Journey Through James: Chapter 3 (Listening Guide)

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

  • A warning not just to teachers, but to all. We often want the glory of _______________ faith without putting forth the ______________ to obtain it.
  • APP: We all should focus on the ____________________ of service, not the benefits or notoriety of what may accompany it.
  • Recently, it has become far too common for notable church leaders to fall into sin.
  • James is highlighting the motives of our service.
  • “judged with greater strictness” – a motivational and scary verse.
  • “greater strictness” – this is why it is imperative to preach and teach God’s Word.

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

  • James presented his readers with one of the most memorable arguments regarding the source of sin within the self: the tongue.
  • Rom. 3.13-14 –“Their throat is an open grave: they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
  • The continual sinfulness of our own speech is a _________________ reminder that we are in need of the ________________ grace of God.
  • However, we must not assume ourselves to be so sinful that we are of no use to God’s Kingdom. The entirety of Christian living is done in and through grace.
  • “many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says” – A stumbling tongue is a ___________________ problem.
  • ILL: The tongue is like an internal meat thermometer.
  • “what he says” – James has already noted the problem with our speech in 1.19; 26 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;…If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
  • “perfect man” – not perfect as in sinless but _______________ or “not lacking any moral quality.”
  • “able also to” – With respect to one’s own affairs in life, if the tongue is controlled, general self-control will be the result. James asserted that controlled speech enables one to guide the whole body by the maturity of faith. The power of faith to bridle the tongue conveys a power to guide the activities of the body.
  • For example Jesus said, “34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” – Mat. 12.34-37.
  • “bridle his whole body” – The sense of _______________ here is important, for it not only implies the curbing of evil action but also the directing of the body into good action.

If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.

  • “bits into the mouths of horses” – Likewise, the tongue is small, but very _________________ and ___________________.
  • “they obey us” – 1. Speech problems show an underlying _________________ problem.
  • The tongue, representing the believer’s speech, is not easily mastered. But the tongue must be mastered by acquiring the great skills of wisdom through careful and arduous study of God’s Word. Only by such study can the skill to face the great issues of life be acquired. There is no other way to preserve the ship of life intact.
  • APP: – Sometimes we worry about the big spiritual issues and never stop to consider the ____________________ of the small ones.
  • “directs” – 2. A misused tongue may well represent a life ________________ in the wrong direction.

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

  • “the tongue is a small member” – Although the tongue is small in size, its abilities are large. Some instrument must be used to rein it and guide it. In the moral life, at first virtue seems to be a matter of controlling the body; but, in a surprising way, all comes down to controlling speech. If speech has such a control over the body, however, who can control speech?
  • The images of horses and ships, bridles and rudders show how such small things as the tongue are the real instruments of control over large things.
  • “yet it boasts of great things” – 1. One of the sins of the tongue is exaggerating one’s own accomplishments.
  • “ablaze by such a small fire” – 3. A misused tongue can be very _______________.
  • “staining the whole body” – 3 Dangers of an unrighteous tongue
    • staining the whole body
    • setting the course of life
    • stemming from hell
  • “set on fire by hell” – The wicked tongue is sourced from Satan. it is sinful to the core.
  • “but no human being can tame the tongue” – The negativity of Jame’s description of the tongue is blatant here. James seems almost to have delayed this declaration until he could bake a forceful enough argument for it. The tongue cannot be tamed. Every other creature can be tamed, except this one.
  • “restless evil” – In what ways?
    • it tends towards anger (1.20)
    • self deception (3.26)
    • offense (2.6)
    • quarreling (4.2)
    • boasting and bragging (3.16)
    • swearing (5.12)

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

  • Here James connects his subject with the heart of the matter.
  • Notice the blatant contradiction here.
  • ILL: This is like someone saying, “I’m an Alabama AND an Auburn fan.”
  • James’ point: Regarding our speech, people are bipolar.
  • “we” – The capacity of the tongue to both give praise and curse in a fundamental conflict that James was intent on identifying. This inconsistency in speech is true of every believer as James uses the term “WE”.
  • “with it we curse people” – 2. Another sin of the tongue is _______________ others.
  • “these things ought not to be so” – They all stumbled in many ways, but they were not to tolerate a mixture of good and evil as a way of life. God had not created them to lead a life of faith in this half-hearted way.
  • APP: ____________________ is the killer of growing faith.
  • APP: Don’t be so comfortable with the ________________________.
  • Our mouths are sharp and destructive. Many have been severely and legitimately wounded by the words of others.
  • Eph 4.29 – ______________________!

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

  • v. 13-18 deal largely with 2 different options for handling life (applying wisdom) – our way or God’s way.
  • “wise” – Remember the previous discussion from 1.5. Knowledge is information. Wisdom is ___________________, handling life.
  • “understanding” means to understand and apply information.
  • “conduct” – The way I live my life should be a visible representation of the character and grace of God.
  • Regarding James’ discussion on faith and works, “faith without good deeds means a life of evil deeds.”

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

  • The World’s Wisdom
    • jealousy
    • selfish ambition
    • boastful
    • deceptive/false
    • earthly
    • unspiritual
    • demonic
      • disorder
      • every vile practice
  • God’s Wisdom
    • pure
    • peacable
    • gentle
    • open to reason
    • mercy
    • good fruits
    • impartial
    • sincere
      • harvest of righteousness