Sunday Worship: Jame 3:13-18
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This morning we will be studying James 3:13-18. As you turn there, think for a moment and come up with a definition of wisdom. When you hear the word wisdom, what comes to mind? Is it knowledge from past experiences? Is it an understanding of how the world works? What about an understanding of how people function physiologically as well as psychologically? Would you say that a person is wise if they are good at handling conflict? Is a person wise if they are cunning?
How would you define wisdom? How do we know if someone is wise? We read in this morning’s passage,
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James shows us in these verses what true wisdom is.
Main Point: True wisdom is from God and it is meant for the good of those around us.
Main Point: True wisdom is from God and it is meant for the good of those around us.
1. The Wise will show it by their actions
1. The Wise will show it by their actions
James 3:13 “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”
True and godly wisdom will produce humility in the person that claims to be wise. Everything they will do will prove that they have wisdom and they will not do anything to slander, raise themselves up, or offend others.
The wisdom of God is not like the wisdom of this world. We do not gain God’s wisdom by only learning from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. We gain wisdom by humbly submitting and asking God for it. James wrote in chapter one,
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Wisdom is therefore given to us by God, not because of anything that we did or didn’t do, but because He is a good God who generously gives us wisdom. Because wisdom is not something we earned, the wisdom of God should be used and worn in meekness and humility.
Godly wisdom should create in us a desire to serve God and love his people in both words and deeds. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:15-17
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
The wisdom of God will guide us in how we are to act, live, and serve Him among our friends, family, and coworkers. It will guide us in how to respond to different situations and hardships, or when you are ridiculed and hated. The wise prove themselves to be wise by how they live their lives. How so? Listen to Ephesians 5:17 again. Ephesians 5:17
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
The wisdom of the godly person provides understanding of the will of God. And what is the ultimate will of God for our lives? That we glorify him in our lives and make him known throughout the world. Wisdom will tell us that God gets the most glory when we are hated by turning the other cheek and exemplifying the love, mercy, and grace of Christ. We prove ourselves to be wise in Christ by remembering who we were before Christ and extending a hand to those who need to be lead to the cross instead of returning the hate they have towards us.
James writes in verse 14, James 3:14
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
James describe the wise as humble in verse 13, and in verse 14 James shows that if you claim to be wise and yet you are jealous and are selfishly looking out for your own good and trying to one up the other person, you are bearing false witness to the truth.
The selfish are not truly wise because they have not grasped the truth of the Gospel. Paul describes the foolish like this in Romans 1:21-23
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Those who seek their own glory, worship, and honor have no wisdom. Instead they are fools. Steven Hawkins, although brilliant, was a fool because he rejected the truth of God and worshipped his theories. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a fool by denying the very evidence that is in his face of who God is. He thinks he is wise but there is no true wisdom to be found in him.
If you pursue your own desires, you have no wisdom and you testify falsely saying that you do. If you seek your own good, and neglect the good of those around you, you are a fool and the wisdom of God is far from you.
If you are jealous of what your brother or sister is being called to do and you writhe within yourself, you are a fool and have no wisdom. You are bitterly jealous with selfish ambitions and are false to the truth.
The wise rejoice when they see their brothers and sisters being used by God because they understand that God is getting the glory. The wise seek the good of others because they understand that in doing so, the Gospel is being exemplified and God gets the glory.
Who is wise and understanding? The ones who humbly seek the glory of God above all else and does the will of the Father.
2. The Wisdom of Demons and the Wisdom of God
2. The Wisdom of Demons and the Wisdom of God
James writes in James 3:15-16
This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
The selfish and jealous people who claim to be wise only have the wisdom of demons. It is not from God. The wisdom that they claim to have seeks the exact opposite of what godly wisdom does.
It seeks their own glory, their own power, and it blasphemes against the Lord. It is unspiritual. It is manifestly broken, faded, and simply a smoke and mirror trick.
The wisdom of demons creates disunity and corruption. This is the wisdom that those who are lost have. At the end of the day, they are wise enough to look after their own good and are blinded by the glaring lies of prideful wisdom.
They claim to be wise enough to see through the “trick of the gospel” but in doing so they deceive themselves by thinking they are just fine.
I have a love/hate relationship with videos of people like Pastor Cliff, who go on College Campuses to start discussions about Jesus. I love watching the people get flustered, mainly because I think watching those people lose their minds is funny. But at the same time, I hate seeing them actively and decisively put blinders on and reject everything they are hearing. Often times I am screaming at them because they are foolishly rejecting the truth.
But claiming to be wise they became fools. The wisdom of demons eventually produces rejections of God.
However, James writes in verse 17, James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
The Wisdom of God is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. There is no wickedness in the wisdom given to us by God. It spurs us on to pursue peace and to be gentle. It gives us the ability to be able to actually reason with people and still treat them with respect and love even when we disagree.
Imagine that for a second. Christians are not meant to just go on a war path like General Sherman and burn everything down in our path. Christians are not meant to win Facebook arguments about frankly anything.
We are not meant to cut ties with people who disagree with us on our views on salvation. I believe the doctrine of election is Biblical and clearly taught in Scripture. But I know for a fact that there are people at New Hope that disagrees with me. But because we love Christ and believe in the Gospel, we are able to stand together in unity and still be friends and have fellowship.
The wisdom of God makes it so that we keep the unity of the Body of Christ and give each other mercy. The wisdom of God creates sincerity in us towards each other.
True wisdom, the understanding of who we are, who God is, and the will of God, spurs us on to humbly pursue peace. We are called to make peace and keep unity within the Body of believers.
And when we do so, James is clear, there will be a harvest.
3. Wisdom Produces Peace & Peace Produces a Harvest
3. Wisdom Produces Peace & Peace Produces a Harvest
James writes in verse 18, James 3:18
And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The wisdom of Heaven produces in us the desire to keep the peace and unity amongst fellow believers and our church. If we want to see the city of Sanford have a revival and to have a bountiful harvest, we must seek the wisdom of Heaven. How can we share the gospel, which tells the world that they can have peace with God if we do not have peace within our own church family?
It starts within. It starts with every one of us going to God, asking him for his wisdom and humbly living it out. Godly wisdom will make us seek unity with each other and to push each other closer to Christ. How else can outsiders see the peace they can have with God, unless they see the people of God living peaceably with each other on the other side of the cross?
Application
Application
1. Take inventory of your life.
Journal daily
2. Purposefully do one thing for someone else with no strings attached daily
3. Remember the Gospel