JAMES: PRACTICAL FAITH - Taming the Tongue (James 3:1-12 NIV) 5-25-25
INTRODUCTION
The joy of perseverance to maturity
True religion
Equality in the church
Faith and works
James 3:1-12 NIV
“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 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. 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 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 body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being 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 human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”
James 3:1-12 NIV
There's an old story that the Jewish rabbis tell. As the story goes, one day a rabbi asked his servant to go and buy some good food for him in the market. When the servant returned home, he presented the rabbi with a tongue. The next day, the rabbi told the servant to go the market and buy some bad food. Again, the servant returned with a tongue.
The rabbi then asked the servant why he returned with a tongue on both occasions. The servant answered and said, "Good comes from it and bad comes from it. When the tongue is good there is nothing better, and when it is bad there is nothing worse."
T. Scott Womble, Careless Speech Sins, 7-27-2010.
Proverbs 21:23 NIV
Solomon was right. “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.”
Proverbs 21:23 NIV
I. THE TONGUE DIRECTS
James 3:3-5a NIV
“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 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.”
James 3:3-5a NIV
A. Bits and horses
Martin Spoelstra said in a sermon,
“A bridle is a small but powerful tool designed for communication and control. Whether with a bit or a bitless attachment, it allows a rider to guide a horse with subtle movements. A well-trained horse responds to the slightest cue, needing only gentle pressure to understand what the rider wants.
From the horse’s perspective, the bridle isn’t just about control—it’s about listening. Horses naturally communicate through body language and pressure. A bridle taps into this instinct, helping understand direction, pressure, and release. When a horse trusts its rider, the bridle becomes a tool of partnership, not restraint.
In the same way, learning to bridle our tongue isn’t just about restraint—it’s about stopping long enough to give it some thought and then communicate with God, learning when to speak and when to be silent.”
Martin Spoelstra, Sermon Central, February 6, 2025.
B. Ships and rudders
Two warships with the largest full-load displacement in the world are the US Navy aircraft carriers.
The USS Nimitz and Dwight D. Eisenhower weigh about 91,400 tons. They are 1,092 feet in length overall and have a speed well in excess of 30 knots with their nuclear-powered 280,000 horsepower reactors. Their complement is 6,100 men and women.
The total cost of the Eisenhower commissioned on October 18, 1977, exceeded $2 billion excluding the more than 90 plus aircraft carried.
As immense as these two ships are they are both turned by one man at the helm controlling a rudder 1/1000th the size of the ship. A tiny rudder controls the course of these great ships.
Dr. Larry Petton, Sermon Central, February 6, 2024.
II. THE TONGUE DESTROYS
“The second most deadly instrument is a loaded gun. The first is the human tongue. The gun merely kills bodies. The tongue kills reputations and oftentimes ruins character.”
William George Jordan, The Kingship of Self-Control, 1898.
James 3:5b-6 NIV
“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 body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
James 3:5b-6 NIV
A. Tongue makes great boasts
B. Tongue is a small spark
C. Tongue is a fire
General Robert E. Lee was once asked what he thought of a fellow officer in the Confederate Army, an officer who had made some mean-spirited remarks about him. Lee thought for a moment, then rated him as being very satisfactory. The person who asked the questions seemed troubled. “But General, I guess you don’t know what he’s been saying about you.” “Oh yes”, answered Lee. “I know. But I was asked my opinion of him, not his of me.”
III. THE TONGUE CANNOT BE TAMED
James 3:7-8 NIV
“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
James 3:7-8 NIV
A. All sorts of animals can be tamed
B. No human can tame the tongue
C. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
"Mistakes of the tongue have destroyed more people, ruined more marriages, and cost more businessmen their jobs and their futures than any other kind of mistake."
Anonymous
IV. THE TONGUE IS DUPLICITOUS
There is danger when a man throws his tongue into high gear before he gets his brain a-going.
Anonymous
James 3:9-12 NIV
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”
James 3:9-12 NIV
A. Praise and curse
B. Fresh and salt water?
C. Fig bear olives
D. Grape bear figs
E. Salt spring produce fresh water
WE MUST CHANGE THE SOURCE!
CONCLUSION
Taming the tongue may seem difficult, but it is an important goal for the believer
Colossians 3:1-10 NIV
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
Colossians 3:1-10 NIV
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.
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