James – Wisdom Part 2 – Mega-Wisdom
Date: 5/18/08
Sermon Series: James – Faith, Wisdom and Behavior
Sermon Title: Faith Wisdom Pt. 2 – Mega-wisdom
Text: James 3:13-18
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Theme:
This sermon will emphasize the fact that the wisdom which we participate in, that which is descended from God, is displayed in our lives in service and disputed by jealousy and envy.
Introduction:
Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it an impossibility–a development which we should waste little time dreaming about.
Lee de Forest, 1926, inventor of the cathode ray tube.
I think there is a world market for about five computers.
Thomas J. Watson, 1943, Chairman of the Board of IBM.
We don’t think the Beatles will do anything in their market. Guitar groups are on their way out.
Recording company expert, 1962.
A bishop of a century ago pronounced from his pulpit and in the periodical he edited that heavier-than-air flight was both impossible and contrary to the will of God. Oh, the irony that Bishop Wright had two sons, Orville and Wilbur! Wright was wrong. Sure of himself, but wrong.
Robert P. Dungan, Jr., Winning the New Civil War, p. 38.
Said ABC Nightline’s Ted Koppel one night:
“We have actually convinced ourselves that slogans will save us. ‘Shoot up if you must, but use a clean needle.’ or, ‘Enjoy sex whenever and with whomever you wish, but protect yourself.’ No! The answer is no! Not because it isn’t cool or smart or because you might wind up in jail or dying in the AIDS ward, but because it’s wrong!
“What Moses brought down from Mount Sinai were not the Ten Suggestions, but the Ten Commandments!” Bits & Pieces, April 30, 1992.
Transition:
In many ways wisdom is the central emphasis of the book of James. One of the commentators says of James that he gives wisdom, in his letter, the emphasis which John gives to love, Paul gives to faith and Peter gives to hope.
Wisdom in James is not any kind of special knowledge or academic excellence. It is instead the working out of God’s special truth in the lives of those who seek out God to be the guidance system by which they drive their lives.
This passage is really a shopping list of the different attitudes which demonstrate where the wisdom that we are listening to is originating. James probably is picking the thread from the beginning of the chapter back up and describing the different kinds of wisdom which is demonstrated by teachers from the beginning of the chapter. There are so many competing messages in the world it is critical that we determine who is delivering the kind of wisdom which is coming from God.
I. Meta-Wisdom =
a. Good Conduct
i. Demonstrated in Meekness of wisdom
ii. The word used here means: mild, gentle or friendly.
iii. It is the word that Jesus used to describe the yoke which He laid upon those people who would follow Him. – Matt. 11:29
b. There are several markers of what this looks like in a person’s life.
i. Pure – This is a moral purity – it is the description of Jesus used in 1 John 3:3 – it is from the same root word as the one we get Holy from. The first mark of a wise teacher is one whose life is patterned after Jesus’
ii. Peaceable – This word speaks of having right relationships with other people and with God. There is an orderliness in this persons life because they have set the right priorities – the priority of relationship.
iii. Gentle – This word is difficult to find a good English equivalent. It carries the sense of graciousness or kindness. This is the kind of person who you can count on not to fly off of the handle.
iv. Open to reason – this word literally means of good persuasion and means that when you talk to this person though they may be firm in believing what they believe they are open to listening to you.
v. Full of mercy – Hiebert says that mercy in the NT means an attitude of compassion toward those in distress that leads to some form of practical help.
vi. And good fruits – This refers to the idea that we are doing things which demonstrate our mercy, gentleness etc.
II. Muddy wisdom =
a. Unspiritual – demonic
i. I cringe when I hear people say that they keep their spiritual lives separate from their: Political, community, or social lives. While I understand the motivation for this kind of thinking: we don’t want to come off as preachy or holier than thou. What we are really doing is justifying poor or unchristian like behavior and attitudes by telling ourselves that we are separating out the parts that don’t fit in with our Christian worldview.
ii. The truth is everything we do is a reflection on who we are spiritually.
1. Each one of us has a last name that is attached to us. This last name explains some things about our physical and personality characteristics. Sometimes we have a last name that we have to live down, sometimes we have a last name that we have live up to. But what is sure is that we don’t get the option to periodically drop that name and then take it back up as we see fit. If we decide to change our last name we make a decision and legally change it. Then we are no longer labeled who we were. Being a Christian is much the same thing. Either we are or we are not it is not up to us to
b. The markers for this kind of wisdom are listed here by James as well
i. Bitter jealousy –
ii. Selfish ambition
iii. Boasting
iv. Lying (false to the truth
v. Disorder
vi. Vile practices
III. Results =
a. A Harvest of Righteousness
i. Out of the soil of peace and gentleness and reasonableness, etc. a person develops fruit which mark them as a fruitful.
ii. The miracle of the seed.
