"Taming the Tongue"

Scripture: James 3:1-12
Preacher: Rev. Ross Purdy
Date: September 17, 2006

Once a year, or more, I remind myself of a terrible mistake I made in life. I opened my mouth and let some words flow freely out.   It was a mistake that almost cost me my job in a bank when I was in my early 20s.   I am afraid of my tongue and if you know the power of the tongue you would do well to fear your own.

I have learned that my tongue needs to have a lock on it.   I have failed this lesson time and time again.   But as long as I can keep reminding myself of this, I think I may escape many terrible situations in the future.   Every time I ease up and fail to recognize the lesson of my tongue, I come very dangerously close to making a terrible mistake.   It is good to be reminded that the most powerful muscle, both realistically and figuratively, is the tongue.   If it is used well and controlled, it can change life for you and everyone around you for the good.   If it is freed from your chain to wander around, it will, by itself, cause tremendous pain and kill.

Oh, the tongue.   Keep a guard on it!

I may have told you this story before, but if I have, may it be a reminder for yourself as well.

Many years ago I was working in a very well-known banking institution.   I had a desk job, the note department during this time, so I had a heavy load of calling people for collections, sending wire transfers all over the world, authorizing bill of ladings, and monitoring some personal loans.   I usually did a good job.   I was a conscientious worker.   However, on one day, a bad day, I let my feelings flow out of my mouth too freely.   My desk phone rang and I was across the building.    The woman sitting at the desk across from mine answered it as a favor.   My co-worker knew that I would be there in a few moments, so she put the caller on hold...at least that was supposed to be protocol and then signaled me that there was a call.

As soon as I arrived at my desk my colleague said, "Ross, Mrs. Smith (name has been changed) is on the phone.   She would like to speak to you about an urgent matter."   In the stress of the moment I responded.   "Oh, that old bat," I said quietly so no one in the front of the counter could hear, "what does she want now!"   Mrs. Smith was a nice woman; forceful to be sure, but nice.   If you were on her good side as I was...up to that moment...life was good.   If you were on her bad side, you may as well look for another job.  

I picked up the phone and pressed the hold button.   I should have known then that since the background music began playing at that moment there was something to be concerned about.   I pressed the button again and said, in my professional voice, "Hi Mrs. Smith...How can I help you today?" "Well, Ross," she replied, "I need X amount of dollars wired to another account."   "Yes, Mrs. Smith, if you can confirm your personal information I'll get that sent out immediately."   She did and the phone call was just about to end when she said, "Oh, Ross, by the way.   I'm not that old...and I'm not a bat."   (click).

I knew then that I had made a terrible mistake.   Without guarding my tongue, I had almost destroyed my livelihood.   God's grace was made known in my life.   Mrs. Smith did not retaliate.   I believe in a God because Mrs. Smith was not known to forgive.   Somehow I escaped the reaper's scythe. (Not that I'm calling Mrs. Smith "death").

Without thinking I had let my tongue loose.   If you allow your tongue to move without thinking you're doomed.   Around the year 500 B.C. Publius Valerius Publicola said, "I have often regretted my speech, never my silence."  

The tongue is not just out of control, the tongue is a living organ that thinks for itself. The more it's used, the more powerful it can become.   The famous writer and story-teller, Washington Irving, in the nineteenth century said, "A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use."

In life there are two things that are certain.   James picks up these two items, woven within Jewish thought and literature.   The first is this: There is no one in this world who does not sin.   Paul the Apostle said, and I agree, "None is righteous, no not one...for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". (Romans 3:10, 23)   John wrote, "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (I John 1:8).

The second certain thing follows from it: "There is no sin into which it is easier to fall and none which has graver consequences than the sin of the tongue."

I believe the tongue has a power that no other machine or weapon on earth can match.  

I believe the tongue can bring life to a person or bring death.   I do not believe there is anything in between.   Some would call me ridiculous in my assertion.   But I have seen this played out time and time again.

I believe there is a link between words and the human body.   I have seen people affirmed and seen the spark in their eyes.   I have witnessed life being given to them.   I believe the words we let out of our mouths will, physically add time to our span of life.   I have seen people cut to the heart with hurtful words.   I believe the words we let out of our mouths will, physically, take away time from our span of life.

We are murderers.   I do not mean this only symbolically.   We literally squeeze breath out of others when we hurt them with our words.   Have you ever felt the pain, the "ugh", when someone says something about you?   That's life draining from your body, sucking energy out of your muscles and bones.   Gloom and depression can cut your life short.

When we were in Scotland this summer, we visited Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow.   It was re-opening day after a long year of renovation.   The children loved to look around and see the dinosaur bones in one hall, look at the Egyptian mummies in another hall.   It was a great day.   But I was struck by one object that had little attention.

It was an object that was used in the 15 th and 16 th century.   Its name is the "Scold's Bridle".   It is a terrible and wicked way to solve the problem of the tongue.   But the Puritan's took loose talk seriously.   They felt that loose talk and gossip destroyed the community and brought about the destruction of the whole town.   They responded, a great deal too much, with what they thought was a practical way to bring control to the solution.   The mask was fastened around the head, for sometimes a week.   If you could look at the mask from the inside you would see a knife pointing inward, that entered the mouth so that the person could not close their mouth without pain.   It is very obvious that the act of gossiping would not be repeated. The very presence of the mask was enough to remind people about the correct use of their tongue.

I am not advocating the concept of bringing the "Scold Mask" back.   It is a cruel and unusual punishment.   But it would do us well to consider the danger of the tongue and have some kind of image in our society today of the horrors of our words.

I don't think we know the consequences of our words in our society.   We no longer take seriously the harm we cause others.   We have a society founded upon gossip and slander.   It is commonplace to put others down.   The quicker the wit, no matter how filthy or base, the more tribute is paid.   But there must be some kind of balance to the murdering we're doing with our words in our society.  

How many people are walking around wounded today?   How many of the wounded are here?   Oh, God, give us real picture of the harm we're doing others!   Our crass words may be funny.   They may be witty.   But are our words building up the Kingdom of God?   Are our words molding people into the image of God, who is fun, who is witty, but who is very, very concerned about healing and encouraging his children.   Are our words transforming people into authentic people with righteousness inside?   Or are our words simply weapons?

How about you?   Do your words represent you inwardly and outwardly?   When you speak good things do you have mass of goodness inside or do your words paint an outward shell that's a façade?   If so, it doesn't take long to find out what is really inside all of us.  

It's easy to find out the amount of maturity and godly wisdom in people. Just listen for a while.   Our mouths will give evidence to the goodness within or it will betray our emptiness.

At a wedding not too long ago, a wedding that I didn't conduct, I met a few people who were into the reception a little too much.   As the alcohol loosened their talk, they joked with me around the table.   They became more and more crass and the bridle must have fallen out of their mouths.   But then something happened.   Someone found out that I was a minister.   I didn't promote it.   I didn't judge anyone or give any indication that I was offended.   Someone just asked me what I did for a living and I told him I was a minister.

Immediately, people began talking very nicely.   They were "Christians" too and now they wanted to prove this to me.   It was reverse judgmental-ism.

The maturity of a Christian is measured by the words they use.   If they use foul talk, their righteousness has not permeated their whole being.   You can say that it's not about words, it's about actions.   But I would say that our actions change our words as much as our words change our actions.   If we're showing love to the world, it is silly to assume that we won't begin using the verbal language of love.   True transformation will change the way we talk.

If you have to change your talk when you're around different people, you haven't been perfected.  

Ecclesiastes 5:6-7 says, "Do not let your mouth lead you into sin... many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God."

Do you want control of your life?   Learn how to speak well.   Do you want to influence others?   Put life put into others through your words.  

I have put life into others.   I have taken life out of others.   I will murder no longer.   I have made a vow that I will not be loose with my words.   I want to be like Jesus.   Everything he did had a purpose.   Everything he said brought life.   To be sure, some of His words were harsh and could sting.   To be sure, some of his words comforting and offered peace.   But in all ways, the words he spoke were like a scalpel in the hands of a trained physician.   He didn't waste a word, a consonant, a vowel or a phrase.   It was all for the building up of the Kingdom of God.  

When the disciples woke up in the morning, I could imagine Jesus giving them encouragement.   Have you ever been with a group of men in the morning just after they woke up?   It's not a pretty sight.   But Jesus' words were never loose and fancy-free.   They built up the character of those men.

At the end of his life Jesus even dared to say, "Now you are clean by the words that I have spoken to you." (John 15:3).   His words cleansed them.   He changed them by what He said.   He molded them into disciples by his teachings and instruction.   Of course he affected their lives in physical ways.   But Jesus was self-controlled.   No word was wasted.  

Are you changing people's lives by your words?   You don't have to think about how to do it.   Just say a kind word and the more you use your words purposefully, the more experience you'll have to transform your friends.   Before long, you'll be a skilled physician with the powerful instrument known as the tongue.

Do you desire perfection in your life?   Learn to use your words well.   There are two images in our passage that help us understand the power of the tongue.   The first is the bridle:

"Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle." (vs. 2)

We put a bridle into a horse's mouth knowing that this little instrument can guide the whole body of a powerful horse.

The second is the rudder:            

"Or look at ships: thought they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs." (vs. 4)

How are you guiding your ship?   How are you galloping in life?   Do you need some help?   I would like to offer two suggestions for gaining control of your life.   (At first I came up with 10-12, but think two will suffice).

1. Do more listening in life, not speaking.   Words are too many.   If words have the power to bring life or destroy then stop giving opportunities for the mouth to open.   Think about your words before you say them.   Jesus did.

Jesus is the Word of God.   If we are to speak about him we need to control our words in general.   I have seen too many bumper stickers that say, "Jesus is Lord" right next to another bumper sticker on the same car with a filthy message (for instance _____ happens).   The message of Jesus gets lost.   It's time to remove all the other stickers and grace the whole of our lives with the One Word.   Then, the other words can be added.

2. Render your life to God.   The Holy Spirit loves transforming lives.   God does not want people who pretend to be changed.   God is calling people to give their whole lives to the authentic transformation that will change us from within and flowing out.   

Do you need help?   All of us, if we're honest, slander, gossip, stretch the truth, and talk unnecessary words.   I am guilty.   We all misrepresent God.   But the more we learn to represent God with our words, the more control we will find for our lives.

It all begins with our words.   Let God tame your tongue.

Amen.