A Few Words About Our Words

In James chapter 3, we are reminded of the power of our words. The tongue may be small, but it can cause great harm. James warns against becoming teachers, as they will be held to a higher standard. We all stumble in our words, and if we can control our tongue, we are considered perfect. Just like a small bit can control a horse or a rudder can steer a ship, our words have the power to guide our lives. Our tongue can bring both praise and cursing, but this should not be. We cannot tame the tongue, and it is full of deadly poison. Jesus also speaks about the importance of our words, and how we will be judged for every careless word we speak. Careless words are sinful words, and as believers, we must be mindful of how we use our words. We should pray, like David, for God to guard our mouths and keep watch over our lips. Teaching is a divine calling, but we must be careful in from James after this text, which may be good because we're drinking out of a firehose today as we read the text from James's letter. So James chapter 3 verses 1 through 12. This is God's Word. Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We 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. When we put bits into the mounds of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal 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. 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 person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man 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 men who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Please be seated. We'll tackle this text this morning. A few words about our words. Verses 1-5, we'll read of the power to heal and the power to kill. And then verses 5-10, it's the truth revealed. And then verses 11-12, the fruit we produce will bear witness. That's how we'll analyze James' text this morning. Before we tackle the text, though, for today, let's first consider a passage from Matthew. So if you will, keep your finger in James, and let's go to the Gospels, to the story found in Matthew, and this will be in Matthew chapter 12. In the Gospel of Matthew, we find one of the places in the text where Jesus here will have some pretty harsh words for the Pharisees. This is Matthew chapter 12. First, in this text, we'll see that the Pharisees are complaining that Jesus' disciples are gleaning heads of grain from the fields. And next, we'll read that they complain when Jesus in the synagogue heals a man with a shriveled hand. How horrible is that? And then outside the synagogue, later in the day, Jesus heals a man who is deaf and mute and demon-possessed. And yes, we'll see the Pharisees complain about that, too. So let's notice their complaints in this text, Matthew chapter 12. Verse 2, here's the first complaint. Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath. So their disciples are being accused of being lawbreakers as they go about doing something that is perfectly legal for them to do. And then in verse 24, the other complaint, the Pharisees say, it's only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons. They won't even mention his name, Jesus. He's just this fellow. So Jesus himself is accused of being of the devil. Here, the Pharisees in the text are so upset at what Jesus is doing that we notice in verse 14 that the text says, but the Pharisees went out and though not further saying anything directly to Jesus, nevertheless, we see them plotting how they might kill Jesus. But in verse 25 of that text, where Matthew writes that Jesus knew their thoughts, that he could perceive the motivations of the hearts of the Pharisees, that he knew what made them tick. Now, the Pharisees thought that they were the most godliest of individuals. Jesus, however, puts them in their place. He calls them out and he's speaking words of truth over them. And notice in the text here, in Matthew chapter 12, he determines to condemn their words, words which flow from within them. Look at verses 33 through 37 there in Matthew chapter 12, starting with verse 33. Jesus says, make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil see the fruit of the tree? Say anything good, for out of the overflow of the hearts the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give accounts on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. Now, this text, words of Christ, should set us back on our heels a little bit, for we all have understood that divine judgment will be rendered against those who sin against God. But notice here in verse 36, Jesus' declaration, he says we'll have to give account on that day for every careless word. I thought I was just getting, you know, beat up for my sins, but now I'm getting beat up for my careless words as well. Notice here in Christ accounting of sins. So the careless words are also sinful words. That hurts. The careless words are also sinful words. So not just the profane words, and not just the ugly words. We all know what those are. But also the careless words too. Idle words, lazy words, words that are practically useless, words that serve no God-honoring purpose. In fact, Scripture teaches that the believer has to attend to this. Solomon's wisdom, for example, in Proverbs chapter 14, verse 16, Solomon says, one who is wise and cautious and turns away, one who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. And we notice that from Solomon, carelessness and a turning away from evil, they stand in opposition to each other. Careless words, therefore, are certainly evil words. And so to attend to our words so that we would use them in a careful manner is a turning away from evil and a turning toward a godly use of them. Solomon's father, David, was right when he petitioned God to help him so, to help him so that his speech would be God-honoring. David's prayer, Psalm 141, verse 3, set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips. Should not this prayer of David be our prayer too? Yes, because you and I easily struggle with this. The careless use of words is a matter of sin for all of us. And Christ's followers must be committed to use of words which are God-honoring in all things. So now let's go to James in our text for today. So James chapter 3. And here the apostle returns to the theme to which he has made reference a couple of times previously in the text. Believers in Jesus, let us consider again the way we employ our tongues. In other words, let's have a few words about our words. We begin with verse 1. And it seems that James is introducing a completely different subject here at the beginning of the chapter. Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. Now then we realize, of course, that teachers communicate by using words, by the use of language. So the words used by a teacher must be proper. So the use of the tongue in teaching must be proper. There are many false teachers in this world, and there are certainly even today many false teachers in these last days in the church. And because of their careless words, their sinful words, the text says it will not go well for them on the day of judgment. Here James is not attempting to discourage teachers. He's not telling us not to teach, to not be involved in a teaching ministry. But the apostle is reminding us that teaching God's people is indeed a divine calling. And so teaching bears kingdom responsibilities. And yet James shows himself to be humble in spirit and compassionate before God's people. And we see this in verse 2. James confesses that we all stumble in many ways. So he's including himself in that picture. James is not holding himself out as a paragon of virtue who does not fail in this area. James is quick to disclose that we all fail in this way. He's including himself in that number. Perfection is the standard, and everyone falls short. And verse 3 argues for the ideal, doesn't it? It says if anyone is never at fault in what he says, he's a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. James does not suggest that he is the perfect man. And you and I don't qualify for this either. So we'll pause for a moment. And we'll give all the glory to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God with us, who has the full revelation of God, reveal the truth by his words, and reveal the truth by his perfect life and by his sacrificial death. James then begins to hone in on the details of his concern. We notice in verses 3 and 4 that he uses a couple of examples. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal or take ships as an example, although they are so large and driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. And following this logic, in verse 5, he brings us to a concern. He says, likewise, we are not perfect. In verse 5, he brings us to a concern. He says, likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. And this is not new. We've seen this before. Remember when we were studying Ecclesiastes back over the spring and summer. In Ecclesiastes chapter 10, we recall it's a chapter where the wisdom of Solomon was intended for the one who would be king over God's people and the family, the royal family. And yet there's three little insignificant critters in this chapter who remind us that a king can succumb to failure and destruction over the tiniest of matters. Remember, this is the chapter where we read these lines like this. Solomon says, dead flies give perfume a bad smell, or whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake, or a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say. So we studied Solomon's teaching there in Ecclesiastes, and we referred to this as the battle of three little critters versus the king. And we concluded that no matter how great the king may be, these among the smallest and lowest of creation yet represent the strongest of opposition. And if a king is not careful, he can easily trip over them, and they can certainly lead to his downfall. And when a king falls, the even greater tragedy is that the people and the nation fall with him, be it moral failure or be it incompetence. And we have seen this in our own nation, and we've seen it in the world throughout history, and we're seeing it even today in the government of this nation. When the king falls, much falls with him. This is good wisdom for kings, but it's good wisdom for us all. Now a bit in the mouth of a horse is also small, almost seemingly insignificant, and the rudder of a ship also very small compared to the size of the ship that it steers. Small, and yet the primary means by which the horse or the ship is directed. You got to have a bit, and you got to have a rudder if you're going to steer either of these. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but we got to watch out for the tongue because it makes great boasts. Our tongues are small, but they will accomplish much, be it good or bad. In the context of James, it is clear that reference to the tongue, it's about more than our physical tongues. It's not just the tongue itself, but the tongue also stands as a metaphor, of course, for the words we use and for the hearts and minds that drive our words. And so it's true, our tongues have the power to build up, and our tongues have the power to tear down. Our tongues have the power to heal, and our tongues have the power to kill. So we come to verses 5 through 10, and here the wisdom of God's Word comes to us and convicts us all. It's a rough text. Notice the truth revealed in the text. This is, I think, what really hurts. Verse 6, James says, the tongue is a world of evil among the parts of the body. And then also in verse 6, James says, the tongue is itself set on fire by hell. In verse 8, James says, the tongue is a restless evil. He's not mincing any words. He's not pulling back here. It seems that James has made it pretty clear to us the connection and the affiliation that our tongues and our words and our thoughts and our affections possess. James says the tongue has an affiliation with evil itself. The tongue has an affiliation with hell. And here's the difficulty for us all. No one's exempt. Everyone is guilty. Verse 8 convicts each and every single one of us. Notice what it says. No one can tame the tongue. And there's no asterisk in your Bible where it says, okay, but in certain circumstances, certain people are okay. It doesn't say that anywhere. You don't find that in your notes along the side or down at the bottom. No commentator's ever thrown that in anywhere. When it says, no one can tame the tongue, that's the end of the sentence. And there's a period at the end because the sentence is over. Because no one can tame the tongue. And here's the real tragic part about our inability to tame the tongue. Verses 9 and 10. The summary of the argument, revealing of the truth. With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father. And with it, we curse men who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. When you were a little kid, and you remember your mom saying, did you use, what did you, what came out of your mouth? What did you just say? I heard that too many times. Maybe none of y'all ever did. Never got a bar of soap, put in your mouth once in a while. I probably didn't get it enough. The woman in charge of the bar of soap was probably a little too generous with her, with her willingness to withhold it. Her willingness to withhold that bar of soap. We all have dealt with this. And this is the tragedy because we curse men, we curse people, we curse men and women and boys and girls who have been made in the image of God. They've been made in God's likeness. So therefore, James is right, both as an apostle and as a servant of Christ, to make this declaration. He says, my brothers and my sisters, children of God, believers in Jesus, this should not be. And we notice it's not presented as an option. I mean, clearly God's attitude concerning our words and our use of them is not unconcerned. God's not disconnected. James here says, my brothers and sisters, this should not be. James is actually softening it a little bit, isn't he? This is the command of God. This is the command of God. God is sovereign over our words. God is to be sovereign over the very motivations and attitudes of our heart. God is to be sovereign over our affections. And God is to be sovereign over the things we say. And I don't meet the test. Now, we conclude today's lesson with verses 11 and 12. Verses which at first glance seem to have nothing to do with the teaching that James has just delivered. Notice the text. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives or a grape vine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Now, these two verses sound something like lines from Proverbs, don't they? They kind of sound like short, pithy sayings of common sense. So why does James include them here? How might they be related to the previous verses concerning the use of the tongue? And what do they say to us? Why do we need to know these verses? Why do we need to read them? Because we read them at first glance, and we don't see the connection. Well, let's take them apart and look at them. We see that these are rhetorical questions. They're both easy to understand. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? No, of course not. Can a fig tree bear olives? No. Can a grape vine bear figs? No to this also. Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. So James is not providing any kind of difficult examination here. But we know there's got to be some sort of connection. So what can we learn from the... What's James trying to tell us? Now, to bring some clarification, let's first consider the use of a particular language in the text, because the New International Version makes reference to a spring once in verse 11, and then once again in verse 12. You see the word spring in the text. And the original language here uses different words for spring. So the word in verse 12 for spring is spring. So the word in verse 12 for spring is spring. But in verse 11, the New International Version uses the word spring, but it's not really a spring. The actual original language uses a word more... literally means a hole in the ground. And what it means is more like a reservoir or an aquifer, places where water is stored in the ground. Now, this seems like a nuance, but it makes a difference because a reservoir or an aquifer holds water, while a spring, of course, forces water to bubble up to the surface. They have two different functions. You might have a spring that's connected to an aquifer, for example. We have that in Florida and all over the place. So there is a difference. So we read verse 11 to say, can both fresh water and salt water come from the same reservoir? And the answer is still no, it doesn't change the answer, but it is a nuance, and we're going to see how it bears out. We come to verse 12, and then we find this little interjection. So first, James talks about water and springs and reservoirs, but now he shifts the conversation. He says, my sisters and my brothers, can a fig tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs? Now, we know the answers to both these questions are no. Why do we know the answer is no? Why do we know that the answer is no? Notice that James reminds us here that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We're believers who subscribe to God's word. So James is making the point that we draw our answers from the truth concerning God's word. So with regard to plant life, where do we go? Well, we go back to the garden. We go back to Genesis. We go back to the beginning. We go back to the week of creation, Genesis chapter 1, verse 11 and following. Then God said, let the land produce vegetation, seed-bearing plants and trees in the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. And it was so. The land produced vegetation, plants bearing seed according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning the third day. You know that story. That's why it's important to know those things, right? That's why we went to Sunday school when we were kids, to learn these things so that we would understand the full meaning of them. Because we know that a fig tree won't produce olives. And we know that a grapevine won't produce figs. And we know these as facts because we can observe them in nature. So we can observe these things and we know that they're facts. But we also know them as truth. We know them as truth because God declared at the end of day three that his creation was what? It was good. God said at the end of day three when he made all the plants according to their kind, and he saw they were functioning just the way they were supposed to function. And he said, you know what? Those are good. I made them and they're good. At the end of day three. So a fig tree produces figs and an olive tree produces olives and a grapevine produces grapes. Why? Because the creator designed it to be that way. They do it because God intended for them to do it and he made them to do it. And figs and olives and grapes, they continue to be produced in this manner. Nothing's changed. Why? Because the creator is also the sustainer. God, in his glory and in his power, not only has created the universe, but he sustains it. So the fig trees still produce figs and the grapevine still produces grapes. So while it's factual that olives and grapes and figs come from plants, it's also true that they come from God, who is the creator and sustainer of all things in this world. Figs and olives and grapes all have a common source. They belong to God. He graciously gives them to us. They all come to us from the hand of the giving God. And so we know that for these two questions in verse 12, the answer remains the same. Can a fig tree bear olives? No. Can a grapevine bear figs? No to this also. Now let's go on to the final statement in verse 12 and we're going to bring all this together. Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. All right, let's go down that line and see where this goes. Only a saltwater spring produces saltwater and only a freshwater spring produces freshwater. And this occurs because just like the creator's hand made the fig tree and the olive tree and the grapevine, so also he made the freshwater springs and the saltwater springs. So that God is the source of both freshwater and saltwater. The facts are the water comes to us from the springs. And the truth is that the water comes to us from God. It originates with him. It emanates from him. It all belongs to him. And he graciously gives it to us. And so it is with the tongue. God made us. God made our tongues. God gave us the ability to speak. God gave us the words to speak, the ability and the intellect to comprehend them. And as members of his creation and also his children, we belong to him. So our tongues belong to him. And our ability to speak belongs to him. And our words belong to him. And all of this exists so we might glorify him. As the nature of the plant determines the fruit and as the nature of the spring determines the water it produces, so also the nature of the believer determines the words he or she uses. That's a big one. As the nature of the plant determines the fruit and as the nature of the spring determines the water it produces, so also the nature of the believer determines the words he or she uses. So as we've been purchased by Christ, we now belong to God. And the fruit we produce bears witness. The fruit we produce bears witness as to whose we are. In other words, as Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Now, is the taming of our tongue really a big deal? Yes, it is. In this world, which has in a very short period of time collapsed societally into the abyss of darkness and sin, the language of the world and the worlds used by this culture are clearly the residue which slimes its way from the pit of hell. And the church, the believers in Jesus, must demonstrate the counter-cultural thinking in language. We represent the kingdom and we work for the kingdom, so let us use the language of the kingdom. So is the taming of our tongue really a big deal? Yes, yes it is. In fact, it's so big that we must understand here that James is really giving us his commentary, right? It's a commentary on the proper application of the ninth commandment. You know the ninth commandment, don't lie. The commandment against lying or bearing false witness. As we recall from our study of the ten commandments, the imperatives of the word of God, they're not just presented to us as negatives, don't do this, don't do that, but also as positives. So in which way do we then subscribe to and obey the ninth commandment if it's a negative command? Well, for good instruction, rather than trying to figure this out on our own, let's consider the wisdom of the Westminster Larger Catechism. This is question 144, and the question says, what does the ninth commandment require? How do we obey the ninth commandment? And here's the answer. The ninth commandment requires that we maintain and promote truthfulness in our dealings with each other and the good reputation of others as well as ourselves. We must come forward and stand up for the truth, speaking the truth, and nothing but the truth from our hearts, sincerely, freely, clearly, and without equivocation, not only in all matters relating to the law and justice, but in any and every circumstance whatsoever. We must have also a charitable regard for others, loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good reputation, as well as regretting and putting the best light on their failings. We must freely acknowledge their talents and gifts, defending their innocence, readily receiving a good report about them, and reluctantly admitting a bad one. We should discourage gossips, flatterers, and slanderers. We should love and protect our own good reputation and defend it when necessary. We should keep every lawful promise we make, no matter what. And finally, we should do the best we can to focus our lives and thoughts on things that are true, noble, lovely, and admirable. Man, that's a mouthful. How can we argue with that? Of course, you and I have a long way to go so that James' instruction regarding our words would be fully evident in our lives. Certainly, it is obvious from the teaching of James that our tongues would display the reflection of our hearts. What resides inside is going to bubble up to the surface. Here's the ugly truth. You and I claim to be Christ followers, yet often we harumph our way through life. Our countenance reveals our divided loyalty and unmasks our self-serving anger, and our words expose our hard-heartedness and disclose our spiritual immaturity. So it is absolutely incumbent upon believers in Jesus to continually cultivate not only words, but also attitudes and affections and actions that honor God and graciously and compassionately display love for each other. Where do we start with that? We know that's true. How do we start? Well, we start by prayer so that as our hearts have been made new by Christ, that our words be reflective of a heart made new. Believers in Jesus, let us pray as David prayed. This is Psalm 19, verse 14. David said, May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Let's pray. The lesson of your word, O Lord, is a challenge to us, but we thank you that all Scripture is God-breathed and it's available for reproof and for correction and for training in righteousness, that the men and women of God will be equipped for every good work. And so equip us, Father, by your word this day, we pray. God, grab ahold of our hearts so that which bubbles up from inside of us would be the truth. And that which bubbles up from inside of us would be that which is good and pleasing to you. And that which bubbles up from inside of us would be that which glorifies you in all things. For this, we praise you and we give you glory. And we seek your love and your compassion, and we seek your Holy Spirit in our lives poured out upon us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.