The Biggest Troublemaker

This is a continuation of my Bible study class on Sunday mornings. We made it to chapter three. The littlest organ is the biggest troublemaker. Why is it that the mouth gets us into more trouble than anything else? Here is a brief outline of what we find in this section:

1. The Importance of the Tongue (James 3:1-2) anyone who can control his tongue is perfect, totally mature, able to keep the whole body in check.
2. The Illustrations of the Tongue (James 3:3-5)
   1. How it can control (James 3:3-4)
      1. A bridle to the horse (James 3:3)
      2. A rudder to the ship (James 3:4)
   2. How it can consume (James 3:5) a spark that can destroy a great forest.
3. The Iniquity of the Tongue (James 3:6) it is set on fire by hell itself, destroying the owner.
4. The incorrigibility of the Tongue (James 3:7-8)
   1. People can train wild animals (James 3:7)
   2. People cannot train the tongue (James 3:8)
5. The Inconsistency of the Tongue (James 3:9-12)
   1. The contradiction (James 3:9-10) it tries to do things simultaneously.
      1. Praise God (James 3:9, 10)
      2. Curse others (James 3:9, 10)
   2. The conclusion (James 3:11-12) it cannot do things simultaneously.
      1. Fresh and salt water (James 3:11, 12)
      2. Figs and olives (James 3:12)
      3. Grapevine and figs (James 3:12)
6. The Instructions for the Tongue (James 3:13-18)
   1. The path it should follow (James 3:13, 17, 18) control requires wisdom.
   2. The path it should flee (James 3:14-16) don’t allow Satan’s influence.

Let’s get into the beginning of the chapter. James chapter three starts out with a couple of warnings:

1. Against too many people becoming teachers (James 3:1-2)
2. About the untamable tongue (James 3:3-12)

I wonder if these teachers engaged other people in verbal abuse, or perhaps these were self-proclaimed teachers who got involved in all sorts of heated religious discussions. Let’s dig into what James writes:

The Warning About Not Becoming Teachers (James 3:1-2)

James does not say, “Let not many of you be teachers” but rather, “Let not many of you become teachers.” I wonder if this future orientation is James’ point. This passage is not just a rebuke of those who try to be teachers before they are ready, but a warning that many should not even become teachers in the future. Wow. I think it is a mistake that everyone should become a teacher at some point in their service to Christ. So, here is the biblical proof.

Paul often illustrated that the body of Christ has many members, and not all members do not have the same
function (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31). Notice especially 1 Corinthians 12:29, where Paul with a rhetorical question implies that not all are to be teachers.

Peter also taught that God’s grace toward us is multifaceted and that we should exercise our respective abilities accordingly (1 Peter 4:10-11). In view of what Paul, Peter, and James wrote, we should be careful before we apply Hebrews 5:12-14 to mean that everyone should one day be teachers (the author of Hebrews may have been writing to a select audience, whom he knew ought to have been teachers).

So, Why Should Many Not Become Teachers?

Sometimes it is easier to follow the rules when we understand the reasons why the rules are there in the first place. Consider this:

1. Teachers will be judged more strictly (James 3:1)
   1. There is a serious responsibility involved in teaching others.
   2. Teachers can lead people to truth, but teachers can also lead them to error.
   3. Just as with elders (Hebrews 13:17), those who teach will be held accountable if they mislead others.
2. Because we all make many mistakes (James 3:2)
   1. Since everyone makes mistakes, the improper use of the tongue is a major issue.
   2. Teaching the truth and living in error is hypocrisy.
   3. Damage will be done when Christians don’t walk the talk.
   4. The relationship between words and deeds? Words can normally lead to actions. Remember that “loose lips sink ships.”

So James cautions against many people trying to become teachers. This should not discourage any from trying to find out if teaching is a gift that they might have if nurtured along, but one should proceed with humility and caution. The point for me is that with responsibility comes great accountability.

The Power of Speech

James lets us know that the person who does not control his mouth is not really religious (James 1:26). Earlier we are told to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19). The power of speech is one of the greatest gifts we have. We can praise God, preach the word, communicate with others, lead someone to Christ; but we can also ruin a reputation, break a heart, tell lies and hurt others with the same mouth.

The Power to Direct (James 3:2-4)

1. The rudder and the bridle: both illustrations are used to demonstrate that the lesser object can control the greater.
   1. They both overcome contrary forces. (bit controls a horse and a rudder controls the ship).
   2. They both need to be under the control of a strong hand.
   3. They both affect the lives of others.
      1. Sunday School teacher, Edward Kimball, went into a Boston shoe store on April 21, 1855, and lead a young man to Christ, who became one of the greatest evangelists (Dwight L. Moody).
      2. Peter preached at Pentecost and 3000 came to faith in Christ.
2. Our tongue controls the body:
   1. Biblical support.
      1. Solomon warned that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).
      2. David prayed that God would set a watchman over his mouth (Psalm 141:3-4).
      3. Jesus tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34).
   2. Practical support.
      1. If you speak a lie, it won’t be long before you find yourself living a lie.
      2. If you speak suggestively in an immoral manner, it won’t be long before you begin acting immorally.
3. The power of the tongue to direct is easily applied to the dangers of teaching. The teacher’s words can easily set the mood of the class or congregation, in an uplifting way, or just as easily direct the class in a discouraging way.
4. This power to direct using the tongue should humble those who teach, and caution the spiritually immature.

The Power to Destroy (James 3:5-8)

1. A small fire can easily cause great destruction.
   1. Rremember the Great Chicago Fire? It started in the barn at the O’Leary farm, October 8, 1871, killing hundreds of people and destroying four square miles.
   2. How many times do we read about a forest fire in California getting started by a discarded cigarette?
2. The tongue causes destruction, too. A loose tongue can ruin one’s reputation, and can destroy fellowships, families, friendships.
3. In describing an uncontrolled tongue, James uses very vivid terms to make his point (James 3:6):
   1. The tongue is a fire.
   2. The tongue is a world of iniquity.
   3. The tongue corrupts the whole body.
   4. The tongue sets your whole life on fire.
   5. The tongue is set on fire by hell.
4. Should not this power to destroy and defile both ourselves and others caution us in becoming teachers?
   1. As a fire burns, so our words can hurt and burn.
   2. As a fire burns, it spreads the more fuel it gets.
   3. As a fire spreads, it destroys.
   4. When you control fire, you get power rather than destruction.
   5. Despite being able to tame wild animals, man is unable to tame the tongue (James 3:7). It is full of poison, like finding venomous snakes in your path.
      1. With God’s help, we can tame it (as David prayed in Psalm 141:3).
      2. With God’s help, we must tame it (Ephesians 4:29; Colossians 4:6).

The Power to Delight (James 3:9-12)

1. Blessing God and cursing from the same mouth (James 3:9, 10).
   1. Our words are deep waters (Proverbs 18:4).
   2. The mouth of a righteous man is life (Proverbs 10:11).
   3. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).
   4. Bless and curse: something we are likely to do, especially on Sundays.
      1. We spend time in worship, blessing God.
      2. But in driving home, we might curse men (other drivers who pull out in front of us).
      3. Racists and bigots are often guilty of “blessing God and cursing men.”
2. The illustrations of a spring, a fig tree and a grapevine, James shows our inconsistency.
   1. Water.
      1. What comes forth is a true indication of what is inside, just as Jesus taught in Mark 7:20-23.
      2. Water gives life: but not when the flood waters rise
      3. Water cleanses: like the basin in the temple, the Bible is like spiritual water (John 15:3, Ephesians 5:26-27).
   2. Tree and vine.
      1. Trees are important to our economy, holding down soil and providing wood and shade.
      2. The most important part of a tree is the root system: they must go down deep for the tree to be healthy (Psalm 1:1-3).
      3. Nature always produces after it’s own kind: we expect a spring to provide good water and we expect a fig tree to produce fruit.
3. The problem is not really the tongue, but the heart (Matthew 15:18). Warren Weirsbe suggests 12 words that, when from your heart, can transform your life:
   1. Please, and thank you: these allow you to treat others as people ansd not things.
   2. I’m sorry: for breaking down walls and building bridges.
   3. I love you: not the romantic version but the “I love you anyway” type, that even loves our enemies.
   4. I’m praying for you: when you talk to God about people, then you will be able to talk to people about God.

Application:

These examples of the misuse of the tongue should humble and caution all those who would become teachers, but they should also serve as a warning for us all, whether we teach or not, that we need to seek God’s help in controlling the tongue! May David’s prayer be our own:

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

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