Let me ask you, are you a wise person?
Well, before you answer that, what does it mean to be wise?
You know, anybody can probably fix their own, coin their own definition and make them to be wise.
But let's look at it.
The word wise in the dictionary says this.
To be wise means having the power of discerning and judging correctly as to what is true or right.
Wisdom.
It's not about just being smart.
Just having a high IQ.
Even what you would call a secular dictionary definition says
that wisdom involves the power of discerning and judging correctly as to what is true or right.
Being wise is not the same as being intelligent or academically inclined.
You know people that are highly intelligent, but they aren't wise.
They don't demonstrate good judgment.
You might even say they don't have any common sense.
On the other hand, you know some people that you really respect because they are wise and give wise advice.
But they're not highly educated.
They're not intellectually gifted.
Look on the screen at an example of someone who was obviously not very smart,
but he sometimes demonstrated real wisdom.
Go see.
I ain't bees coming with the uniforms.
I promised I'd get her another sewing machine.
Take charge here.
Okay, Gummer.
You heard what Andy said.
I'm in charge.
Let's get cutting.
You crawl in under there and I'll go get the jack.
Right.
Okay.
Stamp under there.
Could be spiders.
Now what makes you think there's spiders under there?
Call a spider spider.
That's where I'd go.
Gummer, there's no spiders under there.
Now let's get moving.
I don't know.
Sure looks spidery to me.
There's no spiders under there.
Now we establish.
You would never list Gummer Pyle as one of the smartest or wisest people you know, would you?
But even Gummer Pyle knew that a dark and damp place like that was a good place for a spider.
And he was wise enough, he wasn't going to crawl up under there no matter what Barney told him.
Many people in this world possess that kind of wisdom.
It's not something just reserved for Christians.
It's really a part of us being created in the image of God.
I'm beginning a new series this morning called Becoming Wise.
We're going to begin in James chapter 3, verses 13 through 18,
and just really get started there today and come back and finish it next week.
And then we're going to move to the book of Proverbs,
the most well-known book of wisdom in the Bible.
As I go wherever I go,
talk to whoever,
I can't find anyone who is not discouraged
about the present condition of our country right now.
Especially the political chaos that we call a presidential election process.
I mean, people of whatever political persuasion,
people of all walks of life, it seems,
are discouraged,
are pessimistic
about what we see happening around about us,
not just in the political world,
but there too.
What I want us to understand is what we see happening
and not happening before us
is really just a symptom of the deeper moral
and spiritual crisis
that exists in our country.
We desperately need God's wisdom
in every possible way.
And I want us to start seeking it
by looking at God's Word
today in James chapter 3.
Let's look at it.
James 3, 13.
Who is wise and understanding among you?
By his good conduct,
let him show his works
in the meekness of wisdom.
But if you have bitter jealousy
and selfish ambition in your hearts,
do not boast
and be false to the truth.
This is not the wisdom
that comes down from above,
but is earthly,
unspiritual,
demonic.
For where jealousy
and selfish ambition exist,
there will be disorder
and every vile practice.
But the wisdom from above
is first pure,
then peaceable,
gentle,
open to reason,
full of mercy
and good fruits,
impartial
and sincere.
And a harvest of righteousness
is sown in peace
by those who make peace.
I want us to look at verse 13 in particular
and the question
that James begins
by asking.
Who is wise and understanding among you?
And then you look at what's said next,
you know,
he's not looking for an answer in words.
He's looking for an answer
in people's works.
James is not saying,
define wisdom.
He's not telling us even to describe it.
He's telling us to show it
by the way that we live.
He then describes characteristics
of two different kinds of wisdom,
earthly wisdom
and heavenly wisdom.
Now,
you notice that everything James says
about earthly wisdom
or just human wisdom
is negative.
The reason he does that
in this context
is because he is comparing it
with the wisdom
that comes from God.
There is a
huge difference
between the wisdom
that God gives
to his people
and what we might call
the natural human wisdom
that anyone may possess.
But we also need to be clear
that neither James
nor any other Bible writers
deny the reality
of human wisdom.
You just stop
and think about it.
You can think of somebody
that you have really learned
some important things from,
lessons of life.
You consider them to be wise.
Maybe they were a relative,
a coach,
a teacher,
or a good friend.
But they were not Christians.
But as you think back
or just as you know them now,
you know that
there's some wisdom
coming from them.
You know,
throughout the history
of our country,
we as a nation
have been blessed
with wisdom
from leaders
who were not Christians.
in the founding
of our country,
we've read about
non-Christians,
deists,
and others who,
they were wise men
who helped this country
get started
and get started
in a good way.
We've had wise,
non-believing,
non-Christian leaders
in government,
in the military,
in educational institutions,
and in industry.
So we know
there's wisdom
out there
in people
who are not Christians.
There is such a thing
as human wisdom
that has positive benefits.
But James' focus
is on the superiority
of the wisdom
that God gives
to His people.
And the reason
His wisdom
is superior
is because
God's wisdom
is what enables us
to know Him
and know His will
and know how
He intends
for life
to be lived
in this world
in a way
that will please Him
and satisfy us.
That's why God's wisdom
is so important.
And that's going to be
the focus of our teaching
throughout this study.
But it's also important
that we understand
that basic human wisdom
is real
and it is a gift
of God
to all people.
So let's get started.
Number one,
human wisdom
is possible.
Human wisdom,
natural wisdom
we'll say,
is possible
for two reasons.
Number one,
we're created
in the image of God.
The Scripture says
in Genesis 1,
Then God said,
Let us make man
in our image
after our likeness.
So God created man
in His own image.
In the image of God,
He created him.
Male and female,
He created them.
The theologian
Wayne Grudem
points out
that the words
image and likeness
refer to something
that is similar
but not identical
to the thing
it represents.
You may have a child
who is like you
in many ways.
There's a resemblance.
There's things
that they do
that is a lot like you
but they're not
the same as you.
Well,
we're created
in the image of God
and that means
we are like Him
in many ways.
Not always,
obviously.
we're not God
but being created
in His image,
in His likeness
means that we are
like Him
in some ways.
Now,
in the context
of us talking
about wisdom,
one of the ways
that we're like God
is our ability
to think,
reason logically,
learn from experience
and then make
wise decisions.
I mean,
you think about it yourself
how you have been able
to think through
problems
things,
think through situations,
reason logically
about it,
maybe learn
from trial and error,
learn from somebody
else's experience
and then you were able
to make a wise decision.
It may have been about
building something.
It may have been about
figuring out something.
It may have been about
relating to people
but you know
what we're talking about here.
being able to have
such wisdom
is what's helped
human beings
move from,
say,
living in caves
thousands of years ago
to living in the kind
of homes we have today
where we're
cooled in the summer,
warm in the winter.
I mean,
we've come a long way
since early man.
We've come a long way
people my age
from when
I was young.
But no other creature
has done this.
Think about it.
Birds
are still building
nests
in trees
with little twigs
just like they've
always done it.
Unless
you
have built
a bird house
for a bird.
A bird would never
think about
building a bird house.
He couldn't
think about it.
He couldn't do it.
Because birds
are not created
in God's image.
We are.
That means
we are people
who are able
to be wise
in many ways.
Now,
after Adam and Eve
sinned,
everything in creation
was corrupted.
The ability
of human beings
to use their
God-like qualities
was greatly distorted
but it was not lost.
Since the fall,
since Genesis 3,
since everybody
after Adam and Eve
has been born
into this world,
everybody has still
been born
created in the image
and likeness
of God.
We still have
those God-like
qualities.
We are able to
understand morality,
to reason,
to use logic,
to create things,
to be wise.
James even points out
in chapter 3,
look up a few verses
back in verse 9,
refers to people
who are made
in the likeness of God.
This is how he uses it.
James is condemning people
who use their tongue
to curse people
who have been created
in the image of God.
Being created
in the image of God
makes you,
makes all people,
someone of worth,
of value,
of dignity.
That's really the basis
of self-esteem
and the only basis
that we're created
in the image of God,
the likeness of God.
That's one reason
why we can be wise.
A second reason
is because of God's
common grace.
You understand
God's saving grace.
You're familiar
with that passage
in Ephesians chapter 2
that says,
for by grace
are you saved
through faith.
We understand
God's saving grace.
He shows us
His undeserved favor
through faith in Jesus.
Well, God's common grace
is also His undeserved favor,
but it's shown
to all people
as He blesses them
with the talents,
abilities,
and resources
to do all the things
that it's possible
for us to do
in this world.
Jesus talked about this
in the Sermon on the Mount.
He gave this example
of God's common grace.
Look at it in Matthew 5.
Jesus said,
for He,
that is God,
makes His Son
rise on the evil
and on the good
and sends rain
on the just
and on the unjust.
I mean,
Jesus is just talking
about a simple,
the simple way
God just
blesses people.
You've got some
godly farmers
over here.
You've got some
ungodly farmers
over there.
Well, God sends rain
on both of them.
God gives favorable
weather conditions
to both.
Both can have
good crops.
Both can be blessed
in this kind of way.
The Apostle Paul
said something
very similar
in Acts 14.
He's writing to,
or he's talking
to pagans,
unbelievers,
and he's trying
to help them understand
how God's always
been involved
in your life.
God is real.
You just haven't
known Him.
But Paul was making
Him known.
Look at what he said.
Yet he,
that is God,
did not leave
himself without witness,
for he did good
by giving you
rains from heaven
and fruitful seasons,
satisfying your hearts
with food
and gladness.
See,
God's common grace
has always been
in this world.
He's always shown
His undeserved favor
to people in general
just by sending
good weather,
enabling us
to do the kind
of things
that we can do
and discover.
Tim Keller,
influential pastor
in New York City,
Redeemer of Presbyterian Church.
He does an excellent
job of explaining
how all people,
all of us,
are beneficiaries
of God's common grace.
Look at what he says.
God gives out
gifts of wisdom,
talent,
beauty,
and skill
according to His grace.
that is,
in a completely
unmerited way.
He casts them
across the human race
like seed
in order to enrich,
brighten,
and preserve the world.
By rights,
sin should be making
life on earth here
much more unbearable
than it is.
And in fact,
all of creation
and culture
should have fallen apart
by now.
The reason that it is
not worse
is because of the gift
of common grace.
Without an understanding
of common grace,
Christians will have
trouble understanding
why non-Christians
so often exceed
Christians morally
and in wisdom.
I've always heard
people talk about
and trying to argue
against
how we're all born
as sinners
and in need
of a Savior.
I've always heard
people say,
but I know
these people
who are not Christians
and they're more
morally upright
than most church members.
That's true.
But the truth is,
as Keller points out,
it's because of God's
common grace.
He's just used
some people
in some good
and helpful ways
because that's how
he accomplished
his purpose.
Such common grace wisdom
that we're talking
about here
is how all cultures
throughout history
have had wise men
and the Bible
talks about that.
The Bible refers
to wise men.
The wise men
of Israel's
pagan,
unbelieving neighbors.
The Bible refers
to them as having
a certain kind
of wisdom.
Look at it
from 1 Kings chapter 4.
And God gave Solomon
wisdom and understanding
beyond measure
so that Solomon's wisdom
surpassed the wisdom
of all the people
of the east
and all of the wisdom
of Egypt.
Now,
this description
of Solomon's wisdom
exceeding the wisdom
of everyone else
meant that everyone else
did have wisdom.
You can't exceed
other people's wisdom
if they don't have any.
So the Bible's acknowledging
unbelieving people
can be wise.
Old Testament scholar
Derek Kidner
explains how this is taught
throughout the Old Testament.
He says,
The Old Testament
clearly implies
that a man can still
think validly
and talk wisely
within a limited field
without special revelation.
So what we're doing here,
we're beginning
a study of wisdom.
As we do this,
honesty requires
that we acknowledge
that God created
all human beings
with a capacity
for wisdom.
and God
has so worked
in some people
by His common grace
that we see it.
We see
wise people
benefit
from their wisdom,
but they're not Christians.
We've got to be
very careful now
about thinking
too highly
of our capacity
for wisdom.
Point number two,
human wisdom
is limited.
Only God's wisdom
is without limitation.
Even if sin
had not entered
the world,
human wisdom
would never be
equal with God's
because we're not God.
We're not all-knowing,
all-powerful,
everywhere present.
But since everything
has been corrupted
by sin,
we know for a fact
that our wisdom
is not only limited,
our wisdom
is flawed.
I want us to look
at two examples
of imperfect wisdom.
First,
we don't always
know the facts
in a given situation.
Lisa and I
a while back
were going to a place
in Anderson
on Highway 81.
Well,
I knew that we could
get there quicker
and avoid a lot
of traffic
at that time of day
by going through
easily and some
back roads
and weaving our way
to Highway 81.
I've done it before
and you could do it
and we took off.
But we got down
one of those
back roads
and all of a sudden
the road was blocked.
There was a sign,
Road Closed.
So we had to turn around.
We had to turn around
and find another way
and we wound up
taking more time
getting there
than I intended
for us to take.
It took a lot longer
going that way.
I made an unwise
decision to take
those back roads
but it was not
a foolish decision
because I didn't
know the road
was closed.
For us,
we don't always
act wisely
because we don't
know all the facts.
But God always
acts wisely
because He knows
all the facts.
Another reason
why we act
unwisely sometimes
is because we're
incapable
of understanding
all the facts.
Let's think,
if we went over
to the preschool area
right now,
and I walked up
to one of the
three-year-olds
and I said,
here is a dime,
here is a nickel.
You can have
whichever one you want
and I put them
in my hand
where they can see
the dime
and the nickel.
That three-year-old
most likely
will pick
the nickel
because it's bigger.
That does not
mean that three-year-old
is foolish.
It just means
that that three-year-old
hasn't learned
the value
of coins yet.
That three-year-old
is incapable
of understanding
the dime is worth
more than the nickel
because he thinks
bigger is better.
We don't always
act wisely
because sometimes
we're not capable
of understanding
all the facts
in a given situation.
But God always
acts wisely
because he not only
knows the facts,
he understands
and he also knows
how he is going
to work
to bring about
his purpose
in our lives
and in the situation.
Human wisdom
is always limited
because there's things
that we do not know
and we're not capable
of knowing.
that's why we
need
the special gift
of wisdom
that God gives
to his children.
But there's one more
aspect of human wisdom
that we must look at
because it is
the major emphasis
of the Bible's teaching
on wisdom.
Number three,
human wisdom
is defective.
Human wisdom
has been corrupted
by sin
as I pointed out
earlier.
when Adam and Eve
sinned in the
Garden of Eden,
it corrupted everything
that God had created
including human wisdom.
Now one of the most
devastating aspects
of human wisdom,
one of the things
that makes it
so defective
is that
it cannot enable us
to understand God
or understand
the things
of God.
Paul pointed out
the inferiority
of human wisdom
in 1 Corinthians
chapter 1
and chapter 2.
Paul goes
to great lengths
in those two chapters
to say
wise people
in this world
could never
figure out
that God's
way of salvation
was through
sending his son
to die
a criminal's death
on the cross
and that
we could be
forgiven
by trusting
in him.
Look at what
he says
in 1 Corinthians
chapter 1
verse 20
to start with.
Has not God
made foolish
the wisdom
of the world?
For since
in the wisdom
of God
the world
did not know
God
through wisdom.
It pleased God
through the folly
of what was preached
to save those
who believe.
nobody could ever
figure out God
God's ways.
God had to make
it known
and he made it
known in ways
that caused
wise people
to think
that's just crazy.
The Greeks
they thought
it was foolishness.
They laughed.
God's
it takes
God's
wisdom
God's
opening our minds
to be able
to believe
the gospel
to know
it's real
to trust
Jesus that way.
He also
goes on
in 1 Corinthians 2
the natural
person does not
accept the things
of the Spirit
of God
for they are
folly to him
and he is not
able to understand
them because
they are
spiritually
discerned.
What Paul
is saying here
is why
Solomon
was greater
Solomon's
wisdom
was greater
than all
the wisdom
of the pagan
wise men
in his day.
Solomon's
wisdom
was greater
because God
had given him
a special
gift.
God had
given him
his wisdom
wisdom from
above
wisdom
from heaven.
Now going
back to James
James tells us
that there are
two kinds
of wisdom
at work
in people's
lives.
Wisdom
of the world
or human
wisdom
that's in
verses 13
through 16
than the
wisdom
of God.
That's in
verses 13
and 17
and 18.
We're going
to look at
that in
detail next
week.
What I want
us to
understand on
this first
Sunday of
seeking to
find out
what it
means to be
wise,
I want us
to understand
human wisdom
is real
and it
does have
many positive
benefits.
That's
because we're
created in
the image
of God
and God
by his
common
grace
continues
to work
and bless
people's
lives.
The wisdom
of someone
not very
bright
like
Gomer
Powell
and
technological
geniuses
like Steve
Jobs
are good
examples
of this
human
earthly
kind of
wisdom.
But as
we're going
to see in
James
next week
and as
we've already
read this
morning
and we're
going to
see throughout
the book
of Proverbs
in the coming
weeks,
human wisdom
is inferior
to the wisdom
that God
gives to
his people.
The reason
that our
country's
in the
mess
that we're
in today
is because
most people
function with
only human
wisdom,
worldly
wisdom.
We know
that's true
by reading
what James
says about
it.
This is what
we see
every day
all around
us,
isn't it?
Look in
verse 16.
For where
jealousy
and selfish
ambition
exist,
there will
be
disorder
and every
vile or
evil
practice
all around
us today.
People
can't
appreciate
what other
people have
and do.
We're
jealous.
We're all
about
ourselves.
We're
selfish.
We have
selfish
ambition.
And so
the result
is just
about
everywhere
you
look,
there's
disorder
and every
vile
practice.
I have
no
political
motive
behind
this,
but I
think you
could
describe
the
democratic
situation,
Hillary Clinton's
campaign,
and the
Republican,
Donald Trump's
campaign,
both
campaigns of
disorder
and every
vile
practice.
Think about
what you
read,
what you
hear,
what you
see.
I want
to encourage
you to
make a
commitment
to be a
part of
these
studies
with a
prayer that
God will
help you
to truly
understand
His
wisdom,
why you
need it,
and how
you can
come to
possess it
and experience
it.
I want to
encourage you
to go ahead
and start
reading in
the book
of Proverbs.
We'll start
two weeks
from today,
Proverbs
1-1,
and we're
going to
move through
most of
that book.
But in
this crazy
and chaotic
world
that we're
in,
we know
we desperately
need what
we don't
have.
we desperately
need the
special wisdom
that God
gives to
His people.
But get
this now,
God's only
going to
give this
wisdom,
His wisdom,
to us,
His people,
if, number
one, we
value it,
we want it,
and if,
number two,
we put forth
the effort
to seek it
and acquire it.
Let's pray
together.
Father,
help us to
see that
while we
may display
some good
qualities of
human wisdom
as we see
in this world,
help us,
Father,
to see
that it
is
inadequate.
It will
not help
us to
truly know
You and
Your ways
and Your
will so
that we
can do
Your will
and please
You.
It won't
help us to
live life
in a way
that serves
Your purpose,
helps truly
other people,
and brings
joy to our
own lives.
Help us to
see, Father,
that it's
human wisdom
only.
It's got us
to where we
are today.
So help us,
dear God,
to desire
and to be
willing to
seek
wisdom
from You.
Wisdom
that brings
about
peace,
gentleness,
reasonableness,
mercy,
impartiality,
sincerity,
and all
kinds of
good fruits.
Show us,
Father,
how we should
respond to You
this morning,
the kind of
commitment we
should make.
Help us to do
that now.
In an attitude
of prayer,
listen to the
Lord,
do what He's
telling you to
do.
If I could pray
with you during
this time,
I'd be happy
to do that.
I'll be here
at the front.
I'll be here
at the front.
I'll be here
at the front.