Study # 55
October 7, 1998
Harlingen, Texas
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Thesis: True wisdom shows up in the life of a person who demonstrates his confidence that what God says is both true and wise by obeying His instructions. Introduction: Last week we concluded our study of the first section of chapter 3 where James is dealing with the temptation to find our sense of personal value in the eyes of men. This is a very deceptive temptation in that most of us do not give much thought to where we get our sense of personal worth. Most of us simply react with feelings of pleasure when we are praised by men or with hostility and anger when we are criticized by them. Our reactions reveal where we get our sense of value. It is an insidious temptation to try to find status in religious activities, and it is worse than insidious when that attempt pushes us to seek to be the spokesman for the Truth. James spent his first 13 verses on the problem of those seeking to promote themselves as qualified to teach the Church the Truth of God with a particular focus upon the destructive impact of speech. Right words with wrong motives is highly destructive and not to be admired. This evening we are going to begin our study of the last section of chapter 3, which continues to address the issue of who ought to be teaching the church. It does this by setting forth a requirement that stands upon those who would be teachers.