Ask Wisely
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Intro:
A newspaper article decades ago gave an interesting case about faking ignorance:
When Mr. Krafft learned there was a rich supply of potash (a valuable salt mineral) under his neighbor’s seemingly worthless swampland, he hurried over to make a deal before Dan got wise. They both knew the swampy acreage was just a tax drag to Dan. Krafft decided to lie blandly, and say that the land is handy to graze his cattle, so he offered $2,000 cash for the land.
This sounded like finding money to Dan so he accepted the offer. But when he saw Krafft begin digging out the potash, the valuable mineral used in making glass and fertilizer, Dan sued him for the land’s actual value.
“Mr. Krafft pulled a fast one,” Dan complained. “He knew there was a fortune under my swamp, and the talk about wanting it for his cows was only lies just to swindle me.”
Krafft responded with “A buyer doesn’t have to spoil a good bargain by telling everything he knows, does he?” Krafft continued, “Anyhow, Dan got more than he expected for his land, so nobody’s hurt if I make a nice gain on my investment.”
Now, the Nebraska court of law had to decide: can Dan collect the difference between “worthless acreage” and a valuable potash deposit?
Yes, Krafft had to pay another $73,000. A buyer does not need to disclose all he knows, Nebraska’s Supreme Court asserted, but Krafft had pretended he wanted the land for grazing, and he made a point about its being worthless for the sale. “Having of his own volition spoken when speech wasn’t required, he should have confined himself to the truth,” the court concluded. “His passive privilege of remaining silent for the purpose of availing himself of the fruits of superior knowledge did not include affirmative aid amounting to deceit.”
Mr. Krafft had pretended to be an ignorant man to his neighbor, which is apparently illegal in Nebraskan transactions. So the next time you buy goods from Nebraska, remember that you can’t play dumb, although you don’t have to impart your wisdom either.
Transition:
But, if you’re anything like me, then that’s never a problem since I lack wisdom in bargaining. Be not dismayed, God always provides our needs: God has blessed me with a wife who when it comes to purchasing goods—especially online— has wisdom beyond belief. the Apostle James has something to say about wisdom and the lack thereof:
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
V5 1st class conditional sentence - If/then statement ‘Presumed True for the Sake of Argument’ the “if” condition must be taken as true by the reader or the audience in order to prove a point. Some examples:
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Here in our passage in James, James assumes it is true and expects the dispersed Jews to take it as true that they are enduring trials and lacking wisdom:
Verse 5 conditional statement:
Assumed Condition: lacking wisdom
Command: Ask
Result: it will be given
Verse 6 subordinate statement sentence:
Command: Ask w/faith (w/o doubt)
Result: no faith/doubt is like being driven & tossed
VV. 7-8 both verses are one sentence (both in ESV & Greek)
Command: Don’t think/suppose
Result: stability (or for the one that does suppose is unstable)
A Baptist minister concisely reworded James’ words here to say: “Life creates a high demand for wisdom which God supplies, but only when certain conditions are met.”
James has just finished speaking about the various trials & tests that we encounter and can expect in life as we saw a couple weeks ago. These are the continual difficulties and afflictions that come in a given day. Often, these sufferings cause us to feel lost and unsure which way to go. Especially when we don’t understand the cause of the trial or its purpose, We can and usually do, feel our desperate need of wisdom. In this text this morning, James tells us what to do—Ask! He tells us first, when; and second, how:
1. When to Ask God (1:5-6a)
1. When to Ask God (1:5-6a)
If James 1:2–4 describes the benefits of responding correctly to trials, verse 5 gives attention to our hopelessness without God’s assistance. We need a certain kind of wisdom in order to let our troubles be an opportunity for joy.
James says in v.5, “If any of you lacks wisdom….” That’s the problem condition that James addresses in our text. There may be many things we lack that become evident under the pressures of life, but our focus is with James on wisdom this morning.
a. When we need wisdom
a. When we need wisdom
Now there are a couple things to discuss about wisdom. First of all, what does James mean by wisdom?
The Meaning of Wisdom – You have to know what wisdom is to know whether or not you are lacking in it. Wisdom is more than knowledge and more than intelligence. We must not confuse it with knowledge. Knowledge is information; wisdom is application. Knowledge is comprehending facts; wisdom is handling life. Knowledge is theoretical; wisdom is practical.
You can go to any university in this country, and graduate from any one of them, and become known as a knowledgeable person. Or you can have the blessing of being born with a high IQ. If this is you, then you can probably succeed in many fields of study in the workforce. But that will not guarantee that you will succeed in life. The fact is, you can have both intelligence and knowledge, and yet lack wisdom. The Hebrew word in the OT for wisdom is hoekma which carried the idea of “life skill.” Smart people have done foolish things, and they can be failures in life. We need more in life than just intelligence and knowledge. But the WISE person does not fail in life! Furthermore, wisdom is not common sense. There are many lost people who have what we call common sense in the worldly affairs of life. James 3 talks about worldly wisdom. but that is not what we are talking about here. Wisdom is the application of the knowledge of God—life skill imparted from the Word of God. It is having God’s perspective about life. One example is in the context here. James gives us God’s perspective on how we should respond & deal with the trials and difficulties of life. By faith in God we can overcome the trials that come our way.
True wisdom, according to Scripture, begins with God. Proverbs 1:7 From a biblical perspective, if a person does not know God who created all things, revealed truth, and established absolute values, then one cannot be wise. How could a person make right choices without knowing God and His truth? So, wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. That is, the reverent relationship of knowing God.
Fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;
wisdom and instruction, fools despise.
We gain a clear perspective on wisdom by looking at its opposite – foolishness (folly). In Proverbs 1:7, we also learn that fools despise wisdom. Proverbs tells us that fools hate knowledge. The fool is the person who chooses to contradict God’s truth. The fool ignores God’s value system. The fools gravitate to poor choices.
APP: We all need wisdom imparted to us at least time to time. It is the arrogant person who thinks they never need counsel. It is the foolish person who refuses to admit his/her need for wisdom. Has life created a demand through sufferings for wisdom in you today? Do you face a situation right now you cannot figure out? Then listen now:
II. God supplies wisdom to those who ask.
A. If you lack wisdom ask God.
1. Why? YHWH is the source of wisdom. Remember our discussion of Proverbs 1:7? Wisdom is a divine gift. You don’t get it by living a long life or experiencing many different things. You get it from God.
2. Rather than frantically trying to figure everything out by ourselves or getting our answers from Dr. Phil or Oprah, we need to go directly to the source – YHWH.
B. God will give you wisdom.
1. He will give it generously. God is not hesitant to give wisdom. He knows we need it. The word James uses here (gk: haplos) means “simply; sincerely—God simply gives it to us.”
2. He will give it without finding fault. The word reproach means without rebuke or insult. YHWH will not rebuke you and make you feel like you did something wrong for coming and asking Him for wisdom.
III. The Need for Wisdom - Proverbs 14:12 says :
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
Proverbs 3:5 also says:
Trust Yahweh with all your heart;
do not lean toward your own understanding.
The Christian needs wisdom in order that he might see his trials in a true light and make proper use of them. How else can we have a correct and true interpretation of the circumstances of life? Wisdom helps us understand how to use the trials of life for our good and God’s glory. If you are a parent raising children, I can assure you that you need wisdom. If you are trying to manage your money or even someone else’s money, you need wisdom. When you are dealing with people at your job, you need wisdom. If you still need to choose close friends, you need wisdom! The starting place in getting wisdom from God is to admit your need to YHWH. You’re going to have to go to YHWH with your problem and lay it at His feet and simply cry out to Him that you cannot solve it. You just go to the Lord and admit, “I can’t do this myself. I can’t work out my marriage problems on my own. I can’t handle my finances any longer. I can’t stand my neighbor’s children any more. I can’t handle the trials of life any longer. I need your wisdom!” Now if you lack the kind of wisdom that will help you be equipped to face life’s difficulties, don’t despair. We shall see how you can get that wisdom, but first it takes faith.
b. When we have faith
b. When we have faith
We must have faith—faith in what exactly? Faith In the character of YHWH that:
1. God Is Able to Give anything You Need – God is certainly able to give you wisdom, for He is the source of wisdom. He is the all-wise God. He is the almighty God. So He is able to answer your other prayers as well. The Bible says in Jeremiah 33:3:
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Eph. 3:20 says:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
2. God Is Willing to Give What You Need - Most of us believe with our heads that God is able to do what is impossible with man. A more common cause of doubting for many of us is the question, “Is God willing to answer this request?” A leper came to Jesus with faith in His ability to heal leprosy, which was considered impossible. That’s because he had heard what He had done for others. But what the leper said as he approached Jesus was, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean” (Mt. 8:2). If you are going to obtain wisdom from the Lord, you must ask in faith and it must be a constant faith. I believe that in v.5 James encourages us to have faith in God’s willingness to give what we ask of Him. Why? Let me share with you a few reasons why which will help you pray with greater faith.
a) Because It’s His Nature to Give – In v.5 James says, “let him ask of God, who gives….” In the Greek it reads more literally “let him ask from the giving God….” The stress is not so much on the act of giving as on the fact that giving is a characteristic of His nature. It is His nature to give even as it is the nature of the sun to send forth light and heat.
b) Because He Has a Generous Heart - In v.5 James says that God “gives generously to all ….” . God is not stingy. He is freely giving. He wants to give, and even give liberally! What if you had a financial need, and you went to the wealthiest person in this city and asked for help. Well their ability to meet your need would not do you any good if they were stingy. But if they are liberal in their giving, you would be encouraged to have faith that your request would be granted.
c) Because None Are Excluded - Notice in v.5 that God “gives generously to all ….” God’s gifts are not restricted to certain nations, to favored elite, or to particular individuals (super saints), but are available to everyone. He doesn’t give just to Jews, or just to preachers & missionaries, but to all. None are excluded. No sincere seeker will be sent away empty.
Jesus also confirms in Matthew 7:7-8 :
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
So it will be if you will only have faith. This should give you confidence in your faith in God’s Words while you pray!!!!
The Bible is the greatest source of wisdom for living. You can find many answers to the problems of life in the Word of God. Yet James doesn’t mention that explicitly here… at least, not yet (he talks about receiving God’s Word beginning in v.21). He doesn’t advise you to go & get advice from the wisest people that you know. What is the first solution that James recommends? It is prayer! When James says in v.5, “... let him ask of God….” he is saying the starting point is to pray. Probably, the main reason why prayer is the starting point is that wisdom comes (as we saw a moment ago) from God and then, godly wisdom comes only when we have a right relationship with God--based upon the fear of the Lord. So if you want wisdom, first pray! Yet it takes the right kind of prayer. Now the main emphasis of James is on believing prayer (gk: pistis/pisteow) which takes us into the “How”:
2. How to Ask God (1:6b–8)
2. How to Ask God (1:6b–8)
First, pray in Faith/in belief – As Christ, Himself promised:
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
When you pray, you must have faith that God will answer your pray, and grant you wisdom, or whatever else you might lack. How can you have greater faith when you pray? Well, the most important thing is not to focus on your faith, but on the object of your faith, which should be God. Faith is only as great as the object of your faith. what do I mean? Well let’s suppose that the water here freezes again and I said, “Don’t worry Ted and I know how to fix it!” How much faith would you have that Ted and I knew what we were doing? None at all! On the other hand, what if I said, “Don’t worry, Ted and I know to call out Kleiman Drilling!” How much faith would you have in Kleiman Drilling fixing the water problem? Do you see how the size of your faith is based on what you know about the object of your faith? That’s why you need to learn about God from His Word. The Bible says:
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
But there is a second nuance to James’ call to praying by faith:
a. Without Doubt
a. Without Doubt
Pray Without Doubting - “Doubting” (gk: dia-krinow) literally means to discern/judge or distinguish one from the other. How descriptive this is of the prayers of many doubting Christians. They judge those prayer requests that seem possible from those that seem impossible. How many times have you prayed for something, and immediately you had doubts that God would answer your prayer? The doubt James refers to here is not just intellectual doubt. It is not doubting the existence of God or His ability to answer a prayer. It is the doubt of divided loyalties which falls into the spiritual realm. It is the indecisive Christian who cannot decide from one trial to the next whether he or she will really trust the Lord and follow His wisdom. Now in vv.6-8 James tells us why we should not doubt. James 1:6-8
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
b. Without Wavering
b. Without Wavering
Mainly, it’s because doubt leads us to waver. In the last of v.6 James says, “for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” We are not to waver between faith and unbelief, trust and distrust, pleading as if it were with boldness, but all the time thinking that it is really useless to ask. When that is the case, James says that you would be like a wave, driven by the wind and tossed about. Such a man is for God today, but for himself tomorrow. One minute he believes God, the next minute he doesn’t. One minute he believes what the Bible says. The next minute he believes what the world says. He tries to serve two masters and is unwilling to break with either.
You must not be double–minded. Don’t be one way when you are at church, and another way when you are at work or school. You cannot hold on to the world with one hand and to the Lord with the other. If you do, you will enjoy neither the world nor the Lord. The child of God cannot be facing two ways at once. We either put our trust in God or we put our trust in ourselves.
In v.7 James gives the second reason why we should not doubt. He says that such a person should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. The doubting, wavering disposition is fatal to effectiveness in prayer. Geoff (Jeff) Thomas had said it this way, “Faith unlocks the divine storehouse, but unbelief bars its doors”. It was doubt that made Peter sink in the waves as he was walking to Jesus (Mt. 14:22-33). The wavering prayer dishonors and insults God by doubting the truth of His Word. We can see that doubting in prayer is a big problem. So what’s the solution? I have already said that you need to understand the character of God, as expressed in the last of v.5. But you also simply need to lay claim on the promises of God. If we meet the conditions, notice the promise found in the last of v.5, “it will be given to him.” There is no suggestion here of mere chance or probability of success. It will be given. God doesn’t lie. He keeps His promises.
So in summary, Kelly Randolph had said, “the on again-off again Christian should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. This is not the type of person who really wants God’s wisdom” then I would add, “nor that YHWH wants to give him/her divine wisdom.”
V.8 should be taken as a continuing description of the wavering man. When James says that the doubting man is unstable in all his ways, he points up that it is not only in prayer that this lack of constancy manifests itself. It comes out in every area of life. He says he is “unstable in all his ways.” He is like the roller coaster Christian. He has a “sense of what is right, but a love for what is wrong.” This man, whom James will go on later to describe further, is commonly known as a hypocrite, a man with two masters using either one at will.
Conclusion:
I want you to leave this morning knowing that God wants you to be strong, & fully developed as a Christian so that trails and testings are easier with the wisdom He gives freely. In what ways are you lacking today? How might you ask God? with doubt or with faith?
I love the words of Abraham Lincoln who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”
Can you identify with those words today? Do you face a problem which has lasted beyond your best efforts to solve? Are you looking for answers which seem to evade you? Has your wisdom and the wisdom of those around you fallen short?
There is hope. The One who is Himself All-wise delights to give you His wisdom to those who ask with a trusting heart. Have you asked God for wisdom believing He can help?
We need to ask for wisdom for our marriages. We need to ask for wisdom to raise our children in righteousness. We need to ask for wisdom to help us on the job and to be a witness. We need to ask for wisdom to deal with difficult relationships to be a testimony. We need to ask for wisdom to minister to others.
Does anyone lack wisdom here today? Let him ask God right now.