SMBC Principal's Hour

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, the sad example of the exodus generation from Israel’s history serves as a warning for the church at Corinth. Just as then, we (unfortunately) have plenty of examples of people who have started well but failed to finish. The goal for all Christians is to hear those wonderful words from Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” May it be so.

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul says he willingly surrenders his own rights and freedoms, even the right to get paid for his work. Why would he do this? And what might it mean for our lives?

Theological knowledge is precious. And yet, if we misuse it, it can cause us and others profound spiritual harm. 1 Corinthians 8 contains an important warning for all of us who value theological knowledge and seek to grow in it.

Making decisions can be stressful. We worry that if we choose badly, we may pay the price later. And as Christians who are called to participate in God’s work in this world, it feels like the stakes are high when we make decisions! We want to make the most of our opportunities. So there are two things we need: to learn how to make good decisions, and how to manage the stress of the process! In Proverbs, we find precious wisdom from God for both of these things.

Families are the first and foundational school of wisdom for life. This Principal’s Hour sermon explores how godly wisdom gives life to them, shapes generations, and is passed on through loving instruction and discipline rooted in the fear of the Lord.

The church needs good leaders. But what does it take to be a good leader? God’s wisdom for leadership in Proverbs is both profoundly important, and surprisingly simple.

Money is a fact of life but it can also feel like poisoned chalice. It seduces us into greed. We can also end up feeling very guilty about having any money at all. So how can we be wise in having and using money? How can money be a joy and not burden?

What do you want? It’s uncomfortable to say out loud – most of us desire sex. Our desire might be a good gift, but every person needs wisdom for those desires. We need wisdom to train us that sex is for marriage. Indeed, the key to finding the good in sex is to value wisdom more than sex. When we seek God’s wisdom as greater than other desires, we are trained to honour sex in its right place – whether we are single or married.

When we deal with it well, conflict can be an opportunity to deepen relationships, find solutions to problems, and demonstrate the power of the gospel to the world. When we deal with it badly, conflict can be destructive. In the gospel, we have the ultimate conflict-resolution resource. And yet we don’t always apply it well to our conflicts. How can we grow in this area? We need wisdom to apply the gospel to our conflicts. Proverbs is a precious resource for this!

The book of Proverbs assures us that it’s good to do what is right and just and fair. Much of life, though, is about puzzling through what that means in the details of the relationships and situations I’m in. Proverbs 30 gives us a chance to examine ourselves with riddles that ask us to think hard about money, sex and power.