A Word of Wisdom from Proverbs

I am way behind my in my sermon preparation for Sunday this week.

I am really looking forward to preaching in the morning. But I have not really had the time or energy or focus to spend the time in the seat that I needed to this week.

So I am in the seat today until I have finished preparing myself and my sermon for preaching.

I am going to take a detour from my study of the Sermon on the Mount tomorrow. And I am planning to preach on Proverbs 3:5-6.

This is one of those weeks when I responsibility to preach to my congregation violently collides with my need to be preached to myself! Hopefully, Proverbs 3:5-6 will minister to both me and my congregation in the morning.

Pray for me.

When You Need To Know, You'll Know

This morning, I listened to a message by Dr. Ray Pritchard, president and primary teacher of Keep Believing Ministries, on Proverbs 3:5-6 entitled, "When You Need to Know, You'll Know." And the Lord has already begun to use this message this morning to help me stop worrying about things that I have absolutely no control of. Really, all I - or any of us - have to do is fully depend on the Lord and submit to him and trust that as we walk according to his will, he will do what needs to be done.

I am admittedly biased when it comes to Ray Pritchard. The Lord has used his writing, preaching, and kindness to me to challenge my faith, encourage my ministry, and nurture my walk with the Lord. So I would freely recommend all of his work. But this particular message on one of my favorite passages just hit the spot today. And I want to share it with you.

In the message, Pritchard gives a definition of faith that he picked up somewhere from author Phil Yancey. I know I will be meditating on this thought all week: "Faith is believing in advance that which will only make sense in reverse."

Click here to listen to the entire message.

The Prayer of Agur

This past Sunday, I preached from Proverbs 30:7-9. It is a prayer of a man named Agur (Prov. 30:1) - the only prayer recorded in the book of Proverbs. The prayer of Agur is the counterpart to the prayer of Jabez (1 Chron. 4:9-10). Here is the sermon skeleton:

TITLE: “The Wise Prayer of a Weak Man”

TEXT: Proverbs 30:7-9

THEME: A prayer for a Godward life

POINT: Wise people confront their spiritual weaknesses through prayer.

Introductory points: There are several lessons we can learn from the way in which Agur prayed:

1. The manner of our prayers should honor God.
2. The focus of our prayers should honor God.
3. The content of our prayers should honor God.

TRANSITIONAL SENTENCE: We need God to remove the things that contradict a godly life and keep us from the things that corrupt a godly life.

OUTLINe:

I. The 1st thing: Remove from me the things that contradict a godly life (30:8a).

A. Agur prays against two things that contradict a godly life.

1. Deceit: falsehood
2. Dishonesty: lies

B. There are two ways that falsehood and lies hinder godliness:

1. Godliness is hindered by our own falsehood and lies.
2. Godliness is hindered by the falsehood and lies of others.

C. There is only one way to overcome falsehood and lies: The Lord must remove it far away from you.

II. The 2nd Thing: Do not give me the things that corrupt a godly life (30:8b).

A. The request:

1. Do not give me poverty.
2. Do not give me riches.

B. The reason:

1. The peril of prosperity: An abundance of provision can lead to indifference toward God (v. 9a).
2. The peril of poverty: A lack of provision can lead to irreverence toward God (v. 9b.)