James 3:1  My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
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.

In the New Testament a master is one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man. In order to do that the master would need to know the Lord first of all. A lost person can read the Bible, but he will never understand it properly. He will not make proper application of what he is reading.
In Acts 8 we read:

Acts 8:29  Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30  And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34  And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35  Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

The Ethiopian eunuch was curious. God put that curiosity into his heart. He wanted to know the truth and he was reading the Scriptures. However, he needed someone to help him to understand what he was reading. This man was in a privileged position. He was a man of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. Yet this man knew he did not understand the Scriptures. Humility is important in approaching the Word of God. The devil wants us to assume we know more than we do. He will help us to draw conclusions that are unbiblical, but they will seem right to the lost person.
In our text, God directed James to warn about masters. God chooses masters. There is a need for teachers who know the Lord and can teach the truth. The teacher must be a saved person and a student of the Word of God.
The person who takes the position of a master must also understand that he will be accountable to God for what he teaches. God is a jealous God. He has every right to expect a certain standard from man. He also has every right to expect man to believe the right things about Him. God’s Word is pure. He has made sure that His Word will be preserved for every generation.
Several times in the Scriptures, God warned of those who would add to or take away from His Word. Misapplication of God’s Word is wrong. We can make legitimate misapplication of God’s Word.

Acts 18:26  And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

Apollos was a great speaker. He knew how to communicate. However, he was not well taught in the Word of God. Aquila and Priscilla were true believers in God. They had been taught some things by the apostles. They were not proud individuals. They heard Apollos preaching and they knew he needed some further training. They were willing to take him aside and help him to better understand the Word of God. Apollos was not a proud man. He was willing to be instructed. He knew these two people were servants of God and he was willing to learn from them. The work of God was furthered because he was willing to be instructed properly.
There was a need for true teaching in the first century and there is still a need for true Bible teaching in our century. Self-made men are dangerous. A man that will not submit to the Word of God is to be avoided.
As we mentioned a Bible teacher must be saved first of all. A saved man will submit himself to godly teaching. If he refuses that, he indicates where his heart is.
As we noted above, Philip was a man of God. He was instructed by God to catch up with the Eunuch and help him to understand the truth. The Eunuch wanted to know the truth. He was willing to be taught. The result of right teaching and a humble heart, was that he was saved. After his salvation he wanted to be baptized. He wanted to submit to the will and word of God. He demonstrated what true salvation is. It is a surrender to the will of God.
In our opening text, we see that it is not difficult for us to offend others. We do it with our words at times. We know that God’s Word will be an offence to those who do not want to hear the truth. The Word of God is like a hammer to those who are lost. It reveals the fact that the sinner is separated from God. There are many lost people who want to assume they are saved. They want to assume they are going to heaven even though they are not.
We need to learn how to use the tongue God has given us for His glory. Again we are reminded that a “master” needs to be a humble man who is not out to make a name for himself. He needs to be a man who stands upon the truth. As Jude wrote, we need to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints. We need to know the truth and stand upon the truth. However a true master does not need to be contentious. He does not need to strive with those who do not want to know the truth.
Jesus taught His disciples. He also taught the people in general. The Pharisees and their friends often came to try to tempt Him. He exposed them for who they were. He spoke in parables to keep the truth away from them. He would explain the parables to His disciples when the Pharisees were not there. The Pharisees shut the door on truth. They know better now, but it is too late. There are many people who are shutting the door on truth. They will discover the full effects of that one day soon.
It is important to be saved and if God calls you to be a master, be careful that you know the truth and are not just assuming that you are a great scholar. Submit to God and be careful who you seek counsel from. God is good and He will guide those who are truly seeking Him. He did that for the Ethiopian eunuch and he will do that for you as well.
Pastor Bartel