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James 3:13-18
“What are you seeking?”
“A person after the heart of God should also seek the wisdom of God.”
Sunday Morning Sermon
09.23.07
Intro: (Start with title and text)
A professor of mine said – “You will make time for the things that are important.” If church is important – you will make time for it. If your children are important you will make time for them, sacrifice and do what is in their best interest, even if the choice is tough. You will do and make time for, whatever is important to you.
Allow me to ask one of the most basic questions – why are you here this morning? The worship is good, the fellowship is good, and communion is a blessing, you have a good looking preacher who is humble. I would bet that all of us are here for different reasons, out of duty, out of love, a hope of encouragement for the week, fellowship with friendly people. There are a number of different reasons we come this morning, a number of different things and events that brought us here. Let me suggest the best reason is to seek after the heart of God. Regardless of what or who brought you here – could you agree with me that as the church body we should seek after the heart of God? Ok – good. If we are after the heart of God – it’s safe to say that we should also seek after the wisdom of God too.
Discussion:
You look like a pretty smart group of people – I think wisdom is a good thing. I think education and growing in your knowledge of something is excellent. I don’t believe you will ever graduate from your need to learn and grow in ability. I wouldn’t want a doctor to not read up on the latest research, because he already has his degrees and doesn’t need any more information. Part of giving your trust to a doctor or a mechanic, is that they are wise in their understanding of what is going on. I had a break job done on the explorer in August and it was pretty important to me that we find someone who could do the job professionally. Wisdom is a good thing.
What happens if, in your search for wisdom and knowledge – you move yourself away from the wisdom of God – Would you know it? What would happen if you began to question everything, and approached Christianity with such a doubt that you ended up at the opposite end of God’s will – would you know it? If you were, while reading God’s word, struck with an idea or a concept that was against what you were reading – would you know it? Here’s what I’m saying – wisdom is an excellent thing – but not if it moves you away from God. We are here this morning to seek after the wisdom of God.
Turn with me to James 3:13-18 (Read) (Advance)
Remember this is written to the church – to people who had a lot of religious background. A church who should have been going after and seeking the heart of God, and the wisdom of God, but wasn’t. James is going to set them straight and give them an understanding of the two kinds of wisdom. I think it’s important to identify the two kinds of wisdom
(Advance)
I. Wisdom that Fits (13-16)
I don’t mean that in a good way. Wisdom that is worldly is hard to separate from Godly wisdom – because it makes sense to our sinful nature. James separates the two – and says you can identify them by
a. Lifestyle – He says:
The wise and understanding will show their wisdom and understanding by their good life and deeds done in humility. The New American Standard says, (Advance) “…Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”
i. Wisdom and good deeds
1. Work together – they compliment each other
If you are – if we are seeking after the wisdom of God we must show it by our deeds, in humility. This is a contrast to the world’s wisdom that says – I have to advance myself, or I have to be number one. This is a contrast to the world’s wisdom that puts personal advancement above people. The example we have from Jesus is servant hood. He could have been holding catfish buffets and healing revivals – He could have been king. (Advance)
Matthew 8:1-3 (NIV) 1 When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy Luke says this man was covered with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
The man’s need was to be healed – no doubt about that. Why didn’t Jesus heal him without touching him – after all he was pretty gross, probably physically dirty. If I was Jesus – you could still heal the guy, but you don’t have to touch him. Another need this man had was to be touched. Godly wisdom – will equal a good life and good deeds in humility. While Jesus could have been hosting catfish buffets, and healing revivals – I bet he could have started a band and played the harp and made himself famous. He spent his time teaching crowds, healing the sick, making the blind see and touching leapers.
This doesn’t really fit with “wisdom that fits” – James making a contrast: here is the other part of it. (Advance)
James 3:14 (NIV) – But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.
Have you ever known someone who is bitter? Maybe someone who has a deep drive to get ahead regardless of the cost?
b. It fits!
Bitterness will harden the heart and drive a person to an early grave. The road to bitterness is not long at all – someone does something to you – you make a note, someone says something to you or about you – you make a note, someone uses your friendship or does something against you – just a simple little note. Time comes and goes and the same person who did something against you years ago, they need something from you. The Holy Spirit living in you says – “give to those who are in need” – the Bitterness that you’ve allowed to take residence in parts of your heart, simply pulls out the note pad – page 3. So with all the justification in the world – you do nothing, after all you have your note pad – you have proof that you were wronged, let down, mistreated. The road to bitterness is not that long. This fits worldly wisdom like a glove.
c. Bitter envy
i. Will boil out
That’s what he means – don’t brag about it. Don’t make excuses based on the wounds of the past. If I did that, I wouldn’t be here this morning, because I could fill this room with excuses based on wounds of the past. I’ve had to overlook and move on from those things and situations so that the past, which I don’t want to repeat, doesn’t cause me to be bitter.
ii. Will cause you to make decisions
1. You will avoid fellowship –
2. You will avoid times of service
You will miss out on the blessing of healing that God can provide the situation. You will miss out on the dependence of leaning on and growing in Jesus. You will miss out on the strength he provides for your life. Bitter envy – it fits like a glove.
d. Apply worldly wisdom to a hurtful situation
i. Don’t get yourself into that situation again! – pull back your trust.
ii. React before the situation repeats itself – Pull back your trust, take personal control instead of giving control over to God.
iii. Go into protection mode – speaking loudly about the hurt in your past – make everyone aware.
iv. Allow the excuses to flow freely – “Well, I would go to church if it weren’t for all them hypocrites”
That’s just an excuse, not even a good one. But according to the wisdom of the world – it fits. James is saying – there is wisdom and it fits. It’s hard to spot because you’re probably wearing it. He’s going to make it very clear the source of this wisdom. --
e. It’s not from Heaven
i. It is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil
I know you are a smart group of people – Biblical scholars in the making. It seems like we could identify something that is earthly, unspiritual and of the devil. What makes that identification process hard is our holding on and holding tight.
Worldly wisdom fits like a glove to our worldly nature. Wisdom that says an eye for an eye -- it’s better to get revenge. Godly wisdom says turn the other cheek. Worldly wisdom says hold on to your blessing and don’t give it away, because you never know when you will get it again. God’s wisdom says, if you give of your blessing, your time, your energy, your money, God will give you abundantly more than all you could ask or imagine.
The amazing thing – to find the wisdom of God I only have to look at His word. I don’t have to journey to some high mountain, I don’t have to have some crazy experience – it’s simple – prayer, God’s word.
This is the second kind of wisdom identified here. (Advance)
II. Wisdom that Cuts (17-18)
This is wisdom from heaven – not revealed in some crazy way by God, but again, revealed through his people praying and reading his word. This kind of wisdom cuts against our nature. James gives a description
a. Heavenly wisdom
i. First of all “Pure”
It is without fault – if you question whether wisdom is from God or not, see if it’s completely pure or motivated by something else.
ii. Then “Peace-loving”
You lay down a foundation of purity and add to that a love for peace. Does it promote peace? Peace is not just a lack of war. Iran and Israel are not at war, but it’s not peaceful. This kind of wisdom is good for all involved – it’s sensitive to laws and also to people.
He continues his description – Listen to what or possibly who this wisdom is:
(Advance)Considerate – (Advance)Submissive –(Advance)full of mercy and good fruit – (Advance)Impartial and sincere (NASB – “without hypocrisy”)
Godly wisdom is all of those things. It will produce those features in a person who seeks after his wisdom.
b. This wisdom isn’t natural to our human nature
When was the last time you are pulling your hair out trying to figure out what to do and you decided that you should error on the side of mercy, or be submissive to whatever authority might be over you. Most of the time – we want to barrel through a situation and prove our righteousness and prove our point.
You have friends and family members who need to be in church – try being full of mercy and considerate. Hitting them over the head with God’s word and facts that they already know – probably will do nothing more than giving them a sore head and an excuse not to come.
i. This wisdom is not from you
As you lean on the wisdom of God – those around you will understand – and see the evidence – “Hey, she’s not that strong, she’s not that patient or that merciful – But God is.” Your trust in God becomes something they want – because we were all created with a need for a relationship with our creator. As you start to live out the wisdom of God – I believe he does two things – he gives you more wisdom, and he gives you more chances to live it out. God does just drop a Christian off at the storehouse of gifts and leave us on our own. He wants us to use the talent and wisdom we have – however we can so that praise and glory comes back to him, so he can give it again.
c. Farmers get what they sow
In fact that is true with most things. I don’t study for a test – I flunk the test – I reap what I sow. Projects are due at work – I ignore them, and don’t get them finished – responsibility is taken away – I reap what I sow. I plant corn or cotton – I expect a harvest of what I’ve planted.
People who have the wisdom of God – who are leaning on and seeking after the wisdom of God will also sow in peace – and when it comes time to harvest – the harvest is righteousness.
I take the time to be peaceful at work or at home or at church – my harvest is people moving themselves closer to Jesus. That’s what this is about anyway – moving ourselves closer to Jesus.
Conclusion:
It’s amazing to me that God would expect us to have those qualities all the time. We have so many things pulling at our lives – so many attitudes that we could display and even justify. I’m not perfect, and if I’m not it’s probably safe to say that you aren’t either – so maybe that’s the key – we could just boast about our imperfections and ignore what qualities God’s wisdom should bring forward in our lives. Here’s something better – let’s look closely at that life of Christ – I’m going to read something from the OT and something from the NT – just as a reminder. (Advance)
Isaiah 53:5 (New Century Version)
But he was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds.
Here’s something from the NT – (Advance)
Luke 19:10 (NIV) – For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
You and I and people we haven’t even met yet at the ones God chose to send his son for – we were the ones who did wrong and evil – that Jesus took the punishment for. You and I are healed because of what God did through Jesus on the cross – so that Jesus could seek after us, and offer us his salvation.
The Bible says – Jesus is the wisdom of God. Do you know why God expects us to be submissive, and full of mercy, and peace loving – because you have Christ living in you.
This wisdom that cuts – it does because it removes the old – it removes the justification, and junk and it replaces it with good attitudes and respect that were found in Jesus. Church, it’s so important that you and I seek after and go after with all that we have the life of Jesus – the wisdom of God. I know you are busy people – with lots of things to do and places to go – but this is highly important above them all. It’s something worth making time for.
Let’s pray
I want you to ask yourself – I’m I seeking after the wisdom of God. The quick answer is yes – but is that the real answer. This wisdom from God sounds good until I find myself needing to be submissive, or peace loving. It sounds like a good sermon until I get a chance to put it into practice – This morning is a great chance to say – I am going to put the wisdom of God into practice in my life. I’m going to seek after Jesus with all that I am. I’m going to give him the knife and allow him to mold and shape who I am – and what He wants me to be.
If you have a decision to make come as we stand and sing.
