Transcript

Experts in the field of speech estimate that the average person speaks somewhere around 12,000 sentences every day. If that were published in a paperback book, it would be about 150 pages.

I doubt any of us would want to end our day by reading that book. We probably said some wrong things, and we probably said too many things.

J. Vernon McGee once said that it takes a baby two years to learn how to talk and then fifty years to learn how to keep quiet. How true that is.

At the same time, our ability to communicate is one of the most unique, special gifts given by God to mankind. The Bible describes the vast power of our speech to heal, to encourage, to teach, to guide, to inspire, to sing, to pray, and to praise.

The trouble, of course, is that we can do the exact opposite. We can use our tongues to destroy and discourage and hurt and deceive.

Every day we make decisions regarding our words. And we have to admit that we never quite get our tongue under control. It is one of the greatest battles we all face every today.

As we set sail today into the third chapter of James, the author has a lot to say about our tongue. First, James begins with a warning directed especially at teachers who use their words to guide others. James writes here in verse 1, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” You notice James says, “we who teach.” He is including himself in this warning.

Those who teach the Bible better pay special attention to what they say—how they handle the Word of God. So, be careful teachers and preachers and Bible study leaders. Do not come unprepared; do not treat your teaching lightly; do not teach the Word out of pride or teach it incorrectly. We should be like one of my old Bible professors, who once told me his greatest fear was teaching his students something wrong.

James says that there is a final exam coming—a strict accounting before God. And it is not for the students; it is for the teachers.

James includes himself again in verse 2: “For we all stumble in many ways.” Even the great apostle and pastor of the church in Jerusalem is admitting that he stumbles in his speech. Even James has a problem with his tongue, and I am so glad he admitted that.

“We all stumble in many ways” in this context could be translated, “We all stumble in many words.”

The verb for “stumble” means to slip up. James uses the present tense, which indicates we stumble over and over again. He does not say that we fatally fall but that we periodically stumble.[1]

In fact, we read in verse 2, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man.” Now the word James uses here for “perfect” refers to being “fully mature.” So, he is giving a test we can take at home and out in the shop where we work. Do you want to see if you are maturing in your walk with Christ? Well, listen to your vocabulary. Your speech reveals the maturity of your spirit.

You might not be perfectly, fully mature yet, but you should be making progress. So do not give up, and do not let up, either.

Next, James offers an encouraging promise: If a person can learn to control his tongue, he is “able to bridle his whole body.” In other words, as you learn to handle your mouth, you are going to learn to handle your life.

James then illustrates this promise with a horse and a ship:

If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder. (verses 3-4)

Now if there is any doubt that our little tongues can bring our entire lives into trouble, James clarifies that in verses 5-6:

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 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.

Wow, that is strong language! The ultimate source of the firestorm our words can create, are the fires of hell. Unkind speech and destructive words are the devil’s delight. They advance the devil’s kingdom of destruction.

Words can destroy marriages, words can bring nations to war, words can destroy friendships and divide churches and crush the hearts of little children. The tongue has the power of life and death.

James leads us to this conclusion—verses 8-9:

No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.

Simply put, we can bless God on Sunday and bruise somebody on Monday with our speech.

But think about this: James is telling us to control our speech, but now he has just said that no one can tame the tongue.

What James is doing is leading us to the conclusion that we cannot do it, but God can. James is not just telling us to try harder; he is telling us to hand things over. This chapter is not about tongue control as much as it is about Spirit control.

We simply need the wisdom of God.

But first James proceeds to describe the kind of wisdom that gets us into trouble:

If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and ever vile practice. (verses 14-16)

In other words, the wisdom of the world is the wisdom of the devil, and it leads to all sorts of evil. You could call this earthly wisdom “the wisdom from hell.” But there is another kind of wisdom, the wisdom from above, which you could call, “the wisdom of heaven.”

James describes this heavenly wisdom with seven characteristics—the number of perfection. He writes in verse 17, “The wisdom from above is pure.” “Pure” refers to moral integrity. Second, it is “peaceable,” meaning “peace loving.” So, godly wisdom pursues peace without compromising the truth. You see it is pure and peaceful.

Third is gentleness. This is a willingness to yield to others. Fourth, this wisdom is “open to reason.” That is, it is easy to work with. Next, heavenly wisdom is “full of mercy and good fruits.” It not only shows concern for others, but it gets involved in helping them. Sixth, heavenly wisdom is “impartial.” It is not prejudiced—it does not show favoritism. And finally, seventh, heavenly wisdom is “sincere,” which means it is not hypocritical. It does not say one thing and then do another.

And what does this wisdom produce? Verse 18 tells us: “a harvest of righteousness”—a bumper crop of things that are right and good.

As we submit to the wisdom of God’s Word and God’s spirit, just watch: there is a bumper crop ahead. The Spirit’s control over your tongue, your speech, your vocabulary, will set a new tone for your relationships, your goals, and your demeanor. It will set the stage for the rest of your life.

With that, I am reminded of a prayer I heard a long time ago that went like this: “Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff, then nudge me, when I’ve said enough.”

Well, I feel that nudge right about now.