1
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:02,080
All right, good morning, church 
family. 

2
00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:05,160
Once again, if you would open 
your Bibles or type in your 

3
00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:09,360
devices the book of James, 
chapter 3. 

4
00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:14,120
And this morning we're going to 
be in verses 13 to 18. 

5
00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,840
Will Lord Willie finish chapter 
3 this morning and be on chapter

6
00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:23,240
4 next week? 
James 313 to 18. 

7
00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:28,240
Let's read the text to open us 
in a word of prayer, and then we

8
00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:29,840
will jump into the sermon this 
morning. 

9
00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,640
James three, beginning in verse 
13, here's what James writes to 

10
00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,920
us. 
Who is wise and understanding 

11
00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:43,080
among you by his good conduct? 
Let him show his works and 

12
00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:47,000
meekness of wisdom. 
But if you have bitter jealousy 

13
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,680
and selfish ambition in your 
hearts, do not boast and be 

14
00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,000
false to the truth. 
This is not the wisdom that 

15
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:58,320
comes down from above, but is 
earthly, unspiritual, and 

16
00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:01,560
demonic. 
For where jealousy and selfish 

17
00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,480
ambition exists, there will be 
disorder and every vile 

18
00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,160
practice. 
But the wisdom from above is 

19
00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:14,280
first pure, then peaceable, 
gentle, open to reason, full of 

20
00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,920
mercy and good fruits, impartial
and sincere. 

21
00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,800
And a harvest of righteousness 
is sown in peace by those who 

22
00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,160
make peace. 
You will pray with me. 

23
00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:40,680
Lord, this morning I pray that 
you would help us to understand 

24
00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:47,360
the the nature of the 
relationship between wisdom and 

25
00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:55,480
meekness and what wisdom is and 
what it looks like and what it 

26
00:01:55,480 --> 00:02:00,800
means to be wise and what 
invalidates our wisdom, what 

27
00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:06,520
affirms it. 
We pray God that you would show 

28
00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:10,199
us this relationship. 
Lord, help us to see the 

29
00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:13,040
connection. 
Help us to make that connection 

30
00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,480
in our lives. 
That we would be men and women 

31
00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:21,680
who are not only wise but who 
are meek as well. 

32
00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:30,920
I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
Meekness is one of those 

33
00:02:30,920 --> 00:02:33,920
qualities that seems elusive, 
doesn't it? 

34
00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,480
No matter how much you try to 
get it, it, it's, it's like it's

35
00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,800
just always out of your grasp. 
It's like trying to to catch the

36
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,480
sunlight or trying to catch the 
wind. 

37
00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,240
You can see it, you can feel it.
You know what it looks like, you

38
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,240
know what it feels like. 
But just like the sunlight in 

39
00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,920
the wind, no matter how much you
try to grasp it, it's just, 

40
00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:59,360
it's, it's elusive. 
It feels like you can never get 

41
00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:03,240
it. 
Wouldn't it be great if there 

42
00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:07,320
was a well that you could go and
drink from, and that as you 

43
00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,760
drink this water from this well,
it would make you meek? 

44
00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:15,120
Wouldn't that be great if you 
know, the same way that Gatorade

45
00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:21,600
supplies electrolytes, this well
would supply meekness? 

46
00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:32,080
Turns out there is such a well, 
and the name of the well is 

47
00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:39,920
wisdom. 
James tells us that the source 

48
00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:49,040
of meekness is wisdom. 
Get wisdom, get meekness. 

49
00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,600
That's what we're going to talk 
about this morning, the 

50
00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,760
connection between these two. 
So let's start off with the next

51
00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:57,760
edition of the text. 
I'm going to start off by 

52
00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:01,320
explaining the text and trying 
to give us understanding into 

53
00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:02,840
it. 
And then I will give us 

54
00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:05,240
application at the end. 
I believe we have 7 points of 

55
00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:07,440
application. 
So let's start off looking at it

56
00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,440
section by section, verse by 
verse. 

57
00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,040
We'll start by looking at verse 
13, a the very first part where 

58
00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:19,519
James asked a question, who is 
wise and understanding among 

59
00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:21,399
you? 
This morning, James starts off 

60
00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:25,480
our passage by asking this 
question, who is wise and 

61
00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,720
understanding among you? 
Now, of course, this raises the 

62
00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:31,920
question for us, what does it 
mean to be wise and what does it

63
00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,880
mean to be understanding? 
Well, James is about to tell us 

64
00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,880
in a few verses, what are the 
qualities of wisdom? 

65
00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,440
So I will wait to let James 
answer that question. 

66
00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:47,280
But as far as understanding the 
Greek word that James uses here,

67
00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:49,960
it only occurs once in the New 
Testament. 

68
00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,640
Here's the definition for the 
Greek word pertaining to being 

69
00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:58,360
knowledgeable in a way that 
makes 1 effectual in the 

70
00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:02,920
exercise of such knowledge an 
expert or learned. 

71
00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,440
Now the question is, is why is 
James asking this question? 

72
00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:09,480
Why did? 
Why does he start by asking this

73
00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:11,320
question? 
Who is wise and understand among

74
00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,160
you? 
My guess is that there were some

75
00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:19,400
in the church who were claiming 
to be wise and claiming to be 

76
00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:21,800
understanding. 
There were some who were 

77
00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:26,320
self-proclaimed sages in the 
church. 

78
00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,440
Similar to what Paul wrote in 
Second Corinthians 12/11/16 

79
00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:35,080
where he says for you gladly 
bear with fools being wise 

80
00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,960
yourselves. 
Now Paul is clearly making that 

81
00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:42,680
comment in cheek, and so James 
is likewise wanting the church 

82
00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:46,400
to know that church body wisdom 
is not determined by a 

83
00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,800
self-assessment. 
It is not determined by a title 

84
00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:55,600
or a credential or a test score.
So what determines if someone is

85
00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,320
wise? 
Look at their team B? 

86
00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:05,760
By his good conduct, let him 
show his works. 

87
00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:10,240
So James challenges this 
so-called wise and understanding

88
00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:14,880
person by his good conduct. 
Now what does that mean? 

89
00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,800
Conduct here can mean either 
behavior or way of life. 

90
00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:24,920
When Jesus saved us, he's he not
only changed our spiritual 

91
00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:28,240
nature, but he also changed our 
conduct. 

92
00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:32,920
He changed the way that we live,
and James says that through the 

93
00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:38,000
way that we live, we will show 
our works. 

94
00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,440
So what James is doing is he's 
actually returning to his 

95
00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:44,040
argument that he started in 
James 2, where, if you remember,

96
00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:45,760
some of the church said they had
faith. 

97
00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:49,160
There were people in the church 
who proclaimed to have faith, 

98
00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,000
but James challenged him there 
and said you must show your 

99
00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,000
faith through your works. 
And likewise here James is 

100
00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,200
saying, 1 can say that they have
wisdom, that they have 

101
00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,640
understanding, but they must 
show their wisdom, they must 

102
00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:07,440
show their understanding through
their works. 

103
00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:15,280
In other words, godly wisdom 
will produce godly works. 

104
00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:23,440
Just as the evidence of faith is
works, the evidence of wisdom is

105
00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,120
also works. 
That's what James is saying 

106
00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,200
here. 
Look at verse 13 C in the 

107
00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:32,360
meekness of wisdom. 
Now what does that mean? 

108
00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:34,840
The meekness of wisdom? 
Well, let's first answer what is

109
00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:36,600
meekness? 
Meekness is not a word that we 

110
00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,000
often use. 
We use use the word humility. 

111
00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,480
We don't often use that word, 
but it is a biblical term. 

112
00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:47,400
This is one of my favorite Greek
words that that James uses here.

113
00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,840
It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit
and the fruit of the Holy 

114
00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:52,880
Spirit. 
We call it gentleness, Lovejoy, 

115
00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:54,520
peace, faces, kindness, 
goodness, faithfulness, 

116
00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:57,200
gentleness. 
That word for gentleness is the 

117
00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:01,320
exact same Greek word here for 
meekness. 

118
00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:06,600
I love this definition that the 
Greek lexicon gives here. 

119
00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:13,480
It is the quality of not being 
overly impressed by a sense of 

120
00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,720
1's self importance. 
That's a good definition, the 

121
00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:23,960
quality of not being overly 
impressed by a sense of 1's self

122
00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:28,440
importance. 
Now why does James call it the 

123
00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,240
meekness of wisdom? 
How are we to understand the 

124
00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:32,799
relationship between these two 
terms? 

125
00:08:32,799 --> 00:08:35,760
What's the connection between 
meekness and wisdom here? 

126
00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:37,799
There are two ways to interpret 
this. 

127
00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:43,880
Number one is source. 
We could understand this as a 

128
00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:45,840
source. 
We would interpret this as 

129
00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:50,480
meekness that comes from wisdom.
In other words, wisdom is the 

130
00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:56,040
source or the cause of meekness.
The other #2 is a description or

131
00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:58,320
quality. 
In other words, meekness 

132
00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:02,400
characterized by wisdom. 
So wisdom gives a quality or a 

133
00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:04,560
character to weakness. 
It's like it's not just 

134
00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:08,520
meekness, it's a wise meekness. 
Now, what are the two does James

135
00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,400
intend here? 
I I think we could argue both. 

136
00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:14,080
We could say both. 
But if we had to choose, I think

137
00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:17,840
he intends the first meeting. 
I think he means source. 

138
00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:26,320
What James is saying is that a 
truly wise person will be a 

139
00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:34,080
humble person. 
The source of humility is 

140
00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:41,040
wisdom. 
If we want to get humility, get 

141
00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:44,960
wisdom. 
Look at verse 14. 

142
00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:49,040
A. 
But if you have bitter jealousy 

143
00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:51,960
and selfish ambition in your 
hearts. 

144
00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:55,160
So James gives 2 sins here. 
These are either real or 

145
00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,880
hypothetical that the church 
that he's writing to may have 

146
00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,800
had. 
The 1st is bitter jealousy. 

147
00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:04,520
Interesting enough, the word for
bitter here is the same Greek 

148
00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:09,440
word for salt in verse 11, the 
Greek word for jealousy. 

149
00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:13,120
It can take a positive meaning 
like to be zealous, right? 

150
00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:15,600
The the the word can mean mean 
to be zealous or something. 

151
00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:17,800
But here it clearly has a 
negative meaning. 

152
00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,000
It could be positive or negative
depending on the context. 

153
00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:23,960
Paul writes about this vice. 
He says for a while there is 

154
00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:28,960
jealousy and strife among you. 
Are you not of the flesh? 

155
00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,200
First Corinthians 33 You 
remember in Corinth there was 

156
00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:35,480
jealousy and strife among them. 
And Paul says these point to the

157
00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,840
fact that you are not of the 
Spirit, you are of the flesh. 

158
00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:41,600
He also lists jealousy as a work
of the flesh in Galatians 520. 

159
00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:44,040
That's the first one. 
The second one is selfish 

160
00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:46,600
ambition. 
This is one word in the Greek. 

161
00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,120
It can mean strife, it can mean 
contentiousness, it can mean 

162
00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:53,080
selfishness. 
This is also listed as a work of

163
00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:56,120
the flesh in Galatians 220. 
There it's translated as 

164
00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,240
rivalries. 
We all remember the Apostle 

165
00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,440
Paul's words in Philippians 2, 
three, where he says do nothing 

166
00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:06,480
from selfish ambition or vain 
conceit. 

167
00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:08,760
Look at verse 14. 
B. 

168
00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:13,360
Do not boast. 
If you have bitter jealousy and 

169
00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:18,120
selfish in your hearts, do not 
boast and be false to the truth.

170
00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:21,040
Now what does James mean here? 
Do not boast to be false to the 

171
00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:23,520
truth. 
Well, it appears that some in 

172
00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:27,440
the church are boasting that 
they are wise and understanding.

173
00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:29,840
Now, both senior doesn't 
necessarily mean that, you know,

174
00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,000
they're going around just 
announcing to everybody, but 

175
00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:36,600
perhaps there is a certain aura,
if you will, that they walk 

176
00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:42,680
around as the church thinks of 
me as wise and understanding. 

177
00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:48,120
However, because they had bitter
jealousy and selfish ambition in

178
00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,680
their hearts, James writes, they
were being false to the truth. 

179
00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,200
How so? 
How so? 

180
00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:55,760
How are they? 
How are they being false to the 

181
00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,960
truth? 
What truth, James is saying, 

182
00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,480
Look, if you were truly wise, 
you would be meek. 

183
00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,480
And if you were meek, you would 
not have bitter jealousy and you

184
00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:09,440
would not have selfish ambition 
in your hearts. 

185
00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:17,400
But your hearts reveal your 
pride, and your pride reveals 

186
00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:19,720
your lack of wisdom. 
That's the argument James is 

187
00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:23,320
making. 
He's saying you can claim all 

188
00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:27,080
day long that you are wise and 
understanding, but if you have 

189
00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:31,960
these two sins going on in your 
heart, it testifies that you are

190
00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,040
actually not wise. 
You don't have understanding. 

191
00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:40,080
Look at verse 15. 
This is not the wisdom that 

192
00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,600
comes down from above, but is 
earthly, unspiritual, and 

193
00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,720
demonic. 
Now, wisdom from above clearly 

194
00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:49,320
refers to wisdom from God, 
right? 

195
00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:53,320
It's wisdom from God and and 
James wanted to contrast this 

196
00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:59,040
with worldly wisdom. 
If we are dealing with 

197
00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:05,480
capitalism, jealousy and 
ambition are good things, right?

198
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,800
Here in America, we are 
capitalistic society and just on

199
00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:13,840
a capitalistic level, jealousy 
and ambition are good things. 

200
00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:19,640
They promote a free market. 
They promote healthy 

201
00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:23,360
competition. 
We're not all trying to be poor.

202
00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,320
It is good that we we see people
doing well. 

203
00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:30,880
We desire to do well. 
That drives capitalism, that 

204
00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,720
drives production. 
That's a good thing for a 

205
00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:38,600
capitalistic society. 
However, we're not dealing with 

206
00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:42,400
capitalism. 
We're dealing with the church. 

207
00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:49,360
James says that in the church, 
this kind of wisdom is not from 

208
00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,080
God. 
It's not from above. 

209
00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:56,480
So where is it from? 
James describes it with three 

210
00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:58,800
adjectives #1 he says it is 
earthly. 

211
00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:00,880
Now what's wrong with somebody 
being earthly? 

212
00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,760
The definition of this Greek 
word reveals what's wrong with 

213
00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:07,240
it. 
Here's the definition pertaining

214
00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:11,680
to that which is characteristic 
of the earth as opposed to 

215
00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:14,920
heavenly. 
In other words, earthly wisdom 

216
00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:20,440
is not heavenly wisdom. 
Two, unspiritual, unspiritual. 

217
00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:23,560
Here's the definition of that 
word pertaining to life of the 

218
00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:27,640
natural world and whatever 
belongs to it, in contrast to 

219
00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:31,800
the realm of experience whose 
central characteristic is 

220
00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:35,320
spirit. 
If you remember, Paul uses this 

221
00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:40,000
term in First Corinthians 214 
where he says the natural person

222
00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,600
does not accept the things of 
the Spirit of God that were 

223
00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:45,640
natural. 
They are being unspiritual. 

224
00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:51,200
What Paul is saying is that 
fleshly wisdom is not spiritual 

225
00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:53,240
wisdom. 
And then he gives one more 

226
00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:57,000
adjective, third one demonic, 
originating from the lower 

227
00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:01,000
spirit world. 
Paul writes in First Timothy 41 

228
00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,560
and later time stumbled apart 
from the faith by devoting 

229
00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:10,640
themselves to deceitful spirits 
and the teachings, IE wisdom of 

230
00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:15,040
demons. 
In other words, demonic wisdom 

231
00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,840
is not godly wisdom. 
So James is saying that this 

232
00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:22,760
wisdom that is going on in the 
church that he's writing to, 

233
00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:28,720
this wisdom is of the world, it 
is of the flesh, and it is of 

234
00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,840
the devil. 
Look at verse 16. 

235
00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:37,000
For where jealousy and selfish 
ambition exist, there will be 

236
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,240
disorder and every vile 
practice. 

237
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:45,880
James says that if a church does
have jealousy and selfish, there

238
00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,080
will be two consequences. 
Number one, there will be 

239
00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,960
disorder. 
Does that mean disorder? 

240
00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:53,520
Here's the definition. 
Opposition to established 

241
00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:58,160
authority, Unruliness. 
This is the exact same word used

242
00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:02,920
by Paul and 1st Corinthians 1433
where he says God is not a God 

243
00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:05,240
of confusion. 
That word confusion there 

244
00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:07,720
disorder. 
God is not a God of disorder. 

245
00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:12,800
Same word 2, he says there will 
not only be disorder, there will

246
00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,400
be every vile practice also 
translated as evil thing or evil

247
00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:18,960
practice. 
So what's James getting out 

248
00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:20,880
here? 
James is saying, look, a little 

249
00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:26,360
leaven leavens the whole lump. 
In other words, sin always 

250
00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:29,720
breeds more sin. 
If you have jealousy and selfish

251
00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:32,560
ambition in the church, it 
doesn't just stay confined over 

252
00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:36,400
here, just as you can't put 
leaven in a, in a, in a lump of,

253
00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:38,800
of, of dough and expected to 
stay confined there. 

254
00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:41,720
It will spread and James is 
saying so will these sins. 

255
00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:44,960
They will spread in the church. 
It will breathe more sin, more 

256
00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:48,520
disorder and vile practices. 
Look at verse 17. 

257
00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:55,120
But the wisdom from above is 
first pure, then peaceable, 

258
00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:59,840
gentle, open to reason, full of 
mercy and good fruits, and 

259
00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:05,920
partial and sincere. 
So we know what wisdom from 

260
00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:09,240
below looks like. 
We know what wisdom from below 

261
00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:11,640
looks like. 
What does wisdom from above look

262
00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:15,560
like? 
James gives us 7 descriptions of

263
00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:18,520
this type of wisdom. 
Let's briefly look at them one 

264
00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:23,079
at a time #1 He says pure wisdom
is first. 

265
00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:24,800
Pure could also be translated as
holy. 

266
00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:26,720
That word pure can be translated
holy or pure. 

267
00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:28,800
Either will do. 
It means pertaining to being 

268
00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:32,640
without moral defect or blemish.
It's the same word used in 

269
00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:34,800
Philippians 48. 
If you remember what Paul says, 

270
00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:38,320
whatever is pure, think on these
things. 

271
00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:44,000
I want you to notice that as 
this is first, this is first. 

272
00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:48,360
Just as love is primary in the 
fruit of the Spirit, I think 

273
00:17:48,360 --> 00:17:54,600
that it's that's true. 
Love is the first purity and 

274
00:17:54,600 --> 00:18:00,760
holiness is primary in the fruit
of wisdom #2 peaceable, 

275
00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:06,680
pertaining to being conducive to
a harmonious relationship, or 

276
00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:10,920
pertaining to freedom from 
anxiety and inner turmoil. 

277
00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:16,880
In other words, this means that 
wisdom is characterized by 

278
00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,320
someone who is peaceful and a 
peacemaker. 

279
00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:23,720
So not only are you peaceful, 
meaning you are full of peace, 

280
00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:27,040
inner peace, but you also are 
someone who makes peace. 

281
00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:30,920
You are a peacemaker as well. 
Three gentle. 

282
00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:36,760
I like this definition too. 
Not insisting on every right of 

283
00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:41,520
letter of law or custom. 
Yielding kind, courteous, 

284
00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,400
tolerant. 
This is actually one of the 

285
00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,160
qualifications of overseer. 
Same word, an overseer must be 

286
00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:54,480
gentle. 4 Open to reason. 
None of the major translations 

287
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:57,760
translate the same way because 
this word is only used once in 

288
00:18:57,760 --> 00:18:59,840
the New Testament. 
They all translate differently. 

289
00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:03,080
ESV has open to reason and ASB 
has reasonable. 

290
00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:08,040
NIV has submissive that Bible 
has accommodating, CSB has 

291
00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:11,200
compliant, and RSV has willing 
to yield. 

292
00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,920
So you can choose which 
translation you like best. 

293
00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:22,200
I guess they will all work, I 
think in some nuance. 5 Full of 

294
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:27,400
mercy and good fruits. 
Notice not just merciful. 

295
00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:31,480
Wisdom is not just merciful, it 
is full of mercy. 

296
00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:35,960
If you remember, Jesus commanded
us to be merciful even as our 

297
00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:41,640
heavenly Father is merciful. 
And not just a few fruits, but 

298
00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:46,240
full of fruits. 
Wisdom is not just that we have 

299
00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:51,240
an apple or two on the tree, 
it's full of fruits. 

300
00:19:52,360 --> 00:19:58,280
If you remember, Jesus said that
good trees bear good fruits. 6 

301
00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:02,160
Impartial. 
This is the only time this Greek

302
00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:05,400
word is used. 
Again, James uses a lot of one 

303
00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:08,000
timers. 
So only time this Greek word is 

304
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:10,400
used could take the nuance of 
impartial pertaining to being 

305
00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,400
not being prejudice. 
It could also take the nuance of

306
00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:15,560
unwavering. 
That's how the NASB translates 

307
00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:17,200
it. 
They translate as unwavering. 

308
00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:20,880
It could take the nuance of 
without variance or uncertainty 

309
00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,520
or inconsistencies. 
Either will do so. 

310
00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:27,040
Wisdom is either impartial or 
unwavering. 

311
00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,200
Or you could say both. 
Both would be true. 

312
00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:34,520
And then last 7 sincere. 
The Greek word is literally any 

313
00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,840
pokritos. 
Literally translates as not a 

314
00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,800
hypocrite. 
Here's the definition pertaining

315
00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:44,920
to not being without pretense, 
genuine, literally without play 

316
00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:47,280
acting. 
Play acting in the Greek was, 

317
00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:49,160
you know, somebody would play a 
part to where they have two 

318
00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,080
faces, right? 
Like this is who I am in in real

319
00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:53,360
life. 
This is the part that I'm 

320
00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:55,200
playing. 
And this this is where we get 

321
00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,120
the word hypocrite from where 
somebody wears two different 

322
00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:00,960
faces. 
And James is saying that wisdom 

323
00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:06,600
is not having that. 
So if we put all this together, 

324
00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:14,880
wisdom from above is first pure 
and holy, peaceful and 

325
00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:21,760
peacemaking, yielding and 
accommodating, merciful, full of

326
00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:28,600
the Holy Spirit, not prejudice 
and not wavering, genuine and 

327
00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:35,480
not hypocritical. 
Those are the fruit of wisdom. 

328
00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:39,840
Verse 18, last verse of our 
passage. 

329
00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:45,920
And a harvest of righteousness 
is sown in peace by those who 

330
00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:49,760
make peace. 
Now the ESV kind of gives a a 

331
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:53,160
wooden translation here the the 
NIV smooths out this 

332
00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:55,240
translation. 
Here's how the NIV translates 

333
00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:58,440
it. 
Peacemakers who sow in peace 

334
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:00,880
raise a harvest of 
righteousness. 

335
00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:06,200
Peacemakers who sow in peace 
raise a harvest of 

336
00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,000
righteousness. 
You remember Jesus said in the 

337
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,040
Sermon on the Mount. 
Blessed are the peacemakers, for

338
00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,120
they shall be called sons of 
God. 

339
00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:19,480
The idea here is that we reap 
what we sow, Paul writes in 

340
00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:21,600
Galatians 6-8. 
But the one who sows to the 

341
00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:24,280
Spirit will reap from the 
Spirit. 

342
00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,560
Reap what? 
Eternal life? 

343
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:32,160
What James is saying is that 
look, if we sow demonic wisdom, 

344
00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:40,280
we will reap A demonic dwelling,
but if we sow wisdom from above,

345
00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,560
we will reap A dwelling from 
above. 

346
00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:50,800
We'll stop their exposition. 
Application of the text. 

347
00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,880
I have 7:00 or 8:00. 
I can't. 

348
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:56,560
I wrote 8 here but I think it's 
7:00. 

349
00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:00,520
I could be wrong, but it'll be a
surprise when we get to 7 or 

350
00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:11,320
finish it #1 Wisdom isn't what 
you know, but what you show. 

351
00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:18,160
Wisdom isn't what you know, but 
what you show. 

352
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:21,480
James starts off with a 
question. 

353
00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,920
Who is wise and understanding 
among you? 

354
00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:26,560
Now that's an interesting 
question, isn't it? 

355
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:32,000
Because it's clearly rhetorical.
It would, isn't it? 

356
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,800
I mean, isn't it? 
It would be quite odd if 

357
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:40,240
somebody wrote back to James. 
Dear James, I am sincerely Matt.

358
00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:49,080
It's like asking the church who 
is humble among you. 

359
00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:55,440
The moment we say me, we have 
become a humble liar. 

360
00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:03,160
Part of the reason that James 
asked this question is because 

361
00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,440
it appears there's a 
misunderstanding in the church 

362
00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:11,480
as to what exactly is wisdom. 
There's a misunderstanding in 

363
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,320
this church or the churches as 
to what exactly is wisdom. 

364
00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:20,560
What does it mean to be wise? 
Often people will equate wisdom 

365
00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:22,000
with one or several qualities, 
right? 

366
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:23,960
When we think about what does it
mean to be wise, we often will 

367
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,520
equate it with a lot of 
qualities. 

368
00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:28,360
A Knowledge. 
A wise person is someone who 

369
00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:31,040
knows a lot. 
B Intellect. 

370
00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:35,160
A wise person is an intelligent 
person C experience. 

371
00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:37,560
A wise person is someone who's 
lived a long time, or lived 

372
00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:42,960
longer than me at least, and has
walked many paths, or D success.

373
00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:48,360
If a person is successful, they 
must be wise or E well read. 

374
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:51,400
A person who's well read will be
wise. 

375
00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:56,400
That's not how the Bible talks 
about wisdom, though. 

376
00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:02,320
None of those are how the Bible 
talks about wisdom. 

377
00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:09,160
What is the closest synonym to 
wisdom in the Bible? 

378
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,040
That's a question I posed for 
you. 

379
00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:14,640
I'm curious how you would answer
that. 

380
00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:18,960
What is the closest synonym to 
wisdom in the Bible? 

381
00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:28,160
Here it is obedience. 
Obedience. 

382
00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:40,440
The wise person is the obedient 
person, James asked. 

383
00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:48,760
Who is wise and understanding 
among you by his good conduct? 

384
00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:57,080
Let him show it. 
Let him show His wisdom through 

385
00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:04,280
his obedience. 
You see, to grow in knowledge 

386
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:07,840
without growing in obedience is 
simply to grow in pride. 

387
00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:15,480
You grow in knowledge or 
doctrine or theology or rhetoric

388
00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:19,240
or argumentation or any of these
things, and you don't grow in 

389
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,440
obedience. 
All you have done is grow in 

390
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:28,560
pride. 
If you want to be a wise man, If

391
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:36,200
you want to be a wise woman, 
obey God, because the only path 

392
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:48,160
to wisdom is through obedience. 
That's it #2A wise person will 

393
00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:54,120
be a humble person, and a 
prideful person is not a wise 

394
00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:59,600
person. 
A wise person will be a humble 

395
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:04,920
person, and a prideful person is
not a wise person. 

396
00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:12,600
James writes let him show his 
works in the meekness of wisdom.

397
00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:14,560
Now as I mentioned the 
exposition, I think this is a 

398
00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:17,880
genitive of source. 
In other words, James is saying 

399
00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:22,600
that wisdom is the source or the
cause of humility. 

400
00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,760
Now how is wisdom the source of 
humility? 

401
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:29,080
How does this work? 
Douglas Moo writes this this 

402
00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:34,520
Christian meekness comes from 
understanding our position as 

403
00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:38,680
sinful creatures in relationship
to the glorious and majestic 

404
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:43,120
God. 
Let me give a a worldly example 

405
00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:46,160
to illustrate this as to the 
point that MU is making here. 

406
00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,840
I like to watch business shows. 
I like to watch business shows 

407
00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:54,080
like the prophet or the fixer. 
The prophet used to this is 

408
00:27:54,120 --> 00:27:55,520
businessman named Marcus 
Lemonis. 

409
00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:58,720
He he runs Camping World and he 
invests in companies and used to

410
00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,000
be the show called The Prophet. 
Now he's not doing the fixer. 

411
00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:03,800
He basically goes around and he 
like fixes other businesses. 

412
00:28:04,120 --> 00:28:06,960
It's kind of like I guess 
Ramsey's kitchen thing that he 

413
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,680
does where he fixes kitchens. 
He does this with businesses. 

414
00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:13,160
He invests his own money and 
obviously, you know, he says 

415
00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,280
he's doing it to help them, but 
it's clearly to help himself 

416
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:21,080
like make money. 
When he goes into these 

417
00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,960
businesses, often with these 
small businesses, one of the 

418
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:30,200
reasons that the business is 
struggling, maybe not one, maybe

419
00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:33,720
the main reason is because the 
CEO wants to do everything, 

420
00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:37,240
wants to do everything. 
They want to do branding and 

421
00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:41,040
marketing, web design, product 
development, accounting and 

422
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:45,440
finances, operations, sales. 
They they want to do everything.

423
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:50,440
It's not just that these leaders
are prideful, it's that they're 

424
00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:55,360
not wise. 
They don't have a good 

425
00:28:55,360 --> 00:29:01,560
perspective of who they are and 
how others are better. 

426
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:10,200
Amazon would have never become 
Amazon if Bezos was insistent on

427
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:13,240
writing every code. 
I don't even know if he knows 

428
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:22,020
how to write code. 
It is important that we have a 

429
00:29:22,060 --> 00:29:28,740
right perspective of who we are 
and who others are. 

430
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:34,920
Likewise, in the Christian life,
often the source of our pride is

431
00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:39,280
not having a right perspective 
of ourselves and not having a 

432
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:46,800
right perspective of God. 
You see, the foolish man says 

433
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:55,240
what a man to be mindful of. 
The wise person says what is 

434
00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:58,800
man, that you are mindful of 
him. 

435
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:10,440
There is no such thing as a wise
person who is not also humble, 

436
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:15,280
it doesn't exist. 
And there is no such thing as a 

437
00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:20,680
prideful person who is wise, it 
does not exist. 

438
00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:30,960
Wisdom and meekness will all 
three. 

439
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:37,840
Comparison leads to competition 
and competition leads to 

440
00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:42,280
carnality. 
Comparison will lead to 

441
00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:47,280
competition, and competition 
will lead to carnality. 

442
00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:51,240
James seems to suggest that 
there's bitter jealousy and 

443
00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:52,960
selfish ambition going on in the
church. 

444
00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:55,920
Craig Blomberg, A commentator, 
writes this. 

445
00:30:56,160 --> 00:31:00,000
This kind of envy seeks the best
for oneself, regardless of what 

446
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:02,600
might be good for another 
person, always wishing for 

447
00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:04,840
others to have less than 
oneself, whether with 

448
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:07,000
possessions or with 
opportunities. 

449
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:10,640
You know, And I, I was thinking 
about this as I was preparing 

450
00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:13,040
the sermon this week. 
Like, where does bitter jealousy

451
00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:17,440
and selfish ambition come from? 
Like, what's the source of it? 

452
00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:20,440
Where, where, how does that well
up in a person's heart? 

453
00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:25,240
And, and I think one of the main
breeding grounds of this, where 

454
00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:29,880
these two sins take root is 
comparison. 

455
00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:36,720
How easy it is in a church to 
start comparing ourselves to 

456
00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:40,640
others. 
Where do you live? 

457
00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:45,160
Where do you work? 
What school did you graduate 

458
00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:47,880
from? 
What kind of car do you drive? 

459
00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:50,400
Do you have a boyfriend or 
girlfriend? 

460
00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:55,680
How many kids do you have? 
How well behaved are your kids? 

461
00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:01,560
What school do your kids go to? 
Are you an elder or a Deacon or 

462
00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:04,280
just a member? 
How much money do you make? 

463
00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:07,160
How well dressed and how 
fashionable are you? 

464
00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:09,360
How much Bible knowledge do you 
have? 

465
00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:12,360
How well respected are you in 
the church? 

466
00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:22,400
And on and on and on. 
Do we not struggle with this? 

467
00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:26,800
Do we not look to our right and 
to our left? 

468
00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:29,880
And we use others as the measure
of where I stand in the pecking 

469
00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:39,070
order. 
If we start comparing ourselves 

470
00:32:39,070 --> 00:32:41,150
to others, here's what will 
happen. 

471
00:32:41,150 --> 00:32:42,910
Comparison always leads to 
competition. 

472
00:32:43,310 --> 00:32:46,070
Always. 
And competition always leads to 

473
00:32:46,070 --> 00:32:49,510
carnality. 
It leads to bitter jealousy. 

474
00:32:49,510 --> 00:32:53,080
It leads to selfish ambition. 
James says that if we have these

475
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,120
sins, do not boast and be false 
to the truth. 

476
00:32:56,120 --> 00:32:57,480
Now what truth is he saying 
there? 

477
00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:02,840
That we are wise? 
Do not boast and think that you 

478
00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:07,920
are wise and understanding if 
you are in a competition with 

479
00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:17,240
someone and anything. 
In other words, James is saying 

480
00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:19,520
that if we have bitter jealousy,
if we have selfish ambition in 

481
00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:22,080
the church, we testify not to 
our wisdom, we testify to our 

482
00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:33,000
folly. 4 Make sure the wisdom 
you abide in is from above and 

483
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:37,760
not below. 
Make sure the wisdom you abide 

484
00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:42,640
in is from above and not below, 
James writes. 

485
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:44,800
This is not the wisdom that 
comes from up, down from above, 

486
00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:46,960
but it's earthly, unspiritual, 
demonic. 

487
00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:49,200
In other words, for James, 
there's only two sources of 

488
00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:51,240
wisdom. 
There is wisdom from above and 

489
00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:54,040
there's wisdom from a bow below.
These are the only two sources 

490
00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:55,880
of wisdom. 
All wisdom comes from either 

491
00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:59,960
above or from below. 1 is from 
heaven and the Spirit and the 

492
00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:03,040
Father, the others from the 
world and the flesh and the 

493
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:05,960
devil. 
And I was thinking about this 

494
00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:09,400
like about how different the 
wisdom from God is from the 

495
00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:11,600
world, right when I, when I 
stop. 

496
00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:15,880
And I was thinking about like 
man isn't, isn't God's wisdom so

497
00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:18,199
drastically different from the 
wisdom of the world? 

498
00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:25,800
Let me give you some examples. 
When we are insulted, does not 

499
00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,520
the world's wisdom say to us, 
Don't let someone disrespect 

500
00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:34,679
you, But does not God's wisdom 
say it is to our glory to 

501
00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:40,040
overlook an offence? 
When it's time to choose a job, 

502
00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:42,360
the world's wisdom says choose 
whichever one makes the most 

503
00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:46,520
money. 
But does not God's wisdom say to

504
00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:49,639
choose a job that will allow you
to glorify Him, allow you to 

505
00:34:49,639 --> 00:34:52,120
build His Kingdom, and allow you
to be committed to the local 

506
00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:57,040
church? 
When dating, the world's wisdom 

507
00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:01,880
says look for compatibility, but
does not God's wisdom say to 

508
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:07,800
look for character? 
When someone sins against us, 

509
00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:12,120
does not the world's wisdom says
hold a grudge or give them a 

510
00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:14,560
cold shoulder, or you know 
better yet, cancel them? 

511
00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:20,680
But does not God's wisdom say 
that we are to forgive as we 

512
00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:25,160
have been forgiven? 
When it comes to our money, does

513
00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:30,600
not the world say spend, spend, 
spend and save, save, save? 

514
00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:35,080
But does not God's wisdom say it
is better to give than to 

515
00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:39,880
receive? 
When we are in the position of 

516
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:42,240
leadership? 
Does not the world's wisdom say,

517
00:35:42,240 --> 00:35:46,560
listen, you're the leader now, 
don't show weakness, never admit

518
00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:54,280
fault, present a strong front. 
But does not God's wisdom say 

519
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:59,320
that we are to be servant 
leaders when we were choosing 

520
00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:02,160
how many kids to have or whether
to have kids at all? 

521
00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:05,400
Does not the world's wisdom say 
that we should base this 

522
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:10,240
decision on finances or how much
we can emotionally handle? 

523
00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:15,640
But does not God's wisdom say 
that children are heritage from 

524
00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:19,000
the Lord? 
Blessed is the man who fills his

525
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:26,480
quiver with them. 
When dealing with trials, the 

526
00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:32,520
world's wisdom says you should 
avoid suffering at all cost, but

527
00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:36,000
does not God's wisdom say that 
suffering produces endurance? 

528
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:41,680
When dealing with self identity,
the world says promote self, 

529
00:36:41,720 --> 00:36:46,440
affirm self, but does not God's 
wisdom say to deny self? 

530
00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:52,160
When you are making decisions, 
Does not the world's wisdom say 

531
00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:56,480
it is best to trust your gut, 
trust your instincts, and be 

532
00:36:56,480 --> 00:37:00,360
decisive? 
But does not God's wisdom say 

533
00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:12,840
trust the Lord and wait on Him? 
Brothers and sisters, make sure 

534
00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:20,240
the wisdom you are abiding in is
from above and not below. 

535
00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:26,560
I say this to you because we are
living in the 21st century in 

536
00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:32,360
Seattle, WA and almost all of 
you are swimming in worldly 

537
00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:35,360
wisdom. 
I don't mean that you believe it

538
00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:38,160
or abide in. 
I'm saying almost all of you are

539
00:37:38,160 --> 00:37:41,920
swimming neck deep in it. 
I hear it from you. 

540
00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:52,360
I hear the arguments you make. 
Godly wisdom will often like it.

541
00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:56,280
It'll look crazy. 
Crazy to your coworkers, crazy 

542
00:37:56,280 --> 00:38:03,670
to your family. 
Isn't that what we're supposed 

543
00:38:03,670 --> 00:38:07,920
to look like? 
Aren't we supposed to look 

544
00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:19,200
strange to the world? 
5 Jealousy and selfishness are 

545
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:22,840
fertile soil for every sinful 
seed to grow. 

546
00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:27,520
Jealousy and selfishness are 
fertile soil for every sinful 

547
00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:29,800
seed to grow, James writes Were 
for selfish. 

548
00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:31,640
Jealousy and selfish abuses 
exist. 

549
00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:35,000
There will be disorder and every
vile practice. 

550
00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:39,280
Craig Blomberg writes this When 
we fight for power in Christian 

551
00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:41,920
circles, evil establishes A 
foothold. 

552
00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:45,800
When we operate with worldly 
values, seeking our own honor 

553
00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:49,640
and status, we even offer Satan 
an entrance into the House of 

554
00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:53,320
God. 
Now we see this multiple times 

555
00:38:53,320 --> 00:38:57,080
in the New Testament, do we not?
If you remember when Jesus had 

556
00:38:57,080 --> 00:38:59,960
just finished telling his 
disciples that he was going to 

557
00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:03,640
die for them, right after he 
says I'm going to die for you on

558
00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:06,120
the third day will rise again. 
After he tells them that, they 

559
00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:07,360
go on their journey. 
What are they? 

560
00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:09,760
They start an argument. 
Remember what they were arguing 

561
00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:12,160
about? 
Who was the greatest? 

562
00:39:13,720 --> 00:39:16,720
Hey, hey, who you think is? 
Who thinks the goat? 

563
00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:25,160
Who's the greatest disciple? 
On another occasion, James and 

564
00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:29,280
John had come up to Jesus and 
they're kind of timid. 11 Gospel

565
00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:31,000
says the mother asked. 
Another one says they asked. 

566
00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:32,920
I don't know which of the two it
is, but it seems to me that they

567
00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:35,080
wanted to use their mother as a 
shield, right? 

568
00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:39,200
They bring mom and they want to 
ask and they're like, and Jesus 

569
00:39:39,240 --> 00:39:40,960
like, what is it guys? 
What do you want to know? 

570
00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:45,560
They're like, would you let us 
sit on your right hand and left 

571
00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:51,560
hand in heaven? 
And the other disciples resent 

572
00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:56,320
them for asking this question. 
The Pharisees did all their 

573
00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:58,080
righteous acts to be seen by 
others. 

574
00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:02,320
They love to be praised by the 
crowds in the book of Acts. 

575
00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:04,760
The gospel is going forth, 
right? 

576
00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:08,560
The church is growing. 
The apostles are are are growing

577
00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:10,320
the church. 
And what are the Pharisees feel?

578
00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:14,320
The Pharisees feel nothing but 
jealousy of the success of the 

579
00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:17,800
apostles. 
When Simon the magician saw the 

580
00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:22,040
power that Paul wielded through 
the Spirit, what did he do? 

581
00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:26,760
He tried to purchase it. 
They said how much do you want 

582
00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:31,720
for this kind of power? 
Ananias and Sapphira, they lied 

583
00:40:31,720 --> 00:40:34,240
about their gift. 
Why? 

584
00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:39,120
Because they wanted the church 
to think they were generous. 

585
00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:46,560
In Corinth, factions developed 
as to who was the best group. 

586
00:40:49,320 --> 00:40:50,640
Hey, who about you? 
What? 

587
00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:58,720
I follow Paul, OK, but I follow 
Apollo's guys. 

588
00:40:58,720 --> 00:41:00,920
Cephas. 
Cephas. 

589
00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:07,720
In Galatia, the Judaizers are 
trying to influence the church 

590
00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:10,040
with their false teaching. 
Why? 

591
00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:12,640
They're trying to win them to 
themselves. 

592
00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:16,680
The Judaizers want them to come 
to their side. 

593
00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:18,560
And Philippi. 
There were some who were 

594
00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:20,600
preaching Christ out of envy and
rivalry. 

595
00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:23,040
Why they thought they would have
flicked Paul and his 

596
00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:27,160
imprisonment and even John and 
3rd John. 

597
00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:28,320
I totally forgot about this 
passage. 

598
00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:33,840
John warns against Diotrephes 
who, quote, likes to put himself

599
00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:38,840
first. 
Man John, John's, like he, likes

600
00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:45,200
to put himself first. 
The reality is that nothing has 

601
00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:49,240
changed with human nature. 
These are all still temptations 

602
00:41:49,240 --> 00:41:53,480
for us today, are they not? 
They are temptations for grace 

603
00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:55,560
and truth. 
They are temptations for every 

604
00:41:55,560 --> 00:42:00,520
church. 
Jealousy and selfish ambition 

605
00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:08,720
will destroy a church from the 
inside out. 6 Just as there is a

606
00:42:08,720 --> 00:42:12,560
fruit of the Spirit, there is 
also a fruit of wisdom. 

607
00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:16,960
Now I don't know why, I guess 
because the word fruit is not 

608
00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:19,160
used there, you know, but like, 
I, I think you know, in the same

609
00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:20,760
way that we have fruit of the 
spirit and some of the people 

610
00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:23,200
put that on their wall or, you 
know, memorize a song. 

611
00:42:23,200 --> 00:42:24,760
I think we should have a fruit 
of wisdom. 

612
00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:28,680
I, I really do. 
What's interesting is that in 

613
00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:32,600
the book of James, James is 
virtually silent on the Holy 

614
00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:35,400
Spirit. 
There are no verses in his 

615
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:38,400
letter about the Holy Spirit. 
Maybe one, but I think you can. 

616
00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:42,320
Sometimes they use a lower case 
S because it could just mean our

617
00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:44,680
Spirit. 
James does not talk about the 

618
00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:49,880
Holy Spirit and yet for Paul he 
mentions the Spirit several 

619
00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:51,680
times all throughout his 
letters. 

620
00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:56,040
Now interesting enough, some 
commentators have concluded that

621
00:42:56,040 --> 00:43:00,960
wisdom and James is synonymous 
with the Spirit and Paul. 

622
00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:06,000
I think that may be a stretch, 
but I could see how commentators

623
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:10,520
get there because just as there 
is the fruit of the Spirit, 

624
00:43:11,040 --> 00:43:16,160
there is also a fruit of wisdom.
In other words, if a person 

625
00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:19,960
wants to know what does it look 
like for a person to be filled 

626
00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:25,320
with the Spirit? 
If you came up to me and you 

627
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:27,720
asked me, Matt, what does it 
look like to be a person who was

628
00:43:27,720 --> 00:43:32,200
filled with the Spirit? 
My answer, if I only had like 10

629
00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:33,760
seconds to tell you, my answer 
would be this. 

630
00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:37,040
Here's what it looks like. 
You ready, Lovejoy? 

631
00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:38,880
Peace, patience, kindness, 
goodness, faithfulness, 

632
00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:42,600
gentleness, self-control. 
That's what it looks like. 

633
00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:47,240
That's what it looks like to be 
filled with the Spirit. 

634
00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:51,960
And the first that came up to me
and said, Matt, what does it 

635
00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:56,440
look like to be a person who is 
filled with wisdom, right? 

636
00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:59,280
How do I know if I'm wise? 
How do I know if you're wise? 

637
00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:01,400
How do I know if I should trust 
this person or that person? 

638
00:44:01,520 --> 00:44:03,960
How do I know? 
Here's one way you could answer 

639
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:07,680
it. 
Pure, peaceable, gentle, open to

640
00:44:07,680 --> 00:44:10,600
reason, full of mercy and good 
fruits, impartial and sincere. 

641
00:44:14,240 --> 00:44:17,320
Now I would love to plant here 
and give a separate application 

642
00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:19,520
for each virtue. 
Maybe 15 years ago I would have 

643
00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:24,960
done that, but for time's sake I
will just give one brief 

644
00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:28,880
exhortation for each. 
One brief for each really fast. 

645
00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:35,240
A pure or holy. 
God's wisdom is holy, meaning 

646
00:44:35,240 --> 00:44:37,800
it's set apart. 
It doesn't look like the world's

647
00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:39,680
wisdom. 
It looks different. 

648
00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:43,120
It looks holy. 
Be peaceable. 

649
00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:47,240
Wisdom is both peaceful and a 
peacemaker. 

650
00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:54,120
The wise person is not anxious. 
Let me say that again. 

651
00:44:55,200 --> 00:45:01,760
The wise person is not anxious. 
He trusts in the Lord. 

652
00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:11,760
The wise person does not 'cause 
conflict, he brings peace to 

653
00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:16,760
conflict. 
C Gentle Peter Davids writes. 

654
00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:20,280
The wise person does not get 
angry, combative, or defensive 

655
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:25,480
even under provocation. 
D Open to reason. 

656
00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:30,720
The wise person is eager to 
listen to others and understand 

657
00:45:30,720 --> 00:45:32,840
their argument or their point of
view. 

658
00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:39,560
They are open to reason. 
E full of mercy and good fruits.

659
00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:44,200
If the wise person were a tree, 
they would be a tree of life. 

660
00:45:45,640 --> 00:45:49,840
This tree would be full of fruit
and one of the most common 

661
00:45:49,840 --> 00:45:51,600
fruits. 
As you went to pick fruit from 

662
00:45:51,600 --> 00:45:54,000
the tree, one of the most common
fruits you would find on this 

663
00:45:54,000 --> 00:46:00,480
tree is mercy. 
F Impartial wisdom embraces 

664
00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:04,080
people without cultural, 
economic, or social prejudice. 

665
00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:11,880
Wisdom has open arms to all. 
G Sincere wisdom has integrity. 

666
00:46:13,400 --> 00:46:15,480
Wisdom strives to be above 
reproach. 

667
00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:20,480
The wise person is the same 
person in private as they are in

668
00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:28,760
public. 
Last point #7 What type of 

669
00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:33,680
farmer we are in this life tells
us what type of field we inherit

670
00:46:33,680 --> 00:46:38,320
in the next. 
What type of farmer we are in 

671
00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:42,520
this life tells us what type of 
field we inherit in the next. 

672
00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:47,480
Now, here's the thing with this 
type of wisdom. 

673
00:46:48,520 --> 00:46:50,320
What, what James is just so 
here's the thing. 

674
00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:51,680
This is going to be the hardest 
part. 

675
00:46:51,680 --> 00:46:54,520
When you leave this place, you 
know, like this will be the 

676
00:46:54,520 --> 00:46:58,440
hardest part for you. 
It won't be popular with the 

677
00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:02,360
world. 
It won't be praised by the 

678
00:47:02,360 --> 00:47:05,800
world. 
You do this, you walk out of 

679
00:47:05,800 --> 00:47:08,200
here and you live like this. 
You won't have people praising 

680
00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:12,000
you that you're wise. 
You'll have people calling you a

681
00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:19,800
fool, dumb, ignorant. 
It's not popular. 

682
00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:28,760
This type of wisdom will look 
weak and unattractive because in

683
00:47:28,760 --> 00:47:35,800
the eyes of the world, meekness 
is weakness, accommodating is 

684
00:47:35,800 --> 00:47:42,720
degrading, kindness is 
blindness, gentle is just 

685
00:47:42,720 --> 00:47:47,440
sentimental. 
Sincerity is insecurity. 

686
00:47:53,190 --> 00:47:54,990
But here's what you also need to
remember. 

687
00:47:55,830 --> 00:48:00,390
James reminds us that what type 
of farmer we are in this life 

688
00:48:01,950 --> 00:48:04,910
tells us what type of field we 
inherit in the next. 

689
00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:09,560
Peacemakers who sow and peace 
raise a harvest of 

690
00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:14,960
righteousness. 
You see, the world may not visit

691
00:48:14,960 --> 00:48:26,200
your fruit stand, but God does. 
The world may not approve of 

692
00:48:26,200 --> 00:48:31,280
your produce, but God eats at 
this table. 

693
00:48:36,320 --> 00:48:42,360
The seeds of wisdom that we 
plant in this life will yield a 

694
00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:45,160
harvest of righteousness in the 
next. 

695
00:48:50,120 --> 00:48:54,880
Don't live for the world to 
think you're wise or experienced

696
00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:58,360
or successful or any of these 
things. 

697
00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:06,760
Live for the wisdom that marks 
us as followers of Jesus Christ.

698
00:49:08,400 --> 00:49:08,800
Let's pray.