Bulletins - Truth Baptist Church,

- - James 3:4–5ESV
Open The Eyes Of My Heart / Holy Holy Holy
Great Are You Lord
Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me
Without Him
- - James 3:1–12ESV
Encourage people to come on Wednesday evening.
Mission trips (Moldova, South Dakota): Encourage prayers, giving, etc.
Why are we doing church events?
James helps us answer the question: What is authentic faith? The letter is not like the other letters in the NT. It is really a collection of wisdom sayings, much like the wisdom books in the OT. James focuses on the behavior faithful Christians should have. The main verse of the letter is would probably be James 1:22 - “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only”.
In the previous section (2:14–26), James taught that genuine saving faith demonstrates itself through deeds. James mentioned that faith without works is dead. Chapter 3 reveals another external indicator of one’s inner spiritual condition. It is all about the tongue. What we say matters and it often reveals our spiritual condition.
Introduction
Have you ever heard the saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? That sounds nice and encouraging, but it is a lie. Words do hurt, sometimes very much. Once something is said, it is out there. You cannot take it back.
Sometimes, what we say may be right, but how we say it, or the motivation for saying it, can be very wrong. This passage shows us how speech is an indicator of our spiritual condition, focusing on the power and potential harm our speech can have.
In the previous section of the letter (2:14–26), James addressed a “dead faith” that did not produce good deeds of faith. What we believe or think does produce something, though, but it is not always something good.
Four truths about the tongue:
The Tongue Carries Great Responsibility
The Tongue Has Great Power
The Tongue is an Untamable Evil
The Tongue Reveals a Contradictory Nature
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The Tongue Carries Great Responsibility
In this passage, James focuses on what we say, beginning with the speech of one group—teachers. Teachers were important in the early church, as they are in the church today. The health of a church is largely determined by those who preach and teach the people. James begins with a warning about becoming teachers.
James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Why would James caution others to not become teachers? It might seem that we would want to encourage teaching, particularly if there is a lack or need in it. James was not cautioning against teaching in general, but with people who recklessly become teachers or who assume a teaching role for the wrong reason. Some in the church seek to become teachers for the wrong reasons - maybe to prove something, maybe to have a position of authority, or for other reasons.
James goes on to say, “For you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” Why are Christian teachers judged with greater strictness than other believers are?
In the early 2000’s, there was a movie called Spider-Man about a young man who gained extraordinary abilities and struggled with trying to have a normal life and use the abilities he had. He realized that “with great power comes great responsibility.” That is true for teachers in the church. They have a great responsibility in leading God’s people. In this case, with greater responsibility comes greater expectations by God.
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Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.
Teachers will be judged with greater strictness (lit., “greater judgment”), since they are accountable for more. James included himself under the same standards he applied to his readers, i.e., “we who teach”. The greater judgement is related to the fact that we all stumble in many ways.
James 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
James emphasizes the importance of good works but also acknowledges that all Christians stumble (a metaphor for sinning). Because we all stumble in many ways, since we are all sinners, especially in speech (and it is through speech that a teacher primarily influences others), a doctrinally or morally flawed teacher could lead many others into error. So, if a teacher is going to stumble, like the rest of us, that person ought to be rightly motivated and doctrinally sound.
When James says that a person who can control his mouth is a perfect man, he was probably thinking about the perfection that will be attainable only in heaven. Still, believers should always seek to grow in holiness.
Now that James showed the serious nature of the tongue, he moved from teachers to the whole church, providing several examples of the power of the tongue.
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The Tongue Has Great Power
Our mouths can lead us in different directions, some that are not good. I have said many things in my life that took me places that were not pleasant. And, I have said things that had a positive result. It reminds me a quote from one of the Harry Potter movies.
“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of [power]. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” – Albus Dumbledore (J. K. Rowling)
What we say matters and it can be used for good or for evil. James warns us of the power of human speech. He shows us the tongue’s potential for good and for bad through an illustration of a bit controlling a horse.
James 3:3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.
A bit usually refers to several components that apply pressure to a horse’s mouth, and helps the rider control the horse. Just as the bit controls the whole horse, so also can a person’s tongue influences their lives. For instance, godly speech can positively influence a believer’s entire life. Godly speech not only speaks truth and builds up others, but it also honors God. Wicked speech, on the other hand, speaks falsely and leads to more rebellion, sin, and dishonor.
James then shifts from an equine image to a nautical image to reinforce the same point, that the tongue can do great things.
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James 3:4–5a 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
Though many ships are very large, they are guided by a tiny rudder. Ships in James times were “driven by strong winds,” emphasizing their size and the power necessary to move them. And yet, they were steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot desires. Bits in a horse’s mouth and the small rudder on a ship are examples of very small things that control large objects. The main point James is making is how the tongue, one of the smaller organs of the body, can have large effects. As verse fives says, “the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.”
Think about in your own experience. Has someone said something to you, maybe in an important or time in your life, and it had a profoundly positive affect on you. Or, maybe, someone carelessly or intentionally said something to you that hurt you deeply. What we say can be used for good or for evil. Therefore, we must be careful what we say.
James gives us another example of the tongue.
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The Tongue Is An Untamable Evil
James then compared the tongue to fire. As someone who has experience burning down things, there is great potential in a “small flame”.
James 3:5b–6 How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
It does not take much to create massive destruction. In recent news, Georgia has been battling several wildfires. In one incident, a Mylar balloon that came into contact with a power line is believed to have sparked a fire that consumed over 22,000 acres. In another incident, a stray spark from a welding operation is believed to be the source of a fire which burned over 32,000 acres.
Likewise, what we say can have disastrous effects. Relationships can be damaged. Churches can be devastated. Reputations can be tarnished. All by a small member that boasts great things (v. 5). The “fiery" image James provides suggests out-of-control destructive power. The tongue is not merely powerful; it can be a damaging and uncontrollable power. For example, think about the damage that is done by people inciting riots by the very words they say. Think about the damage that can be done in a church by rumor and gossip.
Sinful speech will lead to other wicked actions, staining the human person with guilt and regret. When James mentioned the tongue “setting on fire the entire course of life” (lit., “the cycle of existence”), this likely means the “ups and downs” of life. The tongue turns upside down every aspect of life in the community as well as in the individual.
But what may be most surprising, is that the destruction unleashed by the evil speech from this small member of our body has its origin in the great agent of destruction, the Father of lies, Satan himself. Evil speech destroys because it comes from the Devil. Do we really want to be speaking on behalf of Satan? Are we speaking on behalf of Satan?
James then states how untamable the human tongue is.
James 3:7–8 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
While humans have tamed every creature, man is incapable of taming his own tongue. The passage reveals that the tongue is “a restless evil, full of deadly poison”. The focus here is on the sinful nature of the human tongue. Since our sinful nature is to do what is wrong (i.e., sin), we should not be surprised that the tongue is affected by that sinful nature. Thus, James warned against the danger and destructiveness of human speech so that we will guard our words more carefully, even as we fail to tame our tongues completely and continue to “stumble in many ways” (v. 2).
While “no human being” can tame the tongue, God Himself can. We need God’s help, the implanted Word of God and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to direct our “rudders” the way they ought to go. For now, we will stumble, but when we do, we need to repent, ask for forgiveness, trust in our salvation, and ask for God to direct our speech, knowing that true perfection awaits the renewal of all things in the new heaven and the new earth.
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The Tongue Reveals A Contradictory Nature
Our tongues show a contradictory nature. We touched on this some with the tongues ability to do good and to do bad. We have the ability to do this almost at the same time. I am reminded of the Southern phrase “bless your heart”. Depending on the tone, it can be a sincere expression of sympathy and warmth, or it can be a passive-aggressive way of saying “you poor thing” or “that was a bit foolish” without being outwardly rude.
James mentioned the contradictory nature of our tongue in how we can bless God and curse people.
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James 3:9–10 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
We can use our tongues to bless God and then to curse people He made—a contradiction that ought not exist. It is both hypocrisy and folly to bless God during a worship service and then after the service curse someone, maybe someone in the church. If the “curse” implies the common practice of invoking the name of God against the person, then this is really heinous. Even at our worst, human beings have a dignity that comes from being created in God’s image. This reality should restrain our speech.

I have seen this, and I have done this. We can worship God Sunday morning, have the greatest, most spiritual, praiseworthy time, and leave here, go to lunch, say something mean to the person serving us at the restaurant, or gossip and say all sorts of mean things about others, even those with whom we just worshipped God. Should that happen? No! But, it does. It is a contradiction.

James provided a couple of more examples to drive home the point that blessing God while cursing other should not be.
James 3:11–12 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Springs were the key to survival in dry Palestine, and the placement of villages and towns tended to depend on their presence. A spring does not produce both fresh and salt water. But, if such a spring did exist, it would be undesirable, for the fresh drinking water would be tainted by the presence of brackish liquid. Just as a spring cannot yield both fresh and salt water at the same time, the tongue cannot genuinely speak blessings and curses at the same time. Doing so renders blessings meaningless.
Likewise, fig trees produce…figs. That seems natural. Olive trees produce…olives. That seems reasonable. We would not expect one to produce the other fruit. Just as no tree would produce two kinds of fruit, so also a true follower of Jesus should not produce both blessings of God and curses toward others. Those who have put their trust in Jesus and have been regenerated by God through His Word (1:18, 21) should bear fruit in keeping with their new identity, speaking good, kind, and true words toward both God and man.
The tongue is not the root problem. The heart is. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45). So, evil speech is a heart issue. If we are speaking evil, something has gone awry. Something is wrong with our relationship with Jesus. Ask yourself, “What do my words reveal about my heart?”
Conclusion
In closing, watch what you say. What you say matters. That small member in your mouth has great potential, for good and for bad.
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Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
This proverb asserts that speech holds the power to produce either death or life. Words either build people up or tear them down—there is no neutral middle ground.
This proverb recognizes the tangible impact of words on human flourishing. Careless speech can wound like a sword, while wise speech brings restoration. The proverb also emphasizes personal accountability through the phrase “those who love it will eat its fruits.” This suggests an active choice: people who cultivate a particular way of speaking will inevitably experience the natural consequences.
Is it possible that sinful speech patterns have become so ingrained in our lives that we no longer notice them?
Is there a pattern of gossip, anger, sarcasm, or negativity in my speech?
Do my words build up others or tear them down?
Let us ask God to convict us of our sins of speech.
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Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!
James provides the remedy for taming our tongues, and he has already mentioned it to us. It is wisdom. Just as James mentioned the wisdom of God to have a divine perspective on trials (1:5), we also need the wisdom of God to use our tongues, to know what to say, when to say it, and how to say, takes wisdom, too.
If you lack wisdom to control your tongue, you should ask for it.
We must discipline our tongues—using speech to pray for wisdom, help the afflicted, provide healing, restore those who turn away from God, praise God’s glory and goodness, and proclaim the Gospel to the lost. This small member can do great things…but will those things be good things or terrible things?
Let us invite others in our lives to hold us accountable.
God chose to regenerate us (1:18) by implanting His saving Word inside us (1:21), and now He is calling us both to act and to speak as His holy people. Be the people of God. Act as the people of God. Speak as the people of God. Let Christ transform the heart, and your words will become instruments of grace rather than weapons of destruction.
This is good news. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Closing: I Need Thee Every Hour
I Need Thee Every Hour

James 3:4–5ESV

James 3:1–12ESV