Who Has Wisdom?
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you?
He’s starting off with a test. He’s already getting this fired off, and he’s giving his readers enough rope to hang themselves. Stand up if you’ve got wisdom! You know they were saying, "Yeah, I got that." There are two kinds of people, the young pups, the teenagers or early 20-somethings thinking they’ve got it all figured out. Now if you’re that age, I’m going to bust you up a little because you know NOTHING. You’ve read a few books and think you know everything – sit down. I still have so much to learn, and I’m on the other side of the mid-30’s. Then there’s the other type of person, probably the older person with a lot of experience, and they think they really do know. It’s the grandparents who’ve been there, done that, got the shirt, and they know how it is. They’ve got the wisdom and experience.
He’s giving them enough rope to hang themselves, and those are the two kinds of people most likely to say they’ve got wisdom already. Remember, at the beginning of this series James already addressed the wisdom question. He said, if you lack wisdom, ask of God. So in this conversation he starts off talking about wisdom, and now he comes back to it way later. It’s like a trick question! He’s making them think!
He’s giving them enough rope to hang themselves, and those are the two kinds of people most likely to say they’ve got wisdom already. Remember, at the beginning of this series James already addressed the wisdom question. He said, if you lack wisdom, ask of God. So in this conversation he starts off talking about wisdom, and now he comes back to it way later. It’s like a trick question! He’s making them think!
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What does it mean to be wise and understanding? Wisdom is different than knowledge. Some of you are not smarter than a 5th grader. You don’t necessarily have the knowledge, but you have the wisdom and experience that life has given you. Knowledge is information. Wisdom is transformation. |
Knowledge is information. Wisdom is transformation. |
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
Solomon started off saying that fearing the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, then says later that it’s the beginning of wisdom! Why did he change? Between those two passages, there’s a lot of action. As you get that knowledge, you put it into action, and then it becomes wisdom because you have experience. Wisdom is knowledge in action. It is the information that you take and it begins to transform you.
Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We need to start taking the word and dwelling ad meditating on it. One of the ways we do that is by memorizing it, so that it’s there when you need it. If you want two verses that you need to memorize, it’s those two right now. Highlight that, underline that, dog-ear the page, whatever you have to do to not lose that spot. Romans 12:1-2 is a game-changer. A friend of mine wrote a Bible study called “God’s Top 40” and it’s 40 passages in the Bible that if you understand them well, you can pretty much figure out where the rest of the Bible is going and how it applies. This is one of the top 40 passages in the Bible.
Don’t’ just talk about it. Present it. Do it. Become a living sacrifice. Do not be conformed to the world’s systems, to society. Don’t spend so much time trying to keep up with the Kardashians or trying to become a soccer mom or whatever. The next big thing will always be the last big thing with the world, it never sticks. There’s always a new model, bigger, better, something you don’t have that according to the world you must have to be happy. Paul says Stop, don’t be conformed to the world. It’s really easy for the world to hear what the church is against – you shouldn’t smoke, drink, go to movies, have tattoos, cut your hair like that… You can come up with a list a mile long with what the church is against. What is the church for? Have we lost our way? Here’s what we’re for: be transformed. Allow the knowledge that you are hearing and attaining from the Word to transform you by the renewal of your mind, that by testing it you can discern the will of God. Not just for my life and general direction and what I should be when I grow up, but what is God’s design and direction for you today, right now, this afternoon, this evening. You will be able to see that because your mind is being transformed, because you’re studying it, gaining knowledge, and allowing it to change you. Wisdom is knowledge in action. Later in James he talks about how if you know what to do and you don’t do it, that’s sin. If you know what not to do and you do it, that’s sin. That’s knowledge in action.
I could stop with this, because we are educated so far beyond our obedience. Some of us have tons and tons, entire books of the Bible memorized. Darrell is the pastor to the pastors at CommUNITY, 99/100 times if I’m looking for a verse, Darrell can tell me where it is. He’s a walking encyclopedia of the Bible, but it didn’t stop with knowledge. Remember when we talked about demonic faith? The demons could teach seminary, and it would be better than anything we could teach. They know it, but it’s not changing them. Is it changing you? If you are married and don’t spend any time with your spouse, don’t talk to them, don’t listen to them, just cohabitate and make sure the kids go where they need to, is your marriage going to be solid? Church, we are the bride of Christ. If we wouldn’t leave our spouse hanging out there, why would we leave Jesus hanging out there? One of the ways to begin with this wisdom is right here. You all have one, and some of us have to blow the dust off on Sunday mornings. Some of us have heard it said that a Bible that’s falling apart belongs to a life that isn’t. We’re educated far beyond our obedience, and that’s the whole point of the message right there. James proves that in James 3:13
Don’t’ just talk about it. Present it. Do it. Become a living sacrifice. Do not be conformed to the world’s systems, to society. Don’t spend so much time trying to keep up with the Kardashians or trying to become a soccer mom or whatever. The next big thing will always be the last big thing with the world, it never sticks. There’s always a new model, bigger, better, something you don’t have that according to the world you must have to be happy. Paul says Stop, don’t be conformed to the world. It’s really easy for the world to hear what the church is against – you shouldn’t smoke, drink, go to movies, have tattoos, cut your hair like that… You can come up with a list a mile long with what the church is against. What is the church for? Have we lost our way? Here’s what we’re for: be transformed. Allow the knowledge that you are hearing and attaining from the Word to transform you by the renewal of your mind, that by testing it you can discern the will of God. Not just for my life and general direction and what I should be when I grow up, but what is God’s design and direction for you today, right now, this afternoon, this evening. You will be able to see that because your mind is being transformed, because you’re studying it, gaining knowledge, and allowing it to change you. Wisdom is knowledge in action. Later in James he talks about how if you know what to do and you don’t do it, that’s sin. If you know what not to do and you do it, that’s sin. That’s knowledge in action.
I could stop with this, because we are educated so far beyond our obedience. Some of us have tons and tons, entire books of the Bible memorized. Darrell is the pastor to the pastors at CommUNITY, 99/100 times if I’m looking for a verse, Darrell can tell me where it is. He’s a walking encyclopedia of the Bible, but it didn’t stop with knowledge. Remember when we talked about demonic faith? The demons could teach seminary, and it would be better than anything we could teach. They know it, but it’s not changing them. Is it changing you? If you are married and don’t spend any time with your spouse, don’t talk to them, don’t listen to them, just cohabitate and make sure the kids go where they need to, is your marriage going to be solid? Church, we are the bride of Christ. If we wouldn’t leave our spouse hanging out there, why would we leave Jesus hanging out there? One of the ways to begin with this wisdom is right here. You all have one, and some of us have to blow the dust off on Sunday mornings. Some of us have heard it said that a Bible that’s falling apart belongs to a life that isn’t. We’re educated far beyond our obedience, and that’s the whole point of the message right there. James proves that in James 3:13
James 3:13b By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
He’s saying, your wisdom or lack thereof is going to be coming from your works. I shouldn’t have to listen to a word you say, but should be able to follow you around in the mundane things of life: getting the kids going in the morning, going to work, your conversations, how hard you work, hanging out with you and your buddies after work. I should be able to follow you everywhere and say yes, I see wisdom there or no, I don’t. That’s what James is saying: your wisdom should show up in how you act.