Sermon Transcript

“Taming the Tongue”
Randy Hicks
6/8/2025

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A Call to Stick to the Word

So, we're going to look at James chapter 3 today. I will say that I'm used to—in the past—whenever I've had the opportunity to preach elsewhere, I'm pretty much able to pick wherever I want to preach. Pastor gave me that option this time too. But I'll tell you what—I think I've learned exponentially more in the times when he's asked me to preach and stick to the script, so to speak, instead of just picking something I want to talk about. Because when we actually have to look at scripture and deal with what’s in front of us, we end up learning so much more than when we just pick and choose what we want to dive into.

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So, we’re going to look here in James chapter 3. And as we’ve looked over the book of James the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen that James is calling out our faith. He’s saying that our faith needs to be more than just words—it needs to be something we exhibit daily. We shouldn’t just be saying, “Well, I’m a Christian,” and then nobody can really tell the difference. Because if you say you’re a Christian, but your life’s not any different than mine, then someone might ask, “Why do I need to become a Christian?”

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So, James has been giving examples, over the last couple of weeks, of how our faith is supposed to be seen. And last week, we saw how Abraham’s faith was evidenced in his actions—even something as simple as just moving away from his family. If he hadn’t believed God—if he didn’t trust God to do what God said—he wouldn’t have done even that simple thing of leaving his home.

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And I believe that if he hadn’t taken that first step of faith, then he wouldn’t have had the faith to go through with what God called him to do later—offering his son. The Bible says that Abraham wavered not at the promise of God. We see that faith is built up one brick at a time. We don’t become a Christian one day and suddenly have this gigantic, fully developed faith. Many times, God calls us to do small things—and it's in obedience to those small things that our faith is built. And so, we saw that in the life of Abraham.

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Living Our Faith and the Weight of Words

We also saw in chapter 1 that James called us to endure in trials and to set aside wickedness. These are things the world looks at and says, “There's something different about that person.” And sometimes, it’s maybe not so much what we do, but what we don’t do.I have some guys at work who say, “Randy, just say this one curse. I just want to hear it one time.” And it’s like—“Dude, I'm not going to say it.”

There are certain things that I will participate in—certain things I will do and won’t do—because I’m a Christian. And I believe that as a Christian, my life should be held to a certain standard. But we’re going to see today that James adds one more layer to living out our faith—and that is in our speech.

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He starts off in verse 1: “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.”    📖 (James 3:1)

Back in James’ day, in the synagogues, they would open up the scriptures and have different men get up to speak from them. It wasn’t like church today, where you have one minister who gets up and preaches a single message. Different people would take turns, reading from different passages.

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If you remember, when Jesus entered the synagogue, He read from the book of Isaiah. That was a similar situation—He was one of many who spoke that day. But what was happening is that multiple people were getting up and starting to say things like, “Yeah, you’ve got to be a Christian... but also—” They started to say, “Well, yes, it’s Jesus, but...” And James says: No. You’ve got to get away from that. It’s Jesus alone.

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So, what James is doing here is addressing people who wanted to be teachers—but they weren’t ready. And because they weren’t ready, they were adding things, or leaving things out. They weren’t really communicating the truth of the Word they were supposed to be teaching.

The Responsibility of Teaching and the Power of Speech

He goes on in verse 2 and says: “For in many things we offend all.” 📖 (James 3:2) Now that word offend, if you look it up, can be translated a couple of different ways. It can mean to trip, to fall, or to stumble. So, what he’s saying is: “In many ways, we all stumble.” Everybody stumbles in some area of their life. As he’s talking—getting ready to go into the subject of speech—he says: “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” 📖 (James 3:2)

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So he’s essentially saying: If you want to be considered—now, the Bible uses the word perfect there, but that word is more accurately used to describe someone who is mature or complete or thorough—if you want to be considered a thorough or mature Christian, then bridling your tongue, controlling your speech, is the best way to do that. Because if you can control your tongue, as we’ll see later on, then you're able to bridle—control—your whole body.

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At the end of verse 1, he said: “Knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” 📖 (James 3:1) That means that teachers receive the greater condemnation. We know that teachers are judged more strictly. When I learned CPR, I had to take a two-hour class—just to learn how to do CPR. But when I decided I wanted to actually become a CPR instructor, it was like a six- or eight-hour class we had to go through. And we had to show that we knew how to do what we were going to teach others. They put us with a partner and said, “Now you do something wrong, and let’s see if your partner can spot it.” They put us through the ropes to make sure we could teach it properly. And here’s the thing—when you’re teaching CPR, if you leave one word out, one phrase, one step—it can become lethal for the person whose life you're trying to save. So, how much more accountable are we if we claim to teach God’s Word?

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Teaching by Example and Living the Word

And that doesn't just mean getting up in front of a group of people to preach or even to teach a Sunday school class. We are the only Bible that some people will ever read. And in that sense—we’re teaching God’s Word. We’re teaching by our very lives what we believe God wants from His people, what God wants from a Christian.

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So, if our faith is being exhibited to those around us—if we claim that we live as Christians—remember that Christians were first called Christians in Antioch, and it was a derogatory term. Christian means “little Christ.” “Oh, you’re going to be a little Jesus?” Well, then that means that our lives are to be lived like Jesus lived.

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We’re supposed to turn the other cheek. We’re supposed to go the second mile. All those different things that Jesus taught—people know what to expect out of a Christian. How many times have we heard someone say, “I don’t want anything to do with church. I’m not going because that person’s a hypocrite”? They know how a Christian is supposed to live—even if they themselves don’t want to live that way or have anything to do with it.

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So, I would propose that as Christians, we are teachers in a sense. We used to have a little sign at home that said, "If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to prove it?" It was a daily reminder to live our lives in such a way that if someone said, “Oh, he’s a Christian,” our lives would back up that statement.

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Accountability and the Maturity of the Tongue

So, when James says, “Knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation,”

he then continues by saying, “We all stumble.” He’s lumping himself in with everybody. We all stumble in some way. We’re all going to trip up. We’re all going to fall. It’s not an excuse—it’s just a fact of life. We’re human. We get tired, and we say things. We get worn out, and we don’t do the things we should. We get angry, and we act in ways that aren’t right. And as long as it’s a stumble—as long as it’s a fall—we can get back up on our feet, and we can continue on our journey.

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But James is laying the groundwork here for how critical our speech is. He says in the second half of verse 2: “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” 📖 (James 3:2)

So again, that word perfect means mature. He’s saying that if you can control your mouth—if you don’t stumble in what you say—then you are showing that you are spiritually mature. Because controlling your tongue is one of the hardest things to do. If you can bridle your tongue, you can bridle your whole body. And then he goes on to give some examples.

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Small Instruments, Big Impact

Let’s look at verse 3: “Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.” 📖 (James 3:3) Then verse 4: “Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.” 📖 (James 3:4)

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Now, I have very little horse experience. We’ve had horses over the years, and I know they can be stubborn. We’ve had goats a long time—and goats can be very stubborn. I’ve tried putting a leash on a goat’s neck and dragging that goat fifteen feet—and it’ll plant its feet and just refuse to move. And that goat is a quarter of the size of a horse. Can you imagine trying to drag a horse?

But you put a bit in a horse’s mouth—a small piece of metal—and with just a little pressure on the reins, that horse will do whatever you want it to do. Now James shifts to the image of a ship. Ships are so great—driven by fierce winds—and yet they’re turned with a very small rudder. He’s saying, even with all the chaos and power of the wind and sea, just that little rudder can direct where the ship goes.

And I love how he puts it: “Whithersoever the governor listeth.” In other words: wherever the person steering wants it to go, the ship will go.

So, I would ask: Who is the helmsman of our life? God never forces us. He doesn’t drag us anywhere. There’s a comic I saw years ago—and I save it every time I see it. It shows Jesus and a guy talking, and Jesus says, “You see that set of footprints over there? That’s where I carried you through the hard times in life.” And the guy says, “Well, what’s that long line over there?” And Jesus says, “That’s where I dragged you—when you were having a really hard time.”

But honestly, God doesn’t drag us. He guides us. We have the whisper of the Holy Spirit to guide us—like that small bit in the horse’s mouth. God’s not trying to force us into anything.

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Guidance in the Storm and the Fire of the Tongue

When we enter fierce storms in our lives, we still have the Bible—we still have the whisper of the Holy Spirit to guide us. I bring that up because earlier, Pastor mentioned in chapter 1 about enduring hard trials, and not saying it’s God who is tempting us. We might feel those outside forces pressing against us—whether it’s being tired, being sick, being worn out—but we still have the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Now James is making a comparison. He’s talking about the small bit in the horse’s mouth, the small rudder on the ship. Then he says: “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” 📖 (James 3:5)

That word matter there actually refers more to a forest. So, it's like he's saying, “Behold, how great a forest a little fire can set ablaze.” We’ve all seen it. You turn on the news and hear about a 30,000-acre wildfire—or a 300,000-acre wildfire—that started because someone flicked a cigarette out the car window. Or they didn’t fully put out a campfire. Just one tiny spark started the fire—and suddenly, you’ve got devastation.

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Then James says in verse 6: “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” 📖 (James 3:6) So, I have to ask—why is that? Why is the tongue a fire? Why is it called a “world of iniquity”? Let me tell you a story.

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We were at a fire several years ago. We got called out to a barn that was fully engulfed. We called in three or four other departments. The barn was the priority. There was a gas tank nearby—we had to keep it cooled down so it wouldn’t blow. It was really windy that day. Someone had been burning stumps, and that’s what started the barn fire. So, we’re there, trying to keep things under control—and all these little sparks are flying around. Next thing we know, there’s a flame on the roof of another barn. Then a trailer with wood on it catches fire. Then smoke starts pouring out from a Morton building behind me—just from the sparks catching under the wooden baseboards.

One fire became many fires. That’s what the tongue is like. It might seem small, but it can ignite destruction all around it.

We Can’t Tame the Tongue Alone

James continues in verse 7: “For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:” 📖 (James 3:7) “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” 📖 (James 3:8)

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Let’s pause there for a second. He says, “We’ve tamed every kind of animal—lions, bears, snakes, sharks, dolphins. But we can’t even tame our own tongue.” Think about that. You can go to SeaWorld and watch them get a 10,000-pound whale to do flips. But we can't stop ourselves from saying that one sarcastic thing. That one cutting remark. The tongue is an unruly evil, James says. It’s full of deadly poison. He’s not exaggerating. Have you ever had someone say something to you—maybe it was in high school, maybe it was ten years ago—and you still remember what they said?

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Maybe they said you weren’t good enough. Maybe they attacked your character, your intelligence, your appearance. And it stuck. Words are powerful. And we can’t tame the tongue on our own. James says, “no man can tame it.” Not by our own effort, not by gritting our teeth. It’s not just about trying harder. We need something more. We need the Holy Spirit working inside us. We need God to transform our hearts, because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks 📖 (see Matthew 12:34) So, if what’s coming out of our mouths is fire and poison, it’s not just a mouth problem—it’s a heart problem.

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Blessing and Cursing from the Same Mouth

Let’s pick up at verse 9: “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.” 📖 (James 3:9) “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” 📖 (James 3:10)

Let me read that again. “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.” We come to church, we sing songs like “I exalt Thee,” or “Great are You Lord,” or “Worthy is the Lamb,”—and then we leave, and we go to lunch and talk bad about somebody sitting two rows behind us. Or we yell at our spouse in the parking lot. Or we gossip about a coworker on Monday. And James says, “My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”

How can you bless God—praise His name—and then curse someone made in His image? The people we talk bad about? The people we insult or slander? They're made in the image of God. That’s what “similitude” means—His likeness. So, when we curse them, we're not just hurting them—we’re dishonoring their Creator.

Verse 11 says: “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?” 📖 (James 3:11) “Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” 📖 (James 3:12) You don’t go to a drinking fountain and expect both lemonade and vinegar to come out of the same spout. If you go to a fig tree, you expect to find figs. Not olives. If you go to a grapevine, you expect grapes. Not figs. So, James is saying—what comes out of your mouth reveals what’s inside. You can’t fake it. You can’t fool God. A heart that is surrendered to God will produce speech that reflects that surrender.

And if we’re not seeing that in our lives, then we need to ask ourselves, “What’s going on in my heart?” Because the tongue is just a reflection of what’s in the heart. And so, I just want to encourage you this morning—don’t try to fix the tongue. Don’t try to just stop saying certain things. Don’t try to just stop gossiping or stop lying or stop whatever it is. Ask God to help you clean the inside of the cup. Ask God to help you clean your heart. Because when the heart is clean, the mouth will follow.

And so, I just want to encourage you this morning—if God’s working on your heart, if God’s showing you something in your life that needs to be cleaned up, don’t ignore it. Don’t push it aside. Don’t say, “Well, I’ll deal with that later.” Because the longer we let it sit there, the more it builds up. And eventually, it’s going to come out. And when it does, it’s going to hurt somebody. It’s going to do damage.

So, let’s be people who are surrendered to God. Let’s be people who are filled with the Holy Spirit. Let’s be people who speak life and not death. Let’s be people who build up and not tear down. Let’s be people who reflect the heart of God in the words that we say.

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Final Prayer

Let’s pray.

Would I, or please take these words that I've brought forth this morning, God, that you would just apply them to our hearts, Lord, that in whatever way anybody needed to hear these, God, I pray that you would just sink them into their heart, God, that you would just help them to live whatever they are trying to live for it in their life. Lord, thank you for everyone that is here today, God, the encouragement that they are in being here, Lord, and to be able to worship alongside of them. Lord, pray that you would just be with Pastor Dustin and his family, God, bring them home safely. But thank you so much for them, God, and just give them a good time while they're adopted. But bring them back to us safe and pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.