Counterfeit Wisdom
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION: How many of us ask for wisdom from God on a regular basis? For the believer in Christ, I think the longer we live and the more we grow in our faith the more we realize we need the wisdom of God.
We need God’s wisdom in every area of life. The ultimate INWARD source of wisdom is the person of the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer.
The ultimate OUTWARD source of wisdom is the BOOK that the Holy Spirit inspired and gave to us…the very WORD of GOD!
In God’s Word, particularly in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament we find a lot written about wisdom.
For instance:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.
He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
A fool vents all his feelings,
But a wise man holds them back.
There is another place in Scripture where we can go to find much insight about wisdom, and this is in the New Testament book of James. This week and next I want us to look at a few verses from James before we begin our series on “Living in the Last Days”.
Today’s message is Part 1 of a message I’ve entitled Counterfeit Wisdom
I would define Counterfeit Wisdom this way: Something that “SEEMS” wise to in the moment, but in reality isn’t wise at all. It may be something that makes total sense to us, but in reality goes against the will of God or the Word of God, and in long run will cause us PROBLEMS.
One thing that I think we must be cautious about as believers is MISTAKING FALSE WISDOM for GENUINE WISDOM. The wonderful news is the book of James tells us how to SPOT THE DIFFERENCE and avoid counterfeit wisdom and embrace the Heavenly Wisdom.
Before we get into the differences of the two. I want you to notice that James reveals that
Wisdom is Revealed by One’s Walk (vv. 13, 14b)
Wisdom is Revealed by One’s Walk (vv. 13, 14b)
Notice what James says in...
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
He begins this section by asking a question. “Who is wise and understanding among you?”
It’s easy to raise our hand and say, “I’m wise” or “I have understanding.” But James reveals this in James 2:17
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Just like faith without works is dead, “Wisdom without evidence is dead.” He says that our wisdom is DEMONSTRATED by “GOOD CONDUCT” and “MEEKNESS.”
Conduct is the way you control yourself.
The idea of “meekness” here is the idea of “GENTLENESS.”
So basically James is saying, if you have TRUE wisdom, if you have the WISDOM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT flowing through your life, it is going to demonstrate itself in a life of GENTLENESS and a KIND spirit.
When heavenly wisdom is a part of our lives, we will live our lives in humility, goodness, and kindness to others.
Now James will go on to demonstrate that FALSE wisdom (“EARTHLY” WISDOM, “UNSPIRITUAL” WISDOM, “DEMONIC” WISDOM) also has some characteristics...
Three Types of Counterfeit Wisdom
Three Types of Counterfeit Wisdom
Notice James 3:15
This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.
The wisdom that James describes in verses 14 & 16 is not from Heaven, but rather is characterized as being “EARTHLY, SENSUAL, and DEMONIC!”
Let’s take a look at the three words James uses to describe this type of wisdom
Earthly Wisdom (The World)
Earthly Wisdom (The World)
This wisdom stands in stark contrast to the wisdom that comes from Heaven. This wisdom belongs to the earth, not heaven. It measures success by worldly aims, not heavenly ones.
Paul mentions this type of wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1:20-21
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
He also mentions...
Sensual Wisdom (The Flesh)
Sensual Wisdom (The Flesh)
This simply refers to “natural” wisdom. This is wisdom that comes from our “psyche.” It’s natural, not spiritual. It belongs to the natural world, not the supernatural world as Thomas Lea says. He goes on to say:
It comes from the mental and emotional ideas of fallen human beings.
Demonic Wisdom (The Devil)
Demonic Wisdom (The Devil)
You first see this wisdom at work in Genesis 3 when the enemy attacked the word of God and encouraged Eve to question the validity of the word of God.
It’s is wisdom, that is not from above, but rather from beneath. It is devilish! As William Barclay said:
Its source is not God but the devil. It produces the kind of situation which the devil delights in, not God.
James reveals to us there are three types, or three sources of counterfeit wisdom.
Worldly wisdom that measure success by worldly standards instead of heavenly ones. Sensual wisdom that come from our desperately wicked and deceitful heart, and demonic wisdom which proceeds from the enemy of our souls.
The question is how to we “spot” COUNTERFEIT WISDOM? James goes on to reveal to us...
Three Characteristics of Counterfeit Wisdom
Three Characteristics of Counterfeit Wisdom
Notice again James 3:14
But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
The first characteristic he mentions is...
Bitter Envy
Bitter Envy
Anything that leads you to be greedy over what someone else has, is, or does is not from God! The Greek word for envy here means:
a greedy or prideful longing for something that belongs to another; even something intangible, such as a skill.
If your desire for a career change is based upon a greedy or prideful longing, just know that desire isn’t coming from God.
If you desire to learn something so the attention will be drawn to you, just know that desire isn’t coming from God.
There are many times people will do something that is based solely on GREED or a PRIDEFUL longing, and their rationalization is, “Well, I prayed about it.” You can pray all you want, but if what you desire is based upon BITTER ENVY it is a COUNTERFEIT!
Using counterfeit wisdom will always lead you to TROUBLE!
The second characteristic he mentions is
Selfish Ambition
Selfish Ambition
This is tied very closely to bitter envy. Thomas Lea defines selfish ambition this way:
Selfish ambition pictures a person who tries to promote a cause in an unethical manner.
A person with selfish ambition is so consumed with success that they are willing to pursue it in unethical and immoral ways!
When you are willing to lie, cheat, steal, gossip, etc. to get your way or attain a goal, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT MENTALITY IS BASED UPON COUNTERFEIT WISDOM! It is not from God! It is, as Tony Evans said, AN EXPRESSION OF SATAN’S AGENDA!
David Platt notes this in his commentary on James:
Worldly wisdom views life from a limited perspective. It doesn’t see things in light of eternity but in terms of the perceived immediate impact—what is best for self-advancement and self-pleasure now. This is dangerous, and it is motivated by self-centered ambition...It’s concerned with how you can advance yourself, promote yourself, or assert yourself. [The question] is always, What can I get out of this?
How many people enter relationships with this mentality? Oh, they’d never say it out loud, but deep down inside their flesh is asking the questions:
What can I get out of this job?
What can I get out of him or her?
What can I get out of this marriage?
What can I get out of this church?
SELFISH AMBITION is not from God! It comes from the world, the flesh and the devil!
Leonard Ravenhill put it this way:
Everyone wants to be clothed with power but no one wants to be stripped of self.
The third characteristic is what this type of wisdom leads to. It leads to...
Confusion and Disorder
Confusion and Disorder
The Greek word used for “confusion” literally means…group disturbance and disorder, especially as in politics or social conditions.
Thomas Lea describes it as a type of anarchy.
Counterfeit wisdom does not bring harmony in marriages, in families, in churches.
Counterfeit wisdom does not bring God’s people together, but rather it drives them apart.
William Barclay said:
Instead of producing peace, it brings out strife.
There is a kind of person who is undoubtedly clever, with an acute brain and a skilful tongue; but the effect of such a person, nevertheless, in any committee, in any church, in any group, is to cause trouble and to disturb personal relationships. It is a sobering thing to remember that the wisdom that person possesses is devilish rather than divine.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So where do we go from here? Now that we know COUNTERFEIT WISDOM exists how do we stay away from that and embrace the TRUE wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit and His Word?
First, we need to...
Make Sure You Have been Born Again
Make Sure You Have been Born Again
But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.
Pray for Wisdom & Discernment
Pray for Wisdom & Discernment
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. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Recognize & Repent of Counterfeit Wisdom
Recognize & Repent of Counterfeit Wisdom
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Salvation
Baptism
Church Membership