Monday, January 05, 2004
PREACHING THROUGH PROVERBS
In my church, I have begun a series of sermons from the book of Proverbs. It is good to be preaching a book of the Bible again, rather than just topical stuff. There is nothing wrong with topical preaching but my history in the pulpit is that I do my best preparations and presentations of the Word when I am preaching expository. I think people are better fed and I avoid over-emphasizing my favorite topics or my pet peeves. And given time, the whole counsel of God is presented.
These “Pearls from Proverbs” are exciting. It is like opening a huge Pirate’s Treasure Chest filled with valuables. In our study we aren’t going to go verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter. Rather I have chosen to study these Proverbs by the themes they cover.
We will get to study God’s principles regarding wisdom; vice; sexual morality (and immorality); patience; giving and receiving; the right and wrong use of our words; criticism—both how to give it and how to receive it.
We’ll study God’s teaching regarding our relation to the community in which we live—what is our responsibility? We’ll study alcoholism, suicide and the fear of death.
One of the most challenging themes for me will be to undertake the study and presentation of what God says about our internal attitudes, such as hatred, anger, and pride. Ouch! That last one hurts because it is one of my biggest downfalls—all the time!
We will talk about how to be a good parent, a good son or daughter, a considerate neighbor, a responsible worker.
Even though Solomon, who wrote most of the Proverbs, is called, “The wisest man who ever lived”, he will not be our main focus during this series. As we study the Proverbs, we’ll keep one eye on Solomon and one eye on Christ. What Solomon only talked about, Jesus lived. So our study of Proverbs should not be an end in itself. Any study of Scripture fails if it doesn’t lead us eventually to Jesus.
The abundant life is not found in a book; it is found in the One who is both the Author and the subject of the Book – Jesus.
So I am praying to grow spiritually by the study of these “Pearls From Proverbs”. And of course I also pray that those who hear and study with me will grow. It may seem selfish, but I want to grow to exhibit more Christ-like attitudes and behavior.
Jim
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