Ecc Outline Week 10

Outline 1

Intro/Welcome

Pray

Who is the wise person?

gain and limits of wisdom

Wisdom when under authority:

Obey the King’s Command (Implicit then is perhaps the desire to disobey the kings command)

b/c you took an oath before God or b/c of God’s oath to the King

because who can say to the King ‘what are you doing’

Don’t be in a hurry/don’t be rash to leave the kings presence.

Don’t participate in rebellion

Be discerning for there is a time for everything

Wisdom In Authority

Realize who has the Authority (God) (Ecc 8:8ab)

Realize you can’t abandon your post (Ecc 8:8c)

Realize the power of sin (Ecc 8:8d)

Realize the reality of Final Judgment (Ecc 8:12)

Conclusion

In light of perplexities of injustice and the limits of wisdom — enjoy life

Realize the source of Joy is the salvation of God (8:12b)

It will go well — it will be good/beautiful — for those who fear God

Outline 2:

How to not get fired

how to not fired by your boss

how not to lose employees/team members/kids

Gospel

Solomon can’t figure it out — something greater than Solomon was needed

he was right there

we can’t understand God’s ways

it’s hevel for the righteous to get what the wicked derserve and vice versa

but it’s the core of the gospel.

And it is a stumbling block for Jews b/c of the law

and it’s foolishness to the gentiles/ the intellectuals of our age

That is exactly true just as much today as in every age of man.

But here’s the gospel

the one rightesous, only righeous got what the wicked deserve

and the wicked got what the righteous desrvered

So enjoy life in light of this

if no God — this life is as good as it gets

closest to heaven

if there is God, then this life is as bad as it gets

closest to hell

If you believe, this joy will accompany you

and it will be infectious

So if you haven’t believed in the righteousness of Christ for you, do so today

If you have, then live in light of this and enjoy your days.

What does this look like?

What are you living for — today? or the eternal day

Trusting that God will right every wrong

tursting that God is with you.

HOW??

In Authority and under authority we live in light of God’s Ultimate Authority

Outline 3

Intro/Welcome

How to not get fired

Recap — 2nd half of Ecc

Pray

Who is like the Wise man?

Benefits of Wisdom // Limits of Wisdom

Wisdom under authority

obey the king

don’t show your displeasure

don’t rush out / don’t linger (remain too long)

Don’t join in rebellion

Why? — Who can say to him ‘what are you doing’

Why? — b/c he can do whatever he wants.

But — know the right time and way to bring it to him

Wisdom in Authority

Know who is in ultimate authority

Know the power of sin/wickedness

Know the effect of wickedness — it harms both sides

Hevel for those in Authority and under

the dead are praised by those whom were oppressed — hevel

wickedness prevails b/c of delayed justice — hevel

BUT wait

justice will come — for those in authority and those under

It will go well for the god-fearer, the reverent

It will not go well for the prideful and irreverent

So — don’t fret over the hevel of W/R

rather enjoy life — trusting in God’s Judgement

You can’t figure it out

But how?

The Cross — the w/r great exchange

living in light of the cross — allows us to be under authority

allows us to be in authority

b/c we are under the ultimate authority.

Application

Fear God — remember who is in Charge

Love God — who saved you

Enjoy life

Outline 4

Intro/Welcome

how to not get fired

Pray

Who is the wise person?

Wisdom under authority

Wisdom in Authority

Addressing the Hevel

It is better to fear God — yet I can’t understand

so enjoy life, acknowledge your limits.

But there is a better way

Jesus the rightesous and wicked

So then truly enjoy life and faith

this is infectious.

Hope in Judgement

And right on cue he reminds us to to worry so much over the ‘injustices’ in this life for God will judge in the end.

MLK — Justice delayed in justice denied

John 5:28–29 (CSB)

28 Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Matthew 13:47–50 (CSB)

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish, 48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous, 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

1 Cor 1:17-2:6

1 Corinthians 1:17–31 (CSB)

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent.

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish?

21 For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached.

22 For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom,

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.

24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God,

25 because God’s foolishness (The Cross) is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness (The Cross) is stronger than human strength.

26 Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.

27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one may boast in his presence.

30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption 31 —in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 2:4–5 (CSB)

4 My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,

5 so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.

Ecc 12:13-14

again we have to see the final conclusion of the book

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 (CSB)

13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this:

fear God and keep his commands (the King of the Universe), because this is for all humanity.

14 For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing (thought, motive), whether good or evil.

This is good news for those under authority

and sobering for those in authority

Yet, here is the problem.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 (CSB)

20 There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins.

And those

Ecclesiastes 8:8 (CSB)

...and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape.

If that’s true then what do we do?

Where is our hope?

Do we just hope that our good deeds out weigh our evil deeds as Islam and other religions teach?

Do we just bank on the hope that there is no afterlife and therefore no judgment that we simply cease to exist?