The Wisdom Driven Life
James 1:2-8
August 13, 2006
Evening Service
Introduction
The story is told of a man in China who raised horses for a living. When one of his prized stallions ran away, his friends gathered at his home to mourn his great loss. After they had expressed their concern, the man raised this question: "How do I know whether what happened is bad or good?" A couple days later the runaway horse returned with several strays following close behind. The same acquaintances again came to his house -- this time to celebrate his good fortune. "But how do I know whether it’s good or bad?" the old gentleman asked them. That very afternoon the horse kicked the owner’s son and broke the young man’s leg. Once more the crowd assembled -- now to express their sorrow over the incident. "But how do I know if this is bad or good?" the father asked again. Well, only a few days later, war broke out. The man’s son, however, was exempted from the military service because of his broken leg.
There is a deep need for wisdom in the day to day functioning of life. The Bible over and over again communicates the way God uses His wisdom in the lives of His people.
Joseph was given wisdom to interpret dreams
David asked for wisdom in dealing with his own personal sin
Solomon asked God for wisdom and was made the wisest man on earth
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo were given great wisdom
Jesus was said to have grown in both knowledge and wisdom
Wisdom is the way that God imparts practical abilities for the impact on daily life. God gives us wisdom so that we might be able to live our lives in abetter manner for His glory.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
As James continues to communicate the appropriate way to handle trials and difficulties, he shows the value of wisdom in daily life. The truth that James shows is the fact that wisdom drives our lives and helps us to live for God.
In 1:2-8 James communicates three major principles for living for God
1.) Trials happen – The simple fact of life is that trials come to people just because that is the way life is
2.) Triumph is ours – Jesus gives us the ability to live victoriously over the trials of life
3.) Trusting God is the way to wisdom – Wisdom allows us to see life from the perspective of God.
Truth about wisdom
What is wisdom?
Wisdom is more than just mere knowledge, it is the ability to take knowledge and apply it to situations in life. Wisdom is the ability to know facts and then being able to put them into action.
Knowledge is the ability to take things apart, wisdom is the ability to put them together. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. We need wisdom so that we will not waste the opportunities that God gives us to grow. Sometimes the trials of life are just stepping stones in the spiritual growth process.
The Hebrews were constantly in pursuit of wisdom. They placed a high value on wisdom for life and the book of Proverbs is proof. Wisdom allows the application of knowledge to the process of daily living. Wisdom is more than just common sense, it is an ability to know the
Wisdom is the ability to apply the Truth of God to every situation in life - Unknown
James communicates three things about wisdom
1.) It is practical
Wisdom from God relates to life. Wisdom allows a person to apply their intelligence to daily living. Wise people are more than idea makers, they are people who put ideas into action. Intelligence allows us to see details and reason in life but wisdom allows us to see reason and then take action
2.) It is divine
God’s wisdom flows from His throne and into a person’s life. Wisdom begins with a respect for God and then leads to living by God’s direction and results in the ability to tell right from wrong.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding Proverbs 9:10
3.) It is Christlike
Being wise is being like Christ. Jesus is described as the wisdom of God
Practical Applications of Wisdom
1.) Wisdom was a quality for leaders Acts 6:3
2.) Wisdom of the world is foolishness 1 Cor 3:19
3.) Wisdom comes to the world through the church Ephesians 3:7-10
4.) Wisdom enables us to live for God Romans 16:19
5.) Divine wisdom reveals the foolishness of humanity 1Corinthians 1:26-27
6.) Wisdom allows us to see and know salvation 2 Timothy 3:14-15
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him
A convention was called in 1787 in America to revise the Articles of Confederation. For weeks delegates reviewed ancient history and analyzed governments of modern Europe in search of insights. But nothing suited the circumstances of this infant nation. Finally, one of the distinguished gentlemen, Benjamin Franklin, addressed the group. Referring to their meager progress, he said, "In this situation of this assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth and scarcely able to distinguish it when it is presented to us, how has it happened that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings?" Those early leaders were not all evangelical Christians, yet many of them believed in a sovereign God and sought His wisdom in the affairs of state.
The promises of God regarding Wisdom
God will give us wisdom
God will give us a generous amount of wisdom
God will not rebuke us for our need
1.) God honors a person who seeks after Him
2.) God honors a humble heart
Trust brings wisdom
If wisdom is what we are to ask for in times of trial, then faith is how we are to ask for it. Wisdom is gained through faith and no other way. There is nothing else that will ever replace genuine faith with God
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
The only condition that God places on the resources of wisdom is faith in Him. Faith is nothing more than having a single minded commitment to God. It is believing that God will do exactly as He has promised to do and more.
When we go through trials it is easy to get ourselves focused on the trial and the difficulty but when that happens we take our eyes off of Christ. Doubt puts our circumstances between us and Christ but faith puts Christ between us and our circumstances. Paul communicates this fact to the Corinthians
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 2 Corinthians 5:6-9
Faith is holding on to God and his promises through the fire of trials and difficulties. Faith is having confidence in God’s ability even when it might be difficult to see His hand.
What does James mean here when he uses the word doubt?
First let’s say what doubt is NOT
1.) Doubt is NOT new, weak or faltering faith
2.) Doubt is NOT an honest questioning of God
3.) Doubt is NOT a lack of clarity about solutions to problems
4.) Doubt is NOT a confusion over whether it is right to ask of God
"If you don’t make up your mind, then your unmade mind will unmake you. Here is the place where there must be no dallying. For any dallying will be the Trojan horse that will get on the inside and open the gates to the enemy. God can do anything for the man who has made up his mind; he can do little or nothing for the double-minded." E. Stanley Jones
Doubt is having a divided mind and a divided loyalty. It has nothing to do with doubting the existence of God or His person. It is a division on being self centered or being God centered. If you are centered on yourself, doubt will eat away at your life
It is wrong to doubt whether God cares about you and your situation. It is wrong to doubt God’s ability to handle your situation. It is wrong to doubt if God is good. Doubt is the dividing of your loyalty to God. Faith is a single minded commitment to God. Doubt is having a double minded focus away from God.
The trap that often comes during trials is whether we will trust our own ingenuity or if we will trust God’s ability. We must place our trust in God if we say that we are committed to Him.
When we give in to doubts, we become like a wave on the ocean that is tossed about by the wind. Our lives will be unsettled in all that we try to do. There will be no peace. There will be no stability. There will be no strength. When faith is ignored and doubt is allowed to flourish, circumstances will become the driving force to making decisions. When this happens a person relies more on their own way of thinking and their own way of doing things, rather than trusting God.
Conclusion
"Certainty about the great issues of the Christian faith and conduct is lacking all along the line. The outside observer sees us staggering on from gimmick to gimmick and stunt to stunt like so many drunks in a fog, not knowing at all where we are or which way we should be going. Preaching is hazy; heads are muddled; hearts fret; doubts drain strength; uncertainty paralyzes action.... Unlike the first Christians who in three centuries won the Roman world, and those later Christians who pioneered the Reformation, and the Puritan awakening and the Evangelical revival, and the great missionary movement of the last century, we lack certainty. Why is this? We blame the external pressures of modern secularism, but this is like Eve blaming the serpent. The real truth is that we have grieved the Spirit... we stand under divine judgment. For two generations our churches have suffered from a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." That’s a tragic truth. JI Packer
The time has come to seek more and more of God’s divine wisdom and then live our lives applied to His truth. We must seek His face and what he desires for us instead of what we desire for ourselves.
The time has come to expect greater things from God and to be willing to attempt greater things for God. We must start to feed our faith so that our doubts will starve to death. We must decide if we will stand together with God or if we will stand alone in our doubts.
