Sunday’s Sermons

Text: James 3:13-18                                                        8/30/09 a.m.

Thesis: Godly wisdom humbly and peaceably works for righteousness.

Intro:  Wisdom from above; that’s our title for this sermon.  In our text and in our title there is an assumption concerning wisdom.

The assumption is that there is more than one type of wisdom.

There is a wisdom that is godly, from above, born in the heavens and there is a wisdom that is void of godliness, of this earth, and even born in the desires of the demons.

Obviously we should want that wisdom that is from above. Our desire is to listen to God and obey God; faithfully accomplishing God’s purposes.

To do this we must become wise; we must possess and act upon the wisdom that is from above.

So what James sets out to do for us in this passage is give clear standards by which we can distinguish heavenly wisdom from demonic wisdom.

In a few minutes you will be able to biblically judge your life and decide if you are following the wisdom that is from above.

Derek Kidner summed it all up when he said that the purpose of wisdom is to make good people nice (quoted by Motyer, 129).

You see, the churches to whom this letter was addressed had a problem.  They were full of people who claimed to be wise; they were packed with people who claimed to be good.

But they were not nice people.  They were bitter and selfish.

We know we are walking according to God’s wisdom when we are faithful, fruitful, and nice.

Read James 3:13-18

I) Christian maturity involves wisdom and understanding

a)      Some claim to be wise and understanding

i)        So James issues a challenge in verse 13. Who claims to be wise? Who wants to be a teacher? Who thinks they have it together?

ii)      Let’s investigate. Let’s look at some tell-tale signs of true wisdom. You see, this is a helpful passage.

iii)    We are given biblical categories by which we can judge the spiritual depth of those we go to for advice.

iv)    If the person teaching us is not wise, if his/her life does not possess the visible qualities of the wisdom from above then love them, serve them, and encourage them but do not listen to them. Their wisdom is no go.

b)      So what is wisdom? What does it mean to be wise?

i)        Chapter 1 introduced wisdom to us when we learned that God invites everyone who lacks wisdom to ask for it and that wisdom would be given without reproach.

ii)      Wisdom is the God-given ability to understand God and His ways so that life is lived according to God’s purposes.

c)      Let’s define understanding

i)        If a person possesses understanding that person knows how things work and is therefore able to use that thing to accomplish God’s purposes.

ii)      If a person claims to understand an engine that person is making this statement: I know how an engine operates and I am able to use that engine for God’s ends.

d)     So why would James ask this question?

i)        Because people in the church were claiming to have wisdom and understanding; they were saying that they understood God and could teach others.

ii)      The problem is that their lives were a direct contradiction to their claims.

II) Christian maturity is displayed not claimed

Look again with me at the middle of verse 13

It has been said by some deep thinkers that if you are happy and you know it then your face will surely show it.

a)      If we put verse 13 in those terms we’d say, “if you are wise and you know it then your life will surely show it.”

i)        Wisdom will show itself by works, “by his good conduct let him show his works.”

ii)      Wisdom does something; it accomplishes something; it has energy that produces.

iii)    As we’ll see in a moment, there is a faulty or worldly form of wisdom as well. Possessing worldly religion has obvious characteristics as well.

iv)    So James wants us to understand that if you are really wise there will be proof in your life.

v)      And that proof, or works, has two defining characteristics: good conduct in the meekness of wisdom.

vi)    Godly wisdom does good stuff; it accomplishes God’s goals God’s way.  Godly wisdom does hard stuff and godly wisdom often finds opposition but the point is if you claim to be wise your life will prove it because you consistently strive to do God’s things God’s way.

vii)  And God’s way is according to Scripture with meekness.  Meekness means humility.

viii)            Wisdom produces meekness. When you understand that you lack wisdom and can only get it from God that makes you humble.

ix)    You are sinful, selfish, and foolish. You will mess everything up. But God in his great mercy has redeemed you through Jesus Christ and God in his great mercy gives wisdom to those who humbly ask.

x)      You don’t understand God and his ways because you’re smart. You understand God and his ways because he has graciously taught you. Your inability and His grace produce humility, meekness, and gentleness.

xi)    Let’s review.  The person who is truly wise will understand God and will know how God intends for life to work. He/she will then go about seeking to realize that life God’s way with all humility.

xii)  That’s what true wisdom is about. Now let’s turn our attention to false or earthly wisdom. Read 14

III) If you are selfish do not claim to be wise

It doesn’t matter what you say. If there is envy and pride in your heart you are not wise; you are a liar.

a)      That’s a pretty bold statement so lets define bitter jealousy

i)        It’s simple to grasp; bitter jealousy is a desire for another person’s position or possessions that drives you to frustration or anger.

ii)      If you are mad at people because you do not have what they have then you have bitter jealousy in your heart.

iii)    You can be jealous of a relationship or a job or a home or a car. You can be jealous that a person got his way and you didn’t get your way.

iv)    If you have this bitter jealousy inside your heart you are not trusting God. You are not resting in God’s sovereignty. You do not understand God and you do not understand how he works.

v)      You’re mad because you didn’t get your way.

b)      Now let’s talk about selfish ambition

i)        Some translations have “party spirit”. It’s the idea of factionalism. It’s what we see in our government when Republicans oppose Democrats for no reason except that the idea came from a Democrat and vise versa.

ii)      Selfish ambition says, “I’m what is important and my team is the best so if it isn’t my idea or if it isn’t from my team I don’t care I’m against it.”

iii)    In the church it’s turf wars, little cliques, and opposition of anything that smells contrary to your wishes.

iv)    It is the godless desire to make my life better at the expense of everyone else.

c)      Now why do these two sins prove a person is a liar?

i)        If you have jealousy and selfishness in your heart then do not boast and be false to the truth.

ii)      If all you care about is yourself then don’t pretend to understand God; everyone will know you are lying.

iii)    If you are more passionate about getting your way than you are passionate about God’s will being done then don’t be false to the truth; you are not wise.

iv)    Brothers, do you want proof that God’s word is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the soul and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart?

v)      You are about to get that proof. Read verse 15

IV) Jealousy and selfish ambition are the defining marks of all that is of this earth, natural to fallen mankind, and demonic

a)      Jealousy and selfish ambition are not the wisdom that is from above

i)        It is not wise to love yourself. It is not wise to protect yourself. If you spend your life trying to advance your little kingdom then you are a fool.

ii)      Think about it. 99 out of 100 times that you get mad about something it is because you aren’t making decisions based upon God and his wants. You’re mad because you aren’t getting what you want.

b)      Your selfishness proves your heart is connected to what is of this world, godless, and of the devil

i)        James tells us in 4:6 that when you become a friend of this world you become an enemy of God.

ii)      Friendship with this world is a good picture of earthly. It’s walking in step with this sin-filled self-fueled I can do it by myself world.

iii)    It’s the wisdom that cares nothing for God and his ways. It’s thinking that goes no farther than this puny little planet.

iv)    Earthly thinking just doesn’t think about God.

v)      Unspiritual is a word that occurs 5 times in the New Testament and it is always a bad word. Unspiritual is consistently put forward as the opposite of spiritual.

vi)    It’s the natural man of 1 Corinthians 2:14 who does not accept the thing things of the Spirit of God.

vii)  Douglas Moo put it well when he wrote that the unspiritual is that part of man where human feeling and human reason reign supreme (173).

viii)  So when it just makes sense to you but it has nothing to do with God and his ways then it’s probably unspiritual.

ix)    Demonic is simple. That thing or that desire that accomplishes the goals of Satan. It is opposed to God.

x)      When you or your friend or your child or a church member says something selfish or acts upon jealousy we must understand that what is driving that person is sin, self, and Satan.

V) Now if godly wisdom proves itself then worldly wisdom does too. Here is how we can judge if someone is godly or worldly (read v.16).

a)      The fact that your life is a wreck and sin is all over the place proves that you have been seeking your kingdom and not God’s.

i)        Where there is smoke there is fire. Where there is disorder, where life is unstable and tossed back and forth, you can be sure that selfishness is at the root.

ii)      Where there is every vile practice, where sin is on every front and popping up in every quarter, you can be sure that selfishness is the cause.

iii)    Count on it; in the church and in the family when God is forgotten and self is made king then there will be disorder and all kinds of worthless pointless godless things.

VI) Therefore and most importantly, Christian, you must know and seek to grow in true wisdom

We don’t want sin and instability for our selves, our families, and our church. We want Jesus and we want to walk in step with the gospel. Here’s how we know we’re on the right track.

These things are present (read 17)

a)      Notice that James is very careful to point out that wisdom from above is first pure. Why go to all the trouble of saying that godly wisdom first of all is pure?

i)        Why not say “wisdom is first humble”?

ii)      The reason James starts this list this way is he wants to pinpoint the source and goal of true wisdom.

iii)    Pure is the word often translated ‘holy’. It means sacred, devoted to God, useful to God.

iv)    Purity is the crown jewel of godly wisdom; it reflects the person and purposes of God.

v)      Many of us make decisions throughout our day and throughout our lives without any thought of Jesus and the hope of the gospel. This is the direct opposite of wisdom that is pure, holy, or pertaining to God.

vi)    Godly wisdom, first of all, brings God to bear on the situation.

b)      Wisdom from above trusts God and it shows

i)        In the original the next three adjectives are linked by alliteration, the repetition of sound.

ii)      εἰρηνική, ἐπιεικής, εὐπειθής

iii)    Those words, because of their similarity of sound, could be easily memorized and therefore quickly brought to bear on any situation or decision.

iv)    To be peaceful or peaceable is to be free from anxiety or inner turmoil (G-E Lexicon of the NT).

v)      It’s the opposite of disorder in verse 16. Because this person knows God, is trusting in the sovereignty of God, and is pursuing God’s goals God’s way why should there be fear, turmoil, or anxiety?

vi)    In 1st Timothy 3:3 we find our word gentle; the opposite of gentle as being violent. Titus 3:2 describes gentle as avoiding quarrelling.

vii)  Wisdom from above knows that God can be trusted to uphold what is right and accomplish His purposes.

viii)            True wisdom, therefore, doesn’t operate according to the aggression of this world. Wisdom from above doesn’t accomplish its ends by picking fights and getting in people’s faces.

ix)    Godly wisdom is powerful in prayer, bold in the truth, and patiently waits on God.

x)      Easily persuaded rounds out our trio. The opposite of easily persuaded is stuck in his ways.

xi)    But godly wisdom is not easily persuaded by everyone.

xii)  Instead of meaning gullible, easily persuaded means open to reason, willing to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

xiii)            When there is disagreement, godly wisdom does not go on the attack. Godly wisdom, when truth is not on the line, is willing to listen to the merits of others.

xiv)            Willing to yield is another good translation. Godly wisdom puts the desires of God first, the desires of others second, and the desires of self third.

xv)  How many churches have been hurt by the lack of godly wisdom? One group is selfish and aggressive the other group is unwilling to budge.

xvi)            The body is wounded because one group wants change now and the other group wants change never.

xvii)          Both of these are the epitome of earthly wisdom.

xviii)        We must care more about what God wants than what we want. We must be devoted to what is good for the body as opposed to what we think is good for me or good for my group of friends.

xix)            Godly wisdom puts God and church first; people with godly wisdom trust God and it shows.

xx)  The next four traits of godly wisdom can be summed up by saying

c)      Wisdom from above is committed to humbly working

i)        A wise person doesn’t jump to conclusions, assume the worst, or “go for the throat” in a disagreement.

ii)      She is full of mercy. She’s over flowing with compassion.

iii)    She’s not easily offended but easily finds the good and gives grace even when the world says to go on the attack. How desperately do our families and church need men and women of godly wisdom.

iv)    Men and women who are full of good fruits. Young and old who do not live for them selves but live to be used by God.

v)      And they don’t draw lines concerning who they will serve and in what capacity; they are impartial.

vi)    They don’t make distinctions. It’s either what God wants or it’s not. Godly wisdom says, “if God is in it then I will be too.” God will provide what is needed.

vii)  And this is said and done with sincerity. There is no hypocrisy here. They’re not working the system or playing with people’s emotions.

viii)            With focus and determination God’s people accomplish God’s purposes. They are not distracted by sin or selfishness. They are sincere.

ix)    And here is what you get

d)     Godly wisdom produces peace and a harvest of righteousness

i)        Read verse 18

ii)      If you want to reflect the person of God in all of your life; if you want your work to produce righteousness then your work must be done in peace.

iii)    You will be hard pressed to find the words “brutally” or “violently” on the back of any seed packet.

iv)    God is calling you this morning to do his will peacefully. And that doesn’t mean that you consider peace to be okay if it just happens.

v)      It means you actually make peace. You give up your wants for the cause of peacefully pursuing God’s goals.

vi)    You shut your mouth. You stop fighting. You stop arguing. You stop hurting. And you pick up your cross and peacefully give yourself away so that God’s will can be advanced.

vii)  When God’s people pursue God’s will God’s way then they see God work.

viii)            When Mambrino Baptist Church walks in wisdom pursuing peace we will see a harvest of righteousness.

ix)    Christ will be glorified, lives will be changed, and you’ll get to be a part of it.

x)      The reason you don’t see God working could be because you’re selfish.

VII) Now don’t you want to take the Lord’s Supper after being raked across the coals by God’s piercing word?

a)      I need know I need Jesus because I am full of selfishness and sinfulness. I have wandered away. I have done my own thing. I have hurt people.

i)        I need the blood of Christ that purchases my forgiveness.

ii)      I need the body of Christ broken for my healing.

iii)    I need the resurrection of Christ that gives me new life.

iv)    I need the Jesus who is worth more than me to satisfy me. I need the Jesus who is stronger than me to give me strength.

v)      I need to be reminded that God gives hope to those who acknowledge their sin and depend on Christ the perfect Savior.

vi)    I have a Redeemer. There is hope for change. There is a life that is worth every sacrifice.

vii)  Because of Christ my life will bear fruit for God.

viii)            In the Lord’s Supper God holds out Jesus to us.  In Him we find life and forgiveness and the wisdom to live God’s way.

ix)    Let’s prepare our hearts to celebrate the mercy of God poured out on us through Jesus Christ.