This sermon explores Proverbs 5 as a wisdom text that reveals how desire directs our lives and ultimately shapes who we become. Rather than treating unfaithfulness as accidental or harmless, Proverbs exposes two competing voices, one grounded in wisdom, foresight, and concern for life, and another that promises immediate satisfaction without regard for consequence. The central issue is not merely behavior but authority, whether our lives are formed by God’s wisdom or by unchecked desire. At its core, the sermon calls listeners to covenantal love, love rooted in faithfulness, responsibility, and commitment rather than feelings or personal fulfillment. It challenges the cultural question, “Does this feel right?” with the deeper biblical question, “Is this faithful?” Desire is not condemned, but must be ordered within God’s design to become life-giving rather than destructive.

This sermon reflects on Proverbs 4 to show that wisdom is not merely about rule-keeping or isolated good decisions, but about the formation and guarding of the heart—a process shaped over time through daily choices and faithful modeling across generations. Drawing from personal stories of parenting and biblical imagery of “like father, like son,” the message emphasizes that godly wisdom is meant to be received from God, embodied by parents, and passed intentionally to children, with the home bearing primary responsibility for transmitting eternal truth alongside the church. Wisdom, the sermon argues, is non-linear: while we cannot change our own hearts through willpower or perfect choices, our choices matter because they protect the heart God alone is transforming. Proverbs 4’s call to guard the heart highlights that everything downstream—our words, what we fix our eyes on, and the paths we walk—flows from that inner wellspring. Ultimately, the sermon urges believers to cherish and pursue God’s wisdom above all else, to protect it fiercely, and to pass it on faithfully, because it alone leads to true life now and eternally.

This sermon is about the tension between trusting ourselves and trusting God. It confronts the subtle way many people drift into self-reliance rather than outright rebellion. The message argues that most spiritual damage does not come from openly rejecting God but from gradually leaning on our own understanding, trusting our instincts, emotions, logic, and sense of control instead of God’s wisdom.

This sermon teaches that true security in life comes not from worldly wisdom but from actively pursuing and treasuring godly wisdom, as outlined in Proverbs 2:1–11 through a series of clear “if/then” promises. Solomon’s fatherly counsel emphasizes that while God’s love is unconditional, wisdom and security are received conditionally—if we accept, store, seek, and desperately pursue God’s wisdom like hidden treasure, then God grants understanding, protection, discernment, and guidance along righteous paths. Wisdom does not happen by accident; it requires humility, desire, and intentional effort, shaping both right belief and right behavior. In contrast, worldly wisdom leads to chaos, confusion, and vulnerability, often disguised through seductive or twisted words that appeal to our desires. Godly wisdom guards us from these dangers, aligns us with godly community, and helps us recognize God’s voice amid competing influences. Ultimately, the call to seek wisdom reflects God’s prior pursuit of us, inviting us to incline our hearts toward Him so that we may live securely, faithfully, and well.

This opening sermon of *The Way of Wisdom* series frames the new year as a deliberate quest for godly wisdom, grounding that pursuit in Proverbs 1 and the central truth that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Using the image of starting in the right place to reach the right destination, the message defines wisdom not as information or intellect but as a posture of humble, worshipful submission to God—standing with one’s heart in hand before Him. The sermon contrasts this posture with foolishness, which Scripture describes as dullness, arrogance, and flippancy toward serious things, especially God’s Word. Wisdom is shown to be passed down through generations, cultivated through Scripture, personal experience, community, and the guiding work of the Holy Spirit, and applied to every area of life without exception. Ultimately, the sermon presents a clear choice: to live in reverent submission to God and grow in wisdom, safety, and life, or to reject His instruction and suffer the consequences of self-made folly.

This sermon is about God’s sovereign faithfulness in a broken world. Matthew 2 shows us that the birth of Jesus does not usher in immediate peace, but resistance, violence, and grief. Earthly power reacts in fear, innocent people suffer, and evil feels overwhelming. Yet through every moment—flight, loss, exile, and obscurity—God is actively preserving His promise. Jesus retraces Israel’s story, survives human opposition, and grows up not in honor but in Nazareth, a place of scorn, fulfilling the promise that salvation would come through humility and rejection.

This sermon invites listeners to look at the familiar Christmas story and the gospel with “fresh eyes,” like seeing an old fork as a new “dinglehopper,” by focusing on Paul’s introduction in Romans 1 and the true meaning of the gospel as good news, not good advice. It emphasizes that Christianity is centered on what God has already done in Jesus Christ—through his life, death, and resurrection—rather than on human effort or moral improvement. Paul proclaims that both Jews and Gentiles are called to belong to Jesus, receiving a new status as God’s loved and holy people through faith. Righteousness, the sermon explains, is not something we achieve but a title given to believers because of Christ’s righteousness, with obedience flowing naturally from faith as allegiance and loyalty to King Jesus. Ultimately, the message points from the manger to the cross, declaring that Jesus has changed God’s regard toward humanity, justifying believers by faith, assuring salvation, and calling all people to believe, belong, and live transformed lives in response to this joyful good news.

Pastor Peter Hough, guest preacher

Matthew 3:1-12

This sermon steps into Mark 5 and the story of a man living among the tombs—isolated, out of control, and beyond human help. His life is what it looks like when sin and spiritual bondage run their full course: cut off from people, surrounded by death, and no longer ruling his desires, but ruled by them. We’ll connect that picture to how sexual sin works in our lives and marriages today: it starts small, feels manageable, but slowly steals our peace, hardens our hearts, and rewrites who we believe we are.