Well, good morning, church.
It's good to have you joining us this morning, whether you're at home or you're here in the sanctuary.
Our sermon passage today is James chapter 3, verses 13 through 18.
James chapter 3, verses 13 through 18.
We've been walking through the book of James this summer, and we're going to continue doing that today.
Let me pray, and then I'll read this passage for us.
Let's pray together.
Our Father, we confess that in our own human reason and understanding, God, the things of you remain dark and cloudy.
But we thank you that by the gift of your Spirit, you come and you give light to our minds,
and more importantly, you bring light to our hearts and to our wills, that we might embrace all that you are.
And to do just what we've sung, to worship your holy name.
Your name, who you've revealed yourself to be.
And all of your grace and majesty and justice.
Oh, Lord, would you come through this passage that we're about to read and meditate on this morning.
Would you come and do just that?
Empower our hearts to worship your holy name and to live lives as a result that are honoring to your name.
We ask this in Christ's name.
Amen.
All right.
James 3, verses 13 through 18.
Let me read this for us.
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.
So what does real wisdom look like?
That's what James wants us to consider in the text before us.
Picture in your mind maybe someone who embodies wisdom.
What do they look like to you?
Are they an old scholar, a wise sage with a big gray beard?
But keep in mind, in the Bible, wisdom means something more than just intelligence or learning.
Wisdom actually means something more like skill.
The skill of living life as it was meant to be lived.
Now that includes knowledge, but it means a lot more.
It's like a sailor who knows how to read the winds and the waves,
and she can position her sails and her rudder just right to bring the ship safely home through the storm.
That's biblical wisdom.
Or the weaver who can bring all the threads together to make a beautiful whole.
That's the sense of wisdom.
Not just knowledge, but living skillfully in God's world.
And for James here in chapter 3, this is a very practical question.
It's a very practical question for us as a church.
Because as the context of chapter 3 and 4 show us,
in the communities to whom James was writing,
conflict and dissension were on the rise.
As external pressures mounted around them,
perhaps trial, hardship, economic oppression,
as those things happened around these young churches,
internally conflict started to rise up.
In verses 1 through 12 of chapter 3,
what we looked at last week,
James has been talking about the power and the danger of the uncontrolled tongue.
And from chapter 3, verse 1,
it seems that the problem even involved their teachers, their leaders,
some of whom were perhaps claiming to be wise.
But what really is wisdom?
And as we seek to be the church today,
what should it look like for us to be wise?
Now remember, for James, in this book of James,
his vision of the church is that it's meant to be the first fruit of God's new creation.
Remember that from chapter 1, verse 18?
We've been brought forth by the word of truth, the gospel,
into new life.
We've been brought forth by the word of truth
in order to live out what James calls the law of liberty,
the law of love.
But as we follow that call,
a question comes.
What sort of wisdom
are we going to employ?
What sort of wisdom
are we going to use
as we seek to live out
the church calling
that we have?
Because you see in our text,
James describes not just one,
but two kinds of wisdom.
There's one from below
and there's one from above.
He makes a contrast.
He makes a distinction
between two kinds of wisdoms.
Why?
Because here's James' big idea
in our text.
He's essentially saying
we cannot be
a heavenly people
and live according to earthly wisdom.
The church cannot be
a heavenly people,
the people it's meant to be,
the new creation,
and live according to earthly wisdom.
The way we do life,
our skill
in living,
in leading,
our practical approach
to everyday matters
and to being together
in community,
it has to be different,
James says.
So let's take a look
at these two kinds of wisdom.
James says there's a wisdom
from below
and there's a wisdom
from above
and for each one
he's actually going to show us
three things
about these two kinds of wisdom.
For each one
he's going to show us
first its nature,
what it's like,
and then second
he's going to show us
its source,
where it's from,
and then third
he's going to show us
the results,
what it brings.
So first,
let's look at the wisdom
from below.
James starts off
this text by saying,
who is wise
and understanding
among you?
Then he says something
that just sounds
so James,
doesn't it?
Let them prove it,
not by their intellect,
not by their credentials,
but by their life.
Not just their work too,
not just their conduct,
but also their character.
He says,
real wisdom is seen
in good conduct,
brought forth
in humility.
But James is kind of
jumping ahead there.
First,
he wants us to see
what this false wisdom,
this wisdom from below
looks like.
So in verse 14,
he begins with his three points.
He says,
okay,
here's what it's like,
here's its character,
here's its traits,
he says,
if you have
bitter jealousy
and selfish ambition
in your hearts,
do not boast
and be false to the truth.
Bitter jealousy
and selfish ambition.
Now bitter jealousy,
that's the sort of thing
that says,
I want what you have.
And selfish ambition says,
I'm willing to divide
and conquer
in order to get it.
In fact,
that phrase,
selfish ambition,
means something like
using divisive means
to promote
your own interests.
You exploit rivalry
or develop a kind of
party spirit
in order to get ahead.
Now,
I'm imagining
that very few of us
walk around
explicitly saying,
I want what you have
and I'm willing
to divide and conquer
to get it.
I've never had
that kind of conversation
with someone.
But notice,
James says,
in your hearts.
What's underneath
your words
and your actions?
Take, for example,
maybe a Christian leader.
On the surface,
they might be teaching
true things.
Even putting forward
what seems like
a great concern
for God's kingdom.
But underneath,
they can be driven
by jealousy.
A desire
to want to be
the biggest
and the best.
To get the praise
that other ministries
or ministers receive.
And along with that,
they can be driven
by selfish ambition.
They could cast
dispersion
on whole groups.
They could create
an us-versus-them
mentality
in order to get ahead.
And now,
here's the danger.
On the surface,
that sort of approach
can produce
what looks like,
at first,
good results.
The word is preached.
The church grows.
People's lives
are impacted
for the good.
But James says,
don't boast
and be false
to the truth.
And by truth here,
he probably means
the same thing
that he meant
back in chapter 1,
verse 18,
when he talks about
the word of truth,
which is the gospel.
In other words,
if underneath
what drives you
or characterizes you
is jealousy
and selfish ambition,
then you're actually
betraying the truth
of the gospel itself.
But this isn't just
a problem
for Christian leaders.
It's a problem
for all of us.
And James is talking
to all of us.
From the classroom
to the workplace
to our neighborhoods,
in any sphere,
jealousy
and selfish ambition
can be
what drives us.
I want what you have
and I'll do what
it takes to get it.
And again,
in the beginning,
it can look like
it's working.
We move to the top
of the class,
we get the promotion
at work,
we get elected
for an office,
but deep down,
we're being false
to the truth.
Because as James shows us
in the next verse,
verse 15,
we need to realize
the source
of this so-called wisdom.
He's just shown us
what it's like
in verse 14.
Now,
in verse 15,
he shows us
where it's from.
Verse 15,
this is not the wisdom
that comes down
from above,
but is earthly,
unspiritual,
demonic.
Whoa.
James does not pull
any punches
in this book,
does he?
Each of these three words,
earthly,
unspiritual,
demonic,
they each describe
different aspects
of the created order
without any reference
to God.
Take earthly,
or what James
and other New Testament
writers elsewhere
call the world.
Now,
that is our corporate
or our social
or our structural
life together
without reference
to God.
Take the word
unspiritual,
that's our personal
life
without reference
to God.
Then,
demonic,
of course,
that's the spiritual
world
without reference
to God.
How tragic
that people
claiming to be
the church,
claiming to be
God's new creation
in their practical
everyday lives
can be living
according to the wisdom
of the very opposite.
Now,
you might be thinking,
demonic?
That's a little harsh,
isn't it?
But do you remember
in the Gospels
when Jesus turns
to his disciples
and he says,
who do people
say that I am?
And the disciples
say,
well,
some people are
saying this
and some people
are saying that.
And then Jesus
says,
well,
who do you say
that I am?
And then Peter,
speaking for all
the rest,
says,
Jesus,
you're the Christ,
you're the Messiah,
you're the Son
of the living God.
And at that moment,
what does Jesus
teach them about next?
Now that they're
professing him
to be the Son of God,
what does he go on
to tell them
and to teach them?
At that moment,
he starts teaching them
about the cross,
that he must be
delivered over
to the authorities
and crucified.
And then what does
Peter say?
He rebukes Jesus,
right?
He says,
Jesus,
no way,
this is not
a winning strategy.
Messiahs don't
get crucified.
This is not
the plan.
And then Jesus
says,
get behind me,
Satan.
You see,
Peter wanted
the Messiah
to come
and divide
and conquer.
Jesus had come,
however,
to make peace
by the blood
of his cross.
Peter's wisdom
in that moment
was from below,
earthly,
unspiritual,
and according
to Jesus himself,
demonic.
Of course,
Jesus' wisdom
looked like foolishness
in the eyes
of the world.
And in that moment,
it looked like foolishness
in the eyes
of the disciples,
too.
But what they
would soon find out
is that the cross
is actually
the wisdom of God
and the very power
of God.
God's wisdom
is the truth.
But what does this
wisdom from below
result in?
We've seen what it's like.
We've seen where it's from.
What's the outcome?
Now,
we've already said
that in the short term,
this wisdom from below
can produce
what looks like success.
But what about
in the long run?
Verse 16.
James says,
for where jealousy
and selfish ambition
exist,
there will be
disorder
and every
vile practice.
Disorder.
Chaos.
Churches will splinter
and split.
People will be torn apart.
Communities will be torn apart.
Communities will turn
against one another
and implode.
Disorder.
And then he says
every vile
or every evil practice.
What will be on the rise?
Selfishness.
Malice.
Gossip.
Greed.
Discrimination.
Apathy.
That's what the real
end result is.
You see,
sometimes we foolishly think
that the ends
justify the means.
But what James
is telling us here
is that the ends
will never escape
the means.
the means
that we use
will be the ends
in the long run
that we produce.
Eugene Peterson
puts it this way,
paraphrasing verse 16.
He says,
whenever you're trying
to look better
than others,
that is jealousy,
or get the better
of others,
selfish ambition,
things fall apart
and everyone
ends up
at the other's
throats.
Whenever you're
trying to look
better than others
or get the better
of others,
things fall apart
and everyone
ends up
at the other's
throats.
So that's the wisdom
from below.
But thankfully,
James doesn't
stop there.
We don't
have to stay
in the wisdom
that's characterized
by trying to look
better than others
and get the better
of others.
You see,
the good news is
there's another
kind of wisdom.
There's a wisdom
from above.
A wisdom
whose source
is God himself.
As James says
in chapter 1,
verse 17,
James says,
every good
and perfect gift
is from above,
coming down
from the Father
of lights.
That's the source.
That's where
this wisdom
is from.
But what does
this wisdom
look like?
And what does
it result in?
Let's look first
at what it looks
like.
Verse 17,
but the wisdom
from above,
James says,
is first pure,
then peaceable,
gentle,
open to reason,
full of mercy
and good fruits,
impartial
and sincere.
Now,
James is sort
of like a word
artist
at this moment.
He's sort of
painting a picture
with these words.
In the Greek text,
there's lots of
alliteration,
there's lots of
assonance among
these words.
They sort of sound
like they're strung
together.
And that would
have made this list
of virtues
very memorable
and very powerful
to the original
listeners.
So what James
is trying to do
here is he's
trying to paint
a picture of the
heart of true
wisdom,
of God's wisdom.
And we won't
be able to
unpack every
stroke of that
painting that
he's doing here,
but let's just
focus on the
first two words.
First pure,
then peaceable.
Now,
when something
is pure,
it's clean,
right?
There's honesty,
there's integrity
to it.
There's nothing
that's sort of
diminishing it
or weakening it.
Think of metal
ore that's been
dug out of the
earth.
And then it gets
put into a fire
and the dross,
the impurities,
are kind of
burned away.
And the pure
metal that comes
out is not just
more brilliant,
but it's also
more resilient.
It's stronger.
So this wisdom
from above
is first of all
pure.
It has no
mixed motives.
It has no
conflicting
agendas.
In other
words,
it's not
riddled
with the
bitter
jealousies
of the
old wisdom
from below.
Beneath
that old
wisdom,
that old
wisdom from
below,
was the
fear and
pride of
how I
looked before
others,
comparing
myself to
others,
wanting to
be better
than others,
wanting to
be praised
by others.
But the
wisdom from
above is
free of
all that.
It's
pure.
more.
The other
word that
James gives
for this
kind of
purity is
found back
in verse
13 where
he calls
it the
meekness
of wisdom.
In the
Old Testament,
this word
meekness does
not mean
cowardice or
passivity.
It means
being set
free from
our anxious
self-promotion.
It means
genuine
humility.
It means
being free
from our
obsession
with the
self.
Can you
imagine
living a
life without
the constant
undercurrent of
wanting to
promote yourself?
Without that
constant anxiety
of self-assessment
and self-comparison
and self-regard?
Can you
imagine a
life lived
rather,
in the
purity of
genuine
humility?
Wouldn't
that be
wisdom
indeed?
To not
be enslaved
to your
desire to
be seen,
to be praised,
to be
acknowledged,
but release
from all
that to
live a
life of
love
toward
others?
Socrates
apparently
called
jealousy
an
ulcer
of the
soul.
Imagine
the deep
burning
pain
of
self-interest
at last
being
healed.
What would
that be
like?
Well,
James says
it's first
pure,
then it's
peaceable.
That's what
it starts to
look like.
Freed from
jealousy,
we become
peaceable.
if the
wisdom
from
below
is
characterized
by selfish
ambition
of dividing
and conquering,
of trying
to get
the better
of others,
the wisdom
from above
is characterized
by peace.
But peace
here doesn't
mean merely
the absence
of fear
or worry
or conflict.
Peace in the
Bible means
wholeness.
It's the
fabric of
creation
in all
its right
relationships
flourishing
together.
To say
then that
wisdom
is peaceable
means that
it is
driven
to make
things whole
again,
to make
things right
again,
to give
birth to
what the
Hebrew Bible
calls
shalom.
To mend
this torn
fabric of
relationships,
of communities,
of creation.
First pure,
then peaceable.
That's what
true wisdom
looked like.
But you know
in the short
term,
it often
doesn't seem
like it
works,
does it?
A wisdom
that is pure
then peaceable
doesn't often
make a snappy
headline.
The work
of peace
doesn't often
garner
promotions,
or win
elections
in the same
way that
jealousy and
selfish ambition
can.
In fact,
like Peter,
we can sometimes
look at the
wisdom from
above that's
first pure
then peaceable
and say,
that's not
going to work,
Jesus.
This is the
real world
down here.
But look at
what James
says in
verse 18.
And a
harvest of
righteousness
is sown in
peace by
those who
make peace.
A harvest
of righteousness.
righteousness.
Have you
ever been
in a field
or in
an orchard
maybe that's
ready to
harvest?
My family
likes to
pick fruit
at Bishop's
Orchard up
the shoreline.
But here's
the thing.
If you look
at an apple
orchard out
of season
before the
harvest,
you might be
a little
underwhelmed.
I remember
the first time
I went to
an orchard
and I
expected that
these massive
apples would
come from
massive trees,
right?
And I
showed up
and the
only thing
that was
planted
were these
like stubby
pruned back
kind of
things.
And I
thought,
what's
going to
come out
of that?
They're so
much shorter,
they're so
much smaller
than I
expected.
I had
crabapple
trees at
home that
are bigger
than that.
What's
going to
come of
that little
tree?
But then
the harvest
comes and
those seemingly
little trees
are covered
in fruit.
You see,
friends,
the wisdom
from above
is like that.
The wisdom
that's first
pure,
then peaceable,
it doesn't
seem like
much at
first.
It might
even seem
like a
losing
cause.
But a
harvest of
righteousness
is sown
in peace
by those
who make
peace.
It may
take time.
It may
seem like
there are
setbacks,
but the
harvest
will come.
I think
it's worth
asking then,
what kind
of church
do we
want to
be?
What kind
of church
do we
want to
see?
What kind
of families
and communities
do we
want to
see?
What kind
of city
do we
want to
see?
Do we
want to
see increasing
righteousness
and justice?
It doesn't
come through
worldly
wisdom.
It will
come as
we sow
peace and
make peace.
But keep
in mind,
being a
peacemaker
is different
than being a
peacekeeper.
Have you
heard that
distinction
before?
Some of you
have.
There's a
difference between
peacemaking and
peacekeeping.
keeping the
peace often
means avoiding
conflict,
appeasing
people,
supporting the
status quo,
not rocking
the boat.
That's not
what James
means.
That's not
what Jesus
means when
he says
blessed are
the peacemakers.
Peacemaking
means striving
for real
wholeness,
real shalom.
Peacemaking
means confrontation
at times.
Peacemaking
may mean,
as one writer
put it,
temporarily
disrupting a
community in
order to deal
with root
problems so
that genuine
peace may
ensue.
Sometimes a
friendship,
sometimes a
marriage,
sometimes a
church,
sometimes a
community needs
to be disrupted
in order to
deal with root
problems so
that genuine
peace can come.
peace can come
from the
people.
But remember,
even the
sometimes
confrontational
and disruptive
work of
peacemaking
is still done
in humility,
in purity,
and in love.
So these are
the two kinds
of wisdom
then.
Wisdom
from below
and wisdom
from above.
And James
has shown us
the nature
and the source
and the results
of each.
But you know,
before we leave
this passage,
I think we've
got to ask,
how do we get
that second
kind of wisdom?
How do we get
this wisdom
from above?
Because
oftentimes my
natural default
is the wisdom
from below.
Well,
first we need
to ask for it.
If any of you
lacks wisdom,
James writes
in chapter 1,
let him ask
God,
who gives
generously to
all without
reproach,
and it will
be given
to him.
We need
to ask
for it.
Of course
this makes
total sense,
right?
If the wisdom
from above
is God's
wisdom,
then we have
to go to
God to get
it.
We have
to be humble
enough to ask
for it
and realize
that we can't
produce it on
our own.
But, you know,
we can also
be bold
and confident
when we ask
for it
because God
promises to
give generously
to all
without reproach.
So we need
to ask for it.
We need to ask
for this wisdom
in prayer.
And second,
we need to
start practicing
it.
Remember,
wisdom isn't
just knowledge,
right?
It's living.
I don't know
if you've ever
driven a car
without power
steering,
or when
the power
steering
goes out.
My grandfather
had a very
old Buick
when I was
growing up
and sometimes
the power
steering
wouldn't always
work so well
in the Buick.
When the power
steering goes out
in your car,
it is almost
impossible
to turn the
wheel
when the car
isn't moving.
But once the
car starts
moving,
it gets a
whole lot
easier.
You see,
wisdom's kind
of like that.
Once the car
starts moving,
once we start
practicing what
we know,
then in the
living,
we grow more
and more
wise.
Now that can
be hard for
some of us.
Some of us
like to have
all the things
figured out
ahead of time.
We want to
know exactly
how and if
it will work.
But in order
to grow in
wisdom,
we need to
begin.
We need to
begin making
peace.
And little
by little,
you'll become
more and
more of a
peacemaker.
Because here's
what's going
to happen
once you
start living
into it.
For Christians,
the Holy Spirit
is going to
start showing
you when
you need
to be gentle,
when you
need to be
open to
reason,
when you
need to be
full of
mercy and
good fruits,
when you
need to be
impartial,
when you
need to be
particularly
sincere.
And the
Holy Spirit
is also going
to start
showing you
as you put
it into
practice,
where you
failed,
and where
you need to
seek forgiveness
and try
again.
You know,
a good
practice is
to end
every day,
or to end
most days,
with a few
minutes of
prayer.
End every
day with a
few minutes
of prayer,
asking the
Spirit to
guide your
thoughts over
the previous
day.
Invite the
Holy Spirit
to come and
just think
with you,
to lead your
thoughts over
the previous
day.
you've just
lived.
And then
ask Him to
show you
where you've
been responding
to His
leading.
And to
give thanks
for that.
To give
thanks for
when the
Spirit gave
you some
of these
gifts of
peacemaking
and gentleness
and openness
to reason,
etc.
And then
ask the
Holy Spirit
to show you
where you
didn't respond
so well.
And confess
that.
And then
pray for
His leading
and His
power for
the coming
day to
help you
keep in
step with
Him,
to keep
in step
with the
Spirit.
You know,
if we're
practicing
that kind
of prayer,
that's going
to help
us grow
in the
practice
of
peacemaking.
So we
need to
ask for
it.
And we
need to
begin
practicing
it.
But the
last thing,
we need
to receive
it.
Here's what
I mean.
You see,
the wisdom
from above
is first
of all
pure,
James
says.
And there's
only one
way for
foolish and
flawed people
like us
to be
pure.
there's
only one
way to
be liberated
from the
jealousy that
wants to
look better
than others.
There's
only one
way to
be set
free from
the selfish
ambition that
wants to
get the
better of
others.
The only
way to
be set
free from
all of
that is
through what
God has
done in
Jesus.
You see,
Jesus was
the one who
was truly
wise.
in him
are hidden
all the
treasures of
wisdom and
knowledge,
Paul writes
in Colossians.
You know,
read the
Gospels for
yourself and
you will
find that
James'
kind of
impressionistic
portrait here
in verse 17,
pure,
peaceable,
gentle,
open to
reason,
full of
mercy and
good fruits,
impartial,
sincere.
It's really
the portrait
of Christ.
And only
when we see
what Jesus
did for us
will we
be set free
from jealousy
and ambition.
Only when you
see how much
he loved
you,
dying on
the cross,
the wise
one dying
for the
foolish,
when you
see that,
that he did
that for
you and
that he
loves you,
then you
won't need
so much to
look better
before others
anymore.
And when
you see him
rising again
in victory
over sin
and death
for you,
well,
suddenly that
releases you
from the
need to
get the
better of
others.
Because in
him,
through his
death and
resurrection,
no matter how
sinful or
broken you
might be,
in him,
you're pure.
In him,
you are
victorious.
In him,
you're seated
with him
in the right
hand,
at the right
hand of
the Father.
And when
you start
living like
all of that
is true,
when you
start living
united to
Christ through
faith,
knowing that
his death
has cleansed
you and
his resurrection
has rescued
you,
then we'll
start to be
truly wise
with the
wisdom from
above.
Proverbs 13,
20 says,
whoever walks
with the wise
becomes wise.
Whoever walks
with the wise
becomes wise.
So,
friends,
if Jesus is
the ultimately
wise one,
the one in
whom all the
treasures of
wisdom and
knowledge are
found,
then only
by trusting
and walking
with him
and receiving
it from him
will we
become truly
wise.
Let's pray.
Lord Jesus,
what a
convicting
passage this
is for us.
Lord,
too often
our wisdom
is characterized
by selfish
ambition and
jealousy.
Would you
forgive us
for that
this morning?
would you
expose in
our hearts
where that
is true
and we
don't see
it?
And,
Jesus,
would you
forgive our
pride that
wants to
try to do
it on our
own?
And would
you humble
us by your
spirit and
teach us to
ask and
to act and
to receive?
Lord,
would you
make us a
people that
are wise with
the wisdom
from above?
Make us
pure and
peaceable.
Lord,
we long to
see a
harvest of
righteousness.
Rebuke us
when our
means are
from below.
Help us to
be peacemakers
with the wisdom
from above,
we pray.
Amen.