Heavenly Wisdom
James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason,
full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Here’s the second type of wisdom. This is not an illogical faith, let’s work this out – it’s open to reason. This sounds wonderful. If that’s the wisdom that comes from above, what does it look like in our lives?
Galatians 5:22-23a But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control.
23 gentleness, self-control.
Those are polar opposites from yesterday's list! If you examine your life, do you see more peace, patience, kindness, and goodness? Or do you see more anger, bitterness, jealousy, fits of rage? Do you see sexual immorality, drunkenness? As you examine your life, which list describes you? That then, if you work backwards, will tell you where you’re getting your wisdom from. This is really interesting, because we’re going to look at one more passage.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a 4 Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant 5 or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends.
love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant 5 or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends.
That’s not us. If you’re really honest, that is a difficult list. But that’s the list that your heavenly Father has for you. No matter how many times you seek other wisdom, fall down, screw up, sin, he’s still there with this love for you! His love for you never ends! Can you say that about the people you love, or do you have a tipping point? The wisdom that comes from above can’t be gained on your own. There’s nothing you can do to figure it out, except this: James says, “If you lack wisdom, ask.” Where does good judgment come from? Experience. Where does experience come from? Bad judgment. God won’t just zap you with patience – he puts you in situations where you can learn patience. If my younger son finds something that he wants, I ask if he’s got the money. He no longer says, “Dad, can I have money?” he asks, “Is there any work I can do to get some money?” That experience is building up, and we start seeing wisdom growing in him. When you ask God for wisdom, he’ll give you situations where you can start relying on him to give you the wisdom. Are you going to ask? Are you going to be quiet long enough to hear his response?
Why do we need wisdom?
Why do we need wisdom?
- For God’s glory.
- For our good.
James 3:13-18 The Message
13-16 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom?
Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly.
It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.
Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom.
Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom.
Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom.
It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving.
Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others,
things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.
17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others.
It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings,
not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced.
You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results
only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other,
treating each other with dignity and honor.
13-16 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom?
Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly.
It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.
Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom.
Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom.
Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom.
It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving.
Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others,
things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.
17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others.
It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings,
not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced.
You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results
only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other,
treating each other with dignity and honor.
Are you on fire for Jesus one day, and then within 48 hours wish everyone would go away so you can live in a hole? Some of us are really good at covering it up, but that’s what we really want.
How do I do this? What does this look like? How do I even start with this wisdom thing? I’m struggling with past hurt, anger, bitterness…
How do I do this? What does this look like? How do I even start with this wisdom thing? I’m struggling with past hurt, anger, bitterness…
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God,
who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,
singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,
singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Some of you need to pray for a thankful heart. You still have the heart that’s bitter, frustrated, jealous, and envious. God forgive us for that, and give us this kind of heart, a heart that is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When our hearts begin to transform, then our minds start to transform, and our actions start to transform. Then it’s not just knowledge, it’s becoming wisdom that will change your life.
"Such a person knows how to forgive...how to make allowances, when not to stand upon individual rights, and how to soften justice with mercy, and always remembers that there are greater things in the world than rules and regulations." - William Barclay