Wisdom of Man
Notes
Transcript
A. Rapport for the time
Worlds definition of Wisdom
The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.
Webster—Ability to discern inner qualities and relationships.
B. Reading of the text
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of 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.
C. Review of the text
We have not been in James’ in a few weeks but as we jump back in let’s be reminded of what he has taught us in the first two chapters.
• Trials
• Wisdom from God
• Humility
• Unchanging God
• Don’t deceive yourself
• Goodness of God
• Embracing God’s word because of his Goodness to us
• Living our Faith out —Being a doer of the word-True faith
· Show no partiality
• Real faith is only lived out dead faith produces no change in our life
(this is the transformative power of Christ’s grace, urging us to forgive and show mercy. It’s a call to live grace-filled lives that reflect the mercy we’ve received through Jesus.
• A teacher’s tongue—guardian of the word
Last week we looked at vs. 3-12 as we saw just how mighty our words can be.
We left with
17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
D. Relevance of the text
This portion of my sermon is always entitled the relevance of the text. And man is it simple to discern today. If our mouths need to come under the power of our Spirit of God and we are to be slaves to the righteousness of Christ how will all that happen? And this is how wisdom get’s involved. I have a choice to make before I speak. Will I follow the wisdom of the world or will I follow the wisdom of God. Making the relevance of this text to be what exactly is the difference between the two?
T.S.
Wisdom leading to destruction
Wisdom leading to destruction
1. Wisdom in Humble Actions
1. Wisdom in Humble Actions
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
Verse 13 is one of those verses that pulls you closer.
Who is wise and understanding among you? And you feel like a few people will say “I’m pretty wise on most things,” and that is when he has ya. Remember the vs. from 13-16 are setting up the contrast between the wisdom from the world and God.
MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary
“Wise” is the common Gr. word for speculative knowledge and philosophy, but the Hebrews infused it with the much richer meaning of skillfully applying knowledge to the matter of practical living. The word for “understanding” is used only here in the NT and means a specialist or professional who could skillfully apply his expertise to practical situations. James is asking who is truly skilled in the art of living.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
Wisdom from earthly standards can come from:
Just being older
Having gray hair
3. More knowledge about a topic
4. Being able to read people and make decision based upon those reads
The list could go on and on. But James tells them that our wisdom will be shown in our conduct in meekness. Often we confuse meek with weak. The truth is that meek has a picture of gentleness behind it that not come with a boastful human being. Instead meekness is power under control. The way our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ walked this world.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
We talked about these Wednesday night.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Beloved this wisdom that we are to walk in is completely foreign to us outside the Spirit of God dwelling inside of us and our relationship with God the father.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
What do you really want this morning? Do we desire to walk in the wisdom of God or are we determined to walk in our wisdom, the wisdom of the world?
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,
2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
T.S. Wisdom comes from God and we will pick up that in vs. 17 soon but in the meantime what does earthly wisdom lead to? Selfish Ambition.
2. Rejecting Selfish Ambition
2. Rejecting Selfish Ambition
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
First two markers that come from earthly wisdom is bitter envy(jealousy) and selfish ambition. As christian we are just like the world when we both believe and act as though the world in which we live revolves around ourselves.
Selfish ambition—used in the Greek to describe anyone who entered politics for selfish reasons and sought to achieve his agenda at any cost. Even if it meant trampling others.
One of the huge things to notice about this verse is that he is not talk talking to non-Christians. He is talking to the same people from vs 10
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
This ought not to be so. Why? Because we are amongst the redeemed. My life has been changed. What place does jealousy and selfish ambition have in the kingdom of God?
23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,
24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
We are interesting creatures. When you and I feel the most threatened as though we will be forgotten about or simply the world might move on without us is when we feel the need to talk the most and defend ourselves. Instead, not all the time, but very often the Lord wants us to remain quiet and allow him to be God in a situation. By doing so he trains our hearts that we are not the center of even our own story.
Our story is about our God and his wonderful grace towards us in Christ Jesus.
Gospel—
T.S.
3. Discerning Earthly Wisdom
3. Discerning Earthly Wisdom
15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
God wants us to manage our lives with his wisdom not our own earthly wisdom. You have heard it hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Well you are not an old dog, or old goat, or old buzzard. We are children of the King who made us new that we might live a new life. Not living in our old ways but in the newness of the wisdom of Christ that comes not from our flesh but from the spirit.
Earthly wisdom is unspiritual and demonic.
The Letter of James, Second Edition 2. The Fruit of True Wisdom: Peace (3:13–4:3)
when used with reference to thinking or behavior, “earthly” has a negative nuance, suggesting a narrow perspective that fails to consider God’s realm and will
18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
The Letter of James, Second Edition 2. The Fruit of True Wisdom: Peace (3:13–4:3)
In sum, then, this false wisdom, which does not lead to good works and humility (v. 13), is characterized by the world, the flesh, and the devil. In each of these ways, it is the direct antithesis of “the wisdom that comes form above”—heavenly in nature, spiritual in essence, and divine in origin.
I want to Encourage believers to discern the sources of their wisdom and choose to follow Christ’s example, anchoring their decisions in godly wisdom. We do not have a foundation that is moving and has no hope.
Our foundation is set as a believer. I don’t live as the world lives.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
T.S.
4. Embracing Divine Order
4. Embracing Divine Order
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
Verse 16 is not telling us anything we do not know and have experienced in our own life. Jealousy and selfish ambition leads to a life and even a church to disorder and evil. Our lives when centered around the Lord lead to a life looking like our Lord.
33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,
36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
“In biblical times a young ox was yoked to an older, experienced ox, so that the older might train him to perform properly. By bearing the same yoke, the untrained ox learned the proper pace and how to heed the direction of the master. Jesus calls us to yoke ourselves to him. What a privilege and joy!(Kent Hughes. Preaching the word)
James 3:16 reveals the destructive outcomes of envy and selfish ambition: disorder and evil practice. You could illustrate how this plays out in real-world scenarios within families, workplaces, and churches. Reflect on Christ’s life as a pathway of righteousness and order, contrasting it with the chaos from prioritizing earthly desires. Emphasize the importance of adopting divine wisdom to cultivate environments of peace and goodness, aligning actions with God’s will as revealed through Christ’s sacrifice and teachings.
