Sunday
09/12/21 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Taming the Tongue!”
(“The Book of James” - Series: Part 2 of 4)
Old Testament Scripture: Proverbs 1:20-33
New Testament Scripture: James 3:1-12
Gospel Lesson: Mark 8:27-38
Last Sunday, as some of you may
remember, I started a sermon series on the Book of James. As I said last
Sunday, the Book of James is a challenging book of scripture. The Apostle James,
the brother of the Apostle John pulls no punches, and tells us all very boldly
and directly how Christians are supposed to live. The Book of James is book of
scripture that should convict us to turn from our sin and to be better. To be
more like Jesus.
In our reading for last Sunday, we were given James
2:1-17 once again. In this reading, James addressed the topic of “Faith and
Works”. James told us that “faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:17). Meaning,
if we know Christ, if we have been transformed by Christ, is this reflected in
our daily living? Are we doing good works because we want to, versus stacking
them up like a bank account to get us into heaven? All we need is faith in
Christ for salvation, eternity, heaven, but doing good works is a measure of
our faith in Christ and our love of our neighbors.
Since I preached at Unadilla UMC last Sunday, Georgia
Baker, who is on our Sauce and Cross praise team and a member of Unadilla UMC
asked me if I was really preaching on the Book of James this whole month.
Georgia asked me this because she is preaching this morning at the Unadilla
UMC. I told her “Yes, I am preaching on the Book of James this whole month”.
Then she said, “Not me that’s too hard!” She is not wrong!
This morning from our Book of James reading we hear
once again about the dangers of our tongues. Not just that we have tongues, but
what we can saw with our tongues. Our tongues can do a lot of good, and they
can do a lot of bad.
In our Book of Proverbs reading for this morning once again, Proverbs 1:20 says:
20 Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice (Prov. 1:20, NRSV).
Do we share wisdom with
our tongues, or do we do the opposite? I was not too excited about giving this
sermon this morning in a way, because I don’t know if you know this about me or
not, but I talk a lot. I will pause for a moment so you can all take that this
shocking revelation in, as the idea that I talk a lot is probably a hard thing
for you to hear about me! I know, I am sure that Melissa is surprised right now
to!
You see, I am an extreme
extrovert. If I am not careful, I will interrupt you when you’re talking, and I
will likely say the first thing that come to my mind. I know I know, you are no
doubt very shocked to hear this! In fact, in one of my seminary classes the
teacher told me that I was only allowed to ask three questions per class. I am
talker, and sometimes I talk before, I think. Sometimes this has even caused me
to have the rare disorder called “Foot in Mouth Disorder”.
So
let us hear the very stinging and convicting words from the Book of James for
this morning once again starting in James 3:1, which says:
3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4 Or look at ships: though 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. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits (Jas. 3:1-5, NRSV).
Our tongues are small,
but they can do a lot of good, and they can do a lot of damage. I am talker, a
chatterer, and I need to control my tongue more. How about all of you? Do you
need to “Tame your Tongue?” Many of us have heard statements like, “If you have
nothing good to say, then don’t say anything at all”! Or “You can catch
more flies with honey than vinegar”. My favorite of course is “Sticks
and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt me”.
My mom was at a Christian
women’s conference once, and the speaker challenged the idea that “words will
never hurt me”. In fact, this speaker said, “words wound”. I have said things
in my life that I regret, have you? I have been forgiven and I have forgiven myself,
but the tongue is powerful little thing right inside of our mouths. Continuing
on from James 3:5b it says:
How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell (Jas. 3:5b-6, NRSV).
Do you understand now
why some pastors and priests don’t like to preach out of the Book of James? It
is a tough book of scripture, and it calls us all out our sins, our flaws, and our
brokenness. The Book of James calls us to repent of our sins and live and love more
like Jesus. I am sure as we are all thinking right now that we can all remember
things that we have said that maybe looking back we now regret. Maybe we were
scared, exhausted, or stressed, and we said things that we should not have. We
have all done it. The Apostle James tells us that we all on some level need “Taming
of the Tongue!”
Let us finish reading
through our Book of James reading for this morning from James 3:7-12 once
again, which says:
7 For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh (Jas. 3:7-12, NRSV).
The Apostle James does
not pull any punches, or as your mother and father used to say, “Watch your
mouth young man!” or “Watch you mouth young lady!” Anyone ever heard
that line before? How about, “As long you live under this roof you will
follow our rules and show us some respect!” Or for me my mother said when I
was kid, “So Paul you are saying that you didn’t eat the Doritos, but the empty
Doritos bag is in your garbage can, and your fingertips are orange”? I said, “Yes
mom that is correct!” I fessed up pretty quick after that!
You know the older I
get, I want to show people the love, mercy, and compassion of Jesus. I want to
tell them the truth, and sometime the truth can cut and sting. Yet the truth
can still be told in love. I don’t know about you all, but I need “Taming” of “the
Tongue” sometimes! Do you? Someone in the gospels who definitely needed “Taming”
of “the Tongue” was the Apostle Peter. The Apostle Peter was always blurting
out things and always trying to do what Jesus did, or sometimes even trying to tell
Jesus what to do. It never ended well.
Of all of the Apostles
that I think I am the most like, I am the most like the Apostle Peter. When
focused though when we “Tame our Tongues” God can use us. Someone can be punched,
slapped, kicked, but the tongue can also do a whole lot of damage, can it not?
The tongue takes wedding vows, the tongue communicates our inmost thoughts.
In looking briefly at
our gospel of Mark reading for this morning, Jesus inquires of his disciples who
others saying he is. In fact, starting in Mark 7:27 it says:
27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the
villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do
people say that I am?” 28 And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and
others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 He asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”
30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him (Mk. 7:27-29, NRSV).
The
Apostle Peter, as usual had no problem blurting out his thoughts. After this in
our gospel of Mark reading for this morning, Jesus, teaches us with his tongue,
what he will do, why, and what we must do as Christians. The gospel continues
on in Mark 7:31 saying of Jesus:
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son
of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief
priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this
quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and
looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For
you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
So again, the Apostle Peter just blurts
things out to Jesus. I am personally glad that I never just blurt things out!
The gospel reading for this morning then
concludes once again with Jesus teaching the crowd, with his tongue. Our gospel
lesson for this morning ends start in Mark 8:34 with:
34 He called the crowd with his disciples,
and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose
it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will
save it. 36 For
what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can
they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words
in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will
also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
(Mk. 8:34-38, NRSV).
Pretty
powerful words from the tongue of the Son of God, God in the flesh, the savior
of the world. How many of us have said powerful words that were both good and
not good? I do not know about you friends, but sometimes I need “Taming” of “the
tongue”. How about you? Amen.
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