Wise Influence

Scripture: James 3:13-4:3 Sermon: Wise Influence Focus: Recognize Godly wisdom and how to use it. Function: With heavenly wisdom, influence other’s to a closer relationship with Jesus. This past week I attended a 911 trade show in TN. This show is comprised of vendors who develop 911 dispatch software, sell radio equipment, 911 center furniture. Basically, anything related to 911 is found here. This show is called the TENA conference. This certain show is memorable to me because 5 years ago this was my first 911 trade show. After being hired with the company for about 4 months, my boss asked me to go with him to this show. I was nervous. I was in this huge room at this luxury hotel with 911 directors, programming geniuses, awesome sales people. Here I was, wearing a polo I got from Walmart the week before with the company logo on it, my laptop and bookbag from college, going into this show, being a face for the company, knowing nothing. My goal – to say as little as possible. This was hard when my boss wanted to wonder off from time to time. This is when I tried to through some tech jargon out there that I hope would stick. From this trade show I learned something about influence. It was my job that day to influence others to liking our program. However, I found this difficult when I was so unfamiliar with the line of work. I could fake it to a certain point. But I didn’t have the influence on others to get them to write a check for our program right there on the spot. I think this was for two reason. One, I really didn’t know what I was talking about when it came to 911 software. Two, my goal during the show was not to influence others by finding out where they need help, my goal was to maintain self-efficacy. So, while I was trying to maintain this self-efficacy, I was also trying to influence others to buy our software. It’s safe to say – it did not work. This did not work because the life I lived as a broke college grad, did not match the life of a software development company. It was a mixture of the two. And this mixture made it to where I could not influence others. This morning I want to preach on where wisdom is found and how to use it. James challenges his readers to first point out the wise among you. Now we may be quick to point to certain people in our midst that are wise. We may use criteria such as their eldership. These people have been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt. Older age takes a way a few things, but it does have the ability to give us wisdom. Some of you may point to people because they hold a position in the church. Others may point to a wise person because of their successful career. Are you may point to someone simply because you like them, and you feel they have given you wise advice before. I think we need to define what wisdom exactly is. More specially, how does the Bible define wisdom. Paul said that “Godly wisdom is a mystery, hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began (1 Corinthians 2:7).” That means it is not quickly pointed out because of someone’s age, eldership, job status, or church position. Biblical wisdom is not something that is achieved through these things. Instead, Biblical wisdom comes in the form of a person… Jesus. So, the way we tell that a person is truly wise is by the life they live in Christ. How people’s relationship is with Jesus determines the person’s true wisdom. Who is wise among you? There is truly only one only one. But how do we tap into that wisdom? So, James gives us advice on what we can do to get this heavenly wisdom. The first thing he says, and he makes a point to make sure this is the first thing is to be pure. That means unmixed. Often when we think of purity in our culture we think of sexual purity. However important, this is not what James is talking about. A pure life is one that is unmixed or whole. Do y’all remember whole numbers in math class. Whole numbers contain no fraction. They do not lie in between two number, they are it. So, James is challenging us that our lives inside the church extend to our life outside the church. Some of your Saturday selves are not your Sunday selves, Amen! Halloween is coming up and you see a lot of people wear masks. See, I’ve had my Saturday mask and then on Sunday must put on my preacher mask. I’ve had my mask watching a football game at my house and watching one with some church folks. Have you ever had a mask for certain occasions? The problem with this is when your Saturday mask comes out accidently on Sunday. This is an indication of a mixture. And you can’t keep them separate. You have so many different personalities everywhere and sometimes the weekday one creeps into the Sunday one and you didn’t mean for it do. See church, when we pray for peace, it helps if your life is not in pieces. Does that make sense? Before you can have peace, you must admit the pieces in your life, admit its brokenness. Take it to Jesus and He can make it whole, He can give you wisdom, He can give you strength. See there is this misconception we have in church that if someone has either done so many bad things or one really bad thing is that they are forever unclean. They are forever mixed with whatever they done. But I’m telling you this morning that Jesus has the power to make anything and I mean anything that is mixed, broken, unclean – PURE and WHOLE!!! So, we have purity. We have wholeness. What do we do next James? How do continue in this wisdom! Notice what James lists off – peace-loving (that’s toward others, considerate (toward others), submissive (that takes another person to be submissive to) full of mercy (ready to extend to others) impartial (toward others) and sincere (others). Your wisdom is not found in yourself. It’s found in living a life of serving and loving OTHERS! Do you want me to tell you the best way to witness for Jesus? The best way to grow the church. To grow your Sunday school, to grow your youth. It’s not found in a new program, it’s not found in a new study or song. It’s not found in an awesome life-changing message. When you are wise, you are influential. Do you remember the story in Mark 9 when the disciples were arguing amongst themselves as Jesus was teaching and while he was, you know, on his way to die on the cross? They argued with each other who the greatest was. Here they are with the creator of the world 5 feet from them and they are trying to figure out who the best is. Who is the wisest. But what does Jesus do. He doesn’t even point to Himself as the greatest, instead he points to SOMEONE ELSE, in fact, he points to a CHILD and says this will be the greatest. Now Jesus was showing the disciples and is showing us something special here. For one, don’t think because your young you have no influence. You have the greatest influence. Let me promise you that! But second, Jesus is saying your greatness is found in making others greater than yourself. Jesus lifted someone else up in looking for greatness. He did not even point to himself! Maybe it’s time to stop acting like we are the star of the show and everyone else is a movie prop. Maybe to truly grow in Christ, we stop with the whole looking to make ourselves better but look how we can influence others closer toward Jesus by living a life worthy of our calling. After having spent 5 years in the realm of public safety and been in a 911 center and witness the stress and pressure dispatcher are under. I no longer go to 911 shows trying to make myself look better than I really am. I do my best to see how we can serve their county to make it a safer place. Your breakthrough with Christ may not be found in an awesome awe-inspiring self-awareness. It may be found in pouring your love, consideration, submissiveness, mercy, impartiality and sincerity on others. So, I challenge you this week. If you’re are a husband, go to your wife everyday this week and ask “what can I do to serve you today?” Wife’s do the same for your husbands. Kids do the same for your parents. Because we must be willing to influence our own family if we are ever going to be able to influence others.