HOFC Sermon Archive: Ecclesiastes Part 9: Wisdom to Endure Life II

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SERMON TIMELINE

1. Introduction & Prologue

2. The Search for Meaning I

3. The Search for Meaning II

4. Solomon’s Observations I

5. Solomon’s Observations II

6. Counsel for Better Living I

7. Counsel for Better Living II

8. Wisdom to Endure Life I

9. Wisdom to Endure Life II

Today is Sunday. December 22nd, 2024

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE - Ecclesiastes 10:1-11:8

Selected Readings; Ecclesiastes 10:1-3 “Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little simpleminded folly is weightier than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the simpleminded fool walks along the road, his heart lacks wisdom, and he says to all, that he is a simpleminded fool.”

In other words, living foolishly has more of an effect on your life than wisdom and honor. Only the impact is negative and magnified. Wlking through life using the excuse that he is simple to justify his foolishness and lack of wisdom.

The truth is, those who live foolishly are lazy and do not seek the wisdom of God’s word nor put effort into living what the Word says. So they live like fools, using the excuse that they are just simple people, when in reality, they live foolishly because they are lazy when it comes to the oracles of God.

Oh, the tunes they sing when calamity hits, and their foolish living strikes back at them. They blame everything and everyone except themselves, which is the true guilty party.

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 “{Sarcasm} Be glad, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be merry during the days of young manhood. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the sights of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. 10 So, remove resentment (vexation) from your heart and put away evil from your flesh because childhood and the prime of life are pride (vanity).”

INTRODUCTION

In Solomon’s exposition about how it is impossible apart from God to find meaning and purpose to life, through his experience and observation, he uses the wisdom God had granted him to write about everything he found so that we may learn from his mistakes and grow closer to the Lord while finding our purpose from God, which in turn brings us the meaning of life.

As mentioned before, there are things we cannot avoid in life, such as death and the governments of men. However, we can endure men’s imperfect and often wicked governments with the right kind of wisdom (the book of James tells us godly wisdom comes from the Word of God). We CAN live joyful lives despite the certainty of death if we choose to live in God’s wisdom rather than foolishness.

Today, we will examine what Solomon says about how living foolishly (or stupidly) and how that way of life will eventually betray the one choosing it.

Even those of the world know this to be true.

“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” They have websites and memes handing out Darwin Awards to those who have chosen to live foolishly.

The verses explain that those who live foolishly (stupidly) are without excuse because they have access to God’s wisdom through His word, but they are too lazy to seek it.

By the end of Ecclesiastes 11, Solomon says quite sarcastically, “Be glad, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be merry during the days of young manhood. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the sights of your eyes. (all the things Solomon warned us about in the previous chapters of Ecclesiastes about following one’s desires)Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things…”

This is a warning to all of us, who either live foolishly or selfishly in this life, that death is unavoidable and after we will face judgment.

Are you ready to be judged by God?

If no one is promised tomorrow (Proverbs 27:1; James 4:13-14), shouldn’t you be ready now?

Last Sunday I was taken to emergency from the pulpit, unable to even preach. I thank God it was just a gallbladder which had to be removed, however, none of us are promised tomorrow. Are you ready to be judged right now?

Let’s look at what the wisest man ever recorded says about living like fools.

I. THE HARM OF LIVING FOOLISHLY

a. LIVING FOOLISHLY (OR STUPIDLY) IS DEPLORABLE

i. Living foolishly stains the finest of reputations

1. Sometimes foolishness comes later in life

a. Some people age chronologically, but never mature emotionally.

b. There are millions of 60 yerar old teens running around the world, living as foolish kids in adult bodies.

2. Regardless of when one lives foolishly, it’s deplorable and destroys all the works one has done up to that point in their life, and prevents them from accomplishing anything else for the Lord.

3. (true story) A pastor with 45 years of ministry decided to leave his wife and marry his secretary. Every sermon, every work in the name of the Lord, and everything he ever did in the name of God, now tarnished by his flies which now lie in what was once sweet oil.

a. Leaving his office of overseer of the oracles of God to become a servant to the lord of flies. (2 Kings 1:2-3, 6, 16; Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22)

ii. Why does Solomon say foolishness is greater than wisdom and honor?

1. Because 45 years of wisdom and honor were flushed down the toilet with the foolish act of the pastor leaving his wife for his mistress.

iii. Folly is a treacherous guide (the heart of a fool is not in the right place)

1. All choices, words, decisions, and works, are based on a foolish foundation, and ultimately fail them

iv. Living foolishly will inevitably betray its own stupidity

1. You can only live stupidly for so long before it catches up to you and brings disaster to your life.

b. Those who live foolishly are those who;

i. Have no patience, they want what they want, and they want it now.

1. (Veruca Salt from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

ii. Those who live foolishly are not persistent, dedicated, or loyal

iii. They are, however, antagonistic, unapologetic, hostile

1. Those who live foolishly are far from the wise person of God who the Lord calls us to be, which is patient, steadfast, and a peacekeeper (Ecclesiastes 10:4)

c. FOOLISHNESS OFTEN MANIFESTS ITSELF IN GOVERNMENTS

i. Solomon observed evil in governments and authority

1. We see this every day

2. The rulers making errors in judgments

3. Foolishness and stupidity are exalted in society, and the rich are corrupted

ii. Those who labor with foolishness hurt and hinder themselves

1. Many examples are given in Ecclesiastes 10

2. People who work foolishly

a. Are a danger to themselves and others

3. While the wisdom of the wise will expedite his labors

a. “Work smarter, not harder.”

iii. The foolish seldom know how to restrain themselves

1. They lack self-control because that is a Fruit of the Spirit

2. They cannot hold their tongue (they want to say what they want to say without thought or regard for others)

iv. Foolishness and Wisdom both affect the condition of the country (Ecclesiastes 10:16-19)

v. Woe to the land whose leaders are childish and feast in the morning, their laziness resulting in broken-down buildings

1. They find any reason to celebrate and spend lavishly ignoring the needs of the country

2. The foolish leaders waste billions while the country suffers in need.

vi. Blessed is the land whose leaders feast at the proper time, whose successful rule provides for true happiness and meeting every need

1. They celebrate appropriately, spending wisely, meeting the true needs of the country and its people, not their desires, with hopes of controlling them through systems designed around rewarding the obedient.

2. Wise leaders are frugal and take care of the country and its needs first, as they should

As in chapter nine, much of what Solomon says in chapter ten pertains to how to endure the seeming-futility of living under governments often ruled by wicked men.

II. THERE IS VALUE IN COMPASSION AND GENEROSITY

a. AN EXHORTATION TO COMPASSION AND GENEROSITY

i. Ecclesiastes 11:1,2 are parallel verses encouraging kindness and hospitality.

1. It tells us to live within our means. Not extravagantly or wasteful

2. It tells us to plan for the future responsibly

3. Being diligent and frugal because you do not know what calamity may occur next. This is being wise according to scripture, not fearful of the future.

4. This is responsible living. Diligent planning, frugal living, preparing for what will inevitably come, which is, hard times.

ii. Scripture tells us the benefits of such benevolence;

1. It provides blessings for the future

2. And it provides blessings for when the days are evil (hard times)

iii. The foolish, however, live for instant gratification

1. One of the most significant problems with today’s society is the constant desire for instant gratification. They wish to satisfy the desires and wants of their flesh, their heart, their eyes, regardless of consequence.

2. They want to feast always

3. They want lavish lifestyles, expensive cars

4. They must have the newest of things

a. Is that last years model? Eww

5. Though they may have a good, steady income, they are always broke from constantly trying to satisfy the never ending desires and wants of their flesh

6. They neither save nor plan ahead

7. When their foolish living turns on them and bites them, it is then that hard times come, and they are left wanting because they have not prepared.

Imagine Noah saying, “We’ll work on the ark next week. I want to go visit friends for a while.” Or, “Don’t worry, we have plenty of time to build that ark.”

In the same way, Satan convinces people they have plenty of time to plan, prepare, get right with the Lord.

Knowing we are not promised tomorrow, and after we die, there is Judgment. Shouldn’t we prepare for our future NOW? Not just our future on earth, but for our coming Judgment?

What about Joseph in the book of Genesis?

During the seven years of feasting (plenty), he planned for future calamities, which came with seven years of famine. What would have happened to Egypt and God’s people if Joseph had not ruled wisely and planned for the coming evil days (hard times)?

As leaders, employers, and parents, we are supposed to spend responsibly and plan for hard times, including our own coming judgment.

Psalms 41:1-2; Proverbs 19:17; Luke 6:38; Luke 16:9; Galatians 6:9; 1 Timothy 6:18-19

b. FURTHER REASONS FOR BENEVOLENCE

i. Calamities, like rain and wind storms, will come.

1. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, will be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and fell against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25

2. We cannot stop the rain from falling or the storms from coming

3. But if we are WISE (hearing the Word of God AND doing it), we are founded on the ROCK, and we will be able to withstand the hard times of evil days.

4. Ecclesiastes says trees will land wherever they fall…if we spend our time just watching and not doing, we will not sow and reap (Ecclesiastes 11:3-4)

ILLUSTRATION:

There was a large tree that was going to fall on our house. Money being tight, we did not want to spend money on having it taken down. However, it would have fallen on our house if we just watched it and did nothing.

a. Do not just watch in life, but do. Live the word of God, plan, prepare, live responsibly, and you will sow and later reap.

b. Do not fear hard times, which will come, but prepare for them.

CONCLUSION –

If you live long enough, you will have to endure evil days (hard times) because they always come, and we cannot avoid them.

Often brought on by the foolish governments of men, sometimes by our own foolish life choices, and sometimes, we cannot understand the reason, but they still happen.

Solomon tells us to avoid making things worse by our own foolishness! Sow the seeds of COMPASSION AND GENEROSITY, PLAN, and PREPARE, which will help later when the days are evil.

NEXT WEEK: “Part 10: Solomon’s Advice to the Young”

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Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Ecclesiastes Part 9: Wisdom to Endure Life II

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