YG - God's Wisdom

Game | Zip Bong

Players stand or sit in a circle. One player starts the game by saying "zip". The starting player specifies the direction he or she is sending the zip. The person next to the starting player then says "zip", as does the following player, and so on. When the noise comes to any player, he or she has the option of saying "bong" instead of "zip" which sends the noise back in the opposite direction. What makes the game interesting is that players are not aloud to show their teeth at any point in the game (regardless of if the noise is at them or not). Players who show their teeth (or say "zip" or "bong" when it's not their turn) are eliminated from the game.

Bible Passage: James 3:13-18

Summary: In James 3:13-18, the Apostle James contrasts two types of wisdom: earthly wisdom, characterized by bitterness and selfish ambition, and heavenly wisdom, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Application: This message can help teens recognize the importance of choosing heavenly wisdom over earthly wisdom in their everyday decisions, relationships, and conflicts. By cultivating wisdom that is rooted in Christ, they can become peacemakers in their schools and communities.

Big Idea: The choice between earthly and heavenly wisdom has profound implications for our lives, especially as we navigate the challenges of teen life and seek to live out our faith.

1. Seek Wisdom with Humility

James 3:13 NIV

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

First, what is wisdom?

Wisdom is the application of knowledge while using good judgement. (Hot things burn and hurt. Hot things get a reddish color. Don’t touch a stove when the burner is red.)

How can we tell who’s wise? How can we tell if we are wise or not?

What is James implying when he says “deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom”?

Does wisdom lead to humility? What is humility?

2. Reject Earthly Envy

James 3:14–16 NIV

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

How does this make you feel? Feel about yourself, your friends, your family?

How would you say this, or describe this, in today’s language?

Why does James say that earthly wisdom is “unspiritual and demonic”?

Order vs chaos

4. Embrace Heavenly Qualities

James 3:17 NIV

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Break it down - what does this look like practically to you?

In what ways do you live this way?

In what ways can you improve?

5. Cultivate a Harvest of Peace

James 3:18 NIV

Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

What is peace, and what does it mean to you to be a “peacemaker?”

Concise Oxford English Dictionary Peacemaker

person who brings about peace.

—DERIVATIVES peacemaking noun & adjective

What does righteousness mean to you?

Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary Righteousness

RIGHTEOUSNESS — holy and upright living, in accordance with God’s standard. The word “righteousness” comes from a root word that means “straightness.” It refers to a state that conforms to an authoritative standard. Righteousness is a moral concept. God’s character is the definition and source of all righteousness (

The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition Righteousness

Referred to relations between men, righteous action is action which conforms to the requirements of the relationship and in a more general sense promotes the well-being and peace of the community (

So what is James saying here and how can you live this out?