 Okay, we've started. So we were in James chapter 2, yeah, then I told how James is encouraging the believers to treat everybody equally. Now from verse 5 he says, listen my beloved brethren has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. Verse 6, but you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts. I'll go ahead and read till verse 9, verse 7. Do not, do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called. If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You shall do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. So he is talking to the people and he is telling them that the rich are blessed. They generally, like people might look at them and say, hey, they are blessed because they have everything that they need. But looking at the poor, he is making these statements and he's saying that just like the rich, even the poor are blessed by God. He says, has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith? Does it mean that only the poor can be rich in faith? No, that's not how we must interpret it because if that is the case, then God is showing partiality to the poor. But God does not have any partiality and he does not want either the rich to receive preferential treatment or the poor to receive preferential treatment. And thereby what God is saying to James is that just the rich are chosen by God to have faith. Similarly, the poor are also chosen by God to have faith. The rich are heirs of the kingdom, meaning the rich believers are the heirs of the kingdom. Even the poor believers are heirs of the kingdom. So in this manner, God has equal way of treating people and that should be the same case. And now he adds and he says, is it not, you have dishonoured the poor man with partiality, but think about the rich who oppress you and drag you into the courts. Now again, we should not be understood as how rich people are like that. No, but the oppressive rich or the rich person who is exploiting the poor person, such a one has done evil to the poor man. And so, you know, he's saying, why I may be in the in the church at that time, the poor, the rich, whether they did the right thing or the wrong thing, they were being treated well because they were rich. And James wanted to change that. And that is why he's addressing the rich person. Okay, so it's very clear, we've understood about, you know, partiality and, you know, doing the right thing. And also notice that he refers to something as a royal law, which is to love your neighbour as yourself. As Jesus also taught, which are the commandments that one should keep. Then Jesus said, okay, the main two commandments that I want to talk to you about is love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, with all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself. So, this is a key commandment, which is what even James is talking about as the royal law. If you do this, if you are motivated by love, then you will end up doing the right thing. Coming to verse 10 here. So, he says, for whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For he who said, do not commit adultery, also said, do not murder. Now, if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So, speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy, mercy triumphs over judgment. So, he is just helping them understand about the grace of God here. Now, remember I told you, section by section, thought by thought, James is instructing the believers. So, here he is talking about the law, the whole law. What is the whole law? We know that Moses gave the 10 commandments and then there were also even different laws that had to do with the way God's people need to live. So, he is covering all this and he is calling it the whole law and specifically, he points here and he says, you see, when you look at the 10 commandments, there are 10 commandments. What if you keep one and you break the other? You are still not good enough because you have not kept the whole commandment or you have not kept the whole law. So, he says that if such a thing happens, you know, why should God still continue to be gracious to us? Because you have not kept the whole law, but then God is the one who has given us mercy though we do not deserve it. Okay? Though we are not perfect, he has given us mercy and that is the way in which, you know, God has shown his grace to us. He says mercy triumphs over judgment. So, God's mercy has triumphed over his judgment. So, what comes within the mercy? Jesus Christ, his redemptive work, you know, him giving us the blessings of the cross. So, all that is the mercy. But actually, who are we? We know, you know, Romans 5-8, we know, while we were still sinners, Christ Jesus died for us. So, that is our original position. We were sinners, but thank God for his mercy. God did not say, okay, punish them, kill them or, you know, push them away into eternal darkness. No, God's mercy has saved us. So, mercy triumphs over judgment and in the same way, James wants the people also to extend grace and mercy to those who are actually needing judgment. Okay? So, yeah. So, that's the thought which is given over here. Now, coming to verse 14, from verse 14 to verse 19, there is a different thought about faith and also about works. So, what does he say here? He says, what does it profit my brethren? If someone says he has faith but does not have works, can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and one of you says to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body. What does it profit? Does also faith by itself. If it does not have works is dead, but someone will say you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God, you do well, even the demons believe and tremble. So, James is simply saying that believing is a step, but acting on the belief is how you complete your walk with God. So, taking one step of believing is very important but if you leave it at that, then faith will not be complete. It has to be accompanied by action. So, if you want to look at it this way, when we have a coin, what happens? There is something imprinted on one side and then there is something imprinted on the other side. We never see a coin on which you have only one side, which has an image. Similarly, when it comes to our faith, faith must have actions. If there is only faith, no use. Only believing doesn't help. Only actions doesn't help. There's got to be faith as well as action. So, that's why he's asking this kind of rhetorical question. He says some say, you have faith but I have works. Is that good enough? No, that's not how the kingdom of God works. So, put action to the faith. Now, let's say, if I'm believing God that I'm going to be blessed in my workplace, then I have to work hard. Without working, if I just say, I'm praying, I'm praying, I will be blessed in my work. Where is the action? If you believe that you're going to be blessed in your work, put in the work. Similarly, when we are ministering to people, if we say that, oh, this brother is struggling so much, I really care for this brother. So, I'm only going to pray. I'll only pray, pray, pray, pray. But what if God has given you something that you can use to bless that person? Let's say something as simple as you have some time and this brother is in the hospital. You can just go visit the brother there, isn't it? To show that care, to show that affection, maybe that will make a big difference in that brother's life. So, put action to the faith. Generally, we have usually after service and I'm just sharing this with you because some of you will be pastors also. After service, people will come, they'll say, okay, pastor pray for me. I don't have a job or pastor pray for me. My father is sick. Pastor pray for me. I'm struggling financially. So, one thing is we can pray for them. We can ask for the release of the gifts of the spirit, prophesy over them, ask for miracles to take place in their lives. All that's great. But always think, is there anything else I can do for this person? Maybe a visit. Okay, oh, your father is sick. Okay, let us see what we can do. You could probably send somebody from your church. If you can't go, you're very busy. You can tell one of the leaders and say, hey, can you pay a visit? Just go meet this person in the hospital and come back. You can ask this brother, is it okay? Can somebody come to the hospital if they say, yes, just take down their number and send somebody. It would be a blessing to them. Now, if somebody says, brother, it is winter time. I don't have money to buy clothes. We hear their need and we pray for them and we say, let God provide you with the clothes and send them back. But instead of just leaving it at that, what if you could do something? Maybe somebody that we know or we ourselves have some extra clothes, how about we put it in a bag and write a note, may pray for you, hope this is a blessing to you and just give them practically, give them maybe two shirts or a blanket or something. What happens? There is faith, but there is also action and that is the way we are showing that we are believers. We believe and we do. So, both have to go hand in hand. So, it's very practical. What James is saying is so practical. He's saying, come on, if you say, you're a believer, show it. So, that's the way in which we must live out our Christian life. And verse 19, he's saying it and it's sort of, it really pricks your heart. He says, you believe that there is one God, you do well, even the demons believe and tremble. So, he says, look at the demons. They also believe that there is one God. So, it's like he's saying, what is the difference between you and, you know, demons that are evil in nature? If you say you believe, even they believe, but just believing is not sufficient. Believe that acting on our faith is what is very, very crucial. Verse 20, he says, again, about faith and action, little more, he adds to it. But do you want to know, oh foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Now, he gives examples of people who were noted for their faith, but they also had action. Who are these people? Verse 21, was not Abraham, our father, justified by works, when he offered Isaac his son on the altar. Do you see that faith was working together with his works? And by works, faith was made perfect and the scripture was fulfilled, which says Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works and not by only. So, he's taking Abraham as an example and we know that Abraham is a friend of God, Abraham walked with faith, he left his place and he went where God was showing him. It takes courage, it takes faith to do things like this, but also it's not that Abraham just carried faith in his heart. His actions were in line with his faith. So, what happens? Abraham, when it comes to sacrificing his son Isaac, he says, okay God, I will do it. All in the morning he wakes up, he takes his son and he goes to the mountain to make a sacrifice. Now, just think together with me, if Abraham did not believe that his son can be raised from the dead, then why would he sacrifice? But we know that Abraham believed that God could even raise his son from the dead. And so, what was his action? When God said, okay Abraham, you go, you sacrifice your son, he was willing to go because he knew that God is capable. His faith in God was so much that he believed that God is even able to raise up Isaac from the dead. So, what was his action ready to sacrifice? So, there is an action to the faith. When God told Abraham, come, I will take you to a better land. He went, action. Imagine if Abraham just sat in his place and said, okay God, give me two confirmation, give me three confirmation, give me four confirmation. We will not have the testimonies which we have today about Abraham's journey, about Isaac being born, and about God taking them to the promised land. Somebody moved based on God's word. So, action has to accompany faith. If there is no action, then what is he saying? He's putting it bluntly. Faith without works is dead. You can't say that you have faith because where is the action? Show me. If you have faith, show me the action. So, Abraham is a good example. One more example, he's going to talk about verse 25. He says likewise, was not rehab. The harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way. Verse 26, for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. So basically he's saying, when you look at rehab, why did he choose the example of rehab? Rehab is a person who is a Gentile. She's also a woman who at the time in the Jewish culture was women were not given much priority. So, their social position was somewhat low. So, she's a Gentile first of all, and she is a woman. And then she is a sinful woman. She's a harlot or she's a prostitute. So, all these things put her in a very difficult position. And when we consider somebody like this, we might wonder, how can they be blessed? How can their lives move forward? How can God lead them into victory? But even such a person, we know that she hit the spice. When you study about Joshua sending the spice, she did an action of faith. And you know, she demonstrated her faith in the living God at that time. And that action, because of that action, the spice tell her, okay, when the walls of Jericho come crumbling down, nothing will happen to you. You and your family will be saved. So, her faith in God translated into her action of protecting the spice. And that led to God protecting her. And not just that, we later read that she comes in the genealogy of Jesus. So, God blessed her abundantly. And somebody who is so far away from God is blessed in God, in Christ, even in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. So, it just shows us what God can do when he sees faith accompanied by action. So, there is an encouragement for the believers to step out. If you have faith, show it. If you believe that God is going to, you know, anoint you, bless your ministry, take some action, do something, you know, go out, step out, and you will see the fruit manifest. Okay. So, now, let's just move on to James chapter 3 here. So, different subjects, you know, so far we have seen something to do with treating everybody equal. We have seen how faith is important, but action is also equally important. We have seen how one should be joyful in difficulties, trials, tribulations. We've seen the importance of perseverance, patience, character, hope. Okay, we've seen the source of temptation. We've talked about the wisdom that God is able to give when we ask him for wisdom. So, these are all the different subjects that James has touched upon. Now, coming to chapter 3, there are some subjects which he is going to address over here. Let's see what they are. So, starting from verse 1, he says, My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment, for we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man able also to bridle the whole body. So, he's talking about the highest standards for teachers of God's word. So, why was James talking about this? We don't know. Maybe there were people who taught the word, but did not follow the word, and that's why earlier he also talked about faith and actions. If you say you believe, show me your faith. Now, specifically to somebody who teaches God's word, he says that we will receive a stricter judgment, which means we are accountable to God and to the people to whom we minister, and God is going to hold us accountable. So, what should be the right, not just teaching, but also the way of life? Jesus taught us this in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 19. Jesus said, if anyone breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. So, two things Jesus was addressing, one is inaccurate teaching. So, when we teach false things or we don't teach the truth of God's word rightly divided, God will hold us accountable because what happens? The wrong teaching will translate into wrong application in people's lives and there are consequences to that or results outcome to what people end up doing. So, right teaching is so important. Then another thing is whoever does and teaches, so when we say that we are a teacher of the word, it's so important to first live it out, to first do it, then teach it, then it makes a difference. But without our experience of overcoming or without our experience of going through something or without our experience of living out the word of God when we teach, that's not right. So, that's what he says. So, teachers are held at a higher standard and we must maintain that in our own personal life. First practice, then preach. You would have heard that. Practice before you preach. So, teachers should have a higher standard of living right with God. Then verse 2, he says, for we all stumble in many things, if anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man. Again, you see, earlier he said, listen, listen more, you talk less, you be quick to hear and slow to speak. Now, talking about the words, there his emphasis was self-control, control the words that come out of your mouth. Again in verse 2 he says, anyone does not stumble in word. If we are able to control the tongue, control the words that come out of our mouth, he's saying, such a person is a perfect man. Perfect man. It's not that they are perfect and ready to go to heaven. That's not what it means. It simply means that this person is mature. They are mature. They know what to speak, when to speak, how to speak it. So, it's a sign of maturity to be able to control our words. And we are told that such a person is able to bridle the whole body or there is a sense of self-control. They already, they have developed themselves in self-control. No wonder they are also able to control their tongue. Now, coming to verse 3, verse 3 to verse 6, the importance of the tongue is what is spoken of here. So, verse 3 he says, indeed we put bits in horses mouths that they may obey us and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships, although they are so large and are driven by fierce wings, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest, a little fire kindles and the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire by hell. So, he is making a comparison of the tongue with bits in horses mouths. So, if you have seen horses that are trained and are controlled by horsemen, usually there is something put in their mouth which is called as a bit. So, when they kind of move it, then the horse understands what it needs to do, whether it needs to turn a certain direction or go fast. So, with that bit they control the horse. So, the movement of the horse is controlled by the bit. Similarly, for a ship, when we look at a ship, anyone who has seen even an ordinary ship, it is quite huge, but the direction of the ship is controlled by a rudder, which again is a smaller instrument as compared to the size of the ship. So, we are told that even the small things can control the entire operation of a creature or a vessel or an equipment or some process. So, you see how that small object is very important and controls everything. These days, I will just give you another small example. All of us, we have electricity in our homes and we have a main switchboard. So, maybe you have just a ground floor house or you have a first floor, second floor. Usually what happens, there is one switch, which if you switch that off, then everything, maybe all the three houses will lose their light. But it will be a very tiny switch, you just have to switch it off and it's all gone. The tongue is like that. The tongue is so small, it's a tiny member of our body, but it has an impact on the entire body, entire person. That is the understanding. So, he also says, a little fire, take a little spark of fire, it can burn up the whole forest. So, something which is little has such a huge impact and that is the tongue for you. So, about the tongue, he talks about an evil tongue and he says that verse 6 and the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity or it is sinful and evil tongue is sinful. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body. So, an evil tongue, what does it do? The entire person is defiled by the evil tongue and sets on fire the course of nature or the way things have to move in our lives. That also is affected by the words that we speak. Remember, Proverbs 1821 where we read that life and death is in the power of our tongue. So, if we want to choose life, God has made it possible for us through the words that we speak. We can choose the right words and that will produce life. But if we speak evil words, if we speak negative words, words which are not in line with what God is saying, then it is leading us in the wrong direction. So, be careful about the words of our mouth and that is what he is talking about here, coming to verse 7. He says, for every kind of beast and bird of reptile and creature of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. Isn't that amazing? In Genesis, God said, I'm creating. Man is made in my image. Once he created man, he said, okay, you go, you subdue everything. You have dominion over everything. You rule and reign, use your authority. So, what has man been able to do? Man has been able to harness. Man has been able to understand and engage with the things in the world when we look at so many plants are there. But man, through knowledge, people have named the plants. People know how to make use of whether a fruit or a leaf or something. So, there is a, you would say, able to utilize, able to utilize the benefits of plants. Similarly, when it comes to the animals, birds, you know, by God's grace, you know, God has given that ability to man that man knows how to tame or bring under control or bring under his own subjection. Even the birds, even the reptiles, even the creatures, right? So many creatures are there. The other day I saw a video in which there is a lion, okay? And the lion is tamed. It is tamed and it is playing with some of the visitors who have come to see the lion. And it's, you know, the way you have small puppies cuddling up to you, it's a huge lion. But that lion is really, you know, cuddling like a small puppy. And I was wondering, oh, how they have trained this lion that the lion does not even realize what power and what capacity it has. Okay. So that is the capacity of man that man is able to control these great creatures and even creation. When you look at so many aspects of creation, man is able to control many things. So what is the point? The point is all these great things in nature we're able to control. What about the tongue? You know, it's, after all, it's a small little number of our bodies. But man is struggling so much to control the tongue. You know, people struggle to control their anger. People struggle to control, you know, themselves from engaging in gossip. They say, oh, I can't help it. You know, it just happened. I didn't mean to do it, but I said it. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean what I said. You know, have you heard that? Why? Why didn't you mean what you said? Because there's no control on the tongue. What I want to say that I'm not saying, but everything else is coming out of my mouth. So that shows that man has not tamed the most important member of his body, which is the tongue. But out there, you know, he's controlling lions and animals and snakes and creatures and everything else. So basically James is saying, come on, you know, I'm sure we can also control the tongue. So verse eight, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly, evil, full of deadly poison. Does it mean that you can't tame it? No, that's not the point. He's saying it's very difficult. It's very difficult to train oneself in the words that come out of our mouth. In verse nine he says, with it we bless God, our God and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in the similitude of God. Isn't that so true? Even for us, as we are maturing in Christ, we know that what he's saying is very real because it's possible that we went to church and we sang all the nice praise songs and worship songs. But the moment we came out of church, we came home, you know, a rude word to a family member or an insensitive word to somebody in traffic. It's happened. It's happened to all of us. So he's saying, come on, this is the reality. We bless our God and Father and with it we curse men. In traffic, you know, all kinds of words come out of believers' mouths. So he's saying, we have to take charge of the tongue. It's a small member but tame the tongue or take control of the words that come out of our mouth. Verse 10, out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. So he's telling them, please let it be one thing. Speak the word, speak the truth, speak blessings, speak life with the tongue which God has given us and then just to encourage them again, he uses another comparison. He says, does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? No. Usually, when there is a single source, the taste of that water is a certain way. You know, here where we live, we have some sources of water and people will easily tell you, they'll say, oh, this is drinking water. This is from that river. It's so sweet. So they never have I heard people say that this water is not tasty because it's coming from the same river all these years. So there is only one way or one characteristic of the water from that source. It's good. It's clean. It's sweet, the water. So he's saying when you recognize a source and you are able to tell that there's only one kind of water that comes from there, how can it be that from the mouth, good words also come? You know, words of cursing and evil speaking, gossip, slander, all those things also come. It should not be the case. Verse 12, can a fig tree, my brethren, again, trying to help them understand, giving another example. Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives or a grapevine bear figs? No. So for that, what is the thing? Heart should be clean. Heart should be filled with the word of God. Our collusion says, we richly, richly have the word of God in your heart. Then what will come out? Word will come out. Blessings will come out. Goodness will come out. So, yeah, he says, does no spring yields both salt, water and fresh. So let it not be the case if we are saying that we have God in us, we are believers, we are filled with the word of God, let it come out of your mouth. Let it not be the other way. It's so sad, right, that believers are okay to behave differently on a Sunday and behave differently on the other days of the week. So James is addressing all these issues and he's saying, how can you? Isn't it the same thing that we have God's word in us all the time? And only that has to come out of our mouth also. So cannot mix up blessing and cursing. Should only be what is in line with God's word. Now let's move on. Verse 13, here he's talking about wisdom, okay, God's wisdom. So what we'll do is we'll read the entire section together, then it will be easy to explain. Yeah. So verse 13 to 18, I will read. He says, who is wise and understanding among you? So this is a different topic till now tongue. He talked about the tongue. Now he's talking about wisdom. Verse 13, who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly sensual demonic for where envy and self seeking exist confusion and every evil thing out there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. So again, you know, some standards of godly living. One is to have God's wisdom. And what does God's wisdom look like in the life of a believer? Very simple. He says, if there is anybody who claims to be wise and understanding, or in other words, mature, if you claim to be mature, then it should show in the behavior. So he says, let him show by good conduct. Now I cannot say that I am mature. I am mature. I am so experienced in the Lord. I am all, I'm saying it with my words, but that is not the evidence of my maturity. Where is the evidence of my maturity? Conduct, good conduct, good lifestyle, good behavior, that is what will show my maturity. So again, action, we say words are important, but show me with your actions. We say faith is there, show me with your actions. So anyone who claims to be mature, be wise and understanding must show in their conduct and works done in the meekness of wisdom. So beautiful, isn't it? So there is a word which is associated here with wisdom. What is that word? Meekness. What is meekness? Meekness is gentleness. Meekness is submission to, and of course over here we know it is submission to God. Meekness is humility. So with wisdom, we have humility which goes hand in hand. So whenever we say, okay, here is a mature individual. What are some things that we will observe? Good behavior, good conduct and also humility. Humility which is demonstrated through their lives. He says meekness of wisdom, walking with humility. Then now in contrast to that or opposite to that, he talks about maturity, humility. What is opposite? Immaturity and selfishness. Humility opposite? Being selfish or self-seeking. So he says, how does the opposite look? Verse 14, but if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. Envy will be there, selfishness will be there, self-seeking will be there. So we could even talk about doing ministry, but why are you doing ministry? Remember, we have talked about it. The motives of the heart are very, very important. I can do small things with the right motive and big things with the right motive. I can also do small things with the wrong motive. I can do big things with the wrong motive as well. So ultimately, motive is important. I can be doing good things, but what if, just I'll tell you for example, let's say I'm helping the poor people, I am running many programs where we are giving food to the poor, but then at the end of it, we take all these photos and this and that. Why? Because we want to show everybody, see, I'm doing good work. See, nobody has done. I have provided all these things. My ministry is so good. Where is the humility and wisdom in that? But ultimately, what's coming out? Self-promotion. So is it a good thing to give food to the poor, to help the poor? Yes, but what is the motivation? I want to promote myself. I want to show everybody that, hey, look at me. I'm such a generous person. I'm such a great person. I'm such a helping person, helping, you know, natured person. So it is self-seeking. It's not meekness of wisdom, but there is self-seeking and he points out other qualities here. Is this bitter envy? Maybe. Just giving an example. I'm giving food to the poor and all, okay? It's a needy time and I'm blessing the poor people, but maybe in my heart, I have bitter envy towards others and I feel who has done such a work? Nobody has done, you know, no government, no NGO, no pastor in the city or no ministry in the city has done. Let me show you. So I am, I want to be number one and I have competition, spirit of competition. So bitter envy. I'm also jealous. Oh, last time that church did good things. Now this time, let me show. I am going to do great things, but what is happening? The motivation is not correct. So this is what James is talking about. He's saying, come on, let's not be selfish because true wisdom is not going to be like this. We are calling this wisdom. Now we are calling this from God, but what is, this is from the earth. This is from the flesh. He also says demonic, which means influenced by Satan. So such things will not bring glory to God. And verse 16, he says, where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. So stay away from selfishness because then we are motivated by selfishness. What can you expect? He says, confusion will come. Evil things will come because what am I thinking? I'm thinking, how can I be popular? How can I be rich? How can I be comfortable? How can I be, you know, noted as a great person among the believers? So then what happens? I will end up doing wrong things. I will end up, you know, having a lot of confusion. Maybe I will not treat people who are working with me well. So there will be confusion. There will be all kinds of evil things, maybe stealing, speaking evil of others, so many things that, you know, you don't, you are aware of. Therefore, stay away from being self-centered, self-seeking envious instead of that. What should we do? Verse 17, he says, but the wisdom that is from above, now coming back to original, what we were saying, wisdom from heaven. What does it have? Good behavior, good conduct. It also has humility. Now few more things, let's look at few more things, which are a quality of this kind of wisdom. It is pure. Pure means, you know, God is untainted. He's holy. Even God's wisdom is like that. It's very pure. It doesn't come with anything evil in it. So, Godly wisdom is very pure. It is peaceable. Peaceable again, you know, something like meekness and humility. It's peaceable. It wants to create peace. It wants to release God's peace. It is gentle. That is, I can understand that. Willing to yield or somebody who's walking with wisdom, they will be humble. If you say, okay, brother, you have a very brilliant idea, but how about this time, we use somebody else's idea. The person with wisdom will say, that's fine. No problem. I am not going to fight and say, no, my idea is better. You have to take my idea. You know, instead, a person with true wisdom will be willing to yield or they'll say, it's fine. I submit to you. You are the people who are organizing the program. You do it, whichever way you want to do it. I just gave my idea. Doesn't matter. Anybody's idea you can take. So, you see, it's coming out in the behavior. It is willing to yield. It is full of mercy and good fruits. Okay, meaning, again, the outcome will be good, glorifying God and it will have mercy or compassion in it without partiality, without hypocrisy. You see, these are all double standards, partiality, hypocrisy, but true wisdom will not have any of this verse 18. Now, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. So, again, he emphasizes how it's important that things be done with peace and, you know, aside all selfishness, envy, bitterness, all the works of the flesh instead walk in the spirit and demonstrate what godly wisdom looks like. Okay, so with this, we come to the end of chapter 3. We have only two more chapters to go through next week and, you know, we surely can complete it well in time. All right, so let's pray and close now. I just want to request either Karnan or Prince, Prince, would you be able to lead us in prayer? Yes, Seema. Thank you, Lord. Thank you that you helped us to hear what that is very, very interesting and really in our life that is everything, there is no possibility in your work. Sometime we made a facility but give us the wisdom and knowledge so that we can use, we can serve to others and believe us, Lord. Thank you. I submit all things in your hand, the rest of the day in your hand. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much. God bless you. Okay, we'll meet next week then. Take care. Thank you.