Let Wisdom Flow Down
Notes
Transcript
I’m going to start this morning with a story:
The story goes that there was a family on a road trip vacation when they came to a traffic jam. The traffic was backed up for miles. The father got out and walked to the front of the back up. There lodged under an upcoming overpass was a large truck.
The scene was chaotic. All kinds of people in hard hats were pointing to the truck, to the tunnel, to the trucks and arguing. They had brought in someone from the highway department, who immediately had called an engineer. Large sheets of paper were spread onto hoods of trucks, and men and women were busily looking at them, talking on their radios and cell phones.
More people from other cars began to make their way to watch as the chaos grew. More heavy equipment seemed to be arriving every few minutes. Soon the whole family stood there watching the scene unfold as the backup grew ever longer. The father made his way down to within earshot of the people in hard hats. The arguments continued.
The engineer was trying to figure out an elaborate way to jack up the overpass up so the truck could be freed without damage. The heavy equipment operator was arguing that they could dig under the truck to lower it. The father looked back at his family and shook his head. Obviously they were going to be here for a while.
His little daughter ran down to his side and took his hand smiling up at him as she did. Looking at the truck wedged under the overpass, she yelled to her dad to be heard over all the noise, “Why don’t they just let the air out of the tires?”
The arguing stopped. Had they heard what they thought they heard? “What did you say?”, the engineer asked.
“WHY DON’T YOU JUST LET THE AIR OUT OF THE TIRES?”
Please pray with me.
Holy God, your servant Solomon prayed for wisdom and you granted it to him. We too seek wisdom. So Lord, we ask now that you would open your word to us, speak with the wisdom that is above all earthly wisdom. Speak from your Holy Word to our hearts and minds, and grant us your understanding. Speak Lord, for your servants are listening. AMEN
Our scripture this morning comes from the Book of James in the New Testament. We’ll be reading from chapter 3, verses 13-18.
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
This is God’s Holy Word.
Thanks Be to God.
Let Wisdom Flow Down
Let Wisdom Flow Down
How often have we been in situations where an argument ensued? As we’re now 100 days from election day pundits on our televisions will do their best to tell us why to vote for their candidate and not to vote for the other. False claims will be made by all sides to cast their candidate in the best light and you and I must take it upon ourselves to wade through the weeds to try and find the truth and to make our own best decision in all these matters. It’s not and easy task.
In our passage today, James is continuing on from where we were last week. You will remember from last week the illustrations of small things guiding large things - the bit in a horses mouth, the rudder of a great ship, and a small fire setting a forest ablaze. Last week we were speaking of how the tongue - a small part of our body yet it boasts great things. How can it be controlled?
This week we get the solution: Wisdom.
James begins our passage today with a question, “Who is wise and understanding among you?”
and continues with a statement about meekness something that was perceived as weakness to the Greeks, but Jesus elevated it to a primary Christian virtue.
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
Meekness comes not from cowardice or passivity but rather from trusting god and therefore being set free from anxious self promotion.
Something quite different than we see in our culture. For James, wisdom is not only intellectual, but it is behavioral.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are the antithesis of true wisdom as characterized in v. 13 by meekness. James really challenges us to examine our own motives here. Are you motivated by bitter jealousy and selfish ambition?
Do you want things your own way? “Selfish ambition” is a divisive willingness to split the group in order to achieve a personal power and prestige. In other words, “It’s all about you.”
If there is anything we should understand by now it is this, “It’s not about you.”
James explains that to us in vs. 15-16.
This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
In our opening story the engineers and the highway people and the heavy equipment operators all wanted their solution to be the right one. They wanted to be the “hero” for the day. Yet it was the simple question of a little girl that brought them out of their goal of “winning” an argument to a solution. It wasn’t about them.
“Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
This is not only true in the world, it is true in the church as well.
vs. 17 & 18 guide us:
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
The answer to the “disorder” of v. 16 is to seek wisdom from above, which produces character qualities beginning with purity and concluding with peace. Here you might cross reference Galatians 5:22-23 where Paul speaks of the fruits of the Spirit.
This is a good spot to promote our Bible Study online on Thursday nights hosted by Lance and Kari Schinkal. They are studying the book of Galatians and have great discussions. If you’d like to know more, please call and we can get you hooked up.
The first of the attributes James speaks of is Purity. Purity or Blamelessness is the primary virtue with the rest providing aspects of this moral purity. Peaceable is the polar opposite of “selfish ambition” and the discord it produces. Peace, further emphasized in James 3:18 is one of the critical attributes of the pure believer.
And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The legacy of those who bring peace rather than conflict is a harvest of righteousness. The “fruit” that comes from peacemaking in the Christian community will be the righteous conduct that God will bless.
Peace is a central result of wisdom according to James.
It’s important though to recognize that this is not simple appeasement. The absence or denial of tension within the body is not peace.
Dr. John C. Maxwell is considered an expert in leadership, and I often quote one of his sayings.
“If two of you agree on everything, one of you isn’t necessary.”
Proverbs 27:17 reminds us of the same thing:
Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
Yes, there’s a grating sound when iron is sharpening iron, as there often is when two in the family God are working towards a solution.
But the avoiding of conflict is not peace, and it’s not biblical. We see conflict throughout the Bible. Again, looking at our Bible study of Galatians Paul speaks about challenging Peter about his behavior. This is Peter, some would call the Father of the Christian church!
The author of Hebrews writes:
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
I like the NIV translation here because of the word “spur”.
It doesn’t take much imagination to think that spurs probably don’t feel good.
Here’s the verse in a bit more context:
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Spurring one another on toward what? Love and good deeds.
And what else?
Encouraging one another.
That is not done by bitter jealousy or selfish ambition. That is seeking what is best for the other, for all of us, and that’s what brings peace.
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
Meekness is not weakness.
Meekness is NOT weakness.
Meekness does not come from cowardice or passivity, but rather from trusting God and therefore being free from anxious self-promotion.
The psalmist writes:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
It’s not about you.
When we let go of our selfish desires, and unclench our fists our hands are open to offer up God’s praise and receive God’s peace.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
This is God’s Holy Word to us today.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer:
Your Word, Lord, challenges us and reminds us again and again how often we turn our from you to our own selfish desires. Forgive us Lord. Help us unclench our fists desperately holding on to this world and open our hands to give ourselves to you. The peace we seek can only be found in you, we cannot make it, we cannot contrive it, we must humbly receive it. Thank you for the peace you give to each of us today.
Thank you for Jesus, our Savior, our peacemaker, our Peace. It is in His Name that we humbly offer this prayer. AMEN.