Truth Baptist Church
Mark 2:1-12
  • I Stand Amazed
  • Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
  • Living Hope
  • Here I m to Worship

      • Mark 2:1–12ESV

      • Mark 2:1–12ESV

  • Covid really woke us up to the necessity of friends. In the lives of children 3 points
    Faith in Action
    Jesus proves His Authority to forgive Sins
    Jesus confronts the religious Establishment through His Authority
    Faith in Action “Faithful Friends Take us to Christ”
    Remember the ad campaign: “friends don’t let friends drive drunk”
    I’m going to hi-jack that and modify it, “Friends take their Friends to Jesus”
    Jesus returns to Capernaum
    Capernaum is His base of operations, Possibly in Peter and Andrew’s home
    This was a town on the Northwestern coast of the sea of Galilee
    about 5 miles aways from where the Jordan river fed into the Sea of Galilee
    This town no longer exists and Jesus prophesied it’s judgement
    He says in Matthew 11:23 “And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.”
    He’s been out preaching and healing in other towns in Galilee and has returned to His base of operations
    Jesus gets to spend a few days of quiet discipleship with Simon and Andrew and the Sons of Zebedee, probably others as well
    But then words gets out that Jesus is back
    And a crowd gathers to see Jesus
    Mark references the “crowd or a large group of people” 40 times before chapter 10
    James Edwards, points out these crowds generally demonstrate passivity
    They are listening to Jesus preach the Word
    They are intrigued by the Gospel of Jesus Christ
    The Kingdom has been brought down to earth in who He is
    But the acceptance of this Truth requires repentance
    It demands a response either being for or against
    We cannot remain indifferent to Jesus
    A question we must ask ourselves am I a disciple
    Or am I just part of the crowd
    The crowds constant characteristic is obstructing access to Jesus
    The big crowd is not a measure of success
    But These crowds are marked by opposing or being mostly indifferent to Jesus
    The crowds would show up, and Jesus saw them as sheep without a shepherd
    And He would compassionately teach them
    Jesus is preaching inside the house, and the crowd was so large people were spilling out the door straining to hear Jesus
    (4) friends learn Jesus is back in town so they carrying their paralytic friend to be healed by Jesus
    These friends display some serious determination
    The house is packed because of the crowd
    But that doesn’t deter them
    They carry their friend up to the roof
    Typically roofs would have an outdoor staircase
    They get on the roof and get to work ripping a hole in it
    If this is Simon and Andrew’s house they have to be freaking out
    in their house watching a hole rapidly grow in their ceiling
    Roofs were made of stick poles, with straw and clay on top, or possibly some sort of tiles
    So it wouldn’t have been too difficult to take up
    They lower their handicap friend right down to Jesus
    May God bless you and I with friends like this
    Friends who do whatever it takes to get us to Jesus
    This is what the Church should be like, family/friends who are constantly taking each other to Christ
    Jesus sees the Faith displayed in the actions of these (4) friends
    This is the first reference to faith in Mark’s gospel account
    We see here major faith in action
    Faith is muscle that must be exercised
    Often we turn the Christian Faith into a head game, acting like it’s an idea we hold and we believe exclusively in our minds
    Or that faith is a feeling inside that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy
    Faith cannot be passive but must be active
    James Edwards puts it this way
    The Gospel according to Mark The Authority of the Son of Man (2:1–12)

    Faith is first and foremost not knowledge about Jesus but active trust that Jesus is sufficient for one’s deepest and most heartfelt needs

    Faith in Christ must shape every aspect of who we are
    Guiding the way we live, how the way we talk, on top of the way we think
    When I think of champions of our Faith
    I think of King David, Apostle Paul, Martin Luther, Amy Carmichael
    These individuals took action for the glory of God, they lived out faith in unmistakable ways
    In visibly recognizable ways
    These men had faith that believed Jesus could heal their friend
    And that faith manifested in; them carrying their friend to Jesus, in not giving up when they couldn’t get it initially , and then in performing a little demolition to get their friend right beside Jesus
    Jesus recognized their faith
    Application: Are we taking our friends to Jesus
    How do we do this?
    Barnabas is an example of a great friend
    We meet him in the book of Acts
    Barnabas was originally named Joseph
    But the apostles renamed him “son of encouragement”
    He was generous, selling his property and using the money to support the poor
    When freshly redeemed Saul showed up to Jerusalem, the church was afraid of him
    But Barnabas befriended Saul, listen to his story of conversion and vouched for Saul to the Church in Jerusalem
    Barnabas was given a pastorship in Antioch, and he goes
    But then shortly calls Paul to join him
    And not long after Paul becomes the main pastor and Barnabas takes a supporting role
    This proves the humility and the encourager Barnabas embodied
    Find practical ways to encourage fellow brothers and sister’s in Faith
    Often I ask you about work or your week, but I should be asking, how have your daily devotions been lately?
    What has God been teaching you recently?
    Can we try as a congregation, to prioritize the spiritual over the temporary
    Our jobs aren’t last
    We are to be the iron that sharpens iron
    We can take our brothers and sisters to the throne of Grace , pray for our friends
    When they are suffering & when things are going well too
    Are we part of the crowd getting in the way of other’s who are trying to get to Jesus
    Are we being passive about the things of Christ, indifferent to Him
    The best way we can ensure we aren’t obstructing access to Jesus
    Is by walking in authentic faith, a real faith that standouts and attracts other’s to Jesus
    Confess Jesus with our mouth but walk out the door and then deny Him by our lifestyle
    This lifestyle is worse than an obstacle it is a repellant, it pushes other’s away from Christ
    Or does our faith demonstrate the truth God’s word, and who He is
    Are we leading others to Jesus
    This crowd watches as this handicap man is lowered through the ceiling
    And Jesus capitalizes on this climatic moment
    A moment that we learned about in Sunday school
    Jesus uses this moment to stake His greatest claim so far
    Up to now in the Book of Mark we’ve seen Jesus Authority
    of Scripture
    Over demons
    And over sickness and disease
    Jesus has Authority to Forgive sins
    Jesus utilizes some misdirection here, and it increases the impact of His shocking words
    We anticipate Jesus healing this man
    But as usually when we expect Jesus to go right He turns left
    And instead of healing Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic
    Mans greatest need is not being healed from a physical deformity
    He’s going to use His healing authority to prove He has a greater authority to forgive sins
    Jesus again emphasizes the Spiritual over the physical
    Jesus connects the faith of the friends actions to the forgiveness He’ll provide
    Faith and forgiveness are intimately connected
    God’s forgiveness is not granted without Faith
    And we are not told this, but Jesus must also see an unspoken faith in the paralytic man as well
    We know Jesus sees the heart, here He reads the minds of the scribes
    Because Jesus declares, “Son, your sins are forgiven”
    Notice the priority, Jesus heals the man’s sins first, his greatest need
    As humans we have many needs
    But our deepest need is to be freed from sin
    Because sin is what separates us from a Holy God
    Our culture disagrees on what sin is, (how to define sin)
    Tim Keller points out; we live in one of the first societies that doesn’t agree on right and wrong
    Over the history of the world, cultures have agreed on the sins of that particular culture
    But now in the culture wars we are constantly feuding what sin even is
    Society is getting so bad we can’t even agree on sins that used to be the givens
    Sins like Murder and adultery are excused by many
    Murder is explained away as “I didn’t agree with what that person said or did so they deserved to die”
    We disagreed politically so that person deserved to die...
    Killing babies isn’t a sin as it’s a post-partum psychotic episode or simply ridding ourselves of an unplanned inconvenience
    Adultery is viewed as necessary if ones needs aren’t being met within the marriage
    Others feel if they have been wronged it justifies them hurting others
    These are ways we convince ourselves we are not sinners
    Because if we aren’t sinners, we have no need for a savior, and it gives us licence to be our own god
    To do whatever we want, whenever we want, to whomever we want
    We must recognize we are all sinners, The Bible is crystal clear on this point
    Romans 3:23 ESV
    for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
    God’s glory, His Holiness, His absolute perfection is the standard
    It’s a bar we cannot reach and fall so extremely short of
    Every sin we commit is an assault against God Himself
    God has written His universal, moral code on every conscience/every heart
    We can dull the prick of our conscience when we sin
    But we can’t shake the feelings of shame and guilt that are natural by-products of our personal sins
    God’s law proves our innate tendency to sin
    John Bunyan in his book Pilgrim’s Progress illustrates the main character “Christian's burden of sin and guilt as a massive weight strapped to his back
    Christian tries and fails to rid himself of his burden, but is unable to remove it
    Christian continues to journey through life carry his burden of sin and guilt until He enters the “Narrow gate” and bows down at the foot of the cross
    “... just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.”
    We owe a debt we cannot pay, but Jesus paid a debt He did not owe
    And because of Jesus work of redemption our sins are paid for in full
    My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more; praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
    Jesus’ ultimate purpose for leaving heaven and coming down to earth was the forgiveness of sins
    1 Corinthians 15:3 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,”
    who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification Romans 4:25
    Remember John the Baptist declared
    John 1:29 ESV
    The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
    Jesus uses this healing to grab the attention of the religious leaders
    Jesus confronts the religious Establishment through His Authority v6-10
    This is Jesus’ first confrontation with the religious leaders that Mark records in his gospel account
    This is setting up the religious opposition Jesus will experience throughout His earthly ministry
    These Jewish religious leaders are here to size up this new “prophet” they have heard a lot about
    Ultimately they are going to kill Him for the same accusation they make here
    They are jealous of His authority
    The authoritative way He handles sacred scripture
    The authority the people of Israel recognize in Him
    So it’s fitting Jesus confronts the religious leaders with His authority over the forgiveness of sins
    There is an abrupt transition in verse 6
    We jump from the paralytic and his friends to to the religious scribes in the crowd
    And we’re given a window inside of their minds
    They are questioning how this Man can forgive sins
    They rightly know God alone can forgive sins
    They are accusing Jesus of blasphemy
    This is the highest crime for the Hebrew and it calls for the death penalty in
    Leviticus 24:16 ESV
    Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
    There are many religions and cults that claim Jesus never claims to be God
    This is an absolute lie
    These religious leaders unmistakably recognize Jesus is claiming to be God
    Through His claim to forgive sins
    Jesus is clearly telling these religious leaders and everyone within ear shot that He is God in the flesh
    And He is forcing them to make a decision
    Are they for Him or against
    Again we see one of Mark’s favorite words “immediately”
    Jesus knows the state of their hard hearts
    Calls them out, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?”
    Jesus says their quite part out loud
    He is confronting their thoughts directly
    I love that Jesus isn’t passive aggressive here, He is direct
    And Jesus confronts them with the Truth of who He really is God in the Flesh
    Jesus then doubles down and challenges them with this question
    What is easier to say to the Paralytic
    “your sins are forgiven”
    Or “Rise, take up your bed and walk”
    Jesus masterfully leverages the bodily healing so the Religious leaders will recognize His authority to forgive sins
    Forgiving sins is not something that can be seen or proved
    But healing this paralytic man, is verifiable
    Jesus used the verifiable healing, to validate His authority to forgive sins
    We know Jesus directs this at the scribes because he says
    Mark 2:10–11 ESV
    But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
    Th Paralytic man obeys, he simply and immediately gets up, picks up his bed and walks out
    Jesus doesn’t perform this miracle in secret, but does for all to see, including the religious leaders
    Great movements in scripture are usually accompanied by signs and miracles
    This is seen in Moses and Joshua, in the book of Judges, in the prophets, in Jesus Ministry, and finally in the confirmation of the Apostles along side the establishment of the early church
    Jesus also claims authority here by referring to Himself as “The Son of Man”
    This is His favorite title for Himself
    This title is originates from Daniel 7:13-14
    In a prophetic dream that Daniel recieved from God
    There this Son of Man figure rides in on the clouds of heaven
    He is presented to the Ancient of Days
    He is given Authority, with everlasting dominion, glory and a kingdom that won’t be destroyed
    Logos points out this title helps bridge the gap between Jesus’ first and second coming
    It points to the authority Jesus had in His first coming
    That is why Jesus is using it here, because of the authority He is claiming to forgive sins
    But more fully to the ultimate authority He will exercise when He returns again
    In this title we recognize the dual nature of Jesus in being truly man and truly God
    This healed man doesn’t stick around, he uses those brand new legs and walks home
    Luke includes he “glorified God”, this man is celebrating and recognizing what God had done
    Along with everyone who had witnessed it, they all glorified God
    They are amazed, saying “we never saw anything like this!
    This is the uniqueness of Jesus
    We cannot sit on the fence or try to be Switzerland when it comes who Jesus is
    C.S. Lewis puts it well in his trilemma
    A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.”
    His claims forces us to either submit to Lordship or to rebel against Him
    Closing:
    We’re reminded that humanities greatest problem isn’t health, water, food, shelter, or freedom
    But’s man’s greatest need is forgiveness of Sins
    There is hope!!
    Jesus Christ is the hope of the sinner
    Eph 1:7. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
    We have 2 books
    Donald Barnhouse has an
    There are two book
    In one hand we have our book
    this book contains all our marks of sin
    the main question of that book is there any page on that book that doesn’t have a mark
    or any part that isn’t marked
    But there is a another book
    The book that belongs to Jesus
    And His book is completely markless!
    Not a single mark
    At the cross God transfers His book to us, and takes our book filled with marks
    My sin to Christ, His righteousness to me
    That is how Christ forgives our sins

      • Matthew 11:23ESV

      • Romans 3:23ESV

      • John 1:29ESV

      • Leviticus 24:16ESV

      • Mark 2:10–11ESV

      • Ephesians 1:7ESV

  • A Tale of Two Wisdoms

    Happy Father’s Day! Recognize!
    Ephesians 6:4 Love wife, lead family. Spiritual leader in the home.
    Psalm 103:13 Example of God our Heavenly Father.
    The main verse of the letter is probably be James 1:22 - “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only”.
    In chapter two, James taught that genuine saving faith demonstrates itself through good works. Faith without works is dead. Chapter 3 introduced another external indicator of one’s inner spiritual condition - the tongue. What we say matters and it often reveals our spiritual condition. Now, we see the solution to speaking well and living well is to have wisdom, specifically godly wisdom.
    Scripture:
    James 3:13–18 (ESV)
    13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
    Introduction
    We have called James a collection of wisdom sayings, the Proverbs of the NT. The passage today is all about wisdom.
    Last week…we saw how speech is an indicator of our spiritual condition, focusing on the power and potential harm our speech can have. James provides a remedy for taming our tongues. It is wisdom. Just as James mentioned the wisdom of God to have a divine perspective on trials (James 1:5), we also need the wisdom of God to use our tongues, to know what to say, when to say it, and how to say.
    But, what is wisdom? In the Old Testament, living a life well requires a relationship with God, and the wise person lives well by applying God’s principles to everyday circumstances.
    How do we learn to respond to life’s challenges and troubles? We need wisdom.
    How do we learn to speak good things, even in challenging circumstances? We need wisdom.
    How do parents learn to raise their children to be God fearing and Christ-exalting? Wisdom!
    Fathers need wisdom to lead, and children need a father’s wisdom. Someone once said, “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience often comes from bad judgment.” Fathers can help children benefit from lessons they learned. A father's greatest display of wisdom may not be his words but his example. A wise father helps his children avoid dangers they cannot yet see. In the same way, James points us to a wisdom from above—a wisdom that comes from our Heavenly Father, who sees what we cannot see and lovingly guides us in the path of righteousness. We need the wisdom of God to live a live well for God.
    James has already mentioned, if we lack wisdom, we should ask for it (James 1:5). 
    The passage today provides another example of the letter’s main theme of calling us to ensure our behavior (works, speech, relationships, etc.) matches what we say we believe. To borrow the “faith and works” theme, faith without good works means a life of evil works. And since the evil of the tongue is ignited by the evil of hell (James 3:6), we should ask ourselves, what is guiding us, the heavenly (James 3:17) or the hellish (James 3:15)?
    This message will reveal three truths about wisdom.

    True Wisdom is Demonstrated by Actions

    James 3:13
    If I asked you to name a wise person, some might say Solomon. Others might say, a favorite teacher, a grandparent, or a trusted mentor. What is probably similar with all of these is that we rarely describe wise people by their IQ, income, or accomplishments. We typically describe wise people by their character, judgment, and how they treat others. James would agree. To answer who is wise, James points not to what a person knows, but to how a person lives.
    James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 
    It is possible that, just as some church members were apparently taking the mantle of “teacher” upon themselves recklessly (James 3:1), so were some (maybe the same people) setting themselves up as “wise” or “understanding”. Such believers needed to be reminded of the true nature and fruits of wisdom.
    James starts with a question, “Who is wise and understanding?” We should probably see this question as one of those that you want to be careful answering. If you raise your hand, “Yes, I am wise and understanding”, James is prepared to challenge that assertion.
    “Really?”, James would say, “Show me your wisdom and understanding.” 
    James had already taught that God grants wisdom to those who ask Him in faith (James 1:5–8). In this passage, James went into more detail concerning the origin and expressions of wisdom. True wisdom is grounded in the “fear of the Lord”.
    Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
    What makes biblical wisdom distinctive, aside from it beginning with the fear of God, is that is associated with godly character., i.e., good works. Any claim to wisdom is tested by the life and demeanor of the supposed wise person. James describes wisdom as not merely intellectual but also behavioral…“by his good conduct”. By his good conduct, show his works. Again, James was asking people to prove what they say.
    If you say you have faith, show it (James 2:18). If you say that you are wise, show it by how you live.
    When one stands in proper awe and respect (fear) of God, the result is “meekness”. Meekness, which is translated “gentleness” in Galatians 5:23) was considered weakness by the Greeks. But meekness is not weakness. Meekness comes not from being weak or cowardly, but rather from trusting God and therefore being set free from anxiously promoting self (i.e., selfish ambition). Jesus elevated meekness to a primary Christian virtue (Matthew 5:5; Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.) Recognizing one’s proper place in creation and submitting to the Creator’s will in daily life is wise.
    Next, we will see the difference between two kinds of “wisdom”.

    The Fruit of False Wisdom is Disorder

    James 3:14-16
    If there are two kinds of wisdom, what does the false wisdom look like?
    James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 
    Verse fourteen begins with the word “but” to show a contrast between the values expressed in the previous verse. While the person who is wise should show his or her wisdom by good works, this is not true for those who are not truly wise. We could read verse fourteen, “But if [you claim to be wise while at the same time] you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast [about your so-called wisdom] and be false to the truth.” 
    As opposed to the “good conduct” and humble deeds (James 3:13) that are outward expressions of true wisdom, false wisdom pours forth evil conduct and arrogant boasting. James describes the characteristics of this evil conduct, but first he looks to the inside of the person (to the “heart”). As we mentioned last week, any outward behavior is an overflow of the heart. 
    Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
    Two things “in our hearts” that James mentioned are bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. A person with false wisdom is characterized by “bitter jealousy.” God’s jealousy is legitimate as He alone deserves our worship. God is rightly jealous for His honor and the loyal devotion of His people because He deserves it. On the other hand, human jealousy often demonstrates itself as a wicked desire for the abilities, possessions, or status of another that do not belong to the one jealous.
    Whether it is sinful jealously and godly jealousy hinges on motive—do you rightly deserve what you fear losing and does it matter to God. Human jealousy, like ambition, becomes distorted by sin. James adds the word “bitter” to “jealousy” (the same word that is used to refer to “salty” in James 3:11), to make it clear that this jealousy is an attitude of resentful competition that is worse that the usual wicked desire.
    “Selfish ambition” (James 3:14) is another sinful heart condition that is contradictory to true wisdom. There is a godly ambition that should not be suppressed, which is a personal drive that seeks to honor God and benefit others. A couple of biblical passages that speak to godly ambition include 1 Timothy 3:1 about men aspiring to the office of overseer, and Colossians 3:23-24 where believers are encouraged to work heartily as for the Lord rather than for human approval. 
    But, that is not the ambition James mentioned here. James described a prideful desire to promote oneself or one’s personal concerns without reference to God or the genuine needs of others. “Selfish ambition” is a willingness to split a group in order to achieve one’s personal desires. It focuses on what “I want” instead of what God wants. This same word is translated “rivalry” elsewhere in scripture, e.g., Galatians 5:20.
    James warns us about having bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. He wrote, “Do not boast [about your supposed wisdom] and be false to the truth” (James 3:14). In other words, if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, don’t pretend to be wise. Repent, and ask God to change your heart.
    James then described the characteristics of this false wisdom.
    James 3:15–16 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
    Such false wisdom is not from God. James described worldly behavior in terms that “progress” from bad to worse, recalling the list in James 3:5–6, the tongue is a “world of unrighteousness”. Rather, this false wisdom is…
    Earthly: Such behavior is ultimately earthbound. It stands for the human, rational approach to things that does not take the revealed will of God into account.
    Unspiritual: This describes someone who is self-absorbed. It means being out of touch with God—operating according to natural human impulses rather than divine guidance.
    Demonic: Its resembles the powers of darkness. Just as evil speech comes from Satan (James 3:6), so does this “worldly behavior”. Recall Jesus’ rebuke of Peter (Matthew 16:16–23) where Peter had spoken both a godly word and a demonic word. 
    Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are, at their root, expressions of a worldly and demonic rebellion against God. The evil of the tongue and ungodly wisdom are influenced by hellish evil. Later James exhorts us to “resist the devil” (James 4:7).
    Though we can never really look into the hearts of others (and sometimes rarely within ourselves!), we can clearly see the fruit of false wisdom. The bitter jealousy and selfish ambition of a wicked heart cannot be contained but it will express itself in “disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:16). The result of such devil-driven conflict can only be disorder and every vile practice.
    Think about the damage one person or group in a church can cause by jealousy or selfishly ambition. It causes disorder or worse in the congregation. Therefore, we must resist these destructive patterns and embrace the wisdom that comes from God.

    The Fruit of True Wisdom is Righteousness

    James 3:17-18
    The answer to the “disorder” of verse sixteen is to seek wisdom from above. Whereas the earthly wisdom finds its origin in Satan, true wisdom comes from God, has godly attributes, and produces godly results.
    James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
    The wisdom that comes from God is characterized by both internal and external fruits, similar to the list Paul reveals in Galatians chapter five on Fruit of the Spirit. This should not be surprising as James reveals the characteristics of wisdom that is born from the Spirit of God.
    Internally, true wisdom is “pure” (i.e., fundamentally motivated by goodness and holiness, not by sin). Purity is the primary virtue (“first”) with the rest providing aspects of this moral purity. Pure wisdom displays the love of the believers without showing favoritism (2:1).
    Second, this wisdom is displayed by being peaceable or “peace-loving.” This fruit of wisdom is the polar opposite of “selfish ambition” and the discord it produces. Those who make peace are committed to the unity of the fellowship. Peacemaking often means unity-protecting.
    The peaceableness of wisdom has the virtue of gentleness or the quality of being “considerate.” The is similar to “a soft/gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). These people are also going to have a willingness to yield (“open to reason”), merciful, impartial, and sincere. True wisdom is a genuine expression of a heart redirected by God. Just as false wisdom results in “disorder and every vile practice” (v. 16), so true wisdom bears distinct and recognizable good fruits.
    James then emphasized the critical attribute of peace in the last verse as the pure believer.
    James 3:18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
    Just as verse 17 referred to “fruits”, verse 18 uses the word “harvest.” This is an interesting concept to consider that what we sow produces a harvest…it could be a harvest of good or a harvest of bad. 
    Gena has been trying to grow a garden at home. While I have not really helped much in this effort, I see her hard work of planting, tending, watering and caring for things she has planted. She has already seen evidence of things growing, the fruit of her labor. Likewise, we reap good things by sowing peace. Peace is the soil in which righteousness grows.
    A truly wise person goes through life “making peace” with those around him. The legacy of those who live in peace and make peace rather than conflict is a harvest of righteousness. In other words, James ends this section by reminding us that the truly wise person is a peacemaker who leaves behind a legacy of righteous behavior and influence. Jesus said that peacemakers are truly blessed and called the children of God.
    Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
    One of Gena’s favorite things to do in her practice of law is being a peacemaker. She helps to mediate conflict between people in order to help them come to a resolution without having to go to court.
    God is the Great Peacemaker Who made peace with us through Jesus. If it were not for God wanting peace, none of us would be saved. And as God has brought peace to us through Jesus, He wants His people to make peace with one another, and help others have peace. God expects His people to be peacemakers.
    A church that is rich in reconciling activities, that is, telling others about Jesus, defending the poor, counseling the troubled, offering hospitality to the stranger, sending gospel missionaries throughout the world, and many more, reaps a rich harvest of righteousness.
    Will you seek peace with one another?
    Will you help others come to peace?
    Pursue the wisdom from above that brings peace and unity and which is consistent with the redemptive work of Christ. This affirms our calling as peacemakers, and creates an environment that reflects the kingdom of God on earth.
    Conclusion
    In closing, James calls us to be wise people who follow the Holy Spirit. But, do we actually follow our “selfish ambition”?
    When others succeed, are we jealous?
    How do we feel when someone else does something well, gets a promotion, is given a responsibility that we once had or one that we want to have?
    What is the condition of our “hearts”? Do we have bitterness, anger, resentment, or “disorder” in our hearts?
    The greatest problem James identifies is the sinful heart that produces earthly wisdom. Only Jesus can change that heart. Jesus died for our pride, envy, selfish ambition, and hypocrisy. He rose again to give us a new heart and a new way of living.
    Before making decisions this week, ask yourself this question:
    “Is what I am doing or thinking of doing from below or from above?”
    Then choose the path that looks most like Jesus.
    We can serve God boldly, moving forward in faith, knowing that even though our weak service is often tainted with sin, our gracious heavenly Father is eager to forgive His children who ask for mercy (Luke 18:13–14). We must ask for God to fill us with true wisdom, His wisdom, which reveals itself in the fruit of righteousness and peace. God chose to regenerate us (James 1:18) by implanting His saving Word inside us (James 1:21), and now He is calling us both to act and to speak as His holy people. 
    Let the Holy Spirit lead you and your words and actions will become instruments of grace rather than weapons of destruction. Choosing godly wisdom over earthly wisdom glorifies God and fosters unity among His people. Meanwhile, we look forward to the new heaven and new earth, in which all of our motives, actions, and words will be completely holy.
    This is good news. Thanks be to God. Amen.
    Closing Song: Where He Leads Me I Will Follow
  • It Is Well With My Soul
Truth Baptist Church
truthbaptistnc@gmail.com
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