Let us turn to that portion we
were reading in that general epistle of James and the last
two verses of chapter 3 James 3 17 and 18 but the wisdom that
is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easy to
be entreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality
and without hypocrisy and the fruit of righteousness is sown
in peace of them that make peace. This morning we were considering
words that we find at the beginning, towards the beginning of this
epistle. We took for our text those words
in chapter 1 and verses 5 and 6, if any of you lack wisdom
Let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, and that
prayeth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in
faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like
a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." We thought
then of that wisdom of which God himself and God alone is
the only real source. And we sort of emphasize the
promise that we have in that fifth verse, God's readiness
to give. The promise is, it shall be given
Him. And we saw that God is that one
who is ever ready to give. He gives liberally, bountifully,
freely. He doesn't upbraid us when we're
guilty of having abused and misused so many of His gracious gifts. We have only to ask and God will
grant that wisdom that is so necessary. We lack it, we need
it if we're going to understand the ways of God. The whole context
there, as we said, is one in which the Apostle James is speaking
of the trial of faith how difficult it is to understand the ways
of the Lord when he brings us into those deep waters. And through those fiery furnaces
of trial we need wisdom. And so again here at the end
of chapter 3 the apostle is still speaking of that wisdom, the
wisdom that is from Abba. In fact the whole context here
clearly is speaking of that man who has been made wise from verse
13 following he speaks of that wisdom that is really the the
mark of the child of God who is a wise man he asks and endures
with knowledge among you let him show out of a good conversation
his works with meekness of wisdom now there's a So it's an emphasis
really upon that wisdom that is the mark of the believer. When we think of sin, what folly
there is in unbelief. How the Lord Jesus Christ when
he speaks to those two on the road to Emmaus and highlights
to them the reality of their ignorance, their unbelief. O
fools, he says, O fools and slow of heart, to believe all that
is written in the prophets, the folly of sin, the folly of unbelief. Who is the believer? The believer
is that man, that woman, who is made wise unto salvation. Remember how there in 2 Timothy
chapter 3, at the end of that chapter, where The Apostle reminds
Timothy of the privilege of his upbringing, that from a child
he had known the Scriptures, which he says are able to make
thee wise unto salvation, which is in Christ Jesus. And where there is that knowledge
of salvation, where there is that saving faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, it will be seen in a godly behavior as we have
it there at the end of verse 13 let him show out of a good
conversation that is the manner of his life the manner in which
he conducts himself the way in which he lives let him show out
of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom Christ
says ye shall know them by their fruits of those who are made
wise to salvation and James of course in many ways is very much
dealing with this whole matter as we saw in the reading verse
17 of chapter 2 even so faith if it hath not works is dead
being alone yea a man may say thou hast faith and I have works
show me thy faith without thy works and I will show thee my
faith by my works all the importance then of the good conversation
the godly way of living the meekness of wisdom that is being spoken
of there at the end of verse 13. Let us not imagine that because
James places such an emphasis upon the importance of works
that he is some way or other teaching that salvation is contributed to by what we
do. that our works, as it were, have
some place in our justification. It is so easy to misunderstand
what the apostle is saying here in that second chapter. He says there at the end of the
chapter verse Verse 19, They believe that there is one God,
they do as well. The devils also believe and tremble.
But will thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? And then he goes on to give the
example of Abram. Was not Abram our father justified
by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works
was faith made perfect? Is he really suggesting that
Abraham's justification in part was through and by what he did
himself, by his works? He says the scripture was fulfilled
which said Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for
righteousness and he was called a friend of God. You see there
now that by works a man is justified and not by faith only. as we
read these words we can so easily stumble at them but think for
a while what was the work that Abraham performed it was not
obedience to the law of God it certainly was no obedience
to the law of God because what he was about to do was so contrary
to the law of God he was about to sacrifice his son Isaac and that's contrary to the sixth
commandment they shall not kill so he's not doing the work that
is to be understood in terms of the of the Lord of God but
he goes on to say something more he also refers to Rahab likewise
also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she had
received the messengers and sent them out another way. What did Rahab do? Well, she
acted contrary to the Lord of God. She lied. She transgressed that ninth commandment. They shall not bear false witness.
And so, it's so clear in what he is saying there at the end
of that second chapter. He's not speaking of of justification
by works that are in line with the law of God. He's not giving
us some sort of legal righteousness that we can attain by our obedience
to God's holy commandments. He's speaking of the way in which
these people acted in faith and how their faith is seen to be
a real faith They do that that is right in
the sight of God in the matter. When Abraham is willing to do
what God has commanded him and to take his son and to offer
him in sacrifice, it's a great mystery. God doesn't accept that
sacrifice, He makes provision. the ram caught in the thicket,
the ram that is to be sacrificed in the place of Isaac and then
the great mystery of course in the matter of Rahab when she
lies in order to save the life of the spies. There's a great
mystery there, but we can in no way say that she was one who,
by her own righteous deeds, by her keeping of the law of God,
in any sense justified herself. And so here, James, though he
emphasizes the importance of works, he's not in any way saying
that we're to trust in our own works. for salvation or for justification. But all our life is to be marked
by a humble wisdom before God, as he says at the end of that
13th verse. All his conduct is to be with
meekness of wisdom. Well, we need that wisdom, God's
wisdom. when God shows us anything of
ourselves and teaches us the evil that is in our own hearts. He says at verse 14, if you have
bitter envy and strife in your heart, glory not and lie not
against the truth. Or when we know something of
ourselves, that that proceeds from the unbelieving heart, the
wicked heart. The words of the Lord Jesus said
in the Gospel how he speaks of all that comes from the heart
of man from within out of the hearts of men proceed every manner
of wickedness and sin says the Lord Christ what is that? that's the wisdom that is not
from above but that wisdom that comes from below that wisdom
that comes from the devil himself This wisdom descendeth not from
above, he says, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where
envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."
Well, Satan's active, and Satan is that one who works from below. But then he goes on, in the words
that we have as the text in verses 17 and 18, to speak of another
wisdom. Heavenly wisdom. Heavenly wisdom. That's the theme I really want
to try to take up for a while. The wisdom that is from above. He says it is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated. Full of mercy and
good fruit, without partiality, without hypocrisy. And the fruit
of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. The
wisdom of God. the heavenly wisdom. And three
things. First of all to say something
with regards to the primacy of purity here. And then secondly
the fruit of peace. And then last of all he says
of this wisdom it is without partiality and without hypocrisy. Those three headings then as
we come to consider the text for a while. First the primacy
of purity. The wisdom that is from above
is first pure. Purity is the grand distinguishing
mark of heavenly wisdom. All this knowledge of God's and
the ways of God's is first. This is the divine order that
we see here. It is first pure, he says, and
then peaceable. Doesn't that really accord with
the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ himself? In the Sermon
on the Mountain, you remember how Christ begins that sermon
with the Beatitudes. And what does the Lord say? We
go through those great blessings, the great blessings of the Gospel.
He says at verse 8 and verse 9, Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called the children of God. And we observe
the order that's set before us there. Blessed first are the
pure in heart and then blessed are the peacemakers. If there is going to be true
peace, real peace, it will be founded on purity. Well purity is all important
here. And again we see it In the wisdom
literature, in the language of Proverbs, what does Solomon say? When a man's ways please the
Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. That's
one of the Proverbs. A man's ways are pleasing to
the Lord, and what is that that is pleasing to the Lord? It is
to walk in the way of obedience to His holy precepts, to delight,
to walk, just as He commands. If a man's ways are pure in that
sense, his walking in the ways of the Lord, the promise is then
given, even his enemy shall be at peace with him. All purity
is first. And of course, how true that
is when he comes to the sinner and the sinner's standing before
God, the sinner's salvation and the sinner's justification. The Lord is a just God and a
Saviour. He is first of all a just God. A God who will by no means clear
the guilt Pure and whole is the Lord and His justice must be
satisfied. This is the wisdom of God of
course that we see in the way of salvation. The coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. and
all that Christ accomplished by His willingness to submit
Himself to all the authority of the Holy Lord of Gods. Yes, He's made of a woman. He's
the seed of the woman. And the woman was first in the
transgression, but He's not only made of the woman, He is made
under the law. He is subject to the Lord of
God and what will he do in his life? He will honor the Lord,
he will magnify the Lord and we know how he does it. He does
it by his willingness to submit to all its holy commandments
and to fulfill all righteousness. How he is holy, how he is harmless,
how he is undefiled, how he is separate from sinners. He is
the sinless one, the obedient one. Obedient and not only obedient
in life, obedient unto death even the death of the cross and
so as he honors and magnifies the law in a life of perfect
obedience to every commandment and accomplishing the righteousness
with which he will justify his people so he also goes on in
dying to still honor and magnify that same law, he's under the
law and is obedient unto death. And what is the death? It's the
death of the cross, the accursed death. It's Christ's made sin
for us, says Paul, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. And so God is just. All purity
stands first. God's justice must be satisfied. He can by no means clear the
guilt but he is just and then he is the justifier of him that
believeth in Jesus this is God's wisdom as it has been revealed
to us here in scripture revealed to us really in the person and
work of the Lord Jesus Christ the wisdom that is from above
is first pure nor the primacy of God's purity, His holiness,
His righteousness is justice. But then, as it is from above,
as it is God's wisdom, is it not our privilege to consider
that wisdom? Do we delight in considering
it, in tracing it? The eternal purposes of the eternal
God, the three persons in the Godhead, all that great mystery,
the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ and how
it all centers in the Lord Jesus Christ who of God is made unto
his people wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption
how we see Christ there in the wisdom literature we may mention
it many a time even in that great eighth chapter of the of the
book of Proverbs do we not see him there Oh, He is that One
when there were no depths He was brought forth, when there
were no fountains abounding in water, before the mountains were
formed, before the hills was He brought forth. He is that
One who is the Son of God, the Eternal Son of God, eternally
brought forth, eternally begotten. And John says we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. All the law was given by Moses,
says John, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. With those who desire to look
into these things, into this wisdom, our understandings by
nature are so darkened. What are we? We're those conceived
in sin, shapen in iniquity, having the understanding darkened, alienated
from the life of God through the ignorance that is in us because
of the blindness and the hardness of our heart. But what is it
that God is pleased to do when he comes to us in the gospel? There in the opening chapter
of Ephesians, in Paul's prayer, he sees his knights, he says,
to give thanks for these Ephesians. He makes mention of them in his
prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.
that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what
the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and
what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe
according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought
in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and set him at
his own right hand in the heavenly places. What a prayer is this!
He wants the eyes of their understanding to be enlightened. Those you
see that he speaks of later, as we said at verse 18 in chapter
4, the understanding darkened, alienated from the life of God,
ignorant, hard-hearted. This is his prayer that their
understanding might be enlightened. All he wants that God would grant
to them that spirit of wisdom. and revelation in the knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ. All the believer is made wise,
wise unto salvation. Do we desire to look into these
things, to consider these things, that wisdom that is from above
which is first sure? And it's not only the question
of an enlightened mind but also a heart and a conscience purified
how we need that how we need that the purifying of our consciences
because every part of us has been affected and infected by
the fall we're fallen creatures But again, what does Paul say,
writing there in the Hebrew epistle, how much more he says, shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
to God without spot, purge your consciences from every dead work,
to serve the living God. And then he goes on, let us draw
near, he says, with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed in pure water, the purifying of our consciences, so that those
consciences that are instructed by the word of God, by the holy
precepts of the gospel of the grace of God, all that wisdom,
that is the mark of the believer, who is a wise man. And do it
with knowledge among you, he asks at verse 13. We must have
that wisdom that is from above which is first pure. But then he says also peaceable. Or the fruit of peace, how important
it is. Then peaceable, gentle. and easy to be entreated, full
of mercy and good fruit, without partiality and without hypocrisy,
and the fruit of righteousness, is sown in peace of them that
make peace." Isn't there a certain emphasis in what follows here
at the end of that 17th verse, an emphasis on kindness, tenderness,
mercy, compassion, or the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, when
we consider the way in which He conducted Himself, as we have
the record there in the Gospels, how He goes about doing good,
healing all manner of diseases. A bruised ridge shall He not
break, smoking flack shall He not quench. How kind, how compassionate. how tender-hearted in all his
dealings with men. He is, of course, the Prince
of Peace. And in that great work that he comes to do, he comes
to make peace. Oh, he makes peace through the
blood of his cross. That's what he was to accomplish. He was to reconcile the sinner
unto God. We're told, aren't we, in Colossians.
Colossians 1.19, he pleased the Father. that in him should all
fullness dwell having made peace through the blood of his cross
by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether
they be things in earth or things in heaven and you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight
or the fruit of peace and that's what we have here if we have that wisdom that is
from above yes it's pure but then it's also peaceable it's
gentle, it's easy to be entreated there's a fullness there of mercy
good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy? Without hypocrisy. Or that one who is guileless,
transparent, sincere? Isn't that the mark of those
who have heavenly wisdom? When the Lord beholds Nathaniel
there in the opening chapter of John's Gospel, what does He
say concerning that man? Behold an Israelite in these,
in whom there is no guile. We know they are not all Israel,
they are not of Israel. Who is the true Israelite? The
spiritual Israelite. The Christian believer. And what
is the Christian believer is to be just as the Lord describes
that man Nathaniel. An Israelite in these is one
who is guileless. without hypocrisy, without hypocrisy. There is in that man's life the
fruits of peace, there's the fruits, all the fruits of the
Spirit of God, so evident in the way in which he conducts
himself. His faith is demonstrated, is
seen by his works. As James is saying there previously
in chapter 2, and man may say thou hast faith and I have works
show me thy faith without thy works I will show thee my faith
by my works and as we sort of say he's not speaking of us justifying
ourselves by our works but as it were the way in which we live
our lives, the way in which we induct ourselves will justify
our justification if we might say so our justification, our
justifying faith is seen to be genuine by their fruits ye shall
know them says the Lord or the primacy then of a purity because God is pure but also the fruit of peace and
then this expression without partiality without partiality heavenly wisdom
where there is heavenly wisdom, there's no partiality at all. Now, it's an interesting word
this. You might observe that, well
certainly in this pulpit Bible we have an alternative rendering
in the margin, wrangling. Without partiality, without wrangling. Now, the marginal references
I do find interesting, but I would also observe this when we see
a an alternative reading in the margin, as it were, it indicates
that this is a word that the translators have obviously struggled
with, with regards to the precise way in which they are to interpret
the words and render it in our English. And it's a word that has been
used previously. It's there in chapter 2. where we were reading this morning. The opening verse is, My brethren,
have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory,
with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly
a man with a gold ring and goodly apparel, and there come in also
a poor man in vile raiment, and you have respect to him that
weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him that sit thou here
in a good place, and say to the poor, Stand thou here, or sit
here under my footstool, are ye not then partial in yourselves
and are become judges of evil thoughts? And the word partial,
there in that fourth verse, are ye not then partial in yourselves? It's the same word that we have
here in verse 17. of the same root. That's apparent,
isn't it? Partial, then partiality. But
that's not the only previous occasion in which he has used
the word, because we also have the same word in the text we
were looking at earlier today. Guy is speaking of that wisdom,
if any of you lack wisdom. Let him ask God that giveth to
all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him
but let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth
is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed and
the words that we have there wavering nothing wavering he
that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind
and tossed now the word wavering is the same word as we have here
as partiality. And so I thought it's profitable
to look at the Word, to examine the Word itself. Word studies
can be very useful to us. Of course, I say that, I suppose,
as one who tries to preach the Word of God and to rightly interpret
the Word of God, but Word study can be profitable for all of
God's people, to examine the very words of Holy Scripture.
Because we do believe that this book is plainly re-inspired of
God. In other words, it's inspired
throughout, in all its parts. As we said, it's not just men
expressing themselves in their own words, although the thoughts
that they've had have been inspired by God, they're expressing those
thoughts in their own words. That's not inspiration. We believe
in the miracle of inspiration in the sense that God's spirit
so wrought upon those men that what they actually wrote down
were the words of God it's verbally inspired in that sense and as
you know that's the beauty of the authorized version because
it's such a literal rendering as literal as could be and where
there is the need to introduce other English words to endeavor
to bring out the proper sense in the authorized version, that's
always indicated by the use of the italics. And so when we see
a word in italics, it's not to emphasize that word, it's simply
to indicate that that's been interpolated, introduced by the
translator, but the words that we have in Holy Scripture are
the very words of God, and we We see the beauty then of our
authorized version in being such a literal version, but to think
of these words, partiality, wavering, how can it be rendered in two
such different ways? Well, again it's a compound word,
so often that's the case with some of these words, and it literally
means to separate. to distinguish, to discriminate. And you might see, therefore,
how you might have the word rendered as wavering. If you are carefully
trying to make a distinction and a separation, you need to
consider both sides of the question. You consider it carefully, you
waver, as it were, from one side to the other. as you're examining
the matter before you come to a decision now where God's promises
are concerned there can be no place for wavering there's no
place for wavering where God has given his promise the heart
is clearly to be settled, God has said it God has said it. We don't need to waver about
that. We just believe what God says. Let him ask in faith, remember. Nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything
of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable
in all his ways. All the matter is settled. God
has said it. You don't have to examine it and waver from side
to side. but then when we have that other
word as we have it here without partiality or going back to what
he's saying in the opening part of chapter 2 where he speaks
of the rich man in his goodly apparel who makes quite an entrance
and the poor man and you have great respect for the one and
you despise the other that's partiality are you not then partial
in yourselves and I become judges of evil things being divided,
divided in one's mind and one's affections after considering,
as it were, the situation and reaching a decision which only
brings division there's not to be that sort of division amongst
the people of God it's wrong to divide amongst the God God's
people, whatever they're standing, they are all to be treated without
any partiality. Are you not then partial, is
what he says there at the beginning of that second chapter. Are you
not then partial in yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts? Or you've made a judgment, you've
examined the matter, and you've decided you ought to show greater
respect for this than for that and it's wrong heavenly wisdom
is free from all such partiality it is to be free from all partiality
and yet sadly how true it is that when we think of ourselves
and our nature our fallen nature what we are naturally speaking
we're so full of partiality we're partial to every sin There's
always that partiality of sinning. Can the Ethiopian change his
skin or the leopard his spots? Then may ye who are accustomed
to doing evil do good. We're so accustomed to doing
evil, we're so partial to doing the thing that is wrong, how
we need God's wisdom. The wisdom from above. And we
said this morning, or we considered that passage this morning, if
we're lacking wisdom, where can we obtain it? Ask of God, it
says. Ask of God to give it to all
men liberally. Ask in faith. Nothing wavering. Oh God, is that one who is liberal
in his giving, He's so straightforward, so simple. He loves to give. It is more blessed to give than
to receive. That's God. If we lack wisdom,
that's where we're to obtain it. And of course, ultimately,
that wisdom, it centers in Christ. It is Christ. Christ, the power
of God, and the wisdom of God, says the Apostle. 1st Corinthians
1.24 Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God of him
are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom and
righteousness and sanctification and redemption and how wisdom cries to us, calls to us. We saw it this morning. We referred
to that wisdom literature in the opening chapter there in
the book of Proverbs. And what does Solomon say? Wisdom crieth without. She uttereth her voice in the
street. She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the opening
of the gates in the city. She uttereth her word saying,
How long Ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity, and the scorners
delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn you
at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit
unto you, I will make known my word unto you. Here is the invitation,
you see. Here is the word of God, here
is the wisdom of God speaking to us. He goes on to speak again,
doesn't he? I know it's in the female that
we read of wisdom. There in that great 8th chapter
of Proverbs. Doth not wisdom cry? Understanding
put forth her voice, she standeth in the top of the high places.
By the way, in the places of the past she crieth at the gates,
at the entry of the city, at the coming in of the doors. unto
you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of man, O ye simple,
understand wisdom, and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
O if a man lacks wisdom, he is to ask of God. to answer we might receive, or
that God would grant to us that blessed fear, that fear of the
Lord, the beginning of wisdom, to know the Scriptures to be
made wise unto salvation that is in the Lord Jesus Christ,
the wisdom that is from above, is first pure and then peaceable
and gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruit
without partiality, without hypocrisy and the fruit of righteousness
is sown in peace of them that make peace oh God grant that
we might be governed in our lives as individuals and in every part
of the life of the church by that heavenly wisdom that comes
only from God himself, the wise man ought to be that man wise,
endued with knowledge Let him show out of a good conversation
his works with meekness of wisdom. Let the Lord bless his word to
us. Amen.