James, the brother of Jesus, the leader of the earliest Christian church in Jerusalem, writes this letter to scattered Jewish believers who were going through very difficult times.  To understand James’ intent please read my previous summary at James 1:16-27 (Forth Sunday after Pentecost).  The writer comes across as a tough, brutally honest, no-nonsense pastor/teacher.  He reminds me of a marine drill instructor trying to whip a group of young, raw, immature recruits into an effective, courageous fighting force.  They will face very difficult times ahead but if they rely on their training and their faith in God they will win the fight.

         v.13  Our passage today is a continuation of James’ whole message.  He grabs their attention with the tantalizing question, (3:13) “Who is wise and understanding among your?”  Probably every hand shot up.  We all want to see ourselves in this light.  “But I’m a good person, I’m not stupid.”  Then prove it.  Actions speak louder than words.  Make your faith visible by doing good deeds.  Don’t talk but walk.  This flows from wisdom and leads to humility.

         v.14-16  The wisdom of an active, vital, engaging faith, which proves itself in good deeds, stands in contrast to worldly “wisdom”.  Such “wisdom” comes from envy and ambition and leads only to disorder and all kinds of evil.  Christians must be able to distinguish between the two wisdoms, and chose to practice the heavenly one.

         v.17-18. Here is what the heavenly wisdom looks like, it is:

                     pure

                     peace loving

                     considerate

                     submissive

                     full of mercy

                     produces good fruit

                     impartial

                     sincere

All these qualities combined produce a righteous harvest.  When faced with such a list, of which there are several in scripture, eg. The Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17) and the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22ff.), it is indeed wise to place our own lives next to them.  How am I doing? Where has God blessed me?  What do I need his Spirit to guide and improve in me?  What do I need to confess?

         v.4:1-3. James, like any good teacher, reiterates and underlines his lesson with another look from a different angle.  He expands on the “disorder and every evil practice” of verse 16 and concludes that “fights, quarrels, hatred” arise from their prayer lives.  Who saw this coming?

They pray with bad motives and intentions.  Seeing God only as a beneficent Santa Claus, they pray only for their own desires and wants.  No wonder they are frustrated and lash out in quarrels

and hatred.  (James uses the hyperbole of “kill”.)

         v.4:7-8a. The solution to such disgraceful behavior, practiced by any believer, is simple and profound:  A.  Submit; B. Resist; C. Draw near.  Proper, holy, God-honoring behavior comes from a right relationship with the Father.  As our trust in the Lord deepens so do our actions reflect His desires for our lives.  As we grow closer to Him, his Spirit grows deeper in us and reflects out into  the world.  Be close to God and his wisdom will flow through  our actions.

 Ideas and themes to be explored

• Do a word study on Sofia/Wisdom

Link James’ admonishment to the wisdom expressed in Ecclesiastes.

• Build on the distinction between “earthly” and “heavenly” wisdom.
• Develop on Augustine’s City Of God in contrast to Rome.
• Challenge the congregation to engage the list of eight characteristics of heavenly wisdom.  Where are they strong, where are they weak?
• Discuss the subtleness of the listed sins, ambition, disorder, quarrels, killing (hatred), coveting.  How do these show up in a mature Christian’s life?
• Expand on practical steps to submit and draw near to God and resist Satan.
• Reflect on Proverbs 1:7,  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge/wisdom.
• Compare Psalm 37:4 to James 4:3.

Contemporary angles to preaching

• Denominational disputes that arise out of envy and ambition which display the hypocrisy of the church, contrast  to Phil. 2:1-5.
• The extreme materialism of the world which has crept into the life of the church, through “prosperity gospel” and compliance to modern advertising.