Two Kinds of Wisdom-

              James 3:15-17 Mark 8:34-; 2 Cor. 4

We could speak of two kinds of: knowledge, of faith, of love, of life. Natural v. spiritual. etc…

We could note the two’s in the Bible: two sexes, two eternal destinations, kinds of people: wise and fools.  Pvb 29; two families of men: of God and of Satan. Two divisions of men: carnal and spiritual. Gala 5- Flesh v. spirit. Two ultimate states of being: childhood, adulthood: “When I was a child…” Note two races: one after the 1^st Adam, those after the 2^nd Adam. (1 Cor 15) Also: two categories at the Judgment of Nations: Sheep and goats, tares and wheat. Two economic classes: rich v. poor. Two kinds of wealth: true wealth and false wealth. Note: two religions today: those that say DO and those that say DONE.  

This is not presented to be pretentious, nor rhetorical. BUT: as a gauge- where are you – what do you want to be. Awake to this. Be aware of where you are- and move to a better, direction. This is not to be and exercise in semantics nor homiletics, but reality. Shake ourselves within. Up or down, LIFE and DEATH, wisdom and foolishness, sorrow and joy, love and hate.  We choose what we get in life. We REAP what we plant. We can make ourselves a friend of God or an enemy of GOD. Recall what the glorified Jesus said in Revelation 3 – I wish ye were hot or cold. But they chose a middle ground. Men always seem to try this. Refusing to yield to righteousness we create a strange world of a mix of elements.

Oil and water don’t mix but I recall an old car that had this weird foam in it - in the oil pan- on the dip stick- it wasn’t supposed to be. So there is heaven or hell but man has carved out a strange world- in which much is not right. It’s not a hybrid- it’s a monster! This present world- with its passions and its contradictions, its paradoxes, its oxymoron’s. I see it as a gray zone. 1 John 4 – don’t love it! Leave it. You may be in it- but it don’t have to be in you! This present faulty, failing world.

Two Kingdoms: of Earth, and from Heaven. Two Ages - the present world and the age to come.

Two citizenships- of Earth, of heaven.

Two are better than one- they have a great reward for their labor, when one slips- the other will lift him up- woe unto the one who is alone when they fall. One can put 1,000 to flight, two can put 10,000 to flight.

If two of you agree on Earth as touching --- Where two or three are- in my name there am I in the midst- to make good the covenant. To confirm the WORD in the presence of real FAITH.

Paul talked about two contrasting things: SEEN and UNSEEN, temporal and eternal. Visible and invisible.  Jesus spoke about FAITH and DOUBT. FAITH v. FEAR. FAITH v. UNBELIEF.

We all know the flesh real has its lusts. One day I read how that the spirit (human spirit) has desires, passions, its own lusts. My spirit longs for desires God’s kind of LIFE! (Gala 5) Divine life and love to flow out of me!

This is the love 1 John talks about. Divine, New Creation Love. An out-flow of the New Creation being!

TWO KINDS OF WISDOM: from above and from below. Check out yourself, not someone else! 2 Cor 13: 5.  Also 1 Cor 2:13; 1 Cor 3:19. I want you to see that there is wisdom from above and wisdom that is more natural-based. That which comes to the scientist, or professor. By observation. Then I think of where it says- if a man will be wise let him… become a fool…  

But also consider this: there is book learning and then there is wisdom that comes from life experience. Knowledge is information, wisdom is knowledge is properly applied. The Bible presents the way to true wisdom. The way up is the way down / humility precedes honor. But you may be weary of information thrown at you like a fish in Pikes Marketplace in Seattle. Or a nice NW rain that never ends, let us move forward.  We are all subject to influence of these two kinds of things:

Earthly wisdom vs. Heavenly Wisdom. In the world ye shall have tribulation, temptation common to all men… etc..

This is information, this can be illumination, this hopes to be instruction.  The contrast:

Worldly Wisdom:                                          Wisdom from above:

Untamed tongue                                             Tongue that is spirit led

Bitter envying and strife                                 Pure, peaceable, gentle

Confusion, every evil work                             Easy to be entreated, full of mercy, good fruits

Earthly, sensual, devilish                                Without partiality, without hypocrisy

James speaks to carnal believers, with numerous warnings throughout. It’s clear from the letter itself.

Paul speaks to men in a similar manner, yet emphasizes the New Creation.

James 1 – things from above, from the Father. James 4- what is hindering answers to prayers.

Sometimes the problem is not the apparent problem.

Seeing behind the scenes reveals the core root problem.

Sometimes we need a root-cause analysis.

What is the core problem here?

Last week a certain prayer need went forth. I seemed to hear within- those two parents of that child hold a legal key to that child’s healing. This fact cannot be dismissed.

In this New Covenant we hold a vital responsibility in this Earth. If we are given  power of attorney to use that NAME in the Earth, then we cannot blame GOD for certain outcomes.

We are co-laborers together with the LORD. He that is joined to the LORD is ONE SPIRIT.

Do you keep vocalizing how empty, alone, powerless you are? How defeated you are? I came to Church to hear everyone discussing how sick folks were. I went to a Bible Study where they spent a great amount of time, sympathizing about the same… people, not a WORD about God’s ability IN US. What’s going on? Are we orphaned children with no covenant? No promise? No GOD? Is there no a balm in Gilead?

Is there no physician there?