Conventional and Unconventional Wisdom in Transitioning The Pastor-Teacher

Listening to conventional wisdom has not allowed us to hear all that the Bible has to say. Biblical wisdom says that we have a responsibility to train more pastors. In 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul instructs Timothy to entrust the things he’s been taught to faithful men. “The things which you have heard from me” -- these things Paul wanted Timothy to pass along to pastor-teachers.

Attributes of God Manifested in Jesus Christ.

During the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22) and only three months away from crucifixion, Jesus is confronted for the final time in His public ministry by the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus’s desire for these religious leaders to believe is an act of His mercy, an attribute of God manifested in Christ. Though not mentioned in this passage, the twelve disciples are witnessing the debate between Jesus and the religious unbelief at Solomon’s portico (John 10:23). It was customary for open theological debates to occur during festivals and for followers to be near their Rabbi. Jesus’s followers were only three years old in Christ or less. Though Jesus is specifically addressing unbelief, He is mindful of those listening to Him and how His words might strengthen them. Just as Peter had to be instructed by Paul (Galatians 2), it is normal for the followers of Jesus to become unsettled at times by circumstances and situations.

Speech in the New Testament.

This week, we will look at what the New Testament says about God's grace as evidenced in our speech.

Job’s Piety and Patience

The book of Job is wisdom literature. Wisdom is God’s perspective on how to live practically. It teaches us how to live God’s will every day of our lives. In the Old Testament, wisdom was used in Israel’s history to primarily target the youth of the Jewish family (Duet. 6, Prov. 1-7). Job teaches our youth, and all of us, the spiritual emphasis God has for family life. Job was a model of practical living for his children, who were willing to follow that model, eventually becoming that model themselves. Living godly was not a religion to Job; it was a life born out of an intimate knowledge and relationship with his Creator, the gracious and holy Almighty. Job loved and feared God, modeling a gracious and holy example for his children. This life prepared him for God-appointed suffering: to not curse God but to trust God.

A Study of God in the Book of Job.

Nothing we can gain in this world remains for the next, but we have an enduring treasure in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

We’ve all delighted in new things—new things that ultimately God has gifted to us. But our delight in new things quickly fades. New becomes old. The universal, unescapable truth is that nothing stays new—not things, people, or relationships. Psalm 49 addresses this readily apparent yet rarely apprehended truth.

The Provision of God in the New Year.

Our theme for the year will be "Doing Divine Things Together."

The book of Matthew has 5 discourses and 5 narrative sections presenting Christ as the King. Our passage today is part of the Sermon on the Mount, which is not new information. As one author described, "It is the wisdom of God inviting all of us through faith to orient our vision, values, and habits from the ways of external righteousness to wholeheartedness towards God. Jesus' method of teaching uses thematic structures, images, and poetic language to allow His listeners more simple ways to remember, meditate on, and memorize Christ's heart on how to live every day."

Wisdom in All Seasons of Life.

Solomon offers more wisdom principles as he concludes the book of Ecclesiastes. He urges us to embrace good, simple things as we have them. As we discipline ourselves to use our energy to enjoy God's good gifts, we will be a joyful people!

Wisdom's Conclusions.

Solomon has several concluding chapters as he shares wisdom on enduring the margin of mystery. The theme is similar to 1 Peter 4:19: When life is hard to understand, stay active doing good things.

Joyfully Enduring Life's Inexplicable Mysteries.

We are learning from Solomon how to live simply in the margin of mystery created by the unpredictability of life. Ecclesiastes 9:11-18 warns us not to trust our personal ability or opportunities.

Joyfully Enduring Life's Inexplicable Mysteries.

We try to understand God's plan, but we can never know all of it; and we couldn't handle that knowledge anyway. Life is full of spiritual mystery. What can and should we do as we live through this reality?

Wisdom Addresses the Inequity in Human Government.

Ecclesiastes 8:12-17 are addressed primarily to the wise employee of a despotic king. Though we are not all government employees, all of God's people can learn a wise disposition while we live under human government from these verses.

Wisdom Addresses the Inequity in Human Government.

Ecclesiastes 8:1-15 is our last set of verses in the third section of this book. These verses tell us how to respond to darkness in government. Ecclesiastes 8:15 sums up the conclusion of the whole section: an exhortation to enjoy life. We should never let inequity in government distract us from living joyfully as Christians.

Wisely Analyzing Man's Character.

In Solomon's discussion of living life on purpose, we have studied a bold determination in Ecclesiastes 7:15-18. We now turn to a balanced assessment and some benign reminders.

Wisely Analyzing Man's Character.

At first reading, Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 seems to advocate being a little bit wicked. But this interpretation would not fit with the rest of Scripture. Instead, Solomon is showing that excessively applying righteousness and piling on wickedness are both dangerous. We should not come to conclusions about a person's character too quickly.

Wealth, Wisdom, and Eternal Purpose.

In our American church context, we are all wealthy compared to the rest of the world. So there is much for us to learn from Solomon's wisdom for wealthy people in this section of Ecclesiastes.

Wealth, Wisdom, and Eternal Purpose.

We are studying the third section of Ecclesiastes, which instructs us on how to rejoice in hard times. Joy is the reality of the believer who lives in the blessed will of God (Ecclesiastes 8:15). With the proper perspective, believers can enjoy all God's good gifts, but if distracted from eternal purpose, we will doubt the integrity of God and His providence.

Wisdom Addressing Bureaucracy and Wealth.

Ecclesiastes 5:8-17 show that God is comfortable talking about politics and finance. These topics often cause tension, but we can converse confidently about what God says about each of these areas of human life.

Wisdom for Worship.

This week, our study of Ecclesiastes moves from chapter 4's examination of oppression, competition, isolation, and position to adoration in chapter 5. While living through the difficulties of a broken world, God wants us to know His will and be refreshed when we come to worship Him. Solomon shares 3 aspects of wisdom to prepare our hearts for worship.

The Finite Influence of Human Wisdom.

We are expected to pursue human wisdom and enjoy that pursuit while understanding that only God's wisdom will satisfy us in Jesus Christ.