Proverbs 14:4 / Sermon Prep

Preparation

Pray

God, give us wisdom from your word this week. Let it be delivered and received with power. Give us the conviction and energy to live it out. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Just Meditate

Questions for the passage / first illumination

How common were oxen?

What were oxen used for?

We want an active manger, not a showroom.

Some want abundant crops with a spotless manger. Unfortunately, to feed your family, a mess must be made.

The positives of an ox, come with the negatives of messiness. But the results of an ox, crops, far outweigh the results of no ox, starving.

The farmer may have to clean up the mess of a hards day work. But they reap from the strength of the ox. A strength beyond their own.

Mood/Emotion of the Passage

Practical, enlightening

Word-studies

none for now

Cross References / Passages that illustrate

“Peace, Peace” when there is no peace

Commentary

Context / Overview

Oxen are calmer than bulls because of lower testosterone

Versus

14

“If the strength of the ox is the means for plowing the ground to produce abundant crops, then keeping oxen in a stable is a necessary part of the overall labor, even though it involves the unpleasant work of cleaning the stable. An empty stable may be clean (thus not requiring any unpleasant work), but it won’t produce any abundance.” - esv study

“Sometimes the benefits of an investment outweigh the costs and inconveniences involved.” David K. Stabnow, “Proverbs,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 972.

“The mess an ox brings is worth it.” - Guzik

“This proverb is not a plea for slovenliness, physical or moral, but for the readiness to accept upheaval, and a mess to clear up, as the price of growth.” - Kidner

Application

Relational application (love your neighbor)

Thinking application (mind)

‌For our work, the work of harvest, we want oxen, not bulls. (Oxen are calmer because they have lower t than bulls). We need crops, not chaos.

Oxen must be given direction, otherwise their strength is wasted.

The farmer cant take credit for the strength of the ox or the fullness of the harvest.

Feeling application (heart, soul)

Horses are good for travel. Bulls are good for breeding. But for crops, we need the steadiness and strength of an ox. The church isn’t a show for prize horses. The church isn’t sport for angry bulls. The church is a crop producing farm for laboring oxen.

Action application (strength)

‌Prayer prompts

It’s time to plow - new families, community partnerships, ICA, your ministry

It’s time to get messy - candor, confession, rebuke, collaboration, calling wanderers to return

Possible crops - real unity, families become rooted in the love of Christ, sinners reconciled to God

Illustration

Verbal Illustrations

‌We are called to be an actual home, not a model home.

Parkway VB church plant testimony

“Someday, I’ll golf when I like” poem.

Horses are good for travel. Bulls are good for breeding. But for crops, we need the steadiness and strength of an ox. The church isn’t a show for prize horses. The church isn’t sport for angry bulls. The church is a crop producing farm for laboring oxen.

Visual Illustrations

Audience

pains/problems

Some would rather have a clean stable than a full pantry.

Some are rebuke avoindant

Some claim “peace, peace” when there is no peace

Some don’t want to work

Some may not want a harvest

passions/purposes

Many want a harvest

Many want the strength of an ox

Questions/arguments they may have for the text

How is this relevant?

Pre outline

Main Ideas of the text

Your manger will remain clean and tidy if no oxen live inside. But if you want abundant crops, you’ll need the oxen’s strength. A messy barn is a small price to pay for a full harvest.

So what?

If we are willing to work, and even get messy, we may see an abundant season of crops.

What would this look like lived out?

Hard work, honest conversations, embracing temporary inconvenience for a long-term reward

Title ideas

What does an ox have to do with Ironbridge?

The Ox and the Stable

Crop or Comfort

Strong Oxen and Dirty Stables

Potential Outlines

We can have a clean barn or a full pantry. But we can’t have both. Someday, I’ll golf when I like. Verse. Explanation. Church Application. Personal application. Parkway illustration. Prayer prompts.