Sunday LinkUp – 15September2024 – James 3:1-12

 

 

OPENING COMMENTS

 

• The theme for this week is words have consequences.
• In our keynote passage, from the Book of James, the apostle writes about the importance of taming the tongue.

 

OPENING SONG        

 

 

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FIRST MESSAGE

 

• Who Do You Say I Am?   
• Jeff Broadnax    

From the TRANSCRIPT …

What comes to mind when you imagine God?  Perhaps you think about his nature: his love, mercy, and grace.  You may see God in creation — in the beautiful harmony of the universe.   Maybe you see God in the ways he works through other people.   We see God in a smile, an act of kindness, and in tearful forgiveness.   All of these are faithful ways to imagine God.   However, at one time or another, we all have ideas about God that are motivated by our own desires.   It is often tempting to imagine God in ways that are self-serving.

The Bible reveals that God made humanity in his own image, however, since the Fall, humanity has been trying to recreate God into our image. Sometimes, we put our values, opinions, and beliefs on him so that we can do and think the things that seem right to us.  Unfortunately, this never works because we were created to follow him, not the other way around.   This is why one of the most important questions for any person to answer is, “Who is God?”   The answer to this question affects everything else in our lives.

During the incarnation, Jesus declared an understanding of who God is beyond the disciples’ human expectations: a full and Spirit-filled revelation. In Mark 8:27-38, we read:

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”  
Mark 8:27-33

By asking his disciples, “Who do you say I am,” Jesus was teaching them the importance of identifying the Son of God accurately.  Peter accurately confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, but then he wanted to define the kind of Messiah Jesus was.  In the verses that follow, Christ used the opportunity to discuss self-denial, which includes the denial of our own self-serving ideas about God.  We have to look to Jesus to define God for us and resist the temptation to view God through the lens of our own biases. In our relationship with God, we do not change God to fit our preferences.  Rather, as we devote ourselves to God, we change and become who he has created us to be.

Jesus refused to be defined on our terms.  However, when we accept God as our God, he shows himself to be more glorious than we could possibly imagine.

I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.

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FIRST READING

 

 

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SPECIAL MUSIC

 

 

 

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SERMON (Interactive)

 

INTRODUCTION

Growing up, most of us heard something along the lines of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all?”   We might not have realized it at the time that we were receiving sage, biblical advice.   Perhaps you were also told something like “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”   You don’t have to live very long to discern that this is not biblical.   Words misspoken can crush a soul.   Haven’t we all been victims of someone else’s words?

We are going to be focusing on a passage that talks about the importance of our words as there is great power in our tongues.  Our words can set the course of our lives for good or for evil.  Although James’ words may seem daunting, we will also see where our hope lies in taming the tongue.

 

 

James 3:1-12

WHAT DOES THE PASSAGE SAY?

James 3:1-12  NRSV   

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will face stricter judgment.  ² For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is mature, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.  ³ If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies.  ⁴ Or look at ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.  ⁵ So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a such a small fire! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of life, and is itself set on fire by hell.  ⁷ For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue — a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  ⁹ With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, made in the likeness of God.  ¹⁰ From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.  ¹¹ Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water?   ¹² Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives or a grapevine figs?   No more can salt water yield fresh.      

 

 

 

 

WHAT DOES THE PASSAGE MEAN?

 

James 3:1-12  NKJV     

The demonstration of a living faith in controlling what we say

 

 

 

¹ My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.  

 

• Those of Jewish background who were now converted, had previously held their former rabbis in high regard.  To fulfill this cultural norm they naturally looked for teachers for their new Christian community.  Apparently more than enough men were aspiring to serve in that role.   These unofficial teachers may have been taking certain latitudes in their teachings.  Thus, James admonishes his readers to “not have many masters.”  James warns those who teach that they are held to a higher standard.  I think this is partly because teachers and preachers are afforded a captive audience, therefore their words can affect more people.  Also, those who preach and teach generally have more training than the average churchgoing person.  You would assume as well that these people have a certain amount of maturity.
• Those who teach are to lead by example.  This would be in line with the overall message of James’ epistle.  Our faith is to be made evident by our works.  So, if you are teaching others, make sure you are growing in the areas that you are teaching about.  For instance, a fitness instructor who is poorly out of shape by neglecting his own workouts loses all credibility.  Likewise, those who teach should live out what they are asking of others.  This is good advice for any believer, not just those who teach.

 

 

² For we all stumble  in many things.  If anyone does not stumble  in word,  he is a ^[mature]perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{3 [Now if]}Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.  ⁴ Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.   ⁵ Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.  See how great a forest a little fire kindles!   ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of  ^{[unrighteousness]}iniquity.  The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of  ^[existence]nature; and it is set on fire by  ^[Gehenna]hell.    

• James uses a couple of analogies here to show how small things can be quite powerful.  In the first century A.D., horses and ships were the primary means of transportation.  The horse held a bit in its mouth and with it, the rider could control where she wanted this powerful animal to go.  Ships have rudders that enable the captain to steer it wherever he chooses.
• Modern travel now consists of automobiles and airplanes.  A mere steering wheel can turn an entire bus.  Small ailerons cause the wings of an airplane to respond to the pilot’s steering.  Human beings are also equipped with something very small that can steer the course of our lives.  Our tongues are to be used to bless and to encourage, to speak to what is true and right and good, to utter the praises of God.   

 

James echoes the testimony of Proverbs regarding the tongue:

• • Proverbs 26:18-19
  • Proverbs 10:19-21     
  • Proverbs 12:25.   
  • Proverbs 16:24   
  • Proverbs 18:21

 

 

 

 

⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.  ⁸ But no man can tame the tongue.  It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.  

 

 

• Just as our tongues can be used for blessing and praise, they can also just as easily be used for cursing.  A careless word can tragically alter the course of a friend or loved one’s life.
• This is a good place to share a personal story about when the words of someone hurt you, or how your words hurt another person.
• So, what James does now is turn from the analogies that show the usefulness of the tongue to analogies of how destructive it can be.  The analogy that is being employed here is that of a forest fire.  In many cases, it is a small spark that causes great damage.
• The state of California is known for its wildfire season, which occurs nearly every summer.  In July 2018, the largest wildfire in their history, the Ranch fire combined with the River fire, burned more than four hundred thousand acres of land.  After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the cause of the Ranch fire was started by a spark from a hammer striking a nail.  The spark landed on some flammable materials nearby.²
• The tongue then, can set fire to every good thing in your life.  It can consume your friendships, your family, and even your congregation.  Wars have been waged over words, costing millions of lives.  So, when James says that the tongue is a “world of iniquity,” and “is itself set on fire by hell,” he’s insistent about making his point.  
• It’s easy to pick out the overt sins.  Any believer is likely to abhor murder, theft, drunkenness, and sexual immorality.  But what about sins of the tongue?  We probably know those who are prone to gossip, or those who speak harshly to others.  We may not appreciate these things when we witness them, but at the same time, do we understand how deadly this can be for a congregation that desires to be healthy?

 

 

• Think about how amazing it is that we can train animals, whether it is for laborious tasks or mere tricks.  Parrots can be taught to speak.  Whales and dolphins can be taught to jump out of the water on command.  Certain dog breeds learn to herd sheep. Cats?  Well, they seem to be able to train us better than we can train them.  Despite how well we can tame and train non-human creatures to perform human-like tasks and tricks, we still are not able to tame our own tongues.
• James repeats himself here with the idea of how evil the tongue is, while also giving us a different analogy.  He now describes the tongue as a deadly poison.  Now that is something to consider!  What if every time we were tempted to say something negative about someone, we saw an image of our tongues as a bottle of poison.  What if the image of a skull and cross bones on the bottle came to mind?
• When James says that “no human can tame the tongue,” he is not leaving his statement open for human hope.  After all, what would be the point of James telling us all of these difficult things to hear without giving us any hope?   He is reminding us that we know the one who can tame it.  The Father has sent the Holy Spirit to us.   The Spirit is here to guide us as he lives through us.  The Holy Spirit helps to train our speech in ways we could never perform by our own strength and will.   Our trust is placed in God’s abilities and not on ours.

 

⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the  ^[likeness]similitude of God.  ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.   ¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?   ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.    

 

 

• I don’t know if you have been keeping track of the analogies, but James offers up some more here.  He mentions that trees can only produce certain fruit.  Springs of water can only contain that which is common to them, salt or fresh water.  The analogy is that we have been made in the image of our loving Father.  We have been accepted in the life of Christ Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit, there is a quality of life that is consistent with whom we flow from and are rooted into.  This life of ours is not consistent with the foul things that the tongue wants to say.
• When James asks the rhetorical questions regarding trees and springs producing that which flows from their proper source, we are to see ourselves as God’s newly designed people who resemble the life of his son, Jesus.  We are not merely left to our own devices. The Holy Spirit with us assures us of our relationship with the triune God.  As the body of Christ, we share that same relationship with one another, where we speak the truth in love, and where our tongues are used for blessing and not cursing.
• Note what the psalmist said:
  • • Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14 NRSVUE)

 

 

CLOSING PRAYER