Category Archives: Bible

Wisdom

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The Book of Proverbs continuously reminds us of the value of wisdom.  For example:

My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. – Proverbs 2:1-5 (NLT)

One awful tendency I’ve noticed in myself, however, is that when I pray for wisdom, I often begin to doubt whether the Lord is really hearing that prayer.  James offers a straightforward cure for this malady: “Stop doubting.”

If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do. – James 1:5-8 (NLT)

The application of wisdom requires confidence – confidence that we really know what we’re supposed to do, confidence that gives us a settled state of mind, confidence that leads to action when action is needed.  This is not self-confidence, but the certainty that God loves us, lovingly leads us, and graciously gives us the wisdom that we need.

The Best Kind of Righteousness

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“But I warn you – unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”– Matthew 5:20 (NLT)

The teachers of the law and Pharisees made it their goal to be as righteous as humanly possible.  But the key word in that sentence is humanly.  Jesus demands that our righteous be better than theirs if we expect to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  This is not humanly possible.  Happily, the Scriptures clear up this conundrum for us.  Paul explains it using the case of Abraham to illustrate:

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What were his experiences concerning this question of being saved by faith? Was it because of his good deeds that God accepted him? If so, he would have had something to boast about. But from God’s point of view Abraham had no basis at all for pride. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous.” – Romans 4:1-3 (NLT) 

He then takes that wonderful truth and applies it to us.  The best kind of righteousness is ours when we put our faith in Jesus. 

Now this wonderful truth-that God declared him to be righteous-wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God. – Romans 4:23-25 (NLT)

Palmer St. Podcast: Acts 18:18-28

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In this section we’ll see Paul finish his second missionary trip and start out on his third.  We’ll also see Aquila and Priscilla again and be introduced to Apollos.  The examples here encourage us to intentionally cultivate a desire for the Word of God, through which we will spiritually grow.

 Acts18.18-28.mp3

Acts18.18-28.pdf

The Foolishness of Preaching

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For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. – 1 Corinthians 1:21 (NKJV)

“In some ways, the entire process seems ridiculous.  Common sense rebels against claims that eternal destinies will change simply because we voice thoughts from an ancient text.  When Paul commends the foolishness of preaching – not foolish preaching – he acknowledges the apparent senselessness of trying to transform attitudes, lifestyles, philosophical perspectives and faith commitments with mere words about a once crucified rabbi (see 1 Cor. 1:21). Yet preaching endures and the gospel spreads because the Holy Spirit uses puny human efforts as the conduit for the force of his own Word.  By the blessing of God’s Spirit, the Word yet transforms (i.e., causes our hearts to love God and our wills to seek his will).”  

– Bryan Chapell, in Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, pp. 28-29