James 3:13-18 NLT
13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
I. Prove It
13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
1. Live an honorable life: step one is to live a life that is found honorable.
Philippians 4:8-9 NLT
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
2. Do good works: James hits again on the importance of works.
3. Humility: there should be evidence of humility in your life.
1 Peter 5:5-6 NLT
5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.
II. Proof of Sin Nature
14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
Let’s talk about two important adjectives here:
1. Bitterly: in vs 14 it doesn’t just say jealous, but bitterly.
Hebrews 12:15 NLT
15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
2. Selfish: Ambition is a good thing when it is used for the benefit of others and the Kingdom of God, but when it is selfish it can be destructive and divisive within the church.
1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT
24 Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
Jealousy and selfishness are products of the old sinful nature still being alive in us, they are not from the new nature we are supposed to take on as believers and followers of Jesus.
III. Proof of New Nature
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
Evidence of new nature:
1. Pure: the wisdom you depend on comes from God, void of any sinful notions.
Vice versa the wisdom you share with others is the same as from God, pure
and void of any selfish notions.
2. Peace loving: You seek out peace, not just for you but others as well.
3. Gentle at all times: all means all, in every dealing, every interaction, every
disagreement, in everything you do you use gentleness to do it.
4. Willing to yield: means willing to give up my way/my rights, willing to allow
others to lead, willing to allow others to be heard, willing to allow others to be
in the spotlight.
5. Full of mercy: means over flowing with it, more than enough to go around for
everyone. Should never be found lacking enough mercy for those who need it.
6. Bearing the fruit of good deeds: New nature should have evidence, there
should be fruit from the work you do. Which means there should be work
you’re doing. We are not saved to sit like lumps on a log, we are meant to
serve others and to serve God.
7. No favoritism: treat others equally, not favoring one over another.
8. Sincere: in everything you do and say, be sincere. Again, people don’t need
lip service. They don’t need Christians colloquials, “praying”, “god works all
thing…” etc. Actually pray with them, listen, hold hands, be a shoulder to cry
on, show them you care.
9. Plant peace: investing time and energy into bringing peace into your life and
the life of others.
10. Harvest righteousness: seeing God moving in your life and the lives of
those around you. Seeing lives changed, seeing addictions broken, hurts
healed, marriages healed, sins forgiven, relationships strengthened, etc…