Wisdom - God's Gift for Stability
Notes
Transcript
I had really cool parents! My dad, every winter when I was young, would create a beautiful ice skating rink in our back yard! My older brother and sisters were really good at ice skating. I, not so much! My ankles were not very strong and I was quite wobbly. There was no triple sow-cow for me!
Until my mom got me a pare of ice skates that had double blades! Well, that was a game changer! Still no triple sow-cow, but I could at last skate with confidence and stability. It was amazing!
Guess what? James wants his readers to understand something about stability and confidence - not it their ability to ice skate, but in how they handle the trials, tribulations and troubles they will face in this life. Let me remind you of the verses we covered last Sunday...
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Well, there’s more to the story on how best to handle these so called “various” trials. And It has to do with God’s wisdom and how much faith we have.
Just like my mom wanted me to be confident and stable on the ice, so God wants us to be confident and stable during all of life, but especially when it gets difficult! And He has a solution for us...
Main Idea: God’s Wisdom Gives Us Stability As We Navigate Life’s Problems
Every Trial is Teaching You Something, It Takes God’s Wisdom to Understand. However, you must have Faith
Remember, the Jewish Christians were dealing with a lot of challenge. They were rejected by the Jews and the gentiles. They were persecuted and poor and facing plenty of hardship! And so James encourage them that there is a path to follow. and that path starts with seeing their need...
1. Problems Show Us Our Need for His Wisdom (vs. 5) -
Lead in…Yes, it is the challenges of this life that should cause us to reach out to God!
What a friend we have in Jesus
Vs. 3 - Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer
Look at the words of James...
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Have you ever felt unwise? Usually we do not. Usually we believe we can handle most situations until one presents itself that stymies us. And then we say those words, “What am I supposed to do now.”
James writes these words to help the Jewish Christians the best path through the trials that they are facing.
I like what the FSB says,
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 1
wisdom Refers to the knowledge of God’s plans and purposes and the ability to live accordingly. Wise people can identify the nature and purpose of their trials and understand how to overcome them.
Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge.
It has been said that the difference between knowledge and wisdom is this.
A tomato is a fruit. This is knowledge.
Wisdom is understanding that a tomato doesn’t belong in a fruit salad.
James understands that when trials and tribulations come our way, questions on how best to navigate through the trial will inevitably come up. And the Christian may genuinely not know what the best course of action should be. They “lack wisdom.”
By the way, “lack” in verse 5 is the same word used in verse 4.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
The goal for the trial is to mature the believer so that they are lacking in nothing and the reality is apart from God we are always lacking. We will only ever find our completeness in Jesus.
The trial reveals our need, God’s wisdom satisfies our need.
And so, James admonishes these Jewish Christians (and us as well), to ask God for help when we find ourselves confounded. - which for me is about every hour!
Do you notice the manner in which God gives? To the one that has faith in His ability to give, God “gives generously to all without reproach...”
So God promises to lavish wisdom on the one, who by faith, asks! (Wedding at Cana)
It will all be “without reproach”!
What is reproach? It means to scold.
In other words, God is delighted to give wisdom to those who lack it! It does not irritate or frustrate Him in the least. He will not reprimand, complain or fuss at anyone that, by faith, asks for wisdom. The point is, He does not want any of His children to hesitate to come to Him.
Sometimes when my wife asks me to do something that I can do much easier than she can do, I might have, on occasion, complained about it.
God NEVER does this!
And, just in case you’ve missed the point, James finishes verse 5 by writing this powerful promise...
“…and it will be given (to) him.”
Wow! What an amazing promise!
So whatever trial or tribulation or trouble you are facing today, God promises to keep you stable through it by giving you His wisdom. And He won’t hold back! He will pour the blessing of His wisdom out on you. Amazing!
So, let me ask you something. When you get stuck in the middle of a struggle, a seeming insurmountable problem, what is your initial reaction?
To be honest, my initial reaction is to try and figure it out on my own. That’s what my dad taught me and that is what my strong temptation is to do.
Instead, my first reaction needs to be when I lack wisdom, ASK GOD!
Yes! It’s that simple! Ask him, believing He will keep His promises.
Where will this wisdom come from? From God!
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Specifically - His Word is a tremendous source to find God’s wisdom.
4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
There is no question how much you need the wisdom of God, believer. Christians who try and live the Christian life apart from God’s wisdom will inevitable default into a worldly way of living life.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Can I give you a suggestion? If you are going through a challenge right now, seek the face of God and ask Him for His wisdom!
And do so with a heart of faith!
And go to His Word - and OBEY what it says - even if it doesn’t feel right.
“I have learned not to question what the Lord tells me to do.” Moses from The Chosen
Review -God’s Wisdom Gives Us Stability As We Navigate Life’s Problems
Problems Show Us Our Need for His Wisdom
2. Gaining God’s Wisdom Requires Our Faith (vs. 6-8)
Lead in...
Here is the POSITIVE side (vs. 6a) - The Christian must ask in faith.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
In other words, the child of God must fully believe the Lord can and will grant wisdom to those who believe.
Faith - to believe...
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 31.85 πιστεύω; πίστις, εως
πιστεύωb; πίστιςb, εως f: to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance—‘to believe in, to have confidence in, to have faith in, to trust, faith, trust.’
Parachute in a plane that is going down...
Do you remember what the writer of Hebrews says about this?
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Why does faith please God? Because faith recognizes utter dependance on the One outside of oneself. In other words, it is a message to God regarding how much we need Him.
I love to be needed! GIVE EXAMPLE
God loves to be needed as well. And the fact is, we NEED His wisdom far more than we need our own.
And so, we are to ask for His wisdom “in faith,” because if we don’t we will not receive it. Take a look at the next verses...
Here is the NEGATIVE side (vs. 6b-8) - You must not doubt!
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Don’t be a doubter - To doubt means “to be uncertain about something or someone.”
James gives a very unflattering words describing the doubter. “a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind…he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
A Wind-Tossed Wave - is driven or blown (horizontally) and tossed (vertically) by the wind.
A Double-minded man - a divided person - one with a duplicitous mind. Literally, “two-souled” (Kenz at the grocery check out - she couldn’t make up her mind)
Both are unstable!
The English definition of “unstable”
Concise Oxford English Dictionary Unstable
1 likely to collapse or change; not stable.
2 prone to psychiatric problems or sudden changes of mood.
The Greek definition - ἀκατάστατος
“Restless,” “exposed to unrest,” “unsettled,” “fickle” - reprehensibly “unstable” or “fickle.” The man who doubts as he prays does not give himself wholeheartedly to God. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
Did you hear that? Reprehensibly unstable or fickle.
Why do you suppose James would use such strong language when talking about simply doubting?
Because of WHOM is doubted! The All-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present, God of the universe.
What are we saying when we pray to God and ask for wisdom only to doubt that He will do what He has promised to do? We are calling Him into question. We are calling His character, particularly His characteristic being the personification of truth, into question.
The bottom line is this. Don’t be a doubter when it comes to what God promises. It is not pleasing to him - in fact, it is reprehensible!
So there is the look at the positive and negative side of these verses.
And our conclusion can only be that it is strictly by our faith that God will give the wisdom He promises. And our faith will be rewarded generously! But faith is the key!
Last week we talked about viewing our trials through the lens of joy because of the providentially good hand of our God! Now, we have yet another set of lenses to look through. The lens of faith which says we trust God and His ways so much, we are willing to follow - even if it might go against our senses.
The Poseidon Adventure - Great story...
Friends, our ways are not always Gods ways but in every way we must trust His wisdom over ours. Don’t doubt! Believe in faith!
I think some of us need to confess that we don’t even ask God for His wisdom. Let’s start there.
Start by seeking His face regularly even on seemingly innocuous stuff.
Then grow by praying and searching His Word for guidance in all areas of life.
Pray and do what He says and not only will He be pleased, but your faith will grow!
Review - God’s Wisdom Gives Us Stability As We Navigate Life’s Problems
Problems Show Us Our Need for His Wisdom
Gaining God’s Wisdom Requires Our Faith
Conclusion (Last 5 Minutes)
So, God is calling us to be confident and stable on our spiritual feet just like I became when mom gave me the awesome double bladed ice skates!
Well, God has something much better for us than double-bladed ice skates! He promises to give us His stabilizing wisdom when we are on unstable, trial-filled ground. The only caveat is, you must believe Him.
By the way, is there anyone more trustworthy, more capable of keeping His word than God Himself?
If you follow the wisdom of God, your life will stabilize in remarkable ways so that you can skate though trials and tribulations with grace and truth.