Shoe Leather Faith
Wisdom and Its Counterfeit
James 3:13-18
Pastor Lucas Leibforth
April 16, 2023
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24 ESV
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ephesians 1:17 HCSB
Sermon in one long-run-on sentence: If you possess
love purity and peace and will display gentleness in your relationships with others and
mercy, peace and righteousness will be the hallmark of your life.
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.
James 3:17-18
Three Heartfelt Questions
1: What is wisdom?
Wisdom does not equal intelligence.
Intelligence is gained, wisdom is God-given
Real wisdom comes from God and flows out of our lives as a viewpoint.
True wisdom is evident by our meek manner.
2: What is wisdom’s counterfeit?
James opens verse 14 with these two heart characteristics: Bitter Jealousy and Selfish Ambition
Truth as an immovable standard
Our identity went from religious beliefs defining who we are to an endless list of identifiers in the secular
world. The list used to be endless, but that list has narrowed largely to one single item – Sex.
Godly wisdom starts with the fear of God and results in a holy life. Worldly wisdom, on the other hand, is
not concerned with honoring God but with pleasing oneself.
3: How do we attain wisdom?
The fear of the Lord is the first step to wisdom.
Fruits of the wise are these: Pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, merciful, bountiful, unwavering and sincere.