The Book of James Week Three Lesson Four

“A Single Spark”

   “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. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

   People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses 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? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”

 James 3:5-8

I live in Colorado and we often have forest fires, especially during a drought, They all have one thing in common. They are all started from a single source, a spark, be it a match or a lightening strike. It doesn’t take long for the fire to spread destroying everything in its path.

Read James 3:5-8. How does James describe the tongue?

Why can’t the tongue be tamed?

Even though the tongue is a small, seemingly insignificant part of the body, it, like a small spark, can destroy. It causes minds to change, feelings to be hurt, lies to be spread. When used for evil it can be produce disaster.

Read Proverbs 16:27. Who creates trouble?

How is their speech described?

The Hebrew word for “scoundrel” is “beliyya’al” and is the root word for “Belial” and stands for “Satan.” It means “worthless, scorn, distain.” When we use our tongues in a hurtful manner self-seeking manner, our speech is worthless, full of scorn and distain. 

Our words indicate the condition of our hearts. When we aren’t obedient to God, then we aren’t living in righteousness. Our words are opposed to the ways of our Master Jesus. It’s a dangerous place to reside. We must be careful in how we use our tongues.

Read Psalm 51:10-12. What is David’s prayer in this Psalm?

This Psalm was written as a result of King David being confronted by Samuel, a prophet of God, about the lies David told in order to cover up his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. David used his tongue for lies and now was using his tongue for praise.

A pure heart and a steadfast spirit from God are the only cure for a loose tongue. When we sin in our speech, we must go to God and ask the same thing David did. God’s Spirit is steadfast within each believer. The more we seek God, when we feel like we want to say something, asking Him for the go-ahead to speak or the will to keep from speaking, the easier it becomes to hold our tongues. It becomes a good habit.

Read James 3:9-12. What two things does James tell us comes out of our mouths?

1. 
   
2. 
   

John Bunyan has a character called Talkative in the book Pilgrim’s Progress. He describes Talkative like this, “He is a saint abroad and a devil at home.” That describes many of us. I know that I love the Lord and tend to show it easier to those outside the realm of those I love the most. At home I can be hard to live with at times, but to the rest of the world I can seem so very nice. How about you? Sound familiar?

I remember when my twins were growing up and I’d get them ready for church. In the winter months we’d have to bundle-up against the cold of South Dakota’s winters. Sometimes I would get really frustrated trying to get them and myself ready for to go.

Once, when I was struggling to zip Katie’s coat, the zipper got stuck. Through clinched teeth I said, “Come on you blasted zipper!” It happened almost every time I put her coat on. On one Sunday, I got the zipper stuck again and before I could say it little Katie blurted out, “Blasted zipper!” It struck me how my tongue was so angry at home and when we got to church it changed right into praise for God. What was I teaching my kids? 

It’s not uncommon. Everyone has this problem of being a devil at home and a saint abroad like the character Talkative. We go to church in the morning to praise and worship our Lord, but can cuss the guy out in the car in front of us for going too slow. How can two different things come from the same mouth? Let’s study the two aspects of the tongue that James talks about.

Praises to God

Read Psalm 103:1-6. Write out the benefits of God we should remember when we praise Him.

Godly people should remember the benefits we receive from God when we praise Him. We soon forget those benefits after we spend time praising Him. It takes effort and dependence on Him to keep our mind on Him. The more we do it, the more we think to praise Him instead of cursing others.

Curses of Men

Read Romans 12:14. What does Jesus teach us in this verse?

Godly people should not curse others. By cursing others we are actually asking God to bring His judgment and wrath down on them. We’re trying to use God as our weapon against those we are angry with. Jesus had words to say about this. He told us to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

Read Matthew 5:43-48. What saying does Jesus add to?

What does He add to it?

What happens when we do as Jesus says?

What are we to be?

How can we be perfect? The Greek word for “perfect” is “teleios” and means “that which  has been achieved, or reached its goal, purpose, complete.” We are being made perfect. Our objective is to reach the goal that Christ set as a perfect example. Being made perfect is a process and is learned through obedience to God by following Christ’s example.

In conclusion, how are we going to use our tongues? Are we going to depend on the Holy Spirit as we work at the perfecting of our faith? Are we willing to be saint in all areas of our lives as we walk by faith?

It is my prayer today that what I say will bring praise and honor to Jesus and not curses on others. I can’t do it on my own, but have to fully rely on Him for the power to live as He requires me to as His child. How about you? Are you ready to rely on Him and not on yourself when it comes to using your tongue? Without Him it is impossible. With God all things are possible.