Truth Baptist Church
Mark 2:23-3:6
  • Cornerstone
  • Praise Him! Praise Him!
  • Goodness Of God
  • To God be the Glory

      • Mark 2:23–3:6ESV

      • Mark 2:23–3:6ESV

  • Throughout chapter 2 to Mark 3:6 Mark highlights (5) separate run-ins Jesus has with the Pharisees and religious leaders, here is a refresher on the (3) we have covered and the (2) issues in our text today
    2:1-12 Jesus declares His authority to forgive Sins
    And the scribes believe He is blaspheming, a crime worthy of death
    2:13-17 Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors
    Jesus explains to them He came for the Sick not for the self-righteous
    2:18-22 Jesus & His disciples do not fast while everyone else is fasting
    Jesus informs them He is Messiah and while He’s there He and His disciples will not be fasting
    He also explains He has come to bring something new He will be different from what they expect
    2:23-28 Jesus’ disciples pick handfuls of grain on the Sabbath
    Jesus claims to be Lord of the Sabbath
    3:1-6 Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath
    Here we get a glimpse of the extent of the Pharisees hatred
    Jesus heals a man and because of that they want to destroy Him
    The last (2) controversies, we will focus on today, center around the Sabbath
    Jesus is Lord of Restoration
    One Sabbath day Jesus and His disciples were walking through a grain field
    As they walked the disciples were snagging handfuls of grain and eating them
    The Pharisees were either with them or close by and observed this
    The Pharisees have been watching Jesus since the start of His ministry
    As the Leader’s of the Jewish community they are protective of their power
    And they see Jesus as a threat to their control of the Jewish population
    Lets do a quick refresher on the Sabbath
    The Sabbath was Saturday the last day of the week
    It was setup by God during the week of creation as the day He rested
    Not because He was tired, but He took time to rest in the beautiful creation He had just made
    Genesis 2:3 ESV
    So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
    God put an exclamation point at the end of the week, taking time to bask in His glorious creation
    The keeping of the sabbath flowed from God’s example
    In Exodus, in the giving of the 10 Commandments the Sabbath is setup as an institution for the Israelites to follow
    Exodus 20:8-11 The Sabbath is given as the 4th and longest of the commandments
    There it’s stated 6 days are for working
    No one could work, including children, servants, animals, or immigrants inside Israel
    No one was to work period
    But the final day of the week was dedicated to rest
    And God references creation in His institution of the Sabbath in Ex 20
    And He blessed it and made it Holy
    This was one of the top distinguishing marks of the Israelites, along with circumcision
    This made them standout from the surrounding cultures
    Exodus 31:14-16
    God’s law was not good enough for the Pharisees, because it didn’t define in detail what work on the sabbath looked like
    So the Pharisees as usual took it too far
    They setup parameters to keep themselves and other’s from breaking the Sabbath
    They defined 39 categories of work
    Here is a taste of how far they took it, a sampling of the crazier rules they put in place
    No healing on the Sabbath, unless it was a life-threatening situation. Putting a band-aid could be debated.
    Eating an egg laid on the Sabbath was forbidden, as it was considered work done by the chicken.
    Tying or untying a knot on the Sabbath was off-limits unless it was a knot that could be undone with one hand.
    Let me remind you, these were laws the Jewish religious leader created
    They are not found in the OT
    Now that the Sabbath ground work is laid we go back to the disciples and see
    What they did by grabbing handfuls of grain was allowed in the Law of Moses, but not in the law of the Elders
    Deuteronomy 23:25 ESV
    If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.
    But the Pharisees extra-curricular laws had outlawed picking grain by hand on the sabbath
    This was not God’s law but laws the Pharisees put in place to prevent even getting close to breaking God’s law
    So they held man made rules as inspired scripture, which is a absolute no-no
    We are never to add or take away from God’s word
    They had further utilized their made up laws to elevate their own status, this had placed a heavy burden on common Israelites
    This showcases the spiritual state of the Pharisees which is the natural state of religion
    Religion is strict adherence to a bunch of rules or laws, accomplished with determination with discipline
    But it does not change the state of the heart, we can will ourselves to accomplish a lot of things our hearts are not in
    They had taken the good Law of God, the law that was supposed to point them to their need for God’s constant forgiveness and grace
    Instead they looked at the Law as an exam they had to pass
    If they tried hard they could keep the Law, get their “A+” and then God would love them and would bless them with money and power
    Many of the Pharisees were evil men fixated on power and control, and utilized religion as a means to collect and hold power
    If we aren’t careful Christianity will become more of a religion than submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ
    Every religion is a system providing a way to get to God
    If I’m good God must bless me
    Christianity’s uniqueness is in Jesus coming down and completing the work to reconcile us to God
    Which says, we have already been blessed through Jesus, and because of already being blessed I want to live for Jesus
    Despite this beautiful uniqueness
    There is always a tendency to turn our Christian faith into every other religion in the world
    Saying if we’re good, and obey the rules in the Bible we will earn God’s love and He will bless us and allow us into heaven
    This removes the power of Christianity rendering just another dead religion
    on the same level of Judaism & Islam
    But Jesus combats the Pharisees and their hypocrisy
    This time He takes them to their hero, King David, and the golden age of Israel’s history
    Jesus references an interaction David (who is an outlaw at this time) has with Ahimelech the High Priest found in 1 Sam. 21:1-6
    Ahimelech was the Father of Abiathar who became High Priest later
    Abiathar was the more prominent figure and that is probably why Jesus mentions Him rather than his father Ahimelech
    The outlaw David is running for his life from King Saul, and in hunger and desperation he goes to the temple and asks for some food
    The only food there was the “bread of Presents” that was only meant to be eaten by the priests serving in the temple
    The High Priest gives David this holy food, and David shares it with His mighty men
    James Edwards says: Jesus uses this story to prove Precedent, and is saying King David is His predecessor
    He is inviting comparison between Himself and Israel’s royal messianic prototype
    Jesus is again making a claim to be the Messiah
    Great David’s greater Son
    By citing this event Jesus validates the OT scriptures and the existence of King David
    Jesus uses this example of David to show God delights in prioritizing mercy, justice above rigid rule following
    He doesn’t every break the Sabbath, but He does break the laws made by man
    Consistently we see Jesus show the spirit of the Law of God over the rigid following of it
    In His SOM He points to hatred being the invisible roots of what can eventually turn into murder
    In Matt 12 in Matthew’s accounting of this same event
    Matthew adds a few details Mark leaves out
    Jesus also points out how the Priests had to work on the Sabbath
    They were breaking the Sabbath yet God does not hold them guilty of that sin
    Pointing out that there are exceptions to every rule
    And Jesus Himself is part of that exception
    Also in Matt, Jesus says Matt 12:7
    Matthew 12:7 ESV
    And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
    James Edwards says “Jesus corrects a mistaken interpretation that makes the Torah a burdensome yoke on human existence and recovers its true intent as an aid and guardian of life
    The Law of God was not intended to restrict humans
    But to prove our need for a Savior
    And to show us how to love God, and our neighbor
    Jesus has to spell it out for the Pharisees, they have missed the "why” behind God instituting the Sabbath
    Mark 2:27 ESV
    And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
    The Sabbath was and still is meant to be a gift to us
    From the beginning God had set up a day of complete rest
    We have a tendency to over work ourselves and not take time to rest
    And God addresses this problem with the Sabbath
    Before the Fall man was placed in the garden with work to tend the garden of Eden
    From this we know we are supposed to work
    2 Thess. 3:10 supports this “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”
    But we also must rest from working
    We are under the new covenant because Christ has fulfilled the Law
    Because Jesus rose on Sunday, we regularly meet on Sunday’s in celebration of His resurrection
    Sunday is not the Christian’s Sabbath, and we don’t strictly keep it
    But it is necessary to take time to recharge our bodies, minds, and Souls
    It is good to devote time to the things of God, and remember we find our rest in Him alone
    In the year 2026 we need the sabbath more than ever
    In our fast paced, rapidly evolving world, we are getting busier by the day
    Science proves when an efficiency is created it just means more can be done in less time
    But it never ends up saving us time, we find something else to fill that free time with
    We never step away and slow down, it just continues to speed us up
    God has designed humanity with a need to rest
    A need we had even before Adam and Eve fell in the garden
    Because God rested before the fall
    We need to slow down, to stop, & take time to be still
    Psalm 46:10 ESV
    “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
    The sabbath was gift to us to provide refreshment for us both spiritually and physically
    As a kid my parents forced me to take Sunday naps
    Now I look forward to taking Sunday naps,
    It’s part of the refreshment I look forward to
    If you don’t nap, find something that refreshes you
    Football can be refreshing, it can also spike your blood pressure!
    Make time to slow down, put down the technology
    Embrace times without entertainment
    Embrace the old southern way of sitting in a rocking chair, with a glass of sweet Tea just staring at God’s creation
    Devote time to sitting and thinking about the goodness of God, in giving a time for resting
    Take a day, any day, it doesn’t have to be Saturday or Sunday
    regularly to find rest
    The Sabbath was not meant to be restricting but liberating
    The Pharisees really knew how to suck the fun out of the Law of God
    They had turned the freedom of not working on Saturdays
    into rigid a rules system kept them busy thinking about how they couldn’t work
    I can see them sitting there saying “don’t think about work”, “don’t even think about working”
    These guys are like a hall monitor, watching Jesus and other’s with their rule books waiting for Him to work on the Sabbath
    They were unable to relax and enjoy the day God had given them to just rest
    Mark 2:28 ESV
    So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
    He boldly states “the sabbath is made for man, and not man for the sabbath”
    God placed the priority on Man, not on Saturday
    These guys had flipped that, placing the priority on the day of the week over the well fair of man
    And He claims the authority to say this statement because He is Lord of the Sabbath
    This is another claim only God could make
    The only one who can claim to be Lord of the Sabbath is the one who created the Sabbath
    Jesus is telling them that Sabbath you are idolizing, I created it
    Again Jesus uses the Title “Son of Man” from Daniel 7 claiming to be the promised Messiah
    Jesus is our sabbath, when we place our trust in Him, we are saying, I can’t work to earn His love
    I simply rest and relax in the person of Jesus Christ
    Jesus came to bring us abundant life not a life that glorifies rigid morals or morals sake
    Jesus says in Matt 11:28
    Matthew 11:28 ESV
    Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
    His yoke is easy and His burden is light, in Him we find rest for our souls
    Jesus is our righteousness, and when we trust in His righteousness
    We are simply resting in Jesus finished work He completed on the cross
    Acknowledging we are unable to work enough to earn it
    We serve a good and kind God who understands our need for rest, and who provides that rest
    Religion is A Trap
    This is the fifth & final controversy Mark shares in this section of his account
    Up till now the Pharisees have called Jesus a Blasphemer, a man who eats with sinners, a person who refuses spiritual practices I.E. He won’t fast
    And in these last two a Sabbath breaker
    There is a stead increase in intensity
    The religious leaders begin near the beginning of ch2 to question Jesus in their minds
    Then they begin to oppose Him with questions
    Now they set a trap
    In this final controversy it comes to a climax
    And it ends with them starting to plot His destruction
    James points out that in each of these controversies the forgiveness & the healings are all directed to needy and alienated people
    The paralytic, the sinners, the man with the withered hand
    It’s another Sabbath day, Jesus enters the Synagogue
    Where the religious leaders are anxiously waiting for Him, and watch Him enter
    All eyes are on Jesus to see this faceoff between Him and the religious leaders
    These leaders are looking for a crime so they can build a religious legal case against Jesus
    Accuse
    Because there is a man in the Synagogue who is attending this service and he has a withered man
    Don’t miss the evil here, the religious leaders are leveraging a handicap man to create a case against Jesus
    They are hoping Jesus will heal this man on the Sabbath which they consider working
    Remember “No healing on the Sabbath, unless it was a life-threatening situation. Putting a band-aid could be debated.”
    The Gospel according to Mark A Question of Life and Death (3:1–6)

    they may not straighten a deformed body or set a broken limb [on the Sabbath]”

    Jesus calls the man with the withered hand over to Him
    Then He looks at the Pharisees and ask them
    Mark 3:4 ESV
    And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.
    Jesus asks them a simple question with an obvious answer
    is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, to save a life
    The Pharisees in their hardness of heart, and in the name of religious observance
    Refuse to answer the Son of God
    Jesus is angered by this, it takes a lot to get Jesus angry, we see it in rare occasions
    His righteous indignation manifests here because of the religious leaders perverse interpretation of the Sabbath
    He is angry but is not sinning, because these men were following a man-made rules saying someone could not be healed on the Sabbath
    But consider Jesus motivation: He doesn’t heal this man to stick it to the religious elite
    But in Jesus we see a refusal to bend to the corrupt spiritual leaders of His day
    He understands the expectations and trap the Religious leaders
    A failure to heal would have been an evil, and Jesus who was incapable of sin could not let an opportunity to do good pass by Him
    Jesus must act
    He will not bend to the evil glares of these “religious leaders” and does not avoid the conflict
    He could have waited to heal this man after they all leave the synagogue
    Or waiting for Sunday to come so He could heal him the day after sabbath without any controversy
    The Sabbath was meant for the restoration and Jesus is going to restore this man
    The ESV commentary points out the command to show mercy doesn’t Jeopardize the keeping of the Sabbath but rather dignifies it
    Jesus showcases this healing in front of the religious leaders
    Providing them with ammunition they are looking for
    Jesus says, “stretch out your hand”
    This man who is being played like a pawn because of the evil of the religious leaders
    He has a decision to make, to offend the religious leaders or to obey Jesus and be healed
    the Man stretched out his hand in faith and it was restored
    James Edwards says “Faith is not a private wager but a public risk that Jesus is worthy of trust when no other hope can be trusted”
    The Pharisees react by storming out
    Then go to and join their enemies the Herodians
    The Herodians where supporters of Herod, they were individuals who enjoyed the Greek and Roman cultures
    And cared little for the Law of God, in short they were the exact opposite of the Pharisees
    But the saying goes “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”
    And the Pharisees and Herodians prove that to be trure here
    It’s so easy for man-made traditions to be held up as a Biblical standard
    This is especially true for us as good Baptists
    We fixate on the processes that don’t matter and forget what actually matters
    Jesus said in Matt 23:23
    Matthew 23:23 ESV
    “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
    The Pharisees would tithe a tenth of their spice drawer
    Big whoop! but you’re neglect the truly important parts of God’s Law
    The parts that called for them to live out justice and mercy and faithfulness
    As Christians our Focus must be our Savior Jesus Christ
    In God’s Word we’re not told what the church building should look like
    We’re not told what color the carpet should be
    Let’s keep the Main thing, the main thing,
    That Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world
    All who come to Him, put their faith in Him will be transformed into a new person
    Let us live like those Disciples of Jesus who live lives of devotion that mimic His
    God’s Word will never be unopposed
    Our human tendency is to turn faith in Christ into a works based religion
    When we are tempted to do this remember Jesus already accomplished the work
    And we simply rest in His finished work Jesus is our Sabbath
    Take time to rest in Him everyday & each week
    Resist the urge to turn following Jesus into a rigid religious system
    But live for Him from a place of gratitude realizing Jesus accomplished the work
    Because His yoke is easy, and His burden is light

      • Mark 2:23–3:6ESV

      • Genesis 2:3ESV

      • Deuteronomy 23:25ESV

      • Matthew 12:7ESV

      • Mark 2:27ESV

      • Psalm 46:10ESV

      • Mark 2:28ESV

      • Matthew 11:28ESV

      • Mark 3:4ESV

      • Matthew 23:23ESV

  • 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
  • Jesus Only Jesus
Truth Baptist Church
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