. James begins our text this morning by asking his readers a question: “Who is wise and understanding
among you?”
1. Last week I began with the question: “How many of you have allowed your TONGUE to get you
into trouble?”
COMMENT:
Hands went up all over the place. We readily admit that we have SAID things that we shouldn’t have. But if I was to ask this congregation James’ question: “Who is wise and understanding among you?” How many HANDS do you think would go up? I’m not going to ask
that question . . . but I don’t think many of us would RAISE our HANDS.
Most of us will say that often we don’t make WISE choices, especially when it comes to dealing with PEOPLE.
2. James already told us that “we are to PRAY for WISDOM as we face various TRIALS in life”
- James 1:5.
a. Here in our text James is referring to a WISDOM that is IMPERATIVE to the way we RELATE to
those around us.
b. I think you will agree that there are NO PROBLEMS quite like PEOPLE PROBLEMS!
ILLUSTRATION:
Most of us are around people everyday—at HOME, at CHURCH, at WORK, at SCHOOL, in the CHECK-OUT LANE at WAL-MART. Sometimes there are CONFRONTATIONS.
One time I was at Wal-Mart and was ready to CHECK-OUT. All the check-out lanes had people lined up four or five customers deep. So, I decided to go to the 20 ITEMS or LESS LANE. I
didn’t count my ITEMS, but I knew I had close to that amount.
As I’m waiting in LINE, the LADY behind me took a look at my BASKET and sent her 10 or 11-year-old daughter over to COUNT my ITEMS. After the girl finished counting she yelled, “Mom, he’s got 22!” I thought SECURITY was going to come and TAKE me AWAY. I said, “Oh, I’m sorry!” Then I TOOK OUT 2 items (Chapstick and Altoids) and proceeded to the CHECK-OUT!
COMMENT:
With all the PEOPLE that we are around everyday, there are some who are EASY to GET-ALONG with and others who aren’t. PERSONALITIES CLASH. PEOPLE have a BAD DAY. MISUNDERSTANDINGS OCCUR.
B. Regardless of how tough some RELATIONSHIPS might be, we as Christians have a RESPONSIBILITY
to RELATE WISELY to OTHERS.
1. In our text, James describes two kinds of WISDOM.
a. GODLY WISDOM that reveals itself through the WAY we RELATE to PEOPLE.
b. WORLDLY WISDOM that also reveals itself through the WAY we RELATE to PEOPLE.
COMMENT:
GODLY WISDOM relates to people WISELY and WORLDLY WISDOM relates to people
UNWISELY.
2. Let’s take a look at the two kinds of WISDOM and the RESULTS of GODLY WISDOM.
MESSAGE:
I. TWO KINDS OF WISDOM- James 3:13-16 (READ)
A. GODLY WISDOM- v. 13
1. After asking, “How many of you are wise and understanding,” James goes on to say, “Okay, let’s
see it.”
a. The WISDOM that comes from God is that which is seen in our LIVES and in the GOOD that
we do.
COMMENT:
True WISDOM has nothing to do with how CLEVER you are. How INTELLIGENT you are or how HIGH your IQ is, has nothing to do with the WISDOM that comes from GOD.
b. God’s not interested in our GPA . . . He’s concerned with how we LIVE our LIVES for Him and how we TREAT and SERVE PEOPLE—even in SMALL WAYS.
2. By SERVING others, even in little ways, we SERVE Jesus- Matthew 25:34-40 (READ)
a. Those faithful SERVANTS said, “Lord we don’t remember doing these things for you.”
ILLUSTRATION:
Jesus answered, “Don’t you remember that family whose bread-winner lost his JOB and they had no FOOD to eat, and you went to the STORE and bought them GROCERIES?” “Do you remember that LABORER who was working on the STREET in front of your house during that HOT July afternoon, and you brought him jug of ICED WATER?” “Remember that family whose HOUSE burned down and had no where to go, and you OPENED your
HOME to them?”
“How about that little girl who had no CLOTHES to wear, and you emptied your daughter’s CLOSET?” “Don’t you recall that ELDERLY woman who lied in a hospital bed for WEEKS, and you went everyday to READ to her?” “And how about that young man who
got in trouble with the LAW, and you VISITED with him in JAIL and told him about Me?”
“When you SERVED those HURTING people, you SERVED Me!”
b. When we look into the FACE of someone who is HURTING, we look into the FACE of Jesus.
COMMENT:
We see Jesus all around us—within and without the church. How we RESPOND to those HURTING people by our SERVICE or LACK thereof, is how we RESPOND to Jesus Himself.
B. WORLDLY WISDOM- vv. 14-16
1. Have you ever met the kind of people who often PROMOTE themselves as being BETTER than
you? It’s always ABOUT THEM!!
ILLUSTRATION:
Their JOB is more IMPORTANT. Their VACATION was BETTER. They caught the BIGGER FISH. Their CHILDREN are SMARTER or more SUCCESSFUL. They are more KNOWLEDGEABLE when it comes to the BIBLE. Whatever it is that you CAN DO . . . they
CAN DO BETTER!
2. James is referring to people who think they are BETTER than others and consider others as their
RIVALS.
a. They “harbor bitter envy or jealousy”
COMMENT:
It was bitter ENVY that prompted Cain to MURDER his brother Able. It was bitter JEALOUSY that prompted the brothers of Joseph to SELL him to a SLAVE TRADER and then
tell their father that their brother—his son—was killed by a WILD ANIMAL.
ILLUSTRATION:
This problem exists today in less dramatic ways: Neighbors FIGHTING because one is more SUCCESSFUL than the other. Ministerial staff ARGUING over who is BETTER LIKED by the congregation. Co-workers UNDERMINING the work of a fellow-employee because he received a COMPLIMENT from the BOSS. Fellow-Christians GOSSIPING about another because of JEALOUSY.
b. They pursue “selfish ambitions”
COMMENT:
“Selfish ambition” is translated from a single Greek word. Prior to the New Testament, the only known use of the word was by none other than Aristotle. He used it in reference to POLITICAL FACTIONS whose only concern was their own AGENDAS. (Sounds a lot like Washington today.) It’s likely that James had this meaning in mind when he wrote his letter.
One has “selfish ambition” when one’s OPINION is the only OPINION that MATTERS. One’s VIEW is the only PROPER VIEW. One’s way of DOING SOMETHING is the only RIGHT WAY.
No wonder James says that such UNGODLY ATTITUDES “produce DISORDER and
EVIL PRACTICES”- v. 16.
3. James- “Such WISDOM is worldly, unspiritual, and of the devil”- v. 15.
COMMENT:
WORLDLY WISDOM is all about SELF—getting what I want, making others do what I
want them to do, having my way—ME, ME, ME!
II. RESULTS OF GODLY WISDOM- James 3:17-18 (READ)
A. It is PURE
1. In the Greek this means “without a flaw, pure enough to approach God.”
a. This wisdom is so CLEANSED of all CONCEALED MOTIVES and of SELF that it has
become PURE enough to STAND before God.
b. WORLDLY WISDOM is concerned with only PROMOTING self before others.
COMMENT:
Such people will LIE, CHEAT, and RUN OVER anybody who gets in the WAY. Their DEALINGS with people are always SUSPECT. There’s always an ULTERIOR MOTIVE.
2. James says that GODLY WISDOM is HONEST, TRUTHFUL, and DEALS with people with the PUREST of MOTIVES.
B. It is PEACE-LOVING (Being a “PEACEMAKER.”)
1. WORLDLY WISDOM causes contention, rivalry and strife. It DIVIDES and ALIENATES.
2. GODLY WISDOM promotes PEACE and endeavors to bring about PEACE.
a. Matt. 5:9- “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons (children) of God.”
b. Romans 12:18- “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
ILLUSTRATION:
When we first moved to Terre Haute, IN from Texas, Steven, who was 10 at the time, and I went to MAIL a LETTER at a drop box located in a shopping center. You can’t drive directly to the BOX, you have to go through the PARKING LOT first. Driving across the PARKING LOT to get to the BOX, I accidentally cut off this VAN that was looking for a place to PARK. And I GESTURED that I was SORRY.
As I am putting my LETTER into the BOX, I heard a guy YELLING. There was this man running toward me, CUSSING up a STORM. He was a little guy in his late 50’s. When he got closer, I could tell that he was slightly INEBRIATED.
“You pulled out in FRONT of me, you BLANKENTY-BLANK.” I APOLOGIZED profusely. He became more BELLIGERENT. “Get out of that VAN,” he said with a SLUR. He wanted to FIGHT me. I looked over at Steven, and his EYES were as big as SAUCERS.
I told him, “Sir, I’m not going to get out of this VAN. We didn’t have an ACCIDENT. No one was HURT. I’m truly SORRY for pulling out in FRONT of you.”
He KICKED my VAN and asked, “Where are you FROM?” I sure wasn’t going to say, “I live just up the road at 1155 E. Garden Dr. Come see me sometime.” I still had Texas PLATES on my VAN so I said, “I’m from TEXAS.”
For some reason that really INFURIATED him! He then reached in and GRABBED my SEAT BELT right above my shoulder and said, “Get out of there.” I said, “Sir, please just move on, because I am not getting out of this VAN!” He CUSSED and RANTED for a couple of more MINUTES, and finally BACKED away so I COULD leave.
COMMENT:
Sometimes we can make PEACE, and other times we can’t. But Jesus, James, and Paul—all three—said that it is up to US to initiate the PEACE TALKS.
C. It is CONSIDERATE
1. Elsewhere this word is translated, “gentle,” “forbearing,” “courteous,” “reasonable,” “kindly.”
COMMENT:
It is a word used often in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) to describe God’s KINDNESS toward those with whom He has reason to be HARSH and JUDGMENTAL.
2. Those who follow God’s wisdom will demonstrate this “GOD-LIKE” QUALITY—to be more UNDERSTANDING, FORGIVING, and REASONABLE in dealing with the FAULTS of others.
D. It is SUBMISSIVE
1. This word means to be “compliant”, “open to reason”, “to be teachable”.
COMMENT:
Foolish people always think they are right. They are CLOSED-MINDED—unwilling to entertain the possibility that they might be WRONG. On the other hand, WISE PEOPLE are OPEN MINDED and readily listen to ADVISE.
a. Proverbs 12:15- “The way of the fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”
b. Proverbs 19:20- “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”
ILLUSTRATION:
On one occasion Abraham Lincoln, to please a certain politician, issued a command to transfer certain regiments. When Sec. of War Edwin Stanton received the order, he refused to carry it out, saying the President was a “FOOL”.
When Lincoln was told of this, he replied, “If Stanton said I’m a fool, then I must be, for he is nearly always right. I’ll see for myself.” As the two men talked, the President quickly realized that his decision was a serious mistake, and without hesitation he withdrew it.
2. A TEACHABLE, SUBMISSIVE SPIRIT is often a major key in DEFUSING conflict.
E. It is FULL OF MERCY and GOOD FRUIT
1. To be “full of mercy” means to be “controlled by mercy.”
a. Jesus said in Luke 6:36- “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
b. Listen to David as he describes just how merciful God our Father is: Psalm 103:8-10- “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or
repay us according to our iniquities.”
ILLUSTRATION:
In my very first church as a ROOKIE PREACHER, there was a FAMILY in the church who was in a dire FINANCIAL predicament. I went to the elders to see if there was anything the church could do to HELP this family.
One of the elders retorted, “Why should we HELP them? They are in that MESS by their own STUPIDITY. They got what they DESERVE.”
COMMENT:
We are not just to show MERCY to the person who is SUFFERING UNJUSTLY, but even to the one who is in TROUBLE by his own FAULT. Mercy is not contingent on GUILT or INNOCENCE. If God gave to us what our SINS and STUPIDITY deserves, we’d all be LOST.
2. MERCY is not just being SORRY for a person’s PREDICAMENT, but it is DEMONSTRATED by our “GOOD FRUIT”—by taking the NECESSARY ACTION to relieve the MISERY of another.
F. It is IMPARTIAL
1. James has already talked about showing “FAVORITISM or PARTIALITY in dealing with the RICH and POOR” in James 2.
COMMENT:
He pointed out that “PARTIALITY is a sin that violates the ROYAL LAW of Scripture—‘Love your neighbor as yourself’”- James 2:8-9.
2. GODLY WISDOM is CONSISTENT in its TREATMENT of others.
COMMENT:
It doesn’t take one POSITION with POWERFUL PEOPLE and another with the WEAK. It doesn’t offer FAVORITISM based on CIRCUMSTANCES, but is consistently based on the PRINCIPLE that we are to “TREAT all people the WAY we want to be TREATED.”
G. It is SINCERE or WITHOUT HYPOCRISY
1. How often have you heard people say, “I don’t want to go to that church, there are too many
hypocrites there?”
COMMENT:
Now, it’s possible that some are just making an EXCUSE for not ATTENDING worship. But, it could be that there are those church-goers whose LIVES outside the church do not CONFORM to that of Christ Jesus. No doubt there are those who ACT like a Christian on Sunday and live like the DEVIL the rest of the WEEK. We are not to simply CLAIM to be a Christian, we are to LIVE like a Christian. People are to see Jesus LIVING within us.
2. Philippians 1:27- “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.”
CONCLUSION:
A. As I said at the beginning, PEOPLE PROBLEMS are probably one of the worst kind of PROBLEMS to have!
COMMENT:
PROBLEMS with FAMILY, FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS, FELLOW-CHRISTIANS, can really WEAR YOU DOWN. When we have PEOPLE PROBLEMS, we often deal with it by HIDING from and AVOIDING the PEOPLE as much as POSSIBLE.
But as Christians, we cannot isolate ourselves from PEOPLE and still live to GLORIFY Christ. We are the “LIGHT of the world and the SALT of the earth.” But sometimes the LIGHT grows DIM and the SALT becomes BITTER because of other PEOPLE.
B. All of us, at one time or another, have had DEALINGS with DIFFICULT PEOPLE.
1. Sometimes we HANDLED it WELL, others times we DIDN’T.
2. That’s why James urges us to use GODLY WISDOM in dealing with the people with whom we come in CONTACT.
COMMENT:
Following his ADVICE will help us WARD off any POTENTIAL PROBLEM and, prayerfully, help us RESOLVE any PEOPLE PROBLEM we might have.
