Christianity 201 James 3;1-18

James 3
James 3;1-12=Faith Controls the Tongue James 3;13-18=Faith Produces Wisdom

· James has explained to us two characteristics of the mature Christian: he is patient in trouble (James 1) and he practices the truth (James 2).
· In chapter two we read that faith w/o works is dead
· It's not faith & works that brings salvation, it's not faith or works=salvation
· But it's faith that works, true faith works.
· In chapter 3, James begins talking about the tongue, it would seem @ first glance that these two things are a bit disconnected, why would he go from faith that works right into speaking & words? If indeed chapter 2 is stressing that words are not the issue, it's not what you say, it's how you live that is the proof of your salvation.
· Even though words are not the sign of our salvation, it doesn't mean that words aren't important in our spiritual life.

A pastor told about a member of his church who was a notorious gossip. She would “hang on the phone” most of the day, sharing tidbits with any and all who would listen.
She came to the pastor one day and said, “Pastor, the Lord has convicted me of my sin of gossip. My tongue is getting me and others into trouble.”
The pastor knew she was not sincere because she had gone through that routine before. Guardedly he asked, “Well, what do you plan to do?”
“I want to put my tongue on the altar,” she replied with pious fervor.
· Calmly the pastor replied, “There isn’t an altar big enough,” and he left her to think it over.
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· 3:1. 1 DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS,* NOT MANY OF YOU SHOULD BECOME TEACHERS IN THE CHURCH, FOR WE WHO TEACH WILL BE JUDGED BY GOD WITH GREATER STRICTNESS.

Again addressing brothers, a sign that a new topic is being considered, James suggested moderation and restraint in the multiplication of teachers. Too many of the new Jewish Christians aspired to teach and thereby carry some of the rank and admiration given to Rabbis. These are the unofficial teachers (didaskaloi) in the synagogue meetings of the church family where much latitude was given for even strangers to speak. Paul frequently used this courtesy given visitors. James’ complaint was simply that too many believers were overly anxious to speak up and show off (cf. John 3:10; 9:40-41).
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· He says don't desire/be too eager to be a teacher, it's inevitable that we're going to offend in the words that we speak. A teacher talks a lot & sets yourself up for condemnation/controversy.
· We should desire to be learners more than we desire to be teachers. And one of the chief things to learn, as Paul would say, is to learn to be content. Be content wherever the Lord has placed you. Many people say they wish they could be behind the pulpit. But James says to be careful about that because when you teach, you occasionally cause people to become unsettled. When you're sharing a teaching, oftentimes that teaching will cause there to be a great deal of conviction in the heart of the hearer. And conviction can either cause the hearer to repent when they hear the message or it can cause them to retaliate against the messanger.
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· That's what happened to Jeremiah, who brought a message to the people in Israel & they didn't like what he was saying. 18;18. He's saying these prophets & priests & wise men are not speaking truth. "Come let us strike him w/ our words"...So what did they do? They talked bad about him. They found fault w/ him & they raised accusations against him, so much so that in chapter twenty, Pashur the priest struck Jeremiah literally & put him in stocks. And it came to pass that they brought him into the prison. We read 20;7=Lord I'm tricked. Here I became a teacher, a preacher, a prophet & I end up in the pit. They're not responding, they're not receiving, but they're retaliating/hostile towards him. I'm in ridicule daily Jeremy complains, everyone mocks me. 20;8-29 He says I've had it, the people are striking me w/ their tongues, & now they've placed me in stocks & put me in a dungeon. I'm not gonna speak anymore. But there's a problem w/ those that are called to teach. Even though sometimes there's retaliation/condemnation, people who feel like," how dare you tell me what to do," there becomes temptations for the teachers that tickle the ear by saying,"Let me just be normal, let me just sit comfortably in a pew for awhile." The problem was the Word of God was burning in his bones & he could not shut up.
· And he starts preaching & prophesying again. And that's the thing; if you really are called to teach the Word in that way, now not many are called, but if you are called, you'll find the Word burning in your bones & you just can't keep quiet. Even though it might mean that you're in controversy or condemned by people or placed in a dungeon, yet there's no other alternative than to share the word.
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· 3;2-6 We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. 3 We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

· Teachers are not the only ones who are tempted and sin; every Christian must admit that “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2, NIV). And sins of the tongue seem to head the list. The person who is able to discipline his tongue gives evidence that he can control his whole body. He proves that he is a mature (perfect) man.
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· Is James making a mistake by connecting sins of the tongue with sins committed by “the whole body”? No, because words usually lead to deeds. During World War II people were accustomed to seeing posters that read LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS! But loose lips also wreck lives. A person makes an unguarded statement and suddenly finds himself involved in a fight. His tongue has forced the rest of his body to defend itself.
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· This little thing called the tongue, weighs about 20 ounces, it controls your whole life.

· James presented two items that are small of themselves, yet exercise great power, just like the tongue. A small bit enables the rider to control the great horse, and a small rudder enables the pilot to steer the huge ship. The tongue is a small member in the body, and yet it has the power to accomplish great things.
Both the bit and the rudder must overcome contrary forces. The bit must overcome the wild nature of the horse, and the rudder must fight the winds and currents that would drive the ship off its course. The human tongue also must overcome contrary forces. We have an old nature that wants to control us and make us sin. There are circumstances around us that would make us say things we ought not to say. Sin on the inside and pressures on the outside are seeking to get control of the tongue.

· This means that both the bit and the rudder must be under the control of a strong hand. The expert horseman keeps the mighty power of his horse under control, (one of the most powerful ‘machines’ of James’s day) and the experienced pilot courageously steers the ship through the storm. When Jesus Christ controls the tongue, then we need not fear saying the wrong things—or even saying the right things in a wrong way! “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,” warned Solomon (Prov. 18:21). No wonder David prayed, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing” (Ps. 141:3–4). David knew that the heart is the key to right speech. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matt. 12:34 When Jesus Christ is the Lord of the heart, then He is Lord of the lips too.
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The bit and rudder have the power to direct, which means they affect the lives of others. A runaway horse or a shipwreck could mean injury or death to pedestrians or passengers. The words we speak affect the lives of others. A judge says “Guilty!” or “Not Guilty!” and those words affect the destiny of the prisoner, his family, and his friends. The President of the United States speaks a few words and signs some papers and the nation is at war. Even a simple yes or no from the lips of a parent can greatly affect the direction of a child’s life.
Never underestimate the guidance you give by the words you speak or do not speak. Jesus spoke to a woman at a well, and her life and the lives of her neighbors experienced a miraculous change (John 4). Peter preached at Pentecost and 3,000 souls came to salvation through faith in Christ (Acts 2).
On April 21, 1855, Edward Kimball went into a Boston shoe store and led young Dwight L. Moody to Christ. The result: one of history’s greatest evangelists, a man whose ministry still continues. The tongue has the power to direct others to the right choices.
It would do us all good to read frequently the Book of Proverbs, and to note especially the many references to speech. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Prov. 15:1). “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 12:22). “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise” (Prov. 10:19). Yes, the tongue is like a bit and a rudder: it has the power to direct. How important it is that our tongues direct people in the right way!

· In Proverbs 26;20 Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. When you're hearing gossip, hearing words that are putting down, even subtely, humorously, sophisticatedly, when you're hearing words, you can pray in the Spirit to keep your tongue busy, lest you join in on the hellish conversation, & you can also refuse to respond.when you're Because here it says in Proverbs, where there is no fuel/wood, the fire goes out. If you & I don't respond when somebody is gossiping or putting down or burning somebody else, whoever it might be, if I don't respond the conversation just sort of fizzles out. There can be an awkwardness or an embarassing silence, good! Because it says quarrels disappear when gossip stops or when there is no talebearer! Talebearer=one who is allowing the tale to go on. If I listen to gossip, to put-downs, to burns, I'm actually involved in that fire that's ingnited by hell. I mustn't listen.

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· 3;7-12 People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty pool.

Warren Wiersbe in his Bible Exposition Commentary had this to say," Not only is the tongue like a fire, but it is also like a dangerous animal. It is restless and cannot be ruled (unruly), and it seeks its prey and then pounces and kills. My wife and I once drove through a safari park, admiring the animals as they moved about in their natural habitat. But there were warning signs posted all over the park: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR! DO NOT OPEN YOUR WINDOWS! Those “peaceful animals” were capable of doing great damage, and even killing.

· Some animals are poisonous, and some tongues spread poison. The deceptive thing about poison is that it works secretly and slowly, and then kills. How many times has some malicious person injected a bit of poison into the conversation, hoping it would spread and finally get to the person he or she wanted to hurt? As a pastor, I have seen poisonous tongues do great damage to individuals, families, classes, and entire churches. Would you turn hungry lions or angry snakes loose in your Sunday morning service? Of course not! But unruly tongues accomplish the same results.

· There's something else that the bible teaches here. He's drawing upon an analogy by saying, can a fountain yield salt water & fresh? Reminds of 2 Kings 2. Elisha the prophet had just been anointed for ministry, his master Elijah had been taken up to heaven, & so he goes to Jericho. And when he gets to Jericho, the people there say, hey Elisha, we've got a problem. You can see that this is a pleasant area but, we're in trouble because the plants are barren. The crops aren't coming. The fruit isn't growing because the well in Jericho has becomed poisoned. The water isn't pure & sweet. And it's affecting the fruit in the region. So Elisha asks for a bowl, tells them to put salt in it & he pours salt into the fountain. And it says the waters became sweet.
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· He poured salt water into polluted water because in Colossians 4;6 it says let your speech always be seasoned w/ salt that is grace. Let your speech always be w/ grace, seasoned w/ salt. What does that mean? In any given moment at any given time, I have the opportunity to not only not listen, to not become a box of kindling for that person's gossip, and get my tongue involved, not in hellish fire, but in heavenly fire/praying in the Spirit quietly, but I can also do something else.
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· In that water that's going to cause a lack of fruit to be produced, I can actually bring about healing to the water like Elisha did that day by speaking grace. By talking grace. By sharing grace. Grace=God's riches @ Christ's expense. I just keep talking about how God loves to be gracious. How God has been gracious to me & how He'll be gracious to that person in that situation, you talk grace! Because inevitably, what the person or people are doing, who are polluting the water, they're talking law.
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· The law? In some way, those people or that person is not living up to their expectations. Whether it's spiritually, intellectually, socially, educationally, whatever it is, it's the law. They say,"How could they"=the law/judge. So what do you do? You just start speaking grace & love.
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· I want this badly in my own life. I'm not there, not where I should be, I'm not what I used to be, praise the Lord!But I see the wisdom of James, I see what this does in people's lives. I've known a few that have refused to listen to gossip. There is a beauty & a refreshment that comes from their lives. The great danger to the church today is not the tongues movement, it's the movement of the tongue. That's what divides churches.

· `Again, in concluding this section entitiled Faith Controls the Tongue, I'd like to share another excerpt from Wiersbe's Bible Expostition Commentary:

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As I close this chapter, let me suggest that you start using the “Twelve Words That Can Transform Your Life.” If you use these words and sincerely mean what you say from your heart, you will find that God will use you to be a blessing and encouragement to others. There are only twelve of them, but they work.
“Please” and “Thank you.” When you use these three words, you are treating others like people and not things. You are showing appreciation.
“I’m sorry.” These two words have a way of breaking down walls and building bridges.
“I love you.” Too many people read “romance” into these words, but they go much deeper than that. As Christians, we should love the brethren and even love our enemies. “I love you” is a statement that can carry tremendous power.
“I’m praying for you.” And be sure that you are. When you talk to God about people, then you can talk to people about God. Our private praying for people helps us in our public meeting with people. Of course, we never say “I’m praying for you” in a boastful way, as though we are more spiritual than others. We say it in an encouraging way, to let others know that we care enough for them to meet them at the throne of grace.
Yes, the smallest but largest troublemaker in all the world is the tongue. But it does not have to be a troublemaker! God can use our tongues to direct others into the way of life, and to delight them in the trials of life. The tongue is a little member, but it has great power.
Give God your tongue and your heart each day and ask Him to use you to be a blessing to others.


· James 3;13-18=Faith Produces Wisdom

· 13-16 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil.

· Wisdom was an important thing to Jewish people. They realized that it was not enough to have knowledge; you had to have wisdom to be able to use that knowledge correctly. All of us know people who are very intelligent, perhaps almost geniuses, and yet who seemingly are unable to carry out the simplest tasks of life. They can run computers but they cannot manage their own lives! “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom” (Prov. 4:7).

· Read from KJV-3;13 KJV=asks the question, who is a wise man among you? “Wise” (sophos; cf. sophias in 1:5) describes one with moral insight and skill in the practical issues of life. “Understanding” (epistēmōn) refers to intellectual perception and scientific acumen.
Let him show it. Here is an original “show and tell.” Wisdom is not measured by degrees but by deeds. It is not a matter of acquiring truth in lectures but of applying truth to life. The good life and deeds are best portrayed in the humility of wisdom, or “wise meekness” (prautēti sophias). The truly wise man is humble.

3:14. True wisdom makes no room for bitter envy (“zealous jealousy”) or for selfish ambition (“factious rivalry,” erithian, from eritheuō, “to spin wool,” thus working for personal gain). This is nothing to glory about. To boast (lit., “exult,” katakauchasthe) in such attitudes is to deny, or “lie against,” the truth.
· 3:15-16. Envy and strife are clear indicators that one’s so-called wisdom is not from above (cf. 1:17), but is earthly, unspiritual (“natural, sensual,” psychikē), and of the devil (“demonic,” daimoniōdēs). Envy and selfish ambition, or rivalry, can only produce disorder, or confusion, and every evil practice. A truly wise person does not seek glory or gain; he is gracious and giving.

· 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

· The only true protection against this false wisdom and the evil in the tongue is God’s wisdom. James gives a list of the characteristics of this true wisdom which is very similar to the one that Paul gives for the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23). It is pure, which means that the person is sincere in obeying God, not having any twisted motives in their desire for holiness. It is peace-loving (Pr. 3:17; Heb. 12:11), meaning that it produces peace in the church. It is considerate or ‘gentle’ (Phil. 4:5; 1 Tim. 3:3), which means that it is non- combative. It is submissive, which speaks of a person who is willing to learn, be corrected, or will otherwise gladly respond to godly leadership. It is full of mercy and good fruit, which refers to the charitable giving that is so important to James. God, of course, is always merciful and giving, so those filled with his wisdom will be that way as well. Finally, it is impartial and sincere, which means that the person has a heart which is set solely on following God, unlike the ‘double-minded’ person of 1:8. The term sincere means that there is no falseness or play-acting in the person’s actions. As the person is to one’s face, so they are when one’s back is turned.

· James sums up this whole paragraph with a saying which sounds like a proverb. Some scholars believe he may have got this saying from Jesus. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. This is the solution to the problem noted in 1:20; human anger does not produce God’s righteousness, but peace-making does. This is what Jesus said as well, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God’ (Mt. 5:9). They are God’s sons because they are acting like their true Father, producing the type of righteousness of which God is proud. This is very different from the anger and struggle of merely human ways of producing what human beings call ‘right’. God’s way of doing things requires his wisdom, his Spirit.
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