James Pt. 6: Seven Traits of Godly Wisdom James 3:17-18
Lawrence Livermore Labs Not far from here is a city and an institution that prides itself on being a center of advanced learning. I m speaking of the city of Livermore, and the famous Lawrence Livermore Labs.
Lawrence Livermore Labs A few years back, the Lab was responsible for the discovery of Flerovium (Fl), named in honor of Georgiy Flerov, and Livermorium (Lv).
Livermore $40K Mosaic (1st Version)
11 of 75 Names Misspelled She needed to go into the Library and consult their Dictionary.
Imperfections NOT Unusual Which is why James was so interested in his readers moving beyond accepting imperfect earthly wisdom as the source of their decision making and to turn to God and His Divine Heavenly Wisdom as their source of strength and direction...
Consult THE BOOK When men rely on themselves, without checking THE BOOK, they often make mistakes. But when they at do check THE BIBLE, they at least start off with a much better understanding of how they should live.
James 1:17 True Wisdom is from God, the giver of every good and perfect gift. This does not mean that men are individually inspired rather that God s Word inspires us all. It is the ultimate source of Wisdom.
READ THE BIBLE! The only reliable way of receiving it, pure and uncensored, is to read it for yourself.
God s Wisdom is not only The Truth, but it offers us at least 7 Qualities needful for us to possess and practice as children of God
1 st ) God s Word is pure; (James 3:17) The Primary Attribute of God s Wisdom. His Wisdom is not biased or filtered, or in any way diluted. It is pure; HOLY. God s Wisdom is HOLY, because God is HOLY.
Ps. 19:8 - The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandments of the Lord are pure, enlightening the eyes. Ps. 119:140 Your word is very pure, therefore Your servants love it.
2 ndly ) it is peaceable This is the quality of living in harmony with others. It means that God s Wisdom produces good will. Men s so-called earthly wisdom often produces envy, strife and discord. Not God s Wisdom; God s wisdom produces a heart of peace.
Peace as the Bible defines it, is a righteous relationship, particularly with God, and by extension with the Brethren. 1 Cor. 14:33 - for our God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
3 rdly ) God s Wisdom is Gentle. Another Bible word is forbearing. The one who lives by God s Wisdom is gracious, allowing for others human weaknesses and is respectful of others.
God s person puts the best construction on another s efforts 1 Cor. 13: 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Similarly, God s Wisdom teaches us to be humble and careful of others feelings.
2 Tim. 2:24 The Lord s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged. The gentle heart will do this.
4 thly )Those living by God s Wisdom are reasonable, even compliant in their relationships with others. The term literally translates willing to yield, and is reminiscent of the concept of going the 2 nd mile. (Matt. 5:41) This person is also approachable and willing to listen.
Prov. 6:8-9 says- Reprove a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.
5 thly ) God s Wisdom is full of mercy and good fruits. This is in contrast to earthly wisdom which is often selfish and barren of any Godhonoring Spiritual produce.
Unlike earthly wisdom, Godly Wisdom is productive. It produces a Christ-like, Christhonoring compassion in one s heart for others. Earthly wisdom, by contrast, is egocentric
This was especially true of God s teachers, some of who James strongly condemned as those who had bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in their hearts, (who were) arrogant and (whose behavior) lied against (or denied) the Truth of God.
6 thly ) Godly Wisdom is impartial. Other versions say unwavering or even steadfast. Unlike the double-minded man of James 1:6-8, who is unstable in all of his ways, Men of Godly wisdom are very stable in every way.
They are fair-minded and True. And in regard to their Doctrine, while not being belligerent in any way, they remain firm and uncompromising of the Truth of God.
Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.
7 thly ) Indeed, James teaching on God s Wisdom ends by his saying lastly, that those who live by God s Wisdom will be: Sincere. Authentic. Unhypocritical.
Hypocrisy is not the result of human weakness, but the result of feigned strength. Hypocrisy was the attitude which Jesus most strongly condemned. Christ considered it deception.
Matt. 23:1-5 - The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them
They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all of their deeds to be seen by men.
Genuine Godly Wisdom commands honesty and dignity and produces a glory that is genuine and entirely God-directed.
An Agricultural Illustration Based on Jesus famous parable of the Four Soils, (Mt. 13:1-23; Mk. 4:1-34; Lk, 8:4-18), James words offer us an opportunity to do a little Spiritual fruit inspection of our own
An Agricultural Illustration God wants His Word to be WISELY sown in the hearts of men. (If it is sown in PEACE- meaning shared with the right attitude), it has an excellent chance of bringing forth a bumper crop of righteousness in the heart of the hearer including you and me.
Prov. 3:13-18 Prov. 3:13-18 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand;
Prov. 3:13-18 & 18:15 Prov. 3:13-18 (cont.) in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Prov. 18:15 - An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
Prov. 3:13-18 Prov. 3:5-6 says it all Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
READ YOUR BIBLE! A sincere look at a Dictionary would have come in real handy BEFORE the Livermore Artist started laying out her tiles for the Mosaic. A sincere look at God s Word does us all a lot of good, everyday we live.