True Wisdom, False Wisdom
Notes
Transcript
Announcements
Announcements
Dudes night on the 18th. Ask Shawn for details.
Christmas decorations on the 19th! Not standard Youth group, but there will be cocoa and it’ll be fun to decorate together.
Pray
Pray
Review
Review
Two weeks ago we talked about taming the tongue. It’s not that nothing should ever be said, but that we should live with a controlled tongue as best as we can by God’s Spirit.
Last week Shawn gave us a really helpful illustration about faith and works by using chairs. Who can remember what we were talking about?
Introduction
Introduction
Turn in your bibles to James 3 beginning at verse 13. This next section James compares wisdom from above with wisdom below.
Wisdom is Demonstrated by Actions
Wisdom is Demonstrated by Actions
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
I don’t think that James is wanting his readers to answer this first question. For someone to answer, “I am! I’m super wise!” would probably show that they haven’t been reading his letter very well. The conduct of a person demonstrates displays the kind of wisdom they have.
There are those who boast in wisdom, and those who are humble in wisdom.
True wisdom is grounded in the fear of the Lord
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Boasting in Wisdom
Boasting in 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.
We can’t boast, or be proud, about being wise and be false to truth at the same time. If what James is teaching reveals a sin-sick heart in his readers, don’t lie about it. The wise thing to do is to face the truth of a lack of wisdom, repent, and trust in God rather than boasting about wisdom that we don’t really have.
James is saying that a person can’t claim to be wise, and be bitterly jealous of what others have and have selfish ambition in one’s heart and still claim to be following truth.
Not only is that not wisdom, but it’s actually demonic. It attempts to undermine and supplant truth for a lie.
Worldly approval and demonic lies so easily lead us into self-deception
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees over this very issue.
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
So what is good, true wisdom?
Humble in Wisdom
Humble in Wisdom
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.
True wisdom finds its origin in God.
Any claim to being wise is tested by observable “good conduct.”
Challenge
Challenge
How do we judge someone to be wise?
Divine wisdom, is mainly identifiable through one’s private pattern of righteous behavior, performed in an attitude of humility.
My challenge to you this week is to give an example of what one of these descriptions of wisdom is
How are some of these things shown in James 3:17?
Peaceable wisdom
Gentle wisdom
Open to reason wisdom
full of mercy wisdom
good fruit wisdom I
impartial wisdom
sincere wisdom
Test yourself. When we are in sin, and are repenting, is our repentance filled with ill motives, deceit and pride? Maybe we need to repent of how we repent. We are imperfect sinful people, and God is eager and willing to show mercy.
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Let’s pray that God would fill us with true wisdom which reflects the life and character of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Pray
Pray
Teach us wisdom.
Help us see our motives when we claim to be wise in something.
Help us to use Your wisdom for the benefit of others to point them to you perfect and beautiful character. The character fully expressed in Christ.
Question
Question
How do we consider someone to be wise? What are identifiable patterns of a wise person?