WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.040 The book of Proverbs, and the second reading later on from James. 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:09.060 So first of all, the book of Proverbs, and we're reading chapter 4. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.820 That's on, should be on page 638. 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:15.939 Proverbs chapter 4. 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:21.400 We can read verses 1 down to verse 9. 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:27.019 Proverbs 4, verses 1 down to 9. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:32.079 Let's hear the word of God. 00:00:33.859 --> 00:00:36.500 Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction. 00:00:37.299 --> 00:00:39.340 Pay attention and gain understanding. 00:00:40.019 --> 00:00:41.980 I give you sound learning. 00:00:42.539 --> 00:00:44.600 So do not forsake my teaching. 00:00:45.140 --> 00:00:50.340 When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender and an only child of my mother, 00:00:51.060 --> 00:00:55.740 he taught me and said, lay hold of my words with all your heart. 00:00:56.299 --> 00:00:58.740 Keep my commands and you will live. 00:00:58.740 --> 00:01:01.679 Get wisdom, get understanding. 00:01:02.160 --> 00:01:05.299 Do not forget my words or swerve from them. 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:08.900 Do not forsake wisdom and she will protect you. 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:12.060 Love her and she will watch over you. 00:01:12.659 --> 00:01:13.799 Wisdom is supreme. 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:16.040 Therefore, get wisdom. 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:20.219 Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.540 Esteem her and she will exalt you. 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:26.379 Embrace her and she will honor you. 00:01:26.379 --> 00:01:34.560 She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor. 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:37.519 We can read James in a short while. 00:01:37.579 --> 00:01:40.420 Before we read James, let's now sing again together. 00:01:40.479 --> 00:01:40.939 James. 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:44.159 James chapter 3. 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:50.159 We can read from verses 13 down to verse 18. 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:53.959 James 3 verses 13 to 18. 00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:59.060 Who is wise and understanding among you? 00:01:59.579 --> 00:02:05.700 Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 00:02:05.700 --> 00:02:13.979 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:22.280 Such wisdom does not come down from heaven, but is earthly and spiritual of the devil. 00:02:23.099 --> 00:02:30.259 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:34.919 For the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:42.340 Then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit. 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:45.000 Impartial and sincere. 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:50.599 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:53.159 We give praise to God for his word. 00:02:53.159 --> 00:02:57.919 To that passage that Donald read for us from the letter of James. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:05.159 It's on page 1215 chapter 3 verses 13 to 18. 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:08.479 We're going to ask ourselves the question this evening. 00:03:08.719 --> 00:03:11.000 Are you wise? 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:15.280 That was something of a refrain of my teenage years. 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:17.759 I can't say that without thinking of my mother. 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.419 I was not blessed with a great amount of common sense. 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:21.599 Are you wise? 00:03:21.659 --> 00:03:22.319 Is that what it's about? 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:23.219 Is it about common sense? 00:03:23.299 --> 00:03:24.620 That's one of the things we're going to think about. 00:03:24.699 --> 00:03:26.680 How do you and I measure wisdom? 00:03:26.780 --> 00:03:30.019 What is wisdom when we get down to it? 00:03:30.019 --> 00:03:34.599 So we read from Proverbs 4, Solomon's advice to his son. 00:03:35.419 --> 00:03:40.299 Saying that wisdom is something to pursue and value in our lives. 00:03:40.299 --> 00:03:44.259 And then we sang the wisdom psalm, Psalm 1. 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:47.079 Telling us there's a wise and a foolish way to live. 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:50.840 There's the way of the righteous and there's the way of the wicked. 00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:53.640 And the Bible is full of wisdom. 00:03:53.640 --> 00:03:58.740 The letter of James is described as wisdom literature within the New Testament. 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:01.659 So the question is, are we wise? 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:03.800 Do we know what wisdom is? 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:05.159 What does it look like? 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:13.300 And as important for James here, are we following the way of wisdom? 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:19.779 I guess when we try and define wisdom, it can be somewhat of a slippery term. 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:26.680 We can perhaps find it quite hard to assess ourselves or to assess others. 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:32.740 And I want to suggest that James here in his letter gives us some really helpful pointers. 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:37.459 He'll tell us, he'll show us what wisdom looks like. 00:04:37.699 --> 00:04:40.800 That's his concern, not merely what does it sound like. 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:43.060 It's not about pure philosophy. 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:47.100 It's about lived out experience. 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:52.760 And he's also concerned about the attitude that lies behind true wisdom. 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:59.260 So it's not, and maybe this is how we think, it's not about how clever we are. 00:04:59.700 --> 00:05:06.300 Our grades, our tests are not the measure of whether we are wise people or not. 00:05:06.700 --> 00:05:13.040 Nor, according to James, is it about our philosophy, our wise sayings, our smart comments. 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:17.240 They are not the measure of whether we are a wise person. 00:05:18.260 --> 00:05:21.080 Rather, it's got a lot to do with how we live. 00:05:22.180 --> 00:05:24.780 God's wisdom is humble. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:26.120 True wisdom is humble. 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:29.860 True wisdom, it leads to good deeds. 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:35.939 True wisdom is about relationships and it promotes peace. 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:41.660 So we have some important pointers towards what true wisdom looks like. 00:05:41.660 --> 00:05:51.939 And what becomes clear, when you look at this letter, this first century letter, James is writing to a church that really needs to learn to choose right wisdom. 00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:58.879 A challenge for the first century church, challenge for the 21st century church is the same. 00:05:58.879 --> 00:06:11.199 That we would let God's will and God's will and God's values and God's wisdom direct the church to direct the thinking of us as Christian people, not our culture. 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:22.240 So here in James' letter, you can detect some of what we might describe the wisdom of the world in the first century. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:34.620 Particularly, we can see attitudes about pride and self-promotion coupled with envy and jealousy towards those who are seen to be higher up the social pecking order. 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:45.819 And the result, and we see it again in this letter within this church, in chapter 2, following the wrong wisdom has led to them neglecting the poor and the weak. 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:51.079 They're not doing wisdom in terms of caring for the weak and showing mercy. 00:06:51.959 --> 00:06:59.540 In chapter 3, just before where we've got to, they are clearly having a problem with how they are speaking to and about one another, 00:06:59.540 --> 00:07:02.620 using their tongues in destructive ways. 00:07:03.180 --> 00:07:12.100 And then the section immediately after, beginning of chapter 4, we see a church that's fighting, quarreling, competing with one another, 00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:18.040 following the wisdom of the world, where to be number one is to be everything. 00:07:19.900 --> 00:07:29.320 It's still the temptation and the danger for us today to absorb the wisdom of the world rather than to be guided by the world. 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:30.560 By God's word. 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:38.360 And some of the qualities of worldly wisdom that we find here, we can still see today, can't we? 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:43.899 It talks about envy, selfish ambition, bitter envy. 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:50.659 When we think about how maybe whether it's social media, whether it's newspapers, magazines, 00:07:50.659 --> 00:07:55.680 there does seem to be a delight in a wisdom that tears down. 00:07:55.680 --> 00:08:06.759 There does seem to be a delight in sort of vindictive attack using wisdom to make others feel small. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:18.100 We think about what happens in a tragedy like Caroline Flack and we see that's part of our culture's way of talking about others. 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:21.580 Harsh and divisive words. 00:08:21.580 --> 00:08:27.420 You think about how politicians speak about one another. 00:08:28.180 --> 00:08:31.080 We hear about how politicians are spoken about. 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:35.480 And we recognize harsh and divisive words. 00:08:35.580 --> 00:08:36.240 We see bitterness. 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:37.560 We see envy. 00:08:38.680 --> 00:08:45.160 Self-promotion that says my rights are what matters regardless of who it impacts. 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:48.899 And some of that is the air that we breathe. 00:08:49.079 --> 00:08:56.679 Therefore, we need to be very careful that the wisdom we follow is true wisdom, that it's God's wisdom, 00:08:56.839 --> 00:09:00.939 that it promotes peace and it leads to a good life. 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:08.840 So, using this section of the letter, let's ask three questions for measuring wisdom. 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.280 First one, what does your wisdom look like? 00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:15.500 Verse 13 starts in perhaps a surprising way. 00:09:16.460 --> 00:09:22.800 Who is wise and understanding among you, let him show it by his good life, 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:25.940 by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 00:09:27.180 --> 00:09:29.300 Wisdom is something that should be seen. 00:09:29.299 --> 00:09:31.819 James is challenging the first century church. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:33.519 You're claiming to be wise. 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:37.620 Well, let's see your life to back that up. 00:09:38.339 --> 00:09:42.039 Wisdom is a way of life that involves following God's way. 00:09:43.699 --> 00:09:45.299 You know, we talk about talk being cheap. 00:09:46.479 --> 00:09:47.779 James is saying to the church, 00:09:47.859 --> 00:09:51.899 I'm not interested in your profession with your words. 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:53.359 Are you doing wisdom? 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:53.539 Wisdom. 00:09:55.700 --> 00:10:04.180 And so, he says to them, one of the things that wisdom leads to significantly is that wisdom leads to humility. 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:06.700 So, how does that work? 00:10:06.779 --> 00:10:08.919 What's the connection between wisdom and humility? 00:10:09.139 --> 00:10:14.039 Well, in chapter 1 and verse 5, we're told something important about wisdom. 00:10:14.680 --> 00:10:16.340 James gives advice to the church. 00:10:16.340 --> 00:10:20.700 If you are lacking wisdom, where do you go? 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:26.100 And James says you should go to God who gives that wisdom generously. 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:32.700 So, from the beginning, the Bible is saying true wisdom comes from outside of ourselves, 00:10:32.700 --> 00:10:37.060 and therefore, there's humility involved to receive it. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:42.780 There's also humility involved to say, I need God's wisdom. 00:10:43.920 --> 00:10:48.740 Back in chapter 1, wisdom begins with turning to God, praying to God, 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:52.780 seeking the wisdom that we do not have in and of ourselves. 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:56.680 So, there's a vital connection between wisdom and humility. 00:10:56.679 --> 00:11:03.639 Further, when we think about God's wisdom as we think about his way of salvation, 00:11:04.299 --> 00:11:06.779 and Donald read for us from 1 Corinthians, 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:14.699 God's wisdom shows us our folly, shows us our inability, 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:18.159 shows us our need of God's grace, 00:11:18.419 --> 00:11:23.719 so that we cannot receive God's wisdom and stay proud. 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:26.279 The two just do not go together. 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:29.340 Jesus is the wisdom from God. 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:32.240 And what did Paul say about Jesus as the wisdom from God? 00:11:32.460 --> 00:11:33.960 He is our righteousness. 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:37.340 So, there's no room for pride that says, 00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:39.320 well, I can be good enough for God. 00:11:39.460 --> 00:11:44.300 No, wisdom is humble enough to say that if I am going to be accepted by God, 00:11:44.360 --> 00:11:48.220 then that needs to be on the basis of what Jesus has done for me. 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:51.639 Jesus is my holiness. 00:11:51.639 --> 00:11:54.919 If I am to be set apart as belonging to God, 00:11:54.980 --> 00:11:59.539 that does not come from myself and my own innate goodness. 00:12:00.500 --> 00:12:04.299 I need to rest and rely on the holiness of Jesus. 00:12:05.740 --> 00:12:10.319 Jesus, as the wisdom from God, Paul says, is our redemption. 00:12:10.860 --> 00:12:14.279 So, again, that humbles us because it reminds us that by nature, 00:12:14.539 --> 00:12:16.799 we stand as slaves to sin. 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:22.259 We are locked in patterns of being and behaving that tend not towards God, 00:12:22.339 --> 00:12:23.479 but away from God. 00:12:23.819 --> 00:12:28.439 And unless Jesus comes to perform that rescue by dying on the cross, 00:12:28.479 --> 00:12:31.419 we will always be separate from God. 00:12:32.359 --> 00:12:38.799 And so, there is something essential connecting God's wisdom and our humility. 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:43.939 The gospel itself should always leave us humbled. 00:12:45.079 --> 00:12:50.939 So, wisdom leads to humility, but wisdom also leads to good deeds in verse 13. 00:12:51.079 --> 00:12:55.620 If you're wise and understanding, show it by your good life, 00:12:55.939 --> 00:12:59.219 by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 00:12:59.220 --> 00:13:03.759 So, he's speaking to our people who are humbled by God's grace, 00:13:04.360 --> 00:13:09.660 who are led by the spirit of Christ, not led by the wisdom of the world. 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:13.360 And he's saying those people, Christian people, 00:13:13.800 --> 00:13:19.300 are to regularly and repeatedly choose the way of Jesus. 00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:24.759 Now, I say that because as much as we would love it to be the case 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:31.980 that a person would trust in Jesus and then we would instinctively always tend towards wisdom, 00:13:33.419 --> 00:13:36.200 when we look into our own hearts and we look into our decisions, 00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:38.419 we know that's not always the case. 00:13:39.620 --> 00:13:46.539 There is a conscious and constant decision we need to make to pursue the wisdom of God, 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:49.679 even as there is that other voice telling us, 00:13:49.819 --> 00:13:53.720 there's another wisdom to follow, the wisdom of the world. 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:57.439 And James goes there in verse 14. 00:13:57.799 --> 00:14:01.220 Remember, he's speaking to the church, speaking to Christians. 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:06.259 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, 00:14:07.220 --> 00:14:11.700 do not boast about it or deny the truth. 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:16.220 We think about harbors in two ways. 00:14:16.299 --> 00:14:18.659 We think about boats coming into harbor. 00:14:18.659 --> 00:14:24.600 But we can also think from a police point of view that we are, you know, 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.679 it is against the law to harbor illegals. 00:14:28.899 --> 00:14:31.839 It's against the law to harbor criminals. 00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:36.419 There is a certain type of person that we do not invite into our lives. 00:14:37.219 --> 00:14:39.059 And James is saying to a Christian, 00:14:39.199 --> 00:14:44.500 there is certain attitudes in our hearts that have no business to be there. 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:46.500 And we should not harbor them. 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:48.820 Rather, we should seek to get rid of them. 00:14:48.860 --> 00:14:55.919 And those are bitter envy and selfish ambition, self-promotion. 00:14:56.919 --> 00:15:00.879 So that to be in church and to demand my rights, 00:15:02.139 --> 00:15:07.440 or to say, well, it's me first and my voice matters most, 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:13.360 to push for importance that would serve to belittle others, 00:15:13.520 --> 00:15:16.080 is to deny the wisdom of the gospel. 00:15:17.920 --> 00:15:21.100 It's to do exactly the opposite of what Jesus did. 00:15:22.300 --> 00:15:25.720 Because when Jesus lived, he both said and showed 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:29.080 that we are to love our neighbor as ourself. 00:15:30.300 --> 00:15:33.360 We are to pursue the way of humble service, 00:15:33.900 --> 00:15:36.620 not the path of pride and self-promotion. 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:43.960 So that wisdom is seen, it's seen in our humble good deeds. 00:15:46.140 --> 00:15:49.960 Another question to help us measure wisdom is this. 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:54.720 Where does your wisdom come from? 00:15:55.980 --> 00:15:59.500 So I was at talk on a Tuesday evening. 00:16:00.140 --> 00:16:02.840 There was a church minister from Newcastle 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:05.940 who was invited to come and speak to some church leaders. 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:12.460 And he was one of those guys that had a slogan for every possible situation. 00:16:13.160 --> 00:16:15.540 Some of them were very, very catchy and very helpful. 00:16:15.680 --> 00:16:17.220 He would talk about, for example, 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:20.600 they wanted to be the church for the 95 and not for the 5. 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:23.740 You know, church attendance, somewhere around 5%. 00:16:23.740 --> 00:16:26.940 They wanted to gear their church to be accessible for outsiders. 00:16:26.940 --> 00:16:29.820 They talked about being a church of home groups, 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:31.240 not a church with home groups. 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:34.860 So for them, people meeting together to read the Bible, 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:37.580 to pray was an essential part of their pastoral care. 00:16:37.660 --> 00:16:39.060 So it wasn't an optional extra. 00:16:39.180 --> 00:16:41.400 Church of home groups, not a church with home groups. 00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:45.240 And he had loads of these catchy slogans that are really helpful. 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:51.419 And I imagine whether we actually write them down and articulate them, 00:16:51.620 --> 00:16:55.460 we probably operate with a certain set of guidelines, 00:16:55.639 --> 00:17:01.980 a certain sense that we have slogans that determine how we live and how we behave. 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:05.279 Whether that's at school or university, whether that's at work, 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:07.579 whether that's in our family context. 00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:12.659 And so the question for us to be asking constantly is, 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:16.059 where does my wisdom come from? 00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:20.279 And especially if we're here today as Christians, 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:25.119 are we checking to see that our slogans, our guidelines, 00:17:25.919 --> 00:17:27.379 match up with God's Word? 00:17:29.019 --> 00:17:31.460 Because James very helpfully, very strikingly, 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:33.159 shows that there are two sources, 00:17:34.659 --> 00:17:36.879 two alternative wisdoms. 00:17:37.579 --> 00:17:42.939 There is, in verse 15, the wisdom that comes down from heaven. 00:17:44.439 --> 00:17:48.779 Verse 17, the wisdom that comes from heaven. 00:17:49.919 --> 00:17:54.240 Now that language of coming down from heaven has already been used in chapter 1, 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:59.859 in verse 17, to say that every good gift we enjoy comes down from our Father in heaven. 00:18:00.119 --> 00:18:03.919 So there is this wisdom that comes down from heaven as a gift to us from God, 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:04.879 but there's another wisdom. 00:18:04.879 --> 00:18:04.980 There's another wisdom. 00:18:07.579 --> 00:18:10.559 Verse 15, verse 16. 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:13.679 There is a wisdom that does not come down from heaven, 00:18:14.439 --> 00:18:19.679 but is earthly, unspiritual of the devil. 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:23.820 So these are mutually opposed. 00:18:24.100 --> 00:18:26.160 These are two very different ways to live. 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:30.600 These are two very different voices to listen to. 00:18:31.160 --> 00:18:33.460 And it's important for us to realize, 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:36.720 even as we find ourselves in a church, 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:37.900 even if we are Christians, 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:39.880 that we hear the call of both. 00:18:40.320 --> 00:18:43.279 You know, like those cartoons with the angel and the devil on our shoulders. 00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:46.299 We hear these alternative wisdoms, 00:18:46.299 --> 00:18:48.180 and they're vying for our attention, 00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:53.899 and we must consciously decide what wisdom we will follow. 00:18:54.940 --> 00:18:57.980 And that's a decision that comes from our heart. 00:18:58.059 --> 00:18:59.779 We have a heart decision to make, 00:18:59.859 --> 00:19:02.319 a real wisdom call to make, 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:04.939 and it's this. 00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:10.139 Who will I give glory to in my life today? 00:19:10.859 --> 00:19:12.019 Even more than just today, 00:19:12.299 --> 00:19:14.399 in this decision that I am facing, 00:19:14.740 --> 00:19:15.939 who will get glory? 00:19:17.299 --> 00:19:22.200 In this awkward situation that I'm having with my boss, 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:23.980 my colleague, my family, 00:19:24.259 --> 00:19:26.380 who will I give glory to today? 00:19:27.559 --> 00:19:30.539 The world's wisdom, as James puts it, 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:32.500 the wisdom that comes from the devil, 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:35.940 would have us give glory, bring glory, 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:37.779 seek glory for ourselves. 00:19:39.140 --> 00:19:40.720 We go all the way back to Genesis, 00:19:41.100 --> 00:19:42.200 Genesis chapter 3, 00:19:42.740 --> 00:19:45.340 Adam and Eve made in a perfect world, 00:19:45.460 --> 00:19:47.340 enjoying perfect relationships, 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:50.620 made in the image of God with dignity and value. 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.239 What was that original temptation and sin 00:19:53.239 --> 00:19:54.179 in the Garden of Eden? 00:19:54.579 --> 00:19:56.559 You can be like God, 00:19:57.399 --> 00:19:59.459 to pursue glory for themselves 00:19:59.459 --> 00:20:03.459 outside of relationship with God. 00:20:04.099 --> 00:20:07.339 And that temptation was still there in the first century, 00:20:07.419 --> 00:20:10.619 and it's still with us in the 21st century. 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:13.639 So in the book of James, 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:17.239 the temptation was to favor those who are wealthy 00:20:17.239 --> 00:20:19.899 because wealthy people would perhaps 00:20:19.900 --> 00:20:23.280 bring more benefit and more glory to an individual. 00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:27.320 The temptation to speak badly of others, 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:30.820 to get ahead or for my voice to be number one, 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:32.560 that was still there, 00:20:32.560 --> 00:20:35.860 to fight with others because of the desires 00:20:35.860 --> 00:20:38.800 that we have in our own hearts, 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:40.920 the pursuit of glory 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:47.160 that tends away from God and his ways. 00:20:47.539 --> 00:20:49.980 To in effect rob God of his glory, 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:52.900 to deny other people their dignity 00:20:52.900 --> 00:20:56.019 because we want to be central. 00:20:57.620 --> 00:20:59.700 And one of the things that's challenging for us 00:20:59.700 --> 00:21:01.380 is that we live in a culture 00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:03.920 where self-promotion is normal. 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:08.580 where sort of venting 00:21:08.580 --> 00:21:11.220 and having many opportunities 00:21:11.220 --> 00:21:14.240 to say what we want on any number of subjects 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:17.019 is accessible 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:20.420 and often seen as wise and natural. 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:23.759 There's very real temptations for us, 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:25.579 and so we need the wisdom of the Bible 00:21:25.579 --> 00:21:27.279 to remind us there's another way, 00:21:27.379 --> 00:21:29.099 there's a better way 00:21:29.099 --> 00:21:33.400 because true wisdom comes from God 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:35.519 and true wisdom will always seek 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:37.500 to return glory to God, 00:21:38.940 --> 00:21:41.140 seeking to live to make his name great 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:43.960 and not our own. 00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:47.840 There's a very real difference in that, 00:21:47.900 --> 00:21:49.079 and there's a freedom in that. 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:50.519 There's a freedom in the wisdom 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:53.420 that receives the gospel, 00:21:53.539 --> 00:21:56.079 that receives Jesus as Lord and Savior, 00:21:56.180 --> 00:21:58.819 and in receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, 00:21:58.819 --> 00:22:01.140 we have a relationship with our Father in heaven. 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:02.460 We have peace with God. 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:03.140 We're accepted. 00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:05.000 We're part of the family of God, 00:22:05.079 --> 00:22:06.840 and when we understand that 00:22:06.840 --> 00:22:10.240 and we live our days in that relationship, 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:12.000 then we're given freedom 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:16.140 that we don't need to be competing and comparing, 00:22:17.019 --> 00:22:19.119 which can be so crippling, 00:22:20.099 --> 00:22:21.019 so damaging, 00:22:21.980 --> 00:22:23.380 especially when we can see 00:22:23.380 --> 00:22:25.579 so many people's lives 24-7, 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:27.220 people who are doing more exciting, 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:29.839 more spectacular things than we are. 00:22:30.539 --> 00:22:34.740 If we are loved and known and valued by God, 00:22:35.460 --> 00:22:37.259 that is enough and more than enough. 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:41.640 The gospel gives us freedom to serve 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:44.480 without seeking recognition. 00:22:45.840 --> 00:22:47.280 Sometimes we can even serve 00:22:47.280 --> 00:22:48.940 so that we might receive glory. 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:52.320 It's really, on a Friday morning, 00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:53.400 we have a toddler group, 00:22:53.440 --> 00:22:54.600 and it's always really nice 00:22:54.600 --> 00:22:57.440 to see the instinct of toddlers 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:59.300 to want to help to tidy up. 00:22:59.520 --> 00:23:00.380 You open the door, 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:01.680 they know it's tidy up time. 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:03.040 They've all been well trained, 00:23:03.580 --> 00:23:05.100 but there's always that really nice thing 00:23:05.100 --> 00:23:06.960 where after they've picked something up, 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:07.620 maybe a rug, 00:23:07.660 --> 00:23:08.680 and they've taken it back over, 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:09.620 they want to make sure, 00:23:09.960 --> 00:23:11.940 Mom, I'm helping the man. 00:23:12.620 --> 00:23:17.200 We want recognition for the things that we do. 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:21.259 But God's wisdom wants to give glory 00:23:21.259 --> 00:23:23.019 to God and to God alone. 00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:26.759 We think about the story we've been looking at 00:23:26.759 --> 00:23:28.180 in the Bible in the morning, 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:29.120 in the book of Genesis, 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:30.360 the story of Joseph. 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:34.099 Joseph knew and loved God, 00:23:34.199 --> 00:23:36.019 and so even although his brothers 00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:37.659 had done terrible things to him, 00:23:38.279 --> 00:23:40.079 he was content to return good 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.339 for the evil that he had received. 00:23:43.399 --> 00:23:46.419 Wisdom seeks the best for others, 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:50.379 isn't constantly fighting for our own glory. 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:53.919 James has told us that wisdom 00:23:53.919 --> 00:23:55.759 is one of the good and perfect gifts 00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:57.219 that God provides. 00:23:57.220 --> 00:23:59.240 Paul tells us that Jesus 00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:01.819 is the wisdom of God for us. 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:04.180 So it stands to reason 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:05.559 if we are Christian people 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:07.759 that we need God's wisdom, 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:09.279 and where is God's wisdom found? 00:24:09.339 --> 00:24:11.339 It's found in his word. 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:12.980 If we are to be wise people, 00:24:13.059 --> 00:24:15.380 we must be Bible people. 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:17.180 That must be the standard 00:24:17.180 --> 00:24:19.960 we measure our wisdom by. 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:22.440 We must allow the wisdom of God 00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:24.539 to challenge and confront 00:24:24.539 --> 00:24:27.840 our own apparent wisdom, 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:30.880 which often is folly. 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:35.380 Third question for measuring wisdom. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:40.680 What difference does our wisdom make? 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:44.160 I guess for many of us, 00:24:44.180 --> 00:24:46.460 when we have a choice to make, 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:48.380 one of the things that we will do 00:24:48.380 --> 00:24:50.000 is we will weigh up the options. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:52.660 You draw up your pros and cons list. 00:24:52.700 --> 00:24:53.680 You need a new car? 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:55.720 You might be looking for boot space. 00:24:55.819 --> 00:24:57.279 You might be looking for fuel consumption. 00:24:57.400 --> 00:24:58.640 You have your pros and cons. 00:24:58.720 --> 00:24:59.980 You want to move to a new city? 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:01.119 You're looking for a new job. 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:03.380 You draw up your list. 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:05.839 What difference will it make to my life 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:07.440 to have or to not have 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:10.160 the one over the other? 00:25:10.700 --> 00:25:12.940 And what James does for us 00:25:12.940 --> 00:25:16.259 is he tries to paint us a picture 00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:18.279 of the two outcomes 00:25:18.279 --> 00:25:22.259 for these two different types of wisdom, 00:25:22.380 --> 00:25:24.700 just as Psalm 1 did it. 00:25:25.620 --> 00:25:27.240 We have a choice to make 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:28.799 about the wisdom that we follow, 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:30.720 and so he tries to follow that wisdom 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:34.100 down the path to show where it leads, 00:25:35.100 --> 00:25:37.059 to help us to choose well. 00:25:37.059 --> 00:25:40.679 So he shows us in verse 16, 00:25:40.919 --> 00:25:45.519 what is the impact of choosing worldly wisdom? 00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:51.940 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, 00:25:52.980 --> 00:25:55.279 there you find disorder 00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:59.519 and every evil practice. 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:03.299 When envy and jealousy, 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:06.480 when pride and self-promotion dominate, 00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:09.639 it is almost inevitable 00:26:09.639 --> 00:26:10.960 that there will be division 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:13.779 into tribes and factions and groups 00:26:13.779 --> 00:26:17.039 where people will be seeking to tear down 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:18.539 rather than to build up, 00:26:19.220 --> 00:26:21.220 where people are looking to get ahead 00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:25.379 around looking good at all costs. 00:26:25.380 --> 00:26:29.720 But then he shows us the flip side. 00:26:29.840 --> 00:26:33.840 He shows us what does worldly wisdom look like, 00:26:33.860 --> 00:26:37.320 and then he shows us the impact of godly wisdom. 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:40.620 Verse 17 and verse 18, 00:26:41.060 --> 00:26:42.180 particularly verse 18, 00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:44.840 peacemakers who sow in peace 00:26:44.840 --> 00:26:48.700 raise a harvest of righteousness. 00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:50.480 So rather than disorder, 00:26:50.760 --> 00:26:52.160 rather than evil practice, 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:55.040 there's a harvest of righteousness. 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:55.960 In two ways, 00:26:56.039 --> 00:26:57.639 first in our own lives, 00:26:58.299 --> 00:26:59.659 but then also there's an impact 00:26:59.659 --> 00:27:01.500 in the lives of others. 00:27:02.220 --> 00:27:03.940 In verse 17 and 18, 00:27:04.859 --> 00:27:07.000 what difference does wisdom look like? 00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:08.740 It looks like a humble life 00:27:08.740 --> 00:27:10.980 that is committed to God. 00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:13.559 When it says the wisdom that comes from heaven 00:27:13.559 --> 00:27:14.619 is first of all pure, 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:17.659 that means having a single-minded devotion to God, 00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:20.039 determined to follow God's way. 00:27:20.039 --> 00:27:23.700 It is peace-loving. 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:26.599 Not living to criticize, 00:27:26.879 --> 00:27:27.819 not living to fight, 00:27:27.960 --> 00:27:29.639 not living to tear others down. 00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:33.259 It is considerate. 00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:35.839 Wisdom is gentle. 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:39.000 Wisdom is open to reason. 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:43.519 Wisdom is submissive. 00:27:44.379 --> 00:27:46.680 It's willing to defer to others, 00:27:46.680 --> 00:27:51.180 recognizing not every hill is one to die on. 00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:58.440 Wisdom from God is full of mercy and good fruit. 00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:02.420 And James has already spoken about that in chapter 2 00:28:02.420 --> 00:28:05.120 in terms of being ready to love neighbors, 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:08.039 being ready to serve others. 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:13.019 Wisdom from heaven is impartial. 00:28:13.019 --> 00:28:17.400 It doesn't show the kind of favoritism of chapter 2 00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:19.440 where the rich are favored over the poor 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:23.299 in order to try and win friends and gain favors. 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:29.759 Now, the wisdom that comes from heaven is sincere. 00:28:30.700 --> 00:28:31.700 It is genuine. 00:28:32.339 --> 00:28:33.359 It is honest. 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:37.339 It is seeking the good of others. 00:28:37.339 --> 00:28:42.480 So there is a harvest of righteousness in our own lives 00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:45.139 when we follow God's wisdom, 00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:46.220 live in God's way. 00:28:46.319 --> 00:28:48.220 But that kind of life 00:28:48.220 --> 00:28:51.819 is also an attractive life. 00:28:53.379 --> 00:28:56.699 And we are to live seeking to draw others towards Jesus 00:28:56.699 --> 00:28:57.559 in our words, 00:28:58.000 --> 00:28:59.339 in our actions. 00:29:01.159 --> 00:29:03.039 And so there's a harvest of righteousness 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:05.199 in that way too. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:09.660 So as we close, 00:29:10.660 --> 00:29:12.940 ask yourself the question, 00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:15.380 am I wise? 00:29:15.880 --> 00:29:18.180 Am I wise in God's eyes? 00:29:19.160 --> 00:29:21.240 The decisions that I am making, 00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:23.759 where is my wisdom coming from? 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:26.980 From God or from the world? 00:29:28.420 --> 00:29:30.840 James has shown us that God's wisdom 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:32.899 begins with humility, 00:29:33.980 --> 00:29:35.299 recognizing we need wisdom, 00:29:35.459 --> 00:29:36.059 we need help, 00:29:36.159 --> 00:29:37.480 we need Jesus to save us, 00:29:37.539 --> 00:29:39.039 we need the Spirit to change us, 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:40.220 we need God's Word, 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:40.720 the Bible, 00:29:40.839 --> 00:29:41.819 to direct us. 00:29:43.079 --> 00:29:45.619 That wisdom continues in good deeds, 00:29:46.059 --> 00:29:47.939 following in the footsteps of Jesus, 00:29:48.459 --> 00:29:49.679 with the help of the same Spirit 00:29:49.679 --> 00:29:51.119 that filled Jesus. 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:53.740 That wisdom, 00:29:54.399 --> 00:29:55.299 that way of life, 00:29:55.359 --> 00:29:57.139 results in a fruitful life, 00:29:57.140 --> 00:29:59.340 when we are not just hearers of God's Word, 00:29:59.400 --> 00:30:01.900 but when we are also doers of God's Word, 00:30:02.380 --> 00:30:05.220 as we seek lives that impact others 00:30:05.220 --> 00:30:07.280 in a positive way. 00:30:09.780 --> 00:30:13.140 James has drawn very sharp contrasts 00:30:13.720 --> 00:30:15.100 to help us to think, 00:30:15.180 --> 00:30:15.220 well, 00:30:15.259 --> 00:30:18.520 which wisdom seems best to us? 00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:23.299 which wisdom would I want to choose today? 00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:26.299 Which wisdom, 00:30:26.619 --> 00:30:27.220 if applied, 00:30:27.339 --> 00:30:28.319 would be better 00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:29.960 in my house, 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:32.039 in my church, 00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:33.740 in my community, 00:30:33.879 --> 00:30:34.660 in my country? 00:30:37.299 --> 00:30:39.220 Are we wise? 00:30:39.779 --> 00:30:40.579 Let's pray. 00:30:40.579 --> 00:30:40.599 Let's pray.