James # 9

“A Living Faith”
James #9
February 22nd
Pastor Ben Fleming

When you think of wisdom - what comes to your mind? When you think of a wise person – who comes to your mind? Perhaps you think of yourself as being a wise person??? Most of us in the church have heard the comment “in the counsel of many is much wisdom” – that is actually from Proverbs 15:22 which says “Plans fail for the lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.” You might think that if you get a large enough group around you and you get counsel from enough people you are going have wisdom. That can be true……... but not always. We tend to go to the people who tell us what we want to hear. Last weeks message was on the tongue – I did think about giving it again since some of your were absent and some of us need to hear it again -------- but today we are going to continue and study wisdom. If you are pursing a controlled tongue in your life then perhaps James is liking that to wisdom.

Turn to James chapter 3. When King David’s son Solomon was appointed King – the book of Kings tells us that God appeared to Solomon in a dream and told him to ask for anything that he wanted – Solomon asked God, “give your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil” and then God said, “because you have asked this I am giving you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will be no one like you before you, nor shall any one arise after you.” In one of the wisdom books Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:7 “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding.” The Roman philosopher Cicero wrote that wisdom is the best gift of all the gods and the mother of all good things. Both Solomon and Cicero considered wisdom to be the most valuable possession a person could have……. but it was the Hebrews – the Jewish people who really understood that (SLIDE) Real wisdom is not intellectual but behavioral. Fill in the blank at the top of your outline…. real wisdom is not words but behavior.

James is writing to believers - telling them about two kinds of wisdom. Wisdom that comes from below and wisdom that comes from heaven. If you have wisdom that comes from heaven – it will affect your behavior – wisdom from heaven causes righteous living in you. Please stand as we read James chap 3. Rhea Williams ---- PRAY

We tend to think that the more education a person has the wiser they are. The older a person is – the wiser they are. If you have grey hair you are wise. That is the wisdom of the world and that is not what James is writing about. God has given us the wisdom books in the bible – Job – Psalms – Proverbs – Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes – the wisdom books tell us how man sees the world through his sinful eyes and the wisdom books show us how the wisdom of man is futile and worthless without God.

Job wrote in chp 9:4 “the wisdom of God is profound and His power is vast” and then in 28:12 he rhetorically asks “where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?” But in verse 28 he answers his question “the fear of the Lord” – that is wisdom.

So the wisdom from above is not how much you know or how old you are but the wisdom from above is how much one trusts – loves and obeys the Lord.

In the OT – the statement “fearing God” was the same thing as “trusting God” and it referred to someone who had saving faith. In Deut 10:12 Moses wrote “What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God and walk in all his ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul…” Moses writes that wisdom from above is not necessarily what one says but how one lives. You can be a good talker and have good answers and comments but if you do not live in fear of God --- your words are not biblical wisdom. I have even thought and said to myself – “he or is she is wise person” --- but when I said that it was in reference to their words…… and not to how they lived. Wisdom from heaven means that you fear the Lord and because you fear him you walk in his ways – you love him and you serve Him – that is biblical wisdom. If Moses were alive and a member of our church family --- would he see biblical wisdom in you? I wonder if he would see it in me????

In the New Testament the apostle Paul tells us directly where the source of heavenly wisdom is found in 1 Corinthians 1:24 “but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” In Colossians 2: 3 Paul says, “ that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” James is writing to believers and challenging them to test themselves and see if they are biblically wise and can they recognize biblical wisdom in God’s people?. In verse 13 he gives us the test for real wisdom.

The Test of Real Wisdom
(Vs. 13) “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it but his good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom.” It seems as if James is using the terms wise and understanding to mean the same thing. But wisdom or sophos was used by the Greeks to mean theory or philosophy and the word understanding or epistemon is only used here by James to mean a specialized knowledge like a tradesman or a professional. How do you test yourself to see if you have real biblical wisdom?
3 questions to ask…………………

1. Do you show wisdom by your good behavior? Just like real saving faith – wisdom and understanding are demonstrated by how a person lives. Do you live a godly life?

2. Do you demonstrate wisdom and understanding by your good deeds? He who obeys Scripture is biblically wise. He who controls their speech is wise and understanding.
He who is impartial to others is wise and understanding. Biblical good works demonstrates wisdom and understanding.

3. Do you demonstrate an attitude of gentleness ? Be careful here – because people who are wise in their own eyes are generally arrogant about it…… Gentleness is a god honored trait – it comes as we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Gentleness in a person is shown by those who are not bitter – they are not self seeking and especially by those who are not spiritually arrogant. The greek work prautes or gentleness was often used by the Greeks to refer to a wild horse that was broken and made useful to its owner.

Can you think of other believers who come to your mind as someone who is gentle – broken and useful? Would others think that about you??? Do you demonstrate an attitude of gentleness? James says that is biblical wisdom and understanding.

Wisdom from Below (earthly wisdom)
(Vs. 14 -15) “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven by it earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.” The motivation of false wisdom or wisdom from below always comes from the heart. What is in your heart and my heart is always that which motivates us. It is what guides us – it is what controls us – it is what causes us to remember and do what is really important to us. James writes that human wisdom has two basic motives: on your outline……………

1. Human wisdom is motivated by bitter envy. Or jealousy. Any time you see the word bitter used it means pointed – sharp or prickly……. Do you know someone like that??? Are you like that??? I know some people that who are like that. In verse 11 James used the same word in reference to bitter water coming out of a fountain. It is the kind of person who has no concern for the feelings or welfare of those who are its objects. It is the kind of person who thinks they are wise but they are motivated by their own personal ideas – their own desires and their standards are the measure of everything for them….. Whatever and whoever serves their end is considered good and friendly and whatever and whoever threatens their end is considered bad and the enemy.

Remember that James is writing to the church, so therefore he is saying that within a church family there are going to be those who demonstrate and manifest that kind of wisdom. 2nd motive of human wisdom

2. Human wisdom is motivated by self ambition. Self ambition carries with it the idea of strife – contentiousness and extreme selfishness….. It is the kind of person who has no room for others and they can be and come across to those around them as arrogant. They talk big – they have a lot of spiritual verbage but are not known by others as a humble person. Unfortunately, within the church they can do a great deal of damage in peoples lives because of their spiritual arrogance. There are the two motives of human wisdom…. now James lays out for us the characteristics of human wisdom. Look at verse 15. “Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthy, unspiritual, of the devil.” What does James mean by this? -

* Human wisdom is earthy. It is wisdom that is limited to this present material world of our time. It is restricted to the things that a man can accomplish and discover himself. It has no place for God or the things of God or the people of God . It is wisdom that is motivated by pride – self interest and self centeredness and autonomy.

* Human wisdom is unspiritual or natural. It is sensual and fleshly. It comes from man and not God. As Paul wrote in 1 Cor 2 – a natural man does not accept the things of God – they are foolishness to him. Human wisdom is unspiritual….. When a Christian relies on human wisdom they are acting like a non believer. 3rd characteristic of human wisdom………..

* Human wisdom is demonic. It is wisdom – its human and earthly but the root source of it comes from Satan. Satan always promised wisdom to those who he tempts. He wants God’s people to doubt God’s Word. Do not be deceived into thinking that Satan cannot tempt believers in a local church family into demonstrating demonic human wisdom……. In 2 Corinthians Paul was warning the Corinthian church about this – he warns Timothy about the same thing.

Now what does Human Wisdom Results In:
(Vs. 16) “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every evil practice.” When God’s people demonstrate and live out human wisdom in their lives – James says there are two results.

1. Disorder. The word James wrote down had the basic mean of instability, a state of confusion, disturbance, tumult and rebellion. James has already said that this is what must not characterize God’s chosen people. I want remind you that: James is not writing about what is but what ought to be. Remember that when you are thinking about your own life here…… In chapter 1:8 – He writes that this was characteristic of a double minded man – who was unstable in all his ways. Worldly wisdom causes confusion among God’s people. It is the opposite of God’s wisdom. 1 Cor 14:33 “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” All throughout the New Testament you will see Paul and other writers plead with God’s people for unity and harmony. In Phillippians 4:2 “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.” Both of these women were spiritual women and had served well in the church but at least one of them if not both of them were demonstrating and relying on human wisdom because there was disorder and disharmony. King David knew disorder in his family and he wrote in Ps 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. It is like the precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard.”

Is there anyone in this room who does not appreciate unity and harmony in their family???? When biblical wisdom and understanding is being lived out --- you will find the absence of disorder in your family. When biblical wisdom is being lived out in a church family you will find order and harmony….. #2 Human wisdom results in….

2. Every evil practice. I think James closed this section by saying that human and demonic wisdom produces every kind of evil in a church family. You name it --- when God’s people are not living and reflecting what God commands them --- every evil practice will be found. If you do not believe that then tear the book of Corinthians out of the bible. Wisdom from man…… now look with me at …..

Wisdom from Heaven
(Vs.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.”

Wisdom from above is pure. It is hagnos or from the root hagios or holy. Pure wisdom is holy wisdom. Look what James says characterizes pure wisdom from heaven.

* Wisdom from heaven is peaceable. It does not start conflicts. It does not start gossip. It produces peace because of its humility. Jesus said on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:9 “blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.” Every believer ought to be a peacemaker……………

* Wisdom from heaven is gentle. A gentle person is humble. They are fair, moderate, forebearing, they are patient, they submit to dishonor and abuse. They are not known as a complainer and whinner. Complainers are not people who demonstrate wisdom from heaven. 3rdly

* Wisdom from heaven is reasonable. That believer is someone who is willing to yield without disputing. They are teachable, compliant and not stubborn. 4thy

* Wisdom from heaven is full of mercy. This is the believer who not only forgives those who have wronged him……. but they reach out to the person who has wronged them and helps them in whatever way they need. Now I want to remind you again about the disclaimer from last week: James is not writing here about what is in the life of a believer but he is writing about what ought to be in the life of a believer 5th

* Wisdom from heaven is full of good fruit, its impartial and it is sincere. Good fruit is demonstrated in the life of a believer when he or she reflects the fruit of the spirit in their life. They are someone who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. A believer who treats everyone equally is impartial – they reflect biblical wisdom and those who are sincere and without hypocrisy characterize biblical wisdom. What do these characteristics result in when a believer lives them out??????????

Biblical Wisdom Results In:
(Vs. 18 ) “Peacemakers who sow in peace will raise a harvest of righteousness.” The NASB says, “and the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James is saying that those who demonstrate and live out biblical wisdom in their lives are peacemakers. They sow peace among people. They sow peace among God’s people because their wisdom is from above.

There is a connection between biblical wisdom, righteousness and peace. Godly wisdom produces a cycle of righteousness and righteousness harvests peaceful harmonious relationships between God and his people. There is nothing more difficult than to pursue being a peacemaker. It is easy to cause disunity and disharmony it is difficult to be a sower of peace. It is difficult to work with God’s people to restore and cultivate peace among God’s people….. but there nothing more fulfilling and nothing that brings God more glory. Jesus prayed for His church that they might be one – Jesus prayed for unity among His children. He knew that they would have a tendency to listen and follow human wisdom instead of biblical wisdom.

What can you do to Pursue and Demonstrate Wisdom from Heaven?
1. Pursue the sanctification of your tongue. You cannot be a believer who becomes or grows to be one who speaks wisdom from above…. unless you are engaged in controlling your tongue. A loose uncontrolled tongue is not one who reflects God’s wisdom. You can identify that in your self and you can certainly identify it in others.

2. Grow in the spiritual discipline of bible intake. Wisdom from above communicates truth. You cannot communicate truth without referring to the Bible. You have to know and use God’s Word rightly to be one who is biblically wise. You can also identify that in others. Does someone give you their opinion or can they take you right to God’s Word?

3. Identify disorder, confusion and criticism. Learn about peacemaking and what it takes. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. Do you sow peace or are you a peacebreaker? Would you commit yourself to pursuing wisdom from above in your life? Real wisdom is not intellectual but be behavioral.