WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.959 Well, we're continuing in our series through the book of James. 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:04.240 We've made it pretty far. 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:06.400 We're at the end of chapter three. 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:10.160 You heard Kathy read our passage about wisdom. 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:16.480 I'm excited to talk this morning about wisdom and wisdom that is from above. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:17.760 But first a story. 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:22.320 My wife, Stacy, recently purchased a motorcycle. 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:23.920 There it is. 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:25.359 It's awesome. 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:29.920 This is a 1973 Honda 350F. 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:35.119 The F stands for four because it has four cylinders, which was very rare for this model here. 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:36.719 And I won't go any any further. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:40.560 Two weeks ago I knew nothing about motorcycles, and now I know a ton. 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:48.240 We've talked about motorcycles for 20 years, you know, maybe maybe having a couple and puttering around together. 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:58.399 When she got serious talking about it earlier this year, I said, Oh, well, you know, maybe we should look into getting two motorcycles and, you know, something we could do together as husband and wife. 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:02.000 And her response was, and I quote, no. 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:07.359 This is my midlife crisis. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:09.920 Fair enough. 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:11.200 She's owning it. 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:14.719 So here it is in all its glory. 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:15.840 You can pray for her. 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:19.920 It's been in the shop for over a week, and she cries every day. 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:25.439 But after she got the bike and she's been riding and she loves it, she's having a great time. 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:28.480 Oh, finally, she's like, you know, we should ride together. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:30.879 She did not have to twist my arm very hard. 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:35.280 Um so I'm signed up for the motorcycle safety course, middle of November. 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:38.000 I bought a helmet, so I'm I'm in, right? 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:42.239 You spend$200, and you know, you might as well buy the motorcycle today. 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:47.519 Um I'm also big into research, so I've been watching lots of YouTube videos. 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:50.159 There's a YouTube video for everything. 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:52.400 Uh what did we do before YouTube, right? 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:55.599 We used to think it was Wikipedia, but no, it's YouTube. 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:59.920 Um, you know, how to ride a bike, what to do, how not to look stupid. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:01.760 There's lots of those videos. 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:06.799 Um and I I'm telling you, I've watched a lot of YouTube videos. 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:19.599 So many, in fact, and there's so many opinions and reviews and different perspectives that I think I'm actually more confused today than two weeks ago when I started watching those videos. 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:22.319 But isn't that the way life is? 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:23.439 See that transition? 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:24.080 Boom. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:25.280 Right there. 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:30.159 Uh the world is diverse and complicated. 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:36.000 Things are not often simple or easy, and we're all trying to make it through life. 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:38.800 And so we often are in search of wisdom. 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:41.199 What is the best way to live my life? 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:42.479 How do I save for retirement? 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:43.599 How do I find a spouse? 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:47.520 How do I pass uh parent these darn kids, right? 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:51.120 Whatever adjective you want to use for your kids. 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:58.719 Where you are in life, um we're all looking for wisdom. 00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:00.240 So how do we find it? 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:01.280 What does it look like? 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:07.280 How do we distinguish good wisdom or good advice from bad wisdom and bad advice? 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:10.080 Well, that's what our passage is about today. 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:13.919 Uh in verse 13, James asks a question. 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:18.879 He says, Who is wise and understanding among you? 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:20.400 And really he's setting us up. 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:23.599 He could have just written, What is wisdom? 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:25.520 And how do we get it? 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:28.560 Uh so that's what we're going to talk about this morning. 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:33.520 Point one, James tells us there are two kinds of wisdom. 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:35.439 Let's look again at verse 14. 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:44.159 He says, If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:47.680 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:52.000 It is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:54.400 Ooh, great description. 00:03:54.639 --> 00:04:00.159 So James tells us there are two types of wisdom in the world. 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:07.439 There's one that comes down from above, it comes from heaven, it comes from where God dwells, it comes from God. 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:11.039 It is heavenly, spiritual wisdom. 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.439 On the other hand, there is wisdom that is from below, you might say. 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:18.959 It's earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:21.360 What does he mean by these descriptions? 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:25.519 He says, it's earthly, meaning it is separated from heaven. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:33.839 Now, the scriptures do not, uh, it is not a dualism that heavenly or spiritual things are good and earthly and material things are bad. 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:35.759 That is not the Bible's view. 00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:51.120 But there is a way of speaking, and Paul does the very same thing in the book of Corinthians, as he challenges the Corinthian church who were who were jockeying for position and saying, Well, I follow Paul, well, I follow Apollos, well, I follow Peter. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:52.160 He's awesome. 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:59.839 All right, he says, when you reason that way, when you're jockey for position that way in the church, are you not acting merely human? 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:04.000 That's exactly the same thing that James is talking about here. 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:08.639 There's a way of reasoning in the world that seems detached from heaven. 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:11.040 It is only of the earth. 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:17.360 Which is why it's unspiritual, meaning it is not from the Holy Spirit, right? 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:19.439 This is not some ethereal spiritualism. 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:26.560 This is when the Bible talks about something being spiritual, it means it's connected to or comes from the Holy Spirit. 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:31.839 Wisdom comes to us from outside via the Holy Spirit. 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:33.439 And it's demonic. 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:38.000 Now, when he says demonic, he doesn't mean the devil made me do it, right? 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:47.839 It's not a wisdom that uh demons put into us, but like earlier in this letter, he says that demons have faith, right? 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:49.360 He says demons believe in God. 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:54.240 Demons, you know, they know a lot about the gospel and they shudder, right? 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:58.720 They don't have salvation, they don't have saving faith in God, but they have faith. 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:01.600 And in the same way, they have wisdom. 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:06.560 But it's a wisdom that is separated from heaven, is separated from God. 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:13.279 And so these are the two types of wisdom in the world. 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:21.360 Uh and when we're talking about demonic, Satan is often, his fall is often attributed to jealousy and selfish ambition. 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:27.360 Satan was this beautiful divine angel who saw the glory of God and became jealous. 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:32.959 He wanted to grasp it for himself, and so he pursued that selfish ambition and he fell. 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:39.680 And so that kind of wisdom is the wisdom of demons, and the wisdom we need to be careful to avoid. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:45.279 So James tells us two types of wisdom, but point two, how do we tell them apart? 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:45.680 Right? 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:46.800 That is vital. 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:47.680 That's key. 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:59.360 Well, he tells us in verse 13, he says, by his good conduct, or her good conduct, let the wise person show their work in the meekness of wisdom. 00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:05.600 So James says, your wisdom will show itself by the way you live. 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:11.839 And this echoes Jesus' own teaching in Luke chapter 6, when he said, A tree is known by its fruit. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:14.000 A fig tree produces figs. 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:17.120 Uh a grapevine produces grapes. 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:19.839 Godly wisdom produces godliness. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.319 Earthly wisdom produces something else. 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:25.120 He's about to tell us. 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:34.480 So last week we saw that James said, Can a fig tree bear olives olives or a grapevine produce figs? 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:40.000 No, whatever comes out of the heart, Jesus taught us, the mouth speaks. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:42.399 Whatever is inside of us, it bears fruit. 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:44.399 And that fruit, we're like a tree, right? 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:46.560 Roots that dig down into the earth. 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:50.800 And based on what is nourishing that tree, it produces that fruit. 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:52.560 And that is the heart of us. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:55.279 Our hearts are like the roots of a tree and they dig down. 00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:00.079 If we're digging into heavenly wisdom, it will produce one type of fruit. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:05.680 If we're digging down into earthly wisdom, it will produce something else. 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:06.720 What does it produce? 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:15.920 He says in verse 16, where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder in every vile practice. 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:18.959 That's the fruit that earthly wisdom produces. 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:22.560 On the other hand, wisdom that is above is humble, right? 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:26.639 He says it is shown in the meekness of its wisdom. 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:31.519 It's pure and holy, meaning that it lends itself to godly behavior. 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:33.840 Have you ever spoken with someone? 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:38.480 Maybe you've even said this yourself, that God is leading me to do X. 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:43.360 But X is something that God has speaks clearly spoken against. 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:43.679 Right? 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:52.559 And we hear those things, we say, no, God cannot be leading you to that thing if, in his scriptures, he's already told us that that is ungodly behavior. 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:53.919 That's a red flag. 00:08:54.080 --> 00:09:00.480 We know because God's told us that that is not the way he wants us to live. 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:05.840 Heavenly wisdom seeks peace rather than disunity. 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:08.399 It's gentle rather than harsh. 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:13.440 It's open-minded rather than closed-minded, full of mercy for others. 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:20.159 We can discern true wisdom, James tells us, by the fruit it bears in our hearts and in our lives. 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:23.200 And we can also tell from the lives of other people. 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:35.679 Years ago, a relative of mine, uh, someone I cared very much for, uh, I actually did their wedding, came to me and said that they and their spouse were getting divorced. 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:38.399 Uh, I was absolutely crushed. 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:45.039 Number one, I was invested in that in their wedding, and I cared for them very much, and I was heartbroken. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:54.000 Uh, but as I met with them and I met with their spouse afterwards, uh, I heard, you know, I was not, didn't really know what was going on in their marriage at the time. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:10:00.080 And I heard what had happened with them, and I heard the advice they were given from their friend group. 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:05.600 And as I heard my, I got angry, and I got more sad. 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:16.559 And inside, I said, I'm really not surprised that this ended in divorce because you were given horrible advice. 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:19.039 And we've all experienced that. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:30.000 There's a there's a type of wisdom that looks wise in the world, and yet the result of it is chaos, heartbreak, and every vile thing. 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:36.320 Now, you can get good wisdom, good advice, and still get divorced. 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:38.000 That's that's no guarantee. 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:45.279 But the question is, where does the wisdom come from and what is its fruit? 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:49.279 Uh I can read up on how to save for retirement, right? 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:50.960 And it can be good, right advice. 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:55.440 I can follow the advice and and my investments can grow. 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:56.480 And that's great. 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:59.440 That's wonderful earthly uh advice. 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:12.960 But if as a result, now I'm fixated on my 401k and I check it daily and weekly, and my sense of well-being is tied to how the market is doing and how my retirement savings is doing, ah, it exposes itself for what it is. 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:17.120 This is earthly, unspiritual, even demonic. 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:22.960 Because I took that advice, I took that wisdom, and I set my life upon it. 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:31.600 It did not breed peace, it did not breed the good fruits of the spirit. 00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:36.879 What earthly wisdom have you been leaning into? 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:42.240 What fruit are you seeing in your life that may raise questions? 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:44.720 It's an easy trap for us to fall into. 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:50.159 It's why James is talking about it, and something that I fall into all the time. 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:56.000 So, third and final point how do we get this wisdom that is above? 00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:02.240 Well, James told us actually way back in chapter one, and he talks about it in our passage. 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:13.600 In chapter one, he said, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:26.879 You see, if true wisdom, heavenly wisdom, comes from God, it comes from outside of us, not something we can figure out ourselves, and not something that any human can figure out on themselves apart from God, then we must go to that source. 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:32.320 We must go to God and ask for the wisdom that is above. 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:35.200 And so we ask in prayer. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:40.159 And we listen in prayer, and we listen in the scriptures. 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:59.360 And God can speak through the scriptures, He can speak to us through prayer, He can speak through other people, He can speak through books, He can speak through many different ways, but we are going to the one who is the source of all wisdom to find and get that wisdom, as opposed to trying to derive it for ourselves. 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:00.480 And this is what it means. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:05.519 This is the humility of wisdom, the meekness of wisdom says, I don't have it in myself. 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:10.559 It doesn't matter how hard I try or how smart I am or how many degrees I have. 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:15.200 Only the Lord can provide it. 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:19.840 And so we humble ourselves and we go to Him. 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:25.919 A few weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with anxiety. 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:27.360 Anyone else do that? 00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:28.080 Anyone? 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:28.879 I'm the only one? 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:30.559 Liars, you're a bunch of liars. 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:40.639 Uh so um, I've told you guys this a couple times, but I I my family and I, we planted a church 12 years ago and I pastored that. 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:46.080 And um that was, for good or ill, the main source of my anxiety. 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:51.120 It was the main thing that I would wake up in the middle of the night anxious about some issue related to the church. 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:58.559 Well, uh, when I stepped away from that church about a year and a half ago, um, there was some sweet immediate relief. 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:03.840 But then my heart uh immediately switched over to my children. 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:08.080 And it said, you're gonna wake up in the middle of the night and be anxious about them. 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:08.960 Oh, great. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:12.000 Now that's there's that's not reflection at all on my parenting. 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:14.960 I was a great dad uh for 12 years. 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:18.320 You know, just the heart wants something to grab hold of. 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:26.960 So I woke up in the middle of the night with this anxiety, and because it was the middle of the night and I was annoyed and I was tired, I prayed. 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:29.279 That's the only thing I do at that moment. 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:33.519 And I said, Lord, I'm anxious about my children. 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:36.320 I'm anxious about this particular situation. 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:41.759 Would you give me the wisdom I need to parent them well through this situation? 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:46.720 And I laid there and waiting to hear from the Lord. 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:49.039 And I I did, I heard from the Lord. 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:53.039 And he said, Why are you so anxious? 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:56.960 And I said, Oh, alright, sorry, I didn't give enough background. 00:14:57.120 --> 00:15:07.279 So these are my kids, they're, you know, teenagers and such, and I don't know if you knew this, but the brain like breaks down during that period. 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:14.799 They're actually dumber than they were before, and we're waiting for maturity to come back and then to become intelligent and think we're good parents again. 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:16.639 Um, that's science, by the way. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:21.600 Um and so, you know, I'm afraid of X, Y, and Z. 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:29.440 And and please, would you would you give me the wisdom of parenting so that I can I can help them avoid these pitfalls? 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:30.960 Wait. 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:33.279 I hear. 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:34.559 Why are you so afraid? 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:36.000 Okay, now I'm angry. 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:37.759 I I've explained this. 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:42.000 I've you know, I've I've I've put I love my children, I don't want this. 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:46.159 If X happens, then Y and Z could happen, and then that could be very bad for them, Lord. 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:50.000 Why do I have to one more time? 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:53.039 Why are you afraid? 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:54.799 Ah, okay. 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:58.240 Thick skull takes time to get in. 00:15:58.559 --> 00:16:04.000 Well, the reason I'm afraid is because I love my kids and I I want to protect them. 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:09.200 And and I want to know how I can parent them well so that they avoid these pitfalls. 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:14.080 Because I don't know how they'll handle that, I don't know how I'll handle that. 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:17.519 So I I really would love to be able to control them. 00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:21.360 I'd really love to be able to control the future. 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:25.440 You know, if I'm honest, I don't want to trust you. 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:36.879 And so slowly and gently, the Lord was telling me, showing me that I was praying, I was going to the right source, but I was looking for earthly wisdom. 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:47.600 I was looking for the trick, I was looking for the scheme, I was looking for the the uh life hack, the parenting hack to set things up the way I wanted. 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:53.440 And so he began to speak to me about who I was, who I am. 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:55.360 You're my beloved son. 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:56.559 I love you. 00:16:57.039 --> 00:16:58.720 I've done everything for you. 00:16:58.799 --> 00:16:59.759 I'm with you. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:04.000 I've promised you to be with you and to provide for you. 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:06.400 And he reminded me of who he is. 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:14.799 He is my heavenly father, who has done all of those things, who sees me and knows me and knows my anxious heart. 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:19.440 And he reminded me that he's my Lord, but he's also their Lord. 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:23.839 And just as he has worked in my life, he is overseeing their lives. 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:29.759 Now, this someone came up and asked me after the first service, so you get the benefit of this clarification. 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:33.200 This doesn't mean everything works out the way we want. 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:43.440 But the Lord was speaking to me as I was asking for a particular type of wisdom, he actually spoke wisdom to me. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:47.200 It took me three or four times, and I got really angry. 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:52.640 But what he was saying is, you don't parent very well out of fear. 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:57.359 And you grasping for control is not what's best for them. 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:00.079 Walk with me. 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:02.079 Remember who you are. 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:04.160 Remember who I am. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:09.119 And you will parent better, not perfectly. 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:13.839 That's the heavenly wisdom I actually needed. 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:15.839 It's not what I wanted. 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:29.200 So when we go to the source, when we pray, when we ask, when we search the scriptures, when we listen for his voice, when we seek wisdom from others, we need to be open to his wisdom. 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:33.920 Because it's often not what we think it's going to be. 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:44.000 He is often working in us to help us to see ourselves more clearly, to see him more clearly, and that actually breeds peace. 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:52.799 If he had given, if I read a parenting book and they say, do steps three through four, and you will get the outcome you want. 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:54.000 Oh man. 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:56.319 I am so anxious. 00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:00.319 Because that almost never works, and then I just blame myself. 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:01.359 Amen. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:02.000 Anyone? 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:10.960 But the Lord says, I am with you, and I am working in you, and I want you to work and walk with me. 00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:14.400 Beloved, this is the gospel. 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:16.880 This is what we need. 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:24.880 When we come to the Lord and we ask for wisdom, let us be humble to wait for an answer. 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:30.799 It doesn't mean it's what we want to hear, and it doesn't mean the outcome is what we hope for, but the Lord is good. 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:34.480 The Lord knows us and loves us. 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:37.599 And he invites us to walk in his peace. 00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:39.359 That's James' whole point here. 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:49.119 He says in verse 18 Those who walk in peace and sow peace will sow a rich harvest of righteousness. 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:52.480 So, beloved, the Lord is with you. 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:54.960 The Lord loves you if you've put your faith in Christ. 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:56.880 He has given you all things. 00:19:57.039 --> 00:19:59.920 Everything in your life is a gift. 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:02.000 So let's go to Him. 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:05.279 Let's humble ourselves and seek the wisdom that is from above. 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:09.920 And he offers us this peace, the peace that Psalm 46 so beautifully speaks about. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.559 It says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:26.559 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:33.200 No matter what is happening around us, beloved, we can experience the love and the peace of God. 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:45.279 And as we walk in peace and seek that wisdom and humility, we become a community that invites others into that same relationship and lavish gospel. 00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:46.319 Let's pray. 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:49.839 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:51.680 Thank you that you love us. 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:55.119 Thank you that you promise to give us wisdom when we ask. 00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:57.039 Lord, give us ears to hear. 00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:59.680 Give us patience, give us humility. 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:08.000 And Lord, would you sow peace among us so that you will be glorified and others will long to come in and be with us. 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:09.440 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:10.000 Amen.