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their Bibles to James 1. James 1, I mentioned at the AGM, 
instead of a strict exposition of the entire book, we're going 
to look at it thematically. Tonight, our focus specifically 
is on James 1.26, but I do want to begin reading in James 1.19. So then, my beloved brethren, 
let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, 
for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of 
God. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, 
and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able 
to save your souls. But be doers of the word and 
not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of 
the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural 
face in a mirror. For he observes himself, goes 
away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But 
he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues 
in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, 
this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you 
thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives 
his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled 
religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and 
widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the 
world. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for the written word. Again, we need the ministry 
of the Holy Spirit to put it into our hearts, our minds, our 
thoughts. Help us, God, to apply these 
things in our lives and grant us the grace to truly evidence 
the saving faith that you have wrought in our hearts. We pray, 
God, that you would cause us to realize the necessity to pursue 
those things that are pleasing in your sight. And with reference 
to the tongue, God, as James describes it, it is a powerful 
influence in the life of men and women. So grant us grace 
to bridle it, grant us help and strength to bridle it, so that 
we may indeed use our mouths, use our words in a way that brings 
glory to God and edification to the people of God. Again, 
we pray, forgive us for our sins and for our transgressions, and 
we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as we have 
seen in our studies in Matthew's gospel, those works that are 
surveyed by the Lord on the day of judgment give evidence or 
manifest the reality of the faith present or the faith absent. 
Those acts of charity reflect those who had indeed believed 
the gospel, who had indeed come to Christ by grace through faith 
in Him. So those works follow as a consequence, 
not as a condition of salvation, but rather as a consequence. 
They had been saved and therefore they had lived accordingly. With 
reference to those who did not have those acts of charity, they 
didn't visit, they didn't serve, they didn't feed, they didn't 
clothe, they didn't give drink and all those sorts of things, 
that was proof that they had no saving faith in their hearts. 
I've often referred to James in our studies there in Matthew 
25. But we do need to appreciate that James does not teach a different 
way of salvation. Roman Catholicism, for instance, 
favors the book of James because they think therein is faith plus 
works in order to be saved. In fact, the history of interpretation, 
the history of theological commentary, you see this debate concerning 
Paul and James and can they be reconciled. Well, certainly they 
can be, and the Bible that sets forth the reality that we're 
saved by grace through faith unto good works, that Bible sets 
it forth through Paul, and it does equally as well through 
James. Notice in James 1.18. James 1.18, 
he highlights sovereign grace in the matter of salvation. He 
says, of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth 
that we might be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Very similar 
to Paul in Romans 9.16. It does not depend upon him who 
wills or upon him who runs, but on God who shows mercy. So it's 
God who brings us forth, and this is precisely what James 
says. James acknowledges the reality of a profession of faith, 
a confession of faith. Notice in James 2.1, my brethren, 
do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of 
glory, with partiality. James' purpose is to come to 
those who have professed saving faith and yet They have no works 
demonstrable of that saving faith. In the language of Thomas Manton, 
he says, in this whole discourse, the apostle's intent is to show 
not what justifies, but who is justified. In Paul's sense, a 
sinner is absolved. In James's sense, a believer 
is approved. I have cited at least frequently 
2nd London Confession of Faith, 11.2. Faith thus receiving and 
resting on Christ and His righteousness is the alone instrument of justification, 
yet it is not alone in the person justified. That's James' point. Yet it is not alone in the person 
justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces." 
In other words, the faith that justifies is the faith that will 
be demonstrated through sanctification. The confession then goes on with 
a particular hat tip to James saying, and is no dead faith, 
but worketh by love. So as we focus tonight on verse 
26, the necessity to bridle the tongue, we ought to appreciate 
the larger context it finds itself in. Notice specifically, James 
highlights the necessity to receive the Word of God. He does this 
in verses 21 to 25. He says that we are to lay aside 
all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness 
the implanted Word, which is able to save your soul. So we 
are to receive the Word of God. This then involves obedience 
to the Word. How do we know we've received 
the Word? If we obey the Word. Somebody says, I received the 
Word, but they don't obey the Word. They didn't receive the 
Word. You tell somebody to do a particular 
task, and they don't do the particular task, you cannot suggest to me 
that they have received the command. James says, be doers of the Word 
and not hearers, only deceiving yourselves. He then illustrates 
this principle with a man who looks into the mirror and then 
forgets what he looks like. I mean, simply ludicrous. For 
someone to, you know, comb their hair, standing in the mirror, 
walk away, and if somebody says, what do you look like? Well, 
I don't know. I can't remember. Well, it's the same sort of thing 
with somebody who professes saving faith, receives the word, but 
is not a doer of that word. Note the contrast specifically 
then set up. There is a man who not only looks 
into this law of liberty, but he continues in it. Notice in 
verse 25, but he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and 
continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, 
this one will be blessed in what he does. So it's evident. James 
is dealing with persons that profess saving faith in Jesus 
Christ, but perhaps are not living in a consistent manner with that 
profession. Now, when we get to verses 26 
and 27, essentially what we have are three practical applications 
to demonstrate what a doer of the Word looks like. In other 
words, you're supposed to receive the Word, you're supposed to 
be a doer of the Word. and here in three concrete applications. It's not exhaustive. Any more 
than Jesus' statement on the Day of Judgment is exhaustive. 
There's more to Christianity than just feeding people or clothing 
people or helping people. Certainly that's a vital component, 
but there's a whole lot more to it. These are examples. They're 
not exhaustive lists. And the same is true here. He 
gives us three particular applications. with reference to the bridling 
of the tongue, with reference to pure and undefiled religion 
in terms of visiting orphans and widows, and with reference 
to keeping oneself unspotted from the world. A particular 
commentator named Dale Allison says that verses 26 and 27 are 
a succinct threefold characterization of authentic religion. Such religion 
involves measured speech, requires social action, and entails separation 
from the world. It is the antithesis of sham 
religion that fails to control the tongue, shuns unfortunates, 
and assimilates itself to the world. So that's sort of the 
backdrop. Let's look specifically now at 
verse 26. And I want to do three things 
tonight. First, note the person identified. Secondly, the problem identified. And then thirdly, the particulars 
identified. In the first place, the person 
identified. This is a professing Christian. 
Again, James's point. He's not dealing with pagans. 
He's not dealing with heathens. He's not dealing with the Buddhists 
and the Muslims. He is dealing with those in the midst of God's 
people who think they are indeed religious. And James' use of 
religious here is an appropriate use. Religion has gotten a bad 
sort of name over the last few years. We hear things like, it's 
not about a religion, it's about a relationship. It is a religion. Christianity is a religion. There's 
nothing wrong with identifying it as one. It's the true religion, 
and we ought not to shrink back from declaring that. And that's 
James' point. If anyone among you thinks he 
is religious, so this man thinks he is a Christian. He thinks 
he is a believer. He thinks things are well with 
his soul. He has made a profession of faith, 
but as we move through the verse, he doesn't bridle the tongue. 
Notice, a true Christian is one already described by James. He 
receives the word. He's a doer of the word. He's 
not like that forgetful man that looks in the mirror, walks away 
and then forgets what he looks like. Rather, he who looks into 
the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a 
forgetful hearer but a doer of the word. This one will be blessed 
in what he does. And this true Christian, this 
true believer, this one who possesses saving faith will, in fact, bridle 
his tongue. He will engage in the pure and 
undefiled religion of verse 27. He'll visit the widows and orphans 
in their distress, and he will keep himself unspotted from the 
world. So we're dealing with a professing 
Christian in this particular situation. Now, the relevance 
to the tongue. Why does he single out the tongue? 
Why does James revisit the tongue in chapter 3 and in chapter 4? Because it's a vital demonstration 
of what lay in the heart. Specifically, Matthew 12, 34, 
Jesus upbraids the religious leaders of his time, and he says, 
for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So in other words, our tongue 
is a very good indicator of what lay in our heart. If our tongues 
are full of gossip and full of slander and full of backbiting 
and full of profanity and full of vulgarity and all those sorts 
of things, that's a good indicator that something's not right with 
our heart. There is a close connection between the heart and the tongue. 
Notice the subtlety involved with the tongue. It's an amazing 
reality that we're quick to condemn those who engage in those sort 
of more flagrant and open and vile sins, and yet sins of the 
tongue go grossly undealt with in our own day and age. John 
Calvin made this observation. It was needful that this vice 
should be condemned, this misuse of the tongue, when the subject 
was the keeping of the law. For they who have put off the 
grosser vices are especially subject to this disease. He who 
is neither an adulterer, nor a thief, nor a drunkard, but, 
on the contrary, seems brilliant with some outward show of sanctity, 
will set him off by defaming others. and this under the pretense 
of zeal, but really through the lust of slandering. Now I think 
as James addresses the tongue here with reference to the church 
today, there's a peculiar danger involved for us, or a challenge 
perhaps. The tendency is for most of us 
to prioritize sins. You hear it, well I don't commit 
adultery, I don't commit murder, I don't rob banks, I don't do 
those nasty sorts of things, but Gossip is somehow okay. Slander is somehow okay. Backbiting 
is somehow okay. Answering a matter before you 
hear it is okay. The first to plead his cause 
seems right till his neighbor comes and examines him. Just 
jettisoning that from our very existence is somehow okay. He 
who answers a matter before he has heard it is hasty and foolish. That's somehow okay. As long 
as I'm not committing adultery, as long as I'm not committing 
murder, as long as I'm not robbing banks or manufacturing methamphetamine 
or smoking crack, then I'm okay. James says no, he doesn't say 
here's a concrete practical application in terms of your profession of 
faith, that you're not out visiting prostitutes, that you're not 
out robbing banks, that you're not out doing those notoriously 
sinful things. No, this is a concrete application 
and a demonstration of genuine faith. Do you or do you not bridle 
your tongue? Do you or do you not engage in 
self-control? Or do, may I say, tongue control? There is a danger here because 
at times, it seems, we recognize what adultery and what murder 
are. But the tendency to ignore danger 
when only gossip and slander are engaged in. There are two 
specific commandments in the Decalogue targeting the tongue. The third, you shall not blaspheme 
the Lord your God. And the ninth, you shall not 
bear false witness against a neighbor. The same decalogue that condemns 
murder, that condemns adultery, that condemns theft, that same 
decalogue that condemns Sabbath-breaking and idolatry, condemns in a two-fold 
way the misuse of the tongue. Why in the world do we not deal 
as strictly with persons who gossip or with backbiters or 
slanderers as we would with a man who admits to using crack cocaine? It's probably because we have 
accepted this idea that some sins are specifically bad or 
worse than others. And because we all sin with the 
tongue, We don't want to ever bother anyone else with any kind 
of a meddlesome attitude. So the person identified is a 
professing Christian. The particular relevance involved 
is that the tongue displays what's going on in the heart. Now note 
the problem. Well, what James highlights, 
if anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle 
his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is 
useless. Now, the metaphor employed, this 
is pretty powerful, isn't it? I'm not an equestrian. I think 
that's the proper use of the term. I don't really care about 
horses. I mean, they're nice, they're 
majestic, wonderful beasts. But this metaphor, simile rather, 
you know, speaks multitudes to me. You don't have to be a horse 
lover to know what James is talking about here, right? The bit and 
bridle, we need to harness that power. We need to subdue that 
power. We need to make it go from that 
place where it's running around frantically, kicking everything 
in its way, put the bit and bridle upon it so that we can subdue 
it and control it. Now this is a similar situation 
to what we find in James 3. Notice in verses 2 and 3. 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. 
Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths, that they may obey us, 
and we turn their whole body." The Old Testament background 
seems to be the Psalter, Psalm 32. Psalm 32, remember James 
knew the Old Testament better than you and I probably ever 
will. Psalm 32, specifically in verse 
9, do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no 
understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, 
else they will not come near you. And then again in 39, 1 
and 2. Psalm 39, one and two. I said 
I will guard my ways lest I sin with my tongue. I will restrain 
my mouth with a muzzle while the wicked are before me. I was 
mute with silence. I held my peace even from good 
and my sorrow was stirred up. Now it's a very powerful figure 
of speech that is employed because it's a very powerful organ in 
the body of a man or a woman that has the potential for doing 
great harm. So, bit and bridle, harness and 
muzzle, those are appropriate terms when it comes to conquering 
this particular foe in our remaining corruption. Now, the obvious 
point, I don't think James suggests to go down to the local tack 
shop and actually buy a bridle and somehow fit it to your tongue. 
That's not the point. The man who professes faith in 
Christ must restrain his tongue. He must exercise tongue control. He must discipline his use of 
the tongue. You see, self-control, a fruit 
of the Spirit in Galatians 5, certainly involves the tongue. 
Alec Mottier, in his commentary on James, makes this observation. James does not call us to a silenced 
tongue, but to a bridled one. You see, the obvious response 
could be, I just won't ever say anything. That's an impossibility 
if you know how to talk. You ever play the quiet game 
with your kids? Oh, it lasts about three seconds, right? I 
don't know what it is. We as parents think that somehow 
this quiet game is going to ensure us hours of solitude. They get about three seconds 
in, and you just realize they were made to talk. That's their 
job. That's what they do. They just 
talk. See, that might be the obvious 
response to a passage like, well, I just won't say anything. Now, 
that's not a bad idea. We probably need to talk a whole 
lot less than we do. You know, the way that God made 
the human body reflects that we ought to listen twice as much 
as we speak. We've got two ears, we've got 
one mouth. That's the point in verse 19. So then, my beloved brethren, 
let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, 
for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of 
God. Physiologically, nature teaches us we ought to listen 
twice as much as we actually speak. But the response is not, 
well, I'll never talk again. Again, that might be an appropriate 
response, at least in a given scenario or in a given situation, 
but moter. James does not call us to a silenced 
tongue, but to a bridled one. The picture is vivid and realistic 
in the light of experience. As we shall yet hear James say 
in greater detail in chapter three, our tongues possess in 
themselves all the untamed vigor of a wild beast. and left to 
themselves, all their savage instincts will be given full 
play. They need, like wild horses, 
to be broken in and harnessed." That's what James is saying. 
Now I find it intriguing as well that James is a particularist. I believe that James was a particularist 
with reference to the atonement. I believe that James was certainly 
akin to the reality that Christ died for the elect. So when we 
use that word particular in Christian circles, we oftentimes refer 
to the atonement. But here I'm referring to James 
the particularist with reference to the individual. Note the text. If anyone among you thinks he 
is religious and does not bridle, his tongue. Not everybody else's. You and 
I are not the tongue police. We have enough to do to control 
our own, let alone try to control others. Now, that doesn't mean 
if your little one spouts out something nasty, you send him 
to the bathroom with a bar of soap. There's a bit of tongue 
control that we all ought to practice as parents. You see, 
James is concerned that we control our tongues, not everybody else's 
tongue. I think that this reflects what 
Solomon says in Proverbs 4. Keep your heart with all diligence, 
for out of it spring the issues of life. We want to keep everybody 
else's heart. We want to control everybody 
else's tongue. We want to fix the world around 
us, all the while our particular castle is crumbling to pieces. 
We have a full-time job bridling our tongues. We have a full-time 
task harnessing our tongues. We have our mission ahead of 
us, and we are not to be about controlling the tongue of everyone 
else. Now, that doesn't mean if your brother sins, you don't 
reprove him, you don't rebuke him. Certainly, I'm not suggesting 
that. But in terms of this bridling activity, it begins at home. It begins with the individual. 
It begins with each and every one of us. Now this problem, 
this situation, underscores a whole host of violation with reference 
to the tongue. Now obviously the ninth commandment 
forbids perjury and lying. But turn to the book of Proverbs. 
I always think Proverbs is a wonderful place to illustrate, especially 
James, because I think James has Proverbs oftentimes in the 
back of his mind. So we, of course, would acknowledge 
the ninth commandment in the Decalogue condemns perjury and 
lying, but the Scripture condemns backbiting and slander. Notice 
Proverbs 10.18. Proverbs 10.18, backbiting and 
slander. Whoever hides hatred has lying 
lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. So it condemns backbiting and 
slander. Notice in 25.23, 25.23, the north wind brings forth rain 
and a backbiting tongue and angry countenance. Turn to Romans 1. I mentioned earlier that at times 
we have this hierarchy of sin. As long as we're not murdering, 
as long as we're not committing adultery, as long as we're not 
robbing, everything's okay. But you see, the apostle doesn't 
do that here in his vice list in Romans chapter 1. Notice in 
verse 29, being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, 
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder. strife, 
deceit, evil-mindedness. They are whisperers, backbiters, 
haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, 
disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, 
unmerciful. You see, Paul doesn't have this 
hierarchy. Here's the real bad sins of the 
Gentiles, and here's the not-so-bad sins of the Gentiles. The scripture 
that forbids perjury and lying, vis-à-vis the ninth word, is 
the scripture that condemns backbiting and slander. Notice in 1 Corinthians 
6. First Corinthians chapter 6, 
specifically at verse 9, do you not know that the unrighteous 
will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither 
fornicators. We all agree, right? Nobody stumbles 
at fornication there because they realize that God demands 
purity, morality, sexual morality. So, neither fornicators, no surprise, 
they're idolaters. That's a gross sin against a 
holy God. He is a jealous God, so we are 
not surprised to read idolaters, nor adulterers. Obviously, the 
seventh word prohibits adultery. So, this is a fitting command 
or a fitting prohibition with reference to entering the kingdom. 
Nor homosexuals, nor sodomites. Well, of course, we don't believe 
they should inherit the kingdom of God. I mean, come on. And 
then thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, or extortioners will 
inherit the kingdom of God. Notice that word, revilers. It's 
a sin of the tongue, isn't it? Couched in between all of these 
gross acts of immorality, these things that we pray against, 
these things that we condemn. I mean, when was the last time 
we made a prayer for our nation with reference to, God, we don't 
want people to blaspheme anymore. God, we don't want people to 
slander. We don't want people to backbite. When was the last 
time we prayed that for our church or for ourselves? When was the 
last time we prayed in the tone of Psalm 141? Set a guard over 
my mouth. You see, I don't think we see 
how valuable this passage in James 1, 26 is and how difficult 
it is to maintain purity with reference to the use of the tongue. 
So the Scripture condemns perjury and lying, backbiting and slandering, 
as well gossiping and tailbearing. Go back to Leviticus 19. Gossiping 
and tail-bearing. When it comes to the whole matter 
of gossip, that's a good time to say silence is golden. Silence is best. Silence is the 
best course to pursue rather than opening my yap and destroying 
with my tongue one for whom Jesus died. Notice, in Leviticus 19.16, 
if a false witness rises against any man to testify against him 
of wrongdoing, then both men in the controversy shall stand 
before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve in those 
days, gossiping and tale-bearing. Notice in Proverbs 11, Proverbs 
chapter 11, specifically at verse 13. A tale 
bearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals 
a matter. Why in the world would we ever 
conclude that it's okay to reveal someone else's secrets? Why is 
that? Why do we play so loose with 
other people's lives as to reveal their secrets? It's just simply 
unconscionable. We would all stand up with a 
hearty amen to exclude a man from membership who is guilty 
of adultery. But when it comes to gossip, 
it's not so bad. Notice Proverbs 18.8. Proverbs 18.8, the words of a 
tailbearer are like tasty trifles and they go down into the inmost 
body. That's why. At some level, we 
want to hear it. At some level, we like to hear 
it. At some level, we respond to 
other people's calamity. That's why the news is so popular 
and why on the news, they don't advertise things or report things 
concerning well-adjusted, normal human beings who do what they're 
supposed to do. That's not exciting. We want 
to watch news about ill-adjusted, non-normal monsters that go about 
and do horrific things. We are given to such, aren't 
we? Notice Proverbs 20, verse 19. He who goes about as a tail-bearer 
reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with one who flatters 
with his lips." Solomon telling his sons, here's the end game 
for the tail-bearer, therefore stay away from them. Proverbs 
26.20. Proverbs 26, 20, where there 
is no wood, the fire goes out, and where there is no tail-bearer, 
strife ceases. As charcoal is to burning coals 
and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words 
of a tail-bearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into 
the inmost body. You see, brethren, these sins 
are condemned in the Scripture. The scripture also condemns hypocrisy, 
which is more often than not manifested in the use of our 
tongues. While you're in Proverbs, turn 
back to 11. Proverbs chapter 11, verse 9. The hypocrite with his mouth 
destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous will 
be delivered." Notice in Matthew 7, Matthew 7, this whole idea 
of that one who has a plank hanging out of his eye and he goes to 
correct the speck in the other person's eye, Jesus calls that 
man a hypocrite. First remove the plank from your 
own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from 
your brother's eye. And in our own passage in James 
chapter 3, specifically in verse 17. James 3.17, but the wisdom 
that is from above is pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to 
yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and 
without hypocrisy. So going back to James 1, we've 
seen the person identified as a professing Christian. The problem 
identified is that he has a big mouth. He has an unbridled tongue. He doesn't exercise that mandate 
to control his tongue. And then James shows the aggravation 
of this. Notice, he does not bridle his 
tongue, but deceives his own heart. You see, if what James 
is dealing with is a profession of faith, we have here a particular 
man who thinks all is well. We have here a man who thinks 
everything is good with his soul. He has made his profession of 
faith. He does some outward acts of religion. He engages in some 
moral sense of reform, but he does not bridle the tongue. He 
deceives his own heart. A profession of faith without 
the discipline of the tongue is to operate under the self-deception 
that one is well. 1 Corinthians 6, we already saw 
it, do not be deceived. This idea of deception is a reality 
within those who profess saving faith. If you profess saving 
faith in Christ and you are living in known sin, you're not repenting, 
you're not fighting against it. Now all of us, to one degree 
or other, have a difficult time bridling our tongue. Are we praying 
for God? Help me to put the bitten bridle 
in. Help me to harness it. Grant me a muzzle, Lord. Cause 
me to know when to shut my yap. Or are we just giving full abandon 
to our tongue and the misuse of it? That's what James is dealing 
with. He does not bridle his tongue, 
but deceives his own heart. Again, I think the man who commits 
adultery, the man who commits murder, the man who commits robbery, 
I think he can still delude himself into thinking that he's a Christian, 
but it's going to be a lot more difficult. Remember I talked 
about this whole hierarchy approach of sin. Well, I'm not a murderer, 
I'm not an adulterer, I'm not a robber. I just gossip or tailbear. Well, I think that a man who 
has that in him can fall prey to the same sort of thing. He 
may be an adulterer, he may be a murderer, and he may seek to 
salve his conscience and think that things are all well, but 
it's going to be a lot easier with this sin of the tongue. 
Because after all, we all do it, and it's so difficult. The 
man or a woman who is a slave to his or her lusts in the use 
of pornography and or adultery can no doubt deceive themselves 
that all is still well with their soul, though it's probably more 
difficult. I don't happen to know offhand 
any murderers or adulterers that profess faith in Christ. If I 
did, I'd ask them, isn't that difficult, to profess faith in 
Christ, knowing what you're guilty of? But the man or woman who 
does not bridle the tongue probably has a harder time realizing the 
nature of his or her self-deception. On the one hand, it's not as 
bold a sin as the other. I mean, face it, brethren, we 
all engage in the misuse of the tongue. We don't all engage in 
robbery and murder and adultery. We all engage, to at least some 
degree or other, in an unrighteous use of the tongue. become almost 
acceptable in the church today. I realize that's debatable and 
may seem outlandish, but consider Calvin's admonition. We must 
also close our ears against false and evil speaking. It's not just 
a sin of the tongue that's involved, it could be a sin of the ears 
that's involved. Imagine a man given to pornography 
and he says, I'm watching some despicable performance on my 
computer right now, would you like to join me? Of course we'd 
say no. But the gossip comes along, the 
tail bearer comes along, the back biter comes along and vomits 
out that mess into our laps. How do we respond? Do we shun it with the same sort 
of abhorrence we would if he was looking at internet porn, 
or do our ears go out with a degree of receptivity? This is why I 
suggest that in some sense, it's more acceptable to be a gossip, 
a backbiter, a tailbearer, and certainly an adulterer or a murderer. Now, notice James' assessment 
with reference to this particular fellow. If anyone among you thinks 
he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives 
his own heart, this one's religion is useless. The word translated 
useless means, get this, useless. You may profess saving faith 
in Jesus Christ. You may say that you had some 
experience. You may say that you were tutored 
under the feet of Gamaliel. But if you do not bridle your 
tongue, your religion is useless. The word could also be translated 
empty, nonproductive, dead, vain. Now it's intriguing that James 
uses the word vain, which is used in many Old Testament passages 
with reference to idolatry. Now just follow the thought here 
for a moment. In several places with reference 
to idolatry in the Old Testament, Leviticus 17.7, 1 Chronicles 
11.15, Jeremiah 2.5, Jeremiah 8.19, Jeremiah 10.3, Jeremiah 
10.15, Ezekiel 8.10, Hosea 5.11, Amos 2.4. The Old Testament translated 
into Greek was called the Septuagint or the LXX. Now the Greek translation 
of the Old Testament text at this particular point translates 
the word vain. Just like James says here, this 
one's religion is vain. This one's religion is vanity. This one's religion is empty. 
This one's religion is useless. This one's religion is dead. Douglas Mooth comments, the word 
translates a Greek word that is often used in scripture to 
characterize idolatry as vain or meaningless. The religion 
that people who do not control their speech have is no better, 
James suggests, than idolatry. This man's religion is useless. So we've seen the person identified, 
the problem identified, quickly the particulars identified. We'll 
jump over to James 3 for this with little to no comment. Note 
the tongue directs us. Chapter 3, verses 3 to 5. Indeed, 
we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we 
turn their whole body. 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. Even so, the 
tongue is a little member and boasts great things. You see 
the potential for evil there, directs us. Notice the tongue 
defiles the whole. Verse six, and the tongue is 
a fire, a world of iniquity, that it defiles the whole, I'm 
sorry, the tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the 
whole body and sets on fire the course of nature and is set on 
fire by hell. Notice that the tongue is an 
unruly evil in chapter three, verses seven to eight. I love 
his illustration here. for every kind of beast and bird 
of reptile and creature of the sea is tamed and has been tamed 
by mankind. You've seen that, right? You 
see those crazy people in, say, Florida that, you know, take 
their heads and put them in, you know, it's alligators in 
Florida, right? Crocodiles are down under, alligators 
are in Florida. But whatever they are, they've 
got these large, gaping jaws that are able to crush things. 
And you find that guy that, you know, puts his head in there 
and realizes that the alligator's not going to slam it. We can 
tame alligators. We can teach bears to dance at 
a circus. Persons can cozy up to full-grown 
lions. There was a particular job when 
I was stationed at an Air Force base in England called bird control. Do you know how they controlled 
birds? With hawks. They would have a hawk on their 
arm, and that hawk would go out and hunt other birds to keep 
them off the flight line so those birds wouldn't get sucked up 
by jet engines and ruin planes. I mean, we can train a hawk to 
land on our arm and to go kill other birds, or at least to rid 
us of them. The point that James is saying, 
you can train a cat to do things. We can't tame the taunt. That's 
really scary, isn't it? I think James 1.26 in this light 
ought to be received by us in a light that perhaps we haven't 
looked at before. Every kind of beast and bird, 
of reptile and creature of the sea is tamed and has been tamed 
by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil 
full of deadly poison. Notice as well, the tongue is 
a two-edged sword. Chapter 3, verses 9 to 12, with 
it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who 
have been made in the similitude or the likeness of God. You see, 
that's terrible. We'll stand here and we'll sing 
our praises to God, And then in the foyer or at the fellowship 
hall or in the parking lot will rip apart men who have been made 
in the image of God. James says, out of the same mouth 
proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought 
not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh 
water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, 
bear olives or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both 
salt water and fresh. And then notice the tongue asserts 
itself as a rival lawmaker. Notice in chapter 4, verses 11 
and 12, do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who 
speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother speaks evil 
of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you 
are not a doer of the law, but a judge. Therefore, there is 
one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to 
judge another? Now again, this doesn't keep 
us from encouragement and from exhortation and from assistance 
and help. But when we posit ourselves as 
rival lawmakers to the living God through a judgmental attitude 
of others, we have put ourselves in a very dangerous predicament 
because God brooks no rivals. There is to be no rival lawmaker 
asserting itself against the living and the true God. Well, 
in conclusion, I submit that this is a persistent problem. 
The church has those in our midst, all of us to some degree or other, 
who may demonstrate some degree of religious or outer religiosity, 
but we do not bridle the tongue. This is proof positive of those 
who have received the word, those who obey the word, vis-a-vis 
they are doers. They're not like the man who 
looks in the mirror, walks away and forgets what he looks like, 
but he looks into the law. Liberty continues in it. One 
of the practical concrete applications of that type of faith is the 
bridling of the tongue. Now, some practical helps. I'm 
always a bit, you know, reticent to do this because it almost 
sounds guru-ish. You know, follow these 10 easy 
steps, and there are 10, but it won't take long. Everybody 
just did a collective sigh, oh, 10 more things. It'll be quick. 
We can run through them quickly, but it's not in the spirit of 
a guru. Do these 10 things, and everything 
will be okay. You'll be living happily and joyfully ever after. But I realize that as God's people, 
it's important for us to try and make some concrete application. 
In the first place, the necessity of justification by grace alone 
through faith alone in Christ alone. In other words, we are 
never going to bridle the tongue unless we are born again. We're 
never going to set a muzzle on our mouths unless we have come 
to the cross. That is the great teacher. That 
is the great place, rather, that we learn. When we are saved by 
God, when we are conquered by God, when we are slaves to Jesus 
Christ, that means the man in his totality, thoughts, words, 
deeds, everything. ought to be, or is rather, conquered 
by our Lord. Secondly, the fear of God. We 
ought to be afraid to sin against God in this regard. We ought 
to tremble in fear at the thought of spreading something about 
somebody that either A, isn't true, or B, isn't anybody else's 
business. If it's not someone else's business, 
then don't include them. If your brother sins against 
you, go to him, not publicize it in the prayer meeting. Thirdly, 
the importance of self-examination. Now, I think it's always a possibility 
that in sermons like these, husbands might be thinking, well, I'm 
sure glad my wife's here to hear this. Or ladies will say, well, 
I'm sure glad my husband is here to hear this. Or somebody in 
the church, well, we're sure glad they attended the evening 
service tonight because, boy, They really need to hear this 
message. You know, all of us need to hear 
this message. Again, I'm not up here as a guru 
who has somehow mastered the tongue, and I'm just dripping 
wisdom upon all of you. We need to examine ourselves. We need to look at our lives. We need to ask the hard questions. 
Am I backbiting? Am I slandering? Am I gossiping? Am I lying? Am I a hypocrite? Fourth, the necessity of prayer 
in Scripture. You see, brethren, this can be 
said in every sermon, but it's something we undervalue. I suspect 
we undervalue it by the fact that we don't use the Bible as 
we ought. We're not reading it daily. We're 
not praying over its pages daily. We're not attending where the 
Bible is preached and taught. You know, we all say, oh, I love 
God's Word, I love my Bible. Would your Bible testify the 
same thing? Well, he never picks me up, he 
never looks at me, he never reads me, he never spends time with 
me. What about our prayer closets? If those walls could talk, what 
would they testify? He never prays, and when he does, 
he's certainly not praying for the bridle of his own dog. He 
wants everybody else's tongue to be bridled, to be sure, but 
with reference to himself, we just don't hear it as walls in 
a prayer closet. Obviously, walls in prayer closets 
can't speak, but you get the drift. Fifth, the necessity of 
dependence upon God. Go back to James 3.8 for just 
a moment. Well, verse 7, for every kind 
of beast and bird of reptile and creature of the sea is tamed 
and has been tamed by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of 
deadly poison. Now, the point of that passage 
is not to exasperate the people of God. Look at what he says, 
verse 8. We might feel a bit exasperated 
by that passage and say, well then, why should I even try? 
If James tells me in no uncertain terms, no man can tame the tongue, 
Next time I, you know, vomit gossip out on somebody and they're 
honest enough to say, you shouldn't do that, I'll just say, well, 
nobody can tame the tongue. It's an unruly evil. It's full 
of wickedness and depravity. The passage is not intended to 
exasperate the people of God, but to throw the people of God 
onto the arms of divine provision. In other words, if I can't tame 
the tongue, I know a God who can give grace to me to help 
tame the tongue. Not to exasperate, not to aggravate, 
not to make people say, well, I'm not even going to try, but 
rather to seek that one in whom there is help. See, the pathway 
to ending gossip, the pathway to ending tailbearing, the pathway 
to ending perjury or lies or hypocrisy or whatever it is, 
comes through the power of God. Sixth, we need to recognize the 
tongue's potential for evil. Back to Proverbs. The tongue's 
potential for evil. I'm sure that all of us have 
been sinned against by somebody in our lives that misused their 
tongue with reference to us. Let's keep that in mind before 
we misuse our tongues with reference to others. Proverbs 11.9, the 
hypocrite with his mouth does what? Builds up his neighbor 
and makes him happy? No, he destroys his neighbor. 
The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor. Notice 
in Proverbs 12, 17 to 22, he who speaks truth declares righteousness, 
but a false witness deceit. There is one who speaks like 
the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes 
health. The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a 
lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of those 
who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy. No grave trouble 
will overtake the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled 
with evil. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but 
those who deal truthfully are His delight." Notice in Proverbs 
15, 1 and 2. Boy, how many times do we wish 
we would have heeded Proverbs 15, 1 and 2? Wouldn't it be nice 
if there were strings on words? I saw recently that Google Mail 
has a feature that you can send later. Right? You develop an email, and instead 
of just sending it, you hit send later. Calm down. Think through it. Contemplate 
the implications of that particular email before you send it. I think 
Google Mail is to be applauded in that. I doubt they're doing 
it for sanctification purposes. But, It can certainly be used 
that way, but wouldn't it be nice if words had strings? How 
many times have we said something and thought, man, I wish I wouldn't 
have said that, and we would gladly pull it back, put it in 
our mouths, and swallow it, never to let it out again? That's Proverbs 
15, one and two. A soft answer turns away wrath, 
but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge 
rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth evil. Notice Proverbs 17.9, he who 
covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter 
separates friends. I love Bridges' comment here 
on Proverbs 17.9. Let's just read the passage again. He who covers a transgression 
seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. Bridges 
says a disciplined tongue is a gracious mercy to the church. Proverbs 18.21, again, the potential 
for evil in the misuse of the tongue. Proverbs 18.21, death 
and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love 
it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 25.18, a man who bears 
false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword and a 
sharp arrow. You see, it has an effect for 
ill. Proverbs 26 and verse 28, A lying tongue hates those who 
are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin." We need to 
seventhly recognize the tongue's potential for good. Look at Proverbs 
12.25. Proverbs 12.25, anxiety in the 
heart of man causes depression. A good word makes it glad, you 
see? It's not only something that 
we can employ as a club, a sword, and a stick to hurt people, but 
it's something we can use to encourage. Notice Proverbs 16, 
24. Again, the potential for good. 
The way of life, I'm sorry, Proverbs 16, 24. I was looking at 15, 
24. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, 
sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. Proverbs 25, 11 
and 12. Proverbs 25, 11 and 12, a word 
fitly spoken is like apples of gold and settings of silver, 
like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise 
rebuker to an obedient ear. And Proverbs 31, 26, what's that godly woman in Proverbs 
31 identified by? She opens her mouth with wisdom 
and on her tongue is the law of kindness. Eighth, the necessity 
to bridle your own tongue. Not everybody else's tongue. 
Again, help us, courage, reprove, rebuke, all those sorts of things. 
But the primary emphasis in James is that we bridle our tongue. 
Manton says, gracious hearts reflect most upon themselves. 
They do not seek what to reprove in others, but what to lament 
in themselves. Ninth, we ought to recognize 
the close connection between the heart and the tongue. Matthew 
12, 34, ought to be etched into our minds, for out of the abundance 
of the heart, the mouth speaks. And then tenth, and finally, 
the recognition that we will give an account of the way in 
which we use our tongues. Matthew 12, 36, but I say to 
you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give 
account for it or of it in the day of judgment. John Gill's 
comment here. He says, our Lord's meaning is 
that not only works and actions, but words of all sorts will come 
into account in the day of judgment and will be evidences for or 
against a man to acquit or condemn him. You see, that's the proper 
interpretation. We're not saved because we spoke 
pleasant words. We are saved by grace through 
faith, and as a consequence, we spoke pleasant words. Ryle 
says, our words are the evidence of the state of our hearts, as 
surely as the taste of the water is an evidence of the state of 
the spring. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 
The lips only utter what the mind conceives. And John Calvin, 
I think, is bang on here. with reference to this idea that 
we will be judged for idle words. He says, first, let us speak 
of the sacred mysteries of God with the utmost reverence and 
sobriety. So we're gonna be judged for 
idle words. Then he says, let us speak of 
the sacred mysteries of God with the utmost reverence and sobriety. Secondly, let us abstain from 
talkativeness, buffoonery, and vain jests, and much more from 
slanderous attacks. And lastly, let us endeavor to 
have our speech seasoned with salt. Again, not a guru-ish list, 
go home and do this and everything will be happy, magic, and wise 
for you, but just some thoughts to get us focused on what it 
is to bridle the tongue as James bids us concerning our profession 
of faith. We profess to be believers, we 
profess to those who have been conquered by sovereign grace 
through faith in Christ. Therefore, practically, we ought 
to be those who bridle our own tongue, not deceive our own hearts, 
but rather seek by the grace of God to live consistently with 
that profession of faith. I want to just end with one final 
thought. The necessity for those who are 
seeking to bridle the tongue we ought to praise God Almighty 
for the one of whom it is written, he does not backbite with his 
tongue, nor does evil to a neighbor, nor does he take up reproach 
against his friend. That Psalm 15.3 man is Jesus 
Christ, and it's because of him, because he never backed He never 
slandered, he never gossiped, he never tail-bared, he never 
lied, he never perjured himself. It's because of him that we're 
going to go to heaven. It's not because we used our 
tongues perfectly, it's because he did. In obedience to his father, 
he fulfilled the law and then he went to the cross to satisfy 
divine justice on our behalf. So praise God Almighty. This 
isn't to give us license to go out and sin with our tongues, 
but to realize our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood 
and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest 
frame or the pleasant words that I may say, but wholly lean on 
Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock I stand, 
all other ground is sinking sand. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the clarity 
of James, and for what he says concerning our profession of 
faith. And God, I pray that You would 
help us to apply such passages as these, and help us, God, to 
bridle the tongue in a way that is well-pleasing in Your sight. 
We confess it is an unruly evil. It is a difficult thing to tame. 
We are easier to teach bearers how to dance than to bridle the 
tongue. So grant us grace and cause us 
to acknowledge our utter dependence upon you. And we pray these things 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.