THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON IN THE WORLD
James 3:1-12

“Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness.
We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every way. We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn around wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is aflame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty pool.”

History of wars…. (man-to-man combat, spears, single shot rifles, cannons, automatic rifles, atomic bomb during the WW 11, missiles, nuclear bombs, biological weapons)
According to Apostle James, the most powerful weapon in the world is – the TONGUE.
The power of speech is one of the greatest powers God has given us. With the tongue, man can praise God, pray, preach the Word, and lead the lost to Christ. But with that same tongue he can tell lies that could ruin a man’s reputation or break a person’s heart.

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The power of speech is one of the greatest powers God has given us. With the tongue, man can praise God, pray, preach the Word, and lead the lost to Christ. But with that same tongue he can tell lies that could ruin a man’s reputation or break a person’s heart.
In order to impress upon us the importance of controlled speech, and the great consequences of our words, James gives us six pictures of the tongue: the bit, rudder, fire, a poisonous animal, a fountain, and a fig tree.

THE POWER OF THE TONGUE:

I. THE POWER TO DIRECT: THE BIT AND THE RUDDER
“We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do” (3:2-5).
The person who is able to discipline his tongue gives evidence that he can control his whole body. He proves that he is a mature man.
James presents two items that are small of themselves, yet exercise great power, just like the tongue. They are small but terrible. A small bit enables the rider to control the great horse, and a small rudder enables the pilot to steer the huge ship. The tongue is a small member in the body, and yet it has the power to accomplish great things.
The bit and the rudder have the power to direct, which means they affect the lives of others. A runaway horse, or a shipwreck could mean injury or death to people.

OUR TONGUE HAS THE POWER TO DIRECT. IT CAN AFFECT PEOPLE’S LIVES FOR THE BETTER OR FOR THE WORSE.

“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise” PROVERBS 10:19.
“Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” PSALM 141:3.

II. THE POWER TO DESTROY: THE FIRE AND ANIMAL
“And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison” (3:6-8).

A. THE TONGUE IS LIKE A FIRE.
A fire can begin with just a small spark, but it can destroy a city. It can destroy houses. It can destroy lives. It can destroy dreams.
OUR WORDS CAN START FIRES.
“Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and tensions disappear when gossip stops. A quarrelsome man starts fight as easily as a match sets fire to paper” PROVERBS 26:20-21.
A hot head and a hot heart can lead to burning words that later we will regret.

“Speak when you are angry and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.”

FIRE BURNS AND HURTS, AND OUR WORDS CAN BURN AND HURT.
Fire spreads, and the more fuel you give it, the faster and farther it will spread. A person’s entire life can be injured or destroyed by the tongue. We may confess our sins of speech, but the fire keeps on spreading.

THE WORDS WE SPEAK HAVE THE POWER TO DESTROY. THEY CAN BREAK HEARTS AND RUIN REPUTATIONS. THEY CAN ALSO
DESTROY SOULS BY SENDING THEM INTO ETERNITY WITHOUT CHRIST.

B. THE TONGUE IS ALSO LIKE A DANGEROUS ANIMAL.
Animals in the zoo are beautiful attractions. But let them out and they are capable of doing great damage, and even killing. Poisonous tongues do just the same. Would you turn hungry lions or cobras in your homes? In your classroom? In your office? In your churches? Of course not! But we let loose our tongues and they accomplish the same results.
Animals can be tamed. Fire can be tamed. The tongue cannot be tamed by man, but it can be tamed by God.
“Let you conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt” COLOSSIANS 4:6.
The important thing, of course, is the heart; for it is “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” MATTHEW 12:34.



III. THE POWER TO DELIGHT: THE FOUNTAIN AND TREE
“Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Can you pick olives from a fig tree or fig from a grapevine? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty pool” (3:9-12).

A. THE TONGUE IS LIKE A FOUNTAIN.
The fountain, of course, provides the cool water that man needs to stay alive. Man needs water not only for drinking, but also for washing, cooking, farming, and a host of other activities so necessary to life.
WATER IS LIFE-GIVING, AND OUR WORDS CAN GIVE LIFE.
“A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook (stream, river)” PROVERBS 18:4.
“The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life” PROVERBS 10:11.
However, if water is not controlled, it brings death and destruction (Tsunami, flash floods, typhoons). In the same way, if our words are not controlled, it can cause death.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue” PROVERBS 18:21.

B. THE TONGUE IS ALSO LIKE A TREE.
Trees are very important because they give us oxygen; they help to hold down the soil; they provide beauty and shade; and they bear fruit.
OUR WORDS CAN HELP TO SHELTER AND ENCOURAGE A WEARY FRIEND, PERSON, AND CAN FEED A HUNGRY SOUL.
“The lips of the righteous feed many” PROVERBS 10:21.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Think of it this way: Death words destroy, hurt, create hateful and humiliating feelings. Life words build and increase strength of character. They lift spirits. They center on the truth, therefore they set the person free who would otherwise be in bondage.
Would you like a brief definition of encouragement? According to Chuck Swindoll it is “courage transfusion.” Every time we encourage someone, we give them a transfusion of courage. And only those who are excited about life can transfer courage. People who are unforgiving, critical, fighting, and uncertain about their own self-image, can’t do that.

HOW TO BE AN ENCOURAGER?
· Talk less so you can feel more.
· Be sensitive to the timing.
· Watch your wording.
· Do everything in your power not to judge.
· Examine your motive.
· Guard against sarcasm.

But James issued a warning: a fountain cannot give two kinds of water, and a tree cannot bear two different kinds of fruit.

IF THE TONGUE IS INCONSISTENT, THERE IS SOMETHING RADICALLY WRONG WITH THE HEART.

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” EPHESIANS 4:29.
“Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes- these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God” EPHESIANS 5:4.
“So put away falsehood and ‘tell your neighbor the truth’ because we belong to each other” EPHESIANS 4:25.
Satan is called the ‘father of lies.’ THE PERSON WHO IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE HABIT OF LYING IS NOT A CHRISTIAN. Revelation 21:8 declares that all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire.
Yet Christians lie and often with great ease. We lie because we fear the consequences of the truth. We lie to cover up our sins and we make further lies to cover up the first one.
There are other ways we lie besides direct distortions. We lie when we fail to keep our word. When we say we will do something and then not do it, we lie. When we say we will not do something and then do the very thing we say we would not do, we lie. The missed appointment. The pledge that isn’t paid. We promised to pay on this particular day, but did not. This sort of thing occurs regularly. White lies, half-truths are lies, nonetheless.
Perhaps the worst and most damaging lie we speak is not the lie we say to someone, but the lie we speak about someone. This is slander or false witness that is forbidden explicitly by the ninth commandment:
“Do not testify falsely against your neighbor” EXODUS 20:16.
THIS IS THE LIE THAT STEALS A PERSON’S REPUTATION AND DESTROYS HIS OR HER NAME.
And that is the favorite sport of Satan – bringing false accusation against the people of God.
For the Christian, we must understand that it is far better to be lied to than to lie,
to suffer broken promises to us than to break them, and to be slandered than to slander. We are to pursue the truth and not give place to falsehood.
The tongue that blesses the Father, and then curses men made in the image of God and tell lies, is in desperate need of spiritual medicine. How easy it is to sing hymns during the worship service, then criticize the singer, the pastor, or the dress of someone on the way home. This is not right!
BUT THE PROBLEM, OF COURSE, IS THE HEART. AS WE FILL OUR HEARTS WITH GOD’S WORD, AND YIELD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE CAN USE US TO BRING DELIGHT TO OTHERS, AND WE WILL BE REFRESHING FOUNTAINS AND TREES.
There are words that when you say from your heart, they can bless others:

PLEASE…
THANK YOU…
I’M SORRY…
I LOVE YOU…
I’M PRAYING FOR YOU…