Wisdom From Above

James - Wisdom From Above

We are in week 4 of our series called, “James - A Faith That Works.”

We are going through the book of James

We’ve talked about not just being hearers of the Word but doers as well.

We’ve talked about faith without works is dead.

And last week we talked about the power of the tongue.

This week we are going to read the last part of chapter 3 where James talks about Wisdom!

First thing we need to know about wisdom is that wisdom is not the same as intelligence.

Intelligent people make unwise decisions all the time.

If we’re being honest we’ve all made unwise decisions or been a part of someone else’s unwise decisions.

Story of Brandon and the fire!

What is Wisdom?

The ability to discern what is true or right.

So "wisdom" has both moral implications--discerning what’s right--and intellectual implications--discerning what’s true.

I’ve heard it said that knowledge is the INFORMATION you get about something and wisdom is the APPLICATION that you do with that knowledge.

So we’re going to read James 3:13-18 and see what James has to say on this issue.

James 3:13-18 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. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 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. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

So James is talking about the difference between earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom.

He gives some examples of what earthly wisdom looks like.

And he makes a pretty bold statement.

Look at verse 14-16 again

Verse 14-16 “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”

The word envy can also be used for the word zeal which the Bible has used to call someone zealous, which can be a good thing.

However, that word bitter before it shows where your heart really is.

This zealousness stems from personal pride.

Then we look at selfish ambition.

This is something that even our culture today would probably accept.

The idea of following your heart and doing whatever it takes to achieve what YOU want to achieve.

To promote yourself the best you can to be recognized.

But the problem is both those things are based out of pride and selfish desires.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work hard and try to move up at your company.

It just means saying, God I want YOUR will for my life and I’m going to do the best job I can and if it’s your will for me to get promoted or get a raise, great!

But I’m not going to manufacture or force something because of my selfish desires if it’s not in your will.

James says that kind of “wisdom” is not from above.

And for me I want true wisdom from above!

Wisdom that only God can give me.

So this morning I want to share a few things we can do to make sure we are getting wisdom from above.

Having the Fear of the Lord

Psalm 111:10 NLT “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!”

To fear the Lord means that you respect and obey Him.

Verse 13 “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.

How can you tell if someone is wise?

By the way they live their life.

When we obey His commands we can grow in wisdom just like Jesus did.

Luke 2:52 NLT “ Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”

Wisdom is not something you just get at one time.

It’s something you can constantly grow in and one of the ways you can grow is by being obedient to God.

Ask for Wisdom

James 1:5 NIV “ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

In 1 Kings chapter 3 God tells Solomon he can have anything he wants.

1 Kings 3:7-12 he asks for wisdom.

He knew the types of decisions he was going to have to make and knew the importance WISDOM would play in his life.

Therefore he ASKED for it!

God DESIRES to give you wisdom.

But you need to ask for it.

And it’s not a one time request.

We should be CONSTANTLY asking God for more wisdom.

Everyday I pray I pray for wisdom and direction.

Keep Accessing the Wisdom of God

Sometimes we forget that we have 24/7 access to wisdom from above.

IT’S CALLED THE BIBLE!

God literally gave us a book that we can read at any time where He gives us the wisdom we need to live our lives.

SO many people lack the wisdom from God because they don’t spend time in His Word.

That’s why so many believers are falling into this trap of agreeing with our culture on certain issues when the answer is very obvious in the Bible.

God’s not only going to impart wisdom on you by speaking in a loud voice.

He’s going to use His written Word as well.

Press into God’s Word and watch wisdom grow in you!

Because you’re going to hear something and you’re going to get that uneasy feeling about what was just said because you remember reading something differently in the Bible.

You’re going to know a counterfeit faith when you see it because you know the Word of God.

I read somewhere that the people who can look at a $100 bill and tell you if it’s a counterfeit or not, do not spend their time looking up all the different ways to make counterfeit money.

They spend hours and hours studying the real thing.

That way when ANY kind of counterfeit comes up they can spot it.

It’s the same thing with God

We should be spending our time studying God’s Word and seeing who He is so when something comes up that is a counterfeit faith, we can spot it!

And that knowledge of the Word will bring about the wisdom we need to recognize it.

Surround Yourself With Wise People

Proverbs 13:20 NLT “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”

It’s amazing how who you hang out with and surround yourself with will affect your life.

The bible makes it very clear.

1 Cor. 15:33 NIV “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

If you want to be wise you need to be careful who you associate with.

Listen to how the Bible describes how important wisdom is.

Proverbs 3:13-15 NIV “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”

Solomon apparently knew that.

He realized what good would it be if I had all the money and power in the world but not the wisdom to use it properly.

Wisdom is so important because it affects EVERY area of our life.

Every decision you make you are praying that it’s the wise decision.

From how to handle and discipline our children, to should I take this other job, to when can we finally meet in person for church!

Then the key is listening to what GOD is saying.

Some of the worst earthly wisdom we give people is to follow YOUR heart.

We should be following GOD’S heart.

Example of when I decided to join City Church

We must seek after wisdom with everything we have so that we can truly do what God has called us to!

How do we know it’s wisdom from above?

James gives us a few examples of what that should look like.

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.”

Those are some basic things you can look to if you have questions of what you are doing or how you are responding is with wisdom from above.

But church the bottom line is WE NEED WISDOM FROM ABOVE.

We live in a day and age where the Word of God is under attack and TRUTH is under attack.

We need the wisdom from God to direct and lead us in every situation.

And the good news is IT’S AVAILABLE to you!

Altar Call