SERMON TITLE: Godly Wisdom, Demonic Wisdom
SCRIPTURE: James 3:13-18 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 4-26-26
Sermon Discussion Guide
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As always, it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
And we’re continuing our series in the book of James this weekend. We’re learning from the younger brother of Jesus, who believed that his older brother was God. So — if you’re here today and you’re not sure about the validity of the Christian faith — take what I just said into account. Jesus’ younger brother — someone who grew up with Jesus — believed he was God. That’s quite an argument in favor of the truthfulness of Christianity.
Now — in his letter — James has taken some teachings from his older brother and is showing us how to apply what Jesus taught to everyday life. Thus — when we listen to James — we’re learning what it means to be wise — for wisdom is taking God at his Word and applying it to our lives. And wisdom is actually the topic James has for us today. And if you caught the title for this sermon — Godly Wisdom, Demonic Wisdom — you can probably tell that this is not only going to be a sermon about wisdom — but we’re going to discover a truth that doesn’t just lend itself to writing provocative sermon titles — but is a truth that’s going to open our eyes and minds to seeing the world in a whole new light.
So — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to James chapter three. We’ll be in James chapter three, looking at verses thirteen through eighteen today. We’re in James chapter three — beginning in verse thirteen. There we read…
James 3:13–18 ESV
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 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. 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.
Godly wisdom and demonic wisdom. These are the two categories — or types — of wisdom that James puts before us. Before we get to them, I want us to remember something we saw months ago in one of our first sermons from this book. In the fifth verse of the first chapter, James writes…
James 1:5 ESV
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
In that sermon, one of the first things I did was give us a definition of wisdom because — if wisdom is what we lack — then we need to know what wisdom is. And in that sermon, I mentioned that there are two definitions of wisdom commonly used today. The first definition is something like “applying knowledge to a situation,” which doesn’t sound all that bad. And — it’s not — except for one significant aspect. Often — with this definition — morality and theology are not taken into consideration. For this view of wisdom is human-centric — it puts the power and responsibility for determining what is wise in our hands.
Then I pointed us to a second definition of wisdom, which is nearly identical to the first — but with one significant change. If definition one is “applying knowledge to a situation,” the second definition of wisdom is “applying biblical and theological knowledge to a situation.” And this tells us that wisdom — foundationally — is theological. And theology has to do with God. Thus, wisdom is understanding our proper place in relationship to God and — here’s the application part — responding to that relationship accordingly.
Another way of thinking of these two definitions is this: Wisdom — under definition number one — asks, “What works?” Wisdom — under definition number two — asks, “What honors God and reflects his character?” In that sermon from months ago, I went on to say, “Even in the church, the wisdom of 'what works' continues to dominate — at least in the church in the US. We’re such pragmatic people that the wisdom of 'what works’ — and the success it often brings — in relationships, in business, in politics, even in the church — really excites us. But the wisdom of what works will not produce righteousness, which is the goal of biblical wisdom. And — righteousness — as you may know — means to be right with God. And there are many people who call themselves Christians today — and many organizations that call themselves churches — who are very successful and yet are not right with God.
Many have discovered what works — again, in relationships, in business, in politics, even in the church — and they think this makes them right with God. But our works — what we do — have never made us right with God — even works that bring about great success — and those who are biblically wise understand this. For it’s not our works — but the works of the One who’s called the Wisdom of God — that make us righteous. Which is why, according to God, wisdom means not just understanding what works, because what works and what pleases God are not always the same thing. And we who claim to follow Jesus need to be very careful of which definition of wisdom we allow to influence the decisions we make, because God will not bless the wisdom of ‘what works’ when it does not bring him honor and glory.”
And — now — two chapters later — James returns to the topic of wisdom. And he’s going to show us another reason why the wisdom we choose — ‘what works’ or ‘what glorifies God’ matters. For James tells us that one is a wisdom that is godly — or from God — while the other is demonic — or from the devil.
We’ll begin with demonic wisdom and end with godly wisdom. We’re in verse fourteen. There, James writes…
James 3:14–16 ESV
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.
James begins by describing the evidence of demonic wisdom: Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. But he warns — by way of a command — the only command in our verses, by the way — when he writes, “Don’t boast and be false to the truth.” Another Bible translation says, “Don’t cover up the truth — that you’re bitterly jealous and have selfish ambition — with boasting and lying.” Another says, “Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom.”
So, there’s evidence of demonically inspired wisdom. And one piece of evidence is bitter jealousy. A harsh, cruel, hostile rivalry towards others. Where you’re greedy and longing for something that others have, which causes you to be harsh and cruel towards them. This is bitter jealousy.
James used the word bitter earlier in this chapter, when he wrote…
James 3:11 ESV
11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?
Salt water is bitter water. Fresh water has no bitterness to it. Godly wisdom — which we’ll get to in a moment — has no bitterness to it. But demonic wisdom — well — it produces bitter jealousy in those who follow its lead. Just like it produces…
Romans 13:13 ESV
13 orgies and drunkenness…sexual immorality and sensuality…quarreling and jealousy.
This kind of wisdom entices our flesh — our sinful desires — to give into all kinds of bitter and ungodly behaviors. As Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth…
1 Corinthians 3:2–3 ESV
2 And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
And to the Galatians he writes…
Galatians 5:19–21 ESV
19 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. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Fruit of the flesh, which are in opposition to the fruit of the Spirit that Paul goes on to list, is evidence as to which wisdom a person is following.
Unfortunately, bitter jealousy is just one piece of evidence of demonic wisdom. The second is selfish ambition. Selfish ambition means to be self-seeking. It’s a strong drive for personal success without any moral guardrails. This is the person who will do whatever it takes to be successful — as they define success — and rarely is God glorified in our lives when personal success is our ultimate goal. In fact, God can’t be glorified in a person’s life when personal success is their ultimate goal. Because either personal success or God’s glory will be ultimate in your life and — whichever is ultimate — will lead to the wisdom you follow.
In contrast to selfish ambition, we’re told to…
Philippians 2:3 ESV
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Why? Because we’re to…
Philippians 2:5–11 NLT
5 …have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Christ — in being your Savior, if you believe in him — is also your example. And the reason why he’s your Savior is because — instead of acting out of selfish ambition — he selflessly gave his life on the cross for you. And in being loved this way — when you taste and see the love Jesus has for you — you follow his example of what it means to be wise by living selflessly instead of selfishly.
So that’s the positive reason not to practice selfish ambition. The negative reason — the warning — is this.
Romans 2:6–8 NLT
6 He (God) will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.
Those who live for themselves are those who live with selfish ambition — it’s the same phrase in the original language. And those who listen to the demonic wisdom of our enemy will display a selfish ambition in their life. Which — Paul warns — will result in them experiencing God’s anger and wrath for all eternity.
And what does this bitter jealousy and selfish ambition produce? In verse sixteen, James writes...
James 3:16 ESV
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
Disorder and every vile practice are the outcome of demonic wisdom in one’s life. Disorder’s an interesting word. It has the sense of an insurrection — think of a violent group causing a disturbance. It’s a word often used to describe what life will be like in the end times. For example, Jesus said…
Luke 21:9 NLT
9 And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.”
But James is saying that this is an insurrection — not out there — but that jealousy and selfish ambition cause an insurrection within you. Sure, this will have consequences to your relationships, your health, potentially your finances — those may be a result of the vile or evil practices you end up doing — but all of this is self-inflicted because of the wisdom you’re following. An inner war — an internal insurrection — a disorder in one’s life.
Let’s return to how James describes this demonic wisdom. In verse fifteen, we read…
James 3:15 ESV
15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
So he describes this wisdom not solely as demonic — he also calls it earthly and unspiritual. It’s a wisdom — not characterized as coming down from heaven — but as coming from here on earth. It’s unspiritual — as opposed to spiritual. And all of this is James’s way of saying that this is wisdom that comes from our fallen world.
Earthly versus heavenly are contrasted in a variety of places. For example, Paul says…
1 Corinthians 15:40 ESV
40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.
Our earthly bodies — these bodies subject to disease, decay, and death are different than the heavenly bodies God’s people will experience for all eternity.
But earthly versus heavenly isn’t just a contrast of physical material. It also includes philosophies, thoughts, and motivations that drive us. For example, Paul also writes…
Philippians 3:18–19 NLT
18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
The desires of those who oppose Christ are earthly, not heavenly. Resulting in them only thinking about their life now — here on earth — and not the life that is to come.
Paul also writes…
1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV
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.
The opposition of earthly and heavenly — of the natural versus the spiritual — goes so far that those who are “natural” — meaning those who don’t have spiritual life — can’t accept the things of the Spirit of God. They need spiritual life given to them first — in order to discern and accept spiritual — or heavenly — truths.
There’s much more that God’s Word says about the earthly versus the heavenly — the natural versus the spiritual — but I think you get the point. This wisdom — wisdom that is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic is not from God and doesn’t please him. Instead, it leads to ruin and destruction. It leads to evil thoughts and actions. It leads to misery and — ultimately — to one’s eternal death.
So — don’t lie to yourself. That’s James warning to all of us. Do an honest evaluation of the wisdom you’re following.
Which leads us to godly wisdom. This is wisdom from above — wisdom from our Father in Heaven. And — I’ll remind us of this later — but keep in mind that James is trying to help us apply what his older brother — Jesus — taught. So see if you can think of what Jesus said that James may have been thinking of with these words. I’ll get us all there — but see if anything comes to mind. We’re in verse thirteen. There, James writes…
James 3:13 ESV
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
And skipping to verse seventeen, we read…
James 3:17–18 ESV
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 begins by telling us that the wisdom from above — that is, wisdom from God — displays itself in one’s life as good conduct. Meaning — being wise leads to good works — a topic James has already touched on in his letter.
So if you think you’re wise, what good works do you have to show for it? And — to be wise — in the present — would mean to have good works — and these are good works according to God — that are also in the present. Meaning past good works may validate past godly wisdom, but present godly wisdom in your life will be accompanied with present good works.
But — as I said — we’ve already touched on faith and good works in a previous sermon, so let’s focus on the characteristics of godly wisdom. We spent quite a bit of time on demonically inspired wisdom — let’s spend some time on godly inspired wisdom. James says…
James 3:17–18 ESV
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.
What are the characteristics or qualities of godly wisdom? Godly wisdom is…
Godly wisdom is pure — meaning — it’s holy. It has no faults. For the God who gives this wisdom is pure and holy himself.
Godly wisdom is peaceable. It promotes a state of wholeness, well-being, and happiness. It’s free from a quarrelsome attitude.
Godly wisdom is gentle. It’s kind, tolerant, fair, and fitting. It’s lenient and merciful towards differences of opinion. It’s thoughtful and respectful of other people’s feelings.
One of my favorite sections of the Bible highlights the importance of gentleness in the life of those who follow godly wisdom. The apostle Peter writes…
1 Peter 3:14–16 NLT
14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
Even when you experience suffering, for following Jesus and his wisdom from heaven, be ready to explain why you’re willing to suffer to those who oppose you and do so in a gentle and respectful way. Of all the characteristics of godly wisdom we can display to the world, this one — gentleness — may be the biggest opportunity to distinguish godly wisdom from the natural, unspiritual, and demonic wisdom that runs rampant in our culture today.
Godly wisdom is also open to reason. As Christians, we believe in objective truth. Yet, godly wisdom — in being open to reason — reminds us that we’re not all-knowing — only God is. And we may have faults in our reasoning — though God doesn’t — thus we need to be open to reason. We need to be open to being wrong. Open to adopting or changing our position or belief about something, given sufficient reason or evidence. Instead of quickly responding with the “wrong meme,” which is the way of our culture, godly wisdom is open to reason. To say it another way, those who follow godly wisdom know that they’re not right about everything. And being a “know-it-all” is an indicator that one is not following godly wisdom.
Godly wisdom is full of mercy — it’s compassionate. As Jesus said to his religious opponents…
Matthew 23:23 NLT
23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
Or as James previously told us…
James 2:13 NLT
13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
Godly wisdom is made evident by the mercy it shows to others.
Just as godly wisdom is also full of good fruits. Good fruits are the consequences of the wisdom from heaven. Whereas disorder and every evil practice are the consequences of demonic wisdom, godly wisdom produces godly results. And as James earlier told us…
James 1:18 NIV
18 He (God) chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Our lives are to be the firstfruits of God’s saving and restoring work to his creation. And — in following his wisdom — more good fruits will be produced in our lives.
Godly wisdom is impartial — it’s nonjudgmental. Where demonic wisdom causes division, godly wisdom produces unity. Godly wisdom fights against our natural, unspiritual tendency to divide.
Additionally, godly wisdom is sincere. It’s without hypocrisy. It’s genuine.
And godly wisdom leads to a harvest of righteous living — resulting in peacemaking being a characteristic of those who follow God’s wisdom.
And it’s this final result — this harvest of righteous living — that leads us to the teaching of Jesus that James may have been thinking of. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said…
Matthew 5:3–12 ESV
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Though James doesn’t address everything Jesus says here, did you notice quite a bit of thematic overlap?
I’m sure we could find even more connections — but that’s enough to show us that the godly wisdom that James speaks of — will lead to the godly living that Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount. For — remember — James wants us to apply wisdom to life — for just knowing the wise thing to do isn’t enough. Wisdom leads to action. And we’re all guided by some wisdom that leads to the actions we choose. The question — that James is forcing us to ask — is this: Does the evidence in your life show godly wisdom or demonic wisdom to be your guide? And if you’re not satisfied with the evidence in your life, which wisdom do you need to start listening to and following?
As I prepared for this sermon, I came across some words that I thought would help us all take what we’ve heard and begin applying it to our lives.
One author said, “These characteristics [of godly wisdom]…are hard to acquire and hard to maintain. They can only be sustained at great personal cost. They only appear where there has been a steady habit of prayer and self-discipline; even then, they may take a while to show themselves. It would be worth spending the time to work through the words in [James’s] list one by one. Do it slowly. Review your life in the light of them. You might want to make a note of the times, the places, and particularly the people, that make it hard for you to live in this way — and then pray for strength, and for this wisdom from above, to hold firm when the challenge comes round once more. Some of the people you meet every day are people who follow godly wisdom, and others are people who follow demonic wisdom. Which one would you rather see coming towards you down the street? Which one would you rather have as a neighbor? [Which would you rather work with or be married to?] The question answers itself. The challenge is to become that person yourself. Someone who listens to, submits to, and follows the wisdom that comes from above.”
May we all be committed to listening to the wisdom that’s from above. The wisdom that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. For then — and only then — will a harvest of righteousness be sown in peace through our lives — as individuals — and as a church. Let’s pray.
Father in Heaven, by wisdom you founded the earth; by understanding you created the heavens. O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. True wisdom and power are found in you; counsel and understanding are yours. Only you can tell you the future before it happens. Everything you plan will come to pass, for you do whatever you wish.
Spirit of God, when it comes to grasping all of this — of truly understanding what we’ve heard today — we admit that our minds seem so incapable. We say with the psalmist, “How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!” We confess that “Your thoughts are nothing like our thoughts. And your ways are far beyond anything we can imagine.” So help us, we pray. Help us to trust that you will use the wisdom from above to change our lives.
And, Jesus, all of this is possible because you not only lived a life full of godly wisdom, but are the wisdom of God come in the flesh. The evidence in your life is clear. All that you do or say is pure and peaceable. You are gentle and full of mercy. You’re sincere, and a harvest of righteousness is being produced in the lives of your people because of your transforming love.
For your glory — Father, Son, and Spirit — we commit to following your wisdom. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
As you go, may you commit yourselves to listening to and following the wisdom from above. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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