JAMES
CHAPTER THREE We are in progress in this book
on Sunday mornings in our house church, circa October 1997...
James 3:1 ¶ My brethren, be not many masters, knowing
that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is
a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and
we turn about their whole body. 4 Behold also
the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet
are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth
great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among
our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of
nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every
kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed,
and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue
can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men,
which are made after the similitude of God. 10
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things
ought not so to be. 11 Doth a fountain send forth
at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12 Can
the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no
fountain both yield salt water and fresh. 13 ¶
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good
conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie
not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth
not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the
fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
CHAPTER THREE
A. Masters- Vs. 1-2 B. The Tongue's Movement Vs. 2-12
C. Who is a Wise man? Vs. 13-18
_______________ A. Masters- Vs. 1-2
1. The common title given to Christ- Mt. 8:19
The Scribe wanted to be taught. Master means "teacher." Other Greek
words for slave master and commander Christ called Himself Master-
John 13:13-15 Note: His position- Servant
Note: His method- Example 2. Mt.
4:19-20 Someone has to follow! Not many masters
are needed. ILL. First Baptist Church of Ratliffe, Kentucky
Every member a Sunday School teacher. Sunday to vote for deacons.
All chiefs, no Indians Jesus: One teacher, 12 followers
Ezra: Neh. 8:1-8- 26 men helped Ezra for all Israel. Compare the
New Testament with Promise Keepers. 3. How many
teachers and Apostles in the New Testament? 15 to 20?
How many in modern movements? Thousands. Who was top man in the
New Testament? No one!! PK- Very clearly McCartney and Philips
4. So, how should we live today?
Not much organizing needed as we know it. Serve,
teach, follow, have one mind. With a Head like Jesus, how much
organizing do we really need? Hazard of too many Masters-- vs.
2-- All men offend. So, how much offense can one or two Masters
cause? Compare with PK and Campus Crusade. Josh
McDowell- Famous for his big mouth in early days. vs. 8- No man
has tamed his own tongue. Solution- Masters must be under complete
authority of Christ. CF- Prov. 10:31-32; Luke 1:64;
I Peter 3:10-11-- A master will have a tongue under the control of Christ.
Discussion: Early missionaries-- Started out as servants and teachers.
What happens? Movement, then management by large mouthed.
B. The Tongue's Movement Vs. 2-12
1. Verse 2 with 2:26-- The tongue is a spiritually driven member
Vs. 2:26- The body cannot exist without a spirit.
Vs. 2:26- Faith cannot exist without works.
Vs. 3:2- The tongue is spiritually driven and rules the whole body.
2. Verse 3-8-- Examples of the tongue's force in our lives
Vs. 3- Horses- Big dumb animals. Brain
the size of a walnut. Have to be broken. Story
of Cindy Overton and rearing horse. Pulled him over on his back. How?
With bit!! Cf- Psalm 39:1- Interesting how david
saw the bridle concept. Vs. 4- Helm or rudder-
Amazing influence of the rudder.
Also implied- Without a rudder, ship is out of control. Cf- Acts
27:37-40- Control was abandoned to the wind. Wind is not a picture
of control. Cf- James 1:6- Not a picture of control.
Apply to tongue. Whole person out of control if tongue flapping out of control.
Vs. 5- 6- Tongue is like fire. Source
of the tongues fire is hell. This does not say
much for us, right? "how great a matter" means matter as heaps
of wood or any material. Not word for a forest in James' day.
There are two sources in this context: Hell fire tongue-
Cf- Prov. 16:27- This is the ungodly-
all of them. Cf- Prov. 6:16-19- Tongue only
in second place after pride. Pride drives the tongue!! Cf-
Rom. 3:10-18- Those who reject Christ are like this. Note
vs. 13-14. Who do we trust? What tongue charms us.
Discuss soaps, NBC CBS news, people we work with and for. Easy
to be charmed and believe them. We must assume they are slandering
and lying all the time if we are to preserve our souls.
ILL- Lady from Fremont called to slander a woman in our church. Not
saved. I hung up on her. This is why some unsaved
men are the "silent type." They stay out of trouble that way. Terror
of their own tongue. Cf- Prov. 17:28-- Story of Ibm
Battuta and the Emperor of China Godly spiritual
works tongue- Cf- Psalm 35:28- It
is possible to have victory. Cf- Prov. 10:20- Here
are only two tongues. This is why saints can talk freely in Christ.
They can have victory in the tongue, so they are not in terror of it.
ILL- Daniel 1:4 and verses 18-20
Verse 6 shows that every sin of the body is tied to the tongue. Cf- Prov.
18:7-8 and 21; James 3:6 The future of the
tongue under Messiah- Zeph. 3:13
3. Verse 9-12-- Two products from the same source--
This is irrational. Cf- James 1:8 and
4:8-11-- Note the evil speaking of a brother again.
Why? Answer: This is a plague in many churches.
Cf- Matt. 7:16-17-- The works of the tongue tell who the
man is spiritually. Cf- I Tim. 5:13-- Tattling
still hated today. It causes envy and bitterness. Also revenge.
Cf- Prov. 25:23- Here is the cure. Glare at them. Hang
up the phone on them. Rebuke them. (Titus 2:15) There is a time
to intimidate loud mouths if they affend the saints or the innocent.
ILL- Disneyland hired men over 6 ft tall to intimidate trouble makers.
What is our zeal in this? 1. Pray
for victory- Psalm 19:14 2. I have to take charge
in Christ- Psalm 34:13-14-- This is NOT a passive thing.
ILL- Our visits to Addis Ababa. Gripers
and tattlers rebelling against authority. Had to act on purpose. Abandon
old friends, make new ones. 3. If I
could keep quiet when my heart is not right-- Psalm 39:3
4. Get the heart full of the Lord-- Proverbs 16:1- How?
Get into the Word of God.
Conclusion One: Here is how the tongue gets out of control and back under
control-- Acts 15:1-13- Happy ending- vs. 22.
ILL- Trouble at Eldoret when we got there between the church
leaders and the missionaries. Gave them 45 minutes to get it all
out. They did. Asked all to get right and stop taking about
it-- Get back to work. All were relieved and "held their peace."
I had to also or destroy the results of this victory.
C. Strife Versus Good Conversation Vs. 13-end-- Two
kinds of wisdom 1. Wisdom of the flesh
Verse 14 and 16-- Note the symptoms:
Bitter envying--14-- Strife--14--
Vain Glory--14-- Lying--14--
Confusion--16-- Every evil work--16--
Verse 15-- Origin of this wisdom? Earth, and man,
not heaven.-- Cf- Jer. 17:9- Man excells Satan as
a source deceit and lies What
is the nature of fleshly wisdom? Vs. 15
a. Earthly-- Cf- 1 Cor. 15:47- Two men here. Rom.
6:6-7- Old man is SUPPOSED to be dead. But James had reason to believe he
could come back. So much for sinless perfection :-) ILL-
Soap operas. Wroldly stories and plots in videos. EArth prevails.
Their good at its pinnacle is in the garbage dump.
b. Sensual-- Cf- Jude 1:19- Very clear definition!!
What should we do with our senses? Answer: Heb 5:14- Discern
strong meat of the Word. The best think tank of the world is a garbage dump
if the Bible is not used for wisdom. Do we believe that?
Sensuality-- Want the feeling. Sexual is only one. Also, power, taste,
touch, emotional thrills. CCM is loaded with sense loaded lyrics.
c. Devilish-- What is the MO of the devil in this context?
Answer: Matt 13:19- Snatch away the good wisdom; 1 John 2:14-
Devilish wisdom perverts the Word; 1 John 3:12- Murder in thought
or literally. No surprize Kim Clement and Rick Joyner talk of killing us.
This is wisdom of Satan. Example: Perhaps
one of the most demonically-deceptive lies I have heard in recent years, is one
which is currently circulating within New Age circles. It involves a personage
by the name of Apollonius of Alexandria. I really don't know whether or not
such a man ever really existed, but it is what is being said about him which should
alarm every Christian. Without going into great detail, suffice it to say that,
according to those who swallow this lie, Jesus Christ was only a mythological
figure who was styled after the 'true christ', whom they claim to be Apollonius
of Alexandria. This man is said to have performed great miracles, possessed great
strength, and is purported to have travelled all over the known world conversing
with, and learning from, the greatest philosophers and sages of his time. In fact,
within the material I read, an attempt is made to either equate him with the Apostle
Paul, or else to say that he is the 'Apollo' mentioned in some of Paul's epistles.
This is the furthest thing from The Truth and a damnable lie of Satan! This
man's fame became so widespread that some eventually equated him with Hercules
of Roman and Greek mythology. In short, he was given the status of a god. If you
ever come across this material, I strongly urge you to not even read it as it
will definitely test your faith in the One True God and His Son Jesus Christ.
It is full of extremely strong delusion.
2. Wisdom of heaven In answer to devilish
wisdom (Recovery Movement), here is one man's opinion: From my
perspective, the pastor of the local church should be the primary counselor for
the Christian. This is not to say that a biblically oriented recovery group is
never warranted. Sometimes it may be. But why not make the pastor, who interprets
life's problems through the lens of Scripture, the first step in the recovery
process? Through a solid course of biblical (nonhumanistic) counseling from the
pastor, the counselee [can] obtain all he or she needs to deal with his or her
particular behavior problem. Such biblical counseling
should include: An emphasis on the importance of
becoming biblically literate. Biblical doctrine enables us to develop a realistic
world view, without which we are doomed to ineffectual living (Matt. 22:23-33;
Rom. 12:3; 2 Tim. 4:3-4). Moreover, doctrine can protect us from false beliefs
that can lead to destructive behavior (1 Tim. 4:1-6; 2 Tim. 2:18; Tit. 1:11).
An emphasis on what the Bible says about the nature of man
-- including his soul (1 Pet. 2:11), his spirit (Rom. 8:16), his heart (Heb. 4:12),
his conscience (1 Pet. 2:19), his mind (Rom. 12:2), as well as his sin nature
and its effects (2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 4:18; Rom. 1:18--3:20). An accurate understanding
of man's nature is a prerequisite for prescribing the correct treatment for a
particular behavioralproblem. A thorough understanding
of man's sin nature is especially important. Too often, recovery experts speak
of getting rid of "character defects" in the patient. However, the whole "old"
self is defective or depraved (2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 4:18; Rom. 1:18--3:20) and must
go. As one critic put it, we do not need a tune-up in our lives. We need a brand
new engine. An emphasis on the threefold enemy of
the Christian -- (1) the world (including the things of the world, which are expressions
of "the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what
he has and does," 1 John 2:16); (2) the flesh (the sinful nature itself, which
is bent on sexual immorality, impurity, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, and drunkenness, Gal. 5:20-21); and
(3) the Devil (who seeks to tempt us [1 Cor. 7:5], deceive us [2 Cor. 11:14],
afflict us [2 Cor. 12:7], and hinder us [1 Thess. 2:18]). All three of these "enemies"
have some bearing on human behavior. An emphasis
on dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us that self-control is the
fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). And as we "walk" in the spirit (habitually
depend upon the Spirit) (v. 25), such fruit will inevitably grow in our lives.
An emphasis on the sufficiency of God's grace in the midst
of trying circumstances (2 Cor. 12:9-10). As the apostle Paul discovered, God's
grace enables us to cope with difficulties that can be overwhelming when approached
through human strength alone. An emphasis on the
role faith plays in the midst of trying circumstances (Heb. 11). Scripture says
that without faith it is impossible to please God (v. 6). It is also true that
without faith in God it is impossible to effectively deal with behavioral problems
and live victorious Christian lives (cf. Acts 15:9; 1 Thess. 5:8).
by Ron Rhodes Verse 13 and 17-18--
It is from above. Beneath being all wisdom of earth and hell (vs.
6) Interesting: There are NINE here like
nine fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22-23 Good Conversation--13--
Here is the tongue again. Speech is essential to a good testimony.
Meekness--13-- This is an attitude. Self is
not exalted, even in spiritual warfare. Pure--17-- Pure
saint who shows this, not legislates it for others. Peacable--17--
This wisdom CAUSES peace around the saint. Gentle--17--
Thought is interpreted by Jesus' life. Gentle with children and the
broken. Easy to be entreated--17-- Easyily approached
by the sincere. Enemy not included here. Full of Mercy
and Good fruits--17-- Mercy seeks a way of escape from judging.
Without Partiality--17-- Has no favorites.
Without Hypocrisy--17-- Has not got two answers depending on who
asked. Stands by his word. Peace is NOT passive.
It is an act of the will and zeal-- ILL- Anwar Sadat-
Came to Jerusalem. Jews refuse to go to Egypt. Sadat upstaged
them because he understood the Semitic mind. Walked into Jerusalem. I
am told some Jews wondered if he was Messiah. Seemed to sincerely want peace.
Cf-- Matt. 5:23- Salt permeates. It is
an agressive agent in preserving; Same text, verse 9- Peacemakers-
The "makers" shows this has to be done on purpose.
Verse 18 speaks of sowing. This is a seed and harvest process. Peace
is sown for some time before the fruit appears. Will we be patient in this
work? This IS works again. (Discuss this) This is wisdom.
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