Sermon Tone Analysis

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:

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:

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)

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

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.

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.