James 3:7-12
~16 min read
💭 Consider this: Whatever comes out of your mouth inevitably reveals what is in your heart. What thoughts, emotions and mindsets must you first tame in order to tame your tongue?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for this morning's message is taken from James 3: 7-12. It has been said that the average man speaks about 12,000 words a day and the average woman speaks about 24,000 words a day. Women tend to speak more than men. Some of you may not agree, of course. Give and take, some men may speak more than women. Some people speak more; others speak less.
If this statistic is true, then the average person who sleeps 8 hours a day and is awake for 16 hours will speak about 750 words an hour. That is quite a huge amount of words. Words can start a war or bring peace. It can make or break a person's mood. It can influence a person to make his or her decision in life. It can inspire, motivate, or ruin everything. Our words have great potential and influence for good or bad. But how careful are we with our words? This is what we want to learn from this passage, and the title of our message is "The Taming of the Tongue."
I. The Uncontrollable Power of the Tongue
Firstly, we want to consider the uncontrollable power of the tongue. James 3:7 says, "For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind." Every species of animals, birds, or reptiles that walk, fly, or crawl on the face of the Earth, as well as the creatures that swim in the sea, they are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind. Some of the creatures are the wildest, smartest, fastest, most powerful, and most elusive, and yet they are subjected to being tamed by men.
Recently, I was driving along the road somewhere near Wantirna, in eastern Melbourne. I saw this huge signboard saying, ‘The circus is coming to town.’ For centuries, people have flocked to the circus to watch the wild animals like tigers, lions, elephants, and other powerful and dangerous animals being tamed to do clever tricks at the command of the trainers. One by one, those animals will be led into this massive tent filled with spectators waiting to watch the show. I believe the modern-day circus first started in the 1700s.
But do you realise that thousands of years ago, even before the first circus was invented, Noah was able to bring all kinds of animals, in pairs, into the ark without trouble? The Bible does not record for us any incident that the animals fought among themselves or attacked one another or harmed the keepers, Noah and his family, in the ark. In a sense, they were tamed to live peaceably with one another. Needless to say, during the time of James, there were already domesticated animals like horses, camels, oxen, and bulls that were used for transportation and farming purposes. Even the creatures in the sea recognise the power and authority of men who would hunt them for food from time to time.
All of us have seen, at least on television, the sea world and other great aquariums, how those trainers would hoist the rope high up, and then the whales would sail and jump over it. Even whales can be trained. Or how we have seen in bird shows, eagles that will fly and land on the arms of the spectators. Or snake charmers would tame the deadly cobra and then invite the people to come forward to kiss and touch the snake.
Using this analogy of the land and sea creatures being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, James said in verse 8, “but” - in contrast, “the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." In other words, those wild creatures are more civilised and controllable than the tongues of men. No human being in his own power can tame the tongue. Take a moment and consider this: when you put an animal in a cage, no matter how powerful that animal is, it is a matter of time it will be subdued, it will be brought under control, it will be tamed. But the tongue has always been placed in this cage, which is the mouth, for its entire existence. It has always been in this cage, so to speak, and yet it still cannot be tamed.
Even for the believers, the tongue can easily slip out of its cage, as we often would say, a slip of the tongue, and it can do great harm. Sometimes the damage done can be so subtle that it will go unnoticed for a long time, even for years. Many years ago, when I was counselling a prisoner in Singapore, he said to me that it was easier to control a drug addict, an alcoholic, and a gambler than to control the tongue. I asked him, ‘What do you mean?’ He explained to me that when you put an alcoholic, a drug addict, or a gambler in prison, you can control and stop him from doing those things. But when you put a person in prison, you still cannot control his tongue. Even in prison, there are lies, slanders, gossips, and false accusations. How true.
Such a small member of the body, and yet it cannot be controlled. The word ‘unruly’ means restless or unstable. It was the same word used in James 1:8, of the double-minded man who is unstable in all his ways. It has the idea of a wild animal fighting fiercely against the restraints of captivity. It will always seek a way of escape so that it can spread its evil, deadly poison. Its venom is more deadly than a snake's. Why do we say that? Because the venom of a snake can only destroy a person physically, but the venom of the tongue can destroy a person morally, socially, economically, and most importantly, spiritually.
The tongue can be used to say things that are extremely obscene and immoral that will affect us morally. It can be used to say things to break friendship that will affect us socially. It can be used to lie and cheat that will affect us in an economical sense. And it can be used to say the most unbiblical and blasphemous things that are contrary to the truth of the Bible that will affect us spiritually. Dear friend, consider how our speech has poisoned the people around us, how the poison we carry in our lips when we gossip, slander, murmur, and complain, how it has hindered others from worshipping and serving in the church. How the poison we carry in our lips when we badmouth others in front of our children, so much so that they now copy our behaviours. How the poison we carry in our lips when we say hurtful things to our spouses, our friends, which led to many broken relationships.
Churches are divided, marriages ended up in divorces, friendships are broken, lives are destroyed all because of the tongue, which the Bible says is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Truly, we need to understand the uncontrollable power of the tongue. It has great influence and potential for good and bad.
II. The Revealing Power of the Tongue
Next, James moved on to speak of the revealing power of the tongue. Look at verse 9: "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God." ‘Therewith’ means with the tongue. With the tongue, we bless God the Father, and with the tongue, we curse men. The word ‘similitude’ means likeness. We are made in the likeness of God in the sense of our intelligence, the ability to think and reason, our self-consciousness, our moral nature, our emotions, our wills.
But after the fall of men in the Garden of Eden, this similitude or likeness of God had been tainted with sin. It had been corrupted with sin. However, man still carries the image of God. So, James was saying, ‘with the tongue, we bless God the Father, and with the same tongue, we curse the one who was created in His image.’ How can we do that?
And he went on to say in verse 10, "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing." The tongue has such great potential, both in a good and bad way. It has the ability to say words of blessing and words of cursing.
Once, there was a man who was having breakfast with his family. He gave thanks for the food and prayed, ‘God, thank you for showing your kindness to us. Thank you for the food that you have provided for us, and we have received it from your good hand. In Jesus' name, amen.’ Then, immediately after he opened his eyes, he started to complain that the eggs were cooked not right, the bacon was slightly burned, and he was irritated. His little daughter heard him, and she said, ‘Daddy, does God hear us only when we pray, or does He hear us even what we say afterwards as well?’ Sometimes we need a little child to teach us, right? God hears everything we say, and He says to us, "Out of your mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing."
Dear friend, are there times when we come to church with our lips, we worship, pray, sing hymns of praise, and after we leave the service, as we drive home in our cars, with the same lips we slander and curse someone who has annoyed us in the church? Are there times when we receive prayers answered, we bless God for His goodness, but the moment we experience trials, with the same lips we question His sovereignty, and we blaspheme His name? Are there times when we are so skillful and articulate with our words in the church, we appear to be so godly, but at home we are so sarcastic to our family members, we are so critical at our workplace? Do you think God does not know or He does not hear? He knows and He hears every word we say.
Here, the main point James was trying to say was that whatever comes out of the mouth will inevitably reveal what is on the inside. As Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34). What you speak, what I speak, will reveal whether our hearts are truly transformed or not. It will reveal what is on the inside.
That was why James said in the second part of verse 10, "My brethren, these things ought not so to be." In other words, ‘my brethren, this should not be the case with Christians’. It is totally unacceptable of the Christian whose lives have been transformed by God. If we are truly saved, the Holy Spirit indwells in us, we are transformed into new creatures. This transforming work should also include our tongues. The same Holy Spirit who has given us the capacity to live righteous and godly lives has also given us the capacity to be engaged in righteous and holy speech. God expects it of His children to speak only that which is righteous and holy.
So to all those people who say, ‘I'm a person who speaks my mind. This is the way I speak, and this is who I am,’ well, they are right. This is who they are because what they speak will reveal what is in their hearts, whether their hearts are transformed or not. To all those people who say, ‘Well, God understands this is the way I speak,’ no, He doesn't. He expects us, His children, to speak only that which is righteous and holy. The Bible repeatedly tells us, as God's children, we must be holy as He is holy.
"Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing" reminds us of the snake that has a forked tongue. It says one thing and then it says another thing. Double talk. Christians must never behave like that.
Do you realise that the first sin committed after the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden was the sin of the tongue? It was the sin of slander. When God confronted Adam about eating the forbidden fruit, what did Adam do? Adam accused God. He slandered God that He was indirectly responsible for giving him the woman, and it was the woman who gave him the fruit. Those were words of cursing that came out of an unregenerate heart.
Now, interestingly, when the new believers who were first saved in the first church in Acts chapter 2, when they were transformed by the Spirit of God, the first thing that came out of their mouths were words of blessing. And this is what Acts 2:11 tells us: ‘They were speaking with their tongues the wonderful works of God.’
So that was the difference between a heart that is unregenerated and a heart that has been regenerated. James went on to give three illustrations why it is unacceptable for the believer to speak words of blessing and words of cursing with the same tongue.
Look at James 3:11: "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?" The answer is no. It is either sweet or bitter; it cannot be both. Verse 12: ‘Doth the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? Either a vine, figs?’ In other words, ‘can a fig tree produce olives, or the grapevine produce figs?’ Again, the answer is no. "So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh". Yet again, the answer is no. It is either salt water or fresh water; it cannot be both. Such things are contrary to nature. It can never happen. If you and I believe that it is unacceptable in the physical realm, why can't we believe it is unacceptable in the spiritual realm that out of the same mouth can come forth words of blessing and words of cursing?
In Matthew 7:18, Jesus said, "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." Here, James was not speaking about sinless perfection, that you and I will never sin in our speech. No, he does not mean that. It is not so much about the impossibility but rather the unacceptability. It does not mean that as believers we will always speak words of blessing. Although we are saved, we are new creatures in Christ, but as long as we are still alive on the face of this earth, as long as we are living in this mortal body, the flesh, we will still be troubled by sin. Our tongues are still prone to sin, but it is unacceptable and it is unnecessary because God has given us the Spirit and we do not need to succumb to sin.
So, what must we do? Allow me to end by giving you some practical points on what we must do to tame the tongue. Firstly, we must acknowledge that we have a problem with the tongue. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing." And he went on to say, ‘I know the good that I must do, but I do not do. I know the evil I must not do, but yet I do.’ There was this constant struggle in his heart against sin as he lived in the flesh. ‘Nothing good dwelleth in my flesh.’ That includes the tongue. We all know that there are certain things we ought not to say and there are certain things we ought to say, but we always get messed up and we say the wrong thing. We all have a problem with the tongue.
Secondly, if we have a problem with the tongue, then we must control it. The psalmist David said, "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3). Remember, no man in his own power can tame the tongue. Only God alone can do that. We must pray and ask the Lord to help us to guard our tongues, to set a door to our lips. When you and I are tempted to say the wrong thing, things that are unedifying and destructive, what must we do? We pray and ask the Lord to shut the door of our mouths. As David said, "Set or keep the door of my lips."
Thirdly, we want to control our tongues not only to stop ourselves from saying the wrong thing but to say the right thing, words of blessing to serve the Lord with our tongues. So, it does not mean that to tame the tongue, to control the tongue, you just keep quiet. No, it does not mean that. You speak, but you speak words of blessing. Use your tongue to serve the Lord. And the best way to serve the Lord is to worship Him, to share the gospel with the unbelievers, and to minister the word of grace to the believers. We want to do that, don't we?
But how can we do that? Listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah. Maybe you can turn with me to Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah 6:5: "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone” - or ruined - “because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Isaiah was given a vision of the majesty of God, and he realised that he could never serve the Lord with his unclean lips, living in the midst of people with the same problem, all of them with unclean lips. How could he do that?
Verse 6: "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar." Verse 7: "And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." The burning coal, the live coal, speaks of the word of God, which is likened unto a fire that shines light upon the sinner. How do we know? God said in Jeremiah 23:29, "Is not my word like a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?"
The altar speaks of the sacrificial work of Christ, who died on the cross, shedding His precious blood for the remission of sins. In other words, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, through His salvific work on the cross, the shedding of His blood, Isaiah had been saved, and his sins had been purged.
Verse 8 (Isaiah 6): "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Just a moment ago, Isaiah said, "I'm undone, I'm ruined, I'm a man of unclean lips." And now he had been transformed, he had been cleansed, he said, "Here I am; send me." And what did God say to him? Verse 9: ‘Then God said, “Go, and tell this people."’
Dear friend, this is a picture of our lives before our conversions. We can never serve God with our unclean lips. We cannot worship Him. We cannot share the gospel with the unbelievers. Neither can we minister the word of grace to the believers. But once we are saved and transformed by the precious blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are able to glorify God with our lips, with words of blessing. Like Isaiah, we can say, "Here am I; send me." Likewise, God will say, ‘Go and speak words of blessing. Go and tell the people.’
Fourthly and finally, we must be committed to discipline ourselves to use our tongues wisely. We must always examine the words we speak. Are they words of blessing or words of cursing? If they are words of encouragement, edification, and exhortation, then we will speak. If they are words of criticism, gossip, slander, lies, bitterness, and false accusations, then we will not speak. We must be very careful because one day you and I have to give an account for every word we speak.
We have to tame our tongues, and we tame it by first acknowledging that we have a problem with our tongues. We ourselves cannot tame our tongues; only God can help us. We must pray, ‘Lord, help us to control our tongues. If there's a need to shut our mouth, shut our mouth, that we will not sin against You. Through our transformed lives, we want to serve our God with our tongues. We want to speak words of blessing, and we ask the Lord to help us that we will speak words of blessing, words that will glorify You. We want to evangelise to the unbelievers; give us the words to speak. We want to minister the word of grace to the believers; give us the words to speak.’ And we must always have this spiritual discipline to examine our words, that you and I will use our tongues wisely to the glory of God. This is how we tame our tongues. Let us pray.
Father in Heaven, forgive us if there are times we have sinned against You and we have caused others to be stumbled. Indeed, our tongue is truly an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, and how we have carried poison in our lips when we murmur and complain, when we gossip and slander, when we say things that are hurtful, words that are unedifying and destructive. O Lord, forgive us. Thou hast taught us it is unacceptable for Thy children that out of this same mouth should come forth words of blessing and words of cursing. We are Thy children, and it is expected of us to speak only that which is righteous and holy, for we ought to be holy as Thou art holy. On our own strength, we cannot do this. Only through the power of Thy Spirit, O Lord, help us. Help us that we may be able to tame our tongues, that we will be able to subdue it, control it, that out of this mouth will only come forth words of blessing. Help us to exercise spiritual discernment to use our tongues wisely, that we will only say things that will glorify Thee. O Lord, teach us, remind us, for one day all of us will have to give an account for everything that we have said, every word that we have spoken. We give You thanks, and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF JAMESFacing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]James 1:1-4
Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]James 1:1-4
The Need For Wisdom In Times Of TrialThe Need For Wisdom In Times Of TrialJames 1:5-8
Trial Is No Respecter Of PersonsTrial Is No Respecter Of PersonsJames 1:9-12
How To Deal With TemptationHow To Deal With TemptationJames 1:13-15
Remember Who God Is And Who We AreRemember Who God Is And Who We AreJames 1:16-18
Be Receptive To The Word Of GodBe Receptive To The Word Of GodJames 1:19-21
Doers of the WordDoers of the WordJames 1:21-25
Be Responsive To The Word Of GodBe Responsive To The Word Of GodJames 1:22-25
Are You Transformed By The Word?Are You Transformed By The Word?James 1:26-27
The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 1]The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 1]James 2:1-4
The Sin of PartialityThe Sin of PartialityJames 2:1-13
The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 2]The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 2]James 2:5-13
Show Me Your Faith, And I Will Show You MineShow Me Your Faith, And I Will Show You MineJames 2:14-20
Faith In ActionFaith In ActionJames 2:21-26
A Warning To Want-To-Be TeacherA Warning To Want-To-Be TeacherJames 3:1-2
Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)James 3:1-13
The Power Of The TongueThe Power Of The TongueJames 3:3-6
The Taming Of The TongueThe Taming Of The TongueJames 3:7-12
The Danger Of False WisdomThe Danger Of False WisdomJames 3:13-16
The Blessing Of Heavenly WisdomThe Blessing Of Heavenly WisdomJames 3:17-18
Dealing With Conflict In The ChurchDealing With Conflict In The ChurchJames 4:1-6
What Constitutes True SalvationWhat Constitutes True SalvationJames 4:7-10
Speak No EvilSpeak No EvilJames 4:11-12
God’s Plan Or My Plan?God’s Plan Or My Plan?James 4:13-17
Physically Rich But Spiritually PoorPhysically Rich But Spiritually PoorJames 5:1-6
How to Be PatientHow to Be PatientJames 5:7-11
In Times of AfflictionIn Times of AfflictionJames 5:13-18
