Which path will you choose?
The passage this morning talks about wisdom. When the Bible speaks about wisdom, it’s talking about much more than just head knowledge, memorizing a set of facts. When the Bible speaks about wisdom it is describing a way of living that brings success, peace and fulfillment. I think we all want those things, but the question is, what is real wisdom? There are many sources, many voices that promise, if we just follow their instruction, their advice, then we will get it all. Here’s some advice and wise sayings I found on the internet.
1. If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving isn’t for you.
2. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
3. Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.
4. Borrow money from a pessimist - they don’t expect it back.
5. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
6. When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane and going the wrong way.
7. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
8. Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.
9. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
10. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
In this passage there are two types of wisdom that are described and we have to choose between the two. The two choices are worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom. Every one of us makes the decision of which type of wisdom, which way of life we will live. And the choice we make will have a huge impact on our lives today and on our eternal destiny. Which path will you choose?
Pray.
The passage begins by asking the question, who is wise. Look at verse 13 (read verse). How do we know if a person is really wise? Somebody might seem wise, but they’re really not.
When Albert Einstein was making the rounds of the speaker’s circuit, he usually found himself eagerly longing to get back to his laboratory work. One night as they were driving to yet another dinner speaking engagement, Einstein mentioned to his chauffeur (a man who somewhat resembled Einstein in looks & manner) that he was tired of speech making.
"I have and idea, boss," his chauffeur said. "I’ve heard you give this speech so many times. I’ll bet I could give it for you."
Einstein laughed loudly and said, "Why not? Let’s do it!"
When they arrived at the dinner, Einstein donned the chauffeur’s cap and jacket and sat in the back of the room. The chauffeur gave a beautiful rendition of Einstein’s speech and sat down.
Then a professor stood up and asked an extremely esoteric question about anti-matter formation.
Without missing a beat, the chauffeur said, "Sir, I don’t mean to insult you, but the answer to that question is so simple that I will let my chauffeur, who is sitting in the back, answer it for me."
I don’t think that’s a true story by the way, but that chauffeur appeared to be wise, but he really wasn’t Einstein. How can we tell if a person is really wise? This verse tells us how. We know someone is wise when they live a life characterized by good deeds done in humility. What good deeds are we talking about? I think we can look at the previous three chapters of James to give us a good start at what a good life is like. A good life is a life lived with perseverance in the midst of trials, like is says in James 1:1-18. A good life is a life lived where the Word of God is living in us, like it describes in James 1:19-27. A good life is a life lived free from discrimination, as James 2:1-13 tells us. A good life is a life changed by a saving faith as it says in James 2:14-26. And a good life is a life where we have control of our tongues as we saw in James 3:1-12.
The theme of James is real faith leads to real action and this passage reflects that theme. Real wisdom is shown not be words, but by our lives. If a person is living a good life, then we know they are wise. Those are the kind of people you want to walk beside, get advice and counsel from and be mentored by. And being able to identify wise people is essential if we want to grow in wisdom because wisdom is more caught than taught. Can you think of someone like that maybe in the church, someone you could just hang around with and get wisdom from? When I was serving at my previous church, the senior pastor left for another church and I was the only pastor for a couple of years. I knew I needed help and there was a godly man, Keith Donald who served as an elder. He had served many years as a missionary in Zambia and as I got to know him I became more and more impressed by his spiritual discernment and practical wisdom. So I asked if he would like to meet on a weekly basis for breakfast so we could just talk. Those were very enriching times for me.
Can you think of someone who is wise? Why don’t you ask if you can just meet with them and get some of their wisdom? That can be a life changing experience. Having those kinds of relationships will help us to choose the right path.
After James tells us how to identify wise people, he goes on and describes the two kinds of wisdom we can choose from. There really only are two kinds of wisdom. There is wisdom that originates from the world and there is wisdom that comes from God, Himself. We need to choose between the two. Worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom, which path will you choose?
Worldly wisdom is described in verses 14-16 (read verses). Verse 14 says that worldly wisdom is comprised of two main characteristics, bitter envy and selfish ambition. Let’s look at these two characteristics more closely.
Bitter envy means to have a contentious rivalry, or jealousy. In the world we compete with others. We look at others and wish we had what they had. Keeping up with the Jones’s is one indication of bitter envy. I remember when microwave ovens first came out. I know, that dates me. But at first they were huge things and people were afraid of them because they thought the radiation would leak out and cause cancer or worse. Now my parents aren’t the most cutting edge people, to say the least. They were always on the backside of the technological curve. But I remember visiting our relatives in London, Ontario. During that visit they showed us their new microwave oven. Well we returned home and a couple of weeks later, I came home from school one day and was shocked to see a new microwave oven in the kitchen. In fact, it was the model better than our relatives.
Bitter envy makes us unthankful with what we have, and what we achieve. We compare ourselves to others. It’s not good enough to have enough to eat, a place to live, and clothes to wear. We have to be better than the people around us. This is all about status. We have to be better so we can get more respect and honour from those around us. It’s not good enough that we have a job that provides for our needs. We need a job where we are promoted higher than the people around us.
This kind of attitude can leak into Christian circles as well. We may think that getting to be a leader in the youth group, or a head of a department, or a deacon, or a pastor is the way to respect and honour. It is pretty nice walking around the church and having people say to me, “Rev. Toy” or “Pastor Peter”. It swells the head. But if that’s why we are in ministry, we should quit. We can never serve God to gain status. Without humility and utter dependence, God will never work through us. By the way, if you serve in the church to get your pride stroked, you will be in for bitter disappointment. You probably will get some appreciation, but you will also get criticisms and attacks.
Bitter envy can also infect the way we do church. We can easily compare ourselves to the church down the street. And let’s face it, in Markham you can’t throw a stone without hitting a church. There’s a Cornerstone down the street at Markville Secondary School. There’s Unionville Baptist in the other direction. There’s Unionville Alliance up north. There’s Cornerstone Chinese Alliance down south, and that’s not including the megachurches like RHCCC and T3C and MCBC and a whole bunch of other C’s I don’t even know about. We can look at some of those churches and be discouraged because they are doing so much better and have so many more people. Or we can look at other churches and think, well, at least we’re not bad off as they are. But that’s the world’s thinking. When we think of other churches, or first reaction should be to pray for them, that God would bless them and fulfill His plan in them. We are never to compare because we are not those churches. We are not called to be those churches. We are called to be the church God wants us to be. And do you know what, I think BTBC is a great church. I think it’s filled with great people. And I think that God is working here.
The first characteristic of worldly wisdom is bitter envy. The second characteristic is selfish ambition. Selfish ambition is just what it says. We think of our own goals and plans and we try to achieve them at whatever cost. Selfish ambition means that we always want to get our own way. This is a childish way to live life. Think of a little child. All they think about is getting what they want, and if they don’t get it, what do they do? They throw a tantrum. That’s like how I was. My older sister and brother nicknamed me, “pht”. Those were my initials, P. H. T., but that wasn’t the main reason they gave me that name. They called me fit, because I was the baby of the family and if I didn’t get my way, if I lost a board game or I thought my brother or sister were treating me unfairly, then I would throw a fit. I’d roll around on the ground and scream and cry. But that’s just because I was a little child. But I wonder, have I really grown up? If I have, then why do I get so angry when my goals are blocked? If I have grown up, then why do I get so upset when I don’t get my own way?
Why do I get so angry when I’m late for an engagement and I run into a traffic jam? Why do I get so upset when I suggest an idea at a committee meeting and it gets shot down? I’ll tell you why: My goals are being blocked. And the more important that goal is to my identity, to my own self-worth, the more desperate I will be to accomplish it. I will do anything to remove obstacles, even if I have to step on people, to get my way.
Have you ever noticed how angry people get when they don’t get their own way? We see it in politics, in countries going to war, in murders, in road rage, in the workplace and in families. And we also see it in churches. I believe that most church splits don’t happen over doctrinal issues, they happen over power issues. People don’t get their own way, so they try to use politics to get people on their side. Then they try to push their agenda through be brute force. Pastors leave churches because they have a vision that they try to implement, but the congregation doesn’t respond well, or the deacons shoot it down, and so he puts out his resume to find another position. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. We should not operate the church using worldly wisdom. If we try, we will be headed for disaster. Verse 16 says: “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” Following worldly wisdom is a death sentence for the church.
Why is worldly wisdom so destructive to God’s purposes? Verse 15 describes what this kind of wisdom is like (read verse). This verse tells us three qualities of worldly wisdom which show how destructive and ungodly it is. The first quality is this: It is earthly. Worldly wisdom says that all that exists is what we can see, hear, smell, touch and taste. It denies the reality of God, the devil, heaven and hell. Worldly wisdom makes judgements with limited information and because of that the conclusions this wisdom makes are wrong. In fact the advice of worldly judgement can lead only to disaster. It tells people that there are no eternal consequences for their actions. This so called freedom leads people into all kinds of bondage and addictions.
The second quality of worldly wisdom is this: It is unspiritual. Worldly wisdom does not acknowledge the existence of a spiritual realm. But in truth, the physical realm is only a small subset of reality. There are spiritual forces at work all around us. Have you ever read the book, “This Present Darkness” by Frank Peritti? It paints the picture of angelic forces and demons fighting over the eternal destiny of people. Let me recommend it to you.
The third quality of worldly wisdom is this: It is from the devil. This is a startling fact. Satan is the mastermind of this worldly wisdom. Why? Because he knows if he can get people to follow worldly wisdom he will fill hell with souls. There are two great lies that Satan circulates. The first is the devil is all powerful and you need to be afraid of him at all times. That’s the lie that possesses many of the people in Papua New Guinea. That’s why they practice witchcraft and sorcery to protect themselves against evil spirits. The second lie may be even greater. The second great lie is there is no devil. If we believe that, then Satan can have a free reign to work in our lives. And that’s how he uses worldly wisdom. He knows that everyone who lives by worldly wisdom will face futility, broken relationships and sorrow in this life, and will experience eternal damnation in the life to come.
There are two kinds of wisdom, worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom. Which path will you choose? We looked at what worldly wisdom is like. Now let’s look at what heavenly wisdom is like. It’s described in verse 17 (read verse). There are nine qualities listed here and I want to look at them quickly and then look at our greatest example of heavenly wisdom.
First it’s from heaven. Heavenly wisdom isn’t something we can figure out ourselves. So many times what heavenly wisdom says is opposite to what worldly wisdom says. Heavenly wisdom says that the first shall be last. It says to live we have to die. It says to have everything, we have to give everything away. These things we don’t discern by our senses. We have to have it revealed to us by God Himself. And He reveals it in a large part through the written Word of God, the Bible.
Second, it’s pure. Pure means undiluted and whole. Heavenly wisdom is shown by absolute, unswerving trust in the Word of God. We aren’t double minded, like it says in James 1:6-8. We don’t choose the path of heavenly wisdom, and then if it doesn’t look like it’s working, we switch to worldly wisdom. Heavenly wisdom is pure and undiluted.
Third, it’s peace-loving. Heavenly wisdom is the path that looks for a peaceful resolution to the problem. Sometimes conflict is inevitable, but peace is the aim. If someone picks fights, you know that they are living by worldly wisdom, not heavenly wisdom.
Fourth, it’s considerate. If we follow the path of heavenly wisdom we will think of others before ourselves. Instead of looking out for our own interests, we will think of the needs of the other.
Fifth, it’s submissive. This is a hard quality for most of us to put into practice. But if we want to follow the path of heavenly wisdom then we need to learn to bend our wills to the will of others. A person who follows this path does not fight for his or her rights, but leaves all their rights in the hands of God, trusting Him to do right.
Sixth, it’s full of mercy. Following the path of heavenly wisdom means showing others grace and forgiveness even when they don’t deserve it. We think the best of others and surrender any grievances to God.
Seventh, it’s full of good fruit. A person following the path of heavenly wisdom will be filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit. They will be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Eighth, it’s impartial. Following the path of heavenly wisdom means that there will be no discrimination in our thoughts, decisions and actions.
Ninth, it’s sincere. When we live according to heavenly wisdom we can be transparent and honest to others. We have no ulterior motives or secrets to hide. People will recognize us as genuine.
Wouldn’t you want to be a person who follows the path of heavenly wisdom? I know I would. But you may think, this is an unrealistic picture. You may wonder, “Who could ever live this kind of life?” Well I want to finish off this message by looking at the one person who lived on earth in heavenly wisdom all the days of His life. That person is Jesus Christ and the passage I want to look at is Phil. 2:3-11.
I believe this passage crystallizes what heavenly wisdom is all about. Look at verse 3 again (read verse). Selfish ambition and vain conceit – doesn’t that sound familiar? Those are the two main characteristics of worldly wisdom. Verse 3 gives us an alternative to vain conceit or bitter envy. Instead of choosing to live this way we need to choose to consider others better than ourselves. Verse 4 gives us an alternative to selfish ambition. Instead of choosing to live by selfish ambition we should look out for the interests of others. You see it’s a choice. Are we going to live by worldly wisdom, or heavenly wisdom?
In verses 5-11, we see that Jesus was confronted with exactly the same choice. Look at verses 5 to 7 (read verses). The picture here is Jesus Christ in His exalted state before that first Christmas morning. He existed with God the Father in perpetual glory and honour. Jesus was in very nature God, but the verse says he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. He could have tried to claim the kingship of heaven, but He decided not to. Instead He chose to make Himself nothing. He took the very lowest place, becoming a slave, becoming a man, becoming a victim of torture and crucifixion. You see the downward progression, from the creator and sustainer of the universe in ultimate glory, to a servant, to a human being, to a criminal, to a cursed victim on the cross. That’s what Jesus chose. That’s heavenly wisdom. And that’s the choice we need to make every day of our lives. Will we choose to exalt ourselves or others? Will we choose to push ahead to achieve our goals, or will we help other achieve theirs?
But this passage doesn’t end with verse 8. The story doesn’t end with Jesus dying on the cross. That’s what the world thinks is the end of the story, that’s what worldly wisdom would tell us, that death is the end. But the world is wrong. Look at verses 9-11 (read verses). Jesus Christ rose from the dead and more than that, He was lifted up to heaven into glory and one day everything and everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Jesus Christ made the great choice. And because of that choice He is exalted in heaven now. He has destroyed the gates of hell and opened the doors to heaven all because of His choice.
What is your choice? Which path will you choose?
You know this isn’t a one time decision. Every day we are presented with choice after choice where we can choose between worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom. Let me give you four guidelines where our choices can make all the difference. These suggestions aren’t my own. They were written down by Thomas A. Kempis over 500 years ago in the Christian classic “The Imitation of Christ”, and Christians, through the centuries, have followed these four guidelines and found freedom, peace and contentment, in following heavenly wisdom.
1. Choose to help someone else meet their own goals rather than your own.
You know, we don’t think this way. We think that we need to take care of ourselves because no one else will. You know the saying: “Look out for number 1”. But that’s the way of worldly wisdom, and that kind of attitude doesn’t lead to contentment and satisfaction, it only leads to more and more angry, frustrated people.
I challenge you to try it in your own life. Choose to help someone else meet their goals before your own. Think about one person who you could help meet their goals. It could be a friend, or a brother or sister, or your mom or dad, or even a teacher. See if your new initiative doesn’t start a small revolution in your relationships. I know that one of the things that warms my heart the most as a parent is if one of my children performs some act of service around the house, without being asked.
2. Choose always to have less than more.
Now let me be totally up front here. I struggle with all of these choices, and I often fail. I just bought new phone for an early birthday present. Did I need a new phone? No I didn’t, but I have a huge craving for more, better, faster, newer. I need to learn to choose to have less than more. Let me give you some practical suggestions how to actually make this happen in your life.
First learn to be satisfied with what you have. We need to learn to be thankful for all that God has already given us. If something works then don’t buy a new one. Get rid of the mentality that always demands the newest and best.
Second, when buying, always choose to have less than more. If you have the choice between buying a car with standard features or the extra accessory package, choose the standard. If you have to need to replace clothes, think about buying from Value Village instead of the Gap.
Third, find freedom through giving. Being generous is the one sure way to kill covetousness. In fact, if some material possession has a strong hold on you, one of the best ways to cure yourself is to give it away.
3. Choose the lower place in life, dying to the need to be recognized and important.
According to Jesus, the way to true greatness is to choose the lowest place. It is to become servant of all. It means to choose to go down rather than be lifted up. That’s heavenly wisdom. Let me give you a couple of practical suggestions to help live out this choice.
First serve anonymously. Choose one ministry where you can serve where no one, other than God knows. In my old church there was an older man who came to Christ later in life. He was a retired painter and often he would come into the church and do fix up jobs without asking for compensation or recognition.
Second relate with those who are hard to relate with. In social gatherings, you know there are people you enjoy spending time with and talking with. There are also others who you tend to avoid because they are so different from you or are socially awkward. Choose to spend time with them and talk with them. After all that’s what Jesus did.
4. Choose to have God’s will completely fulfilled in your life. This is what Jesus did when he humbled Himself and became nothing. He chose to do the Father’s will. He was able to choose the lowest place because He loved and trusted His Father. He believed that His Father really had only good planned for the Son. And in the end the Son’s trust in the Father proved well founded. Whatever God is calling you to do, trust Him. He has only good plans for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. And really choosing heavenly wisdom is really only choosing to do the will of God.
That choice makes all the difference. Look at the results of living by heavenly wisdom in James 3:18 (read verse). By living according to heavenly wisdom, we become God’s peacemakers and the fruit of our lives will be righteousness. That righteousness will be evident in our lives and also in the lives of others. Do you want to be right before God? Do you want this to be a church that’s right before God?
It all comes down to a choice. Will we choose worldly wisdom or heavenly wisdom? Which path will you choose?
