Wisdom Of Truth Is From Above

MARCH 22, 2020--STUDY NOTES--JAMES 3:17-18--BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES WISDOM OF TRUTH IS FROM ABOVE James told us about “earthly wisdom,” Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. James gave us some characteristics of “earthly wisdom,” Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Now he tells us of “Heavenly Wisdom,” how can we identify “Heavenly Wisdom?” What are the characteristics of “Heavenly Wisdom?” In one verse James gives us seven characteristics of “wisdom that is from above:” It is pure; peaceable; gentle; easy to be entreated; full of mercy and good fruits; without partiality; without hypocrisy Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James now compares the wisdom that is of the world with that which is of God “Heavenly Wisdom” is available to every Christian who will ask for it, Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Heavenly wisdom is “from above” which is a very important place for Christians Christians are born “from above,” Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (Literally, born from above) Heaven is above and our “Father” is in heaven, Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Our “citizenship” is in heaven, Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Our “treasures” are in heaven, Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Heaven is our “Home,” Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. The first characteristic of “Heavenly Wisdom” that James shares with us is that it is “pure” is first pure, “First,” meaning in the first place, above and before all else, first and foremost The word “pure” is akin to the word “Holy,” there is nothing more important than “holiness” Unless it is first-of all pure and holy it cannot be acceptable before God From the “Holy God” of Heaven comes “Heavenly Wisdom” that is “pure” It is pure and holy because it is coming down from the “Holy God” Isaiah saw the holiness of God in a vision, Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. God given wisdom is pure, holy, unpolluted, free from that which defiles A life that is clean, undefiled, free from all vices, with no contamination of sin A life that is genuine and sincere and does not “lie against the truth,” Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. If the heart is not pure, there will be no Godly deeds, Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. James will have more to say about how important a pure heart is, he says it is “peace loving” then peaceable, Heavenly wisdom desires, fosters, and promotes peace, wisdom is peace loving Heavenly wisdom is the experience of a right relationship with God, that’s peace A peaceful relationship with God that does not cause strife when working with others Heavenly Wisdom is the ability to settle disputes instead of causing them, Psa 37:37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. So “Heavenly Wisdom” will result in a peaceful relationship with God and others Heavenly wisdom brings people closer to God and to one another The next characteristic of Heavenly Wisdom is called--gentle, “Gentle” has to do with our reaction toward others, which can be “gentle” or harsh “Gentle” means to be considerate of others, being thoughtful of others Having respect for the feelings of others and sensitive to the needs of others “Gentle” describes the kind of people we need as friends Everyone needs someone like this in their life, we need the encouragement of gentleness The word translated “gentle” is found five times in the NT, it is translated “moderation” in, Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. This verse gives us a reason to be gentle, “The Lord is at hand” The meaning could be that the Lord is always present, He is always there, take Him by the hand It could mean that the Lord’s return is near, we must be obedient to His will, live for Him today It is translated “patient” in, 1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; It is translated “gentle” in, Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. It is translated “gentle” in, 1Pe 2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. An example we all must follow, be faithful to God in our current circumstance We have a Christian duty to be Christ like in all walks of life, regardless of the situation The principle of what Peter is teaching applies to all under the authority of another “Be subject to,” means to submit yourselves to the authority of the master The “master” of today is anyone who has legal control and authority over other people Submission to masters is not based upon their being good or bad masters, but to their authority Christians are in no way, or at any time, to be disrespectful or lazy, we are to be faithful servants Remembering that we represent our Lord and Savior, what we do is for the Lord’s sake “Froward” describes a master that is unreasonable, unfair, harsh, and cruel One who is overbearing and hard to deal with, maybe even crooked and wicked A Christian must always do their best even when they are under the worst authority Our best represents our service for God and not an agreement with an evil boss Christians are instructed to conduct themselves in a Godly manner regardless of circumstances, Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. The word “gentle” identifies a life that will not be a result of “worldly wisdom” It describes the life given to “heavenly wisdom,” the very opposite of “worldly wisdom” and easy to be intreated, “Easy to be intreated” means “open to reason,” being reasonable James is telling us to be agreeable with what God tells us, Paul tells us to be reasonable, Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Being agreeable does not mean that you agree with Satan, sin, or evil But that you are ready to agree with all that is pure, peaceable, and gentle Willing to listen to the Godly wisdom of others and willing to learn from others Willing to work with others who are wise and given to heavenly wisdom It does not mean that you will compromise convictions But you are ready to cooperate when a better way is shown It is the opposite of being stubborn and disobedient Heavenly Wisdom is willing to submit to the authority of Godly leadership and Godly advice full of mercy “Full of” means to be “controlled by,” characterized by an abundance Worldly wisdom is “full of” ungodliness, Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Paul presents to us a worldly mind full of and saturated with “all unrighteousness” He gives us a catalogue of evil that a reprobate mind filled with worldly wisdom turns too The results of a society that turns from God, God’s Word, and heavenly wisdom Everything stated in the verse can be identified in the daily news of our society Yet it is not a complete list, only representative of the potential life of the worldly wisdom of sin The more of these sins that you find in any one society the closer they are to destruction A nation filled with such a list of sins will eventually destroy itself Jesus had a warning for the religious leaders of His day, they were full of the wrong stuff, Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. On the outside they appeared to be religious, but they were filled with worldly wisdom within James says that Christians are to be filled with “mercy,” Heavenly Wisdom teaches us to “be merciful” Jesus said, Luk 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. God’s mercy leads us to be merciful, God’s mercy is God “not giving us” what we deserve Experiencing God’s mercy makes us “merciful,” Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (The merciful are those who extend mercy to others) Mercy does not look at that which is deserved, mercy works to give that which is needed Mercy is not just a feeling of sorrow for someone but an attitude of compassion The merciful ministry of the Christian is a witness to the world of heavenly wisdom Which Jesus taught in the parable of the “Good Samaritan,” Jesus ask a question, Luk 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? Even a “lawyer” could answer the question, Luk 10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. The mercy of heavenly wisdom is mercy for all who have a problem and a need Mercy is more than an emotion, it is our action, our ministry that actually-helps those in need Too often today churches talk a good talk, but James has continually told us to walk the talk Which he now presents as “good fruits” and good fruits, James has already told us that if it is “good” it has come from God, Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. From heavenly wisdom comes that which is identified as “good fruits” “Good fruits” which are of good quality and will be of good quantity Heavenly wisdom is characterized by an abundant measure of “good fruits” “Good fruits” represent the things done for people in need, the things that need to be done Our world is greatly in need of “good fruits,” Joh 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so, shall ye be my disciples. (The goal of our ministry today must be “much fruit”) The constant nourishment for the fruit of our life to be good is “Heavenly Wisdom” Worldly wisdom will show partiality and not allow us to minister “good fruits” Heavenly wisdom is “without partiality,” “Heavenly Wisdom” always acts consistently, making no partial distinctions It does not treat one person a certain way and someone else another way It does not take one position one time and then another position the next time Heavenly Wisdom does not vary between opinions because it is “full of mercy” “Good fruits” keeps it from wavering and being divided, and being hypocritical and without hypocrisy. Heavenly Wisdom is always sincere and genuine, it is the real thing, it is “Truth” Heavenly wisdom does not work under a mask, it is free from insincerity and pretense With no evil thought hidden, when no feeling is covered up, when there is no selfish desire No pretending in order to take advantage of someone for personal gain The word translated “without hypocrisy” is found five other times in the NT There are certain Christian characteristics identified with the word, one is “love,” Rom 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Love is to be without hypocrisy, 2Co 6:6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, Love is to be without hypocrisy, 1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Another Christian characteristic identified with what James says is “faith,” 1Ti 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: Faith must be free of hypocrisy, 2Ti 1:5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. So, Christian faith, Christian love, and Heavenly Wisdom are all the “real thing” James has one more truth to share with us concerning “heavenly wisdom” Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. The “fruit of righteousness” is the result of the wisdom that is from above God’s righteousness results in our living right with God and with one another “Peace” is a very important subject in the NT, the word “peace” is found 92 times in the NT Which brings us back to how important James’ subject of Heavenly Wisdom really is The seed of peace comes from Heavenly Wisdom and the harvest is “righteousness” Peace makers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness The wise are peacemakers who go on quietly sowing for a harvest of righteousness Within the fruit itself, you will find the seed that will bring forth more fruit, Isa 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. “The work of righteousness” will result in the security of “peace” CONCLUSION James has presented two types of wisdom to us, Earthly Wisdom and Heavenly Wisdom A parallel passage to study is 1 Corinthians 1 & 2 Paul speaks of the same two types of wisdom in those two chapters Read it and look for the words, “wisdom” and “wise,” count the number of times they are used When you find a repetition of a word in a passage, you will find an emphasis upon that word The subject of the wisdom of truth which is from above is important to us and those who know us Heavenly Wisdom is trusting Jesus, taking Him at His Word, and living a life of “Truth”