I. Introduction Two Kinds of Wisdom March 3, 2019 James 3:13-18 In Ephesians 4:22-24 Paul wrote, You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. As Karen demonstrated last week in her baptism, when one accepts Jesus Christ as her or his Lord and Savior, the old, sinful nature is buried and a new Christian rises with a new, Spirit directed life. The unsaved man the old self does not know Christ, but the believer the new self grows in his personal knowledge of Christ day by day. We have been working through James training manual for Christians a manual to help Christians grow into mature children of God. He has written about the way a Christian should approach trials on the outside and temptations from inside. He wrote that one must do more than gain knowledge, he must act on it. As we saw a couple of weeks ago, this includes controlling the tongue the smallest, biggest troublemaker. But it isn t enough to have knowledge, one needs to have wisdom to be able to use that knowledge correctly. Wisdom is an important thing. Proverbs 4:7 says, Wisdom is supreme so acquire wisdom. In today s Scripture James wrote that one needs to be careful since there are Two Kinds of Wisdom. In these verses, James compared these two kinds of wisdom: earthly or false wisdom versus heavenly or true wisdom. The first comparison is where they come from that is, their origin. II. Origin A. False Wisdom In verse 15 James said that false wisdom doesn t come from heaven, it comes from below; it has 3 different but related sources. 1. First, it is earthly wisdom. Earthly or worldly wisdom, wisdom from below, doesn t know God if anything, it opposes Him. As we are reminded in 2 Corinthians 1:18, The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. The aims of false wisdom are worldly aims What s in it for me? It measures success in worldly terms who has the biggest house, or the fastest or newest car, or the most toys. This is false wisdom, as Pro. 9:10 says, The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. 2. Secondly, false wisdom is unspiritual; a better word would be natural. It comes from our natural appetites. This false wisdom has its origin in our sensual nature the old, sinful nature. All the feelings, desires, standards and impulses are based on our natural appetites humanistic values. If it feels good, do it! 1
3. Finally, James says that this earthly wisdom is from the devil, i.e., it is demonic. From the beginning in the Garden of Eden, Satan s lies, Satan s false wisdom has been fighting against God s true wisdom. You want to be a god, then just eat from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In Romans 1 Paul described those who use earthly wisdom as a blueprint for their lives. Turn to Romans 1:21-32. This is earthly wisdom and its fruit and it isn t a pretty picture! B. True Wisdom. As compared to earthly wisdom, James wrote that true wisdom is from above it s heavenly. It s also spiritual, in Ephesians 1:17 Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit of God is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Finally, true spiritual wisdom is from God James 1:5 says, 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. Wisdom from any other source is false wisdom and in the end will lead to eternal defeat an eternity in hell. One description of those who live by true wisdom is found in the familiar verses of Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. different, too. Since false wisdom and true wisdom have two different origins, their characteristics are obviously III. Characteristics A. False wisdom In verse 14 James listed some characteristics of False Wisdom. We know all about them already we see them all around us. 1. First, there is bitter envy or jealousy. When false wisdom rules, there is no concern for the feelings or welfare of others. Such people are so concerned about themselves that they resent anything or anyone who comes between them and their own objectives. 2. There is also selfish ambition self-gratification at any cost. There is no room for others. People are just objects to be used for a person s own end they are merely stepping stones to bigger and better things. We hear things like It s a dog-eat-dog world out there, It s every man for himself. 3. Another characteristic is boastful a better word is arrogant. Everything is about me and how great I am. There is tremendous pride in one s self. This is the attitude that s often seen in many sports heroes and others who boast about their greatness. 4. And then there is lying against the truth People with false wisdom are not willing to admit that there is a God or that there are absolutes or any real truth. Who made you judge and jury? They deny and ridicule anything and everything that contradicts their false wisdom especially God and His Word. There is nothing more characteristic of fallen, unredeemed man and his false wisdom than being controlled and dominated by self It s all about me. 2
B. True Wisdom In verses 13 and 17, James gave some of the characteristics of true wisdom. 1. First, there is humility. Humility has the idea of graciousness and even tenderness or gentleness. Sometimes this Greek word is translated as meekness. In Greek, the word meekness was used for a horse that had been broken so that it could be ridden. Meekness is power under control. A humble person is never malicious, self-seeking, self-promoting, arrogant, or vengeful. In Matthew 11:29 Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Jesus was gentle and humble but He certainly was power under control. Just consider His miracles or His driving the moneychangers and other profiteers out of the temple or how He stood up to the Pharisees. As believers, we willingly put ourselves under the sovereign control of God He is our Lord. This is true wisdom. 2. Pure Then in verse 17, James wrote that true wisdom is pure. It is free of the contamination of the world. It is holy. When you accepted God s gift of Jesus death for your sins, your heart was made pure. God forgave you of your sins. There is no reason to lie or to try to cover anything up the sins are gone. 1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. There is also no reason to continue to sin. 3. Peace-loving The next characteristic of true wisdom Godly wisdom is peace-loving or peaceful. You don t have to listen very long to the news or read more than a page or 2 of the paper to see that false wisdom leads to conflict conflict between nations; even conflict between husband and wife or sometimes between two strangers that come together. True wisdom, on the other hand, leads to peace with God and with our fellow man. Turn to Philippians 2:1-4. This is peace! A person who truly loves and obeys God with all of his heart, soul, and mind will desire to love his neighbor as himself. But he will not only desire it, he will do it! 4. Considerate More than just being peace-loving, a person with Godly wisdom is gentle or considerate of others. He doesn t abuse a position of power. A mature Christian is willing to go the extra mile. He is always ready to forgive regardless of the circumstances. 2 Timothy 2:24 says, The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 5. Submissive A submissive person is trusting and teachable, willing to hear both sides of a question, but, at the same time, doesn t compromise his convictions. Such a person can disagree without being disagreeable. James described them in James 1:19 as quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. 3
6. Full of mercy Full of mercy means controlled by mercy. Mercy means not getting what one deserves. God has had mercy for us He hasn t and doesn t give us what we deserve and we must be ready to do the same for those around us. This means more than just forgiving others, we must be ready to reach out and help just like the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. 7. Good fruit Throughout his letter, James keeps emphasizing that mature Christians need to have good fruit. The good deeds and works the good fruit that we have talked about for the last several weeks put action to the words of loving our neighbor as ourselves loving the Lord with all our heart and soul and strength. The fruit we produce demonstrates where our wisdom is coming from heaven or earth. 8. Impartial As James emphasized in James 2, the wisdom from above makes one impartial in his treatment of others; he isn t influenced by dress, rank, or station. There is equal justice for all and a readiness to show kindness to all according to their needs. James 2:1: Don t show favoritism. 9. Sincere The final characteristic of sincere means without hypocrisy not double minded. With false wisdom, there is insecurity and pretence. People continually hide behind masks. With true wisdom God s wisdom there is openness and honesty. As Ephesians 4:15 says, We are to speak truth in love. True wisdom is all about others. IV. Results A. False Wisdom. Finally, there are the results of false wisdom and true wisdom. The results of false wisdom are seen in verse 16 disorder and every kind of evil. Disorder means instability which leads to confusion and disturbance and even to rebellion and anarchy. In 2 Corinthians 12:20 Paul wrote to a church that was in disorder they were trying to do things using false wisdom not true wisdom from God. Sadly, false wisdom can be found in the church. Listen to this description of the Corinthian church: For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. James wrote that false wisdom sets the stage for every evil work. The word evil can also mean worthless or of no account. A ministry or a life operating in the wisdom of the world may appear successful to the world, but on the Day of Judgment all of its works will be burned just as wood, hay, and stubble (I Corinthians 3:12) there is nothing of value. As Proverbs 16:25 says, There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. B. True Wisdom The results of true wisdom are seen in verse 18: Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. There is a cycle of growing and reaping of peace and righteousness. In 4
Isaiah 32:17 we read, The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. The Christian who walks in God s Wisdom sows righteousness (being right with God), not sin; he sows peace not war and conflict. Warren Wiersbe summed it up this way: What we are is what we live, and what we live is what we sow. What we sow determines what we reap. If we live in God s wisdom, we sow righteousness and peace, and we reap God s blessings. If we live in man s worldly wisdom, we sow sin and war, and we reap confusion and every evil work. V. Conclusion We all know that true wisdom should be our goal it just makes sense. But the question is: Do the characteristics in your life demonstrate True Wisdom or False Wisdom? 5