Kindle Notes & Highlights
Other preachers, however, gravitate to Proverbs because they love the practical, earthy advice and wisdom about daily life. Proverbs seems perfect for the kind of topical preaching that avoids “deep” theology and gives people what they really need—practical tips for daily living in the areas of protecting your marriage, managing your money, and controlling your tongue.
This approach to Proverbs is dangerous because it can imply a form of works-based righteousness where people try to earn favor with God by their actions, oblivious to the fact that apart from the gospel they are heading straight to Hell. That is moralism, not gospel-centered preaching.
The other problem with a moralistic approach to Proverbs is that it does not deal with the fundamental issue facing every human being—the cause of our
The Bible teaches that the point of Proverbs, just like all of the Old Testament Scriptures, is to “make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15).[1]
The purpose of Proverbs, just like every other book of the Bible is to save and sanctify those who read
The Wisdom revealed in Proverbs has a royal and messianic emphasis.
Wisdom is needed to rule a kingdom well. Solomon’s reign is glorious and peaceful because of God’s gift of wisdom. His knowledge surpassed that of all the nations around
For example, when Jesus taught about his kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount, he dealt with themes very similar to that of Proverbs.[10]
to the King in genuine faith. When we preach Proverbs, therefore, we must expose our audience’s failure to live up to the ethical standard it reveals,
The purpose of Proverbs is to instruct the reader in wisdom, which is a wide and varied complex of ideas in Scripture, especially in the writings of Solomon, Agur, and Lemuel.
Therefore, when preaching passages such as Proverbs 26:4-5, the preacher should interpret the text with the example of Jesus as the wise son in mind.[12]
Consequently, when we preach Proverbs 26:4-5, we need to teach our people that growth in Christ’s likeness is
much more than growth in our ability to avoid sin. Being conformed to the image of Christ also means growing in discernment. The maturing Christian should increasingly sense when a “friend” on Facebook just wants to argue, and therefore should choose not to engage him or her further. At the same time, the growing Christian will recognize increasingly when to speak up when the situation calls for an answer.
Proverbs points to Jesus with its repeated calls for inward transformation.
Keeping two imperatives in mind when preparing sermons from Proverbs will help you point your audience to Christ. First, avoid moralism. Preach for heart change rather than behavior modification. Second, as you proclaim the ethical and behavioral standards of Proverbs, be sure to remind your listener that Christ is the only one who that has met that standard. Our need is to trust him for our right standing before God, which frees us to obey the law, or in this case, the Proverbs.
Proverbs teaches that walking in wisdom in our daily lives is like walking a path. In this regard, Proverbs corrects many contemporary
