Sermon: Words of Wisdom

Heavenly wisdom would tell me to be considerate, submissive, and full of mercy.

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Lately, I have been talking about some rather broad topics. I haven’t done that necessarily on purpose, but that’s just the way the sermons have been coming to me. Last week, I talked about the Bible––what it is and why we should read it. Before that, I talked about God’s provision. A few weeks ago, I talked about how we should treat each other. And in that sermon, I began by talking about how there are those out there that seem to just love to upset us, right? They know how to push our buttons and it seems as if they get joy out of making us miserable, even sick.

Well, I had that tightening in my chest and an upset stomach again this week. And it had to do with things mounting up on my driving job. Not the job itself, but you know, management. We all have trouble with management, and no matter who you are, we all have bosses. Our bosses have bosses, if you include insurance companies and state regulators, and lawmakers.

And I won’t go into detail, but if it wasn’t enough that I kind of worked myself up a bit the day before because I knew I was going to run into “one of those people” who puts a knot in my stomach, the next day, I had this thing that really irked me with the management at work. So it was two people on two different days. Really it was two people in three or four days. And it might have been a small thing, but sometimes small things aren’t so small when it impacts you.

And when it comes to those small––or big––things. When it comes to people who have a way of grating you, there comes along with it a way in which we should respond. And that has a lot to do with wisdom. Should we respond or shouldn’t we? What should we say, and just as importantly, if not more so, what shouldn’t we say?

Now, my sermon a few weeks ago on how we should treat each other did a pretty good job at tackling that issue, and in it, I tackled the issue of wisdom. But today, I would like to look more closely specifically at the issue of wisdom.

If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to James chapter 3:13-18. And if you have a bookmark, you can go back a couple of chapters to James 1, and we’ll briefly look at verse 5. So it seems a little backward, James Chapter 3 first, then Chapter 1. But it makes sense.

As you’re turning there, I’m sure many of you have seen this meme. I thought I’d share it today––a skunk eating out of a dog bowl, and the dog looking rather timidly at the skunk. And the words underneath say, “Two of the greatest qualities of life are patience and wisdom.”

Another one I’ve seen has a picture of Yoda which says, “Knowing tomatoes are a fruit, intelligence is. Knowing not to put them in a fruit salad, wisdom is.”

So, in case you’ve ever wanted to know the difference between intelligence and wisdom, I think that pretty well says it.

Now, whether or not it makes sense that a tomato is a fruit, that’s another story. But let’s go on to our scripture verses today. James 3:13-18.

Scripture: 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. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 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. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

And going to Chapter 1:5 we read: “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.”

So we have two things here. First a set of instructions on wisdom, and second a promise for wisdom. Wisdom is what we need, and God promises us the ability to obtain wisdom whenever we need it. All we have to do is ask. Ask and believe.

We’ll need it throughout life’s many situations. Just look at the Book of Proverbs.

There is an entire book of the Bible devoted to the wisdom of Solomon. A lot of it was through observations that Solomon made of what was going on around him and observing the human condition. They are things we all go through, they are timeless and still relevant for today, and they are things that are for young and old, and for different situations in life.

One of the things about wisdom is that no one can be all-encompassingly wise. Yoda might have known not to put a tomato in a fruit salad, but he didn’t know not to train Anakin. Even the master Yoda was not all-wise. None of us can be all-encompassingly wise. That means, we can’t get to a point where we’ve learned it all. Just like, if Jimmy were here, he’d say no one can learn everything there is to know about music and guitar playing. Wisdom is that same way, there’s always something to learn til the day you die.

I’m sure, if you twist their arm a bit, my parents will say that they’re still learning wisdom. Why? Because they’re still going through new things in life that they’ve never gone through before, and it requires wisdom.

I think this is a good sermon for today because as we induct Katie as a church member, she’ll start having to learn and practice the art of wisdom when it comes to volunteering and helping to make decisions for this church in years to come.

Young or old, no matter your age, no matter how much you have already learned, there is always more wisdom to learn and put into practice.

You’ll notice James begins this by saying that the wise person is someone who exemplifies wisdom by their lifestyle, not their words. We often think that wisdom is someone who teaches or imparts through words or advice. And the Book of Proverbs talks about listening to words of advice. But James, not arguing or contradicting Solomon, says that wisdom is seen, not just heard.

The IVP New Testament Commentary says that James was pointing to wisdom all along throughout this scripture, and wraps it up with a little jab at those who think that wisdom is only teaching. You have to live what you preach. You have to take your own advice. Actions are stronger than words. If you have an audience, they’re going to ignore what you say if you don’t follow your own advice.

But let’s break it down even further. According to James, wisdom is exemplified by “a good life.” Now, let’s not confuse “a good life” with “the good life.” The good life has to do with comfort and success. A good life has to do with our morality. “A good life” can also be translated as good conduct or good behavior. He goes on to explain it as, “deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

The IVP commentary says, “Genuine wisdom, like faith, is a practical matter; it shows up in how one lives.” It goes on to say that, “Wisdom, then, is not something I will merely possess in my head; if I am wise at all, it is something I will demonstrate in my conduct.”

Wisdom is also tied with humility. They go hand in hand. Pride is foolish, humility is wise. So you do good deeds with humility, not with pride. You remember how prideful the rabbis and Pharisees were in Jesus’ day? They did everything just to be seen and to be given a pat on the back. It wasn’t something that came from the heart, and Jesus called them out on it, calling them whitewashed tombs. Clean on the outside but empty and full of decay on the inside.

They wanted to parade around their good deeds, but their good deeds were filthy rags.

Jesus said, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

It was the poor widow whom Jesus praised because she didn’t give the most––but the most from what she had. It was a good deed done in humility. No one knew it except for Jesus. And sometimes, that’s wisdom––when we do something and not brag about it, or even let anyone know about it. God sees what you tithe, or when you drop your change into the container at McDonalds, or when you give online to a ministry that no one knows about.

If you want to read more on Jesus’ teaching on that, just go to Matthew chapter 6.

Good deeds don’t have to be seen in order for them to still be good deeds. John Wesley said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

James goes on to speak about harboring bitter envy and selfish ambition. And if you were to read this quickly, it would seem as if he’s changing the subject. The Bible can be that way, I’ve noticed. It seems to change the subject rather quickly. But actually, James is still on the subject of pride.

He’s talking about giving wisdom outwardly, but harboring pride and envy in our hearts. That’s hypocritical. I want to read to you something else the IVP commentary stated. It says:

His warning should bring all teachers to an abrupt halt for self-examination. I can be correct in my doctrine down to the most esoteric details; I can attain a consistency in my orthodoxy which surpasses others’; I can gain a reputation for my thorough grasp of theology and be regarded as a protector of the faith; and my teaching may still be earthly, unspiritual, of the devil, resulting in disorder and every evil practice by stirring up suspicion, slander, distrust and contention within the Christian community.

It reminds me of what Paul said at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 13:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

You could say that Paul’s instructions about love were also words of wisdom. It seems pretty obvious to say that, but you see how the two are connected. Love isn’t how we feel, it’s how we act. It’s the same with wisdom. It’s not enough to have a head full of wisdom, we have to act on it.

It might also seem obvious that if one were wise, then of course they would be acting in a manner of wisdom. Why wouldn’t they? Well, that goes back to the issue of pride. James says at the end of verse 14, “do not boast about it or deny the truth.” In other words, let your actions speak for you. That way, you keep humble, and your wisdom is still known.

Jesus said, “11 The greatest among you will be your servant.” He didn’t say the greatest among you will be the one who teaches with the most eloquence, he said the greatest among you will be your servant. Then he went on to say, “12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus is saying something similar to what James is saying. Let your actions be your teaching, people will take notice, and they will admire you for the way you live your life.

But they won’t just admire you, they’ll want to take your unsaid advice. They’ll want to emulate your life. You’ll be more effective by setting an example.

It’s one thing for Jesus to have sat down and taught, and we follow his teachings. But we are to do more than that. We are to follow his examples.

I came across a blog called Jesus dust, and in one of the blog entries, the writer said, “Jesus always does this with people. “Are you going to follow me or just admire me?”” Someone who wants wisdom isn’t going to just want to admire someone else who has it, they are going to want it too. Our job is to not just give advice, but be an example, too.

In a similar fashion as Paul’s letter in 1 Corinthians, James not only talks about what something isn’t, but he finishes this with what something is. Just like love ‘does not’ or ‘is not,’ wisdom isn’t just an ‘is not.’ What is wisdom, specifically heavenly wisdom?

Verses 17 and 18 say, “17 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. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

So here we go again, changing the subject rather quickly. Or so it seems. James gives us a nice-sounding, all-loving, set of words. “Peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit.”

Sounds nice, but like love, these are actions that aren’t necessarily natural. They’re things we have to intentionally put into practice. You’ll notice that all of these things go hand-in-hand. Remember when I told you that I had some issues with management this week that kind of set me off a little bit?

Well, how was I to act about that? Heavenly wisdom would tell me to be considerate, submissive, and full of mercy. I can’t go off on my boss. Some people do, that’s not wise. Some people will argue with management until they’re blue in the face.

When I was more active in covering Dansville politics, there was an issue between the village board and the police chief at that time. Now I don’t know who was right and who was wrong because the meetings between the two were in executive session behind closed doors, all I know is that the police chief was not being submissive. I know that the chief had already outlived––or rather outlasted––at least three administrations. So he probably thought he was going to have to endure this, and after the term is done, he’ll have outlasted another one. But what happened is that the chief, who had been on the force for about 30 years with the majority of those years as chief, was asked to resign.

Ironically, he ran for office and is now on that same board with some of the same people who asked for his resignation, but you get the picture. I had a cordial email and phone conversation with my boss, and we are at an understanding. And they’ve been considerate and reasonable, and so have I.

And now, it’s all water under the bridge, and I can go back to work Monday having forgotten the whole thing. That’s wisdom––peace-loving, considerate and submissive. And on the management’s part, I don’t know if they’re Christian or not, but they’ve at least been taught Christian values. They were, as James says, impartial and sincere.

James ends this list the way he began, by talking about peace again. “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

It doesn’t seem like he’s talking about wisdom, it seems like he’s talking about peace. But he’s actually talking about both. Wisdom and peace go hand in hand. There might be a time when peace is not an option, but you better use wisdom in discerning when unpeaceful means are necessary. Ukraine has no option for peace right now. They have to fight to survive. Vladimir Putin didn’t just do an evil thing, he did a very unwise thing. He may have had his selfish ambition, but there was nothing wise about invading Ukraine.

He’s never really been a peacemaker, he’s just held his peace. And therefore we know that he’s never really reaped a harvest of righteousness. I can’t think of anyone who would have ever called him righteous.

Wisdom, peace, righteousness––all these things, all these words that James has strewn together all make sense, they’re all tied in. Wisdom are words to live by. And what words does a wise person live by? Words that lead a person to live in and through purity and peace.

I mentioned the Book of Proverbs earlier, and I’d like to close with some words from Proverbs chapter 3, verses 13-18:

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peaceful.”

I would encourage you, as we go about our week, to begin reading the book of Proverbs again. It’s kind of hard to read because––talk about changing the subject––you read one sentence with one proverb, and then the next sentence is another proverb, and the next sentence is another proverb. But take the time to meditate on each proverb. Each nugget of wisdom. If you just read one proverb a day; or one verse a day, that’s fine. It’s probably better that way because you can let it soak in, and meditate on it better.

The Lord wants each of us to gain wisdom. Like I said, there’s no point in life where we obtain it all––no one has, no one ever will. Maybe Solomon, but even then, did he know it all? It’s a constant lifelong learning process. Especially when you consider this chapter from James is best known for controlling the tongue. We all need to gain wisdom when it comes to that.

Remember, James, said in Chapter 1, “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.” All we have to do is ask and believe, and God will grant us wisdom for any situation. He wants us to go through life with wisdom. He wants us to go through each day in wisdom. He wants us to ask. That’s usually how he works. If you want something, just ask.

In the following chapter, James 4, says, “you have not because you ask not.” And his point has to do with wrong motives and evil desires, and we could go back in circles again talking about wisdom. But you see, God wants to grant us wisdom and a mindset on him and his ways. But he doesn’t just barge in and do it. We need to ask and ask with the right motives. Let’s let that be our desire for this week.

 

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on First Baptist Church of Watkins Glen

Featured Image by Igor Link from Pixabay

 

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