Wise Up!

so well done everyone

I'm aware of the time

and I'm going to take up some more of your time

sorry about that

but we're going to talk about wisdom

and looking at this series

growing older and wiser

interesting

that we often put those two so closely together

and we look at

as Julian mentioned earlier

we look at our system

our society at the moment

and a lot of those people we look up to

as older and wiser

are struggling to kind of live up to it

it's tough times

and I bet you're looking at me now thinking

33 year old Jay

is about to talk to us about wisdom

and obviously he's going to talk about his vast wisdom

from all of the podcasts he listens to

and

his addiction to queer eye for the straight guy

don't judge me on that programme

there are some great pithy sayings in there

I love it

I've honestly

binge watched that programme

and I've become so wise

but we all love a bit of a pithy saying

don't we

we all love a bit of a wise old saying

you know

don't

what's the

don't bite the hand that feeds you

do you ever told that to a baby

do you think they

do you think they listen

too many cooks spoil the broth

that's what I keep saying to Laura

shall I try and avoid the kitchen

it's my excuse

I'm just rubbish at cooking

some of them are really good though

aren't they

love your enemies

pray for those who persecute you

we don't quite like that one as much

or the ones that you have to say in an American accent

you can lead a horse to water

this isn't an American accent

that was terrible

but you can't make it drink

better is a little righteousness

than great revenues with injustice

we don't quite like that one either

we often

cut out the bits of the Bible

that talk about wealth

and how

sometimes it isn't always

a good thing for us

no man is an island

quickly moves on

do not throw

pearls to pigs

a chain is only as strong

as its weakest link

have you tried

turning it off

and turning it back on again

age is just a number

until you hit 100

and then you get

grade 2 listed status

I'm sure I'm going to offend

my older friends here

and I am sorry

but I'm also not sorry

I wonder how many times

that you may have thought

or we think

that age is one and the same

age and wisdom

same thing

I wonder how many times

you think that you're wise

simply because you've lived

a bit longer

this view isn't

isn't new

James was speaking to a church

in a culture

that had that same mentality

children

they didn't count

they were just

not quite yet

people

they also thought that

about women

but you know

they were a bit silly

those days

can you imagine

that that's not really

changed

still

that video is a good

example at the start

of the service

children don't quite count

or we feel a little bit

intimidated

when we start giving them

a bit of space

or a bit of autonomy

or a bit of a voice

we get a little bit scared

because they say things

we're not used to

or they live in a world

that we're not used to

and we get intimidated

and so we

we oppress

the voice of the young

what was

James's words

to that church

are still true

to us today

older does not mean

wiser

I'm sorry

I know people

as a youth worker

when young people

looked at me

and they'd think

that you know

I'd have answers

and I didn't

yes I was older

yes I've lived longer

but I didn't mean

I was by default

wiser

I still made

silly mistakes

I still make

silly mistakes

that you think

an adult shouldn't do

a grown up

shouldn't do

they're not the same

it's funny

with our church services

if we look at them

and we look at our

culture in church

we have infighting

culture wars

our systems

our services

are shaped on

those things

rather than

godly character

and seeking

godly character

and seeking god's will

for those people

he sent us to reach

now of course

when I talk

about wisdom

wisdom

and when I talk

about the roles

of the old

and the young

you don't go

looking for a mentor

in a nursery

you don't go

to toddler group

to find a financial

advisor

I get that

you don't learn

to drive

from a seven year old

maybe a seven year old

who's lived on a farm

because actually

they probably do know

how to drive

but generally speaking

it's not a rule of thumb

is it

we have to be honest

though

do we really believe

that wisdom

comes of age

I bet if we're honest

and we think about

some of the people

we know of our peers

my age

your age

people older than us

maybe your parents

maybe

you can remember

those times

where all of a sudden

you realise

your parents

didn't quite get it

and you knew

they were your parents

so you wouldn't say anything

but you could just see

the car crash coming

or you hear views

and you think

where

is that logic from

and you find yourself

in this difficult position

where

maybe they've not

quite got

the wisdom

right now

it's hard

and I say this

hesitantly

because

I know

a lot of you

will be thinking

about this

but let me just be honest

if we look at scripture

wisdom and age

are not the same thing

because if that was true

isn't it fascinating

that Jesus' public ministry

started when he was

30 years old

30 years old

isn't it odd

that he sent out

young recruits

to work out

what God was doing

he sent them on mission

before they'd learnt

all the answers

before they'd lived

their life

he sent them

to places

they'd never been before

to see what God

was doing

and to play

isn't it interesting

that

some of the greatest

names that we love

in the Bible

were young

when they started out

young when they had

an impact

Joseph

Daniel

I didn't realise this

but Daniel would have

been under 20

that's fascinating

considering his boldness

right at the start

Samuel

little boy

Eli

what was he doing

David

Solomon

he had his moments

though

we all know that

Jeremiah

Naaman's servant girl

we often forget her

unless you've got kids

and then you've read

the story a million times

Mary

she would have been young

she was chosen

to carry the Messiah

and you see her wisdom

in her response

to Gabriel

the boy with the lunchbox

have you ever thought

about his wisdom

in that story

the disciples

trying to be logical

about it

earthly about it

well we've only got

this stuff

you know

I don't know

how we're going to

feed all these people

Jesus

I mean look at

look at

look at the figures

this little boy goes

well I've got some lunch

you're Jesus right

here you go

that's some godly wisdom

we go

foolishness

there's a godly wisdom

and we

and I said that

Jesus started at 30

but we also forget

he was a 12 year old boy

teaching Pharisees

what the

what the scriptures said

we forget that bit

relatively short list

but they all

they all demonstrate

that this idea

that they had wisdom

beyond their years

kind of doesn't make sense

they teach us that wisdom

is something more

about something

that God gives

to people

and it's not about age

all the time

age

of course

you get older

you learn things

but when we talk about

two wisdoms in a minute

I want to make

a distinction

between them

the wisdom they showed

was based in a faith

in who God is

and in the God

who gives wisdom

I've got a great story

I was thinking of

is it Gretna

is that her name

I'm going to get it wrong now

what's the young girl

who just sailed

across to America

Greta

Greta

thank you

not Gretna

that's a place

isn't it

Gretna Green

Greta

who is very

green orientated

is a great example

that was terrible

sorry

is a great example

of a contemporary

young person

who's gone

this doesn't line up

the world is not working

in a logical way

and

do you know

how the world

treated her

the papers

criticised her

facial expressions

and then it turns out

she's got

Asperger's

adults

made fun of her

but this young girl

got it

she's made some

logical

God

I doubt she's a Christian

to be honest

with

she doesn't talk

about it at least

but she's got

some wisdom

that kind of

seems to

kind of

counter product

earthly logic

and

I've got a friend

called

because you know

as a friend

I'll make up her name

so my friend

her name's

Alan

and

Alan

she is one of the

most amazing

people that I know

and she was one of my

young people

so that might be part of the

reason I've got a bit of a

soft spot for her

but

she recently did a

parachute jump

and I don't know

have you done a

who's jumped out of a plane

okay you're all mad

10,000 feet

does that

probably sound about right

yeah why

why

we invented planes

for a reason

anyway

she jumped out of a plane

strapped to this bloke

so Alan

and

probably Alan

and

she

she told me

she ran me

through

I don't like heights

she ran me

through the experience

and

she was saying

it's like

amazing

I felt sick

I was dizzy

I was spinning out of control

I was going so fast

it was awesome

and they're like

screw loose

and then she said

and then the parachute

opened

and it like

everything stopped

and it was really slow

and calm

and peaceful

and I realised

I've got a while

before I hit the ground

I'm strapped to some

guy I don't know

she turns to him

she says

so

what do you think

about Jesus

that's some godly wisdom

right

right

he ain't got anywhere

to go

that's that

that

the Jehovah's Witnesses

could learn a few things

from her

so what do you

what do you mean

well

what do you think

about him

you know

I just thought

brilliant

brilliant

godly wisdom

going on there

but also

that's a little bit

of a funny one

but she's also

she's got some serious

godly wisdom

in her young bones

her family

is quite difficult

Alan's family

and

actually

her mum and dad

split

a bit of a horrible story

the dad left

with someone else

and she had

two siblings

and basically

train wrecked

their family

ended up marrying

the other person

and

and then

a few years later

the family

this family

struggled

Alan's family

struggled

made

made work

obviously did not

want to know

there's a lot of hurt

as you can imagine

but then

they decided

they were going to have

some more kids

and so

these two twins

were born

these twins

were born

it was not four

it was two

and

and I remember

like listening to the mum

Alan's mum speak

and listening to

Alan's brother and sister

talk about it

and there was a lot of hurt

and a lot of

they're not interested in us

we're not going to be

interested in them

and you know

she looked at me

and

and she said

whether

I feel okay

about it or not

they're my brother

and my sister

and I'm going to be

in their life

she's carrying

all this pain

but

her wisdom

godly wisdom

her self-preservation

should have said

cut the tie

stay well clear

godly wisdom said

these little kids

need someone

that loves them

needs to know

that their sister's there

I was amazed by her

see she's a good example

of godly wisdom

but there are two kinds

of wisdom

James actually later on

tells us about them

I'm just going to

quickly read

read it to you

he says

who is wise

in understanding

among you

let them show it

by their good life

by deeds done

in humility

that comes from wisdom

but if you harbour

bitter envy

and selfish ambition

in your hearts

you do not

and do not boast

about it

or deny the truth

such wisdom

does not come down

from heaven

but is earthly

and spiritual

demonic

for where you have

envy and selfish

ambition

there you find

disorder

and every evil

practice

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

peacemakers

who sow

in peace

reap a harvest

of righteousness

so Alan

nearly gave away

her name

and my other

examples

carried

the latter

of those

of those

wisdoms

there's earthly

wisdom

people

and there's

godly wisdom

and there's

a load

of earthly

wisdom

in this room

right now

there's a load

of earthly

wisdom

in our country

there's a load

of earthly

wisdom

on our planet

but we are

told by James

to seek

godly wisdom

it may sound

a bit obvious

but there is

a big difference

James speaks

harshly of

worldly wisdom

earthly

unspiritual

even uses the

word of the

devil

demonic

wonder if

you feel

like that

when you're

doing your

finances

or you're

planning your

holiday

or you're

choosing

where you

go to

shop

it feels

a bit harsh

doesn't it

I'm just

being reasonable

being logical

being rational

but James

has no time

for this

it's crazy

he says

it's selfish

desire based

it's a desire

to be someone

we use earthly

wisdom

and when we're

using it

often

it's to feed

our envy

of others

it's to get

one up on

people

it's to put

ourselves above

others

it's to secure

ourselves

worldly wisdom

has at its core

our self

preservation

our my

centered benefits

our making a

name for

ourself

creating a

legacy

gaining power

and influence

becoming completely

independent of

others

I wonder if

you're honest

actually and you

make decisions

I wonder

what the

reason is

we see it a

lot right now

in our culture

and the fruits

even more

evident

division

insecurity

inequality

poverty

the fact that

we can have

in our country

powerful people

and powerless

people

in a free

country

clans

cliques

earthly wisdom's

fruit may be

good for you

on earth

but it always

damages other

people

and there's no

place for it in

heaven

godly wisdom

however

is reflected

not in power

or the influence

one has

or in the

successful life

now

and there's

nothing wrong

with having

a successful

life

but it is

reflected in a

faith filled

life

that shapes

the way we

live

a life

of faith

grounded in

God's character

choosing to

believe and not

doubt

believe and not

doubt that God

is faithful

and living out

that

that reality

living out

that

reasoning

making your

decisions based

on that

truth

even when

it's costly

even in

times of

persecution

and trial

we see this

wisdom in the

apostles

we see it in

those Christians

throughout history

and today who

choose the way

of Christ

of integrity

humility

mercy

peace

choosing

overworldly

gain

choosing

others

putting

themselves

down

building

others up

seeing the

prosperity of

ourselves

as second

to the

blessing

of others

I know it

sounds

obvious

but godly

wisdom

is the

kind of

wisdom

we should

be interested

in developing

in our

lives

it is a

wisdom

that's not

exclusively

proved in

years

nor is it

in clever

sayings

it's founded

and rooted

in trusting

in our

loving

God

who desires

us to

have it

see earthly

wisdom

is there

we can get

earthly

wisdom

we can

become

wise

people

on the

planet

but we

are called

to be

godly

wisdom

people

and there

is crossover

please don't

get confused

here

I'm not

saying

that

like the

logic of

running in

front of a

car is a

bad idea

is earthly

wisdom

I'm not

saying that

I would

probably think

that was

godly

wisdom

but I

am saying

that we

do make

choices

which if

we're honest

and we've

built our

wisdom up

and if

we're honest

it's built

on earthly

wisdom

it's built

on the

here and

now and

not the

kingdom

and I

know that's

uncomfortable

to hear

and I was

really nervous

about doing

this

preach

because what

I love

about James

and what I

hate about

James

he's a

book that's

very happy

to punch

you in

the gut

it's

beautifully

crafted

no messing

this is

the facts

and it's

in our

holy book

Martin Luther

didn't like

it very much

but that was

to do with

something about

faith and

deeds

but it's

in our

holy book

these words

are not

to be

ignored

we are

to take

it

seriously

we are

earthly

wisdom

people

we live

in an

earthly

wisdom

world

but we

are called

to be

godly

wisdom

people

and you

know why

God

desires us

to have

it because

it is

good for

us

he desires

us to

have it

because we

need it

because

through

godly

wisdom

that's

how we

mature

and grow

which is

our topic

for this

season

we will

mature

and grow

in godly

wisdom

and that's

what we need

because we are

called to be

Christ like

and if you were

to look at our

Messiah

our saviour

he took down

an empire

did he do it

with earthly

wisdom

no

he took

it on

himself

he took

on an

empire

by getting

beat up

he took

on power

by becoming

powerless

we need to

remember

the core

message of

the gospel

we are

meant to

be

godly

wise

someone in

the congregation

right now

is thinking

something about

shrewd as

vipers

and innocent

as doves

yeah sure

I'm not going

to ignore

those bits

that show

that we need

to have a

little bit

of earthly

wisdom

but I'm

asking about

our core

where is

our core

what wisdom

are we

living on

because the

godly wise

Christians

are the ones

that will

bring the

kingdom

here

the godly

wise

Christians

are the ones

that will

see

transformation

renewal

on earth

okay

Jay

great

feeling

guilty

feeling

heavy

now

thanks

a lot

so how

do we

get this

godly

wisdom

that this

maturing

and growing

wisdom

that god

has for

us that

we're meant

to have

for us

to be

the us

that he

wants us

to be

i love

james

here

he says

ask god

ask god

believe

and don't

doubt

thanks james

thanks james

i didn't think

of talking to

god about it

i didn't think

about praying

and i didn't

think about the

consequences of

what he's saying

i'm not allowed

to doubt

anymore

apparently

i don't think

that's what james

means

i don't think

we're not meant

to doubt

anymore

doubt is

human

doubt is

actually quite

healthy

doubt is how

we know whether

we are doing

godly stuff

or doing

earthly stuff

doubt is that

seed

that we

grapple and

wrestle with

but james gives

us this example

doesn't he

he says this

double-minded

person

it's like a

wave

in the sea

passive

directed by

the wind

going with

the flow

or like the

chaff in

psalm 1

has no

grounding

and therefore

gets blown

away

or like the

seed in

jesus parable

that is not

deeply rooted

and gets

snatched up

this person

james uses

as example

is someone

who has sat

on the fence

trying to play

the world's

game

and the

kingdom's

way

they may

dip their

toe in

but they

are yet

to jump

in

to jump

in in

faith

that god

is who

he says

he is

even when

life makes

that hard

to see

yes this

sounds like

a big ass

but remember

james wrote

this challenge

to a

persecuted

church

who was

suffering

with worldly

wisdom

the jude

gentile thing

who are we

he wrote

this

not long

after this

he was

martyred

by the

jews

he knew

the cost

of choosing

godly wisdom

over worldly

wisdom

worldly wisdom

says play it

safe

make some

friends

get yourself

secure

james refused

that

he wrote

bluntly

to his

church

to the

church

you need

godly

wisdom

he knew

what he

was asking

of us

and so

yes this

message

ends with

a ridiculous

challenge

will you

take james

at his

word

will you

choose to

be matured

in godly

wisdom

even when

it's costly

both feet

in

even though

life right

now may

be hard

choosing

faith

over letting

the waves

bash you

about

will you

ask god

for the

wisdom he

has for

you

and will

you listen

to the

spirit god

has placed

in you

which is

maturing

and growing

you into

a kingdom

person

who

through

god

will

redeem

this

world

and

to

that

one

and

to

and

and

Whoo

and

G

you

and