THE HUMILITY OF HEAVENLY WISDOM

1. THE HUMILITY OF HEAVENLY WISDOM Lesson 8 for November 22, 2014

2. James 3:13-4:10 HOW TO BECOME WISE James 3:13-14 TWO KINDS OF WISDOM James 3:15-18 WISDOM CONFLICT: PASSIONATE => PRIDE FROM ABOVE => HUMILITY James 4:5-6 HEAVENLY WISDOM James 4:7-10 “PASSIONATE” WISDOM James 4:1-4

3. HOW TO BECOME WISE “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.”(James 3:13-14) If someone is wise and understanding then his or her behavior will be coherent, without any jealousy or rivalry. According to Deuteronomy 4:6, the people of God bears powerful and undeniable testimony to the nations when “wise and understanding” believers are found in it. What does “the meekness of wisdom” mean? Huge knowledge is not enough to make someone wise. Meekness makes the difference in a wise person.

4. TWO KINDS OF WISDOM “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”(James 3:17-18) “This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”(James 3:15-16) The fruit of God’s [“from above”] wisdom is very different from worldly wisdom. We all want a Church like that: “pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” And we all can live it… let’s begin by asking God His wisdom from above and by living according to that wisdom. If an apparent wise and understanding person causes disputes and jealousy, then that is not heavenly wisdom. That’s diabolical wisdom. Those “wise” people among the church bear fruit of “contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults.” (2 Corinthians 12:20)

5. “PASSIONATE” WISDOM (I) “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”(James 4:1-3) Living a Christian life involves fighting against “the flesh” (Galatians 5:17). That battle may affect the Church and cause problems among believers if it is not driven by “wisdom from above.” James made it clear: Getting swept up in passion is useless.

6. “PASSIONATE” WISDOM (II) “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”(James 4:4) E.G.W. (That I may know Him, October 29) “The Scriptures furnish abundant evidence that it is safer to be joined to the Lord and lose the favor and friendship of the world, than to look to the world for favor and support and forget our dependence upon God.” What kind of adultery are those “wise people” committing? “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations… [You] made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them… You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians… You also played the harlot with the Assyrians… you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea… You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband.”(Ezekiel 16:2-32)

7. WISDOM CONFLICT: PRIDE / HUMILITY “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”(James 4:5-6) “The friendship of church members for the world grieves the ‘jealous’ Spirit of God, who seeks our undivided affections. Man’s jealousy is selfish; God’s jealousy reflects simply His intense concern for the welfare of His children.”(SDA Bible Commentary, on James 4:5) God gives us His grace to overcome self-conceit, so we may grow in humility.

8. HEAVENLY WISDOM “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”(James 4:7-10) Heavenly wisdom gives us power to overcome the devil. We’ll receive it if we first surrender to God’s will. • There’s more work to do after overcoming temptation: Cleansing our hands [from sin]. Purifying our hearts. Mourning, weeping and lamenting our sin. Humbling before the Lord. God will lift us up. That is our reward.

9. “It is not enough to have knowledge. We must have the ability to use knowledge aright. God calls upon us to show a good conversation, free from all roughness and vanity. Speak no words of vanity, no words of harsh command; for they will gender strife. Speak instead words that will give light, knowledge, information, words that will restore and build up. A man shows that he has true wisdom by using the talent of speech to produce music in the souls of those who are trying to do their appointed work and who are in need of encouragement.” E.G.W. (My life today, April 17)