Some of you probably grew up with beef tongue as a part of your menu. My mother sometimes served it boiled or stewed and sometimes pickled.
I read about a certain master who ordered his servant to buy the best food he could get to provide for a meal for the entertainment of his friends. The servant bought only tongues which the cook prepared. Course after course was served, each consisting of tongue. The master angrily demanded of the servant, “Did I not order you to buy the best meat the market had?” The servant answered, “Have I not obeyed your orders?” “Is there anything better than tongue? Is not the tongue the bond of civil society, the organ of truth and reason, and the instrument of praise and adoration of God?” The master ordered him to go to the market the next day to buy the worst thing he could find. He purchased more tongues, which the cook was ordered to serve as before. “What! Tongues again?” asked the master. “Most certainly,” the servant said. “The tongue is surely the worst thing in the world. It is the instrument of all strife and contention, the inventor of lawsuits, and source of division and wars. It is the organ of error, of lies, of slander and blasphemies.” (Be ye doers of the Word. William G. Detweiler.)
The story is probably a fable, but it makes a point about the double use of our tongues. As we heard earlier from the book of James, we use the tongue to “bless the Lord and Father” and we use it to “curse those who are made in the likeness of God.” And James says, “My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.”
Extreme Makeover Series. We are in the middle of a series of messages about extreme makeovers based on the book of James. As you know, some people undergo surgery of various kinds to change the shape of their faces, the size of their bodies, and their general appearance. The book of James introduces us to the need for an extreme makeover of some parts of our anatomy, not physically, but spiritually. There are certain characteristics God wants us to have.
• We learned from Ch. 1 that God wants to give us a makeover with big ears so we can grow in our knowledge of God, so we can build relationships and get along with each other, so we can hear what God has to say to us. So you might ask yourself if you have allowed God to do that makeover, to give you big ears.
• Last week we learned from Chapter 2 that God wants to give us a makeover with dirty hands, not nicely manicured hands with soft skin, but hands that work, hands willing to help people in need, hands ready to get dirty, hands that serve as a practical expression of our faith. Let me ask you what condition your hands are in. Do you get your hands dirty for God?
• Today we learn from Chapter 3 that God wants to give us a makeover with a pierced tongue, a tongue that God has changed so that it conforms to his pattern of beauty and purpose.
As you know, pierced tongues have become the rage among some people. I have read descriptions of the procedure and for one brief second I thought about getting my tongue pierced to see what it is like. And young people, here’s why I want to advise you to not think about it even that long.
There are medical reasons not to pierce your tongue. Dentists are noticing worn, cracked, and chipped teeth because of tongue studs. Tongue piercing can also cause speech impediments, breathing problems and infection. Bacteria under the tongue spread quickly and can lead to fatal toxic shock syndrome or blood poisoning.
Now, there are always people who ignore warnings and danger and do the ridiculous. One man, a professional trombonist, asked on his website, “WHY do people pierce their tongue?” “It certainly won’t improve anyone’s trombone playing. We all understand the desire to be "different" or to buck the crowd or to be cool.” (http://www.yeodoug.com/resources/faq/faq_text/pierce.html)
He went on to say that tongue piercing is not like letting your hair grow or painting your nails an unusual color. It has a permanent effect on your body. As a musician, he said, “If you are trying to succeed at the highest level of ANYTHING - if that is truly your aspiration - then you understand that you are in for a life of discipline, sacrifice, self-control.’ Playing your instrument GREAT may mean you don’t do everything everyone else is doing. It may mean you can’t eat that spicy meal before a concert, it might mean you wear a scarf around your face when it’s cold while your friends call you a dork, it might mean getting extra sleep the night before an audition when others go to the movies. Michael Jordan didn’t get to be the greatest basketball player of all time by just hanging around the ’hood with the brothers. No, he busted his butt on the court - and lots of times when nobody was looking.”
“If I want to be the BEST at what I do, would I do ANYTHING that might possibly, even in the smallest way, interfere with that? It’s all about goals and how you get there.”
The book of James is concerned about the use of the tongue to achieve God’s purposes. No, James is not talking about body piercings such as I have just mentioned, but he is talking about taming the tongue, restraining it, piercing through its tendency toward evil.
Ch. 3 is not the first reference in James about the tongue. Already in 1:19 he talks about the need to listen more than we speak. In 2:14 he warns his readers about saying one thing and doing another. Guess what! They struggled with hypocrites back then, too. Chapter 3 is the longest passage in the Bible about the tongue.
v.1. If you are a teacher, the first sentence in Ch. 3 might make you uneasy. We don’t have very many Sunday school teachers the way it is. And a warning like this doesn’t help!
As we know from other writings in the New Testament, church membership means that everyone in the church has a responsibility for the health and well-being of the church. Some people are called to specific tasks, one of which is the office of teacher. In Acts 18 we read about two: Priscilla and Aquila. They helped provide accurate teaching to a man named Apollos, who didn’t quite have it right. The ministry of instruction was important to the life of the church then, even as it is today. Remember they didn’t have written materials. They depended on people who were recognized as having the knowledge and experience that came from Jesus. The problem was that some people were setting themselves up as teachers even though they had wrong-headed notions of what God’s truth was. That kind of teaching can do lots of damage. Teachers in the church have a standard to uphold because of the power of teaching. Good teachers don’t just teach off the top of their heads. They study. They pray. They prepare. They can’t take the truth of God’s word lightly. They are accountable for what they say. The Bible urges all of us, teachers or not, toward excellence.
In v. 2 James says that all of us make mistakes, and he includes himself. In discussions today when someone says “We all make mistakes,” the next line we expect is, “And that’s ok.” But that is not what James says and that’s not what he means. He is not interested in mediocrity. He is urging us toward more perfect lives, toward excellence, toward practicing what we know is right. That means we keep control of our tongues. We punch holes in our pride. We exercise self discipline.
This passage points out that the tongue, even though small, has a lot of influence. And to help us understand the power of the tongue, James uses the examples of a small bit in the mouth of big horse and the little rudder that turns a big ship. (v.3,4)
Have you ever thought about the power of words? You are sitting at the dinner table and someone says, “Pass the salt,” and sure enough someone will do it. You are walking down the street and someone yells your name. You stop and turn around. Two people come to the altar and say “I do,” and they commit themselves to each other for life. Words are powerful. They can be used to influence, persuade, and direct others.
James points out how important the words of teachers are in influencing those they teach. We don’t have time to pursue it today, but when you read this passage next time, think of the ship as the church. Think of the body as the body of Christ. And consider the importance of the words and wisdom of those who teach and the impact they have on the whole church. They are like rudders on a ship.
And it is not only teachers who affect the lives of others with their words. The words all of us speak have an impact on people around us, whether at home, at school, or in church. Sometimes people have stopped in this parking lot to ask how to get to I-75 or how to find the Lima Mall. I give them the best directions I can. The tongue has power to direct people to make right choices.
In 1855, a man named Edward Kimball went into a Boston shoe store and led a young man to Christ. Many of you have heard his name: Dwight Moody. He became one of history’s greatest evangelists and his ministry continues today. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue. If our tongues are under the control of Jesus, they can be used to direct people in the right direction.
We all have the opportunity to influence people with our tongues. Joe’s story is just one example of that. The rest of us may not even know what effect our words have on others. But the Bible says as we read in our call to worship there will come a time when we will find out. We are accountable for every word we say.
Paul wrote in Col. 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.”
Not only do words have the power to direct, they also have the power to destroy. James uses two more images to help us understand how lethal words can be: fire and wild animals. (v.6-8)
When Sue and I drove through Yellowstone Park last year we saw hundreds of acres of burnt out forests. Forest fires sometimes are started by lightning, but sometimes they are started by a little spark from a cigarette, a car, or a campfire.
Our words can start fires. Proverbs 26:20 says “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.” Words can destroy people and their reputations. I read of a man who was released from prison after 17 years. False testimony had put him there.
Think about what happens when people bad mouth others, gossip about them, or put them down. Last week I learned of a member of a church who wrote a letter about his pastor that was full of criticism, accusations, and lies. I don’t know what the result will be, but words like that hurt and destroy people. David wrote, “I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue… My heart became hot with in me; then I spoke with my tongue.” Ps. 39:1,3. A hot tongue can destroy others.
James also compares the tongue to a poisonous animal. (v.7,8) Some tongues are used to spread poison. Poison works secretly, but it kills. And words can do the same. Poisonous tongues can damage individuals, families, and even churches. And we all know the human tendency to let our tongues loose when we shouldn’t.
A support group was discussing their problems. The problem of one was shop lifting; another’s was lying. Around the group all revealed their personal problems. The last one said, “My problem is gossiping and I can’t wait to get out of here.”
But animals can sometimes be tamed and fire can be controlled to generate power, but out tongues are a problem. We may not be able to control the tongue ourselves, but God’s power can pierce through those poisonous tendencies of our tongues. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Mt. 12:34). If our hearts are filled with the love of God, our tongues will follow.
Yes, the tongue has power to direct and to destroy, but it also has power to delight. (v9-12) All of us have experienced the satisfying, delightful taste of water when we were thirsty. Proverbs 18:4 says, “The words of the mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.” Water gives life. Last week a landscape company sowed grass seed on the back lawn of the church. I told them, “Now if you can just make it rain, we’ll be fine.” They couldn’t of course, but God sent a nice gentle rain the next day. It takes water to bring grass seed to life.
Words can give life, too. Think of the encouraging words others have given you and what they meant to you. Think what words of kindness and forgiveness do to the troubled soul. They provide life and hope. Are there people you can bring life to?
God gave us tongues so we can praise Him. In 3:9 James talks about blessing the Lord and Father. That is why we have tongues. The Jews had a prayer blessing God that they prayed 18 times every day. David said, “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Unfortunately, James knew of Christians who were double tongued. They blessed God one time, and cursed people who were made in God’s image the next. A Christian with a double tongue is a contradiction. “Brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so,” James says in v. 10..
As Christians, we must learn to control our tongues. Only fresh water is of any use to quench thirst. Only blessing God is of any use to bring people to salvation. Fire and poison won’t do it. We can’t take a casual attitude toward the words we use because our words have eternal implications.
God wants to change our lives from the inside out, so our words bless Him and those around us. If you have not yet had that complete make over, let God do it beginning with the tongue today.
