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James 3:1-2 ESV

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.  2 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.

I. THE POWER AND PROSECUTION OF TEACHERS
A. Teachers wield a profound power over their pupils, which means their motive matters a lot.
B. Teachers’ every word will be judged by Jesus strictly.
C. The judgment of Jesus over what we teach is scary given our inability to control the tongue.

II. THE PERFECT TRUTH AND TEACHERS
A. The Word of God is perfect, but its teachers are not, and neither is their understanding of God’s Word.
B. Teacher’s opinion of the Word should be respected because it is likely formed communally but not necessarily regurgitated without reading the Word yourself.
C. All teacher’s will vary in what they emphasize from a text due to them exegeting their culture & honest wrestling with the text.

III. THE PERFECT TONGUE AND TEACHER
A. Tongue control is a mark of serious Christian maturity.
B. Jesus alone was able to control the tongue and live perfectly and die as our propitiation.

IV. NEXT STEPS
1. Our words sink us. God’s Word to us saves us and sends us to tell others how to be saved as well.