Sermon Notes
Sermon: A Tale of Two Cities by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: September 23, 2018
Key Passage: James 3:13-4:12
Key Points:
Two Cities
In James 3:13-4:12, we find a tale of two cities: life in worldly wisdom vs. life in Godly wisdom. This is not the only place in the Bible that we will see this dichotomy, but James does a great job of identifying the distinguishing features between them. James gives us the origins, the evidence, and the outcomes of each. He also gives us instructions on how to combat worldly wisdom and live under Godly wisdom.
Origins
Worldly wisdom is from Satan below, who is the prince of this world. Satan goads us into creating our own wisdom based on human reasoning. But this man-made wisdom is temporary and comes to nothing. It often rejects the Gospel of God. It causes conflict that stems from jealousy and selfish ambitions. Romans 3:18 states, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
The fear made reference to here is from Proverbs 9:10 which states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Godly wisdom stems from God above and His revelation to us. James 1:17 states, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” If Godly wisdom comes from above, then it must be perfect and good. Godly wisdom creates order, embraces the Gospel of God, and endures forever. God’s wisdom comes to us through Jesus Christ (special revelation), the Bible (written revelation), and through the power of the Holy Spirit as we pray (personal revelation).
Evidence
James provides us with lists of evidence of what living according to the world or according to God look like. These are not all-inclusive lists, but they give us a fairly detailed comparison.
In positive psychology, there is quite a bit of emphasis on the concept that your thinking produces your behavior and your reactions to people or events. For James, wisdom is not just intellectual but also behavioral. Positive psychology has discovered what James already knew: wrong thinking produces wrong living, and the key to right living is right thought.
Worldly wisdom leads to wrong living. It is earthly, sensual, natural, unspiritual, and demonic. Satan loves causing confusion, chaos, and disorder even more than Loki from Avengers. Man, full of pride, seeks glory for themselves. Worldly wisdom fractures the unity of the faith community. Evil works stem from worldly wisdom.
The church fights, and sometimes, splits due to worldly wisdom, because people, who may appear to be “striving for truth”, are actually causing strife. Strife is self-seeking as they seek people to support their side or point of view. It causes divisions and rivalries. This strife is based on envy and selfish ambition. It is easy to go on an ego trip under the guise of zeal. The Pharisees are an example of this. They were zealous about their interpretations of the Law and the Scriptures. But their zeal was a mask for their jealous ambitions and desire for power. Strife often leads to deceitful tactics and compromise. Hypocrisy stems from these compromises. People living under worldly wisdom waver in their beliefs, and they live a joyless and empty life full of confusion.
God’s Wisdom bring life, a fruitful, joy-filled life. A list of its attributes is found in James 3:17. It enables us to give glory to God and brings about clarity and order. Godly wisdom produces good deeds and provides the unity of the faith community. It is primarily characterized by humility, but there are many other attributes as well, such as meekness, purity, and peace. In describing the peace of God, Wiersbe states, “It is a peace based on holiness, not compromise. God never has ‘peace at any price.’ The peace of the church is not more important than the purity of the church. If the church is pure, devoted to God, then there will be peace.” If the church is pure, then there is no need for compromise.
Gentleness, compliance, and submission are also evidence of God’s wisdom. A compliant person is also teachable and has a willingness to listen, think, pray, and obey whatever God reveals. They are willing to listen to all sides without compromising the truth. Submission is an act of will. A submissive person is willing to learn, to be corrected, and will thrive under godly leadership. A person under God’s wisdom is full of mercy and good fruit.
Instructions
J.R. Blue states, “A believer should be what God wants him to be, do what God wants him to do, and speak as God wants him to speak.” James provides us with instructions, defensive and offensive, in how to resist the worldly wisdom and live under God’s wisdom. The defensive tactics are to stand firmly against and resist the Devil. We must also resist the temptations to the flesh and our own selfish ambitions. Going on the offensive, James tells us to submit to God with humility in chapter 4:9-10. In James 4:7-8, we are to come near to God. Spiritual disciplines are a good way to do this. James 4:8 states that we are to wash our hands and purify our hearts.
Closing
In a world full of pluralism and dichotomies, it is not surprising that we are constantly struggling between Worldly Wisdom and Godly Wisdom. James tells that we are engaged in 3 wars in this world. The first is that we are at war with each other. This could be any fight between two people or groups of people. There are class wars, economic wars, political wars, church fights, personal wars, etc.
The second is that we are at war with ourselves. Wiersbe states, “God made us a unity; mind, emotions, and will should work together.” We are not to just have one faith, one baptism, and one God, but we should be one whole person just as God created us to be.
The third war is that we are at war with God which also is rooted in the opposition of the two wisdoms. We are either in league with the world or a follower of God. To be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. It is a gradual relationship that builds slowly over time, just like a natural friendship between two people. People with their zeal think they are under God, but really they are working and interacting under the world’s influence. Satan is subtle in his ways of manipulation. P. H. Davids states, “The person who tries to become a friend of the world is actually God’s enemy. They may be an orthodox-believing and church-going enemy, but they are nonetheless an enemy.” The ESV study Bible points out that: “It will always be impossible to satisfy the expectations of unbelievers, whose hearts are set on this world and at the same time place God.” Don’t get caught in the middle of the two cities of wisdom and the three wars of this world.
There is always hope. God is the source of that hope, the source of life and all that is good. If you must strive for something, then let it be that you strive for a life under God and His Wisdom.
Further Suggested Study:
Sermon: A Tale of Two Cities by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: September 23, 2018
Key Passage: James 3:13-4:12
Key Points:
Two Cities
In James 3:13-4:12, we find a tale of two cities: life in worldly wisdom vs. life in Godly wisdom. This is not the only place in the Bible that we will see this dichotomy, but James does a great job of identifying the distinguishing features between them. James gives us the origins, the evidence, and the outcomes of each. He also gives us instructions on how to combat worldly wisdom and live under Godly wisdom.
Origins
Worldly wisdom is from Satan below, who is the prince of this world. Satan goads us into creating our own wisdom based on human reasoning. But this man-made wisdom is temporary and comes to nothing. It often rejects the Gospel of God. It causes conflict that stems from jealousy and selfish ambitions. Romans 3:18 states, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
The fear made reference to here is from Proverbs 9:10 which states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Godly wisdom stems from God above and His revelation to us. James 1:17 states, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” If Godly wisdom comes from above, then it must be perfect and good. Godly wisdom creates order, embraces the Gospel of God, and endures forever. God’s wisdom comes to us through Jesus Christ (special revelation), the Bible (written revelation), and through the power of the Holy Spirit as we pray (personal revelation).
Evidence
James provides us with lists of evidence of what living according to the world or according to God look like. These are not all-inclusive lists, but they give us a fairly detailed comparison.
In positive psychology, there is quite a bit of emphasis on the concept that your thinking produces your behavior and your reactions to people or events. For James, wisdom is not just intellectual but also behavioral. Positive psychology has discovered what James already knew: wrong thinking produces wrong living, and the key to right living is right thought.
Worldly wisdom leads to wrong living. It is earthly, sensual, natural, unspiritual, and demonic. Satan loves causing confusion, chaos, and disorder even more than Loki from Avengers. Man, full of pride, seeks glory for themselves. Worldly wisdom fractures the unity of the faith community. Evil works stem from worldly wisdom.
The church fights, and sometimes, splits due to worldly wisdom, because people, who may appear to be “striving for truth”, are actually causing strife. Strife is self-seeking as they seek people to support their side or point of view. It causes divisions and rivalries. This strife is based on envy and selfish ambition. It is easy to go on an ego trip under the guise of zeal. The Pharisees are an example of this. They were zealous about their interpretations of the Law and the Scriptures. But their zeal was a mask for their jealous ambitions and desire for power. Strife often leads to deceitful tactics and compromise. Hypocrisy stems from these compromises. People living under worldly wisdom waver in their beliefs, and they live a joyless and empty life full of confusion.
God’s Wisdom bring life, a fruitful, joy-filled life. A list of its attributes is found in James 3:17. It enables us to give glory to God and brings about clarity and order. Godly wisdom produces good deeds and provides the unity of the faith community. It is primarily characterized by humility, but there are many other attributes as well, such as meekness, purity, and peace. In describing the peace of God, Wiersbe states, “It is a peace based on holiness, not compromise. God never has ‘peace at any price.’ The peace of the church is not more important than the purity of the church. If the church is pure, devoted to God, then there will be peace.” If the church is pure, then there is no need for compromise.
Gentleness, compliance, and submission are also evidence of God’s wisdom. A compliant person is also teachable and has a willingness to listen, think, pray, and obey whatever God reveals. They are willing to listen to all sides without compromising the truth. Submission is an act of will. A submissive person is willing to learn, to be corrected, and will thrive under godly leadership. A person under God’s wisdom is full of mercy and good fruit.
Instructions
J.R. Blue states, “A believer should be what God wants him to be, do what God wants him to do, and speak as God wants him to speak.” James provides us with instructions, defensive and offensive, in how to resist the worldly wisdom and live under God’s wisdom. The defensive tactics are to stand firmly against and resist the Devil. We must also resist the temptations to the flesh and our own selfish ambitions. Going on the offensive, James tells us to submit to God with humility in chapter 4:9-10. In James 4:7-8, we are to come near to God. Spiritual disciplines are a good way to do this. James 4:8 states that we are to wash our hands and purify our hearts.
Closing
In a world full of pluralism and dichotomies, it is not surprising that we are constantly struggling between Worldly Wisdom and Godly Wisdom. James tells that we are engaged in 3 wars in this world. The first is that we are at war with each other. This could be any fight between two people or groups of people. There are class wars, economic wars, political wars, church fights, personal wars, etc.
The second is that we are at war with ourselves. Wiersbe states, “God made us a unity; mind, emotions, and will should work together.” We are not to just have one faith, one baptism, and one God, but we should be one whole person just as God created us to be.
The third war is that we are at war with God which also is rooted in the opposition of the two wisdoms. We are either in league with the world or a follower of God. To be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. It is a gradual relationship that builds slowly over time, just like a natural friendship between two people. People with their zeal think they are under God, but really they are working and interacting under the world’s influence. Satan is subtle in his ways of manipulation. P. H. Davids states, “The person who tries to become a friend of the world is actually God’s enemy. They may be an orthodox-believing and church-going enemy, but they are nonetheless an enemy.” The ESV study Bible points out that: “It will always be impossible to satisfy the expectations of unbelievers, whose hearts are set on this world and at the same time place God.” Don’t get caught in the middle of the two cities of wisdom and the three wars of this world.
There is always hope. God is the source of that hope, the source of life and all that is good. If you must strive for something, then let it be that you strive for a life under God and His Wisdom.
Further Suggested Study:
- Proverbs 9:10
- Romans 3:18
- James 1:17
- James chapter 3
- James chapter 4
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