James 3:13-18 (2)

BIBLE TEXT:

James 3 :13-18 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and [h]self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace

Intro:

Today we are going to continue in our verse by verse study in the book of James.

In our study today we are going to see the importance of Wisdom.

And todays

Sermon Title

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Where Do You Go For Wisdom

I believe the bible shows us that there are two sources that we can get our wisdom from.

Let me share with you where a lot of people can get their wisdom from.

Some of us can get our wisdom from Social Media, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Some people get wisdom from having their horoscope read.

Some people go to their favorite talk Shows or News Channel.

Story:

One day while flying his plane, a pilot noticed a small cloud up ahead. He decided to just fly through it. Once he got in the midst of the cloud, he realized that it wasn’t as small as he had thought. He decided to pull up and out of it but after pulling up for a long period of time, he decided to try to point the nose of the plane down to get out of this cloud.

Still not able to come out of the cloud, the pilot began to get a little disoriented. With all of his maneuvering, he began to wonder if he was right side up or upside down. Sweat began pouring down his face, because he didn’t know his position in the cloud. He started to feel upside down. He checked his instruments and they said the plane was still right side up. He felt like the plane had tipped over but the instruments said the opposite.

The pilot made a decision to believe the instruments even though his emotions were leading him differently. It took all of his energy to believe that those instruments were telling him the truth.

Finally, he came out of the cloud, not far from the ground, because the cloud was low. When he came out, he was right side up. Had he believed what he felt, he would have been a dead man; but he acted on what the instruments said, even though he felt differently.

While many times our emotions and feelings will lead us into defeat, the Word of God is an instrument that gives solid guidance and direction we can count on.

WE are going to see today that when seeking Godly Wisdom, we must put our emotions and feelings aside.

Title Points:

Outline 1

Bible Text:

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James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.

Give Context: The book of James is possibly one of the earliest things written in the New Testament.

It’s thought to have been written around AD 40-50

It was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus.

James and Jesus had the same mother but different father

One Teaching Idea: (1 Sentence or Less)

We first see Who is wise and understanding among you?

I want to look at

THE VALUE OF TESTING

Do you guys remember when we were in

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James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

How many of you guys use this model….(RAISE YOUR HANDS)

Yes God over here I need wisdom…..(RAISE YOUR HANDS BE ANIMATED)

Here is the question how do I really know if it is really from God?

Listen to this: Just because you prayed and ask God doesn’t mean that the solution that you have is really from God.

ILLUSTRATION:

So we have a pool in our backyard and in the summer I have to be on it, each week with testing the pool for Chlorine and Alge.

Well I don’t really test it myself but I bring my pool water to Leslie pools, and they let me know what to do each week to keep my pool from turning green. If you don’t TEST AND FOLLOW UP!

So would you agree that testing is important?

James is going to give us some qualities of “real” wisdom that will act as a test for the decisions we are making.

SO WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE PIECES OF THE TEST THROUGH OUT OUR STUDY.

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:13 Let him show by good conduct

That word SHOW is important, we seen it back in chapter 2:18

let him show – expose to the eyes; to give evidence or proof of a thing;

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(James 2:18 ) But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Faith isn’t the only thing that can be “seen”.

Godly wisdom should also be “seen” by our “good conduct”, how we live our lives.

Just think about how you lived your lives before Jesus.

For me I didn’t live with making wise decisions which resulted in bad conduct and it wasn’t hard to see when watching me;(

I also like when people say well I go to the gym.

Then I like to say show me what you are working on and what have you worked on last year..

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:13 works are done in the meekness of wisdom

meekness – friendly, pleasant, gentle, humble

“Meekness” is the opposite of anger and pride.

Jesus said,

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(Matthew 5:5 ) Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

Jesus described Himself when He said,

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(Matthew 11:29 ) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Our first characteristic of godly wisdom is “meekness”

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James 3:14,15 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.

So let’s now break down the earthly wisdom.

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:14 bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts

NLT translates this phrase “bitterly jealous”

Self-seeking – a desire to put one’s self forward

Maybe a Fit 2 Serve self

“selfish ambition”

In other words, your life is “all about me”.

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:14 do not boast and lie against the truth

In other words, if you have envy or selfishness, don’t claim that your “wisdom” has come from God as an answer to your prayer.

It comes from somewhere else…

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James 3:15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic

Earthly – in other words, your worldly, unbelieving friends might give you this advice.

Your worldly friends are going to have a different world view!

It will not be based on the bible

Peter had a taste of wisdom from above when Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?”

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(Matthew 16:16–17) —16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Yet shortly after, Peter had a taste of the other kind of wisdom:

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(Matthew 16:21–23) —21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

We need to be careful about where our “wisdom” comes from.

It’s not hard to take our answers from what the world thinks is right.

The world has an entirely different set of standards that may look right on the outside, but end up leading people in the wrong direction.

For example, when it comes to sexuality, the world thinks things are “right” based on what “feels right”,

These perceptions change with the culture. What seemed “right” twenty years ago no longer seems right.

We as Christians have a different standard, one that doesn’t change.

Our standard is God’s Word.

DON’T READ

I remember reciting the pledge of legions over the intercome in school. At 8am one kid was chosen to go to the office and lead the school in the pledge of allegiance. The other classes would turn towards the flag as they turned towards the flag.

Each kid was proud to be an American as we studied the flag and what the stars & stripes represented!

READ

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:16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

confusion – ἀκαταστασία akatastasia – instability, a state of disorder, confusion

Our country has had great confusion over the last few years over “gender identity”.

Our world no longer is willing to base gender on simple biological fact, instead they base it on what you think you are deep down inside.

The world wants to hide the fact 40% of trangenders have tried suicide.

(James 3:16 ESV) For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

Next

If Your going to have a verse to meditate on it is verse 17

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JAMES 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

This is a great filter to seeing if our Wisdom is from God

:17 the wisdom that is from above is first …

We will see a connection here with

The Fruit of the Spirit:

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(Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV) —22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Things we’re supposed to meditate on:

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(Philippians 4:8 NKJV) Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Pure – ἁγνός hagnos – exciting reverence, sacred; pure from carnality, modest

Are the decisions you’re facing related to purity at all? Do they make you follow after God? Are they connected to your sinful desires?

Let’s say you’re faced with the choice of what you’re going to do with your night off.

Picture yourself with Jesus. Would He be pleased with the choice you make? Would you feel comfortable with Jesus coming along with you that night?

Peaceable – εἰρηνικός eirenikos – relating to peace; peace loving

God’s wisdom is often accompanied with peace.

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(Colossians 3:15 NKJV) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…

Does this mean that every decision God wants you to make is “easy”?

Easy and peaceful are not necessarily the same thing.

You can have a godly peace about something and still be in the middle of some pretty difficult times.

God’s wisdom promotes peace between people, not strife.

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(Colossians 3:15 The Message) Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.

God’s desire is that we work at making peace with others, not a peace at all costs, but a healthy peace. Paul wrote,

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(Romans 12:18 NKJV) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Every godly decision may not result in peace with others, but we need to be sure to be doing our part.

Gentle – ἐπιεικής epieikes – suitable; equitable, fair, gentle

Isaiah spoke of the Messiah when he wrote,

(Matthew 12:20 NKJV) A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench…Jesus doesn’t kick people when they’re down.

When the woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus and the Pharisees demanded He pronounce judgment, Jesus said that anyone without sin could go ahead and throw the first stone.

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(John 8:10–11 NKJV) —10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Willing to yield – εὐπειθής eupeithes – easily persuaded, compliant

This is in contrast with the earthly wisdom which is “self-seeking”.

We ought to be willing to take the time to listen to the other person and yield to them if that’s the right thing.

Sometimes we make up our minds about a situation a little too quickly, and we’re unwilling to listen to any other input.

(Proverbs 18:17 NLT) The first to speak in court sounds right— until the cross-examination begins.

The problem comes when we make up our mind based on the first piece of information we’ve received instead of thoroughly investigating a matter.

We are being a fool if we don’t take time to listen fully to the other person.

(Proverbs 18:13 NKJV) He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.

Sometimes we simply don’t take the time to listen to people and make sure we’ve heard them correctly.

Illustration

Three old guys are out walking. First one says, “Windy, isn’t it?” Second one says, “No, it’s Thursday!” Third one says, “So am I. Let’s go get a soda.”

Full of mercy – ἔλεος eleos – kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them

James has already used this word to speak about how we “judge” others:

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(James 2:13 NKJV) For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Jesus said,

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(Matthew 7:2 NKJV) For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Wisdom from above has its roots in mercy.

Though sometimes we make decisions based on being judgmental or even worse, out of revenge.

Q: Have you ever been in a time in your life that you wanted someone to have Mercy on you?

I always made a good rule of thumb if we want others to show us mercy…..then we must show Mercy to others!

Good fruits

Fruit is the product of your life. You are either going to bear good fruit or bad fruit.

In regards to people falsely claiming to speak for God, Jesus said,

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(Matthew 7:16 NKJV) You will know them by their fruits.

I think some of the “fruit” we and our wisdom/decisions ought to be known for are:

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(Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV) —22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.

Without partiality

– Don’t show favortism

James has already warned us about treating the “rich” people nicer than the “poor” folk.

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(James 2:1 NKJV) My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

Wise decisions have no room for prejudice.

Without hypocrisy – ἀνυπόκριτος anupokritos – unfeigned, undisguised, sincere

A “hypocrite” is a person who is pretending to be something they are not.

A wise person is a “genuine” person, not a person playing a part, not a person telling someone what they think they want to hear.

JAMES 3:18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

:18 those who make peace

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(James 3:18 NLT) And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Godly wisdom isn’t disconnected to the relationships we have with one another.

The Message paraphrase of this verse is:

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(James 3:18 The Message) You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

Jesus said,

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(Matthew 5:9 NKJV) Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

STORY: ​​Alfred Nobel, a Swedish physicist, created dynamite. His intentions were awesome when he created dynamite. He wanted to create an explosive that could move rock to build roads and get things out of the way to build buildings. He wanted to create a force that was powerful and that would make life better. The problem is that people took his creation and used it for destructive purposes—to kill people and to make war. So depressed was Mr. Nobel that his good invention was being used in a wrong, destructive way, he took nine million dollars, put it in an account, and began to award people for promoting peace. We call it the Nobel Peace Prize. What motivated him was the fact that what he intended for good was being used for wrong. He wanted to award those who were doing what his intentions were. When these people get the award, they become internationally known as Nobel Peace Prize winners. They are called by that name because they make peace instead of making war. God is looking for some Nobel Peace Prize winners—some folks He can bless and award because instead of making war, they’re making peace using His method that includes the blood of Christ.

I love how James has wrapped the beatitudes into this study and the wisdom of Proverbs

Closing:

I want to wind up this morning by giving you a template for testing the “wisdom” or decisions we make.

Making wise decisions

What kind of decisions are you facing right now?

Is it a choice about work?Where to live?Is it about your kids or your family?

There are plenty of decisions that we make that we shouldn’t be stressing over, but some are pretty important.

The place to start is in asking God for wisdom (James 1:5).

The next step is to take a look in the mirror of God’s Word and think about the choices you’ve made or are ahead of you. Perhaps you ought to “test” your idea.

So here’s the test. Run your ideas through this “grid”

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Godly Wisdom

meekness pure peaceable gentle willing to yield mercy good fruits without partiality without hypocrisy righteousness

Worldly Wisdom

bitter envy self-seeking earthly sensual demonic confusion evil things

Are you faced with decisions?

Are you looking for the wise choice to make?

Pray for wisdom

Run it through the “grid”

Fit 2 Serve Family that is today’s good news about Godly Wisdom VS. Worldly Wisdom! Amen?