Proverbs: The Golden Compass

Preached January 27, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church

Last summer, Sarah and I went to Marion, Arkansas to visit our friends Mike and Debbie Prince.  Mike gave me instructions of the phone.  At first, I thought “No problem.”  Then he kept going.  And going.  And going with the directions.  Pretty soon, I had no idea where I was going, but that’s OK.  Surely if I pretend like I know where I am going, I’ll get there eventually.  I mean, Arkansas isn’t that big of a state is it?

After driving 3 times as long as Mike told me it would take to get to his house, Sarah insisted that I call.  So I called.  Did I write the instructions down?  No.  Instead we drive around for another 20 minutes.

Sarah, irritated with me finally calls herself and writes the instructions down.  In my defense, we drove through some lovely country side and actually the housing division where the Princes live, just not the right street.

Navigating life can be an adventure to say the least.  When mariners set out to explore the vast oceans, they depended on the stars for navigation.  But with the development of the compass, they were able to navigate even when the sky was overcast or when it was too foggy to see the stars.

The Bible provides a compass for us to help us get our bearings and find the direction we need to take in life.

Proverbs 3:1-4

The father calls on his son to hold on to his teaching for two reasons: 1) They give long life and 2) They give prosperity or success in life.

The wise person will listen for these reasons.  A wise person will never stop learning and listening to the wise.  Woodrow Wilson: “I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow.”

The father then gives his son a Golden Compass in verses 5-12.  I heard Charles Stanley refer to 5-12 as a compass more than 15 years ago, and it has stuck with me ever since.

We often want to know God’s will for our lives.  We want to know what God wants us to do and his purpose for us.  We want to know his “perfect, divine” will for each and every thing we do.

God has two aspects to his will– The secret aspect that we cannot know and the revealed aspect that we can know.  God has revealed his will in Scripture.  When we are sensitive to what God has revealed to us, we will remain in the center of his will.

If you follow the four principles in 5-12, you will find yourself exactly where God wants you to be.  You do these four things, then when it comes time to make a decision, you won’t have to look for a flashing neon sign in the heavens, or wait for an angel appearing from heaven.  You will know what you ought to do.

Like the four points of a compass, here are the four principles:

1.    Trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6)

a.    If you try to figure life out on your own, you will get helplessly lost.

b.    It is the way of guidance.  We don’t always have all the answers, and we certainly don’t know everything.  But God does.  Trusting in him means getting direction from him.

c.    It is the way of humility.  To say we don’t know what to do or where to go take humility on our part.  We don’t understand, but He understands everything.

d.    It is the way of submission.  We can’t control circumstances, but God is always in control.

e.    “Lean” means to put all your faith and confidence in something.  Think of a cane or a walker that helps a person stay on his or her feet.  When we lean on our own wisdom, understanding and insight, we will fall.  When we lean on God we lean on a solid rock and will never fall.

f.    REASON:  The result of trusting in the Lord is that he makes our paths straight. In other words, he gives us direction and makes the path passable.

g.    Self-dependance is foolishness, rebellion, and ruin.  But trusting the Lord leads to wisdom, blessing, and peace.

2.    Fear the Lord (Proverbs 3:7-8)

a.    We have a humble view of ourselves.  We are not wise in our own eyes.  We don’t pretend like we have it all figured out.

i.    Abigail is learning to be independent.  “Let me do it!”  But if she can’t, she gets very angry, yet sill refuses to let us help.

ii.    Fools say, “Just let me think!  I can figure this out on my own if you will give me the time.”  The wise have a right view of themselves.

iii.    God honors and helps the one who admits he does not have the wisdom he needs and who seeks it from the Lord.

b.    The opposite of having an exalted view of ourselves is having an exalted view of God. So instead, We have a reverent view of God.
c.    When we see ourselves in a humble light, and exalt God the way he should be exalted, we will develop a hatred of evil.

Charles Bridges said: “Where God is honored, sin is hated, loathed and resisted.”

d.    When we fear the Lord and turn away from sin and evil, we are well on our way to doing what God wants us to do.

e.    REASON: The promise here is that we will have health.  It is well documented that there is a correlation between physical health and mental health.  The Bible talks about Spiritual health having a bearing on physical health as well.

i.    See Psalm 32:1-5 “…when I kept silent, my bones wasted away…”

ii.    3 John 2 (ESV)  Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

iii.    This is pretty common sense.  You avoid sinful actions and habits, you will generally be healthier.  How healthy can it be to be a drug dealer?  Or to be an embezzler?

3.    Honor the Lord (Proverbs 3:9-10)

a.    In Proverbs, money and material possessions are seen as a double edged sword.

i.    On one hand, it is a blessing to have money and possessions.

ii.    On the other hand, they can be a great curse.

b.    The key is to honor God with all we have so that our possessions do not possess us.

c.    When we honor God with our possessions, we give him the first fruits.  “We honor God when he gets the first check written after the deposit is made.  We honor God when we calculate our giving off the gross rather than the net.”

d.    Giving is an act of faith.

i.    When we give, we begin to see that it all belongs to God.

ii.    We live as stewards.  It’s not ours.  It is God’s.  We’ve simply been charged to care for it.

iii.    We start putting his kingdom first.

e.    RESULT: The Lord blesses us even more.

4.    Listen to the Lord (Proverbs 3:11-12)

a.    Discipline is not no fun, but it is a loving action, not a sign of divine displeasure.  The Lord disciplines his children!  If you are not his child, he won’t discipline you.  The goal of discipline is to get us to live God’s way.

b.    How not to react to the Lord’s discipline:

i.    Under-react– Viewing the Lord’s discipline as no big deal and not worth worrying about.

ii.    Over-reacting– Getting angry and resenting the Lord.

c.    How to react– by learning the lesson he is trying to teach us.

d.    RESULT: We realize God loves us when he disciplines us.  He is our Father.

Conclusion

When we hold all four of these principles in balance, we will find the center of God’s will for our lives.  If you do these things, you will not go wrong in life.

The Thessalonian Letters: The Gospel Changes Everything

Peached on January 27, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church.  The is the first of a series of sermons on 1 & 2 Thessalonians.

In 1964 Sam Cooke recorded A Change Is Gonna Come.  The song eventually came to symbolize the hopes and dreams of the Civil Rights movement– a change that would see all people respected and treated decently and fairly no matter what color your skin is.

Change is a common theme for many who feel disenfranchised and abused.  Change is longed for by anyone who is not happy with the way things are.

John Mayer wistfully sings Waiting on the World to Change.  It could almost be the theme song for this generation– a generation that is frustrated with what they see as injustice and a desire to make it different, but realizing they don’t have the power to do anything about it.  Their answer- wait and bide their time until they have the power and then change the world.  The song ends, “…one day our generation is gonna rule the population so we keep on waiting, waiting on the world to change…”

What will it take to change the world?

In the middle of the first century, a scruffy, weathered, rough-yet-gentle man walked into the city of Thessalonika in the region of Macedonia determined to change the world.

He wasn’t going to do it through education, economics, politics, or military might.  Not democracy or dictatorship; capitalism or communism; Marxism or Humanism.

Paul’s aim was to change the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Of all the methods, theories, and devices in the world people try to use to change the world, only the Gospel can change the world.  In fact, the Gospel Changes Everything.

Acts 17:1

●    Map– 2nd Missionary Journey.  Departed Phillipi and arrived in Thessalonica.

●    Free City in the Roman Empire that served as the capital city for the region of Macedonia.  It was known as the key to Macedonia.

○    Via Egnatia ran through it.  Best harbor for Aegean sea, a center for commerce.

●    City was full of artisans, manual laborers, sailors, orators, and business people.  But, it was not an educational or philosophical center like Athens.  More like Detroit or Pittsburgh– A blue collar town.

●    Allowed various religions to practice their faiths,They were very syncretistic. The city and its residence unified in worshiped Caesar.

Acts 17:2-4

●    Paul goes to the synagogue (Reading of OT, lesson on Jewish tradition, and prayers).  Paul as a visiting Rabbi gets to teach. From OT, he preached the Gospel.  Some were converted!

Acts 17:5-9

●    Some were not converted, and they attacked.  The believers were afraid for Paul, so they got him out of town.

Acts 17:10-15

●    Went to Berea, and does the same thing.  Thessalonian antagonizers follow and stir up more trouble. Paul heads to Athens.

●    What did Paul do and why did it cause so much trouble?

1.    Paul preached the Gospel.  What is the Gospel?  (Acts 17:3) There are three components to the Gospel message Paul preached.

a.    Jesus suffered.  He died on the cross because of our sins.  He took our punishment and the wrath of God that should have been pour out on us.  He died for us.

b.    Jesus rose.  He didn’t stay dead.  He rose three days later on Sunday Morning.  The very first Easter Day.  The resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith.  Everything hinges on it.  If Jesus did not rise, then our faith is meaningless and empty.  But Jesus rose from the dead and brings new life.

c.    Jesus is Christ.  This means he is Messiah.  Or we could say He is Savior.  He alone is the one who brings new life to us.  When we come to him by faith alone, turning away from our sin and giving up our religious efforts to make God happy with us and simply surrender to him, and giving him our whole lives, he forgives us and gives us peace with God the Father and gives us eternal life and meaning in life.

d.    Notice four facts about this Gospel.

2.    The Gospel is Reasonable. (Acts 17:2, 11)

a.    Paul reasoned from the Scriptures.  The whole Bible bears out the truth that Jesus is the savior, that he suffered and rose and alone is the Christ.

b.    The Bereans would listen to Paul and then go home and study the Scriptures for themselves to “find out if these things were so.”

c.    They were fair-minded.  If you will come to Scripture and listen to the Gospel with an open mind, and not be close minded and resistant to it, you will find that it is reasonable.  Not that it is natural and ordinary.  But as you study it you will find that it is TRUE and BELIEVABLE.

d.    Bill Maher, comedian, pundit, and atheist is co-producing a documentary this year called RELIGULOUS (Religion + Ridiculous).  Recently appearing on the Conan O’Brien Show, Maher said this:

“You can’t be a rational person six days of the week and put on a suit and make rational decisions and go to work and, on one day of the week, go to a building and think you’re drinking the blood of a 2,000-year-old space god. That doesn’t make you a person of faith…That makes you a schizophrenic.”

e.    Maher mocking Christ and Christianity though simply shows what happens when someone who is hardened and resistant to the Gospel speaks.  Maher is caricaturing the Christian faith and making it sound crazy.  But true Christian faith is nothing like Mr. Maher wants to describe it as.

f.    Yet time and time again, when atheists and agnostics who honestly look at the evidence, without an agenda or without a desire to attack, but honestly trying to discover the truth, they see the Gospel as reasonable and possible.

g.    If you have a closed mind and a hard heart, you will join the ranks of Bill Maher and the Thessalonian Jews who were not persuaded.

3.    The Gospel is Revolutionary. (Acts 17:6-8)

a.     Here is the reason Bill Maher and the Thessalonian Jews and the Roman authorities were and are so opposed to the Christian faith.

b.    The Gospel “turns the world upside down.” Because Jesus is King.  We are either allied with King Jesus or opposed to him.

c.    New way of living and new priorities in life.  That threatens those who want to rule their own lives.

4.    The Gospel is Reviled. (Acts 17:5, 13)

a.    Hated and opposed.  The truth is Bill Maher reviles Jesus Christ.     He is not more intellectual.  He just hates Jesus.

b.    The Gospel is opposed and reviled because it is exclusive.  You can’t worship self, Caesar, or anything else and worship Jesus.

c.    The true Gospel will always be hated.

5.    The Gospel is Radical.  (1 Thessalonians 1:1)

a.    Despite the animosity and hatred toward the Gospel, it is unstoppable.

b.    Despite severe persecution, the Thessalonian believers banded together and formed a church.  And as a church, they were devoted to changing the world– with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

c.    Radical new life– new walk, new community

The Gospel changes everything.  If you want your life, your home, your world to change, only the Gospel will do it because:

The Gospel of Jesus Christ changes the direction of our lives.

When we encounter the cross of Jesus, either:

We draw near to God

OR

we turn away from God.

Currently Preaching

Sunday Mornings:  The Thessalonian Letters

A  8-10 week series covering the two Epistles Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.  The focus of this series is on how the Gospel transforms our life.  The series kicks off tomorrow with The Gospel Changes Everything from Acts 17:1-15 and 1 Thessalonians 1:1.

Sunday Evenings:  Proverbs

We are studying Proverbs to learn wisdom for everyday living on Sunday Evenings.  I’ll preach 4 or 5 sermons over chapters 1-9 and then preach 6 or so sermons on various themes and topics in the book from the rest of the chapters.   Three sermons have already been preached (you can click on the PROVERBS tag in the side bar to see them).

Wednesday Evenings:  Elijah

We are examining the life of the prophet Elijah.   I’m using Charles Swindoll’s biographical study as a guide along with excellent books by Simon Robinson and Raymond Dillard.

Elijah: An Ordinary Man with an Extraordinary God

Preached on January 23, 2008 at the Wednesday Prayer Service

Introduction

Who here likes public speaking? What would you say if I told you you had to appear before the president of the US and confront him? Would you want to?

There is a great scene in the film The American President with Michael Douglas as the president and Annette Benning as a lobbyist who is opposed to some policy promoted by the President. She is in a meeting with key White House advisors and loudly arguing with them and begins insulting the president. What she doesn’t realize is the President has come in the room behind her. When she realizes the president is there, she melts in shock and embarrassment and immediately turns from a loud, bold advocate for her cause into a stammering, humbled person who cannot look the president in the eye.

It takes more than just a little courage to stand up and confront a powerful person with an unpopular message.

Yet this is exactly what Elijah did with King Ahab.

1 Kings 17:1

● Baal was the Canaanite god of weather and fertility. It was believed Baal was the source of food and water.

○ That is why he was worshiped by Ahab and Israel.

○ They were looking for prosperity.

● When Elijah confronted them, he was striking right at the heart of this pagan practice of worship.

○ God, through Elijah, was announcing that He alone, and not Baal or any other god controlled the rain and the crops.

○ God had already established the way to have prosperity. Deuteronomy 28:1-6, 15, 23-24

● Elijah specifically mentions that no dew would fall. The Jezreel valley was well watered because of the dew. This is the place Gideon was in when he laid out the fleece.

● Because of the sin and hardness by Ahab and the nation, they suffered drought for 3 ½ years.

What kind of man was Elijah? How could he do this thing?
James 5:17-18

● Elijah was a man just like us. Nothing extraordinary about him. He was pretty ordinary.

● What made him significant? He was devoted to the Lord and spent significant time with him in prayer.

● Elijah’s only qualification is that he wanted to do the Lord’s will.

● God delights in using ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

○ 1 Corinthians 1:20-27

○ You don’t have to be important, influential, or intellectual to be used by God. All you need to do is to commit your life to the Lord and seek to do his will each day.

○ You don’t have to be extraordinary, just obedient.

● James shows us the secret to Elijah’s power was prayer and a cultivated relationship with God.

● Will we be Elijahs who have cultivated such a close and personal relationship with God that when the time comes we can boldly stand up and confront the sin in our culture.

● God sent a warning to Ahab in the form of the drought. All around us there is a drought of morality, truth, and holiness. Will we be a prophetic voice in our day to call people back to the Lord?

● You don’t have to be extraordinary. Just obedient.

Proverbs: How to Get Wisdom

Preached January 20, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church

Introduction

James Wilson Marshall was born to Philip and Sarah Wilson Marshall in Hopewell, New Jersey on October 8, 1810. He was the oldest of four children, and the only male.
When Philip Marshall died from diabetes in 1834, James left New Jersey and headed west. After spending time in Indiana and Illinois, he settled in Missouri in 1844, and began farming along the Missouri River. It was there that he contracted malaria, a common affliction in the area. On the advice of his doctor, Marshall left Missouri in the hopes of improving his health. He joined an emigrant train heading west to Oregon but eventually settled at Sutter’s Fort, California.
It was here Marshall met John Sutter, the founder of Sutter’s Fort, an agricultural settlement. Sutter hired Marshall to assist with work around the fort (carpentry, primarily). He fought in the Mexican–American War in May 1846. Marshall volunteered and served under Captain John C. Frémont’s California Battalion during the Bear Flag Revolt. When he left the battalion and returned home in early 1847.
Marshall soon entered into a partnership with Sutter for the construction of a sawmill. Marshall was to oversee the construction and operation of the mill, and would in return receive a portion of the lumber. After scouting nearby areas for a suitable location, he eventually decided upon Coloma, located roughly 40 miles upstream of Sutter’s Fort. He proposed his plan to Sutter, and construction began in late August.
Construction continued into January 1848.  On the morning of January 24], Marshall was examining the channel below the mill when he noticed some shiny flecks in the channel bed.
The California Gold Rush began.  In 1849, 90,000 treasure hunters arrived in California.  Eventually, that number would swell to 300,000 souls longing for a new and better life.   The rough and rugged, danger filled lifestyle of prospecting was alluring to many who longed for a way to get ahead in the world.

What would you do for a prospective treasure?  One thing more precious, more valuable than gold is wisdom.  What are you willing to go to get wisdom?

1.    Gaining Wisdom must be a priority.  (Proverbs 2:1-5)

a.    You must be receptive to gaining wisdom.  (1)

i.    You must have a teachable spirit.  One reason many are not wise is they think they know it all.

b.    You must value (treasure) wisdom.  (1)

i.    We need to search for wisdom like we search for treasure.

c.    You must listen for wisdom.  (2)

i.    Passive listening is not enough either.  A wise learner leans close in to hear and pays attention.

ii.    Listen to those who are wise!

d.    You must ask for wisdom. (3)

i.    The word here implies a loud, insistent plea for help.

ii.    Luke 18:2-7 (ESV)– Parable of persistent widow.

iii.    Like the woman in the parable, we need to keep on asking for wisdom until we get it.

iv.    We must ask God for wisdom.

e.    You must search for wisdom.  (4)

i.    People go to incredible lengths to find treasure.  The search for wisdom demands even more tenacity.

ii.    Where do we search?  Scripture.  We need to search the Scriptures to find wisdom.

Charles Bridges: “To read instead of searching the Scriptures is to just skim the surface and collect a few superficial ideas.  The secret of success in finding hidden treasure is to dig the entire field.  If we do not find anything, we must dig again.  We need to daily search the length and breadth and depth of our fruitful storehouse until we are filled with God’s fullness.
“This habit of living in the element of Scripture is invaluable.  To be filled from this divine treasury, to have large sections of the Word passing through out mind, enables us to grasp it more firmly and apply it to our lives.  To benefit fully from this we must feed on our own.  We may read the Scriptures with other people, but in order to search the Scriptures, we must be alone with God.”                               (Proverbs, Crossway, p. 22)

f.    Wisdom is something we must strive for.  It doesn’t just fall into our laps.

g.    Those who really want wisdom will find it because…

2.    Wisdom is a gift from God. (Proverbs 2:6-8)

a.    Paradox– Wisdom is something we vigorously strive for, yet it remains a gift from God.

b.    Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV)  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  [8] For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  [9] Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  [11] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 

c.    God is the source of all wisdom. (V. 6)

i.    Want wisdom– must know God.

ii.    Don’t know God– can’t have wisdom.

d.    God gives it to his saints (comes from the Heb hesed– those who are loyally faithful to God).

i.    Those who are upright.

ii.    Those who walk in integrity.

iii.    Those who are just.

3.    Wisdom keeps us from sin and the influence of sinners which in turn multiplies wisdom. (Proverbs 2:9-22)

a.    Wisdom gives us understanding of the right path to take in life (v. 9).

i.    Wisdom may not necessarily make sense at first.  It may go against natural instincts.

ii.    Yet verse 10 tells us that wisdom is really pleasant.  Wisdom is an acquired taste.

b.    Wisdom helps us recognize those who influence us to sin.

i.    The wicked man (12-15)

ii.    The adulterous woman (16-19)

iii.    Sometimes, wisdom may not tell you what to do, but it will tell you what not to do, and who not to be around.

c.    Wisdom establishes us in righteousness. (20-22)

i.    The more wisdom you have the more you will get.

ii.    Luke 8:18 (ESV) Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Conclusion–   Listen to how this chapter began–  Receive, treasure up, make your ear attentive, incline your heart, call out, raise your voice, seek, search!  There is an earnestness here.  We have a duty to seek wisdom.  But ultimately it is a gift from God.  So pursue wisdom with all the life and vitality you have.  And then thank God for it.

The Curse of Ichabod

Preached on January 20, 2008

Baby Dedication Sunday

1 Samuel 2:12-17

1. V. 12– Eli’s sons are called corrupt.

a. Heb– BELIAL= Worthless.

b. A person so wicked and corrupt, he is a detriment to society. Their activities quickly destroy the moral fiber of society. They turn people away from God. A corrupt (worthless) person is so wicked that he is of no positive value to society, but instead furthers corruption wherever he goes.

2. Why were Hophni and Phinehas corrupt? They did not know the Lord!

a. Their father was a priest! They were priests!

b. Godly parentage and involvement in religious things does not guarantee a child will know God. There must be something more.

3. VV. 13-17 tells us that they were so wicked they profaned the Lord’s sacrifices.

a. Eli’s sons sin in a the way they handle the sacrifices, the very thing that was to atone for sin!

b. They take more of the meat than they were supposed to.

c. The pick over the meat, taking the very best for themselves instead of offering it up to the Lord.

d. They do not prepare the sacrifices properly.

e. When the people object to they way they are corrupting the sacrifices, they bully them!

1 Samuel 2:22-25

1. V. 22– Eli knew what his sons were doing.

2. But it was not until the rumor mill started running that he said something to them. He “talked” to them.

3. V. 25– But his sons did not respect him. It was too late.

4. Eli waited too long to deal with sin in the lives of his sons.

5. At this point though, a stern lecture was not the appropriate course of action. The discipline should have been more swift and severe. Certainly they should have been removed as priests. Yet Eli does not properly discipline his sons.

6. V. 25b – Hophni and Phinehas had sinned away their “day of grace.” When we continually choose sinful attitudes and actions, we gradually become hardened and turn away from God. And God will bring judgment.

1 Samuel 2:27-36

1. The Lord sends a messenger to Eli. Because Eli did not faithfully discharge his duty as a parent and as a priest, judgment was coming.

2. Verse 29– Here is the problem. Eli honored his sons more than he honored the Lord.

a. Jesus taught us this in Luke 14:26 (NKJV) If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

b. God must be first. Everything and everyone else must be a distant second.

c. This is not to say we abandon family. 1 Tim. 5:8 (NKJV) But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

d. But if we put our family before God, we are actually hurting them. Eli is an example of this!

3. Verse 30 is a key principle. Those who honor God will be honored by God. Those who despise God will be despised.

4. Because Eli, Hophni and Phinehas rejected God, God rejected them.

a. By virtue of ignoring their sins, Eli condoned the sins of Hophni and Phinehas.

b. Anytime we condone and accept sin, we reject God.

1 Samuel 4:1-18

1. When the Philistines defeated Israel, they were desperate. They got the Ark of the Covenant and used it like a talisman– a good luck charm– so they could win the battle.

a. The Ark symbolized God’s presence with the people.

b. By bringing the Ark to the battle, the people thought they could manipulate God into doing what they wanted him to do.

c. ILL– people having a Bible, crucifix, or prayer cloth as a “good luck charm.”

d. But God is not a tool for us to use. He will not be manipulated by us. The mere physical presence of the Ark would not compel the Lord to give victory.

e. Another 30,000 soldiers fell. Hophni and Phinehas die.

2. Eli gets word of the battle, the death of his sons, and the capture of the Ark.

a. He falls out of his chair. Possible heart attack or stroke, falls on his neck, and dies.

b. Eli judged the people 40 years. At times he faithfully served God, but many other times, he didn’t measure up.

1 Samuel 4:19-22

1. Phinehas’ wife at that moment goes into child-birth and as a result dies.

a. Hearing that the Ark is captured, she grieves and names her child Ichabod. Ichabod means “NO GLORY.”

b. She realizes the Glory of God has departed from the nation.

c. A wicked people wanted to live life without God and outside of God’s will. And so he let them.

2. This is the darkest day if Israel’s history since the twelve spies and Kadesh Barnea.

3. V. 22– “The glory has departed” means literally “The Glory has gone into exile.” It is a reminder of slavery in Egypt and a harbinger of coming judgment in the future.

Application

1. Honoring God is our most important attitude and action.

2. Parents have the duty to instill respect for God in the lives of their children.

a. We can’t control them. Some children are rebellious.

b. But if we do not make Honoring God the #1 priority, we will certainly fail.

3. The curse of Ichabod is life without God’s Presence.

a. Hophni and Phinehas warn us it is possible to handle the things of God regularly and fail to have a heart sensitive to God’s will.

b. Religion won’t cut it. The Pharisees had religion in spades, yet they missed Jesus.

c. True reverence and honor for God is what is necessary. When we do not honor God, our lives are Ichabod– the glory of God has departed.

d. Many homes have Ichabod written over them.

4. Honor God above everyone and everything else.

Naming the Blog

The address for the blog (1corinthians123.wordpress.com) and the name of the blog (Preaching Christ) are from 1 Corinthians 1:23.

But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks.

Verse 24 shouldn’t be missed though.

But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

My prayer for this blog is that God’s Word will be accurately explained, Jesus Christ will be exalted, and people will be drawn to the Lord in faith and trust.

Proverbs: This is Wisdom (Proverbs 1:1-7)

Proverbs: This Is Wisdom
Proverbs 1:1-7 (preached at LMBC on January 6, 2008)

An angel appears at a faculty meeting and tells the dean that in return for his unselfish and exemplary behavior, the Lord will reward him with his choice of infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty. Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.
“Done!” says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers, “Say something.”
The dean looks at them and says, “I should have taken the money.”
Solomon would disagree. The Lord appeared to him in a dream and offered him anything he wanted. He chose wisdom. The Lord blessed and gave him much more in addition to wisdom.
We live in a day where wisdom is desperately needed– School boards, insurance companies, congress, our own homes all need wisdom.

Haddon Robinson wrote:
“In our society wise men are easily confused with wise guys. We give high marks to knowledge, but low marks to wisdom.
If knowledge could save us, we would have more than we could handle. Since 1955 knowledge has doubled every five years; libraries groan with the weight of new books. New systems must be devised to store what old systems no longer have room for. In fact, our generation possesses more data about the universe and human personality than all pervious generations put together. High school graduates today have been exposed to more information about the world than Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, or Benjamin Franklin. In terms of facts alone, neither Moses nor Paul could pass a college entrance exam today.
Yet by everyone’s standards, even with all our knowledge, the world is a mess. Brilliant scientific thinking has produced machines and weapons that threaten to blow us off the planet.
With all our knowledge, society today is people with a bumper crop of brilliant failures… Men and women educated to earn a living often don’t know anything about handling life itself. Alumni from noted universities have mastered information about a narrow slice of life but couldn’t make it out of the first grade when it comes to living successfully with family and friends.
Let’s face it. Knowledge is not enough to meet life’s problems. We need wisdom, the ability to handle life with skill.”

The source of wisdom is God. And he has not kept it to himself. He has given us wisdom and shares it throughout Scirpture. One OT book devoted to wisdom is Proverbs.
Proverbs 1:1-7

I. The Title of the Book – v. 1
A. Ascribed to Solomon (1:1; 10:1; 25:1)
1. Bulk of work came from him. He may have even complied most of it.
2. Other contributors (Agur– 30:1 and Lemuel 31:1)
3. Some material may have come from other sources.
4. 25:1– Men of Hezekiah complied parts of the book. It was edited and put together in its present form for us.
B. It is a book of PROVERBS.
1. Proverbs (MASHAL) means comparison; suggests idea of likeness.
2. A proverb is an object lesson based on or using some comparison or analogy. (ie– 6:6 “Go to the ant you sluggard.”)
3. More generally though– Proverbs are ethical teachings

II. The Invitation of the Book – Verses 4, 5
A. Increase in learning and obtain guidance.
B. “By this book, one can learn the principles that determine success or failure in the major arenas of human activity– including business, personal relationships, family life, and community life.”
C. Picture in proverbs of 2 women preparing a banquet and inviting us to come and dine:
1. Lady wisdom
2. Dame Folly
D. Who needs this book?
1. V. 4– The Simple– one who is naive, gullible and easily enticed and falls into traps.
2. V. 4– The Youth– Those who have little experience
3. V. 5– The wise and the one who understands– those with discernment. You can’t have too much wisdom.
4. You don’t need to be listed in “Who’s who” to know “what’s what.”

III. The Purpose of the Book – vv. 2, 3, 4, 6
A. V. 2– to give moral skill and mental discernment
B. V. 3– KEY VERSE as to purpose
1. Righteousness– RIGHT– “Conformity to the standard.” – What is right according to God’s standard. ILL– Weights and measures
2. Justice– Just– Legal term for Making judgments and decision. Making the right ones
3. Equity– FAIR– well pleasing and acceptable to all
4. Wise dealing and wise living comes from doing what is right and just and fair.
C. V 4– prudence– shrewdness. Ability to make workable plans
D. V 6– Mental comprehension
E. So the purpose is to instruct those who need wisdom and equip them for wise living.
1. Wisdom is practical– common sense to deal with daily problems.
2. Wisdom is intellectual– implied by “understanding” and “knowledge.” Grow mentally.
3. Wisdom is moral– How we should live.
4. Wisdom is a way to understand the mysteries of life. Seeks to resolve or adjust to the ambiguities of life. It seeks the reality behind the appearances. ILL– People saying “I just don’t understand…”

IV. The Foundation of the Book – v. 7
A. Reverential fear of the Lord is the prerequisite of knowledge.
B. It is the controlling principle. It puts everything together. ILL– TV without bunny ears– Fuzzy reception
C. Fear of the Lord is neither a trembling dread that paralyzes action nor is it a mere polite reverence.
D. It is reverential submission to the Lord’s will and thus characterizes a true worshipper.
E. For those who fear the Lord, it is important to realize you will be surrounded by those going the opposite direction (FOOLS).
F. In fact, fools will invite and encourage you to join them.

Conclusion
Proverbs deals extensively with daily life, it reminds us that EVERYTHING falls under our relationship with God.

Proverbs: This is Wisdom (Proverbs 1:1-7)

Preached January 6, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church

An angel appears at a faculty meeting and tells the dean that in return for his unselfish and exemplary behavior, the Lord will reward him with his choice of infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty. Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.
“Done!” says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers, “Say something.”
The dean looks at them and says, “I should have taken the money.”
Solomon would disagree.  The Lord appeared to him in a dream and offered him anything he wanted.  He chose wisdom.  The Lord blessed and gave him much more in addition to wisdom.
We live in a day where wisdom is desperately needed– School boards, insurance companies, congress, our own homes all need wisdom.

Haddon Robinson wrote:
“In our society wise men are easily confused with wise guys.  We give high marks to knowledge, but low marks to wisdom.
If knowledge could save us, we would have more than we could handle.  Since 1955 knowledge has doubled every five years; libraries groan with the weight of new books.  New systems must be devised to store what old systems no longer have room for.  In fact, our generation possesses more data about the universe and human personality than all pervious generations put together.  High school graduates today have been exposed to more information about the world than Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, or Benjamin Franklin.  In terms of facts alone, neither Moses nor Paul could pass a college entrance exam today.
Yet by everyone’s standards, even with all our knowledge, the world is a mess.  Brilliant scientific thinking has produced machines and weapons that threaten to blow us off the planet.
With all our knowledge, society today is people with a bumper crop of brilliant failures… Men and women educated to earn a living often don’t know anything about handling life itself.  Alumni from noted universities have mastered information about a narrow slice of life but couldn’t make it out of the first grade when it comes to living successfully with family and friends.
Let’s face it.  Knowledge is not enough to meet life’s problems.  We need wisdom, the ability to handle life with skill.”

The source of wisdom is God.  And he has not kept it to himself.  He has given us wisdom and shares it throughout Scirpture.  One OT book devoted to wisdom is Proverbs.

Proverbs 1:1-7

I.    The Title of the Book – v. 1
A.    Ascribed to Solomon (1:1; 10:1; 25:1)
1.    Bulk of work came from him.  He may have even complied most of it.
2.    Other contributors (Agur– 30:1 and Lemuel 31:1)
3.    Some material may have come from other sources.
4.    25:1– Men of Hezekiah complied parts of the book.  It was edited and put together in its present form for us.
B.    It is a book of PROVERBS.
1.    Proverbs (MASHAL) means comparison; suggests idea of likeness.
2.    A proverb is an object lesson based on or using some comparison or analogy.  (ie– 6:6 “Go to the ant you sluggard.”)
3.    More generally though– Proverbs are ethical teachings

II.    The Invitation of the Book – Verses 4, 5
A.    Increase in learning and obtain guidance.
B.    “By this book, one can learn the principles that determine success or failure in the major arenas of human activity– including business, personal relationships, family life, and community life.”
C.    Picture in proverbs of 2 women preparing a banquet and inviting us to come and dine:
1.    Lady wisdom
2.    Dame Folly
D.    Who needs this book?
1.    V. 4– The Simple– one who is naive, gullible and easily enticed and falls into traps.
2.    V. 4– The Youth– Those who have little experience
3.    V. 5– The wise and the one who understands– those with discernment.  You can’t have too much wisdom.
4.    You don’t need to be listed in “Who’s who” to know “what’s what.”

III.    The Purpose of the Book – vv. 2, 3, 4, 6
A.    V. 2– to give moral skill and mental discernment
B.    V. 3– KEY VERSE as to purpose
1.    Righteousness– RIGHT– “Conformity to the standard.” – What is right according to God’s standard.  ILL– Weights and measures
2.    Justice– Just– Legal term for Making judgments and decision. Making the right ones
3.    Equity– FAIR– well pleasing and acceptable to all
4.    Wise dealing and wise living comes from doing what is right and just and fair.
C.    V 4– prudence– shrewdness.  Ability to make workable plans
D.    V 6– Mental comprehension
E.    So the purpose is to instruct those who need wisdom and equip them for wise living.
1.    Wisdom is practical– common sense to deal with daily problems.
2.    Wisdom is intellectual– implied by “understanding” and “knowledge.”  Grow mentally.
3.    Wisdom is moral– How we should live.
4.    Wisdom is a way to understand the mysteries of life.  Seeks to resolve or adjust to the ambiguities of life.  It seeks the reality behind the appearances.  ILL– People saying “I just don’t understand…”

IV.    The Foundation of the Book  – v. 7
A.    Reverential fear of the Lord is the prerequisite of knowledge.
B.    It is the controlling principle.  It puts everything together. ILL– TV without bunny ears– Fuzzy reception
C.    Fear of the Lord is neither a trembling dread that paralyzes action nor is it a mere polite reverence.
D.    It is reverential submission to the Lord’s will and thus characterizes a true worshipper.
E.    For those who fear the Lord, it is important to realize you will be surrounded by those going the opposite direction (FOOLS).
F.    In fact, fools will invite and encourage you to join them.

Conclusion
Proverbs deals extensively with daily life, it reminds us that EVERYTHING falls under our relationship with God.

Proverbs: Who’s Influencing You? (Proverbs 1:8-33)

Preached at LMBC on January 13, 2008

Introduction
Temptation is often portrayed as an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil sitting on the other shoulder whispering in your ears trying to convince you to follow their competing advice.
In a secular culture, the angel’s way is always dull, boring, and uninteresting.
The devil’s way is fun, enjoyable, and beneficial.
But it is not cute when we succumb to the allure of wickedness and folly.
There are always competing voices, competing values, competing approaches to life that are vying for your allegiance.  If we want to make it through life, we need to listen to the right voices.
1.    The Reward for Receiving Instruction
1:8-9, 20-23, 33
a.    Godly influence
i.    Father and Mother– parents
(1)    Idealized parents (perfect parents)
(2)    Godly parents
ii.    Lady Wisdom
(1)    Wisdom is offered to everyone!
iii.    “The Teacher”– context of book, court teacher or discipler
b.    The responsibility of the child/ student is to hear instruction, hold on to the teaching, and heed wisdom.
i.    The gift of wisdom is a precious treasure.
ii.    Don’t abandon it.
c.    When you hear, hold, and heed wisdom, you will receive great reward.
i.    V. 9– Garland and pendants
(1)    Garland– worn by victorious general.  Symbol of victory in life.
(2)    Pendants– worn by kings.  Symbol of power
(3)    Also these are beautiful decorations that add value or celebrate the value of the person wearing them.
ii.    V. 33– All who cling to wisdom dwell secure and are at ease.  They are safe and sound.
d.    When we receive instruction, teaching, and wisdom, we gain the ability to make the right choices that result in a blessed, prosperous and secure life.

2.    The Result of Following Sinners
1:10-19
a.    Who are the “sinners?”
All are sinners. In this context, though, sinners refers to those who make sin their habit and lifestyle.
b.    Their enticement
Entice is derived from the Hebrew word for “Simple.”  They give a very simple and attractive offer for those who will listen to them.  Throw your lot in with us and experience the good life.
Namely, they entice others to assault other people unexpectedly.
Think of a street gang.
c.    Their Methods
i.    They make it sound easy.  (V. 11)
ii.    They make it very exciting.  (V. 12)
iii.    They offer power. (V. 12)– Power over others
iv.    They promise easy money (v. 13)
v.    They offer a sense of belonging (v. 14)
d.    Power, wealthy, acceptance, excitement– all can be yours very easily if you will just join in with us!
e.    The Consequences of joining with them (16-19)
i.    You go further than you intended. (Mugging to murder)
ii.    It is ultimately self-destructive (17-18)
iii.    You will be ultimately caught and exposed (18)
iv.    Ultimately lose everything (19)

3.    The Real Choice you have to make
a.    Will you listen to wisdom or embrace foolishness?
b.    Vv. 20-23– Wisdom calls!  It is available to all.
i.    If you are simple, you can become wise.
ii.    A scoffer is one who mocks wisdom.  But the scoffer can repent.
iii.    The fool is one who has rejected knowledge and wisdom.
iv.    Wisdom comes and asks “How long will you persist in this way?”  Choose wisdom!
c.    The wrong course in life may be prosperous for a time.  But eventually calaminty comes.  Then what are the consequences?
i.    V. 24-25… because, because, because
ii.    Wisdom will laugh.
iii.    V. 28– Wisdom will not answer.  It is unavailable!
iv.    V. 31 – You will reap what you sow.
v.    V. 32– You bring destruction on yourself!
d.    So what should you do?
i.    V. 33– Listen to wisdom NOW!
ii.    Pursue wisdom.
iii.    Turn your back on those who will lead you to destruction!

Conclusion
Passage set up as a teenagers being seduced by a street gang.
Application is that we are all influenced by those who would lead us away from The Lord’s will and way.
It is not just teens that struggle in this area.  Adults do as well.
How can we know what the wise choice is?
For those who are wise, it is evident.  For the simple, the question is more complicated.  Ultimately, we know truth as revealed in Scripture and in Jesus Christ.  The more you know Jesus and the Bible, the more you will be able to discern right from wrong.
What do the 10 Commandments say?
What are the “one another” commands?
What are the “all things” Jesus taught us?
The as we continue in Proverbs, we will be exposed to more wisdom, instruction, and teaching for life.  But for now, we are warned not to listen to the wrong