Author: Stan Cox
How to Become Wise
“Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days. There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand” (Proverbs 19:20-21).
In these two verses is a concise explanation regarding the origin of wisdom. There are three aspects to gaining wisdom. Young people consider this carefully!
“Listen to counsel and receive instruction”
Wisdom is gained by listening to the wise. The wise have either themselves listened to others, or they have learned from their own mistakes. The problem with learning from your own mistakes is that those errors may have consequences. To avoid sadness and heartache, listen to those who have already obtained wisdom!
“that you may be wise in your latter days”
Wisdom is gained with time. The young person who recognizes his relative inexperience and ignorance is ahead of the game. Rather than embarking on any endeavor with a fool’s confidence, he seeks counsel.
“nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand”
It doesn’t matter a man’s age or experience, if he departs from God’s will, he is a fool. True wisdom has its origin with God, not man. Never depart from it!
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Sermon: The Man with a Withered Hand
19th in a series on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. This text of Mark 3:1-6 examines Jesus’ healing of a man with a withered hand in the face of the ungodly opposition of the Pharisees. Hard hearts and deceitful plotting did not keep the Lord from doing what was lawful and good.
Sermon: Thinking like the World
Worldliness troubles every generation of God’s people. The cure is to identify what aspect of our thinking is influenced by ungodly influences, and to transform our mind and will to mirror the mind and will of God.
Sermon: Uriah – Victim of Treachery
Most discussions of 2 Samuel 11 center of the adultery committed by David and Bathsheba. However, a discussion of the impact David’s sin had upon the husband of Bathsheba reveals some important lessons for us.
Sermon: Teachers and Bible Classes
The lesson begins with a discussion of how the use of Bible classes by a local congregation is authorized by God, and ends with an exhortation for members to prepare to teach, and for members to understand the importance of attendance to such efforts.
Sermon: Lessons Learned from a Fish’s Belly
An examination of Jonah, chapters 1 and 2. The lesson examines what we can learn and apply from Jonah’s time spent in the belly of a great fish. 1) You can’t hide from God; 2) God hears our prayers as we turn to Him; 3) God disciplines us so that we will turn to Him; 4) Salvation is of the Lord; 5) Obedience without thanksgiving is empty.
The Thessalonian Example
The apostle Paul obviously considered the church in Thessalonica to be a faithful congregation. “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-4). They had received the gospel of the Lord from Paul and others, and through their obedience to it had become “examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe” (1:7).
The concept of faithfulness is married to an acceptance of truth, coupled with an effort to conform to it. Consider Paul’s description of the Christians in Thessalonica, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus” (1:13-14).
The Patternists: Bound by Promise
The Hebrew writer speaks of the promise God made to Abraham. “For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you’” (Hebrews 6:13-14). We know that God kept His promise to Abraham. We know this because it has been revealed through scripture. However, the promise was certain to be fulfilled as soon as it was made, because God was the One who made it! Consider the writer’s point: “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:17-18).
Only one thing was needed to show Abraham the surety of the future promise. God cannot lie. The oath He swore by Himself simply showed it “more abundantly.” Because of His nature, what God promised was assured. In this we rejoice, because He has promised hope to those who are His. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” (Hebrews 6:19).
Nebuchadnezzar VS Jehovah
2 Kings 25:9-10, describes the fall of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonian general Nebuchadnezzar. “He burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.”
The defeat of Judah was not because of God’s impotence. Nebuchadnezzar was God’s instrument of judgment, because of the sins of the Jewish people. Jeremiah had previously predicted Jerusalem’s fall. “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, … this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years’” (Jeremiah 25:8, 11).
Nebuchadnezzar’s mistake was that he did not give God credit for his victory and his kingdom. Instead, he exalted himself and his own power. “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). For his pride, idolatry, and rejection of God’s sovereignty, Nebuchadnezzar was humiliated (cf. Daniel 4:31-33); and his own kingdom was destroyed and made “perpetual desolation” (cf. Jeremiah 25:12).
The lesson? God is sovereign in the universe! As Jeremiah prayed, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You” (Jeremiah 32:17).
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Sermon: What We Are
An examination of our identity as Christians.
Sermon: Our Trailblazer – Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, in His life and death, serves as an example for us to follow as we seek to please God.
Sermon: Dealing with Difficult Passages
Some passages of scripture are difficult to understand, and must be approached carefully. The lesson talks about suggestions in preparation for such studies, the studies themselves, and the potential for trouble in the aftermath of such study. The lesson is intended to be practical in nature.
Sermon: Wisdom for the Family
The lesson, based on texts in Proverbs, indicates the important things that must be provided for a family to thrive. Things like, instilling a fear of the Lord; providing peace, love, sufficient material support, and discipline.
Sermon: Mercy and Truth Meet
The terms Mercy and Truth are coupled often in scripture. One without the other leads to extremes that are indefensible. When they meet together, they save the lost and preserve the faithful!
Sermon: Nebuchadnezzar’s View of God
On four difference occasions in Daniel 2-4 there is recorded words of Praise spoken by the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar regarding the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-Nego. There is much to learn from the kings interaction with Jehovah.
