We live in a world of complexities and conundrums, so must resist falling into an "all or nothing" mentality. The kings of the Bible aren't neatly divided between good and bad. It's filled with great kings who are adulterers (David) and evil kings who bless the people of God (Cyrus). This means that political battles must be kept in perspective.

Flexibility and prudence are not the same things as cowardice.

As we seek to understand who God is, what this world is and what is our place in this world, Solomon warns of some practical barriers which impede our understanding. Surprisingly, the first potential barrier to understanding God is worship—if you are not worshipping rightly.

We ought to think of Ecclesiastes 2 as a series of highly sophisticated and calculated experiments. Solomon begins with the words, "I said in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you…" Solomon wants to find meaning in life and he's going about his quest in a thoughtful manner.

In his novel, When Nietzsche wept, Irvin Yalom writes, "Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness." In other words, don't look deeply into life. If you begin to think deeply about the world, wealth, work, and wisdom you'll despair. And yet, God, through the author of Ecclesiastes spends 12 chapters forcing us to think deeply about all these things.

A talk given by Theron Willis at the 2022 Christian Education Event held at Lake Wylie Baptist

Psalm 19 is the Psalm of 3 words. First, we hear words about God from the heavens. (v. 1-6) Then we hear words from God found in the law of Scriptures. (v. 7-11) Finally, in response, we speak words back to God. (v. 12-14) It's also been called the book of the three laws: the law of nature, the law of God, and the law of the conscience; each of them teaching us who God is, who we are, and what is required of us.

Disclaimer: This audio series summarizes the central arguments of Carl Trueman's book, Strange New World and was created for the purpose of teaching a 4-week discipleship course for Lake Wylie Baptist Church. Much of the material consists of copied text from Trueman's book, often edited for the sake of condensed presentation to a live audience. Please do not distribute without permission.

Psalm 18 is the first long Psalm in the Psalter and is quoted in 2 Samuel 22 with a few minor differences. The fascinating part is that 2 Samuel 22 presents Psalm 18 as David's last words. Looking backward over a lifetime of warfare, David praises God's deliverance from his enemies, especially from King Saul. It is therefore, a Psalm of thanksgiving as well as a royal psalm.

Disclaimer: This audio series summarizes the central arguments of Carl Trueman's book, Strange New World and was created for the purpose of teaching a 4-week discipleship course for Lake Wylie Baptist Church. Much of the material consists of copied text from Trueman's book, often edited for the sake of condensed presentation to a live audience. Please do not distribute without permission.

Disclaimer: This audio series summarizes the central arguments of Carl Trueman's book, Strange New World and was created for the purpose of teaching a 4-week discipleship course for Lake Wylie Baptist Church. Much of the material consists of copied text from Trueman's book, often edited for the sake of condensed presentation to a live audience. Please do not distribute without permission.