Help - For An Untamed Tongue

Date: May 24, 2026
Series: Fruitful Faith - James
Passage: James 3:1-12
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Griffin

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

As we continue in our series in James, if you would turn turn with me to James chapter three. James chapter three verses one through twelve is where we'll be. In chapter two, he tells us that the mature Christian practices the truth. And in this passage, he shares with us the third characteristics of a mature believer. And that is he or she has power over their tongue. James chapter three verses one through twelve, if you would stand with me for the reading and the reverence of God's holy word. Verse one says, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. But if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also. Though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessings and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can salt can a salt pine yield fresh water. Let us pray. Father God, we thank you for the truth of your word. In this moment, it is so practical. As James teaches us and shares with us, oh God, we pray, Lord, that we open our hearts to receive the truth of your scriptures. We ask the Holy Spirit to be our guide and our teacher and to bring us into all truth. Father, we pray if there be anyone here who may not have accepted your Son Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we pray, Father, that their ears are open in this moment and their heart is receiving. Father, we thank you and we praise you. These blessings we ask in Christ Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. You may be seized. Help for an untamed tongue. Help for an untamed tongue. As a boy, playing as boys do in the street and having a great time in the summertime. We pretty much played all day, had a lot of fun. Around four or five o'clock, I see my father driving down the street. He has his windows down. He gets to the house, he turns in the driveway, and I said, Welcome home, old man. And it was at that moment that I needed some help. Those were words that came from an immature boy. In this passage, James wrote to Christians who apparently were having serious problems with their tongues. In chapter one, he warned Christians to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. Then a few verses after that, in verse 26, he says that the believer who does not bridle his tongue is not truly religious. God has given us the ability to communicate. And the power of speech is one of the greatest tools that God has placed in our care. With the tongue, man can praise God. With the tongue, man can pray, preach the word, and teach the word. With the tongue, we can lead the lost to Christ and church. That's a privilege. But with the same tongue, we can tell lies that ruin someone's reputation. We can tell stories that tears a person's heart in pieces. Words can influence others, or words can inflame hatred. And our ability to communicate through text messaging, emails, social media, post, podcast, you name it, the list goes on and on. God has created an even greater means for us to communicate with one another. We have the ability to say what we want to say, when we want to say it, and how we want to say it at our disposal. All these mediums of communication can be used for good or for bad. But there's a warning. We all have to answer to God for our spoken and written words. See, for the Christian, at some point, the bill will come due. So the take home truth of our text is simply this: watch what you say. God is listening. That's what James wants us to know. So be careful about what you say and what you write. Every single word should be handled with care. And then we remember the phrase from our youth: sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Nothing can be further from the truth. And so, as we'll see in the text, the tongue is an unruly member. Untold damage and harm has been done in relationships because of the tongue. This is a true, this is true in our personal lives, and it's true in the church as well. We may try to put on a strong face when we've been hurt. But accusations can cause great pain. We've all been hurt by words of others. Physical wounds will heal, but sometimes the words of others can just linger for quite some time. And sometimes those words of others can never heal. But as we'll see in this text, the tongue itself is never the problem. The tongue merely reflects what's in the heart. And so why is the tongue so dangerous? The list can be exhaustive, but I want us to consider three details about the heart that makes the tongue so dangerous. What does the tongue have tongue? What does the tongue have to do with the heart? Well, for starters, in verses 1 through 4, the tongue reveals the direction of our hearts. Our hearts function as the wellspring for which our words flow. And this is the reality that carries profound implications for how we live. Rather than external markers like social media presence determine the trajectory of our life, deep motivations residing in our hearts was what establishes that direction. The heart is where the action is. It's the wellspring, it's the living fountain, the source of what we say, it's the source of who we are, and it's the source of what we do. And this is why James in chapter 3 gives us this warning in verse 1. He says, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers. For you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. Apparently, James was dealing with an issue when he writes this to his audience. He was dealing with people who were not qualified, who wanted to teach others publicly for the sake of prestige or for some unworthy motive. Maybe they were impressed with the authority of that comes along with teaching and forgot about the tremendous responsibility and the accountability that came with it. Whatever the circumstances is, it's a clear warning that being a teacher is serious responsibility and involves greater condemnation if we fail in our responsibility. For you know that you, that we who teach, will be judged with greater strictness. Paul, I mean, James is adding himself into this. He's letting them know that listen, if you're called to preach, you have a desire to preach, to teach, to share God's word, just know that you will be judged with greater strictness. There's a responsibility and accountability that comes along with teaching and preaching God's word. And so anytime someone comes to me, and I have had this several times, someone will come to me and say, Hey, how do I know that God is calling me to preach or teach? And the first question I ask is, Where are you serving now? Because before he calls you to preach or teach, the first thing that God is going to call you to do is obedience. This is what James is, this is what this is what James is getting at. James understood firsthand that the use of the teacher's tongue was to share God's truth. And it's easy to commit sins of the tongue and do tremendous damage if the teacher is unprepared or whose life is not submitted to the word of God. But teachers are not the only ones who are tempted and tempted and sinned. Every Christian must admit that. For verse 2 says, For we all stumble in many ways. At the top of the list is the sins of the tongue. Teachers are more vulnerable in this area because teachers are using their tongue quite a bit as they teach and as we preach. And so we're more vulnerable in this area. And James lets them know that, hey, listen, if you're gonna do this, just understand the responsibility that comes along with it. Only the perfect or fully mature don't sin in what they say. So he says here in verse 2, he says, and if anyone does not stumble, in what he says, he is a perfect man able also to bridle his whole body. James says that the person who can control his mouth is a perfect man. It's a perfect, it's a perfection that will only be attainable in heaven. But as believers, we should always strive for holiness. So James illustrates this in verses three and four. And he says, if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also. Though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. James presents two small items, but yet these two small items are very powerful, just like the tongue. A small bit enables a rider to direct a horse, a large horse. A small rudder enables the pilot to steer a huge ship. A small, petite person can direct a powerful horse. Just a little piece of metal in the horse's mouth can control the horse and get the rider to move the horse wherever he wants the horse to go. James is stating that just a small word can sometimes control the destiny of a person. Just the smallest word can change a person's destiny. Just a little rudder can change the direction of a mighty ship. And that's the same with our speech. Countless lives have been transformed, renewed, and brought to the Lord Jesus Christ through the sharing of the gospel. The tongue is a small member in the body, church, and yet it has power to accomplish great things. Both the bit and the rudder most must overcome contrary forces. The bit must overcome the wild nature of the horse, and the rudder must fight the winds and the currents that come with the, that drive the ship off course. The human tongue also must overcome some contrary forces. See, we have an old nature that we have to deal with. And just because we're saved, just because we're Christians, does not mean that that old nature does not still linger around every once in a while. There's circumstances around us that will make us say things that we ought not to say. Sin on the inside and pressures on the outside are seeking to control the tongue. And this means that both the bit and the rudder must be under the control of a strong hand. The only strong hand that it needs to be under the control of is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ controls the tongue. When he controls the tongue, then we don't have anything to fear saying the wrong things or even saying the right things in the wrong way. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And this is why David prayed over in Psalms 141, verses 3 and 4. Listen at what David prayed. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips. Don't let my heart incline to any evil to busy myself with the wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity. And let me not eat of their delicacies. David knew that the heart is the key to right speech. When Jesus Christ is the Lord of the heart, then he is the Lord of our lips. Proverbs 16 1 says this plans, the plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. So secondly, consider with me the tongue that the Tongue reveals the nature of our heart. The tongue can start a fire. David wrote in Psalms 39, 1 through 3, he says this. I said, I'll guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue. I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence. I was mute and silent. I held my peace to no avail. And my distress grew worse. Watch this. My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue. Has that ever happened to you? David reveals how hot-headed he is. And it reveals that he has a hot heart. He reveals that he has a temper that needed to be under God's control. Why? Because an uncontrolled tongue destroys every good thing. Look at verses 5 and 6. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a force is set ablaze by such a small fire? And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. What James wants us to see is that a great forest can be set ablaze by a small spark. Fire has many good uses. It can warm us. We can cook on an open fire. But a tiny spark sets a forest ablaze ablaze. Fire by its nature, by its very nature, can be destructive. It always consumes the fuel that it feeds off of. And then we we've seen this plenty of times in videos. We've seen forest fires. Most of those, a lot of times, those forest fires get started with just a small spark. Perhaps someone is campfire, camping out in the woods, or someone tosses a cigarette or a lot or a match, and it starts a forest fire, and next thing you know, that forest fire continues to burn and to burn, destroying land houses, and everything around it. But it started with a small spark. James is speaking of the tongue in the same uncontrollable way. It's a fire, a world of iniquity capable of all manner of wickedness and devastation. And so the Bible says in verse 6, it is set on fire by hell. James reminds us that the tongue has a fearful, destructive power left to ourselves. We'll never control the tongue because it is set on fire by hell. Harsh, degrading, hurtful, condemning words were born by Satan. No one is never in the will of God while speaking evil with a tongue. Few careless words can cause massive destruction. Once words are spoken, you can't take them back. Once you press sin, you can't take it back. Many lives have suffered immediate and continual ruin due to an unruly tongue. Children and future generations have faced the devastation brought by the words of another. Innocent lives have been touched by slanderous words. When I was a boy, you could you couldn't cuss around adults. Today, church, we're living in a time where children say just about anything they want to say to their parents around adults in the church. No respect or refrain from the things they say. So my question is, I wonder where they get it from. And oftentimes if it's allowed in the home, it carries out into the streets. Church, we must understand the power and influence of words. An untamed tongue rebels against all that is godly and pure. Look with me at verses seven and eight. For every kind of beast and bird and reptile, of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. And so if you want to doubt these words, you can go to the circus. You can see elephants, lions, all kinds of animals being controlled by a human being. You can go to the amusement parks. As big as shamu is. A few words can burn. A few words can damage a marriage. A few words can ruin families. A few words can hurt relationships. A few words can divide churches. A few words can ruin lifelong friendships. The tongue cannot be tamed by man. But it can be tamed by God. If God lights the fire and controls it, then the tongue can be used in a mighty way as a tool for winning the loss. The key, of course, is the heart. Jesus said this in Matthew 12, 34. You brew the vipers. How can you speak good when you are evil? But here it is, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. If the heart is filled with hatred, Satan will light the fire. But if the heart is filled with love, God will light that fire. And it'll burn and burn and burn if it's fueled with love. That's where we have to be, church. Every word that comes out of our mouth has to be filled with grace and love. But lastly, James lets us know in verses 9 through 12 that the tongue reveals the condition of the heart. Verse 9 through 10 says this with it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not be so. And we all know what James is talking about. With the same mouth we curse and bless. With the same mouth we serve and steal. With the same mouth we proclaim Christ and then lie to our friends. We forgive and then we lose our temper ten minutes later. We attend worship service, lifting our voices and praise to God, and before we get home, before we get home, maybe even before we leave the house of the house of God, we say something against a brother or sister in Christ. That's a sobering thought. But it happens. If we're honest, it happens. And for that very reason alone, we need to cry out to God. We need to come to Him, ask for forgiveness. Because it happens because we're all living in these broken bodies. We live in a sin sick world. And these fleshly bodies. As long as we're on this side, we're gonna have to deal with this tongue. The same mouth that you can produce blessings that produce blessings that can produce blessings is the same mouth that can spew cursing. That said, we still must face what James is saying here in the text. My brothers and sisters, this ought not be so. The fact that we are far from perfect does not excuse our careless speech. We will fight the battle of the tongue until the day we die. Sometimes we'll win, sometimes we'll lose. But if we lean on the Lord and ask for help, he'll be there in our time of weakness. He'll give us grace in our time of weakness. If we hold ourselves accountable for what we say, if we lean on our brothers and sisters, if we admit that this is a problem in our lives and we can get some help, the first step to real change is admitting that you need help. And if we ask the Lord to purify our hearts and baptize our lips, he will not turn us away. He won't. He'll beat it for us. Psalms 12, 6 says this the words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. And so the prayer is, Lord, I humbly ask that you will refine my heart and mine through the pure perfect, through your pure perfect word. May your words be a source of encouragement and transformation for my life. That's the prayer. It's a simple prayer, but it gets to the heart of the issue. And we need simple prayers because the heart exposes our rebellion. Verse 11 through 12 says this. Neither can a salt pine yield fresh water. James concludes with a stirring truth. He says, the springs of water do not produce sweet and bitter water from the same source. They don't produce both fresh and salt water. Figs do not produce olives, and grapevines don't produce figs. Each bears its own. It only has the ability to produce what is within. The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. If our hearts are right with God, and if we walk in communion with Him, our words will be sweet and acceptable. If our hearts are not right with God, the sin within us will be revealed through our words. It's just that simple. And so if you find yourself continually continually negative, and I encourage us, right, to really watch and listen to our own mouths. Listen how much negativity comes out during the course of a day. Listen how much judgmental words come out of us in the course of a day. And if we measure those, if we really listen to the things we say, in that moment we can just cry out to God right then and there and say, Lord, forgive me. Help me with my words, help me with my tongue. Those who are right with God will be known by their words, just as those who are far from him will be revealed by their words. Look with me at Matthew 12, 36 and 37. I tell you. On the day of judgment, people will give an account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be justified. And by your words you will be condemned. Church, every Christian will have to give an account for the words that we speak. Our communication will reveal the condition of our heart. And so we ought to want to produce fruit that pleases our Lord. And so, what can we do about the fiery, uncontrollable tongues? You can't make your tongue behave. The tongue needs to speak from a renewed heart that lays hold of grace as presented in the gospel. Romans 10, 9 and 10. Because if we confess with our what? That Jesus is Lord. And believe in what? In your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the for with the what? With the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. When you give your heart to Jesus, your tongue can be tamed by the blessed, wonderful Spirit of God. We have to give our heart to Jesus. And so I close with this. Suppose we set up a contest to find one person in the world who never sins with their mouth. Suppose we offer fifty million dollars for someone like Like that to come forward. We can search high and low. We can check our jobs, we can check our homes, we can examine every man, every woman, every boy and girl. We can't find one single person on the face of this earth that can come forward and claim that fifty million dollars. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the only one that ever walked the face of this earth that did not sin. And so He is the one that we have to place all of our trust in. He is the one. He is the only one that's perfect. And we thank God that we have a perfect Savior. Amen. Let us pray. Father God, we thank you. That we can turn our eyes and our gaze to the hills from whence cometh our help. We thank you, God, that you give us the ability to communicate. To praise you, to pray to you, to worship you with our mouths. And we thank you, Father, that you have given us a Savior who can tame this tongue when it gets unruly and uncontrollable. And so, Father, help us to remember that only in Christ Jesus can we exemplify the love that you have placed in our hearts. And if we hold on to that, the words that we say will be pleasing to you and be to your glory. Father, we thank you, we praise you, and we ask these blessings in Christ Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. May we all stand as we sing. Listen, I realize how sensitive a text like this and how it hurts, how it hits, how it makes us examine ourselves. And so perhaps you know that that's you. And we need to come before the Lord. We need to pray. We need to ask Him for forgiveness. And if perhaps you said something to your spouse on the way to work, way to church this morning. Last night. Said something to a friend, something to hurt. Maybe even you just talked about someone with nobody else around. But it also tells us that we have a Savior who we can come and we can lay it at his feet and ask for forgiveness. And he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And so we want to give you that space to do that. If you want to come and you want to pray, and if you don't know Jesus Christ as your Savior, we ask that you come forward as well so we can pray with you, we can talk with you, we can answer any questions that you have. And certainly, if you want to get baptized, please let us know. And if you want to become a member of our church, we would love to have you here at Idaho. Amen. Let us pray. We'll be here to receive you.