The Debbie Taylor Williams Podcast

Debbie Taylor Williams: James 3. We have a lot of great material to cover this morning. What better way could we start it than with, "Let not many of you become teachers." What a great word to read, but certainly the Lord does not want us to shy away from a calling He has on our lives. This chapter, James 3, is filled with good words, good warnings, and good instruction for all of us. Join me as we go before the Father in prayer.

Father, how we do thank You that You are the teacher. It is Your word and Your wisdom that we live by for eternity. Father, go ahead and be the teacher. Have Your way this morning. Bring forth the words that I have prepared from Your word. Holy Spirit, You be the one who opens our minds, ears, and hearts to hear so that each lady leaves with a personal application she can take home and use so that You be glorified in her life. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If you don't have your Bibles open, please do so. What is our topic this morning? Is there any question about it? Our question is our tongue. It is very clear that this was an issue James was aware of with the believers in the New Testament church. The tongue is not just an issue for those New Testament believers; it's also an issue for us today. We want to take these words with sincerity and to heart.

I hope that as you hear the words, you hear them first and foremost for yourself because God has called you here to hear His word and to learn from it. Also, keep in mind that every single thing you are learning is something you will be modeling for everyone who comes in contact with you. The value of your presence here today goes beyond just you being here. The value can impact other people for eternity. If they see a change in mama's mouth, if they see a change in their wife's mouth, or if they see a change in their friend's mouth, then that tells them that it doesn't matter how old we are or how long we've been going to church. It means that change for the better is possible. This is an extremely valuable lesson.

Let's begin by reading James 3:1-6. "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put bits into the horses' mouths so they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also; though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, they are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell."

Strong words, very strong words. So the question is: who is setting your tongue on fire? In verses one through five, James addresses that my tongue, although small, is powerful. He gives the example of a bit in the horse's mouth and how it controls their whole body. You think about how tiny that bit is that goes into a horse's mouth, yet with it, the horseman is able to control and steer the whole huge animal by the reins that are controlled by the bit.

He gives the example of a rudder that controls a large ship. If any of you have been on a ship, you've seen the proportionate size of the rudder in comparison to the ship, and you would think that small rudder can't control the ship, but it can. Then he mentions the fire, a spark that can set aflame a great forest fire. How many of you have ever lived in California or in some place where a spark created a huge forest fire? Usually, when that happens, they try to determine if there was somebody who created that spark. Here, we find that James tells us the spark that sets our tongue on fire is set by hell itself.

Isn't that disconcerting? Isn't that something we need to think about? As we think about this passage, we need to remember it's not only the audible words we speak. What about all those Facebook messages we type? What about all those text messages that get sent? Those are our words simply put on paper. When he says in verse six, "The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity," and he goes on and says it sets on fire the course of our life, how can our tongue set on fire the course of our life? Do you agree with that or not agree with it?

Can our tongue, can the words we say, set on fire the course of our life? What if those words say to a spouse, to a husband, "I want a divorce"? Can that set on fire the course of our life? What if our words say, "I hate you," in a moment of anger, tiredness, or bitterness? Can those words determine the other person's response and what happens in that relationship? Can those words, "Until you have something nice to say, don't bother to come home," affect and set on course a parent-child relationship?

Friends, I would say and agree with James that more than our facial expressions, more than how we dress, more than how our house looks, or what books we read, it is the words articulated by this piece of flesh right there, that tongue, that can literally set the course of our life. Perhaps you've not seen it as much in your own life, but you've seen it in someone else's life. We see the influence and the persuasion of speakers, of those who get crowds rallied up. That is done with their tongue.

So this lesson is one that affects all of us. Our tongue, what we say in a church meeting, can spark church division. Have any of you ever experienced that? Our words can hurt. Our words are not visible; they're not seen, but they can cut to the core. How many of you have ever been cut to the core or have ever been hurt? How many of you have had to deal with words spoken to you by a mother or a father that are still planted in your brain? They affect you. They affect your choices, your disposition, and how you view other people.

Our words are so important. As direct and as hard as James is coming at us in these verses, aren't they words we need to hear? They are. They're words that all of us need to hear because friends, we are a battleground. We are a battleground between God and Satan. I've said this before. You may be saved and you may wear a cross, but every moment, every day, Satan would still like to put words in your head that you hear or words that come through your mouth that you articulate that either damage or they bless. You are a battleground.

Will you be used by God, or will you unwittingly be used as an instrument of Satan? We see in Peter how he in one moment confessed when Jesus said, "Who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am?" Peter said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus responded and said, "Flesh and blood didn't reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." God the Father had a divine influence, a divine sway, and a divine message that He sent through Peter.

In the next scene that we have, Jesus is telling the disciples that He's going to go to Jerusalem and He's going to be crucified and He's going to die. Peter, the same person, says, "God forbid it." Jesus whips around and looks at Peter and says, "Get behind me, Satan. You're a stumbling block to me." The same man. Have you ever wondered about yourself? Have you ever thought, "How could I have said that?" I have. I've thought that about myself when I've said something rude to Keith or something like that, and I'm like, "I didn't mean it." Have you ever said something and your thought was, "I didn't mean it"?

Yes, because we can be influenced by heavenly inspiration or we can be influenced by demonic influence. Right here today, we are given a message of hope. I'm so excited about it that I want us to get to the end where we get that hope because right now what James is telling us, it concerns us. It is a warning to us.

In verses seven and eight, let's go ahead and read. "For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." This is all bad news, right? He says with it, we see this duplicity, this two-facedness. He says in verse nine, "With it we bless our Lord and Father." We come to church, we sing praises, we write people little happy notes and share scriptures on Facebook and Instagram.

"But with it we also curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God." We say, perhaps, things that are unkind. We say things that are from our human nature rather than what God would have us say. Even if they're not cussing words, even if they're not hateful words, we may say words that are not what the person needs to hear. They are not from God's heart; they're from our heart, our human fleshly heart. We want to be vessels and instruments of God's heart.

He says in verse ten, "From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh." So here in this passage, he warns us. Pay attention. He brings home all these illustrations to try to help us at least attach and grasp one. The tongue is a fire. It's set among our members. It defiles the entire body. Wouldn't it be nice if it was just something we could cut off like a dirty fingernail? It's not. It's set among our members and it affects the whole body. It sets on fire the course of our life, and it is set on fire by hell.

He is writing these words to believers, just as the example we looked at by Peter. It is untamable. Did any of you ever say, if you were raising children, "I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap"? Maybe they said that a long time ago. I never said that to my children because I knew I wouldn't do that. But it sounds good, doesn't it? Have any of you ever said, "I'm not going to say that again. No matter what they say to me, I'm going to be kind. I'm not going to respond." But then those words are said and it sparks something in us and we have our reply. We can't tame our tongue, friends.

Now, we are getting scary in James right now. He's not giving us a glimmer of hope, is he? It's a restless evil. You can almost picture a snake scurrying around. It's full of deadly poison. It blesses and curses. Then he has drawn this analogy: a fountain can't produce fresh and bitter water, a fig tree produces figs, not olives, and a vine doesn't produce figs. Salt water doesn't produce fresh water, but then he gives us this miserable condition that we produce both.

Before we go on to talking about this wisdom that is from above versus the wisdom that is of earth and demonic, look at your listening guide. The first thing that you're going to see that James has brought out is there is a heart-mouth connection. He talks about our mouths and what we say. Matthew reflects Jesus's heart and words and teachings because Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, "The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart." So what is in my heart is going to come out, not through some opening in my heart. What is in my heart is going to come out through my mouth.

Matthew 15:18 says, "The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart; those are what defile the man." Friends, our problem is a heart problem. I wanted to bring an illustration and I had several, but friends, if you leave with nothing else, I hope you get this. Tongue. Would y'all pretend that's a tongue? We got it. That's your tongue. This is what articulates the words that Satan ignites. But where does he get the kindling? He gets the kindling from what we have in our heart.

I don't know if you're able to see it. This is supposed to be a heart and it's got a lot of beige. It's got a lot of flesh in it. It's got a lot of the natural self. It's got a little green envy in there, but it also has some gold. I've accepted Christ. I have some of God's words in my heart, but I've got a lot more flesh and I've got some black that is there of some unconfessed sin and just plain evil as he describes, things that are not of God. I've got that in my heart.

What he says is that what my tongue is going to say is what is in my heart. My heart is pulling the strings of my tongue. So if we don't like what our tongue is saying, we need to look at what is in our heart because our heart is what ignites and fuels the words on our tongue. Look at that again: the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. Friends, we have to look at what's filling our hearts. What is filling your heart?

We are told, second, to put a guard over our mouth. Psalm 141:3 says, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips." Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is useful for edification according to the need of the moment." The only thing that is supposed to proceed from our mouth, Paul writes in Ephesians, is that which will encourage, instruct, help, or bless. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth.

Well, how am I going to let only wholesome words proceed if my mouth is filled with my nature, if my mouth is filled with the darkness of the world that I consume and the thoughts that I have? Our third point is we are responsible for the sensory input we allow to come into our minds. Friends, how do things get in our heart? The whole scripture, the whole counsel of God, He is the mighty counselor and He explains all this in the scripture. But it is what we allow to come into our minds.

How do things get into our minds? They come through our senses: what we see, what we read, what we put our eyes on, what we hear, what we listen to, and what we taste. If you're having an affair and you get those sensory lips attached to another man's lips that are not your husband, you're going to have sensory input that is not of your husband, that is not of the Lord, that the devil will use. What we feel. They come into our mind and friends, I've used this illustration before, but this is what the scripture tells us.

He says let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but He also says that we're responsible for the sensory input we have. We process the sensory input through our mind. We need to put the strainer of God's word over our mind, over our thoughts. I have this thought because I saw it. I have this thought because I feel it. I have this thought because I heard it. Is it true? Look at your listening guide, our third point. Philippians 4:8 says, "Is it true? Is it honorable? Is it right? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it of good repute?"

Then yes, let your mind dwell on those and let those things come into your mind and let them go deep into your heart. But too often, we just walk around sometimes like we do with our Bible, all folded up. We've got it, but we don't strain what we are allowing to come into us and stay there. God allowed for things to come in for us to evaluate them in light of, "Is it true? Is it right? Is it good? Is it honorable? Is it pure? Is it holy?" And if it's not, we are supposed to release it. And if it is, like the word we're studying, then we're supposed to let it come into our mind and go deep into our heart.

Psalm 119:11 says, "Thy word have I hid in my heart. I've put it in my heart so I won't sin." Strain it out. Thy word I have put in my heart so I won't sin against God. I've already shared Ephesians 4:29. That is a golden nugget. You see, friends, right now there are a whole lot of us and our tongue, we've got the Lord, we've got the gold. I don't know if you're able to see the gold of the Lord in here. We've got the gold of the Lord in our hearts, but we also have our old fleshly nature.

So sometimes we let the Lord control us, but sometimes we let our fleshly nature. Not until heaven will we be all gold, all perfect in His image. And then of course, there are those who do not have any gold. They have not received the gold, the holiness of Christ inside of them. Of course, we know what's going to happen at the judgment seat. Those who do not have the gold of Christ will go one place and those who have the gold will go to heaven. There will be a separation depending on if the gold is in.

In the meantime, this word is the gold. This is the wisdom James asks about. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men generously. We've already studied in James 1. This is God's wisdom. Matthew 4:4, Jesus being tempted said to Satan, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Psalm 119:11, we've already talked about, "Thy word I've hid in my heart that I won't sin against God." Now I am able to check that thought. No, I will not entertain that thought.

The scripture here, Matthew 15:13, where He says that the things proceed from my mouth come from my heart, I need to know that. I need to pay attention. The Ephesians verse, this whole word, I started to just fill this whole thing up because this is the wisdom of God. This is what I'm to eat. This is what I'm to drink. I want to fill my heart with this so then what proceeds out of my mouth is the wisdom and the purity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He tells us in James 3:13-18 as we read, "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic." Look at the difference in the wisdom.

He says in verse 16, "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make for peace." Look how he describes the wisdom from above: wise, understanding, good behavior, gentle, pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, not hypocritical. Of course, we hear Jesus's words from the Sermon on the Mount.

Now here is the warning: the tongue, the wisdom from below. Satan cannot have you, your body, or your soul because God has secured them. You're in His grasp for heaven. But Satan can influence us. Thus the warning that we have in James 3. The wisdom from below: bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, arrogant lies against the truth. It's earthly. It's your natural. "Well, I'm just going to give him a piece of my mind. Well, I don't like her. Well, this didn't sit well with me, so I'm just not going to do it anymore, go anymore." Earthly. It's not of God. It's earthly. It's your natural reaction. Demonic. There's disorder and every evil thing.

What a warning the good Lord gives us. In one through six, we've looked, my tongue is like a fire set on fire by hell. I can't tame my tongue. 14 through 16, how he describes jealousy and selfish ambition as examples of the earthly, the natural. 17 through 18, the wisdom, the choice that we have. Does anybody in here just want to say with me, "Help! What can I do?" Here's what you can do. Hell, we are told by James, sets our tongue on fire. But you know what? No. Lord, I want You to set my tongue on fire.

Can God set our tongues on fire? You better believe it. Go back and read Acts 2 where the Holy Spirit fell as tongues on fire and altered, changed the words from a cowering Peter, who denied he even knew Jesus, to a bold witness. The Holy Spirit came upon Paul and changed him from being critical and against the church to talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. Give the reins, just like that bit in the mouth of a horse, give the reins of your life to the Holy Spirit.

Hide God's wisdom. Oh, the Bible, it's God's wisdom. The scripture talks about eating, tasting and eating the word of God. Friends, this is just the scripture. Just eat the words of God. Read the Bible, make it your own, personalize it, hide it in your heart so that then when your tongue starts going, your tongue is drawing from what's in your heart. You have control over that. You can change. I can change. Hallelujah! Praise God, anybody in here? Hallelujah! Praise God, we can change. We can change. That's why He is giving us these words, this exhortation, this encouragement.

Here's the question: the temptation to say hurtful words, be jealous, have selfish ambition is from Satan in order to make me fall, hurt others, and destroy relationships. Here's the good news: trials God allows are when it's going to come up, when you feel like having an argument, when you feel like even talking down to yourself, when you start to listen to discouraging words. You pay attention. Trials God allows are to prove Christ's holy presence, His word, and His power in me.

I can pray for wisdom from above. I can hide God's word in my heart. The Holy Spirit can set my tongue on fire instead of hell. The Holy Spirit can set my tongue on fire instead of hell. So will you hide God's word, His wisdom, in your heart so you don't sin against God? Will you mindfully continue, give Him the reins? The reins, just like with a horse, the reins of your life to the Holy Spirit? Will you daily confess any undergrowth of sin?

You see, that's the problem with a forest fire. It gets out of control when the underbrush hasn't been cleared. Friends, if we have the underbrush of unforgiveness, if we have the underbrush of keep going back to something that somebody said that hurt us, if we have the underbrush of the past that we don't ask the Lord to take so that we can press forward like Paul chose to do, then there's a lot of underbrush in our heart. It's easy for Satan to set it on fire, the underbrush. Confession is how we clear out the underbrush. We give forgiveness to people who need it. We turn loose of resentment. Get the underbrush out of your heart so Satan doesn't have it to ignite.

Will you? James has laid it out. Jesus has laid it out. It's from the heart that the words speak. What underbrush might you need to clear out, and what of God's glorious word do you need to eat so it's in your heart? Oh, Father, You are so good to teach us. We love You. Amen.