Wise Living

Ecclesiastes: The Search For Meaning  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  37:57
0 ratings
· 9 views
Files
Notes
Transcript

10:8-20

Living wisely is something that All Followers of Jesus should strive to do.
Why?
B/c Living a wise life is emulating Jesus’ life.
He walked in wisdom b/c he is the creator of wisdom.
So as we follow after him we should also be walking in wisdom.
Growing in the understanding of how life works best when we submit to him and follow in his footsteps.
This morning we are going to continue to work through Ecc. 10.
B/c this chapter mimics proverbs the organization is a disjointed.
But I’ll give an attempt to describe how we are going to walk through it
Solomon here is providing information on how to live life.
How to live wisely.
The first two verses we are going to look at (v.8-9) are hotly debated when it comes to understanding them, so I will take some time to explain the different view points surrounding them.
V. 10-11, are about preparation and how a wise person sets himself up for success.
12-15 extends the down fall of the fool, by looking at the use of his words.
16-17, 20, are about leaders/rulers and how they have an impact on the world around them.
This was covered somewhat last week, but we will look at it a little more this week.
v.18-19 speak against laziness.
Though this sermon might get a little confusing, just remember what Solomon wants us to see and understand.
Wisdom is better than folly.
Foolishness leads to difficulties and destruction.
Wisdom has one source and that source comes from the creator of the universe.
Let’s pray.
Ecclesiastes 10:8–9 CSB
8 The one who digs a pit may fall into it, and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. 9 The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them; the one who splits logs may be endangered by them.

Things Happen

I alluded to earlier that these verses are viewed differently by scholars.
There are two main views.
The first view argues that these things are happening to someone who has set an evil plot against another.
And God is judging the wicked person who set the evil trap or did the evil deed.
The one who dug the pit intends for it to be used against another, but falls into it himself.
There is someone bitten by a snake b/c they where trying to break into your house.
Basically bad things are happening to bad people.
B/c God has turned the fortune of the wicked against them.
The other way to view this passage is through the eyes of accidents.
These are simply things that have happened to people.
Not as divine judgment, but simply b/c in the world we live in, stuff happens.
And there’s a tension here, b/c both things can be true.
Divine judgment dolled out on the fool who sets the trap.
Or some actions have unintended and accidental consequences.
Both seem to be viable interpretations for the text before us.
I’m not going to tell you which interpretation you must lean into.
And each day of the week that I was studying this passage, I flip-flopped, but here’s where I am today.
Today I believe that Solomon is trying to communicate that the fool is receiving his divine just reward for his actions.
And that God is telling us that accidents happen.
Both v. 8 and 9 are true.
I can’t divorce v.8 from the verses around it.
And in all the other verses Solomon is talking about foolish living having negative consequences.
And each action we take has consequences in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
We have seen that foolish living and choices can have deadly consequences.
Digging a pit to capture or hurt someone is a mean and wicked thing.
So it seems that God has stepped in and prevented harm to the righteous person and allowed the wicked to fall into his own trap.
The one breaking into someone’s house gets his divine judgement in the form of a snake bite.
Now I want you to see that these aren’t truisms.
They aren’t certain that the retribution is going to happen, only that the possibility of them happening is there.
Solomon is careful with his words.
Ecc 10:8 “8 The one who digs a pit may fall into it, and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.”
These things might happen or they may not happen.
The fool may get what they are trying to give, but they may not as well.
But the safer and wiser way to live is to keep to yourself and not try to harm someone.
Now, v.9 throws in some harsh reality into the mix.
Ecc 10.9 “9 The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them; the one who splits logs may be endangered by them.”
Sometimes things happen to us and they are simply accidents.
Accidents happen all over the place.
As much as OSHA would like to provide safety in every work environment, safety is not guaranteed.
Everyday life is full of risks to our health.
Risks to our lives.
But much like the justice being served to the foolish man, these things aren’t certainty. They may happen.
Any where and everywhere this may happen.
Going to work could cause you harm.
Going to the store could cause you harm.
Being at home could cause you harm.
But are we supposed to be so consumed by the things that may happen that we stop living our lives?
No, we trust that God’s got us.
Our hope isn’t in a risk-less life, our hope is in the God we serve.
Things happen, but those things that happen aren’t outside of God’s sovereignty.
At the same time, we need to make sure that we are living wisely and not putting ourselves in unnecessarily risky situations.
There’s a balancing act that happens when we are living wise Godly lives.
We trust the Lord and we use the brains he has given us to assess situations and circumstances so that we aren’t being dumb in the decisions that we make.
Part of making good and wise decisions is being prepared.
Ecclesiastes 10:10–11 CSB
10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge, then one must exert more strength; however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success. 11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no advantage for the charmer.

Be Prepared

Here Solomon is helping us see that preparation is a wise and Godly activity.
I’m sure most of us have heard the adage, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Or at least you make the work harder to complete at the end.
That’s what we see here when Solomon uses the proverbs of a dull ax and a charmed Snake.
Here’s the thing he wants us to see.
If we don’t do the work before hand, the work is going to be harder in the long run.
Sharpening an ax takes time and attention, but if you don’t sharpen the ax you are spending more time on the backside of your project.
But this is the way that foolish people live.
They don’t take the time to marinate in wisdom so they make foolish work of their lives.
They don’t take the time to do what needs to be done before the work is started.
It takes more time and energy to begin the project if you plan properly, but it works out better in the long run.
This is true not just in our life and projects we hope to do, but also in our spiritual lives.
We have to take the time to be discipled.
We have to put in the work to read, study, and understand God’s word.
If we don’t what happens is we come to a point in our lives, or an issue in the culture and we don’t know how to respond wisely.
We don’t know how to respond with God’s direction.
And if we’re honest the place most of us usually slack is in the preparation of our spiritual lives.
We try to set ourselves up for success in our lives.
We set up retirement funds.
We make sure that we are spending our money right and well.
We make sure that we have life insurance that will take care of our family when we die.
We make space for these types of plans, but when it comes to the most important aspect of our life.
Our walk with Jesus, we become lax and figure that it will all work itself out.
That’s foolish thinking.
We can’t just hope that our spiritual life will be healthier.
that we will someway, somehow, become more holy.
Or accidently become wiser.
No, we have to put in the work.
We have to put in the time and energy BEFORE something earth shattering happens.
You cannot bare the fruit of wisdom if you haven’t planted the seed of God’s word in your heart.
I’ll be honest with you.
Some of the things in the Scripture are difficult for us to understand.
They are hard and we wrestle with them.
They aren’t as clear on issues that we would like them to be clearer on.
But we can’t just say that b/c the work is hard that it isn’t worth doing.
B/c if you don’t invest in understanding now, then you will potentially be led astray later.
The wise thing to do here and now, is to listen to the wisdom in the Scriptures.
Listening to the wisdom in God’s word, will give you the wisdom to live out the life God has designed for you.
I want you to look at something just real quick
Luke 2:52 CSB
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.
Jesus increased in wisdom.
Meaning that when he donned on human flesh he had to do some work as a young man to grown in wisdom.
And If Jesus had to grow in wisdom.
If God in the flesh grew in wisdom.
How do you think that you can just skate by on your own?
How can we think that we can just make it up on the fly?
Here’s a hard truth that we need to really sink our teeth into.
Here’s a scenario I want us to think about real quick.
You’re faced with the difficult dilemma at work, school, or at home.
It doesn’t matter what it is, I want to keep it broad for further application.
But there’s a hard choice you have to make.
What’s one of the things that many modern Christians will do today.
They’ll go to God in prayer. They’ll ask for his guidance.
They’ll ask for his input on the decision that has to be made.
And that’s amazing we want to align ourselves with God’s plan and purpose for our lives.
But the problem arises when we don’t tap into the wisdom that he’s already provided for us.
When we don’t know where the word of God stands.
When we don’t know what Jesus said or taught about life.
We can deceive ourselves into thinking that what we feel is what God wants us to do, say, or think.
We can be self deceptive if we haven’t done the work to know what God has actually said.
What God actually expects.
How God would by his character approach the situation.
If we don’t know or have the wisdom that God has already provided for us in his Word, we can’t know or hear his voice correctly when we are asking for direction in our life.
God has given us freedom in him to live the life he has created for us.
And we have to stay tapped into him by doing the work to live holy lives.
How are you going to know his voice, if you’ve never listened to his words.
How are you going to live wisely if you haven’t put any effort into following Jesus.
If you are asking for his direction, but you don’t know his voice b/c you haven’t prepared to hear him then you can be deceived.
Paul tells us 2 Cor 11:14 “...Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
Meaning that he says and does things that look and feel right to us.
But he couldn’t be further from the truth.
One of the drums I beat consistently and constantly from the pulpit and in conversations is that we need to be disciples.
And discipleship takes work.
It takes preparation.
And as we become discipled we are to make disciples.
This is the birth plan for the church.
People are taught the truth of God.
They learn all that Jesus commanded.
They are then sent out to make more disciples.
And all of this takes preparation.
Being discipled takes being intentional in our relationships with other Christians.
Being a disciple maker, means being prepared to teach and train our friends, neighbors, and family members.
None of these things just happen.
We have to be intentional in our preparation, so that when God presents us with an opportunity we can do the work he’s set before us.
You have a level of responsibility when it comes to your own discipleship.
It’s your responsibility to sharpen your mind.
To learn and grow in the wisdom of God.
To use what you’ve learned to live redemptively in the spaces you move.
Being a follower of Jesus is not a passive lifestyle.
It’s active.
You have to be on the move, learning, growing, and conforming your mind to the mind of Jesus.
To have the fruit of discipleship you need to put in the work of discipleship. You can't expect the fruit if you don't put in the work.
Meaning that you have to prepare to grow in the knowledge of Christ.
You have to make every effort to go so that when you're confronted with the problems of the world when you are confronted with the shifting of society when you're confronted with the crushing of culture you can stand firm on what you have already learned.
If you aren't prepared through the power of the Holy Spirit and through the knowledge of God's word then you will be shifted by the sands of the world.
The world is constantly shifting around us.
Cultural norms that are against the Word of God are being shoved down our throats.
Now there is a balance here, we can’t expect the world to uphold or be conformed to God’s Standards.
We can’t expect those outside of Christ to want to look like Jesus, but here’s the thing, Christians are being deceived b/c they haven’t been discipled.
And it’s not though the desire of pastors wanting to disciple people.
There are churches and pastors everywhere across our country that are wanting and desiring people to want to dive deeper into God’s word.
These pastors want their congregations to have a desire to Know God and to believe what he says.
There are Wednesday night Bible Studies, Sunday school classes, small groups.
There’s a plethora of teaching online.
There are no shortage of teaching and training tools available for the believer.
But unfortunately, very few people take part in these opportunities.
I know that every situation is different.
And I don’t want to make a blanket statement about the state of our congregations in America.
But I do find it funny, that we will make an effort for all types of activities.
Sports, Galas, dances, extra-curricular activities.
You name it and many will create the space for them, but very few will take the time to create space for discipleship.
Very few will take time to put in the work when it comes to our spiritual well being.
And I don’t want to assign negative reasons for this, but I do want to ask you.
What part of your life or your child’s life is more important than preparing for the World by having a deeper more meaningful relationship with God.
We have so many “important” things in our lives.
Things that we don’t want to miss out on.
Things we don’t want our kids to miss out on.
Things that are fun, exciting, and really (I say this with all the love and respect I can) make no real difference in our lives.
They are all chasing after the wind.
They are all experiences that when we die aren’t going to amount to a hill of beans.
Now look, I’m not saying that we need to stop doing those things.
I’m not saying take your child out of all sports.
I’m not saying that you need to come to every discipleship opportunity that the church provides.
I’m not saying that we need to all become monks and abstain from any pleasures that this world has to offer.
What I am saying, is that preparing yourself spiritually is more important than any of those things.
What I am saying is that you and I both need to make a more concerted effort to live our lives in a way that prepares us for the world and it’s continuing animosity toward Jesus.
What I am saying is that the MOST important thing you can do is prepare yourself spiritually for the reality of the world around us.
We need to have our foundation built on something solid.
In Matthew 7:24-29, Jesus talks about this in one of his parables
Matthew 7:24–29 CSB
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
Jesus is revealing the difference between a wise and foolish builder in this parabel.
The man who built his house on the shifting sand is the man who has no foundation.
He didn’t prepare for the world around him changing.
He didn’t prepare for the problems he would face.
This is like the christian who doesn’t get discipled.
He doesn’t grown in his faith and when life gets rough, when the pressures of the world surround, he gives in.
His house collapses.
B/c he was foolish in what he cared about.
But the man who built his house on the solid rock but he had to build the house and he had to build the house on wisdom.
His foundation was sure.
His foundation was solid.
His foundation was built on the Word of God.
He was able to navigate and survive the storms of life b/c he was anchored in truth.
This is the Follower of Jesus that seeks out discipleship.
That wants a deeper more meaningful relationship with Jesus and other believers.
He is wise an knows that the world around him is always shifting.
Always changing.
But he wants to be built on truth.
So he prepares.
He learns, he grows, he persists.
Why is this so important?
Why do I constantly beat this drum of discipleship.
About growing in your faith and understanding?
B/c if you aren’t being and active disciple of Jesus you are being actively discipled by something or someone else.
We have to prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for the things we are going to face in this world.
Or the world will prepare us for what it wants to feed us.
And not only do we need to prepare ourselves, but we need to prepare our children.
For those of us who have younger children.
Who are still in grade school through high school.
It is our job as parents to prepare them for the world that they are stepping into.
That means setting them up with a Biblical Worldview.
Preparing them to look at the world through the lenses of Scripture.
Preparing them to engage in conversations with those who view the world differently.
This means that we can’t be passive in the discipleship of our children.
B/c they are influenced by the culture, peers, and teachers.
And if they aren’t discipled or taught how to look at the world through the lenses of Scripture then their house is built on shifting sand.
As much as your kids attend youth, children, and other church programming that is no substitute for you teaching, training, and equipping your child to enter the world built on and anchored in Scripture.
And the only way that you can prepare your kids well, is if you are prepared well.
If you aren’t equipped.
If you haven’t done the work, then you are going to feel ill-equipped to train your children.
So prepare yourself.
Get to work.
Not just for your sake, but for the sake of your kids, grandkids, friends, and family.
Okay, Now how do we grow spiritually?
How do we prepare ourselves for growing in our love and knowledge of Jesus?
One way, is attending church. That’s an awesome start.
There’s been a survey floating around that is a little discouraging, and I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before.
But w/i the last several years there has been a shift in church attendance.
Since the dawn of the church, most people have gone to gather with God’s people at least 1 time every week.
But in the last 20 years or so, that trend has been decreasing.
Where people see themselves as regular church attenders if they visit 2 times a month.
The math ain’t mathing.
The truth is coming to church is an important part of discipliship.
It’s an important part of growing in Christ, b/c we gather together and worship God together.
Attending worship together is something that should happen more often then not.
Not just for you, but for the people around you.
If you aren’t here, you are missed.
Another way is to read and study the scriptures.
Here are two ways this is done well.
You read and study them alone.
Using resources that are abundant to help make sense of what you read.
Books, podcasts, commentaries, etc.
This is a great practice.
The other way is to read and study the scriptures with other believers.
Attend a bible study.
Learn and grow with others.
If I’m honest, this is the best way.
Being with other believers and learning together is life giving.
Prepare by being in prayer.
Pray consistently and constantly, which is much easier when you are in his word consistently.
There are a number of ways to be discipled well, these are just a few.
I would suggest getting the book, “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life” by Donald Whitney for further study on how grow in love, devotion, and discipleship.
---
I love how Solomon ends verse 10
Ecc. 10:10 “10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge, then one must exert more strength; however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.”
If we want to have successful lives we must use the wisdom that God Gives us.
God has gifted us with a way to see and know his wisdom.
He has done this through the scriptures.
And there are too many “Christians” who are content with standing aside and only opening their bibles on Sunday Mornings.
The only time they commune with God is for one hour a week.
This is not a wise use of the gifts that God has given us.
I’ve said it before, you will never accidently get more holy.
You will never accidently move toward growing in you faith.
You will never drift towards godliness.
As followers of Jesus you must make an effort to become more like Jesus.
By denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following him.
Those are all actions on your behalf.
If you want to follow Jesus, you must die to yourself.
And that takes work.
That means that you prepare for the future now.
That means that you push forward today.
Living wisely takes practice and preparation.
When it comes to the snake charmer, what I want you to see is that even experts fail if they don’t apply their skill.
Those who aren’t diligent and prepared will fail if they don’t work wisely.
There’s no way that in any aspect of your life that you will succeed if you don’t do the work that he has given you to succeed.
And it all begins with giving your life to Jesus.
Before living a wise life you must first submit your life to the source of all wisdom.
To the fountain of wisdom.
You must recognize Jesus’ lordship over the earth and over your life.
And in order to do that, you must first acknowledge that you are a sinner.
That you have rebelled against God and his design.
That you are his enemy, but you want to be his child.
Here’s the simple formula for salvation.
Romans 10:9–13 CSB
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Calling on the name of the Lord is submitting to him.
Aligning your life with his.
Dying to self and following after him.
This isn’t easy believism.
This isn’t say a prayer and be saved.
This is take up your cross and follow him.
So be prepared to know that following Jesus comes with the daily choice to lay aside your desire, your will, your plans and follow him where ever he leads.
Following Jesus isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.
He’s calling out to you
will you answer him?
Let’s pray.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more