James 3:5 KJV [5] “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!”      Have you ever met the man in our text? I call him the boaster. I’m not sure if this man has ever done anything of greatness in his life or not, and I’m not sure about his level of skill or ability. It is hard to tell because boasting about everything is what he does best. Some of this man’s boasting is true, but his boasting always leads to embellishment. To hear this man …

James 3:4 KJV [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.”      James continues to talk to us about controlling our tongue. In the previous verses, he has given two illustrations concerning the bridle and the bit. He is now using a boat to emphasize this truth. He mentions the size by saying that they can be great vessels. He mentions the struggle as the vessel may face fierce winds when out at sea. He then mentions the …

James 3:3 KJV [3] “Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.”      The bit is a piece of metal or synthetic material that fits in a horse’s mouth and aids in the communication between the horse and the rider. To place pressure in and around the horse’s mouth allows the rider to cue the horse when he wants him to stop or change directions, and it reinforces the other control signals the rider may give the horse with his legs or weight distribution.      James reminds us …

James 3:2 [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.”      A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. It includes the headstall that holds the bit in the horse’s mouth and the reins that attach to the bit. The purpose of the bridle is to restrain the horse when necessary and direct the horse in the right way. It helps to conquer and control the animal.      James teaches that whenever a man controls …

Part 2 James 3:1 KJV [1] “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.”      A Sunday School teacher should be honest. If there is anything a teacher should be known for, it should be telling the truth. A teacher should be careful not to embellish or try to “beef up” a story to make it sound better. People should be able to depend on the teacher to stick with the truth of the text. The Bible is not to be used or twisted to say what we want it to say. People should …

Part 1 James 3:1 KJV  [1] “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.”     The word “master” means “teacher.” This word is found fifty-eight times in the New Testament. Jesus was called by this title thirty-one times and used the title Himself eight times. James has a lot to say about the tongue in chapter three. He begins by talking to teachers because they do a great deal of speaking. Teaching is a great responsibility, so we should not be quick to multiply teachers without careful consideration to prayer.       Teaching is one …

James 2:26  [26] “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”     In this verse, James talks about a dead body and a dead belief. They both lack spirit and therefore cannot respond because they are dead. The body lacks the spirit of man, and his faith lacks the Spirit of God. All we have of the man in this verse is dead clay.      When someone dies, we make provisions for the best possible burial. We buy a nice casket, clothe them in fine apparel, prepare the body, and make them …

James 2:25 [25] “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?”      The testimony of Rahab is that she was a harlot. She was called a harlot in the Old Testament and the New Testament. You can read her story in the second and sixth chapters of Joshua. The Hebrew word translated “harlot” in Joshua can also mean “innkeeper”, but the Greek word in our text means an immoral woman. She ran a guest house of sin. If this were all there was to tell …

James 2:24 KJV [24] “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”      D.L. Moody said, “Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather”. This statement had nothing to do with Moody’s past as a shoe salesman, but it was about his devotion to the Lord. Like Abraham of old, he was not saved by faith plus works but by faith that worked! Faith will produce obedience in the life of a believer. The works they do will reveal their faith.      I once knew a man who was a drunkard. He beat …

James 2:23 KJV [23] “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”     The Lord has a lot of children, but He has only a few friends, and Abraham was one of those friends. Exodus 33:11 tells us that Moses was one of His friends. Our verse today takes us back to the covenant that God made with Abraham. He promised that from his seed would come a great nation. Abraham believed God’s promise, and it was counted to him for righteousness.      …