HEAVENLY WISDOM

HEAVENLY WISDOM James 3:13-18 February 20, 2011 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction I had the distinct pleasure of attending a church leadership conference yesterday along with our other two elders and our wives. Much of the pleasure of that experience was the 2-hour drive there and back in the company of one another. The principle speaker at the conference was a friend of mine, Dr. Bob Lowery—an author, professor, preacher, teacher and a dying man. Bob has terminal cancer and has already stretched his predicted one year of life beyond those limits. He spoke out of years of accumulated knowledge, a finely tuned mind and communicative skill and rich years in the study of God’s Word. But something about the strenuous work of his weakened body bringing us his teaching, and something about the press of knowing he will be with the Lord within months if not days, made his presentation a rare jewel of an experience. He stood and spoke as long as he could, then took a seat in a soft chair, soon to stand again and make a few insightful remarks, then back to the cushioned seat. He did not simply bring clear understanding of biblical principles on leadership, as he often did for 40 years. He brought us his heart and his vision. A dying scholar, a seasoned teacher with a soft pastoral heart, a man with a compelling series of comments he simply had to deliver to an eager crowd of 600 church leaders. Bob spoke from his heart, from somewhere deep and real, things he had processed in the crucible of life and ministry. And every one of us, among whom you could have heard a pin drop, knew this was not simply good knowledge, it was pure, straightforward wisdom. Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy. Proverbs 3 Wisdom is way, way more than knowledge. Knowledge is the understanding and holding of information in the confidence that it is right. Wisdom is the unique and helpful skill of correct judgments and decisions with that information. Wisdom is using knowledge to the genuine benefit of oneself and others in the service of God, Who is the source of wisdom. The first step of wisdom, the Bible repeatedly insists, is to know that it begins with God, and we are privileged to appropriate it to ourselves by means of prayer and diligent pursuit of, not wisdom, but God. In his brilliant translation of the Bible called The Message, Eugene Peterson renders Proverbs 1:7 in this way: Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning. James, the earthly half-brother of Jesus, primary leader of the 1st century church in Jerusalem, author of the letter before us and avid student of the subject of wisdom told us at the very beginning of this epistle that if anyone felt he lacked wisdom, he should pray to God in faith, asking for wisdom, and God would pour it out on him, not holding anything back. (1:5) Now James writes a paragraph to further explain wisdom. His point is not to simply define wisdom, however. He is marrying two important ideas: Living in godly wisdom and living in peace and harmony in the community of the church. We’re going to see the contrast between godly wisdom and the worldly counterfeit of wisdom, and then follow James logic to see that living in true godly wisdom results in the very best kind of life—one where individuals are learning to live in harmony with one another, helping each other and at the same time reaping for themselves a rich and rewarding life of righteousness. The Bible teaches that there is a worldly way of thinking that masquerades as wisdom, but is anything but wisdom. The negative results of following the false wisdom are obvious, as are the positive results of walking in godly wisdom. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 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, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 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. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. The two kinds of wisdom are completely different in their origin, their operation and their outcome. Origins of Wisdom You can’t miss the contrast in James between real wisdom and false wisdom, it is so plain. Of the false wisdom, James says it does not come from above (that is, from God). The further description is that it is earthly, unspiritual and of the devil. Once again, we don’t have to guess what James is saying. It’s stark. In contrast to earthly, carnal and devilish counterfeit wisdom, James tells us there is a real, godly wisdom. He describes it as the wisdom that comes down from heaven. Now, what I believe we are to see and understand is that all around us there are two options for us concerning how we are to think and how we are to perceive life and the world around us. One is absolutely wrong, demonic, false, deceptive and in all ways dark and carnal. The other has a perceptible heavenly quality about it. Take for example two quotations I heard just this past week on television: 1) “It is nothing but a blob of cells indistinguishable from any other tissue in the mother’s body,” and 2) “It’s a human being, admittedly pre-born but with all the qualities necessary to life, and still dependent for her existence on her mother.” It doesn’t take a genius to determine which comment evokes heavenly origin, and which is a human opinion born of carnal thinking. How about these two: 1) “Your nothing but a naked ape, the descendant of primates who were earlier descendants of other less complex creatures, going all the way back to the primordial ooze” versus 2) You are a unique human being, the crown of God’s creation, fashioned by Him and called into a covenant relationship of love maturity in Him. Does one of those statements sound slightly more heavenly than the other? Operations of Wisdom There are unavoidable characteristics of earthly, fraudulent wisdom listed in verses 14-15. They include such things as harboring bitter envy and selfish ambition. James says that false wisdom will be evidenced in a person’s life by such behaviors, because that’s the way carnal wisdom operates. Bitter envy is not just petty jealousy. If you are jealous of a person, you want what they have. If you are bitter and envious, you not only want what they have—you want them to not have it. That’s carnality. Selfish ambition – this is pretty much just what it sounds like—being desirous only of what will please, entertain, fulfill or excite ME, with no regard for the benefit or blessing of anyone else. It’s worldly wisdom at work. Hey, you gotta’ take care of you! If you don’t watch out for yourself, nobody else is gonna’! James says in vs. 14 that these carnal behaviors are not only practiced, but they are often accompanied by one of two attitudes: boasting (Yeah, that’s the way I feel, and I’m proud of it), or denial (Whaddya mean, I’m envious and selfish?!) Further marks of a life governed by false, worldly wisdom include disorder and what James describes as every evil practice. The Word promises those who live in worldly wisdom that their lives will be continually marked by instability and dissatisfaction. When he says every evil thing he is not insisting that the person captivated by false wisdom always does everything evil. It simply means that operating in this deception leaves you open to all possible evil—that eventually, there will be no bad you won’t do. On the other hand, the person who through faith and devotion to God clings to godly wisdom will grow and prosper in a life marked by such things as purity, peace, mercy, good fruit, impartiality (fairness/justice) and sincerity. These are self-explanatory. The idea is clear. There are two kinds of wisdom: the fake and the real. If you choose to pursue real wisdom, godly wisdom, your life is going to be like these qualities. It is the rebellious spirit, the deceived person, who will deliberately opt for the carnal, earthly wisdom. We are made in the image of God, and planted deep in our hearts is a desire not for sin and evil, darkness and emptiness. Every person in this room, this community in all honesty wants that second list. Outcomes of Wisdom The contrasting wisdoms (godly and worldly) have opposite origins, and they operate in clearly different ways in the lives of human beings. Finally, James points out there are two completely different kinds of outcome for the worldly wise and the godly wise. Verse 16 – For where you have envy and selfish ambition you find disorder and every evil practice. These terms describe both the behaviors of the worldly wise and the consequences of worldly thinking. Proverbs 1:7 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; only fools despise wisdom and instruction. The book of Proverbs is replete with references to the fool. He always ends up on the garbage heap. Why? Because his reckless and foolish ways lead him there inevitably. And why does he follow reckless and foolish ways? Because he has determined to ignore godly wisdom and follow the ill fated faux wisdom of the world. Again, by contrast, the one who chooses to listen to and follow godly wisdom—or, genuine wisdom—experiences a far different outcome in his life. Verse 18 – Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. While that comment seems a little disjointed because James is suddenly introducing the idea of peacemaking, it serves to bring us back to the stream of thought James is following. You see, when he speaks about how teachers are to serve the body of Christ circumspectly in verse 1 of this chapter, and when he then instructs others in the church family to use their speech in such a way as to edify others, he now is tying wisdom into the picture of responsible churchmanship. The fact is, when we concur with godly wisdom, it not only blesses our lives in return, but also makes us more fit as members of Christ’s church! People who are pure and peace-loving will be peace-makers! If those in the church family are the kind of believers who are becoming more considerate, more submissive, more merciful, impartial and sincere, and they are bearing good fruit in their lives, guess what! They’re going to be great church members! If there is a problem among squabbling church members (and there apparently was in the churches, judging by chapter four which we will begin considering next Sunday), these maturing brothers and sisters will serve well as peace-makers among them. James says these saints who are guided by godly wisdom will raise a harvest of righteousness. That’s a beautiful expression. It emphasizes the difference again between the two kinds of wisdom, and insinuates the question, What kind of harvest do you want your life to produce? One of disorder and every evil practice or a harvest of righteousness? Conclusion Where will you go for your wisdom? To worldly sources that sound so good, so appealing, so “with it,” so up-to-date? Or, will you take the very first step of wisdom and trust the wisdom of God for your life? The decision you make today will affect you for the rest of your life. The right choice will lead to abundant life in Christ; the wrong choice will lead to life-long regret. An episode of the Public Radio program "This American Life" tells the story of Nauru, a tiny, isolated Pacific island east of New Guinea and 1,200 miles from any sizable landmass. Around the year 1900, two scientists from the Pacific Islands Company began to study what they believed to be a piece of petrified wood picked up on Nauru. But instead of a fossilized rock, they uncovered the richest phosphate ore ever identified to that time—a discovery so valuable it plunged Nauru violently into the industrial era. During the years that followed, the country was colonized by a succession of European and Asian nations in pursuit of financial gain, who turned the island into a strip mine. Nauru achieved independence in 1968, but rather than taking responsibility for the land, the Nauruan government continued the mining practices that had, by then, brutalized the island. By the early 1980s, Nauru boasted the world's highest per capita income, but its prosperity didn't last long. Midway through the 1990s, Nauru's wealth was gone: embezzled by corrupt financial managers, gambled away on risky investments, and squandered on extravagant luxuries. With the money gone, the Nauruans can now see the effects of their short-sighted decisions. More than 70 percent of the island is a mined-out ruin, unable to offer the infrastructure or natural resources needed to support a nation-state. Nauru must now look for a new piece of land on which to re-locate its population. "When you're on Nauru," says reporter Jack Hitt, "there's a palpable sense of shame at what they've done ... The Nauruans literally sold off their homeland for a pot of wealth which is now lost." The most important decision we make—and we are given the opportunity to make it new every day, even every hour—it to pursue and obey godly wisdom or the wisdom of this world. Paul wrote in Romans 12, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world’s thinking, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.     [ Back to Top]