Loans, Laziness, & God’s Heart | Proverbs 6:1-19
Loans (Prov 6:1-5) As I studied today’s passage, Proverbs 6:1-19, I realized it can feel a bit disjointed. Last week we looked at Proverbs 5, the second half of chapter 6, and chapter 7, all of which was about adultery. And here in chapter 6 we encounter loans, laziness, and what God hates. It feels out of place. Trying to force them into one common theme felt a bit like trying to fit a square block through a circle or…
The Wrong Path – Adultery | Proverbs 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27
Adultery may feel right but it leads to terrible consequences. Understand what’s so tempting about it, how we can avoid it, and why we can be forgiven through Jesus Christ.
The Wisdom of Discipleship | Proverbs 4:1-27
My college pastor, Andrew Davies, took an interest in my spiritual growth. He met up with me for lunch, we did a Bible study together with some other guys, he listened to my concerns and prayed for me, he lead me on a missions trip to Chinle Arizona, and he paid for my plane ticket to go to a Christian conference in Seattle. He invested in me and he mentored me. He became one of my spiritual fathers. A spiritual…
Peace That Lasts | Proverbs 3:13-35
Do you sleep well at night? No? Anxious? Worrying over something or someone? We all need peace. We need a peace that lasts. Proverbs connects wisdom with peace, but also something else… the tree of life.
A Wise Future | Proverbs 3:1-12
Last week we celebrated our high-school graduates Caleb, George, and Mackenna. When I surprised them by asking for one things we could pray for them George asked for prayer that it would all “end well.” Now we weren’t exactly sure what that meant—the end of college, the end of life? But I think he meant successfully wrap up the end of this stage of his life and smoothly transition into the next stage, college. I remember one of the things…
The Benefits of Wisdom | Proverbs 2:1-22
Have you ever had someone try to sell you something? What’s the typical pattern a salesperson uses? First, they tell you all the amazing benefits of their service or product. “Our miracle product… …will lower cholesterol…” …will help you burn fat and lose weight…” …will keep your information safe and secure…” …will give you better gas mileage…” …will make you happy and content…” And then once you’re convinced they show you the price tag… “For only four payments of $999.99…”…
Two Paths | Proverbs 1:8-33
Have you ever taken a wrong turn? In today’s world if you have a smart phone wrong turns should be less and less common. If you have Google or Apple Maps or Waze you should never miss a turn, and yet sometimes we still do. When I get to the place my GPS says to turn it’s not as clear as my phone says it should be. The off-ramps merge into two lanes going generally the same direction and you…
Why Proverbs? | Proverbs 1:1-7
If you had to choose one proverb to live your life by, what would it be? Would it be? “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Maybe you’re all about individual responsibility and high quality work. Or how about? “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That’s the golden rule, right? That seems like a pretty good proverb to live by. Or maybe you’ve heard this one? “Good things come to those who…
Rest | Matthew 11:28-30
So I think we all like the idea of rest and when we think of rest, we probably have different things that come to mind. [pics of rest] So I don’t think Jesus is talking about rest like this in our passage today. Jonathan preached a great sermon on Sabbath last year recommend to go back and listen to it. Think to yourself if you are tired in any of these ways. tired of just making ends meet, tired of…
Living Life After Jesus’ Death: Who Are You? | Colossians 1:21-23
Sermon Colossians 1:21-23 | Living Life after Jesus’ Death: Who Are You? 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is…
We Gather to Scatter | Hebrews 10:24-25
Now you might have noticed when you walked in today the camera crew taking some footage. That’s because earlier Doreen and I filmed our interviews with Chris Lake from the Vere Institute. You know Chris from when he preached on frontline ministry here at Cornerstone last November. The session we are helping Chris film is about sustaining a whole-life vision in a church over the long haul. In other words, how can we encourage and equip each other to honor…
Aging | Ecclesiastes 12:1-8
Today I’m continuing to reflect on what I’m learning at the Gordon-Conwell Ockenga Fellows retreats. Last time I talked about death and dying, but today I want to talk about aging, about growing old. Now obviously I have more years than some of you and less than others. So I’ll do the best I can to teach what the Bible has to say about aging. I’m also going to share some of what others who know better than I have…