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Sep 22, 2024

The Mighty Tongue | Faith in Action

The Mighty Tongue | Faith in Action

Passage: James 3:2-13

Speaker: Matt Petty

Series: Faith in Action

Category: Sunday Sermons

Keywords: sunday morning, prayer, god, sermon, bible, christ, gospel, james, spiritual growth, bible study, taming the tongue, church unity, faith in action, book of james, active faith, bible teaching, christian motivation, faith communities, church livestream, burnt hickory, burnt hickory worship, burnt hickory baptist church live stream, transformative faith, how to control my tonuge

Your words hold power. Words can uplift, guide, and praise—but they can also harm, deceive, and destroy. As we continue through the book of James, today we’ll look at one of the greatest tools we have been given, the tongue. Like a small rudder directing a mighty ship, our words reflect the views and direction of our hearts. As we explore the nature of the tongue, we’ll see how it reveals where we stand with Christ and holds immense power to control our lives. The challenge? Recognizing it's power and how it can affect everything in our lives. Yet, when surrendered to God, the tongue becomes one of the most powerful tools we have to honor Him and lead others. Join us as we seek to understand how to tame the tongue and how we can't do it alone. Let’s learn together how to bring our words under God’s control and live out our faith with wisdom and grace.

If you have a copy of scripture this morning, join me in James chapter three. We're continuing in this series called Faith in Action. We’re walking with our first-century friend James through this letter. He is the half-brother of Jesus and the leader of the Church of Jerusalem. Not only did he write to the first-century Christians, but he also gave the letter to us for encouragement, for a battle cry in a culture that is opposed to Christianity, and for a way for us to see if our faith is real.

I've said this almost every week, but this book is laid out with all kinds of tests that we can use. Sometimes it's a little bit weird trying to figure out where we are in the faith. In chapter one, we walked through the test of trials, the test of temptation, and the test of how we respond to the word of God. James said, based on those things, you will be shown where you are in your faith. In chapter two, we walked through the test of favoritism or prejudice and the test of true saving faith versus dead faith. Well, this week, James once again is going to punch us right in the mouth. If you're looking at the notes, you know that is a literal statement because we're looking at the mighty tongue.

James gave us this test today to evaluate our walk with Jesus, because really and truly how we speak is an indicator of where our heart is. I will say this a bunch today, but the bottom line is our mouth shows what our heart is doing. James must have struggled with this idea of the mouth. I say that because James mentions the tongue so many times. He mentions it in chapter one twice. He mentions it in chapter two. He mentions it in chapter four. He mentions it in chapter five. And today, half of chapter three in the middle of this little letter is all about our mouths. James must have either struggled with this before he met the Lord Jesus as his Savior. Or the church had real trouble with how they talked. Or, and this is what I believe, it must be that the Holy Spirit knows that we struggle with this. James mentions it all over his letter. At the same time, you can hardly read any biblical writer for very long before at some point in their ministry, they speak into this idea that our mouths display our hearts.

I got to thinking about the original sin this week, where Adam and Eve chose to eat of the tree. That’s Genesis chapter three. But do you remember the first sin after the fall? It was Adam running his mouth back to God. In Genesis 3:14, God comes to Adam and begins to challenge him saying, Hey Adam, why in the world did you not help this situation? And Adam didn't fall on his knees or say, I'm sorry, Lord. No, Adam looks back at God and he goes, Hey, God, this woman that you gave me did it; this is your fault. Do you see how big of a deal this our mouths are? The first sin after the fall of man was Adam running his mouth back to God.

You don’t go much farther in scripture to find Noah, who had a problem with his mouth. You look at Moses, who told God he didn't even feel comfortable talking. You look at any of the prophets, all of them said something about the mouth. I love what Paul says about the mouth in Romans 3:13, talking about the fallenness of man. He says, their throats are open graves, and their tongues practice evil. The poison of vipers is on their lips and their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.

Now, that's pretty strong language. One example is found in Isaiah who references his mouth when he saw the presence of God. In Isaiah 6:5, He said, woe is me, I cried, for I'm ruined, for I'm a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the king, the Lord Almighty. Do you remember Jesus as he dealt with his disciples? How many times did their mouths get them in trouble?

I want to give you an underlying principle before we jump into the James text today. The mouth is a real-time display of the human condition. The mouth acts like a computer monitor on your shoulder that is always showing what is happening in your heart. The Bible refers to the mouth so many times over and over and over. And what James says in this text, tying it in with faith and action, is that your words matter.

You should evaluate your words. You should evaluate everything that comes out of you. And you should look at your words as a lens into what is in your heart. Now I know a lot of us are good at controlling other things in our lives, but what James shows us over and over today is that our mouth - our tongues, our words, our language - is the closest symbol of what is happening in our hearts. That's why this is such a big deal. That's why you can't say, I love and follow Jesus. But I don't care about what comes out of my mouth.

What I want to do this morning is give you five descriptions, or warnings of the mighty tongue. And let's do it through scripture. I don't want you to think this is me. This is all James. So if you have a problem with anything I say today, you can take it up with James one day in heaven. James 3:2, We all stumble. The word stumble is the same word for sin. And this is the present tense. It doesn't mean you have stumbled. Never trust anyone who says they don't sin unless it's Jesus. Watch what he says. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, and able to keep their whole body in check. James points out that we all sin. And he says on top of that is that one of the biggest ways that we sin is our mouths. And our mouth shows what is going on in our hearts.

Here is the first description of the mighty tongue: the mighty mouth displays where we stand with Jesus. Trust me, I've been convicted all week long. One of the biggest ways that we sin is with our mouths. And what James is saying is nothing is more representative of our sinfulness than our words. It could also mean your texts. They didn't have that back then, but he would've said texts too, all right? There's no easier way to fall into sin than with your words. There's not. It's so easy just to say whatever you want to say.

Have you ever thought about why we do that? I came up with a couple of reasons this week. I think first of all, we say whatever we want, because we really don't think it matters. Think about it: not many of you with ever think about killing somebody. Not many of you would think about kicking somebody or sucker punching somebody - although it's happened, right? But don't we do it with our words in so many ways? We don’t think there are consequences to it. I can separate my character over here, off of my words over here. I think many of us think we can love and walk with Jesus and just say whatever we want.

Believers, listen, it doesn't work that way. James shows us our words display our hearts. It’s a bigger deal than we think. Remember when you were a kid and you were taught that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me? It's a lie. Because some of you are still in counseling today because of some of the things that were said to you as kids. Our words are bigger than we think.

Listen to what Jesus says about our words in Matthew chapter 12. He was talking to some guys that were running their mouths a lot. Matthew 12:33 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. He says, you brood of vipers. Jesus doesn't normally call people names, but when he does, they're good ones, right? He says, you brood a vipers. How can you who are evil say anything good, for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of? Jesus said our mouth displays what's on our hearts.

Verse five, A good man brings about good things out of the things good stored up in him. An evil man brings about evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. Verse 37, for by your words, you will be acquitted. Or by your words, you will be condemned.

You may say, but wait - this whole faith message here, you've been telling me that we are saved by faith in Christ. Yes, you are saved by faith in Christ. But our words show if God has truly redeemed us, truly set us free, truly sanctified us. And our words show if we are walking with Jesus. And on top of that, God knows every word that you speak. He knows the public ones. He knows the private ones. Not only does he know them, the Bible says he remembers them and he will use them to hold us accountable. Now, does that mean that God is going to take my salvation away because of some words that I have in my mouth or my mind? No, that's not what it means. But it does mean that there will be a reckoning day for believers standing in front of the throne of God. We will have to give an account of what comes out of our mouth. Because what comes out of my mouth is what's really in my heart.

I'll confess right here that I have never felt as strong about this and been as convicted about it as I did this week as I was studying. There was always a little part of me that said, ah, you know, some things just slip. Sometimes those things just come out. But no, they don't slip out. They come from our hearts.  Our mouths show if God is maturing and walking in us. They show our immaturity. In many ways, James is saying that the rest of our lives will follow after our words.

That said, I’ll give you a little spiritual pro tip here. Here's what I know: many of us struggle with our words. So here's what I want you to do this week, at least once a day. Pause everything that's going on and do a little evaluation of your words. Go back through every conversation or text thread that you have had that day. Ask yourself this question: what do my words today say about my heart? And about my relationship with Jesus?

See, James knew there was going to be pushback. James, like any good teacher, hits us with the truth then gives us things that can help us understand it. All right? Keep reading with me. I want you to see what the tongue can do. In James 3:3, he says, we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us. We can turn the whole animal. Or take ships for example. Although they're so large, they're driven by strong winds, they're steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

Number two, the mighty tongue holds the power to fully control us. That's the warning that James has given us here using two illustrations. Let's start with the horse. And let me ask you, how do you control a horse? James has told us you put a bit in his mouth, a little piece of metal. By controlling the mouth, you control the horse's movement. If they don't have a bit in their mouth, they're useless. All they do is eat and cause a big old mess. How many of you have you ever seen a horse that's just volunteered to pull a buggy or plow a field? Nobody. The point James is making is that a horse is useless until you put the bit in its mouth. There's no control until the mouth is controlled. Control the mouth of the beast and everything else comes under control. Control the mouth of the beast and the beast becomes useful.

Verse four. He says, or take ships for an example. Although they're so large, they're driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder. That's a little piece off the back of the ship. A very small rudder, wherever the pilot wants to go. So James says that our lives are like this huge cruise boat. Our lives are like this huge floating city. They can be steered by this little bitty rudder off the back of the ship. But for us, we're controlled by this little three-inch rudder. The human tongue on average is three inches long. But boy can it shape and direct our lives. James is saying if we can get a hold of it, we can be in control of everything else about our lives.

He says in verse 5, likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Our tongue is always more powerful than we think. Do you know that the tongue has destroyed more people in the history of this world than any other weapon ever created in history? The tongue can tear people down. It can shatter families. It can destroy whole friend groups. It can wreck marriages. It can destroy whole churches. It can absolutely rip a nation apart. And the tongue can lead to murder. It can lead to war. All because of this little thing that God has put in our mouths that shows what’s in our hearts.

But the opposite side of this is the tongue can build people up. It can love people, speak grace, show mercy, speak hope into people, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus. It is the most useful tool that God has given us to talk about his love and hope. Believers, if we can just get a hold of it, submit it into the control of God, God can use it for His kingdom now. You may say, I get all that, but I just struggle with it. I get that. I relate to you. So how can we get control of it? We’re going to see in James in just a minute that you can't control it, but God can.

In the meantime, let me share a quick pro tip that I heard in middle school. When you’re wondering, should I say this or not, here is a little grid that you can work through. It’s the acrostic THINK: Is it true? If you don't know it's true, then don't say it. Second, is it helpful? Look, if it's not helpful, just don't repeat it. Number three, is it inspiring? Does it inspire someone to walk with Jesus? Does it inspire someone to give them hope? Here's the next one: Is it necessary? Boy, this would cut down on a whole lot of our texts. Do I really need to repeat this information? Here's the next one. Is it kind? And if it's not, then don't say it. Just don't type it. Just don't have Siri send it on. Just leave it. You're probably better off.

When we speak, our words not only affect other people, but they also control us. And number three gets even more serious. The mighty tongue has the potential to corrupt and destroy us. You may say, Matt, you're going too far. No, I'm really not. Because the tongue shows where our heart is now. It shows the direction our heart is going. And it shows when we are walking to destruction.

The tongue can literally take us over and take us out. And you know this is true. Looking back at your life, how many times was it your mouth that blew something up? How many times was it something you said that burnt down the relationship? How many times have you lived in such a season of regret over something you said? How many times have you allowed your mouth to take you out?

Watch what James says in verse five. Likewise (that that can be translated, hey, get this), the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. 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 body. It sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and it is itself set on fire by hell.

Fire is such an incredible metaphor for our tongue. Not only is the tongue directing us like a bit in our mouth. Not only is it like a rudder that's behind us. But fire is such an example of our words. Fire spreads and fire grows. Now you go into the forest, it's a dry day. Let's say we're in California somewhere. You pour out a cup of water. Does that cup of water cause a flood down in the valley? No. Why? Because water does not spread. Water doesn't multiply. But fire spreads and multiplies.

Does anybody remember the Chicago Fire of 1871 from history class? 17,500 buildings burned down in Chicago in one night in 1871. 300 people died. 125,000 people were homeless after this fire. There was one lady named Miss O'Leary who was milking her cow one night. I'm not lying. This is a true story. She was milking her cow one night and the cow kicked over a personal little lantern that burned the whole city of Chicago down. What a metaphor for what our words can do. That's what the tongue does. That's why it should be kept under control.

Verse six is one of the scariest verses in the whole Bible about our words. It says the tongue is also a fire. It's a world. The word "world" means it's a system, a system among systems. It's a focal point of our behavioral unrighteousness. The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body. It sets the whole course of one's life on fire. In other words, it can burn the whole city down. Once again, your mouth is not an isolated event in your character. You can't love Jesus and cuss a little bit. Whatever your words don't burn down, they still stain. They still stink it up. It’s like sitting by a bonfire out back at your house, coming inside, and you stink. Just because that fire didn't burn you down, it still affected you. That's why fire is such an incredible illustration. Have you ever cleaned up a house fire? Some things burn up, but there are other things where that smell will never come until it's purified. That's what James is saying about our words.

Look at the last of the verse here. The tongue is itself set on fire by hell. It doesn't get any stronger than that. Church, believers, this is the battle that our mouths have. That's how it has the potential to destroy us.

Number four. The tongue fights every effort we make to tame it. In verse seven, James says, all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind. I have so many questions about this verse. What kind of sea creatures were they taming in the first century? No time for that. He says, we can tame all that stuff, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison.

You can train monkeys, you can train crocodiles, you can train donkeys, you can train horses. Go on a YouTube wormhole this afternoon and watch all the videos of things humans have trained. But human beings alone, you cannot tame your tongue. James does not say that your tongue cannot be tamed. He just says that you alone cannot do it. The point of this whole message is to realize that it's not about taming our mouths. It's about allowing God to shape, change, and redirect our hearts instead of focusing on the mouth, instead of putting the quarter in the jar, instead of checking the text message, using the 24-hour rule. We need to look at our hearts. You can't tame this without submitting your heart. It's not a mouth issue first. It's a heart issue first. This is our only hope.

Verse nine: with the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, look, that is the goal of our mouths. It is to praise God, but it only comes from our hearts. Watch the tongue we praise. That's the goal, our Lord and Father, that's the hope. And with it, we curse human beings. Verse 10, out of that same mouth come praise and cursing my brothers and sisters. This should not be, it shouldn't be. No matter how mad we are, no matter how upset we are, no matter what road we're down, no matter how we think it is justified in the moment.

Skip to verse 13. Who is wise and understanding among you? I want to leave you with a moment of hope. Number five, the mighty tongue, controlled by God, is one of the greatest tools we possess. Instead of seeing our mouth as evil, why not say God, here's my heart, and use my mouth for your glory?

Do you know the reason some of us struggle so much with our mouths? Instead of putting God's glory, hope, and majesty on display in our lives, our main goal is that we want to put ourselves on display. If we can get our hearts fully submitted to the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Savior of the universe, and giver of all things good, then that is what enters our hearts. And remember what Jesus said: what enters our hearts is what comes out of our mouths. So am I going to let my words show that I  stand in the presence of Jesus? Am I going to let it show that it is Jesus alone is in control?

Am I going to let my words show that it is God who stands supreme in my life? I learned a long time ago that I can't keep this thing shut. But I don't think that's God's goal for my life. God's goal for your life is not for you to keep your mouth shut. God's goal for your life is for your heart to be changed to the point that what comes out of your mouth is straight from him. Don't run down the fool's errand that God just wants to shut your mouth. God wants to redeem it.

Would you pray with me? Lord Jesus today, God, you have shown us that our words are an x-ray of our heart. And God, you want to control them. You want to change our hearts and change our minds. Redeem us as we walk in your presence, Lord Jesus. God, use this moment, these next couple of minutes, to show us what our heart looks like, to heal our hearts, to give us your hope, and to point us in a direction to speak your truth in your gospel and your love. Lord, no man can tame the tongue, but you can. And that's our prayer today, Lord Jesus. It's in your name we pray. Amen.

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The Mighty Tongue

 

September 22, 2024

Romans 3:13–14
13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
Isaiah 6:5
“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.”

PRINCIPLE: The mouth is a real-time of the human condition.

James 3:2
We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
The Mighty Tongue

1. Displays where we with Jesus.

Matthew 12:33–37
33 “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. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
James 3:3–4
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 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.

2. Holds the power to fully us.

James 3:4
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.
James 3:5
Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.
THINK:

T - Is it ?

H - Is it ?

I - Is it ?

N - Is it ?

K - Is it ?

3. Has the potential to and destroy us.

James 3:5–6
5 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. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
James 3:6
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

4. Fights every effort we make to it.

James 3:7–8
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:9–10, 13
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be… 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

5. Controlled by God is one of the greatest we possess to praise God and lead others.

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