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“Praying for Salty Conversations” Colossians 4:2-6
“Praying For Salty Conversations” Colossians 4:2-6
“The Supreme Life”
A Sermon Series in Colossians
“Praying For Salty Conversations”
Colossians 4:2-6
Introduction
The opening of Colossians spells out how Christ is preeminent over all things, especially over the work of salvation. He lays a foundation that Jesus was God and His work on the cross is sufficient for salvation. Then he turns to how the church should relate to each other, and how believers should put off sinful behavior, and put on godly behavior. Then Paul addresses the family and how it was to function specifically dealing with the issue of authority. All of these things have been inward focused; in today’s text and in his closing of the book Paul points the church outward.
Paul is addressing the church and a major drive of the book has been to avoid false teachers, but we don’t avoid false teachers by distancing ourselves from the non-Christians or the world. They need to resist the false teaching, while at the same time share the gospel with their neighbors. But before we get into today’s text, I want us look quickly at an OT passage, 2 Kings 13:14-19,
Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow,” and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” 18 And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”
Joash the king did what Elisha the prophet told him – take a bow and arrows, shot an arrow out the window, strike the ground with the arrows – why was Elisha the prophet angry? He said, “You should have struck five or six times, . .” Joash did what he was told but he had no zeal, no enthusiasm – just doing enough to get by. Today we will discuss basic Christian things (moral living, praying, sharing the gospel, thinking about time, etc.) but in all these things we must be zealous for the Lord.
The Christian Must Pray Continually (v. 2)
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
Paul’s pointing the church outward begins by encouraging them to pray, “Continue steadfastly in prayer.” The word used here means prayer that is habitual and with perseverance. Jesus told parables about how believers should pray, Luke 18:1 “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (from the parable of the persistent widow).
Paul then adds the manner of the consistent prayer is, “watchful in it with thanksgiving.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:6 believers are to be alert and watching for the return of Christ. But this is not what Paul is referencing here, instead they are to be prayerful and watchful – and they are “to be “awake” to the nature of the times they live in – and to orient their lives accordingly.”[1] You are not watching to see something (as in a passing falling star), instead one is to watch so they can take an action. I am watching and alert to things going on around me, then I seek counsel and petition the Lord in prayer, and all the while I do it all thanksgiving.
With regards to prayer “Christians have always interpreted the splitting of the temple veil during the crucifixion as symbolic of their liberation from the mediated presence of God. Henceforth they were “free” to approach him directly – which is almost like telling someone he is “free” to stick his head in the lion’s jaws. For once you start praying there is no guarantee that you won’t find yourself before Pharaoh, shipwrecked on a desert island, or in a lion’s den.”[2]
In Genesis 32 Jacob wrestled with God, and he never walked the same for the rest of his life. To approach the throne of God and to wrestle with him in prayer, you are in a dangerous place in that you may be called to do the difficult – but there is also no safer place to be than in the will of God. Prayer will often not lead to an easier life, but a more difficult one filled with purpose and adventure.
The Christian Must Use His Words and Time Wisely (vv. 3-6)
3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Paul now moves from encouraging them to consistently pray, but to pray for him and his team specifically. “The prayer is not for the personal benefit of the apostle and his companions, but for the promotion of their work.”[3] Paul asks the church to pray, “that God may open to us a door for the word,” The emphasis is on the Word of God getting out to the world. “Paul does not pray that he or some other minister might have an open door to walk through, but that there might be ‘an open door for our message’.”[4]
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” The Word of God needs entrance because it is the word that has the power to transform human beings.
Earlier in Colossians 1:5-6 Paul says, “Of this (the hope laid up for you in heaven) you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing. . .” When the gospel is released in a community it begins to exert its’ power there. Everywhere there is an open door for the gospel to be proclaimed, its’ power is the same – lives are transformed. The gospel itself is powerful and life changing (nothing needs to be added to it or taken from it, just proclaim it).
There is power in the proclamation of the gospel, but that does not mean it will always be well received by all. Paul was “declar(ing) the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison.” Paul is in chains because he was proclaiming the gospel to a lost world. God’s word will always have power to expose sin, and discern the true thoughts of the heart – but people will respond differently to that power of the truth. Some people may kneel before the Lord, repent of their sin, and follow Christ, others will pick up stones to throw at the messenger.
Some Bible scholars believe that Acts chapters 22-24 describes this same imprisonment. In Acts 24:5-6 the Jewish elders have beaten Paul and the Romans authorities have him in prison more to protect him from the mob, “For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.” Paul does not change the gospel based on how he thinks the audience will respond. He speaks the truth. Sometimes churches are brought into existence, other times he is punished.
So then we jump to Paul’s prayer request is that when he presents the gospel, “that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” Paul is in prison, probably chained to a guard – yet his mind is on his next opportunity to proclaim the gospel. Paul is asking for prayer that he may be set free again to preach.[5] For Paul, there were no devastating circumstances, only unique opportunities.
Nothing is so far gone that the prayer of the saints,
and the proclamation of the gospel can’t change. Don’t give up.
(v. 5) “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time,” – “As believers immerse themselves in the life of Christ, having put on the “new man” (Col. 3:10-11), their minds are renewed by God’s Spirit (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23). Wisdom will enable us to determine just how, in given situations, our new way of thinking, our new set of biblical values, should be put into effect.”[6] “It takes wise walking to win them to Christ.”[7] And Paul’s words of instruction “imply that believers are to be cautious and tactful so as to avoid needlessly antagonizing or alienating their pagan neighbors.”[8]
Earlier in Colossians Paul was praying for the church that they would be 1:9-10 “asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, . . .” Here in 4:6 Paul picks back up with this same idea, but now he is focusing them (and us) on the outside community. He has warned the church to distance themselves from false teachers, and from worldly influence in their lives – but the Colossian Christians must also stay engaged with their fellow citizens and seek to lead them to Jesus.
Christians are to walk the narrow path of being
“in the world but not of the world.”
(v. 6) “making the best use of the time.”[9] – Greek uses a couple of words to indicate time; one is Kairos (used in v. 6) as in a duration of time, a season like harvest season, an opportunity. And Chronos refers to a specific measurement of time like days or hours.
In the context of Christians using wisdom to reach the lost community, and the original language has the idea of “buying up” time, as in “I need to purchase this segment of time, and make it my own.” There are ways that we spend our time that is wasteful, buy that time back and put it to godly use.
Also, Paul has been asking for prayer for “open doors” to share the gospel. Our wisdom that we need is that there will be moments presented to us, and we have an opportunity to share the gospel, so we need to seize that time – make the best use of that opportunity and not let it pass us by. Don’t waste time.
But we also can prayerfully plan out our days (Chronos), consider what is of greater value and make sure that gets accomplished. Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” So, we can plan out our days with wisdom, and there are unplanned things that happen (Kairos), and we seize the opportunity. Both require wisdom from God.
And in that moment, (v. 6) “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” – in our sharing the gospel with others, our way of talking and over all attitude should convey grace. It carries the idea of “pleasantness,” “attractiveness,” “charm,” and “winsomeness.”[10]
What we say preserves the relationship and draws a person closer; we should not use speech that decays the relationship and drives a person away. Speak the truth plainly, but without judgment and condemnation.
1 Peter 3:15b gives a similar teaching, “. . . always being prepared to make a defense (to give an answer) to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, . . .”
“know how you ought to answer each person,” – In Acts 16 Paul is going to a Gentile city where there are not enough Jews to even have a synagogue. Paul’s method of evangelism was to enter a town, figure out where the Jewish synagogue was and show them how Jesus fulfilled Scripture and share the gospel, but when he gets there –where he had heard there were Jews gathered to pray, there were only women who had gathered,
“And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.” What Paul had planned to do, now had to change. So in Colossians Paul asks for prayer, “which is how I ought to speak.” How you share changes, not the message, but the method. The seasoned-with-salt conversation must be appropriate for each person we speak to.
If you were to evaporate a ton of water from the Pacific Ocean, you would get approximately seventy-nine pounds of salt. A ton of Atlantic water would yield eighty-one pounds. And from the Dead Sea you would get almost five hundred pounds. As these statistics demonstrate, the earth’s bodies of water vary greatly in their degree of saltiness. So do Christians. Jesus said that we are “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). But we all have different levels of “salt content.”
A few Scripture verses tell what it means to be “salty.” Salt enhances flavor (Job 6:6). Salt indicates purity in speech (Colossians 4:6). Salt symbolizes keeping a promise (Numbers 18:19). Salt speaks of goodness (Mark 9:50). Now, check your salt content. re you the kind of person who enhances the lives of those around you? Is your conversation pure? Do you keep promises? Are you characterized by goodness? An unbelieving world is watching and listening to you. What do they see and hear? Perhaps your life needs more salt.[11]
____________________________
[1] Douglas J. Moo, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008) 320.
[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Colossians & Philemon (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Bible Institute, 1992) 180.
[3] T.K. Abbott, The International Critical Commentary, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians (Edinburgh, Scotland; T&T Clark, 1946) 297.
[4] Moo, 322.
[5] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 4 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1931) 509.
[6] Moo. 327.
[7] Robertson, 510.
[8] Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1978) 222.
[9] See also Ephesians 5:15-15 and he adds, “because the days are evil.”
[10] Gaebelein, 222.
[11] https://www.preceptaustin.org/colossians_illustrations_4#colossians%204
“The Christian’s Extension of the Gospel” Colossians 1:24-2:5
“The Supreme Life”
A Sermon Series in Colossians
“The Christian’s Extension of the Gospel”
Colossians 1:24-2:5
Introduction
A pastor named Epaphras was leading a church in Colossae and there was something so troubling to him that was going on in the church that it drove him to travel to Paul in Rome (about 1,000 miles) to seek his help and to have an authoritative address (Paul as an apostle) to the issue.
In the part that we will look at today we begin to get an idea of what the problem was. The ancient society was influenced by Greek philosophy, specifically Plato. Plato believed that in the heavens there was an ideal for everything here on earth. A perfect ideal tree, and what we see here are shadows, copies, reflections of that ideal (so there is variety and differences).
So when Jesus comes along, they try to blend their worldly philosophy with Christianity. There was also the belief that anything of matter was evil. So, if Jesus was God he couldn’t be material, He had to be spiritual. According to them, Jesus was not physically here, He only appeared to be real, but was really a spirit only (in fact they believed that His feet never really touched the ground).
So in chapter 1 we see Jesus as (v. 15) “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Jesus was fully God who became fully man and made the relationship between God and man right again by his dying a cross. What is at stake is the gospel that the church had correctly received from Epaphras being corrupted by the philosophies of the world.
Prayer
The Extension of the Gospel Involves Suffering (vv. 1:24-25)
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
Paul is in prison and with a chain on his wrist he writes, “I rejoice in my sufferings,” “Now when I contemplate the lavish wealth of God’s mercy, now when I see all the glory of bearing a part in this magnificent work, my sorrow is turned into joy.”[1]
When Paul says, “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions,” he does not mean that Christ’s crucifixion and death were not enough, be has already made it plain here and in other books that Christ’s death alone is what is needed for salvation (not works, family lineage, following the law, etc.)
2 Corinthians 1:5 “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings,” but instead Paul is an extension of Christ’s ministry, and he is suffering on prison, while he writes this book. “The Church is built up by repeated acts of self-denial in successive individuals and successive generations.”[2] They continue the work that Christ began.
In the ancient world if you were the minister of a pagan religion, it was very common to have a slow revealing of secret information, and special knowledge. Once you get to a higher level, shown your loyalty or dedication, then new information would be revealed, and then the person was to keep these things secret in their closed circle. The Christian mystery is revealed to all, and the information is complete from the beginning.
Paul is a minister and he understands his job is to “make the word of God fully known.” We as believers are to follow Jesus’ and Paul’s example to make the word of God fully known, and because we live in a world hostile to the truth of the gospel it may also involve suffering.
Paul is an extension of Jesus’ ministry and he is in prison, Epaphras is an extension of Jesus’ ministry and he traveled 1000 miles for the sake the health of this church, and the church at Colossae is an extension of Jesus’ ministry – and there is a danger that the word of God may not be fully known, but instead corrupted.
The Extension of the Gospel Includes Everyone (vv. 1:26-27)
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
“Christ in you,” – “God and his plan for salvation that had remained hidden in the past but that had now been revealed.” When the Jewish leadership of Jesus’ day should crucify him! Crucify Him! And the demons of hell rejoiced as they saw Christ on the cross, they had no idea that this was the plan the entire time for the redemption of humanity. This plan for salvation now includes not just the Jewish people, but the entire world. By faith, anyone could be “in Christ,” and as Paul says here, “Christ in you.” Because Jesus is our head, our representative, and we are his people – we have a hope of glory.
The Extension of the Gospel is Difficult Work (vv. 1:28-29)
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
It is “Him,” Jesus we proclaim – we don’t proclaim our preferences, our agendas, our wants, our opinions – we proclaim Jesus. With that proclamation are two things 1) warnings (to stimulate repentance), and 2) teachings (to enhance faith). Warnings are what the Bible says about the sin of this world and its affects upon our lives (we warn people of the danger of sin, we don’t placate to it), and we teach what the Bible says and how our lives need to be changed and how we profit from applying to our lives, by doing what it says.
This warning and teaching has to be done “with all wisdom,” Jesus said to “speak the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15)” What you say matters, and how you say it matters as well. What you say may be true, but if you say it in an unwise manner, it will not be received.
When we use wisdom to properly warn and teach people, they then mature in their faith. Paul says that this is a toil and struggle and it takes all his energy. The proclamation of Jesus and the warning and teaching to others is hard (even for an apostle). And when Paul says, “For this I toil,” is a word picture of an athlete in his training, and then contending.
It is an exhausting work – that we all share a part. This is the wonder of the church – each using their gifts, talents, life experience, doing their part (as Paul describes a body or feet, hands, etc.) to expand the work of Christ, the gospel. But what makes it exhausting is . . .
People don’t like to be told what they are doing is wrong (unrepentant),
and they believe they know everything (unteachable).
Paul is in prison for his dealing with one heretical teaching in Ephesus (mixing the law with faith), and now he has received a pastor from Colossae with another false teaching -church work is tiring. There is an “Intellectual exclusiveness taught by the Gnosticizers”[3] Plato and Aristotle both taught a form of higher philosophy, it relates to those who have transcended the bounds of the material. The common everyday believers had faith in Christ, but there was a secret mystery of Christ that could be achieved.
The Extension of the Gospel Leads Us to Encourage Others (vv. 2:2-3)
2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Paul talks about his struggle (continuing the image of an athlete in an arena) and how hard the gospel ministry is (for their church and he mentions another church in Laodicea), and for those believers he has never met and he wants, “their hearts may be encouraged,” – The word used for “encouraged in heart” or “to have hearts encouraged” is therefore a way of referring to an encouragement that touches the deepest part of our being and that affects every aspect of our persons.”[4] The word encourage means to pull someone next to you, beside you – by being next to you they are lifted up.
What should encourage us is not secrets or false promises
but that we are struggling, like Paul, for the continuance of the gospel.
He also wants his ministry to unite them, to “knit them together,” and the context that surrounds all of this is love. What unites us, and those who proclaim Jesus, is our knowledge and proper understanding of the gospel, and who Jesus is, and what He has done for humanity. We should not be knit together by anything but our love for Jesus and his crucifixion. The church is where we gather to talk about Jesus, to sing about Jesus, to study Jesus’ teachings, — we are knit together by our knowledge and love for Him.
Let me insert here the importance of church membership – when a person joins a church they are saying, “I agree with this church’s beliefs and how they are proclaiming the truth of the gospel, and what they teach about Jesus and His Word. I therefore am going to live out the Christian life in fellowship with these other believers in love.”
A church should not tolerate any teaching or beliefs within its fellowship that teach a corrupted Jesus, or twists the Bible to mean something it does not. But it is also the unity in the expression of the gospel that is a witness to the world, “The late Francis Schaeffer called the unity of the church “the final apologetic” to the watching world.”
(v. 3) “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” – “Christ is the one in whom is to be found all that you need in order to understand spiritual reality and to lead a life pleasing to God.”[5] When you place your faith in Jesus – you get Jesus (you don’t fly, move things with your mind, or project to other places, you don’t get special powers, you don’t learn hand gestures to enter other dimensions, or secret knowledge or spells. You get Jesus in the beginning of your journey, and He is with you all the way to the end – Paul wants us to understand Jesus is enough (He is preeminent). The work of the gospel is the work.
(v. 3) In verse three we see the word apocryphal – this word was applied to esoteric writings, where sectarians claimed a secret authority and they carefully guarded their publications or secret books. Jesus is the revelation of all true wisdom and knowledge.
People want an easy access to spiritual growth.
Your Journey to Find Spiritual Truth and Fulfillment
Begins with Jesus and Ends With Jesus.
“The basic attack of all false systems throughout history has been to deny either Christ’s deity, His sufficiency to save and sanctify, or both. Any group or person doing so is guilty of teaching “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). As purveyors of another gospel, they are accursed (Gal. 1:8). Believers need to have a settled conviction about Christ’s deity and sufficiency to be able to withstand the onslaught of such false teaching.”[6]
The Importance of Extending the Correct Gospel (vv. 2:4-5)
4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
(v. 4) “delude you with plausible arguments,” – Mankind has always asked the question, “Why am I here?” or “Where am I going?” “The word philosophy comes from two Greek words, phileo, “to love” and sophia, “wisdom.” Philosophy is a love and pursuit of wisdom. Since the ancients there have been many who seek to explain the universe.
Any time we seek to explain the universe and leave God out of it our thoughts become dark and we realize we are without hope. Romans 1:21-22 describes it this way, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,”
Paul does not give us the specific danger the church at Colossae faced, but he reminds them of Christ’s role in the universe. He is calling the church to be aware, “to watch out,” to a constant awareness because danger is near. The church constantly faces the danger of false teachers. Jesus warns in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
These false teachers “delude” them. Is a compound word made up of “booty” – captured materials form war, and “to carry off.” It means to kidnap, or to carry off spoils of war. We must be careful not to allow ourselves to become pray of a false teacher who will carry us off as captives of war.
These false teachers carry off church members “with plausible arguments,” – the root of these words means deceit, fraud, or trick.” Whatever the false teaching was that drive this pastor to seek Paul’s help was not what it appeared to be. No matter how religious and profound it may have sounded and appeared to them, it was false and hollow.
In the following verses (that we will get to next time) Paul is going to give two specific examples of these arguments that seem plausible at the outset, but ultimately show themselves to be false and dangerous. But ultimately, we like Adam and Eve, stand at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
God said you can eat from any tree in the garden except this one tress, but look what happens in Genesis 3:6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,2 she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Satan promised them hidden knowledge that God was keeping from them. Paul is telling us that we have the full knowledge of wisdom and understanding in Christ – God has held nothing back.
Whenever we, as human beings, take God out of the equation, when we place ourselves as god of the universe, we allow ourselves to be carried off into lies. Adam and Eve thought they knew better than God what was good for them. This is the fall of mankind. When I put myself over God’s Word, then I am doing the same thing and Adam and Eve in the garden.
It’s all about Jesus.
_________________
[1] T.K. Abbott, The International Critical Commentary, The Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians (Edinburgh, Scotland; T&T Clark Publishing) 228.
[2] J. B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (Lynn, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1982) 166.
[3] Lightfoot, 170.
[4] Douglas Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008) 165.
[5] Moo, 169.
[6] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Colossians and Philemon (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Publishing, 1992) 90.
Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days A Study of James The Power of A Life Lived With Wisdom James 3:13-18
Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days
A Study of James
The Power of A Life Lived With Wisdom
James 3:13-18
Introduction
Solomon and his wisdom
Prayer
The Influence of a Wise Person (v. 13)
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
James transitions from the power of our words in James 3:1-12, and now speaks to the powerful example of life lived with wisdom. James asks the question, “Who is wise amongst you?” If you are seeking to hold an office within the church and are doing out of selfish ambition and pride, he is going to call you out. James’ answer to this question will expose them.
If you are truly seeking wisdom, then the question becomes an invitation – you have a desire in your heart – so you set out to attain that aspiration. What that desire is and how you obtain it reveals if you are a wise person. So before we go any further, we have to ask, “Do you really want to be wise?”[1]
So with the question, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” Job asks a similar question “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12) and Proverbs 4:7 says it again, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.”[2] This is the only time these words are used together in the New Testament – so they point back to their use again and again in the Old Testament.
To be wise according to Clement of Alexandria is “the understanding of things human and divine, and their causes.” It implies thoughtfulness, penetration, grasp of the relations of things, and the right use of knowledge for the highest ends.
The second word (understanding) is used of a skilled person who has gained technical knowledge of a subject. “It implies personal acquaintance and experience, not merely abstract knowledge or intellectual apprehension of the theory of a thing.”[3] It is book learning and applied experience.
James is still going after teachers who are full of empty words and worthless religion. Not only do the words of the teacher (James 3:1-12) have a great impact, so does the life they live. “To be endued with the knowledge of God’s Word is commendable, but such knowledge must be practical in our daily lives; else we are not wise.”[4]
Elders and Teachers were primarily examples, and secondarily teachers. in 1 Timothy and Titus the requirements to hold office are outlined focusing on their character and the ability to teach is one in a list of qualifications.[5]
How do you determine if a person is wise and has understanding among you? You can hear it in their words and you can see it in their lives. “For James, the spiritual and ethical character of the leaders in the church was primary. The status of an official would not compensate for moral defects.”[6] To be a preacher is not enough, he must practice what he preaches.
Lincoln said, “a man may fool all the people part of the time, and some of the people all the time, but not all the people all the time.” People have a right to hold the preacher, teacher, or leader to the standard of the gospel – here is no room for hypocrisy.
“By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” James also says that it’s not just about words and deeds, but gentleness and modesty you exhibit verses “arrogance and passion.”[7] So a person may be doing the work of God, but they are going about it in a sinful manner.
“The problem James is addressing, then, is not that there are teachers spreading false doctrine (as would be the concern in Paul’s letters). James is addressing the problem of arrogance, which can be present even when the correct doctrine is being taught.”[8]
The commentator George Sulac said, “I can be correct in my doctrine down to the most esoteric details; I can attain a consistency in my orthodoxy which surpasses others’; I can gain a reputation for my thorough grasp of theology and be regarded as a protector of the faith; and my teaching may still be earthly, unspiritual, of the devil, resulting in disorder and every evil practice by stirring up suspicion, slander, distrust and contention within the Christian community.”[9]
We are to go about the work of God “in the meekness of wisdom” – We typically don’t like the word meek because in our day it tends to hold the meaning of weak. But when James uses the word he wants us to think of humility. We are to live at peace with others, our deeds that we do resulting from a following of Christ are to be done in humility. The opposite of humility is “jealousy and selfish ambition.”
There are two ways of life, shown as two types of wisdom, and they are shown in contrast to each other. The meekness of wisdom, or wisdom from above compared to “demonic or earthly wisdom.”[10] “the man who is genuinely wise remembers his moral responsibilities toward others.”[11]
Wisdom From Below (vv. 14-16)
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
The first time the word “wise” is used in the Bile it is in connection with Satan tempting Eve. He directed her attention to the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3:6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate . . .” Satan has always, since the beginning, offered a false wisdom.[12]
If one follows the wisdom from below, then this wisdom is expressed in “jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts” jealousy is “a devotion to one’s position coupled with an insensitivity toward the views of others.”
Selfish ambition “refers to using any means to support one’s cause or program; it involves pride and personal ambition which will go to any length to be fulfilled.”[13] Aristotle uses the word (self-ambition) to mean, “the self-seeking pursuit of political power by unjust means.”[14]
“unspiritual” is drawn from Genesis 2:7 where God breathed the breath of life into Adam, and he becomes a living psyche. There is the appearance of life, but not the presence of the spirit of God in the person (or at least their argument). James is saying that a person may argue for what they say is right, but in the end they are being, “self-righteous, natural, base, and they have an unspiritual desire for personal status and prestige.”[15]
Whenever people are pushing for their opinion, combined with an uncaring attitude toward others, and wanting to succeed, no matter what then, “there will be disorder and every vile practice.” The results of wisdom from below is unrest and strife. The word for evil here in the original Greek carries the idea of something being blown around by the wind and being worthless. The end result are actions that have no worth.
This wisdom from below has not added to the church, instead it has caused the church to question its direction, and its purpose. When the church doesn’t know where its going, or why it exists, disorder and all types of vile practices” rise to the surface.
This type of wisdom is described as “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” This is man’s condition apart from God, unregenerate. 1 Corinthians 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
Again, we are looking at a person (specifically as leader) whose life is being expressed. Lived out in front of you – In their wisdom of life, there is jealousy, selfish ambition, uncaring, unspiritual, evil – this example should be abandoned and left behind. “It is wisdom such as that which demons have, not such as God gives (James 1:5)”[16]
Satan, when he was created is described in Ezekiel 28:12 “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” But pride came into his heart and his wisdom transitioned from being full of wisdom to a demonic wisdom, full of “bitter jealousy (of God) and selfish ambition” (he wanted to be in God’s place.)[17]
We also must be careful to discern between earthly knowledge and earthly wisdom. We all benefit from the knowledge of mankind[18] – medicine, science, exploration, technology, etc. but this is not wisdom. Wisdom is what we do with the knowledge. Mankind can unlock the secrets of the universe, but when he opens the door he doesn’t know what to do with it.
Paul gives two passages that help us see these two wisdoms Galatians 5:19-21 is the earthly wisdom list, and Galatians 2:22-23 is the list of the wisdom from above.
Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”[19]
Wisdom From Above (vv. 17-18)
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The wisdom that is from above is described in Galatians 5:22-23 as the Fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control;”
James is careful in the order that he gives his list of wisdom from above. First it is pure, then it is peaceable – the leader who expresses wisdom from above does not sacrifice purity for the sake of peace. It is not a compromise on the godly standards so that we have peace – because peace without godly standard ultimately leads to destruction and chaos.
In fact, godly men may cause a disruption in the supposed peace because a sin needs to be addressed, or a compromise adjusted. These conversations are never fun, or peaceful.
Also, we live in a pragmatic day, here James urges us to do the right thing first (in purity) simply because it is the right thing to do. We don’t have to be able to see a benefit from a calling, only that it is what we are supposed to do.
How then do we have a “a harvest of righteousness”? This happens when the leaders and members of the church show wisdom from above and not that from below. James also says, “a harvest of righteousness is sown” Usually a harvest is gathered, but here James says the harvest is sown.
Whenever there is conflict in the church, ministries shut down. No real decisions are made, the church stops moving forward – it’s like a car that suddenly just turns off, and so you pull off the road. You are not going anywhere until the conflict is resolved. When those who teach, preach, or lead, use wisdom from above, there is peace, and in that peace comes “good fruits” and a “harvest of righteousness.”
Where there is peace righteousness can flourish.
In Matthew 5:9 the righteous are those that make peace, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” The result of living out wisdom from above is peace. When we live in godly wisdom, not only will we benefit, but the community around us will benefit by having peace. Righteousness thrives in peace, and dies in conflict. Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.”
“a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” Peace does not just happen in the passage James gives us; a farmer has to go gather the grain, prepare the soil, and make the effort to sow the seed (peace), In the Matthew 5 passage, those who are blessed are the makers of peace – making requires effort, it does not naturally happen, in fact it requires a supernatural effort to maintain the peace.
“The Christian life is a life of sowing and reaping. For that matter, every life is a life of sowing and reaping, and we reap what we sow. The Christian who obeys God’s wisdom sows righteousness, not sin; he sows peace, not war. The life we live enables the Lord to bring righteousness and peace into the lives of others.”
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[1] George M. Sulac, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, James (Downers Grove, Illinois; Intervarsity Press, 1993) 132.
[2] A. T. Robertson, Studies in the Epistle of James (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1959) 125.
[3] Robertson, 126.
[4] Lehman Strauss, James Your Brother (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers, 1980) 143.
[5] Peter H. Davids, New International Biblical Commentary, James (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson, Publishers, 1989) 88.
[6] Clifton J. Allen, The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1972) 124.
[7] Robertson, 128.
[8] Sulac, 134.
[9] Ibid, 135.
[10] Allen, 125.
[11] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1957) 50.
[12] John Phillips, Exploring the Epistle of James (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kregel Publications, 2004) 116.
[13] Allen, 125.
[14] David P. Nystrom, The NIV Application Commentary, James (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1997) 207.
[15] Nystrom, 208.
[16] Robertson, 132.
[17] Strauss, 144.
[18] Warren Wiershe, Be Mature, New Testament Commentary, James (Colorado Springs, Colorado; David C. Cook Publishing, 1978) 112.
[19] Hellenistic teachers of ethics and rhetoric made their pupils memorize lists of virtues or vices, to be used in moral guidance in learning good conduct and avoiding evil conduct. Buttrick, 50.
Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days A Study of James The Purpose of Pain James 1:1-12
Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days
A Study of James
The Purpose of Pain
James 1:1-12
Introduction
- Helping a butterfly out of its’ chrysalis. It’s all about the struggle.
Prayer
A Servant Leader (v. 1)
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
James was well known by the various churches, he is an elder, and an apostle (Galatians 1:19), the half-brother of Jesus, but he doesn’t refer to himself in those terms – instead, he chooses to call himself, “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” He is one who has authority, yet refers to himself as a servant (servant-leader).
He is writing the scattered church described as “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:” (diaspora) who are experiencing persecution. In the original Greek “Dispersion” means “scattered.” James is using metaphorical language to describe the scattered church (twelve tribes meaning all of the church) who are living in places other than their home (with Christ in heaven).[1]
Acts 11:19 gives us some background as to when and the church in Palestine was scattered, “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.” Stephen was a Christian believer that was stoned and sparked persecution in the early church, where they scattered as far as “Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch,” Saul, who we later know as Paul the apostle, was determined to destroy the Christian church and was going to house to house forcibly taking men and women to prison.[2]
Finding Joy in a Sea of Sorrow (vv. 2-4)
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
“meet trails” the word used here for meet means to “fall into” and trials can mean inward affliction, as in a temptation to sin in a particular way, or an outward affliction such as being persecuted.[3] Here it seems to indicate, “afflictions, troubles, or difficulties.”[4] Jesus in his parable in Luke 10:30 in discussing the Good Samaritan said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, . . .” When man looks up, he finds himself surrounded by robbers.[5]
In all of these trials that the Christian may find himself in, we are to meet these events head on with joy – We don’t wait until everything is over, the dust settles, and look back, and then choose joy – as we wade through the difficulty, like James, consider ourselves servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we sit down and consider our time in experiencing these trials we are to “count it all joy” When a person has joy, they have an emotional response to having a long-term view of life. Happiness is a short-term view; it is a response to what is immediately in front of you and what you are experiencing in the moment.
James knows that to be joyful in trials is absurd.[6] So he addresses this by helping us to see the benefits of the trials. We are joyful regarding our salvation (Psalm 51:12) because it is an eternal perspective. We lose hope when we move our gaze from the long view to what is immediately in front of us.
We are to count it joy because there is an end result that is happening in our lives. These trials are producing something within us that is strengthening our faith. Trails do not show whether we have faith or not, they strengthen what is already there.
The visual imagery we are to see is one of metal being heated up and the dross and waste rises to the top where it is siphoned off.[7] The metal is then made stronger and purer.[8] Your pain and heartache will not be wasted; God is doing a work in your life.
“you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” – steadfastness is defined as “patient endurance,” and it is these tests that lead to the ability to endure.[9]
The apostle Paul says some similar in Romans 5:3-5, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Some years ago, I decided that I wanted to run a marathon, and having ran several half-marathons I set out on a training schedule. Usually, you run increasing miles over several months to where you have a “long run” – and for me, the long runs were on Friday morning, where I would run until lunch time. If you missed a week of training, the miles would jump up instead of by two to four mile differences. Your body would go into shock if you set out to run 26.2 miles with no training, no preparation – but if you slowly add mile after mile, week after week your body adjusts – you build endurance.
“let steadfastness have its full effect” – The pain and suffering will happen, that’s a part of life. But the process that God desires to work in our lives, the “steadfastness” has to be allowed in the life of the believer. We have to let the patient endurance point us toward spiritual growth – otherwise it is for nothing that we went through the trial.[10]
Patient endurance or steadfastness is not the end goal, it is the means to get there. The ultimate goal that God is working in our lives is so, “that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” To be perfect in this circumstance is to be mature – a perfect plant is one fully mature because it can accomplish what it is supposed to accomplish.
To be complete is to be adequate, or to be fully “what God requires and approves.”[11] “to have all your parts, whole, not unsound anywhere” The word is used of stones untouched by a tool, of an animal without blemish.[12]
God’s favor upon our lives is not that we avoid distress, but God’s working in us that we are “lacking in nothing.” It is so encouraging to be around mature Christians – they are joyful and they trained to do the work of the church. Very few things rattle them; they have seen it before and endured through it.
The trials and the resulting consequences in the life of the believer are directly linked to the character of God, and God is the only one deserving of such trust. The believer trusts that the pain and suffering have a purpose and that God has the believer’s best interest in mind.[13]
If we don’t believe in God then life has no meaning and the pain is just pain. If we believe in God but have a wrong understanding of His character, then He is seen as cruel for allowing it to happen, or weak because He did not keep it from happening. But James shows us that God is good and has an eternal view in mind of our pain and suffering.
Jesus says in Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven[14] is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” The man would feel the pain of selling all that he has, but he is joyful in his loss because of what he will gain by purchasing the field (the treasure). When we take a long-term view of suffering, we should choose joy because of what we gain in the end.
“Paul and Silas sing in the Philippian prison because the bars could not prevent their serving Christ’s cause. In that service they found the source of their happiness, so their trials only proved their faith and the steadfastness of their devotion.”[15]
Two Stumbling Blocks to Our Spiritual Growth
1) A Lack of Wisdom (vv. 5-8)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Tennyson says, “knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.”[16] For James in his discussion of wisdom, he is talking about the right use of one’s opportunities in holy living. We need wisdom in order to properly view the trials that we encounter. If we don’t have this wisdom, then we can “ask God, who gives generously.”
Paul reminds the church in Corinth that the wisdom of God appears foolish to the world, just as the wisdom of the world appears foolish in God’s sight.[17]
God doesn’t answer all of our prayers the way we desire, especially as they may relate to our experiencing less pain in trials, but He is always willing to “say yes” for our request for wisdom. With wisdom he doesn’t talk about the cost, or your lack of it – He gives it generously and doesn’t bring up the past. But, there is a requirement – we are to ask “ask in faith, with no doubting.”
A father once came to Jesus and asked for help for his son in Mark 9:21-24 “And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” We ask God for wisdom, we pray to Him, and believe that He will help us and answer our prayer – but if we don’t really believe then why are we asking?
When we pray there are two wills that are coming together, our will and God’s will. When you seek God’s will in prayer, while still wanting to hold on to your own – this is being double-minded. “Lead me oh God, except in the direction that I do not wish to go.”
“To doubt is to have a divided mind that draws him two ways, like the poor donkey that starved because he could not choose between two stacks of hay.”[18] The end result of doubt is inaction. The testing of faith leads to perseverance, but doubt leads to unstableness. When James is talking about double-mindedness he means trusting in God and trusting in the world. You can’t do both.
“the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” This person sways back and forth in life. Whenever a hard time comes they are moved, because they don’t trust God. They have no anchor of hope – holding them in one place.
Paul in writing to the church in Ephesus says that the spiritual leadership’s job was to equip the church “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:14) but here instead of bad doctrine causing the tumult it is trying to live in two worlds at the same time.
The promises of the gospel all assume a commitment of the individual to, and trust in, God – The foundational issue is trust. Where does your trust lie? If you trust in yourself to take on the world, then don’t pray to God and seek His help. But if you trust in Him for salvation, and life in general, then continue to trust that He will answer your prayers in the way that is best for you.
2) Money (vv. 9-11)[19]
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Another area that may trip up a person with regard to their spiritual growth is money. It is easy to have a worldy view of wealth in that riches brings happiness. “James has a different ideal of happiness because he holds a different theory of the meaning and purpose of life. The purpose of life cannot be accomplished by the attainment of ease or luxurious comfort, but only in the achievement of Christlike character.”[20]
Just like earlier during trials we are to have a long view, and how joy has a long view, our station in life (rich or poor) is a short-term thing (in comparison to eternity). “like a flower of the grass he will pass away”
No matter how much wealth a person may have, eventually he will face eternity, and you can’t take it with you, whether that be a luxury yacht, or a brown paper lunch. Job said 1:21, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.” So our life’s truly only have significance when it is concentrated on the eternal. Power and wealth are a means to an end – not the end in and of themselves. To be better off is not to be better.
In light of this long view of life and eternity, James says, “Let the lowly brother,” he is encouraging us to remember that we are all brothers in Christ, and that we will spend eternity together. In Christ we stand at the foot of the cross on level ground.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
The crown mentioned here was a wreath awarded to the winner in athletic games in recognition of an achievement built upon rigorous discipline.[21] James describes to us the Christian life as being active and strenuous and as we grow in endurance and character there is a promised reward from God for the trials.
We endure the trials, and endure the pain because we love the one who loved us first, and gave His only Son for our salvation.
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[1] See John 7:35; 1 Peter 1:1.
[2] George M. Sulac, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, James (Downers Grove, Illinois; Intervarsity, Press, 1993) 31.
[3] Satan referred to as a pirate; Matt. 4:4; 1 Cor. 7:5; 10:13; 1 Thess. 3:5; 1 Tim. 6:9 (Nystrom, 47).
[4] Clifton Allen, Gen. Ed., Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1972) 107.
[5] A. T. Robertson, Studies in the Epistle of James (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1959) 34.
[6] David Nystrom, The NIV Application Commentary, James (Grand Rapids Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1997) 48.
[7] “For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity.” (Sirach 2:5, apocryphal book). Robertson, 37.
[8] Moo, 60.
[9] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, R-Z (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1962) 440.
[10] Peter H. Davids, New International Biblical Commentary, James (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1989) 28.
[11] Allen, 108.
[12] Robertson, 40. It is also used of a complete or unbroken household.
[13] Nystron, 49.
[14] See sermon on King of God and its’ meaning – https://drewboswell.com/424413-2/
[15] Buttrick, 22.
[16] Ibid.
[17] See 1 Cor. 1:18-21.
[18] Robertson, 43.
[19] Sic transit gloria mundi is a Latin phrase that means “Thus passes the glory of the world.” It has been interpreted as “Worldly things are fleeting.” It is possibly an adaptation of a phrase in Thomas à Kempis’s 1418 work The Imitation of Christ: “O quam cito transit gloria mundi”.
[20] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1957) 22.
[21] Buttrick, 26.
