien who was my 8th
grade Language teacher at Dale Junior High in Anaheim, CA. Mr.
O'Brien was one of the first teachers who really inspired me to think
for myself. From my perspective as a 13 year old kid, he was a great
man.
Now, was Mr. O'Brien my only teacher? No, I had seven official teachers that year but in life we have so many more. Our parents, our grandparents, aunts, uncles, even our friends are teachers. We learn so much from everyone around us that we have lots of teachers. If all of those different people have been a teacher to you, aren't you also a teacher to those around you?
Whether you have the title of 'teacher'
or not you are a teacher to someone. Think of how much a child learns
by watching their parents and siblings. Each of us learns from others
all the time, we learn what is considered normal behavior, we pick up
slang, and so much more. Everyone here, even those who are not yet
adults, are teachers and the words you speak are important. Your
words have an impact.
Jesus pointed out how important our
words are.
Matthew 12:36-37
“I tell you
that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every
careless word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted,
and by your words you will be condemned.”
Each one of us will have to answer for
our words, as they can and do have a HUGE impact on the people around
us.
James also points out that we all
stumble or sin. The easiest way to do this is with your tongue. Have
you let a critical word about someone slip out? Did you talk about
someone when they were not around? Curse beneath your breath? You
have stumbled, you have sinned.
James 3:3-4
“3 Now when we put bits
into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the
whole animal. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by
fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the
will of the pilot directs.”
James starts out by using two common
things in his day, a horse and a ship. A bit weights a couple of
pounds, and a horse weights roughly 1,500 lbs. The average bit
weights less than ½ of 1% of the weight of the horse. It weights
nothing when compared to the horse. Yet the bit is the tool used by
the rider to control the horse. It is one of the major pieces that
helps the rider direct where it is going. The bit controls the horse.
I read an example this week talking
about the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, the USS Nimitz and USS
Eisenhower. They each weigh 91,000 tons and are over 1,000 feel long.
That is longer than 3 foot ball fields. They travel over 30 knots or
roughly 35 miles per hour and are powered by engines that can
generate over 280,000 horsepower. They have crews of over 5,000
people and carry over 60 aircraft. These things are huge, but each
one is turned by one person steering with a rudder. A little rudder
that is only 1/1000th of the size of the ship changes its
direction and guides its path. That is 0.001, or 0.1%.
A bit and a rudder are the guiding
force of things that are huge in comparison. They are both way less
than 1% of the size or weight of the horse or ship, yet they have a
huge impact.
James 3:5a
“5 So too, though the
tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things.”
The average human tongue
weights roughly 3 ounces, so less than a ¼ of a pound. The average
weight of a adult human is 175 lbs. Again we find that something that
is less than 1% of the whole has a lot of control.
Adolf Hitler's 3 ounce
tongue controlled a massive army and one of the worst regimes in the
modern era. Osamba Bin Laden's tongue has inspired men to give their
lives for an evil cause and to hurt so many innocent people.
Something so small can have a huge impact.
James 3:5b-6
“Consider how large a
forest a small fire ignites. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue,
a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies.
It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is
set on fire by hell.”
The tongue of man can
start a fire that burns. Now fire in itself is not a bad thing. We
use fire to keep warm when it is cold and fire is used to cook our
food. But watch out, a fire can quickly become out of control.
Have you ever watched a
fire that is out of control? When we lived in California I have
driven down the highway while a wild fire is burning on the canyon
wall next to us. I have had ash fall down so thick that it almost
looked like snow. Growing up I lived in two different apartments that
were on fire, our units barely escaped being burned both times but
our neighbors did not fare so well.
We have seen it here in
Clark where two separate fires completely destroyed two homes. Fire
quickly destroys anything in its path.
James is pointing out that
the tongue is like a fire, if it is not controlled it destroys. Due
to the fall of man and the introduction of sin in the world the
tongue is out of control. A tongue that is out of control can destroy
just as bad as those fires.
How does a tongue destroy?
A harsh word to someone in
need.
Condemning someone who is
struggling.Simply talking behind someone's back.
Expressing negative thoughts.
Being critical of others.
Being a bully.
One wrong word can start a
fire that destroys so much. A fire that spreads and destroys. We may
think the impact is limited to ourselves or those who hear us, but
that sin influences others and then spreads beyond our reach. It is a
cancer that if left unchecked will continue to spread.
James 3:7-8
“7 Every sea creature,
reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, 8 but no
man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly
poison.”
Over the centuries man has
learned to tame animals. Camels and horses have been ridden. Oxen
used to be animals of burden used to haul things and in farming. Cat
and dogs are now pets for many people. There are very few animals
that mankind has not found a use for. We are in control of the
animals, but can we control out tongues.
How many here have had
said things you that you did not want to say? Did you swear? Yell at
your kids? Say something hurtful to your spouse? Talk behind your
friends back?
Psalms 52:2-4
“Like a sharpened razor,
your tongue devises destruction, working treachery. 3 You love evil
instead of good, lying instead of speaking truthfully. Selah 4 You
love any words that destroy, you treacherous tongue!”
No matter how hard we try,
we are going to slip. We cannot control out tongues. We will say
something that we will regret.
James says our tongues are
like poison. Now there are fast and slow acting poisons. A fast
acting poison will kill quickly with a couple of drops. Some words
cut quickly and cut deep. Some words will destroy, will destroy your
witness, or wreak havoc on the reputation of another.
Slow poisons take time,
but they still eventually kill. Subtle words, whispers behind
someone's back, innuendos, will work slowly but they are just as
deadly. Telling only part of the truth can destroy someone's faith.
Slowly but surely the effect is the same.
Poison is poison, whether
fast or slow they both will kill. Our tongue if left unchecked will
destroy the people around us.
James 3:9-10
“9 We praise our Lord
and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness
with it. 10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My
brothers, these things should not be this way.”
During James' day emperors
would build statues in their own honor. People were supposed to
worship these status as if they were their emperors, but also if a
person was found insulting the statue they would be punished as if
they had said it to the emperors face.
The Book of Genesis tells
us that we were made in 'God's image'. We are also told that whoever
sheds the blood of a man should be punished by the shedding of his
blood, since man was made in God's image.
Our tongues are used to
praise God and curse His creation in which in reality we are cursing
God. Let that sink in for a moment. If you say something bad about
one of God's creations you are insulting God. If you talk bad about
your neighbor who is parking on your grass, you are talking bad about
God. If you are gossiping about someone at church, you are gossiping
about God. If you curse out the driver of the car that just cut you
off, you are cursing God.
Your words towards any of
God's creation are words against God.
Let's look back at those
verses in Psalms.
Psalms 52:2-5
“Like a sharpened razor,
your tongue devises destruction, working treachery. 3 You love evil
instead of good, lying instead of speaking truthfully. Selah 4 You
love any words that destroy, you treacherous tongue! 5 This is why
God will bring you down forever. He will take you, ripping you out of
your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah”
Our tongues can do so much
good if we can control them, but an un-measurable amount of harm if
not controlled.
James 3:11-12
“11 Does a spring pour
out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree
produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can
a saltwater spring yield fresh water.”
We are sinful beings and
we will not be able to control our tongues 100% of the time. We are
going to slip up, we are going to get angry, we are going to say
something that is going to cause harm. We cannot do it on our own, we
need God!
Colossians 3:8-10
“8 But now you must also
put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy
language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have
put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new
self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of
your Creator.”
We will never be perfect,
we will hurt others, we will insult God's creation. How do we
overcome our sinful nature and our tongue that brings destruction? By
putting on our 'new self', becoming a new creation through the grace
of God.
We need to watch our
words, because they have a bigger impact than we can imagine.
Blessings to All! Thanks for reading!
Robert
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