Taming the Tongue in Times of Trials-Part: 1

Let me tell you at the outset; that when I was studying this chapter the Lord revealed my own personal sins. Those sins that are not visible to all of you but they are visible to me, to my wife and above all they are visible to the Lord. I have asked for forgiveness from Him and I am sure He has granted me that forgiveness. And it is my prayer that at the end of this message you too will come to know your own sin of hypocrisy and you too will ask forgiveness from the Lord and so you will also have the joy of being forgiven. Because tongue is such an organ with which we all are culpable of misusing it. We all are guilty of hypocrisy; in other words many times our actions have not matched up with our actions.

From the reading of our text; it is clear that James is speaking about the evils of tongue. James dealt with the same topic in chapter 1:26-27. But he dealt with it in a passing way. For the fact that James dedicated only 1 verse to describe the bad use of tongue. But in our text this morning James is dedicating the entire chapter to signify the need to tame the tongue. And through this we can understand the significance of taming the tongue. That a person can destroy another person with the help of tongue; or a person can build up another person with the help of tongue.

Now when we think of wild fires most of us we know how that fire starts. Especially, in the forest of Bamboos; when the wind blows the Bamboos shake and because the Bamboos grow in small groups or clusters there is friction and because of the friction there is a spark of fire, and because of that spark the wild fire starts and it destroys the entire forests if it’s not controlled in time.

Many of us remember that many years ago a wild fire that consumed the forests of Australia. The News told us that it took many days to control the fire, but the truth is most of the forest was turned into ashes by that time.

This is exactly what James is saying concerning tongue, in the text this morning.

So, here is the title for the message this morning:

“Taming the Tongue in Times of Trials.”

1.      The Instruction to Tame the Tongue: vs. 1-2

Reasons to Tame the Tongue

a.      Judgment with Greater Strictness

b.      Vulnerability of Stumbling

2.      The Illustrations of Untamed Tongue: vs. 3-5

a.      Horse

b.      Ship

c.       Fire

d.      Deadly Poison

e.      World of Evil

1.      The Instruction to Tame the Tongue: vs. 1-2

I want to remind you that so far we have finished the 2^nd chapter of James. And it’s important to notice that James begins a new topic in this chapter, and that topic is very closely linked with the previous chapter. Because, there is a direct connection between your confession and your actions. We do our confession with the help of our tongue; and if our confession does not match up with our actions then that confession is not an authentic confession. To explain that type of a person in one word it’s, ‘hypocrite.’

So, notice vs. 1, 2, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 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.”

What we need to observe here is that: James is not even using the word ‘tongue’ until vs. 5.

But at the same he is very much speaking about tongue without using that word. Because we do our teaching with the help of tongue. However, it’s a true saying that ‘actions speak louder than words.’ Just to modify that saying a little bit it would be like this, “Actions teach lounder than Tongue.”

But I want us all to focus upon the instruction that James gives: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers…”

According to what James writes here it’s clear that: there were many people who had a desire to become public teachers. The problem was not that they wanted to become religious public teachers; the problem was, they were not properly qualified for the job; and that’s why he warns his readers not to become teachers.

This is exactly what Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:1-6, “This is a faithful saying: if a man seeks the office of an overseer he desires a good work. The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching; not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence; (but if a man doesn't know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?) not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.”

 These words of Paul explain to us that if a person desires to be a Pastor it’s a good thing. But what must be looked at is; does he qualify for that desire? That is the issue.

And I think James had the similar concern in his mind that his readers wanted to become teachers when they were not qualified for that office.

Another reason why James is telling his readers not to be teachers is because he had seen the Pharisees of Jesus’ days. They were good moral teachers very staunch for their traditions. But what Jesus tells the people and His disciples about them is very embarrassing for the Pharisees.

Matthew 23:3, “All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don't do their works; for they say, and don't do.”

Now from Jesus’ words it’s clear that the Pharisees were not practicing what they were preaching. They might have been great expositors of God’s Law; they might have a great understanding of God’s Law (because those days only the 5 books of the Old Testament were available). But they were not practicing the Word of God in their lives, they expected others to practice their teachings but they felt no responsibility/ no weight upon their own lives to do the Word of God.

Another verse that explains the Pharisees identity is in Mark 12:40. Jesus our Lord uses very harsh language for them. He doesn’t show them any mercy.

Look at Mark 12:40, “those who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

Again, Matthew 23:14, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don't enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.

Now what these Pharisees were doing was; they were teaching the false doctrines and in a way they were shutting the door of heaven for their followers; in other words Jesus is saying that those who are willing to go to heaven you don’t allow them to go in but you make them twice responsible for going into hell.  Because eternal life, Salvation, Repentance, heaven and hell were not a part of their teaching. But they were busy in exploiting the people. Therefore Jesus severely condemned them.

And the reason why James is warning his readers not to become teachers is because he had observed the Pharisees of his day. The point is: they did not qualify to be the teachers of the Law.

What Paul says in Romans 2:21-22 exactly illustrates the Pharisees, Romans 2:21-22, " You therefore who teach another, don't you teach yourself? You who preach that a man shouldn't steal, do you steal? You who say a man shouldn't commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

They had been guilty of not teaching themselves what they were teaching others. They were guilty of stealing when they had taught others not to steal. They had been guilty of robbing the temple of God.

Another reason why James could have warned his readers not to become teachers of the law; is because they must have lacked a proper understanding of the Law. That’s what 1 Timothy 1:7 tells us: “desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.”

E.g.: A couple of years ago I happened to meet a particular believer. I know that person from my childhood. He was my Dad’s friend. We were debating about children’s separation after their marriage. It’s always God’s plan that man should leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. But he said to me; that the Bible does not give us any specific example of anybody having separated from their parents. Jacob lived along with his children. But I told him even though he might have lived along with his children and their wives but that was not God’s original plan. And because they did not obey God they had to face many problems. Again the question comes back to the same thing, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked…” You sow sin and you reap sorrow.

In the next part of the verse James gives the first reason why they should not become teachers. And the reason is: because those who desire to become teachers will incur strict judgment.

What that means is that: there is a great responsibility on the person who seeks to teach others. Those who teach are more liable for their words. They are constantly under pressure to do the Word. The person who teaches the Bible must make sure that his eyes are on the Word of God. He has to keep his lifestyle under constant check of the Word of God.

2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

The second reason that James gives is in vs. 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.”

It might appear that James was scaring his readers. But whatever he is saying is absolutely true. But we have to understand that; the idea in this verse is not sinless perfection. But the idea is that: the teacher must understand that he is vulnerable to fall, he is vulnerable to commit sin as much as the people whom he teaches.

What James is saying here is: the one who keeps his words in check is also able to control his whole body. In other words: there is not only a connection between your tongue and your actions; but there is also a connection between your tongue and your body. In other words the kind of words we use is the direction our body is going to take.

E.g. Have you heard of people who when they are angry say bad words? And after realizing what they have said they regret, and say; Oh I didn’t mean that. Or that was not I. but the question comes who was it?

And Jesus said it true: Matthew 12:34, “You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

Application:

Recently I heard a story of a young Hindu girl who married a nominal Christian boy. It seems that boy along with his other friends went to sea shore to enjoy. While that boy was swimming somehow he drowned and died in the sea. The boy’s parents were shocked because of their boy’s sudden death.

Many days went by; and one fine day the boy’s parents started to quarrel with the widowed girl saying that because you did some kind of a witchcraft our son died. And with this in their mind they asked the girl to leave their house. The girl had no choice but to leave to her mother’s home.

To make the long story short: today we come to know about that girl, that she doesn’t want to do anything with the Christian people. She has a high regard for Jesus but she gives bad words to Christians.

Do you think that girl will ever open up for Christ and His gospel? Yes, it’s true that she is responsible to her own damnation but those people who asked her to leave the house are doubly responsible for her damnation.

Therefore, take a closer look at the kind of Christian life that we are living. What does our neighbors say about us? What does our friends say about us? Do they say, “Oh he says he is a Christian but his behavior is opposite to his confession.” Or do people say, “Oh he is a true Christian man, his words match up with his actions.”