Fall Sermon Series: The Way of Wisdom

For the months of October and November we will be embarking on a Sermon Series through passages in the Book of Proverbs.  The book of Proverbs gives us the keys to God’s wisdom for our lives.  In a world inundated with knowledge – knowledge that comes as quickly as a click on a computer mouse – it is clear that knowledge itself has no virtue attached to it.  Knowledge without wisdom is like a man with a map not knowing where he wants to go or should go.  Here’s the sermon listing for the next eight weeks.

Proverbs: The School of God’s Wisdom 

• October 5 – The Way of Wisdom / Proverbs 3:5-8; 4:11-27
• October 12 – The Healing of Anger / Proverbs 14:29-30; 15:1,18; 16:32; 19:11,19; 24:28-29; 25:21-22
• October 19 – The Fall of Pride / Proverbs 11:2,12; 13:10; 15:25,33; 16:18-19; 21:4; 28:26
• October 26 – The Double-Edged Sword of Words / Proverbs 10:18-19, 31-32; 12:13-14, 17-18; 15:1, 4; 16:23, 28; 18:13, 21; 24:26; 25:11, 15
• November 2 - Leadership and Authority (Proverbs 8:15-16; 14:28, 35; 16:10, 12-15; 17:7; 19:12; 20:2, 8, 26, 28; 21:1; 22:11; 23:1-3; 24:21-22; 25:2-7; 27:18; 28:2, 15, 16; 29:4, 12, 14, 26; 30:21-23; 31:1-9)
• November 9 – Healthy Relationships / Proverbs 17:9; 17:17; 18:24;  26:18,19; 27:5,6,9,14,17; 28:23; 29:5
• November 16 – The Wounded Spirit / Proverbs 12:25; 13:12; 14:10,13,30; 15:4,13-14; 16:2; 18:14; 28:1
• November 23 – Your Plans: God’s Plans / Proverbs 11:3; 12:5,15; 15:22; 16:1-4,9,25,33; 21:5; 27:1

I’d like to also attached to this post a helpful index that has been prepared by Tremper Longman III of Westmont College.  His new commentary on the Book of Proverbs is a helpful and detailed resource of information on the book, yet his appendix on major themes in the book of Proverbs is tremendously helpful.  I am using this book as well as Dr. Timothy Keller’s outline on the book of Proverbs (though he preached 22 sermons!)  Challenge yourself to read through the book at least once if not twice within the next two months.  Here’s a helpful outline of major topics in the book:

• Alcohol (20:1; 21:17; 23:10-21, 29-35; 31:1-9)
• Anger  (15:18; 16:14; 19:11, 12, 19: 21:10; 25:23; 27:3-4; 29:8, 22)
• Appropriate Expression of Emotions (12:16; 14:29, 30; 16:32; 17:27; 19:11; 25:28; 29:11)
• Appropriate Use of Words (10:14; 11:12, 13; 12:18; 13:3, 16; 15:28; 17:27, 28; 19:1; 20:18, 25; 26:4)
• Bribes/Gifts (15:27; 17:8, 23; 18:16; 19:6; 21:14; 25:14, 28:21)
• Business Ethics (6:1-5; 10:2; 11:1, 15, 18, 24-26; 13:11; 14:23; 15:27; 16:8, 11, 13, 26; 17:18; 20:10, 14, 16, 23; 21:5; 22:7, 26-27; 26:10; 27:13, 18; 28:8, 16)
• Family Relationships (6:16-19; 10:1; 15:20; 17:2, 6, 17, 21; 19:13, 18, 26; 20:7, 20; 22:6; 23:13-14, 22-25; 27:8; 28:7, 24; 29:3, 15, 17; 30:11, 17, 21-23)
• Fights and Conflicts (6:19; 10:12; 15:18; 16:28; 17:14, 29; 18:6, 19; 19:11; 20:3; 22:10; 23:29-30; 26:17, 20, 21; 28:25; 29:22)
• Friendship/Neighbors (3:27-31; 6:1-5; 11:9, 12; 14:20; 16:29; 17:9, 17, 18; 18:17, 24; 19:4, 6, 7; 20:6; 21:10; 22:11; 23:10-11; 24:28-29; 25:8, 9-10, 17, 18; 26:18-19; 27:9-10, 14, 17)
• Guidance/Planning/Looking to the Future (1:5; 6:18; 11:14; 12:5, 20; 14:22; 15:22, 26; 16:1, 2, 3, 9, 33; 19:21; 20:18, 24; 21:5; 24:6, 27; 27:1; 29:18; 31:25, 27)
• Illness and Health  (3:7-8; 12:4; 13:12; 14:30; 15:30; 16:24; 17:22; 18:14)
• Kings/Authority (8:15-16; 14:28, 35; 16:10, 12-15; 17:7; 19:12; 20:2, 8, 26, 28; 21:1; 22:11; 23:1-3; 24:21-22; 25:23, 4-5 6-7; 27:18; 28:2, 15, 16; 29:4, 12, 14, 26; 30:21-23; 31:1-9)
• Laziness and Hard Work  (6:6-11; 10:4, 5, 26; 12:11, 24, 27; 13:4; 14:23; 15:19; 28:9; 19:15, 24; 20:4, 13; 21:25; 22:13, 29; 24:30-34; 36:13-16; 27:23-37; 28:39; 31:27)
• Lies (6:16-19; 10:18; 12:17, 29, 22; 14:5, 25; 17:4; 19:5, 9, 28; 21:6, 28; 24:28-29; 25:8, 18; 30:7-9)
• Messengers (10:26; 13:17; 25:13, 25; 26:6)
• Openness to Listening to Advice (3:11-12; 9:7-9; 12:1, 15; 13:1, 10, 13-14, 18; 15:5, 10, 12, 31, 32, 33; 17:10; 18:2, 15; 19:25, 27; 21:11; 23:9; 24:5-6; 25:12; 26:11; 27:5-6, 22; 28:13, 23; 29:1, 9)
• Physical Discipline (3:11-12; 10:13; 13:24; 17:10; 19:18, 25; 20:30; 22:15; 23:13-14; 26:3; 29:15, 17, 19)
• Positive Influence of the Righteous/Negative of the Wicked (11:11; 14:34; 16:29; 20:7; 25:4-5; 28:10, 12, 28; 29:2, 8, 16)
• Prayer/Sacrifice/Vows  (3:9; 7:14-15; 15:8, 29; 20:25; 21:3, 27; 28:9)
• Pride/Humility (3:5, 7; 6:17; 11:2; 15:25, 33; 16:5, 18, 29; 18:25; 21:4, 24; 22:4; 25:6-7, 27; 26:12; 29:23; 30:1-4, 13)
• Protection of the Socially Vulnerable (15:25; 13:10-12)
• Psychological Insight  (12:25; 13:23; 14:10, 13, 30; 15:4, 13, 30; 17:22; 25:20; 27:29; 28:17)
• Rumors/Gossip/Slander/Insult  (6:19; 9:7; 10:18; 11:13; 16:28; 18:3, 8; 20:19; 25:8-10, 23; 26:20, 22; 30:10)
• Shame (3:35; 6:32-33; 9:7; 11:2; 12:8; 13:18; 14:35; 18:3; 22:10; 25:8; 28:7; 29:15)
• Speaking and Listening (6:16-19; 8:6-9, 12-14; 10:6, 18-21, 32, 32; 11:11-13; 12:6, 13, 14, 25; 13:2, 5, 16; 14:3, 5, 25; 15:1, 2, 4, 7, 23, 28; 16:10, 13, 24; 17:4, 7, 20, 27, 28; 18:4, 6, 7, 8, 13, 20, 21; 19:5, 9; 20:19; 21:23; 22:11; 23:15-16; 24:7-9, 26: 25:10-11, 14, 24; 26:28; 27:14; 29:5, 20; 30:5-6, 10, 14; 31:26)
• Table Manners  (23:1-3, 6-8)
• Wealth and Poverty (3:9-10; 6:1-5; 8:18-29; 10:2, 3, 4, 15, 16; 11:4, 7, 15, 24, 28; 12:9; 13:7, 8, 11, 22, 23, 25; 14:20, 21, 24, 31; 15:15, 16, 17; 16:8, 19; 17:1, 5, 18; 18:11, 23; 19:4, 7, 10, 14, 17, 22; 20:17, 21; 21:6, 17, 20; 22:2, 4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 22-23; 23:4-5; 24:3-4; 27:13, 23-27; 28:3, 6, 8, 11, 16, 20, 25, 27; 29:3, 7, 13, 14; 30:7-9)
• Women/Wife  (5:1-12; 6:2-=35; 7:1-17; 11:22; 12:4; 14:1; 18:22; 19:13, 14; 21:9, 29; 22:14; 25:24; 27:15-16; 30:18-19, 20; 31:1-9, 10-31)