Introductory Comments
1. I have found our journey through the book of James to be a personal challenge. For the focus has been on Christian maturity. I have been challenged as to whether or not I am a mature Christian. My attitudes, my words, my actions and my lack of actions have been examined. And to be honest I fall short in many areas.
2. What about you? Can you go back over the first two chapters of James and say that you really don’t struggle with some of the requirements of being a maturity Christian? Do you doubt God when you ask Him for things? Are you quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry? Do you look after those who are widows or poor or in need? Are you polluted by the world in which we live? Do you show favouritism? Do you tell people how to deal with their problems or do you actually get involved in helping them?
3. We could easily get discouraged thinking about these things. We might even question if our faith is real. That is why the first part verse 2 of chapter 3 is very important. "We all stumble in many ways." We not only sin often but in many ways.
4. I see 3 important considerations in these words.
a. The first is for us not to get discouraged. Yes, we are to strive for spiritual maturity. But on this side of heaven we will fail. We will stumble. And it is easy for us to give up and say "What’s the use, if I really believed or was a good Christian, I wouldn’t in and stumble as much as I do." Or else we can simply accept our sins and say "well that’s part of being a Christian." Both views are wrong. We stumble but we are saved through our faith in Christ by the grace of God. And because we are saved, we hate our sin and we struggle to over come it. So we must be realistic, we will stumble but we must neither be overcome by or complacent to our sins. And as I have said before, hopefully we can see progress. And so hopefully James can help us be aware of our sins so we can take steps to overcome them, even though this is a life long process.
b. A second reason why these words are important is that in verse 1, James has just said that not many should presume or seek to become teachers. One should not teach unless God has called him or her to teach. They will be judged more strictly and since we all stumble, they will receive much judgement. And so it must be, since a teacher has much influence over others. We will not look more at this verse since we discussed it along with the call "to be slow to speak".
c. But the third reason the words we all "stumble" are important is that they prepare us for what James will teach us this evening. We all stumble in many ways and the evidence of this is found in the words that we speak. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
i. If you question the statement that we all stumble in many ways, just listen to your words, just record every word that you speak in the next week and bring that tape here next Sunday. We will listen together to your words and we will be able to hear many faults or sins in your words. No editing. I will not volunteer to do this because I would be ashamed of what you would hear.
ii. Also, the hardest sins to control are the sins of our tongue. If we could somehow control the tongue, then we would have victory over all of sin. And so the challenge to us and the way for to gain victories over sin, is through dealing with our tongues.
- and we see this as we look at why the tongue is so powerful and evil
- first James talks about the power of the tongue
- the tongue is small compared to the rest of the body
- just like a bit in a horse’s mouth or as ship’s rudder
- and yet each of these control or steer the animal or ship in the direction they will go
- Welland Canal - huge ships - just fit into the locks
- very precise work
- all controlled by relatively small rudder
- and what is amazing is, just a slight movement of rudder makes such a difference where ship ends up
- as we will see the words we speak reveal or reflect what is really within us
- but they also affect what is in us
- just get on the phone and start talking with someone about someone else
- if you’ve never done this, you will have to imagine what this would be like
- you start saying some bad things about that person and soon the words build up between the two of you
- I know, from experience, that my feelings and actions toward that person have been affected by my conversation
- and so we must stop thinking of our tongue as a passive instrument of evil thoughts within us
- we must exercise our tongue, we must control it
if we have the urge to say something in anger, we may think it good to vent the anger but we must stop
- for angry words will feed out inner anger
- if we want to say unholy words, stop, for the expression of these words will lead to unholy thoughts
- if we can learn to stop our tongues when we have the urge to say sinful things, we will sin less in other areas of our lives
- and so we must exercise restraint in what we say
- try this in the coming week
- don’t just let tongue run loose, but before you speak, wait 5-10 seconds and ask, "Is what I am about to say holy in the eyes of God."
- if not, simply do not say it
- the tongue is powerful because it controls us
- it boast great things because it does great things
- and these things can be for the good or for the bad
- but the tongue is also powerful because of its influence
- like a tiny spark that sets a whole forest on fire, so the tongue spreads destruction and evil that is soon out of control
- think of how Hitler was able to manipulate a nation through His powerful words
- not even the tongue can control words once they have gone out
- story of woman who found she could not take words back (gathering feathers)
- and so the tongue is a world of evil
- when we think of the world of evil we think of the evil that is all around us - on TV, in music, in drugs etc.
- well, even though we are believers, James says that the world of evil is in here
- that is why I sometimes get upset when I am in a group of believers and we start talking about all the bad things out there - government, etc.
- our time would be much better spent in talking about the evil in here and confessing it before God and one another
- its influence upon our lives is unbelievable
- it sets the course for our lives
- I have seen the power of words
- I have seen its evil
- when two parties are trying to reconcile and the one turns to the other and says words that cut deeply into the heart of the other
- I even felt the pain as a spectator
- and the result has been that they never again tried to resolve their differences and they went their separate ways
- and what we need to remember is where the evil of the tongue comes from
- it is set on fire by hell itself
- the evil we speak is planted in us by Satan himself
- in verse 7 James reminds us again that the tongue cannot tame the tongue
- we are unable to control it
- not just its consequences but the tongue itself
- it is a restless evil
- it is active, not at rest
- it attacks
- but looking for ways to spread and ways to poison others
- how our words can poison ourselves and others
- like the poison of a deadly snake
Rom 3:13-14 "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
- and the tongue reveals our sinfulness
- it reflects who we are inside
- we can praise God with our lips
- we can think we have arrived
- but evilis still in us
- and so we may praise God yet curse others, even those who bear His name
- those who have been made in His likeness
- and this is a serious matter
Gen 9:6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
- and while it is natural for man to curse and sin it is not natural for the man of God
- we have been reborn and given a new nature
- it is not right that we should curse ourselves, others and God by our sinful words
- a curse not only showed displeasure but actually affected those who wee cursed
- in nature fresh water and salt water cannot flow from the same spring
- fig trees cannot bear olives and grapevines cannot bear figs
- and so we should not be able to both praise and curse God
- but we have a dilemna here because we cannot tame the tongue
- what are we to do?
James 1:17-18 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that
- only God can tame our tongues
- confess our inability and ask Him to
- it means being aware of sin and it mens also to remember that we are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit
- walk in step with the Spirit
- focus on God
- see things in His way
Phil 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
- may God control our tongues
- may He forgive us for our sinfulness
- may He enables us to overcome this terrible evil
- this week, think before you speak
- ask, does God want me to say what I am about to say?
- let us pray
