Sunday School Lesson: Building Together

Purpose: To teach us that when we work together, God uses us to build on the foundation of Christ.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3

Note: In this lesson any references to the church = the local church.

How do we know when the church is doing its job?

How can we tell when the church is getting off course?

What is the job of the church?

What are some arguments that you have seen in churches over the years?

How many of those arguments were serious?

In this week’s scripture passage Paul gives three pictures of the church and uses these pictures to illustrate what our ministry is supposed to do and be. The first picture is one of family and the goal of family is maturity.

1Cor 3:1-4 ESV
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?

In last week’s lesson Paul differentiated between two types of people: natural or unsaved people and spiritual or saved people. Here Paul differentiates between two types of spiritual people: those who are mature and those who are immature.

What are some ways that adults differ from children?

Is spiritual maturity always a product of longevity? In other words, is a twenty-year Christian always more mature in faith than a five-year Christian? Or a one-year Christian?

What are signs of spiritual maturity?

What are signs of spiritual immaturity?

As you read that passage can you picture two kids on the playground: “My daddy can beat your daddy”?

A Christian becomes mature by allowing the Spirit to work in him and through him and by feeding on the Word. The immature Christian lives for the things of the flesh and has little interest in things of the Spirit. Sure signs of spiritual immaturity are lack of interest in the study of the Word, jealousy, and quarreling.

A sure sign of Christian maturity is seen in the “diet” of the Christian. Infants require an initial diet of milk. As they grow, they learn to eat different foods. The normal progression in the human diet is milk, then grains, then fruits and vegetables, and finally meats. So we can see that meat is the most “mature” food of the human diet.

What does “milk” and “meat” represent when Paul is speaking of spiritual maturity?

Milk may represent the easy things in the Bible, the children’s Sunday School lessons and Bible stories and meat may represent the hard doctrines of faith.

The Word of God is described in food terms in many places. The Word is our spiritual food.

Heb 5:12-14 ESV
(12) For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
(13) for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
(14) But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

1Pe 2:2 ESV
(2) Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation--

Mat 4:4 ESV
(4) But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Deu 8:3 ESV
(3) And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

The Word is our nourishment. Just as we need a balanced diet for proper physical health, we also need a balanced diet of spiritual food for proper spiritual health. An infant begins with a diet of milk, but as he matures and develops teeth, his growing body requires solid food in order to continue healthy growth. Christians have the same needs for spiritual nourishment. Imagine the health problems that a person would develop if he or she did not make the natural progression from milk to grain to vegetable to meat. Now imagine a Christian who never learns more than the children’s Bible stories. It is a simple matter to assess a believer’s spiritual maturity, or immaturity, by observing what kind of “diet” he enjoys.

What other way do we have of determining spiritual maturity?
By how we get along.

Children seem to love to disagree and argue. As we mature we learn to “play well with others”. Children idolize “heroes”. These heroes are usually in the entertainment and sports industries. As we mature we still have heroes, but do not focus on them as much as children and as we mature our heroes may come form other areas. We may idolize spiritual or political figures.

Immature Christians allow minor disagreements to distract them and divide them. Immature Christians are “worldly”, controlled by their own desires. Mature Christians are more concerned with God’s desires.

What were the infantile believers in Corinth arguing about?
They were fighting over their heroes. There argument was over which preacher was the greatest: Paul, Apollos, or Peter. It’s that “my daddy can beat your daddy! My daddy is richer than your daddy” thing. Mature Christians never allow leaders to create barriers between people.

Can you imagine a church full of that type of immaturity?

What is the work of the church?
Our work is to help the Church grow spiritually and to mature in Christ.

How do we accomplish this work?
By working together. By forgetting the petty conflicts. By not arguing over childish things. By partaking of a steady, balanced, diet of the Word of God and by sharing that diet with other believers.

The second picture of the church in this passage is that of a field and the goal of the field is to produce a bountiful harvest.

1 Cor 3:5-9a ESV
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field....

Farming images are also used in various scripture. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus compared the human heart to soil and the Word of God to seed. (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) If each of us is soil (not all the same type of soil, to be sure) planted by seeds of the Word, then the church is a field. This field should bear fruit.

What is the task of ministry in agricultural terms?
The task of the church is to sow seeds, cultivate the soil as necessary, watering and fertilizing as needed, and harvesting the ripened fruit.

What problems did the church in Corinth have with their “field”?
The Corinthian church placed too much emphasis on the workers (Paul, Apollos, Peter) and not enough emphasis on the One who gave life to their efforts. God is the source of all growth, no man can take any of the credit. It is impossible for any one worker to do all of the work for the entire field. Paul planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but only God could make the fruit grow and mature.

What lessons can this teach us about our ministry?

Three lessons:
1. A healthy ministry is a diverse ministry. All workers in the field do not have the same skills. One plows, one plants, one waters the seed. As the fruit matures other workers reap the harvest.

God’s work involves many different individuals with a variety of gifts and abilities. Our strength is in our diversity and unity. Paul also uses the body as an illustration of the church. The body has many diverse and specialized parts and every part must work properly for the optimum health of the whole body.

2. Diversity alone is not enough. The many diverse parts must work together in unity. Nothing good can happen in the church without unity. Unity creates strength because it combines and enhances the many separate spiritual gifts and abilities of the diverse members. When we are united, our power is far greater than merely the sum of our separate strengths. No matter what work a person does in the field, he is still a part of the final harvest. The one who plants and the one who waters are as one in the overall operation. Paul, Apollos, and Peter were not in competition. Each was doing his part for the overall success of the crop. Even though we have a diversity in our ministries, there is a unity in our purpose and there is a need for unity of spirit.

3. It is not our labor that produces the final harvest. God gives the increase. God has ordained that we all have a place and a function in the field, but our effort without God’s blessing will ensure failure. Our task requires a humility of spirit . We cannot let pride divide our efforts. A successful church will be know by it’s fruits, but that success is not ours. It is God’s. The successes of the Corinthian church were not Paul’s success or Apollos’ success. It was God’s.

The third illustration of the church in today’s passage is that of God’s building or temple. The goal of the church as temple is quality construction. This passage describes the building of the church. (A group of believers worshiping and ministering together, not the building that they gather at.)

1 Cor 3: 9b-15 ESV
9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw--
13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

We must build with quality. The church is not the property of the preacher or the congregation. The church is the property of God. There are certain specifications for building the church of God.

1. We must build on the one and only right and strong foundation. And what is that foundation? The foundation of the church is Jesus Christ. When Paul came to Corinth he declared that he would preach only Christ and Him crucified. He laid the only foundation that will last.

How do we lay that foundation?

By proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The foundation is the most important part of any building. The foundation determines the size, shape, and strength of the building. Any church or ministry not build on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the Cross will not last.

2. We must build upon the foundation with the right materials.

What materials does Paul mention in this passage?
Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw.

What is the differences of these materials?
Notice the progression in the list from strongest and most durable to the weakest and flimsiest.

Gold, silver, and precious stones are all permanent, beautiful, valuable, and hard to obtain.

Wood, hay, and straw, while being legitimate building materials, are also at best temporary, cheap, easy to obtain, and sometimes even ugly.

Just exactly what is Paul symbolizing by his choice of materials?
He is not telling us that we have to have the very best and finest people to make a church.

We have to remember that the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians are discussing the wisdom of the Spirit that only can be learned from the Word of God. The wisdom of God , found in the Word is beautiful, valuable, and can only be obtained by believers through the Spirit. The Corinthians were trying to build there church with a too large portion of man’s wisdom, the wisdom of the world. The wood, hay, and straw of man’s wisdom is often used to build with, but never lasts. Wood, hay, and straw are easily obtained, but if you want gold, silver, and diamonds you have to dig for them.

3. The building will be tested and our choice of materials will determine whether we pass or fail.
What are the absolute essentials needed to build a church?
Worship, witness, nurture.

What are some features of our modern church life that are not essential and which we may find to be combustible when tested by fire?

When we witness strife and disunity in churches, how often can the problems be traced back to problems inherent to the “construction” of the church? Foundational or structural faults?

What responsibility do we each have in building up God’s church?

Sunday School Lesson: Finding Wisdom

Purpose: To distinguish between the wisdom of the world and the eternal wisdom revealed by the Holy Spirit.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16

Background: Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians was written during his third missionary journey probably during the years AD 55, 56. Paul first ministered in Corinth during his second trip. This is told of in Acts chapter 18. Paul remained with the Corinthians for approximately 18 months. Before coming to Corinth Paul had suffered repeated rejection at Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. He probably arrived in Corinth somewhat despondent and questioning his mission. Should he change his message to make it less offensive? Should he use more eloquent speech? Should he use tricks or gimmicks to get the people’s attention? Should he embrace the philosophy of the Greeks and preach a message that mixed the wisdom of man with the wisdom of God? Paul stood firm to the Good News of the cross.

Many today do not stand so firm. The mixing of worldly philosophy with God’s revealed wisdom is more prevalent than ever before. Different preachers have different “interpretations” of God’s word. Some even invent their own. We’ve all seen the press that The DaVinci Code and The Gospel of Judas has received. People go to great lengths to make the Gospel fit their idea of God.

A plurality of adults (44%) contends that, "the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.” (The Barna Group)

More people get their spiritual guidance from The Purpose Driven Life, the Left Behind series, and The Prayer of Jabez than from the Bible. (Statistic given at South Georgia UMC Annual Conference.)

The feel-good, gnostic, all-about-me, prosperity gospel type messages would have probably met with much greater support than the message of crucifiction and resurrection, especially in Athens, the home of such great philosophers as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Paul even pointed out to them that they had in their city an alter with the inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. He told them that God is knowable and known. But they did not want a knowable God. They wanted god in their own image. It is interesting to note that of all the cities that Paul preached in, Athens is the only one where he did not start a church. No wonder he entered Corinth discouraged. Although Corinth was a less sophisticated city than Athens, the Corinthians still embraced Greek philosophy. The Greeks believed that their wisdom was “true” wisdom and could not be improved upon.

When the Jews of Corinth rejected Paul’s message, he determined to carry his message to the Gentiles. Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching and teaching that Jesus was the Christ. His determination was reinforced by a vision of the Lord coming to Paul and telling him to not be afraid, and do not cease form preaching the Message.

The First Letter to the Corinthians was written to identify problems in the Corinthian church and to offer solutions to those problems. One of those problems was the distortion of the Gospel by mixing in Greek and gnostic philosophy. This weeks scripture lesson is Paul’s response to those whose faith was being based on men’s wisdom and philosophy.

In what way does the Christian Message and lifestyle seem foolish to the world?

To whom does the Message seem foolish?

How would you feel to be called foolish?

How does the Message of the cross contrast with what most people consider wise?

1Co 1:18-31 MSG
(18) The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out.
(19) It's written, I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots.
(20) So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense?
(21) Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb--preaching, of all things!--to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.
(22) While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom,
(23) we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle--and Greeks pass it off as absurd.
(24) But to us who are personally called by God himself--both Jews and Greeks--Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one.
(25) Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."
(26) Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families.
(27) Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses,
(28) chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"?
(29) That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God.
(30) Everything that we have--right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start--comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.
(31) That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."

What are some examples of the world’s wisdom?

What are some doctrines of the Christian faith that are difficult for non-Christians to understand?

Have you ever known any unbelievers who wanted miraculous signs or superb philosophical arguments before believing in Christ?

Why do you think that people desire signs or proofs?

How can we share our faith with those who demand signs or philosophical or historical proof?

It’s certainly seems foolish to the unbeliever when we tell them that the signs come subsequent to faith, not necessarily prior to faith.

Paul begins the second chapter of 1 Corinthians with an explanation of three fundamentals of the Gospel Message and urges his readers (and us) to return to these fundamentals.


1Co 2:1-2 MSG
(1) You'll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God's master stroke, I didn't try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy.
(2) I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did--Jesus crucified.

Fundamental #1: Keep it plain and simple. Paul’s mission and ours is to glorify God , not to glorify ourselves. Eloquent speech and spellbinding arguments are not what is called for. We are ambassadors for Christ, not street vendors or carnival hawkers pushing a product. Just picture in your mind an ambassador on one side and a used-car salesman on the other. Which one of those two pictures in your mind do you see as more trustworthy and which one would more likely to believe. Spectacular speech, flamboyant visual aides, and the blending of worldly philosophy with the Message of Christ will in many cases exalt the preacher and hide Christ. Paul gloried in the cross and made it the center of his message. Too many Christians so magnify themselves that they fail to reveal the glory of Jesus.


1Co 2:3-4 MSG
(3) I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate--I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it--
(4) and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's Spirit and God's power did it,

Fundamental #2: Paul was an apostle, commissioned by Jesus himself, yet he came to the Corinthians a humble servant. Paul did not depend on himself or on his own strengths; he depended on the strength of God. Paul had learned in Athens and Philippi and Berea that when he was weak, God made him strong. Paul’s message was a demonstration of the power of God, not a performance designed to impress the worldly wisdom of Corinth. The only proof that Paul needed (and that we need) is lives changed and transformed by the Holy Spirit.

1 CO 2:5 MSG
(5) which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.

Fundamental #3: Paul insisted that the Corinthians trust in the Message, not in the messenger. A message that depends on human wisdom or philosophical ideas to convince only causes the listeners to trust in an explanation. Our Message is the Word of God and the power of God and can only be transmitted by demonstration. The Message is only known as we experience God at work in our lives and in the lives of others. The Gospel is God’s power to change lives. Effective evangelism does not depend on arguments or gimmicks, but on the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us and through the Word.

In our world what are the sources that most folks look to for wisdom?

In what ways does the world’s wisdom fall short?

Where does the wisdom of the world lead?

How does God’s wisdom differ from the wisdom of the world?

1Co 2:6-9 MSG
(6) We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it's not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so.
(7) God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest--what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene.
(8) The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross.
(9) That's why we have this Scripture text: No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it-- What God has arranged for those who love him.

Would you call the wisdom of the gospel simple?

Well it is and it isn’t. It is simple enough that even an illiterate peasant in the most remote place on Earth can understand and have faith. The Message is also so profound that theologians have for centuries debated and studied and even the most brilliant and enlightened of them cannot fathom the Message in all its depths.

This wisdom challenges the best and the brightest. Who is this wisdom for?

According to this passage, the wisdom of God is not for the masses. The wisdom of the Gospel is for “those who love him”, for those “with their feet on firm spiritual ground” or as in some translations: “the mature.” So it would seem that this wisdom is something that comes only with spiritual maturity. It is not something that can be conveyed to spiritually immature persons through philosophical arguments or fancy preaching techniques.

This wisdom has several characteristics:

1. This wisdom comes only from God, not from man. This wisdom can not be discovered or learned from any other source.

2. This wisdom is mysterious, hidden, and ancient. Any new message claiming to be the wisdom of God is not. The true wisdom is hidden until revealed to the people of God first through Jesus Christ and now through the Holy Spirit. This wisdom existed before creation.

3. The wisdom results in the glory of God and God’s people. As I said earlier, the wisdom is shown by demonstration.

4. The wisdom of God is hidden from the non-believing world. If the world could understand, the world would demonstrate. This “experts of our day” or “the rulers of this world” if not servants of God are servants of the “prince of this world”, Satan. The forces of Satan, including the prince himself do not understand God’s plan. Satan and his forces thought that at Calvary they had defeated God. Hidden from their understanding was that Calvary actually represented Satan’s defeat.

5.
1Co 2:9 ESV
(9) ... "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"--

Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it?

but-

1Co 2:10 MSG
(10) But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along.

This verse indicates that this wisdom is not just a characteristic of heaven but applies to all believers lives here and now. The message of wisdom is for us.

1Co 2:11-16 MSG
(11) Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God--except that he not only knows what he's thinking,
(12) but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us.
(13) We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
(14) The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can't receive the gifts of God's Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit--God's Spirit and our spirits in open communion.
(15) Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God's Spirit is doing, and can't be judged by unspiritual critics.
(16) Isaiah's question, "Is there anyone around who knows God's Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?" has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ's Spirit.

The wisdom of God is revealed to all believers by the Spirit, through the Word. He let’s us in on it. We don’t have to rely on the wisdom of the world. We have not received the wisdom of the world, because we have been called out of the world. The non-believing world cannot receive this wisdom. We have Christ’s spirit. We have the wisdom. What is going to be our response to the revelation of the Holy Spirit? How are we going to demonstrate the message?

Mercy and Grace

I tagged along with our Youth Director, Charlie, and four of our Junior High youth to a rescue mission in Dothan, Alabama today. Our kids served lunch to a small group of homeless men and cleaned the kitchen and dining room and washed the dishes afterwards.

One 11 year old girl in our group said that she wants to go back next Saturday, apparently forgetting that next weekend our youth are going on a trip to the beach. Or maybe she didn't forget....

One highlight for us all was meeting one of the staff of the mission Mercy Zgambo and her three year old daughter Grace. These two are very aptly named. Mercy is a native of Malawi. How she ended up working at a homeless shelter in Dothan, Alabama, I do not know. I am sure there was some grace involved.

Conference

I leave tomorrow morning for Savannah as our church's lay delegate to the South Georgia Annual Conference. This will be my first Annual Conference. I have been to several district conferences.

I look forward to seeing how things work at this level of the church.

One thing that I am very excited about is the morning of service on Tuesday. Every delegate at the conference will spend the morning working on various service/mission projects in the Savannah Community. There were probably 25-30 different projects to choose from. I see this as a great opportunity for the Savannah community to witness first-hand the open hearts and willing hands of the United Methodist Church.

Press Corps(e)

The number of journalists killed in Iraq is greater than the number killed in any other war in U.S. history. That includes the two WW's. The number of deaths to members of the press is somewhere between 66 and 127 depending on the source.

There are several reasonable explanations for the large number of deaths among the press:

1. There are probably more reporters on-site in Iraq than there have ever been in any other war.

2. The reporters are "imbedded" with the troops.

3. The nature of the attacks. They do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

One thing is for sure: the soldiers are not the only heroes putting their life on the line in this silly war. The journalists are literally dying to tell us the story. It is a shame that so few of us are listening.

Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day I'd like to remember:

My great uncle Casey Atkinson, veteran of World War I

My uncle Earl Barber, Veteran of World War II

I'd like to honor my wife's uncle Roger Spooner who survived the sinking of the USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway and who in his mid-eighties still drives a truck for a living.

I also want to honor my cousin Benny Atkinson, veteran of the Vietnam Conflict.

I am sure there are others in our family that I have overlooked, but to all who have served with honor, we salute you.

Sunday School Lesson: Living Out Wisdom

Purpose: To understand how wisdom is lived out in relationships.

Scripture : Proverbs 31: 8-14, 25-30

Think about your mother. What is one thing that she did that blessed your life and that continues to bless your life?

Proverbs begins and ends with mothers. From Proverbs chapter 1:

.......never forget what you learned at your mother's knee.
(Pro 1:8 MSG)

and Chapter 31, the final chapter of Proverbs :

The words of King Lemuel, the strong advice his mother gave him:
(Pro 31:1 MSG)

The entire chapter recounts the teaching King Lemuel’s mother. This "oracle" contains words of advice to a newly installed king by his queen mother. The theme of the oracle is how to rule and live justly and righteously. There are many references in Proverbs of Wisdom speaking with a female voice. The first half of chapter 31 are lessons of principles and justice as taught by Lemuel’s mother, the remainder of the chapter is a tribute to a noble wife.

We do not know exactly who Lemuel was. Some translations have notes that indicate Lemuel was from Massa, which is an area of Arabia. This leads some to think that Lemuel may have been king of an Arabian tribe. Others believe that Lemuel may have been a nickname for Solomon, because the translation of "Lemuel" is "one devoted to God" and Solomon was characterized by his devotion to God early in life. Regardless who Lemuel or his mother were, the lesson is valuable. The lesson centers on mothers and wives and how virtuous mothers and wives impact the lives of those around them. We can take the lesson even further with the knowledge that we all - male, female, husband, wife, father, mother, or unmarried- can make an impact on the lives of our loved ones by using the wisdom that God offers in His Word.

In an ideal world, we would find that the ones who love us most and best to be our parents, and most especially our mothers. Our mothers know us best and want only the best for us. In their eagerness to provide only the best, our mothers share their wisdom. Their intention is to dispense to us all that we need to know in order to live a long, happy, productive life.

But do we live in an ideal world?

Are parents in our society the storehouse of practical and righteous wisdom that the Proverbs would lead us to believe?

Many may say yes, but many more (far too many) will say that, no, we do not live in an ideal world and our mothers/fathers show no indication that they want the best for us. Many in our society (maybe even the majority) live or have lived in very unstable family situations. Our generation (the Baby Boomers) began a terrible cycle of divorce, substance abuse, and financial mismanagement that has had crippling effects on the succeeding generations. Many teenagers of Generation X became the only responsible adult of the family. The teenagers had to be the parent whether their mothers or fathers were present or not. Now the GenXers are mothering and fathering a new generation. Where will their parenting wisdom come from?

Let’s look at parents from another angle. Can anyone tell me what is the fifth of the ten commandments?

That commandment is:

Honor thy father and thy mother......
(Exo 20:12 ASV)

Did you know that the fifth commandment comes with a promise?

And what is the promise?

.......that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.
(Exo 20:12 ASV)

That thy days may be long, or that you may live long. Do you remember our discussion in last weeks lesson on references to living and dying in Scripture? In many cases we can say that in the Bible a good working definition of "death" or "dying" is "alienation from God." We can understand in many references as death = alienation from God and life = relationship with God. If we interpret the fifth commandment in this way then what can be one result of honoring our parents? One possible result is a closer relationship with God.

Nearly every chapter of Proverbs makes some mention of righteous living leading to life (closer relationship with God) and unrighteous living leading to death (alienation from God). Can any of you think of any instances where a person’s relationship with his earthly parents reflected also on his relationship with God?

Proverbs 31 begins with Lemuel’s mother calling him to live a sober and holy life. He should avoid unhealthy relationships and to abstain from drunkenness which alters one’s judgement. The king’s mother is concerned not only with his personal righteousness, but on how that righteousness affects those under his care. She wants her son to rule with justice and protect the rights of the poor and needy.

"Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!"
(Pro 31:8-9 MSG)

He is to be the voice for those who have no voice or political power. The wise mother has seen the actions of others that have brought them to ruin or death.

What responsibility does a person of power have toward the poor and destitute?

How well do our leaders speak up, speak out and stand up for the poor and destitute?

Much of the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament was concerned with the mistreatment of the poor. Jesus came to "speak good news to the poor". The prophets denounced any oppression of the poor. They spoke of a Messiah who would arrive and be the defender of the poor and helpless.

It is easy for those of us who are not poor and needy to look away and not notice the plight of the needy. We could even say that the further we are from being poor and needy the less we are aware of the needs of those in poverty. Is Lemuel’s mother’s directions for him a warning to not overlook the needs of the impoverished or is it a call to take an active role in seeing to the needs of the poor?

Are we to stand up for the poor only when we are directly confronted with their needs or are we to seek them out and offer them assistance?

How well do our leaders actively seek out the needy and offer to be there voice and to meet their needs?

How well do we personally do this?

What are some things that we could personally do to be a voice for the needy and to help meet their needs?

The remainder of chapter 31 is a poem written by Lemuel’s mother instructing him to seek a wife of noble character. Depending on which translation you use, this poem is titled:

The Wife of Noble Character.

The Woman Who Fears the Lord.

Ode to a Capable Wife.

Hymn to a Good Wife.

The Worth of a Godly Woman.

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
(Pro 31:10-14 ESV)

A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it.
(Pro 31:10-11 MSG)

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
(Pro 31:25-30 ESV)

What does it mean in verse 11 that the husband of the capable wife has "no lack of gain"?

The man who has this woman for a wife possesses everything of value that he will ever need. What more could he ask for? She does nothing but good for her husband and her family "all the days of her life". There is much debate in our society about the role of women. Should women be career women or should their career focus on the family? I’d say either is okay as long as a healthy home environment is maintained and the nurturing needs of the family are met. A multi-talented career woman can meet the needs of her family much better than a stay-at-home mom whose conduct damages and brings heartbreak to her family. The virtuous and godly woman, regardless of career choices will be praised by her husband and children.

Can hard work be seen as an expression of love? How? As long as the hard work does not become an end in itself and deprive our family of our time. (This speaks to fathers and mothers, husbands and wives.) By providing financial support for those we love, we show them we love them.

What do you see as the most striking characteristic of the virtuous woman as described in this poem? She has many distinguishing traits: she is trustworthy, good, has good judgement, works hard; is strong and dignified. She is wise and kind; not lazy. She is loved and praised by her family. She loves God.

Does this woman seem real?

Is she too perfect?

Can anyone live up to these standards?

How is the noble wife of this poem different from or similar to current ideals of wives and mothers?

What are the most important things a woman can communicate to her husband and her children?

Fear of God.

Proverbs started with a statement about fear of God and ends with another.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge....
(Pro 1:7 ESV)

... but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
(Pro 31:30 ESV)

The central characteristic of the noble women is revealed in this statement. This is the most important thing a woman can offer her family: a love of God.

The righteous woman "does not eat the bread of idleness". What is the difference between rest and idleness?

Who do YOU know that fits the description of the wise woman in this poem? Wouldn’t it be a great and marvelous thing if every person could say, "my mother."

What can we do to encourage wives and mothers in their responsibilities?

What can we do to show appreciation to our wives and mothers for all their hard work and wisdom?

Middle of the Road.

Watch this.

Did you laugh?

Or cry?

Which way will the scales tilt?

My low IQ.

After Sunday School this morning Martha handed me this test.

For the record I am dubiously reliable. You can try to guess which questions were my downfall.

Integrity Self-Check

How trustworthy are you? Grade your sense of integrity by answering each question below.

A. Would you return a wallet full of money you found in a parking lot?

1. Never

2. Maybe

3. For a reward

4. Probably

5. Absolutely

B. Would you break the rules to win a game or improve your golf score?

1. Of course

2. Probably

3. If it were important

4. Doubtful

5. Never

c. Would you cheat on your taxes to save $500?

1. Sure

2. Probably

3. Only for $1000 or more

4. No, I'd fear an audit

5. Never

D. Would you lie to get out of a difficult situation?

1. Why not?

2. Define lying

3. Depends on the situation

4. Rarely

5. Never

E. Would you obey a stop sign on a deserted road?

1. What stop sign?

2. Not unless a policeman is nearby

3. Usually, unless I'm running late

4. Normally, unless it's an emergency

5. Of course.

Figure your IQ (Integrity Quotient) by adding the scores for all five responses.

Here are the results:

22-25: Habitually honorable

17-21: Generally trustworthy

13-16: Dubiously reliable

9-12: Ethically challenged

5-8: Morally bankrupt

How did you do?

Sunday School Lesson: Choosing the Path of Integrity

Purpose: To discern the nature of righteousness.

Scripture: Proverbs 11:1-14

Let’s think about the word “integrity”. What does “integrity” mean to you?

Think of someone whom you would think of as possessing the character quality of integrity.

What makes a person a person of integrity?

Definition of integrity:
INTEGRITY, n. 1. quality of being honest and up-right in character, 2. condition of being complete.

What are some common qualities of person’s of integrity?

Two qualities of integrity that are addressed in today’s scripture are honesty and humility. We can also see from the definition of integrity that integrity also includes completeness or wholeness. To have integrity is to be “integrated” with honesty and humility. A person of integrity is “sound”, “whole’, “complete”, and “altogether”honest and humble.

Can we also use the word “righteous” to describe a person of integrity?

How would you define “righteous”?

What do honesty, humility, and integrity have to do with being righteous?
As we will see from today’s scripture, these qualities of character, taken together form the definition of righteousness.

I sometimes have a hard time with the concept of human righteousness, mainly because of Paul’s statements in Romans:

.... "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."
(Rom 3:10-12 ESV)

Does Paul mean that there has literally never been or never will be one “righteous” person? Or is Paul speaking only of non-Christians? Is it possible to be “righteous” through our own efforts? Can we be deemed “righteous” through faith alone? Is righteousness a product of faith and works? Or is righteousness purely a work of grace?


Other scripture verses that deal with righteousness:

(Gen 15:6 ESV) And he believed the LORD, and he counted it (his belief) to him as righteousness. (Righteousness through faith.)

(Deu 6:25 ESV) And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.' (Righteousness through the law.)

(Job 29:14 ESV) I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. (Righteousness through works of justice.)

(Job 33:26 ESV) then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. (Righteousness as a product of grace.)

(Psa 23:3 ESV) He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (We are lost without His guidance. Would we pursue righteousness without His guidance?)

(Psa 24:5 ESV) He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Grace.)

(Psa 106:3 ESV) Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! (Works.)

(Mat 5:6 ESV) "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

(Mat 5:20 ESV) For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

(Mat 6:33 ESV) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

(Rom 1:17 ESV) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

(Rom 3:22 ESV) the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

(Rom 4:3 ESV) For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it (his belief) was counted to him as righteousness."

(Rom 4:5 ESV) And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

(Rom 4:13 ESV) For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

(Rom 6:18 ESV) and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Sanctifying grace?)

(Rom 10:4 ESV) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Faith as the end of the law.)

(Phi 1:11 ESV) filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Sanctifying grace.)

(Tit 3:5 ESV) he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (Salvation is only possible by grace through faith, not personal righteousness.)

(1Jo 2:29 ESV) If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. (Righteousness is not possible outside of faith.)

These are but a few of the nearly 300 occurrences of the word “righteousness” in the Bible.

It seems that if taken as a whole, all of these passages indicate that righteousness is impossible without Christ. There is no possibility of righteousness without faith in Jesus Christ. No matter how hard we try. And likewise, with faith in Christ there is no possibility of unrighteousness. We are accounted righteous through faith, but also with faith we actively pursue righteousness. It is impossible to experience justification and new birth in Christ and not begin the process of sanctification which is moving on toward righteousness.

There are two types of righteousness according to Methodist theology: Imparted righteousness and imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus that is given to or credited to the new Christian at the moment of justification. This imputed righteousness can also be called justifying or saving grace. We are seen as righteous because of what Jesus has done for us. Imparted righteousness is also a gift that is given to us at the time of the new birth. This imparted righteousness gives us the ability to strive for holiness and sanctification. This is also known as sanctifying grace or the second blessing of grace.

Proverbs 11 has much to say about righteousness and the contrast between righteousness and wickedness.

Pro 11:1-3 ESV
(1) A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.
(2) When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
(3) The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

What three qualities of character do we encounter in these first three verses?
Honesty, humility, and integrity. As I stated earlier, these three taken together form a definition of righteous character.

In verse one what is the main issue? A glance at the verse would indicate that accurate weights and measures is the issue, but the deeper issue is honesty. We could reword that verse and say: “dishonesty is an abomination to the Lord, but honesty is His delight.” This verse echoes the legal codes of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Other than in Proverbs the phrase “abomination to the Lord” is only found in Deuteronomy. Honesty comes first in this passage because it is a basic trait of righteousness.

What is the second character trait of righteousness mentioned in this passage?
Humility. What is humility. Humility is the state of being humble. A humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others.

Humility is not false modesty or self-deprecation. Humility is a form of honesty. Humility is not (in the words of Screwtape) “pretty women trying to believe that they are ugly or clever men trying to believe they are fools.” Those are being dishonest. There is no dishonesty in humility.

And what is the opposite of humility?

Can anyone tell me what is number one on the list of the seven deadly or cardinal sins?
Pride. The sin of pride does not mean that being proud of our accomplishments is a sin. Pride as sin is the “I’m better than you” pride.

And what is the third character trait of righteousness in this passage?
Integrity. To have integrity is to be integrated, sound, whole, together. This integrity includes honesty and humility.

Pro 11:4-8 ESV
(4) Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
(5) The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
(6) The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
(7) When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too.
(8) The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead.

Can anyone tell me what is the first question asked in the United Methodist “Baptismal Covenant”?

The first question is this:
“Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?”

As we read that passage from Proverbs 11, did you notice any references to the “spiritual forces of wickedness”?
This passage repeatedly contrasts wickedness and righteousness.

Verse 4 begins the many references in this passage to righteousness. We have already discussed some aspects of righteousness. Let’s look at some others. Righteousness can be defined as “right belief”, or faith. It can also be defined as “right relationship”. A right relationship with God requires that we align our lives with God’s will. This involves being faithful and obedient.

Why lead a righteous life?

As stated earlier, righteousness requires that we submit to God’s will. What is God’s will? God’s will is that we love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Righteousness requires much more than pious belief and worship. It requires love in all our words and actions.

According to this passage, what does righteousness lead to?

What does wickedness lead to?

According to this passage, righteousness leads to life and wickedness to death. Can we understand these references to life and death literally?

What are the meanings of life and death in this passage?

Throughout the Bible a good working definition of “death” as used in this passage is “alienation from God.” Wickedness may offer many promises , but only delivers death and destruction. We can interpret the word of this passage as death = alienation from God and life = relationship with God which fits perfectly with the definitions of imputed and imparted righteousness.

Does verse 8 indicate that the righteous are protected from trouble? If so, how does that fit with the story of Job, a very righteous man who suffered greatly?

Verse 8 doesn’t say that the righteous are protected from trouble, it says that the righteous are delivered from trouble. Job remained righteous and prayed for deliverance and was delivered from his troubles, if not from his sorrows.

Can anyone think of an example in the Bible where a righteous person was rescued from trouble and a wicked person suffered?
The Book of Esther is a great example. Esther and Mordecai and all the Jews were delivered and the evil Haman was condemned.

Since righteousness leads to life and wickedness leads to death, why would anyone choose wickedness? Let’s not only think about the bad choices of others, but think about some of the times that we have made wrong choices and why.

Pro 11:9-14 ESV
(9) With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
(10) When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
(11) By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
(12) Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent.
(13) Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
(14) Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Can the actions of individual members affect groups, communities, or even nations?
Can our individual righteousness or wickedness lead to life or death to our groups, communities, or nations?

Where do we see examples of righteousness and wickedness in today’s world?

Is it possible to live a righteous life alone, outside of a community?

Because our righteousness is not only an individual matter, but has much to do with our relationship with God and our neighbors, there is no way that righteousness could not affect our community. Righteousness needs community to grow to it’s fullest expression. To attempt righteousness outside of the community of faith is to fall into the trap of self-righteousness. When a member of the community is righteous the community rejoices and the blessings of the righteous member also blesses the community.

If we are going to count ourselves among the righteous, we must pay attention to the quality of our relationships, especially in the church. It is never just ‘my’ righteousness or “my” relationship alone with God; it is always a matter of “our” integrity as the body of Christ, “our” righteous relationship with God through Christ, in which we find forgiveness and wholeness and direction for living.

Hell

Sunday School Lesson: Wisdom’s Invitation

Purpose: To hear and respond to God’s call to wisdom.

Scripture: Proverbs 8:1-5, 22-31

Can you hear it?

Can you hear God’s call to wisdom?

What is wisdom?

Does wisdom equal knowledge? Does the wise man necessarily possess more knowledge than the unwise?

Wisdom
n. the ability to discern what is true, right, or lasting.

There can be no doubt that we live in a time of great knowledge. Quite likely the greatest time of knowledge in history. The technological and scientific advances of the last two centuries are unparalleled. The amount of information and knowledge that we have at our fingertips just waiting for us to log in and download and store in our memory is almost inconceivable. Ninety-four million Americans log on to the internet every day. The hard-drive of the average home computer holds more data than an average human being can process in a lifetime. The average American generates the equivalent of 100 gigabytes of information in a lifetime. There are hard-drives the size of a credit card now in production laptop computers that hold that much information. Even the magnetic strip on the back of your credit and debit cards holds several hundred bytes of information. We live in the Information Age.

But does all of our information technology and available knowledge make us wise?

We are very likely the most knowledgeable generation in history. Are we also the wisest generation?

I would not be afraid to state, with conviction, that the wise men of primitive times were as wise or wiser than the most knowledgeable and greatest thinkers of our generation.

Wisdom has no connection with either the quantity or quality of our knowledge. Wisdom is by definition more concerned with how we use whatever knowledge we possess.

Does our modern societies use their immense knowledge wisely?

Human wisdom is the ability to use knowledge purposefully. Wisdom is doing what we know is right. God gives us the ability to KNOW the right thing to do in all situations. This ability is not dependent on any "human" knowledge. Whether we do or do not do the right thing is totally dependent on wisdom, not at all on knowledge.

Where does wisdom come from? What is the origin of wisdom?

Trivia question: According to the Bible, what was the first creation of God?

If your answer is "the heavens and the earth", you need to read past Genesis. According to this weeks scripture lesson:

Pro 8:22-31 GNB
(22) "The LORD created me first of all, the first of his works, long ago.
(23) I was made in the very beginning, at the first, before the world began.
(24) I was born before the oceans, when there were no springs of water.
(25) I was born before the mountains, before the hills were set in place,
(26) before God made the earth and its fields or even the first handful of soil.
(27) I was there when he set the sky in place, when he stretched the horizon across the ocean,
(28) when he placed the clouds in the sky, when he opened the springs of the ocean
(29) and ordered the waters of the sea to rise no further than he said. I was there when he laid the earth's foundations.
(30) I was beside him like an architect, I was his daily source of joy, always happy in his presence---
(31) happy with the world and pleased with the human race.

We can see from this passage that the origin of wisdom is God. Wisdom is not a human attribute. Wisdom is also not merely an attribute of God. God is omniscient (all-knowing) and all-wise, but as the creator of wisdom, wisdom cannot be said to be merely an attribute of God. Wisdom does not affect or define who God is. As the creator of wisdom, God defines wisdom.

Why did God begin His creations with wisdom?

Before anything else existed outside of God, there was wisdom. Wisdom, like an architect or master worker, gave structure to creation. In everything, wisdom is present. Wisdom is not something made up by humans or discovered in our quest for knowledge. Wisdom is NOT a product or attribute of "enlightened" human understanding. Wisdom was created by God’s hand and is part of the very order and being of the world. Wisdom preceded all of the earthly creation and will exist when the earth is no more. Wisdom took an active role in creation and continues its active role. Previous lessons this quarter have pointed out the majesty of God’s creation. As we look at creation and recognize how "right" and "good" creation is, it is wisdom that points toward God as creator.

Just for fun I invite you to read this passage and the first chapter of the Gospel of John together and examine the parallels.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (Joh 1:1-5 ESV)

Could "wisdom", the speaker in Proverbs 8, be the pre-incarnate Christ, who was referred to as "The Word" in John 1?

Here is John Wesley’s commentary on Proverbs 8:1:

Pro 8:1 - Wisdom - It is a great question what this wisdom is. Some understand it of the Divine wisdom; others of the second person in the Godhead: and it cannot be denied that some passages best agree to the former, and others to the latter opinion. Possibly both may be joined together, and the chapter may be understood of Christ considered partly in his personal capacity, and partly in regard of his office, which was to impart the mind and will of God to mankind.

To whom is wisdom available? Where is wisdom offered?

Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: "To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.
(Pro 8:1-5 ESV)

What is wisdom’s purpose?

To relay the Message. Wisdom cries out with raised voice. Does wisdom attempt to conceal itself until we seek it out?

Wisdom has nothing to hide. No hidden codes. No secret agendas. Wisdom is available to everyone. Worldly knowledge is NOT a prerequisite. Wisdom seeks to persuade everyone to listen and embrace her message. Wisdom’s message is not only for the select few or to certain members of particular clubs or factions. Wisdom cries out for all to hear. Notice that although Wisdom’s call is to everyone, she speaks particularly to those who are considered "simple" or "fools", not to the "smart" or "knowledgeable". The message of wisdom is for the inexperienced and naive.

The inexperienced and naive, without guidance, will fall into all manner of traps and be easily led astray. The foolish may lack intelligence but not necessarily lack experience. The problem with fools is that they refuse to learn from their experiences. They have a great need for Wisdom. Unlike the simple ones who are inexperienced, the fools know better but do not use it.

What is wisdom’s call?

It is as sport to a fool to do wickedness; And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.
(Pro 10:23 ASV)

Fools love their wrongdoing. Discerning people love wisdom. Wisdom’s invitation to the fool is the call to repentance. The call to change direction and follow wisdom. Whatever our circumstances we may play the part of the simple or the foolish. We may lack experience and do silly things that an experienced person may not do. These silly things we do may cause great problems in our lives. We may make foolish decisions even when our experience tells us that there will be unfavorable consequences. Wisdom calls us all, those of us who know better and those who don’t, and promises us much better consequences if we will only heed the call.

Where do we hear wisdom’s call?

Wisdom’s call is heard everywhere we go. This call cannot be escaped.

On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: "To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.
(Pro 8:2-5 ESV)

On the heights beside the way. This indicates that wisdom is present in our place of worship.
At the crossroads, in our cities and towns, at the places where we conduct our business or in the marketplace.

From John Wesley’s commentary on Proverbs 8:2:

Pro 8:2 - High place - Where she may be best seen and heard. Paths - Where many paths meet, where there is a great concourse, and where travellers may need direction.
Beside the gates in front of the town. This was where governmental decisions were deliberated and where judgements were declared.

From John Wesley’s commentary on Proverbs 8:3:

Pro 8:3 - Gates - The places of judgment, and of the confluence of people. The entry - To invite passengers at their first coming and to conduct them to her house. The doors - Of her house.

Wherever we may find ourselves, there wisdom will make herself known. We must make the choice between foolishness and wisdom. We don’t have to leave our current situations and seek wisdom through knowledge. Wisdom is in our current situation calling out to us if we would but listen. We need wisdom in order to make wise choices. How can we acquire wisdom? We just have to listen to the call and respond to the call.

What relationship do you perceive between God and Wisdom?

How does Wisdom relate to creation in general and to humanity in particular?

I would like to remind you of our lesson from April 16. In that lesson God finally answered Job’s many questions. The answers were in the form of questions. The questions went something like this:

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
(Job 38:4-5 ESV)

The questioning went on for two chapters of Job. "Job, you know so much. What part did YOU play in creation?"

How does this passage and it’s description of Wisdom’s place in creation compare or contrast to the passage from Job 38-39.

Job, as representative for all men had absolutely nothing to do with creation. If we go back to the Genesis account of creation, we see that man was rather far down in the order of creation. Wisdom, on the other hand, was the first creation and played an active part in the rest of creation. We can carry that thought further and say that Wisdom continues to play an active part in the created order.

How can we compare and contrast Wisdom as described in Proverbs 8 and the Word (Christ) as described in John 1?

In the beginning (the beginning of creation as we know it) the Word was with God.
In the beginning Wisdom was with God.

All things were made through Him (the Word).
Wisdom was with Him, a master worker and architect.

The task of the Word was to call all men to repentance and faith.
The task of wisdom is to teach all men that repentance is wise.

Do you see any great significance to Wisdom being portrayed as a woman?

I think it a great thing that we have a lesson on woman Wisdom on Mother’s Day. One major reason for the portrayal of Wisdom as a female is the creative role that Wisdom plays. Wisdom is essentially the mother of all righteousness, giving birth to a way of life that is obedient to God.
What are the important voices in your life? How do you decide which of these voices to obey?

From "Adult Bible Studies Teacher":

Our lives are filled with voices calling us. We hear the audible voices of children, parents, friends, and coworkers. These voices issue requests, demands, and questions. Also there is the incessant voice of the media that beckons us to buy this or that product.

Then there are the inner voices that call to us. These inner voices include the internalized voice of parents or needs and desires, hopes and fears. Among these voices is the voice called conscience that helps us tell right from wrong. The voice of conscience is often portrayed as an angel sitting on a person’s shoulder; and often the devil is portrayed sitting on the other shoulder. Both the angel and the devil are demanding that the person do what they ask.

Among the plurality of voices that call out to us, how can we discern God’s voice? We believe that God can speak through other persons and through inner voices of thought and feelings. We acknowledge that God speaks through Scripture and through the Holy Spirit. What we need in order to discern God’s voice is God-given wisdom.

Which voices we listen to and heed is a very important issue. If we listen to the wrong voice, we can end up in the wrong career. It is no accident that the English word vocation comes from the Latin word vocare, which means "to call."

In today’s lesson we hear God’s call to wisdom. We have learned that wisdom was created by God at the very beginning and is woven into the fabric of creation. Not only is it important to hear wisdom’s call, we are to respond by leading the life to which we are beckoned.

Be afraid! Be Ve-e-e-e-ry afraid!

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Detached intellectual? I don't know whether to be offended, grateful, amused, or confused.

Which will it be? Savior or destroyer? Just let me know which you prefer and I'll see what I can do for ya.

ht= brogreg

Sunday School Lesson: Everything Has A Season

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3

What time is it?

When we hear that question, we automatically look to our watch or the nearest clock. I see the person who is not chained to some type of time-keeping instrument as very fortunate. Our modern lives have become so entangled with the minutes of the day that we have, for the most part, lost sight of time. I found it very interesting to learn in my reading for this lesson that there is no concept of, or word for, “minute” in the Bible. The word “hour” is found only in the New Testament. The most used reference to time in the Bible is “day”, with “year” a distant second, followed by “month” and “season”. Our culture has taught us to become so concerned with the minutes of our lives that we are losing our hours, days, years, and seasons.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” - Annie Dillard

So, what time is it?

For citizens of the United States, it is a time of war and disagreement.

It is a time of worry and concern over unstable fuel prices.

It is Spring, and therefore a time to plant in farming communities like ours. “Planting Time.”

Also, at this time of year in South Georgia, some fruits are ripe and many are making home-made jellies, jams, and preserves. A local delicacy is Mayhaw Jelly. In our area we could call this time “Mayhaw Season.”

In our area, recreational league softball and baseball is in full swing. Those of us with sons or daughters who play in these leagues spend lots of time going to practices and games, shopping for just the right equipment, and practicing with our young athletes. “Baseball/Softball Season.”

Just recently with schools and colleges out for a week and our close proximity to Florida’s Gulf Coast, many had a “Spring Break.” The folks who live and work in those coastal towns can certainly tell you what time it is when Spring Break comes around each year. It is a time of money and madness.

The fish are bedding and biting on Lake Seminole. There it is “Shellcracker Season.”

“Reality is a question of perspective; the further you get from the past, the more concrete and plausible it seems–but as you approach the present, it inevitably seems incredible.” - Salman Rushdie

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV
(1) For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
(2) a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
(3) a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
(4) a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
(5) a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
(6) a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
(7) a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
(8) a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

What time is it?

What times are the times best remembered?

Times of love, laughter, and peace? Or times of strife, conflict, and war?

What does the first verse of this passage teach us about all the events of the world and our lives?

There is a purpose to all that happens. The first verses of this passage may not state it clearly, but this passage is not just the pessimistic groanings of a thinker attempting to make sense of a seemingly senseless existence. You have to read further to find it, but the teacher who wrote this passage did not simply state the obvious facts of constantly changing circumstances and situations. This teacher understood that God, not man, orders our lives and all of the changes of life. Without God, these changes would seem senseless. With God at the center, it is truly amazing how our lives are ordered. Without God, life is full of weariness and disappointment.

How is a Christian to understand such statements as: There is “a time to kill” and “a time to hate’?

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 ESV
(9) What gain has the worker from his toil?
(10) I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
(11) He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
(12) I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;
(13) also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God's gift to man.
(14) I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.
(15) That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.


There are two Greek words used in the Bible that describe two different concepts of time. The first is “chronos”, from which we get the English words “chronology” and “chronometer”. Chronos is time from man’s point of view. This time can be measured and divided into components of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc. We complain of our chaotic lives in reference to time, but just think how chaotic the world would be without standards of time. God, who exists outside of time, is probably not very concerned with “chronos”.

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” - Albert Einstein

The other Greek word for time is “kairos” which means “the fullness of time” or “the right time.”

Kairos is not at all dependent on clocks, calendars, or chronometers. Kairos, “the right time” is always determined by God. A good analogy for kairos is the ripening of fruit. The time a fruit develops and ripens on a tree is measurable by “chronos.” The perfect time for harvest can only be determined by it’s ripeness. That is “kairos”, the right time.

Chronos and kairos are two totally different time frames. Chronos is measurable, earthbound, and totally human. Kairos is eternal, beyond measure, and divine.

How do we get ourselves out of chronos and into kairos?

To live in kairos we must live in the present. How common is it for a person to be so concerned about the future that they never enjoy the present?

“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes per hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” - C. S. Lewis

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Living in the present is a definite part of discipleship. Wherever we are, right now, there are needs around us. If we fail to attempt to meet those needs wherever and whenever those needs are made known, then we have failed in that moment. Regardless of what success we find in the future, we cannot erase a single failure.

“Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.” - Captain Jean-Luc Picard


James 4:13-16 ESV
(13) Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"--
(14) yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
(15) Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
(16) As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

To live in kairos we must patiently wait on the Lord and remain prepared for the “right time”.

We can never predict God’s “right time”. We must never so fill our “chronos” that we have no time left for prayer and preparation for God’s “right time” for us.

“Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.” - Marcus Aurelius

To live in kairos we must in all things give thanks. We will be spared very few if any of the seasons of life described in today’s scripture. Some of us will have multiple experiences of some of the ones that seem tragic or difficult. If we, like the teacher in Ecclesiastes can look at our experiences from the eternal perspective of God, we can say, “This is not the end of the world. With God’s help, I can get through this.” How difficult it is to give thanks in the middle of a difficult situation. Yet, nothing can separate us from the love of God.


Romans 8:35-39 ESV
(35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
(36) As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
(37) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
(38) For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
(39) nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The teacher questions: How can one find happiness apart from God? There has never been one person who has not tried and failed. Happiness and joy cannot exist apart from God.

“My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."” - Forrest Gump



“So many men, so little time.” - Mae West

Sunday School Lesson: From Death to Life

Purpose:
To explore how new life is God’s answer to suffering and death.

Scripture: Job 38; 42:1-6; Mark 16

For thirty seven chapters God has been silent. But noone else has. Satan spoke boldly that Job’s faith would certainly fail the tests that would be given him. Take away his wealth, his family, all the things that give him power and prestige and surely he will curse God. Job’s wife offered advice to curse God and die. Surely death is better than suffering. Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar attempt to comfort Job by sitting in silence with him and sharing his pain. At the end of the seven days of silence Job refuses to curse God but does curse the day of his own birth, seemingly questioning the purpose of a life destined to suffer. The friends then enter the dialogue and insist that Job must have sinned in some manner and deserves the punishment and sorrow inflicted upon him. They urge Job to repent and return to a right relationship with God . If only Job will confess his hidden sin and truly repent then God will end his suffering. Job consistently denies any wrongdoing. We must remember that at the beginning of the story even God declares Job to be free from sin:

And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?"
(Job 1:8 ESV)

Job loudly confronts God, demanding God to appear and explain exactly what Job is guilty of. Job becomes increasingly angry with God and his friends. Job begs God to speak and to restore his reputation and integrity. Another friend, Elihu appears in chapter 32 and reinforces the other friend’s arguments. And finally, when it appears that Job will have to suffer eternal silence from God, God speaks. And how does God answer the questions of Job? With questions of His own:

What does Job know about how and what God has created and how God is sustaining that creation?

Who is Job to question and challenge God?


And now, finally, GOD answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: "Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you're talking about? Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers. Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone, While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise? And who took charge of the ocean when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb? That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds, and tucked it in safely at night. Then I made a playpen for it, a strong playpen so it couldn't run loose, And said, 'Stay here, this is your place. Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.' "And have you ever ordered Morning, 'Get up!' told Dawn, 'Get to work!' So you could seize Earth like a blanket and shake out the wicked like cockroaches? As the sun brings everything to light, brings out all the colors and shapes, The cover of darkness is snatched from the wicked-- they're caught in the very act! "Have you ever gotten to the true bottom of things, explored the labyrinthine caves of deep ocean? Do you know the first thing about death? Do you have one clue regarding death's dark mysteries? And do you have any idea how large this earth is? Speak up if you have even the beginning of an answer. "Do you know where Light comes from and where Darkness lives So you can take them by the hand and lead them home when they get lost? Why, of course you know that. You've known them all your life, grown up in the same neighborhood with them! "Have you ever traveled to where snow is made, seen the vault where hail is stockpiled, The arsenals of hail and snow that I keep in readiness for times of trouble and battle and war? Can you find your way to where lightning is launched, or to the place from which the wind blows? Who do you suppose carves canyons for the downpours of rain, and charts the route of thunderstorms That bring water to unvisited fields, deserts no one ever lays eyes on, Drenching the useless wastelands so they're carpeted with wildflowers and grass? And who do you think is the father of rain and dew, the mother of ice and frost? You don't for a minute imagine these marvels of weather just happen, do you? "Can you catch the eye of the beautiful Pleiades sisters, or distract Orion from his hunt? Can you get Venus to look your way, or get the Great Bear and her cubs to come out and play? Do you know the first thing about the sky's constellations and how they affect things on Earth? "Can you get the attention of the clouds, and commission a shower of rain? Can you take charge of the lightning bolts and have them report to you for orders? "Who do you think gave weather-wisdom to the ibis, and storm-savvy to the rooster? Does anyone know enough to number all the clouds or tip over the rain barrels of heaven When the earth is cracked and dry, the ground baked hard as a brick? "Can you teach the lioness to stalk her prey and satisfy the appetite of her cubs As they crouch in their den, waiting hungrily in their cave? And who sets out food for the ravens when their young cry to God, fluttering about because they have no food?
(Job 38:1-41 MSG)


How does Job’s "hearing" and "seeing" God affect him?

Job had not expected to receive this relentless questioning (the questioning goes on for four chapters). Job had demanded answers from God, yet all he had received was questions. Even more shocking was the nature of the questions. Job could not have possibly answered these.

Why is it that Job could not answer God’s questions?

The reason that Job could not answer the questions is that they were rhetorical; they were actually statements in the form of questions. These particular questions were challenges of Job’s knowledge and wisdom. In effect God is saying to Job, "You don’t know enough to accuse Me of injustice." In a way, God gives Job a dose of his own medicine. Job had challenged God with rhetorical questions, and now it was God’s turn. Job does not receive the answers he was seeking. He actually receives something much greater. He receives divine presence. He receives God’s attention. Can’t we mark the greatest moments of our lives as those when we know that we have God’s complete and undivided attention? Even though Job did not get exactly what he asked for, he got exactly what he needed: a dose of humility. Job seems awed and humbled by his encounter with God. Job also realizes the limits of his own knowledge. This is the way God blesses us most of the time, we may not get exactly what we ask for but we get exactly what we need and it is only in hindsight that we realize that we were asking for the wrong thing or in the wrong way all along. If you were Job and heard these questions from God, how would you react? Job’s response was to repent of the accusations he made against God in the previous chapters:

Job answered GOD: "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans. You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?' I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head. You told me, 'Listen, and let me do the talking. Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.' I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand--from my own eyes and ears! I'm sorry--forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise! I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."
(Job 42:1-6 MSG)

Is Job genuinely humble and contrite, or is he just throwing in the towel and admitting that he is no match for God? Is the Job we encounter in these verses a changed man, or is he the same Job of the earlier chapters, but now admitting defeat?

Do you believe that Job sincerely repented of what he had said about God?

Is repentance a complete and instantaneous transformation?

Or is repentance a dynamic process?

Repentance starts with a moment of contrition and a resolve to change. But in the life of any Christian, there are many, many moments of contrition and resolutions to change. As we mature in faith, we discover things about ourselves and about God that we did not know before.

Repentance or metanoia, as it is called in Greek, means a change of mind, heart, and direction. Some changes happen immediately, others take years, even a lifetime.

As Methodists we follow the Wesleyan belief in ongoing repentance. There is the moment of "justification" which is a conversion experience that starts us on our way in Christian life and there is "sanctification" which is a process of ongoing growth in the Christian life. At the point of justification we receive the transforming grace of God. Sanctification is the process of living in light of God’s grace.

We have know way of knowing if Job was sincere in his response to God. But we can look at ourselves and hold ourselves accountable for our own response to God’s love and grace.

We cannot have a lesson on Easter Sunday without reading and celebrating the Good News of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is God’s answer to all questions of suffering and death. Jesus suffered horribly. On the cross, Jesus revealed a God who not only suffers for us, but suffers with us. Jesus knew as well as Job the very real agonies of human suffering. In some ways, Jesus’ suffering and Job’s were similar. Job lost everything, including his children. Jesus was betrayed, deserted, and denied by his closest friends. Both Job and Jesus were righteous men, blameless before God. Both suffered innocently.

The major difference between Jesus and Job is that Jesus died on the cross, while Job’s life continued. Jesus’ resurrection was not a continuation of his earthly life; he was raised to a radically new, unparalleled, and eternal existence. Jesus was raised to live and reign forever with God.

The resurrection proclaims that death is not the end of human existence. Death is not the last word spoken. God brings new life out of death. The tomb, a place of death, was transformed into a sign of new life. Because God raised Jesus to new life, there is no tomb, no suffering, no death, no sadness, no grief, no fear, no anything that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This good news of Easter is almost too good to be true. In today’s scripture from Mark, it is clear that even the disciples only believed when they encountered the risen Christ. We must remember that the stone at Jesus’ tomb was not rolled away so that Jesus could get out, he could have easily walked through the stone had he chosen to. The stone was rolled away so that we could see in and know that death is not the end.


When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?" Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back--it was a huge stone--and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished. He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now--on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said." They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone. [After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn't believe her. Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside. They went back and told the rest, but they weren't believed either. Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. Then he said, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned. "These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well." Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor. And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.]
(Mar 16:1-20 MSG)