James 3:13-18; Wisdom that Works

Introduction

Image

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/07/19/powerball-mega-millions-winners-instant-billionaire-regrets/70430571007/

According to USA Today, nearly 30 percent of lottery winners win declare bankruptcy within 5 years of their winnings. This demonstrates that the lack of resources is not the problem.

Need

These winners don’t need more resources, they need wisdom to use the resources they have been given. How much more valuable is the very limited resource God has given us: a single life. We need a divine wisdom that really works.

Topic

Wisdom

Referent

James 3:13-18

Organization

Demonic Wisdom (vs. 13-16)

Divine Wisdom (vs. 17-18)

Sermon in a sentence:

I will use God’s wisdom to bring peace.

Demonic Wisdom (vs. 13-16)

v.13 - Who is wise and understanding?

We should all be able to say yes to this as Christians. God wants us to have wisdom and grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But James is probably asking those same teachers in 3:1 sarcastically.

He doesn’t ask the wise to come and verbally joist with him or demonstrate their abilities. He says that a person’s wisdom will be shown in their good deeds done in meekness/humility/gentleness.

The more you know about something the more you realize how little you know. Its funny. I went to the Hebrew and Greek for Life conference. And I feeling confident in my growing Greek. Then I sit down beside this guy from Houston. He is a lawyer that has done missions trips with his family for years. They did stuff in South America, speaking Spanish and Portuguese. So he has been part of this Greek Study Greek that’s made up of pastors, missionaries, and friends from his travels in South America. They meets every week to work on translating a book of the NT from Greek into Spanish. I met another guy who is a lay elder at a church in New Albany. He teaches a class in his son’s homeschool coop. He has been teaching introductory Greek for years now.

The more I know the more I realize I know nothing. Saints, our growing and knowledge should humble more and more as we grow, not make us arrogant or seek after the pats on the back from others.

Richard Bauckham said, wisdom is “the God-given ability of the transformed heart to discern and practice God’s will.”

vs. 14 - Bitter Jealousy and Selfish Ambition

Teachers- remember James is likely addressing the teachers first here.

Pastors/teachers can boast about spiritual things in a earthly manner.

We can boast about the number of baptisms or new memberships or “decisions for the Lord” when we make it about our glory and not God’s

There are some pastors that are allows looking at how they can be that next guy. They want to be on TBN or they want to be on the conference speaker circuit.

Justin Buice used numerous fake online profiles to attack other faithful pastos. This included pastors that he had shared the conference stage with, pastors that came to his own conference, and even elders at his own church. His pride and arrogance led to division and even the end of his own ministry.

Keith McWhorter and Toby Jenkins. Men of reputation and no pride or arrogance. They have blessed me beyond words. For no gain of their own.

v. 15-16 Demonic wisdom leads to disorder

James uses this descent to describe this wisdom.

Above

Earthly

Humanly

Demonic

This kind of wisdom that only looks after yourself, will lead you to disorder in the body and defilement of yourself.

We think of demonic influence upon this world in Hollywood terms. We think demonic activity is a haunted house or ouija boards. That absolutely is real. However, the regular demonic activity is disorder and wickedness (vile practice).

Think about that! Especially in the context of the worship of the local church. Paul tells the Corinthians there needs to be order and holiness in the congregation.

Carl Lentz - green room, celebrity treatment, affair

Divine Wisdom (vs. 17-18)

James shifts from describing what Godly wisdom is not and describes what it does.

Douglas Moo

The Letter of James B. True Wisdom Brings Peace (3:13–4:3)

James quite clearly continues to operate with the biblical understanding of wisdom as a basic, God-given orientation that has profound practical effects on the way a person lives. Like true faith (2:14–26), true wisdom is identified by the quality of life that it produces.33

It’s almost like James has provided his description of the “fruit of the spirit” (cf. Galatians 5:22-23 - the fruit of the Spirit)

It is pure - not double minded. True wisdom doesn’t have alterer motives. Wisdom removes all scheming and plotting for personal gain.

It is “peace-loving” - Moo.

Gentle - again another way of saying meek

Open to reason- this is a hallmark of a wise person.

it gives mercy and good fruits

impartial - the key theme of the book

sincere- not self seeking

The result of wisdom is righteousness and peace.

One way Colgate can examine our own spiritual wisdom is by our holiness and hospitality.

We can look at the church and get a feel of the spiritual state of the members by looking at the corporate holiness and hospitality they have.

Conclusion

Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived. He could have asked God for money, or power, or fame. Instead, he asked God for wisdom. He used the wisdom God gave while he was a young king. His wisdom was known all around the known world. His kingdom prospered and his wealth increased. However, he did not always follow his wisdom with his actions. At the end of his life, he looked around and saw that much of what he had done had become vanity. His son Rehoboam then split the kingdom that his father had seen flourish under God’s blessings.

Saints, even the wisest man on earth failed to listen to God’s wisdom. Let us not look around at our life one day and saw “vanity, all (we have done) is vanity”. Let us live our lives with wisdom that works.

Application

Holiness and peace can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

How can you show holiness and hospitality this week as a child of God?

Confess sin and take steps to remove it from your life.

Show hospitality to your neighbors.