The Wisdom of Being a Peacemaker
James 3:13-18
Rev. Brian Bill
10/21/12
How many of you watched “Fearless Felix” make a death-defying jump out of a balloon more than 24 miles above the earth last Sunday?
On his way down, he hit speeds of 844 miles per hour, shattering the sound barrier in the process. It took him just over nine minutes to land. After spinning out of control at the beginning of the jump, his landing was picture-perfect. Over the years, he has made over 2,500 jumps. He told reporters afterwards that this was his last one. After doing something like this, there’s probably not much more left to try.
I was struck by what he was thinking about before he jumped. Here’s what he said in an interview: “When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive. Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are.”
While most of us will never have a chance to do what he did, nor would we want to, we can learn the same lesson. When we see how big God is, we can’t help but be humbled. It’s my prayer today that we’ll go up high so that we can see how small we really are.
Last week we learned how to be wise with our words because the tongue has the power to direct, to destroy and to delight. As a way to keep the preaching percolating in our lives, I wonder if anyone would like to share how you were able to put the message into practice this week. In what ways did you encourage someone? How did it feel when someone encouraged you?
The reason I wanted to begin by focusing on how we’re living the sermons is because that’s one of the main themes that Pastor James is teaching us in his letter. If we say we believe it, we better behave accordingly. Our affirmation of faith must be fleshed out in our actions.
We come to a question in James 3:13 that underlines this truth: “Who is wise and understanding among you?”
We have more knowledge at our fingertips today than ever before. A couple years ago Google CEO Eric Schmidt made this statement: “Every two days we now create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003.” We’re literally living in a time when information is exploding and immediately accessible on our phones, tablets or computers.
But here’s a question. With all this knowledge and information, do you think we’re any wiser?
The Bible is all about us becoming wise and understanding. How many of you are reading a chapter of Proverbs every day? Proverbs 1:7 gives us the key that unlocks the way to wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” The main emphasis of the entire Bible is the fear of the Lord. In this verse we see that there are two classes of people: those who fear the Lord, and the fools who do not. The beginning of knowledge refers to its origin or principal part.
A fool is not just someone who is a couple bricks short of a load, or one whose elevator does not go to the top floor. A fool is not somebody who is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. In Proverbs, the fool is the one who doesn’t follow God’s ways. He’s the one who knows the right thing to do but instead does the opposite, or simply does nothing. 1:32 says that the “complacency of fools will destroy them.” In the New Testament, the contrast is between the believer and the unbeliever, the saved and the lost, those in the light and those who walk in darkness.
Wisdom doesn’t come just as part of getting older. We’ll get it when we go after it. As the saying goes, “We can only be young once, but we can be immature indefinitely.” Proverbs 4:7: “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
What price are you willing to pay to get wisdom? What sacrifices are you willing to make? Proverbs 8:11: “For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”
You and I can become wise by following the admonition of James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Let’s look at the second half of James 3:13. Obviously, knowledge and education is not enough. And, it’s not enough to just claim to be wise or even to understand something. We must show it by how we live: “Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” To “show it” is an emphatic imperative and goes along with what James 2:18 says: “I will show you my faith by what I do.”
Knowledge comes from books; wisdom comes from The Book. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts but wisdom is the God-given ability to apply them in every situation. The true test of wisdom is works, not words. One pastor says that it’s not measured by IQ but by CQ -- our character quotient.
The phrase “good life” can be translated as “a beautiful lifestyle.” Unfortunately the “good life” for many today is all wrapped up in possessions, power, popularity and pleasure. Notice that we demonstrate wisdom by the way we live and how we act with humility. Humility is not weakness because it actually means “strength under control.”
One day this week I was talking with a buddy at Champion while we were both on the ellipticals. We started discussing pride and he mentioned that he really struggles when he sees someone acting proud. He then reminded me of the saying, “You get more bees with honey than with vinegar.”
Just then another friend, whose name is Mike Friend, came up. Mike is a committed Christ-follower and had just returned from Haiti so I asked him to share a story about what God did while he was there. He told us about bringing extra clothes with him so he could give them away to someone in need.
As he was praying about whom to give them to, he met a man and shared the gospel with him. After a couple times of talking over several days, the man repented and received Jesus Christ as His Savior. He wanted to go to church but didn’t have any good clothes to wear so Mike gave the clothes he had worn to church the past Sunday to this Haitian. As Mike walked away, my buddy and I looked at each other and said, “That’s humility right there.” That’s also wisdom in action.
In our passage for today, we’ll see that there are two kinds of wisdom. There is wisdom that comes from above and wisdom that comes from below. Only the humble of heart will be in the right place to receive it. James makes a contrast between the two in our passage for today.
• Wisdom from Below
• Wisdom from Above
Warren Wiersbe says that these two different types of wisdom are contrasted in their origins, in their operations and in their outcomes.
Origins -- Where it Comes From
Let’s look first at where these different kinds of wisdom come from.
1. Wisdom from Below. Look at verse 15: “Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.” This triad of enemies is also called the world, the flesh and the devil (see Ephesians 2:1-3). James starts with the least and moves to the worst.
• Earthly. For most people, wisdom is measured in worldly terms.
• Unspiritual. In Greek this word describes animals that are only concerned about survival. It has the idea of being controlled by emotions or “what feels right.” Just because something feels right does not make it right.
• Of the devil. This is strong language and is very similar to what James said about the tongue in 3:6: “is itself set on fire by hell.” Beginning in Genesis 3, when Satan urged Eve to go against God in order to become wise, as the god of this world, he continues to propagate a path that runs counter to God.
2. Wisdom from Above. Verse 17 spells out the contrast: “But the wisdom that comes from heaven…” This takes us back to 1:17 where we read that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Here’s the big difference. Wisdom from below comes from reason. Wisdom from above comes from revelation.
Operations -- What it Looks Like
Their origins are vastly different. They also operate differently.
1. Wisdom from Below. Look at verse 14: “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.” In our age of texting acronyms like LOL and IDK, I came across one this week that I had never seen before: WIIFM - “What’s in it for me?” Wisdom from below is corrosive because I make everything all about me. When we’re envious we want what someone else has and this becomes so strong that we end up harboring bitterness.
Selfish ambition is all about me getting ahead. This phrase was used of people who entered politics for selfish reasons. Incidentally, you’ll never hear me endorse anyone from the pulpit but wouldn’t it be something if we would hear more humility and less harpooning between candidates?
King Saul was basically destroyed because of his bitter envy toward David. I’m reminded of Proverbs 14:30: “A heart of peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” And we read these words in Job 5:2: “Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.”
Four months ago, Carl Ericsson, a 73-year-old South Dakota man, was sentenced to life in prison after admitting to the murder of a former high school classmate. Friends and family members were shocked that the once-successful insurance salesman seemed to snap.
But after the murder, Ericsson's secret finally came out. For over 55 years he had simmered with a belated grudge: He was harboring bitter envy towards a classmate who pulled an embarrassing high school locker room prank on him when he was a teenager. Norman Johnson, the classmate and murder victim, was a star athlete on the track team. Ericsson was a student sports manager. This prank planted seeds of resentment that would continue to grow for over half a century.
Apparently, throughout their lives, Norman Johnson continued to outshine Ericsson. He had competed in college football, earned a degree, and then taught and coached at his alma mater for more than three decades. After harboring bitterness in his heart for so long, Carl Ericsson rang Johnson's doorbell and shot him dead. Ericsson told a judge, “I guess it was from something that happened over 50 years ago. It was apparently in my subconscious.” During his sentencing, Ericsson turned to Johnson’s widow and apologized, saying, “I just wish I could turn the calendar back.” (From Preaching Today, August 2012)
2. Wisdom from Above. Instead of bitter envy and selfish ambition, biblical wisdom operates very differently. We see this in verse 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.” Worldly wisdom crowns self; heavenly wisdom crucifies self.
There are two main distinctives of wisdom that comes from above.
• Pure. This is the first quality that James lists but it’s more than just the first on the list; it’s the essential overarching characteristic of godly wisdom. This refers to holiness and living totally sold out to Christ. Jesus put it like this in Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
• Peace-loving. Wisdom from above is pure and it’s also peace-loving. Purity speaks of one’s relationship with God and peace-loving characterizes our ability to get along with others. Friend, if you find yourself always looking for a fight, something’s not right. The first thing to do is to make peace with God by putting your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
James lists six other qualities that relate to being a lover of peace. As we walk through them, take an inventory to see how you measure up.
Considerate. Are you gentle and reasonable with others or would people say that you’re harsh?
Submissive. Are you compliant, approachable and willing to yield to others, or do you always need to be right and have things your way?
Full of mercy. Are you compassionate with those who are hurting and do you look for practical ways to help? James 2:15-16 describe the importance of providing food and clothing for those in need: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” I’m glad the Caring Closet is coming up on November 3rd so that we can provide clothing to people in our community. If you’d like to help set-up, sort clothes and get things ready, stop by the table in the lobby. By the way, we’re opening it up the night before, on Friday, November 2nd from 6:30-8:00 p.m. for PBC people. Speaking of mercy, thanks to those individuals and Connection Groups who helped to purchase 10 cribs for Village of Hope in Guatemala!
Good fruit. Do you see spiritual fruit in your life? Paul has a list in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
Impartial. Do you treat people the same or do you show favoritism to a few?
Sincere. Would people say that you’re hypocritical or that you’re the real deal?
Outcomes -- What the Results Look Like
One can really see the difference between earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom by looking at the outcomes, at what they produce.
1. Wisdom from below. Worldly wisdom leads to some pretty foul fruit in verse 16: “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” This is the second time James refers to envy and selfish ambition. Commentator Albert Barnes describes what happens when these are present: “Everything is unsettled and agitated.” The word “disorder” describes instability and a state of chaos and confusion. Incidentally, if you are trying to do life without Jesus Christ at the center you will not have purity and peace in your life. If you don’t know Christ, you will be filled with chaos.
I’m reminded of the Tower of Babel. The people of the world, leaning on worldly wisdom, decided to come together and build a tower in order to try to get to heaven. They were filled with pride and God disapproved of this “evil practice” and therefore scattered them and confounded their languages as a result. It doesn’t work when we try to do things our way because we need God to come down in order to find forgiveness and peace. And He did come down, when He sent Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the World.
Remember the truth of 1 Corinthians 14:33: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”
2. Wisdom from above. Verse 18 describes how the root of godly wisdom results in some very attractive fruit: “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” I like the Phillips paraphrase: “And the wise are peacemakers who go on quietly sowing a harvest of righteousness -- in other people and in themselves.”
Here’s a challenge for each of us today. Let’s plant peace in other people this week. But first, we need to be at peace ourselves. When God grows purity and peace in us, then we can plant it in others.
If the root is right the fruit will be right. You have a choice today. You can follow the ways of the world or you can follow God’s way of wisdom. Which will it be? Isaiah 32:17: “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.”
In 1930, The Chicago Examiner ran a strange story about a man named Harry Havens, who went to bed and stayed there for seven years, with a blindfold over his eyes, because he was angry at his wife. He was the kind of husband who liked to help around the house, and one day his wife scolded him for the way he did the dishes. This made Harry so angry that he said, “All right, if that’s the way you feel, I’m going to bed. I’m going to stay there for the rest of my life and I don’t want to see you ever again.” He stayed in bed with a blindfold around his eyes for seven years. The article concludes by saying that he got up when the bed started to feel uncomfortable.
Are you blinded by any bitterness in your life today? Do you have any unresolved anger toward your spouse, your kids, your parents, your boss, or a friend? The Bible makes clear that we must do whatever it takes to not let a root of bitterness grow in the soil of our souls: “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:15). When bitterness is allowed to breed, it will always lead to an offspring of antagonism that hurts those around you while destroying yourself in the process. Actually, it hurts you more than anyone else. It’s like swallowing a bottle of poison and then waiting for the other person to die.
Ken Sande talks about three ways that people deal with conflict. Some try to escape it (peace-faking); others go into attack mode (peace-breaking); while a few try to implement true reconciliation (peace-making). Since Jesus pronounces a blessing upon the “peacemakers,” we must strive to respond to conflict biblically (see Matthew 5:9). If we don’t, a bitter plant will put down its ugly roots in our lives.
If bitterness has put you to bed and has led you to a place you don’t want to be, let me suggest some ways for you to get back on your feet again. First, confess your sins to God about the ways you have wronged Him and others (see 1 John 1:9). Second, own up to your part of the conflict by getting the log out of your eye (see Luke 6:42). Third, cherish how much God has forgiven you in Christ (see Colossians 3:13). Fourth, actively forgive those who have wronged you by setting them free of ever having to pay you back (see Ephesians 4:32). Fifth, trust in God’s justice (see Romans 12:19). It has been said that when we hold a grudge, we end up slighting the Judge.
If you’re feeling bitter today about something that was said to you, or done to you, remember that Jesus paid the price for all those wrongs, as well as all the sins you’ve committed. That’s why the gospel is called Good News. Put your faith and trust in Jesus as your Forgiver and determine to follow Him as your Leader.
It’s good to go up high in order to be humbled but it’s even better that Jesus came down low in order to bring salvation and forgiveness and peace to people like us.
Don’t allow your hurts to turn into hate. You can become bitter or better. The choice is up to you. Claim the promise of James 3:18: “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” That’s better than staying in the uncomfortable bed of bitterness.
