Sermon: A Different Kind of Wisdom
Scripture: James 3: 13 – 18
Good morning…
Today I would like to talk about ‘A Different Kind of Wisdom’…one that promotes in a man or woman the fruit for living now and eternally…one that instructs both for the now and the hereafter…one that creates a relationship first with God and then also with our fellowman. It’s an attribute that everyone would like to have…that everybody wants, but few seem obtain it.
True Wisdom may be different than you might think. It does not begin in this world and it does not end in this world. True Wisdom comes first from God and from His everlasting steadfastness.
And the reason that I’m encouraged to believe this is because of a statement I read the other day…it said,
“We are not human beings having a Spiritual experience here, but we are Spiritual beings having a human experience.” Let me say that one more time…’We are not human beings having a Spiritual experience, but we are Spiritual beings have a human experience.”
Just let that soak in for a moment. Because, you know, it gives you a whole different perspective. It says to you and me that there is more to life than what we find in this world and that when we believe ourselves to be more than just flesh and blood, we open a window…a window to the eternal-ness of our own souls.
When you look at yourselves in this way, you will begin to wonder and ask yourselves, ‘How are we ever going to make it...how are we ever going manage an eternal life, let alone, just this life, in this world. You then begin to realize how so important it is to have ‘A Different Kind of Wisdom’.
Our scripture begins this morning by asking the question…’Are there those among you who are truly wise and understanding?’ This morning, James, the author of this book, discusses the difference between true wisdom and false wisdom, and I would like to try my best to tell just a little of what I have read and learned this week on this subject…a subject that I found to be about…a different kind of wisdom.
You know, as we live our lives, we, in a sense plant seeds….little seeds of knowledge and wisdom. Our children watch us and learn from us. Other people, those around us, watch and learn from us, too. They take those seeds we have to give to them and they plant them into their own lives…and there they might grow.
We carry with us all kinds of seeds…seeds of morality…seeds of a work ethic…seeds of anger or seeds of love. Some people carry seeds of gentleness or goodness…some carry seeds of hate and evil…and some carry a seed of peace and tranquility.
I’d like to tell you a story of a boy who planted the seeds of peace with his life. These seeds of peace were in a boy named Heinz, in Europe, in 1934.
Hitler’s plague of anti-Semitism was infecting a whole continent. Some would escape it. Some would die from it. But eleven-year-old Heinz would learn from it. He would learn the wisdom and the power of sowing seeds of peace.
You see, Heinz was a Jew.
The Bavarian village of Furth, where Heinz lived, was being overrun by Hitler’s young thugs. Heinz’s Father, a schoolteacher, lost his job. Recreational activities ceased. And tension mounted on the streets of that town.
The Jewish families clutched the traditions that held them together…the observance of the Sabbath, of Rosh Hashanah, of Yom Kippur. Old ways took on new significance. As the clouds of persecution swelled and blackened, these ancient precepts were a precious cleft in a mighty rock. And as the streets became a battleground, such security meant survival for the Jewish people.
Hitler youth roamed the neighborhoods looking for trouble. Young Heinz learned to keep his eyes open. When he saw a band of troublemakers, he would step to the other side of the street. Sometimes he would escape a fight…sometimes not.
One day, in 1934, a pivotal confrontation occurred. Heinz found himself face-to-face with a Hitler bully. A beating appeared inevitable. This time, however, he walked away unhurt…not because of what he did, but because of what he said. He didn’t fight back; he spoke up. He convinced the troublemakers that a fight was not necessary. His words kept battle at bay. Right then, Heinz saw firsthand how the tongue, spoken from wisdom, can create peace.
He learned the skill of using words to avoid conflict. And for a young Jew in Hitler-ridden Europe, that skill had many opportunities to be honed and sharpened.
Fortunately, Heinz’s family escaped from Bavaria and they made their way to America. Later in life, he would downplay the impact those adolescent experiences had on his development. But one has to wonder. For after Heinz grew up, his name became synonymous with peace negotiations. His legacy became that of a bridge-builder. Somewhere he had learned the wisdom and power of the properly placed word of peace. And one has to wonder if his training didn’t come on the streets of Bavaria.
You don’t know him as Heinz. You know him by his Anglicized name, Henry…Henry Kissinger…a very wise man.
As you can see by this story, sometimes becoming wise can take a whole lifetime. And you can also see, that the planting never stops and the crops are ever growing and the harvest is still coming.
I come through Douglass on the way home from work sometimes and this last month there was a sign out in front of one of the churches there. It had an unusual saying that week…it said,
“Most people won’t take time to read a Bible, but they will study a Christian”
At the time, I thought, ‘what an unusual saying’, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Our scripture today it telling us that the way we live our lives, does make a difference. The application of what we know to be true and that we put into our daily living is seen by others. In some cases, it is even studied and emulated. ‘True wisdom ends in good behavior.’
One saying from a writer in the 17th century wrote, ‘Surely the practical Christian is the most wise, knowledge is only like a jewel in a toad’s head, without God’s wisdom to apply it with, otherwise it comes to nothing.
‘A jewel in a toad’s head’. What an interesting way to describe the value of false wisdom. In other words, what good is it to just have knowledge?
The worldly wise are people who constantly spin a web of cunning and vanity in order to achieve their worldly aims. In the end, it becomes nothing. If the word of the Lord is rejected, what kind of wisdom do they really have? It is only a worldly wisdom…what kind of wisdom do they then have for their eternal living?
If they content themselves with human knowledge, it only takes them so far. They might be able to unravel some of the workings of nature, but what does that get them? What do they know of God’s eternal creation then?
Those people who spend their time hunting for new ideas and new speculations in order to try to know more are not gaining true wisdom.
This kind of wisdom is like digging for iron with golden shovels. Using up a precious part of your eternal life seeking for things of little value.
True wisdom begins and ends with our God. In Psalm 19, verse 7, is declares, ‘The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
In order to gain True wisdom we must look to the statues of our God. We must watch Him. We must emulate Him…we must become like Him as much as we can.
So what does a wise Christian look like? What characteristics are seen in a person who has True wisdom?
James tells us in verse 17 of our scripture, today. He says to us…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.
Pure…
It’s interesting to me how consistent the Bible is…how it helps interpret itself. Our scriptures say that first, true wisdom is pure. Psalm 119 it says,
‘Happy are those who live pure lives, who follow the Lord’s teachings. Happy are those who keep his rules, who try to obey Him with their whole heart.’
Pure means chaste, modest…it means ‘without blemish’…it means clean. So when we live pure lives, we live according to the teachings of God. Our hearts become washed in the blood of Jesus. In order to begin to know True Wisdom, we must first become purified by giving our lives over to the Lord, and then to begin to live in His ways.
Peace-loving…
James goes on to say that True Wisdom is peace-loving. It lacks any semblance of contention and strife. Peace is the purchase of Christ and the work of the Spirit. Heaven’s great plan was to make peace between two great enemies…God and sinful man. To be at peace with God is one of the great privileges of heaven. Knowing the peace of God in your hearts is a wonderful feeling. There is a sweet connection between peace and wisdom.
My first real experience with this idea of a Christian having the wisdom to be peace-loving was when I watched my wife’s family go through the horrendous trial of losing their 19-year old Amy Montgomery to gang members in Wichita several years ago.
She worked the night shift at Mr. Goodcents. She was, along with another girl closing up that night when several gang members came into the store. It ended in a robbery and Amy getting shot in the back of the head as she lay on the floor.
The family members gathered at grandma’s house that next day and there on the couch was a large poster with Romans 12: 21
‘do not overcome evil with evil,
but overcome evil with good.’
That poster stayed there on the back of their couch for months. It was a constant reminder that even though we all had very, very strong feelings of anger and vengeance…that we were to follow God’s ways…that we were to keep our hearts pure and bring peace again to the lives of all involved…even our enemies. What a testimony that was for me of seeing True Wisdom in the lives of these people.
Considerate…
James goes on to say that a Christian with True Wisdom is also Considerate. Philippians 4:5 instructs by saying, ‘Let your gentleness be evident to all’. And so a wise Christian is moderate in what he does and what he says.
In his opinions, he does not force his ways on others, instead he moderately presents his beliefs for examination by others. From the consequences of these ideas and beliefs will come a revelation of true wisdom. And it is accomplished in a gentle and considerate way.
Submissive…
True wisdom is submissive. It allows for teaching by our God through others. True wisdom is not being headstrong, willful, unyielding to all suggestions and applications. A true Christian must be able to reason rightly all things that may be presented to him or that may be of concern for him.
Our Methodist Theme is ‘Open hearts, Open minds and Open doors. We must open our hearts to God, so that He may open our minds to the Christian Way, which then results in opening the doors of our lives to our fellowman.
Full of mercy and good fruit…
And when we do this, we begin to find that the True Wisdom found in our God is full of mercy and good fruit.
And as we understand what True Wisdom really is, we find that there are many different fruits…the fruit of compassion…the fruit of mercy…the fruit of generosity…the fruit of a peaceful heart. You begin to understand that the Christian Way is not one of a barren tree.
Have you ever seen an apple tree so full of its own fruit, that the limbs hang to the ground or even sometimes split and break? That’s what the Christian way of life holds…it holds a tree-load full of wonderful good fruit for living.
Impartial…
Our Scripture continues by saying that another property of True Wisdom is that it is impartial. We must learn not to treat others differently, but in a way that is impartial and without judging. True Wisdom does not weigh anything by worldly means. Know that we all are sinners first and then we have been forgiven once we have accepted the Grace of Salvation from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We all are on this road to eternity and no man or woman can escape that…so we must look at others who are on this same road and try to see them as travelers just like we are.
All we can do is pray that they find the narrow road along with us.
Sincere…
Finally, our Scripture says the last characteristic is Sincerity. The Christian with True Wisdom must most of all try to be what he seems to be. Do not be a hypocrite. Avoid hypocrisy in all actions of your life, not only in your relationship with God, but with others people. Nothing disproves the Christian Way faster than having hypocrisy evident in your life.
A man sat through a church service and then on the way home he fussed about the sermon, he fussed about the traffic, he fussed about the heat, and he fussed about the lateness of the meal being served. Then he bowed and prayed. His son was watching him all the way through this post-church experience. Just as they were beginning to pass the food he said, “Daddy, did God hear you when we left church and you started fussin’ about the sermon and about the traffic and about the heat?” The father sort of blushed and said, “Well, yes, son, He heard me.” Well, Daddy, did God hear you when you just prayed for this food right now?” And he says, “Well, yes, son, He…He heard me.” The boy replied, “So, Daddy, which one did God believe?”
Being single-minded, focused, sincere in what you believe is important…because, you see, others are watching…A person may not read the Bible, but they will study a Christian.
What we do in life is seed to others. This applies to all people, both believers and non-believers And what we sow, we reap. This applies to all our actions, both good and evil…both right and wrong…Secular and Christian alike.
The seeds we plant will determine our crop at harvest. Proverbs 22: 8 – He who sows wickedness reaps trouble. So let’s be careful how we sow our seeds…so that they fall on the good ground…so that they may not be lost, but that they may grow up again and we will be able to taste their fruits long after they have been planted. We must be sure to plant the good seed, seed that comes from True Wisdom.
I started this sermon today saying that True Wisdom does not begin in the world and it does not end in this world.
I also said that we are not human beings having a Spiritual experience, but that we are Spiritual beings having a human experience.
If we, in our thinking and finite understanding relate these two truths, we begin to have revealed to us the immense and wonderful…the great and awe-inspiring Creation that God has made for us. We begin to understand that how we behave and how we act have an eternal effect, not only on our own lives, but to those who watch and emulate our ways.
How important is to you today to have a ‘Different Kind of Wisdom’…one that will make an Eternal Difference?
Let us pray…
Our Father,
Open our Minds…Open our Hearts…Open the Doors of our lives to you and to our fellow man. Help us to become pure, peaceful, gentle, and submissive…to be filled with Your mercy and good fruit…to be impartial and most of all sincere. Create in us a clean heart, O Lord. One that is ready to do your Will.
In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
