This is the last in our series of sermons from James. We are using the wisdom of  James to look at some of the fundamentals of evangelism which is simply the sharing of the good news. Today we will talk about wisdom and humility.

There are times when we try to help the older generation understand the younger.  Today, I want to begin this sermon by trying to help the younger generation understand something about their parents’ and grandparents’ generation.

For the purpose of today’s meditation, it all began with Dorothy: Dorothy, Judy Garland, the yellow brick road, the lion, scarecrow and tin man, and mostly “The Wizard of Oz.”  How can we forget?  Once a year, one of the networks would show “The Wizard of Oz” and that would be the one night when their parents would allow your parents or grandparents to stay up past bed-time to watch Dorothy and her men arrive in Oz only to discover that the Wizard was a fraud.

We did not even realize how subversive that show really was! Who would have thought that the girl would be the leader of the band?  Who would have ever believed that the brain and the heart and courage were all to be found from within? Who would have thought that life would be found in the journey, on the yellow brick road, rather than at the final destination?  The Wizard of Oz, we learned, is a fraud! There really is no Wizard who can solve our problems.

We were taught through the story that life is a journey, that joy is in the relationships, and that all we need is already within us – if we can find it.

Somewhere along the line, the Russians sent Sputnik into space and the space race was on!  Space became the final frontier for a generation that had learned from Dorothy that joy is to be found in the journey. We watched “Star Trek” and went where no man had ever gone before. We watched the early “Star Wars” and saw “The Battle of Armageddon” transferred into space, the forces of good and evil became, not only cosmic, but universal. In the regions of the galaxies, black holes, stars, the planets and their moons, good and evil fought its way out. And Yoda became our guide to using the powers of the force. He told us again that it is all within you.

There were journeys of a different sort. Some of us marched in the quest for social justice. Civil Rights, Voting Rights, the oppression of poverty, the Viet Nam War, all sent some of us on marches of protest and advocacy in the hope that this world could be made into a better place.

Now the obvious question is this; in all of these journeys both outward and inward, what were we looking for?   As we walked the yellow brick road or as we set out in the good ship Enterprise, what did we hope to find?  Or as we sat with Yoda and explored the inner regions in search of ways to use “The Force”, what were we looking for?

We were looking for something to make life worthwhile. We were looking for joy and hope and peace and love. We were looking for what the ancient philosophers called “The good life” and what Jesus called “The Abundant Life.” We were looking for wisdom and salvation. We were looking for some magic piece of information that would make life simply wonderful!

So, in that quest, different groups in different places have tried psychedelic drugs, and a seminar called “EST”, and “Transcendental Meditation.” Some tried one or another of a variety of cults, the most famous probably being “the Moonies” and others became “Jesus Freaks” – that is what they were called. And, as Sonny and Cher said it, “The beat goes on. And the beat goes on.”

And this brings us to the book of James. The Greco-Roman world that surrounded little Israel was filled with people and groups who were seeking “wisdom” and understanding of the world or a special knowledge or secret formula that promise the abundant life, now and forever. And the Jews in Judea were wondering if God would ever free them from the tyranny of Rome and if “an abundant life” could ever be possible when “the whole world seemed to be conspiring against you.”

That quest for wisdom had become a part of church life and some of the members were claiming that they had discovered the answer. Unfortunately, the answer that some found was the polar opposite of the answers found by others and there was some squabbling going on.  Can you imagine that in church life?

In the passage that we read, James speaks to the question in this way. First he describes the attributes or the characteristics of genuine wisdom. He says, if you think that you’ve got the answer, check it against this list of benchmarks for wisdom.

Then he speaks to the fundamental attitude that is necessary for acquiring wisdom. In this sense, Yoda got it right, what is on the inside is really important.

Finally, there is something that James assumes but does not directly address. Specifically, where do you find it?

What does genuine wisdom look like?  First, this is what it does not look like.

14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. [1]

Genuine wisdom does not look like envy and selfish ambition. Genuine wisdom is never self-centered.

But genuine wisdom that comes from God looks like this:

17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Pure:  Genuine wisdom has moral and ethical integrity.

Peace loving:  It seeks to build right relationships among people.

Considerate: It attends to the needs and condition of those who are around us.

Submissive: Paul said, “Out of reverence for Christ, submit to one another in love.”

The wise person is the one who is always open to learn and always ready to obey the instruction of God.

Full of Mercy:   The One who learns his or her wisdom from God knows that mercy is essential to the abundant life. To deny mercy to others is to deny that God has been merciful to you.

Full of Good Fruit:  The person who learns wisdom from God seeks to do good things.

Impartial:  The person who is wise sees the image of God in every person. God freely gives love to all and the wise person will follow the way of God.

Sincere:  You say what you mean and you mean what you say. There is a fundamental honesty in the way of the one who is wise.

That is what it looks like. What is the attitude that is necessary to find it?

That is why Scripture says:

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

 The only person who will never learn a new thing is the person who believes that he already knows it all. There is a Greek word that we use in the schools that catches this arrogant spirit. It is the word sophomore.  For some reason, we use it to describe the tenth grader.

The syllable “soph” is taken from the Greek word “Sophia” which means wisdom. And the second syllable, “more” is taken from the Greek word “Moron” which means idiot or fool. The sophomore is the one who thinks that he knows it all and is therefore a fool!

That does not apply to all tenth graders but it is the spiritual condition that destroys the search for God and the quest for wisdom.

You can only find God when you know that you need God and you will learn from God only when you know that you do not know it all and in fact, may not know anything at all!  If you want God to write his wisdom on your hearts, then you need to take what you think you know and set it aside so that God can start from the beginning in your life.

And finally, where do we find this wisdom? Where do we find our salvation? This, I believe James assumes, though he does not address it directly. We find it in Jesus of Nazareth.

In First Corinthians 1: 24, Paul refers to Jesus in this way; “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  If you want to know what wisdom looks like, read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Do not worry about the parts you do not understand. The parts you understand will be more than enough to begin your journey to God’s wisdom.

This is the promise of God for all of us who have walked the yellow brick road, for all who have sought the good life, the abundant life, the life of joy and hope and peace and love.  You will find it in Jesus Christ, now and forever.

Now for a moment of truth in advertising: the first thing that will happen may be this, you may have to erase your current image of the good life. You may have to come to terms with the fact that the good life doesn’t look like you thought the good life looked. In other words, you may be walking down the wrong road and going to the wrong wizard!

Even so, the promise is this; in Christ you will find the power of God and the wisdom of God both for the journey and for the final destination.

Will you accept him as your teacher, as your guide, as you Lord?

As we sing, I invite you to pray that the Spirit of God, the wisdom of God will engage your heart and be your guide for life.