Social Restoration - Phase 4: Social Wisdom, Part 1

We are living in culturally complex, emotionally charged, socially intense times what you say what you do, how you do navigate make decisions under God and love people like this that's today welcome to this edition of living only with Chip Ingram Living on the Edges of international discipleship and history featuring the Bible to read our series called social restoration looking for specific things serious minded believers can counter cultural pressure love like Jesus missed any of these messages along are available on the ship and remap or online that LivingontheEdge.org once in a while Chip invites his son Ryan so this is Ryan series just a second. These embryos part one of his message social wisdom will be with us after the teaching to bring some additional thoughts, so be sure to stay with us for that right now it's doing right for his message from James chapter 3 how well this morning were concluding a series called social restoration, talking about how do we experience social restoration is such a timely question for us as as were in the midst of this global pandemic that offended our reality and work engaged in racial injustice in our nation and and we just see such social anxiety and unrest is how do we experience social restoration and then I think there's a better question or maybe a bigger question for us as followers of Jesus to the church was never intended to be a social club where we gather and we hang out with our buddies and friends.

That's fantastic, but is never intended to be just a social club instead were called to have a social calling to be the light of the world, we have to ask this question. How do we bring about social restoration what we've been looking at the book of James and James, the pastor of the early church in Jerusalem. Their normal was upended and he's bringing God's word to them and truth to help them discover how to once again bring about social restoration, how to navigate these times as followers of Jesus think this is the question.

I know this is the question I'm wrestling with. I think this is the question you're wrestling with its how do we navigate these culturally complex, emotionally charged, socially intense times. How do we navigate this like window. I post window and I post what do I say what don't I say how should I feel, how shouldn't I feel mean we live in incredibly complex times culturally, emotionally charged everyone. I think part of the like. The reality of shelter in place and quarantined is it's got our emotions fried and so everyone's at a 10 already all the time and then is socially intense with all that were navigating with racial injustice in the division in our nation, how we navigate and I think as followers of Jesus, we have to go one step further and ask how do we navigate it to bring about social restoration remembered you said earlier, were not called to be a social club but to bring about social: how do we help navigate these times are how do we navigate in such way to bring about social restoration and James is going to talk about wisdom and boy do we need wisdom here.

In fact, is going to go all the way back to the first theme that he set out when we were first taught introduced to the book of James. He says no. Consider it all joy when you face trials of many kinds, like you know the testing of your faith will produce endurance and endurance must finish his work to make you mature and complete, not lacking anything and were in that enduring season like a how do I do this how I navigate it and he says if any of you lacks wisdom, and on their you lack wisdom today. The need wisdom from God. He says if any of us lacks wisdom, we should ask God, who gives generously to all and then he's going to fall back now on this theme as we navigate these culturally complex, socially intense, emotionally charged times of how do we navigate it with wisdom. We pick it up in James chapter 3 verse 13 and here's what he says who is wise and understanding among you this question is implying that there's a few in their tribe. If you will and in their church that think they're wise but they're not really all that wise there touting a lot of things with their mouths, but they're not actually living wisely says if you really think your lies.

Listen to this. Let them show it by their good deeds don't just claim to be wise, don't just posted on social media show it by your life, by deeds done in humility circle that word humility that comes down from wisdom. This is the word actually when Jesus would be talking about in the sermon on the Mount Blessed are the meek same word here. Meekness is not weakness as we think about it. Maybe some your translation says gentleness. He says wisdom is shown by the deeds done in meekness. Jesus talked about himself being meek. He was not weak. His strength under control. It's the quality of not being overly impressed by your sense of one's self-importance that you're not so focused on yourself, but you you are intentionally restrained in certain areas in making a decision to hold back or withhold to bring about life's and navigate wisely says let him show it by their good deeds that comes from out of humility that comes from wisdom and so here's what James is saying if navigate these culturally complex times we have to walk in wisdom, walking wisdom okay will what is wisdom. Thank you very much.

Just to give you the definition it is the skill of living life. Well, in God's universe. It's a skill is something to be practice requires coaching and constant application wisdom and being smarter different. There's plenty of smart people who do lots of dumb things or say lots of dumb things. Wisdom is a skill that you learn and develop and how the navigate life well in what God's universe recognizing it's his universe.

And so it operates according to his design that one writer said this wisdom is God's fixed order for life in order opposed to chaos and death. So if order to navigate these times we have to walk in wisdom how do we begin what is that really look like he's going to spend the rest of the time unpacking what exactly does walking in wisdom look like, and here's what is going to tell us what it doesn't look like what it does and really what it produces at what wisdom ultimate produces because this is what we long for in our lives and our families and in our city and nation. Here's what wisdom is not he's going to say to watch out for counterfeit wisdom, watch out. Be on guard, but be aware for something that is counterfeit. If posing is not the real deal.

It's a fraud is made to look like wisdom, but it's nothing like it. Notice what he says but if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

Such "wisdom did not come down from heaven but is earthly and spiritual monic from where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice walking in wisdom means first that we have to watch out and be aware of counterfeit pseudo-fraudulent wisdom.

What is that look like he tells us he says first counterfeit wisdom is fueled by negative emotion, counterfeit wisdom is fueled by powerful negative emotion that he knows that bitter envy, selfish ambition was to find those for us. Bitterness is proceeding from her exhibiting hostility or animosity or something in you that that has this hostility or animosity to another person.

One writer says it regards its opponents as enemies to be annihilated rather than friends to be persuaded that there's just I want to take you out whatever the cost envy you are actually is where we get our word zealous, passionate fanatic.

It's an intense negative feeling over another's achievements or success, then this idea of selfish ambition. A strong drive for personal success with little or no moral. In addition, it's eager display itself more than to display the truth more interested in its own victory then opens what the truth has to say. Counterfeit wisdom is fueled by these negative emotions. These are powerful. These are things that that are easy to see in other people and condemn and it's easy to justify ourselves is easy to look at it because these motives went. When I feel bitter toward you.

I have a reason I'm bitter towards you when I have this jealousy I have something in you that I'm condemning or wanting and so I'm I'm I'm opposing you and these emotions begin to lead me down a path and where I begin to play games and try to make truth for my own perception since counterfeit wisdom is first fueled by negative emotions and then it sounds good but its source is bad, you know success, but such wisdom is sounds wise, but had he stopped to take time and look at the philosophical end of what your saying. Where does your presuppositions conclude was the source where does it end wisdom.

This is wisdom that looks good but it often says says I'm superior to others. Also look down on others is work, you find these clever but cutting words that put others down to put them in their place. Maybe twist the truth to make your points or tell half-truths.

It seeks to humiliate or dominate the other, fueled by negative emotions.

Sounds good. Next, the tricky part is sounds good but is sore success. It's unspiritual it's earthly so if demonic actually set on fire by hell itself, and ultimately you can identify it by its fruit that produces division, disorder, discord, etc. where there's envy and selfish mission. There you find disorder is where we get our word anarchy or political turmoil in every evil practice.

It produces division relationally. It produces division ethnically. It produces division politically disorder discord instead of bringing people together is driving them apart friends.

Nothing good can grow in the atmosphere of hatred or discord or bitterness as followers of Jesus. Navigating these culturally complex times.

We are called to walk in wisdom so we have to be aware of the powerful emotions that are able to take control and taint our lenses that we can substitute counterfeit wisdom for and how the love I love to say it's out there, but I would argue that all of us have this in here but I would argue that I have it in my own life I can't say that that all my motives are pure II there's moments of selfish ambition work where I long for my success over someone else's success. There's a bitterness in my soul when I seek different things and animosity were I just want to put someone in their place factors driving the other day I were going on vacation down south. I had a guy riding my tell the entire time and I like this cost, and he pulls out a funny and the cuts right back in front of me and then he flips me the bird.

Counterfeit wisdom says put him in his place, and there's a level inside of me that is, feels justified in a bitterness that began to rise, just in that simple, silly moment, but it goes out into all these other areas doesn't see friends if orbital walk wisely, we first have to realize it's not out there. It's in here. We have to own up. That's not a problem for other people is a problem for me. I bet you it's a problem for you. What exactly does walking in wisdom look like he tells us what is not. Watch out for counterfeit wisdom then is going to tell us what wisdom is and I love this is challenging and is the call for us to be the church to bring restoration to be followers of Jesus who followed the ways of Jesus. Here's what he says about wisdom or truisms we have counterfeit wisdom. True wisdom always takes the high road. True wisdom God's wisdom as he would say it heavenly wisdom, counterfeit wisdom always takes the low road it's earthly it's it's unspiritual, counterfeit wisdom produces the type of responses that Hal delights in true wisdom always takes the high road. Notice what he says. Verse 17 but the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peaceloving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits and partial and sincere wisdom that comes from heaven wisdom that comes from God. Remember that definition I gave a little while ago about wisdom. Wisdom is God's fixed order for life and order opposed to chaos and death wisdom that comes from heaven is God's order for life that's opposed to chaos and death and what James is saying is what I'm unpacking here is for people of God to be opposed to chaos and death. This is what that looks like as we can read that list and it just stays this arm distance away from us and we don't fully understand what does the high road really look like what does that mean what what how do I respond, he says. First of all pure and he writes this first is this is the thing that everything else hangs on the rest of the descriptives that he's going to give it says it hangs on this internal reality of purity or holiness without moral defect originally means what awakens that you're drawn into something that awakens all and so when you're in all of something you adjust your life to that which are in all the thing on the edge with an roiling room's teaching is from his series of social restoration right will be back with part two of his message. In our next program with chips here now with some thoughts about what you heard today before he gets to that. I hope you'll take a second to go online or tap share and encourage others to join us for this series to social restoration is complicated, even with the best of intentions, well-meaning people get themselves into trouble. So how do we make a difference and bring light not heat will these messages from Ryan Ingram bring a lot of clarity to the question. He looks at our current circumstances with the gospel vision of community, and provides biblical solutions for limited time, resources for social restoration are discounted and the MP3s are always free to order your copy or to send it to a friend visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org for additional information. Just give us a call at AAA 83336003 before I come back with some very specific application about today's message.

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Most people do not understand all when we think of wisdom. We think of someone who's smart that has a high IQ. We think of cognitive ability and even though you heard it taught that is not the wisdom that referred to here okay wisdom here is a skill it's like a way to think it's a way to live.

Think of wisdom is like a there's a path like, here's how to do life. Here's how to do money. Here's how to do relationships and it's a path it's a way it's a skill it's an actual practice that says in other words, it like this is how you build a house so it won't fall down in God's wisdom has very specific characteristics.

In other words, he's the architect he's the engineer and he says I've created life to operate in a certain way so just like an engineer builds a car and says you know so often it needs the oil changed in an here's how to go to the gears and all the specifics.

God says my wisdom sets up life that produces peace and health and life and healing and unity in connection to an end where people flourish in the notice there's counterfeit wisdom and counterfeit wisdom is just the opposite.

I love the way Ryan put it, this was a great line.

Counterfeit wisdom produces the type of responses that hell delights in wisdom that comes from below that is earthly that is demonic is rooted in bitterness and hate and chaos and death, and division, and so just today what I wanted you to pause and think about was when you evaluate people when you evaluate yourself when you evaluate relationships when you're examining movements or listening to the news or watching video clips. Here's what I want you to ponder the wisdom of God produces unity and peace and love and life and will develop better the next broadcast the wisdom of the world produces death, chaos, disunity, destruction, pause for a moment when you ask yourself what is good what is right.

What do you want to follow.

How are you going to evaluate all the things that are coming at you if it produces chaos, disunity and death. It comes from below if her produces peace, authenticity and life comes from above. Now use that as your litmus tests and ask yourself what kind of wisdom are you living by your great way to stay engaged and connected to chip and Living on the Edge is with the chip and remap.

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