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Proverbs 2:1-8
1 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure
my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to
understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for
understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her
as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the
LORD, And find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk
uprightly;
8 He guards
the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints.
Father God, our tongue is the most
evil member of our body, help us to control it through the power of the Holy
Spirit. Help us to walk in your Sons shadow! In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Book of James 3:1-9 NKJV
James starts this chapter out with a
warning to all that are teachers of God’s Word and then goes on to say the
tongue can reveal our true nature at times. Our tongue is a very small part of
our body, but ohhh what damage it can do.
1 My
brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a
stricter judgment.
My brethren, let not many of you
become teachers; James
is addressing his Jewish audience and warning them about being teachers. We can
assume that there were many teachers of God’s Word and more that wanted to be
teachers too. It is very possible that the Jewish people felt they were
qualified to teach because of their heritage and because they were given the
laws of the OT from God through Moses.
The
dangers of being a teacher of the Word is false teachings, people will be led
away from God and not to God. If a person isn’t led by the Holy Spirit of God
to teach, then the wrong interpretation can be taught. Many people feel they
are called by God to teach, but in reality it is their flesh that is telling
them to become a teacher. What drives this is probably the pride of life. A
person may be so anxious to serve the Lord they jump in and start teaching, but
make a terrible teacher. Another thing that happens when a person becomes a
teacher without the leading of the Holy Spirit is that they will stray away
from using the Bible to teach and use man made teaching material. Generally
speaking material put together by man will give the students a wrong point of
view of God’s Word. Many times the material caters to the fuzzy warm feeling of
a human being and avoids the consequences of living a sinful lifestyle of the
world.
So
James addresses this issue of being a teacher 2,000 years ago and it still
applies today. There are many teachers, preachers, and priest of today that
shouldn’t be teaching because they were not chosen to be teachers. They have
gained their knowledge through books and not the Holy Spirit. Just turn on the
TV and you will see that the majority are teaching a different gospel than the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Knowing that we shall receive a
stricter judgment; Here
is the warning from James, anyone that teaches the Word of God will have a much
stricter judgment one day when they stand before Jesus on judgment day. Anyone
that teaches God’s precepts had better be teaching the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth. If they teach something other than what the Bible
states they are leading people away from God and toward humanity and worldly
things no matter how good it sounds, and God does not look kindly on that.
Did
you know this verse (James 3:1) was in the Bible? How many times have you heard
you Pastor, Minister, or Priest say something like this; God holds me
accountable for this flock; being a leader of this church is my responsibility
to lead your souls in the right direction toward Heaven; when I stand before
Jesus one day I will be judged according to a different standard than you? When
was the last time the leader of your church taught on end time event
(Revelations), or is it only on the love of God and not His condemnation? I
have heard my pastor teach on these things many times because it is his duty to
present the good and the bad. He was called to be a pastor; he didn’t decide to
be a pastor to make a living out of it like so many do. If your church leader
always gives the good side of the Bible, then you need to ask yourself if you
are in the right church.
You
ask, how do we know you were and are led by the Holy Spirit to do these Bible
Studies. This is what happened: I was saved in 2008, I thank Jesus, and
sometime in 2009 this thought kept coming up in my mind to do Bible studies and
put them out by email and the internet. Whenever the thought came up I just blew
it off thinking it was my flesh and saying I can’t do that I’m not smart enough
to do it. I even tried to convince a couple Christian Brothers to do it since
they were seasoned Christians, but they had no desire to do it. These thoughts
went on in my head for about nine months with me always blowing them off.
Finally after my sister’s death in April of 2010 the voice within me became so
loud I finally recognized it as the Holy Spirit and commenced doing them in May
2010. So yes I am led to do these and yes the Holy Spirit convicts me when I
try to print something that is of my flesh. I study the Bible and back up my
interpretation with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, two rock solid
commentaries, and seasoned pastors and brothers. I don’t use any other man
printed material or psychology, because I take verse one (James 3:1) very
seriously and want to teach the “Bible” truth.
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.
For
we all stumble in many things;
This phrase is telling us that we all stumble in sin and failure, even among
Believers. There is no perfection in the choicest of God’s children, only His
Son. The Bible doesn’t teach sinless perfection; however, it definitely does
teach that sin will not have dominion over us. Paul tells us that in Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for
you are not under law but under grace. If we make Jesus and His death and Resurrection the
object of our faith, then we give the Holy Spirit the latitude to work within
us through the process of sanctification. Again Paul teaches in Romans how
proper faith in the Cross we are justified and sanctified. Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit. 2 For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and
death. Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus
from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give
life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 6:3–14
If anyone does not stumble in word, he
is a perfect man, able also to
bridle the whole body;
James
is saying here if our words are perfect then the rest of our body actions, or
conduct will be perfect. He also says in verse 8 that the tongue cannot be
tamed which is true. The key word in this phrase is “if”, but being a human
being with the inherited sin nature in our DNA, it is impossible to harness the
tongue. Although we might make improvements in our speech, it will never be
perfect speech. If we listen very closely to what a person says, we will know
what type of relationship they have with Jesus, whether they are saved or not
because what is in the heart is portrayed through the lips.
It
isn’t just what we say it also involves what we don’t say at times. To speak
wisely we must say the right words at the right time and know what not to say
at the right time. Examples of an untamed tongue include gossiping, putting
others down, bragging, manipulating, false teaching, exaggerating, complaining,
flattering, lying, boasting, etc. So before we speak we need to ask ourselves;
Is what I’m about to say true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Who will benefit
from my words me (pride) or others? Will my words project the light of Jesus
and the Kingdom of God?
3 Indeed,
we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole
body.
This
verse goes right along with verse 2 meaning that if we could control our speech
then we could control our being/soul and be perfect also. By putting a bit in a
horse’s mouth the person in control of the reins can turn, stop, and get the
horse to do what he desires. But we can’t because of the fall of mankind
through Adam and Eve, therefore we need Jesus in our life for eternal life. Our
mouth should obey us and not us following along what comes out of our mouth. If
we claim to be Christians, then we are to follow the Spirit of God and not the
spirit of the Devil (sin nature).
Another
way of expressing this concept of control is this: a rider or carriage driver
controls the horse through the bit; if we will submit to Jesus, the Holy Spirit
will hold the reins of the bit in our mouth.
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.
This
verse is another example by James to compare something so small that controls
something great and that is what the tongue does to us. Just as a ships pilot
has control of the small rudder to navigate where the ship goes, we also need
the Holy Spirit to pilot our rudder (tongue), then we, like a ship will journey
through this life here on earth and dock in Heaven. We have to learn to control
our tongue by listening to the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit we don’t
have a chance because of our fallen nature.
5 Even so
the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a
little fire kindles!
Rephrasing
this verse it would read: In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that
makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.
Even so the tongue is a little member;
Meaning our tongue is
a small part of our body, but can exert great power and influence.
And boasts great things; Boasts great things can pertain to
good and bad, but James is referring to sin here. If our tongue would boast of
the Kingdom of God and the Gospel it would be a very good thing, in fact it
would be good works, but because of the sin nature, probably the majority of
time it boasts of self and worldly things and we don’t even recognize the fact.
See how great a forest a little fire
kindles; Here is another
analogy of the damage our tongue can do toward our salvation. We all know that
it only takes one small uncontrolled spark to set a forest on fire and to
waste. Our tongue will do the same to our soul if it is not controlled and send
us to the Lake of Fire. Families, church families, organizations can and have
all fallen victim to the tongue. One uncontrolled tongue can destroy in seconds
what a lifetime has built. Once the words have left the lips it is too late to
call them back. We have all been in those situations and suffered consequences
as a result of our words. You know the saying, open mouth and insert foot!
6 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.
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; This phrase is speaking of the tongue in
a negative way. The tongue can be as destructive as a fire. The tongue in some
way is responsible for the iniquity of the world. What a sobering thought, but
true if you really think about what is going on in the world today. Children
are taught from an early age what to believe and when taught lies and deception
it turns in to hate when they get older. The tongue's wickedness has its source
in hell itself, look at what is going on in the Middle East. Note: Did you know
there are public schools across the US that are teaching Muslim beliefs? Providing
prayer mats and the like!
The tongue is so set among our members
that it defiles the whole body; This
phrase refers to the various appendages of our physical body, such as fingers,
toes, hands, feet, etc. The tongue has far more capacity to do damage than
anything else about us as a human being.
Based
on scripture we all know that all evil proceeds from the heart, but have you
ever considered that the undisclosed things of the tongue is the heart? Have
you ever thought that the word “tongue” actually refers to our thoughts, to our
inward desires, to our imaginations, and in a very real sense to ourselves? What
James is implying here goes much deeper than the physical sense when the word “tongue”
is stated, he is referring to what lies in our heart.
Have
you ever thought about the fact that when you think silently you are conversing
with yourself? In other words you are “tonguing” your thoughts over in your
mind. Silent conversations with our tongue can cause us to toy with temptation
and when left unchecked will lead to sin or cause others to sin. It can also defile
our body and lead to health issues in some instances.
And sets on fire the course of nature;
What this phrase is
saying is our tongue can set things into motion good or bad, but James is
speaking of bad here. The words of a Believer carry exceptional power, whether
in the positive or negative sense. Actually, according to what James says here,
and the Word of God tells us in general, the words of a Believer in some
respect, carries creative life in a spiritual realm.
And it is set on fire by hell; This presents the idea that what
causes the tongue to do so much evil derives its origin from Hell. The world of
wickedness, of falsehood, of slander and blasphemy, seems to inspire the
tongue. Hell implies destructive power!
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.
These
are quite the verses, we can tame all of God’s creatures, but we cannot control
our tongue. This is why we need Jesus in our life as our Saviour. By the power
of the Holy Spirit within a Believer, the tongue can be brought under control,
but from time to time that old tongue still comes alive and causes havoc
resulting in the Believer going to their prayer closet and repenting of their
actions and asking God to forgive them.
9 With it
we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in
the similitude of God.
James
points out here just as I did in the previous verses, the tongue cannot be
trusted and has to be kept under check constantly. When we curse men, which
refers to wishing them hurt, we are cursing God in a sense. To curse the
Creation is to curse the Creator. Have you ever thought about that?
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All
things were created through Him and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Bill
Wiesbrock https://www.facebook.com/bill.wiesbrock?ref=tn_tnmn
The
Lighthouse Full Gospel Church
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you
believe it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord
Jesus I know I am a sinner. I confess my
sins to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a
sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness. I believe that only you can forgive sin. I commit my life to you and ask you to come
into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.” (John 3:16,17;
Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1
John 5:11-14; 1:6-10) (Sin: Rom.
1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-7)
