James 3:13-18 Check the Label
James: Put on Kindness • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 35:15
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· 7 viewsAll amoung us should produce righteousness by making peace.
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When was your most memorable experience of buyer’s remorse?
I have 2 examples in mind. 1) In December I ordered a replacement bowl for our food processor. It still hasn’t shipped :( 2) after Covid I ordered a folding chair from a seller on Facebook. After they had my money I found it was a company in another country. When they finally delivered a product it was only an 15” nylon bag with a drawstring. I googled the product and found dozens of other customers with the same complaint as I had!
Buyers remorse usually comes from greater information.
When I was a kid breakfast cereal in our home was either from the clearance shelf or it was off-brand which meant it did not have all the cartoons of Kelloggs’ or General Mills boxes, which led a bored boy to read ingredient lists.
Items do not always deliver on what is expected. Products labeled “No Cholesterol” do not mean they contain no fat. Products labeled “low Carb” does not mean they contain no sugars. Neither of these labels say anything about sodium. Just because a product is missing one dangerous element, does not mean it is healthy.
Likewise, just because it contains something undesirable does not mean it should be avoided entirely. Sometimes, moderation is preferable to all-in or total abstinence.
If I asked you to name a time when “conventional wisdom” did not apply, most of us could provide an example, because conventional wisdom is not universal wisdom. The “rule of thumb” is inadequate, and I’ve heard people complain that common sense is not very common anymore.
17 The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.
Sometimes a cross examination is necessary to challenge or vindicate claims. How many times have we been promised something by a politician that later proved to be an empty claim? History is littered with the claims of sages, experts and authorities who came up short. Last week we read that “experts” and “we all” must give account for our words. Today we see that ideas are not equal either.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
Transition: Knowledge is not always wisdom and all that claims to be wisdom does not bear the same results.
The Display of Wisdom (James 3:13)
The Display of Wisdom (James 3:13)
How is one supposed to know the difference between common sense, truth, good reason and Godly wisdom? God’s Spirit prompted James to write that wise and understanding is proven in good conduct and meekness.
Good Conduct – conduct expressed according to certain principles[i]
Good Conduct – conduct expressed according to certain principles[i]
This is the idea of intentional living, not flighty, seat-of-the-pants, or unpredictable.
We spoke last week of the value of knowing what you can expect to come from a person’s mouth. This is the other side of that coin where you know what to expect if a person is in a given situation.
Meekness(gentleness/humility) - neither an inability (this would be weakness) nor a hesitancy, nor an arrogance to get involved.
Meekness(gentleness/humility) - neither an inability (this would be weakness) nor a hesitancy, nor an arrogance to get involved.
As the only son with 3 sisters, there were times when I was “requested” to carry boxes and bags in from the car or help move items around the house. Occasionally these items were at the limit of my strength which displayed in clumsiness. Occasionally these items were light enough that mom or the girls could have done the chore as easily as I could.
The meek person is eager to help, not because she is the only person capable, but out of honor for another person. It is the difference between a gentleman and a chauvinist.
Transition: Just as true wisdom is beautiful and beneficial on display, in contrast to weakness or arrogance; False (or Pseudo) Wisdom is just as ugly and damaging.
The Disorder of Pseudo-Wisdom (James 3:14-16)
The Disorder of Pseudo-Wisdom (James 3:14-16)
I don’t want to glamorize something that God’s Word tells us to avoid, but I do want to adequately warn you of it’s potential pain.
Jealousy (envy) & Selfish Ambition
I’m going to handle these as a pair because James joins them with a conjunction rather than the English form of a list with commas.
The NFL season is over so many of you are looking forward to fewer football illustrations. I don’t want to EVER think that athlete admiration is crowding in on our worship of God alone! So in that vein, let me point out just 2 negative examples from the team just to our Northeast.
This is NOT the way to win friends or influence people, neither officials nor coaches! In both these situations teammates had to reel them in. These are just 2 snapshots of good passion turned earthly. Passion and frustration are understandable, but they are not the wisdom that comes down from above.
Boast (arrogant) that Truth is optional (false/deny/lie)
Climate activists blame conservatives of denying the science. Pro-Lifers blame progressives of denying the science. the “science” is merely a collection of observations. The CONCLUSIONS that we derive from these observations is where we differ.
James is explicitly stating “false to the truth”, Fake News did not start with the modern media! it has been a challenge since James’ day, actually it goes back to the Garden of Eden. One could actually take it back to the original heavenly rebellion where Lucifer claimed he could be like God.
Earthly pseudo-wisdom chooses its own set of “facts” and boasts in a way that is false to the rest of the truth. We need a lot more of Paul Harvey’s rest of the story.
earthly (from the earth)
I’ve seen videos where a person attaches a camera to a dog’s head and films action from the dogs perspective.
Wisdom that is purely from a low perspective misses the bigger picture
I’ve been impressed by some drone footage, especially how our own Sherrif’s Department was able to use unmanned aircraft to aid in the apprehension of 2 guys just south of Council Grove in the last month.
Searching only from an earthly perspective would have taken much longer and wouldn’t allow to look into draws until they were right on the edge. Gaining a perspective from abovethe earth produced a better outcome—bad guys went away and good guys went home, nobody injured!
“Unspiritual” (natural, lit. psychological) - pertaining to the life of the natural world and whatever belongs to it, in contrast to the realm of experience whose central characteristic is spirit[ii]
Demonic - a hapax legomena, but 1 Kgs. 22:22; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 2:24
wicked deception, deceitful spirits, Lawless, teaching of demons, things of Satan
Disorder - – this is actually a compound, compound word, made up of 3 separate words.
Stasis is the idea of stability, order, or normal function
Kata is the preposition meaning “contributing to”
Finally the a- means opposite
Pseudo-wisdom that does not come from above is “that which does not contribute to a stare of normalcy.”
At the end of the parade on Wednesday this word appeared in an event that only lasted a few seconds, but it’s influence continued for hours and the trauma it induced may last for years.
Vile/evil - pertaining to being low-grade or morally substandard,[iii]
In common language we’re talking about any lockerroom talk, beauty shop gossip, or café stories that we would not want caught on a hot mic.
Illustration: We’re not selecting a “pastor” we’re selecting a “president/Governor/Mayor”
We shouldn’t tolerate this from our athletes, or ANY of our leaders.
Transition: Disorder is humanly, earthly ideas masquerading as wisdom. V.15 begins the description of ideas that are not from above. V.17 begins to describe wisdom that IS from above.
The Delight of True Wisdom (James 3:17-18)
The Delight of True Wisdom (James 3:17-18)
These are the meek behaviors of a person who is living according to heavenly principles, empowered by God’s Spirit.
First (priority/importance)
First (priority/importance)
Pure – innocent, holy, rooted in the Holy One.
Pure – innocent, holy, rooted in the Holy One.
1. Behaviors that come from above are a reflection of the One who rules above.
2. True wisdom never makes one ask, “I wonder what‘s his angle?”
Then…the rest of v.17 looks uncannily like the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.
Then…the rest of v.17 looks uncannily like the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.
· Peaceable – harmonious relationship
· Peaceable – harmonious relationship
· Gentle – not insisting on every right of the letter of the law.
· Gentle – not insisting on every right of the letter of the law.
You go first. No, you go first.
· Reasonable – compliant (opposite of stubborn or combative)
· Reasonable – compliant (opposite of stubborn or combative)
· Merciful – kindness toward someone in need.
· Merciful – kindness toward someone in need.
· Fruitful – demonstrable outcomes.
· Fruitful – demonstrable outcomes.
Nobody grows tomato plants for the stems and leaves. I don’t care how lush the plant is unless I’m getting some ‘maters for my sandwich or salsa.
· Impartial – this word points back to our last 2 sermons, God’s wisdom is predictable for all (not saltwater for some/fresh for others) and is consistent whether you wear shiny clothes or ordinary clothes.
· Impartial – this word points back to our last 2 sermons, God’s wisdom is predictable for all (not saltwater for some/fresh for others) and is consistent whether you wear shiny clothes or ordinary clothes.
· Sincere – without play-acting.
· Sincere – without play-acting.
Illustration: This is why I chose to invest 1/2 of 2023 in 1 & 2 Samuel. Saul and David were cut from different bolts of fabric. Earthly leaders may fall into 2 categories. AND ordinary citizens may play into 2 different lifestyles,Peaceable
Conclusion
Conclusion
James 3:18 - Character still counts!! Last week we saw that both leaders and we all are judged by our ability to control the tongue. This week we learn that all among us should produce righteousness by making peace.
We are not the source of righteousness, but when righteousness is poured in as a raw material, it should also come out in the final product that is inspected by others.
It is impossible for you to pull up your own bootstraps, and self-muster the type of wisdom that is described in v.18. Yet it is fully and freely available for ANY who ask for it on God’s terms. Any who are adopted into God’s family through the sacrifice of the Son and indwelt by the Spirit have this type of wisdom at their very disposal.
We must all come to a place in our lives where we choose the righteousness and peace available in Christ, rather than the jealousy and self ambition of our own hearts leading to disorder and evil.
Will you say yes to Jesus today?
[i] Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. 2000. In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., 73. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[ii] Ibid., 1000.
[iii] Ibid., 1050.