James Week 8 - Wisdom
Notes
Transcript
Passage
Passage
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Intro
Intro
The second part of chapter 3 is where James is telling us about wisdom
More importantly where we get true wisdom
The world is constantly trying to get us to seek wisdom from anything and everything in the world
But where do we get true wisdom?
Wisdom
Wisdom
True wisdom can be seen by what it produces. Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit (Matt. 12:33), you can see wisdom—or lack of it—by attitudes of the heart that are shown through action. James distinguishes true wisdom from above by comparing and contrasting it with worldly wisdom.
According to verse 13, how do you know who a wise person is?
We see it through their conduct
Let him show it. Here is an original “show and tell.” Wisdom is not measured by degrees but by deeds. It is not a matter of acquiring truth in lectures but of applying truth to life. The good life and deeds are best portrayed in the humility of wisdom, or “wise meekness” (prautēti sophias). The truly wise man is humble.
What attitudes of the heart are coupled with worldly wisdom? (Vs 14)
Bitter jealousy
Selfish ambition/pride
How does James describe worldly wisdom and what fruit does it produce? (vs 15-16)
He describes it as demonic and evil
It leads only to disorder and every evil practice
List the virtues James attributes to true wisdom. (vs 17) (have them give definitions for each word)
Pure
Peaceable
Gentle
Open to reason
Full of mercy
Impartial
Sincere
3:17. Wisdom that comes from heaven (lit., “wisdom from above”; cf. “from above” in 1:17) is first … pure or “holy” (hagnē), then peace-loving, considerate or “forbearing,” submissive or “easy to be entreated” (eupeithēs, only used here in the NT), full of mercy and good fruit, impartial (lit., “without uncertainty”; cf. “not doubt” in 1:6), and sincere (“without hypocrisy”).
What will be produced as a result of sowing seeds of peace rather than conflict? (vs 18)
Harvest of righteousness
Truly wise people are people of peace
Questions
Questions
Who is a wise person in your life, and why do you call them wise? What would you need to see in someone to call them wise?
Share a time in your life when you gleaned wisdom from experience. Did you choose to follow godly wisdom instead of conventional wisdom? What did you learn? How did you become wiser from that experience?
What or whom do you typically turn to for wisdom (i.e., past experiences, opinions of experts, advice from friends, Internet searches)? What is keeping you from asking God for wisdom?
Is jealousy or envy affecting your relationship with others—in your family, in the church, or in the workplace? Read 1 John 2:15-16. Are you justifying jealousy in your heart (i.e., "My circumstances right now are such that I can't help but envy or be jealous of others.")
In what ways are you tempted to compare yourself with others? Does this manifest itself in pride or despair in your life?
Have you allowed bitterness to take root in your heart? Do you feel resentment toward another person because they have something you feel like you deserve?
Is there unresolved conflict in your life in which God is calling you to make peace?