Our lesson for today is from Chapter three of the book of James where we find that James continues his caution about the use of words.

This subject, basically about holding your tongue, is not new, for in chapter one we were instructed to be slow to speak.

In chapter two James told us to be wary of words expressing faith but instead be more ready to accept the reality of faith by deeds instead of words.

The subject of the tongue is one which is pertinent to all of us, for all of us have been told sometime or perhaps many times in our lifetime to hold our tongue.

Now we do not physically take hold of our tongue but we are to mentally hold it as if reins were put on our tongue with which to direct or retard our speech.

There is an old proverb that tells us much about the endurance of the tongue.

In this regard can you ever recall a time when you had a tired tongue?

I have seen dogs with tongues hanging out as if it were tired but never have I seen person in the same condition.

Can you ever remember saying I must rest my tongue, No! the tongue is tireless?

There is an old epitaph in an English country churchyard of a woman named Arabella Young which tells of the difficulty of holding one’s tongue:

I wonder if it was her husband who chose it for her tombstone:

For on this stone engraved for all to see appears this epitaph:

Beneath this stone,a lump of clay,
Lies Arabella Young,
Who, on the twenty-fourth of May,
Began to hold her tongue.

In Arabella’s case death was the only thing that could give her tongue rest.

A reminder that death does indeed have its benefits.

Now let us read the entire third chapter of James:

James 3:1-18,  My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. ²For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. ³Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. ⁴Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. ⁵Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! ⁶And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. ⁷For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: ⁸But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. ¹⁰Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. ¹¹Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? ¹²Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.  ¹³Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. ¹⁵This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. ¹⁶For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. ¹⁷But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

The first message of this chapter is to be not many masters for with this responsibility comes an increased possibility of greater condemnation.

Let me read verse one from the Amplified Bible in hopes of having a better understanding of this admonition.

From the Amplified Bible: James 3:1,  Not many [of you] should become teachers (self constituted censors and reprovers of others), my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people: thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation].

The first thought regarding this admonition of James that not many of you should become teachers, could remind us of those men who sought to teach Job.

They were indeed self constituted censors and reprovers, were they not?

I don’t recall Job asking them for advice and they gave no heed to the old saying that says:

So James is talking here to those who wish to jump into the fray of adversity and immediately start to give advice to others about their condition.

Such were the actions of Job’s friends.

Remember that James has been constant in his advice regarding the use of the tongue and also he has mentioned the adversity that many were going though at this time.

Adversity is such a wonderful opportunity for the tongue to get involved and this is why James brings up this subject.

It is the nature of the tongue to be attracted to adversity and because of adversity many "would be" counselors and "would be" teachers rush in to censor and reprove.

As with Job’s friends many wish to explain in all their wisdom why suffering is taking place.

And many times the arrow misses the target by a mile.

Oswald Chambers (1874–1917) said this: One of our severest lessons comes from the stubborn refusal to see that we must not interfere in other people’s lives. It takes a long time to realize the danger of being an amateur providence, that is, interfering with God’s order for others.

These man were indeed amateurs and in the end God rebuked those men for not speaking what was true of Job.

James is telling us that there are too many opinion givers.

The Christian has God’s word and therefore we do not need opinions, for why seek opinions when we have the final word in God’s book.

John told us in I John 2:27 that ye need not that any man teach you.

I John 2:26-27,  These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. ²⁷But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

In other words we need not seek the opinions of others for we are anointed with truth.

So be not ready to jump in with your opinion either.

The best advice to give is get into God’s word and pray.

And then there are those who seek to be teachers in order to promote their own interests in gaining power.

False teachers such as those pointed out by Paul in Acts 20:30.

And what about the would be teachers amongst the scribes and Pharisees.

Jesus on many occasions burst their balloon of hypocrisy as they desired to be the teachers of Israel.

They loved the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and the elaborate greetings in the marketplaces and they loved to be called by the title, Rabbi.

They convinced themselves they were guides to the blind, lights to those who were in darkness, instructors of the foolish, and teachers of babes.

Jesus exposed them for what they were.

They were simply using the status of teacher for personal gain.

Status seekers, not interested in others, but simply using others for their own benefit.

So James, here in chapter 3 warns about being too ready to teach or instruct others knowing that the judgment of teachers is more severe.

Teachers are more accountable for if they teach error they will be held responsible.

Teachers speak many words and have not we been warned by our Lord that we shall give account of every idle word in the day of judgment.

Matthew 12:26,  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. ³⁷For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Teaching or instructing others is to be thought of as a sobering act, an act for which we should all remember, we will be held accountable.

James continues by offering us some comparisons:

James 3:2b-4,  If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. ³Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. ⁴Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

Here is the key to being a perfect man or woman.

And it all revolves around the use of the tongue.

The word "perfect" used in this context means "complete."

We are given a man who does not offend in word and the result is that his whole body is bridled.

We do not see bridles on men but on horses, for a bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse.

It includes both the headstall that holds a steel bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit.

It is used to control the horse and to have the horse accomplish the rider’s will.

So James is saying this astounding thing.

A man who can perfectly control his tongue will in effect have every other part of his body under control as well.

He illustrates this truth by recalling to us that we control the body of a horse simply by controlling its mouth.

What a truth that is to us, but he does not stop there for he brings to us the example of a great ship.

The ship is propelled by great winds, moved to and fro by great waters but in spite of these great forces the ship can be controlled by a very small instrument called a rudder.

In both examples large things are controlled by small things.

The bridle, consisting of a few straps of leather and a metal rod, controls the massive horse and the very small piece of wood, the rudder, controls the great ship.

And the tongue is to be like the bridle and the rudder, and if properly used is able to control the whole body.

One thing you do not see is a fist punching a man’s face without the use of the tongue having preceded such an action.

Hands patiently await the use of the tongue.

If a soft answer comes forth the hands act accordingly.

If a hard answer comes they form fists in obedience to the tongue.

The body awaits the orders from the tongue.

Simply by controlling the tongue a man could bring his whole body under control.

But this is easy to say and it works very well with a horse and a ship but the sinful nature of man raises its ugly head when it comes to the tongue, so says James in verses 5-8.

Now in the perfect or complete man a controlled tongue results in a controlled body.

But here James brings into the discussion the reality of the tongue in the body of sin.

For in these verses we are given the stark reality of the matter:

The tongue cannot be controlled and because of this there is a terrible result to the body for the tongue, uncontrolled, brings defilement to the body.

Instead of the control of the tongue bringing the body under control the body is corrupted by the tongue.

The key to our body’s control is also the key to our body’s destruction.

Think about a rudder attached to the ship’s wheel in a backwards configuration.

The Master wishes to go to port but the rudder turns him to starboard.

An uncontrolled rudder will bring destruction to the whole ship.

As a rudder is a small member of the ship the tongue is also a little member of the body and is designed for a particular purpose, that of protecting the body from destruction.

It is given to nurture the body, to provide the body with safety, to steer the body into safe havens.

But James tells us that it is not satisfied with accomplishing its mission but instead boasts of great things.

It has power to influence, it has power to turn others to its viewpoint, it has power to sway.

It can be like a fire, which sets a great forest ablaze.

A small spark can birth a great blaze and burn mountains of forests. So too can the tongue!

Remember the wartime saying that told us that the tongue can even be responsible for the sinking of a ship.

Loose lips sink ships!

James tells us the tongue is the villain that has determined the course of nature.

The direction that the world is going is governed by tongues without bridles.

Suicide bombers that will to have their bodies torn apart take that action because of the tongue.

Hitler, Stalin, and Mao Zedong brought death to millions of Jews because of the tongue.

Our own Lord Jesus was crucified because of the tongue.

Think about the hurt that you have done with your tongue.

Can it be undone? Can the fire be recalled?

The tongue is Satan’s greatest weapon against God and its out of control fire emanates from hell.

Verse 8, But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

The word unruly means unrestrainable.

The tongue cannot be tamed, it is like a deadly fire, a fire out of control, and at war with the rest of our body.

It is that member of the body that does not cooperate.

The course of nature is so corrupted that the whole gamut of humanity and society is set ablaze by the tongue.

It seems to me that our whole mission in life is control of outside forces.

We are able to control the movement of great bodies of water and bring it to be a blessing to us by providing electric power.

We have reined in the power of the atom and with it can move great ships.

Every kind of beast, and of birds and of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed by man but man is powerless to rein in that little member, the tongue.

James attributes to it the fullness of deadly poison.

A rattle snake uses its poison with discrimination but the tongue is a rattle snake gone totally awry, biting at all things that move, regardless of the danger it portrays.

Its great power is the power to destroy and corrupt.

We are different from the beasts and that difference is the tongue, the tongue which in a man of sin cannot be controlled.

By faith we are to know this and therefore must of necessity call upon the only One who can help in time of need, and that someone is the LORD!

As long as we are in this body we cannot do it ourselves and must ask for help.

As the psalmist of Psalm 141:3 asked, Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.