Sermon Tone Analysis

!!!!! Two Kinds of Wisdom

 13Who is wise and

     understanding among you?

Let him ( who? wise & understanding)

 show it  (how?)

by his good life,

by deeds done

   in the humility

 that comes from wisdom.

14But if you (who?

Worldly wisdom) harbor

bitter envy and

selfish ambition in your hearts,

do not (what?)

boast about it or

deny the truth.

15Such "wisdom"  ( where from?)

does not come down from heaven but is (what?)

 earthly,

unspiritual,

of the devil.

16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, ( worldly “wisdom”)

 there you find  ( what?)

disorder and

every evil practice.

17But the wisdom ( where?)

that comes from heaven is ( what?)

 first of all pure; then

 peace-loving,

 considerate,

 submissive,

 full of mercy and

 good fruit,

 impartial and

 sincere.

18Peacemakers who

sow in peace raise ( what? )

 a harvest of righteousness.

\\ !!!!! Two Kinds of Wisdom  ( James 3: 13-18)

 13Who is wise and understanding among you?

Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.

16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17But 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.

18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

\\ *Ice Breaker Question:*

*1.      **Think of a person you know who has real wisdom.

In what ways is that wisdom evident in his or her life?

*

This is a ice breaker question.

There is no model answer.

Generally, we will admire someone who makes wise decision in life.

Most of us will chose someone who is healthy, wealthy, pretty, capable, successful, spiritual giant, a martyr,  etc.

Billionaires , actors and actress, public figures etc may succeed using worldly wisdom and using  materialistic definition of success.

They may or may not take a drug overdose and end as failure.

Some of us will think along the lines of Godly wisdom, someone who is a peacemaker, who raise a harvest of righteousness.

*2.

**What is linked with wisdom in verse 13?

What should be done with this knowledge?*

Understanding.

OIn the New Testament wisdom is different from knowledge.

Wisdom is knowledge obeyed and applied.

You must have both, and they are interdependent, but here is the only place in the New Testament where you find wisdom and understanding joined together.

James is evidently describing a man of some Christian maturity, who not only applies the knowledge of God and his salvation to his daily life, but this man understands himself and his own heart, he understands men and women, and he understands the world.

You remember there were " men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (I Chron.

12:32).

What a gift to the church !

Let them show it !

*3.      **What does James mean by living a “ good life”?*

Greek meaning of good –beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable

#. beautiful to look at, shapely, magnificent

#. good, excellent in its nature and characteristics, and therefore well adapted to its ends

                                                               i.

genuine, approved

                                                             ii.

precious

                                                            iii.

joined to names of men designated by their office, competent, able, such as one ought to be

                                                            iv.

praiseworthy, noble

#. beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life, and hence praiseworthy                                                                i.

morally good, noble

#. honourable, conferring honour #. affecting the mind agreeably, comforting and confirming

   *NAS Word Usage - Total:* 100 beautiful 1, better 5, better~* 2, commendable manner 1, excellent 1, fair 1, fine 2, good 79, high 1, honest 1, honorable 1, right thing 1, sound 1, treasure~* 1, what is right 2

#. *Greek meaning of behavior -* manner of life, conduct, behaviour, deportment    *NAS Word Usage - Total:* 13 behavior 6, conduct 4, manner of life 2, way of life 1

James says, "by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom" (v.13).

People of wisdom and understanding show it primarily by their lives.

The 'good life' means for the world today *possessions, prosperity and pleasure*.

You had it in Carlsberg  beer commercial.

The men are fishing together one warm evening; someone is frying the trout they have caught; they open cans of lager and sit back on the river bank and one of them says, "It doesn't get much better than this."

The good life is fishing with your mates.

There is no harm in fishing with your friends.

Small boys enjoy it.

The harm is thinking that that is what it's all about.

The good life is far richer and more rewarding.

*It is the life of goodness.

It consists of not being evil, and of cleaving to what is good.

It is not defined in terms of leisure activities and nights with the boys*, but a father who is always there for his children, a mother who denies herself to feed, clothe, wash and keep a home for her family.

You see it in a wife caring for her husband who has got into such a state of senility that he no longer can say her name.

The good life !

You see it in such "deeds done" - not in admiring them and talking about them, but actually doing them in our lives.

These deeds must also be done in a particular way, "in the humility that comes from wisdom" (v.13).