Can you find a single Bible verse telling you whether to take the new job, whom to marry, or whether to go to a party where the drinks will flow freely? This sermon from the wisdom literature series listens in on a father’s conversation with his son in Proverbs 3 and shows why the Bible is not a manual with a ready answer for every situation. Wisdom turns out to be full of paradox: to gain it, you must first admit you lack it and hand control over to God. Listen if you are facing a decision today that has no easy answer.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Proverbs 3:1-8 the father tells his son to bind love and faithfulness around his neck and write them on the tablet of his heart. What does this image mean, given that for the Jews the heart was the center of thinking?
- How do you understand the call in verses 5-7 to trust the Lord, not lean on your own understanding, and fear the Lord? According to the sermon, what does "fearing the Lord" mean in everyday decisions?
- The sermon says the Bible is not a self-help manual with a verse for every situation, yet we need its wisdom in every situation. How do you hold these two truths together?
- Which scenario from the sermon (deciding whether to marry, a new job requiring a move, a birthday party with alcohol) feels closest to you, and what questions shaped by the biblical picture of life should you ask in it?
- Jesus was full of grace and truth. Which do you lean toward more, grace alone or truth alone, and how does that show in your relationships with people outside the church?
- The speaker compares wisdom to jazz: improvising requires mastering the standards. What one concrete step will you take this week to know God's Word better and give God control over a decision you are facing?
