Power to Direct: The Bit and Rudder - Bible Study

Power to Direct: The Bit and Rudder (James 3:1-4)

Apparently, everybody in the assembly wanted to teach and be a spiritual leader, for James had to warn them: "Not many of you should act as teachers, my brothers" (James 3:1). Perhaps they were impressed with the authority and prestige of the office and forgot about the tremendous responsibility and accountability! Those who teach the Word face the stricter judgment. Teachers must use their tongue to share God's truth, and it is easy to commit sins of the tongue.

Furthermore, teachers must practice what they teach; otherwise, their teaching is hypocrisy. Think of the damage that can be done by a teacher who is unprepared, or whose spiritual life is not up to par.

But teachers are not the only ones who are tempted and sin; every Christian must admit that "we all stumble in many ways" (James 3:2). And sins of the tongue seem to head the list. The person who is able to discipline his tongue gives evidence that he can control his whole body. He proves that he is a mature (perfect) man.

Is James making a mistake by connecting sins of the tongue with sins committed by "the whole body"? No, because words usually lead to deeds. LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS! But loose lips also wreck lives. A person makes an unguarded statement and suddenly finds himself involved in a fight. His tongue has forced the rest of his body to defend itself.

In selecting the bit and the rudder ("helm" in James 3:4 means "rudder"), James presented two items that are small of themselves, yet exercise great power, just like the tongue. A small bit enables the rider to control the great horse, and a small rudder enables the pilot to steer the huge ship. The tongue is a small member in the body, and yet it has the power to accomplish great things.

Both the bit and the rudder must overcome contrary forces. The bit must overcome the wild nature of the horse, and the rudder must fight the winds and currents that would drive the ship off its course. The human tongue also must overcome contrary forces. We have an old nature that wants to control us and make us sin. There are circumstances around us that would make us say things we ought not to say. Sin on the inside and pressures on the outside are seeking to get control of the tongue.

This means that both the bit and the rudder must be under the control of a strong hand. The expert horseman keeps the mighty power of his steed under control, and the experienced pilot courageously steers the ship through the storm. When Jesus Christ controls the tongue, then we need not fear saying the wrong things or even saying the right things in a wrong way! "Death and life are in the power of the tongue," warned Solomon (Prov 18:21). No wonder David prayed, "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing" (Ps 141:3-4). David knew that the heart is the key to right speech. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt 12:34). When Jesus Christ is the Lord of the heart, then He is Lord of the lips too.

The bit and rudder have the power to direct which means they affect the lives of others. A runaway horse or a shipwreck could mean injury or death to pedestrians or passengers. The words we speak affect the lives of others. A judge says "Guilty!" or "Not Guilty!" and those words affect the destiny of the prisoner, his family, and his friends. The President of the United States speaks a few words and signs some papers, and the nation is at war. Even a simple yes or no from the lips of a parent can greatly affect the direction of a child's life.

Never underestimate the guidance you give by the words you speak or do not speak. Jesus spoke to a woman at a well, and her life and the lives of her neighbors experienced a miraculous change (John 4). Peter preached at Pentecost and 3,000 souls came to salvation through faith in Christ (Acts 2).

It would do us all good to read frequently the Book of Proverbs, and to note especially the many references to speech. "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger" (Prov 15:1). "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord" (Prov 12:22). "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin but he that refraineth his lips is wise" (Prov 10:19). Yes, the tongue is Like a bit and a rudder: it has the power to direct. How important it is that our tongues direct people in the right way!

Some animals are poisonous, and some tongues spread poison. The deceptive thing about poison is that it works secretly and slowly and then kills. How many times has some malicious person injected a bit of poison into the conversation, hoping it would spread and finally get to the person he or she wanted to hurt?

As a pastor, I have seen poisonous tongues do great damage to individuals, families, classes, and entire churches. Would you turn hungry lions or angry snakes loose in your Sunday morning service? Of course not! But unruly tongues accomplish the same results.

James reminds us that animals can be tamed; and, for that matter, fire can be tamed. When you tame an animal, you get a worker instead of a destroyer. When you control fire, you generate power. The tongue cannot be tamed by man, but it can be tamed by God. Your tongue need not be "set on fire of hell" (James 3:6). Like the Apostles at Pentecost, it can be set on fire from heaven! If God fights the fire and controls it, then the tongue can be a mighty tool for the winning of the lost and the building up of the church. The important thing, of course, is the heart; for it is "out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaketh" (Matt 12:34). If the heart is filled with hatred, Satan will light the fire. But if the heart is filled with love, God will light the fire.

Power to Delight: The Fountain and Tree (James 3:9-12)

The fountain, of course, provides the cool water that man needs to stay alive. In Oriental countries, the presence of a freshwater fountain is a great blessing to a village. Man needs water not only for drinking, but also for washing, cooking, fanning, and a host of other activities so necessary to life.

"The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook" (Prov 18:4). "The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life" (Prov 10:11). "The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death" (Prov 13:14). These verses parallel what James has written and underscore the importance of our words.

Water is life-giving, and our words can give life. However, if water is not controlled, it brings death and destruction. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov 18:21).

However, when we bend over a fountain for a drink of cool water, we rarely think of floods. We think only of the precious gift of refreshment that comes with a drink of water. We could not be healthy without water. "There is that speaketh Like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health" (Prov 12:18). Paul's prayer was that he might "refresh" the saints in Rome when he came to them (Rom 15:32). He often named Christians who had refreshed him (1 Cor 16:18; Philem 7,20).

Water also cleanses. There was a laver in the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, provided for the cleansing of the priests' hands and feet. God's Word is the spiritual water that cleanses us (John 15:3; Eph 5:26-27). But our words to others can also help to cleanse and sanctify them. Our words ought to be like that river described in Ezek 47 that brought life to everything it touched.

The tongue is also delightful because it is like a tree. In Bible lands, trees are vitally important to the economy: they help to hold down the soil; they provide beauty and shade; and they bear fruit. Our words can help to shelter and encourage a weary traveler and can help to feed a hungry soul. "The lips of the righteous feed many" (Prov 10:21). Jesus said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). As we share His Word with others, we feed them and encourage them along the way.

The most important thing about a tree is the root system, If the roots do not go down deep, the tree will not grow in a healthy manner. If we are rooted in the things of the Lord, then our words will be the fruit of our fellowship with Him. We will be Like that "blessed man" in Ps 1 and produce fruit in due season. One reason our Lord was able to say the right words at the right times was because He communed with His Father and heard from heaven each day. Listen to His testimony:

"The Lord hath given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary:

·       He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear as the learned" (Isa 50:4).

·       "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (Mark 1:35).

If you and I are going to have tongues that delight, then we must meet with the Lord each day and learn from Him. We must get our "spiritual roots" deep into His Word. We must pray and meditate and permit the Spirit of God to fill our hearts with God's love and truth.

But James issued a warning: a fountain cannot give forth two kinds of water, and a tree cannot bear two different kinds of fruit. We expect the fountain to flow with sweet water at all times, and we expect the fig tree to bear figs and the olive tree to bear olives. Nature reproduces after its kind.

If the tongue is inconsistent, there is something radically wrong with the heart. A professing Christian who got angry on the job and let loose with some oaths. Embarrassed, he turned to his partner and said, "I don't know why I said that. It really isn't in me." His partner wisely replied, "It had to be in you or it couldn't have come out of you." When Peter was out of fellowship with Christ, he uttered some oaths; but he went out and wept bitterly and confessed his sins.

The tongue that blesses the Father and then turns around and curses men made in God's image, is in desperate need of spiritual medicine! How easy it is to sing the hymns during the worship service, then after the service, get into the family car and argue and fight all the way home! "My brethren, these things ought not so to be."

The problem, of course, is not the tongue; it is the heart. It is easy to have "bitter envying and strife" in our hearts (James 3:14). "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man" (Matt 15:18). "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov 4:23). As we fill our hearts with God's Word, and yield to the Holy Spirit, He can use us to bring delight to others, and we will be refreshing fountains and trees.

Five Phrases That Can Transform Your Life. If you use these phrases and sincerely mean what you say from your heart, you will find that God will use you to be a blessing and encouragement to others. There are only twelve of them, but they Work.

1.     "Please" 

2.     "Thank you." When you use these words, you are treating others like people and not things. You are showing appreciation.

3.     "I'm sorry." These two words have a way of breaking down walls and building bridges.

4.     "I love you." Too many people read "romance" into these words, but they go much deeper than that. As Christians, we should love the brethren and even love our enemies. "I love you" is a statement that can carry tremendous power.

5.     "I'm praying for you." And be sure that you are. When you talk to God about people, then you can talk to people about God. Our private praying for people helps us in our public meeting with people. Of course, we never say "I'm praying for you" in a boastful way, as though we are more spiritual than others. We say it in an encouraging way, to let others know that we care enough for them to meet them at the throne of grace.

Yes, the smallest but largest troublemaker in all the world is the tongue. But it does not have to be a troublemaker! God can use our tongues to direct others into the way of life, and to delight them in the trials of life. The tongue is a little member, but it has great power.

Give God your tongue and your heart each day and ask Him to use you to be a blessing to others.