August 15, 2021 - Walk in Wisdom

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Our passage today - is FILLED with imperative verbs…and is really a collection of CONTRASTS...

If we were to just go VERSE by VERSE - we’d see contrast after contrast...

So let’s start with our first verse and really LINGER there for our time today...

Ephesians 5:15 ESV

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

Paul here is actually REPEATING what we’ve already heard him say to the Ephesian believers...

Ephesians 1:7–8 ESV

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

So Paul shows here - earlier in this book - that God WORKS - He MERCIES people in ALL WISDOM...

But - that also we can pray for the spirit of wisdom...

Ephesians 1:17 ESV

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

So clearly Paul desires that WE - the church - HAVE THIS WISDOM…in order to - WHAT?

What did Paul say in chapter 3?

Ephesians 3:9–10 ESV

9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

WE - the church - were CREATED - on order to DISPLAY - the manifold WISDOM of God!!

This is what God wants from us!!

But let’s LINGER here more!

Let’s break off now - and really dive into this UNIQUE WISDOM!

We looked a couple weeks ago at the UNIQUE LOVE of Jesus...

Let’s look NOW - at the unique WISDOM of God - a WISDOM we’re called to display!!

We first need to know that there are 2 KINDS of WISDOM = in this world!

There is an Earthly wisdom…Human wisdom

and there’s Godly Wisdom...

Let’s go to James to see this:

James 3:13–18 NASB95

13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. 18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

So again - we see here 2 KINDS of WISDOM!!

Wisdom that comes from above...

...and wisdom that comes from below.

· And so FIRST THINGS FIRST - let’s take a closer look at EARTHLY wisdom - and then from there get into wisdom that is from above and determine how we know if we have it.

SLIDE:

Human Wisdom

· Earthly wisdom is just another way to say – human wisdom…

· …and there’s no better place to read about this type of wisdom than in the book of Ecclesiastes.

· Ecclesiastes tells us how man sees the world, sees God, and sees the factors of life from human wisdom’s viewpoint.

· It reveals the uselessness, and the frustration of false human wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 1:16 ESV

16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

· So clearly Solomon is smarter than a 5th grader….the wisest of all.

Ecclesiastes 1:17 ESV

17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.

· So what’s he saying here?

· He’s saying – ok, I have wisdom, and in order for me to understand what wisdom is, I’m going to study [FOOLISHNESS].

- He’s finding that human wisdom is useless, and so in order for him to possibly add value to human wisdom, he’s going to look at human folly or stupidity (the opposite side of human wisdom).

· And he’s doing this hoping that human wisdom will end up looking better.

· His conclusion: NEITHER human wisdom nor human folly means anything, with both like chasing the air.

· Solomon goes on trying human pleasure, happiness, empire building (portfolio building), authority, sex.

· He tried it all, and what was his conclusion?

Ecclesiastes 2:11 ESV

11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

· This is the portrait of human wisdom – wisdom that comes from below.

· How many people do we hear claim to be [ignorant]?

· Not many….if any.

· Everyone has “the right” answer right?

o Sports Talk Radio

o Politics

o CNN

o Fox News

· No one claims to be ignorant…..

· So for the most part, everyone claims to be wise….

· …and so here we come to what James has to say about these claims…

James 3:13 ESV

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

· We shouldn’t be surprised here by what James says.

· This response by James to people who claim to be wise is exactly what we should expect James to say.

· James says – “Wait! Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him prove it by his conduct, his good behavior.

· This question here is now meant for us.

· Are you wise? Yes. Am I wise? Yes.

· But what kind of wisdom do I have? What kind of wisdom do you have?

· James actually gives us the answer to this question.

· James says, the answer lies in your actions.

· He says, first, show it by your [good conduct] or good behavior (general sense)

· And so just like faith as we discussed in chapter 2, wisdom and understanding, that is not demonstrated or lived out in righteous living, is void of any spiritual value.

· James then gets more specific in that he says – believers are to show their wisdom and understanding by [their good deeds] or works.

· Sound familiar?

· And then third, believers are to demonstrate their wisdom and understanding with an attitude of meekness.

· It’s important to understand what the Jewish idea of wisdom was at this time.

· The man mentioned in verse 13 – [by his] good conduct – that man is inferred to be a wise man.

· And “wise man” is the technical term for teacher.

· And “knowledge” for expert knowledge.

· And so the pride of knowledge was really the besetting sin for these Jewish Christians.

· That’s why James says that an attitude of meekness is the result of wisdom from above.

· It severs the root of pride.

· And this term “meekness”, or “gentleness” is not to be confused with weakness.

· Meekness is “power under control”.

· Think of a wild horse. This term meekness was often used to describe a wild horse that was broken and made useful to its owner.

· For believers, meekness is to be willingly under the sovereign control of God.

Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:5 ESV

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

And then Jesus speaking of Himself…

Matthew 11:29 ESV

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Meekness, gentleness combats false wisdom…the wisdom of man. This kind of wisdom is based on man’s own understanding, man’s standards, and it is false and ungodly.

James 3:14–16 ESV

14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

In these verses, James describes the motivation, the characteristics, and the results of False wisdom….human wisdom.

SLIDE:

THE MOTIVATION OF FALSE WISDOM

James 3:14 ESV

14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.

· Motivation is something that always originates in the heart.

· It flows from the heart.

· Why would someone choose to work 60 hours a week?

o Could be for many reasons.

o Maybe they need the money because they have a family to support.

o Maybe they love money.

o Whatever the intentions – good or bad…

o The motivation originates in the heart.

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Matthew 15:19 ESV

19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

· So from the heart springs forth these evil desires that motivate human wisdom,

· And James mentions 2 motivations here:

· Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.

· I would say that these 2 things here are 2 of the more prominent ingredients of evil.

· People who live their lives based on false, human wisdom, will without a doubt be self-centered.

· …that everything revolves around their preferences, their desires, and these things are the standard by which everyone else should live.

· Throughout human history, this mindset, and this heart attitude has lead to pain, suffering, kidnappings, murder, war, and on and on and on.

· …and all of these things take place when a person stands in arrogant defiance of God.

· Adolf Hitler / Sadaam Hussien / Osama Bin Laden / John Wilkes Booth / Ariel Castro

· Prime examples of people who lived in arrogant defiance of God.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

· If only they had had true wisdom and read verse 14:

James 3:14 ESV

14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.

· [True Wisdom] and [arrogance] are like oil and water.

· A professing Christian who is proud, boastful, self-centered, and arrogant is a fraud…

· …and to claim otherwise is to “lie against the truth” (v14)

· So James is asking us – are you a living lie?

The motivation for False Wisdom is bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.

SLIDE:

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FALSE WISDOM

James 3:15 NASB95

15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

· It’s interesting to note that the 3 great enemies of all believers are the world, the flesh, and the devil.

· And these 3 enemies correspond to the 3 characteristics of False Wisdom mentioned here is verse 15.

· Earthly [the world]

· Natural [the flesh]

· Demonic [the devil]

· For wisdom to be earthly is to be limited to this present material world of time and space.

· It takes only man and man alone to accomplish its purposes….the purposes of HUMAN Wisdom

· …to maximize its full potential.

· God is not needed in the equation - OF HUMAN WISDOM

· Earthly wisdom is void of God.

· For wisdom to be unspiritual or natural, is to be blinded to the reality of life.

· Why do I say that?

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

· Unspiritual or Natural wisdom is blinded to reality

· WHY? - Because - Wisdom that is demonic is WISDOM that is rooted in Satan himself, working out his purposes.

· If you think about it, WHAT did Satan promise Eve in the garden if she would just disobey God…?

· He promised her wisdom….

· …eat this and your eyes will be open and you’ll be [like God].

· So Satan knows man’s heart…

· And knows the self-centered bent of our hearts…

· …and he exploits that!

2 Corinthians 11:3–4 NASB95

3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 ESV

13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

· Demonic wisdom is rooted in Satan himself, carrying out his purposes.

So what does all this lead to?

We’ve seen the MOTIVATON of Human Wisdom

We’ve seen the Characteristics of Human Wisdom

What are the RESULTS of - Human Wisdom

SLIDE:

THE RESULTS OF FALSE WISDOM

James 3:16 NASB95

16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

· So James says that where these 2 motives exist (jealousy and selfish ambition), there is disorder and every vile practice (every evil thing).

· You’ll notice how broad these terms are: disorder and every vile practice. (evil thing)

· They’re meant to be broad….they cover everything

· Anger, bitterness, resentment, pride, slander, and on and on and on.

· The result of false wisdom is – EVIL.

But there’s good news. There is a wisdom that comes from above.

What did Paul say in our text today…?

Ephesians 5:15 ESV

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

If we were going to focus in on the same 3 ATTRIBUTES of Wisdom as we did False/Human wisdom..

Motivation

Characteristics

Results

We’d see that the motivation of Godly Wisdom = EQUATES to the motivation of Jesus Christ HIMSELF!

Why?

1 Corinthians 1:24 ESV

24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Jesus IS - the WISDOM of God...

SLIDE:

THE MOTIVATION OF GODLY WISDOM

We need to ask - Well what was Jesus’ motivation?

WELL - I would say it’s TWO-FOLD...

Luke 19:10 ESV

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

One of Jesus’ motivations was to SEEK and SAVE the lost of this world!!

He was often found:

Seeking out those whom the religious ELITES at the time - REJECTED

The woman at the well

The sinful woman with the alabaster jar

Matthew himself - who was a tax collector

That’s ONE motivation of Jesus - to SAVE the lost...

But what else?

2 Thessalonians 1:10 ESV

10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

Jesus died for sins - ROSE again - ascended...

AND is coming back - why?

“to be glorified in his saints, and to be MARVELED at among all who have believed!”

Jesus was on MISSION to - be GLORIFIED!!

The Motivation of Godly Wisdom - is the GLORIFICATION of Jesus Christ! - IN the saving of lost souls!

NOW - with THAT as the motivation of this wisdom...

SLIDE:

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GODLY WISDOM

James 3:17 NASB95

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

The first characteristic we see of Godly Wisdom is that it is PURE...

1 John tells us something about this...

1 John 3:3 ESV

3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

And so TRUE WISDOM - is pure…as Jesus is PURE...

There is a PURIFYING ASPECT of Christianity...

where we as BELIEVERS - put ourselves on the clay WHEEL - and shape ourselves…to be MORE LIKE Jesus!!

Back to James...

James 3:17 NASB95

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

· Isn’t it interesting that even True Wisdom bears fruit, justifying itself before men that it is of the divine?

· You ask, what fruit?

· Many of these characteristics here we’ll find in the beatitudes.

1. Godly Wisdom is peaceable:

Matthew 5:9 ESV

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

· Those who are truly wise don’t seek out conflict, or hide from opportunities to make peace.

· This verse says they “PURSUE” peace…and when is peace needed?

· When there is no peace.

· This verse says [that] is when the truly wise will stand and be heard.

· True wisdom is pure, therefore peaceable.

2. Godly Wisdom is gentle:

2 Timothy 2:24–25 ESV

24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

3. Godly Wisdom is reasonable:

· What does this mean?

· Have you ever heard of an athlete being coachable?

· Someone who is willing to take instruction and yield to what’s being commanded without being stubborn.

(Indians Camp - Winterhaven Florida - Davey Nelson)

· This is similar to the first beatitude:

Matthew 5:3 ESV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4. Godly Wisdom is full of mercy:

· Back to the beatitudes:

Matthew 5:7 ESV

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

· Being “full of mercy” is probably more than you think it is.

· It entails not only forgiving those who have wronged you,

· But also reaching out to those around you who are in need.

1 John 3:16–18 ESV

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

· Are you full of mercy?

· Well it takes more than you saying you’re full of mercy.

· AND because it does, James then says that:

5. Godly Wisdom is full of good fruits:

· Of course it is.

Matthew 5:6 ESV

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

· What happened the last time you didn’t eat for a while?

· …got hungry…then what?

· You ate

· What happened the last time you didn’t drink for a long time?

· …got thirsty…then what?

· You drank

· Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness?

· If so, what have you done about it? What do you do about it?

· Is bible study even on your radar?

· Is prayer even on your radar?

· If not, you’re not hungry…you’re not thirsty.

6. Godly Wisdom is Unwavering:

· This word is only used here in the New Testament and literally means not to be divided.

· To be without uncertainty, indecision, or doubtfulness

· Many people today know the name - JIM ELLIOT…

· Being attacked by Indians with spears…

· Knowing what was going to happen…

· DOESN’T fight back...

· And ALL of heaven looking down on this event…

· At the THRUST of a spear…

· Says “Yes!”…

· he’s real!!

· He’s not blown around by the wind…

He’s unwavering…

7. Godly Wisdom is without hypocrisy:

· Hypocrisy is one the sins that Jesus condemned most.

· 4 times - just in the Sermon on the Mount he mentions hypocrisy (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16, 7:5)

Matthew 23:27–28 ESV

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

True Godly wisdom is peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy. (CHARACTERISTICS of Godly Wisdom)

SLIDE:

THE RESULT OF GODLY WISDOM

· We see the result in verse 18.

James 3:18 ESV

18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

· Godly wisdom demonstrates itself in the life of a Christian through righteous, selfless, and peaceful living.

· There’s a continual cycle of peaceful seed sowing, and fruit bearing….

That’s the RESULT of Godly Wisdom in our lives...

AND AS we mentioned last week about MATURING - IN Christ...

We must first BE IN CHRIST in order to mature in Christ...

WELL....

· If we are to be truly wise, we MUST be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

· Then and only then will Godly Wisdom manifest itself in our lives through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

SUMMARY

GODLY WISDOM GUIDES US ON PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

It wars against Human Wisdom...

Think of HOW OFTEN we see Human Wisdom play itself out in the Bible...

Moses didn’t want to go before Pharoah. Why? - Human wisdom

The Israelites wouldn’t take the promised land…WHY? - human wisdom

WHO told the Israelites to go SPY OUT the land?

Did God KNOW that they would see the formidable Canaanites in the land when they spied it out?

YES!!

Yet - God sent them there - To a FORK in the ROAD (what decision will you make?)

The apostles didn’t think that 5 loaves and 2 fish were gonna feed 5000 people. Why? - Human Wisdom

We’ve seen that Human Wisdom flows from:

bitter jealousy

selfish ambition

AND that it’s:

· Earthly [the world]

· Natural [the flesh]

· Demonic [the devil]

And that it RESULTS in EVIL...

On the flip side - we’ve seen GODLY WISDOM:

It’s MOTIVATION is - the LOST of this WORLD!

AND - the Glorification of Jesus Christ!

Godly wisdom is peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy.

These are the fruits we are to PURSUE in life...

May we pursue what Paul told us today...

Ephesians 5:15 NASB95

15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,

Let’s Pray…

We come now and pray as Paul did for the church at Ephesus:

Ephesians 1:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.