The Power Of The Tongue"- Pastor Andreas Mellas -June 27, 2026.

Proverbs 18:21 sets the whole matter before the heart: “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” James chapter 3 presses that truth into the conscience by showing the potential of the tongue, the power of the tongue, and the promise for the tongue. James begins with teachers because words spoken in holy things and words spoken outside of teaching both reveal the conduct of the soul before God.

The tongue becomes the bridle of the whole body. James says that the one who does not offend in word is a perfect, mature, Christlike person, able also to bridle the whole body. The bridle on a horse and the rudder on a ship show that a little thing can govern a whole direction. The tongue, though little, turns the whole life either Godward or devilward.

The word of God also shows that speech affects the whole being. The biblical truth that words shape the body and mind is seen even in the way inner speech can stir fear, calm the nervous system, or reinforce despair. David did not let his cast-down soul preach hopelessness to him. David spoke to his soul: “Hope thou in God.” The promises of God become authority in the mind because they are not merely human words, but the most powerful words in the universe.

James also calls the tongue “a fire” and “a world of iniquity.” One little spark can set a whole pile of wood on fire, and one little word can set a whole life on fire, either for God or for the enemy. Evil speech poisons first the one who speaks, then the one who receives it and repeats it inwardly. Complaining, murmuring, accusation, gossip, discouraging words, and cursing words are not neutral habits. They are the vocabulary of Satan.

Christ gives hope where human strength fails. James says no man can tame the tongue, but that truth does not lead to despair, because Christ can give a new tongue. The gospel gives not only the mind of Christ, but the tongue of Christ. Jesus died to purchase a fresh, holy vocabulary for His people.

Communion then becomes deeply connected to speech. Christ is the Word made flesh, and the bread and cup open communion with His body and blood by faith. The table declares not only that Jesus died for sin, but that sin’s power must die in the believer, including the sins of speech. The Lord’s Supper calls the church to renounce the vocabulary of Satan and receive the live coal from the altar, so that the mouth may speak as the oracles of God.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The tongue bridles the body James shows that speech is not a small side issue, but a governing power in the life. The tongue is like the bridle in the horse’s mouth and the rudder on the ship, turning the whole body and the whole direction. When Christ gains the tongue, the conduct, atmosphere, and habits begin to come under His government. [27:36]
• 2. Self-talk must preach God’s Word David’s soul did not get the final word when it was cast down. The promise of God became the word of authority over fear, discouragement, and inward collapse. The believer’s own voice can become an instrument either of death or of life, depending on whether it repeats unbelief or speaks the promises of God. [32:10]
• 3. Evil speech poisons the temple James calls the tongue a fire and full of deadly poison because corrupt words do not remain outside the person. Gossip, accusation, complaint, and cursing stain the inner sanctuary and grieve the Holy Ghost. The temple of God must not be filled with the vocabulary of Satan while claiming the name of Christ. [46:06]
• 4. Christ gives a new vocabulary No man can tame the tongue, but Christ can alter it, cleanse it, and make it fragrant with righteousness. The gospel gives more than forgiveness for past words; it gives the tongue of Jesus for present speech. The live coal from the altar still purifies lips that are surrendered to God. [41:14]
• 5. Communion calls speech to die The bread and cup declare that Jesus died for sin, but they also call sin to die in the one who partakes. The sins of speech must be brought to the table for confession, cleansing, and victory through the blood of Christ. The Lord’s Supper becomes a holy confession that the mouth belongs to the Word made flesh.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:21] - Death and Life in the Tongue
• [26:36] - James on Teachers and Speech
• [27:36] - The Tongue as a Bridle
• [29:09] - Words Shape the Body and Mind
• [32:10] - David Speaks Hope to His Soul
• [35:02] - The Rudder and the Fire
• [37:31] - No Man Can Tame the Tongue
• [39:20] - Jesus on What Defiles
• [41:14] - Receiving the Tongue of Christ
• [45:21] - Speech and the Sanctuary
• [47:13] - Communion and the Word Made Flesh
• [52:48] - Betrayal, Denial, and Speech
• [55:40] - Christ’s Example in Words
• [60:12] - Open Communion and Foot Washing
• [62:11] - Renouncing Satan’s Vocabulary

Bible Reading

James 3:1-12
“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” [26:43]

Proverbs 18:21
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” [25:24]

Psalm 42:11
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” [32:21]

Matthew 15:11
“It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” [39:20]

Observation questions

1. In James 3, what pictures are used to describe the tongue, and what does each picture show about its effect on a person’s life? [35:02]
2. According to Psalm 42:11, how does David speak to his own soul when he is cast down, and what words does he put before himself?
3. In Matthew 15:11 and James 3, what comes out of the mouth is said to defile the person. What kinds of speech were named as especially poisonous and destructive? [38:39]
4. In James 3:9-10, what contradiction does James point out about blessing God and cursing people made in God’s likeness? [42:11]

Interpretation questions

1. James says that the one who does not stumble in word is able to bridle the whole body. Why would speech be treated as a governing matter rather than a small side issue in the Christian life? [27:36]
2. Proverbs says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. How should that shape the way a believer thinks about everyday words, including private self-talk? [29:09]
3. James says that no human being can tame the tongue. Why is that not a call to hopelessness, and what does it mean to say that Christ gives a new tongue and a new vocabulary? [41:14]
4. The Lord’s Supper declares that Christ died for sin, and it also calls sin to die in the believer. How does that truth especially apply to the sins of speech? [50:33]

Application questions

1. What kind of words have been most common in private lately: fear, complaint, self-condemnation, faith, hope, or praise? What would it look like this week to speak to the soul more like Psalm 42:11? [32:21]
2. Complaining, gossip, accusation, and discouraging speech are not harmless habits. Which of these is most tempting personally, and in what settings does it usually show up? [38:39]
3. Speech reveals atmosphere. Does the mouth more often sound like the atmosphere of Christ or the atmosphere of this world? Where might that be showing up at home, at work, in church, or online? [40:37]
4. Evil speech first poisons the one who speaks it. Has there been a pattern of speech that has been staining the inner life for a long time? What would honest repentance over that look like? [46:06]
5. Christ gives not only forgiveness for sinful words, but also His own holy speech. Where is there a need to ask specifically for the vocabulary of Christ: in conflict, in stress, in correction, in parenting, or in self-talk? [41:30]
6. Communion calls the believer to bring even the sins of speech to the cross. Is there anyone who needs to be asked for forgiveness, encouraged, or spoken to differently before the tongue can be offered more fully to God? [51:10]
7. “Your speech betrays you.” If someone only listened to this week’s words, what would they conclude about what is loved most and who is being followed? [53:40]