“The Book of James 3:1-12

                        Pastor Mike Barnett, June 18, 2006

James 3:1-12 says:

 1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or 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. 5Likewise 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. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt^[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.  James 3:1-12

• JAMES TELLS CHRISTIANS, NOT MANY OF YOU SHOULD BE TEACHERS BECAUSE IT IS EASY TO STRAY FROM BIBLE TRUTH AND SAY MISLEADING WORDS.

2 Peter 2:1-3 says:

1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

• Those who teach and preach God’s Word will be judged more strictly because they can wrongly influence people and do great damage.

• Only a person who is called to preached and is ordained by God can sustain the burden of preaching the Word week in and week out.

• A Person who is called by God cannot, not preach the Gospel even with James shrewd warning.

1 Cor. 9:16 says:

16Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

• Even after careful study, a pastor should pray: “Lord, let me say only what you are saying in this passage and help me make that truth clear to those who hear”.

• “There is no special honor in preaching.  There is only special pain.

JOHN MACARTHUR QOUTE:

The pulpit calls those anointed to it as the sea calls its sailors; and like the sea, it batters and bruises and does not rest….to preach, to really preach, is to die naked a little at a time and to know each time you do it that you must do it again.”  John MacAthur

• Teachers are held to a higher standard in what they say, for the obvious reason that what they say exerts a powerful spiritual _______________________________(influence) on others.

• Teachers are in special danger of _____________________(misusing) their ____________ _________(tongues) and thereby incurring strict ___________________(judgment) by God.

1 Tim 6:3-5 says:

 3If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

·        These teachers will receive a more strict judgment if they fail to preach the _________________ _____________________(full counsel) of God’s Word which includes God’s Law and His Grace, His commands and His promises.

2 Tim 2:15 says:

15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

• James tells Christians that not many of them should seek to be a teacher because a good teacher knows what ________________(not) to say.
•  

1 Tim 4:6-16 says:

 6If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

 9This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 10(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.

 11Command and teach these things. 12Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

 15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

1 Cor. 3:13-15 says:

10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

THE BAREANS - Acts 17:10-12 says:

10As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

• The central thrust of this passage in James has to do the misuse of power.

·        Teachers, although a small percentage of the entire body of a Christian community, are able to guide the whole church, just as a rudder guides a ship; with the tongue, leaders can poison the whole community.

·        The teachers are shaped and controlled either by the will of God, or by hell.

ALL CHRISTIANS WHEATHER THEY ARE TEACHERS OR NOT ARE EXHORTED BY JAMES TO GUARD THEIR TONGUE.

• Every Christian has the ___________________(power) to inflict ___________________(pain) on others through our ___________________(speech).

• James reminds his readers that the tongue can inaugurate a “world of evil”, just as a tiny spark can cause a huge fire.

• The tongue is a restless evil, whose source is hell; we allow Satan to twist and pervert us.

• Because of this evil sinful nature within, we fail to recognize the image of God in others.

Illustrations  - pg 189 – 202

WE ALL STUMBLE IN MANY WAYS. Vs. 2

WE ALL STUMBLE IN MAY WAYS REINFORCES THE TRUTH THAT NO ONE IS EXCEPT IN REGARD TO THE DANGERS OF THE TONGUE AND OTHERS FORMS OF SIN AGAINST GOD.

• A CHRISTIAN WHO CAN CONTROL HIS TONGUE IS ABLE TO CONTROL HIS WHOLE ___________________(BODY) AND ___________________(LIFE) AS WELL.

1 Peter 2:21-23 says:

21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
 22"He committed no sin,
      and no deceit was found in his mouth."^[a] 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

• The tongue is me in an unique way – it discloses my heart and _______________________(reveals) the person I really am.

• There are some sins that an individual may not be able to commit simply because he does not have the opportunity.  But there are no ______________________(limits) to what one can say…there are no built in restraints or boundaries.

TRUTH: In Scripture, the tongue is described as wicked, deceitful, perverse, filthy, corrupt, flattering, slanderous, gossiping, blasphemous, foolish, boasting, complaining, cursing, contentious, sensual, and vile.

• No wonder God put the tongue in a cage behind teeth, walled by the mouth!

• The tongue is a wet place that can easily slip.

• The tongue is of great concern to James being mentioned in every chapter of this letter as a test of living faith, because the genuineness of a person’s faith inevitably will be demonstrated by the speech.

• Managing ones tongue is a _______________(test) of authentic _________________(faith) in Christ.

James 1:19, 26 says:

19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. James 1:19, 26

James 2:12 says:

12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. James 2:12

James 3:5-8 says:

 5Likewise 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. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.  7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:5-8

James 4:11 says:

11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.

James 4:11

James 5:12 says:

 12Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.

• The tongue only _____________________(produces) what it is told to produce by the ___________________(heart), where sin originates.

• Jesus said it is possible to __________________________(murder) a person with your tongue.

Matthew 5:21-24 says:

21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,^[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother^[b]will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,^[c]' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

 23"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:21-24

ILLUS.

“Scientist maintain that once a sound was is set in motion, it continues on a never ending journey, and that, if we had sophisticated enough instruments, each wave could be captured and reproduced at any time.  If that were true, every word spoken by any person who has ever lived could be retrieved! God of course, needs no such instrument, and Jesus states plainly that “every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned”. Matthew 12:36-37

·        Nowhere is the relationship between faith and works more evident than in a person’s speech.

·        What you are will inevitably be _______________________(disclosed) by what you _________________(say).

·        I am personally convicted that I need to be more prudent in what I say and what I do not say.

·        The looseness of speech so prevalent in the California culture where I was born and raised in still a stumbling block for me to this day.

·        I think constraint in speech is a strength of the Minnesota culture.

·        Minnesotan’s in general are more slow to speak than Californians and people from other cultures…this is to your credit.

·        However, every strength to an extreme can become a weakness and the bible tells us that there is a time to speak boldly the Word of God.

·        A person’s speech is a reliable measure of their _______________________ _______________________(spiritual maturity).

A spiritually mature person understands the ______________________(dangers) of the ______________________(tongue) and seeks to ______________________(prevent) harmful speech.

Isa. 6:1-9 says:

 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
       "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
       the whole earth is full of his glory." 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 9 He said, "Go and tell this people: " 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'

Psalm 39:1 says:

1 I said, "I will watch my ways
       and keep my tongue from sin;
       I will put a muzzle on my mouth
       as long as the wicked are in my presence." Psalm 39:1

Prov. 17:20 says:

20 A man of perverse heart does not prosper;
       he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.

• A transformed nature will produce ________________________(transformed) behavior and new behavior involves new ______________________(speech).

Psalm 35:28 says:

  28 My tongue will speak of your righteousness
       and of your praises all day long.

• TRUE BELIEVERS WILL POSSESS A SANCTIFIED TONGUE; YET THEY MUST ___________________________(MAINTAIN) A SANCTIFIED TONGUE ON A DAILY BASIS.

• James gives five reason to control the tongue:

1)     It’s potential to _________________________(condemn). Vs 1-2

2)     It’s power to _________________________(control). Vs. 2-5

3)     It’s propensity to ______________________(corrupt) Vs. 5-6

4)     It’s primitiveness to _____________________(fight) back. Vs. 7-8

5)     It tendency to ________________________________(compromise). Vs. 9-12

NOTE: When a person’s speech is Christ-exalting, God honoring, and edifying, one can be sure that the rest of his life is spiritually healthy and vice versa.

Illus pg 152

She was simply unwilling to pay the price. She loved her gossip more than she loved righteousness.

Psalm 39:1 says:

 1 I said, "I will watch my ways
       and keep my tongue from sin;
       I will put a muzzle on my mouth
       as long as the wicked are in my presence."

·        Even Gentle horses, which have been ridden for many years, are not controllable without bits in their mouths.

·         As long as they are expected to perform service, whether for riding or for pulling a wagon or plow, they require that control.

·        So it is with believers. To be useful to God, we will need our tongues controlled, with everything else following in submission.

·        Like the bit in a horse’s mouth and the rudder of a ship, the tongue has power to control the rest of us.

·         It is a master control for the whole body, directing virtually every aspect of behavior.

·        In order for the tongue to control our lives in he right way, we must resist the ever-present inclination and temptation to boast and brag.

·        Words can either _______________(heal) or __________________(kill), ______________ _________(Build up) or _________________ _________________(tear down).

·        We should speak only gracious words, kind words, words that build up rather than tear down, that edify, comfort, bless, and encourage.

·         They should be words of humility, gratitude, peace, holiness, and wisdom.

Such words, of course, can only come from a heart that not only is indwelt by the Holy Spirit but is also submitted to His control.

·        To illustrate the power of the tongue, James draws on a wealth of images, from animal husbandry to navigation to fire to horticulture, in order to illustrate the power of the tongue for evil or for good.

·         “To keep the whole body in check” implies control of the passions….this in turn, serves as a link to the yeser idea discussed earlier and the forms another to 3:6.

·        The tongue and speech can often be the tool of the yeserhara.

·        The same small member can either guide the larger whole to safety or condemn it to the ravages of rancor and falsehood.

·        The tongue is a small (micron) member (melos) but boast of great things (megala).

·        James signals his intention by claiming that the tongue makes boast, and boasting in the New Testament is generally considered a sin, as it indicates a desire to place oneself in the role of God.

·        When the tongue is out of control, it can destroy much good that has already been done.

·        The potential of the tongue is much greater than that of the bit or ruder – it is capable of sublime heights, but also of sinking to the most pernicious depths of evil.

·        James, then turns to a negative example of fire.

·        Few disasters in the ancient world were more feared than fire, as the people possessed few resources to battle them – there were no fire departments.

·        The point of the illustration is, the tongue s often guilty of realizing its potential for evil, and in so doing infects the rest of the body!

·        A leader whose teaching is errant can in short order devastate years of careful and healthy growth in the life of the congregation.

·        The Greek word translated as “hell” is Gehenna.

·        The ancients generally viewed the animal kingdom as symbolic of disorder, but also prided themselves on their ability to tame nature.

·        The ancients believed that reason governed both nature and human convention, and that when human beings were able to harness nature, it was evidence of the potency of the rational spirit in the universe.

·        James however, has the biblical account of creation in mind by mentioning God’s granting to humankind the right to rule over “the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground”.

·        The image James uses here is of a barely inadequately caged beast, which breaks forth with irrational destructive power….This restless irrationality is akin to the double-mindedness of the tongue.

·        This destructive power is further colored by the description of the tongue as replete with deadly poison.

A GREAT FOREST CAN BE SET AFLAME BY A SMALL FIRE!

Illus pg. 155

Prov. 15:28 says:

8 The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
       but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

Prov. 16:27  says: 27

A scoundrel plots evil,
       and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Prov. 26:20-21 says:

20 Without wood a fire goes out;
       without gossip a quarrel dies down.

 21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
       so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

Psalm 57:4 says:

4 I am in the midst of lions;
       I lie among ravenous beasts—
       men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
       whose tongues are sharp swords.

Psalm 52:2-4 says:

2 Your tongue plots destruction;
       it is like a sharpened razor,
       you who practice deceit.

 3 You love evil rather than good,
       falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
       Selah

 4 You love every harmful word,
       O you deceitful tongue!

Jesus said in Mark 7:20-23

20He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

• To a large extent, we are _____________________(known) by how we _____________________(talk). Over the long haul, what we say gives others a pretty good idea of who and what we really are.

• Illus pg. 157

• “Set on fire by hell” indicates that the tongue can be Satan’s ___________________(tool), fulfilling hell’s _________________________(purpose) to pollute, corrupt, and destroy.

Psalm 55:21 says:

21 His speech is smooth as butter,
       yet war is in his heart;
       his words are more soothing than oil,
       yet they are drawn swords.

Psalm 64:3 says:

 3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
       and aim their words like deadly arrows.

·        Vs. 7-8 – ANIMALS TAMED

·        James point in these two verses is simply that the human tongue is innately uncontrollable and untamable. It is wild, undisciplined, irresponsible, and savage.

·        It is a primitive and intrinsic evil that combats every effort to control and direct it….It is a restless evil.

ILLUS – THE END OF THE SPEAR MOVIE

·        Even among mature believers, the tongue can easily slip out of its sanctified cage and do great harm.

Psalm 141:3 says:

 3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD;
       keep watch over the door of my lips.

• Our Lord Himself was put to death because of lies.

• The tongue is just not wild and raging like an animal, but clever, plotting, and subtly deceptive. It is hypocritical and duplicitous, eagerly willing to deceive in order to achieve its own advantage.

• IT IS _______________________(HYPROCRITICAL) FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO ______________________(PRAISE) GOD AND ______________________(CURSE) MEN WHO HAVE BEEN MADE IN GOD’S LIKENESS….YET EVERY BELIEVER HAS BEEN GUILTY OF THAT HYPOCRISY TO SOME EXTENT.

·        James says there should be no place in the Christians life for ___________________________(duplicitous) speech.  It is an unacceptable and intolerable compromise of righteous, holy living.

·        When God transformed us, He gave us the capacity for new, _________________________(redeemed) holy speech, and He expects us, as His children, to speak of that which is Holy and right.

·        There is almost a constant tension in the book of James between ______________ _________(what is) and what ______________________ ________ ________(ought to be).

• At one point he says: “This is how it will be if you are a true believer” and at another point he says: “That is also how it ought to be if you are a true believer”.

• Because we have been made righteous by Jesus Christ, we ought to live righteously and speak righteously, according to His will and by His power.

In this passage, James is making three basic points:

1) Small items, such as the tongue, a rudder, or even one teacher can ___________________(control) a larger whole, such as a body, a ship, or an entire congregation.

2) One source of evil is hell, the stronghold of Satan.

3) When the tongue is ______________________(influenced) by the forces of hell, the result is severe ________________________ ________________________(double-mindedness).

·        This irrationality is seen in that the same tongue may praise God but curse people who have been made in God’s likeness.

·        Failure to recognize that each of us is created in God’s image will eventually allow us to oppress and enslave one another.

·        How can worshippers consciously mistreat their fellows and then expect to worship God in purity.

Matthew 15:11 says:

10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. 11What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "

Add Matthew 7:18

17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

·         In verse 11, James includes a phrase of Mediterranean Wisdom – “From a pure spring flows pure water”.

·        A Spring from which issued forth both fresh and salt water was unnatural…In this way, James continues to make the point that abusive speech is irrational.

·        The triple image of the illogicality of expecting trees and vines to produce fruit not their own and of a salt spring to produce fresh water are all intended to further prove the irrationality of such behavior for the authentic “Christ follower”.

·        James use of the phrase “my brothers” in vs. 10-11 suggest an admission on his part that he has said some harsh words to his readers, and he is thus reiterating his affection for them, to recall to their minds the fact that he is one of them, that he has their best interest at heart.

·        “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.”

·        THE CENTRAL CONCERN OF THIS PASSAGE IS POWER – OF SATAN, AND OF THE TONGUE TO TWIST AND CORRUPT.

·        James informs his readers of (Gehena), the evil inclination within us and is the source of the desire to employ the tongue in hurtful ways.

·        Following the final judgment, Gehenna is a place of punishment and the destruction of the wicked.

• James is warning Christians” A whole world of evil is waiting to ensnare us and the source is Satan and he used the tongue!

• The tongue bears influence far out of proportion to its size so be very careful with it.