Heavenly Wisdom
Text: James 3:13-18
Core Idea: Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God sent from heaven to bring peace and reconciliation between God and us. Then as we cultivate and deepen our relationship with Him, may we live a life that honors the Lord and serves the people for this is how we grow in wisdom that comes from heaven.
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. It is delightful to see you. As you know, we’re going through the Book of James – looking at different ways the gospel impacts our lives. And last Sunday, we learned that our words have this incredible ability to create and affect realities – the power to bring life or the power to bring destruction. Then knowing that our tongues speak what the heart is full of, we were challenged to soak ourselves in the Word of God so that when we are pricked anywhere, we would bleed the Bible. Today, James will talk about the subject of wisdom. Then with this in mind, let’s open up our Bibles to James 3:13-18. Let me read this for us.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
An article that I read this week reported that the amount of data and information we currently produce as well as consume is literally at mind-boggling levels. It said that 90% of the entire world’s data was produced just in the last two years – and every two years, the volume of data across the world will double in size. What this means is that we can go online any time we want and learn about literally anything and everything. There’s really no limit to the knowledge that’s available to us – and we can access them with just a click of a mouse. Then let me ask you, “Have we become wiser from it? Has this helped us to live wisely? Have we learned to live rightly? Are we making better decisions? Is there more peace in our society as a result of it? Are we any happier than before?” Most of us would say, “Not really.” In fact, countless studies report that the current generation is the most depressed, the most anxious, the most fragile, and the most lonely generation in the history of the world. We’ve got all this information, data, and insights but we’re not necessarily becoming wiser from it. Why? Because, as James will tell us, true wisdom is not just having knowledge but being able to put them into practice – to live our lives in light of them. Then with this in mind, let me share three things from this passage:
· THE DEMONSTRATION OF WISDOM
· EARTHLY WISDOM
· HEAVENLY WISDOM
1) THE DEMONSTRATION OF WISDOM
James asks in verse 13, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life.” This answer shouldn’t be a surprise for those of you who have been tracking through the Book of James with us over the past couple of months because James has been constantly trying to show us the difference between mere profession of faith and real possession of faith – that saving faith in our hearts is always evident in the fruit of our lives. Then in the same way, James wants us to know that true wisdom is also not just heard, not just known, not just said, but actually seen in our lives – which is why James doesn’t say, “Who is wise among you? Let’s have a debate to determine who is the wisest of all.” But instead, he says, “Let them show it by their good life.” This would’ve been actually shocking to the original readers because the Greeks at the time understood wisdom as having as much knowledge as possible – attaining this secret divine knowledge. But here was James teaching them that it’s not really about what you know but what you do with that knowledge that demonstrates wisdom.
Now, this is important to note because many of us may not be so different from those Greek philosophers. I’m not sure if you do this but I often write down all these quotes that captured my heart into my phone – and not surprisingly, many of those quotes are from Pastor Tim Keller. As you know, he had this God-given ability to bring the Word come alive and connect it to our lives – so, his sermons and books literally opened my eyes to see the truth in ways that I’ve never seen before. So, here are some examples. One time, he said, “It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch.” This radically transformed the way I understood salvation. And I found this great comfort – knowing that my salvation is not dependent on the strength of my faith but on the power of Christ. We are secure not because our grip is strong, but because He will never let us go. Here’s another one, “Religious people find God useful. Growing Christians find God beautiful.” Isn’t that just incredibly insightful? These words always drive me to guard my heart so that God would never become the means to an end but that I would continually grow to admire Him, adore Him, and treasure Him above all things. One last one – this is specifically for me as someone who’s been learning to preach, “While the difference between a bad sermon and a good sermon is mainly the responsibility of the preacher, the difference between good preaching and great preaching lies mainly in the work of the Holy Spirit.” Not that I’ve been successful all the time, but I’ve been working hard to put together a good sermon every single Sunday. But more importantly, I’ve been praying that the Spirit would make my preaching great so that it would help you connect the Word to your lives. Well, I’m not sure if that’s been the case but if it wasn’t, it just means that you need to pray for me more. So, when you can, please remember me in your prayers – that I would preach with clarity, conviction, and faithfulness to the Word. Now, the point I want to make is this – every time I wrote these quotes down, it felt like I was depositing wisdom into my life. It felt like I was becoming wiser just because I reflected on them – just because I had them on my phone. But we know that can’t be true. Unless I live them out, they won’t add a thing to my wisdom – in fact, all they will do is simply make me think that I’m wiser when I’m not. It’s like having a huge collection of books but never reading them – never accessing them. Brothers and sisters, wisdom is not just having knowledge or insight but it’s about what we do with that knowledge and insight. The wisdom that James talks about is not just heard, not just said – but it’s seen through our lives.
Let me make this a little more practical for us by actually doing a short review of what James has talked about so far. In Chapter 1, we were called to consider all trials pure joy knowing that God is testing our faith, producing perseverance, and making us more like Christ through our trials. We were reminded that our trials will not be wasted but that God will use them to accomplish His purpose in us. Now, knowing that this is not easy, James challenged us to ask God for His wisdom so that we wouldn’t be discouraged but have the eyes to see that God is using our trials to do exactly that. Then let me ask you, “Have you been putting into practice what you’ve been learning from the Book of James – not just being content to know these truths but looking for ways to live them out? How have you been fighting to consider your trials pure joy? Have you been asking for wisdom? If not, why not?” Please don’t get me wrong – I’m not trying to make any of you feel guilty. I simply ask because I genuinely want to see you grow in your faith and wisdom. I want you to persevere. I want you to be victorious. I want you to experience this unshakable joy even in your trials. But this cannot happen unless you’re putting these truths and insights into action. It’s not enough just to know. It’s not enough just to be convicted of it. If this truth is to turn into wisdom for your life, you must apply it.
Of course, this is not going to be easy. It’ll require creativity, intentionality, and perseverance. But the good news is that you don’t have to do this on your own – remember that you have these brothers and sisters here at Lighthouse who want to be on that journey with you. In fact, it’s no coincidence that you’re here – I firmly believe that God has purposely brought you here and made you part of this specific community so that you may be blessed and be a blessing to others, so that you may grow in your faith and wisdom. Then I plead with you – don’t isolate yourself. Don’t distance yourself from others. Get closer. Cultivate intimacy. Become vulnerable. Offer yourselves for service. And grow together. So, that’s the first point: wisdom is not just about knowing insightful ideas or profound truths but it’s about living them out in our lives.
2) EARTHLY WISDOM
In verse 14, James warns us that there’s actually a way to have the appearance of being wise but actually not be wise at all. He says, “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven” – which is really another way for James to say that that is not true wisdom or at least it’s not the kind of wisdom that Christians should be pursuing after. Here, we encounter those who make everything about themselves – even the desire to have wisdom is for their own glory and profit. Think about it. What is envy? Envy is the desire to have for yourself what rightfully belongs to someone else. Just as a point of reference, jealousy is the desire to keep for yourself what rightfully belongs to you. So, for example, you feel jealous when you think that your friend is hanging out with another person more than you (because you think that he/she is your friend), but you feel envious when you crave for yourself what belongs to your friend (it could be their wealth, status, popularity, and so on). In fact, this is why God can be described as jealous but never envious – the Bible says that God is jealous for us because we continue to offer ourselves to idols when we rightfully belong to Him. All this to say, to have bitter envy is to resent the blessings that others have and desperately desire them for yourself. In one sense, you’re demanding them in anger – “God, look at all the things that I’ve done for You. But why is it that he has more money than me? Why was she promoted before me? I want that for myself. I need to have that for myself. I can’t believe that You would bless them before me. So, if You love me, if You care for me, if You see how obedient I am, how faithful I am, and how ‘holy’ I am, You better do this for me.” James is exposing that the person who wants to be wise out of bitter envy will never possess true wisdom. Then what is selfish ambition? It’s the heart that aims to advance yourself – your cause, your agenda, and your kingdom. And you’re willing to pursue this at the cost of anything and anyone in your way. All this to say, James is warning those who may display a “good” life on the outside (having the appearance of being wise) but everything they do is driven by these self-centered motivations. They live out these truths and insights because they want for themselves what others have and because they want to make a name for themselves.
In fact, James says in verse 15, “Such ‘wisdom’ [which is no wisdom at all] does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” Here, James presents three characteristics of false wisdom. If we are motivated by bitter envy and selfish ambition, what we call “wisdom” will have these characteristics. First, it’s earthly. What James means by this is that this wisdom is exclusively concerned with the world we live in. It only aims to live a successful, comfortable, convenient, and easy life here on earth. It has no concern for the life after death. It has no concern for others. It’s all about you and your kingdom. Now, from the world’s point of view, you may appear wise. You’re making all the right decisions to become rich. You’re investing in the right places and you’re befriending the right people. But again, your ultimate goal is to live your best life now. And James calls that false wisdom. Second, it’s unspiritual. In other words, it doesn’t take into account the Spirit of God and His work in our lives. In one sense, we don’t leave room for God to work in us – we “wisely” work all things together so that we are the ones in control. Everything depends on our abilities, our skills, our connections, and our willpower. So, there’s no humility – it does not know what it means to depend on God. Lastly, it’s demonic. We actually have a great example of this in Matthew 16. When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Now, at this, Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven” (Matt. 16:17). In other words, Jesus says that the wisdom Peter had to perceive this came from heaven – it’s heavenly wisdom. But literally moments later, when Jesus taught His disciples that He must suffer, be killed, and rise again on the third day, Peter said, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to You!” (Matt. 16:22). Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Matt. 16:23). In other words, Peter thought he was being wise when he questioned what Jesus had in mind – but it only exposed that the “wisdom” he had was in fact demonic. This “wisdom” causes us to believe that our ways are better than God’s. It constantly questions God’s truth just like the serpent did in the Garden because we believe that we know how things ought to be. It’s completely arrogant and foolish.
Then James tells us in verse 16 that this kind of earthly wisdom always produces disorder. Now, what’s devastating about this is that it doesn’t just bring disorder to our lives alone, but it brings disorder and chaos to those around us as well – it breaks down relationships and the communities that we’re part of. But that’s not all – James tells us that it also produces every evil practice. In other words, this kind of false wisdom causes us to be prone to every sin that we could think of. The world may see it as “wisdom” but you’re constantly being tempted to sin against God and others. So, for example, the world may call it wise but you’re actually cheating on your tax. The world may call it collateral damage and that you did it for the greater good, but you’re discriminating, backstabbing, dividing, deceiving, and destroying people around you. This kind of “wisdom” doesn’t build people – it crushes them. Then let me ask you, “Is your motivation to become wise ultimately for your own glory (for your image, for your success, for your reputation) or is it truly to honor God and serve others better? Is your ‘wisdom’ something that would be praised by the world but be repulsive to God?”
3) HEAVENLY WISDOM
Verse 17, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Unlike earthly wisdom that was motivated by bitter envy and selfish ambition, James tells us that the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. This word in Greek has the same root word as the word “holy” – which means that this heavenly wisdom is motivated by our desire to become pure and holy before the Lord. It’s not self-centered but God-centered. It’s not about our own kingdoms but it’s devoted to God and His Kingdom. It doesn’t aim to grow in this temporary happiness here on earth but in holiness for the eternal life to come.
Then what are the characteristics of this heavenly wisdom? There are seven things that James mentions – so, let me go through them rather briefly. First, it’s peace-loving. This doesn’t mean that you avoid conflicts or difficult situations – but it means that when you encounter them, you seek to promote harmony and reconciliation. You don’t try to manipulate the situation to benefit from it, but you use everything you know to bring people together. You don’t use your knowledge for yourself but for others – which means that sometimes you’ll wisely remain silent and at times, speak the truth in love. It means that you choose to forgive and embrace even if the world will consider that foolish. They may say that it’s better to cut them out of your lives, but you choose to cover them with love over and over again. Second, it’s considerate. This word in Greek carries the idea of being fair, courteous, and gentle – which means that this kind of wisdom allows you to be flexible and gracious to others even if things don’t turn out the way you desired. In fact, you’ll use your wisdom to bless others more than yourself. Third, it’s submissive. This word in Greek literally means to be open to reason – as in, you’re willing to listen. It means that you’re not stubborn, but you’re teachable. And as a result, when others speak into your life, you’re not defensive, you’re not offended – rather, you see it as an opportunity to grow and mature. Fourth, it’s full of mercy. A few weeks ago, through the parable of the good Samaritan, I shared that mercy is not just doing good but getting close to and doing life with those who are suffering, abandoned, and forgotten. In other words, this heavenly wisdom propels you to be outward – to care for people with compassion and love. Fifth, it’s full of good fruit. This immediately reminded me of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul speaks of in Galatians 5:22-23 which says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” The person with this wisdom aims to grow in all of these things. Sixth, it’s impartial. This wisdom enables the person to see that everyone is created in the image of God. Pastor Paul Tripp writes, “Look into the face of anyone, and see the face of God. Human dignity is a holy thing. Value as a person is not something that is achieved. Human significance is not something that is imparted by some to others or denied by some to others. You don’t buy your value by your achievements, relationships, or appearance. You have value because you are made in the image of God. A stable definition of and sense of identity is only ever found at the hands of the Creator as He picks up dust and breathes His image into us. This means that any act of dishonor against another person is an act of dishonor against God.” When we have this heavenly wisdom, we’ll always treat people with dignity and respect because we know that no matter who they are, they all bear the image of God. And lastly, it’s sincere. This means that this wisdom encourages you to be the same in public as you are in private. There’s no gap between what you say and how you live – there’s no hint of hypocrisy. You really mean what you say. So, to possess this wisdom would be to be a person of integrity.
Then in verse 18, James tells us that this kind of heavenly wisdom will produce a harvest of righteousness. In other words, this wisdom will make it possible for us to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. Isn’t that what we all want? Then the obvious follow-up question would be, “How do we get this wisdom?” Well, James tells us that this wisdom comes from heaven – which means that we can’t produce it on our own. We can only receive it – it’s a gift. Then listen to what Proverbs 3:19 says, “By wisdom, the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place.” This verse tells us that God alone has true wisdom and power to bring order out of chaos and life out of nothing. Then how do we receive this kind of wisdom from God? Do we have to go up to heaven to get this from Him? No, because the gospel tells us that this wisdom came down for us. In 1 Corinthians 1:24, Paul describes Jesus as “the power of God and the wisdom of God.” And John 1:14 says, “The Word [referring to Jesus] became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” The good news is that God in His wisdom sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to substitute His place with us so that we could be forgiven and be made righteous in the eyes of God. And what’s amazing is that because Jesus humbly obeyed (not just think through this plan), it brought forth this unbreakable peace between God and us. Even though the wisdom of the world says, “You’ve got to protect yourself; you’ve got to be strong; you should never give yourself away” – Jesus humbly and willingly gave Himself away, taking upon Himself the sins of the world so that those who are bitterly envious, selfishly ambitious, and foolish in their hearts could be made right with God. What does this mean? It means that true wisdom is not just an abstract idea or knowledge but it’s a person. True wisdom is not gained by knowing things but by knowing a person – namely, Jesus Christ. We become wiser when we learn to love Him and grow in our relationship with Him. Then brothers and sisters, who is wise and understanding among us? It’s only those who would look to the foolishness of the cross and fix their eyes on Christ – the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
Now, let me just share this before we end. We must remember that this kind of wisdom will not be welcomed by the world we live in today. People will call us fools for talking like this, believing in something like this, and acting like this – “Why would you pursue peace when you have so much to lose? Why can’t you just move on with your life and let them deal with their conflicts on their own? Why are you sacrificing things to help others? Who cares if you act like this or that? No one will know.” They will consider heavenly wisdom foolish. But listen to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:18, 25, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God… For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” Then may we learn to boast in Christ and His ways. It’s true – the world will not understand. But remember that we don’t live to be affirmed by the world – we live to please the King. We live for His glory. Brothers and sisters, may this truth inspire you and move you to live wisely even if it may cost you a lot more than you anticipated because we firmly believe that it’s always better to lose everything to gain Christ. Let’s live for what matters – not for something that will ultimately pass away.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God sent from heaven to bring peace and reconciliation between God and us. Then as we cultivate and deepen our relationship with Him, may we live a life that honors the Lord and serves the people for this is how we grow in wisdom that comes from heaven.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Why is wisdom so valued today? Why do we as Christians need wisdom living in this world?
2) How do you think the world would define “wisdom”? According to verse 13, how does someone demonstrate wisdom and understanding? Why?
3) What are the motivations for earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom? What are the characteristics of earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom? What are the fruits of earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom?
4) How do we grow in this kind of heavenly wisdom? What is something you can do this week to seek God’s wisdom?