Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Well its mothers day and what is the saying.

If mama ain’t Happy , ain’t no one is happy.

It's during these holidays when families get together that disfunction and conflict happens.

What is the other saying for keeping holidays peaceful and mamma happy.

At the dinner Table never talk about Politics and Religion.

That’s hard to do, isn’t it.

We all desire harmonious relationships, and yet many Christian churches and homes are marked by frequent conflict.

Being Christians, we put a spiritual face on our side of things to make it look as if we’re defending the truth or standing on principle.

The churches that James wrote to were experiencing conflict (we will see more of this next week in 4:1–2).

When James writes (3:14),

James 3:14 (ESV)

14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.

The Greek conditional clause indicates that it was true.

James was not addressing a hypothetical situation that might arise in the future, but rather a real situation that already existed.

In the context,

he began chapter 3 warning that not many should become teachers, because we will incur a stricter judgment.

Then he broadened the exhortation to deal with a problem that we all wrestle with, the evil of a destructive tongue.

In our text, James may still be focusing, at least in part, on those who would become teachers.

Teachers are especially prone to boast in their knowledge and wisdom.

They easily may fall into jealousy against those who have a bigger audience than they do.

They may succumb to wrong motives,

serving out of selfish ambition,

trying to attract people to themselves,

rather than to Christ.

So our text especially applies to all of us who teach God’s Word.

But it also applies to every believer, in that James is showing us God’s wisdom that will lead to harmonious relationships.

He contrasts it with worldly “wisdom” that inevitably leads to conflict.

The things he writes here apply to harmonious relationships in the church, but also in our homes and in all of life.

James is saying,

For harmonious relationships, behave with godly wisdom, not with worldly “wisdom.”

James 3:13 (ESV)

13 Who is wise and understanding among you?

By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

The main question he seeks to answer in verse 13 is this:

“Who is wise and understanding among you?”

Wisdom is the ability to connect faith to life.

The biggest fool was somebody who knew the truth, but couldn’t live it.

Wisdom - skill in righteous living.

The other word that he uses—the word “understanding”—carries a similar meaning.

It’s not that you’re just knowledgeable about a particular subject.

It has more to do with that knowledge being exercised from day to day.

The same pair of words—“wisdom and understanding”—were applied to Israel’s leaders and Israel as a nation (Deut 1:13, 15; 4:5).

Deuteronomy 1:13 (ESV)

13 Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’

Deuteronomy 1:15 (ESV)

15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes.

Their knowledge of God’s law was supposed to transform their day to day

living so as to leave an impression on the surrounding nations for God’s glory (cf.

Dan 1:4; 5:11).

If you didn’t live out what you knew from the law, then you didn’t really understand it.

True understanding of God’s word was demonstrated in action.

The Bible talks about this skill of righteous living as something that can be developed.

The Bible repeatedly says the way to gain this kind of wisdom is from God’s Word.

Colossians 3:16 (ESV)

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

2 Timothy 3:15 (ESV)

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

God’s word explains the truth about life.

It tells us about sin.

It tells us of the devil’s working against us.

It tells us about God’s love for us.

It tells us about faith, the Holy Spirit and God’s providential care for us.

It tells us there will be a final judgment and the reality of heaven and hell.

These are the truths we need to live wisely.

The greatest piece of wisdom we need to live is knowledge of and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Apart from knowing Christ, we can not live wisely in this life.

Now what happened in the first-century churches James wrote to, and it happens in many churches today, was they lost a biblical understanding of wisdom.

They became enamored by the witty speakers,

the charismatic leaders and those who became the center of attention.

Their heroes weren’t people who did the hard spade work of following Christ in real life.

James wrote to straighten out their thinking.

Which means that when James asks us, “Who is wise and understanding among you?”

we cannot think in terms of who knows the most,

or has the most Scripture memorized,

or who is the oldest,

or who is the smartest,

or whose been to seminary.

No, true wisdom and understanding has a moral and ethical component to it, especially in how it affects our relationships with others.

The First thing we see about Godly Wisdom is

Godly Wisdom Produces Good Works

James has given a great deal of attention to faith being demonstrated in works.

The same is true for wisdom.

True wisdom will demonstrate itself in good works—

not works that seek to earn favor with God,

but works that flow from a relationship already established with God by grace.

True wisdom will produce good conduct evidenced by works.

Just as I mentioned with Israel,

the one who is wise will leave an impression on others for the glory of God.

People will recognize the life devoted to God’s glory.

James says, you think you are so wise and smart?

Show it by your good conduct.

Then James tells us, if we are truly wise about life, our good works will be done in meekness.

Godly Wisdom is shown in meekness

But notice that such a wise person will also do the works with meekness.

We begin with the observation that the word “meek” does not have a positive connotation in our culture.

It suggests many things, none of which are very appealing.

If you tell something you think they are meek,

they will probably not take it as a compliment.

In fact, they will probably think you are implying something negative about their character.