Sermon Tone Analysis

Quick Eye Examination.

I am seeing more and more, as we go though Ecclesiastes, how this is an all is vanity kind of world.

So much of life under the sun is meaningless.

But is there a way to live in this all is vanity kind of world?

We know and will continue to see that this life does not and will not work without Christ.

But how should we then live?

Do we just quit living or is there a better way?

We live in accordance to the Word of God plain and simple.

But again…are we?

We are constantly seeing comparisons of the right way and wrong way to live from the philosophies, ideologies, and the brilliant ingenuity of man.

It never ceases to amaze me as to how much worldly principles have penetrated our lives and we don’t even know it.

Maybe we don’t really have a complete biblical world view.

One of the ways to flip the light switch on this is the proverbs.

We are gonna look at more today.

Ecclesiastes 7:5-12

Heaven and Earth will pass away, but The Word of God will never pass away.

Wisdom’s Corrective Lenses

Wisdom’s Far Sightedness

Wisdom is 20/20

The Power and Wisdom of God

The first thing we will explore is the corrective lenses of wisdom and how it leads us away from foolishness.

Second, we will analyze the far sighted long term nature of wisdom.

Third, we will see the value of wisdom’s 20/20 clarity.

And finally, we will rejoice in the the power and wisdom of God which is Christ our Lord.

Thesis: Though deception and the pattern of this world cause our worldview to become distorted and blurry with sin’s astigmatism, it is the Holy Spirit and wisdom’s corrective lenses that will help us to see the way the truth and the life found only in the power and wisdom of God which is Christ our Lord.

I. Wisdom’s Corrective Lenses

receive correction from people who are wiser than we are.

- To receive correction from people who are wiser than we are.

A. Solomon continues with the “better than” juxtapositions or comparisons.

We saw that it was better to have integrity than have precious perfumes and we saw that funerals are better than parties.

Sorrow is better than laughter.

and thinking about death is better than thinking about having a good time.

Now its time for a slight change.

receive correction from people who are wiser than we are.

Ryken, P. G. (2010).

Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.

155).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ecclesiastes

B. Man we live in a world where we don’t like criticism no matter how constructive it may or may not be.

One place we clearly see this is social media, especially twitter.

Just can’t take it.

C. But Solomon is giving us a nugget of wisdom here.

The point of these verses is that wisdom’s rebuke or correction is better than folly’s laughter.

One of the best ways to learn how to live well in life under the sun is to receive correction from people who are wiser than we are.

But that does seem to go against our culture today.

People would rather hear the the praise of fools…more literally in the Hebrew is the song of fools.

D. The picture here is vivid.

It could suggest the foolish things people say or, better yet, sing when they had to much booze to drink.

Or it could be more the songs of the irreverent or the ungodly lyrics about violence, sex, and every kind of Idolatry.

It is better to receive the criticism from wisdom, than the praise of the foolishness of the world.

The point of these verses, simply stated, is that wisdom’s rebuke is better than folly’s laughter.

One of the best ways to learn how to live well in this vain world is to receive correction from people who are wiser than we are.

E. It is amazing to me how many of us would rather have the praise of the foolish world than wisdoms rebuke.

When I was in the christian band and we ran into other bands on tour, it as amazing how much compromises would be made to be accepted from the secular music world.

Ryken, P. G. (2010).

Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.

155).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

F. Let me tell you why you do not want to desire the laughter of fools.

Whenever we encounter a metaphor like this, we need to look for the point of comparison.

How is foolish laughter like an open fire fueled by branches from a thorn bush?

First of all, they both sound somewhat similar.

How do you mean.

One commentator writes, “The noise made by the crackling of a fire is like the cackling of fools.”

G.

Moreover, a fire made of small thorns is very short-lived.

Sure an bush of thorns will fire up very quickly (another point of comparison—the fool is ready to laugh at anything), it will not keep burning for long, the way a fire does when it is fueled by logs or burning coals.

As a result, a thorny burning does not give off very much heat—Martin Luther writes, “more flame than fire.”

Whenever we encounter a metaphor like this, we need to look for the point of comparison.

In what way is foolish laughter like an open fire fueled by branches from a thorn bush?

To begin with, they sound somewhat similar.

The noise made by the crackling of a fire is like the cackling of fools.

More importantly perhaps, a fire made of thorns is very short-lived.

Although it will flame up very quickly (another point of comparison—the fool is ready to laugh at anything), it will not keep burning for long, the way a fire does when it is fueled by logs or burning coals.

As a result, a thorny burning does not give off very much heat—“more flame than fire.”

Ryken, P. G. (2010).

Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.

155).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

H.

So why do we long for the praise of the world or the laughter of fools?

So it is with fools and the way of the world that we find in scripture.

Sure, it has all the frivolity.

Sure laughter may come easily to the fool, but oh does it die out quickly.

Sure, he who laughs the loudest will not necessarily laugh the longest.

So it is with foolish people.

Their laughter does not have very much warmth.

It has all the frivolity without the jollity.

Although laughter may come easily to the fool, it dies out quickly.

He who laughs the loudest will not necessarily laugh the longest.

Indeed, Jesus said, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep” ().

Our Savior was thinking of the fires of the final judgment, when foolish laughter will perish forever.

Oh but our Lord dealt with this...

- Our Savior was thinking of the fires of the final judgment, when foolish laughter will perish forever.

Better to seek correction and rebuke from wisdom than to receive praise from fools which will in the end perish forever.

I.

It is better to listen to someone who cares enough to confront will tell us to get serious about life and death.

It is better to listen to the constructive criticism of a godly friend which could mean life or death.

Someone who cares enough to confront will tell us to get serious about life and death.

Listening to the constructive criticism of a godly friend can save our soul.

Wise people will say all of the things that Ecclesiastes says.

They will tell us that living for pleasure and working for selfish gain are striving after wind.