Introduction: As we begin a short series of messages on “themes in Proverbs,” we begin with the topic of wisdom—wisdom and the wise. This book is part of what is called the Wisdom Literature of Scripture, and so in one sense everything the book teaches falls under the heading of wisdom. But I want to …
Humility Is An Inference
When it comes to the duty of humility, the body is generally divided into two large sections. There are those who do not think of humility much, for the whole thing seems entirely unrealistic, and then there are those who pay a great deal of direct attention to this duty, and it is that kind …
Somebody Touched Me
In Luke 8, we are told the story of the woman with a hemorrhage who approached Christ in the press of the crowd, touched Him, and was healed. She came to him in true faith, but as she thought, anonymously, and yet was healed. But it was not a secret to Christ. He felt the …
The Solution is Seen for What It Is
“He who knows, with a vivid and vital self-consciousness, what guilt means, knows what atonement means as soon as presented” (Shedd, Homiletic and Pastoral Theology, p. 275).
Including Holiness, Guilt, and Blood
“For this doctrine of expiation in the Christian system, is like a ganglion in the human frame; it is a knot of nerves; it is the oscillating centre where several primal and vital truths meet in unity” (Shedd, Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, p. 272).
Aeneas, Anarchy, and America #3
Introduction: As we read Scripture carefully, we should note that there are many differences between the status of the Jews in Isaiah’s day, for example, and our condition. At the same time, we have to realize that God gave the Scriptures to us for an example, so that we would be able to learn from …
Humility Is Not Lying
Scripture reminds us that we are to think of others in a way that is very difficult to do. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3). Now the sense of this is not that we are to pretend that others …
Both Ends Necessary
“Eloquence, in its highest forms and effects, is a joint product of two factors; of an eloquent speaker, and an eloquent hearer” (Shedd, Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, p. 259).
Which Is Why Some Don’t Like It
“The gospel of the Son of God is the only system that is not subject to fashions and changes” (Shedd, Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, p. 257).
Aeneas, Anarchy, and America #2
Introduction: In a world gone mad, sanity is always thought to be some form of extremism. When people are wound tight in their scruples, the preaching of free grace is thought to be antinomian license (Rom. 6:1ff). When the early Christians refused to acknowledge the pantheon of gods, they were not accused of monotheism, but …