Title: TAME THE TONGUE THAT TWISTS THE TRUTH

Focus: In the strength of Christ’s Spirit, we must tame our tongues to speak the truth.

Function: To encourage the people to speak and love the truth for God’s sake and our neighbors’.

Confession: Lord’s Day 43

Text: James 3:1-12

 

INTRODUCTION

            “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor,” so God speaks in the ninth commandment. I believe that if politicians would obey this commandment, political debates would be short and political ads would be more peaceful in tone.

 

Also, the general public’s attitude toward politicians would change considerably, because no longer could the charge be made  that “all politicians are liars.” But why single out politicians? Are Christians in any other sphere of life other than politics exempt from this commandment? Is there anyone here who has never been caught

-         “spinning” or twisting the truth?

-         lying through her teeth?

-         slandering a neighbor?

-         misstating the facts?

-         or hiding behind a lie? I

think that when we are honest we have to admit: at times, your tongue, my tongue twists the truth. All our tongues have formed, at one time or another, fibs, half-truths, and outright lies. 

 

We now have one major t.v. network that provides us with a “No Spin Zone.” News commentator Bill O’Reilly tries to keep his guests from spinning the truth. In an age of truth spinning, lies and half-lies, we do well to listen carefully to God’s expressed will in the ninth commandment: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” In other words, as followers of Jesus we must learn to tame our tongues to speak the truth, and we must do so in the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

THE CATECHISM: LORD’S DAY 43

            When God formed a strong nation out of a band of Hebrew refugees from Egypt centuries ago, he told them in essence to tame their tongues and speak the truth: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” That commandment is just as relevant for us today as it was 3500 years ago. Christians in the days of the Reformation reflected upon this ninth commandment. They gave us insights into God’s will for us. They said: in the ninth commandment God forbids and God requires. They spoke in negative and in positive terms.

 

            Negatively: God forbids bearing false witness, spinning or twisting someone’s words (which is a form of misrepresenting a person). God also forbids speaking ill of someone, slandering a person, or pre-judging and condemning a person without a hearing or without a just cause.

 

            Positively: God requires from us in the ninth commandment a number of actions: I should

 

THE PASSAGE: JAMES 3:1-12

            James, the brother of Jesus, an apostle and outstanding leader of the early Christian church in Jerusalem, has much to say about speaking the truth. James knows the Scriptures, and he is aware that truth is a crucial factor in shaping the Christian church as well as society. Lies hurt and destroy people. Truth may hurt initially, but in the long run it always builds up and honors people.

 

            Speaking the truth is close to James’ heart, for James is a teacher, a leader in the church. Consider that the gospel is all about truth, and that God’s Word must be proclaimed as truth and in truth. James, therefore, is concerned that teachers in the church work extra hard at taming their tongues and speaking the truth. Listen to James: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” In other words, Pastors, elders, and teachers—leaders in the church—must realize the seriousness of their tasks: speaking the truth is serious business.

 

            James realizes how difficult it is to speak or represent the truth. By nature, we are all inclined to follow the “father of all lies.” By nature, our ears are easily tuned into the hissing and seducing and poisoning insights from the evil one. So, says James, “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” James says these things not to discourage us, but to make us cautious in our speech, in our teaching and modeling toward others. We must be careful to walk our talk. If our talk says one thing and our walk another, we cause confusion, and we open ourselves to the charge of being hypocrites. Worse, inconsistent behavior may lead people on the wrong track of life. We lead them astray. That’s why teachers or leaders in the church must be keenly aware of the power of their tongues.

 

When God made our tongue, he did some wondrous things. You see, the tongue is made up of many groups of muscles. These muscles run in different directions to carry out all the tongue’s jobs. The front part of the tongue is very flexible and can move around a lot, working with the teeth to create different types of words. This part also helps you eat by helping to move food around your mouth while you chew. Your tongue pushes the food to your back teeth so the teeth can grind it up.

 

            The muscles in the back of your tongue help you make certain sounds, like the letters “k” and hard “g” (like in the word “go”). Try saying these letters slowly, and you’ll feel how the back of your tongue moves against the top of your mouth to create the sounds.

            The tongue helps us to taste our food. That’s because the top of your tongue is covered with a layer of bumps called papillae (puhpihluh). These bumps help grip our food and move it around while we chew. And they contain our taste buds.

Ah, the tongue is a wondrous instrument. But beware! James has some harsh things to say about the tongue as well. For example, James observes that

 

·        The tongue is very influential. It’s only a small part of the body, but it can move people-to tears or to hatred, to joy and laughter, or to bitterness and despair. “Take a ship,” says James, “Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.” The tongue, then, plays a very powerful and influential role in all our relationships. Also, James observes that

 

·        The tongue often functions as an extension of hell. Listen: (vs. 6) “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” Very strong language indeed! But the point is clear. Beware! Our tongues can spew a stream of words—so hot, so painful, so destructive, and so damning—that one can speak of a “tongue from hell.” Some of us are known to have a “sharp” tongue—a tongue that cuts and causes unnecessary hurt. James continues his observation in the same vein and he says therefore that

 

·        The tongue is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. The tongue may twist the truth, spin the facts, and slander the opponent. A negative person can poison the atmosphere in a room by saying a word of doom; a father can kill the self-esteem of his son by cutting him down with harsh words. A wife can create resentment in her husband’s heart by constantly belittling him with her tongue. Listen to James: “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

 

 These are not very positive words that come from James’ lips. But James wants us to wrestle with the irony of the tongue: The tongue must be in harmony with our faith. The tongue must sing and speak and sound the truth of faith. But often it does not. Says James: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” The tongue that issues forth praise and truth is a tongue connected with the Christ from heaven and his truth. The tongue that issues forth curses and lies is a tongue connected with the “father of all lies,” whose dwelling place is hell. In other words, followers of Jesus must tame the tongue that twists the truth.

But how?

 

HOW TO TAME THE TONGUE

            James tells us how. He makes it very clear that you and I can’t do it on our own: (vs. 8) “…no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

            Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I cannot speak the truth; without being connected to the powerful Spirit of Christ, we cannot discern or speak words of wisdom and kindness. So here’s what we must learn to do:

 

·        Be aware of the need for a Guardian who checks our tongues, who guards our hearts, and who illumines our minds. We need the Holy Spirit.

·        Also, pray for the Holy Spirit’s presence and influence in your life. Pray for his wisdom to give you understanding before you speak. Learn to “bite” your tongue by praying for the Spirit’s control, so that you do not cut down, or blow up in anger. In that way we learn to tame the tongue that so easily twists the truth. Do you want some examples of spin and slander, of half-truths and hurtful words? Ask yourself: how can we love the truth and guard and advance our neighbor’s good name in statements like these?

 

“All homosexuals are perverts.” Or All politicians are liars.”Here the tongue needs to be tamed with the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit. It’s simply not true that all homosexuals are perverts. The same observations goes for politicians. There may be some truth in the statements, but if we are to love the truth we need to work a lot harder to guard and advance our neighbor’s good name. And that includes the good name of those whose sexual orientation and practice seems so unnatural; the same observation goes for those political leaders  who try to lead our nation with integrity.

 

Try this statement:

“All environmentalists are tree huggers and nature worshipers and anti-capitalists and anti-global business.”

Or try this one:

“Women who have had an abortion are brutal murderers and monstrous people.”

Or this one:

“Muslims—in essence—are killers, because they favor Jihad (holy war) against all unbelievers or infidels.”

 

It’s true. Keeping the ninth commandment is hard work. It calls for prayer and a deep awareness that we need God’s Holy Spirit. But that’s the way it is for followers of Jesus: we must tame the tongue that twists the truth.

 

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.