1. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
Studies in the Epistle of James
Faith Works to Control the Tongue

2. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
James 1:26
If you cannot control your tongue (words), you might as well not even call yourself a Christian!
You do more bad than good when this is the case

3. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
James 3:1-12
How powerful the tongue is
How evil the tongue can be when not controlled
How we can use our tongue as a blessing
What God expects from Christians regarding our tongue

4. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
The power of the tongue!
James 3:5a
Small, but very powerful!
James 3:3-4
The tongue is compared to a bit in a horse's mouth and a rudder on a large ship
What is the significance of this?

5. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
The Tower of Babel- Gen 11:1-8
James 3:5b
We all posses something very powerful that if not used carefully can destroy many things

6. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
How the tongue can be used for evil
James 3:6-8
An untamed tongue paints a picture of a monster, something very scary/ugly
What 4 characteristics are given to the tongue?
fire
a world of unrighteousness
an unruly evil
deadly poison

7. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
An untamed tongue can stain us with sin
Matt 15:1-11 (vs 11)
A stain is difficult to remove, but not impossible

8. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
What sins can come from an untamed tongue?
Lying - Col 3:9
Gossip - Eph 4:29
Speaking evil of others – James 4:11
Complaining – Phil 2:14
Cursing - Col 3:8
Dirty Jokes – Eph 5:3-4
Idle words – Matt 12:36-37
Useless arguments - 2 Tim 2:23
Swearing – James 5:12

9. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
How our tongue can be a blessing
Col 4:6
Eph 4:24
Using our words to bless others - 1 Cor 4:12
Encouraging others - James 5:13-18
Praying - James 5:13-18
Thanking God - 1 Thess 5:18
Spreading the Gospel - Rom 1:16/10:14-15,17

10. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
What God expects of us regarding our tongue
1. James 3:2
Our daily desire should be the perfect man
This is an achievable concept

11. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
2. Prov 18:21
God gives us power to choose if we will do good or evil with our words
God expects us to choose wisely, knowing we will be judged based on that decision
3. James 3:9-12
Which choice have you made?
You're either pleasing God with your words or dishonoring Him; there is no in between

12. Faith Works to Control the Tongue
1 Peter 3:8-10
vs 10: For “whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil...” (ESV).