Introduction: The Last Summer Camp Session

Welcome to the last session of summer camp. Some of you even got dressed up for it—thank you, seniors. This is a special night. Last summer camp sermon ever. I’ll try not to let you down.

We’re going to be opening our Bibles, so if you want to get yours out—or even if you don’t want to, do it anyway—and open up to James chapter 3.

I want to remind you where we started. Think back—so long ago, two nights ago. Do you remember what we learned? To walk not as unwise but as wise, right? There are two different types of walks rooted in two different types of wisdom. God’s wisdom is the wisdom in which we are to walk, discerning the will of the Lord.

And what’s really interesting is—probably not enough of you heard me say—when I said don’t walk as unwise, and then the second command. Do you remember what the second command was? It was, watch your walk. Look carefully how you walk, then don’t be foolish. God’s Word assumes we need warnings to actually be wise, not be fools. Not enough of us, when we hear that, think, “Maybe I’m not wise.”

Most of you, when I said, “Be careful that you don’t walk as unwise,” you’re thinking, “Yeah, he means the guy next to me. I know someone who needs to hear this.” But each of us—first and most—individually need to hear it, because few people assume that they are not wise. Very few people think, “Yep, I’m not wise.”

Self-Assessment and the Need for God’s Wisdom

I read a funny study—I don’t know why people do all kinds of studies—but they interviewed 596 professors and asked, among other things, “Do you think you’re an above-average teacher?” How many of you have taken statistics? I just finished my doctoral statistics class, so I can understand this. How many people should be above average? What percentage? Toby—51%. That’s really close. It’s right there. 50% should be above average, right in the middle. The answer should be, if everyone assessed themselves accurately, pretty close to 50%. Who has some guesses as to what percentage actually said yes? 100%? That’s actually really close—96% of the professors said, “I’m above average.”

We are very poor self-assessors. I don’t think this group was uniquely poor—I think we, as people, are uniquely poor self-assessors. We tend to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.

In that same group, 68% said, “I’m not only above average, I’m in the top 25%.” Interview average Americans and ask: 74% of drivers think they are above average. 64% think they are above average in intelligence. We’re just really bad at self-assessment.

God’s Word gives us tools. If you want to walk in wisdom, don’t trust your own assessment of what’s wise—hold the Bible up as a mirror. Earlier in this book, God’s Word says that’s how this functions. If someone looks into God’s Word and says, “Huh, I’ve got mayonnaise all over my face,” and then walks away and forgets it’s there, that’s someone who hears God’s Word and doesn’t do it. They deceive themselves.

Don’t be like that person. I want every single one of you—I plead with every single one of you—to want to pursue God through His Word, saying, “God, make me wise. Make me godly. Make me be like You.” And when God’s Word shows you who you are, believe it and then change—confess your sins and repent.

And you know what? God actually has a promise: if you confess your sins, He is faithful to forgive you and also to cleanse you. You cannot clean yourself up. That was one of the things we just read in the gospel—you can’t clean yourself up and make yourself wise, no matter how badly you want to. You say, “I’m going to read the Bible every day and muster up the strength to do it.” Unless God’s Spirit changes your heart and grants your mind understanding by softening your heart, you’ll still be a fool.

I use the illustration often that asking you guys to be wise is like walking up to a cemetery, looking down at the person in the ground, and saying, “Why aren’t you being wise? Why aren’t you living? Get up!” I can’t tell that person to get up. And yet, God’s Word says that the people who are dead in their transgressions and sins are the same ones that walk in darkness, following the prince of the power of the air.

If you’re in that situation, there’s nothing you can do to make yourself alive—nothing you can do to make yourself wise. But God, because of His great love with which He loved us, makes us alive together with Christ if you believe.

So, I want you, in your own heart, if you want God’s wisdom, say, “God, I don’t want to trust my own self-assessment. Will you open the eyes of my heart to see and make me the kind of person who responds rightly?” Right now, just pray, “God, give me wisdom.”

Earlier in this same book is when God promises He will give wisdom to those who ask in faith, without doubting. So let’s do that now. I’m going to say the words, but I pray you would say them in your own heart to God while I do.

Prayer for Wisdom

God, we’re having Your Word open in front of us, and I pray that You would grant understanding. That would be a mercy we don’t deserve, and it would be a supernatural miracle. God, we need it. We need help. Please give us wisdom. We know that’s what You love to do for those who ask. We trust You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reading James 3:13–18

So now we’re finally at James 3:13. I’m going to read it. The words I’m reading—every time when Josh, me, or any of your pastors read God’s words—remember, these are not our words. These are God’s very words, preserved in Scripture, powerfully sufficient for your life to accomplish God’s purposes in you.

James asks:

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

So, what do you think the blank is? Show God’s blank, not the world’s. Show God’s wisdom. Yep, show God’s wisdom.

True and False Wisdom: What Are You Showing?

Did you see the question James started with? “Who is wise and understanding among you?” That’s like the question they ask the teachers: “Who’s a good teacher here?” and everyone’s like, “Me! Me! Me!”

The context is that lots of people think they’re wise. James just said, “Be careful not to be a teacher; you’ll be held to a stricter judgment.” He’s given, throughout the last three chapters, tests to see if you are a Christian and a call to live up to what a life of faith looks like—not deceiving yourself. He gives another one here: who thinks they’re wise and understanding? Well, don’t just think it—show it. Don’t just say it; show it. Don’t just talk the talk; walk the walk.

What does the walk of wisdom look like? Look what he says: by his good conduct, show his works in the meekness or humility of wisdom. The way you walk—remember, that’s the illustration we’ve been using—it’s all through the Bible. As you walk, there are opportunities for good works that God prepared beforehand. How do you know if it’s a good work God gave or just you trying to muster up a good work? It will be accompanied by humility—by meekness. Christian meekness or humility only comes from one place.

The Bible calls Christians to be humble. Christians have to be humble people. Why? Because we know who we are before God. We know who God is. That’s why you guys read your Bible. Open it up and say, “What does this show me about who God is?” The result shouldn’t be, “Look how smart I am; I figured out what that said about who God was. That’s a really complex theological topic.” Instead, say, “Oh my goodness, God is eternal. God is sovereign. God possesses all power.” Josh said, “God possesses all wisdom, all goodness.”

You might hear those things and think, “Yeah, I know that.” But you don’t know it the way God means you to know it unless that humbles you in worship. You don’t have to be a Christian to know those things. Lots of people on their way to hell know some facts about theology. In fact, earlier in this book, just last chapter, James says, “You believe God is one? Good. Even the demons believe—and shudder.” This is the next mention of demons. He says, “Don’t be like demons, knowing theology without being affected by it. Don’t be like demons, saying you’re wise without being humbled by who God is and showing it in love to one another.”

That’s what he says—show it in meekness, show it in humble wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t boast and be false to the truth. If in your heart you have jealousy—jealousy is wanting what someone else has, wanting to be like someone else—or selfish ambition, wanting success or gain for yourself, don’t lie.

What’s the implication? Don’t boast. Don’t be false to the truth—just don’t lie. If you have jealousy or selfish ambition in your heart, you’re not wise. What’s the opposite of those things? Meekness and humility. Meekness and humility not only says, “I know I’m nothing before God,” but also looks to who God is: “God humbled Himself in Christ.” God the Son humbled Himself, taking on the form of a slave, not counting equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Paul encourages us—the whole Bible encourages us—to be like Christ in that same meekness and humility. Count others’ needs as more important than your own.

Contrasting Worldly and Godly Wisdom

See, there are two types of wisdom: one that fights for self—“I want in this life to get as much for me as I possibly can.” That’s what earthly wisdom ultimately aims at. “Don’t boast; you’re not that big of a deal. Don’t be false to the truth; you’re not actually wise.” How do you know if you aren’t wise? If you have bitter jealousy or selfish ambition inside you, you should say, “I’m not wise. God, make me wise. God, give me wisdom.”

Remember what Josh said was the source of the desire in us that makes us not want to submit to authority? Remember the “don’t look under the cup” illustration? You all wanted to look under the cup. Or maybe your parents say, “Go clean your room,” and that wasn’t in your plans—something rises up inside you and says, “I don’t want to.” Josh said, it’s a high view of self—don’t boast—and a low view of God.

That kind of wisdom—that’s selfish ambition and self-grasping—is not the kind that comes down from above. Actually, it’s what the world calls wisdom. You’ll go to school, see self-help videos, books, things on Insta or YouTube saying, “If you want true joy, fight for your own success.” The ultimate aim is your success. But that’s not the wisdom that comes from above.

Where does that come from? Look down at verse 15: it’s earthly, as opposed to heavenly; unspiritual, as opposed to coming from the Holy Spirit; demonic, as opposed to coming from God. Where selfish ambition exists, you’re going to see disorder and every vile practice—sin.

You know you’re operating according to worldly wisdom, which is actually foolishness, if you see sin come out—disorder, lack of peace in relationships.

The Nature and Fruit of Godly Wisdom

But now look at verse 17: the wisdom from above—this is the wisdom we want, true godly wisdom—is first pure. It’s a wisdom that drives you to pursue God and flee sin. When we say, “What do I have in front of me? I have a decision,” wisdom from above is going to be pure, keeping your heart pure. Is this next step one that will pursue godliness and flee from sin, or is it a compromise with sin and self-grasping?

Godly wisdom points you toward God, purity of heart. What’s the next characteristic? It’s peaceable, gentle. Where else have you heard those things? Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness.

Where does this kind of wisdom come from, or how do you walk by it? Only when you have the Spirit. There’s a lot of overlap between the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 and the evidence that you’re walking by the Spirit: peace, gentleness, open to reason, mercy, good fruits, righteousness, impartial, and sincere.

Impartiality here—earlier in the book—don’t be better friends with, or show special honor to, the rich, those who can benefit you. No, you love everybody, not for what they can give you, but out of a selfless love for them. Then you know you are walking by the Spirit, following God’s wisdom.

So it’s not only “How do you know you’re wise?” but “Make sure you’re pursuing the right wisdom.” If you think you’re wise, show it—by being pure of heart, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere.

Evaluating Your Relationships: The Evidence of Wisdom

I want you to think of what’s around you in life. When you hang out with people, do they tend to come away more righteous, more holy, more Christlike? Are your relationships characterized by peace? If you come into a room where there’s an argument or a brother’s mad at you, do you tend to bring peace, or are there more fights and quarrels?

Look at the last verse here: “A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” The idea is, if someone is walking by wisdom, they’re going through life dropping seeds everywhere, and something’s going to sprout up—the fruit of the Spirit pops up around you: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, righteousness, and peace.

But if you’re walking by earthly wisdom, grasping for yourself, what’s going to pop up? Fights, quarrels, dissensions, vileness, sin.

Worldly Self-Help vs. Biblical Wisdom

What I want you to grasp is, true wisdom—one of the most critical places you’ll see it manifest, where you need to aim to show it—is in your relationships with others. You naturally say, “I want for me.” That’s worldly wisdom. If you don’t believe me, let me give you some quotes from self-help gurus.

You may have heard of some of these. There’s a popular video on Netflix, a self-help person especially about cleaning up, and you know what she says? “Ask yourself, does it spark joy? If not, let it go.” Do you see the standard? People say, “This lady is really wise, she’ll make your life better.” But this is the world’s wisdom. How do you make your life happier, better? Declutter: “Does it make me happy? If not, get rid of it.”

But what does godly wisdom say? “Will this help me glorify God more? If not, keep it? And if it weighs me down on the race of faith—every sin and anything that entangles as I pursue Christ—then godliness says, get rid of it.” Two completely different standards: one focuses on self, the other on pleasing God.

You should look at your stuff and say, “What would please God? Service of others.” God saved you in love for you to love others. What are the two greatest commands? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength—and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. Godly wisdom says, “I want to use this life to please God in love, to love my neighbors.” Worldly wisdom says, “Doesn’t make me happy? I’m getting rid of it.”

Another one, this is Robert—he’s all over TikTok and those quick videos. Here’s one of his favorite quotes: “Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.” What’s the focus? Self. That’s not wisdom from above; that’s earthly, unspiritual, demonic. If you don’t have your Bible open, you might fall for it—the whole world does.

Last one, from a book with a wild name: Operation Happiness: The Three-Step Plan to Creating a Life of Lasting Joy, Abundant Energy, and Radical Bliss. Don’t you want lasting joy, abundant energy, and radical bliss? Here’s the secret, according to the world: “If it doesn’t serve you or deserve you, leave it behind you.” That’s the world’s wisdom in a nutshell.

How many marriages have ended because of this? How many people pursue sin—like we heard from Fernando last night—thinking sin is worth hanging onto and losing your soul for, because you don’t have eyes on eternity, just on yourself?

God’s wisdom instead says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let everyone look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Ephesians 4–5: The Call to Kindness and Forgiveness

Flip over to Ephesians 4:31. This is really building on the same point. If godly wisdom is not characterized by self-grasping, but looking out for others—peacemaking—this is Paul’s way of saying it, just before the passage I talked about in our first message.

Verse 31: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you.” Why? Because that’s not fruit that flows from wisdom that comes from heaven. All those things—bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander—you might not think you have them, but just think back to today. Did you have any outbursts of anger this week, when someone did something you didn’t like in a game, or Josh didn’t give you the points you thought you needed, or maybe someone didn’t get out of the bathroom quick enough? Maybe those words didn’t come out of your mouth, but you said them in your heart.

If you’re a Christian, that’s who you were. That was the wisdom you used to walk in, because all those words and reactions come from having “me” at the center.

But he says, “Put those things away.” And instead, Christian, because you were saved from death to life, darkness to light, your walk was changed—you’re no longer walking toward sin, but toward God. What does he say in verse 32? “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

If you have a pen, underline that, circle it, box it—that is the key, the pivot point for the end of Ephesians 4 to the beginning of Ephesians 5: God in Christ forgave you.

The Gravity of Forgiveness and the Gospel

Do you know your need for forgiveness? I’m about to tell you something you’ve heard so many times. If you’re a Christian, glory in this. If you realize you might not be—that you’re actually walking according to the world’s wisdom—please listen, because this is not true of you. It’s not saying, “God in Christ forgave you,” but He could, He would, if you’d only turn to Him in repentance and faith.

You have to know your need for forgiveness. Think of who we are before God. We’re just creatures God made for His glory. He gave us not that many rules, and they’re actually for our good. He made this world and its abundant treasures—the sun, the air we breathe, the rain, the food we eat—all gifts we don’t deserve, and we reject Him.

All of us—humanity in general and each of us specifically—say, “No, God, I don’t want you.” You might not think that, you might think, “I’m not against God, I just live for myself.” The Bible actually says, if you have not turned to God and been saved by grace, you hate God. I’ll tell you what, if you had the opportunity to be God instead of Him, you would do it. In our self-centeredness, if you had the chance to run the world, you would kill God if you could. You’d take God off the throne and put yourself there. Every single person in here has that in our heart—I do too in my natural heart, deep down.

And you know what? God came to earth, and that’s exactly what we did. We, as humanity—and you would have done it too—nailed the Son of God, the sinless Son of God, to a tree, to a cross, hung Him up, and jeered, mocked. You and I deserve an eternity under God’s wrath.

If I was in hell for a hundred thousand years—I can’t imagine being in hell for a minute—a hundred thousand years wouldn’t even begin to exhaust the righteous, the right wrath, I’ve earned because of how much I’ve rebelled against such a great God. God is infinite, and I rejected Him. I’ve sinned against Him—so has all of humanity. It’s not an overreaction for Him to send us all to hell, or to destroy the world at the flood, or when He destroys the world at the end, or at hell.

And yet, my sin—that would have taken God an eternity to pour out on me—He put it on Jesus, and He actually suffered. He is so great. None of us can suffer for someone else’s sins; we have our own to pay for, but we can’t absorb someone else’s wrath. We’re just finite. The infinite Son of God bore your sin, believer, in His body on the tree. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin, so that you and I can love each other, so that you and I can walk according to His wisdom, so that you and I can be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.

No matter how much someone sins against you or me, it is nothing compared to the way you’ve sinned against God. No amount of forgiveness you ever give someone can come close to the forgiveness God has given you. God says, try—love others and forgive them in that same way, which means completely, fully, from the heart, no anger left.

This isn’t a way you or I could relate without heart change, without God changing our hearts to love in this way. And when you’re saved, God does change your heart so you can love in this way.

Walking in the Love and Wisdom of Christ

What you need to do is, every single day in the morning, and then continuously throughout the day, remind yourself of the way God loved you, gave Himself for you, forgave you, so that when someone sins against you, when someone takes what’s yours, you don’t respond with jealousy and selfish ambition—“That’s mine, give it back!” You don’t respond with anger, wrath, bitterness, clamor; you don’t slander. Instead, you say, “Forgive you, even as God in Christ forgave me.”

He goes on and says, “Therefore,”—and that therefore in Ephesians 5 looks back to that love—“Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children.” This is crazy. God doesn’t just forgive you; He makes you His child. Josh talked about that—you are actually God’s child if you’re a Christian, and He changes you to be like Him. He doesn’t just call you to some impossible standard, “Hey, love others, but I’m not going to give you the power to do it.” He makes you His child and makes you like Him, gives you the love for others in your heart, the same love He loved you with. So now, you actually can walk in this command.

So you open the Bible, read it, and look at God’s love for you in the cross every single day: “God, I want to love like that.” You look at God’s patience: “God, I want to be patient like that.” You look at Christ’s humility: “God, I want to be humble like that.” Then you look at God, who sovereignly works all things together for good: “God, I trust You. I know if You would give Yourself for me and You’re sovereign, every single thing that enters my day—even if it’s not what I want, even if it’s not what I would choose—I know it must be best.”

For the Christian, if God says, “Hey, what do you want Me to do with your day? What do you want Me to do with your life?” say, “God, You’re a good King. You have all wisdom. What will You do with my life, what You think is best—I trust You. I trust You. I’m not going to grasp for my own good because You died for my good. You, who control all things, who have all power, all possession—You’re also all good, and You proved it to me at the cross.”

“God, can You give me some things so that I can love others with it? Hey, God, give me a little more time in this world so I can glorify You and love others, benefit others with it.” When someone comes into your life you really don’t like, who sins against you in horrible ways, thank God for that, and say, “God, if there was something better for me, You would have brought that. You’re the God who uses even sin for good.” This is the God who took humanity nailing His Son to the cross—the epitome of evil that you and I gladly would have taken part in if we were there—and when they did it, He accomplished the greatest good ever for us: your and my salvation, if we would only turn and believe.

Building Up the Body in Love

So, in these days, in this life—these evil days that we get to walk, discerning the will of God—use those days to imitate God’s selfless love to one another. And in God’s wisdom, when He saves you, He also puts you together into a body. We talked about this at winter camp: make sure that the love He gave you in your heart for others, you’re using to build the body up in love.

That’s point three: build the body up in love. God’s plan for the church is that the whole body, joined and held together by every joint—every place we come into contact in the church is an opportunity to love, which means it’s an opportunity to forgive, to be selfless, to be patient, to not insist on your own way, to look out for the interests of others. Every time we’re joined together, when we’re working properly, the body—the church—builds itself up in selfless love.

Kids, pursue God’s wisdom and show it by loving one another. If you think you’re wise, prove it. If you want to be wise, prove it by loving one another. It’s an impossibly high command, impossibly hard, but one that God loves to answer. When you pray for wisdom, James 1:5, you’re not praying only, “God, help me know what I should do.” You’re saying, “God, help me do what I know is right.”

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray.

God, thank You for Your Word. I pray that You would establish faith, save hearts, make kids here Your children at this camp. For those who have faith, God, I pray that You would build it up, sanctify them. I pray that we would do a better job of loving in a Christlike way, of knowing and pursuing what pleases You after this camp than we could before. I pray that there would be a remarkable difference in our churches, in our homes, in our lives through Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.