The Wisdom From Above - Part 2

James 3:13-18
May 9, 2021
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

How do we know if we are wise? Last Sunday, we learned the answer to that question. We know we are wise when we are meek. This is special. This means that we are looking for gentleness and humility, patience and restraint, endurance and self-denying love. We are looking for everything that is described to us in the book of James. And, above all, we are looking for a reflection of the person and work of Jesus. Meekness and wisdom go together. We know we are wise when we are meek.

But putting on meekness is only half the battle. The other half of the battle is putting off everything that is contrary to meekness. There is an addition and a putting on of the new self. But there is also a subtraction and a putting off of the old self. This is real Christian life. If your body is covered with sweat and dirt and dead skin, you don’t make things better by just putting on new clothes and applying something that smells good. You make things better by hitting the shower and removing all the sweat and dirt and dead skin with soap and water. You make things better by putting off what is not good and putting on what is good. This is how wisdom works. This is our battle in total. Yes to meekness. And no to everything that is contrary to it.

Today’s sermon has a simple structure with basically two parts to it. First, in verses 14-16, we will consider what God’s wisdom does not look like (and what we must put off). And then second, in verses 17-18, we will consider what God’s wisdom does look like (and what we must put on).

So what does God’s wisdom not look like? According to verses 14-16, God’s wisdom does not involve bitter jealousy or selfish ambition. It does not include boasting or being false to the truth. And it does not invite disorder or every vile practice. None of these things go together with wisdom.

Bitter jealousy is when you compare yourself with others and when you wish that your life was different. It involves discontentment and resentfulness and anger toward others and toward God. A wise believer in Christ does not have bitter jealousy. Put it away.

Selfish ambition is when you do things for yourself and when you are determined to make sure that no one gets in your way. It involves being your own god and getting into conflict with others. A wise believer in Christ does not have selfish ambition. Subtract it from your life.

Boasting and falseness to the truth is when you talk about who you are and what you have done with pride and when you lie about others. It includes gossip and a thankfulness that you are like those beneath you. A wise believer in Christ does not have boasting nor falseness to the truth. Remove these things.

Disorder and every vile practice is when you foster disunity in the church and when you are okay with disobedience toward God and sins against others. It invites politics and death. A wise believer in Christ does not have disorder nor any vile practice. Put to death such things.

In verse 15, all of these characteristics are described in three very eye-opening words. They are all earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. This is a serious and profound warning for us - a warning about the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, and everything else is all earthly. A person who has these things is mainly concerned about this old and fading world and the here-and-now instead of the coming kingdom of the new heavens and new earth. And a person who has these things follows the ways of the world’s cultures and societies. But the wisdom that comes down from above is not earthly. Therefore, you must not be earthly. Be warned about the world.

Boasting, falseness to the truth, and everything else is all unspiritual. A person who has these things lives in accordance with the flesh, that is, with the old sinful self and its desires that are supposed to be put to death. And a person who has these things does not live in accordance with the Holy Spirit. But the wisdom that comes down from above is not unspiritual. Therefore, you must not be unspiritual. Be warned about the flesh.

Disorder, every vile practice, and everything else is all demonic. A person who has these things ultimately aligns with Satan and with the cosmic powers over this present darkness and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. And a person who has these things does not resist the devil, who is our adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But the wisdom that comes down from above is not demonic. Therefore, you must not be demonic. Be warned about the devil.

The world, the flesh, and the devil. Earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. This is what describes everything that is contrary to meekness and the wisdom of God. We say no to all of this.

But we say yes to the wisdom that comes down from above. We spent much time considering what God’s wisdom does not look like. But now let us finish with what God’s wisdom does look like.

So what does God’s wisdom look like? According to verses 17-18, God’s wisdom 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. All of these things go together with wisdom. All of these things is meekness.

Pure is when you are holy and blameless. Not in the sense that you are perfect, but in the sense that you hate sin and you love righteousness and you want to give unmixed allegiance and affection to the Lord. A wise believer in Christ is pure. Put this on.

Peaceable and gentle is when you avoid argument or conflict for the sake of peace and unity and when you are toward others kind and caring and tender and patient instead of mean and unsympathetic and harsh and easily annoyed. A wise believer in Christ is peaceable and gentle. Add these things to your life.

Open to reason is when you are good at listening and level-headed and teachable and fair. A wise believer in Christ is open to reason. Apply this in your life.

Full of mercy and good fruits is when you are compassionate and forgiving toward others who have wronged you and when you do good works as doers and not just hearers of the word. A wise believer in Christ is full of mercy and good fruits. Bring to life such things.

Impartial and sincere is when you treat others equally and when you avoid being hypocritical. A wise believer in Christ is impartial and sincere. Be what God meant you to be.

A harvest of righteousness sown in peace is when you do the hard work of peacemaking and when you strive to obey the law of God. A wise believer in Christ is a peacemaker who sows a harvest of righteousness in peace. Do what God meant you to do.

In verse 17, all of these characteristics are described in a very eye-opening phrase of words. They are all from above. They all come down from above. This means that wisdom does not come from man. Wisdom comes from God and God alone. And when we hear about this wisdom that is from above, we cannot help but think about how Jesus is from above - how Jesus became to us wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:30), and how Jesus came down from heaven to earth in order to save us from sin and from eternal death.

Jesus is our wisdom. He saved us by fulfilling a perfect wisdom, by obeying the royal law for us, by being a doer of the word for our sake, by making peace through his death on the cross for our redemption, by being meek for our salvation. Jesus is your wisdom.

And the only reason why you can be wise at all is because you are united with him - united with the one who came from above, who came down from above, for you. And now, dear saint, you have been born again from above. Now, if Christ is in you, then he must come out of you. Then the words of Galatians 2:20 will be more and more your life proclamation: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Dear Highland, the Lord has told you what his wisdom looks like and what his wisdom does not look like. May you now examine yourself. What do you look like? Are you a person who is pure and peaceable? Are you a person who is a peacemaker who is sowing a harvest of righteousness in peace? Or are you a person who has bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart? Are you a person who boasts and is false to the truth? We all stumble in many ways. Let us repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness and renew our obedience and love to our Lord Jesus. Perhaps we think that we are wise. But perhaps we are not as wise as we think we are. Therefore, ask God for wisdom. Ask God for the wisdom that comes down from above. And he will give it to you generously.

Soli Deo Gloria