INTRODUCTION
Have you ever underestimated your own strength? Maybe you thought you could do something but you really couldn’t? This becomes more and more of an issue as you age. You used to be able to do things and never feel them, but as you get older you start to hurt more. I’m kind of at the age where I’m starting to feel that myself—I do something I used to be able to do, or lift some heavy objects, and the next morning I wake up sore. And I wonder—why am I sore? I didn’t do anything? And then I remember those heavy objects I lifted and think “I can’t believe I’m sore from that, that’s hardly anything! Sometimes we underestimate our own strength. Maybe it’s more like we thought we would be able to do something and realized we didn’t have the strength to do it. You thought you could more a refrigerator yourself and then you realized you needed another person. It’s easy to underestimate your own strength.
Growing up I was the kid who underestimated his own strength. I was always a big kid, and my parents used to joke about me not knowing my own strength and compare me to a bull in a china shop. Sometimes I just had trouble controlling myself. We would play sports outdoors and I was always the kid that ended up accidentally hurting another kid. Or I would wrestle with my brother or sisters and someone would get hurt. Or I would handle something fragile and thought I was being careful, but ended up breaking it. I didn’t really know my own strength, or I underestimated my strength and even though I didn’t mean to, I could hurt another person because of this.
Do you think we can underestimate things in our spiritual lives? I think we can—our passage for this morning talks about that. And it addresses one very specific area in our spiritual lives that we might be prone to underestimate—it addresses the power of our tongue. Just like we might underestimate our own strength in trying to pick up an object too large for us, or we might underestimate our own ability like I did as a child, so we can underestimate the power of our words and the force of our tongue. Too many times in our spiritual lives we say things without even thinking. We just put our words out there and never take the time to think about the effect they might have on another person. Or maybe we get involved in gossip—we share something about someone that we don’t really have their permission to share, or we listen to someone talk about someone else in a negative way and thus are involved in hurtful speech. The fact of the matter is our tongues have power, yet we are prone to underestimate the force behind our speech. Maybe for you, it’s something that came up in the quarantine—being locked up in close quarters with your family for a few months has just driven you crazy and caused you to be careless with how you use your tongue. And if we’re not careful, we can completely minimize the impact our tongue can have on those around us. And as we come to our passage today, the Bible writer James addresses this tendency head-on. He addresses our words and our speech and seeks to help us not underestimate the power that our tongue has in what we say.
Big idea: never underestimate the power of your tongue
Let not many be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive greater judgment. For we all stumble in many ways, if anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man, able also to hold in check the whole body. Now if we place bits into horses mouths so that to obey they us, we also direct their whole body. Behold also the ships though they are great and being driven by strong winds, are directed by a tiny rudder wherever the impulse of the one piloting desires. Thus also the tongue is a small member and boasts of great things.
Transition: two realities we must recognize about our speech if we are to not underestimate the power of our tongues
1) Recognize its appeal
Explanation: the first recognition about our speech is to recognize the appeal of the tongue. The tongue can have great appeal for us. There can be the appeal to use our tongue, and to use it in very specific ways—the text says one of these ways is as a teacher—Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren.
Boys and Girls, you can draw a teacher in the church. Actually, the KJV and NKJV start with my brethren, in the Greek my brethren is last. If you know anything about Greek you know that word order matters, and you can change word order for emphasis. James emphasizes here—not many of you should be teachers!
It can be easy for us to think that we have words to offer and something important to say. To think that we should aspire to use our tongue to teach others and minister to them with our speech of gold. And while this isn’t a bad aspiration, James gives us a very clear caution—don’t let many of you aspire to be teachers. He recognizes that there is a certain appeal or enticement for us to want to use our words to instruct others and impart truth to them with our words. In the context of James day, it seems like many people were aspiring to be teachers, and this was likely out of a sense of selfish ambition or a desire to lord it over those whom one would teach. James gives the caution here: don’t have too many teachers in the church! And he gives us two very real reasons for not aspiring to be teachers in the church—judgement and failure. Teachers use their tongue to communicate, and since the tongue is such a powerful instrument, James cautions those who would aspire to be teachers perhaps out of selfish desire or ambition.
a. Those who use their tongues will receive a higher judgment
Explanation: notice with me his first reason to not aspire to be a teacher in the church—those who use their tongues will receive a higher judgement. Those who expect to be teachers in the church will be held to a higher standard. This makes sense. Those who have a teaching ministry in the church have more of an up front, public ministry, therefore they will be held to a higher standard. And since the tongue is such a powerful instrument, there comes an extra level of accountability with that.
Side note, this is one reason why you should pray for your pastor—because he uses his speech every single week as a teacher in the church, and he needs wisdom and guidance in how to do it well. This is a high calling with a high responsibility. Here’s what one man said about the burden of preaching:
“There’s no special honor in preaching, there is only special pain. The pulpit calls those anointed to it as the sea calls its sailors. And like the sea, it batters and bruises and does not rest. To preach, to really preach, is to die naked a little at a time, and to know each time you do it that you must do it again,”
— Bruce Thielemann.
As a pastor I resonate with that every single week. Those who have the responsibility of teachers in a formal setting bear a great burden! But beyond that, Paul says that anyone, not just pastors, who want to be teachers in the church will be held to this standard.
Application: now James just gives us the principle here, he doesn’t give us the application, we have to make that ourselves. And I don’t want to say any more than James does—he leaves it pretty generic. He doesn’t tell us who “teachers” are in the church. I think it’s more than just pastors, but beyond that we can’t say for sure. I think an obvious answer is that it refers to anyone who has a formal teaching ministry in the church—Sunday school teachers, AWANA teachers, Bible study leaders, anyone who uses their tongue to teach others. But I think we can even go beyond that in our application. There are some people in the church who have never had a formal teaching ministry in the church, but they are teachers because of their influence. Sometimes it’s in a good sense—they have a real positive shepherding impact on others in the body. But more often it’s in a negative sense. They are teaching all kinds of things to those around with their tongue, it’s just not good things. They’re the type of person who always has something to say about something and they will be heard—it’s the type of person who’s always talking and complaining about something. Actually, I read an interesting quote about this type of person:
An immature Christian is hard to please and easy to offend.
Think about that the next time you want to use your tongue to criticize—too many churches are full of immature people! This person always has a perspective to share and they are not shy about sharing it. Someone like this, I think, could be considered a teacher in the church as well—maybe not by position but a teacher by influence. And James says to all of these different kinds of teachers “be careful; watch out! Because you will receive a greater judgement.”
I wonder, how you fit into this category of “teacher”. Maybe it is teacher by position—you have a formal teaching ministry in the church. Be careful; you will be held to a higher standard. Teaching isn’t something you should wing. It takes time and effort and preparation—it’s not a night before type of activity.If that’s you, take care! You will be held to a higher standard because of your upfront ministry with your speech!
Many times, there’s far more teachers of the other kind in churches. These are the teachers that you won’t see listed as a teacher of this Sunday school class or this Bible study. They don’t teach out of position; they teach out of influence. And many times, these are the type of people who like to be heard. Usually it’s people who want to hide in the shadows and complain, or pass along information, or give their perspective of what they think is wrong with a church. This often comes back to a pastor or deacon in the form of “someone says” but we never know who. These words have power as well. And the way you choose to use those words I believe still brings some level of judgement. Be careful before you use your words in that way. Be careful before you whisper in secret about someone or something; there is judgement for you as well. James says those who use their tongues in the church will receive a higher judgement—that’s the appeal of the tongue; to recognize its power and use it in a way it’s not intended to be used.
b. Those who use their tongues are still prone to sin
Explanation: notice also that those who use their tongues are still prone to sin. James says “for we all stumble in many ways”. The implication here is that those who would be teachers in the church still stumble. This is why being a teacher in the church requires a certain element of humility. Because even thou you teach, you still sin. You make mistakes—perhaps even blunders with your words. And some of you have caught some of mine perhaps. But you even sin with your words. Just because you have a position of teaching in the church does not mean you don’t sin with your words. We can all be prone to this. This is especially important to understand as a pastor . . .
This is even true of those who teach not by position but by influence. Sometimes we don’t think that. We feel as if we have something to share and so we’re going to share it and our perspective is always right. And these type of people, who speak out of influence rather than position, they can still be wrong! They can still sin! In fact, very often the way these type of people teach is sin because it’s gossip. It’s talking about someone or something behind their back without them present to defend themselves. Let me give you a definition of gossip:
Spreading information about someone else without their knowledge or consent to someone not part of the problem or solution.
But too often we don’t think of it that way. You know what I’ve noticed after almost 10 years of ministry? People like drama! They love it. And they flock to it. And so whomever has a story—a dramatic story, or how someone wounded them or hurt them or attacked them, people are going to flock to that. They’re going to take up that cause and they just automatically assume that the person spreading this information would not lie, isn’t sinning in spreading it, and they have a righteous cause to be upset. Let me also say, that the righteous causes for being upset are few and far between, and if you have one, most people aren’t handling those in the right way. But we like to jump on these agendas that so and so hurt so an so and this person said that. And let me tell you, when we jump on that agenda we ourselves become unspiritual. How do I know that?
Galatians 6:1 NASB95
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
If you know of someone who has an agenda against another believer and you take up that agenda instead of telling them to take care of it and get right, you are taking the unspiritual pathway, because a spiritual person will restore that relationship! But this type of thing happens so easily in churches today.
I know of so many scenarios I could give of crazy bizarre things where people take up an agenda against someone. Many times it’s a pastor—I mean, you can’t make this stuff up!
Application: unfortunately, this type of teaching happens all too often in a church setting. Could be gossip—“well did you know about that”? Could be some form of complaining—“well I can’t believe they did this; I’m not going to that.” Here’s what I like to say:
Anyone can point out what’s wrong with something; it takes a leader to fix it
Sometimes we forget the truths of Numbers 11:1—when the people complained, it displeased the Lord!
But we have this in churches today. Sometimes these people want to be teachers in the church with their influence, but they don’t want anyone to know who they are. I don’t get reactionary to that type of feedback that you don’t know where it came from. If someone has an issue, they can take care of it in a Matthew 18 manner, not hide in the shadows and remain anonymous. I don’t react to that type of feedback. In fact, if you can’t tell me who said it, I can’t deal with it, so I really don’t want to hear it, because that type of use of the tongue is absolutely poisonous to a church! James reminds us that those who use their tongues in the church are still prone to sin, whether be using your tongue formally in a ministry position or informally as a means of influence, we need to all be aware of the appeal of the tongue—it lures us into desiring to be teachers in the church with a casual approach, and can very easily get us into trouble.
Big idea: never underestimate the power of your tongue
2) Recognize its significance
Explanation: as we come back to our text and look at the second half of verse 2, we find a second recognition we need to make if we are to not underestimate the power of our tongues, and it’s to recognize its significance. Not only are there some appeals that go with using our tongues, the tongue also has a significant impact in our lives and the lives of those around. Look at the second half of verse 2—If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Controlling one’s speech is a big deal! A lot of times we think of our speech in terms of little—a little bad word; a little unkind comment; a little talking about someone behind their back, it’s just a little. But James gives us a very different perspective of our speech. He says if you can control this one area—how you talk, you are a complete person and able to hold in check your whole body! Boys and Girls, you can draw how words can hurt.
It’s kind of like an aphorism or a proverb—the tongue is so powerful that if you can control it, you can control your whole body. This is a general statement on Christian maturity—if the tongue is controlled, the result will be general self-control. If you can control your tongue, chances are you’ll be able to control the rest of you. Now James gives us two illustrations or object lessons here to demonstrate for us how this is the case:
a. Illustration: bits are used to control entire horses
Explanation: first, he gives the illustration of horses—bits are used to control entire horses. I don’t know how much experience you have around horses, my own experience is quite limited. But I do understand the illustration here. Horses are powerful animals. In fact, we use the concept of horsepower as a way to measure power in things like engines. Horses are powerful creatures, but it really doesn’t take much to control a horse. All it takes is a little bit that you put in the mouth of a horse, and wherever you pull the reigns the horse is going to go. It’s only a small piece of equipment, but it can control the entire beast. With the proper instrument, a trainer or rider can accomplish whatever he or she desires.
Application: note the connection here between controlling the whole body and controlling the whole animal. James uses this parallel to demonstrate the power of the tongue. Just like the bit, the tongue is a small part of our body, but it has great power and significance. The illustration is clear, if you can control one, you can control the other. If a rider controls the bit he or she can control the horse. And if a believer can control his or her tongue, he or she can control anything else in their spiritual lives—they are a mature believer.
b. Illustration: rudders are used to control entire ships
Explanation: James continues with a second illustration—rudders are used to control entire ships. He takes this illustration and puts it on perhaps an even grander scale—even the largest of ships is controlled by a very small rudder. He who controls the rudder—the literal translation is the one piloting, he or she controls the ship. And he who controls the tongue controls the person. It’s the same concept as horses. Just like a pilot maintains control over a very large ship by controlling the rudder and can make it go wherever he or she desires, so believers maintain control over their bodies when they control their tongues. If a pilot loses control of the rudder, the entire ship becomes uncontrollable, and if a believer loses control of his or her tongue, the entire person becomes uncontrollable as well.
Application: scripture has much to say about the significance of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 teaches that death and life are in the power of the tongue. David asked the Lord to set a watch over his mouth. And Matthew 12:34 reminds us that out the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. I think this is why the tongue is so significant. This is why James says if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Because the tongue is a reflection on what’s inside. The tongue is directly connected with what is in your heart, and if what comes out is bad, that means what’s inside is bad.
Argumentation: So then why doesn’t James just talk about the heart instead of the tongue? Well he kind of does. You see, in the Hebrew mind the two were connected. The Hebrew mind thought in word pictures, and so they didn’t really separate the thing that did the action from the action itself. That’s why we read of looking with lustful eyes, or hands that shed innocent blood. There’s a connection between the tongue and the heart in the mind of the author—what is inside is what will come out.
Luke 6:44–45 NASB95
“For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
Application: I wonder, what is coming out of your life? How about when the pressure is turned on? When you have a health issue; or when your pay is reduced or you’re laid off at work; or when you can’t go on your vacation; or when the school year is turned upside down—what about during those times? It’s at those times, when the pressure is turned up, that what is inside comes out. It comes out many times in anger, or irritation, or harshness and unkindness—all things we do with our tongue.
Let me put a different spin on this. Controlling the tongue isn’t only about what you say when maybe you should be silent, or should say something else. It’s also about when you should say something but remain silent. Sometimes we are prone to silence when we should be speaking up. Perhaps it’s speaking up for what’s right when everyone else is giving in to sin. Maybe it’s the tendency to keep quiet when you hear a bad joke; a racial slur; an ignorant or impolite comment. Could be not standing up for loving speech when someone comes to share gossip with you. Could be not defending something that is deeply embedded in a Biblical worldview, like racial equality—that’s something that is deeply embedded in the Gospel and the church ought not to keep quiet about—if you can’t stand up for that, you have a Gospel problem! Could be not being willing to confront someone when you ought to. There’s a lot of interpersonal conflicts in churches today that would be resolved if someone followed the Biblical mandate to confront. Scripture speaks of speaking the truth in love; sometimes we do need to speak the truth, and sometimes people aren’t going to like it, but that doesn’t mean we don’t do it. Some think that sounds harsh or unkind. What people don’t understand is that sometimes the most loving thing you can to when you see someone going astray is to lovingly confront them. Controlling our tongue carries over into these areas as well, when we might not want to use our speech, but we ought to. James gives us a well needed caution—never underestimate the power of your tongue! Recognize its appeal—there’s an attraction that comes with using our tongues to teach, but this brings a higher level of judgement. Recognize its significance—it reflects what’s inside and if you can control your tongue, you’ll be well on your way to controlling everything else.
Big idea: never underestimate the power of your tongue
James brings all of this to a close in the beginning of verse 5—So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Notice that size isn’t really the issue here. It doesn’t matter that the tongue is small. It has great power. He says you need to control your tongue, before your tongue controls you! Or, as our big idea states, never underestimate the power of your tongue!
So what’s the hope for us? This text describes the reality of what we call total depravity—we are all sinners. We all sin with our tongue, and a corrupt tongue comes from a corrupt heart. So what’s the hope for us? The hope for us is that Jesus came to rescue us from the corruption of our sin nature. Jesus came to solve this problem. And the hope for us, if we recognize some of these tendencies in our speech, is to run to Jesus! To remember the Gospel and that we need it—we need it every day! Or as James says in 1:21—Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. The solution for our hearts is to put off the sinful tendencies of our tongue and receive the truth of the Word which is able to save our souls. The reality of our depravity and sinful condition should cause us to run to Christ and run to His Word!
CONCLUSION
We opened up today by talking about underestimating. We talked about underestimating your own strength and thinking you could do something that you couldn’t.
We can underestimate our tongues as well. We can be loose or careless with our tongues and cause considerable damage to the lives of those around. I wonder, if there are any here today who recognize that they’ve underestimated the power of their tongue. Too many times in our spiritual lives we say things without even thinking. We just put our words out there and never take the time to think about the effect they might have on another person. How might this passage change that in our lives?
Next Steps:
I think at a base level, this passage should cause us to think about what we decide to say, or when we decide not to speak.
• Maybe before we get involved in gossip, we stop and think about the power in our words.
• Perhaps instead of listening to someone talk about someone else in a negative way we’ll decide to control our tongue in the sense of standing up and pointing out the corruptness of such conversation.
• Maybe you’ll think now before getting upset at your family when they get on your nerves.
• Maybe you’ll even be more mindful of your teaching—either from a teaching position or just in your teaching through your influence.
What if you are the one who has said something—you’ve used your words to hurt someone else, and you see this text and recognize—that’s me. What should you do?
• Confess to God—take it to God; he is ready to forgive
• Confess to the individual—whomever you harmed by what you did or said, you need to make it right with them. Even if you didn’t really mean to hurt them, or intend for it to happen, or even if you don’t really even think you were wrong. As believers, we are a body. And as such, our relationship with one another is more important than if you were right or wrong. So if you can defuse the situation by saying “I should have done that or said that,” why not do it?
• Confess to everyone involved—if you’ve done something or said something in the presence of other people, or you passed along information, or you have damaged multiple relationships between people by what you did or said, you need to talk to everyone impacted by your sin and take care of it. This is what I call the Zacheus principle. Zacheus came to Christ and he paid back everyone he harmed. Let me say, if you’re not willing to fully and completely take care of the problem you created by your speech, you are probably not experiencing godly sorrow over it. So go to everyone who was touched by your sin and make it right.
• Make steps to correct that way of living—memorize Scripture, read a book on the topic, go for counseling.
Whatever the case, we need to understand the power of our words. Our words reflect what’s inside, and that should be a sobering thought for us. Let’s commit today to thinking about our speech. Let’s be a people who take the time to think before we talk.
