Calvary Grace Church of Calgary

For Christian believers, they are in a strange position. They still live in a world that demands their loyalty. Yet Jesus Christ, who has redeemed them through his own blood, also demands their loyalty. Since God will not permit competitors, for there is no god like him, he summons us all to exclusive devotion to him. James shows us what that exclusivity looks like. It is a practical explanation of Christian loyalty to God, and how to eliminate from our lives all of the worldly competitors to our affections.

What is going on with you? Are you upset? How could this happen? What went wrong? These are the questions we ask each other every day. And each of these questions finds its source in our hearts. The problems of the heart are the problems of the world. Yet God knows our hearts, and gives us a 'user's guide' for keeping our hearts before him in James 4.1-6.

What is going on with you? Are you upset? How could this happen? What went wrong? These are the questions we ask each other every day. And each of these questions finds its source in our hearts. The problems of the heart are the problems of the world. Yet God knows our hearts, and gives us a 'user's guide' for keeping our hearts before him in James 4.1-6.

Politicians can be pragmatic. And pastors can be politicians. Paul says that all people can have 'the appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion (Col 2.23). Yet all of these kinds of wisdom are not the wisdom that is 'from above'. Like Bunyan's character, Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, we can act like we are purveyors of wisdom, yet be strangers to God-given truth that re-orders our lives in the midst of a horribly disordered world. The Letter of James asks us what kind of wisdom are we seeking? Is it the horizontal kind or the heavenly? Only wisdom 'from above' can bring order to the madness of our disordered world. In James 3.13-18 we will search together for this 'heavenly wisdom'.

Politicians can be pragmatic. And pastors can be politicians. Paul says that all people can have 'the appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion (Col 2.23). Yet all of these kinds of wisdom are not the wisdom that is 'from above'. Like Bunyan's character, Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, we can act like we are purveyors of wisdom, yet be strangers to God-given truth that re-orders our lives in the midst of a horribly disordered world. The Letter of James asks us what kind of wisdom are we seeking? Is it the horizontal kind or the heavenly? Only wisdom 'from above' can bring order to the madness of our disordered world. In James 3.13-18 we will search together for this 'heavenly wisdom'.