The Wisdom that is from Above Part 1

Dear God, I just come to you in the name of Jesus. Thank you father for being with us this morning Thank you for the beautiful day and Lord. We just pray for the Events of the day Lord as some of us leave on a trip or some perhaps go and get together for the song service this evening And Lord, we also pray for the youth meetings going on right now that you would anoint those those meetings that speaker those youth and Lord, I pray that you would just You would just guide and direct also with Randy I pray you'd call him to repentance wherever he is I pray that you would give everybody the family and authorities and everybody wisdom But Lord, especially just lead somebody to him that can direct him in the in the right way wherever he's at for Bob Ginhart we pray for him that you would just Establish this commitment.

He may give him the joy of the Lord give him the ability to testify May you get glory Lord from him But keep him from evil help him to walk in repentance whether he has just a few hours left or or days or months left Whatever it is Lord. Just use those I pray for your glory. We pray for the Avalos's especially Gabriel you'd reach out your hand and just touch him give Reuben and Jamie and the whole family wisdom in this Lord and Lord this young man veil Who seemed to be struggling I thank you God that for this opportunity Thank you that he could hear what he did here last night I pray that somehow you would touch him and draw him to repentance touch him right now and Lord We thank you so much for Mike and Joanna and the news about the baby.

I pray God that you would You would just bless Spencer and Morgan and the baby Get glory from that family. We just commit them into your hands and Lord I just commit my brother Jeremy into your hands as he prays help him to pray what you have laid on this heart in Jesus Name Amen God bless you Greetings in Jesus name We sang some songs this morning the first well, I don't know if it was the first one, but 793 Wrote a couple notes out of that when we walk with the Lord Talks about a glory he sheds on our way and we do his good will he abides with us still Verse 2 says not a shadow can rise and not a cloud in the skies but his smile Quickly drives it away. Not a doubt nor a fear Not a sign or a tear can abide while we trust and obey you ever think as you sing some of these songs like what I mean, is this just idealism I Mean some of the things they say in these songs Or did they have something? Did they have something deeper that we're all Pressing on like Caleb led the song.

I'm pressing on the upward way new heights. I'm finding a higher plane Lord Do you ever feel that desire in your heart? Like I want that higher plane like you've seen this song and you feel kind of like Yeah, I've had that but man, I want that more of that. I don't feel fulfilled yet for that What about 804 I've been thinking about this song this last week like a river glorious is God's perfect peace Overall victorious in its bright increase perfect yet.

It flow with fuller The river is getting fuller every day Perfect yet it groweth Deeper all the way as the rivers flowing is it getting deeper wider and fuller or is this just idealism? Every joy or trial that falls from above traced upon our dial by the son of love You know like the Sun shines down like a sundial a joy in your life a trial in your life It's like the Sun shining down and it's from God, you know, and it's like a sundial telling you what time it is Is that your life? Is that how you're walking? Every joy or trial falls from God basically traced upon our dial by the son of love Because he loves us we must trust him fully all for us to do those who trust him Holy find him. Holy true. Is this just idealism or is this something more? What about I know? We didn't sing that one, but I was thinking about it 520.

We sang that one which was day by day Caleb's not here I was gonna say the Lord led you Caleb because as I was singing these songs my my wife my wife leaned over and said the Lord confirms his word and He confirmed it by the songs that Caleb's picked this morning Day by day and with each passing moment strength. I find to meet my trials here trusting in my father's wise Bestowment as if I'm walking each moment as this comes into my life that comes in and I'm gonna trust it as it's from my father and He is giving me the strength to walk through it. I have no cause for worry or for fear He whose heart is kind beyond all measure gives each day what he deems best.

I love the last verse where it says at the very end it says Help me Lord when toil and trouble meeting heir to take as from a father's hand Here to take us from a father's hand. So what I want to talk about and I was really excited when I saw Rebecca came home with a little pamphlet from The thing that's going on over there and it was called grace and I was like, oh wow and she flipped through it. This is one of my most favorite subjects grace and Which is kind of funny because yeah would never seen that one coming but But of course she read me in the middle of it somewhere.

It said oh, she's gonna go into all about how grace is strength and power and Though that's not exactly what I want to talk about I believe some of the authors in the New Testament Have different ways of saying the same thing Have you ever heard of walk in the spirit? If you walk in the spirit, you will not desire. You will not fulfill the desires of the flesh Have you ever heard being filled with the spirit You know, we read this morning. They were filled with the spirit.

They speak with tongues a couple chapters later It says they were filled with the spirit and they went out and spoke boldly the Word of God right after they prayed Have you ever heard the Word of God? Receive with meekness the Ungrafted Word which is able to save your soul I mean is this just idealist that these guys write about all these things that like wow We read these things that Paul writes about and James writes about and we think how can we have this in our life? And I don't know. I just I sometimes I think the thing that drives me the most in in this life that the thing I want the most is that Consistently walking in the spirit consistently receiving the engrafted word consistently as As it says in that one passage as you have received the Lord So walking in him Right. Remember those days when you first knew the Lord and everything was so fresh and real and he was so tender You ever had that experience a Couple weeks ago.

I Had an experience and you're all gonna think I'm kooky probably I told my wife I don't want to share it because they'll think I'm kooky But oh, well, I think they thought Jesus was kooky But I remember years ago when I lived up in Albany I was at work just sitting at my desk and All of a sudden just out of the blue and I don't know if I've been listening some sermons or what it was but all of a sudden and it was noticeable like the presence of God came over my heart and it was like all of a sudden listening to All of the bickering and the fighting going on in my home It was like it hurt it actually hurt in my soul and my spirit. It felt like things were poking into me Every time somebody would say something harsh or rude and it was I was I don't know if Timothy remembers this Rebecca But I was so moved. I said we're all fasting and I came out.

We're all so mean, you know And all of a sudden I'm like, we're all we're not fat You know, we're gonna get containment of this and it was like an amazing time It was like a day or two and the presence of God was on my life. It was amazing and Down in Belize. It happened a couple of times also and during that time It was like It was like The it was like you were walking in the state where Exactly what they talk about in the songs and in the scripture and it was like You ever feel that moment when somebody comes and they do something mean to you They they're rude and you're and you feel that and you like you have to hammer it down, you know and hold it down It wasn't like that.

It was like right at the moment. I it didn't really come up. It was like It was like God's grace was right there and and empowering me even before the moment came and And What's really interesting about this is you'll go sit down with a child for example And you'll go to talk to him about something and they'll just accept what you're saying it's like other times you try to talk to him about something and it's You're not breaking through you're not getting their attention But in this they could search you all of a sudden they're accepting.

Yes, Papa. I understand and what in the world like I'm not joking. It's serious.

And but you're right it it is funny. Um, and Then like you'll you'll make a phone call. Somebody'll call you just out of the blue this happened This actually happened two weeks ago out of the blue somebody calls me and they're asking me all these questions and it wasn't like I was feeling like All of this amazing power and I'm floating in euphoria or anything like that But as I would scripture verses would come to my mind and I would speak them the brother on the other end would say Yeah, that's right.

And and by the time he was done, he would say that's what I needed to hear Thank you for saying those things and You think to yourself now what what was different? I mean other times I had scriptures, but it was like the right word for the right moment Now I'm not saying this at all to boast I'm saying this at to wet an appetite for us that There is something deeper and we keep need depressing fuller deeper every day We're still growing. I heard it said Christians are like a big building You ever see these building areas where they're building houses and you drive along and oh, wow, there's a beautiful house It's all built in the next one. It's like half built and the next one down is just like a hole around and mud everywhere And the house that's just about built you can I kind of have vision for this is gonna be a great house You know, it's gonna have a kitchen over here the hole in the ground You're like, what is this? Like that's where we're all at, right? We're all at different places in the building community here, and we're all being grown more and more And so what I want to talk about this morning is Something found in the book of James if you'll turn there with me James chapter 3 and I like I said I think this is no different than James is just saying it in a different way the power of God in our lives.

I And I think I've said this so many times before but I Think the New Testament is about forgiveness Reconciliation experiencing eternal life now and the Holy Spirit that lives in us That is a huge difference between the old and the new and so we always have to be reminded not to fall back into What is just Old Testament Christianity just doing right just because there is something vitally different Between the Old Testament and the New Testament, so let's pick it up in verse Chapter 3 verse 13 James says here who is a wise man and Endued with knowledge among you let him show out of a good Conversation or we could put the word conduct there out of good conduct his works with meekness of wisdom Let him show his his his conduct with deeds actions with meekness of wisdom But if you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts glory not and Lie not against the truth This wisdom descends not from above but is earthly sensual and devilish For where envy and strife is there is confusion and every evil work But the wisdom that is from above is first pure Then peaceable gentle and easy to be entreated full of mercy and Good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them That make peace Lord. I just pray you would bless this as we look at this passage Help us to get everything out of it Lord may your spirit teach us help this all to empty ourselves this morning and just do an analysis where we stand and May you be the teacher this morning in Jesus name. Amen.

So here I want to look at verse 17 sorry, and it says the wisdom that is from above I Want to talk about the two kinds of wisdom James brings up? There's a wisdom that is from above and there is a wisdom that is from the earth There's a divine wisdom and there's a human wisdom. There's a spiritual wisdom. There's a worldly wisdom There's a higher and a lower we can see this clearly in Acts when it says Moses learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in word and in deed.

There's a wisdom In fact, I asked him if I can I mean you have to be pretty dedicated in your life To want to learn about emergency care and to save late at night to read this thing Right, and this is a wisdom. This is a wisdom of emergency care, right? and It's a great thing to know it's a great thing to know how to help people God says there's something we can have called the wisdom that's from above and It's not like the wisdoms of this earth When you think of wisdom in your life, what? When you think of wisdom what what come what's it if you were to be a dictionary and write the definition What would you say somebody say something knowing why you don't do something? Okay, why you do? Okay So judgment, okay, that's hmm Discernment. Okay discernment.

That's how I would have thought of wisdom, too When I think of wisdom, I think of like that wouldn't be wise to do that That would be wise to do that right, you know, don't go here to do this But look what the Bible look what James in particular defines wisdom He defines the wisdom that is from above is actually put out in actions. It's pure It's peaceable. It's gentle.

It's easy to be entreated. It's full of mercy good fruits and without partiality and without hypocrisy, so I was looking up what the definition of wisdom is and It said here the very knowledge of things human and divine acquired by a cuteness And experience, you know what a cuteness is. Anybody know what a cuteness is? It's not the little girl, you know What is the cuteness What's that Okay Specific we're getting close.

It's Sensitivity that is keen and highly developed You ever watch somebody that is very highly developed in something. I was watching some of those baseball player yesterday, man They have practiced they can throw from the back of the field all the way to the pitcher I think how do you get that kind of arm to throw like that? They've practiced and practiced. They have become acute.

They have become sensitive and They have become as it said here Highly developed they know right where to catch that ball when it comes in right and then it says so acuteness and experience Ever heard the term practice makes perfect. I told somebody I don't know if I want to play out there with all those good people because I'm not that good at this game and Somebody said well practice makes perfect and I thought yeah, but I don't want to practice with all you out there today I'll practice another time, right? so a cuteness and Experience so Timothy could learn all he wants Starts feeling and touching and helping and all of that right is when he's gonna really start to gain The wisdom where it's just a bunch of hope So we need that this morning we need to come in and do a cancer checkup You know, it's kind of scary when you have to go in for a cancer checkup You know what? I mean? Like you go in and they say we're gonna put you down and we're gonna put a big Machine over you and look inside of you and and You're kind of scared. What? What if it's there? What if it's back, you know, what if what if it comes back positive? But it's and I felt this feeling you almost feel like I just don't want to know about it, right? Be better just not to know I'd feel more peace But that's not a very wise thing Because if they catch cancer early, there's a lot more likelihood you'll live And there's a lot more likelihood to each one of you will live today To see God and to be with God for eternity and to know God if we do a checkup inside of our bodies Inside of our spirit and our soul James gives us The cat scan to see how we're doing Are we walking in the woods wisdom of God? He not only gives us the cat scan.

He even gives us the remedy the chemotherapy to get rid of the cancer So let's let's pay close attention Now we know Jesus was a man of wisdom In fact, it said about Jesus in the book of Luke It says that they could not actually this in the book of Acts talking about Stephen They said they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit he spoke Can you imagine that they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke Jesus it says When he was done preaching they said where did this man come from and what wisdom is this which has been given to him Jesus himself said when the day comes that we're gonna stand before our persecutors. He said don't think about it. Don't meditate He said it will be given to you a mouth and he says a mouth and wisdom It will be given to you.

Where's that going to be given from? from the spirit So this is definitely a teaching of the New Testament that we would walk in Wisdom the wisdom that's from above So let's first take a look at this. Let's look at the first one. It says the wisdom that is from above is first pure Now I I was researching this word pure looking it up and it's actually The translators decided to just put pure but there's two Greek words right there Verily or truly like Jesus would have barely barely I say unto you pure So it's truly pure Now, what do you think when you think pure without blemish? Okay.

I know this is a favorite word of Bob's so I look for him Without next okay, I Think when I hear the word pure because I've been around Bob so much I think you know in the area of like our purity meetings and purity in our Well, there's a proper word to say in in their mixed congregation Purity in our lives that we have purity meetings for right. I Can't think of a word but Did you know that the word pure just comes from its root word is what we get our word Saint Or sanctified or set apart. It's the same This word pure comes from that same word.

It's set apart. It's pure. It's genuine.

I Don't know lately. I get on like I want to go buy something for example And you get on Amazon and you try to look for something anymore and you have to filter through so much junk You know, I don't know if you've experienced this but let's say you're looking for a sleeping bag and you're looking and looking and looking and reading reviews and you know, You're not sure and it's like filtering through all these people like it by the time you read the views. Oh, it's just junk It's just made with cheap stuff and pretty soon you it's so hard to find the genuine anymore It's so hard to find What's really pure anymore because it's so many money-hungry people put their products out there and you cannot seem to find it now I ask you how is that? Are we like that as Christians? Are we just mixed as brother Bob said or are we pure? Jesus is the perfect picture anytime.

We want to know something right anytime. We want to know what the meaning of something is Just look at Jesus life Okay, so if we're looking at pure we can look at how is Jesus? How did he walk? He can define pure are we? Gentle, okay. Look at Jesus.

How did he he was the Word of God, right? he was the Walking scripture, so we should be able to look at his life was Jesus pure Was Jesus ever mixed? Did Jesus ever? Get angry yell at somebody Or get stressed out frustrated Do we? But we know that purity is very important. In fact, it says without Holiness It says how does it say it now it says oh Yes, here it is. He that is unclean, which is the operative pure have no inheritance of the kingdom of God This is very important being pure being sincere within Deep down in your heart and your soul.

It's more it's about God. It's about knowing God. It's not about It's not about pleasing others.

We are pure Just like a glass of pure water It's peaceable it says It's peace able able to have peace This is so important. Think about all of the times throughout the Bible when it's opens with to a book It says grace and what does it say? Peace be unto you Why is peace so important for a Christian? Why did Jesus say my peace I? Give to you not as the world gives Let not your heart be troubled Peace is a condition that we need to be in Jesus says blessed are the peacemakers For theirs is the kingdom of God he says the kingdom it says in the scripture of the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and Peace and joy It talks about letting the peace of God rule our hearts Talks in James about wielding the peaceable fruits of righteousness Brother Mike taught us on the fruit of the Spirit is love joy third one peace May the God of peace fill you with all joy and peace in believing That you may abound and hope through the power of the Holy Ghost And it says if we follow peace with all men and holiness Without no man can see you God this is how important it is to have peace in our lives and I have I have had to walk very watchful in this it's not you know I Remember one time I was with a brother I was just in a little brother's meeting down in Belize and and they needed they needed something and I am a people pleaser So I jumped up and I'm running across the field. You know just trying to get over there I'm just almost stressing out that they're waiting on me back there.

I know maybe that's not your process Maybe you're the other way, but but me I'm just like I don't want to make anybody wait for anything, and I realized I am just throwing peace out the door to please others and I'm losing The condition that God wants to give us he wants to have peacefulness in our life Listen to this definition of Christianity the tranquil state of a soul assured of salvation through Christ and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot or whatever sort it is he's sure where he stands with God and He's not fearful of anything and he's content with whatever comes in his life. I'll give you an example. This is the best example I know of peace Right before I go into surgery I'm not I'm just Struggling like just struggling like I'm gonna be put under like this is not gonna be fun This is yeah I just don't even want to do it right and Then they put the shot into my arm and all of a sudden.

I'm just like on cloud nine. I don't care about anything Wow like I could talk to the doctor no This is great like I'm not thinking about anything anymore. It's I don't know what that stuff has in it, but They're mimicking the Holy Spirit.

I think And I have experienced it. I'll say that I have experienced it outside of drugs And Just don't take that little part of the sermon and play that for somebody, please Peace you can walk by peace you can actually walk and it's Okay, so a couple of weeks ago like I was telling you I had heard a sermon and it was about it was about It was a really good sermon. It was really broke me and brought contriteness to my heart and All of a sudden I noticed the Lord's presence there and I did like I said this has happened like five times in my life So I'm not acting like I'm some book knowledge on the subject But all of a sudden as I walked everything I did it was like the Lord would show me my motive Like I would go to say something to a brother and immediately I'd sense in my heart.

Don't say that that is for your own Game okay, but I do not want to say that and and it was like I had a joy in my heart to want to do it because I he was just making things so clear so clear so clear as I went and I was just walking as carefully as I could to walk in peace and not let anything steal it and So then I started fearing a little bit like oh, I don't want to lose this now, right? And that's probably not faith either, but I'm still a child learning these things. But anyway long story short I've lost it like three days later. I think it was yeah three days later and It came on because I wasn't watchful I was in the moment and I was in just in a join the doing the conversation I was having and I just kind of forgot that God was right there and I as I remember the conversation kind of wasn't really healthy like it kind of was a little complaining attitude It wasn't terrible But anyway, and I was enjoying myself enjoying the conversation you ever get that way where you're almost like enjoying like this is fun I'm laughing.

I'm a good. This is great. And then it was gone and You know, I'll tell you what once you experience these kind of things that is the ultimate fulfillment that the world cannot offer and He wants you to want that and he wants to fulfill those things, but we can quench it.

It's called quenching the spirit And So We have to be like the righteous man fall seven times and gets up and So anyway, let's move on peace So what I'm trying to get at is you can walk in a state of peace and God can be showing motive He can be he can be teaching you I'll talk about that a little bit later. So let's go on to gentleness Another way that the spirit will work in your life when when he's giving you his grace or his wisdom from above his gentleness Now this word is translated throughout the King James patient gentle Moderate and that's that thing you feel in your heart when I don't I like to be the fun the fun of the party Right. I like to when we're all around and I like to just say something strong and interesting and funny and everybody laughs But that's not moderate That's not the way of the spirit That's pleasing self and that quenches the spirit gentleness is moderate it's patient It's mild.

Here's some other words that are What do you call them cinnamon? Is that the opposite? The cinnamons like it. Okay. Okay saying mild fair equitable meek These are words for gentle in Titus it says speak evil of no man but be gentle showing all meekness unto all men a Meekness is like an emptying of yourself And when you enter when you empty yourself you become gentle because as you receive the wisdom from above you become like God God is gentle.

Jesus was gentle. How was Jesus gentle? Can anybody think of an example how Jesus was gentle? Okay Touch the leopard. He took children in his lap.

It's not what men do, right? That's not what strong men do warriors They don't come into the town and pick up a child Right. No, what else how was Jesus gentle, right? Okay so gentleness Jesus give us many examples of being gentle yesterday No, I can't say what I was gonna say Sorry, I was gonna tell you a story but I wasn't gonna say yesterday there and Because I don't want to condemn anybody but I'll say it in a way that you can never figure out who and how But I just saw a situation where somebody wasn't treated gently and It just it really grieved my spirit to see it like this person is not all the way there and You could tell it was really bothering them. What just had happened and the person wasn't even thinking about it, but God does care about those kind of things.

He cares about gentleness. He cares about Like it says if any men speak let him speak as Sorry, if it says, um, let your speech be always with seasoned with That's gentleness. That's Speaking by God's word.

It's not just speaking your own words a little salt on the top. Nobody wants a ton of salt So, how do we become more gentle? Well, you gotta watch your thoughts You guys ever heard of the Iron Dome? you use I Did a little research on the Iron Dome this last week because of all the rockets that were coming in To Israel from Gaza and it's pretty cool system. I think they developed it.

I don't know 20 years ago 30 years ago but basically a rocket will come in from Gaza and they will launch some more rockets to meet those rockets and they Disintegrate right in there So when you see this at night when you see these rockets flying and you see these other rockets and it's like this firework show And then they hit each other and you know that this side is defending that and keeping their people safe. Wow It's pretty interesting concept now every once in a while a couple get by but I thought about this this morning That's what you should be doing in your heart and your mind. You should have a little thing called the Iron Dome And every time that little thought comes that maybe isn't gentle maybe as a moderate You should be looking for the Iron Dome system, right? You ever I mean I thought of this because that's how I actually feel if a nasty thought comes into my brain I feel like I feel like I'm sending off a little Iron Dome rocket to hit it and That's what we got to do, right? I mean whatever you need to do rebuke it in Jesus name, but cast it away from you Somehow don't let it take a place.

Don't let it make it by and hit into The place where the old people and the and the children are and then it kills them. That's what Starts the non gentleness, right? Where does where does roughness? Oh, where does roughness come in from a heart? That's what What do you think Trevor? If I came over to give you a bath You know, this is sandpaper this magic stuff I looked into it it's actually foam impregnated with With this resin Finely finely finely sandpaper. You wonder how does this work? I hope you know, finally I looked it up I got tired of asking that question over and over.

I mean you can wash shoes with it It just takes stuff right off. You could I could wash Stuff right off. I mean Stuff you can't even get off with a sponge this stuff will take off because it's fine sandpaper, but it's gentle, right? I can clean my teeth with it.

I Don't want to try it out with this Right, but this is not gentle Which one are we in our the way we deal with people are we more like this Taking off and helping people see their ways. Are we more like this and It's abrasive to be around the sermon. I was telling you about that.

I was just convicted by is in Romans chapter 15 Why don't we turn there together? Roman 15 verse 1 it says this Romans 15 1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and Not to please ourselves verse 3 for Christ even Christ. Please not himself We then are strong. Do you think you're strong this morning and as a Christian are you strong spiritually? How are you doing bearing the infirmities of the weak? Because that's what we need to be as Christians That's the strong ones the strong ones that have received the wisdom that it's from above or grace is The one that is bearing the infirmities of the weak Okay, let's look at the next word back to James Gentleness easy to be entreated.

This comes from a compound word Greek word, which means easy and persuade Easy to be persuaded. Come here. Some here's some synonyms compliant Are you compliant person when people come to you with something that they feel should change? Or are you a strong-willed person? Are you the one that everybody's worried about coming in contact with this? Are you easy to be entreated? Are you easily obeying is another way you could translate that? Does God just? Did the scriptures just tenderly touch your heart and you say I want to obey that Listen to this.

I love how the New King James and the New Living put it willing to yield to others Willing to yield to others does it have to be my way are you willing to sit back and say Let's give it a try. That'll be interesting. I Would never have thought to do it like that, but Lord, I'm gonna trust you through this and see what comes through NIV puts it Submissive Another translation puts it open to reason.

Is that your seat all of these come from a heart that's contrite From a heart that's broken from a heart that says without you I can do nothing Lord And so it's all all of these come in it from from a perspective of constantly trusting constantly trusting like Somebody comes you and says hey, let's let's stop Let's all paint this building purple and all the brothers say yes, and you're thinking purple That's like so unconservative. Just think what all the Mennonites would think of us But easy to be entreated would say well Lord, I'm willing to go for this ride, you know You know maybe a Mennonite sees you in a certain way or sees some other brother in a certain way and you feel ashamed like Well, that's just people-pleasing, right? We need to be easy to be entreated. We need to be Our hearts we have to continually remind our hearts that this is about God this is about knowing God And this is about pleasing him in his way.

Okay full of mercy That's the next one What does it mean one of you guys? What does it mean to be full of? Mercy, what do you think the Greek word full means? In other words, could I could I give you a cup of coffee half? And call it full. No Nobody wants a half a cup of coffee in the morning. That means full right? The Greek word means full of mercy That means that when we're walking in the spirit and when the wisdom from above is coming we are a merciful person Hey Rachel's not here so I can pick on her the other week All that you threw out our house and Joshua was outside and he was feeling left out.

He's feeling like oh you know and and Rachel heard that and and Because you some of you were not being Including him a little chastisement So just kidding so Rachel comes in and hears it all Joshua come out all I'll take you and I will I will Do something with you that is a person that's full of mercy. That is a person that's looking out and and sister I was like that is so sweet Mercy kindness or goodwill toward the miserable and the afflicted now listen to this kindness towards the afflicted Mixed it says or joined with a desire to help you can't come here Wednesday night and pray for all the poor people In India and Yemen, and that's mercy It says joined with a desire to help it Like I remember that guy that I forget the name of the preacher that went way back in the bush of Africa He said man Wednesday night prayer meetings are like All bleeding and no wool In other words we all come as sheep But we just have no wool you know It needs to be joined with the desire to I mean join with helping so let me read that again Kindness or goodwill toward the miserable and the afflicted join with a desire to help them so Wednesday night is not enough You need to do something with that you need to take that prayer, and you need to look for opportunities and and And actually put it into practice The world says this is a sissy. It's not manly, but Jesus was the man of man's right? He was the Lord of Lord, and he was the man of man's that that's added into my little scripture, but Jesus was the man of man's Says the Lord is gracious Anybody can say that verse the Lord is gracious and Full of compassion Slow to I see lots of people mouthing anger and great in mercy Okay, we want to be like God right we don't want to be like man.

We are We are it says gracious full of compassion slow to anger and great in mercy The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all the earth Jesus said go go to the Pharisee said go figure out what this means the Lord desires mercy Over sacrifice, and this is where we fall into danger. We come here Oh, we're so we're so plain and we're so conservative We've sacrificed so many things in our lives, and we overlook mercy that is a big danger in plain churches and Jesus was not that way Look at his life. I mean it all you have to do is read the Gospels to see how Jesus was What did he do to the woman caught in adultery? He said go and sin no more neither Do I condemn you over and over the ones that were contract and broken what came from him? I can't can anybody think of a time when he wasn't merciful to somebody who was broken in contract I can't really can you think what's that? Yeah, and still she pushed a little more and still got in right? Yeah But can you can think of times when he wasn't very merciful towards people who were hard and who weren't broken the religious.

Yeah He said you're so concerned about the outward appearance But within you're full of hypocrisy and iniquity This is so dangerous for us. So we need to be full of mercy inside. It's inside.

It's not just on Wednesday nights It's not just what we talk to our friends about it's full inside of us We're doing a cancer checkup and we're we're gonna have to quit early in other words I think what I'll do is just finish this another time because there's no way I can finish all of this And I don't want to steal your valuable time We'll go a little bit longer here what I'm gonna do here is I'm gonna leave the rest of it for another sermon and what we'll do is I Want to quickly talk about the maybe we'll talk about this both times so we can remember What are the requirements to start getting these things in our life? Okay, I want to talk about Good fruits and without hypocrisy and without partiality another time but look at verse 18 What are the requirements that we must have in our life so we can have this wisdom that is from above? First of all, I want to say Repent read your Bible and Believe it James chapter 1 verse 21 turn back page. He says this Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness. I know those are old English words, but we'll just say sin for right now and all of your selfish deeds even better and Receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your soul lay aside repent receive with meekness read the engrafted word read the scriptures listen to his voice and Then it says and believe it it says receive with meekness the engrafted word That's a believing in it.

Okay, secondly turn to James chapter 3 again in verse 13 Meekness is our second. So the first one I want to say is we need to repent We need to confess that we're not hungry enough for the Lord if we're not if this isn't even in our desire to Cultivate meekness James chapter 3 verse 13. It says who is a wise man you do you consider yourself wiser this morning? Are you wise? This is what James says Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom His works with meekness I'll just put you here the condition you need to be in is meekness Let him receive The wisdom from above So we'll say that's coming down from God the condition you have to have it says His works with meekness of wisdom meekness of Wisdom his works.

We've just talked about four of those works or whatever. They were gentleness and all those things. Here's your works If you don't have these works in your life Then you're not probably receiving the wisdom that's from above which means you're not in this condition, right? It says here.

Let's read it one more time. It says His works with meekness This is how you're going to do your works with meekness and then from wisdom Where we read what the wisdom is it's from above so James verse 18 says this and The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace So this is a big tease everyone. We need to be here.

And the other thing we need to do is sowing in The fruits of righteousness is so in peace If you're not there, you're not sowing into the ground This is so critical and that's why so many of the pistols open with grace and peace Be multiplied to you Corinthian says if there's any man among you that seemeth to be wise Right This is I'm not I'm not saying not to do this But you think you know have a lot of wisdom in this world. This is what Corinthian says Let him become a fool that he may be wise So I encourage all of us that this morning To To desire that To desire the wisdom that's from above to desire walking in the spirit to desire the grace That teaches us to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world and to cultivate your heart in a place that can receive that and Then ask the Lord to do these things in you and he will do amazing things and you will feel fulfilled and you will It will be better than anything. This world has to offer and until you finally get to a place where this For all of your