Two Wisdoms, Two Paths

St Timothy Presbyterian Church in Toronto: Sermons

Scripture Passage

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8

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Sermon Script

Today's passage begins with this question:

Who is wise and understanding among you?

Everyone on the internet and social media has something wise to say. Everyone's an expert.

But who is truly wise among us?

The Scripture says this:

Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. (James 3:13)

A good life is rooted in wisdom. We need wisdom to live a good life.

But the passage today talks about two different kinds of wisdom. Depending on which wisdom you have, your life will be very different.

There are two wisdoms, two paths.

There is wisdom that comes from above, and wisdom that is from below. Wisdom that comes from God, and wisdom of the world.

The passage says this about the wisdom of the world:

But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant and lie about the truth. This is not wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. (James 3:14-15)

This wisdom of this world uses smarts to make yourself look good. It tries to display your own importance to others.

But it does so in a way that masks the truth. It masks what really lies underneath: bitter envy and selfish ambition.

Digging deeper, envy and selfish ambition are really manifestations of fear.

Fear at your core that you are not good enough. You are not enough. What you have is not enough.

That insecurity gets triggered very easily.

If something good happens to someone, instead of being happy for them, you are filled with envy because it makes you feel even more insecure.

When you boil it down, the goal for wisdom of the world is to keep up with or have more than the next person.

When you're driven by these things, the result is clear:

For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. (James 3:16)

So many of the world's evils stem from envy and selfish ambition.

We see this right from the beginning.

Adam and Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel. God approved of Abel's offering but not Cain's.

Cain was filled with envy and rage, so he committed the first murder by killing his brother.

The Greek word translated as disorder also means unstable, restless and unsettled.

When your heart is insecure, the heart is unstable. It is not at peace.

That disorder bleeds into your life. It bleeds into your relationships. It bleeds into your families and communities.

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? (James 4:1)

This world leaves you unsettled. It leaves you always feeling there's more you need to do and be.

We use the world's wisdom to feel at peace.

But even if you've succeeded in creating the desired circumstances, the heart is still not at peace.

The world constantly fuels your insecurity by saying you're not enough.

After I graduated from university, my first full-time job was in marketing at a global consumer packaged goods company.

They know the consumer better than they know themselves.

They know how to tap into your beliefs and make you feel that you're not complete unless they buy your product. Ads reinforce the message that you're lacking until you buy it.

That was twenty years ago. It's even worse now.

The whole business model for smartphones and social media is to fuel your insecurity and feed off of it.

The wisdom of the world does not bring peace to the insecurity in your heart. It is very different from the wisdom from above.

The passage says this:

But the wisdom from above is first pure (James 3:17)

In what way is it pure?

The wisdom from above is pure of envy and selfish ambition.

It is pure of insecurity and feelings of nothingness. It is pure of desire and cravings for things that stem from fear and insecurity.

When your heart is pure from these fears and insecurities, you experience peace.

The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. (James 3:17)

When you have the wisdom from above, you're no longer driven by fears and insecurities.

Your heart is at peace. You can see and think clearly. You can be more generous. You can be led by the right motivations.

There is a difference between ambition and selfish ambition.

Ambition itself is good. The desire to succeed is energy and an engine that propels you.

There's a famous book in the world of business titled Good to Great . It talks about companies that went from good to great in a lasting way.

The main finding is that its leaders have great ambition. But that ambition is directed toward the success of their company.

By directing their energy toward the success of their company, they also achieve great personal success.

But that personal success is a result of their service to the success of the company.

We know many of these companies today, but we don't know the leaders behind them. That's what makes these companies great.

I think that's the key to success for all of you too.

I want all of you to be ambitious. But be ambitious for something beyond yourself.

I want all of you to strive for excellence in what you do. But do that so that you can contribute your absolute best for the people you serve.

I want you all to be very successful. But I want your success to be a result of being ambitious for the company you work for, the community you serve, the people you love.

You will find that success when your heart is set free from fear.

Wisdom from above brings peace. Peace in your heart. Peace in your communities.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:18)

Do you want to make a difference in this world? Then seek out the wisdom from above. Become a spiritual person.

You will bring peace to those around you. You will bear good fruit in your life.

The wisdom of the world is acquired by your effort. It becomes your possession. It becomes your property that you use to elevate yourself.

But the wisdom from above cannot be acquired by your effort. It cannot be your possession.

The wisdom from above is a gift given by God.

The passage today tells us these things:

Submit yourselves therefore to God Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (James 4:7-8)

Submit yourself to God. Submit all of your insecurities, cravings and fears of your heart to God.
Let go of the false things your heart is pursuing out of fear. Let God purify your heart.

Then draw near to God. God will draw near to you.

Seek the wisdom that comes from God. Ask for it. Pray for it.

King David wrote this psalm:

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. (Psalm 24:3-6)

With clean hands and pure hearts, we seek the wisdom of God.

We no longer lift up our souls to what is false. We no longer lie to ourselves.

Two wisdoms, two paths. Seek the wisdom that brings peace.

You will live a good life that bears good fruit.

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