A. Let’s start our sermon this morning with a quote: “Life is hard and it’s harder when you’re stupid.”
1. We chuckle at that because we all know it’s true.
2. Some people attribute that quote to John Wayne.
3. I don’t know if the Duke did or didn’t say those words.
4. The line doesn’t appear in any of his movies, but it sounds like something he would have said.
5. I think a better and more impactful word than “stupid” to use in that sentence is “foolish.”
6. “Life is hard and it’s harder when you’re foolish.”
B. Now let’s flip that statement around and state it in a positive way: “Life is hard, but it’s easier when you have God’s wisdom.”
1. That’s even better, isn’t it? Yet it’s just as true as the first statement.
2. One of the problems we face is that we don’t always know how to get the wisdom we need.
3. But that’s where the little book of James comes in handy.
4. You will remember that back in chapter one, James offered this wonderful promise: Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)
5. I like the way that verse is rendered in the New Living Translation: “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (NLT)
a. I love that phrase: “Ask our generous God and He will give it to you.”
b. That’s good news for all of us. If we need wisdom, we can ask for it!
c. Sometimes, the hardest part is admitting we need God’s help.
d. God is ready to supply the wisdom that we need, but He waits for us to ask for it.
6. So, “Life is hard, but it’s easier when you have God’s wisdom.”
C. Let’s do a little imaginary exercise.
1. What would you do if I were to ask all the wise people in the congregation to stand up?
2. Would you stand up, or would you remain seated?
3. Would you feel a little nervous and wonder if it is a trick question or a set up?
4. Do you feel that it would be presumptuous if you stood up and claim to be wise?
5. After all, who can be sure about something like that, right?
D. It’s uncomfortable to think about something like this, but isn’t that really what James asks here in James chapter 3, verse 13: Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.
1. In the end, wisdom cannot be hidden, but it will show itself one way or the other.
2. A foolish person may keep silent, and for a little while others will think he or she is wise.
3. But eventually the foolish person must speak and act, and the truth will come out and the same is true for those who are wise.
E. I borrowed the title for this sermon “The Wise, the Unwise, and the Otherwise” from a chapter in a book by Charles Swindoll on James.
1. Through this catchy title for the chapter on this section of James, Charles Swindoll illuminates James’ contrast between God’s wisdom and the wisdom of the world.
2. How does a person behave who is being guided by God’s wisdom?
3. James offers two tests: good conduct and gentle deeds.
F. The first test is good conduct.
1. James chose a very important word to describe a life guided by God’s wisdom.
2. Some translations talk about “good behavior,” which is fine, but doesn’t quite get to the point.
3. One translation calls it “noble conduct,” which gets a little closer.
4. James used an adjective that means “beautiful” and it describes something pleasing to the eye.
5. When applied to people it means “beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life.”
6. As God’s people, who want to represent God in the best possible light, we need to keep in mind that unbelievers are watching us all the time.
7. Our beautiful life (our good conduct) will cause them to want to know more about God.
8. Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, offered a wonderful definition of a saint – “A saint is a person who makes it easy to believe in Jesus.”
9. Isn’t that good?! It is a worthy goal for all of us, wouldn’t you agree?
10. All of us are either drawing people to Jesus or pushing them further away by our conduct.
11. And our good conduct and beautiful life reveal that we have God’s wisdom.
G. The other test that James mentions is gentle deeds – works done in gentleness.
1. A person who is being guided by God’s wisdom lives a life characterized by gentleness.
2. The Greek word used here is the same one Jesus used in the Third Beatitude: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
3. To the ancient Greeks, meekness meant power under control.
a. They used the word to describe mild words, soothing medicine, refreshing wind, and a horse that has been tamed.
b. What do those four things have in common? They all represent different forms of power that can be harnessed for good.
c. A meek horse is not a weak horse, but rather a powerful beast brought under its master’s control.
4. This characteristic of God’s wisdom is often seen when dealing with disagreeable people.
a. It’s not very hard to be gentle when your life is going smoothly and you feel no pressure.
b. But meekness reveals itself when you are under the gun, up against a deadline, surrounded by problems, and you feel yourself getting frustrated.
c. If we don’t have it then, we don’t have it at all.
5. As Paul was continuing to train Timothy in his second letter to him, he wrote: The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness. (2 Tim. 2:24-25a)
a. Wisdom is not just accurate words spoken, but the gentle spirit in which they are spoken.
H. So this is where James began in his contrast between God’s wisdom and the wisdom of the world.
1. The person who is guided by God’s wisdom will be characterized by good conduct and gentle deeds.
2. But in contrast to a life controlled by divine wisdom, James continued: 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. (James 3:14-16)
3. That’s a pretty ugly and scary list wouldn’t you say?
4. A person who is guided by worldly wisdom is characterized by bitter envy and selfish ambition.
a. An unwise person is someone who tends to be suspicious and given to rivalry.
b. The unwise person who is characterized by selfish ambition is someone focused only on themselves – they have a desire to be seen and they do whatever is necessary to be number one.
c. That is quite a contrast from the person who has good conduct and gentle deeds!
5. As James describes the person who is characterized by bitter envy and selfish ambition, he pleads with them not to boast or deny the truth.
a. Worldly wisdom has an air of arrogance that refuses to acknowledge wrongdoing or inadequacy.
b. This leads to denying the truth, or as some translations say, “Lying against the truth.”
c. When a person’s life is out of step with the truth, there will eventually be a manipulation of the truth in order to justify oneself and one’s behavior - the result is self-deception.
d. This can certainly happen with Christians, but it happens more frequently in the world among the successful and highly educated who think they are smarter than God and lie against the truth to justify themselves.
6. James concludes: Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
a. Those kinds of attitudes and that kind of behavior doesn’t come from heaven – it is earthly.
b. It has to do with earthly success, earthly standards, earthly motives, earthly attitudes, earthly methods – earthly everything!
c. It is unspiritual – it is fleshly, not related to the Spirit of God.
d. And it is demonic – this mindset is characteristic of demons.
e. Demons know a lot about a lot of things – they even know about God – yet they are not humble, they don’t repent and submit themselves to God, rather they are arrogant, ambitious and are self-deceived.
7. And what are the final results of this worldly wisdom? Disorder and every evil practice.
a. When James says “disorder” he doesn’t just mean confusion, he means disharmony, antagonism and instability.
b. When James says “every evil practice,” he means just that - every evil practice.
c. When worldly wisdom reigns, there is no restraint on evil, everything is given the “green light,” caution is thrown to the wind – “If it feels good, do it!”
d. Does the description “disorder and every evil practice” sound like the prevailing culture of our world today? Unfortunately, Yes it does!
I. Thankfully, James doesn’t end on that kind of ugly, negative note, rather he circles back around to the fruit that God’s wisdom produces in our lives.
1. James wrote: 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace. (James 3:17-18)
2. Notice how James employs some farming terminology, which of course was one of Jesus’ favorite ways to illustrate spiritual truths – like in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower.
3. When the wisdom of God is sown in our lives, it produces different kinds of good fruit.
J. Notice what is the first kind of fruit produced by God’s wisdom that James names – it is purity – “But the wisdom from above is first pure.”
1. The word “first” not only means first in the list, but also first in importance.
2. The primary harvest of divine wisdom is purity.
3. The word means “freedom from defilement, without contamination, clean.”
4. It suggests not only moral cleanliness, but also purity of motive.
5. Purity comes first because without it, nothing else on this list matters – it’s that important.
6. Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).
a. That’s not just theory; that’s how life actually works.
b. When our hearts are pure, we will see God.
c. When our hearts are cluttered with wrong attitudes and evil notions, we will see everything but God.
7. Purity puts us out of step with the world, and that should be okay with us.
8. But if we need the world’s approval, then we are already out of step with God and the door of divine wisdom is closed to us.
K. Notice that the next kind of fruit produced by God’s wisdom that James names is peace-loving.
1. “Wisdom that comes from above is...peace-loving.”
2. As hard as it is for some of us to accept or understand, the truth is that some people are not peace-loving - some people really don’t want to get along with others.
3. Some people would rather fight than talk.
a. They yell when they should listen.
b. They never give an inch because they think they are always right.
c. They aren’t concerned about finding a middle ground because “it’s my way or the highway.”
d. Those people are peace-breakers, not peacemakers, and they don’t have God’s wisdom.
4. James has already warned us about a kind of “wisdom” that is earthly, unspiritual and devilish. (3:14-16)
a. That sort of “wisdom” brings chaos wherever it goes, but God’s wisdom is different.
5. When wisdom from above fills our lives, then we will be agents for healing and reconciliation.
6. A “peace-loving” person brings peace with him or her when they enter the room.
a. They are the opposite of the human tornado who wreaks havoc in every situation.
7. The peace-loving person is at peace with God, which makes them at peace within themselves, and causes them to bring an atmosphere of peace with them wherever they go.
L. The next kind of fruit produced by God’s wisdom that James names is gentleness.
1. “Wisdom that comes from above is...gentle.”
2. The Greek word for “gentle” here in verse 17 is different from the Greek word James used four verses earlier, in verse 13.
a. This word is harder to explain than the other one, because it means more than any one English word can convey.
b. Some translators have rendered it “equitable, fair, or moderate.”
c. The word “tolerant” might be better, but it still falls short.
3. This kind of gentleness has to do with being non-combative, not quarrelsome, and not easily annoyed.
4. You discover whether you have this aspect of wisdom when you are under the gun, when tempers are short, when you are worn out, and when the demands of life overwhelm you.
5. We need this kind of wisdom when...Traffic backs up on the freeway…or someone cuts you off in traffic…or someone starts yelling at you.
6. This kind of gentleness characterizes the way that God deals with all of us.
a. Psalm 103:10 says: “He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.” (NLT)
7. And because God is patient and fair and merciful and gentle with us, then we need to allow God’s wisdom to develop the ability to be patient and fair and merciful and gentle with others.
M. The next kind of fruit produced by God’s wisdom that James mentions is compliance.
1. “Wisdom that comes from above is…compliant.”
2. These last two Greek words that James used have very similar meanings.
3. A commentator named Matthew Arnold described the previous word that the CSB called “gentleness” as “sweet reasonableness,” but that might actually be a better translation of the next word in the list which the CSB translated compliant.
4. The original term comes from two Greek words that combine to mean “easily persuaded.”
5. It’s the opposite of being stubborn or obstinate.
6. This quality of wisdom is reflected by those who are open, conciliatory, and easy to work with.
7. Abraham is a good example of this quality of wisdom.
a. Do you remember when he and his nephew Lot needed to separate because their servants and flocks were getting too big and conflict was brewing in their ranks?
b. Abraham applied God’s wisdom and initiated a compromise and gave Lot the first choice of the land.
c. That showed a sweet reasonableness and an open and conciliatory attitude.
8. But don’t make the mistake of seeing the person guided by this kind of divine wisdom as a pushover or a person without conviction.
a. Rather, we come to understand that the person of godly wisdom is able to hold strong convictions without being disagreeable, and is able to choose their battles wisely.
9. We certainly need a revival of this kind of sweet reasonableness, gentleness and kindness in our nation.
N. The next kind of fruit produced by God’s wisdom that James mentions is mercy and good fruits.
1. James writes: “Wisdom that comes from above...is full of mercy and good fruits.”
2. The worldly wisdom we inherit from the world infuses us with cynicism and harshness, especially toward the sufferings of others.
3. But the wisdom that comes down from above, reacts to suffering with mercy and good fruits.
4. Mercy is a compassionate attitude, and good fruits are the actions that flow from that mercy.
5. In the first century, the word “mercy” was commonly used to describe people feelings toward someone who has suffered unjustly.
a. In the NT, however, this same word is used several times to describe the attitude a believer should have toward those who suffer due to problems they have caused themselves.
6. Anyone can feel for people who suffer through no fault of their own, but God’s wisdom enables us to have pity and compassion for those who have caused their own sorrow.
7. And this divinely enabled mercy then issues forth into practical help: “good fruits.”
O. The next kind of fruit produced by God’s wisdom that James mentions is the quality of being unwavering.
1. “Wisdom that comes from above...is unwavering.”
2. This particular Greek word is used only here in the New Testament and it means holding firm to the same standard at all times.
3. This person with God’s wisdom faithfully adheres to the principles of God’s Word regardless of the circumstances.
4. So they are consistent in the application of God’s Word to their own lives, and are also consistent in the application of God’s Word in the lives of others.
5. Such a godly person is free from prejudice and favoritism (this is something James addressed in chapter 2).
6. Sometimes you see a baseball umpire who has an unusual strike zone.
a. Maybe he gives the pitcher a few extra inches on the outside of the plate, so pitches that might normally be called balls are called strikes.
b. Players, managers, and fans don’t mind as long as the umpire is consistent.
c. If his strike zone is the same no matter who is batting or who is pitching, if both sides get the same calls, then you can say the umpire is impartial and unwavering.
7. Applied to the spiritual life, it means you teach and live by the truth all time.
a. You don’t change your teaching and life depending on the audience.
b. You don’t treat one group better or worse than another group.
c. You are the same in public and in private – you’re unwavering; consistent.
P. Now we have arrived at the final kind of fruit produced by God’s wisdom that James mentions and it is without pretense.
1. “Wisdom that comes from above...is without pretense.”
2. The final phrase means “without hypocrisy” or stated positively “is sincere.”
3. The term originally meant “not playing a part,” referring to the ancient Greek plays where an actor would wear a mask while pretending to be someone else.
a. One actor might play several different parts in the same play by putting on different masks.
4. That’s fine in theater, but it is deadly in real life.
5. We talk about a person being a hypocrite when they pretend to be someone they are not.
6. There’s a big difference between falling short of being the godly person we are trying to be, and deliberately continuing to live in disobedience to God, while pretending to do otherwise.
7. The person who is guided by true wisdom from above is not two-faced, or deceptive, but are honest and sincere, without pretense or hypocrisy.
Q. James ends this section in verse 18 by explaining what happens when we live according to God’s wisdom – the end result is a harvest of righteousness.
1. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace. (CSB, 3:18)
2. Or as the NIV renders it: “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”
3. Worldly wisdom produces one kind of harvest, and God’s wisdom produces a different kind.
4. The two harvests couldn’t be any more different from each other.
5. Worldly wisdom produces a harvest of violence and hatred, disorder and every evil practice.
6. But wisdom from above produces a harvest of righteousness and peace, healing and reconciliation.
R. The Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are transformational.
1. Through the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word, God wants to move us from a life characterized by worldly wisdom, to a life characterized by godly wisdom.
2. I hope that each of us here today has come to a place where we are tired of the destruction and disorder that worldly wisdom brings into our lives.
3. I hope that every one of us want the harvest of righteousness that is the result of letting God’s wisdom control our lives.
4. It all begins with a decision to ask God for His wisdom, and to keep asking for it – just like King Solomon did.
5. Let me end with the words that Solomon wrote about the importance of getting God’s wisdom: “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor." Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.” (Proverbs 4:5-13)
6. May God give us His wisdom, and may we use it to live a godly life and a beautiful life, to His Glory! Amen!
Resources:
• Handbook for Hard Times, Sermon by Ray Prichard, Keepbelieving.com
• James – Hands-on Christianity, by Charles Swindoll, Insight for Living, 2003.
