OPEN: I imagine that there are few people who are not aware that we live in a culture of information overload today. I read a portion of a book by a guy named Alvin Toffler that warned about the difficulty a person can have making decisions and even understanding life when there is too much information coming his way. He's credited with coining the term "information overload." The book was written in 1964 -- years before Al Gore invented the internet. Imagine what he would have to say today. I found one survey by the Council for Research Excellence that said the average American adult now spends 8-1/2 hours a day staring into screens. Generation X is now being called Generation Text. 24 hours per day, we are living in an age of information overload. With all the televisions, computers, smart phones, and GPS units, it is both easy and convenient to spend the majority of your day processing data from one screen or another. Can you even imagine what life would be like without Facebook, IPhones, email, blogs, Twitter, texting, IM messaging, cell phones, and computers? When it comes to information, it seems that everybody wants everything all the time instantly. The selling point for most of the new products on the market is more information and faster wherever you go.
This has led to a new syndrome that some have begun to cope with - some scientists are calling it i-Brain. It's more than just the results from an over-stimulated brain -- the dull, burnt-out stare from too much information. I-Brain occurs when there is so much screen time that certain brain circuits which are used in face-to-face interactions begin not to function and a person's fundamental social skills begin to be affected -- like talking and listening and responding appropriately on an emotional level. It has a physiological impact on people. This overload of digital data is impacting people to the point where they struggle to function on an interpersonal level. We have gone beyond the point of saturation. I read one statistic that said it would take one person 8 million years to read the data that is currently on the internet.
We are all aware that we have to monitor the quality of the information that comes our way -- we are now at the point where we have to also monitor the quantity of information that we take in every day. We have more information available at our fingertips than all the previous generations who have come before us combined yet we still live in a world that is just as confused as it has ever been. Even if you put the internet off to the side, just sorting through the average amount of information that comes our way outside of computers can be daunting. We live in an age of confusion.
At first I was approaching this passage as a distinctly modern but managing the flow of information is nothing to new to God's people. In fact the Bible is full of warnings of how important data management is. Data management has been an issue man has had to deal with from the very beginning -- going all the way back to the Garden of Eden. IN fact one of the first lessons mankind learns in our relationship with God is unless the information you are absorbing matches the wisdom God has revealed in His Word it's ultimately going to lead to trouble. One of the first things the enemy tries to do to a new believer is to confuse them. There is a lot of very unwise information that will only add confusion and pain to your life so the Bible warns us over and over again to be very discerning when it comes to processing information.
So today we are going to be talking about the wisdom In the first part of this chapter James has been talking about how we use our tongues. A great deal of the teaching in James is corrective in nature. James is a pastor who loves his little flock but they've begun to operate outside of the standards the Lord has determined for His church. So in love he is putting his finger on the sensitive areas and poking around - his heart's desire is to bring them back into the pattern that has been laid down for the church. He wants them to live with wisdom and understanding and not confusion. Those two words (wisdom and understanding)are key
-- let me show you why:
But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. (Jerm. 10:12)
God made this world according to his wisdom and understanding. God has designed this planet to function in precisely the way the way he wants it to function. He has ordained certain physical laws that can't be broken. Gravity, for example - If we violate God's natural laws, there is a consequence that has to be paid. Try violating gravity even one time and see if you can avoid the consequences. So part of growing up also involves understanding God's physical laws and coming to an understanding that when we do violate them -- we pay a price for it. - there is something else we tend to forget -- what is true for the realm of the physical, is also true in the realm of the physical. In fact this understanding might be even more important for us to grasp -- because the consequences are more serious.
Proverbs -- written by the wisest man who ever lived -- he's writing to his son and he wants his son to understand how the world actually works. (Prov. 2:1-3) "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."
- what he is saying is this is the way the world works -- and you need to seek after the wisdom and understanding -- not man's, not your own, but the way that God has ordered his creation. -- If you are going to avoid all the pitfalls in this world -- and live a blessed life void of the confusion so many people fall into, then you need to turn your ear to what the Lord has to say.
- notice this is a father who has a real passion for the safety of his child. Parents the most important thing you can do - more important than getting in 10,000 sports activites and clubs and and recreational activites -- the most important thing you can do is guide them into an understanding and how life works according to God - -This book is the tool God has given us to understand what is wisdom and what is not. It's hard out there. It's confusing. You make the wrong choices in life and you pay a terrible price for it.
Verse 7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. (Proverbs 2:7-10)
What are the benefits of accepting God's wisdom? It's a victorious life. It provides a shield against deception -- it leads you into God's protection over you. It leads you onto a good path. I like that. How many stories have you heard where people say, "I wasn't walking on a good path."?
Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. (Proverbs 2:11-15)
He'd not just saying wisdom will guide you away from wrong things -- but wisdom will protect you from the influence of the wrong people -- remember when mom and dad used to grill you over who you hanging around with? Why did they do that -- because the more you hang with the wrong people the more likely it is you will start becoming like the wrong people. They didn't invent that -- it's stated first right here in proverbs. There are people out there that will take you in a way that exactly the opposite of what God wants for you.
Throughout the book of proverbs wisdom is personified as the voice of a woman. Prov. 8:32-36
"Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death."
I want you see here a positive statement about receiving the wisdom of God and a negative statement concerning those who reject it. Those who find me (wisdom) find life and favor from the Lord. But then the negative statement next -- whoever fails to find it -- harms himself and the next statement is amazing -- embraces death. Life hangs in the balance.
- the reason Solomon is so passionate to his son concerning embracing God's wisdom and avoiding those who reject is not only are they going to destroy themselves -- but they are going to take other people down with them. Foolishness not only affects you -- but it also affects other people who are close to you.
- lat week we talked about the power of our word to impact others -- every time we open our mouths we are causing movement. So we better be careful every time we talk not just spout off personal opinion and personal preference and our own agendas.
The wisdom of earth brings you the rewards of earthly wisdom.
The wisdom of God brings you the rewards of God.
God's purpose it to bring order out of the confusion in your life.
The confusion of unbelievers is understandable, because their master, the devil, is the architect of confusion, but the confusion of believers is something else. I Corinthians 14:33 says, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." It is not God's will that the world, church and our personal lives are in a state of confusion and chaos.
James - Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. Notice our two words wise and understanding -- the same things Solomon was steering his son towards. Now what James is going to do is contrast false wisdom and real wisdom. False wisdom is revealed in verses 14-16 Real wisdom is talked about in verses 17-18. They stand in direct opposition and in contrast to each other. So in verse 13 he asks, "Who is wise and understanding?" He's not asking his congregation to look around the room and ask, "Who would we say has the most wisdom among us?" He's asking a question that calls for self-examination. Everyone is an expert in our world. Everyone knows all the answers. Everyone can editorialize on everything. We live in a confusing sea of opinions. Part of the reason we people in our culture are so confused is there are so many conflicting experts in our world. Ill of people in a courtroom. The prosecutor brings in an expert who says -- this evidence proves that that the defendant was on the scene. The defense attorney goes out and finds another "expert" who takes the same information and says this proves that the defendant wasn't on the scene. And the jurors are sit there dazed and confused.
And frankly, nobody's opinion is worth more than anybody elses. James is saying among all of you who are claiming to be wise and understanding, who is really wise and who is really understanding? Wisdom is revealed by our responsiveness to the Word of God -- not by our hearing the word of God. Wisdom is not revealed even by our knowing the Word of God. Wisdom is revealed by our responsiveness to the Word of God. By our embracing what we hear to the point that we actually do something different because of it.
* definition of wisdom = Sophia -- wisdom does not mean knowledge. It does not mean information. It means the application of knowledge. It has to do with reshaping of our lives, transforming attitudes, transforming behavior into righteousness. Wisdom then is not what I know, wisdom is how I live.
* definition of understanding = Understanding refers to a specialist or a professional who is highly skilled in some area of knowing and doing. A person of understanding is a person who through repetitive practice knows how to do the right thing because he has done it over and over and over again. Ill of a person who receives biblical counsel goes out and tries one time and comes back and says -- this doesn't work for me. Imagine a person who wants to be a basketball player -- goes onto the court takes one shot -- misses -- and comes back running to the coach -- "It's impossible to put this ball through that hoop." He has no understanding.
How do we show we possess the wisdom of God? James says if a person has real wisdom "let show it." How?- by three things. The second half of verse 13 is kind of a snapshot of a person who is wise. Sometimes we will see a picture of someone we've known and as you see the picture (which is only one brief moment in their life) who they were as a person comes to mind.
He pinpoints three areas:
Good Life -- NASB says by good behavior -- KJV says good conversation, but he's not talking about speech here. He's really referring to lifestyle.
Good Deeds -- works. This is more specific. This is responsiveness to the situations a person faces as they go through life. There is a compassionate responsiveness to people in need.
Good Attitude -- Humility -- this really is the word meekness - an attitude of meekness
Confusion Begins to Die When Humility Starts to Live.
Ill.--A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strutted through the backyard, wearing his baseball cap and toting a ball and bat. "I'm the greatest hitter in the world," he announced. Then, he tossed the ball into the air, swung at it, and missed.
"Strike One!" he yelled. Undaunted, he picked up the ball and said again, "I'm the greatest hitter in the world!"He tossed the ball into the air. When it came down he swung again and missed. "Strike Two!" he cried.The boy then paused a moment to examine his bat and ball carefully. He spit on his hands and rubbed them together. He straightened his cap and said once more, "I'm the greatest hitter in the world!"
Again he tossed the ball up in the air and swung at it. He missed. "Strike Three!"
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "I'm the greatest pitcher in the world!"
He's going to talk about two kind so of wisdom: earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom -- and he's going to ask, "What are the symptoms of each of these?" Symptoms are indicators that point to something else. Doctors listen to your symptoms while you're sitting on that cold steel table in the exam room and use them to understand what's causing your problem. "I've got a cough, my eyes are running, my temperature is high" -- all symptoms that point to an underlying cause. So James is really giving us a diagnostic tool, if you will to help us understand our own lives and which kind of wisdom we really follow.
Watch what he says are the symptoms of earthly wisdom: 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 but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
Notice the two primary issues that are highlighted in these verses:
bitter envy & selfish ambition.
He says whatever else, don't let these things get into your heart because once they get into your heart, they are going to infect you. The NIV says "if you harbor these" What's that mean? If you harbor a boat, you anchor it and tie it up. It's a way of saying, "your life is tied to these -- these attitudes kind of define you as a person."
- bitter envy = a better translation would be "bitter jealousy." Or a bitter zeal. This is a resentful attitude toward somebody else. If you envy a person they have something that you don't and you resent that. This is an "I-don't-have-what-I-deserve" attitude. It's an entitlement mentality. It's very self-focused. It results with an inner resentment -- that may be expressed from time to time. It might be expressed towards others or it might be expressed towards God. "I don't deserve the circumstances on my plate." "I deserve better." That's bitter envy.
- selfish ambition = an "I'm-going-to-get-mine-no-matter-what" attitude. KJV uses the word strife - It's the result of self-focus. This is an attitude of competition and conflict and antagonism when you don't get your way. It's not necessarily isolated to possessing something but a "having-my-way" in something attitude. In the nursery it's two little toddlers arguing over who gets to play with the special toy. In the adult world it's two people arguing over whose idea is more important - it's a husband and wife chewing on each other's ankles over which way the toilet paper should be hung in the bathroom -- or some other weighty matter in which neither will compromise with the other. Selfish ambition is cutting off the other person before they finish speaking and not processing their ideas because what you think is so far and above what they think. Selfish ambition is "ME" centered and my ideas and my concerns, and my way of doing things and my agendas at the center of your world. But that's the basis of worldly wisdom.
So James is giving us a diagnostic tool to look at the symptoms in our lives and see if any of these things are manifesting. Earthly wisdom is proud, self-seeking, self-serving, self-indulgent, it destroys intimacy, it destroys love, it destroys unity, it destroys fellowship, it brings discord, it brings chaos and confusion.
By the way, why do you think James says, "do not boast about it or deny the truth." Most likely he had some people that were doing just that. They apparently were bragging about these kinds of attitudes. "I gave him a piece of my mind" "I told him what I really think" They've rejected the wisdom of God, bought into the wisdom of the world, have become totally self-centered and are bragging about it. And really, in context of chapter three, they are teaching others to follow their own self-centered examples.
Now look at what James says about this: Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. KJV says, This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. What are the three enemies of the believer? The world, the flesh and the devil. In other words, if these symptoms are evident in your life it is because you have either accepted the unspiritual talk of the devil as true for you -- or you have rejected the truth of God's wisdom -or both. We've got to remember that there really is a being called satan, who is seeking to run this world system. He knows that if he can get us taking advice from anyone else besides God, he has us in the exact right spot that he needs us. It's not that all the information that's coming our way is demonic -- but if it is causing us to focus on something that is completely false, or even partially true -- if it is leading you away from God, you tell me where it is coming from.
Ideas that stand in contradiction to God's word are going to be distinctly "me" centered.
God has given us His wisdom which is life and provides healthiness and deliverance, and freedom and joy -- and He's saying my Word is sufficient to sort through all the confusing, conflicting ideas you are encountering. What God calls a lie, Satan calls wisdom. When Eve was in the garden in chapter 3 verse 6, she looked on the fruit because she heard that the tree was able to make one wise. That was a lie. Satan always promises wisdom. And he always promises that you will know and be in the know and understand and be erudite and be educated. But the wisdom of the world proceeds from evil spirits. It proceeds from fallen angels. It proceeds from demons. It proceeds from Satan and his agents who are disguised as ministers of light when in fact they are ministers of darkness. Don't pursue the wisdom of the world. God says, Trust me. Follow me. Commit to me. If you pursue the wisdom of the world the only thing it's going to produce in your life is harm and death -- don't go there. The stuff you absorb is what you are going to become.
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.
What is the wisdom that comes from heaven? What are the symptoms of a person who is listening to God's wisdom? James lists the characteristics that show if you are really being shaped by His wisdom:
Pure -- unencumbered, unpolluted -- it has good moral character -- spiritual integrity - deepest part of that believer wants to do God's will, wants to serve God, wants to love God.
Peace-loving - The wisdom from God is not creating confusion. It is not creating disorder. It is not self-promoting. It is peace loving
Considerate: KJV uses the word gentle. It has to do with responsiveness towards others. It's being courteous regardless of how you are treated.
Submissive: this is the opposite of stubbornness or being obstinate. This is a person who is compliant, teachable -- who follows leadership without resistance.
Full of Mercy: this really means a concern for people who suffer. Merciful towards those who have wronged you and reaching out with compassion to those who are suffering.
Good Fruit: This is the person whose life is demonstrated in good deeds
Impartial: Not pandering towards a certain group because of personal benefit. You don't shift one direction when you're with one group and shift another when you with another.
Sincere: Means without a mask. I don't pretend to be someone that I'm not. Without hypocrisy.
Note this...Christ is our wisdom and since Christ is the embodiment of all those characteristics, when Christ takes His residence up in your life, those characteristics become yours and mine. As Christ lives His life through me, these characteristics come through me as well.
- I've had people mock me when I talk about eliminating some of the flow of information that's coming our way. "What are you trying to do hide your head in the sand like an ostrich? Do you want us all to become Amish? Do you want us to burn our books?" No, I'm just saying -- not all information has equal value. But it all does create movement in our life. Unless the information are absorbing matches the wisdom God has revealed in His Word, it's going to lead you into confusion and ultimately disaster. Understand God's love for you and his plan for a victorious abundant life.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Col. 3:1)
To set your mind on something means to become engrossed in it -- to be focused on it. You spend time focusing on it over and over and over again. What he's talking about is not ancillary information, like so much of data coming our way. This is the non-negotiable, primary stuff we can't do without. This is what we want our mind to be consumed with. It's interesting that there is a word change in this verse -- "set your hearts" & "set your minds" Set your affections on Christ -- and set your thoughts on Christ.
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. (Col. 2:2-4)
your mom was right -- who you hang around is you will become like. Our heavenly Father is saying to all of us -- I want you to hang around Jesus -- get to know him, get to know what he is like -- study him -- fix your mind upon him. Get to know what pleases him -- get to know what made him angry. Get to know how he responded to all the conflicting confusing information in his culture. The more you spend time in the presence of Jesus Christ -- as you seek to have the Word of Christ richly dwell within you -- the more you will begin to be like Jesus Christ. Parents: what would you do if you saw your kids taking on the dress and the attitudes and the behavior of a group of dysfunctional kids in the school? You would intervene right? Now you would do your best to separate them from that negative influence -- but who would you try to get them to hang around with? It better be Jesus. Because that's the one they need to hang with. But don't ask them to do what you are not doing yourself. If you want your children to place Christ as Lord over their lives -- you have to proclaim Him as Lord over yours.
