Senior Pastor Mark Stafford

This world we live in is a wonderful place and it is a terrible place.  Let me give you an example from what I saw this morning a couple of blocks over in my neighborhood:

• In my neighborhood this morning I woke up to enjoy the cool crisp spring air, clear skies and the beautiful scenery that surrounds our Valley.  It is easy to praise our King and worship him for the wonderful things he has made for us to enjoy.  This is a wonderful place.
• And yet, at the end of my street inside the Verde Valley Medical Center, there is room after room filled with people who are struggling just to hang on.  That building is filled with injury and disease and death.   It’s a terrible place.

All over our town, we see the wonders of God’s creation side by side with tragedy.  One of the most common questions that people ask is, “How can a God, who is good and wise, allow such terrible things to happen?”  We are going to explore some answers to that question as we continue our study through James and we look briefly at God’s comprehensive and penetrating wisdom.

Any time we set out to understand God’s purposes in suffering, we must begin with this fact:  God is wise.

This morning, I’m not going to try to convince you that God is wise.  The skeptical and unbelieving mind will never be talked into believing in an all-wise God through a rational explanation of His wisdom.  So, I’m not going to try.

Instead, we are going to begin with the fact that the Bible says that God is wise and seek to understand what that means.

• A person who humbly seeks God’s wisdom in the Bible will clearly see expressions of God’s wisdom all throughout its pages.
• A person who lives their life according to the principles in the Bible will find from their experiences that God really is wise.
• Humble, wisdom seekers begin with an assumption that the Bible is true.  They believe and trust an all-wise God first and then try to understand what the Bible says.

If you are skeptical about the reliability of God this morning, I’m glad you’re here and you might learn a lot from the Bible today. However, this morning’s message is really for those seeking wisdom from the Bible and it was not written to address the concerns of skeptics.  Daniel the prophet expressed the wisdom of God this way,

““Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
²¹ He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
²² he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.”

When we try to describe phenomena in our universe that we don’t fully understand,
we often find ourselves stumped by the inadequacy of our words.   If we call the universe “big” or the sun “hot” or a quark “small” or the speed of light “fast,” we know that our words are not really doing those created wonders the justice they deserve.  Those words fall tragically short in their descriptions.

God’s wisdom takes the inadequacy of our words to a whole new level.
Now when Christians call God “wise,” or an ancient prophet proclaimed that God possesses “wisdom and might,” he knew that the reality of what God is like is vastly more than his words could ever express.  Calling God Wise does in some ways
put God in a box that is far too small.

In fact, we are taking a comparatively weak word (the word “wisdom”) to express an attribute of God that knows no end and that never runs out.  God’s wisdom is so vast, it defies containment!  The weight of God’s wisdom threatens to crush our descriptions (or my illustrations) of it under the sheer weight of its infinite magnitude.

For this reason alone, the person who seeks God’s wisdom must approach it with utter humility because God might know something that we don’t know.

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 147:5,

“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.”

When we say that God is wise, it is our utterly feeble attempt to express the truth that God’s wisdom is “beyond measure:”  In humility, we have to admit that God’s wisdom:

• …knows no end and it knows no bounds.
• It cannot be contained.
• It never runs out.
• It is never wrong.
• It never makes a mistake.
• It is always flawless.
• It is always perfectly informed.
• It always knows the best way.

In a phrase, you could say, “God’s wisdom is infinite.”

God’s wisdom is infinite whereas our wisdom is severely limited – Psalm 147:5, Rom. 16:27, James 3:13

The word “infinite” describes something that has no end and has no limit.  Show Image  Like this line (from your 10^th grade geometry class) that has not beginning and no end.

• By definition, it defies definition.
• It is incomprehensible.
• If I spent the rest of my existence in eternity trying to learn about an infinite being with limitless wisdom, I could never have even the slightest grasp on all that God is or all that God knows.
• When I stand before an expanse of infinite knowledge or infinite wisdom, my own grasp of reality is humbling in comparison.

Let me say it even more simply.  God doesn’t need my advice!

• I have nothing to add to the knowledge of the One who knows all things.
• I have nothing to say that God has not already thoroughly considered.

There is a measure of created wisdom that God has given to us, his creatures.  James 3:13 asks, “¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”  That little bit of wisdom that God allows us to borrow from His infinite reserves, He lends to us for our highest good, but when our highly limited, borrowed wisdom is compared to the boundless, unlimited wisdom of God, our understanding of anything seems pretty pathetic.

Accepting that God is perfectly wise is an exercise in humility because to admit God is wise is to also admit that He just might know something that you don’t know.  Understanding a little bit of the infinite measure of God’s wisdom drives you and me to meekness!

For example, let me use my media business as an example.  In addition to being an ordained minister and the pastor of this church, I’m also a professional graphic artist and the owner of a company called Ablaze Media.  However, it wouldn’t take very many questions for you to realize how little I really know about the very thing I’m supposedly an expert at.

• Mark, can you show me how to make a graphic?  Yes
• Do you know everything that your design program will do? No
• Do you understand how the electrons move around inside your computer? No I don’t get it
• Do you know how your computer operates?  Not really
• Can you describe the mechanics of the internet? Not at all
• Do you know how a printing press works?  Not the foggiest.
• How can you call yourself an expert?  It doesn’t sound like you know anything at all!

Even in my own field of expertise, my knowledge is so limited.  BUT… God’s knowledge isn’t limited at all.  Not only does he know everything about my field, but he knows everything about everything.  He’s an expert in every profession and discipline.  Beyond his expertise, the Bible says that He not only knows everything but He controls it all as well.  The sheer weight of His knowledge is a deeper foundation for wisdom than I could ever possess or understand.

At the end of Romans, Paul called God the “only wise God.” (Rom 16:27)  If God is “only wise” that implies that in Him there is no foolishness or lack of knowledge.  He’s only wise.

It means that He is wise in Himself and all the wisdom radiating out of men or angels is nothing more than a minute fraction of the wisdom that originates from God Himself.  Our wisdom is “on loan” from God.

He knows every detail, and has every fact, and has examined every scenario perfectly.  His infinite wisdom makes Him uniquely qualified to be the source of all wisdom because He is the source of all truth itself.

Perfect truth is the foundation of God’s wisdom – Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18, James 3:17

God never guesses.  He never has to experiment or figure things out.  He’s never surprised by the outcome of His decisions.  He knows exactly what He is doing!

Only a God who knows all truth and always gets everything right could be perfectly wise.  In order to understand anything about God at all, it is essential that we come to terms with the reality that everything we know about truth comes from God.  The Bible tells us that it is impossible for God to lie.

• In Titus 1:2, Paul writes that God never lies
• In Hebrews 6:18, the writer says , “it is impossible for God to lie…”

God only tells us true things and the connotation of his wisdom in the scripture is always associated with his pure, loving and perfectly righteous nature.  Skip to James 3:17.  James says, “¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

Even if we don’t agree with what He says, God is always right. He is always telling the truth and He always acts perfectly in relation to that truth.

All God’s decisions are made in perfect wisdom – Rev. 21:6, Rom. 8:28, 11:33, Psalm 104:24, Gen. 2

A definition of wisdom might be helpful here: 
Wisdom is the ability to come up with the perfect end goal and then to devise a perfect plan in order to achieve that end.  A wise man can clearly see the end of a scenario from the beginning of the scenario.  Wisdom sees every part in focus and how each part is related to every other part.  The less guess work that is involved, the more wisdom can be applied to any given situation.

When it comes to God, He knows every detail.  He never guesses.  He always knows.  He sees the end from the beginning and He’s present in both places.  He is described as the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end.  (Rev 21:6) God is over and envelopes time and history.  He has predetermined goals for every one of us in mind and He knows the very best way to work toward those goals.

God is always working for His own glory and then for the greatest good for the highest number of people for the longest period of time.  That fact is critical to know when you and I are faced with a trial that seems to hit us out of left field.  When there is:

• A life altering conflict in the family or
• The unexpected death of a loved one or
• The dreaded call from the doctor that the test results don’t look very good

When those times happen, we need to know that God is good and God is powerful and God is wise.  We need to know that God has a plan in it all because from our perspective, it might seem like we are on a terrible detour and not on any kind of direct path.

We need to constantly remind ourselves and those around us when we are facing difficult times, that God only allows trials into our lives for our good and His glory.  These statements are not niceties, they are facts.

• God doesn’t deal in the world of pleasantries.
• He’s not a politician.
• There’s no spin to His proclamations.
• He only deals in truth.

When the Bible says, “ we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…” (Rom 8:28a) that is exactly what it means.  God works with His glory and your best interest in mind – always.  The Bible doesn’t mean the opposite of what it says.

• God knows us personally and intimately and He always pushes us towards righteousness because He is perfectly righteous.
• His intentions are always pure because He is perfectly pure.
• His methods are always wise because He is infinitely wise.

If you and I could for a moment look at our current situation from God’s perspective (no matter how difficult it might seem), we would be compelled to cry out, “That’s wisdom.  O God, You are infinitely wise!” 

• We might utter the words Paul wrote in Romans 11:33 where he proclaims, “³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”
• Or we might sing the song of the psalmist when he wrote, “O Lord, how manifold are your works!  In wisdom have you made them all;  the earth is full of your creatures.” (Ps. 104:24)

Have you ever had your kids tell you how to drive?  Whenever my kids were little and they offered up some driving tips while buckled in their car seats, I have responded by saying, “I’ve been driving longer than you’ve been alive.  Now go back to drinking your sippy cups and don’t tell me how to drive!”  Because of my experience behind the wheel, they need to trust my judgment.

Now expand that experience to an infinite degree.  God’s infinite wisdom tells us that His actions could not be done in a better way than the way he is doing them right now nor could they be improved upon by one of His creatures with the limited amount of wisdom that we possess.  We could never say to God, “You’re doing it all wrong”and impress Him with our superior wisdom and knowledge of the situation.

But our problem is that we don’t see things from God’s perspective.  We see the world through our limited knowledge that is clouded by sin.

Our perspective always lacks information and is clouded by sin – James 3:14-16

Let’s back up a few verses in James.  In verses 14-16, James describes what happens when we try to superimpose our “wisdom” over God’s.

Verse 14, “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.”

We often question why God does things the way he does them.  We are quick to blame God for when things don’t go our way and we’re slow to decide that God might know how to do things better than we do.  We often question God’s wisdom.  When we think that God is not wise and do things our own way, it creates a huge problem.

There are many earthly and unspiritual schemes that the world has to offer that it calls wisdom, but it’s not.  People sometimes refer it is as “the real world,” or “the way the world really works.”

Much of the world’s schemes are unspiritual – even demonic.  They are not founded upon God’s Word, but on the calculations of unrighteous men.  Some schemes originate with Satan himself.  An unbiblical method might be shrewd and it might get the job done, but these kinds of methods are not based on truth and are therefore very dangerous.

Mankind, with its highly limited “backseat” knowledge, by default, believes that its way is better than God’s way.  God’s wisdom and the schemes of men have been in conflict with one another from the beginning of history.   The conflict began with the very first man, Adam.

You can turn to Genesis chapter 2 and follow along.

Adam and God had an especially close relationship.  Genesis 2 says that God personally formed Adam out of the “dust from the ground” and then “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” (Gen 2:7)  In verse 9, after he created man in verse 7, it says that “out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.”(Gen 2:9)  It is not clear to me if Adam observed God making the Garden of Eden, but there would have been no doubt in Adam’s mind where he came from, where the animals came from, where the garden came from and where Eve came from.  He knew God.  He knew God created him, he knew God created Eve and he knew God created everything else.

Adam was fully aware of God’s unlimited power and you would assume that being so closely connected with the creation event, Adam would trust God’s wisdom and judgment.  If God was able to make everything he saw and provide perfectly for every one of his needs, then surely God knew the best way for everything to work.

God gave Adam one rule in the midst of this paradise.  Genesis 2:15-17 says, “¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

So what did Adam do?  We all know what happened.  Adam questioned God’s wisdom.  Adam ignored all the abundance that God had provided and went for the one thing God prohibited.  The sin involved here was not just a simple sin of disobedience.

When Adam ate that fruit, it wasn’t a sin directly against Eve.  If he had just sinned against her, that would have been bad enough, but the root of Adam’s sin runs much deeper.  When Adam ate that fruit, it was a slap in the face to God himself.

In essence, Adam was saying to God that even though God created him and even though God thoroughly provided for him and even though God demonstrated perfect love toward Adam, God was still not as wise as Adam.  Adam thought that he knew better than God.  The original sin was rooted in Adam’s selfish ambition to be like God in knowing good and evil.

Adam questioned if God really had his best interest in mind when God was holding back the knowledge of evil from him.  So… Adam took things into his own hands.  It is hard to put into words how offensive these actions must have been to God.  When Adam bit into that forbidden fruit, his actions said to God:

• I know better than You do
• I’m more wise than You are
• My plan is better than your plan
• You’re holding something back and God, I don’t trust You

The perfectly righteous, all wise, all powerful God was betrayed by a creature He had formed out of dust and that possessed such limited knowledge.  And every one of us has done the exact same thing.

Every time we decide to ignore God’s laws and do our own thing, we are, in essence, saying to God, “Your wisdom is limited and I know better than you.”  This kind of thinking caused the Fall of Man.  Adam’s actions (along with ours) put not just mankind, but all of creation into a downward spiral.

Do you want to stop the downward spiral in your own life?  Those who trust in God and rely on His perfect wisdom and don’t try to usurp God’s authority in their lives are the people who know peace.  Once again, look at James 3:17-18,“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.”

Application

Trust God’s perfect wisdom – especially during the difficult times – James 3:17-18, Job 1:20-22

I believe that if God thought that it would help my spiritual growth to have $1,000,000 in my bank account, He would put it there.  There is nothing holding God back from giving you and me any good gift.

That means that if I don’t have $1,000,000, then it must not be a good thing for me to have that kind of money.  God sometimes gives good gifts and sometimes for our good and for our spiritual growth, He’ll withhold certain things from us.

When Job was faced with the loss of his wealth and the death of his children, do you remember his response to that trial?  Job 1:20 says,

“²⁰ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”²² In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.”

God is good and He is wise.  We can trust his character even when we can’t see his plan.  God in His goodness always holds our eternal welfare in high esteem and He possesses the perfect wisdom to make the necessary changes in our lives to accomplish His good purposes for us for the rest of eternity.  We are the most favored creatures in all of creation.  Surely God will work with our best interest in mind all the time.  We can trust Him!