3-12-26 What Is Following You

James 3 frames a searching question: what follows a person when they leave a room, a workplace, a home? The letter contrasts two kinds of wisdom. Earthly wisdom—marked by envy, selfish ambition and a narrow focus on self—breeds disorder and broken relationships. By contrast, wisdom from above proves itself in daily life: it shows through humility, pure motives, a love for peace, gentleness, willingness to yield, mercy, visible good deeds, impartiality, and sincerity. The text insists that true wisdom does not parade itself through credentials or prestige but through character that points back to God.

The Genesis account of the serpent’s temptation offers the origin story for earthly wisdom’s appeal: the promise of immediate power and knowledge without dependence on God. That lie still entices people to prioritize short-term advantage and reputation over long obedience and communal flourishing. James presses the practical question: do actions, habits, and speech leave peace or leave chaos in their wake?

Practical habits accompany heavenly wisdom. Regular time with God—reading Scripture, engaging in worship, and cultivating humility—purifies motives and reorients desire. Mercy and patience create space for reconciliation; peacemaking requires intentionality, patience, and repeated effort. Peacemakers do more than maintain the status quo; they actively plant and tend seeds of peace, even when that work begins with hard conversations.

The letter culminates in the reminder that peacemaking requires having peace with God first. Reconciliation with God through faith produces the inner peace that then can be offered outwardly. The gathering invited people to pursue that peace practically—through prayer ministry, personal repentance, and communal follow-up—while encouraging sustained rhythms that produce the fruit of heavenly wisdom in everyday places: family dinners, workplaces, sports practices, and small daily decisions. The call centers not on credentialed expertise but on transformed character: those who cultivate humility, hunger for righteousness, and mercy will leave peace in their wake and reap a harvest of righteousness.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Choose heaven-sent wisdom, not earth. Earthly wisdom offers immediate gain, status, and answers; heavenly wisdom reorients desire toward God and others. Choosing wisdom from above means refusing shortcuts that prioritize self and instead committing to the slow work of character—humility, mercy, and peace—so relationships grow rather than fray. That investment reshapes daily decisions and rescues communal life from the disorder envy produces. [64:30]
• 2. Wisdom shows through humble living. True wisdom proves itself less by trophies and more by the gentleness of habit. Humility isn’t self-abasement but a steady recognition of dependence on God that tempers speech, leadership, and success. Living humbly opens doors for reconciliation and prevents knowledge from becoming a ladder to pride. [55:08]
• 3. Heavenly wisdom bears peaceful fruit. Purity, a love for peace, mercy, and impartiality form a linked fruit set: one quality reinforces the others. Pursuing these marks cultivates an internal climate that resists suspicion, slander, and favoritism and instead generates trust and restoration. The visible fruit of such wisdom invites others toward God’s righteousness. [74:39]
• 4. Actively make peace; plant it. Peacemaking requires more than avoidance of conflict; it asks for intentional, sometimes costly work to create reconciliation. Planting peace means initiating hard conversations, offering mercy, and persisting through setbacks with patience and prayer. Over time those patient investments yield a harvest of right relationships. [88:46]
• 5. Peace with God precedes peacemaking. Outward peacemaking flows from an inward peace secured by reconciliation with God through Christ. Without that foundational peace, attempts at peacemaking risk mimicry or moralism rather than faithful witness. True peace within empowers sustainable mercy and courage in the work of reconciliation. [91:26]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [17:12] - Declare His Name
• [19:21] - Prayer Ministry Invitation
• [44:54] - Announcements & Next Steps Lunch
• [48:06] - James: Chapter 3 Overview
• [51:57] - What Is Following You?
• [53:09] - Read: James 3:13–18
• [64:30] - Earthly Wisdom vs Heavenly Wisdom
• [74:39] - Characteristics of Heavenly Wisdom
• [88:46] - Peacemaker, Not Peacekeeper
• [91:26] - Peace With God
• [94:53] - Closing & Invitations

Bible Reading
James 3:13-18 (ESV)
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 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. 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.

Genesis 3:1-13 (ESV)
(The serpent’s temptation of Eve, focusing on the pursuit of wisdom apart from God.)

Romans 5:1 (ESV)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Observation Questions

1. According to James 3:16-17, what specific outcomes result from earthly wisdom versus heavenly wisdom?
2. In Genesis 3:6, what three reasons does Eve give for eating the forbidden fruit? How does this connect to the sermon’s discussion of earthly wisdom’s appeal? [01:08:26]
3. The sermon describes heavenly wisdom as “gentle, willing to yield, and full of mercy.” What practical examples were given in the sermon to illustrate these traits? [01:23:50]
4. Romans 5:1 ties peace with God to justification by faith. How does the sermon connect this truth to the call for peacemaking? [01:30:56]

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Interpretation Questions

1. James 3:14-15 links envy and selfish ambition to “disorder and every evil practice.” Why might these specific attitudes lead to such destructive outcomes in relationships or communities?
2. The sermon contrasts “peacemakers” with “peacekeepers.” How does the Genesis 3 story of Adam and Eve’s blame-shifting exemplify the failure of mere peacekeeping? [01:11:18]
3. James 3:17 says heavenly wisdom is “open to reason” (or “willing to yield”). How does humility protect against the pride that often accompanies knowledge or expertise? [55:08]
4. The sermon emphasizes that peacemaking requires “costly work.” Why might true reconciliation be impossible without first having peace with God (Romans 5:1)?

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Application Questions

1. Reflect on a recent conflict or tension in your life. In what ways might envy, selfishness, or a desire for control have fueled disorder? What step could you take to sow peace instead? [01:28:46]
2. The sermon warns against prioritizing “immediate advantage” over long-term obedience. Where do you feel pressured to take shortcuts (e.g., work, parenting, relationships) that compromise Christlike character?
3. “Planting peace” might mean initiating a hard conversation this week. Is there someone you’ve avoided due to fear of conflict? How could you approach them with gentleness and humility? [01:29:09]
4. The sermon suggests habits like Scripture reading and worship to cultivate purity of heart. What specific daily rhythm could you adopt to replace “earthly” input (e.g., social media, news) with heavenly wisdom? [01:19:55]
5. Think of a person or group you struggle to show impartiality toward. How could you actively demonstrate mercy or sincerity to them this week, even in a small way? [01:27:17]
6. Peacemaking starts with repentance. Is there a situation where you need to own your contribution to conflict instead of blaming others? What would it look like to confess and seek forgiveness?