“True wisdom consists in two things: knowledge of God and knowledge of Self.”
John Calvin
Passage
1James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
James 1:1–5 (NASB95)
Background
Quote- John Calvin (/ˈkælvɪn/; Middle French: Jehan Cauvin; French: Jean Calvin; 10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism, including its doctrines of predestination and of God's absolute sovereignty in the salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation. Calvinist doctrines were influenced by and elaborated upon the Augustinian and other Christian traditions. Various Congregational, Reformed and Presbyterian churches, which look to Calvin as the chief expositor of their beliefs, have spread throughout the world.
Calvin was a tireless polemicist and apologetic writer who generated much controversy. He also exchanged cordial and supportive letters with many reformers, including Philipp Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger. In addition to his seminal Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible, confessional documents, and various other theological treatises.
Passage- The book of James is a General Epistle (Apostolic Letter). James the half-brother of Jesus wrote it approximately 48-49 A.D. It was likely the first New Testament book (letter) to be written. The key personalities of this book are James and Persecuted Christians. James wrote this book to Jewish believers to encourage them to endure and live bold Christian lives. James is a book about practical Christian living that reflects a genuine faith that transforms lives. In many ways, it is similar to the OT book of Proverbs.
Opening Statement
The hand of God guides us whether we know it or not or are willing or not. Sometimes the hardships in our lives are a result of our own resistance to His guidance. Other times it is from the opposition of the adversary.
Ask: How often do we know God’s purpose when we are in the moment of difficulty?
Point: Typically, it is only in hindsight that we see God’s hand moving in our lives.
Ask: Does that mean God isn’t there if we don’t recognize His presence?
Point: No. Please read the following:
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18–20 (NASB95)
Ask: That’s the Great Commission telling us to “Do,” but is there more there?
Point: Yes. Re-read the last part of verse 20.
Ask: Who is that telling us He is with us always?
Point: Jesus.
Ask: If Jesus was with us before the storm and during the storm, is He with us in the peace after the storm?
Point: Yes. Please read the following:
25“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.
26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
27“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
John 14:25–27 (NASB95)
Ask: Why is it important to recognize both that Jesus is with us in the peace, but that He is also the author of that peace after the storm?
Point: Because the absence of His peace means we are back in the storm.
Ask: Does that mean Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit cause our hardships and difficulties?
Point: No. We get to enjoy the consequences of our actions. Please read the following:
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
9Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
Galatians 6:7–9 (NASB95)
Ask: What do we do if we decide we want to stay in the peace of Jesus?
Point: If we want to stay in His peace, we must stay in Him. Please read the following:
1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:1–2 (NASB95)
Ask: What does the idea of bearing fruit have to do with the title of the lesson, Wisdom of change?
Point: We work in God’s fields for God’s purposes. He guides us to accomplish what He wants to accomplish; not what Man wants to accomplish.
Ask: Why does that mean there is wisdom in change in my life?
Point: Because God is the vinedresser guiding us to be more abundant in the fruit we produce for His purposes. Please read the following:
36“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.
38“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
Luke 6:36–38 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
There is a time after every hardship when peace returns, or at least a pause before the next difficulty commences. In that calm we have to guard ourselves against falling back into old patterns, old ways. Every difficulty we suffer isn’t punishment or chastisement for wrong doing on our part, but we can learn something from each instance. We do that by continually consulting scripture for how Jesus would act, praying to God for guidance, and listening to the Holy Spirit with His answers. When we do that, we give ourselves the best chance to stay in the vine and grow in a way that is pleasing to the vinedresser, God.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 Look up the definition of the word “Abide.”
Question 2 Find some quiet time and read all of John 15 thinking of yourself as a branch growing off the main vine.
Question 3 Do you think of yourself as a friend to Jesus? Why/why not?
Question 4 What action, if any, does that concept suggest you should take?
Question 5 Read the Luke parable about the blind leading the blind thinking of yourself as a student of Jesus.
Question 6 Do you consider yourself to be “blind” or not seeing clearly? Why/why not?
Question 7 What action, if any, does that concept suggest you should take?
Abide in the Vine
1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
3“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
12“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
13“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
14“You are My friends if you do what I command you.
15“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
16“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
17“This I command you, that you love one another.
18“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
19“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
20“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
22“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23“He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24“If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
25“But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
26“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
27and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
John 15:1–27 (NASB95)
Given to You as You Have Given
38“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
39And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?
40“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.
41“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
42“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
43“For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.
44“For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.
45“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
46“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
47“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:
48he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
49“But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”
Luke 6:38–49 (NASB95)