The Tongue

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871At least 300 people were dead, 100,000 people were homeless, and $200 million worth of property was destroyed. The entire central business district of Chicago was leveled. The fire was one of the most spectacular events of the nineteenth century, and it is recognized as a major milestone in the city's history.

I am more deadly than the screaming shell of the cannon. I win without killing. I tear down homes, break hearts, wreck lives. I travel on the wings of the wind. No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity pure enough to daunt me. I have no regard for truth, no respect for justice, no mercy for the defenseless. My victims are as numerous as the sands of the sea and often as innocent. I never forget and seldom forgive. My name is ____________. He who goes about gossiping reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who speaks foolishly. (Proverbs 20:19 RSV)The TongueJames 1 26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

3Learn From David I said, "I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me." (Psalms 39:1 NKJV)Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV)"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37 NKJV)

Sins of the TongueLying, Deception Eph. 4:25-27Cursing, Evil Speaking - Eph. 4:29-31; Jas. 3:9; 4:11Filthy Talk Eph. 5:4Slander, Rumor, Gossip 2 Cor. 12:20Boasting 2 Tim. 3:1-5Blaspheming, Backbiting, Whispering Rom. 1:29-30

An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue. (Proverbs 17:4 NKJV)6We must keep our tongues under control because of the power of the tongue. James 3 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

7Examples of Great Power in Small Things.

The wise man said, Death and life are in the power of the tongue -- Prov 18:21. We Must Keep Our Tongues Under Control Because of the Great Potential for Evil. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. (James 3:5-6 NKJV)

9A Single Spark Can Cause Great Damage

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD, keep watch over the door of my lips! (Psalms 141:3 RSV)We must keep our tongues under control because of the un-tameable nature of the tongue. James 3 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

11Untamed Animals Need A Cage!

We must keep our tongues under control because of the inconsistencies of the tongue. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. (James 3:9-12 NKJV)

13What Comes Forth Is A True Indication Of What Is Inside!And he said, "What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man." (Mark 7:20-23 RSV)"But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. (Matthew 15:18 NKJV)

ConclusionDo not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? (James 4:11-12 NKJV)

SourcesSermon Outline by Mitch DavisLesson 10 - The Tongue: Small but PowerfulPrinciples From Proverbs #10 by Alan ColeSermons from James by Mark Copeland