Turn with me to James 3.
Read James 3:13-18.
James starts this passage off with a penetrating question, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” A lot of people claim to be wise and understanding. He is calling for us to examine our motives and ourselves. He calls those who think they are wise and understanding to demonstrate it by their lifestyle. Last week we looked at James’ challenge to demonstrate our faith through good works. Now he is challenging us to demonstrate our wisdom and understanding by our lifestyle.
We all know people, I’m sure, that are have a lot of “fancy book learnin’” that aren’t real wise or understanding. One of my friends from high school was brilliant. He nearly had a 4.0 GPA. He went to one of the best engineering schools in the Midwest. He was a whiz when it came to physics and others sciences and math. After graduating from college, he was accepted into the PhD program in physics at the University of California-Santa Barbara. He wasted his time playing video games and wound up getting kicked out of the program. Not very wise on his part. He had a free ride to get his PhD well before he was 30 years old, and he blew it by playing video games and not doing his work. That shows a lack of wisdom on his part. He had all the book smarts, but he lacked wisdom to follow through with it.
James tells that wisdom doesn’t come from books anyway. It comes from God. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
James looks at two types of wisdom: false and true. How many of you liked true/false test. If you didn’t know the answer, you had a 50/50 shot of getting it right. When it comes to wisdom it’s not a 50/50 deal. There is only one answer that is correct, and that is true wisdom. True wisdom is what we should seek.
James first looks at…
I. FALSE wisdom.
This is not good. False wisdom is problematic. Verses 14-16 cover false wisdom. These three verses look at its nature, origin and results.
A. Its NATURE.
Verse 14 reveals the nature of false wisdom. False wisdom involves bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.
The word used for jealousy is the word from which we get the word zealous or zeal. What James is saying is that false wisdom produces misdirected zeal, which usually results in jealousy.
Selfish ambition means party spirit. That’s not like a “birthday party.” It has more to do with political party. We constantly hear Republicans and Democrats complain about the other party playing partisan party politics. Legislation and judicial nominations are held up as a result of partisan bickering.
What James is saying here is that that sort of misdirected zeal and party politics has no place in the life of the Christian or the Church.
When those two things are in your heart, they come out. They do not result in godly wisdom. The problem is that they cause division in the Christian community. There is no room in the Church for political parties. Political parties cause division. That’s not to say that we should all be mindless robots, but we can agree to disagree.
In politics, one of the dangers is that nothing gets done because neither side will budge on their issues. One party wants one thing and the other party wants another thing, and both are so adamant that neither gets anything.
In Church business, we discuss and contemplate. Then we decide and are unified behind that decision. We don’t criticize and back bite.
The other nature of false wisdom is boasting. When we think that we are wise, we should not brag about it. Remember Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” When we realize how big and mighty God is, we realize how we measure up to Him.
As I was following the news of Hurricane Isabel sweep across the Atlantic Ocean the last couple weeks, I noticed that in relation to the Atlantic Ocean, she wasn’t all that big. Now, as we were hunkered down Thursday, it seemed to be a gigantic storm. Compared to the size of the Atlantic Ocean, it wasn’t all that big. Then you realize that Atlantic Ocean is relatively small compared to the size of the Earth. The Pacific Ocean is much bigger. Then you consider that the Earth is a pinpoint in the galaxy. Then consider that our galaxy is rather small in relation to the universe. Then when you consider that God created all of it, you realize how awesome God really is.
When we think that we have it all figured out, we need to realize that God’s wisdom is infinitely bigger than little brains.
The nature of false wisdom is selfishness and arrogance. James then turns his attention to…
B. Its ORIGIN.
The origin of false wisdom is not “from above” James says. Its origins are earthly, unspiritual and demonic. Those are pretty clear words. These things are not a part of a God-filled life.
Wisdom that is jealous and selfish, as verse 14 indicates, cannot come from God.
Earthly indicates that false wisdom looks to worldly standards for its validation. It may claim to be from God, but it is really rooted in earthly ambitions. It is rooted in selfish motives and selfish ambitions. Someone who has false wisdom is always trying to get ahead.
That is where the unspiritual aspect comes in. Unspiritual can also be defined by the term animalistic. It’s a matter of looking out for number one. Animals seek their own pleasure and gain above anything else. This is the sinful nature mankind showing through.
Unfortunately, this kind of thing often pops up after such disasters as we saw this week. Even Thursday night, as the storm was just moving out of the state, the newscasters were warning about people running scams, price gouging and even looting in the wake of the storm. That is pure sinful behavior, and it comes from false wisdom that is selfish, jealous, earthly, unspiritual and demonic.
False wisdom does not come from above as James says. Well, if it doesn’t come from above, which is a reference to God, where does it come from? It comes straight the devil. The devil is the one who deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and he has been deceiving humanity ever since.
False wisdom that is jealous, selfish and boastful comes straight from the devil. It seeks to satisfy sinful lusts. Those who would price gouge in the wake of a disaster are merely trying to satisfy a lust for money. That, friends, comes straight from the devil.
Having looked at the nature and origin of false wisdom, James turns his attention to…
C. Its RESULTS.
Jealousy and selfish ambition cause confusion and disorder. The Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” Ungodly wisdom leads to ungodly results. If confusion doesn’t come from God, it comes from the devil.
Disorder reigns when we practice earthly wisdom. Disorder in turn encourages evil practices. In the wake of the hurricane there was a lot of confusion and disorder in the areas that were hardest hit, and as such many people sought to take advantage of the situation and prey on people who had no other choice.
Confusion and disorder have no place in the Church. They can destroy a church. Even if a church isn’t destroyed, its effectiveness will be greatly damaged. When we lack wisdom from God, we cause confusion and allow the devil to have a place and to reign in confusion. One pastor put it this way, “Rivalry and party spirit destroy the cohesiveness of the Christian community, which is built on unity and love.” The Church cannot accomplish anything without unity.
James said, “Faith without works is dead,” likewise wisdom that results in disunity and confusion is not real wisdom.
This is where you get the argument from people that all Christians are hypocrites. When we, as Christians, seek to find our wisdom from earthly sources it wreaks havoc on the Church. It diminishes the Church’s witness to the world. It shows the world that we are no different than them. Why would anyone want to be a part of an organization that was rife with political infighting and one-upmanship? Even if a person is brilliant, trouble will result from a lack of godly wisdom.
Having shown the nature, origins and results of false wisdom as being most unappealing, James looks at…
II. TRUE wisdom.
James thoroughly trashes the notion of false wisdom. We are left asking the question, “Why bother with something incapable of ever producing the desired result?” Wisdom should help us, and if false wisdom is so detrimental, why bother with it? It is utterly useless to seek after wisdom that will only create more problems than it will ever solve.
There is really no need to explore the origins of true wisdom. James has already said that false wisdom doesn’t come from God, so we know that true wisdom does come from God.
Really everything about true wisdom is the direct opposite of false wisdom. After all, the words true and false are opposites.
In dealing with true wisdom in verse 17, James takes a look at…
A. Its NATURE.
The nature of false wisdom was selfish and jealous. False wisdom seeks the benefit of the self over the benefit of others.
Take a look at the list in verse 17. True wisdom is “pure…peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” Each of the concepts are bent on seek the good of others.
Let’s take a look at this list backwards. Impartial and sincere are last on the list. Just because they are last doesn’t mean they aren’t important.
What does it mean to be impartial and sincere? It means that we are straightforward in our dealings with others. It means that we are decisive and steady. We have no hidden political agenda. We don’t try to sneak things through. We listen to people for what they have to say. We make decisions and stick with them.
What does it mean to be full of mercy and good fruits? Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” To be full of mercy indicates that is our driving force. We have mercy on others. The great New Testament scholar William Barclay said, “Christian mercy is mercy for any man who is in trouble, even if he has brought that trouble on himself.” That means we help the guy who jumps into the ocean in the middle of a hurricane. When we look at what Jesus did for us, our response can be nothing other than to show mercy toward others. Jesus suffered and died for us when we, as humans, were bringing a heap of trouble on our own heads through deliberate rebellion against God. We didn’t deserve it. It was a mess that we had created ourselves. Jesus died anyway. There no other example for mercy.
What does it mean to be open to reason? When someone is open to reason it means that they are teachable. To be teachable in our world is a sign of weakness. As a culture, we elevate those who think they know it all. In being open to reason we yield to others and listen to what they have to say. If their ideas are right or better than our own, we defer to them.
What does it mean to be gentle? Gentleness is not weakness. Gentleness is a spirit of fairness. This is an alien concept to many in our self-centered “me-first” world. Gentleness means that we are noncombative. We don’t seek to pick fights. Have you ever had an encounter with someone who was bound and determined to pick a fight with you? They march in and start off with an accusation. While you are trying to formulate a response, they shoot off another round of accusations. That is not gentleness. Gentleness seeks to do what is right. It involves being considerate and gracious to others when we have the right to be angry with them. When someone crashes into our car, we don’t fly off the handle and punch their lights out. We don’t even verbally assault them. That is not weakness that is strength that comes only from God.
What does it mean to be peaceable? Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.” Peace is a lack of hostility. When we are at peace, we have a right relationship with others and with God. Where there is no peace there is turmoil. What happens in the world when nations are not at peace with each other? There is turmoil and war. For over forty years after World War II we had the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union were fighting a cold war. While there was no open hostility, there was no peace between the two. There was constant tension. When tension exists in the Church, there may not be open hostility, but it is something others can sense. We are to be peaceable in our relationships with others and with God.
What does it mean to be pure? Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” This is why James lists this one first. We can have all the other attributes that he describes in this verse, but without purity of heart it all means nothing. In fact all the others flow out of a pure heart. Purity is holiness. God commands his people, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Purity comes from the cleansing of our heart by God through His Holy Spirit. Holiness is the central focus of godly wisdom. Something that is pure is not mixed with anything else. Pure gold has no other metals, not even trace amounts, in it. A pure heart has nothing in it except the love of God. There can be no evil lurking inside of a pure heart. Purity can only come through the cleansing of God.
Having looked at the nature of true wisdom, James looks at…
B. Its RESULTS.
The result, or harvest, of true wisdom is righteousness. Those who seek to make peace will reap a harvest of peace. When we are “pure…peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” we will see the righteousness of God.
Our fruit will show what we planted. If I go out the garden and plant corn, am I going to get soybeans? If I plant cotton, am I going to get strawberries? No. I am going to get what I plant.
If we planted disorder and division, we will get disorder and division.
On the other hand, if we plant purity, peace, gentleness, and the like, then that is what we will get.
The result of true wisdom is the righteousness of God.
Conclusion
What are you seeking after today? Are you looking to be wise in the eyes of the world? Or, are you seeking to be wise in the eyes of God?
James says that “wisdom from about is first pure.” Purity comes only from God. To have true wisdom from God, we must have a pure heart. Jesus said that the pure in heart will see God. The only way to see God is be pure in heart.
Is that what you want, today? God is seeking us. His desire is that all would see him, and that comes only from a pure heart. All you have to do is ask him. We have to allow God to have his way with our life. Let us sing “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.”
After 1st verse. Are you willing to be the clay and allow God to be the potter? Are you willing to allow him to mold you? If that is the case, come are pray. We will pray with you. Let’s sing the second verse.
After 2nd verse. Let him search your heart. Let him cleanse anything that is not pleasing to him. Let’s sing the 3rd verse.
After 3rd verse. Are you willing to allow God to have his way with you? Are you tired of seeking false wisdom? Come and pray. Seek true wisdom. This will be our last verse. Come and pray. Seek God and his purity. This verse says, “Hold over my being absolute sway!” It means that God has complete control of our lives. “Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, living in me!” That should be the desire of our heart: for the world to see Christ in us.
