Sermon Tone Analysis

In 1982, "ABC Evening News" reported on an unusual work of modern art; a chair affixed to a shotgun.

It was to be viewed by sitting in the chair and looking directly into the gun-barrel.

The gun was loaded and set on a timer to fire at an undetermined moment within the next hundred years.

The amazing thing was that people waited in lines to sit and stare into the shell's path!

They all knew the gun could go off at point-blank range at any moment, but they were gambling that the fatal blast wouldn't happen during THEIR minute in the chair.

Yes, it was foolhardy, yet many people who wouldn't dream of sitting in that chair live a lifetime gambling that they can get away with sin.

Foolishly they ignore the risk until the inevitable self-destruction.

And here it is again… self-destruction.

It is amazing just how self-destructive we are in society today.

The list goes on… drugs, alcohol abuse, perversions, neglect, irresponsibility, emotivism, sensuality, and foolishness.

Yes foolishness abounds, it’s not that hard to miss.

So many in our culture who do not yield to the wisdom of the Lord.

They do not have the fear of God in their hearts.

Foolishness abounds.

Where there is no respect and no heeding to the very Words of Christ.

Foolishness abounds.

Why is it so prevalent?

Is there anything we can do about it?

Solomon wants to show us.

Ecclesiastes 10:

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.

Misfortune of Folly

Fortune of Wisdom

The Solid Rock

The first thing we will look at today is the continued example of folly and how it will continue to bring self-destruction.

Next, we will consider wisdom principles given by the preacher to show us how life can be better with wisdom.

Finally, we will see the ultimate example of wisdom and folly with the Words of our Lord Jesus the Solid rock.

Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world cause us to be lead by the folly of this world to the point of self-destruction, it is the wisdom and words of Christ that will make us wise unto salvation by the power of the Spirit the solid rock by which we stand.

I. Misfortune of Folly

- Folly can be self-destructive.

A. Is the the point of verses 8 and 9 simply to be careful?

The world is a dangerous place and if we are wise we will be careful in life.

We will watch out for danger.

B. We could look at it this way… Here an innocent person is simply engaged in his occupation, and he is accidentally injured.

This is the first of four illustrations of people who are simply doing their jobs and who fall prey to the dangers that are inherent in their occupations.

Their injuries are simply accidental.

They are not punishments for bad behavior, and they are not mentioned so that the wise person can avoid them; they are unavoidable accidents.

Here an innocent person is simply engaged in his occupation, and he is accidentally injured.

This is the first of four illustrations of people who are simply doing their jobs and who fall prey to the dangers that are inherent in their occupations.

Their injuries are simply accidental.

They are not punishments for bad behavior, and they are not mentioned so that the wise person can avoid them; they are unavoidable accidents.

C. For sure this interpretation is true to life.

Ditch diggers do not always fall into the holes they dig.

Nor do stonecutters always get injured by falling rocks.

But sometimes they do, and this fits in well with what Ecclesiastes says elsewhere about life’s many misfortunes.

But when it comes biblical interpretation and hermeneutics context is everything.

Ryken, P. G. (2010).

Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp.

237–238).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

D. The safety interpretation does not fit in quite as well with the immediate context.

You see the end of chapter 9 and most of chapter 10 are about wisdom and folly, and this may be true here as well.

For instance, Pit-digging can be an act of evil violence.

Yes we see examples of this in the Bible.

On occasion the psalmist complained that someone had “dug a pit” to capture him and kill him.

Pslam 35:7

E. So if we see it this way, the foolish (and probably evil) man fell into his own pit!

This was not an accident of misfortune but an act of justice, we could and maybe should presume divine justice.

David talked about a similar incident in...

It does not fit in quite as well with the immediate context, however.

The end of chapter 9 and most of chapter 10 are about wisdom and folly, and this may be true here as well.

Pit-digging can be an act of treacherous violence, and there are examples of this in the Bible.

On occasion the psalmist complained that someone had “dug a pit” to capture him and kill him (e.g., ).

Ryken, P. G. (2010).

Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.

238).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2010).

Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.

238).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

F. Something similar happens to the man who knocks down a wall, heedless of danger, breaking a boundary that was never meant to be broken.

Folly can be deadly.

In the words of Charles Bridges, “Evil shall fall upon the heads of its own authors.”

This is the misfortune of folly.

G.

For every act of foolishness, there is an equal and opposite self-destruction.

Lets think about it… the addict seeks the calm of the drug or the thrill of the hit but ends up wasting away.

Ultimately making things worse than it was before.

The selfish husband or wife wants to have things his or her own way but in trying to get it ruins the relationship and loses everything.

Ultimately making things worse than it was before.

The angry father or mother wants more control, but angry emotions set everyone on edge, which only leads to more chaos, more anger, and ultimately less control.

Ultimately making things worse than it was before.

These are some of the pitfalls of folly.

Dig the pit, and you will fall in.

Break down the wall, and the snake of sin will come back to bite you.

This is the misfortune of folly.

For every folly, there is an equal and opposite self-destruction.

The addict seeks the calm of the drink or the thrill of the hit but ends up wasting away.

The lusty sinner wants sexual pleasure but by gratifying desire outside the holy bonds of matrimony ends up spiritually unsatisfied.

The selfish husband or wife wants to have things his or her own way but in trying to get it ruins the relationship and loses everything.

The angry father or mother wants more control, but angry emotions set everyone on edge, which only leads to more chaos, more anger, and ultimately less control.

These are some of the pitfalls of folly.

Dig the pit, and you will fall in.

Break down the wall, and the snake of sin will come back to bite you.

H. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2015, a British Airways jet caught fire at the Las Vegas airport, sending smoke billowing into the air, after suffering what the pilot described as a "catastrophic failure" of the left engine.

The plane—a Boeing 777 heading from the U.S. city's McCarran airport to London Gatwick—could be seen with flames around its fuselage.

Ryken, P. G. (2010).

Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p.

238).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

The pictures of a burning jetliner in Las Vegas were certainly riveting.

But as the plane burst into smoke and flames, some observers saw something even more startling: People stopped during their evacuation to grab their luggage.

Authorities are certainly concerned about planes that burst into flames, but they're also worried that we'd risk our lives to grab our carry-on bags.