Introduction: Over the last couple of weeks, we looked at how we can experience authentic and pure joy in the midst of our day-to-day trials. James finishes his thought in verses 2-4 of the first chapter of his letter by telling his readers if they persevere with an attitude of joy they will grow in their Christian character and spiritual maturity. Not only that - the growing, maturing believer will not lack anything that they need pertaining to spiritual growth.

 

In our passage for this morning, James 1:5-8, James is going to introduce two subjects that he will address in more detail later in the letter - wisdom and double-mindedness. We know from our study that James is not calling his readers to perfection, but spiritual maturity. We also know that becoming mature believers in Christ is a process. So there are, obviously, things that we will lack and hope to gain while we are on the spiritual journey toward maturity.

 

James was well aware of this and, because of his own experiences and knowledge of the truth, had a good idea in what area his readers might be lacking - wisdom. This morning we're going to look at James 1:5-8 and look at James' three-fold plan for becoming wise. First, we need to recognize our need for wisdom. Second, we need to request the necessary wisdom. And third, we need to receive the gift of wisdom. Along the way, we'll also look at how double-mindedness can affect the level of wisdom we have in our lives.

 

If any of you lack wisdom . . . (v. 1:5a)

1. Some have suggested that James is beginning an entirely new train of thought in verse five.  I don’t believe this is true, and for this reason.  James ended verse 4 with the words “wanting nothing” and then uses the word “lack” here at the beginning of verse 5.   James utilizes a linguistic style called paronomasia, or a pun on words, throughout this book. 

 

2. James is about to provide his readers with some practical application for what he just taught them in verses 2-4. James' readers probably read the command to consider every trial an opportunity for joy with difficulty. These were people who were persecuted for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ from the Gentiles and their own countrymen - the Jews.  Life was hard, but James has just taught them to see this all as part of God’s plan of bringing maturity into their life.

 

3. James says, "if any of you lack wisdom." James is not saying that he doubts that his readers have a need for more wisdom. He is saying that he recognizes the need as a forgone conclusion, as a fact of life.

 

Step #1: Recognize Your Need For Wisdom

 

1. The first step toward becoming wise is that you must first recognize your need for wisdom. Again, James says, "if any of you lack wisdom." To James it was a forgone conclusion that his readers would be lacking, in various degrees depending on their level of life and spiritual maturity, the wisdom necessary to navigate life's trials.

 

2. James uses a present passive form of the word "lack." He looks at his readers' lack of wisdom as a present condition. In a sense, James was telling his readers that he understood that at least some of them lack wisdom, at the time he was writing to them.

 

Illustration of lacking wisdom: A man was pulled over by a policeman and asked if he knew he was going too fast.

He said, `I'm sorry officer. I had my cruise control on and just forgot the speed limit changed.' His wife said, `Harry, I told you two miles ago that you were speeding.' Harry gives his wife a dirty look as the officer pulls out his ticket book.

`By the way, sir, did you know that your left rear signal lense was broken?' the policeman asks, to which Harry replies, `Oh wow, it must have just happened in the mall parking lot we just left.' His wife again interrupts and says, `Harry, how can you sit there and lie to that nice policeman? I told you to fix that three weeks ago!' Harry gives another look that could kill as the officer starts writing.

The policeman adds, `I am going to have to cite you for not wearing your seatbelt, also.' Harry says, `I just unbuckled as you came up to the car so I could get to my driver's license if you needed it.' The little lady pipes up, `Harry, you know good and well, I tell you all the time that you better buckle up, 'cause YOU NEVER WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!'

Having taken all he can stand Harry turns to his tormentor and says with great exasperation, `Woman would you keep your big mouth shut!'

Now the officer looks at and addresses the little lady and asks, `does he verbally abuse you like this often, ma'am?'

Says she, `Oh no, only when he has had one drink too many.'

 

3. We should probably take some time and define exactly what kind of wisdom James is referring to. The word "wisdom" comes from the Greek word sophia. The wisdom James is referring to is that which “enables the believer to make correct moral judgments and face life with its trials in a way consistent with the revealed will of God.”

 

4. There are many people around the world today, as there has been throughout the centuries, that society considers wise. But are they really? Are they wise, or do they simply possess an incredible amount of knowledge on a given topic? Wisdom is not simply knowledge. It's the practical use of knowledge. When we consider whether or not a person is wise, we need to evaluate what they do with their knowledge. Do they have a lot of insight into things? Or do they have insight into the true nature of things? It's been said that you can be very sincere and still be sincerely wrong.

 

5. Certainly, there are wise people in the world, and probably even in our own lives, whose wisdom is born out of years of worldly experience. But James regards wisdom as not simply possessing intellectual prowess, but having a spiritual insight into matters of the heart, mind, and soul. It's not the esoteric or mysterious wisdom akin to a soothsayer, but that of a person who's authentic relationship with Christ is apparent in the way they handle trials and counsel others through trials.

 

6. Again, this wisdom James is speaking of here is that which “enables the believer to make correct moral judgments and face life with its trials in a way consistent with the revealed will of God.” If that sounds like a high standard, it is. It's God's standard. That's why it was obvious to James, and should be obvious to each of us, that there will be times in our lives when we lack wisdom, when we lack spiritual discernment. In order to become wise, we must recognize those times when we lack what it takes to be wise, to be discerning.

 

7. That is the first step: Recognize your need for wisdom.

 

Step #2: Request The Necessary Wisdom . . . let him ask of God . . . (v. 1:5b)

 

1. Once we have recognized the need for wisdom, the need for spiritual discernment, the next step is to request the necessary wisdom.  James makes another imperative command in this phrase. James tells his readers that they were to keep on asking God for wisdom. The prayer for wisdom was to be a frequent part of their prayer life.  This word “ask” is in the present tense and means “keep on asking”. The only way to ask God for wisdom is through prayer and, as far as James was concerned, continual and regular prayer.

 

2. Notice that James does not say we should ask for relief from our trials. Now, that's not to say that we should never ask for deliverance from the trials of life. However, "Lord, get me out of this," should not be first and foremost in our minds or in our prayers. We already know from our study in verse two that trials will come, that trials will continue to come, and that there is always a good reason why they do come.  We're not told that there is any way to stop the trials from coming.

 

3. What we're told is that God allows trials to occur in the life of the Christian to produce an enduring quality, wholeness, in the believer's faith. Asking for wisdom to handle trials should take precedence over asking for relief from trials, during our times of prayer.

 

4. James tells us that God is the source of wisdom. If we want authentic wisdom, if we want to know the true nature of things, if we want to be wise as we face the day-to-day trials of life, we must ask God to provide the wisdom we need.

 

5. But is there a right way and wrong way to ask God for wisdom or for any request we bring before Him?  The answer is yes, and the answer is found in verses 6-8.  Let’s look at both of them.

 

A. Asking Rightly-- “let him ask in faith”

1. What is James saying here?  Is he saying that if we simply believe that God exists then He will give us our requests?  James 2:19 says, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble.”

 

2. I believe the faith that James is referring to here is a deep confidence and conviction that God is able to meet that need we have just brought to Him in prayer because we know God and trust God. 

 

3. Is this the kind of dependence you have upon God, or is there still a hint of your own will and pride mixed in?  As we are going to see next, it is a waste of time to come to God with a request, like wisdom, and truly not be dependent and confident that God can answer that request.

 

B. Asking Wrongly--James 1:6b-8
1.  The flipside to the positive attitude of asking in faith is the negative attitude of doubt. The Greek word translated here as "wavering" is actually a combination of two words - dia, which means, "between," and the verb krino, which means, "to separate." The word literally means, "divided," or "at variance with one's self" (Ropes, p. 141).

 

2. The wavering or doubting person is one who is divided in his or her own mind. A doubter is one who is like an oscillating fan. He moves back and forth between positions and decisions, never settling in one place. Even though the doubter makes a request of God, he never has any real sense of assurance that he has either asked for the right thing or even wants the thing he asked for.

 

3. The person who doubts is fighting an internal, moral struggle. There is a fight in their inner person over who they should follow - God or the world. The bottom line is that the person who doubts is unwilling to completely depend on God for the things they ask for in prayer.  The wavering or doubting  suggest a person who is unwilling to completely and wholly give themselves to God’s care.

 

4. There are two very clear results that will show up in the life of a person who is a waverer in their faith.

 

a. They are unstable--James 1:6b,8

Ÿ         James has a very apt illustration to instruct his readers and us as to why this is the wrong way to come to God in prayer.  “For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”  What a picture of being completely unstable and out-of-control!  There is also a very dangerous place to find ones self - among storm and wind-tossed waves. 

 

Illustration: I have never been in a boat in such an extreme situation, but I know something of it after riding out a storm January weather on a ferry in the waters between Kodiak Island and the Kenai  Peninsula while coming home from a wrestling meet while a sophomore in high school.  There is nothing more sinking for a land lubber than to be on a boat going in all directions at the same time, if you get my drift.

 

Ÿ         James has purposely chosen this simile of a violent sea and wind driven scene, for it is the antithesis of a person resting securely by faith in the hands of the Shepherd, Jesus. 

 

Ÿ         The words “driven” and “tossed” are in the present tense, suggesting continuous agitation.  Such folks are always in a state of turmoil and indecision in their life.  They just can’t make up their mind, and they are unwilling to trust God to take care of them.

 

Ÿ         In fact, James states at the end of verse 8 that such a person is not just unstable in a few things of life, they are unstable in all areas of their life.  Ask Peter if standing on water while living in doubtfulness is stable! 

 

Ÿ         Also, in verse 8, James says such a person is “double minded” James emphasizes his point by referring to the person who doubts as being double-minded. The Greek word translated as "double-minded" is actually a combination of two words. Those two words are translated as "twice" and "soul." The word for "double-minded" literally means, "a soul divided in two."

 

Ÿ         The word for "double-minded" is so rare that it is only used here and in James 4:8, in the New Testament. In fact, it is so rarely seen in other writings around the time of James' life and ministry that some scholars believe that James may have coined the phrase himself.

 

b. They are disqualified--James 1:7

Ÿ         Is James being harsh here? Is he being judgmental? I don't think he is. Think about it. Doesn't it seem arrogant for a person to expect to receive something from the Lord when, in their heart of hearts, they don't expect God to answer their prayers? Doesn't it seem arrogant for a person to expect to receive something from the Lord when, in their heart of hearts, they're not sure what they really want from Him? Is it the desires of the flesh they seek, or the will of God?

Ÿ         Maybe this is the answer to why your prayer have not been answered, brothers and sisters in Christ!  You have not really been asking God in true faith; confident that He can and will answer.

 

We now come back to verse 5 where we have the last of the three steps laid out for us.

 

Step #3: Receive The Gift Of Wisdom  “...that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

 

1. So, we need to recognize our need for wisdom and we need to request that wisdom from the only one who can give it - God. But James doesn't stop there. James also tells us that we need to receive the gift of wisdom once we ask for it and once God decides, according to His sovereign will, to give it to us.

 

2. Look at the last part of verse five. It says that God “giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”  James' wording tells us that giving is not just something God does, but it is an attribute of who He is. Again, we see the present tense here. Just as God is eternal and will continue forever, so, too, is His giving continual. God's giving is not something relegated to a certain point in time. He has always been giving and will always give.

 

3. Who benefits from such giving?  James tells us “all men.”  This is one of those cases where the word “all” needs to be interpreted from the context where it is found.  James is writing to Christians, and telling Christians that they can ask God for wisdom.  It is also limited to all those Christians who will ask God for wisdom.

 

4. The way God gives this wisdom we are called upon to ask for is seen in a positive and negative form. 

a. From a positive perspective, the word "liberally" is an important word in verse five. The word is translated from the Greek word haplos. This is the only place in the New Testament where the word is used as an adverb. In other New Testament passages where the word is used as a noun, it carries with it the idea of "generosity, liberality, or single-minded attention to the gift with no thought of self" (Ropes, p. 140). James describes God's giving as a very gracious generosity. Isn’t that how God has always given to sinful mankind?

 

b. James elaborates on God's generosity when he uses the negative form, "and upbraideth not" God's giving is gracious in that He does so without finding fault. He does so without attaching conditions. He does so without applying guilt.

 

Illustration: There is the story told of a Welsh village flooded in heavy rain, and of Red Cross personnel coming up the main street in an inflatable boat in the darkness looking for survivors. One man clambered out of the boat and walked gingerly up the roof of a submerged house and shouted down a chimney forlornly, "Red Cross !" A thin Welsh voice echoed back up the chimney, "We gave last week !"

 

5. We have all probably experienced this kind of negative giving. We may have experienced it to such an extent that we might assume that God's attitude or mode of giving is the same. Have you ever asked something of someone and had the person say these words as they're giving you what you asked for. "You know, had you just listened to my advice in the first place, you wouldn't be in this position right now." Or how about this - "Look. I will give you this but you have to promise me . . . (you can fill in the rest)." Or how about this - "I can't believe you're putting me in this position. You know I can't I refuse to give you this. You're putting me in a very difficult position."

 

6. If you've ever received a response like the ones I just mentioned, then you probably are leery, at times, to ask things of others. Not only does our pride get in the way of asking for help, but add to that one of the typical negative responses and it can be very difficult to ask for help.

 

7. What James is telling us is that we need not worry about these kinds of negative, selfish, human responses when we go before the Lord in prayer and ask something of Him or from Him such as for the wisdom we so desperately need. The tense of the wording here tells us that not only will God not react this way to our requests, He will never react in such a manner.

 

8. James ends the verse with an emphatic encouraging statement - "and it shall be given him." This is a promise. The promise is that when we ask for wisdom, we can be assured that God will, in fact, give us the wisdom we need.

 

Conclusion: The believers of James day were confronted with persecution from all quarters because of their faith in Jesus Christ.  They needed wisdom from above to live godly lives under such adversity.  We, today, in America, may not be facing such persecution for our faith, but the need for wisdom in obeying the commands of Jesus Christ in our daily lives is vitally needed.  Remember the definition of wisdom I gave at the beginning of the sermon - “that which enables the believer to make correct moral judgments and face life with its trials in a way consistent with the revealed will of God.”  Is that how you wish to live your life, brothers and sisters in Christ? I trust you do. 

 

There may be someone here today who is yet unsaved; stilling living in their sins; unredeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Thought the text of scripture, I believe, is predominately aimed at believers, I cannot miss the opportunity to see a similar picture of a person who is still unsaved compared to the wind and storm tossed sea; the wavering person.  Living in ones sins does not bring peace, hope, assurance, stability, or anything from God except separation from Him for all eternity in the Lake of Fire.  Does God hear the prayers of a lost man or woman?  Of course He does, but remember, they are folks who have not put their faith and trust in Him, and they should not expect to receive anything of the Lord.  The prayer that God answers is the Sinner’s Prayer, if I can put a title to such a prayer.  It is a prayer that goes something like this: Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God who loved me so much that you came and died for all my sins on the cross.  I know you did this for me and I also know that you have promised to give me eternal life if I put my trust in you.  I trust you with all my heart, soul and eternity.

 

Now that is a prayer that God hears and answers from the lips of a sinner.  He saves that person and gives them eternal life, immediately. 

 

Is there one or two here today that know they need to ask Jesus to save them from their sins?