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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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STUMBLING
IN SPEECH (James 3:1-6) 11-21-12 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. BE NOT MANY SELF-EXALTED
TEACHERS (1) A. Having discussed the
necessity of works that gives evidence of a believer’s faith, James turns to
a most difficult area to control, namely the tongue. B. He warns of controlling the tongue for
all, especially teachers. In fact, he exhorts that many of them should “not
become” (imperative with mê…ginomai
- do not become) teachers. James seems to have in view some who desired
to be self-exalted (present middle, “become for yourselves) teachers,
who were not speaking from biblical principles, attitudes, and words. C. The reason was that “teachers” (dida,skolos - name for a
master or teacher, one who dispense knowledge) would have a “stricter
judgment” (mei,zon kri,ma)
for their words. The idea James has in mind is not that believers who may
teach something wrong will go to Hell. However, believers who teach, have a
greater responsibility because of their larger sphere of influence. The idea
is that God is not pleased with false teaching on any level and in any
circle. Certainly, rewards may be withheld if a
believer promotes false teaching. False teaching was to be rebuked especially
in the early church (Ac 20:28; Tit 1:9-14; 2Ti 4:1-4). Unbelieving false teachers
will be thrown into Hell because of their unbelief
and they will receive a harsher judgment for leading many others to Hell (2Pe
2:1-3; Jud 1:3-4). II. BEWARE OF STUMBLING IN
SPEECH (2) A. Aside from self-exalting
teachers, all believer’s “stumble” (ptai,ō
- fig. stumble in sin, err) in many things and in many areas, but we
especially must beware of stumbling in speech. B. However, if a believer is able to keep
from stumbling in “what he says” (“in word” - en logō),
he is a “perfect” (te,leios
- perfect, complete, or mature) believer. It does not mean that a
believer is or can be without sin (The Bible nowhere teaches Christian
Perfection cp. Ro 7:19-21; 1Jn 1:8, 10) but that he can be mature in his
Christian walk. C. James also makes the proposition that if a
believer can keep from stumbling in word, he is able to bridle the whole
body. The control that is necessary to “bridle” (chalinagōge,ō
(chalino,s - bit & a,gō-lead)
lit. to lead with a bit or bridle, hold in ckeck)
one’s speech is necessary for holding the whole body in check and keeping
one’s actions from sin. In fact, James will make the argument that holding
one’s speech in check is one of the most difficult exercises for the
believer. III. ILLUSTRATIONS OF CONTROL (3-5) A. A Horse’s Bit (3) 1. James
makes his argument that we can control our body by controlling our tongue. He
uses the illustration of a “bit” (chalino,s
- bit or bridle) in a horse’s (hi,ppos,
a hippopotamus is a water horse) mouth. 2. The purpose (ei,s
with articular infinitive) for the bit in the horse’s mouth is
making it “obey” (peithō
- persuade) the rider’s directions. In the process, the entire body of
the horse follows that direction. 3. In the same way our words not only
influence others but they influence our own actions in building up or tearing
down (cp. Pr 18:21 cp. Pr 11:31). If we use control for our words, then we
will use the same control for our actions. B. A Ship’s Rudder (4) 1. James
uses the illustration of a ship to show how a little thing often controls
something much larger. 2. The description of ships by James is that
they are “so great” (thlikou,tos
- intensifier, i.e. so large in size). In addition they are moved by
“strong” (sklêro,s
- hard or rough) winds. In spite of these descriptions, it is the little
(ela,ssō -
superlatively small or insignificant) rudder (pêda,lion
- blade or oar) that moves the ship about. 3. In fact, this little object allows the
entire ship to be maneuvered wherever the pilot “desires” (bou,lomai - wish, want,
or desire). 4. The tongue has the same controlling power
over a person and his actions follow positively or negatively. C. A Human Tongue (5a) 1. James
refers to the tongue itself and it becomes its own illustration. His point is
that the tongue is a small (mikro,s
- small, Eng. “micro”) member of the of the body, yet it is foolishly
seen in making great (me,gas - great, large)
boasts and claims. 2. Many are the foolish things about which a
little tongue will boast. It gives birth to the phrase “talk is cheap” but
comes from such a small organ. D. A Forest Fire (5b) 1. James
uses a plethora of illustrations and next injects the illustration of a forest
fire. 2. An entire forest (hu,lê
- wood, timber, or forest) (some see a huge amount of wood) that is
“great” (hêli,kos - interrogative with
intensity, how great, or how small) and full of wood is “set aflame” (ana,ptō - kindle, set on fire, light a fire)
by a “small” (hêli,kos - same word, how small)
fire. 3. In fact, it only takes a spark to get a
fire going under the right circumstances. So it is
with the tongue (see vs. 6). IV. THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE
UNCONTROLED TONGUE (6) A. It Demonstrates a World of
Iniquity 1. James
comes right out and calls the tongue a destructive fire (pur). 2. It is spreads out as far as and over the
entire the kosmos (world). But it is not for warmth or good that James refers. He
speaks of the tongue’s injurious “iniquity” (adiki,a
- unrighteousness, injustice) that can have unimaginable far reaching
destruction with its lies, insensitivities, and injuries. B. It Defiles the Body 1. The
tongue is a member of the human body and it is capable of defiling that body.
To “defile” (spilo,ō
- stain, spot, disgrace) is to sin and cause one’s body and actions to be
in opposition to God and His purposes. 2. It can snatch a person’s reputation,
warranted or not, and hide it from ever being rediscovered. C. It Destroys the Existence
of Life 1. The
tongue can actually alter the “course of nature” (lit.) seeing how the world’s sinful voices corrupt God’s creation forever. 2. It can also alter the “course of life”
for man tempting him to speak the language of the world or be
influenced by the words of others. D. It Derives its Power from
Hell 1. When we
listen to the words in this world, we understand that Satan is the “prince of
the air” (Ep 2:2). 2. The tongue of sinful man derives its
power from Hell being “set on fire” by “Hell” (ge,henna
- a valley W. and S. of Jer., also a symbolic name for the final place of
punishment of the ungodly). James speaks of demonic speech later in Jm
3:15. V. OBSERVATIONS AND
APPLICATIONS A. A believer must guard his
attitudes and his words. B. A believer can do unimaginable destruction
with his words. C. A believer’s most difficult battle is with
the tongue. D. A believer must use the influence of his
words for the kingdom. E. A believer can discourage himself with his
words. F. A believer should speak from a heart
saturated with Scripture. |
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