07/26/15 The Wise Understand Wisdom!
Life is
a Test Series – James 3:13-18
Intro: If we were
to recall our upbringing and all the great statement’s that our parents instilled
within us, I believe one that would be on the top ten list, would be: DO YOU
UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING? Interestingly enough this is exactly what James
wants; he wants the Christian to really understand the wisdom that comes from
God and not to depend on man’s wisdom.
“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore
get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7
Text:
James 3:13-18
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good
conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have
bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the
truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual,
demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil
thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in
peace by those who make peace.
Application: True wisdom comes from above!
What
is true wisdom? What is so difficult about living a Christian life! Is it
really asking too much to have a godly Persona?
In chapter 3 the responsibility
of the teacher is woven throughout this text. It is not enough simply to stand
before the people and say words; you must have something to say. This is where
spiritual wisdom comes in. Knowledge enables us to take things apart, but
wisdom enables us to put things together and relate God’s truth to daily life.
All of us have heard preachers and teachers who say many good things, but who
somehow miss the heart of God’s message and fail to relate truth to everyday
life. It is this kind of knowledge without wisdom that James is writing about.
He is contrasting true wisdom and false wisdom in three different aspects.
1. Contrast
in Origins: Vs. 15, 17a
“This wisdom does not descend from above, but is
earthly, sensual, demonic. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first
pure.”
The true wisdom comes from above, but the false wisdom comes from below.
In other words, there is a heavenly wisdom that comes from God, and there is a
man-made wisdom that does not come from God. Whatever does not come from God is
destined to fail, no matter how successful it may seem at the time.
What is the
origin of man’s wisdom? “Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven
but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.”
The believer has three enemies: the
world, the flesh, and the devil. These enemies are suggested by the terms
earthly, sensual, and devilish. There is wisdom of this world. Do not confuse
the world’s knowledge and the world’s wisdom. Certainly, there is a great deal
of knowledge in this world, and we all benefit from it; but there is not much
wisdom. The world by its wisdom knew not God, and in its wisdom rejects the
very Gospel of God. “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the
disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For
since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it
pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who
believe.” 1 Corinthians 1:20-21
Because the world has turned from God, it has
lost its wisdom. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10
Where Satan
successfully deceived Eve, and continuing through the entire Bible, there is a
wisdom of Satan at work, fighting against the wisdom of God. Satan convinced
Eve that she would be like God. He told her that the tree would make her wise.
Ever since that event, people have continued to believe Satan’s lies and have
tried to become their own gods. Satan is cunning; he is the old serpent! He has
wisdom that will confound and confuse you if you do not know the wisdom of God.
In contrast to the wisdom that is earthly, sensual, and devilish, James
describes a wisdom that is from above. The first step toward true wisdom is the
receiving of Jesus Christ as Saviour. The Word of God is also our wisdom. The
Scriptures are able to make us “wise unto salvation”. “If any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God.” The Holy Spirit of God is “the Spirit of wisdom
and revelation”. The origin of true spiritual wisdom is God. To get your wisdom
from any other source is to ask for trouble. There is no need to get the
counterfeit wisdom of the world, the wisdom that caters to the flesh and
accomplishes the work of the devil. Get your wisdom from God! THE WISE
UNDERSTAND THIS!
2. Contrast in Operations: Vs. 13-14, 17
13 Who is wise and understanding
among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness
of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do
not boast and lie against the truth. 17 But the wisdom that is from above
is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good
fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
We have all the key players
hear: Envy, strife, boasting, deceit, meekness, purity and peace.
I have
already mentioned that the wisdom from above operates in a different way from
the wisdom that is earthly, let’s look at the evidence.
Evidences of false
wisdom:
Envy: Is our zeal for the Lord spiritual or carnal? Do we rejoice when
others succeed, or do we have secret envy (Jealousy) and criticism? Do we feel
burdened when others fail, or are we glad? When the wisdom of the world gets
into the church, there is a great deal of fleshly promotion and human
glorification. Beware!
Strife: Creates a spirit of self-seeking, which leads
into division in the church.
Boasting: When God’s wisdom is at work, there is a
sense of humility and submission, and you want God to get all the glory. You
have no desire to compare yourself with any other Christian; because you see
only Christ—and compared with Him, all of us still have a long way to go!
Deceit:
Cheating, Dishonesty and Trickery just to mention a few. That sounds like a
reality show not a relationship!
Evidences of true spiritual wisdom:
Meekness: Is
not weakness; it is power under control. Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit.
Meekness is the right use of power, and wisdom is the right use of knowledge.
They go together. The truly wise person will show in his daily life that he is
a child of God. Attitude and action go together.
Purity: Indicates the
importance of holiness.
Peace: God’s wisdom leads to peace. The church can
never have peace by sweeping sins under the rug and pretending they are not
there. Man’s wisdom says, Cover up sin! Keep things together! God’s wisdom
says, 1 John 1:9!
Mercy: To be full of something means to be controlled by.
The person who follows God’s wisdom is controlled by mercy. For a Samaritan to
care for a Jewish stranger was an act of mercy. He could gain nothing from it,
except the blessing that comes from doing the will of God; and the victim could
not pay him back. That is mercy.
Good fruits: People who are faithful are
fruitful. God’s wisdom does not make a life empty; it makes it full.
Sincerity:
Doesn’t wear a mask! “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but
the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely
given to us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:12
3. Contrast in Outcomes: Vs. 16, 18
16 For
where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 18
Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
Origin
determines outcome. Worldly wisdom will produce worldly results; spiritual
wisdom will give spiritual results.
Worldly wisdom produces trouble; Wrong
thinking produces wrong living. One reason the world is in such a mess is
because men have refused to accept the wisdom of God.
Confusion sets the stage
for every evil work. Evil here means “worthless, of no account.” The most important
thing we can do in our local churches is measure our ministries by the Word of
God, not by the wisdom of men. The many battles among Christians, the church
splits, the absence of purity and peace, all suggest that something is wrong.
Perhaps that “something” is the absence of the wisdom of God.
God’s wisdom
produces blessing: James returned to that word, fruit. There is a vast
difference between man-made results and God-given fruit. Fruit is the product
of life, and fruit has in it the seeds for more fruit. Usually it is the seed
that is sown, but here it is the fruit that is sown. As we share the fruit of
God with others, they are fed and satisfied, and they in turn bear fruit.
The
Christian life is a life of sowing and reaping. Every life is a life of sowing
and reaping, and we reap just what we sow. The Christian who obeys God’s wisdom
sows righteousness, not sin; he sows peace, not war. The life we live enables
the Lord to bring righteousness and peace into the lives of others. What we are
is what we live, and what we live is what we sow.
“Happy is the man who finds
wisdom, And the man who gains understanding.” Proverbs 3:13
Conclusion: The
outcome is as simple as deciding who’s wisdom you will chose to act upon;
worldly or godly. In my opening remarks to this sermon I alluded to a top ten
statement that all of us can relate too, remember what I said? Do you
understand what I am saying?
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said,
"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you
will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32 (NIV)
Answer
to the test: The wise person understands the wisdom from above!
In : Sermon
Tags: "life is a test series" "book of james"
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