Runaway Tongue, Part 2

Shop with you and work tomorrow, and it can distance and discourage your fellow workers or unite that could determine your career, your tongue can accept an invitation. It shouldn't or rejected which can determine the course of your integrity, your child can argue and disagree and refuse God or with a little word you can follow him and maybe the word is cause great damage to the people in your life. It can also bring hope and healing. You've likely experienced both of those in what others have said to you. You see, it all depends on how you use your time. The problem is that the tongue is very difficult to control. Sometimes things come out of our mouth that surprises even us here on wisdom for the heart. Stephen is in a series called speech therapy for Saints were not talking about the therapy you would use to control a stutter therapy to help you control what you actually say your statement severe revivals. This letter from James Turner chapter begins with a rather serious caution verse one let not many of you become teachers, my brother, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. This is actually an imperative. One of over 50 you can put an exclamation point at the end of this verse is saying we could render a little more would normally be so quick to be a teacher! Have an interesting way to start is pastors, youth leaders, Sunday school teachers for children, adult teachers, Bible study leaders, itinerant preachers, missionaries, parachurch leaders who handled the work Bible conference speakers, radio, television, Bible teachers, Christian counselors and the list could go on. Basically anyone who serves the word of God to others and communicate this truth to students are going to get a double dose. A closer look.

A stricter judgment. Every word will be judged not only for delivery but its accuracy. It's a fact. It's tone, its purpose, its spirit, its motive it's influence you know this means. This means that teaching is the most dangerous occupation on the planet. Do you really want to. I appreciate the fact that James show you this, he changes the pronoun must be a little tedious will get to it quickly, but I want to the notices he changes the pronoun it's first person plural. Did you notice we the word, we let not many of you become teachers, my brother, knowing that as such we will incur stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. James is not saying that. Let me tell you something.

All you out there are going to incur a stricter judgment. Always he's holding himself in with this this company. He said this when I find it very encouraging. Not just all you ass. And so my as I studied is just preaching this to you teach. I'm preaching this to myself.

I understand by standing here and opening the word I am inviting the indictment of God upon my life that this very act will be evaluated.

This is especially dangerous for me at this moment to I know when we started, James and James three verse one was coming I was hoping for another snow day may be hereafter thinking I just volunteered to teach in a Vietnam so sure about that or I just volunteered to teach a ladies Bible class or I was thinking about teaching third-graders until now going James is not trying to shut down the recruitment office is simply delivering a very serious caution. Be careful don't come unprepared. Don't treat it lightly. Don't enter into it for yourself. Study and live for the benefit of your student resist the actually resist this heritage of appreciation. Remember, you are a clay pot dye into fear to teach, pray that you will not lead your students astray. Why there is James as a final exam just for teachers has a far final exam, especially for teachers is coming in Jesus Christ. The teacher, the chief Shepherd will do the grading. He will determine and then reward that which was indeed accurate, spiritually minded, spiritually motivated and beneficial edifying and courageously truthful God honoring no one makes a mad dash for the stay. The understand the gravity of the coming bema seat and its evaluation of our speech that will be greater and more strict than for any other Scottish reformer John Knox was so flawed and burdened by the responsibility to declare God's word faithfully that when he stood at the pulpit to preach his very first sermon, he burst into tears and wept uncontrollably and had to be escorted from the pulpit, until he could compose himself again. Frankly, I fear more than ever the trivialization of the pulpit and the serpent in the lectern now following the serious caution is a is a rather surprising admission diversity. For we all stumble in many ways.

Notice again. James includes himself, for we all stumble. We all thank you James. I would've expected an apostle haven't nailed down and get to know you all stumble in many ways and we all know you, you're right. But how encouraging the James would say look I got the same the same cattle in the same soup, so to speak, especially regarding speech but is it true you little weary of teachers who teach as if they mastered it just the same problem. He is confronted by God at the end of the book chapter 40 around there and he says I laid my hand upon my mouth is another thing I've been talking way to Isaiah great profit, faithful profit encounters the living God is as I am a man of on clean… Peter periodically opened his mouth only to change feet right makes this an incredibly noble and passionate resolution. They will fall away from the Lord, but I will never came back serious first church historian informs us that James had a couple nicknames one was camel knees because of his hours spent in prayer is knees were leathery with calluses is also a nickname just because of his great virtue commitment to Christ. So here you have an apostle and agent apostle pastoring the church in Jerusalem writing to the scattered Jewish believers and he the apostle known first prayer life known for his virtues says for we all stumble. Would you know he does not safe for we all fatally fall toward stumble means to slip up. By the way slip up in what we say. James uses the present tense to mean that this happens over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Does it surprise you that kind of realism that you have an apostle, saying we I stumble over and over and over again maybe rather saying he's not talking about me. I don't stumble over justly or as your wife. Is this about me going away. We all stumble in many look at your text. The next word is italicized its offered by the translator ways could easily been translated words, we all stumble in many words that James goes on to write. If anyone does not stumble.

What he says that's the context he is a perfect maddening all know that that word again let me remind you that that word is different from what we think of telling us it means someone who is inventorying the progress not arriving at perfection. James is simply saying the wino is maturing. This progress is revealed by that old tail that lives in his mouth.

How are you doing today you're still going to have to battle tomorrow, but how are you doing today maybe you you lost before he ever got to church. We all stumble, but those who don't. Please, a perfect man tell you he's growing is progressing today. Thomas Manton appeared Road nearly 1600s preached in the early 1600s shed light on this concept in his commentary was were telling us which was very helpful. I have become terrific to the very one, so I picked it up this week.

He wrote this in the Jewish discipline. There were two categories of student one was called beginners and he wrote those begun in their Christian walk and experiment in virtuous action good. Like in the second category was called the perfect these were they who had attained some progress in their instruction and so mankind is on the say Manton everyone pronouncing that this verse could be read.

Anyone who bridles his tongue is not a beginner, one who is experimenting in virtue but a perfect that is one who is made or making some progress.

And isn't that the challenge about the time you think you may progress you slip up, one author commented why is the Christian path littered with so much orange peel can show you the implication.

James feels the same way, which is, in my view, the proper attitude of progression maturing. I've Artie pointed to get back the loyalty of grammar.

I've Artie pointed uses the first person plural pronoun would include himself with verse one we will incur stricter judgment. Verse two we all stumble now as he describes the perfect one, the one progressing. He switches the pronoun but to get her stood for we all stumble in many ways. One does not stumble in what he says he is a perfect man. Fascinating.

James holds up the standard for us to pursue while at the same time encouraging us the subtle turn of the pronoun that he is with us, not samurai. He went thoughts is still classified back over here is a beginner. By the way, that attitude is the mark of a maturing believer for the privilege. Over the years in ministry to be around very godly, mature saints who serve Christ for 30, 40, 50, even 60 years. Always a delight to have some of these aged men come and preach during the summer and I can tell you this to a man please those who get invited back to a man in private conversations. Every one of them does the same thing.

James just did they classify themselves in the conversation as a beginner. Those who have much to learn. This is James encouragement is without so don't give up keep going.

It may involve slipping and it will stumble starting again to repeat the Christian life of maturity is nothing more than a series of new start.

But keep in mind you are not pursuing perfection.

You are making progress. And that's daily, so don't give up and don't let up either by the way James is giving us a free pass. He's been challenging us in his letter to the very core of our attitudes and being our thoughts he's attacked our prejudices and our partiality is challenge our response to trials. He's challenged our response or view of temptation is called into question the very sincerity of our faith by the absence or presence of works and now he's signed us up.

All of us and of course that he says he is involved in as well related to our speech and on subject James will spend more time than any other subject dimensions the tongue in every job.

The rights verse to look back there one more time. If anyone does not stumble in what he says he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. In other words, you bridle the tongue you bridle the body. What is think of it this way man who runs the marathon can take a lap around his house. A trained surgeon can take out a splitter, a professional golfer can handle a 2 foot putt. Most of all, world-class chef can scramble eggs. She gave learn the hard thing.

Everything else is easier James is saying that whenever you bridle in town and as far this thing to do's is easy, there's truth in that. I watch as James illustrates for us how powerful the tongue really is uses to simple illustrations for this truth.

Notice first three Nephi put the bits in the horses mouth so that they will obey it. We direct their entire body as well really does need any comments or maybe some because I've had three weeks to prepare. So here is if you put an instrument of pressure in the right place guided by the right hands. Even that instrument, though it is a small slender bit can turn the entire body of that massive horse and here's the amazing thing that horse is even in the in the moment your directing still more powerful than your that horse is stronger than that horse is bigger than you are. Horses faster than you, but you can gain control of that magnificent animal by slipping the bridle over its head hitting the bit into its mouth and when you do, you can canter along the sons as the music played see this analogy, the bits is your tongue.

Your tongue directs your body something the less powerful. This is less powerful than my body. This is 2 ounces. I wake hundred, well you know of some were there just over 100 highway more than my tongue. That's the point. They don't get nosy right but might can direct my body.

James gives another illustration.

Verse four he says look at the ships also know they are so grades are driven by strong winds and their still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires again compared to the size of the ship and the runner seemed like an after it without that massive floating vessels is helpless to the movement of the wind and waves that little rudder makes a difference in whether or not that vessel is seaworthy illustrated perfectly by John Phillips, a British commentator. I enjoy reading now is with the Lord but illustrated in his commentary on James the Bismarck what happened in World War II. The Bismarck was the pride of the German naval fleet designed and destined to bring the British Navy to a watery grave soon left as soon as news leaked out that the Bismarck had had left port, the British Navy since the finest battleship name the hood with her 2000 officers and crewmen to intercept the Bismarck and sink it instead.

When the two ships engaged the Bismarck far superior larger, more sophisticated, newer, faster blew up the hood sink situation was now desperate.

Bismarck and now impact the British ceiling which Great Britain depended upon for survival. In fact, this could turn the war the British Admiralty scrape together a small fleet of what they had hopes of catching the Bismarck before she could get back in the port for refueling.

One small aircraft carrier limping along got close enough to let loose of few airplanes and one airplane got close enough to drop a torpedo one torpedo in the water, which sped toward this massive battleship one little torpedo specially World War II would do a lot of damage, but that one torpedo struck and jammed the rudder of the Bismarck now all this naval powerhouse could do steam around in a circle that night. Five British destroyers showed up and basically begin target practice on this ship that could do nothing circle until the Bismarck sink.

All because of a little comparatively small object rudder the pilot could no longer control that ship the Bismarck sink beneath the waves of the six look at these ships. James is traffic during the days of James. There were ship large enough for 300 passengers and corn to feed an entire city for you.

James says, look there in verse five busy as he wraps up this also.

Also, the tongue is a small part of the body. And yet it boasts of great things that I thought I really does most of great things it does great things this little thing called the town so small compared to the body does great things.

Think about little thoughts that are conceived in your heart and fashion. In the words can direct your life effectively determining destiny aspect your tongue can sour your marriage or sweet your tongue will show up with you and work tomorrow, and it can distance and discourage your fellow workers or unite that could determine your career, your tongue can accept an invitation. It shouldn't or rejected which can determine the course of your integrity, your time can argue and disagree and refuse God or with a little word you can follow him and maybe the word today is yes I well I confess you're right. The tongue is so small it what it orders, determines life and key then remember is not tongue control effect begin to discover verse eight accession that no man can tame the tongue.

You can't do.

This isn't about tongue control. This is about spirit control and the implication in the reference to the pilot will have time to do with today, but the implication is both the bid and the rudder are similar illustrations in that they must be under the control of an expert horseman or an experienced pilot and you are either one, and neither am the hands holding the reins must be Christ, the one piloting the ship must be our Lord. This is why David would would price satellites, O Lord, before my keep the door of my you do it. Lord, I'll surrender to you. I will collaborate with you. I will commit to this with you but my hands are we. They can have the reins of the horse. David asked the Lord to hold him accountable and he said, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight oh Lord, and for those who teach surely that should be a theme verse for all of the saints, Lord of your life is the only one strong enough and wise enough to be the Lord of your lips so that we take away today as we had to stop her in really mid theme will only give you a couple of principles quickly. Hub application from Thomas Manton, the Puritan pastor who preached through the book of James with his congregation in the 1600s. I found them fascinating. I reworded them a little bit so they're not there little more easy to understand. First, rebuke others, all the more tenderly, where would he get that from an understanding of the pronoun we we all stop rebuke others all the more tenderly second dependent on God's grace all the more earnestly he writes, God wants you beholden to his power not your third magnify the love of God, all the more gratefully he says it isn't enough to stop saying things but we should begin saying thankfulness gratefulness training as best we can surrender.

Finally, walk all the more cautious is that from the audience walk all the more cautiously he writes this I quoted you carry a sinning heart with in the man who has gunpowder on should always be afraid of sport James is just getting started as a forest fire a snake and found three trees ahead as James illustrates the power tongue, but right on mindful the prayer prayer of an old saying she needs to be ready for on our own lives and certainly will be mine now goes like this, O Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff and nudge me when I said I feel the notch and daily in his message today is called runaway tongue.

Stephen is the pastor of the shepherd's church in Cary, North Carolina.

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