The Greatest Request
James 1:5-8
Introduction
What is wisdom? It is knowledge with God’s assistance. You can have knowledge without wisdom, you can say great proverbs with out wisdom. Wisdom is what allows you to act on your beliefs and in what manner you act is based on your wisdom from God. When we think of wisdom who in the Bible comes to mind? Solomon. A man who becomes king of two nations Israel and Judah and God tells him to ask for anything he wants. Some of us would probably try to get a little creative: money, fame I want to be able to turn invisible at will, etc… Solomon shows that he already has a little bit of smarts asks for wisdom… The rest followed anyway.
And he got use that wisdom pretty quickly. You’ll remember that the Jerry Springer show came to Solomon. Two hookers living in what I call a brothel/whorehouse perhaps, both have a child and one rolls over on her child killing it, she gets up in the middle of the night switches the babies with the other woman and the fight is on. Whose child is it? Solomon says bring me my sword? What are you going to do with that? Cut it in half. One woman says, “Good plan”. The other woman says, “Not a good plan”. Problem solved. Wisdom allows us to take great knowledge and apply it wisely as Solomon did.
I want to talk to you about the greatest request you can make from God beside ask him to forgive you and be your savior. James continues to teach us today James 1:5-8.
The first thing we need to understand from this text is:
1) God knows that we lack wisdom and desires for you to have it
a) If any of you lacks wisdom…
i) If there was a time to ask for a show of hands from those who feel that they lack wisdom this would be it
ii) Wisdom is something that is lacking from our society. In politics who is asking for wisdom? In finances who is asking for wisdom? In relationships who is asking for wisdom?
iii) What we usually do is when the incident comes up we pray “Oh God I need wisdom.”
iv) Solomon was smart he asked for before anything began. Right from the start that way if there was ever an incident he was already prepared with wisdom from on High. He made the greatest request. He asked for the greatest gift.
v) An old Arab Proverb says about wisdom:
(1) He that knows not and knows not that he knows not;
He is a fool—shun him!
(2) He that knows not and knows that he knows not;
He is simple—teach him!
(3) He that knows and knows not that he knows;
He is asleep—wake him!
(4) He that knows and knows that he knows;
He is a wise man—follow him!
vi) We are a people that need wisdom… because we need leaders…
vii) Wisdom is efficient:
(1) An intelligent person may have profound ideas but the wise person knows how to put profound ideas into action
(2) When we ask for wisdom we are asking God to speak action into our knowledge.
viii) Wisdom is divine:
(1) We have knowledge, but we do not know how to use it.
(2) Wisdom gives us comfort to live by His direction, Wisdom enables discernment between right and wrong
(3) In asking we say “God we need your input on the correct task to take.”
ix) It is Christ-like:
(1) 1 Corinthians 1:25-30 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
(2) Jesus is the essence of wisdom and encompasses all wisdom
x) Many people are asking God for gifts of the Spirit but they are not asking for wisdom. Not a Word of Wisdom (I Cor 12) but a lifestyle of Wisdom
b) Let him Ask of God
i) This is where we must start. If you don’t ask it must not be that important to you
ii) If you want to learn you ask
iii) If you want something done you ask
iv) If you want help you ask
v) God wants His children to ask…
(1) Luke 11:9 ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
(2) Matt 21:22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
c) He gives to all liberally and with out reproach
i) To give liberally means that He will give or pour it out to you abundantly
ii) Even more so here in this Greek word it means that He will give it you “simply”
iii) And to give with out reproach here means that He will not give to you based on the sins that you have committed
iv) If we received anything from God based on our sins who of us would receive anything at all?
d) It will be given to him
i) What is IT?
ii) We cannot forget that through out this text the main subject is Wisdom. It is wisdom that God desires for you to have… It is not all inclusive.
iii) Some people think that if they truly believe in getting that sports car they will get it. What if they don’t? Either this scripture doesn’t work or they didn’t believe enough… (Marilyn Hickey…)
iv) The second part in this text that we should understand is:
2) When asking for wisdom: a doubter will leave empty handed (verse 6)
a) Ask in Faith
i) Verse 6 is not a stand alone verse. It surrounded with its context, its subject is wisdom. And that wisdom is to be asked for in faith
ii) You are to ask for wisdom in faith you are to ask for wisdom without doubting
iii) Faith in this context means confidence in prayer.
iv) How do we lose confidence so quickly in a God we say we have confidence in? He wants us to have what it takes to do ministry effectively.
v) Proverbs is replete with a plea that says to ask for wisdom… Proverbs for the most part was written by Solomon, not all of it is his but most.
vi) And much of it has to do with living life wisely and how we should seek wisdom
vii) There is a persistence here not seen in scripture regarding other gifts that you as a believer might ask for
viii) Proverbs 4:5-7 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
ix) Notice the exclamation points that drives it home
x) I want you to understand that God wants you to have wisdom, he needs you to have wisdom and if you ask for wisdom sincerely why would He avoid giving it to you unless all you have is selfish intentions
b) With no doubting
i) There is no doubt in my mind that a doubter doubts because the doubter wants to see the evidence to contradict the thing that the doubter doubts.
ii) To walk in faith and to walk in doubt are a contradiction in terms
iii) The doubter needs to touch the hands of the master and put his hand in his side
iv) And the one who has faith rejoices in the fact of His resurrection
v) Jesus said after Thomas touched Jesus , “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” John 20:29
vi) A doubter does not have faith…
c) Tossed by the wind
i) The concept that is given here is not of a ripple
ii) A ripple in the water does no harm, but it is a wave. Not the kind that you dive into and frolic in at the beach
iii) But a wave that is driven by the wind, driven in a storm
iv) I was working on a cruise ship… Blue Lagoon
v) Those waves were driven by shifting earth and they were destructive did you ever think your indecisiveness could be destructive. James states yes it is and yes it can be.
vi) A sea of waves tossed to and from never sees progress… Never reaches the shore.
vii) It is taken from one ideology form the next. Every doctrine is accepted and not examined.
viii) Every theology is fact even if it is given by devils
ix) The third part from this text is a question:
3) Does your doublemindedness reflect everything you do? (Verse 7)
a) You get nothing
i) Are you getting nothing in your requests from God? Is this the way your praying is all the time? Maybe He didn’t answer one of your prayers and now you feel like He never will.
ii) If you ask in doubt and not in faith how much wisdom would you get? 0
iii) In the respect of receiving wisdom this is one gift that would be held back
b) Being double minded
i) We all know someone we consider to be two-faced. They are Jekyll and Hyde
ii) St Augustine once prayed “Lord grant me purity, but not yet.”
iii) Do you know people like this? Are you yourself one of them? They come in on Sunday and Amen the pastors sermons and Monday they are doing what the pastor preached against doing.
c) Unstable in all his ways
i) James makes quite a charge here
ii) If you are a doubter or even more accurately depicted in the Greek text “you can’t make up you mind whether or not God will answer you”
iii) You have uncertainty in your “yes’” and your “no’s” are clouded with indecision and gray area’s
iv) James is saying this kind of thinking is reflecting everything you do
v) You are unstable in ALL your ways
vi) Your business dealings may reflect this, your personal relationships may reflect this. How about Church? Are you Unstable about church?
(1) Can’t commit to be there every Sunday
(2) Can’t commit to pray, examine the Word, Tithe, (Unstable tithe /church)
vii) Are you keeping other people in limbo while you are skipping from one decision to the next and James says you’re unstable.
viii) If there is a woman or man here and you’re in relationship with someone who is unstable… Be careful, think twice!
ix) James knows that these scattered believers need wisdom they need more than more knowledge they need to know how to use it.
x) I can fill 30 minutes (or more) with Bible teaching, but if no one is responsible with the use of the teaching than it is doing nothing for you or anybody else. It is all in vain.
Conclusion
Challenge is this: Again from Proverbs 4:5-7
Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
