Jeff Shelnutt Sermons

How does God guide our steps? A number of proverbs address this question. There is not one way only, but several means of divine guidance that work together so that can be sure we are taking the right steps along the path of life.

The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about our words. Not only are we to guard what comes out of our mouths, sometimes it is better to show restraint and say nothing at all. If life and death are in the power of the tongue, then what we say (or don't say) is incredibly powerful. To have control of one's tongue is a sure sign of spiritual maturity.

We all know that pride is thinking too highly of oneself. Humility, however, is not thinking less of oneself. It is looking at yourself realistically. Proverbs polishes our lenses so that we might see ourselves as we ought, that is, as God sees us. Pride is spiritually destructive; humility brings life. Even salvation comes through humility--not one's own, but the humility of Jesus Christ.

Though the book of Proverbs addresses many topics, wisdom is its overarching theme. Wisdom is not just something we possess, but something we are called to apply to every situation. After defining wisdom, we will see from this passage how to find, benefit from, observe, and utilize wisdom. The impulse of every person is to be happy. The path of wisdom is the path of joy.

In wrapping up our series on the Gospel of Mark, we consider 16:9-20. Why is the general consensus that these verses were added on to Mark's original ending? How should we think about this last section? How does all of this relate to what we know about the doctrine of the preservation of Scripture? Mark's Gospel has shown us that to believe in the Son of God is be a practitioner of His teachings.

The three ladies who watched Jesus die from a distance now go to the tomb early Sunday morning to anoint His body. They discover the heavy stone rolled away, the body of Jesus missing, and a mysterious young man clothed in white sitting within. Confused and distressed, the ladies are faced with evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. What do they do with what they've witnessed? What do we do?

Three women look on Jesus' death from a distance. One man finds the courage to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus for burial. Those who closely followed Jesus in life stand back at His death. A secret follower in life emerges publicly at Jesus' death. We have all behaved like both the ladies and Joseph of Arimathea at one time or another. It is much easier to begin the race strong than to finish strong. The coming resurrection ensures that by God' grace, we can do the latter.

The six hours that Jesus hung dying on a Roman cross were simultaneously the most tragic and glorious hours in human history. Though taunted and mocked, Jesus refused to save Himself so that you and I might be saved. Mark does not record everything Jesus said from the cross. He does draw our attention to the final question/prayer Jesus offers to His Father, and to the loud cry with which He dies. As the curtain in the temple is torn from top to bottom, the first Gentile confesses Jesus as the Son of God.

Jesus is mocked by Roman soldiers as King of the Jews. The scourging Jesus received keeps Him from having the strength to carry His own cross to Golgotha. Only Jesus can die on the cross for the sins of the world, but Simon of Cyrene is the first to literally "take up his cross and follow" Jesus. With a characteristic understatement, Mark notes "they crucified Him." So begins the excruciatingly painful and humiliating process of Jesus' death on a cross. The One accused of being King of the Jews is the One before whom every knee will one day bow.

As the Passover pilgrim travels toward Jerusalem, he sings this Song of Ascent to his Helper. The Helper is present on your journey, consistently watches over you, is precise in His care, and takes you through the trial, not around it.