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Christianity Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Part 2: Getting the Wisdom You Need
James 1:5-12
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - Feb. 19, 2012
*Sometimes when I read this passage, I think back to a hospital visit that I made over 30 years ago.
The lady and I were talking about some problems my brother was having.
They were mostly his own fault, and she said, “I guess he hasn’t got through going up fool’s hill.”
*I’m glad to say that my brother stopped going up “fool’s hill” a long time ago.
-And the good news for us tonight is that we don’t have to go up fool’s hill!
*We can have the wisdom of God by applying the truth He gives us right here.
1.
So notice first the request for God’s wisdom.
*We see it in vs. 5, where James says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
*“If any of you lacks wisdom.”
James is being gentle with us there.
Do you know anybody who would stand up and say, “I have all the wisdom I need!”
I hope not.
*When we think we have all the wisdom that we need, that’s usually when we need it the most!
-- All of us need more wisdom.
But sometimes it’s easier to see that need in others.
*And why do we lack wisdom?
-Because our flesh is weak and our old sin nature pulls us down.
-Because the devil is a liar, and he is constantly trying to deceive us.
-And because as we move through life, we will continue to face new circumstances and challenges.
*Bill Hybels once told about a magazine article called, “178 Seconds to Live.”
It was about a study made on twenty airplane pilots in a flight simulator.
That’s sort of like a super-duper video game.
You sit in a full-size cockpit, and the software is so complete that it can pretend you are almost any place in any kind of weather
*About 11 years ago, I got to go in one of those simulators.
What a blast.
I got to “fly” that big jet over some of the biggest cities in the world.
And I only crashed 4 or 5 times.
*Each of the twenty pilots in Hybels’ story was a skilled flier.
But they had not taken instrument training to fly in bad weather.
As long as they used good weather in the flight simulator, no problem.
They were all experts.
*But when they put clouds and rough weather in the machine, all twenty of the pilots lost control of their planes.
They crashed in an average time of just 178 seconds.
*Twenty pilots who were very capable of keeping a plane up in good weather, -- couldn’t survive 3 minutes in bad weather.
(1)
*And it may seem like we can handle life on our own when things are good.
But when the storms come, we find out real fast that we need God’s wisdom!
And the good news is that whenever we lack wisdom, all we need to do is to ask God for it in faith.
And He will give it!
*That’s the request for God’s wisdom.
2. But also notice the riches of God’s wisdom.
*Again in vs. 5, James said: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
[1] Notice how God gives His wisdom.
First, He gives generously.
*Verse 5 tells us that God gives “to all people.”
This reminds us that God’s giving is wide.
He’s got more than enough wisdom to go around!
-- And He is not going to leave you out.
[2] God gives generously, and He gives abundantly.
*Verse 5 says He “gives to all liberally.”
This reminds us that God’s giving is deep.
He is never going to run out!
*When I was a little kid, one of my heroes was Roy Rogers.
He was “King of the Cowboys!”
When I was 5, I got just about every Roy Rogers toy in the Sears Catalog! -- Guns, hat, vest, pajamas.
I got a Trigger stick-horse, and Bullet the dog followed behind on wheels.
*Roy Rogers used to come on TV every Saturday morning.
And I loved that show.
Roy always beat the bad guys.
Some of you will remember that Roy would shoot his gun 500 times, and never have to reload.
*That’s the way the Lord is.
Jesus never runs out of what we need!
*If I need forgiveness:
7.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
8. which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.
(Eph 1:7-8)
*If we need peace:
-He can give us the peace that passes understanding.
(Phil 4:7)
*If I need strength:
-“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)
*If we need comfort, He is the God of all comfort:
3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4. who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
(2 Cor 1:3-4)
*If we need wisdom, Jesus is our supply!
6.
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7.
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.
(Proverbs 2:6-7)
*In Phil 4:19, Paul tells the church, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
[3] God gives abundantly, and He gives kindly.
*Verse 5 says He gives “without reproach.”
The KJV says, “He doesn’t upbraid us.”
The Amplified Bible says God gives “ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding.”
*In other words, God’s giving is sweet.
He gives without disapproval or criticism or condemnation.
Some people will give you something, but make you sorry you asked.
God’s not like that!
*So whenever we lack wisdom, all we need to do is to ask God for it in faith.
-He will generously, abundantly and kindly give His wisdom to you.
*That’s the riches of God’s wisdom.
3.
But also notice the roadblocks to God’s wisdom.
[1] Over the next few verses God shows us some roadblocks to wisdom.
And the first roadblock is lack of faith.
*We see this roadblock in vs. 6-8, where James warned:
6.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
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