James 3:17-18
~17 min read
💭 Consider this: Regarding heavenly wisdom, how have you experienced "the fruit of righteousness" in your conduct?”
TRANSCRIPT
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In our previous message, we learned about the dangers of false wisdom, which is from the world, the flesh, and the devil. And it is filled with envy, strife, confusion, and every evil work.
Today, we want to learn about the wisdom from above. So, there is a wisdom from below, and there is a wisdom from above. One is earthly, the other is heavenly. One is natural, the other is supernatural. One is from the devil, the other is from God. They are the exact opposite; they are contrary and opposed to each other. We cannot mix them together, nor can we put them both in the same life. It is either one or the other. The wisdom from above will drive out the wisdom from below, and the wisdom from below will constantly push away the wisdom from above. Let no man be deceived.
The question we need to ask ourselves is: How am I living my life? Am I living with worldly wisdom, or am I living with wisdom that cometh from above? It will be manifested in the way we live our lives, in the decisions we make, in our behaviours, in our works, in our conversations, in the way we deal with the situations of life. If a person professes to have true saving faith in Jesus Christ and claims to have wisdom from above, but his heart is proud, arrogant, self-centred, and he lives a life that is carnal and worldly with no consideration for God, his claim as a believer is false. No matter what he says, he's lying against the truth.
If a person has true saving faith, it is inevitable that through his life there will be this evidence of the true wisdom that cometh from above, which God gives to those who trust in His only begotten Son. Our Lord Jesus Himself said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24). Are we building our lives on this rock that is founded in Christ and His Word, or are we building on sinking sand? We want to learn from today's passage, James 3:17-18, about this wisdom that comes from above. The title of our message is “The Blessing of Heavenly Wisdom”.
I. The Characteristics Of Heavenly Wisdom
a. Pure
Firstly, we want to consider the characteristics of this heavenly wisdom, beginning with verse 17, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure”. The word “first” emphasises its importance; it is the key to all the other characteristics which will follow after. The word “pure” means cleansed from dirt, filth, and contamination. For example, metals have to be refined until all the impurities are removed, leaving behind only the pure metal, whether it be gold or silver. In other words, "pure" means unmixed, unadulterated.
Just like all the other characteristics, this purity is not physical but spiritual; it has to do with the heart. When it is applied to the heart, it has the idea of single-minded, undivided devotion, love, sincerity, and righteousness. When someone wants to serve in the church, but his real intention is for money, or his real motivation is to receive the applause of men, what do you call that kind of heart? An impure heart, right? Remember our Lord Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). So, what God wants from our heart is this pure, single-minded, undivided devotion for Him and Him alone.
But all of us will agree that we are not always pure in our thoughts, words, and actions. Now, we need to understand three things about this purity. Firstly, it is positional purity. What do we mean by that? At the point of our salvation, we are imputed with Christ's righteousness; we are imputed with His purity. His righteousness has to do with His purity. So, positionally, if we are true believers, we are made pure; we are justified.
Then there's the next thing known as practical purity. As long as we live in this world, living in this mortal body known as the flesh, we are not perfect – in fact, we are not 100% pure. Therefore, on a daily basis, we are commanded to be holy as God is holy; that is practical purity. We are being cleansed; we are being sanctified.
Allow me to quote an example of our Lord Jesus washing the disciples' feet. I think you are very familiar with that passage in John 13:1-11. If you have your Bibles, you can turn with me to John 13:1-11. The context of that passage was that Judas had gone out to betray our Lord Jesus, and then Jesus took a towel and a basin of water and began to wash the feet of His disciples. At that point, Peter refused to be washed by him; after all, He was their Master. In those days, it was the servants, not the masters, who would wash the feet.
Look at verse 8, “Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me”. Jesus was speaking about his positional purity. ‘If I do not cleanse you, or wash you, or make you pure by My precious blood, you have no part with Me; you are not saved.’
Peter, still not understanding, saith unto him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed” – that is positional purity – “needeth not save to wash his feet,” – that is practical purity – “but is clean every whit:” – because he has been thoroughly cleaned – “and ye are clean, but not all” (John 13:9-10). Who was Jesus referring to? Jesus was referring to Judas Iscariot, who had not experienced positional purity; he was not saved. So, verse 11 tells us, “For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean”. The word “clean” is the same word as “pure”.
You see, in those days, when people walked around the Palestinian region, they wore sandals, and the ground was very sandy and dusty. So, when they walked around, their feet would be dirty. They might have already washed themselves, but the moment they walked out of the house to a neighbour's house, their feet would be dusty. That was why foot washing was something very common in those days. They did not need to wash the whole body again, but only the feet.
Using that analogy, Jesus was teaching His disciples that they had all been cleansed by Him, except one, Judas Iscariot. ‘Positionally, you have been made pure by Me, but as you live your lives in this sin-polluted world, you would fall into sin, just as your feet would be dirty and dusty. What you need is not positional purity but practical purity; you need to be cleansed, you to be washed, you to be sanctified on a daily basis.’
I think you are familiar with the theological terms: justification, sanctification, and glorification. If you are a believer, you have been justified. What you need is to be sanctified daily, and one day you will be glorified; that is the ultimate purity. One day, you will be perfectly pure. 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is”.
Dear friend, positionally we are pure, but as we live our lives in this world, in this flesh, we are still troubled by sin, and we need to keep ourselves pure. God has given us His Word and His Spirit so that we may apply His wisdom to our lives to keep ourselves pure. When you and I study the Bible and apply God's Word to our lives, the Spirit of God will cleanse us, sanctify us, and make us pure. That is what we seek to do.
Many years ago, I read a story about a Bible teacher who wanted to teach his students about sanctification, or practical purity. There was a waste paper basket in the classroom, the one that has holes in it. The teacher asked the students to fill the waste paper basket with water, and they did, but the water flowed out. He repeatedly asked them to do that until one of the students got frustrated and said, ‘But all the water flowed out through the holes!’ Then the teacher said to him, ‘Look into the basket; is it much cleaner now?’
Using that illustration, the teacher taught the students that when the Word of God flows in and out of our lives, it will cleanse us. That is the sanctifying power of God's Word and His Spirit. Likewise, when you and I apply the Word of God to our lives, our thoughts, words, and actions will be sanctified. God's wisdom through His Word will keep us pure.
b. Peaceable
James went on to speak about the second characteristic: “then peaceable”, which means peace-loving or peaceful. The believer is someone who is at peace with God. He has met Christ, who is his peace, and he has received the peace Jesus promised to give him, which is totally different from the world. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). It is a supernatural peace.
The believer who has experienced this peace will long for this peace. However, as long as he lives in this world and in the midst of the vast majority who are not at peace with God—in fact, they are enemies of God—he will not experience the fullness of this peace. But there will always be this longing in his heart to desire this peace. He knows that life can be so unpredictable; there can be sorrows and intense pain lurking around the corner, and all of a sudden, his life can be caught in an unexpected predicament. He wants peace, but how can he have peace? The only way is to turn to the One who gives this peace.
Many of us are familiar with the song ‘It Is Well With My Soul’, but few know the reason why the writer of this hymn wrote it. The writer of this hymn was Horatio Spafford. He was a Christian, a successful attorney, and a real estate investor who lost his fortune in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Around that time, he also lost his beloved four-year-old son to scarlet fever. Horatio thought it was good for the family to take a vacation, so he sent his wife and four daughters on a ship to England, planning to join them after he finished some work at home.
However, while crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship was involved in a terrible accident, and it sank. More than 200 people lost their lives, including his four precious daughters. One tragedy after another. His wife, Anna, survived the tragedy. Upon arriving in England, she sent a telegram to her husband with these words: ‘Saved alone. What shall I do?’
Horatio immediately set sail for England. At one point during the voyage, the captain of the ship, aware of the recent tragedy, told Horatio that they were now passing over the spot where the shipwreck had occurred. As Horatio thought about his daughters – that was the place they drowned, that was the place they died – his heart was overwhelmed with great grief and pain, so much so that he cried out to God and prayed. All of a sudden, there was this calmness of comfort and peace, the peace that filled his heart and soul, and he wrote down these words, which became the lyrics of the well-known hymn:
When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Dear friend, when you face a problem and you simply look at the problem, you want the problem to be removed. When it is not removed, you will be overwhelmed, discouraged, and disappointed. You will be so devastated you may even fall into a depression. God does not want you to do that. He wants you to apply wisdom by looking to Him, and He will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding, that will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. It is a supernatural peace. This peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God in the midst of troubles. This is the wisdom of God.
c. Gentle
The third characteristic is: “gentle”. The word "gentle" has the idea of being mild and considerate, someone who is willing to forego his own rights, someone who understands the weaknesses of others, someone who is looking out for the good and interest of others. This is a quality that is most lacking in our modern world. Today, we are living in a society where everyone insists on his or her own rights. They want to speak their minds, and out of their mouths come words that are unkind, rude, mean, hurtful, insensitive, and unwise.
But the person who walks in heavenly wisdom is different; he is gentle. He will always consider his words and actions. He will only speak words of encouragement and edification, and his actions will always be carefully thought through for the glory of God and for the good of others.
Once there was a pastor who was being slandered by someone. When the church heard about the unkind remarks made by that person, they were furious, and they went after that person. But the pastor began to defend the slanderer, and he begged the church to forgive the attacker. In the end, that attacker came to believe in the gospel; he was an unbeliever then, and he was saved.
Do you think the pastor is wise or unwise? Most certainly, he is wise. He is able to apply the wisdom that comes from above by being gentle and considerate, looking beyond his own suffering and into the soul of that person. Rather than seeking his own vindication, he sought the salvation of that lost soul, and praise God, God saved that lost soul.
d. Easy To Be Intreated
The fourth characteristic is: “easy to be intreated”, which is closely associated with the word gentle or considerate. When someone is considerate, he is also reasonable; that is the meaning of “easy to be intreated”. Dear friend, there are many people out there who are more capable and knowledgeable than us, far more accomplished than us. But despite their great abilities, many are unwise because they refuse to listen to others. They are proud, arrogant, stubborn, and unapproachable, always insisting only their opinions are right. They are unwise. They may have all the knowledge of the world, but no one will look to them, and it is useless.
On the other hand, the person who walks in heavenly wisdom is different. People will gravitate to him. Why? Because he's teachable, approachable, open to reason, and willing to listen to others. Are you someone who is teachable, approachable, open to reason, and also willing to listen to others? Or are you someone who is always, ‘I, me, and myself only’? That is not the wisdom that comes from above.
e. Full Of Mercy And Good Fruits
The fifth characteristic is: “full of mercy and good fruits”. The phrase “full of mercy” means more than just mercy; it is compassion in action. The person who has heavenly wisdom not only has empathy and understands others in their sorrows, but he strives to help them with the strength that God has given to him, and in so doing, he produces good fruits.
f. Without Partiality
The sixth characteristic is: “without partiality”, which means he is consistent. He does not make his decisions based on how the person looks, who the person is, or what kind of situation it is, but simply he seeks that which is right and pleasing to God. It is all about God and His Word. He's impartial.
g. Without Hypocrisy
Finally, the last characteristic is: “without hypocrisy”, which means sincere. Who he is on the outside is also who he is on the inside; who he is in public is also who he is in private. It is not an outward show – what you see is what you get. There is no pretence. It is so sad that we live in a world where people are play-acting as if the world is a stage full of actors. There are people who pretend to be great philanthropists, but in reality, they are just buying votes for themselves. There are people who pretend to be kind and generous, but in reality, they are not. There are people who pretend to fight for human rights, but beneath the facade, they have all kinds of hidden agendas. Only God knows.
Even the church is not spared. Are there hypocrites in the church? Most certainly. When there are people who pretend to be godly outwardly, pretend to care for the souls of men, pretend to love the church, pretend to give to the gospel work, pretend to love the worship and fellowship of the saints, but in reality, they do not love God or the church. In reality, they are worldly and carnal. In reality, they still want to enjoy sin and pleasure that is so prevalent in this world. The Bible says they are hypocrites. Do you think God does not know? God knows.
You know why these people are most unwise? Because at the end of the day, in the final analysis, they have to stand before the almighty God, who will judge them for everything they do, and they will not be prepared for it. That is most foolish.
Having considered all these characteristics of heavenly wisdom, let us ask ourselves: have we applied this heavenly wisdom into our lives? Are we pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, impartial, sincere, without hypocrisy? If not, something is terribly wrong. If not, we may be following the wisdom that is below, that is of the world, of the flesh, and of the devil. God forbid.
II. The Result Of Heavenly Wisdom
Finally, the result of true heavenly wisdom. Look at verse 18, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace”. Here, the language is very interesting because fruit is not something that you sow; the fruit is what you harvest. It is the seed that you sow, though the word “seed” is not mentioned, but it is implied. In other words, the seed is the heavenly wisdom that you sow. When you apply heavenly wisdom in your life, you will reap the fruit of righteousness; it will be manifested in your life.
When you are pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, impartial, and sincere without hypocrisy, you are a peacemaker. You are creating an atmosphere of peace. You are seeking to make peace with the people around you. You will not only produce the fruit of righteousness, but the people around you will also experience your fruit of righteousness. They will be able to see the evidence of your fruit of righteousness.
Dear friend, when you and I apply this heavenly wisdom in our lives, in the church, in our marriages, in our families, in our workplaces, we will inevitably affect the people around us. They will experience the fruit of righteousness in our lives. They will be touched; they will be affected. In the church, there will be peace, harmony, and unity. In our marriages, quarrels and fights will be eradicated. In our families, our children will look to us as examples to follow. In our workplaces, our unbelieving colleagues will see our testimonies and want to know our God. What a blessing it will be if only all of us will apply this heavenly wisdom in our lives.
Do you realise that it is expected for every one of us who profess to be believers to apply this heavenly wisdom because all these are the characteristics of the believer? All these characteristics are mentioned in the fruit of the Spirit – do you realise? – which is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. More importantly, all these characteristics are also mentioned in the Beatitudes of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said in Matthew 5, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn for their sins, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemaker, and those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, and yet do not return evil for evil.
When you and I apply this heavenly wisdom in our lives, Jesus says, you are blessed because you belong to the kingdom of God; you are a child of God. This blessedness is not a superficial feeling of well-being based on the circumstances – when the situation is good, well, we are blessed; when the situation is not good, well, we are not blessed – it is not like that. It is a deep supernatural experience of happiness based on the fact that we are right with God, that our lives are right with Him, and that is all that matters.
Dear friend, as we live our days on this earth, we do not know how many more we have. Some of us may have some years to live; some may be months; others may be days. Have you ever looked at life from this perspective: that all of us are preparing to meet our Creator? We will meet our Creator, and we must be prepared to meet Him. And the way for us to prepare ourselves is to apply the wisdom that comes from Him, the wisdom that He has given to us in His Word, through the working of His Spirit.
We live out this truth: that we be pure, that we be peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, impartial, sincere, without hypocrisy. And then, when death knocks on our doors, we will be ready. We will long to hear our Lord Jesus say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; come into the joy of the Lord’ (paraphrased from Matthew 25:21). This is what we long to hear.
May the Lord help us that we will not apply the false wisdom of this world, of the flesh, and of the devil, but to apply the heavenly wisdom that cometh from above, from God Himself, His Word, and His Spirit. Let us pray.
Father in heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider both the false wisdom that comes from this world, from the flesh, and from the devil, which is filled with envy, strife, confusion, and full of every evil work. We do not seek such a wisdom, but rather we seek the wisdom that cometh from above, that cometh from Thee. That is the wisdom we seek after. Thou hast given to us Thy Word, and Thou hast given to us Thy Spirit, who indwells in our hearts.
And we pray that we will apply this heavenly wisdom that Thou hast taught us in Thy Word and through the working of Thy Spirit, that all of us as believers who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, impartial, and without hypocrisy. Teach us to live such a life, and help us to live such a life too. Without Thee, we can do nothing. May Thou be with us and cause us to live this life, exercising heavenly wisdom, preparing ourselves to meet our Creator. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
THE BOOK OF JAMESFacing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]James 1:1-4
Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]James 1:1-4
The Need For Wisdom In Times Of TrialThe Need For Wisdom In Times Of TrialJames 1:5-8
Trial Is No Respecter Of PersonsTrial Is No Respecter Of PersonsJames 1:9-12
How To Deal With TemptationHow To Deal With TemptationJames 1:13-15
Remember Who God Is And Who We AreRemember Who God Is And Who We AreJames 1:16-18
Be Receptive To The Word Of GodBe Receptive To The Word Of GodJames 1:19-21
Doers of the WordDoers of the WordJames 1:21-25
Be Responsive To The Word Of GodBe Responsive To The Word Of GodJames 1:22-25
Are You Transformed By The Word?Are You Transformed By The Word?James 1:26-27
The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 1]The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 1]James 2:1-4
The Sin of PartialityThe Sin of PartialityJames 2:1-13
The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 2]The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 2]James 2:5-13
Show Me Your Faith, And I Will Show You MineShow Me Your Faith, And I Will Show You MineJames 2:14-20
Faith In ActionFaith In ActionJames 2:21-26
A Warning To Want-To-Be TeacherA Warning To Want-To-Be TeacherJames 3:1-2
Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)James 3:1-13
The Power Of The TongueThe Power Of The TongueJames 3:3-6
The Taming Of The TongueThe Taming Of The TongueJames 3:7-12
The Danger Of False WisdomThe Danger Of False WisdomJames 3:13-16
The Blessing Of Heavenly WisdomThe Blessing Of Heavenly WisdomJames 3:17-18
Dealing With Conflict In The ChurchDealing With Conflict In The ChurchJames 4:1-6
What Constitutes True SalvationWhat Constitutes True SalvationJames 4:7-10
Speak No EvilSpeak No EvilJames 4:11-12
God’s Plan Or My Plan?God’s Plan Or My Plan?James 4:13-17
Physically Rich But Spiritually PoorPhysically Rich But Spiritually PoorJames 5:1-6
How To Be Patient In Times Of TroubleHow To Be Patient In Times Of TroubleJames 5:7-11
