The Book of James – Part 7:
Taming of the Shrewd
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON INTRODUCTION
There are warnings we must not overlook in
the third chapter of James.
First
is to the teacher of the Word of God, second is of the power of the tongue, and
thirdly, is of the only answer to taming what comes from your mouth.
The question James poses for you this week
is simple,
Can a
salt spring produce fresh water?
LAST WEEKS SERMON
Part 1 - Faith and Wisdom
Part 2 - Poverty and Riches
Part 3 - Endurance
Part 4 - Christian Living
Part 5 - Brotherly Love
Part 6 - Faith and Works
TODAY’S SERMON
Part 7 - Taming of the Shrewd
SCRIPTURE READING
James 3:1-9 Taming the Tongue
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow
believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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. 11
Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My
brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?
Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
I.
BEWARE TEACHERS OF
THE WORD OF GOD
a.
Those who Teach the
Word are Judged more Strictly
i.
Understanding the
Word of God is not to be taken lightly
1.
2 Timothy 2:15 “15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not
need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
a.
Too many mis-quote, mis-use, and misunderstand the
scriptures...and they are setting themselves up for trouble, because God holds
those who teach the Word to a higher accountability!
b.
To those who teach, He judges more strictly.
c.
And whom do we want to approve our teachings? God!
i.
We DO NOT write/preach/teach for the approval of men
ii.
Those who do have an agenda other than God’s which is
the salvation and freeing of those who are enslaved by sin
iii.
Some write/preach/teach for money (prosperity preachers
are all over TV preaching about everything but Christ)
1.
For fame or following (religious leaders/cults)
2.
Some because like Satan, they too wish to be like gods
(some faith healers who flaunt the healing as some sort of parlor trick or
sideshow act, like Simon the sorcerer wanted the Holy Spirit for in the
scriptures)
ii.
To write, preach or teach the Word of God for anything
other than what it was intended for will accomplish more than you bargained
for, harsh judgment from God.
b.
It is easy to
Stumble, Offend and Sin
i.
James addresses the issue of sin and perfection, and
makes it clear that it is easy to stumble, offend and sin...but the scriptures
are not referring to sin when we are called to be perfect.
ii.
Here, perfection is directed at the proper handling of
God’s Word, not our stumbling in life which James states is something the
scripture here states “we all stumble in
many ways”
iii.
So if we all stumble in many ways, how can one be
perfect like we are called to be?
1.
As the scripture states, “Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep
their whole body in check”
2.
“What they say” is reference to God’s Word
3.
So IF we are never at fault (do not mis-quote,
mis-represent, or totally misuse God’s Word) in what we say (Specifically
speaking of teaching) we are viewed as perfect (even though we all stumble in
many ways)
4.
If we rightly use the Word of God, we will be able to
keep our whole body in check!
5.
This also works the other way, when we do not teach
God’s word properly, we are not perfect and like a ship steered off course, we
will NOT keep our body (flesh) in check and find ourselves in eternal-life
dangers with our flesh.
c.
To be Perfect, One
must Rightly Handle the Word of God
i.
James tells us in verse 2, “If any man offend NOT in the word, he is a perfect man, and able also
to bridle the whole body.”
ii.
To God, the man who
teaches the Word with proper understanding, it is credited to him as
perfection!
1.
In the previous chapter, last week James tells us how
Abraham was considered RIGHTEOUS,
not that he WAS righteous, but his
faith was credited to him as righteousness.
2.
A few verses later, we see James telling us that although
we all stumble in many ways, and it is easy to offend, by rightly handling and
teaching the Word of God, we are considered PERFECT, not that we are perfect,
but credited as such!
Isaiah 64:6
All of us have
become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
Isaiah
64
addressing the fact that because of dis-obedience to God’s Word, we have no
righteousness.
a.
We CANNOT be perfect, less we rightly divide the
Word
b.
We CANNOT be saved, less we have faith in the
Word
ILLUSTRATION
- Horses and Ships
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.
†
Like
the horses bit, or the ships rudder, the tongue is a small part of the body,
yet, just as the bit and the rudder, it holds great power, and is responsible
for doing grand things, whether good or bad!
ILLUSTRATION
- Forest Fires and Sparks
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
refers to the tongue as a FIRE, not just a spark.
†
James
tells us the tongue itself is set on fire by hell...how? Because it is part of our sinful unredeemed
flesh and can be influenced by the devil.
o
Remember
Matthew
16 when Jesus told Peter, “Get
behind me Satan”?
o
This
was because of what Peter said
o
His
words influenced by hell to try and convince Jesus NOT to go to the cross!
o
Peter
“mis-understood” Jesus’ teachings, that the cross WAS HIS DESTINY to free
mankind!
o
Because
of his misunderstanding of God’s Word, he was not perfect, he stumbled, hell
set his tongue on fire to work against Jesus, and Peter spoke, not eternal
life, but against God’s plan for Salvation, which is eternal death.
II.
THE POWER LIES IN
THE TONGUE
a.
A World of Evil
Among the Parts of the Body
i.
It is not what goes
into a man that defiles him...
Matthew 15:10-11
10
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11
What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of
their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
b.
The Tongue Corrupts
the Whole Body
i.
Leading the body like a bridled horse
c.
The Tongue Sets the
Whole Course of One’s Life on Fire
i.
If the devil can control your tongue, he will control
your destiny!
ii.
And a dome of chaos will develop around you in your
life, setting others on fire
iii.
And the entirety of your life will be consumed if you
allow it!
d.
The Tongue Itself
is set on Fire by Hell
i.
What is coming from your mouth?
1.
Faith or dis-belief?
2.
Hope or hopelessness?
3.
Blessings or curses?
4.
are you speaking
life or death?
III.
WHO CAN TAME IT?
a.
v7-8 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.
i.
NOT MAN
ii.
The Holy Spirit is the ONLY way!
1.
From the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks!
2.
What is your heart filled with?
a.
That is what you are speaking...
b.
v9-10 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.
i.
Remember, we are commanded to love our brothers, our
neighbors and our enemies!
ii.
I John 3:14 “14
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other.
Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know
that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”
1.
Have a question about your salvation? Ask yourself...do you love others? The scripture says THIS is how we can KNOW we
have passed from death to life!
iii.
I John 4:20 “Whoever
claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does
not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom
they have not seen.”
1.
Remember, love here is I Corinthians 13 love, how we
treat others, not whether or not we have warm fuzzies, emotions or feelings for
them, but how we treat them.
2.
God does not command us to “like” everyone, but He does
expect us to love everyone.
c.
Life and Death are in the tongue!
i.
James warns that our tongue is “restless evil, full of poison.”
ii.
Proverbs 18:20-21 “20
From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of
their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those
who love it will eat its fruit.
iii.
BEWARE...you will be FILLED with the harvest of your
mouth, which has the power of life and death!
Which fruit are you filling yourself with? Good or evil?
d.
One moment we praise God, the next we curse man created
in His image...this should not be!
JAMES’
GREAT QUESTION
Can a
salt spring produce fresh water?
CONCLUSION
To
the teacher of the Word of God, STUDY, understand the very Word you are
teaching, for God will hold you to a higher accountability.
As
far as the power of the tongue, remind yourself that what you speak comes from
what is stored in your heart, and you will eat
the fruit of that harvest, whether good or bad.
The
ONLY way to control, and tame the tongue, is by the Holy Spirit filling you
with good things from Study of God’s Word...
Luke 6:44-45
44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do
not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the
good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the
evil stored up in his heart. For the
mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
The question James poses for you this week
is simple,
Are you speaking
life or death?
Want to learn more about
Salvation and Getting Saved?
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