Providence Community Church

In the providence of God, the recurring challenge of heretical ideas infecting the understanding of the early church set the stage for outlining nonnegotiable Christian teaching.  When Paul addresses the doctrine of resurrection in this chapter, he is providing another example of gospel teaching essential to salvation provided the Corinthians, along with the church of all ages, would hold fast to...

How can we run to the name of the Lord as our strong tower? While the first 8 verses of Proverbs 18 primarily identify and refute enemies of wisdom inspiring towers of Babel, verses 9-18 direct us toward the true source of refuge established according to the character and renown of the Lord.  When counsel gleaned from the written Word of God is consistently applied, we ground our lives on the foun...

Taking verse 10 as an organizing analogy for Proverbs 18, this chapter presents a ‘tale of two towers’ in wisdom literature terms.  Will the foundation and framework of our lives be built on the attributes of God, or upon the shifting sands of foolishness? The answer hinges on the object of our soul’s attention.  Is it the character and renown, that is the NAME, of the Lord that we build our lives...

The Psalms, as summarized by the closing song in each of the first 4 book divisions in the Psalter, present Messiah Prayers in two senses.  First: they serve as prayers of petition for the Messiah to come. Secondly, they function as prayers of intercession for the Messiah to pray on behalf of His people.  The great high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 corresponds to the prayer requests of the...

Acts 7 records a Gospel sermon proclaimed to Paul before he was born again.  Paul, approving of Stephen’s execution, would have been aware of this testimony. Sometime later, Paul is brought to repentance and faith by the sovereign grace of God & now we read his own Gospel sermon preached to the church in Corinth in I Corinthians 15.
     I Cor 15:1-3 provides an outline for the remainder of th...

What is our relationship to the body of Christ, the Church? How are we to love one another? What is the greatest way to serve Christ?

According to Proverbs 25:4 “Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel”. According to Proverbs 17:3 “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts.”  Taking these references together we can extend and apply the analogy of precious metal refining to the sanctification process of our hearts and lives. Analyzing Proverbs 17 with t...

Prov. 25:4-5 expounds & applies the analogy of pure metals vs. dross. Another example in Proverbs utilizing similar picture language to Prov. 17:3. When the heart is tested by the refining fires of life, the process is designed to remove some elements and refine others.  When the heat is turned up, the difference between precious metals and dross or impurities becomes increasingly apparent.  T...

Working through history's greatest hymnal one Psalm at a time, we may not realize or remember the bigger picture of how the collection is organized. Mirroring the Books of Moses, the psalter is also a 'Pentateuch'. The psalms are arranged in five books beginning with songs 1 through 41, followed by book two: 42-72, book three: 73-89, book four: 90-106, and finally book five: 107-150. Each final so...

In the 14th & 15th chapters of his epistle to Corinth, Paul outlines aims of Gospel ministry for the church age.  When the unbeliever witnesses the testimony of the Christian community, how should our message resonate?  As the Holy Spirit is pleased to activate it, the content and presentation of our gospel message should inspire repentance and faith in the hearts of our pagan neighbors and ex...

Verse three of our chapter presents a conceptual context for the virtues promoted in Biblical wisdom literature, including the immediate blessings and character traits endorsed by Solomon in Proverbs 17.  Testing, tempering, & purifying are in view here as uses for heat in processing precious metals.  This analogy serves well to illustrate the design and redemptive purpose of life’s trials, di...

Under the working theme of ‘the finishing school of kings’ we’ve considered Proverbs 16 in four sections. The first nine verses expounded the concept of agency under the royal preeminence of God as the font of all legitimate authority.  These verses reveal the relationship between human moral agency and God’s sovereignty.  The second section (verses 10-16) speaks to the royal ideal.  Here we are i...

John chapter 20 records a series of resurrection revelations.  John & Peter realized Jesus was risen only upon touring the empty tomb and witnessing the carefully folded grave clothes of our Lord (3-8). Next, Mary Magdalene remains distraught despite witnessing the empty tomb and angels until Jesus Himself speaks to her from the garden (11-18).  Jesus then visits a meeting of disciples cowerin...

In consideration of our text this week, I recalled a sermon series I preached years ago which traced the prominence and location of the Ark of the Covenant as it related to the spiritual condition of the nation of Israel… the plight of the Ark as the touchstone of divine habitation & favor corresponded with the heart condition of the people. As spiritual reforms progressed under the rule of Da...

Our passage today is all about self-discipline. In light of the last section of Proverbs 16 specifically addressed to kings, one might be inclined to ask if these verses are directed toward civil rulers as well? And if so, how do they apply to those wielding authority?  Astute philosophers through the ages have recognized the importance of self-government as a precondition of responsibility.  In a...

The more authority someone wields, the more fear of the Lord is required to rule responsibly.  ‘Fear of the Lord’ defined in context of chapter 16: ‘Taking God as seriously as His sovereignty demands’.  Each of the five references to the king in verses 10-15 imply the ideal, that is the perfect example of dominion.  You could place the word ‘perfect’ or ‘ideal’ before each mention of ‘king’ in thi...

We have reached the penultimate song in the world’s greatest hymnal! The theme of worship and its central importance to the livelihood of the people is expounded.  Worship is a matter of identity, unity, and national security. Last I checked ‘The high praises of God” had not made the list of strategic resources that we believe are in our country’s vital interest. This is a tragic oversight. When t...

After addressing the occasion of public worship, expounding references from the greater context of scripture, and laying out practical guidelines, the apostle summarizes his house keeping instructions for the Corinthian church in one sentence at the close of this chapter:" "... All things should be done decently and in order." (40). The standards for decency and order according to the calling of t...

Proverbs 16 reads like a finishing school exam for civil rulers. The author's calling and experience provide the background context occasioning this passage. Nevertheless while Solomon's office as king of Israel explains the instrumental cause of blessing in the land, the chapter itself proclaims the sovereignty of God as the formal cause. Applications of this chapter extend to us as Solomon is ci...

Working with the “melodic line” theme of the fear of the Lord, and our summary definition of the same: “taking Him as seriously, as His glory demands“… we with our exposition of proverbs 15. Our passage today reads like the wisdom literature version of Jesus words in (Mat 6:33) “…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
   Limiting our outlin...

Today’s title denotes the structure of Psalm 148. In clarity and symmetry, our author addresses two realms in which the praises of the Lord are to resound: the heavens and the earth. Each call to worship is followed by reasons for praise.... One of my study Bibles takes the occasion of certain prominent passages in scripture to expound a point of systematic theology.  Psalm 148 was the text chosen...

Paul writes this chapter to the church in Corinth for the purpose of Spiritual “housekeeping”.  He equips the reader to steward the house of God in directing the ministry in Corinth to best serve the mutual upbuilding of the people of God. The benefits of prophecy listed in verse 3 serve to summarize the priorities of Christian worship and assembly with reference to fellow congregants. These order...

Proverbs 15 provides applications for those who fear the Lord. We’ve considered more sophisticated definitions of the fear of God in past messages. Today I’m proposing a simple summary considering the context of Proverbs 15. To fear the Lord is: to take Him as seriously as His gory demands. Those who seek to live appropriately in His universal presence will heed Solomon’s admonitions.  It stands t...

Our title today comprises two categories: 1st) The character of God & 2nd) Our posture in light of His glory. Because God sees all, because His presence is universal, we ought to fear him. This is a theme resurfacing throughout Proverbs chapter 15 like the base line melody of a movie score. Note verses 3 & 11 expounding the nature of God while verses 16 & 33 exhort us to respond accord...