Category Archives: 20 Proverbs

Sermon Series – Wisdom in Relationships (Proverbs)

In every stage of life, what we often need and frequently lack, is wisdom. Whether seeking or being married, relating to our children or relating as adults to our parents, there are potholes that rattle us. Proverbs anticipates our struggles and offers timeless wisdom, warning and instruction that find their zenith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Building Wisdom: Husband and Wife

This sermon looks at the need for faithfulness in a marriage, and the greatest example of this being Christ and the church.

Read the passages – Proverbs 6:20-35 Ephesians 5:21-33

Banking Wisdom: Parent to Child

Proverbs assumes the need to love our children through discipline, as hard as this is in practice. This sermon investigates the idea of discipline, as well as the ways that God loves us through his discipline of us as his children.

Read the passages – Proverbs 14:1-4 Hebrews 12:3-17

(Question time included after sermon)

Honouring Wisdom: Adult to Parent

This sermon looks at our struggle to heed all the wisdom our parents have to offer, often due to pride. We should honour our earthly parents naturally as we live out our faith in honouring our heavenly Father, perfectly modelled by Jesus.

Read the passages – Proverbs 23:22-25 Ephesians 6:1-3

Sermon – Wisdom Lived: Poverty and Wealth (Proverbs)

While poverty or wealth often correlates with foolishness and wisdom respectively there are other times when the wise must choose wisdom over wealth.  Wealth is fleeting, especially for the fool and hence a wise person will be generous towards those in poverty. This talk explores what Proverbs says about worldly riches.

Read the Bible texts – Proverbs 11:1-31; 2 Cor 8:1-15

Talk Outline – Wisdom Lived: Money and Wealth (Proverbs)Download

Sermon – Wisdom Lived: Friends and Mates (Proverbs)

A true friend chooses to love us, unlike family who we are stuck with.  True friendship involves choice to love at cost and should be held onto dearly.  Hence a true friend will seek our best, even if this is not easy.  Again, for this reason, Jesus proves to be the ultimate friend. This sermon explores what Proverbs says about friendship.

Read the Bible texts – Proverbs 27; John 15:1-17

Talk Outline – Wisdom Lived: Friends and Mates (Proverbs)Download

Sermon – Wisdom Lived: Speech and Words (Proverbs)

Our words have a moral status in the eyes of God.  Proverbs recognises the great power of our words to bring life or death, prosperity or poverty, wisdom or folly.

With our words we can condemn others and even ourselves.

If our words and tongue are so potent, we need God’s words to accept us, save us and protect us. This sermon looks at how.

Read the Bible text – Proverbs 1:1-7

Talk Outline – Wisdom Lived: Speech and Words (Proverbs)Download

Sermon – Wisdom Lived: Work and Play (Proverbs)

There is humility in learning from an ant. Proverbs reminds us of the consequences of laziness and yet also encourages us to enjoy the good gifts of creation.  Christ is the ultimate worker, being perfectly rich, he worked for our salvation. This Sermon explores what Proverbs says about work.

Read the Bible text – Proverbs 6:6-11

Talk Outline – Wisdom Lived: Work and Play (Proverbs)Download

Godly in Giving (Part 3 of 4)

Christians are called to be godly in giving. That could be giving in attitude, time, energy or money – all are important. Here we will focus specifically on the area of money and the way we generously and responsibly use the resources that God has put in our care.

Let me make four points from 1 Timothy 6 which may help our thinking.

First, Godly giving is not a means to financial gain.

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Suffering and Judgement (Part 5 of 6)

Suffering and Judgement

Personally, I don’t really like the idea of suffering, even for a good cause. It is a brave person who prays – ‘Lord, make me suffer so that you will get the glory!’

I wonder, what the original readers of 1 Peter might have been thinking as they contemplated all the different kinds of suffering that might lie before them. Like us, I am sure they would have been uncertain.

Peter, seems to have understood that uncertainty and offers some perspective by looking at the role judgement plays in suffering.

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The Purpose of Marriage (Part 4) – To Relate Sexually

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The purpose of marriage is more than God bringing a man and a woman together to rule – the purpose of marriage is to bring a man and a woman together to relate sexually.

Back to Genesis. Let’s look at the flesh! The women is taken from the flesh of the man (2:21), to become flesh of his flesh (2:23) and to then join together as one flesh (2:24), naked and not ashamed (2:25) – this is sexual and deeply relational.

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