Good news for losers

Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:7

Story

Story of me on the 4th grade basketball team

Application

Life doesn't always go the way we think it should

The motivation of winning

The hope of winning causes to press forward and give our all

We are taught growing up that if we play by the rules and give our all we can be a winner

The illusion of control

As we grow up we realize that wasn't true

This can lead to despair or depression

It can be an opportunity to grow wise

We can't all be winners, but we can all be wise

We can influence our life, but never control it

There are situations completely out of our control

We can be blindsided

We always have a choice

We can choose folly

We don’t need more information

We don’t need more insight

We don’t need more facts, trivia or data

We just need to do what we already know is right (James 1:22)

We can choose wisdom

More information available now than ever

Sift through the noise and find wisdom

Act on it quickly

Most of our life’s problems we already know how to fix we just choose not to

The fool

A little folly corrupts the entire life

A small act or behavior can mess up our whole. Life

Fools are often easy to spot

We can pray and work with fools, but we shouldn't marry them, go into business with them, or in anyway tie our fate with theirs

The difference between sins and mistakes

Sins are morally evil

Mistakes come with our humanity

Mistakes can still cause us as much of a problem and frustrations as our sin

Often it’s better to keep quiet and fix problems than to try and apologize

Wisdom?

Wisdom is not

Intellect

Success

Education

Knowledge

Wisdom is

Starts with scripture

The head

The heart

The hands

Requires humility

The Holy Spirit(Ephesians 1:17)

Jesus exemplifies(Isaiah 11:2-3)

Conclusion:

Story of my first sermon

Questions

How motivated are you by winning?

Are you as zealous for wisdom as you are for winning?

What is your honest gut response to hearing you can’t control your future?

What wisdom has God given you already that you simply need to act upon?

Can you think of a foolish decision you’ve made that messed up your life?

How is your personal relationship with the Holy Spirit?

What are some practical things you can do to seek wisdom for your life?