And what James' goal is, is for believers to become wise. And how do you become wise? You have a single-minded, whole-hearted commitment to seeking God and growing in maturity and wisdom. Don't live in your sinful, carnal desires, but live a life that is committed to the Lord. Live a life that seeks wisdom from above. James is like a spiritual heart surgeon who cuts deep into our heart, and he exposes those desires in our heart that have a love for the world and a love for God. And he's saying, here's what a wise person is.
They are making choices in their life, not based on their sinful emotions, but based on their whole-hearted, single-minded commitment to following and serving God. And that's what it takes for you to be a wise person. Welcome to The Daily Platform, a radio program featuring chapel messages from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. You just heard evangelist Steve Pettit, who will be leading us in a study series in the book of James called Wisdom from Above. Today, Steve will teach us from James chapter 3 that if we have bitter envying and strife in our hearts, this wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly.
Well, I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me, please, to James, James chapter 3 this morning as we continue our series on Wisdom from Above. Last week, we observed James' question about who is a wise man. And we noted that James gave an answer, and he says a wise man demonstrates wisdom by the way that he lives, his life, and by the way he handles the issues of his life.
And he does it with a meek spirit. So wisdom is demonstrated in meekness. Now this morning, in verses 14 down to verse 18, James is expounding the idea, or he's sort of extrapolating the idea of meekness of wisdom, and he does it by a contrast. That is, he contrasts wisdom from above with wisdom from below. And I believe that this contrast can also be seen in Paul's epistle to Galatians where he contrasts the works of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit.
So today, we only have time to look at one of these two kinds of wisdom, and we'll look at it this morning, and my message is entitled The Wisdom That Is From Below. Let's look at verse 14. James 3 says, but if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, carry not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying is and strife is, there is confusion in every evil work. Now the message is entitled Wisdom From Below, but I want it to be clear that James doesn't really say wisdom from below, but he definitely implies it when he says this wisdom descendeth not from above, and then in verse 17, he says but the wisdom that is from above is.
So the implication is, if there's an above, then obviously there's going to be a below. And as we begin this passage of scripture, I think we are immediately confronted with what I see as a problem, almost a discrepancy. And that is this, how can you call something wise that does not appear to be wise at all? Notice what he says in verse 14, but if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth, this wisdom. How can James call bitter envying and strife wise? Whenever you see people in strife and envy and jealousy, do you view that as someone who's a wise person? Does that not seem a bit odd to you?
Does that not somehow rattle your moral sensibilities? In fact, as James uses the phrase twice, for he says it in verse 14, and then notice in verse 16 he says for where envying and strife is. And yet James says this wisdom. So let's look at these two words, envy and strife.
Do you think they're wise? Notice the word bitter envying. The word envy there is the Greek word zelos from which we get the word jealous. Jealousy is an unhealthy craving that we attach to something that we don't possess. It's a strong craving for self-gratification. And it could include a number of things. It could include sensual pleasures, it could include material possessions, and it could include powerful positions. Sometimes we make a difference between, for example, jealousy and envy.
I think there's a little difference. A number of years ago I was in a church up in New Hampshire, and our evangelistic team was there, and there were four on our team at the time, and I noticed that one of the men and our two ladies all had little loaves of banana nut bread. And then I noticed that one of the other guys, his name was Peter, didn't have any banana nut bread at all. So I poked fun at Peter. I said, Peter, nobody in this church gave you any banana nut bread? Do they not like you?
Is it because you're from Australia and you talk funny? I said, Peter, do you know the difference between jealousy and envy? Jealousy is this, you didn't get any banana nut bread and you want some right now. What is envy? Well, envy is a little more diabolical. Envy says, I don't want any banana nut bread. But deep in your heart you hope that when they eat it, they get sick to their stomachs.
You see the difference? Well, whether it's jealousy or envy, we know this, that it always creates conflicts. The ancient Greeks and even the first century Jewish moralists believed that envy was the moral cause of all human problems, conflicts and violence. The second century moralists, Epictetus, said that there was an organic relationship between envy and violence. He stated that Caesar could free people from wars and fightings, but he could not free them from envy.
Think about it. It was envy that motivated Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery. It was envy that motivated wicked Haman to kill Mordecai and the Jewish people. And it was envy that motivated the Pharisees to kill Jesus.
So is envy wise? Then notice the second word, the word strife or selfish ambition. This is the desire to achieve one's own advancement at the expense of others. In the days of Aristotle, it was referred to as a greedy, self-seeking politician who is pursuing political office by unfair means. And so strife is a strong craving for self-glorification. It's one whose desire is for his own personal glory and status.
And notice what James says. He says that the people who were seeking to be gratified and to be glorified in their own selves were actually bragging about it. They were boasting about their own superiority.
They were boasting about their wisdom that made them look bigger and better than anybody else. And James says that this bragging is just a big lie because it's not true wisdom. True wisdom is the opposite.
It's meek. It's gentle. It's not self-gratifying. It's not self-glorifying. That true wisdom does not possess those qualities.
So back to my question. Why does James call it wise? I think you would agree with me that someone who is driven by these motives and actions, you would not call them wise. So why does James say that? But notice, in addition, James also describes the negative effects of this kind of wisdom. Notice he says in verse 16, for where envy and strife is, notice the effects, there is confusion in every evil work. The inevitable bad effects of envy and strife are twofold. Number one, he says there's confusion. Now the word confusion means to rise up in defiance against authority. It has the presumed intention that it either is going to overthrow the authority or it is going to act completely opposite to the demands of authority. So James says envy and strife, that's when it's in the midst of people, it creates disorder, rebellion, revolt, unsettledness, instability, chaos, or you could put it in a simple term, lots and lots of drama. How many of you have ever met a drama queen?
Then when she walks in the room, everybody is thrown upside down. This word is used in various places. For example, God is not the author of confusion, 1 Corinthians 14, 33. James says in chapter 3 in verse 8, the tongue is an unruly evil. And then James in chapter 1 verse 8, a double minded man is unstable. All of those have to do with the word confusion. But then notice he says there's another bad effect and he says every evil work. I've defined that simply as just a whole bunch of bad stuff. Slander, gossip, hostile disputes, angry tempers, dissension, suspicion, an unhealthy craving for controversy.
By the way, let me ask you a question. Do churches have an issue today with this kind of bad stuff? Absolutely. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12 in verse 20, he said he was afraid to go to the church of Corinth.
Why? Because he might find them in strife and jealousy and angry tempers and disputes and slander and gossip and arrogance and disturbances. The apostle Paul himself addressed the whole conflict of envy and strife.
He says in verse 3 of 1 Corinthians chapter 3, for you are yet carnal, for whereas there's among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and walk as men? So here's the point. The point is that God's people can be in such a state where there's just bad stuff going on and there's all kinds of conflict. So back to my problem. How does James call this wise?
It's kind of weird to me. But there's another point James makes and maybe this is the biggest issue of all and that's what's the source of all this bad stuff? And go back and notice what he says in verse 15, for he says, this wisdom is not coming down from heaven. That's what the word descendeth means.
It's in the present tense. And when it says from above, he's referring to where God is. And back in chapter 1 in verse 17, he says that God gives us actually good stuff. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights in whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. God gives his children good stuff.
And what's the best stuff? He gives us his wisdom. So he is saying that this wisdom is not coming down from heaven, but it has a different source.
Where does it come from? And James tells us. And he puts it in an order that descends from bad to badder to baddest. Notice he said it's earthly. What does he mean by earthly?
Earthly is just a simple human way of thinking in contrast to the divine way of thinking. For example, Isaiah said, God said to Isaiah, my thoughts are not your thoughts. Your ways are not my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts are than your thoughts. In other words, God does not think like us and we don't think like God. And the only way that we can know how to think like God is through his word. And the wisdom that is from below is earthly. That is, it shuts out God. It doesn't consider the Bible.
There is no sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. And it only thinks about this earthly life. This wisdom is earthly. And then notice the word sensual. The word sensual is the word that we use for psychology. Greek writers use the word to contrast bodily functions and appetites with the life of the inner person. And the way James is using it is that sensual is opposite of something that is spiritual. And if I could simply define it, it refers to those who are being guided by their natural feelings and their own natural emotions instead of God's word and God's spirit. For example, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2, 14, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.
So what he is saying is that where there's envy and strife and confusion and bad stuff, what's the root of that? Well, it's obviously not based on what God says. And it's obviously not based on even what God wants out of your heart because you're literally being controlled by your emotions. You're being guided by your own natural heart.
But then notice the worst thing of all. He says it's devilish or literally demonic. This refers to unclean spirits. And what James is saying is either we are acting like demons act or we are being inspired by demons. James detects the work of demons in the church as demons are seeking to corrupt the life of the church through jealousy, through party factions and through egotistical boasting. And so what James is doing is like a good surgeon. He's just sort of peeling back the layers. He's cutting into our heart. He's showing us that confusion and bad stuff come from jealousy and selfish ambition. And all of this finds its source in a human, natural way of thinking that is demonic in its orientation.
So let me just stop here and ask a question. Can you think of anybody in the Bible who was really clear that they thought this way? Their wisdom was from a below and not from above.
Can you think of anybody like that? Well let me suggest to you in Matthew chapter 16 we have a very interesting illustration. It's the story of the disciples with Jesus. When Jesus asked the question, who do men say that I the Son of Man am? And Peter responded with this wonderful confession. He said, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered him and said, blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. What did Peter make? One of the greatest confessions of the church. That Jesus is the Messiah and that He is divine. He's God's Son.
And what did Jesus say to Peter? He said, Peter, this way of thinking has not come from you, but it has been revealed to you from your Father which is in heaven. God has opened up your blinded eyes. You've come to see the truth. Now you see things as God sees them.
You're operating spiritually. And by the way, this happens to all of us when we get saved. That the Lord helps us to see who Christ is and God's truth is revealed to us. And the rest of our Christian life, we're to be living in that truth. But then the Bible goes on and says this, that from that time forth, Jesus began to show unto his disciples how that he would go to Jerusalem, he would suffer many things, he would be killed, and he would be raised the third day from the dead. And then notice Peter's response. He began to rebuke Jesus and said, be it far from thee Lord, this shall not be unto thee.
And Jesus turned and he said unto Peter, get thee behind me what? Say it. Say it. Satan. Now let me ask you a question. Can a Christian think like, talk like, and act like the devil?
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever thought like, talked like, and acted like the devil? Can Christians be that way?
Absolutely. What did Jesus say? He said, you are an offense to me, for you savor not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
What does the word savor mean? It means that you are setting your mind, not on heavenly things, but on earthly things. And then Jesus made a statement. He said, if any man would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. The way God wants you to think is not a self-preservationist way. That's the way Peter was thinking.
That's the world's way of thinking. Peter was self-centered. But Jesus said, I've come not to do my will, but the will of my Father, which is in heaven. I have come down here to serve him who is up there.
And his whole purpose of his life was the fulfillment of God's will and obedience to God's Word. And when you and I are driven by self-centered thoughts and self-centered emotions, who are we acting like? What is our, where is our wisdom? And Peter is an example of what James is describing as a problem among believers that Christians can and do think this way, earthly, sensual, and devilish.
And I believe that this is one of the greatest issues confronting the church today. And what is that? It's wisdom from below. That we are failing to see right now what is driving our thinking, our motives, our choices, our responses.
So back to the question. Why does James call this wisdom? Well, think with me. What is James' goal for believers? It's for men and women who are Christians to become wise. And this wisdom involves connecting life, its issues, its trials, to the purposes and the character of God. Wisdom has to be sought. It has to be pursued.
Why? Because wisdom is becoming skillful and making right decisions that are in line with God's will and God's Word and living a righteous life. Wisdom manifests itself also in my attitude, a meek spirit. What James is doing is showing us the exact opposite of the meekness of wisdom.
He is showing us that this is the natural man and the natural way people view life. You could say that this is called the wisdom of the world. It is the world that cherishes success, self-preservation, self-promotion, self-glorification, self-gratification, achieving wealth and fame. And is it a legitimate viewpoint of life?
Yes. It's the world's way of thinking. But James exposes it for what it is. It is earthly, it is sensual, and it is devilish. And what is James' big concern?
I said it in my first message. It's that Christians are double-minded. You remember the definition of double-minded? It means two souls, two sukes, the word for psychology. It's having a heart for God but a heart for the world. And everybody in this room understands what I'm saying if you're a believer. John Bunyan called it Mr.
Facing Both Ways. Living for the eternal and living for the temporal. And James is telling us that a Christian who is being controlled by the wisdom of this world is living a tumultuous, unstable Christian life. And what is his burden?
His burden is that Christians would be single-mindedly and wholeheartedly committed and devoted to the Lord to follow him, to do his will, to know his word, and to obey it in their own personal lives. So let me just ask this morning as we finish. What is driving you? What do you think about?
I want to ask you this. Are you in the Word of God every day, memorizing, meditating, refreshing, renewing your mind? This morning I got up to have my devotions and I decided to study Psalm 150. And it's a Hallelujah Psalm. It's a praise God Psalm. I need to praise the Lord. And in it it said this morning, praise the Lord with harps. And I came this morning, and my heart was rejoicing in the Lord. That's where your mind is to be.
Is your mind up here or is your mind down here? That's the real great battle today. The battle of the mind of the flesh and the mind of the spirit. I hope you'll become wise. I hope when you walk out of this school into the world that you'll be a person whose spirit, attitude, life, walk and talk manifest the wisdom of God. Father, thank you for your word and help us to be wise in Jesus' name.
Amen. You've been listening to a sermon from the book of James by evangelist Dr. Steve Pettit. If you would like more information about how the biblical principles of creation, fall and redemption are applied in Christian education, we would like to make you aware of the textbook division of Bob Jones University called BJU Press. BJU Press produces textbooks and educational materials for preschool through 12th grade and the textbooks are filled with biblical worldview integration, not just in the Bible course textbooks, but in all academic subjects. As stated on their website, we shape each subject according to the lens of scripture. Each discipline takes on a new meaning when we apply the themes of creation, fall and redemption. If you would like more information about BJU Press for both Christian schools and homeschools, go to www.bjupress.com slash about, where you can find out more about how biblical worldview, academic rigor and critical thinking is integrated into all of their textbooks and classroom material. Once again, that's www.bjupress.com slash about. Thanks for listening and join us again tomorrow as we continue the study in the book of James from Bob Jones University Chapel Services in Greenville, South Carolina.
