James 3:1-12

James 3:1-5aJames 3:1-5a1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers,

because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he

says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,

we can turn the whole animal.4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are

driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.

I. Our Speech Shapes Our Direction (v. 1-5a)

James 3:5b-6James 3:5b-6

5b Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

II. Our Speech Has Great Destructive

Power (v. 5b-6)

Proverbs 16:27-28; Romans 1:29-31Proverbs 16:27-2827 A scoundrel plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching

fire.28 A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip

separates close friends.

Romans 1:29-3129 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness,

evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,

30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;

31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

James 3:7-8James 3:7-8

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man,

8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

III. Our Speech is Uncontrollable Without Divine Help (v. 7-8)

James 3:9-12James 3:9-12

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.

10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

IV. Our Speech Reveals Our True Hearts

(v. 9-12)

Matthew 12:34b-37Matthew 12:34b-3534 … out of the overflow of the heart the mouth

speaks.35 The good man brings good things out of the

good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Matthew 15:11; 18-19Matthew 15:1111 What goes into a man's mouth does not make

him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'"

Matthew 15:18-1918 But the things that come out of the mouth come

from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder,

adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Practical Advice1. Talk Less!

Flavil Yeakley: “Wes, you’ve got two eyes, two ears, and one mouth. You ought to look and listen a lot more than you speak.”

Abe Lincoln: “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

Calvin Coolidge: “I have never been hurt by anything I did not say.”

Mark Twain: “A closed mouth gathers no foot.”

Proverbs 10:1919 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who

holds his tongue is wise.

Practical AdviceProverbs 18:21a

21a “The tongue has the power of life and death …”

2. Before you speak, T.H.I.N.K.

T —Is it True? Are your words honest? Often, the juiciest gossip is not.H —Is it Helpful? Will your words help bring about a solution, or will

they add to the problem?I —Is it Inappropriate/Immoral/Idiotic? Is it the right time to say this? Is

it the right circumstance? Am I saying this in the right way? Is it a dirty joke, a cuss word, or something Jesus wouldn’t say?

N —Is it Necessary? Does this really need to be said? Do I really have anything to add? Does a sin need to be confronted (James 5:19-20)?

K —Is it Kind and considerate? Are your words genuinely based on a desire to help? Is what you say motivated by love?

ReviewFrom James 3:1-12

I. Our Speech Shapes Our Direction (v. 1-5a)

II. Our Speech Has Great Destructive Power (v. 5b-6)

III. Our Speech is Uncontrollable Without Divine Help (v. 7-8)

IV. Our Speech Reveals Our True Hearts (v. 9-12)

Talk Less, and T.H.I.N.K. before you speak!