Three men were marooned on a tropical island you know after a three hour tour things went bad and they were three year stranded together. They all became very close friends. One day, the three of them are walking along the beach and they discover a Genie lamp. The first guy rubs it and sure enough, out pops a genie. The genie says, “Since I can only grant three wishes, you may each have one wish.” The first guy says, “I’ve been stuck here for years. I miss my family. I just want to go home.” POOF! Home he goes returned to his family. The second guy says, “I’ve been stuck here for years too. I miss my family very much. I wish I could go home.” POOF! He gets his wish and he is returned to his family.

The third guy says very emotionally, I really going to miss my friends, “I wish they were still here with me. POOF! They were all back.

Most of us probably know a few people like that. They don’t stop to think and apply some thought and wisdom to difficult circumstances. They always seem to live in chaos and disorder. It seems like they are always just moving from one crisis to the next.

James asked us a very important question back in verse 13 of this passage…who is wise and endued with knowledge among you? A person whose motives are based on the world’s wisdom is inevitably arrogant. James is therefore saying that, if a person claims to belong to God and to have the wisdom of God, but his life is motivated and characterized by selfish ambition and bitter envy, he is simply lying against the truth.

The Evidence of Wisdom 11-13 / II. The Categories of Wisdom-14-16

Verse 16 states, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion. These are the opposite of the meekness of wisdom mentioned in James 3:13. These words actually refer to someone who has a critical, contentious, fight-provoking behavior.  

James has sought to encourage the people of God to be wise in their walk. He has distinguished the wisdom that the world values and the wisdom which reflects the character of the Father. That is the wisdom we as members of His church would be wise to apply to life decisions. Here James teaches the…

III. The Essence of Wisdom From Above. Vv. 17-18

1. The Bible is full with stories of people who prospered because of God’s Wisdom. Joseph goes through slavery and imprisonment to become the second in command in all of Egypt, Daniel goes into captivity … to become an advisor to the King, Ester attains the position of queen because of her beauty, but save her people through wisdom.

2. There are eight characteristic James listed to describe wisdom from above. First is purity. James is not talking just about moral purity. The reference is not to sexual purity but to the absence of any sinful attitude or motive. He is also talking about purity of motives – that we would use the wisdom given to us to seek after God’s glory, his praise, and the promoting of his kingdom, not the furthering of our kingdom,

3. God’s wisdom is the wisdom of peace – a wisdom that brings reconciliation in conflicts – not a wisdom that wins at every cost. What makes the wisdom that comes from above “peace loving” is that it is considerate and submissive.

4. Gentle, translates being considerate to others however, it is impossible to find an English word to translate this quality. Matthew Arnold called it ‘sweet reasonableness’ and it is the ability to extend to others the kind consideration we would wish to receive ourselves.” It is one who knows how to forgive when strict justice gives a perfect right to condemn. One has a kind consideration. ep-ee-i-kace’ / Yippee-ki-yay

5. Easy to be entreated this person can agree to disagree. Wisdom that is true is able to listen to the people around it, for both advice and explanations. We might think that wise people have all the answers, but the reality is that truly wise people are able to listen for answers.

6. Being full of mercy (James 3:17) is the fifth characteristic James lists to describe wisdom from above. This means full of compassion for the hurting or suffering. It also refers to being quick to forgive those who have wronged or hurt you. The phrase “full of means” “controlled by.” In other words, a person who has wisdom from above is controlled by mercy which leads to the sixth characteristic of heavenly wisdom: good fruits or literally, good deeds. Wisdom from above reveals itself in good deeds for those who are in need.

7. The seventh characteristic of wisdom from above is being without partiality. The word translated partiality means “unwavering” or “consistent.” Wisdom from above is not forced to change its mind because of the pressure of situations or personalities. Wisdom from above is characterized by a consistency in belief and behavior.

8. Finally, James says that wisdom from above is without hypocrisy. The word translated hypocrisy means “sincere.” The same Greek word is translated dissimulation in Romans 12:9. This refers to a person who is genuine or real, not someone who does things with ulterior motives. When there is a discrepancy between what we say and what we do that is hypocrisy. We create confusion in the minds of others when we are full of hypocrisy. That’s why many non-believers do not take the gospel message seriously.

Conclusion:

This wisdom… is from above as opposed to the wisdom that is earthly, sensual, and devilish. That is the kind of wisdom that has men in the women’s’ locker rooms and the kind that has men in women’s’ sport. It is this kind of wisdom that foster anti-Semitism and young people being brain wash into violence protest. It is this sensual wisdom that has sex before marriage and adultery as just a fling.

By employing God wisdom people are true… and able to listen to the people around them. But demonic wisdom results in a fragmented society where dialogue has been replaced by divisiveness, hindering collective problem-solving. The more we adopt anti-godly wisdom we will experience political polarization and it will intensifies. This demonic wisdom says I can steal what I need and destroy people’s property and hurt people because it is earthy wisdom which is all about narcissism.

The insidious nature of narcissism cultivates a society where empathy is belittled and genuine connections are replaced by phony relations.

Addressing these challenges will require a shift towards empathy, accountability, honest relationships, agape love and nurturing a more compassionate and connected society.

However, we cannot get there without God’s wisdom. Folks, the path into this true wisdom is through faith in God through Jesus Christ. We are saved into wisdom. (Gospel) Once we come into wisdom, then Scripture becomes the source of wisdom, the Holy Spirit becomes the teacher of wisdom. Then we will make better choices.