The Wisdom of Humility

Text: James 3:13-18

Focus: The danger of self-ambition

Function: To help build a sense of community.

Form: GOK

Intro:

When I first read this passage, I think of the danger of jealousy. But as you unfold the passage, you see James highlight the sin of selfish ambition. (SHOW) Jealousy is born out of selfishness.

(SHOW) Jealousy keeps us from being genuinely happy at the success and good fortune of others.

Feelings of jealousy expose that in the core of our hearts, we still struggle with the sin of bitterness, unforgiveness and covetousness.

I love the 10 commandments. I think my favorite command is: “You shall not covet.”

Last month we did a series from Ephesians on Spiritual warfare. We are at war with spiritual forces in this world. If we were to use a military analogy to the struggle with have against sin, the struggle to fulfill the commands for us to be nice and don’t be naughty, then coveting is our first line of defense.

It is our primary weapon. When we covet, we are not only sinning against the person whose success, home, career, spouse, car or whatever it is we covet, but we are also sinning against God who is the one gives us gifts.

We are sinning against the Holy Spirit who promises to give us the peace we need to enjoy the circumstances that God has placed us in.

And James points this out with a contrast between God’s wisdom and false wisdom.

He points out a contrast between true religion and false religion.

He points to a place where we can be able to accurately discern the motivations of our own heart.

It is the contrast between being religious and being spiritual.

(SHOW) James tells us that authentic Christianity is to take care of widows and orphans in need (love others) and to keep oneself unstained by the world (love God).

As I am doing this study, I realize the two can’t be separated. We love God by loving others and we love God by keeping ourselves pure.

But the world has a way of reacting to conflict different that God’s way.

What does that mean, unstained by the world?

In this passage, as he contrasts worldly wisdom with Godly wisdom, we see how it plays out in the way we treat other people.

Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, the world has been given over to competition.

That was the curse of the fall of mankind. The bible speaks of a future where that will change back to the original creation and the Lion will lay down with the lamb.

In the theory of evolution, we see that whole concept being “the survival of the fittest.” Every animal, species and individuals within species must out-compete the other animals, species and individuals for a limited amount of resources.

It literally is a kill and be killed world out there.

The sinful ways of that kind of mentality reached its pinnacle during the reign of terror perpetrated by Hitler.

He believed in what was known as Social Darwinism.

Social Darwinism is a form of a moral code that derives its ethics from “survival of the fittest.”

If in nature, for example, a pack of wolves turn on a wounded wolf, there is nothing immoral about it. The fittest get to survive and if it is okay in nature, then it is okay in humanity.

Things aren’t as bad now as they were then, but the world’s system is certainly not the one Jesus taught us.

So how do we as Christians overcome this system and still live as Christians in this world?

Well, his explanation of false wisdom or false religion helps us to be able to discern it.

And he plays it out right in the context of the Christian community. He exposes how easily we are tempted to fall back into that way of relating to each other.

He exposes false religion and hypocrisy among us.

You have met the religious person who brags about what they have done. You have met the religious person who talks a good talk, but still has a heart that carries bitterness and resentment?

You have met the religious person who manipulates the situation in order to maintain a power base and is threatened by anyone else who shows some potential?

Pretty soon they start spreading rumors about the other person’s sincerity. They start questioning his or her intentions. They go over that person’s words with a fine tooth comb and if there is a way to twist it, they do and they tell others about it.

All the while they look pious and holy, but inside there isn’t genuine concern, love or compassion for others.

How do you know that this isn’t true of yourself at times?

And he talks about this as a warning to each and every one of us. This is part of how we keep ourselves pure.

So how do we know that our own motivation isn’t born out of selfish ambition.

There is an easy test. (SHOW) If you start feeling jealous of the success of others, there is something wrong with your motivation.

James is asking us to examine our OWN hearts to see what our motivation is.

I had a couple of parishioners once who disagreed about parenting styles; one was stricter than the other.

Their disagreement heated up and they got into this competitive mode about which one was right.

One of the fellows came to me one day and said “Pastor, brother so and so used to have a drinking problem in High School. Last week I heard his son talking about a beer commercial and he was praising the use of beer. You better talk to so and so.”

I answered him by pointing out that I knew these men had a negative history and he was being too critical of this other fellow’s shortcoming. I told him that his envy was beginning to show. I told him that he had enough to do in worrying about his own struggle with sin.”

So, here he was “appearing spiritual” but the attitude of his heart was bleeding through his actions.

(SHOW) James is asking us to examine our OWN hearts to see what our motivation is.

When there is conflict in a family, when there is conflict between factions, when there is conflict at work, when there is conflict between friends at school, even the conflict between political parties, the one side is always quick to point out the flaws of the other side, they even look for excuses to judge the other, when you see that happening in yourself, it is an indication that you are struggling with the sin of selfish ambition.

Jealousy is an indicator of selfish-ambition and a lack of love.

I mentioned those two guys; one of them was a constant source of conflict in the church. He appeared religious, always had the right thing to say, he had a lot of faith, but the actions around him did not reflect Christlike behavior.

Look at this verse from our text (SHOW): Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts… …But the wisdom that comes from God is at first Humble.

Humility means that it isn’t self-promoting. Humility means that it is genuinely happy at the success of others.

Why is it hard to be happy at the success of others? Because we have a sin-nature that wants to promote ourselves and place ourselves first.

But God’s wisdom causes us to rejoice in one another’s success.

Look at this passage from “the Message” (SHOW): ¹⁸Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

Selfish ambition and jealousy gets in the way of real community. And God wants to build a true and loving community for you in your lives.

I want to describe the Church that way: (SHOW) The Church is an authentic community of people who love Jesus and are committed to the welfare of each other and the world around them.

But it isn’t just the church that God wants to build this community in. God wants to build it in your home, in your office, in your school.

You have the power inside of you. The power of the Holy Spirit is there.

But look at the last line of that scripture we just read: (SHOW) You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

It is hard work. This takes sacrifice. It takes a sacrifice of personal ambition and a commitment to corporate success. In this small community we have the power to build something that the world will really envy.

It isn’t to make them jealous, but to give the world a safe place to love and to be loved, all in the name of Jesus.

That was Jesus’ intent.