James 3:1-12
3 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
I have a riddle for
you:
This has been one of
the most powerful forces in this world in which we live it can either bring
life or death.
It can either bring
harmony or chaos into relationships.
It can either bring
peace or war.
It is one of the most
feared and praised forces in the world.
What is it?
The Tongue
The tongue produces
words and words can inspire, they can lift the lowly soul to believe in oneself
and believe in God. It can raise self esteem, give hope and assurance. Words
can be filled with love and assurance, peace and wisdom.
But it can also bring
harm, hurt or disgrace. It can be filled
with hate and foolishness, pride and evil.
One of the worst thing
about the tongue is that sometimes it can be unintentionally loose. We all are
guilty at one time or another of speaking before we think things through.
Two pastors died at the
same time and met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said, "I'd
like to get you guys in now, but our computer is down. You'll have to go back
to Earth for about a week, but you can't go back as priests. So what else would
you like to be?"
The first pastor says,
"I've always wanted to be an eagle, soaring above the Rocky Mountains ."
"So be it,"
says St. Peter, and off flies the first pastor.
The second pastor mulls
this over for a moment and asks, "Will any of this week 'count', St.
Peter?"
"No, I told you
the computer's down. There's no way we can keep track of what you're
doing."
"In that
case," says the second pastor, "I've always wanted to be a
stud."
"So be it,"
says St. Peter, and the second pastor disappears.
A week goes by, the
computer is fixed, and the Lord tells St. Peter to recall the two pastors.
"Will you have any trouble locating them?" He asks.
"The first one
should be easy," says St. Peter. "He's somewhere over the Rockies , flying with the eagles. But the
second one could prove to be more difficult."
"Why?" asked
the Lord.
"He's on a snow
tire, somewhere in North Dakota
The truth is everyone
of your words matter, they influence someone either negatively or positively.
How many times have you heard someone say, “I wish I would never have said
that!”
Our text in James today addresses the issue of
the uncontrolled words of the tongue.
“Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great
boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small
spark.The
tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It
corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and
is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles
and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can
tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord
and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s
likeness. Out
of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should
not be. Can
both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters,
can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt
spring produce fresh water.”
James addresses the
issue of the uncontrolled words of the tongue.
We see this dilemma of
words everyday in our lives. We hear people say things throughout our days and
our responses and perceptions are formed. We listen to the radio and the power
of words influence us, we listen to CD’s or tapes and the power of words are at
work, we watch TV and the power of words are trying to influence us.
Just think of all the political ads we have had to endure over the last few months because of the election. We know that words influence others or the political campaigns would not spend millions of dollars to put them on the air. We had to endure candidates ripping on the others so they could influence you to vote for them.
Words have power. Words
affect lives, hearts and influence others.
James is telling us we
should be careful how we use our tongue. Basically he is telling us to think
before we speak. This is a major Biblical teaching.
The book of Proverbs
has numerous sayings telling us to think before we speak.
In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19
The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil. Proverbs 15:28
Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace. Proverbs 17:28
A fool vents all his
feelings, But a wise man holds them back. Proverbs 29:11
Jesus also warns us in Matthew
12:36-37
“But I say to you that
for every idle word men may speak, they
will give account of it in the day of
judgment. For by your
words you will be justified, and by your
words you will be
condemned.”
Today as we leave this
sanctuary, remember you wield a weapon as powerful as any weapon in our 21st
century arsenal. When speaking to and
about others your words mean something. Not just what they are saying, but what
they are meaning and what effect they have on others.
Words can break apart a
decade’s long relationship, and words can mend them again. Words can cut deeper
than any sharp edged knife. Bullets can pierce the hear, but words can pierce
the soul.
Remember, we all have
opinions and ideas, but some if spoken can hurt. Let us take time to be wise by
taking time to think before we speak.
Abraham Lincoln once
said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and
remove all doubt.”
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