Sermon 12 in a series on the Book of James (this one is on James 3:2-12) presented February 28, 2010, at Palm Desert Church of Christ by Dale Wells

2. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #10 “I’m sorry … but you just don’t know how to use the English language.” The San Francisco Examiner, rejecting a submission by Rudyard Kipling in 1889

3. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #9 “The phonograph has no commercial value at all.” Thomas Edison, American inventor, 1880s

4. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #8 “Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.” Grover Cleveland, U.S. President, 1905

5. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #7 “Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.” Marshal Ferdinand Foch, French Military Strategist and Future World War I Commander, in 1911

6. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #6 “(Man will never reach the Moon) regardless of all future scientific advances.” Dr Lee De Forest, inventor of the Audion Tube and Father of Radio, in 1926

7. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #5 “There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.” Albert Einstein, 1932

8. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #4 “(Television) won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.” Darryl F. Zanuck, head of 20th Century-Fox in 1946

9. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #3 “We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.” Decca Records rejecting the Beatles, in 1962

10. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #2 “With over fifteen types of foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big share of the market for itself.” Business Week, August 2, 1968

11. TOP 10 REGRETTABLE QUOTES #1 “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.” Kenneth Olsen, President and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, in 1977

13. James has explained two characteristics of mature Christians They are patient in trouble (James 1) They practice the truth (James 2) A third characteristic of mature believers: They have power over their tongues

14. James’ readers were apparently having problems with their tongues James 1:19 NIV My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, James 1:26 NIV If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. James 2:12 NIV Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,

15. Other words yet to come James 4:1 NIV What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? James 4:11-12 NIV Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. (12) There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

16. The power of speech is one of the greatest powers God has given us With the tongue, man can: Praise God Pray Preach the Word Lead the lost to Christ Encourage others With the tongue man can tell lies that ruin: A man’s reputation A close relationship One’s own relationship with God

20. James gives six pictures of the tongue: Bit, rudder, fire, poisonous animal, fountain, & fig tree These pictures fit into three classifications that reveal the powers of the tongue

22. Power to Direct: Bit & Rudder James 3:2-4 NIV 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. (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.

23. Every Christian must admit that “we all stumble in many ways” Sins of the tongue seem to head the list One who is able to control his tongue shows that he can control his whole body Proves that he is a mature (perfect) man

24. Is James wrong to connect sins of the tongue with sins of the body? No, because words lead to actions During World War II posters read LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS! But loose lips also wreck lives A person makes an unguarded statement & suddenly finds himself involved in a fight His tongue has forced the rest of his body to defend itself

25. Bit & rudder are small, yet exercise great power, like the tongue Small bit controls a huge horse Small rudder steers a huge ship The tongue is a small part of the body Yet it has the power to do great things

26. Both bit and rudder must overcome contrary forces Bit must overcome the nature of the horse Rudder must fight winds & currents Tongue must overcome contrary forces Circumstances around us would make us say things we ought not to say Sin on the inside & pressures on the outside seek to get control of the tongue

27. Both bit and rudder must be under the control of a strong hand The expert horseman keeps the power of his steed under control The experienced pilot steers the ship through the storm When Jesus controls the tongue, we need not fear saying the wrong things — or saying the right things in a wrong way!

28. Insights from Scripture Psalms 141:3-4 NIV Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. (4) Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies. Matthew 12:34 NIV You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

29. The words we speak affect the lives of others A judge says “Guilty!” or “Not Guilty!” and those words affect the destiny of the prisoner, his family, and his friends The President speaks a few words and signs some papers and the nation is at war Even a simple yes or no from the lips of a parent can affect the direction of a child’s life How important it is that our tongues direct people in the right way!

30. Power to Destroy: Fire & Animal James 3:5-8 NIV 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 person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (7) All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, (8) but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

31. Have you ever seen the aftermath of a forest fire? The face of nature scarred & millions of dollars of timber wiped out A fire can begin with a small spark, but it can grow to destroy a city A fire reportedly started in the O’Leary barn in Chicago at about 8:30 pm, October 8, 1871 It spread: 100,000 people left homeless, 17,500 buildings destroyed & 300 people died It cost the city over 400 million

32. Our words can heat things up Proverbs 26:20-21 NIV Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. (21) As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. Psalms 39:1-3 NIV I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.” … My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

33. Have you ever had that experience? David had a temper, and he had to have God’s help in controlling it Proverbs 17:27 NIV A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. Proverbs 14:29 NIV A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

34. Fire spreads & the more fuel the faster and farther it will spread James 3:6 NIV 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.

35. We can’t keep things from spreading A person’s entire life can be injured or destroyed by the tongue Time does not correct the sins of the tongue We may confess our sins of speech, but the fire keeps on spreading Colossians 4:6 NIV Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

36. The tongue like a fire, but it is also like a dangerous animal Safari parks signs: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR! DO NOT OPEN YOUR WINDOWS! Sea World: Dawn Brancheau killed Wednesday by 12,000-pound orca Tilikum “Peaceful animals” are capable of doing great damage, and even killing

37. Animals can be tamed & fire can be tamed When you tame an animal, you get a worker When you control fire, you generate power The tongue cannot be tamed by man, but it can be tamed by God James 3:6 NIV 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.

38. Power to Delight: Fountain & Tree James 3:9-12 NIV With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. (10) Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. (11) Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? (12) My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

39. The fountain provides the cool water that man needs to stay alive In Oriental countries, the presence of a freshwater fountain is a great blessing to a village We need water for drinking, washing, cooking, farming, & other activities necessary to life Proverbs 18:4 NIV The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. Proverbs 10:11 NIV The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. Proverbs 13:14 NIV The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

40. Paul often named Christians who had refreshed him 1 Corinthians 16:18 NIV For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition. Philemon 1:7 NIV Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. Philemon 1:20 NIV I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

41. The tongue is also delightful because it is like a tree Trees hold down the soil, provide beauty & shade, & bear fruit Proverbs 10:21 NIV The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment. John 6:63 NIV The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

42. Fountain can’t give two kinds of water & tree can’t bear two kinds of fruit We expect the fountain to flow with sweet water at all times We expect the fig tree to bear figs & the olive tree to bear olives Nature reproduces after its kind

43. If the tongue is inconsistent, there is something wrong with the heart Christian got angry & let loose cursing Said: “I don’t know why I said that. It really isn’t in me” Reply: “It had to be in you or it couldn’t have come out of you” When Peter was out of fellowship with Christ, he cursed; but he went out and wept bitterly & confessed his sins

44. The problem is not the tongue, but the heart Matthew 15:18 NIV But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' Proverbs 4:23 NIV Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

48. Twelve Words You Will Never Regret “Please” and “Thank you” “I’m sorry” “I love you” “I’m praying for you”

49. The biggest little troublemaker in the world is the tongue But it does not have to be a troublemaker! God can use our tongues To direct others into the way of life To encourage them in the trials of life The tongue is small, but it has great power Give God your tongue & your heart & ask Him to use you to be a blessing to others