Sermon Tone Analysis
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Emotion Tone
Anger
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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In the late eighties and early nineties, there were several hundred studies about happiness published each year; by 2014, there were over 10,000 per year.
It was an exciting shift for psychology, one that the public immediately responded to.
Major media outlets clamored to cover the new research.
Soon, entrepreneurs began monetizing it, founding start-ups and programming apps to help ordinary people implement the field's findings.
They were followed by a deluge of celebrities, personal coaches, and motivational speakers, all eager to share the gospel of happiness.
According to Psychology Today, in 2000, the number of books published about happiness was a modest fifty.
In 2008, that number had skyrocketed to 4,000.
Of course, people have always been interested in the pursuit of happiness, but all that attention has made an impact: since the mid-2000s, the interest in happiness, as measured by Google searches, has tripled.
"The shortcut to anything you want in your life," writes author Rhonda Byrne in her bestselling 2006 book The Secret, "is to BE and FEEL happy now!"
And yet, there is a major problem with the happiness frenzy: it has failed to deliver on its promise.
Though the happiness industry continues to grow, as a society, we're more miserable than ever.
Indeed, social scientists have uncovered a sad irony—chasing happiness actually makes people unhappy.
Isn’t it Ironic?
The ironies in life continues to baffle the minds of even the most extraordinary thinkers.
For many it is a continued enigma that brings continued frustration.
Many throw in the towel.
Thats the way it goes thats the name of the game giving up my life to the God of cocaine.
For many the ironies in life cause us to become angry at God. Sure some ironies we can’t control, but many of them we can.
What do you mean Shane?
We call them ironies, but the Bible calls it foolishness.
Irony should neither surprise us nor concern us… Solomon showed us how to deal with it all, so many years ago.
Lets take a look.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.
Upside down Folly
Foolish Authority
Upside down Gospel
The first thing we will look at today is the upside down nature of folly and the dramatic picture is paints.
Lastly, we will see the upside down nature of the Gospel and the dramatic picture it paints in our redemption.
Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world sees foolishness in leadership causing and upside down effect in society, it is the upside down nature of the Gospel that will bring to us life and life more abundant.
I. Upside Down Folly
- How are we to deal with foolish anger of those in authority?
A. Last time we saw the Preacher encouraging us to avoid folly in our lives, but now he gives advice on how to deal with folly in the lives of others.
(married people don’t elbow your spouses).
B. Fact: There are so many foolish people around.
Again defined as those who do not fear God and are motivated to live for themselves.
Fact:
sooner or later we will be frustrated by their folly.
Some of us live with fools,(married people stop elbowing your spouse) and their foolish behavior messes up life of our home.
Some of us work with fools.
We have to endure their laziness.
We have to endure their selfish demands.
We have to endure their impulsive erratic decision-making and all it does is make life in the workplace miserable.
There are so many foolish people around—so many people who do not fear God but live for themselves instead—that sooner or later we will be frustrated by their folly.
Some of us live with fools, and their foolish behavior disrupts the life of our home.
Some of us work with fools, and their laziness or their selfish demands or their erratic decision-making make the workplace miserable.
C. To top it all off… I hate to say it, but there are fools even in our government.
Many of us could relate to one of Mark Twain’s frequently-quoted humorous assertions: “Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member of Congress.”
Many of us could relate to one of Mark Twain’s frequently-quoted humorous assertions: “Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member of Congress.
Ryken, P. G. (2010).
Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.
234).
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010).
Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp.
234–235).
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
D. The gravity of this illustration is emense when we see it in the context of verse 1.
E. All it takes is a little bit to mess it all up.
- Martin Luther writes, “just as dead flies ruin the best of ointments, so it happens to the best of counsel in the state, in the senate, or in war; along comes some wicked rascal and ruins everything.”
Martin Luther, “just as dead flies ruin the best of ointments, so it happens to the best of counsel in the state, in the senate, or in war; along comes some wicked rascal and ruins everything.”
F. As much as it pains me to say it, there are fools in our government.
Many who do not fear God.
As foolish as they are, they somehow/someway manage to get put into positions of political leadership.
Some are completely incompetent topped off with no fear of God making things even worse.
Others use their position for personal advantage which is a clear indication of no fear of God.
They are more interested in status than service which oozes with the lack of the fear of God.
As a result, by the time their foolishness is revealed, it is too late and the damage has been done.
Ryken, P. G. (2010).
Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.
235).
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Unfortunately, there are many foolish people in government.
As foolish as they are, they nonetheless manage to work their way into positions of political leadership.
Some are completely incompetent.
Others use their position for personal advantage.
They are more interested in status than service.
By the time their folly is exposed, it is too late—the damage has been done.
Afterward people wonder how they ever managed to get put in charge.
G.
When the wrong people get into power, everything gets turned upside down.
This is not a good thing.
This is not viable situation.
Look at verse 5… The Preacher says that these errors in leadership produce evil in society.
And all it takes is a little bit.
Just a little bit godless incompetence to mess it all up.
Ryken, P. G. (2010).
Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.
235).
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
H. How does it mess things up?
What it does is it turn the world upside down.
1.
People of worth sit in low places.
Some of your translations say the rich, but in this context it should be understood as people of proven worth.
When folly is on the throne you can expect all the people of proven worth and ability to sit in the low places.
Ryken, P. G. (2010).
Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.
235).
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
I. Van Leeuwen commented on this, “it is an instance of the world upside down, a pattern of inversion or chaos that is found throughout the world from ancient times to the present.”
J.
So you see…if folly is ruling and reigning then wisdom and sober logic will not work.
It turns the world upside down.
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