Faith Seeks Heavenly Wisdom
Faith Seeks Heavenly Wisdom
James 3:16–4:6
Theme of the Day: A Wise Faith
Introduction: Think of working for the sole reason of personal gain. The only concern in doing the job is to collect the pay and get ahead. There are no long-range concerns for the company or the people it serves. The motive is selfish ambition.
That attitude prevails in this world. Such an attitude can and usually does lead to all kinds of conflicts and injuries. It is called by James “unspiritual wisdom.” Such wisdom is contrasted with the “wisdom from heaven” motivated by God’s grace, leading to unity, peace, and the common good.
This past week I was privileged to experience a shining example of a heavenly wisdom. A week ago Friday this church began to transform its appearance as dozens of people began to prepare for the bazaar and Roast beef dinner. Everyone was working and talking and sharing with a common purpose. To unite and build up the people of Immanuel and to open our doors to the community in a way that would encourage and invite them to want to return. This is a heavenly wisdom.
1) Earthly wisdom leads to disorder and every evil practice (3:15, 16; 4:1–4). 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
-envy and selfish ambition
2) Heavenly wisdom is available only in Jesus Christ. It is imparted by the Holy Spirit. It leads to holy living, obedience, self–control, mercy, and peace (3:17–18). 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 raise a harvest of righteousness.
-the Ten Commandments are now a guide for living rather than a club for abusing
3) Moved by the Spirit, we Christians choose friendship with God over friendship with the world, knowing we cannot have it both ways. The Spirit is jealous of us, and gives us zeal to live for God according to heavenly wisdom (4:1–6).
5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
4) This heavenly wisdom is for a purpose. It is to be used to share and proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ and Him alone. Earthly wisdom says that there are many ways to eternal life. It offers a Universal freedom to do and believe whatever pleases the senses. The reality is that it is just the opposite this kind of wisdom will lead to everlasting damnation.
We on the other hand have a wisdom that is from above. We knowledge and proclaim that our salvation is from the life, suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was neither earned nor deserved, but came as a free gift.
Conclusion: A farmer was bothered by some crows who were pulling up his newly–planted corn. So he loaded his shotgun and crawled along a fence row, determined to shoot the dark marauders.
Now this farmer had a “sociable” parrot who liked to make friends. Seeing the noisy crows in the field, the parrot flew over and joined them with good intentions—just to be friendly. Seeing the crows but not the family pet, the farmer took careful aim and--BANG! When he climbed over the fence, he found his parrot with a wing broken, but still alive. He tenderly carried it home.
When his children met him, they saw their injured pet and tearfully asked, “What happened to Polly, Daddy?” Before he could answer, the parrot spoke up: “Bad company! Bad company!”—from Dennis J. DeHaan, Windows on the Word (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984).
James warns that friendship with the world can lead to many unanticipated problems, just as it did for that parrot. We too, influenced by the attitudes of unspiritual people, all too easily can get caught up in their actions and in the consequences of their deeds.
In contrast, humble, daily friendship with Jesus means the joy of experiencing grace in your life. The Spirit graciously supplies the power to live a godly life of peace, love, and mercy.