Taming Our Tongues

TAMING OUR TONGUES?

James 3:1-18, The passage is of Taming the Tongue

Voice: Is unique just as the fingerprints. Voice expresses love, emotion – Voice itself conveys the emotion / mood / the heart of the person.

Tongue is a Powerful Mechanism – it gives courage / confidence than war / Hitler and Annadurai got political power through their strong speeches.

Tongue is a fire – Through Hitler’s negative speech Germany was in flames.

The tongue is just an instrument of communication what the mind thinks, therefore the source of words is the mind which decides the power of tongue in positive or negative way. The passage describes both speaking of words and the source of words,

1.      The speaking of words (3:1-6)

Tongue being Judgmental:

v.1, The passage starts with the warning to those who teach because they get judged more strictly. Understanding this fact people who don’t talk about sin are in a way bound to it. The inner self condemn them as they speak something irrelevant of what they live like.

v. 9, Says praise and curse come through the same tongue…

Matt 7:1-2, “Do not judge others lest you be judged… The measure of your judgment will fall upon you.” What a strong statement for those who are in front of people.

Ministry is not about judging others – because there is a Judgment day when Jesus will be the judge of all. We are asked to judge ourselves (examining ourselves 1 Cor. 11: 28-31). The tongue, being the mighty tool to lead the mass or into freedom / liberty.

University of California had a survey on spoken words which concluded that men speak about 7,000 words per day. Women speak 20,000 words per day. Women talk to express their feelings while men talk to communicate.

Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Proverbs 12:18, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing”

Tongue is compared to “Bit in the horse” (3:3) “Rudder in the ship” (v 4) “Fire that burns the forest” (vv. 5-6)

Chicago fire History, “The Chicago Fire of 1871, also called the Great Chicago Fire, burned from October 8 to October 10, 1871, and destroyed thousands of buildings, killed an estimated 300 people and caused an estimated $200 million in damages. Legend has it that a cow kicked over a lantern in a barn and started the fire..”

Tongue corrupts a person and called as deadly poisonous (vv 6-8)

2.      The Source of the Words (7-18)

vv. 7-8, “Taming animals is possible while taming the tongue is impossible – There is animal trainer for wild animals – No tongue trainers.”

Vv 10-11, Praise and cursing through same tongue – Fresh and salt water cannot come from same cistern, no fig tree bears olive fruits.

 

Tongue is just an expression of what the mind says (communicator of the thoughts)

Just like a spring that cannot produce fresh and salt waters - A tongue cannot speak bad when the thought is good and vice versa.

If the water is dirty, the tap has nothing to do with that – the water tank or the source that supplies the water needs to be cleaned.

Matt 12:34-35, “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure”

Matt 15: 18, “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.”

·         Words are expressions of heart

·         Fresh water or good words from a fresh/good resource

·         Good fruit from a good root

a.      Two Kinds of Wisdom (vv 14-18)

 vv.14-15; Earthly wisdom: Unspiritual – From devil – filled with bitterness - envy – selfish ambitions – Close to the nature of Flesh (Gal 5:19-21)

vv. 17-18; Heavenly wisdom: Spiritual – From God – Godly – Pure – Peace loving – humility – compassion – very close to the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22-13) and nature of love expressed by Paul in I Cor. 13.

James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

1.       Recognize that you need it

2.       Ask God for it.

1 Cor. 1:30, “Jesus has become for us wisdom from God”

·         Tongue is the parameter of Heart

·         Tongue will diagnose the whole body

What is your tongue look like?

Tongue cannot be tamed but can be transformed – A transformation will purify the heart which interns purify the tongue.

Let us pray like David

Ps 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” Amen

*Credit: Rev. Charles Price, The Living Word, Canada