Wisdom from Above & Earthly Wisdom

Thank you for this opportunity to share God's word with you.

As Alistair said today, it's a bit different for me and for yourselves,

as I had hoped to join in the building.

But yes, due to a holiday down to Costa del London,

we were contacted by Track and Trace and asked to self-isolate.

So hopefully the wonders of technology being live over Zoom will be acceptable.

So we are continuing our study in the book of James,

the book that focuses on Christian maturity.

Today in this passage, we will be looking at wisdom.

And more accurately, we will be looking at two different kinds of wisdom.

Wisdom from above, as James titles it, and earthly wisdom,

comparing the wisdom of this world with the wisdom of God.

We will look at the two sources of these wisdoms, the roots,

and what they look like and show in our lives, the fruits.

So to reflect this, I have titled this sermon, Two Roots and Two Fruits.

So I would like you, in your mind,

to picture the most clever, intelligent person you can think of.

Who is it that pops into your head when you think clever, intelligent?

Some of you may have thought of Albert Einstein,

Marie Curie, perhaps,

Leonardo da Vinci,

maybe Stephen Hawking.

How about if I now ask you to picture the wisest person you can think of?

Are you still thinking of the same person?

Or someone completely different?

Did anyone picture King Solomon?

How about dad?

Maybe granny?

Can we see a difference between being clever and being wise?

A difference between knowledge and wisdom?

On the flip side,

I'm sure we can think of people who are intelligent,

but have no wisdom when it comes to relating to people.

This is what James is tackling in this passage.

The stark difference between earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom,

and their results in the life of the Christian.

It's a practical wisdom.

I find this study challenging as I look at my own life,

especially at the moment,

going through, as many others are,

being locked in the house,

stuck with my nearest and dearest.

And I'm reminded of how much I struggle with my own heart and tongue,

and how much I need God's forgiveness.

And James doesn't pull any punches here,

as we will see,

but it also has a message of hope and love,

that God can and will change our heart

as we mature as Christians.

I hope we will all come away with this too.

So the first question is,

who are the wise?

James asked this at the start of the passage in verse 13,

who is wise and understanding among you.

So to answer this,

let's have a quick recap of this chapter as a whole.

At the start of the chapter,

James first states his argument in verse 1,

that not many of you should become teachers,

because you will be judged more strictly.

This was to address the problem of false teaching

in the early church.

James then goes on to illustrate this argument

in verses 3 to 12,

where he gives examples of the power of the tongue,

the power to destroy or the power to delight.

And now, in this section that we are looking at today,

he applies his argument

and shows how this should affect our lives as Christians.

What are the true motives behind how we speak and act?

In this chapter, as a whole,

he is asking us,

how can I carry my faith

from the bottom of my heart

to the tip of my tongue?

So, as we can see from verse 1,

the wise that James is looking to

are the mature Christians and the teachers,

those with influence over others,

and as a result,

those that will be watched more closely.

In these verses,

he's giving us illustrations

of how wisdom should be displayed in their lives.

Now, this can equally be applied to all of us

as we all have positions of teaching or influence.

This may be teaching our children,

our tasks at home,

our position at work,

or in our role in church.

And also,

wisdom is a gift from God

that we should all ask for.

In chapter 1, verse 5,

we already heard that

if any of you lacks wisdom,

you should ask God,

who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to you.

This wisdom is something we should all seek.

So, James starts off today's passage,

in verse 13,

with a strong challenge.

The wise should show it by deeds done

in humility that comes from wisdom.

What does this mean?

Deeds and humility that comes from wisdom?

Well, that no task is beneath us.

We should humbly realise

that if we are able to serve,

then we should.

Let our lives show the love

that God has put into our hearts

by serving each other,

and also serving those

that are not Christians.

Let us show our wisdom

by our deeds.

Is there something we know

that we can do to help a brother

or sister at church?

Then do it.

Don't wait for others,

but humbly do it.

James is spurring us into action here

at the start of this section.

Can we help with an outreach?

Can we be in contact

with those that are on their own

or lonely?

Do we pray for our elders

and those that teach?

The wise are the ones who serve.

Let our wisdom show by our deeds,

done in humility.

James is challenging us again,

as in previous chapters,

to act out our faith.

So what is this wisdom

that James urges us to seek?

Today, we seem to confuse

having knowledge with being wise.

This is not the wisdom

James is discussing in this passage.

It is more than knowledge,

or even knowledge of the truth.

It is living a life

that points others to God.

It is a life lived by God's standards,

not those of man.

It is a practical wisdom.

How our needs,

and those of others,

all fit within God's plan

for us as Christians.

So we now come to the roots

and the fruits.

Let us look at the roots and fruits

of the different wisdom

found in this passage.

What is the purpose

of a plant's root?

What do the roots do?

Well, they supply the plant

with moisture and nutrients.

The food it needs to survive.

They feed it.

I remember at school,

they were studying plant structures.

So we placed celery

into a glass of water

with black food colouring in it.

After some time,

we could see the black colour

moving up the celery

from the root end

towards the leaves at the top,

spreading throughout

the whole plant.

This is similar with wisdom.

The type of wisdom

we are rooted in

will spread through us

and will be evident

in our lives.

We need to ask ourselves,

and I include myself in this,

what kind of wisdom

are we feeding on?

Where is it rooted?

Is it rooted in the value system

of this world?

Or is it rooted

in God's wisdom?

James shows us here

that these are two

completely different,

opposite types of wisdom.

They have very different roots,

leading to very different fruits.

So firstly,

let us look at the wisdom

that is rooted in this world.

So let's remind ourselves

of the passage.

So in verse 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.

But if you harbour

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,

but is earthly,

unspiritual,

demonic.

This is worldly wisdom,

if we can call it

wisdom at all.

We see this

in verse 15.

Such wisdom

does not come down

from heaven.

By this,

James means

the world system

which is opposed

to God,

the system that wants

nothing to do with God

and his son.

He says here

it is earthly,

unspiritual,

and it is from the devil.

It's demonic.

These are the three

enemies of the Christian.

The world

is earthly,

our desires

is unspiritual,

it's the opposite

of being spiritual

and it's from the devil.

It's demonic.

So these are the three

enemies we have to be

aware of.

The wisdom of this world

rejects God

and it rejects

the gospel of God.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1:18

chapter 1

verse 18

tells us,

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 message

of the cross

is foolishness

to those

who are perishing.

And that's just

the way the devil

wants it,

for people

to reject

God's wisdom

and the life

that only God

can offer.

And also,

when we look

at the fruits

in this passage,

we can see

that this

worldly wisdom

has a very

proud,

selfish

line of fruit.

In a word,

it's self-serving.

It is the opposite

of God's wisdom.

wisdom.

For we read

in James

James 4:6

chapter 4

verse 6,

which you'll be

looking at

in a few weeks

time,

that God

opposes the

proud,

but shows

favour to

the humble.

So what are

the fruits

of this

worldly wisdom?

Well,

firstly,

it's the wrong

motives.

If you look,

we can see

that it comes

from bitter

envy and

selfish ambition

in their hearts.

many today

are full of

knowledge,

but empty

of wisdom.

This is a

wisdom meant

to impress

rather than

to help

in any sort

of practical

way.

The world's

way to get

up is by

climbing up

over others.

It doesn't

matter what

it takes to

get you

where you

need to be.

It's about

showing that

you've done

this by

yourself.

No help.

You are the

best.

And this

may also be

evident in

the church.

jealousy of

how God

is using

a fellow

Christian,

but not

us.

Or it

may be

envy of

another's

gifts,

gifts that

God has

given them

to strengthen

the church.

Do we

want what

they have?

This is not

the way to

get it.

We will

see this

as we

look at

God's

wisdom

later.

Worldly

wisdom

also leads

to the

wrong

standards.

It is

boastful

and it

denies

the truth.

So it

is rooted

in self

and self

interest.

Pride

loves to

boast.

We can

sometimes

pretend

that

everything

we

have

is

from

our

own

hard

work.

It's

not a

gift from

God.

Look what

I have

achieved

with my

hands.

We boast.

It

denies the

truth.

What is

truth was

asked of

Jesus

2000 years

ago.

This is

still the

case

today.

If you

don't like

the truth

you can

just invent

your own

version of

it.

We measure

things by

our own

standards

not God's

truth.

We do

what is

right in

our own

eyes.

It also

exhibits the

wrong

characteristics.

James

describes it

as unspiritual

earthly.

This is

animal-like or

essential,

the absolute

opposite of

spiritual.

It is

focused on

fleeting

superficial

feelings

rather than

in genuine

love.

There is

nothing deep

there.

It is

about using

people,

not loving

people.

Can we

see this

in the

world today,

the shallow

superficial

love?

Do we

see this

in our

own

lives?

Ultimately,

it ends

with the

wrong results.

If we

look at

verse 16,

we

have

envy

and selfish

ambition,

there you

will find

disorder in

every evil

practice.

It affects

the Christian

as spiritual

growth is

stopped,

our witness

to others

is destroyed

and ultimately

our intimacy

of Christ

is broken.

We can

see the

overlap with

last week's

message.

Jonathan

challenged us

how we use

our tongue

and he said,

are we

causing

our feeling

conflict?

Our words

and actions

can cause

others to

disregard

the gospel

and that

the tongue

is the

outward

showing of

the heart.

We can

see here

in this

passage

that the

fruit of

worldly

wisdom

leads to

disorder

and we

can see

that all

these fruits

are a

result of

the trap

of being

rooted in

wisdom

from this

world.

And as

we heard

last week,

we need

God's

grace.

So as

we go

on now

and look

at wisdom

from above,

we can

see the

contrast

in verse

17,

where we

are presented

with the

wisdom rooted

in heaven,

the wisdom

from above,

which is like

a breath of

fresh air

compared with

what we have

just read.

Let's read

this together.

So in verse

17,

What a list!

This is the

complete opposite

from earthly

wisdom.

This is very

evident when we

look at the

fruits.

This wisdom

is a gift

from God.

it is humble

and it is

evident by

how we

serve others.

Likewise,

the fruits

of the

wisdom

from above.

Heavenly

wisdom is

first of

all pure.

This is the

idea of

having

integrity

and principles

that won't

be compromised,

of being

set apart.

It's

interesting

that being

pure is

first in

God's

list.

Peace

loving comes

next.

Sometimes in

our life,

there may

come a

time when

we need to

take a

stand for

living a

holy life,

for being

pure.

And there

are certain

things that

we can't

give into.

And I'm

not just

talking about

in a war

with the

world when

we're fighting

against the

world's ways.

We may

think of

Paul's

disagreement

with Peter

in Galatians.

Paul took a

stand for

truth and

peace

followed.

So firstly,

be pure

with the

holy life

and this

ultimately

will bring

peace.

And as we

continue to

look at the

fruits from

heavenly wisdom,

they are all

relational wisdom,

how we relate

to and

treat other

people.

This wisdom

is peace

loving,

the idea

that we

will not

antagonize

others.

Earthly

wisdom we

have seen

puts

ourselves

first and

doesn't care

for the

feelings of

others.

Well,

this wisdom

from above

will have

us put

others before

ourselves and

seek peace.

It is also

considerate,

the opposite

of being

self-centered.

We will

consider all

the joys and

pains that

others have

gone through.

We will

put their

feelings before

our own.

We will not

respond based

on just one

incident,

but we'll

consider the

whole picture

of what

they are

going through

and up

until this

point,

we will

cut them

some slack.

We will

not go

nuclear when

someone makes

a mistake

or wrongs

us.

It's been

considerate.

It is

submissive or

gentle.

Now,

this is not

a weakness

or being

a pushover.

It conveys

the idea of

avoiding harsh

criticism of

others.

It makes

allowances.

wisdom from

above is

also full

of mercy

and good

fruit.

If God

had not

been merciful

to us,

where would

we be?

The idea

of not

dishing out

punishment

when it's

due,

but being

forgiven.

This brings

to mind

the Lord's

prayer when

we ask

God to

forgive our

sins in

the same

way that

we forgive

those who

have sinned

against us.

We must

be forgiven.

Are we?

And it's

also an

impartial

wisdom.

It treats

all as

equals.

James covered

this in

chapter 2

with the

treatment of

the rich

and the

poor.

And in

this world

where people

aren't always

treating as

equals,

as Christians

we should

realise that

this is

something that

should be

displayed in

our lives

to treat

all as

equal and

to be

impartial.

It's a

sincere

wisdom.

we also

read,

being genuine

without

ulterior

motives.

Basically,

don't be a

hypocrite and

hide behind

a mask.

And what

does this

wisdom lead

to?

Well, we're

peacemakers

who sow

in peace

and ultimately

leading to

a harvest

of righteousness.

Harvest of

righteousness.

This brings

to mind the

words of

Jesus found

in John

John 15:5

chapter 15

verse 5

where Jesus

says,

I am the

vine,

you are the

branches.

If you

remain in

me and

I in

you,

you will

bear much

fruit.

Apart from

me, you

can do

nothing.

Does that

make us

think of

today when

we're more

disjointed

possibly than

we ever

have been

with COVID

and being

isolated from

each other?

We really

need to

meet together

as a

church,

be peacemakers

together,

and sow

in this

harvest of

righteousness.

Do this

through Jesus.

Let's not

give up

meeting together.

So how

amazing would

it be to

be described

in this

way as

peace-loving,

as considerate,

as full of

mercy.

Very

challenging,

but it's an

amazing list.

But has

James just

given us

these two

lists,

one list of

earthly wisdom

to make us

feel guilty

and that

God is

angry when

he sees

these in

our lives?

And this

other list,

the list of

heavenly wisdom

being things

that will make

God happy

when we try

to grasp

them?

Because let's

be honest,

some of them

are almost

impossible to

meet.

Is that what

James is

intending here?

Is it a

balance weighing

good fruits

against bad,

seeing what's

active in

our lives?

Absolutely

not.

James is

showing that

on our own,

it is impossible

to meet

God's

standards,

just as it

is to

tame the

tongue.

We need

God's

forgiveness

and grace.

How do we

apply all

this in our

lives as

Christians?

I don't

think we

can deal

with this

section of

scripture

without

addressing

the passage

as a

whole.

So the

course of

the chapter

flows as

follows.

Not everyone

should become

teachers as

they will be

judged more

strictly.

due to the

position of

influence that

they have.

This is

shown by

the power

of the

tongue,

which has

the power

to build

up our

witness and

build up

other

Christians,

or the

power to

destroy

this when

we get

it wrong.

So we

need to

tame the

tongue,

but we

can't.

And what

flows from

our tongue

shows what

is in our

heart.

The only

way to

change our

tongue is

to change

our hearts.

And this

can only come

from God.

God is

here in

this section

from verse

13 that

James gives

a solution

to this

impossible

problem of

taming the

tongue, of

changing our

heart.

Godly wisdom

comes from

knowing God.

We've read

this already in

chapter 1

verse 5.

If any of

you lacks

wisdom, you

should ask

God.

How do we

ask God for

what we need?

Through prayer.

prayer.

It is

spending time

with God

in prayer

and reading

his word.

It is

serving others.

The more

time we

spend getting

to know

God, the

more important

God's love

and forgiveness

becomes to

us, the

more important

his grace.

He has

forgiven us

through Jesus'

death on the

cross.

When we

think on what

it costs

Jesus and

how much we

have been

forgiven, the

less important

our own

pride and

ambition becomes.

the more

we want to

serve him.

Now a

friend sent

a little

message to

my wife

during the

week.

Don't you

love friends

who encourage

you with

things like

that?

You should

try to be

a positive

influence in

the lives

of others.

So this

little message

was titled

Be Rooted

and it

goes as

follows.

The more

you know

God, the

more you

will learn

to trust

him.

the more

you know

him

personally,

the more

you will

love him.

The more

you love

him, the

more you

will serve

him.

When we

spend time

with him,

when we

get to

know him,

when we

respond to

his grace,

God can

work on

our hearts

and the

fruits of

godly

wisdom will

grow in

our lives.

It's not

from us or

anything that

we do.

It's God

working in

our lives,

giving us a

heart transplant.

we will

want to

share this

love with

our family,

with our

friends,

with our

enemies even.

Just as the

food colouring

rose from

the root of

the celery

through the

whole plant,

if you spend

time getting

to know

God, in

prayer, reading

his word,

if you spend

time with

other Christians,

God will

act on our

heart.

We will be

rooted in

God's wisdom

from above

and its

fruits will

show in

our lives.

Now that

doesn't mean

that we're

perfect, but

we are

forgiven.

What does

this passage

mean?

If you're

not a

Christian,

friend, this

section may

seem like a

heavy, gloomy

chapter.

There are

lots of

things in it

that are

impossible to

do.

It even

tells us

this, such

as no man

can tame

the tongue.

Or it

may seem

like a

checklist of

things to

try and

do to

earn God's

approval.

I won't

harbour envy.

I will try

and be

considerate.

But this

is a point

that James

is making.

We need

to realise

that we

are broken

and sinful.

There is

nothing that

we can do

to earn

God's favour

and fix

our heart.

God's

standard is

perfection,

not one

mistake.

And this

is impossible

for us to

achieve.

But Jesus

did it.

He died

to take the

punishment that

we deserve,

that we can

have life

and God's

justice.

The need

to punish

my sin

was paid

by Christ.

The fruits

that we

have looked

at in

James should

not make

us feel

guilty,

but grateful.

The cross

of Jesus

shows us

just how

important we

are to

God.

I think

the second

verse of

the hymn

before the

throne of

God above

sums us

up much

better than

I can.

It reads,

God is

offering us

his true

wisdom.

It is a

gift.

We don't

have to

worry about

gaining the

right grade

or pass

mark to

earn it.

The only

marks we

need to

focus on

are the

marks on

Jesus'

body as

he was

crucified so

that we

can live.

The only

entry requirement

as we have

heard is

humility.

This humility,

admitting that

we have wronged

others and

sinned against

God,

admitting that

we need

God's

forgiveness.

This is

the humility

that comes

from God's

wisdom and

which changes

our heart.

Friend, if

you have not

done this,

come and

know the

peace and

reassurance that

comes from

trusting God

with your

life and

with your

future.

Just let

us pray.

Father, we

thank you for

your son and

his sacrifice

for us on

the cross.

It is humbling

to think of

what it cost

you.

That we

might be

forgiven and

be called

children of

God.

We thank

you for

your work

that we

can study

and learn

more about

you and

your love.

Help us to

live a life

that points

others to

you, that

they may

also know

the peace

that comes

from your

love and

presence in

their lives.

In Jesus'

name, Amen.