Words and Their Power
Text: James 3:1-12
Core Idea: The words out of our mouths may seem inconsequential, but they have the power to bring life or death to the people around us. Then knowing that our tongues speak what the heart is full of, let’s soak ourselves with the Word of God so that our words may always reflect this life-giving gospel truth.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we are going through the Book of James – looking at different ways the gospel impacts our lives. And last Sunday, we learned that saving faith in our hearts is always evident in the fruit of our lives – that faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. Now, today, James will talk about our speech – how our words impact us and the people around us. Then with this in mind, let’s open up our Bibles to James 3:1-12. Let me read this for us.
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their 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. 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 body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let’s begin by taking a look at verse 1. James introduces this new topic by warning those who want to be teachers. Now, this is not random advice that James gives but intentional because the original readers were in the process of appointing new leaders. James was writing to the Jewish Christians who were unexpectedly scattered due to great and violent persecution. And since they were forced to relocate, new congregations were forming everywhere – which meant that there was a need for new leaders. Now, it’s important to note that James is not trying to discourage people from becoming teachers – he’s not trying to scare people away. But he’s basically saying, “If you’re thinking of becoming a teacher, be extremely careful because you will be judged more harshly than others.” Why? Because God takes our words seriously. In fact, listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” That should make you tremble. It certainly makes me tremble. God will hold us accountable for every careless word that we speak. Then in light of this, James tells them, “Knowing that the primary instrument of your vocation would be words, don’t rush into teaching. Don’t take this decision lightly.” Now, even though James was addressing those who aspired to be teachers, he will apply the same truth to the rest of us – he will make it clear that our words have an immense impact on the entirety of our lives. In other words, no one is exempt from the dangers of the tongue. Then let me share three things from this text:
· HOW POWERFUL OUR WORDS ARE
· HOW OUR WORDS IMPACT US
· HOW OUR WORDS COULD BE HEALED
1) HOW POWERFUL OUR WORDS ARE
James begins with two illustrations. Verse 3. In James’ days, a horse was, in one sense, the most powerful force that could be harnessed to get something done. If you didn’t know, average horses weigh around 1,000 pounds – and they can run at speeds of 50-60 km/h. And James says, “This massive animal with great strength is actually controlled and steered by a tiny little bit that we place in its mouth.” But that’s not all – in verse 4, James invites us to consider a ship which in his days was the largest vehicle moving through the sea even in the midst of great storms. According to historical records, the average capacity of a Roman transport ship in the first century was around 50-60 people while the larger ones had the capacity of around 275 people. And James says, “This enormous ship with great power is actually guided by a captain who operates the helm to control the rudder.” His point is this: we wouldn’t expect something so powerful like a horse or a ship to be controlled by something seemingly insignificant and small but that’s exactly what happens – and that’s what our tongue is like. Even though it’s small, the tongue has a disproportionately large influence on us. Our words are far more powerful than we think. Then we can’t help but ask, “How is it possible that mere words can have so much power over us?” Because our words have the ability to create and affect reality.
In Genesis 1, we see God as the first speaker – the first One to use words. And take a look at what happened when God spoke in Genesis 1:3, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” It doesn’t say that God said those words and then went to create light. No, when He said those words, they simply came to be. Now, we’re not God but we are made in His image – which means that our words also have the ability to create and affect reality. For example, when I’m officiating a wedding and say, “By the authority committed to me as a minister of the Word of God and by the authority which the province has vested in me, I now pronounce you, husband and wife,” what wasn’t before now becomes true. I spoke and my words created a new reality for those two individuals. Here’s another example. Think about your self-image – how you view yourself. Whether you like it or not, your self-image is often shaped by the words that you have spoken to yourself and the words that others have spoken to you. And we know this to be true because the words that were spoken to us, even decades after, positively or negatively still impact and affect the way we view ourselves today. Or consider our relationships with others. When we resent someone, we say unkind things. But when we say unkind things toward someone, it creates a greater resentment for that person in our hearts – it can make us more hostile. Now, in contrast, even when we resent someone, if we begin to spend time praying for them, our hearts will begin to transform – and we would actually be willing to forgive and love them. In other words, our words do something. When we say something, it has the power to set the course of our lives and create a new reality. Our words have the power to break or the power to heal – the power to injure or the power to remedy. Then let me ask you, “Are you taking your words seriously today? Do you see the significance and weightiness of your words? Are you being intentional in the way you speak to your spouse, children, friends, and others – or are you carelessly using them?” This text is a wake-up call for all of us. Then I invite you to use this text as a mirror for your soul. Let God speak into your heart and show you how you can apply these truths to every aspect of your life.
2) HOW OUR WORDS IMPACT US
Verse 5. James describes how destructive and damaging our words can be through an image of fire – and sadly, we have a living illustration of this in our country right now. The Canadian Forest Fire Centre reported that there are 432 active fires as of Saturday all over Canada – and 204 of them are out of control with more than 61000 square kilometers burned (which is bigger than the size of Nova Scotia) – making it the second-worst wildfires on record. More than a thousand firefighters were brought in from the US, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa but they are still in need of more. The air quality has been unbelievably terrible. And just in Quebec, around 10,000 people were forced to leave their homes. And the question everyone is asking is, “How did it start? What’s the origin of this devastating fire?” It’s said that half of these wildfires were started by lightning, but the other half was human-caused as in it could’ve been a discarded cigarette or an out-of-control campfire. Think about that for a second. Because of a careless act, a small spark led to this massive destruction – and James says, “So, it is with our tongues.” Our careless words can spread like fire and destroy everything in their way. All it takes is a single lie – and it will ruin reputations and break relationships. Our words can impact us greatly.
Now, James doesn’t give us examples, but let me show you how our words impact both the speaker and the listener. First, how our words impact the speaker. I’ve shared before that I struggled with people-pleasing my whole life. Everything I said and did was an attempt to please those around me – my parents, friends, teachers. But when I entered university, I discovered this “freedom” that I never had before – everybody seemed to do whatever they wanted, and it encouraged me to do the same. For the first time, I did things to make me happy – and it felt liberating. But at the same time, I was still maintaining this image before my parents and friends – in the deepest of my heart, I still needed that approval. So, I lived a double life – I was one way at school, and I was completely different at home or church. But as you can imagine, this was not easy to sustain – and I began to hate myself. I wasn’t doing well academically. Because I was drinking so much and wasn’t disciplined in my eating, I gained a lot of weight. I felt alone – I felt like no one understood me. I lived in fear – thinking that if I’m exposed, my life would be ruined. I felt hopeless because there was nothing to look forward to in life. And as these weights crushed me, I started to say these things to myself, “Woohyun, look at you. You’re hideous. You’re a disappointment. You’re a failure. How can anyone love you? You’re unlovable. You don’t deserve people’s love. You’re just better off dead – and in fact, even if you’re gone, no one would miss you.” And I believed it. The scary part of this is that those words weren’t even true – yet they became a reality for me. Our words have the power to create. To make a long story short, I became depressed and suicidal, but God miraculously saved me, and I was transformed by the power of the gospel – but we’ll save that story for another time. The point is this – that the words we speak can impact us in ways that can be incredibly destructive.
But that’s not all. Second, our words impact the listener. Recently, in preparation for premarital classes, I was watching a lot of videos on marriage – and I stumbled upon a video that talked about the importance of words. In it, the speaker gave a hypothetical situation and demonstrated how words could either lift or bring down your spouse. The situation was that your spouse just got a promotion at work – and he/she excitedly tells you the news. Obviously, it’s a moment of celebration. Then how should you respond? According to the video, words that would lift your spouse would be something like this: “Really? That’s amazing! If I’m this excited, I can’t imagine how excited you must be! I know you’ve been working so hard for this.” Could you imagine how encouraged your spouse would be to hear this from you? In contrast, words that would bring your spouse down would be something like this: “What did I say? Didn’t I tell you that you’ll get the promotion if you did this and that?” Could you imagine how deflated your spouse would be to hear this from you – how dejected he/she would be?
Our words impact the listeners – and we know this because unfortunately, we’ve all been the offenders and victims of words. We’ve used our words like weapons to hurt someone or others have used them to hurt us. Think about the ways you used words to flatter someone, manipulate someone, or slander someone. And think about the ways others have used words to deceive you, discourage you, or tear you down. Think about the words that were spoken to you when you were a child that you still carry to this day – both positive and negative. These words that were spoken to you by your parents, friends, teachers, or even pastors have stayed with you for a long time. And in some ways, some of you have spent your entire lives trying to undo those things – trying to compensate for those words that have been said to you many years ago. But at the same time, there were words of encouragement, words of love and affirmation that have been said to you many years ago that have become the source of your confidence and strength. Our words have the power to breathe life into someone or sap the life out of them.
Listen to what Ben Okri said about our words, “It seems to me that our days are poisoned with too many words. Words said and not meant. Words said and meant. Words divorced from feeling. Wounding words. Words that conceal. Words that reduce. Dead words. If only words were kinds of fluid that collects in the ears, if they only turned into the visible chemical equivalent of their true value like an acid, then we might be more careful.” He’s basically saying that if only our words landed on people like acid, we would see the devastating effect of our words right away – then maybe we might be more careful and take our words more seriously. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Then brothers and sisters, do your words often build people around you or break them down? Do your words embrace people or cut people up? Do your words bring life or death? Of course, it’s not just the word that you use – it’s the tone of your voice too. Then are you clothing your words with gentleness or harshness? Proverbs 12:18 says, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” I pray that your words will bring healing and strength to those around you.
Now, just one more thing before we move to our last point. Our words not only impact both the speaker and the listener, but they also reveal the condition of our hearts. Verse 11 says, “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” What we see from these three illustrations is basically the same thing – just as a fig tree or a fresh spring produces according to its nature, when we speak, we’re actually revealing the nature of our hearts. In other words, our words flow out of our hearts. In fact, that’s exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Then in addition to the power that the tongue has to impact both the speaker and the listener, the tongue is a window to your heart – it shows who you really are. Take a look at verse 9, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” What James tells us is that even though we may profess to be Christian, our words to others may expose that our faith is actually dead – that our hearts were never committed to the Lord. Here are some other examples of this. You might praise God but because you really want to be accepted by others, because you want to fit in and not rock the boat, you’re unable to speak the hard truth to people. You might bless God but because of your pursuit of status, power, or money, you often exaggerate and embellish your words so that it will help you advance your position. These are all the ways in which our words are actually revealing what’s in our deepest hearts – what our hearts truly desire. Pastor Paul Tripp says, “Your words are always in pursuit of some kind of kingdom. You’re either speaking as a mini king seeking to establish your will in your relationships or you speak as an ambassador seeking to be part of what God the King is doing. Then since our words are never neutral, all of our words are directed at advancing one of these two kingdoms.” In other words, whatever’s in your heart will rule your words. Then let me ask you, “What do your words reveal about the state of your heart? Are they a reflection of the gospel truths or a reflection of your heart’s desire and ambition? Do your words affirm your allegiance to Christ or do your words prompt others to question your salvation?”
Brothers and sisters, our word problems are actually our heart problems. Then this is a huge problem since the Bible makes it clear that it’s impossible for us to change our hearts. No wonder James says in verse 7, “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” No one can tame the tongue. Then how can we be rescued from this? This leads to our last point.
3) HOW OUR WORDS COULD BE HEALED
There are two parts to this. Knowing that our words are the products of our hearts, first, we need to fill our hearts with good things. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 12:34-35, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.” Do you hear what Jesus is saying? People who speak in ways that are good don’t do so because they’re trying hard to say good things. People say good things because they’ve been storing good things in their hearts. Just as a fig tree can only bear figs, we’ll speak well only if there’s good inside of us. Then what should we fill our hearts with? Of course, there are many good things that could help us but the chief among them must be Scripture. We must plunge ourselves into the Word of God so that our words will always reflect the gospel truth. Charles Spurgeon said, “Oh, that you and I might get into the very heart of the Word of God, and get that Word into ourselves! As I have seen the silkworm eat into the leaf, and consume it, so ought we to do with the Word of the Lord – not crawl over its surface, but eat right into it till we have taken it into our inmost parts. It is idle merely to let the eye glance over the words, or to recollect the poetical expressions, or the historic facts; but it is blessed to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in Scriptural language, and your very style is fashioned upon Scripture models, and, what is better still, your spirit is flavored with the words of the Lord. I would quote John Bunyan as an instance of what I mean. Read anything of his, and you will see that it is almost like reading the Bible itself. He had read it till his very soul was saturated with Scripture; and, though his writings are charmingly full of poetry, yet he cannot give us his Pilgrim’s Progress without continually making us feel and say, ‘Why, this man is a living Bible!’ Prick him anywhere – he bleeds the Bible. The very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God. I commend his example to you, beloved.” Brothers and sisters, I pray that you would bleed the Bible as well. But this is only one part of the solution.
Second, more fundamentally, we need our hearts to be renewed. Then how do we get our hearts renewed? Our mouths must first be silenced before God. The journey of our faith doesn’t start until our mouth is shut – until we have no more excuses, boasting, and cursing. We must stand before God speechless knowing that we are deserving of God’s righteous wrath. We must begin at this place of humility because we cannot tame the tongue on our own. We need help – and the Bible tells us that that help has come in the person of Jesus Christ. In John 7, some of the religious leaders in Jerusalem were trying to bring Jesus into custody. So, when they heard that Jesus was at the temple, they sent temple guards to arrest Jesus and bring Him back. But the text tells us that the guards came back without Jesus. Confused, the leaders asked, “What happened? Why didn’t you bring Him with you?” And listen to what the guards said in John 7:46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” Jesus spoke with authority and wisdom but also with grace and love – and the soldiers were completely transformed. No one ever spoke like Jesus. And yet what happened at the end of His life? He became a victim of broken words. He was falsely accused. He was betrayed by His friends. He was mocked, scorned, and ultimately, condemned. And what’s surprising is that even though He could’ve cleared His name, even though He could’ve defended Himself, Jesus remained silent. He said absolutely nothing even though He knew that it could lead Him to the cross and His death. Why? Because of His unwavering commitment to us – because He would rather lose Himself than lose us. Fully knowing what it was going to cost Him His life, He loved us to the end. And although He remained silent, He was actually speaking loudly to us – He was basically saying, “This is how much I love you. This is how committed I am to you. Even though I’m being condemned unjustly, even though I have the means to free myself, and even though I have the power to judge the world, I will remain silent because this is the only way to save you. This is the only way to release you from the bondage of sin.” And that’s exactly what happened. On the cross, as Jesus was about to breathe His last breath, when He cried out to the Father, the Father remained silent. On the cross, He took upon Himself the fires of hell – and by doing so, our hearts were forgiven and made completely new so that our cursing can turn to praise and our words can become life-giving to others. Then brothers and sisters, let’s flee to the cross – knowing that this is where our tongues and hearts can be healed and transformed.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, the words out of our mouths may seem inconsequential, but they have the power to bring life or death to the people around us. Then knowing that our tongues speak what the heart is full of, let’s soak ourselves with the Word of God so that our words may always reflect this life-giving gospel truth.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Share a time when you have hurt someone or have been hurt by the careless words of others. Or share a time when you were encouraged or have been encouraged by the affirming words of others.
2) Read verses 5-6. In what way does the tongue destroy like fire? Even though we know its destructive potential, why are we often so careless with our words?
3) Through verses 11-12, James teaches us that our words actually reveal what’s in our hearts. Then what do your words reveal about the state of your heart today? Are they a reflection of the gospel truths or a reflection of your heart’s desire and ambition?
4) Read verses 7-8. Why is the tongue so difficult to tame? How does the gospel transform our speech? How does soaking ourselves with the Word help us with taming our tongues?