00:00:00 --> 00:00:07 Well, even before I graduated to the seniors-only scooter that I'm currently using as a mode
00:00:07 --> 00:00:12 of transport, old age had begun to encroach on me.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:18 I turned 33 just a few weeks ago, but even before that, friends were very quick to point
00:00:18 --> 00:00:24 out the few silver sprouts that had begun to appear in my hair.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:28 I tried to embrace it, tried to spin it positively.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:34 I even had a 30th birthday party that was themed Silver Fox, because I figured maybe there's
00:00:34 --> 00:00:35 an upside to the silver.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:37 Maybe it's wisdom.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 I figured it could be beneficial for my ministry to young people.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:47 Now when I talk to parents of teenagers who are clearly older than me and have more experience,
00:00:47 --> 00:00:54 I figure I can just point to my wisdom streaks, and perhaps they might buy that I know what
00:00:54 --> 00:00:55 I'm talking about.
00:00:55 --> 00:01:00 I mean, I've got a bit to go before I have the crowns of a Mike Kasson or a Ken Taylor,
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 but I can only hope.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:04 I can only hope.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:10 But with that silver hair does go this perceived wisdom that I've tried to embrace.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:15 And with actual wisdom, thank you, Mike, for you perhaps.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:23 But with that silver hair, with things like that, there is a perceived wisdom and perceived
00:01:23 --> 00:01:30 authority that often goes with maybe physical traits or life experiences.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:36 But the question we need to wrestle with this morning is, who is actually wise?
00:01:36 --> 00:01:42 That's James' question as he begins this passage, as he writes this letter to a whole group of
00:01:42 --> 00:01:43 churches scattered.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:49 He begins with, who is wise and understanding among you?
00:01:49 --> 00:01:54 It's a really significant question for the churches that he's writing to, because these
00:01:54 --> 00:02:02 churches have division and disunity and issues all throughout them because some people are
00:02:02 --> 00:02:08 claiming to be wise, claiming to speak with authority and wisdom who actually lack it.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:14 And the result is disunity, oppression, everything that's come up in the first part of this letter,
00:02:15 --> 00:02:20 the need to stop showing favoritism, the need to use their tongues more carefully, the need
00:02:20 --> 00:02:26 to listen to God's word and do what it says, the need to endure suffering, are rebukes.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:32 Because people who claim to be wise have been teaching something else.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 So, who is wise?
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 Who is it that we should listen to?
00:02:42 --> 00:02:49 What does it look like for us to be wise, to live the life that God desires for us and has designed for us?
00:02:50 --> 00:02:51 Do we look to the educated?
00:02:52 --> 00:02:52 Are they wise?
00:02:52 --> 00:02:59 Do letters after someone's name constitute that they are someone to be emulated when it comes to following Jesus?
00:03:00 --> 00:03:05 Or perhaps the silver crown does experience a life lived?
00:03:08 --> 00:03:09 What about the wealthy?
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 The successful when it comes to things like business?
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 Who is wise?
00:03:16 --> 00:03:25 Wisdom is a significant claim and James calls out those who put it out falsely.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:26 Verse 13.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:27 Who is wise and understanding?
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 Let him show it.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 Prove it is the call straight away.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:40 It's like those late night infomercials that you watch that apparently are made from the same thing as the space shuttle
00:03:40 --> 00:03:46 and can clean your house, cook your dinner, park your car and do your shopping and all will cost you only $9.99 a month.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 And immediately there's this bid in you that says prove it.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:51 I don't believe the ad version.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:53 It could be TV magic.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 Big claims need proof.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:04 And so James says to anyone who would stand and claim wisdom, prove it.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:14 Let them show it by the good life, by the deeds that are done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 Because wisdom is more than just knowledge.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 We live in a time where knowledge is rapidly increasing.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 Our world knows more than it has ever known.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:33 I heard a statistic just this week that apparently 90% of the information that currently exists in the world didn't exist two years ago.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:38 Our knowledge is advancing rapidly.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:49 But it hasn't reduced the number of wars, the level of suffering, the amount of evil.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:54 Wisdom needs to be more than knowledge.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 Wisdom has to be practical.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 James says show us your wisdom in the way that you live.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 Show us the good life that you are enjoying.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 Show us the evidence of this wisdom that you hold.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:09 Wisdom needs to be practical.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:20 But it's important, especially for us as Christians, to recognise that wisdom isn't always as specific as maybe we want it to be.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 Have you ever been in that situation where maybe you're trying to decide this job or that job?
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 This potential spouse or that potential spouse?
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 This country or that country?
00:05:31 --> 00:05:32 And so you ask God, show me.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 Give me wisdom in this situation.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:39 Strike one of the countries with a lightning bolt to tell me.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 But that's not how God's wisdom works.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:49 Wisdom in the Bible isn't the specific directions for every circumstance and situation that we may face.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:58 Wisdom is the ability to make the choices that please God regardless of situation or circumstance.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:09 It's something that stands outside of the specifics that come up in life but then equips us to make those choices and to make those decisions well.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:18 But in the church there is a false wisdom that gets lived out by many people who claim to be godly.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:26 It's true in the churches that James is writing to and it's true for us here at St. Paul's.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 It's true for many churches today.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:32 Because remember this letter is written to the church.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 It's written to Christians.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:42 And yet James sees wisdom as an absolutely central issue for them to grapple with.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:46 Have a look at verse 14.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 At this false wisdom.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:07 Now, before we go on, it's really easy to look at that and go, of course that's bad wisdom.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 I mean, it's got adjectives like selfish and bitter.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 Not to mention it's called demonic.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:18 You read that and go, of course that's not the kind of wisdom that I want.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 That's not the kind of wisdom that I live with.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:24 But let's just strip out some of those adjectives for a second.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 Ambition.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:31 That's something that is affirmed culturally, isn't it?
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 We're told to pursue our ambition.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 We're told that we can do whatever we want.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:48 Isn't it important to always look after number one?
00:07:48 --> 00:07:53 I don't know if you remember what it was like to be heading towards the end of school
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 and meeting with a careers advisor.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:59 I remember because I really had no idea what I was going to do.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:07 And the caring advice of my careers advisor was, do something that makes you happy.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 It was genuinely loving advice.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 He was looking out for me.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 But it was all about me.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 His caring advice to me was, look after yourself.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 Find a job that satisfies you and makes you happy.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 No reference to anyone else.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 No reference to the world that I lived in or the relationships that I had.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 Look after yourself.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 You see it in the way that we treat situations in the world.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:41 Currently, I was watching the project on Channel 10 recently and they had some character.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 I think he was a car, former car racer or something like that.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 And they were asking him about the Syrian refugee crisis.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 And I was blown away by his response.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 His parents were refugees.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 But he said, I have two little girls who were born here
00:08:56 --> 00:09:00 and we need to worry about them before we worry about anyone else.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:07 But on one level, that makes sense, doesn't it?
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 It makes sense to worry about yourself.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 That's the way the world works.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 Look after yourself.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 It's the way we naturally respond in situations.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 When you're frustrated in traffic, why are you frustrated?
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 Because someone is hindering you.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 And where you want to be.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 And your desire.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 And your agenda.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 It's on one level, logical.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 To start with yourself at the centre.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 It's considered virtuous even.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 To pursue your agenda above all others.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 But it just doesn't work.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:54 That's why it's false wisdom.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:59 That's why James can call it earthly and unspiritual and even demonic.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 Those are harsh words.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 But they're the Bible's words.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 When we live.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:11 When we make decisions based on a worldview, based on a perspective,
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 where we're the centre.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 Where we're the most important thing.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:22 That is earthly, unspiritual, demonic wisdom.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:29 It doesn't work because self-interest breeds issues.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:36 There's this underlying kind of narrative in society that thinks that everybody should be able to do what they want to do.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 You can believe whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt me.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 But life doesn't work like that.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 If you believe what you want and I believe what I want.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 If you go after what you want and I go after what I want.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 At some point we're going to be competing for the same thing.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:57 At some point we're going to come into conflict about the fact that our desires don't line up.
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 Because what's best for me won't always be best for you.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 And what's best for you won't always be best for the person next to you.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 Or the people you live with.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 Or the people you work with.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 Or the people you're sharing the road with.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 And so when we are dictated by self-interest.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:15 No matter how logical or obvious or first reactionary it is.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 It breeds disorder.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 Verse 16.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 Where you have envy and selfish ambition.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:28 There you find disorder and every evil practice.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 You find tension.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 You find relational issue.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 You find anger.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 You find bitterness.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 You find gossip.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 You find slander.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 You find favoritism.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 You find all the issues that have come up in this book so far.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 When we are at the center.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 We get ourselves into trouble.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:56 We begin to treat people in ways that don't line up with those who claim to be followers of Jesus.
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 Because the defining reality has become us.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 And what we want.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:09 Wisdom is the summary topic for the book of James.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 Everything that we've covered so far.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 Everything that we will cover.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 Is wrapped up in this idea of wisdom.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 Wisdom is the bit behind listening to scripture well.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:24 Wisdom is the bit behind speaking words of life.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 Wisdom is the bit behind not showing favoritism.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 It's the bit behind listening and doing scripture.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:34 Wisdom is the category that sums up all these moral commands.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:39 But wisdom starts as a character issue.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 It plays out in morality, in specific obedience.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 But it starts as a character issue.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:51 And so false wisdom here is not doing certain things.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:55 But it's the things that are done in selfish ambition.
00:12:55 --> 00:13:02 And conversely, heavenly wisdom, the good wisdom, have a look in verse 17.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 Sorry, verse 13.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 Who is wise and understanding among you?
00:13:07 --> 00:13:14 Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:24 Good wisdom is displayed not in specific deeds necessarily, but in the deeds that flow out of a character that is humble.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 It gets unpacked for us in verse 17.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:38 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.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:43 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 That is a huge list.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 And I'm not going to get to unpack each of those seven today in detail.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:56 And can I encourage you, if you're in a community group this week, spend time talking about each of those categories.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 Reflecting on how you go in each of those things.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:05 If you're not in a community group, come and chat to Deb after church and she would love to make it possible for you to get into one.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:14 But notice that each of the things described there flow out of a place of humility.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:22 Purity is achieved when we are drawn into Christ, when we are forgiven and washed clean.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:28 And in doing so, we are conscious and aware of our lowly position before a holy God.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:35 Being peace-loving and considerate are the opposite to demanding my rights.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 Are the opposite to putting my ambition first.
00:14:42 --> 00:14:46 But humility has something that comes before it.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:51 All these things sound so noble and sound like such a good idea.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 To be peaceful.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 To be merciful.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 To be submissive.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 Which means teachable and open to being convinced.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 To be impartial, sincere.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 It all sounds fantastic.
00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 But it's really difficult, isn't it?
00:15:05 --> 00:15:11 When you're wronged, being peace-loving is not an easy thing.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:18 When some people are nicer to you than others or more impressive in your eyes than others,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:21 being impartial is not easy.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 They come from humility.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 Humility.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:31 And humility is only possible when there is security.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 Say that again.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:37 Humility is only possible when there is security.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 Genuine humility.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 Humility is a word that we often get confused.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:45 We like to think some other Bible translations use the word meekness instead of humility.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:48 And we immediately go to the idea of weakness.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:52 Or almost feebleness or inadequacy.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:57 But humility and meekness are more like strength restrained.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:04 It's more a conscious decision to deny rights than a lack of access to rights.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:12 The humility that reflects heavenly wisdom is possible because there is absolute security
00:16:12 --> 00:16:16 in the God who promises to provide for his people.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:21 Selfish ambition places me at the centre.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:26 But who's at the centre with humility?
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 It's not just everyone else.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:36 The contrast here is between a wisdom that is demonic and a wisdom that is heavenly.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:40 A wisdom that is unspiritual and a wisdom that has come from God.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:43 And the unspiritual wisdom puts myself in the middle.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:49 But the spiritual wisdom is not just about everyone else's needs.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 It has to come out of security.
00:16:55 --> 00:17:02 It has to come from something at its core that gives you the foundation to be able to forego your rights
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 and love those who persecute you.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:11 At the centre of heavenly wisdom and humility is God.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:22 Heavenly wisdom is only possible in response to God showing himself to us, revealing himself to us.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:30 Who God is must be the defining reality for what it looks like to live a wise life.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:37 I don't know if you remember, it's a few years ago now, the movie franchise The Matrix that came out.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:42 And to watch Neo take the tablet, I can't remember which coloured tablet,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:48 and suddenly have his eyes opened to the fact that he was just part of a big computer program,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 being harvested by robots.
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53 He had been living in ignorant bliss.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:57 He thought that the world was the world and relationships were relationships,
00:17:57 --> 00:18:01 but actually it turns out he was just a battery for some other bigger system.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:05 He took that pill and suddenly his eyes were opened to a truth,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:10 which reshaped his understanding of everything else that he engaged with.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:15 Every situation he was in from that point was defined by that reality.
00:18:15 --> 00:18:22 For us as Christians, the defining reality is God.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 It's how he's revealed himself in the gospel.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:30 Jimmy talked about this in week one, when we were looking at James chapter one,
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 he talked about a gospel wisdom.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:37 What that means is that the centre of everything we value and understand
00:18:37 --> 00:18:43 is a God who has sent his son to die so that we can be forgiven.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:48 Is a saviour who has risen to life and proved his power,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:53 proved his desire to do us good and his ability to do us good.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:59 And that becomes the lens through which we see every situation.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:06 When you are wronged and you look through the lens of a God who loves you unconditionally
00:19:06 --> 00:19:10 and he's always working for your good and he's constantly faithful
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 and will never leave you nor forsake you,
00:19:13 --> 00:19:17 you are released to not have to fight for your rights in that moment.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:25 To be able to, in humility, love the person, no matter how wrong they are.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:31 Now that doesn't belie the possibility of interacting and pursuing truth,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:36 but doing it from a place of security in God.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:40 We don't have to be threatened by opposition.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 We don't have to fear for provision.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:48 Because in the gospel, God has promised and provided
00:19:48 --> 00:19:52 everything that we could possibly need.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56 Humility flows out of security.
00:19:56 --> 00:20:03 It flows out of a revelation of how majestic and powerful and loving and good our God is.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:08 And so Proverbs in the Old Testament tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 As we begin to see him,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:17 only then can we begin to see life and situations and ourselves correctly
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 and therefore make wise choices.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:22 If we are looking at us,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:27 we are looking at what is not the defining reality.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:32 Wisdom is only found when we fix our eyes on God.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 In chapter 1, verse 4,
00:20:35 --> 00:20:38 we're told that perseverance must finish its work
00:20:38 --> 00:20:41 so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:45 It was this picture of the end that God is preparing for his people.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:48 And that end, that maturity, that completeness,
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 is a full knowledge of God.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 That's what the New Testament teaches us,
00:20:54 --> 00:20:58 that we are working towards a time when we will know and taste and experience
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 all of God's goodness and love completely.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 And then the next verse says,
00:21:03 --> 00:21:15 Wisdom is us beginning to taste that goodness of God,
00:21:16 --> 00:21:21 beginning to see that defining reality of a God who is sovereign over everything
00:21:21 --> 00:21:26 and living our lives in light of him.
00:21:26 --> 00:21:31 I was discipling a guy in my previous church
00:21:31 --> 00:21:34 who, he was about 18 or 19
00:21:34 --> 00:21:37 when he started kind of thinking about becoming a Christian.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:40 And he had a lot of peers who were a part of our church already
00:21:40 --> 00:21:43 who'd been very involved for a long period of time,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 had been trying to talk to him and get him along.
00:21:45 --> 00:21:48 And he kind of got to the point where he wanted to be a Christian.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 And he was trying to figure out,
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 who should I be trying to emulate?
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 Who are the wise ones?
00:21:54 --> 00:21:57 Who are the ones who are getting this Christian thing right?
00:21:57 --> 00:22:00 Who I should be pursuing a similar path?
00:22:00 --> 00:22:04 And in particular, there were two friends of his that were in front of him.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 One was a particularly smart guy.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 He was active.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 He was serving in church.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 He knew his Bible very well.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 I was a pastor already at the time
00:22:14 --> 00:22:17 and this guy would often come up and challenge me
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 on some other smart person's writings
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 on a passage that I was talking about.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:24 He was just very sharp intellectually
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 and knew his Bible well.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:32 Our other friend is not a naturally academic person.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 Lovely.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 Good guy.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 But just doesn't love reading.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:41 Finds it hard work to wrestle with some complex ideas.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:44 But loves Jesus.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:49 Actively tries to become more like Jesus.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:51 Regularly confesses sin.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:55 Actively pursues a Christ-like life.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:59 But to my friend who was just starting on the journey,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:04 academia and understanding seem much more impressive to him.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:07 It presented so well.
00:23:08 --> 00:23:10 It was so intimidating to interact with
00:23:10 --> 00:23:13 compared to my slightly less impressive,
00:23:14 --> 00:23:18 but in my opinion, more godly friend.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:23 Wisdom is more than a head issue.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 In fact, in this passage,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 it's fundamentally a heart issue.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:34 It's not less than knowledge and understanding of God,
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 but it has to be a heart issue first.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 Have a look at the kind of language that James uses
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 as he goes into chapter 4.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43 He's still talking about the fights and things
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 that are resulting from their selfish ambition.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 He says,
00:23:46 --> 00:24:11 See, selfish ambition has now morphed
00:24:11 --> 00:24:16 and been described in the words of desire and pleasure.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:21 At the core of this false earthly wisdom
00:24:21 --> 00:24:27 is a heart that loves me more than it loves God.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:33 I mean, that's offensive language.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:37 But according to the Bible, that's the reality.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:43 When we find tension within our church community,
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 within our relationships,
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 when there is fights and quarrels,
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 where do they come from?
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 From a false wisdom that says,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 I'm the most important person in this situation,
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 in this relationship,
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 in this issue,
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 in this church.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:04 And that's true for all of us.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:10 The conviction is that
00:25:10 --> 00:25:15 if we love ourselves more than we love God,
00:25:16 --> 00:25:19 when we come to disagree or argue,
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 the only result can be disorder,
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 hurt,
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 pain,
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 evil.
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 The words get even stronger in verse 4.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:36 You adulterous people.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:41 Wisdom is not an intellectual category.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 It's relational.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:48 When we live like we're at the centre,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:53 James is saying it's like we commit adultery against God.
00:25:53 --> 00:25:55 This is a biblical theme.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 Throughout all of Scripture,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 particularly the book of Hosea,
00:25:58 --> 00:26:02 our God is described as the faithful husband to his people.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 And meanwhile,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:05 his people continue to cheat on God,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 continue to ignore all that he has done
00:26:08 --> 00:26:10 and all that he has shown himself to be
00:26:10 --> 00:26:12 and place themselves at the centre.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 But thankfully,
00:26:17 --> 00:26:19 our God is a jealous God.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:23 A God who refuses to be treated that way.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 Verse 5,
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 Do you think Scripture says without reason
00:26:27 --> 00:26:30 that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?
00:26:33 --> 00:26:36 But he gives us more grace.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:42 He gives us more grace.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 As we fail,
00:26:45 --> 00:26:48 as we keep slipping back into that earthly wisdom
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 that says,
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 I'm at a most.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 I come first.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 He gives us more grace.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:57 That's why it says God opposes the proud
00:26:57 --> 00:26:59 but gives grace to the humble.
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 God will sometimes pull us down
00:27:03 --> 00:27:07 so that we might taste his grace and forgiveness again.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 So there is hope
00:27:10 --> 00:27:12 for failures like you
00:27:12 --> 00:27:14 and like me.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:19 There's hope for selfish people like you and like me.
00:27:19 --> 00:27:23 Because in his grace,
00:27:23 --> 00:27:27 God will open our eyes to see him clearly.
00:27:29 --> 00:27:31 Selfishness is not an option
00:27:31 --> 00:27:33 when you see a God who is creator.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:36 Seeing yourself as the centre of the universe
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 is not possible
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 when you see a God
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 who became human
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 and gave his life
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 so that you might be forgiven.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:47 The fix for our selfish ambition
00:27:47 --> 00:27:49 is not self-denial.
00:27:50 --> 00:27:52 It's seeing Jesus
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 in all his majesty
00:27:54 --> 00:27:56 and all his power.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:58 The only instruction in this passage
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 from the way that I read it
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 comes now.
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 That list back there in verse 17
00:28:03 --> 00:28:05 about pure and peace-loving
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 and considerate and submissive
00:28:06 --> 00:28:08 and full of mercy and good fruit,
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 that's great
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 but it's not instruction.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:14 The path to that
00:28:14 --> 00:28:17 comes here in verse 7.
00:28:20 --> 00:28:23 Submit yourselves then to God.
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 Resist the devil
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 and he will flee from you.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 Come near to God
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 and he will come near to you.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:32 Wash your hands, you sinners.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:34 Purify your hearts, you double-minded.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 Grieve, mourn and wail.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 Change your laughter to mourning
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 and your joy to gloom.
00:28:39 --> 00:28:42 Humble yourselves before the Lord
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 and he will lift you up.
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 Repent.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 That's what it means.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 To resist the devil
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 and to draw near to God
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 is to come with your sin
00:28:53 --> 00:28:57 and trust him to forgive you.
00:28:57 --> 00:29:01 To wash your hands and purify your hearts
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 is to come to God with your sin
00:29:03 --> 00:29:05 and trust that in Jesus
00:29:05 --> 00:29:07 he can and will wash
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 not just your actions
00:29:08 --> 00:29:10 but your heart,
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 your character.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:14 To trust that he will open your eyes
00:29:14 --> 00:29:16 to see him more clearly
00:29:16 --> 00:29:18 so that you have the wisdom
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 in a situation
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 to love him more than yourself.
00:29:21 --> 00:29:23 to put others first.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 To bear with the weaknesses
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 and failures
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 of brothers and sisters.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 Remember,
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 this is written
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 to a church.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 This is not a one-time step,
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 this resisting the devil
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 and coming near to God
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 and washing yourself
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 and humbling yourself.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 This is what it looks like
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 to be a Christian.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:48 Come back to Jesus.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 The wisdom and humility
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 and good life
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 and harvest of righteousness
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 that's on offer
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 is found
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57 when we fix our eyes
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 on the gospel.
00:29:59 --> 00:30:01 That Jesus died for sinners
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03 and is risen
00:30:03 --> 00:30:05 and sits on the throne in heaven.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:09 When that is the defining reality,
00:30:09 --> 00:30:12 wisdom is the result.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:16 Righteousness is the result.
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 Humility comes
00:30:20 --> 00:30:22 and is only possible
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 in security.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 And so verse 10,
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 let it ring in your head
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 and your heart
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 today and tomorrow
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 and every day
00:30:29 --> 00:30:31 that you seek to live wisely
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 as a follower of Jesus.
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 Humble yourself
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 before the Lord
00:30:36 --> 00:30:39 and he will lift you up.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 Recognize your failure
00:30:43 --> 00:30:45 before the Lord
00:30:45 --> 00:30:47 and he will forgive you.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:51 Trust his provision
00:30:51 --> 00:30:53 even when others
00:30:53 --> 00:30:55 seek to oppose and hurt you
00:30:55 --> 00:30:57 and he will always provide.
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 Trust his goodness
00:31:00 --> 00:31:02 even when you can't see
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 how he is working
00:31:03 --> 00:31:05 and he will never fail you.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:09 recognize that he is first
00:31:09 --> 00:31:13 and in time
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 he will lift you up.