Sermon Notes, January 1, 2017
Rev.
Garry McGlinchy
Pastor
Garry’s message was titled “Ten Resolutions for Every Christ-Follower,” based
on Proverbs 3. Resolution by definition
is a firm decision to do or not to do something; the action of solving a
problem, dispute, or contentious matter. People love the idea of starting fresh, and
this time of year people take the opportunity to declare resolutions to a
better life. Most of these resolutions have
to do with longevity, prosperity, and peace.
In Proverbs 3, Solomon lays out ten ways for us to follow that will
guide us into a deeper relationship with Christ and help us all to live a long
life of prosperity and peace.
Let love
and faithfulness never leave you. (verses 3 & 4) We should resolve to allow these two qualities
to be the guiding lights in our lives.
They must be the foundation of all we do. We express love through the way we treat each
other and the way we treat God. The best
way to show the world the love of the Creator is to follow His commands. Jesus summed up these commands in Matthew
28:38-40 when He told us to love God and love others. Faithfulness means keeping faith, maintaining
allegiance; constant, loyal, showing a strong sense of duty or responsibility;
conscientious, accurate; reliable; exact.
Trust in
the Lord with all of your heart (verses 5 & 6) Trust is a firm belief
in or confidence in the honesty, integrity, reliability, justice, etc. of
another person or thing; faith in or reliance on the person or thing trusted.
Confident expectation, anticipation or hope. When we submit to, or acknowledge
the Lord we willingly come under and recognize His authority. These two resolutions are foundational to all
the rest.
Do not
be wise in your own eyes (verses 7 & 8) Fear the Lord and shun
evil. This will bring health and
nourishment to your bones.
Honor
the Lord with your wealth (verses 9 & 10) This starts with tithing: are you giving God
the first cut of the harvest that He has given you?
Do not
despise the Lord’s discipline (verses 11 & 12) He disciplines because He loves, much like a
parent disciplines their children.
Search
diligently for wisdom and find it (verses 13-24) The wisdom here has two characteristics:
information and know-how. Verses 13-20
talks about those characteristics of wisdom which deal with knowledge,
learning, information, intelligence, data, facts, intellect, and experience—book-smarts
and hands-on training. Verses 21-24
talks about those characteristics of wisdom which deal with perception,
discernment, judgment, reason, insight, prudence, discretion, and just plain
common sense—street smarts and hands-on training.
Have no
fear (verses 25 & 26) Don’t be
afraid of sudden disaster, for the Lord will be at your side. He will help you
through it.
Do not
withhold good from those who deserve it (verses 27 & 28) Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back
tomorrow and I’ll give it to you” -when you already have it with you.
Do not
plot harm against your neighbor (verses 29 & 30) Do not accuse anyone
for no reason—when they have done you no harm.
Do not
envy a violent man or choose any of his ways (verses 31 & 32) The Lord detests the perverse but takes the
upright into his confidence.
Verses
33-35 simply state additional promises if we keep the above commands. In order for Christ-followers to make these
ten principles an active part of our lives we need to have a plan. Most resolutions only last for a few short
weeks or months. If we are to be true Christ-followers,
we need to go about making the necessary changes in our lives. This means we must have a strategy. This includes setting reasonable goals,
making proper preparations, and building a “team” that will help us accomplish
these goals. If we are going to be light
in this world, if we are going to bring hope, if we are going to live our lives
for Him, then we need to seriously consider putting these ten principles into
practice.
No comments:
Post a Comment