September 11, 2022
Righteousness: The Fruit of Heavenly Wisdom
James 3:13-18

INTRO:

• TITLE: Righteousness: The Fruit of Heavenly Wisdom
• James first showed how useless it is to be a hearer of the word, without also being a doer. This portion of Scripture is a continuation of James’ relentless attack upon phony religion. (EBC)
• But James in not just throwing rocks at everything. He is explaining the remedy of complacent and callused and casual Christianity.
• He wants to make sure his audience makes the necessary adjustments as to not waste their lives.

How can we insure that our deeds measure up?

• James teaches that we must possess heavenly wisdom.
• We need to be quick to identify and turn from worldly, counterfeit “wisdoms.”
• Then he makes a bold charge: We will reap righteousness in the wisdom of God planted in peace.

James starts this section with a call for examination. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you?

• Wise:
  • skilled, expert (Thayer)
  • clever in practical matters (LSJ)
  • the ability to form the best plans and using the best means for their execution (OBU)
  • understanding: experienced, one having the knowledge of an expert (OBU)
  • In other words, James asks, “Who really knows how to live out their faith in God?”

But James wasn’t asking for a show of hands.

• James instead wrote, 13b By his good conduct let him show his works
  • James continues his show me motif of, show me–don’t tell me.
  • James wanted them to be “saying as little as possible, and doing a great deal.” (EBC)
• How do we show wisdom? “BY [= how] his good conduct.”
  • The Greek word for “good” is used in many contexts. It’s lowest definition is good.
  • = 1) [primary def. =] beautiful, handsome, [may mean] excellent, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable (Thayer)
  • Aramaic Bible is much more beautiful, “Who of you is wise and instructed? Let him show his works in a beautiful way of life…” (Peshitta)
  • Christian conduct ought to be the best in all the world.
• This good conduct is surrounded in–look at at it in 13c in the meekness
  • In other words wise works are accomplished in meekness that belongs to wisdom.
    • Meekness = mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit (OBU)
  • Look at the end of verse 13, of wisdom.
    • of = From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing. (Webster)
  • Meekness comes from the wisdom James is speaking of.

Let’s look at how the Scriptures speak of wisdom. Turn to:

• Psalms 25:9, He leads the humble in what is right,
  and teaches the humble his way.
• Psalms 37:11, But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
• Psalms 147:6, The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.
• Psalms 149:4, For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
  he adorns the humble with salvation.
• Proverbs 2:6-8, For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.

TRANSITION

James seems to have a razor focus: “Deeds, deeds, deeds”! (EBC). James reminds me of some bad bosses I had: more, more, more is all they asked for. But James is going to give the practical “how to” in the following passages.

STEP 1: To find wisdom there needs to be a serious look for counterfeits or substitutes inside of one’s self.

• 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
• James continues: But if you have:
  • Bitter = πικρός = pointed, sharp, keen of things, especially of what yields pain instead of expected pleasure (LSJ)
  • jealousy = ζῆλος = envious and contentious rivalry (OBU)
    • I want something other than what God is giving me.
    • I want something He has given to others.
    • Driven by a lack of contentment it is a type of covetousness.
  • selfish ambition = ἐριθεία = electioneering or intriguing for office …; a desire to put one’s self forward, a partisan.
    • The only ambition that is acceptable for the Christian is ambition for God’s glory and service to others.
    • God has told us how to be ambitious - SLAVE

When we have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in our lives, James says we should not # 1, look at v. 14b again:

• 14b “do not boast”
  • There is a fleshly desire to brag about sin.
  • TDCJ: crimes for cars and money
  • The conscience is not working when a Christian brags about their sin.
• # 2, do not “be false to the truth.”
  • Sometimes we don’t brag about our sin, but instead choose to live in denial of it.
  • We try to clear our conscience --at times–by lying to ourselves.
• SIDEBAR - We may not brag about our sin or deny it. But I think a common thing for us to do is to “down-play” sin.
  • We try to clear our conscience by minimizing the truth.

ILLUSTRATION

• Overcomers is a Christ centered addiction recover support program molded after Alcoholics Anounomous’ 12-step program.
• Step one: Admit the problem!
• Goes for all sin = confession

APPLICATION

• Reveling in our sin is not godly or helpful. We need to see our sin as God sees it.
• Lying about our sin to ourselves is not godly or helpful.
• Seeing the gut level truth in our own self is the first step of correction.
• Brutal honesty of self examination should be followed by confession of sin followed by turning from it.

James describes bitter jealously and selfish ambition AND he hints at what we should be seeking in verse 15.

• 15 This [that is bitter jealously and selfish ambition] is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic
• James speaks of two “wisdoms”: one from above and one not.
• Wisdom from above comes from God. It is given.
• Common “wisdom” is from below. It is …
  • … “earthly,” common to all mankind.
  • Common wisdom is “unspiritual.”
    • ESV chose to tell us what the Greek word is not instead of telling us what it is … “unspiritual” is a little soft.
    • The Greek literally means governed by breath, of or belonging to breath (OBU)
      • So it is the principal of animal life, which men have in common with the brutes (OBU)
      • Common wisdom is “animistic would be better.”
    • ALSO IT IS ALSO? DEFINED AS BEING A PART OF the sensuous nature with its subjection to appetite and passion (OBU)
    • So better is KJV, NKJV w/ sensual
  • Common wisdom is “demonic” (originating from or acting like a demon)
• That’s what we need to see our “selfish ambition” as.

What is the output of selfish ambition? 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

• AN OUTPUT OF JEALOUSY AND SELFISH AMBITION
  • Disorder: strife, disturbance of personal relationships. (Barclay)
  • “EVERY vile practice”: worthless, ethically: bad, wicked, base (Thayer; emphasis mine)
  • With jealousy and selfish ambition there’s no telling what we might do.

ILLUSTRATION

• Root sins drive the darkness of the word.
  • Greed
  • Coveting.
  • jealousy and selfish ambition exist >> every vile practice.

TRANSITION
Now that we see the havoc that bitter jealousy and selfish ambition bring to the Church, let’s look at the contrast and benefit of the heavenly wisdom. Verse 17.

STEP 2: Desire and identify the heavenly wisdom.

• 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
• WISDOM FROM ABOVE
• Wisdom is the God given ability to act on His living word.
  • It’s from above; it’s not produced by man.
  • Through this wisdom we are shaped into the image of Christ.
• Its characteristics:
• “first pure” The term hagnos has the same Greek root as “holy” (hagios). It implies that it is free from ethical defilement (cf. James 4:8). (Utley)
• peaceable: disposed to peace; promoting calm (Wordnik)
• gentle
• open to reason
• full of mercy
• produces good [kingdom] fruit
• impartial (including self)
• sincere: being without hypocrisy. (Wordnik) It does not say one thing to one person and another to someone else.
• This is wisdom’s resume’; what a list!

APPLICATION

• Christian knowledge and understanding does take interacting with the Bible, but we need to have a heavenly wisdom with it.
• NOT A LIFETIME OF STUDY, but immediate access!
• The wisdom of the Father is what Jesus relied on during His earthly ministry.
• John 5:19, So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
• God demonstrates wisdom, gives it to us so that we may act on it. - If it is given by our Father; we should ask for it.

Look at the benefit to those who hunger for the wisdom of God.

• 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
• Notice: the farmer is at peace.
• His work is in peace. He plants in peace.
• His crop is righteousness.
• We are all sowing some kind of seed everyday. What kind are you sowing? Seeds of the world or seeds born in the wisdom of God?
• Who are you not at peace with?

CONCLUSION

• Peace is available in the wisdom given by God, and it will produces the crops God desires for us.
• Righteousness is grown from the wisdom God gives and is planted in the soil of peace.
  …

Bibliography and Works Cited

• NOTE: Please click here to access the web-page for all of the works cited–save those below under the “Other Works Cited” (if any). Most of the works cited on the web-page, correspond to the verses they are outlined with. In the case of background information and other general reference citations, one will find cited material with the Bible books the citations are associated with.
• Scripture quotations [unless otherwise noted] are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Other Works Cited

• None