Words mattered to James a lot!  He mentioned the tongue in every chapter of his letter because there is a relationship between a person’s faith and their speech.  Most people speak between 13,000-20,000 words per day and the sheer volume of a person’s words provides a window into the spiritual condition of a person’s soul.   Just like a computer screen is a monitor of what is going on inside your computer, words are a monitor to help us understand what is going on in a person’s heart.   

Keep a finger in James and flip over to Matthew 12.

The pastor at Canyon PV used to exhort us often as a staff that words mean things.  Words express how we understand and apply scripture.  Words matter so he would often exhort us to use words precisely and carefully.  I think he expressed those things to us because he knew that words were important to Jesus.  Let’s take a look at the illustration Jesus used in Matthew 12:33.

³³ “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. ³⁶ I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, ³⁷ for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Try to imagine a man who has a diseased apple tree.  Year after year it only produces rotten fruit.  He really would like to have fresh apples from his tree so that he can
make a fresh apple pie someday.  So he comes up with a solution.

He runs down to the store and grabs a shopping cart full of apples.  He takes those apples to the diseased tree and one by one he ties them up to the branches.  Would the tree lose its disease with the presence of some healthy apples?  Of course not.

The fruit on the tree might look good from a distance, but a close examination of the tree would quickly reveal that the fruit is fake and the tree is rotten at its core.  So it is with our speech.  Some people are able to say some of the right things, but in reality they are still rotten at their core.  They might be able to hang some Christian terms onto their speech and even deceive a few people, but given enough time and enough words, a person’s heart will be revealed through what they say.

Again Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”  Consider a child who displays an attitude that dishonors Jesus with his words.  As a parent, it is tempting to say, “Don’t you ever say that again.”  However, words are a monitor that show us the character of our hearts.  Words are the fruit of either good or evil treasure. Jesus tells us that tongue problems are the symptoms of heart problems. Our tongues are connected (metaphorically) to our hearts.  That child does not only need a fix for his tongue.  He needs his heart addressed as well as his tongue.

In order to help us to understand the importance of controlled speech and to understand the consequences of uncontrolled speech, James gives several word pictures to demonstrate the power of our words.  He begins by explaining that our words have the power to direct the actions of others.

#1 Words have the Power to Direct – James 3:1-5

Apparently there were several people in the congregations of the early church who were envious of the teaching positions in the church.  People who may not have been qualified to teach or who were not careful with their words were desirous of positions of influence within the body of Christ.  James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

Teachers in the church use their words to share God’s truths.  If there was ever a time to be careful it is when you are sharing the truths of Scriptures.  The opportunity to help send someone in the right direction and point them to the truths of God’s word is exciting.  Men who are faithful Bible teachers love the opportunity to lay their own opinions aside so that they can share the life-changing truths in the scriptures.

On the other hand, imagine the problems that might be created if you stood up in front of God’s people and emphatically shared something as biblical truth that was, in reality, different from what the Bible actually said.  It could send someone in the wrong direction for years.

Imagine the damage that could be done to a local church if a church leader got up in front and lead his congregation in a wrong direction.  It would be like he had put his church on a large ship and then ran that ship right into an iceberg.

It’s not only the teacher, though, who needs to be careful what he says.  Verse 2 says, “² For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.”  The person who is able to control his speech is able to control his whole body.

Now let’s consider what this passage means for those who don’t teach in an official capacity in the church, but who are giving so called “biblical advice” on a personal level.    A lot pf counseling happens between two friends gathered over a cup of coffee.

When someone asks a practicing Christian for their advice, that believer has a responsibility to the scriptures.  If we begin our advice with the phrase, “well the Bible says…” we better make sure the Bible actually says what you think it says.  You are I both need to be careful not to mix our opinion with scriptural truth – even when meeting over a cup of coffee.  Words are important!

Consider the bit in a horse’s mouth.  Verse 3 says, “³ If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.”  A horse can easily do the work of 18 full grown men.  Check out this video of a Belgian Draft horse in a tug of war against 18 men.

My daughter really enjoys horses.  Natalie weighs in well under 100 pounds and she is probably not half as strong as any of those men.  YET… she can control the actions of an animal more than 10 times her weight and at least 40 times her strength with a small bit in the animal’s mouth.

In the same way, a huge ship is directed by a relatively small rudder.  Verse 4, “Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.”  James is telling us that although our words are small, they are powerful and important:

• Words direct brilliant minds to solve complex problems.
• Words get revivals started in the church.
• Words speak out against injustice in our community.
• Words inspire great people to do great things.

Verse 5 says, “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.”  The tongue might be a small part of the body, but it has great power in its influence.

Both the bit and the rudder have power to direct a mass far greater than itself.  These small implements overcome opposing forces and change the natural direction of a much larger object than itself.

The tongue also has the power to influence a much larger object than itself.  It has the power to move people.  It can change the natural direction of things.  How important it is that we are careful with our words and direct people in a scriptural way!  It is especially important when we consider how much potential danger there is within our words if we direct someone in a non-scriptural way.

James’ next point focusses on the tongue’s tremendous potential to corrupt and destroy.

#2 Words have the Power to Destroy – James 3:5b-8

Back in 2002, a lady riding a quad got lost just outside of Payson.  She spotted a helicopter and tried to start a signal fire to get the pilot’s attention. Her fire burned wildly out of control.  The small signal fire she had set in the morning grew and burned over 2,000 acres by that afternoon.  It was called the Chediski fire.  

It merged with the Rodeo fire, which was set by an arsonist.  It took 17 days to put out the Rodeo-Chediski fire, it burned almost ½ million acres (over 720 square miles).  At the time, it was the largest wildfire ever recorded in Arizona history.  And it was all started by a scared women and a signal fire.

Fire has the amazing ability to reproduce itself in an almost unlimited way as long as there is fuel for it to consume.  Fire feeds on itself.  If there is enough oxygen and enough flammable material, it will continue to burn indefinitely.

James says that our words are like that signal fire.  The lady on the quad was just trying to get the attention of a helicopter because she needed help, but she wasn’t careful and the fire got away from her.  Likewise, we can use our words to try to get help or attention or sympathy of other people, but if we aren’t careful with our words, those words can be destructive.  They can get away from us.

James 3:5b-8 says, “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ⁶ 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.”

Using the image of fire, James makes four declarations of the dangerous nature of careless words in that verse.  Let’s take a look at those four statements…

A. Careless words are a world of unrighteousness – James 3:6

Instead of driving people to do great things, careless words drive people to do destructive things.  Words are the medium that express all different kinds of sinful passions and desires.  No other body part can hurt ourselves or others as much as our tongue.

B. Careless words stain the whole body – James 3:6, Mark 7:20-23

Whenever I go camping, I usually start a camp fire. It never ceases to amaze me that the smoke from a campfire is attracted to me like a magnet!  The small spark of the match eventually creates a fire large enough to make everything I’m wearing smell like smoke.  Fire has a way of penetrating and smelling up everything that is exposed to it.

In the same way, a dirty tongue defiles everything about a person.  It affect their thoughts, their attitudes and their choices.  Consider Jesus’ words in Mark 7:20-23.  Jesus said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ²² coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

C. Careless words destroy lives – James 3:6

Jewish rabbis often spoke of our words as an arrow rather than a knife because our words have the ability to injure someone at a great distance.  Words can wreak havoc on their victim even if that person is far away.

Words that are intentionally vindictive can really cause a lot of hurt.  People’s reputations can be destroyed by false accusation, rumors and gossip.  Listen to what the sports writer, Morgan Blake, said about the destructive power of words in this early 80’s satire:

“I am more deadly than the screaming shell from the howitzer. I win without killing. I tear down homes, break hearts, and wreck lives. I travel on the wings of the wind. No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity pure enough to daunt me. I have no regard for truth, no respect for justice, no mercy for the defenseless. My victims are as numerous as the sands of the sea, and often as innocent. I never forget and seldom forgive. My name is Gossip.”

Gossip, slander, false accusations and lying can destroy individuals, families and churches because the power behind these words is the power of hell itself.

D. Careless words are fueled by hell – James 3:6, Proverbs 10:19, 17:27

James 3:6b says again, “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.”  James says that our careless words are set on fire by hell.

He is saying that our tongue can be used as Satan’s tool to fulfill his purposes of pollution, destruction and corruption.  If you want to be used powerfully by Satan, then say anything and everything that comes to mind all the time.  He’s glad to use your loose lips for his purposes.  Proverbs 10:19 says, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”

However, if you want to be used powerfully by God, control your tongue!  Proverbs 17:27 says, “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.”  Mature believers know and understand that their speech has a great deal of power to either encourage or devastate others, so they use their words carefully.  The Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives in evidenced by careful and controlled speech.  The Lord calls us to be continually taming our words.

#3 Words Demonstrate Spiritual Health – James 1:26, 3:7-12

A transformed nature will produce transformed behavior.  When someone embraces Jesus as Lord, He begins to transform every part of the person’s life from the inside out.  Their new life in Christ results in their whole life reflecting the righteousness of Jesus more and more every day.

Flip back in your Bible to James 1

The scriptures clearly call each one of us to strive to honor Jesus with our speech while at the same time it says that sanctified speech is the work of the Holy Spirit.  So you may ask, “Which one is it?  Does Jesus change our heart and our speech or do we do it?”  Well, the answer is “Yes.”  Here in James we have what theologians call a parallel truth:

• A believer is exhorted that they need to be careful with their words.  Words are powerful.  Words carry great meaning.  Words motivate people to action.  Words are important so we need to manage our words well. James 1:26 says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue [that’s an act of a person’s will] but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
• On the other hand, our words do reveal the condition of our hearts.  Speech that is out of control is a clear indication of a spiritual life that is also out of control.

Flip forward again to James 3.

Starting in verse 7, James makes the argument that a person can’t be both holy and unholy at the same time.  If the fruit is rotten or the water is poisoned, then there is likely a fundamental issue that needs to be addressed.  Look at verse 7:

“⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”

We often take clean drinking water for granted here in Cottonwood.   In underdeveloped countries, a source of fresh water can be the difference between thriving and dying.  Just like water is life giving, our words can be life giving.  However,  if water
runs out of control, it causes flooding and mass destruction.  In the same way, if our words run out of control, they can cause great injury and devastation.

We’re asked to evaluate ourselves here.  What effects do our words cause?

• Is our speech a source of life and refreshment for people?  – OR – Does our speech contain mostly criticism and gossip?
• Do we delight in building others up?  – OR – Do we think it more fun to tear others down?
• Are we encouragers or discouragers?
• Do we run to the scriptures often with our words or do we run to our own opinions most of the time?

There is a constant tension in the book of James between where we are now and where we ought to be.  Since we have been made righteous by Christ, there are some areas where we all need to grow.  We all need to move from where we are right now to the new place that God wants us to be.  To that end, I want to give you a few practical steps that are helpful for flushing out the undrinkable salt water in your heart so that you can be a source of life and refreshment with your words.

Application

I read about a professing Christian who got angry on the job.  In his anger, he let some colorful words fly.  After he calmed down, he turned to his partner and said, “I don’t know why I said that.  It isn’t really in me.”  He partner wisely replied, “It had to be in you or it could not have come out of you.”

If your words reveal rebellion in your heart against the Holy Spirit, then repent and turn to Jesus.

#1 Turn away from sin and turn your life over to Jesus

The tongue that sings the praises of God one moment then turns around and curses people the next is not spiritually healthy.  Maybe that speech indicates that person is not actually saved.  Maybe it indicates that the person is saved, but really unhealthy.  Either way, it’s time to turn away from sin and turn to Jesus as Lord.

#2 Cleanse your speech with God’s Word

If you and I are going to have tongues that build up others, we must meet with the Lord often and learn from His words.  We need to go deep into the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and minds with his truth.

To that end, new editions of Closer Walk and Indeed are on the back table

#3 Ask for the Lord’s help

Ask for the Lord’s help in prayer.  Ask for him to help you be controlled by the Spirit with your speech.  Herman Mickly often quoted Psalm 141:3 which says, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;   keep watch over the door of my lips!”

Strong Words – James 1:26, 3:1-12, Matthew 12

#1 Words have the Power to Direct – James 3:1-5

#2 Words have the Power to Destroy – James 3:5b-8

A. Careless words are a world of unrighteousness – James 3:6

B. Careless words stain the whole body – James 3:6, Mark 7:20-23

C. Careless words destroy lives – James 3:6

D. Careless words are fueled by hell – James 3:6, Proverbs 10:19, 17:27

#3 Words Demonstrate Spiritual Health – James 1:26, 3:7-12

Application

#1 Turn away from sin and turn your life over to Jesus

#2 Cleanse your speech with God’s Word

#3 Ask for the Lord’s help

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;     keep watch over the door of my lips!” Psalm 141:3